Stirring the Hornet's Nest
……He's even more ruthless than I thought……
Cold sweat was crawling down Tang Ildo's spine.
And martial skill to match…… Overwhelming.
Goosebumps rose over his entire body for good measure. His hands had begun to tremble without him realizing it.
It suits him far too well — the Young Master of the Sichuan Tang Clan, the greatest family under heaven!
Awe settled over him. The boy was only fifteen. What would he become in three more years? This was the kind of martial force that had annihilated Yuhongak assassins with absolute dominance. He had already left the realm of promising successors far behind. Perhaps — no. Perhaps he would raise the prestige of the greatest family under heaven even higher still.
The Young Master's future three years from now was something to look forward to.
"How long are you going to stand there staring?"
Tang Cheonwi flung one of the Yuhongak assassins at Tang Ildo.
"If you're back on your feet, keep that one alive and bring him along."
Everyone from Yuhongak — Tang Daesan, Tang Pil, and the rest of the assassins — had died as poison corpses. Only a single man had been left breathing.
Tang Ildo blinked at him blankly, then opened his mouth.
"Why did you spare this one, Young Master?"
"Proof that Yuhongak tried to kill me."
"You mean to pressure Yuhongak? With evidence this thin, the backlash will hit you instead."
"My younger aunt will claim they acted on their own, of course."
"You know that, and you're still taking this one back alive?"
"Even so, a warning has to be delivered, doesn't it?"
A declaration of war: if anything like this happened again, he would not let it pass. It was pure Tang Clan tyrant.
"Hmm……"
Tang Ildo thought for a moment, then asked,
"The reason you revealed your true self…… is it because you mean to become the heir?"
"I have no interest in being the heir. I just can't stand the Tang Clan the way it is right now."
The heir of the greatest family under heaven was, in effect, the next greatest person under heaven. And he claimed he had no interest in the position. Did that even make sense? Tang Ildo could not quite wrap his head around it.
"This is pure curiosity on my part, but…… what is your realm, Young Master?"
He himself was only the youngest of the Black Scale Guard, yet he had already reached Peak. That was how he had been able to handle ten First-class Yuhongak assassins. But when the two squad leaders and the remaining eight had joined forces, he had nearly died. And Tang Cheonwi? He had disposed of them all as if it were nothing. His martial level was staggering.
"……Surely you haven't reached Transcendence……?"
At the cautious question, Tang Cheonwi answered with something else entirely.
"Forget everything you saw here."
"Why? Lord Father would be overjoyed if he knew."
"I hate becoming a nuisance more than anything."
"You don't want to be the heir, and you don't want Lord Father's attention either. Then what is it you actually want, Young Master?"
"The normalization of the Tang Clan. That's all I want."
Tang Ildo's gaze would not leave Tang Cheonwi.
He sees the Tang Clan exactly as it is.
The clan was enjoying its absolute peak. And that very peak had begun to show its uglier sides — namely, that the clan's leadership had each started nursing ambitions of their own.
That's why he's warning Yuhongak.
It was never a good thing when the Clan Lord's own blood began building private power bases. It did not mean strength was concentrating; it meant strength was fracturing.
He's saying that if they overstep, he'll kill every last one of them — blood or no blood!
The trembling that had stopped started up again. Could the Young Master truly do what even Lord Father, the Clan Lord himself, had not managed? He genuinely wanted to know.
If he can cut out every last rotten piece, becoming the overlord of the murim again is no mere dream.
And the Young Master's martial power already defied imagination. If he ever succeeded to Lord Father's seat, no force in the world would be able to harm the Tang Clan.
"I will follow the Young Master's will."
At the change in Tang Ildo's eyes, Tang Cheonwi frowned.
"I've seen that burdensome look somewhere before."
It was the same look he had seen from Tang Mansong — eyes full of excessive expectation. An annoying gaze, either way.
"Whoa……"
Arriving in the provincial capital of Sichuan, Tang Saeng's jaw dropped. It was a throng the likes of which he had never seen. People were so dense they nearly tripped over one another.
