The Whispered Offer and the Path Through the Forest
Yijia Daisha hesitated for a moment before spreading open the letter. Tang Myung smiled faintly upon seeing it. Tang Myung's smile left Hyun-chim with a stern expression. "What's so amusing?" "The sect in Yunnan seems quite unfamiliar with the Central Plains." "What do you mean by that?" "No sect under heaven would open a letter from the Tang Family so easily." "What?" Tang Myung shook his head while watching Hyun-chim look confused. It was not easy to load poison into a letter like this. One had to prepare thoroughly and open it carefully so that the poison would not spray out the moment it was spread. Then Tang Myung looked at Yijia Daisha. Yijia Daisa was staring at the letter with an unusually stiff face. "The bond between Fengxiao and me has been severed. My servants will come to retrieve it." Yijia Daisha read the short content with a grim expression before turning his gaze to Tang Myung. "Tang Saju." "Do you have anything else to say?" "I will grant convenience to the Heavenly Grant Forest from the main house. There will be no conditions attached to this." "Master Joo!" Hyun-chim was startled, and Yijia Daisha fixed him with cold eyes. "Just one more thing... just one more thing." Hyun-chim fell silent at Yijia Daisha's icy voice, clasped his hands in salute, and withdrew. Tang Myung spoke of Yijia Daisha's posture. "I will read the letter as well." Yijia Daisha handed over the letter, and after Tang Myung read its contents, he thought for a moment before speaking. "Grandmother's letter has been opened. I do not know who Fengxiao is, but the bond between her and Grandmother has been severed... The servants of the Heavenly Grant Forest will come." "Tang Saju, no, Tang Gaju." Yijia Daisha hurriedly called Tang Myung and hurriedly sorted out his thoughts before speaking. "If the Tang Family establishes a base in the Heavenly Grant Forest, we will need support from the main house. Think beyond the immediate issue." At Yijia Daisha's words, Tang Mi-ryeong sent a telepathic message. [Yijia Daisha's words are not entirely wrong. To grow the power of the main family, external support will be necessary.] Tang Myung looked at Yijia Daisha for a moment after hearing Tang Mi-ryeong's telepathic message before speaking. "I will ask Grandmother." Tang Myung stepped back one pace, and Yijia Daisha gave a deliberately kind smile. "We will send the provisions starting with what can be gathered in the current Serangban-nab. We will buy more from outside and send them again. Labor and carpenters will be recruited as much as possible. And... I will convey to the Abbot Fengxiao that he always remembers the owner of the Heavenly Grant Forest." "Understood." At Tang Myung's reply, Yijia Daisha exhaled a sigh of relief and spoke softly. "Then, would you like to see the main house while the provisions are being prepared?" At Yijia Daisha's words, Tang Myung looked at him and spoke. "Before that... I want to settle the accounts." "Accounts?" "I want an apology for ignoring the main house. The main house will not tolerate humiliation even if it dies." "Ap... apology..." Yijia Daisha's face stiffened slightly. But only for a moment, and Yijia Daisha burst into a hearty laugh. "Hahaha! That is right. The previous matter was our rudeness. We should not have spoken to the Tang Family of heaven that way. Moreover, the Tang Family is so magnificent, hahaha! I apologize once more." Yijia Daisha laughed as if nothing bad had happened and offered an apology. This was the only way to save face. If he did not apologize out of pride, the Gang Qi Materialization servants of the Heavenly Grant Forest would come. Then the Great Menglong Temple would suffer great losses. [There is a greedy heart inside.] Tang Myung nodded at Tang Mi-ryeong's telepathic message. [I do not want to value such insincere apologies, but... the main house has the necessary forces now, so I will overlook it.] In his previous life, Tang Myung had confronted the Tang Family even more fiercely to prove its strength. But he also knew the flaw in that approach. At that time, the Wulin Alliance became enemies of the Tang Family, and only the Zhuge Clan had sided with them. When ignored, the Tang Family faced the crisis of having its assets seized, so they had fought fiercely. But things were different now. The Heavenly Grant Forest provided safety under the protection of Tang Mi-mi. It was time to strengthen the family rather than