A Grandson's Bold Request
Just Soul-Chasing Butterflies.
He released the energy gathered in his palm straight at the living crimson butterflies.
The moment the Soul-Chasing Butterflies collided with his palm force, an explosion tore through the air.
BOOM!
"What kind of lunatic tries to blast Soul-Chasing Butterflies with the Secret Document Palm? The old men are going to have a heart attack."
Swaaash—
The next hidden weapon came flying.
Its core was a long, slender spear-blade shape, the tip split into three branches like a trident—the Demon-Piercing Dart.
Thrown with internal energy, it could punch straight through iron armor.
Tang Cheonwi unleashed palm force again.
This time with both hands.
KUUUNG!
Two streams of palm force ripped through the air.
The instant they met the Demon-Piercing Darts, mist condensed and shot skyward.
KWAANG!
An even louder blast than before.
"I already expected you'd take out the Back-Heart Nails hiding behind the Demon-Piercing Darts at the same time with the Secret Document Palm."
Even amid all this, Tang Cheonwi's figure never stopped.
He only accelerated.
One last thing.
Vision completely swallowed by the clumped mist.
Through it, four objects raced toward him.
Four Storm Pear Flower Nails. No wonder everyone's terrified of entering the Poison Forest Valley.
These were slightly different from the ones Tang Ildo had used against the Yuhongak assassins.
Palm-sized silver cylinders.
Tang Ildo's had been black; the ones flying now were spherical orbs trailing green smoke.
"You know you can't smash these with the Secret Document Palm, right?"
Hwancheonjihwan helpfully informed him.
As if I wouldn't.
The corner of Tang Cheonwi's mouth curled up.
A playful expression.
Hwancheonjihwan felt an ominous chill.
The brat was about to do something insane again.
Sure enough.
Before the Storm Pear Flower Nails could detonate…
KWACHIK!
He simply grabbed them and crushed them in his hands.
"You absolute fucking maniac."
One wrong move and they explode in your palm.
Then your hand is gone for good.
That stunt was only possible if you understood the exact detonation mechanism of the Storm Pear Flower Nail.
No—
Even knowing the mechanism, only someone with balls of steel would dare.
Who the hell gambles their hands like that?
Especially in the Sichuan Tang Clan, where hands were everything—it was the last thing you should ever do.
Tang Cheonwi never dodged. He destroyed all four Storm Pear Flower Nails.
Wavering poison mist.
Beyond it, someone seemed thoroughly rattled.
Your bullshit is starting to look normal.
Hwancheonjihwan thought to itself.
If its friends saw this scene, every last one of them would have a stroke.
Good thing it was watching alone.
If they'd been together, the humiliation would have been eternal.
"The hidden-weapon zone's done. Next is the poison zone, right?"
Just as Tang Cheonwi prepared to kick off the ground—
"Halt!"
The black mist parted, and an old man's voice rang out.
An old man in ash-green robes stared with suspicious eyes.
"Hmm…"
"I feel like I've seen that child somewhere before."
THWACK!
The ash-green-robed elder smacked the younger-looking old man across the back of the head.
"You idiot. You think some brat could just waltz into the Poison Forest Valley? He's definitely a rejuvenated bastard."
"Damn it, we're all getting old together—why do you keep hitting me?"
"Oh? I've got a new poison I just developed. Want to be the test subject?"
"Keep threatening me and I'm running away from home."
"And where else would you live besides this Poison Forest Valley? Go on, leave. You'll suffer spectacularly and crawl right back."
A crimson-robed elder cut their bickering short.
"Quiet."
At the single word from the crimson-robed elder, both mouths snapped shut.
"Youngest, go check who it is."
The black-robed elder pouted at the order.
"Next life I'm being born first. Living as the youngest is pure misery."
Muttering, the black-robed elder stepped forward and asked the boy who had just entered the age of wisdom—fifteen.
"Are you a child of the Tang Clan, or some rejuvenated scoundrel?"
The black-robed elder asked without preamble.
His tone was supremely arrogant, as if looking down on the entire world.
And it looked completely natural on him.
At the old man's question, the boy formed a perfect martial salute.
"Tang Cheonwi greets his granduncles after a long time."
A crisp, measured greeting.
There was genuine refinement in every motion.
"Tang Cheonwi? The name I know doesn't look anything like you."
The black-robed elder was a man who knew every secret of the Tang Clan.
Called the Sound Elder, he had once been the head of the clan's secret intelligence network, the Sound Bureau.
