Chapter 397
The Sichuan Tang Family is a prestigious clan representing Sichuan.
However, the Sichuan Tang Family's reputation was not something that merely stayed within Sichuan. No martial artist in the world could be unaware of the name Sichuan Tang Family. Their poison, hidden weapons, and trap formations were objects of fear for all people of the martial world.
Those who only superficially know the Sichuan Tang Family fear their poison.
But those who know the Sichuan Tang Family a bit better fear their hidden weapons more than their poison.
And those who can boast that they know the Sichuan Tang Family well tend to fear something other than poison and hidden weapons.
Persistence.
There are countless aristocratic families in the world, but none more famous than the Sichuan Tang Family. Due to the nature of their martial arts that use poison and hidden weapons, the Sichuan Tang Family accumulates grudges more easily than other places, so how have they managed to survive safely until now?
The reason lay precisely in their persistence.
When everyone in the martial world discussed chivalrous heroes and gentlemen, the Sichuan Tang Family discussed grudges and enemies. The place that lives by the family motto 'If someone brings tears to your eyes, make bloody tears flow from theirs' is precisely the Sichuan Tang Family.
They never forget even trivial grudges. While they might repay kindness as it was given, the Sichuan Tang Family was a place that always repaid grudges tenfold.
So who would dare to provoke them?
Just using poison and hidden weapons as their specialty was troublesome enough, but when those gloomy bastards also possessed persistence, they became too terrifying to make into enemies.
If the Namgung walked the great path to make their name known, and the Peng Family made their name known through boldness, then the Sichuan Tang Family spread their name throughout the world through persistence and cruelty.
But today, the Sichuan Tang Family learned something.
That there are all sorts of crazy bastards in this world, and among them are humans even more persistent than the Sichuan Tang Family.
"...What the hell is that guy doing?"
Tang Ho-myeong could only blink his eyes. A scene he had never once imagined was unfolding before his eyes.
"Waaaaaaaaaaah!"
A person was flying through the sky.
Flying through the sky was one of humanity's long-cherished wishes. Anyone would imagine spreading their wings wide and soaring through the sky. In that sense, since a wish had been fulfilled, it should be something to be happy about, but the person currently flying through the sky didn't look particularly pleased.
'No, it's not just that he's not pleased... '
It looked like his heart might stop at this rate.
No, why was he still alive after being hit and sent soaring into the sky in the first place?
He should have died already, or at least fainted, which would be normal.
He should be grateful to the person who granted humanity's long-cherished wish, but this wasn't quite the situation for that.
"Where do you get off spitting here!"
That spit wasn't really spit, was it?
The person who had been shooting hidden needles from his mouth was going 'mmmph mmph' with his mouth twisted shut.
"You disgustingly spit that from your mouth? Didn't you learn that you get in trouble for putting weird things in your mouth and playing around?"
'... But I got praised for doing it well.'
It seemed like a long, lengthy explanation about what kind of place the Sichuan Tang Family was would be needed to clear up this deep misunderstanding, but there was no way someone with his mouth twisted shut would have the opportunity to explain that.
"Mmmph! Mmmmph!"
"What?"
"Mmmmph!"
"Speak up, speak!"
Wei Yan-ho boldly kicked the Tang Family member whose mouth he was holding in the crotch.
"Agh!"
"Ugh!"
"Hiiiek!"
The one who got hit couldn't even groan and went flying into the sky. Instead, others let out death rattles on his behalf.
"That, that cruel bastard."
"He's not even human!"
"How can you call yourself a man after doing that!"
Murderous glares poured down on Wei Yan-ho for ignoring the tacit rules among men. But Wei Yan-ho was calm. For Wei Yan-ho, who had lived his entire life being looked down upon, this level of hostile glares was on the cute side.
"What?"
When Wei Yan-ho glared and looked around menacingly, everyone was busy avoiding his gaze.
'That ignorant bastard.'
Where the hell did such a brutish human appear from?
That brutish human shrugged his shoulders and opened his mouth.
"I think I've proven enough by now?"
"...What do you mean?"
"That I'm someone who doesn't need to come here and pull tricks."
"..."
Well, that was certainly proven.
What need would someone with that level of skill have to pull cheap tricks?
"You, you caused this whole ruckus just to prove that?"
"Yep."
Looking at the guy answering so nonchalantly, he could feel his blood pressure skyrocketing from the back of his neck.
"So?"
"Hm?"
"So what are you trying to say?"
"Well, now that it's been proven that I came here by invitation, how about wrapping up this situation and letting me in?"
"Crazy bastard."
Tang Ho-myeong spat on the ground with a thwack.
"Whatever purpose you came here for no longer matters. The Tang Family isn't such a pushover place that we'd just let go someone who broke down the front gate and caused a disturbance."
"Are you a bit stupid?"
"What did you say?"
"I'm not asking you to let me go, I'm asking you to let me in. Why are there so many people who can't understand what they're told? Sigh."
Wei Yan-ho let out a deep sigh.
"Well, it's fine. If you can't understand with words, I'll make you understand with your body. If this were the old me, I would have done things half-heartedly out of annoyance, but I'm a bit busy these days. So let's finish this quickly."
Wei Yan-ho rolled up both sleeves.
Seeing that scene, Tang Ho-myeong stepped back hesitantly.
Then he looked around once.
"Ughhhh..."
"Grrrroan..."
Devastating.
Those who had boldly rushed at that bastard were literally smashed to pieces in one hit and sent flying into the sky. Then they were stuck sprawled on the roofs of the traditional pavilions that the Tang Family proudly boasted about to the world.