create enemies. "Thank you for the apology." "Hahaha! If anything is wrong, apologizing is only natural. Namu Amitabul." Despite his inner chanting, Yijia Daisha laughed boisterously on the surface. "I will introduce the main house." Yijia Daisha led the way, and Tang Myung walked alongside him through the grounds of the Great Menglong Temple. The Great Menglong Temple, a famous monastery paired with Tianlong Temple in Yunnan, had many noteworthy aspects. *** At the entrance of the Heavenly Grant Forest, dozens of carriages stood lined up with Tang Myung's group. Several dozen men carrying baggage on their backs were also present around the carriages. These men were laborers hired from the Great Menglong Temple, chosen to send reinforcements urgently to the Heavenly Grant Forest. The Heavenly Grant Forest was still a fearful region near by. Rumors of demons appearing were circulating. Thinking back, if they had headed south directly toward Serangban-nab, finding the Heavenly Grant Forest would have been easier. But Tang Myung and Tang Hong had taken the wrong direction, only traversing areas without any rumors of the Heavenly Grant Forest, making it difficult to locate. In any case, the legend of the Heavenly Grant Forest was still passed down in Serangban-nab, making it hard to gather laborers. That is why they had sent the laborers working at the Great Menglong Temple first. "This is the Heavenly Grant Forest..." "I never imagined I would come here since I was born." "But is it really okay? Demons live here..." "They say if you make a mistake as a child, the demons of the Heavenly Grant Forest will capture you..." "But the Great Menglong Temple monks came with us to protect us..." "Even if the demons of the Heavenly Grant Forest are terrifying, the Buddha's power of the Great Menglong Temple's great monks... nothing will happen." "Yes, there should be no incidents." Tang Myung watched the laborers looking at the entrance of the Heavenly Grant Forest with uneasy eyes and the Great Menglong Temple monks. The Great Menglong Temple had sent monks to the Heavenly Grant Forest because the laborers were afraid. Of course, this was just a reason. The real purpose was to learn what kind of person the owner of the Heavenly Grant Forest was and how many servants she had. Tang Myung looked at the laborers who were frightened and the Great Menglong Temple monks who had come with him. "Will you enter with us?" "Without us, the laborers will be too afraid to enter." Ilwon Daesa, with a sturdy build, was a disciple of Yijia Daisha. He smiled kindly as he looked at the Heavenly Grant Forest. "However, the forest is so dense that I am not sure the carriages can pass through." At Ilwon Daesa's words, Tang Myung looked at the forest and nodded. "Indeed. It seems we will have to clear a path to continue transporting provisions." "But how far is it?" "If you use light-body techniques, it is a little over one si-jin. It will take about two days with the carriages." "Then... it is not a distance that the carriages cannot travel at all? How many days will it take for people to carry it on their backs?" Ilwon Daesa looked at the forest helplessly and spoke. "If we call more monks from the main house, the time will be greatly reduced. What will you do?" Using the Great Menglong Temple monks as mere porters, Ilwon Daesa was prepared to show that much sincerity. Mistake could lead to the destruction of the sect. "For now, I will ask Grandmother." Tang Myung walked into the forest. Tang Myung entered the forest and raised his internal force. "Grandmother, we have brought the provisions-laden carriages, but entry is difficult." At Tang Myung's loud sonorous shout, Ilwon Daesa looked at him with puzzlement. 'Is this person really thinking that shouting here will make people hear it at a distance that takes a day?' Ilwon Daesa looked puzzled at Tang Myung and the dense forest. A Great Menglong Temple monk approached. "Saju, shall we unload the baggage from the carriages?" "Wait a moment." At Ilwon Daesa's words, as people waited, a woman with white hair and white brows appeared at the edge of the forest. It was Tang Mi-mi. Tang Mi-mi with her white hair and white brows quietly revealed herself and looked at the people. Ilwon Daesa felt strange upon seeing Tang Mi-mi's appearance. "Who is that person?" When Ilwon Daesa looked at Tang Mi-mi, Tang Myung bowed with fists clasped. "Grandmother has returned." At Tang Myung's words, astonishment appeared on Ilwon Daesa's face. 