Chapter 374

Tang Horyong, the Pavilion Master of the Poison Dragon Pavilion, rose from his seat to greet his guest.

An imposing man had just opened the door and entered, and an indescribable pressure poured from him.

“You’ve gone to a great deal of trouble coming such a long way.”

“Compared to what the Sichuan Tang Clan has endured, it was nothing. Once again, please accept my deepest condolences.”

Despite his rugged features, the man’s voice was low and gentle, yet it carried a force that compelled anyone listening to pay attention.

Could it be the aura possessed only by a leader who commands others?

At the man’s gentle yet deeply composed gaze, Tang Horyong suddenly thought of someone.

It feels as though I’m facing another version of my older cousin.

The realization left Tang Horyong more than a little bewildered.

From what he had heard, the man before him was not even forty yet.

His older cousin, on the other hand, was considerably older and held an eminent position in Murim.

He had achieved countless military feats during the Great Faction War and was also an iron-blooded Family Head who had rebuilt his ruined family on an even stronger foundation.

The Myriad-Poison Asura, Tang Sadok.

Tang Horyong, acting Family Head of the Sichuan Tang Clan, sighed inwardly as he thought of his older cousin, who had yet to regain consciousness.

Please wake up soon and lead us, Family Head.

Tang Horyong was a martial artist to his very bones.

He prided himself on having attained mastery in poisons and hidden weapons, but leading a family was an entirely different matter.

Especially lately, problems had come pouring in from every direction, leaving him no time even to dwell on the grief and anger of losing his own kin.

If only a man like this were in my position.

In that sense, Tang Horyong could not help but envy the man before him.

It was not a judgment based solely on first impressions. He had already heard plenty of rumors about the man.

Even if only a quarter of them were true, the man was more than capable of leading a family.

“Sir Tang, is there something on my face?”

“Ah, no. I was distracted by everything going on and acted rudely. My apologies.”

At Tang Horyong’s hurried apology, the man nodded gravely.

“Not at all. It’s understandable. You’ve suffered something truly devastating.”

In truth, even the word devastating was insufficient to describe the damage the Sichuan Tang Clan had suffered.

Nearly nine-tenths of its household members had died, and most of the Tang Clan’s grounds had been destroyed.

The fact that the family line had survived was their one consolation, but it would take a very long time to restore the prosperity they had once enjoyed.

“Our fellow martial artists in Sichuan have gone out of their way to help us, but… I fear for what lies ahead.”

If the Family Head, Tang Sadok, had been in his place, he would never have shown weakness in any situation.

Tang Horyong was different.

At his frank words, the man gently stroked his teacup with his long fingers.

“I believe you know very well why I came here, Sir Tang.”

“I understand that you came to investigate the Three-Sect Bloodbath.”

“To be precise, when I first left Henan, my purpose was to track down the murderers who killed the late Poison King Tang Sadok and the Heaven-Shaking Divine Nun. But the situation changed considerably along the way.”

“That’s right. Dark Heaven—that bunch of accursed bastards—has finally revealed its claws.”

“Although there was a precedent in Henan, attacking three prestigious great sects renowned throughout the land so boldly and all at once is proof that the war has reached our doorstep.”

Small unrest begets greater unrest.

But Dark Heaven’s existence could no longer be concealed, and there was no reason to conceal it.

Seven days and nights had already passed since the horrific day of the Three-Sect Bloodbath.

By now, word of it would have traveled a thousand li, and countless carrier pigeons would be flying to every corner of the land.

And war, unlike mere chaos, brought people together.

“I heard that the orthodox Murim is rallying in Henan in the immediate aftermath of the Shaolin Bloodbath. Then, perhaps…”

“It is still only in the preparation stage. But it is a foregone conclusion.”

The man continued in a heavy voice.

“That is why I’m making this suggestion. Why don’t you go to Henan?”

“Henan…”

“Yes. What you’re thinking of will happen soon.”

After a brief silence, Tang Horyong spoke.

“Thank you for inviting me to such an honored occasion, but I cannot leave right now. As you know, as the acting Family Head, the members of our family…”

“Sir Tang.”

“Please, speak.”

