A Husband's Greed
The filial son, Tang Hwi, had been using his clone to eavesdrop on the secret transaction between Namgung Bu-ryun and the bandit, and he was utterly flabbergasted. 'What is he doing? Is he actually trying to act like a righteous sect member?' It was true that Tang Hwi had caught wind of a portion of the tribute money being funneled into the elders' slush funds. Because of those elders, he had assumed Namgung Bu-ryun would snap up the deal in a heartbeat. He had wondered why the man was playing hard to get, but only for a moment. Once Namgung Bu-ryun returned to the clan estate, he didn't even report the existence of such a deal to the elders. Seeing this, Tang Hwi finally understood how the situation was unfolding. 'Is this bastard completely out of his mind? He was hesitating because he wanted to pocket the whole thing for himself?'
Normally, a portion of the tribute had to be paid out to the elders. Despite this, he had made no report. This meant that since the Mudok Chae bandits would be leaving Sichuan soon anyway, he intended to swallow the final payment entirely on his own. Namgung Bu-ryun's sheer audacity almost shook Tang Hwi's composure. To think a man who had married into one of the Five Great Noble Clans as a mere chueseo could behave so shamelessly. If it were Tang Hwi, he would have rationally concluded to stop, long before any pangs of conscience could even strike.
There was a reason Namgung Bu-ryun had been pushed aside by his older brother and eliminated from the succession battle for the position of Young Patriarch. Even if his martial arts were superior, with such a hot temper and bottomless greed, the Grand Patriarch of the Namgung Clan must have found him utterly hopeless. Keeping him around was like harboring a parasite eating away at the family from the inside; how could anyone trust him with important matters? While Tang Hwi couldn't help but marvel at Namgung Bu-ryun's shamelessness, the situation was still moving exactly as anticipated, so he proceeded with his plan.
"I have received word that the Green Forest King has ordered all Green Forest Bandits to withdraw from Sichuan," Tang Suryeon announced. "However, as the Patriarch of the Tang Clan, I cannot simply let the Mudok Chae depart in peace after they have plagued the guests visiting our Yibin City. I intend to set a date and wipe them out completely."
"..."
Namgung Bu-ryun's face twisted as if he had just swallowed a toad. Though Tang Suryeon picked up on her husband's sour mood, she pretended not to notice for the sake of the plan and pressed on.
"What do the elders think of this?"
The elders exchanged glances and shrugged. Although they had been receiving a cut of the tribute from the Mudok Chae, they knew all too well that with the Green Forest King's intervention, those payments would soon dry up. Since ancient times, a hunting dog that can no longer hunt is destined for the cooking pot.
"I agree. I believe we should proceed according to the Patriarch's wishes."
"How can a prestigious clan like ours ignore such trash running rampant in Sichuan? Let us mobilize the Eunwon Pavilion immediately!"
This was the direct consequence of Namgung Bu-ryun trying to pocket the final tribute all by himself. As the elders raised their hands one by one to voice their agreement, he couldn't possibly tell them the truth. If he did, they would find out he had tried to gorge himself on the final payment like a greedy pig!
'Fucking hell! Talk about rotten luck. I could fall backward and still break my nose.' Leaving Namgung Bu-ryun to swallow his rage, convinced the entire world was conspiring against him, Tang Suryeon continued the meeting.
"Patriarch, when do you plan to launch the subjugation?"
"It will take place in one week. To ensure none of them escape, we will request assistance from nearby martial arts academies and escort agencies to establish an inescapable dragnet before we strike."
At the mention of involving outsiders rather than relying solely on the Sichuan Tang Clan, the elders and the four pavilion lords looked surprised. After all, both favors and grudges had to be repaid by the Tang Clan's own hands for it to carry meaning. Furthermore, doing this might give the other Five Great Noble Clans or the Nine Great Sects and One Gang the impression that the Tang Clan lacked the strength to completely eradicate a mere bandit fort on their own.
"Patriarch. Surely our clan alone is more than enough to handle a single mountain fort?"