That organization was gone now; Yuhongak had taken its place.
In matters of information and espionage, no one could match this old man.
Yet the boy before him did not exist in his memory.
"I completed the Poison Blood Rite, so my appearance changed. Uncle Tang Ho should have come here."
"May I examine your body?"
"Of course."
The boy extended his hand.
Letting a martial artist inspect your internals meant revealing the energy you had cultivated—something close to taboo.
You only allowed it for family, or someone you trusted completely.
The old man took the boy's wrist and probed inside.
If he's a poison body, then he's definitely Tang blood.
About a minute later, he released the wrist.
"What an interesting eldest grandson. You lied to Tang Ho."
"I can't fool Granduncle's eyes."
The elder known as the Sound Elder chuckled playfully.
"Heh-heh-heh. You don't know that this granduncle once made a name for himself under the moniker Ink Bird?"
The bird that flew through darkness.
Ink Bird Tang Sauk.
Inside the Sichuan Tang Clan he was called the Sound Elder, but the jianghu exalted him as the Ink Bird.
"You little rascal. If you weren't the legitimate heir of the Tang Clan, I'd have thrashed you thoroughly."
"That's why I confessed everything to you honestly, Granduncle."
"Heh-heh. Your father doesn't know either, does he?"
"I'm not entirely sure myself."
"Makes sense. Even the Clan Lord would be confused."
Tang Sauk turned and shouted toward the others.
"Brothers! Our family's eldest grandson has arrived!"
"Eldest grandson? Is it really Cheonwi?"
The ash-green-robed elder's eyes went round as he approached.
Second among the three elders of the Tang Clan.
Called the Poison Elder, and known to the jianghu as the Poison Sage—Tang Choun.
Behind him came a soft-looking old man.
"Well now. Coming alone to a place this dangerous… Did something happen to the Tang Clan?"
The crimson-robed elder's tone was gentle.
Yet he was the one you had to watch most carefully.
Eldest of the three: Tang Muheon.
Blood Elder was a nickname only his brothers used.
Both the Tang Clan and the jianghu exalted him as the Blood Emperor.
He was also the only one in the green-robed Tang Clan permitted to wear crimson.
"No, sir. I came because I missed Grandfather."
"How admirable. Most children are too terrified of this Poison Forest Valley to even pay their respects. Truly worthy of being the eldest grandson of the great Sichuan Tang Clan."
"I should have come sooner. Forgive me."
Watching Tang Cheonwi's behavior for the first time, Hwancheonjihwan was stunned speechless.
This was the same human who always charged ahead like a wild boar.
Who had never hesitated to insult even his youngest aunt.
Yet now he was the picture of extreme courtesy and refined manners.
He radiated the air of a true scion of a prestigious house.
"Hey, what's wrong with you? You're not this kind of guy. Are you dying or something? They say people do weird shit right before they drop dead. Or are you scared of those old geezers? Don't tell me there are people in this world who actually scare you."
This was Tang Cheonwi, who had refused even the Black Dragon Gold Pill—said to be the greatest spiritual medicine—because he didn't need it.
The same guy who had absorbed the Black Deep Abyss, the most lethal poison in the Poison Blood Pond.
A talent who would casually surpass the greatest under heaven in two or three years was suddenly acting strange, and Hwancheonjihwan was thoroughly rattled.
Do I look like someone who just does whatever to anyone?
"Yes."
Hwancheonjihwan answered instantly, without a shred of hesitation.
I have manners too.
At Tang Cheonwi's words, Hwancheonjihwan's mouth stayed shut.
"…"
A brief silence.
Then Hwancheonjihwan burst into booming laughter.
"Hahahaha! You? Even a dog walking past would laugh itself to death. Why were you so rude to your aunt then?"
Just because blood is shared doesn't make everyone family. Family is the people who support you without reason and become your pillar.
"So because your youngest aunt tried to kill you, she's not family and you don't need manners?"
I'm not thick-skinned enough to be polite to someone who tried to murder me and Yuhyeon.
"Okay, that one's fair."
Tang Cheonwi had a crystal-clear personality.
Ally or enemy.
Only those two categories.
To allies he was a rock.
To enemies he was merciless.
What an entertaining human, Hwancheonjihwan thought.
"By the way, Cheonwi."
The Blood Elder, his eldest granduncle, called him.
"Yes."
"Your internal energy has grown considerably."
He had seen through it at a glance.
