KYDS 20

Chapter 20

“Are you pleased with the new sword?”

Tang Sowol, who had changed out of the flashy clothes meant for going out into somewhat more comfortable attire, asked with a slightly barbed tone.

“Just to be safe, I’ll ask. You aren’t pouting just because I went and fetched the sword by myself, are you?”

“At my age, why would I pout over something like that? Of course, since I went out specifically to do betrothed-like things, I would have preferred it if we wrapped up the day properly as betrothed, but I do think a little bit about that.”

“True. You’re five years older than me, so you wouldn’t let something like this hurt your feelings.”

At my words, Tang Sowol’s mouth—which had been wearing a dazed expression like someone who had just taken a hit—began to jut out.

Seeing Tang Sowol looking unmistakably pouted, I chuckled and added a word.

“I happen to have a preference for mature women.”

“……Specifically?”

“Let’s see. Specifically, someone who looks great in green clothes, who puts on airs like a child about being the older one, yet carefully looks after her suddenly acquired betrothed by guiding him here and there, or someone who takes him outside on the pretext of doing betrothed-like things because she wants to show him the things she likes.”

“H-Hem. Very well. In light of the Young Master’s sincerity, I’ll let it slide this much today.”

Tang Sowol nodded with a feigned, haughty attitude. But did she know that her cheeks were already dyed red?

I didn’t bother pointing it out. Watching her fan herself out of nowhere or stare blankly into space while wearing a silly grin was quite an entertaining spectacle.

And so, as we were halfway to our promised destination, Tang Sowol spoke in a low voice.

“Young Master Cheon. Are you really going to follow Father to go after those who plotted my death?”

“That’s the plan.”

“……”

Instead of an answer, Tang Sowol kept silent with a resolute expression.

The reception room we arrived at not long after. When I gave a light knock at the door and opened it, a scene similar to the previous time welcomed us.

Dishes filling the table neither too excessively nor too scantily, and Tang Jintian waiting at the head of the table.

The only difference was that Tang Cheon—who hadn’t been there last time—and an unfamiliar middle-aged man were each occupying a seat. And perhaps the strangely heavy atmosphere.

Even amidst his busy schedule, Tang Jintian would often carve out time to have dinner with Tang Sowol, but today it didn’t seem like he had called us just to see our faces.

Well, naturally. Leaving Tang Cheon aside, there was no reason for an unfamiliar face to be seated here for no good reason.

Perhaps sensing that difference as well, Tang Sowol spoke with a slightly tense expression.

“Uncle is here as well.”

“Well. You probably roughly guessed it, but this time we have some rather important matters to discuss.”

The middle-aged man shrugged. He wasn’t particularly rugged or exuding pressure outward, yet his appearance felt strangely menacing.

Amidst that, his words and demeanor were light, making him an unusual person in many ways. ……Though the title “Tang Sowol’s uncle” gave a hint as to why.

“Pleased to meet you. I am Cheon Hui, who has recently formed a bond with Tang Sowol.”

“The name is Tang Yujin. Normally I work as the Master of the House’s personal security guard, so you won’t see my face all that often, but it’s nice to meet you like this. Did you like the gift sent to you last time?”

“Yes. It was precisely what I needed, so I used it to good effect.”

“Then I’m glad. ……You’ll need to keep your body sturdy, after all.”

“?”

For a moment, I tilted my head, failing to properly catch the mumbling at the end, but Tang Jintian cleared his throat and spoke.

“Ahem. Since the greetings are done, take your seats.”

“Yes.”

As I sat side by side with Tang Sowol, Tang Jintian’s eyebrows twitched. However, perhaps having grown used to it by now, he returned to his usual demeanor before long.

“Eat first. As Yujin here mentioned, we have something to talk about, but it’s the kind of story that rather spoils the appetite.”

Well, naturally. It was already bothering me, and once I heard the details, dinner wouldn’t go down smoothly at all.

