Chapter 261: The Discovery of Fire (5)
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“…”
The silence between father and daughter was longer than expected.
The warmly brewed tea had already cooled down. The tea scent that filled the room had also gradually disappeared without a trace.
How much time had passed like that?
“You are quite late.”
Tang Kwan spoke in his characteristic stubborn voice.
“It has already been several days since you returned to the Alliance, was it that bothersome to come greet your father?”
Tang Sang-ah answered in a calm voice.
“I belong to the Demon-Sweeping Army. It was only proper for me to return to the Demon-Sweeping Army, and I had to carry out the schedule that had been postponed all this time.”
“You are a person of the Tang Clan before you are a soldier of the Demon-Sweeping Army.”
“You tried to send me to Army Commander Murong, telling me to give up the Tang surname.”
“…”
“I had already half laid down the Tang surname, but could it be that I misunderstood?”
Tang Kwan’s cheek twitched.
“Then, have you made up your mind to marry Army Commander Murong?”
“Not yet.”
Kwang!
The table shook and the teacup overturned.
The sound of tea dripping onto the floor caused a strange discomfort.
“I turned a blind eye to your self-indulgence because you were my child and a Tang. However, if you truly intend to throw away the Tang surname, from then on, I too will not treat you as my child.”
“You already said all of that before my departure.”
“What?!”
“Let me tell you clearly, the one who tried to cast out his daughter while bringing up the clan’s history was you, Father.”
“…!”
“The one who should actually be feeling sad and angry is me, so why do you keep getting angry, Father? You don’t really think of me as some soulless doll, do you?”
“…If you were a doll.”
Tang Kwan growled.
“If you were rather a doll that couldn’t speak, I wouldn’t have even asked you to understand my choice.”
“I understand it. But the disappointment and anger are all my share.”
“You!”
“Father.”
Tang Sang-ah said with a smile.
“Don’t get angry at me.”
“…”
“It’s all something you brought upon yourself, Father. One must take responsibility for the things they cause. I clearly learned it that way when I was young. From none other than you, Father.”
Strength entered Tang Kwan’s fists.
Tang Sang-ah continued speaking.
“The person who actually came to get angry is me, but since you act like this, Father, it kills the mood.”
“…Get out.”
“Take responsibility first.”
“What responsibility!”
“It would have been right for me to get angry, but you rather plunged a dagger into my heart. You must take responsibility for that.”
Tang Kwan felt dumbfounded.
“Are you threatening me right now with such nonsensical words?!”
“If you don’t want to take responsibility, how about a favor?”
“What?!”
“If you still consider me a Tang, would you grant me just one favor?”
“Be quiet! I will no longer consider you my child, so right now, from here…!”
“There is a person I rely on quite a bit personally. Ah, please don’t misunderstand. I don’t have any romantic feelings for them.”
“…?!”
“Would you meet with that person just once?”
Tang Kwan silently glared at Tang Sang-ah.
Tang Sang-ah took out a letter from her bosom and placed it on the table.
“It is my last favor as your child. I hope you will grant it.”
“…”
“I won’t be visiting you in the future. Please take care of yourself.”
With those words, Tang Sang-ah rose from her seat.
There was not a single inch of hesitation in her steps as she turned around just like that. Seeing his daughter’s steps that were even cold-hearted, Tang Kwan thought.
It was a relationship stained with hatred and resentment, but as expected, Tang Sang-ah was also of the Tang Clan’s bloodline. That vicious determination was not something just anyone could show.
Before Tang Sang-ah went out the door, Tang Kwan spoke.
“To give up the Tang surname is equivalent to saying you will give up all the Tang Clan’s martial arts you have learned so far.”
“…”
“I believe you understand what my words mean.”
“Clan Head.”
She called him Clan Head, not Father. Tang Kwan felt his face heat up bright red.
Tang Sang-ah smiled brightly.
“It is a life I had already laid down before my departure.”
“…!”
