Chapter 127
Chapter 127
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 127
Chapter Title: Repaying the Tang Young Lord's Kindness
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"Brother Jeok. Good to see you again."
Tang Hui.
The young clan lord of the Sichuan Tang Clan.
I'd half-expected it from the poison scent, but who could've guessed it belonged to the young lord of the Sichuan Tang Clan?
His natural invitation to sit beside him was one I didn't refuse.
"Our paths crossed by chance. To be honest, I thought I'd never see you again."
"Same here, Young Master Tang."
"Call me comfortably. Don't I call you the same way?"
I'd figured the young lord of the Sichuan Tang Clan would be authoritarian...
But he was nothing like that.
Tang Hui's eyes sparkled. Seeing a grown man sparkle like a child was oddly endearing.
"Are those behind you your companions?"
"Yes."
"I-I'm Narin. It's an honor to meet the young lord of the Sichuan Tang Clan..."
"G-Gwangyang here! It's an honor to meet the young lord of the Sichuan Tang Clan!"
Their stiff movements betrayed their tension.
Tang Hui burst into laughter.
"Treat me casually. I'm not here as the young clan lord right now."
"Then as what...?"
"As one man. I set out to handle things myself before it gets too late, as the one who'll become its master. The elders back home are probably shocked by now."
"A runaway?"
"Something like that."
The timing overlapped strangely.
And the armed warriors around him.
It didn't seem like a simple runaway, so his target was probably that.
"Are you chasing an escaped prisoner from Qingcheng Sect?"
"...Brother Jeok, you're sharp."
"Must be the Divine Power Heavenly Tyrant you're after. I thought he was in Sichuan Castle..."
"That gave me chills. You're not one of his gang, are you?"
"I can show you my alliance token if you'd like."
"Haha, just kidding. No need for that..."
Tang Hui rolled his eyes playfully.
"Still, it'd put my mind at ease if you did."
I chuckled. He wasn't wrong, so I showed it clearly.
Tang Hui patted his chest in relief and scratched the back of his head sheepishly.
"Sorry for doubting you, Brother Jeok. The one I'm chasing isn't some pushover... If I offended you, let me apologize again."
"It's fine. Why are you after the Divine Power Heavenly Tyrant?"
"...More than ten good people who couldn't even hold a sword died inside Sichuan Castle because of him."
"........."
"Protecting order in Sichuan Castle has long been the Tang Clan's duty. As its future heir, I feel it's right to take some responsibility. At least by killing that wicked bastard, we can honor the souls of the innocent victims. Though... the clan lord strictly told me not to get involved."
A runaway to take responsibility.
Tang Hui grinned like a child.
"With the great name of the Sichuan Tang Clan on my back, don't I have to show something as its young lord?"
There was a firm conviction in his words. If the next clan lord of the Sichuan Tang Clan was like this...
The future of Sichuan Castle looked promising.
"Impressive."
"Haha, you're too kind. I'm embarrassed."
"Do you know where he went?"
"Tang Clan warriors all learn tracking basics. No matter how cunning the target, they can't help leaving traces."
Tang Hui spoke confidently.
"Embarrassing to say it myself, but my skills aren't low. The men I brought are like my own limbs. Each one is the Tang Clan's future, so we'll definitely catch the Divine Power Heavenly Tyrant ourselves."
"Even so, it's dangerous... Why go this far? Sending men would've sufficed..."
Tang Hui smiled bashfully.
"Isn't it natural for the strong to protect the weak? I just don't want to forget my with the sword. A sword without purpose is no different from a murder weapon, so I strive every moment not to become like the Divine Power Heavenly Tyrant."
"........."
"We wield the sword to protect what we cherish. Isn't that common to all martial artists? Though I'm closer to darts than swords. Haha."
A rare breed of warrior.
Worlds apart from the corrupt ones I'd seen in Kunlun. A man worthy of respect.
Narin and Gwangyang seemed to think the same, their eyes sparkling like mine.
"Master Tang is truly admirable!"
"Honestly... I'm in awe. Master Tang deserves all respect."
"I'm embarrassed."
He smiled sheepishly and spent the night with us. Early next morning, after polite farewells, he departed ahead with our permission.
But he soon returned and handed me a small pouch.
"Brother Jeok. This is an anti-poison pill. If a fight breaks out nearby and our clan's poison fills the air, hold it in your mouth and cover your nose. It'll neutralize most poisons."
"Why give this to me...?"
"They say even brushing sleeves creates a bond, but we've met twice. Besides, if you pass through a battlefield and get poisoned for no reason, it'll haunt my dreams and keep me awake."
Tang Hui laughed.
"Keep it on you. Consider it repayment for helping with my travel preparations back then."
Without giving me time to refuse, he tucked the anti-poison pill into my pouch and bowed.
I bowed back.
"...I'll repay this favor next time we meet."
"Now we have a real reason to meet again. Haha!"
