Chapter 185
Chapter 185
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 185
Chapter Title: Tang Clan's Full Commitment
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The gathering of all the Tang Clan's heavyweights dragged on for a full three days without a single interruption.
Everyone skipped sleep entirely, wolfed down rice balls for meals, and even held back their basic bodily functions to immerse themselves solely in one topic.
'Everything's great, but why do I have to be stuck here too?'
Because of that, the meal I'd asked Baek Heon-so to prepare went completely untouched.
Well, their mindset was understandable enough.
It would be odd to hold a meeting without the very person who had formulated the martial theory.
"Tri-Origin Return to Origin Art. Young Master Baek. I acknowledge it."
The one who spoke up was Tang Seok, one of the Tang Clan's elders.
After he'd established the poison technique theory, most of the Tang Clan had taken a cooperative stance toward martial arts exchanges with the Baek Clan. Yet as the Grand Elder, he placed the highest value on tradition and was thus the most conservative.
He had opposed even sharing the incantations of the Three Yangs Return to Origin Art, but now he wore a genuine expression of admiration toward Yang-hui.
"I thought it was an absurd decision to hand over the core of our clan's secret arts. But this old man was wrong."
To be precise, Grand Elder Tang Seok held the highest position among the opposition.
For him to speak this way meant no one in the Tang Clan viewed Yang-hui unfavorably anymore.
"Replacing the Three Disasters of the Half Taiji with the Six Harmonies of the Three Taijis. Easy to say, but how did you even conceive of such a thing...?"
"It harmonizes perfectly with our other martial arts, without the slightest deviation. It's only natural, given that its foundation is the harmony of the Six Unions."
"Forming Taiji from three extreme qi energies, then infusing the Dao of Six Harmonies harmony through it. Truly a stroke of genius!"
It was martial theory, not a martial art.
In other words, while he'd established the mysteries of the Tri-Origin Return to Origin, it wasn't yet in a state that could be practiced as a martial art.
Of course—that was just piecing together the early incantations to lay the foundation and groundwork.
'We haven't even settled on the elements corresponding to Earth and Yin among the three origins yet.'
Even so, this alone should be enough to justify hearing the latter half of the Three Yangs Return to Origin Art's incantations.
They'd already experienced firsthand, body and soul, that he'd produce tremendous results no matter what he was given.
"As Grand Elder, I propose this. Clan Leader, how about imparting the latter half of the Three Yangs Return to Origin Art to Young Master Baek?"
Grand Elder Tang Seok, who had held the most conservative stance.
But his devotion to the Tang Clan was equal to anyone's.
It was just that his methods had pointed in a different direction until now.
Not just the Grand Elder—all the elders voiced the same request to the clan leader in unison.
'Hmm, feels pretty good.'
It wasn't easy to hand over the core martial art of a clan like the Tang, one of the top ten in the world.
The fact that they recognized his worth enough to take that risk said it all.
"Quiet. Silence, everyone."
Tang Seong gazed at Yang-hui with eyes full of depth and gravity.
"Young Master Baek."
"Please speak, Clan Leader."
Tang Seong slowly bowed his head.
"I am deeply moved and grateful, and thus I thank you."
"You're too kind. Please, no need."
"It's not too much. With what you've given, our Tang Clan can be reborn."
He wasn't wrong. With the foundation and groundwork provided, if the Tang Clan's talents were fully mobilized, they could succeed in creating the new technique in short order.
So, uh, in about twenty years?
'Can't wait that long.'
That's why he needed the latter half of the Three Yangs Return to Origin Art's incantations.
He had to help them actively to elevate the Tang Clan's signature martial art to the ranks of divine arts as quickly as possible.
However, Tang Seong didn't immediately discuss imparting the incantations.
Instead, he brought up something else.
"Our Tang Clan prides itself on possessing some of the world's top secrets in poison and medicine. Elixirs are medicine too. We know numerous superior pill-refining methods."
There was one reason he brought this up so suddenly.
"I'll share them all. Without hiding a single one. And if you need new pill-refining methods, we'll mobilize our entire medicine hall anytime to create them."