"Lord of the Amsugak," Tang Suryeon countered. "If you can guarantee that you will hunt down and kill every single member of the Mudok Chae in those mountains without letting a single soul escape, I will accept your suggestion."
"...My apologies."
Hunting down every last bandit in the dense mountains was practically equivalent to going to Xinjiang and playing hide-and-seek with the zealots of the Heavenly Demon Cult without getting caught. Thus, everyone could grasp, at least vaguely, just how serious Tang Suryeon was about this subjugation.
Meanwhile, upon hearing that the subjugation would take place in a week, Namgung Bu-ryun's mind began to spin furiously. 'One week? I recently invited the daughters of the Cheongeuk Merchant Group and the Haerim Escort Agency. They will arrive in three days... That means I must wrap things up and pressure those bastards to hand over the tribute within the remaining four days.'
While the finer details of the subjugation plan were being mapped out, Namgung Bu-ryun continued to calculate his moves. 'Those bandits won't lose their minds over this sudden subjugation announcement and blab to the elders, will they? If they do... that would be incredibly annoying.' And all the while, Tang Hwi quietly observed him.
Tang Hwi's Butterfly Flight Bee Needle Sword unfolded with exquisite fluidity. It was as if he had already achieved grand mastery; he had not only comprehended the underlying martial principles but was actively weaving them into his swordplay. Although understanding martial principles and executing them in actual combat were two entirely different realms, Tang Hwi wielded the sword taught by Tang Suryeon without the slightest hitch.
With slashes that fluttered gently like a butterfly, he parried his opponent's attacks, and with thrusts as swift and concise as a bee's sting, he targeted their vital acupoints. Seeing Tang Hwi unleash the very sword technique she had forged—imbued with the ruthless, venomous intent befitting a member of a clan renowned for poisons and hidden weapons—Tang Suryeon felt a bittersweet mixture of pride and melancholy.
On one hand, she was pleased by his absolute trust, a confidence that she, the Patriarch, would not be harmed. On the other hand, she felt a pang of regret that her son didn't seem to worry about his mother at all. 'There is nothing more for me to correct. Hwi's swordplay is already close to perfection. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it a heavenly seamless robe.'
In terms of pure swordsmanship skill, there was barely any difference between Tang Hwi and Tang Suryeon herself. Her victory was merely a product of the vast, heavy chasm of time that separated the Master Realm from the Transcendental Realm. Even now, it was the same.
*Swish.* With a supple flick of his wrist, he drew a soft, flawless circle reminiscent of the Wudang Sect's Taiji, effortlessly deflecting her blade. 'Wait, hold on. That actually looks like the Wudang Sect's Taiji...?'
Of course, when Tang Suryeon created her own signature martial art, she had traveled the Jianghu, observing various sword styles and forging them into her own. Thus, the Butterfly Flight Bee Needle Sword did incorporate elements of Wudang's Taiji and the thrusts of the Diancang Sect. However, those were merely 'references' used to construct her style, not techniques she had perfectly mastered and integrated in their original forms.
Tang Hwi's wrist and waist suddenly stiffened as he transitioned from the fluttering, butterfly-like trajectory of his circular defense. In an instant, he assumed a pristine stance and unleashed a thrust packed with a solid, mountain-like weight.
As the tip of his sword shot forward, piercing the air between them, Tang Suryeon circulated her internal energy to its absolute limit, executing a movement that transcended physical boundaries. With a powerful slash, the seemingly perfect thrust was ruthlessly shattered and deflected.
As if he had anticipated this outcome, Tang Hwi swiftly recovered his stance. This meant he possessed flawless control over his force distribution, utilizing the very recoil of the deflection to realign his posture. 'Is this the Moyong Clan's Shift of Stars?'