"I gained a great deal during the Poison Blood Rite."
"I heard from Tang Ho. You've become a poison body, yes? Judging by how your uncle failed to recognize you, did you reach the Poison Blood God stage?"
"Embarrassing as it is, yes."
"Hah. Remarkable. Your grandfather will be overjoyed."
The eldest granduncle smiled with pure satisfaction.
Behind him, the second and youngest granduncles also looked delighted.
Yet a shadowy glint lingered in their eyes.
Hwancheonjihwan noticed and frowned.
"Why are those old geezers looking at you like that?"
They want to run all sorts of experiments on my body.
Especially the second granduncle.
The Poison Elder known as the Poison Sage had a particularly bright gleam in his eyes.
He looked thrilled at the thought of finally performing all the bizarre experiments he had never been able to try.
"Let us hurry and tell your grandfather this wonderful news."
"Yes, Eldest Granduncle."
"Drop the stiff titles. Just call me Blood Elder Grandfather."
"Yes, Blood Elder Grandfather."
He had successfully left a good impression on the three retired supreme masters of the Tang Clan—the Three Elders.
Now it was Grandfather's turn.
THWACK! THWACK!
An old man was striking the earth with a hoe, irritation written all over him.
"Tsk. I made it properly, so why is the blade still so sharp?"
The hoe's edge was completely blunt.
Yet the soil split open like paper, soft as cutting tofu.
"Damn it! I'll have to remake it. Even blunter this time, with zero killing intent!"
Just as the sharp-featured old man straightened and prepared to head for the forge—
"Eldest Brother! Our family's eldest grandson has arrived! Come out and greet him!"
The old man's ears perked.
At the words "eldest grandson," his body spun around.
"Eh? My grandson is here?"
In that instant—
The old man vanished without a sound.
No presence at all.
As if he had simply melted into the sky.
He reappeared right in front of the Three Elders.
"It really is our family's eldest grandson!"
The youngest, the Sound Elder, nearly jumped out of his skin.
"Aigoo, my heart almost stopped! Please make some noise when you appear!"
"Stop blocking my grandson's face and move aside."
The old man shoved the Sound Elder out of the way and approached Tang Cheonwi.
"Do you recognize this grandfather of yours?"
His face was full of hopeful expectation.
Tang Cheonwi's answer came at once.
"Cheonwi greets Grandfather."
"Never mind the greeting."
The old man named Tang Bi cut him off.
"Why did you come alone to such a dangerous place?"
"It has been a long time since I saw Grandfather, so I came to pay my respects."
Tang Bi beamed and looked at his three younger brothers in turn.
The Poison Elder lamented.
"What good is feeding my children the best medicines? They don't even know whether their own father is dead or alive. Ungrateful brats. Raise them well and they're still useless."
At the Poison Elder's reaction, Tang Bi's smile only grew brighter.
As if proudly declaring, My grandson is nothing like your children.
"The Poison Medical Hall is a core pavilion of the Tang Clan, is it not? Father works Uncle day and night, so please understand, Poison Elder Grandfather."
The Poison Elder looked slightly appeased.
He glanced at the Blood Elder and Sound Elder, then answered.
"Ahem. The Poison Medical Hall does hold great weight within the clan. For the sake of the Tang Clan, this old man will be understanding."
As the Poison Elder tried to shrug casually, Tang Bi roared.
"You brats! Are you going to keep my eldest grandson standing around forever?!"
"Well, Eldest Brother, if you'd just stayed home we wouldn't have needed to talk while standing!"
"What did you say?"
A razor-sharp glare stabbed the Poison Elder, who broke into a cold sweat.
"L-Let's go, quickly. Our eldest grandson's legs will get tired."
Tang Bi's gaze softened into pure affection in an instant.
"Come. Let us go to the place where this grandfather lives."
"Yes, Grandfather."
As they walked, Tang Bi asked about everything.
Whether he had been well.
Whether anything hurt.
How far he had progressed in martial arts.
Before long they arrived at a single thatched cottage.
A wooden platform sat in front of it.
"Sit."
"Thank you."
Tang Bi took Tang Cheonwi's hand and showed no intention of letting go.
"But did you truly come just because you missed this grandfather? For no other reason?"
"There is something for which I wish to seek Grandfather's understanding."
"What is it?"
Still that loving gaze.
The expression of a man ready to grant any request from the grandson he adored.
Toward that face, Tang Cheonwi spoke a chilling sentence.
"May I kill my youngest aunt?"