The thought that crossed his mind upon hearing the offer.
'Truly, not just anyone can be a clan leader.'
'He sees right through what the Baek Clan needs most.'
The Baek Clan, newly transformed and marching toward the ranks of great clans, had one fatal flaw.
An absolute shortage of experts.
The Plum Blossom Swordsmen of Huashan.
The Sky-Soaring Sword Squadron of Namgung.
The 108 Arhats of Shaolin.
Long-established prestigious sects all had elite forces representing their schools.
But the Baek Vanguard Unit, which the Baek Clan was raising as elites, still fell short in experience, cultivation, and everything else.
'The best way to compensate for a shortage of martial artists is internal energy.'
However, with their short history and young members, they were sorely lacking in accumulated power.
That's where elixirs came in.
And the Tang Clan was among the world's best at producing them.
They might not rival the Wudang's Supreme Purity Pill or Shaolin's Great Return Pill, but they could produce over ten types that boosted internal energy by ten or twenty years per pill.
This was also the secret behind the Tang Clan's rise to top-ten status in just a hundred years.
'He's filling our most desperate gap.'
To a martial artist, nothing was more vital than internal energy.
That's why pill-refining methods were guarded as strictly as signature martial arts.
With this, the Baek Clan could sprint even faster and higher.
'In three years—no, really, we'll be called a great clan by everyone.'
And that wasn't all. Tang Seong continued.
"Not only that. We called the Baek Clan and Tang Clan friends. On top of that, our Tang Clan will serve as your medical hall and forge."
Medicines to heal wounds and high-quality weapons to wield.
These were as vital to martial artists as spare lives.
Having crashed to rock bottom and now rising again, the Baek Clan lacked many things.
Weapon forging had genius blacksmith Baek Cheol as a retainer, but they were still short; medicine was even worse.
'Elixirs to cover internal energy, and now poison arts, medicine, and blacksmithing too.'
Tang Seong was offering to share all the Tang Clan's core secrets.
"Is this compensation?"
"No. Repaying a debt of gratitude."
Compensation was the price for a service rendered.
Gratitude was the desire to repay a favor received.
The difference lay in whether it carried a transactional nature or not.
'He isn't even asking me to share the latter incantations in exchange.'
No matter how close allies were, if one side always got something for nothing, resentment would inevitably brew.
That rift could widen into a crack, driving them apart.
"If there's anything more you desire, we'll give it. Speak freely."
Judging by the mood, he could probably ask for a million nyang and get it gladly.
Changing his surname to Tang might even let him shove aside Tang Gun and become young clan leader.
It was a prime chance to accelerate the Baek Clan's growth, but...
"I do have one request."
"Speak freely."
"I'd like to learn the latter half of the Three Yangs Return to Origin Art's incantations."
Tang Seong's eyes lit up as he grasped the implication.
Yang-hui smiled at the sight.
"Also, to fill the missing origin among the three, I'd like to brainstorm with various Tang Clan members."
They weren't asking first out of propriety, so he took the initiative to make it comfortable.
With the Tang Clan, he wanted a relationship where they gladly shared what the other needed, even without asking.
"...Thank you. Truly."
"Hui... woo..."
Seeing the eyes of Clan Leader Tang Seong and Young Clan Leader Tang Gun made his mood lift naturally.
It felt like sufficient reward in itself.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Tang Seong immediately prepared to send an envoy to the Baek Clan, but Yang-hui persuaded him to postpone.
'Even with pill-refining methods now, we couldn't use them right away anyway. No rush.'
The Baek Clan had expanded its territory too rapidly in a short time.
For the foreseeable future, all funds needed to go toward digesting what they'd swallowed.
Before departing for the Tang Clan, he'd worried they might go bankrupt soon.
No point in pill-refining methods if they couldn't afford the spirit herb ingredients.
'Money line... no, need Lord Jin's help.'
Speak of the tiger, and he appears—Jin Young-gil sent his son, the young merchant leader.
