Chapter 88
Chapter 88
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 88
Chapter Title: The Tang Clan's Leash
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The warriors of the Namgung Clan spread out in a wide circle, creating space for the spar.
In the center, Namgung Cheon-hu and Tang Gun faced each other.
"Will you use poison?"
"......You know it's pointless."
"True enough."
Chui-dal, having overheard their conversation, asked in a quiet voice.
"Brother, why is poison useless?"
"Simple."
The Tang Clan's poisons numbered a hundred in all. That was why one of their nicknames was Hundred Poisons Ancestor.
But.
The Nine Great Sects and Five Great Clans knew the antidotes to every single one of the Tang Clan's poisons.
'The first leash the Nine Great Sects and Five Great Clans have around the Tang Clan's neck.'
Literally the first one.
The Nine Great Sects and Five Great Clans had the Tang Clan bound tighter than tight.
"Even if they helped establish the Tang Clan, isn't this too much?"
"Too much?"
A scoff escaped him.
"They haven't even started yet."
He recalled the bitter lament of Tang Gun from his past life.
-Hwi-ya. Our Tang Clan...... is nothing more than a tool. How could a tool harm its master's hand? How could it......
The real excess...... was just beginning.
"Young Master Tang, I'll yield the first ten seconds to you."
"......I'll gladly accept."
Namgung Cheon-hu flicked his sword as if inviting him to come at him.
It was thicker and broader than a typical longsword, the distinctive iron sword of the Namgung Clan.
Tang Gun took a deep breath as he watched.
Three Yangs Return to Origin Art. Three streams of yang energy erupted from his dantian, swirled through his meridians, and returned to the source.
Focus on the heat surging through his body. He slipped both hands into the wide sleeves characteristic of Tang Clan uniforms.
'Start with...... Soul-Chasing Technique.'
The Tang Clan's hidden weapons came in six types: needles, sand, nails, blades, butterflies, and darts.
The techniques for launching them at foes were divided into two based on type and number: Flower Rain Technique and Soul-Chasing Technique.
A single dagger shot from his sleeve sliced through the air.
Piiiiiing!
Spinning like a shot arrow, it cut through the air, abruptly changed direction, and aimed for the crown of Namgung Cheon-hu's head.
But.
Tok!
The dagger, plunging at terrifying speed, lost its power the more it swam against Namgung Cheon-hu's emanating aura.
By the end, it merely tok! against the flat of his sword.
"One second, Young Master Tang."
Namgung Cheon-hu's voice was relaxed, as if this were entirely expected.
Tang Gun ground his teeth so hard it felt like his jaw would crack.
The Three Yangs Return to Origin Art was based on the three talents of half-Tai Chi.
An ultimate technique devised by the Nine Great Sects in the past, grounded in Daoist principles—a half-baked internal art that could never be called a divine skill.
"Chui-dal. The real excess starts now."
"Brother, why did the dagger lose its momentum just now?"
"Because there's a counter to the internal energy of the Three Yangs Return to Origin Art, the Tang Clan's internal cultivation method."
"Why would they make something like that their hereditary ultimate art......?"
"That's all they gave us."
Chui-dal still looked puzzled.
"The Tang Clan is a major martial family on the cusp of becoming a Great Clan. Can't they just acquire and learn a new martial art?"
"You're not wrong. If they could obtain something superior to the Three Yangs Return to Origin Art."
Even with its weaknesses, the Three Yangs Return to Origin Art was a peak-level technique, among the very best.
It lacked the enlightenment of the Super Peak realm, but on its own, it was one of the top ultimate arts in the entire martial world.
"Acquiring a divine skill isn't easy in this world. If they had, they'd have switched long ago."
In other words, the Nine Great Sects and Five Great Clans had given them an art positioned right on the exquisite boundary line.
Learning anything else would weaken them instead, forcing them to swallow their tears and cultivate the Three Yangs Return to Origin Art.
"Two seconds."
"......"
Tang Gun's next attack was a stance based on the Flower Rain Technique.
Butterfly Scatter. Dozens of thin, fluttering blade-like hidden weapons filled the air.
But so what.
Every single one lost its momentum upon touching Namgung Cheon-hu's aura.
"Already three seconds."
Tang Gun's face had hardened to a frightening degree.
Instead of continuing to throw hidden weapons, he raised his hand, clad in leather gauntlets, and clenched his fist.
"Ho. Now it's fist techniques? Come at me."
Most people thought the Tang Clan's martial arts consisted only of poison and hidden weapons.
But their hand techniques also reached the level of a single ultimate skill.
Soul-Stealing Poison Hand. True to its name, bizarre and vicious steel claw techniques raked across Namgung Cheon-hu's entire body.
"Not bad at all. You've put in quite the effort, haven't you? Hahaha."
As if mocking Tang Gun's struggle, Namgung Cheon-hu effortlessly dodged every attack.
The foundation of all stances was body movement—that is, lightness skill.
The Tang Clan's basic lightness skill was Thunder Escape Body Technique, pursuing speed swift enough to flee from lightning.
And.
The origin of the Thunder Escape Body Technique was the Namgung Clan's Lightning Twelve Sword Forms.
"Five seconds. I see it all clearly."
"Six seconds. How about mixing in some feints?"
"Seven seconds. The essence of lightning isn't just speed—it's still lacking."
"Eight seconds. Oh, that attack was good. Excellent."
"Nine seconds. But when do you plan on landing a hit?"
"Ten seconds. That's the last."
Tang Gun's movements came to an abrupt halt.
Namgung Cheon-hu sheathed his sword as he gazed at him.
......His eyes held no good intentions.
"Now, time for your lesson."