'How can they be done in with one hit like that?'
If they were ordinary people, that might be possible. But they were people who had undergone harsh training in the Tang Family. Anyone would scoff if told that martial artists had fainted from being hit by a casually thrown punch.
In other words, that bastard was that much of a master.
To hit people and send them flying like slingshot stones while not killing them was impossible with ordinary skill.
And...
"What are you looking at?"
His temper was also nasty.
Looking at that face covered with layers of nastiness, he got the strong feeling that today's events wouldn't end easily.
"Hey."
"...Yeah?"
"You, come here."
Wei Yan-ho gestured to Tang Ho-myeong.
Tang Ho-myeong unconsciously stepped back hesitantly.
'Qu-quickly come over here!'
He had shouted boldly, but there was no way he had the courage to face Wei Yan-ho. For them to face Wei Yan-ho was like hitting a rock with an egg—no, like trying to collapse a cliff with a quail egg.
With this much commotion happening, surely those in the inner courtyard should come rushing over by now, but what were they doing that they still hadn't come?
"Not coming?"
"It, it's not that..."
"Should I come over?"
Tang Ho-myeong approached Wei Yan-ho helplessly.
Escaping from that bastard was impossible anyway. Rather than running around pointlessly and getting knocked out by a blow to the back of the head, it seemed better to just do as told for now.
"Stand here, right here."
Wei Yan-ho pointed directly in front of himself.
Tang Ho-myeong let his shoulders droop and stood where Wei Yan-ho pointed.
"Why isn't there a gatekeeper at the gate?"
"Huh?"
"Not answering? I'll just—!"
"Wa-wait, there usually is one, but today the shift rotations got a bit mixed up, so that's why."
"You don't manage things properly?"
That's not my responsibility.
I'm not high-ranking enough to manage the guards' duty schedules.
Why are you doing this to me?
"If you invite people and don't even post gatekeepers, are we supposed to climb over the wall to get in? Then at least leave the gate open. Why did you lock the gate?"
"...Th-that's what I'm saying."
That was all he could say.
Somehow, he felt like he was about to cry.
To be treated like this by a ruffian who broke down the Great Sichuan Tang Family's gate and burst in. Rather than suffer such humiliation...
Tang Ho-myeong fingered the Ox Hair Needles in his sleeve.
It would be better to attack and get knocked out...
"Play around with your fingers carelessly and you'll get your wrist broken."
Tang Ho-myeong released the Ox Hair Needles from his hand without regret. The menacing feeling from that voice suggested that if he attacked clumsily and got blocked, it wouldn't just end with getting hit once.
"Tsk tsk tsk tsk."
The sound of tongue-clicking came from behind Wei Yan-ho.
"See, that's why you shouldn't pick fights."
You guys were the ones who picked the fight, you crazy bastards!
"That's enough, Yan-ho. What would these kids know? Obviously, when they heard people were coming from the Righteous Martial Alliance, someone who didn't like it pulled some tricks."
"So it's the higher-ups' doing?"
"That's right."
"But the top guy here is that dark-faced king or whatever, right?"
Tang Ho-myeong's mouth fell wide open.
To think there existed a person in this world who would refer to the Tang Family's Dark King in such a manner. This was completely crazy...
'Yan-ho?'
At that moment, Tang Ho-myeong's body stiffened like stone.
Yan-ho. Clearly that middle-aged man had called this guy Yan-ho.
The name Yan-ho, and this absurd level of skill.
'Wei Yan-ho?'
The most famous name in the Sichuan Tang Family.
Currently, the person more famous than the emperor in the Sichuan Tang Family was precisely Wei Yan-ho. The young master who had defeated the Dark King, who had been their pride and self-respect.
That Wei Yan-ho who had instantly thrown the Sichuan Tang Family's prestige into the gutter was here?
Tang Ho-myeong stared at Wei Yan-ho with wide eyes.
'... It's him.'
When he thought about it, this guy could only be Wei Yan-ho. In the current martial world, who else but Wei Yan-ho would be a young bastard capable of coming to the Tang Family and causing havoc?
While Tang Ho-myeong was in shock, Wei Yan-ho was calmly exchanging words with Wei Jeong-han.
"Of course."
"You're saying there's someone who would go against and pull tricks on the family head who invited us?"
"So the Tang Family Head probably didn't call us."
"Huh?"
Wei Yan-ho tilted his head as if he had no idea what was being said.
"This is getting complicated. So what should I do?"
"You're doing well."
"Huh?"
"Just keep doing what you're doing now, just like now."
Wei Yan-ho turned his head to look at Tang Ho-myeong again.
"Starting with him?"
"No. What would those children know? Those children are just people who follow orders. Don't grab innocent people for no reason, grab the ones who really need to be grabbed."
"Who would that be?"
"For example..."
Wei Jeong-han wore a subtle smile and turned his head to one side.
"Those old men coming over there."
Wei Yan-ho also turned his head. A group of people were running down the main road leading to the center.
"Ohh?"
Seeing a familiar face walking leisurely at the very back of that group, Wei Yan-ho formed a wicked smile.
"Ah, so that's it."
Wei Yan-ho cracked his neck left and right.
At that moment, a thunderous roar fell.
"You bastaaaard! What the hell are you doing in the Tang Family!"
Wei Yan-ho looked back at Wei Jeong-han.
"Those old men first?"
"If they attack, if they attack."
"Well..."
Wei Yan-ho chuckled and turned his body.
"Beating up kids who attack is my specialty too."
Dark clouds were gathering over the Sichuan Tang Family.