Yang-hui received the young merchant leader in the reception hall alongside Tang Gun.
"Young Merchant Leader. Long time no see."
"Three months and eight days, to be exact. Preparations took time. My apologies."
He'd discussed hiring the Geom Pole Clan during talks with Jin Young-gil, but that was after he'd recovered and handled the backlog at the Jin Merchant Group.
Three months was actually quite fast.
"Lord Jin was in critical condition, unconscious for quite a while, so you needed time to sort things."
"We took that into account, so no need for apologies."
"Thank you for your understanding."
"That said, your personal visit means...?"
"Exactly."
Young Merchant Leader Jin Dal-bong shot him a blazing look.
His desire for revenge against the faction behind his father's critical state was plain.
"My father and I have set the stage, but would you care to join the fun?"
'Sounds entertaining.'
"Gambling? Dice? Three-card monte?"
All were forms of gambling, but card games hinged on psychological warfare, dice on luck, and monte on math skills to win money.
"Card game, to be precise."
"Should be fun. Cards are my strongest suit."
"Care to explain in detail, Young Merchant Leader?"
"First, something to report. The man impersonating my—our Geom Pole Clan's—disciple visited another million-nyang patient."
Tang Gun and Yang-hui stroked their chins in unison.
"Well, if he's earning through doctoring, treating the rich is most efficient."
"Did he go with the Geom Pole Clan again this time?"
"Yes. The Geom Pole Clan vouched for his identity."
From the Geom Pole Clan's perspective, they might just be angling for a cut of the profits.
But suspicions were growing thicker regardless.
"So I sent word to the Geom Pole Clan to hire one first-generation disciple, three second-generation, and six third-generation."
The purpose of hiring the Geom Pole Clan was twofold.
First: Bait to uncover the shadowy faction.
Second: If the Geom Pole Clan was innocent, forge ties with a prestigious sect outside Sichuan.
A first-generation disciple was right below an elder in seniority—perfect for both goals.
"What's the hiring pretext?"
"The merchant leader survived the brink of death, so to ward off bad luck, we'll offer sacrifices to the Immeasurable Buddha to summon blessings."
"The sacrifice itself is key, then."
"Correct. The sacrifice is the Sichuan Wolf Stronghold."
"Sichuan Wolf Stronghold?"
Tang Gun's eyes widened slightly.
"Sichuan's top stronghold? One of the Green Forest's Seventy-Two Bandit Dens?"
Meaning there could be repercussions from using them as sacrifices.
But the young merchant leader nodded with overflowing confidence.
"We hired Ami and Qingcheng too. And right now, we're requesting the Tang Clan's aid."
Sichuan's three great righteous sects: Qingcheng, Ami, Tang Clan.
Plus Yunnan’s Geom Pole Clan.
The Tang Clan aside, with three orthodox sects stepping up, there'd be no need to fear backlash even if they wiped out the Sichuan Wolf Stronghold.
In short:
"You want us to be the hawk and rat watching the Geom Pole Clan on this bandit extermination stage."
"Exactly. What say you? Oh, and as for compensation..."
They'd agreed to cooperate anyway, and now payment on top.
Nothing to complain about.
With that thought, he opened the pouch and counted the wooden tallies inside.
One hundred... two hundred... five hundred...
"Quite generous."
"We'll gladly accept."
"...Generous is your impression?"
The young merchant leader looked slightly disappointed, then slapped his palm as if realizing something.
"Ah. Check the back of the tallies—they're engraved with 'ten' (十). Means ten taels each."
"So the count times ten?"
"Yes."
"...?"
"...?"
Yang-hui and Tang Gun stared at the young merchant leader, eyes wide as saucers.
"You'll do it, of course?"
Jin Dal-bong, the sole heir to one of the Three Great Tycoons of the World, flashed a smile brimming with near-arrogant pride.
"Welcome, esteemed customer."
"We'll serve you with all our horses and hounds, sir."
Not only would they expose whatever lay between the Geom Pole Clan and the Ming Cult, but they'd earn a fortune to boot.
The true essence of killing two birds with one stone.