Chapter 138
Having to stop crying while everyone watched was a strange experience I never wanted to repeat.
I removed the cold towel from my swollen eyes and lifted my head.
“Hey, kid.”
“Tch. Don’t tease me. Don’t. You’re not allowed to talk, Monk.”
“Yikes. All right.”
At my finger jab, Beopgong grinned and mimed sealing his mouth shut.
When I shot him a glare and looked around, I found everyone wearing a different expression.
Tang Geunmyeong looked torn, while Yeon Ryang seemed restless. Peng Jiyun and Beopgong were trading jokes as though they found the whole situation amusing.
And then there was Jinseong.
He watched me with a calm face as he set warm tea to soothe my throat and cold towels on the table.
As I picked up a fresh towel and dabbed awkwardly at my face, Jinseong asked,
“Would you like another wet towel?”
The towels he had already brought were more than enough, but Jinseong probably felt awkward too, trapped among people who had no real connection to one another.
“...Yes. Please bring me one more.”
Jinseong nodded and left to get another towel.
Peng Jiyun glanced at his retreating back with a puzzled look.
“Well, that’s new. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Taoist Jinseong look after someone like that.”
“Looks like that guy has taken a shine to the Tang Clan kid. The other day, he even invited her to become a guest retainer of Wudang.”
“Jinseong? No way. He’s so stiff whenever anything has Wudang’s name attached to it. Beopgong, did you dream that?”
“You always doubt me the moment I say anything, Sister. Ask the kid. It’s true.”
Beopgong snorted and jerked his chin at me.
Captain Peng was older? Master Beopgong really did look old for his age.
“Ahem. Ahem!”
At Tang Geunmyeong’s pointed throat-clearing, everyone turned toward him.
He cut off the conversation and stared directly at Peng Jiyun.
“Captain Peng. I would like you to excuse us for a moment.”
“What? Elder Tang, you do know this is my office, right? You’re awfully bold.”
“There is something I need to settle with that man. It is a family matter, so I ask for your understanding.”
“All right, all right. I’ll give you the room, so take care of your business. Just don’t make the child cry twice. Beopgong. Let’s go.”
Peng Jiyun rose with a teasing reply. Beopgong glanced at Yeon Ryang, shrugged, and turned away.
An awkward silence settled over the reception room after only the three of us remained.
Tang Geunmyeong looked at Yeon Ryang and asked gently,
“Would you care for a cup of tea?”
“...No, thank you.”
Yeon Ryang shook his head, looking slightly tense.
Tang Geunmyeong did not press him. Instead, he offered Yeon Ryang a formal clasped-fist salute.
“I hear our child received much help from you. Thank you for protecting a child of the Tang Clan. The Tang Clan will not forget this debt.”
At once, Yeon Ryang’s brow tightened.
He did not seem to like Tang Geunmyeong’s words.
“I did nothing that merits thanks. I merely protected my sister.”
“Your sister? What do you mean?”
“I am that child’s older brother.”
Tang Geunmyeong’s face filled with disbelief at the blunt answer.
“Listen here. This child is the Tang Clan Head’s daughter—”
He raised his voice, then met Yeon Ryang’s eyes and froze.
His [N O V E L I G H T] eyes widened as though he had found someone else’s face in Yeon Ryang’s.
“...What relationship do you have with Choryeon?”
“I am her son.”
Tang Geunmyeong looked back and forth between Yeon Ryang and me with his large eyes wide open, then let out a sigh and pressed a hand to his forehead.
“There is no need to verify the facts, then. I had no idea she had such a grown son.”
He found a resemblance in that rugged face?
Puzzled, I lightly poked Tang Geunmyeong.
“Uncle, did you know my mother’s face too?”
“Everyone in Sichuan around my age knew your mother’s face. Do you know how many men loitered around the walls of Moon-Fragrance Pavilion just to catch a glimpse of her smile?”
How would I know?
I barely swallowed the retort rising to my throat. Yeon Ryang’s lips curled upward, as if he could see exactly what I was thinking.
“They said you had been traveling together all this time. So that was why. Why did you not say so sooner? What is your name?”
“Yeon Ryang.”
“I am Tang Geunmyeong. I may be an elder, but I am not of the Tang bloodline, so there is no need to stand on ceremony around me.”
“Yes.”
After exchanging names with Yeon Ryang, Tang Geunmyeong laced his fingers together with a troubled expression.
“I understand your relationship with the child. Still, I cannot help asking what you intend to do from here. The main family does not permit outsiders into the estate. It would be difficult for you to go to the Tang Clan with her.”
Yeon Ryang shook his head.
“You are asking the questions in the wrong order, Elder.”
“What do you mean?”
“Should you not first ask whether Sohae intends to return to the Tang Clan? She has not said that she wishes to return.”
Tang Geunmyeong’s expression turned grim.
“She is a child of the Tang Clan. If she does not return to the clan, where else would she go? You. Is that what you think as well?”
Tang Geunmyeong looked at me as though demanding an answer.
I gave him an awkward smile.