“If you intend to take it back, please do so as much as you’d like. I will wait.”
Thud!
The door closed.
Tang Kwan, who had been glaring at the door with eyes full of anger, soon let out a sigh.
“You are rather better. It seems you are more vicious than this father whom the world points fingers at for being vicious.”
Tang Kwan, who had been laughing at himself for a long time, suddenly turned his eyes to the letter on the table.
Staring blankly at the letter, he reached out his hand.
* * *
Hwiiiiiing.
A sharp wind that had sharpened its dull blade as it swept past the trees brushed his collar.
Before he knew it, the sunset was spreading across the other side of the sky. Winter was certainly winter, as the time the sun set was distinctly faster than in summer.
Tang Kwan’s face looking at the sky dyed red like blood was also red.
‘It’s red.’
It was quite a beautiful scenery. It was a forest not well known even within the Murim Alliance, but unexpectedly, it was a place with excellent landscapes.
Of course, Tang Kwan was not in a state to comfortably appreciate the scenery. Because his mind was still uncomfortable from the conversation with his daughter a little while ago.
‘The one who cast you aside first was me…?’
Tang Kwan’s eyes became bloodshot.
‘Cast aside? Do not express it like that. The master of the main family can only be a man. No matter how much outstanding skill you build up, you can never become the Clan Head.’
His daughter’s face came to mind.
The face of his daughter, who always walked around smiling, but harbored a deeper emptiness behind it than anyone else.
‘Father was wrong. Protecting the clan’s traditions is not being inflexible. Tradition has meaning in itself as tradition.’
For the sake of tradition, if the clan could shine upon a solid bedrock, he would exert stubbornness or obstinacy. And he would pour deadly poison into the maws of those who clicked their tongues while watching that.
‘I was not wrong!’
It was then.
Crunch. Crunch.
The sound of stepping on snow could be heard from afar.
‘He’s here.’
Tang Kwan turned his body.
‘Just what kind of bastard is it for her to…’
In an instant, Tang Kwan’s eyes widened.
“You bastard?!”
“Calling me a bastard from the start, you’re being too much.”
A young man, Yeon Ho-jeong, smiled calmly.
“Have you been well?”
“…Could it be, the one who asked my daughter for a meeting was you, you bastard?”
“That’s right.”
Puseuseuseu.
A gruesome dark green radiance spewed from Tang Kwan’s body.
The extremely enraged Tang Kwan relentlessly revealed the mighty power he had kept firmly hidden until now.
Chiiiiiiik!
An area with a radius of five zhang from the ground where he stood began to melt at a terrifying speed.
It wasn’t just the snow that melted. Even the surface of the frozen earth became completely mushy.
Admiration arose on Yeon Ho-jeong’s face.
“It is truly an amazing poison art. It seems to have become even more potent than before?”
“A measly bastard like you dares to use my daughter to call me out?”
“My situation of having to use your daughter, a person of common sense, just to meet a human like you is a bit wearying, yes.”
“What?!”
“Whatever. Isn’t good things good? Plant that incredibly bizarre energy of yours right there, and let’s just talk.”
“This bastard!”
“Or else.”
Flash!
Killing intent flashed in Yeon Ho-jeong’s two eyes.
“Do you need profanities to pop out of this young guy’s mouth like before for you to calm down?”
“…!”
“I still haven’t forgotten the Red Demon Group incident. Of course, I decided to bury that matter, but feelings remain. I can’t help it even if you curse me for being narrow-minded, though.”
Yeon Ho-jeong smiled brightly.
“Don’t make rough words come out of a young guy’s mouth, and since you took the trouble to come a long way, listen to what needs to be heard before you go.”
“You’re wrong.”
“Hmm?”
“I came to this spot at my daughter’s request, but if I knew the subject was you, I would absolutely not have come. In other words, you stole the time of the Clan Head of the Sichuan Tang Clan.”
Seureureuk.
