Chapter 172
Chapter 172
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 172
Chapter Title: Evil Sect Upheaval
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The Evil Sect Upheaval.
The unprecedented bloodbath unleashed by the Divine Cult, Radiant Cult, and Blood Cult—the so-called three great evil sects.
That was when Baek Yang-hui first met the Tang clan's young lord.
"You're Baek Yang-hui, aren't you?"
"Yes, Young Lord Tang."
"What an honor to meet the famed Best Sword Among Wanderers. I hear you got fired for punishing your employer's insolence."
"Even wanderers can't sell their lives for money. A renowned hero like the great Young Lord Tang surely wouldn't stoop to that, so no need to worry."
"What? Hahaha!"
Their first relationship was purely employer and employee.
Yet they grew close remarkably quickly.
The Tang young lord lived up to his reputation for ruthless poisons—he showed no mercy in combat and ruled his subordinates with an iron fist.
Baek Yang-hui, a wandering swordsman from a third-rate martial family, never hesitated to call out his superior's foolishness.
Surprisingly, they shared something in common.
"You want to elevate your family to clan status? That's a thorny path you've chosen."
"How could it compare to you, Young Lord? Not just any clan, but aiming for one of the Five Great Clans of the world."
Both men harbored the same aspiration: to revive their families.
"Coming to the front lines to overhaul your family's martial arts? You're a brave one, Young Master Baek."
"Hearing that from the Tang clan's young lord, who himself rushes to the vanguard... it's just embarrassing."
They were both driven by a desperate resolve to risk their lives on the front lines and refine their family arts to achieve their dreams.
"You're truly remarkable. If only you were the heir to a prestigious house... so much would have changed."
"I think so too."
"...Moments like this make me feel a bit unlucky, though. Haha."
Baek Yang-hui and the Tang young lord admired each other deeply.
For their character, their innate talents, and the convictions they held.
It was only natural that they soon swore brotherhood.
"Hui, my younger brother. This Tang young lord has just one wish: to escape the heavenly punishment fate has dealt us."
They confided in each other about the burdens they carried.
Thanks to that, Baek Yang-hui learned much about the Tang Clan.
A family that began with herb gatherers and physicians, eventually mastering poisons and hidden weapons.
They had received aid from the Nine Great Sects and Five Great Clans, but that aid came with chains.
"Brother Tang, what kind of place is the Tang Clan?"
"Haha, seems like your questions about my family are piling up."
"Well, once the Baek Clan rises to clan status, we'll need to build all sorts of foundations. Just gathering info on the side."
"The Tang Clan... it's a wonderful place. Full of good people coming together."
He spoke fondly of his clan for a while.
Then the Tang young lord met Baek Yang-hui's eyes.
"Hui, my brother. Shall we make a pact?"
"What kind?"
"Something simple."
Baek Yang-hui nodded at the words that followed, and the Tang young lord beamed.
"Hahaha! How about we call today's pact the Tang-Baek Oath, based on our surnames? Tang comes first because I'm the elder brother!"
Even if the Tang Clan grew larger, there'd be no complaint about Tang leading.
Such small gestures were what made him feel like a true older brother.
"Tang-Baek or Baek-Tang, what's the difference?"
"Thanks for understanding. So now we're bound by this oath?"
"Saying it like that feels a bit embarrassing."
"Tell me about it. A day like this calls for drinks—no exceptions. Wait just a moment!"
The Tang young lord dashed off with a hearty laugh.
At the time, Baek Yang-hui thought this:
One of the Tang Clan's creeds was 'repay favors twofold, grudges tenfold.'
So it was only right to return what he received in kind.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ On the way there, when he'd asked in detail about the Tang Clan, the young lord had said this:
The clan lord was a warm, affectionate man overflowing with righteousness.
Something about how, despite being merely a sixth cousin once removed, he'd been named young lord over his own sons and accepted warmly?
'Brother Tang, that doesn't sound right.'
What kind of warm, affectionate man starts with poison right from the greeting?
If he poisoned everyone he met, sure, that could be seen as impartial.
But proposing marriage out of nowhere?
And not just any marriage—demanding he become a live-in son-in-law.
'No madman acts without reason.'
The Baek and Tang Clans shared one thing in common.
If the Baek Clan proclaimed unyielding righteousness,
The Tang Clan simply refused to bend.
To be precise, they were hostile to all external pressures.
'This is another test.'
In the martial world, it's customary for seniors to test juniors.
And those tests aren't limited to martial prowess.
That's why Baek Yang-hui grinned and voiced his refusal.
"No thank you, Clan Lord."
"......"
Tang Seong silently stared at Baek Yang-hui.
His gaze was emotionless and sharp, but whatever.
Now that he'd seen through the test, he could seize control by saying so...
"I don't want to either, Father!"
The board-shattering line came from the obvious source.
She wasn't the clan lord's daughter, but as the Tang young lord's sister—and future clan leader's wife—she was a top candidate for political marriages.
"Yang-hui's a good little brother, but he's always acting so superior! Living together would be impossible!"
Baek Yang-hui's jaw dropped.
She saw him that way?