“As you just said, Sir Tang, you are the acting Family Head. Naturally, you cannot leave the members of the Tang Clan behind and go.”

“…!”

Only then did Tang Horyong grasp the meaning behind the man’s proposal. His mouth fell open.

It was something he had never dared even consider.

“So, are you saying… that we should relocate our family?”

“Well…”

The man’s clear eyes, seeming to see straight through him, turned toward Tang Horyong.

“Great Hero Mae Jonghak once told me that a war even greater than the Great Faction War would soon erupt.”

“The Sword Saint…”

Tang Horyong swallowed a groan.

That could not be the Sword Saint’s opinion alone.

The Shaolin Bloodbath had awakened the anger and vigilance of countless orthodox martial artists, and the new Murim Alliance had already finished preparing to take shape.

The entire orthodox Murim was preparing for the coming war.

Can our family survive under these circumstances?

The question flashed through his mind, and his heart sank.

The Sichuan Tang Clan had already suffered a blow unprecedented in its history.

Moreover, the Qingcheng Sect and Emei Sect had lost considerable strength as well.

If the enemy invaded once again, there would be little hope of stopping them.

“Haah…”

As Tang Horyong sighed with a vacant expression, a quiet voice reached his ears.

“Sir Tang, why do you think the Sichuan Tang Clan has endured for hundreds of years?”

“That is…”

“It was solely because it was the Tang Clan. Even if you took away the ‘Sichuan’ from its name, that fact would not change.”

“…!”

“If you make up your mind, the orthodox Murim will help the Tang Clan.”

Tang Horyong trembled, unable to continue speaking. At last, he forced out the words.

“We have made countless enemies over the years. Even among the Nine Sects and One Gang and the Five Great Families, there are those who find our family troublesome. Will that really be all right?”

“Everything will be handled fairly and aboveboard. Set your mind at ease and establish a new nest. Henan, Shaanxi, or perhaps…”

A gentle smile touched the man’s lips.

“Shanxi would work too.”

“Shanxi?”

“Just say the word. I have plenty of land to spare.”

Tang Horyong suddenly remembered one fact he had forgotten.

The man standing before him was the leader who had unified the Murim of Shanxi, the foremost landowner in Shanxi Province, and a great tycoon.

“Thank you. Truly, thank you, Sir Jin!”

“Think nothing of it.”

The man—Jin Wikyung, Lesser Family Head of the Jin Family of Taiyuan—was respectfully yet majestically returning the acting Family Head of the Sichuan Tang Clan’s fist-and-palm salute when—

Clunk.

“Um, I heard you called for me.”

A young man cautiously poked his head through the gap in the pavilion door.

The instant Jin Wikyung spotted him, he unleashed a lion’s roar.

“Youngest—!”

Thud-thud-thud-thud—wham!

He charged like an enraged bull.

Watching the two brothers reunite in what might have been an embrace or a collision, Tang Horyong recalled one of the rumors about Jin Wikyung.

They say he’s a complete pushover when it comes to his younger brothers.

The leader who had unified the Murim of Shanxi and the foremost landowner in Shanxi Province was nowhere to be seen.

All that remained was some hopelessly doting fool.

He is still young, after all. He lacks experience. He cannot compare to my older cousin, who is so cool-headed at all times. Of course. Absolutely.

Tang Horyong had no way of knowing that Mimi-chan existed.

“Youngest!”

Jin Wikyung charged at me, scattering tears from his damp eyes, and grabbed me in a tight embrace.

I had two years of Murim experience under my belt. After enduring this sort of thing time and again, I’d expected a reaction this dramatic.

Crack!

…But I hadn’t expected this.

What the hell was that? Why could I hear my bones going out of alignment?

I sighed as his embrace tightened around my entire body like an anaconda from the Amazon jungle.

In any case, I let him hug me because I was glad to see him. But his reaction was more violent than ever before.

“Hold on, hyungnim. Let go so we can talk. Let go.”

“Hyungnim?! Didn’t I tell you to call me hyung instead of using such a stiff formality? You’ve changed, you’ve changed!”

“Ah, fine, I get it. Now let me go.”