The poison qi that had been extending in all directions was retrieved into his body in an instant.
It was a surprisingly fast speed. Releasing this level of power all at once was also an amazing feat, but retrieving the released energy in an instant was also impossible with ordinary enlightenment.
As expected of the Clan Head of the Sichuan Tang Clan. It was a skill worthy of claiming to be the master of one of the Six Great Clans.
“Whether it was worth it for me to come here, I will judge entirely on my own. If by any chance it is not that important of a matter, even if it means being locked in the underground prison, I will turn you into a handful of bloody water.”
It was a voice steeped in sincerity. He wasn’t just full of pride like before or blinded by anger.
A quiet and fatal killing intent. Tang Kwan had genuinely made up his mind to kill Yeon Ho-jeong.
‘Interesting.’
Yeon Ho-jeong smiled.
‘I was going to attack after thoroughly shaking up your mind with nonsense, but you’re saying you’re already as shaken as can be?’
Somehow he felt like he knew the reason. His state of mind must have become incredibly complicated from the conversation with Tang Sang-ah.
“I doubt whether you can kill me with your skills.”
“Would you like to check?”
“Checking sounds good. However, I am also a busy person, so let’s get straight to the main topic.”
Without giving Tang Kwan a chance to answer, Yeon Ho-jeong continued.
“What is it that you want? To be the Alliance Leader?”
“…?!”
“Let’s hear that answer first.”
Tang Kwan’s expression suddenly changed.
No matter how angry one was, there were words that could be ignored and words that couldn’t.
As it was, the Honored Guests were busy reading each other’s reactions due to the election next year. In such a situation, out of nowhere, you’re asking if I want to be the Alliance Leader?
“…What kind of nonsense is that?”
“It’s not that I don’t know you also have a desire for power. It’s just that, while I know what Murong Jun desires, I don’t know what position it is that you want.”
“…!”
“Tell me. Is what you want the position of the Murim Alliance Leader?”
“I’ve known you were an arrogant bastard since before, but it truly transcends imagination.”
“Then again, since you are the leader of stubborn fools who mistakenly believe the Sichuan Tang Clan is the best in the Murim, there’s no way you’d be interested in the Alliance Leader position. I will move on to the next one.”
“Crazy bastard! Are you truly driven mad wanting to die?!”
“You will absolutely not be able to escape the Murim Alliance.”
“What?”
“You must have known that Murong Jun has begun preliminary work to slander Master Kong-kong, right?”
“…?!”
Tang Kwan’s eyes suddenly changed.
Yeon Ho-jeong could see through that change like a ghost.
‘He doesn’t know?’
Even if it was truly Murong Jun’s doing, Tang Kwan might not know.
To be exact, he thought it was a fifty-fifty chance. Because Tang Kwan’s personality was so on edge, he probably didn’t need to take the risk and let him know.
At the same time, if Tang Kwan helped, the matter could proceed much more comfortably. That was why he thought it was a fifty-fifty chance.
‘It might not be Murong Jun’s doing. But there is a high probability that it is Murong Jun’s doing. If so…’
The corners of Yeon Ho-jeong’s mouth rose.
“It seems Murong Jun didn’t tell you. If so, it seems my thoughts are indeed correct.”
“What bullshit are you saying?”
“Murong Jun will not let you go. Because you want to be the real power while having no interest in the Murim Alliance Leader position.”
“…!”
“Do you think you formed an alliance with Murong Jun? Bullshit. You might think you can manipulate Murong Jun as you wish, but the reality is the opposite.”
Yeon Ho-jeong chuckled.
“Do you know that Murong Jun is currently cultivating you well to use as a disposable card?”
“…!!”
“This matter schemed to slander Master Kong-kong, if our side exposes it, who do you think Murong Jun will point to as the culprit?”
Tang Kwan’s eyes shook.
Yeon Ho-jeong spoke in a gloomy voice.
“To Murong Jun, you too are ultimately just another card.”