"Y-Young Master, the Tang Clan is here?"
Tang Saeng stammered, overwhelmed by the vast scale of the capital. And when they reached the main gate of the Tang Clan itself……
"Huk!"
He startled all over again. It was a place packed with the tallest, most splendid halls in the entire capital. The ancient, dignified main gate radiated the clan's prestige exactly as it was.
"This is where you'll be living from now on, so get used to it."
Tang Cheonwi entered the clan grounds with Tang Saeng.
"Everyone looks busy. Are they preparing to leave somewhere?"
"In a few days there's the Sichuan Gathering at Naksan."
"The Sichuan Gathering! The event where the sects of Sichuan gather to deepen their friendship, right? Grandfather told me about it."
By the time they neared the Poison Dragon Pavilion……
Ssshh.
Choeun appeared without the faintest sound of presence.
"You have returned safely."
"Huk!"
At her voice, Tang Saeng jumped again.
"No trouble while I was gone?"
"You left on an excursion without a word, Young Master, so the Master of the Dark Dragon has been rather listless."
"He must have had a mountain of questions and got sulky because I wasn't around."
"You know him well. And the young man behind you is……?"
"Tang Saeng. Grandson of the Jamun Village chief."
"Young Master Tang Saeng, then. I am Choeun, maidservant to the Young Master."
She bowed her head, and Tang Saeng flustered.
"Y-Young Master? I could never—"
Leaving the bewildered Tang Saeng behind, Tang Cheonwi entrusted him to her.
"Show him where he'll be staying from now on."
"As you command."
Choeun led Tang Saeng into the Poison Dragon Pavilion. The moment Tang Cheonwi turned to head for the Clan Lord's hall, a voice stopped him.
"Where have you been?"
Jegal Rin appeared in front of him.
"You're still at the Tang Clan?"
"The Clan Lord asked me to attend the Sichuan Gathering with Brother Cheon."
"Who said I was your brother."
Even at his chilly tone, Jegal Rin paid no mind.
"You're Gwang's friend, so that makes you my brother too."
"Do as you like."
Tang Cheonwi walked past her. From behind, a bright voice called after him.
"See you at the Sichuan Gathering!"
He ignored her shout completely and cleanly.
As he entered Black Dragon Hall, Tang Ildo revealed himself.
"Young Master, what should I do with this one?"
"I'm going to see Father, then head to Yuhongak. Wait."
"I need to report back to the Black Scale Guard myself, though."
Tang Cheonwi ignored him and strode into Black Dragon Hall. Watching him go, Tang Ildo muttered,
"I think I understand a little of how Young Lady Jegal Rin feels. It's a strange mood — you can't even get properly angry about it."
That glance that looked him over and then dismissed him. It was so cold it sealed your mouth shut on its own.
"Hey, our youngest is back!"
"How was the excursion? Fun?"
"With the Young Master's temperament, plenty must have happened. Come on, spill the whole bag of stories for your seniors."
The Black Scale Guard clustered around Tang Ildo.
"Did you settle the Jamun Village mission?"
Everyone was curious. Tang Ildo fell silent for a moment. How much should he hide, and from where? A gut feeling hit him hard — if he said the wrong thing, he would die by the Young Master's hand.
"The epidemic that spread through Jamun Village was completely resolved."
"Wasn't that a real headache of a job?"
"You resolved the Jamun Village epidemic? Really?"
Questions poured onto Tang Ildo.
"How did you manage it?"
"I heard that to stop the epidemic you needed the Jade Clarity Pill, the antidote made from Bancheong Herb."
The Jade Clarity Pill was a pearl-clear elixir — a detoxifying medicine that restored meridians and internal energy clouded by poison to a state as pure as jade. At present, the Tang Clan had lost the secret method for refining it. That was why they had been unable to solve the epidemic in Jamun Village.
"Come on, spit it out. Why are you clamming up?"
Tang Ildo was in a bind. Explaining the Jamun Village affair meant talking about the Young Master. Without understanding the Young Master, you could not explain how the epidemic had been cured.
"But who is this rag of a man?"