Tang Jintian picked up a piece of Hoigurowok (twice-cooked pork) first, nodded in satisfaction, and opened his mouth.

“Come to think of it, Sowol-ah. I heard you went out to the marketplace with Young Master Cheon today……”

Idle chatter close to small talk. What fun things happened when they went out today, whether the newly received sword was to his liking, and whether life within the Tang family was comfortable, and so on.

Tang Jintian had been creating a warm atmosphere by chatting back and forth on various topics, but as the meal neared its end and the conversation wound down, his aura shifted.

“……Let’s get to the main point now.”

It wasn’t as if he had unleashed his killing intent or anything of the sort. It was closer to his presence simply becoming distinctly sharp.

However, for a master of the Hwakyung (Transformation) realm to reveal himself as he was, in and of itself, carried a sense of pressure and authority.

Revealing a facet not as Tang Sowol’s father, but as the Master of the Sichuan Tang family, Tang Jintian spoke.

“We found the mastermind behind the ambush on Sowol. They say they’re lackeys of the Demonic Cult.”

“I heard from Hyungnim. But I have one question.”

“Go ahead.”

“Where did you get that information? You hadn’t received any word for quite a long time, after all.”

“True enough. At first, we commissioned the Beggars’ Sect, but only small-time helpers turned up—people who lent money or provided carriages, cooperating under someone else’s orders without even knowing why—and the real head didn’t show up. So I had half given up, but……”

Up to this point, the story was identical to what I had heard before the regression.

“Suddenly, word came from the Haomun (Underworld/Thieves’ Guild). They claimed that the ones who pulled off this stunt were Demonic Cult members who had slipped into Guangdong Province and incited unorthodox martial artists harboring a grudge against the Tang family, and that they themselves had nothing to do with it.”

“A bit out of the blue. Suddenly mentioning the Haomun.”

“I thought so too. So I sent the information sent by the Haomun straight to the Beggars’ Sect for cross-verification, and there wasn’t a single shred of falsehood in it.”

I see. Now things made a bit more sense.

Unlike before the regression, the bastards who had missed the window to slip away were caught by the Haomun, and the Haomun, fearing that the Tang family’s wrath would fall upon them, immediately passed on the intelligence.

Guangdong Province, where the bastards had been found, was home to the main stronghold of the Haomun, so they probably didn’t want to be suspected.

While I nodded inwardly, Tang Jintian spoke in a flat, matter-of-fact tone, as if stating the obvious.

“Tomorrow. I will personally turn those bastards into a handful of toxic sludge.”

“Please take me along as well.”

“Hmm?”

“They are the ones who tried to kill Tang Sowol, but at the same time, they are also the ones who tried to kill me. Isn’t it the law of the Murim to repay whatever one receives, whether it be a grace or a grudge?”

“That stands to reason, but…… are you really going to be alright?”

“I was taught that revenge shouldn’t be left to someone else’s hands.”

At those words, Tang Jintian shook his head with a somewhat softened tone.

“My, my. Calling it someone else’s hands feels a bit hurtful. You’ll be a member of the Tang family soon enough, after all.”

“Then let us follow the family motto of the Tang family. Double for a grace, tenfold for a grudge. I haven’t yet repaid that tenfold grudge.”

“……If you put it that way, I understand. We plan to depart tomorrow before lunch, so prepare beforehand.”

“Yes.”

A ready acceptance. It was only natural, if one thought about it.

At this point in time, when the existence of the Heavenly Demon was not yet known, the Demonic Cult was severely underestimated.

No, they were genuinely weak, in all honesty. It was the Heavenly Demon who was strong; the cultists themselves weren’t.

Even during the period when they formally invaded the Central Plains, there were no masters of the Hwakyung realm other than the Heavenly Demon, so that said enough.

There should be no need for Tang Jintian—who boasted martial prowess ranking among the finest in the Central Plains—to personally move just to deal with such lackeys of the Demonic Cult.