Realizing what he meant, Tang Gun unleashed the Thunder Escape Body Technique to its limit, widening the distance.
But in an instant, Namgung Cheon-hu closed the gap and thrust out his sheathed sword straight.
Tuk.
The tip of the scabbard touched Tang Gun's heart.
"Young Master Tang. You just died."
Namgung Cheon-hu smiled brightly and took a step back.
"Spar...... hm. With this level of difference, it's as good as a one-sided lecture. Best to end it here."
"......"
"After receiving instruction, don't you have something proper to say?"
A drop of blood fell from Tang Gun's mouth.
He had gritted his teeth too hard, bursting blood from his gums.
Watching this, Tang Yeon's eyes were threaded with burst capillaries, turned bloodshot.
"......Thank you for the instruction. Young Master Namgung......"
"No need. It was a good time."
Namgung Cheon-hu turned and walked away.
Then, he suddenly glanced toward where Yang-hui stood.
"Come to think of it, this spar decided whether you'd complete your escort mission. Hm. What to do."
His lips curved higher.
"Well, our Namgung Clan is generous. Merchant Jin, go with them to your Jin Manor. I'll visit later."
Namgung Cheon-hu left without waiting for a reply.
All that remained by the lakeside was Yang-hui's group.
Tang Gun stood frozen, head bowed.
Tang Yeon burned with resentment but couldn't approach him.
This was the Tang Clan's current reality.
'Namgung Cheon-hu......'
Yang-hui stared wordlessly at the departing Namgung warriors.
His expression was icily cold.
Confirmation of the leash.
And reaffirmation.
That was the gain Namgung Cheon-hu sought from this spar.
'Must have been irritating.'
The Tang Clan wasn't confining itself to Sichuan anymore; they were establishing branches and expanding influence.
Especially since Gangseo was right below Anhui, it must have felt like the Tang Clan was encroaching on the Namgung Clan's front yard.
The Baek Clan must have looked like the Tang Clan's puppet, so this was a chance to put them in their place.
-Hwi-ya, your wish is to elevate our clan to Great Clan status, right?
-Me too. I want to raise our clan...... our Tang Clan...... to Great Clan status.
-To do that, we need to overhaul from the foundation.
'Brother Tang. This life...... will be very different from the last. Both our Baek Clan and your Tang Clan.'
He gave a quiet glance to Chui-dal and Gu-ak, then approached Tang Gun.
Tang Yeon gestured silently to stop, but he didn't halt.
"Brother Tang."
Tang Gun turned his head slightly and smiled bitterly.
"You saw it all. This is what our Tang Clan has come to, Brother Hwi."
A faint resignation tinged his tone.
The Brother Tang of this era hadn't yet forged the unyielding resolve of his past life.
"Brother Tang. So what?"
"......"
"Let me ask one thing. That business just now—to you, Brother Tang, which is it?"
"What do you mean?"
"Repay favors twofold. Grudges tenfold."
Yang-hui grinned, lifting the corner of his mouth.
"Which way are you going to repay it?"
For a moment, Tang Gun looked dazed.
Ignoring it, he continued.
"Grateful for the lesson, take it as a favor? No. Then repay it. To those Namgung bastards."
Bastards. Tang Gun's eyes widened at the profanity.
As a member of the Tang Clan, he'd never once cursed the Nine Great Sects or Five Great Clans.
It was a taboo. Yet Yang-hui crossed that line without a care.
"Even if Brother Tang holds back, I can't. They humiliated the man I call brother. If you stay quiet, I'll humiliate those bastards myself."
"Brother Hwi......"
"A leash? On my Brother Tang and the Tang Clan?"
That flimsy leash, I'll rip it off for you.
Just wait a bit, Brother Tang.
-Hwi-ya, please, please, the main house...... my wish...... I beg you......
Hiding his inner thoughts, he pressed on boldly.
"So, Brother Tang. I have a way to hit those Namgung jerks where it hurts. Interested?"
"......"
Members of the Sichuan Tang Clan were said to be vicious one and all.
Though most of it was empty rumor.
Where there's no smoke, there's no fire.
Tang Gun raised his head, flames of venom blazing in his eyes.
"Brother Hwi. With your scheming mind, you've surely devised a way to land a solid blow, right?"
"Of course. Who am I?"
Before Tang Gun could reply, he grinned and continued.
"The world's greatest martial genius, born with the talent of one who leads a hundred—a peerless prodigy. Just trust in me."
With that in mind.
"Merchant Jin. Looks like we need to talk."
Jin Geum-bo, standing awkwardly, flinched.
"W-what do you want to say......?"
"Where to start? Ah, first, one question."
Yang-hui stared piercingly into Jin Geum-bo's eyes.
"Do you need help?"
"......Young Hero Baek. Why bring up help out of nowhere......"
"My favorite idiom is straight to the point. Answer directly. Don't test how much I know. Do you need help?"
"......"
Jin Geum-bo pondered long and hard.
He hesitated, and hesitated again.
'Just how much does he know?'
From what just happened, all one could glean was that the Namgung Clan had tasked him with something he hadn't completed yet.
Yet here he was, asking if he needed help.
If weighing pros and cons, yes, he did.
But......
"Chui-dal."
"Yes, Brother."
"Remember what I asked Lady Yeo to look into before we left?"
"Yes."
Yang-hui looked at Jin Geum-bo.
He wouldn't spill easily, so time to mix truth and lies to coax him out.
"Was there a Jin Clan among the families nearly wiped out during the Sword King Tomb Blood Massacre decades ago?"
"Yes. The Taiyuan Jin Clan."
Jin Geum-bo's body trembled violently, as if struck by lightning.
Yang-hui continued, watching him.
"Sword King Tomb. In Hesu Province, right?"