'The young woman is the owner of the Heavenly Grant Forest?' The person who had been the target of fear as the owner of the Heavenly Grant Forest for many years... was too young a woman. Ilwon Daesa, in shock, wondered if this was real or fake, or if they had been deceived, when Tang Mi-mi looked at Cheokgyeolsu. At Tang Mi-mi's gaze, Cheokgyeolsu prostrated himself flat before her. Seeing him bowing his head repeatedly, Ilwon Daesa finally realized that Tang Mi-mi was indeed the owner of the Heavenly Grant Forest. If Cheokgyeolsu, a Gang Qi Materialization expert, was not crazy, he would not prostrate himself before such a young woman. 'Crazy... could it be the realm of Rejuvenation?' Without the legend of Rejuvenation, which was only passed down in the Wulin, there was no other explanation. "This guy has revealed himself..." Tang Mi-mi looked at Ilwon Daesa. "You attacked the Gaju?" At Tang Mi-mi's words, Ilwon Daesa hurriedly clasped his hands and bowed his head. "There was a momentary misunderstanding, but it has been resolved." "Resolved?" Tang Mi-mi looked at Tang Myung. "There was a momentary misunderstanding. The detailed story will be told inside." At Tang Myung's reply, Tang Mi-mi looked at him for a moment. Then, after a moment, she sighed, clasped her fists, and bowed her head. "If the Gaju has chosen, I will follow." At Tang Mi-mi's words, surprise appeared on Ilwon Daesa's face. 'A Rejuvenation expert... following Tang Myung's orders?' Even a legendary expert of the transcendent realm spoken of only in the Wulin would be surprised to show respect to Tang Myung as Gaju. As Ilwon Daesa looked at Tang Myung with astonished eyes, Tang Mi-mi looked at Ilwon Daesa. "You will have to follow the main family's requirements well." "Namu Amitabul." At Ilwon Daesa's salute with clasped hands, Tang Mi-mi looked at him, then at the carriages. "I did not expect the carriages to enter. If I had thought in advance, I would have cleared the path..." "So, Grandmother will have to work a little." "Clearing the path is nothing special, but it will take some time." Then Tang Mi-mi looked at the forest, thought about something, and waved her hand. Sashak! Sashak! At Tang Mi-mi's hand movements, large trees were instantly cut down and began to fall on both sides. Tang Mi-mi, who had cut the trees, looked at Tang Myung. "Although uneven, the carriages can be moved. Follow me." "Yes." Tang Myung replied and looked at Ilwon Daesa. "Let's start." At Tang Myung's words, Ilwon Daesa stared blankly at Tang Mi-mi. Tang Mi-mi was slowly walking while moving her hands. Each time, giant trees were cut down and collapsed left and right. 'Is that... a human's martial arts? No, how is that?' I myself could topple a few big trees. But... right now, with such light hand waves, they could not be toppled like that. Moreover... Tang Mi-mi was already toppling dozens of trees. 'If I become an enemy of that person... the main house will be exterminated in a day, no, a si-jin.' Ilwon Daesa muttered inwardly and looked at the monks who had come with him. The monks were all staring with mouths wide open at the path through the Heavenly Grant Forest that Tang Mi-mi was cutting through. [Hyeon-do, you immediately return to the main house and convey exactly what you saw to Abbot Joo.] [......] Watching Hyeon-do, who did not answer in surprise, Ilwon Daesa lightly stomped his foot. "Kyuuk!" At the surprised Hyeon-do, Ilwon Daesa sent another telepathic message, and he nodded and hurriedly flew toward the Great Menglong Temple with full power. Whoosh! Tang Myung glanced at Hyeon-do using light-body techniques to run. Tang Myung looked at Ilwon Daesa. "Then let's enter." "Understood." Ilwon Daesa turned his head to give instructions to the laborers. And Ilwon Daesa sighed. The laborers were already lying on the ground, repeatedly bowing. To the eyes of the common people, Tang Mi-mi's appearance was that of a heavenly being. Moreover, the Heavenly Grant Forest was a place full of demon legends... they were frightened and amazed, and thus bowing. Ilwon Daesa, watching the bowing laborers, glanced at Tang Mi-mi. Tang Mi-mi was casually toppling giant trees as if taking a leisurely walk. 'Namu Amitabul. She is not human...' Ilwon Daesa muttered inwardly and opened his mouth. "Move the carriages." After repeating the words several times to the laborers who were distracted by bowing, they stood up and began pushing the carriages into the forest.