Therefore, this was an example.

An example to properly re-establish the prestige of the clan by thoroughly crushing those who dared to harm his daughter and a daughter of the Tang family.

Returning everything—grace and grudge alike—to an excessive degree. That was the Tang family’s stance when dealing with the entangling, spiderweb-like debts of the Murim that clung to one the moment one set foot in it.

Since overwhelming military strength was being mobilized, adding just one person like me wouldn’t change the outcome. That was probably why he accepted it so nonchalantly.

Tang Sowol listened to the story with a calm expression, having already heard it beforehand. After a brief moment of thought, she opened her mouth.

“Father.”

“Speak.”

“May I come along as well?”

“Even you?”

“Yes. As Young Master Cheon said, the subjects of this revenge are us, after all. No matter how much it’s Father, I can’t just leave it entirely in someone else’s hands. Above all……”

“Above all?”

At Tang Jintian’s questioning prompt, Tang Sowol hesitated for a moment before continuing with a slightly flushed face.

“Young Master Cheon is going, so I can’t just be waiting at home alone. Well…… we’re not strangers anymore, after all.”

“……”

Tang Jintian wore a wordless, complicated expression. At that sight, Tang Sowol hurriedly added a word.

“Besides, Father—who is no ordinary person—will be right there with us. There is no reason for me to be afraid.”

“Mm.”

Unmistakably cute flattery for anyone to see. But even knowing it was flattery, one couldn’t help feeling secretly pleased.

Tang Jintian’s lips twitched as if trying to hold back a smile. Forcing a solemn expression, he nodded.

“Very well. I will grant permission on one condition. How much longer until the absorption of the Jwahwa Baedokcho (Self-Harm Poison-Cleansing Herb) is complete?”

“It’s almost finished. Even now, if it’s an appropriate level, I can deploy my poison arts, and in three days the absorption will be completely finished, allowing me to use my full power.”

“Perfect timing. It will take at least three days to reach Guangdong Province anyway, so focus solely on travel and absorption during that time.”

“Yes!”

Tang Sowol replied with a bright smile, as if she had received a present. Just as Tang Jintian finally failed to hold it back and broke into a hearty, contented smile—

Tang Cheon, who had been quiet beside them, cut in.

“Father. As for me……”

“Cheon-ah. You need to guard the household. The Poison-Blood Troops and the Elder gentlemen will remain behind, but how can the direct bloodline of the Master of the House completely vacate the premises?”

“No. Since I’ll be guarding the house well, I was just about to ask you to buy me some souvenirs on your way back.”

“What?”

“I heard the Baekhwaju (Hundred-Flower Wine) of Guangdong Province is quite famous. Honestly, it’s hard to believe, but they say it’s wine brewed by monkeys. Aren’t you curious what kind of taste it has?”

“……”

Tang Cheon shrugged with a shameless expression in front of the dumbfounded Tang Jintian.

“I just mentioned it because it sounds like it would be just right for a celebratory drink.”

“R-Right. I suppose it is something worth celebrating.”

Tang Jintian reluctantly agreed.

What is this? Could it be that the Tang family has a tradition of celebrating every single time they repay a grudge?

While I was tilting my head inwardly, Tang Jintian let out a deep sigh rising from the bottom of his lungs and said:

“Haa…… Sowol-ah. And Young Master Cheon.”

“Yes?”

“What is it?”

“Once we finish this matter and return, we will hold the engagement ceremony for the two of you.”

Having said that, Tang Jintian continued in a reluctant tone.

“After the engagement ceremony, call me Father-in-law. I, too, will call you my son-in-law rather than Young Master.”

“Understood, Father-in-law.”

“Not now, later! That’s a story for after we return and finish the engagement ceremony!”

“I’ll keep it in mind, Father-in-law.”

“Ghk……!”

Tang Jintian grabbed the back of his neck.

I wish he wouldn’t look at his son-in-law quite like he wanted to devour him alive, though.