This he couldn't tolerate.
"I don't want to either! Spending a lifetime with someone who'd probably poison my food during a spat? No thanks!"
"Ha? Good thing then! We both hate it!"
Tang Seong cut short the glaring contest between Baek Yang-hui and Tang Yeon.
"Enough, both of you. It was a joke anyway."
"A joke? Father, what kind of joke—!"
"Yeon-ah, enough! Talk later!"
"Ow! Brother, my lips hurt!"
"Just come on!"
The Tang young lord grabbed his sister's pouty lips and dragged her out.
"......"
"......"
"My apologies. Spoiled her with all the 'pretty girl' talk."
"......I understand."
Phew. At least our Yeon-yeon at home isn't like that.
Really.
"Anyway, just as rumored. When did you catch on?"
"If you're asking, I'd say from the very start."
"Ho."
Tang Seong's eyes gleamed once more.
"Tell me."
"What should I start with?"
"What you noticed."
"Then allow me to greet you properly."
He stood and glanced sideways.
-So. Get up and follow my lead.
Baek Heon-so joined him in a formal bow toward the front.
"Baek Yang-hui of the Baek Clan pays respects to the Tang elders."
"Baek Heon-so of the Baek Clan pays respects to the Tang elders."
Tang Seong raised his hand, and the shadows behind stirred.
'So it wasn't a wall—it was a folding door.'
He'd thought they were listening from a conference room beyond a thin partition.
But it had been one room all along.
"How did you know?"
"My senses are exceptionally keen."
"You didn't just notice—you sensed it from the beginning."
Tang Seong inwardly marveled at Baek Yang-hui's sly smile in response.
'A prodigy is indeed a prodigy. No ordinary man.'
Tang Seong hardened his expression and grew serious.
"Why didn't you say anything? Turning elders into Sun Wukong on Buddha's palm—amusing, is it?"
"Yes. Quite amusing."
Far from pressured, Baek Yang-hui grinned again.
Tang Seong's lips twitched upward as he turned back.
"This should suffice. What say you all?"
"I agree."
"The young one's got some guts."
Overall satisfaction.
Just as expected.
'The Tang Clan favors rebels.'
A clan born from herb gatherers and healers who lost loved ones to martial artists.
Weaklings from birth who refused to be trampled by the strong, banding together to form the Tang Clan.
Everything had been a test.
The sudden show of force.
Comparing rudeness to spicy Sichuan food, then pushing with the son-in-law talk.
And finally, turning serious to ask if it was fun.
"A martial artist must have spirit!"
"Seeing your heirs' temperaments, I can guess the Baek Clan's ethos."
"They proclaim unyielding righteousness, and true enough—they don't bend."
Tang Seong finally smiled fully and clapped his palm against his fist.
"Forgive our rudeness, young masters. Us Tang folk have one bad habit."
"No issue. This is martial world custom, isn't it?"
"Grateful you see it that way. Welcome to the Tang Clan!"
His demeanor shifted to genuine warmth and affection.
Enough to understand the young lord's praise.
But.
"I'd prefer an apology over hospitality."
The lively hall fell silent as if doused in ice water.
"Say that again."
"I want an apology for the rudeness, not hospitality."
"......"
The mood chilled enough that even Baek Heon-so glanced nervously, but Baek Yang-hui pressed on.
"To the great hero Tang Seong, the Poison King of Sichuan, my brother and I are indeed juniors of the martial world."
From that angle, Tang Seong's earlier treatment wasn't terribly wrong.
However.
"To Clan Lord Tang Seong, we are also emissaries of the Baek Clan."
Juniors of the martial world. And emissaries of an alliance.
Depending on the perspective, the actions were rude—or not.
'To the Tang Clan, the Baek Clan must feel like a lucky find.'
Wasn't that the truth?
A third-rate martial family trying to establish a branch outside Sichuan, even offering part of their ancestral estate for the branch.
That's all the Baek Clan was to them.
At least at the start.
'They're grateful we changed their view with that nonsense tale, The Tang Clan Legend...'
In return, the Tang Clan had done much for the Baek Clan.
They'd jumped into the Gangseo underworld purge as if it were their own fight.
Favors exchanged, debts balanced.
Now remained proof of worth.
'So this is another test.'
The Tang Clan might not rank among the Five Great Clans, but it was top ten among all the world's clans.
To stand as equals with such a house, the Baek Clan had to prove itself.
'Truth be told, we're far from equal alliance yet.'
Even hailed as Gangseo's top martial family, they were still weak compared to the Tang Clan.
If it were another clan, they'd have quietly absorbed or subordinated the Baek Clan.
'But they didn't. The Tang Clan showed faith.'
To reach this point, the Tang Clan had provided ample support and honored the decade pact.
So what did the Tang Clan expect from the Baek Clan in return?
"As representative of the Baek Clan, I demand: apologize for your rudeness."
"......"
"......"
The silence grew frigid.
Tang Seong rose wordlessly.
And then.
"Clan Lord Tang Seong apologizes to the Baek Clan's representative."
Joy for one who met their expectations shone on Tang Seong's face.