"He's wearing a familiar uniform……"
"Hmm. Why does he look so familiar?"
Tang Ildo seized the chance. He was about to speak about the hostage — when the voice of Yeon Jagang, commander of the Black Scale Guard, rang out from within.
"Tang Ildo. Lord Father summons you."
"Going at once!"
Wearing the expression of a man who had just been saved, Tang Ildo entered Black Dragon Hall.
"……"
Inside Black Dragon Hall, it was quiet as a tomb. Tang Ildo recited everything that had happened.
"Is that truly all?"
"How could I possibly lie…… to Lord Father."
For the first time, he had lied to his master. Tang Cheonwi's warning had come back to him, and he had made his decision. From now on, he would call him the little master. He had lied to the great master for the little master's sake. He told himself it was for everyone's good.
"You captured the Demonic Cult's poison masters, luckily obtained an antidote, and overcame the epidemic? And in the process, you burned the entire Biwon Forest to the ground?"
Tang Baek's brows twitched. The words about burning Biwon Forest had clearly angered him. But the words that followed at once dissolved that anger.
"In exchange, we restored it so that even more poison herbs and medicinal herbs would grow than in the Biwon Forest of before."
"By what means?"
"Together with a boy named Tang Saeng, the village chief's grandson, we worked a miracle."
Tang Baek took his eyes off Tang Ildo and looked at his son, Tang Cheonwi.
"Is what he says true?"
"I've already said it is — how many times do you need to ask? If you don't believe it, send people to Jamun Village. You already have the village chief's letter in your hand, Father."
In Tang Baek's hand was a letter written by Tang Mansong himself. Its contents matched everything Tang Ildo had said.
"Born under a lucky star, aren't you. Surviving the Black Deep Abyss wasn't enough — you lucked your way through the Jade Fire Poison Epidemic as well."
"I've finished what I was told to do. Now all that remains is for Father to keep his promise."
"You mean you want permission to form your own unit."
"Yes. And if you would open the Spirit Weapon Archive as well, that would be even better."
"Full access for the unit you create, then."
"I don't need full access. Just give me three martial arts."
Tang Cheonwi's tone was unflinching. Not a hint of shrinking back.
"Let us hear what it is you want."
"Give me the martial arts of the Three Yang."
Tang Baek's mouth opened at once.
"Impossible."
The refusal was absolute.
"Do you even know what the Three Yang arts are?"
They were martial arts that only the direct line — and only at the elder level — were permitted to possess. And he wanted them handed to a unit that had only just been founded. Even for a man who had successfully completed a difficult mission, the demand was excessive.
"They are Poison Arts. Even within the family, no one but poison masters can wield them."
"I still want the martial arts of the Three Yang."
"If you truly mean to build a strong unit, you would do better to choose other arts."
"Give me the Three Yang arts. I finished a difficult mission, did I not?"
"You have only now done what any heir of the Tang Clan should have done as a matter of course."
Tang Cheonwi's face tightened.
"I already told you I'm not becoming the heir."
"You are the legitimate eldest son of the Tang Clan. Fulfill your duty."
"You won't even give the heir the Three Yang arts, and yet you demand so much of me — isn't that a little excessive?"
Beside them, Tang Ildo's face went blank with shock. Who else but a mad tyrant would dare speak so insolently before the Clan Lord. His heart was starting to hurt.
"If you would simply do the work of an heir, what would the Three Yang arts amount to?"
"I don't know about heir's work, but I do intend to throw the Tang Clan into an uproar."
Tang Cheonwi flicked a glance, and Tang Ildo added,
"Assassins from Yuhongak tried to kill the Young Master."
"Is there evidence?"
"We captured one of them."
He pointed to the unconscious man. Tang Baek looked at him and sighed.
"They will deny everything. Evidence of that level will only poke a hornet's nest. And your younger aunt is no easy opponent. There is a reason she is called the Poison Flower Rain."
Even so, a cold smile curved Tang Cheonwi's lips.
"You have to stir the nest if you want to catch the queen."
"Are you confident?"
"I wouldn't have started if I weren't."