Martial arts that redirected an opponent's force were notoriously difficult to master, yet they were surprisingly common in the Jianghu. After all, the Wudang Sect's *Grafting a Plum Tree onto a Peach Tree*, the Heavenly Demon Cult's Great Shift of Heaven and Earth, and the Moyong Clan's *Shift of Stars* shared the same fundamental roots. However, each faction had its own distinct flavor: Wudang's technique focused on deflecting attacks, the Heavenly Demon Cult's Great Shift of Heaven and Earth focused on returning the attack exactly as it came, and the Moyong Clan's *Shift of Stars* focused on absorbing the opponent's force to stabilize one's own posture and maintain a continuous chain of offense.
Once such techniques reached their absolute zenith, it wouldn't be strange to execute them in any manner. But where could Tang Hwi have possibly learned such profound martial principles? Thus, it was only natural for her to assume it was the Moyong Clan's *Shift of Stars*.
A devastating strike followed by a lightning-fast recovery. A seamless chain of attacks with virtually zero delay. Moreover, with every strike Tang Hwi unleashed, the weight transferred to her parrying blade grew increasingly heavy. "Your attacks are growing fiercer," she noted. "The power increases with every strike."
"A real man has to be good at thrusting, after all."
It was a completely unexpected piece of sexual harassment.
"?"
For a split second, Tang Suryeon froze, her brain failing to process what Tang Hwi had just said to her.
"An opening!"
Tang Hwi lunged forward, shouting as if he had been waiting for this exact moment. Yet, even with her conscious mind momentarily stalled, Tang Suryeon's instincts reacted on autopilot. She instinctively adjusted her posture to deflect the thrust aimed at her opening, but—'A palm strike?! A hand strike instead of the sword?!'
Perhaps anticipating that a simple thrust wouldn't be enough to breach her defenses, Tang Hwi had let go of his sword. He threw a curveball by transitioning into a basic palm strike, turning Tang Suryeon's minor opening into a glaring vulnerability. Of course, he didn't channel any internal energy into the strike, completely pulling his strength before making contact.
Nevertheless... *squish.*
"..."
"..."
Because he had prioritized speed above all else, his unretracted palm ended up planted squarely on Tang Suryeon's breast. Tang Suryeon glared at Tang Hwi with a cold, unimpressed look, as if she was certain he had done it on purpose. In truth, she wasn't wrong.
"Hwi. Remove your hand."
"Yes, Mother."
Sensing the faint stirrings of disgust in Tang Suryeon's eyes, Tang Hwi pulled his hand back with supernatural speed. His ultimate goal was to coax her across the forbidden line of incest, not to plant the seeds of resentment.
With their sparring session concluded, Tang Suryeon sheathed her beloved sword and delivered her assessment. "At this rate, it is safe to say you have achieved grand mastery of the Butterfly Flight Bee Needle Sword. In terms of pure swordsmanship, you have already surpassed your mother."
"That's not true. How could I ever surpass you, Mother?"
"There are few parents who do not rejoice when their child outshines them. So, Hwi, accept your mother's praise with pride. One day, you will truly surpass me."
Tang Suryeon sincerely believed her son would become the future strongest under heaven. While the Butterfly Flight Bee Needle Sword might be slightly inferior to the ultimate techniques of other prestigious clans, she took pride in the fact that it could at least hold its own. Yet Tang Hwi, having learned the exact same style, had already surpassed her in sheer skill. She couldn't help but wonder how powerful he would become once he eventually reached the Transcendental Realm. Tang Suryeon looked forward to her son's growth with immense anticipation.
"More importantly, Hwi. It has already been two days since the meeting. When should we execute the next phase of the plan?"
"It will be 'soon', Mother."
Tang Hwi offered a wry smile. "Once we share the plan that you will launch a solo raid to wipe out the Mudok Chae right before they receive the tribute, Father will undoubtedly rush to their fort. Even after the meeting, he hasn't stopped contacting them."
"...Yes. I see. It really is 'soon'."
The two of them repeated the word 'soon' as they discussed their pre-arranged plan. 'Mother. I will treat you very well.' Tang Suryeon had no idea that their definitions of 'soon' differed entirely. To her, 'soon' meant the end of her marriage to Namgung Bu-ryun. But to Tang Hwi, 'soon' meant the moment he would finally seduce Tang Suryeon was fast approaching.