Tang Hui waved laughing as he left. Watching the young lord's receding figure, Gwangyang muttered excitedly.
"Who knew such warriors still existed? Even just Kunlun is a mess, but the Tang Clan is on another level. I thought all the righteous sects these days were just smooth talkers grabbing their share behind the scenes... I was the fool."
"Right? Not all the upper echelons are rotten."
Divine Power Heavenly Tyrant.
The name kept cropping up, nagging at me. But those men earlier weren't pushovers, no matter how strong he was...
I pulled out the anti-poison pill from my bosom and held it to the sunlight.
Kindness repaid with kindness.
Fine words. I quite liked this man named Tang Hui.
If we met again, I'd return it with something even more precious than this pill.
Sichuan Tang Clan.
I etched those four characters in my heart. The poison that afflicted the Heavenly Demon was surely tied to the Sichuan Tang Clan...
But I couldn't deny my personal fondness for this man Tang Hui.
I sincerely hoped everything went well for him.
Yet two days later, in a forest we reached, I reunited with him in the worst way imaginable.
Bodies strewn everywhere. Chunks of flesh scattered and shattered atop them.
Narin vomited. Gwangyang looked away.
Amid the horrific carnage, I locked eyes with Tang Hui-his head severed alone, impaled on a wooden stake.
His decapitated body below bore crusty white stains. His clothes stripped, leaving him naked.
"........."
I gazed quietly, then wiped my face. I fiddled with the anti-poison pill in my bosom.
I examined the traces.
Dirty handiwork. Played with the corpses. Took their time.
Among them, Tang Hui's body was treated the most brutally. Beatings marred the corpse as if toyed with mockingly.
Almost no defensive wounds. Meaning he was unilaterally pummeled.
To the enemy, Tang Hui was no more than a plaything. Yet tracing the marks...
I could tell he fought to the end.
Despite the vast skill gap, he didn't back down. He unleashed every hidden weapon he carried in resistance.
Standing firm until the last...
He met his end as a true warrior.
But his reward was a single stake piercing his skull like a toy, his defiled body all that remained.
Even in death, his eyes wouldn't close-probably because of that.
Having poured out everything, yet treated like a plaything...
How could words capture that resentment?
"........."
A presence approached. Someone landed behind me.
"What the...?! "
"Uweeeek!"
"Who are you?! State your affiliation!"
"W-Wait! That man is...!"
Not Tang Clan warriors.
Qingcheng Sect warriors.
Among them was the one I'd given the Invincible Overlord token to.
"M-Murim Alliance warrior?! What happened here?!"
"...We arrived just recently. Looks like the Divine Power Heavenly Tyrant finished his work and fled."
"Divine Power Heavenly Tyrant!"
"We tracked his traces here for sure, but... who are these? Why are Tang Clan members, who never leave Sichuan Castle territory, here?"
I calmly addressed the puzzled Qingcheng warriors.
"This man is the Tang Clan's young lord."
"...The young lord of the Tang Clan...?"
The warriors' faces hardened.
"This is big. Way bigger than we thought..."
"We have to catch him! What nonsense is this...!"
"Why was the Tang young lord even here to begin with?!"
I fiddled with the anti-poison pill between my fingers, feeling its clink against my skin as I stood.
I pulled his head from the stake, closed his clouded eyes, and placed it back atop his corpse.
"Narin. Gwangyang."
"...Y-Yes."
"Yes, master."
"Go ahead to the next village."
Narin stammered.
"What about you, master...?"
"I'm not the type to just receive kindness. Kindness received must be repaid in kind. But the one I owe it to is gone now..."
I placed my hand on my sword.
"So I'll take over what the young lord was doing."
"I-I want to go too!"
"M-Master! I'll go as well!"
I turned. Narin and Gwangyang flinched as our eyes met.
But they didn't back down.
"Th-the anti-poison pill was enough for us too, master! We've received kindness as well!"
"He wasn't someone who deserved to die like this! I want to... do something...!"
I didn't stop them.
Their eyes held true sincerity.
I looked at the Qingcheng warrior. The one meeting my gaze flinched.
"Those eyes... what?!"
I asked.
"Still planning to chase the Divine Power Heavenly Tyrant?"
"O-Of course! Obviously!"
"I'd like to join you."
I politely clasped my hands.
"As a martial artist, mustn't I repay what I've received? Since he gave it to me, now it's my turn to give. I won't be a burden."
"...What relation did you have with the young lord?"
"We just crossed paths twice by chance. But he treated me like a close friend. So I must treat him as one in return."
The warrior's expression hardened. He rubbed his face and sighed.
"If you lag behind, we'll leave you. Agreed?"
"That won't happen."
Divine Power Heavenly Tyrant.
I don't know exactly who you are. Or why you toyed with the corpses.
But just as you have your circumstances, so do I.
Doesn't every martial artist have lines they must not cross?
And you've crossed the one I drew.
A crossed line...
I'll balance with blood.