Chapter 137
Tang Geunmyeong’s face twisted when he saw me sitting there with a spoon in hand, blinking at him.
“You!”
“Uncle Geunmyeong? Why are you here?”
“Tang Sohae! You ungrateful little brat! You left like that without sending so much as a word. What did you expect the people you left behind to do?”
“What?”
“Where in the world had you holed up? Do you know how shocked I was when the Alliance came looking for you? I hounded the Clan Head and rushed all the way to the Wuhan headquarters, only to find out what? You used the Peng Clan’s favor token and ran away?”
“Ahaha, well, there were circumstances...”
“You think this is funny? Are you trying to worry everyone waiting for news of you to death? I feel as though you have taken ten years off my life! At the very least, you should have sent Un a letter telling him you were safe!”
“Uncle, please calm down...”
“I can understand being frightened and running away to avoid being taken in! But what did you think you were saving your brother’s identity token for? To make soup? You should have taken it to the Beggars’ Union and asked us for help! I lay awake every night wondering what could have happened to you! At my age, must I spend sleepless nights with my heart in my throat?”
No one had told me any of that. How was I supposed to know how to use an identity token if nobody explained it?
Sweating profusely, I could only stare at Tang Geunmyeong as he berated me.
Had Tang Geunmyeong always been this talkative?
The sight of him so agitated, raising his voice like this, felt entirely unfamiliar.
Captain Peng watched him fire off words without taking a breath, struggling not to laugh.
“Elder Tang. Shall I give you some privacy?”
“Do so.”
“Bwahaha, kid, you had that coming. Beg properly and tell him you are sorry.”
Captain Peng waved to me as if wishing me luck, then promptly shoved Jinseong out of the reception room ahead of her.
I set down my spoon and rose awkwardly.
I could not understand why he was acting like this.
In my memories, we had always been distant.
Whether he had been passing on Grandfather’s words, overseeing my training in Grandfather’s stead, or helping me escape Chengdu, Tang Geunmyeong had never said more than necessary.
This was strange. It was not as though he liked me that much.
Watching Tang Geunmyeong glare down at me with those wide eyes, I cautiously asked,
“Were you... worried about me?”
“What kind of question is that? Of course I was worried!”
Tang Geunmyeong barked the answer and flicked my forehead.
“Ow!”
“You little brat, adults are here so you can ask for help when you cannot handle something alone!”
“Uncle, that hurt.”
Even at my exaggerated complaint, Tang Geunmyeong’s expression did not soften.
“If the elder was away, you should have asked me for help! What did you think would change by suffering alone and running around like a fool? Do you realize how close this came to becoming a real disaster? Honestly, if you had been badly hurt—or even died...!”
Unable to bear the thought, he shuddered and scrubbed a hand over his face.
I should probably keep the part about nearly dying while I was running away a secret for the rest of my life. He would faint if he found out.
The worry filling Tang Geunmyeong’s face made me feel a little guilty.
I obediently lowered my gaze.
“I am sorry.”
When I folded my hands politely and put on a show of contrition, Tang Geunmyeong sighed and rubbed at the corner of his eye.
After taking a long moment to choose his words, he slowly placed a hand atop my head.
“...Enough. What do you have to be sorry for?”
Tang Geunmyeong gave a bitter smile and crouched down to meet my eyes. Guilt flickered in his dark eyes.
“I am sorry. I should not have let you go like that.”
“What?”
“I only realized afterward that you had never even been outside Chengdu, never mind Sichuan. You had always managed things well on your own, so... I assumed you would do so this time too. Foolishly.”
“Uncle...”
“Are you hurt anywhere? Have you been eating properly?”
“Of course. I was doing fine, Uncle.”
I smiled brightly and nodded.
“There is no way you were doing fine. Still... I am glad you are safe.”
His gaze softened for a moment. Then he looked me up and down and frowned again.
“What kind of state is this for a direct descendant of the Tang Clan? If the elder saw you looking like this, he would collapse from rage sickness. Go wash up and change clothes first.”
“Here? That is a little... I will wash later.”
How could I trust the Martial Alliance enough to let my guard down here?
Sensing my reluctance, Tang Geunmyeong spoke soothingly.
“There is nothing to worry about. With an elder of your clan standing guard with both eyes open, who would dare lay a hand on a child of the Tang Clan?”
“Ahaha, it is not that I do not trust you. I just cannot relax here.”
At my answer, something pained flickered in Tang Geunmyeong’s eyes. With a troubled look, he jerked his chin toward the door.
“All right. We can go out and find an inn now.”
“No. I have someone with me, Uncle. I need to wait until he comes out.”
“Someone?”
Tang Geunmyeong narrowed his eyes. He blinked as though trying to make sense of it, then slowly let out a sound of realization.
“Ah, you mean the wandering martial artist you were said to have escaped the encirclement with. Have you been traveling together ever since?”
“Yes. He helped me a great deal.”
“Then he is a benefactor of the Tang Clan. We must reward him. All right. Let us wait.”
Tang Geunmyeong murmured as he stroked his chin.
I stuck out my tongue and gave an awkward smile.