“Ha ha. I was trying to figure out how to bring it up, so I never got the chance to tell you, but I do not intend to return to Sichuan, Uncle.”
“What?”
“Uncle, you know too. I was expelled—”
“Nonsense. If we had truly intended to expel you, we would have severed the sinews and meridians in your limbs first. Are you saying you intend to cut ties with the clan? You are the Poison King’s disciple! This is not something you may decide on your own.”
Tang Geunmyeong cut me off sharply, his eyes wide.
I answered calmly.
“I know. I am Grandfather’s disciple. Since I inherited Grandfather’s martial arts, I will not be able to sever my ties with the Tang Clan either. But Grandfather is not there right now.”
“...”
“I do not think I can endure the Tang Clan without Grandfather there, Uncle. When Grandfather finishes his seclusion, I will return then.”
His face darkened at my answer.
Tang Geunmyeong hesitated for a moment before forcing the words out.
“Whew... Do not be too disappointed. You are a martial artist as well, so you understand that the Elder is currently...”
His lips moved as he struggled to choose his words.
It was rare to see Tang Geunmyeong so troubled.
He was worried that I would resent Tang Jung.
His clumsy attempt at an excuse made me smile despite myself.
“Why would I be disappointed? I was the one who shoved Grandfather into the closed-door training chamber when he did not want to go, Uncle.”
Tang Geunmyeong swallowed a sigh, his throat bobbing heavily.
“...I see. Are you truly not going back?”
“Yes.”
“All right. If that is what you want, there is nothing I can do. I will explain it properly to the Clan Head. Un will be disappointed. He missed you terribly.”
“Thank you for understanding. I will send Brother Un a letter myself.”
He nodded as though he understood.
After watching him carefully, I cautiously changed the subject.
“Um, what happened with the Yuzhou Merchant Guild? And Young Master Gu?”
“The Tang Clan compensated them for the damages, and in exchange, both sides agreed not to pursue their grudges further. Once they became entangled with the Martial Alliance, the Yuzhou Merchant Guild had no other choice. They would have suffered for obstructing the Alliance’s affairs.”
That explained why the bogus wanted notices had disappeared.
Then the assassins really had been sent by Third Madam.
“I am glad it has been resolved. But I really did not kill him, Uncle.”
“I know. No one thinks you did. But... the Clan Head wished to bury the matter without digging any deeper.”
Tang Geunmyeong sounded uneasy.
My blood went cold.
“Are you saying the Clan Head deliberately drove me out?”
“To be honest, I believe that is what happened. I thought he was merely pretending to handle things harshly in order to placate the Yuzhou Merchant Guild. But now that I think about it... while the Elder was away, he may have wanted to reduce the Elder’s influence and establish his own authority as Clan Head.”
Wow. What a fucking bastard.
Only then did I understand why he had warned me never to set foot in Sichuan again.
My very existence stood in the way of the Clan Head’s authority.
He could not kill his own daughter himself, so he must have turned a blind eye to Third Madam’s scheme to use someone else’s hands to dispose of me.
Yeon Ryang, who had listened quietly, looked just as twisted with anger.
“And you intended to take Sohae back under those circumstances? Maybe you did not know before, but now that you do, I will never let her go.”
“The situation has changed. The matter with the Yuzhou Merchant Guild has been settled, and the Martial Alliance’s false accusation has been cleared. The Clan Head can no longer lay a hand on her.”
“Can you guarantee that the same thing will not happen again? Her own biological father is threatening her safety. How can you be certain she will be safe?”
His reaction had grown so rough that he looked ready to seize Tang Geunmyeong by the collar.
I hurriedly tried to calm him down.
“Hey, Brother. Do not take it out on Uncle for no reason. It is not as though this was his fault.”
Tang Geunmyeong avoided Yeon Ryang’s blazing gaze and reluctantly nodded with a troubled expression.
“...You are right. For now, it would be better for her not to return to the clan.”
He rubbed his forehead and looked at me.
“My child. The Elder has safe houses arranged throughout the Central Plains.”
“Safe houses?”
“Yes. I thought the Elder must have told you about them. I will tell you where they are, so remember them. If anything happens, take shelter in one of those safe houses.”
“Yes, Uncle.”
“I do not care where you stay. Just keep sending word. My heart will not stop pounding with worry.”
“I will.”
Tang Geunmyeong crossed his arms and grumbled as he changed the subject.
“By the way, I hear you were the one who sent Elder Divine Therapist to Un?”
“The Divine Therapist went to the Tang Clan?”
“Yes. He came and treated Un’s eyes. He is still staying there.”
A smile came to me naturally at the welcome news.
I had not been sure whether Elder Divine Therapist would honor his promise, but he had not merely delivered the spiritual medicine. He had stayed there himself.
“How is he? Is he getting better? Does the Divine Therapist think he can recover?”
“It is still too early to say for certain, but he looks better to me. His complexion has improved greatly, and he has been spending more time outside. But...”
Tang Geunmyeong had been telling me about Tang Un’s condition when his words trailed off with an embarrassed expression.
“Why? What is it?”
“Well, Un...”