“You used to speak informally when you were little, so why are you using polite speech now? You’ve changed, you’ve changed!”

“Let go, fuck.”

“Gasp! Even during your rebellious phase, you never swore! You’ve chang—!”

“Wow. That running commentary is driving me insane.”

Is his day job a Murim martial artist and his side job a Dementor?

Feeling as though my soul were being sucked out, I shuddered in revulsion and reached out.

Whirl—crash!

Jin Wikyung’s huge body slammed headfirst into the ground, upside down, and a heavy impact rang out.

A middle-aged man from the Sichuan Tang Clan who had been watching let out a startled groan.

“It’s okay, it’s okay. We’re just playing around.”

“Ah, but still…”

“Look. He’s getting up just fine.”

Just as I’d said, Jin Wikyung sprang to his feet as though nothing had happened, tears of emotion glimmering in his eyes.

“You’ve gotten even stronger in the meantime. That’s our youngest.”

His complete lack of change made me snort.

“You’re still the same.”

“Still the same? Do you know how worried I’ve been these past two months? I couldn’t sleep at night, and I had no appetite. I was reduced to skin and bones.”

I looked over his massive, muscular frame and muttered, “Your bones look pretty well padded.”

In any case, two months.

So much time had already passed.

It struck me anew that it was almost time to return.

Given that spending ten days in one world meant only about an hour passed in the other…

About six hours must have passed. The plane might be landing soon.

The timing was perfect. I had accumulated quite a bit of fatigue after overcoming the massive obstacle that was the Western Heaven Demon Lord.

Rather than drag out the conversation, I got straight to the point.

“When are we leaving?”

“Our youngest, you must have suffered so much… Hm?”

Jin Wikyung, who had been anxiously looking me over, froze.

“What did you say?”

“You came to take me with you, didn’t you? Oh, and Samgoe too.”

Jin Wikyung’s eyes widened.

“How did you know that?”

The middle-aged man, who appeared to be an important figure in the Sichuan Tang Clan, also spoke with a startled expression.

“Sir Jin, did you not come to investigate the full circumstances of the incident?”

“I did. However, several members of the investigative party, myself included, will be returning to Henan. Just before we reached Sichuan, I received a mission to escort Samgoe, one of the principal culprits behind the Three-Sect Bloodbath.”

“Then what about the matter concerning our family…”

“It still stands, of course. It would simply be difficult for the Tang Clan to act on it immediately.”

“That’s true. The Family Head is still unable to travel a long distance. We must also seek the consent of the other members of the family.”

“Yes. And…”

After quietly conversing with the middle-aged man for a moment, Jin Wikyung sent me a discreet Sound Transmission.

But how did you know?

I can take a hint. It just seemed likely from the circumstances.

Ah, our youngest. What enormous ordeal did you have to overcome to make you clever, too?

…

That somehow rubs me the wrong way.

In truth, I hadn’t figured it out from the circumstances. I knew because a Quest related to escorting Samgoe had popped up.

“So when are we leaving?”

Having just finished his conversation, Jin Wikyung answered me.

“You already knew? That makes things easier. The sooner, the better. Are you ready?”

“The only things I brought with me are my two balls. I just need to bring my body.”

On top of that, I had two bundles of luggage wrapped tightly in bandages.

Jin Wikyung nodded.

“Sir Tang, where is Samgoe?”

The middle-aged man he had addressed as Sir Tang replied, “We bound all four of his limbs and imprisoned him under strict guard. Ever since his balls were crushed, he has tried to kill himself whenever he gets the chance. You’ll need to be careful.”

“Oh dear…”

Even I would want to die if I were him.

In any case, everything was in place for a swift departure.

Jin Wikyung considered it for a moment, then gave a decisive answer.

“Then half a shichen.¹ We’ll leave within half a shichen. Is that all right?”

“No problem.”

The moment I answered without hesitation, hurried footsteps sounded outside the pavilion, followed by someone shouting.

“The Family Head! The Family Head has awakened!”

Jin Wikyung corrected himself in a lukewarm voice.

“One shichen. Let’s make it one shichen.”

“…Yes. That sounds better.”

What a shame. I could’ve taken the Myriad Poison Ring and bolted.