Even if Uncle wanted to reward him, Yeon Ryang would never accept it. He was not the sort of person who wanted that.
How was I supposed to introduce Yeon Ryang to Uncle? Could I tell him about his birth mother?
While I was lost in thought, Tang Geunmyeong composed his expression and drew a small bundle from his sleeve.
“Take this. Chohui made it for you.”
“Older Sister Chohui did?”
“She was worried you might have run out of hidden weapons. They are not things you can buy just anywhere.”
I was touched by the unexpected thoughtfulness. My supply of hidden weapons had dwindled considerably, so I had been worried about that very problem.
“Do not swallow poison like an idiot just because someone offers it to you. Put a Butterfly Dart through their face instead.”
Remembering Tang Chohui pressing a Butterfly Dart into my hand with those words, I could not help smiling.
“Please tell her I said thank you.”
“You can thank her yourself. Anyway, open it.”
Tang Geunmyeong answered gruffly, looking as though he naturally assumed I would return to the Tang Clan.
How would he react if I told him I was not going back? I did not know how to bring it up.
After hesitating, I pressed my lips together and opened the bundle.
It was filled with thin, intricately made Butterfly Darts and other hidden weapons.
Tang Chohui’s skill seemed to have improved while I had been gone.
As I stared in delight at the high-quality weapons and rummaged through the bundle, I found a plain hairpin without so much as a pattern on it.
It looked like an ordinary hairpin sold at any marketplace, but its balance felt strangely off.
When I picked it up in confusion, something rattled inside. The shaft was hollow, and something had been placed within it.
“Is this a hidden weapon too?”
“That is what I was told. She said to tell you to point it at the floor and twist it.”
He pointed to a groove in the hairpin, showing me where to turn it.
The moment I twisted it, tiny star-shaped darts no larger than my little fingernail sprayed out with a sharp whistle and embedded themselves in the floor.
Wow. This is amazing.
I gathered the darts with shining eyes, then immediately tucked the hairpin into my hair.
Tang Geunmyeong’s lips twitched upward at the sight before he held something else out to me.
“Take this too. The elder prepared it for you. I am only giving it to you now.”
“This is...”
The moment I saw what he held out, my nose stung.
They were leather gloves, the kind Tang Clan martial artists wore.
“Gloves...”
“They are made from the hide of a black-scaled blood python. I do not know whether they will still fit after all this time.”
I clutched the softly tanned gloves tightly. My throat closed, and my voice would not come easily.
The image of Grandfather smiling as he breathed warm air over my hands flashed through my mind. It had been on a day when I complained that they were cold.
“I should see whether we have leather suitable for gloves. My granddaughter’s hands cannot be cold.”
There had been a time like that.
A time when I had been carefree, never knowing how anxiously he worried that I would blow away if he breathed too hard or break if he held me too tightly.
I had not known what it meant to be able to sleep defenselessly without fear.
I had not known why he put me through such grueling training, or what he felt when he guided my qi through my acupoints afterward.
Now, I understood why Grandfather had done it.
I knew that even when he acted harsh, he never dismissed a single trivial complaint. He had always made sure to take care of it.
I knew how kind he was. I knew how much love he had given me...
But even though I wanted to return that love, he was beyond my reach.
It hurt because all I could do was regret not having done better.
Biting my lip, I slipped my hands into the gloves.
They fit perfectly, neither too large nor too small. They were so comfortable that it felt as though I was wearing nothing at all.
The warmth wrapping gently around the backs of my hands felt like Grandfather’s body heat.
My hands did not even feel cold anymore. I could sleep on bare ground in the middle of winter and be perfectly fine.
My vision blurred.
I missed Grandfather.
“...Hic.”
“Wh-what is wrong?”
When my face crumpled, Tang Geunmyeong stammered in alarm. I tried to swallow my tears, but it was not easy.
The emotions I had held down so tightly poured out like water through a broken dam.
“Waaah!”
“C-child, why all of a sudden...?”
Hearing my crying through the door, Captain Peng flung it open and rushed inside.
“Elder Tang! How hard did you ride her that she is bawling her eyes out? She walked out of the interrogation room without batting an eye!”
“N-no, I did not do anything...”
“You did not do anything? I heard you yelling your head off! Move aside, you old man.”
Captain Peng shoved Tang Geunmyeong away and began patting my back.
“There, there. Cry. Go on, cry. Did seeing an elder from home finally let you relax? You are finally acting your age.”
“Waaah, Older Sister... I miss Grandfather...”
Captain Peng gave a soft laugh and briskly wiped away my tears.
“Of course you do. The Poison King must miss you too. Do not bottle it all up alone. Cry some more. It is all right. Let it all out.”
Her straightforward comfort made my tears pour even harder.
As I nodded and sniffled, Beopgong’s voice came from outside.
“Kid, I brought your brother... What is this? Why is the mood so grim?”
“Sohae!”
At the urgent call, I turned in surprise and saw Yeon Ryang rushing toward me, pale-faced.
For a moment, I was simply relieved to see that Yeon Ryang was unharmed.
Then I realized I had abruptly become a child sobbing in front of everyone and wanted to crawl into a mouse hole.
Why did he have to come now? This is killing me.