Chapter 410: The Lazy One Investigates (5)
The atmosphere was the worst.
Throughout numerous meetings, one would wonder if the atmosphere had ever been this bad.
Leading the serious tone were Dang Pyeong and Dang Yong-min.
"Normally, in cases like this…"
Dang Yong-min's voice was exceedingly low. And the gaze of Dang Pyeong looking at him was as cold as ice. It was unusual for the two of them, who would usually argue fiercely over any matter.
This clearly indicated how seriously they were contemplating the current situation.
"I shall suggest showing those bastards a lesson right away, but…"
Dang Yong-min gritted his teeth slightly.
"Realistically, we cannot impose sanctions on Wi Yeon-ho."
The atmosphere in the meeting room dropped to a shocking low.
What came out of Dang Yong-min's mouth was just as shocking.
"W-What!"
One of the elders suddenly shot up from his seat.
"What are you saying? If we do not impose sanctions, we can't? Are you saying the Sichuan Tang Clan cannot punish that boy?"
Dang Yong-min glanced at the speaker.
"That is precisely correct."
"..."
"The reason is simple. To deal with someone as formidable as Wi Yeon-ho requires proper mobilization. However, regrettably, to mobilize military forces, we need the clan leader's approval, and… currently, Wi Yeon-ho is a guest of the clan leader at Tang Clan. As long as he has the clan leader's protection, there is nothing we can do to Wi Yeon-ho."
"…Even so, that's not right."
"Then."
Dang Yong-min scanned the elders with a chilling gaze.
"Is there anyone among you willing to teach Wi Yeon-ho a lesson?"
There was silence.
Everyone was busy avoiding Dang Yong-min's sharp gaze.
Teaching Wi Yeon-ho a lesson…
No one denied the strength of the Demon King. On the contrary, being in the same sect, they were more aware than anyone of Dang Cheon-gun's strength. The reason they wanted to pull down the Demon King was not because he was weak, but because they could no longer maintain the fear of the Sichuan Tang Clan with the name of the Demon King.
An unknown master, who might be even more vicious than a defeated strong one, might be better. Isn't that the way of the Tang Clan?
Anyway, it was Wi Yeon-ho who had decisively defeated that strong Demon King. In other words, no one from the Sichuan Tang Clan could defeat Wi Yeon-ho.
So how could they teach him a lesson?
Even if there was a slight possibility, facing off against Wi Yeon-ho was something most would like to avoid. Those watching from the sidelines might applaud the actions of the young genius, but for those facing it directly, nothing could be more horrifying. There was no need to personally demonstrate that I would be the leading wave pushed back by the following waves.
"This is reality."
Dang Yong-min spoke in a low voice.
"I do not intend to belittle any of you. I am the same. And even Elder Yi has already been humiliated once. My apologies, Elder Yi."
"Enough."
Dang Pyeong waved his hand.
It was true that humiliation had occurred, but he did not want to become a fool who hides that fact. It was a shame greater than being beaten by Wi Yeon-ho.
"The truth is the truth. Wi Yeon-ho, whom I have personally experienced, is indeed astounding. I can't even recall how I was hit and passed out."
But perhaps he could not forget that humiliation, as a low groan escaped his lips.
"But that doesn't mean we can just let this go."
"Absolutely."
There was strength in Dang Yong-min's voice.
He had no intention of letting this situation pass without action.
"They are acting recklessly, believing in the clan leader's protection. Reports have come in that Wi Yeon-ho has already entered the weapon forge with the clan leader's permission."
"The weapon forge?"
"Apparently, he even opened the White Pavilion."
"White Pavilion…"
Gasps were heard here and there.
"What is No-ya thinking? That brat has access to the White Pavilion? What kind of place is the White Pavilion? And yet you are bringing outsiders in there?"
"It is possible."
Dang Yong-min stated succinctly without a hint of agitation.
"It is indeed possible. The reason outsiders are not allowed into the weapon forge is that there is concern about the many secrets of the Tang Clan leaking out. Therefore, whether Wi Yeon-ho goes there—even without being an Artisan—wouldn't be too remarkable. That can be tolerated. The problem is that No-ya requested to open the White Pavilion and has entered it with Wi Yeon-ho. What will they do inside the White Pavilion?"
The elders' faces darkened.
The White Pavilion.
The Tang Clan had numerous furnaces, but the White Pavilion was special among them. All the many Golden Dragon products and legendary artifacts of the Tang Clan were crafted in this White Pavilion.
Considering its immense forging power, it could temper metals that could not be tempered in normal furnaces, but it was also extremely dangerous and required skill, so only one person in the current Tang Clan could handle the White Pavilion.
But that person had taken Wi Yeon-ho into the White Pavilion.
"What they plan to do inside is unknown, but given the characteristics of the White Pavilion, it would not be a bad thing for Wi Yeon-ho."
"What is No-ya thinking? Bringing an outsider into the White Pavilion, which is not easily shown even to us!"
"…Even if you asked for one sword to be forged, you were told you should not even dream of it."
The faces of the elders flushed with anger.
There are three pillars in the Tang Clan.
One represents military might, which is the clan head; another produces poison, the Poison Lord; and the last creates weapons, the Artisan.
Currently, No-ya, who is in charge of the clan's weapon forge, was an exceedingly eccentric figure. Moreover, he had an immense pride in himself and had refused to open the White Pavilion for years, disliking the idea of his crafted weapons falling into the hands of the incapable.
Yet, the one who had opened the White Pavilion was not a descendant of the Sichuan Tang Clan but Wi Yeon-ho.
This was an extremely humiliating matter for them.
"…It seems we are doomed."
Dang Pyeong's self-mockery represented everyone's feelings.
"One must have the clan leader's permission to open the White Pavilion, correct? Has the clan leader granted permission for that?"
"It appears so."
Dang Pyeong quietly closed his eyes.
Everyone waited for him to organize his thoughts. Although they gathered for the meeting, the atmosphere here was dominated by Dang Pyeong and Dang Yong-min. In the end, they had no choice but to follow the opinions of the two.
"Moreover…"
Dang Yong-min spoke without waiting for Dang Pyeong to open his eyes.
"It seems Wi Jeong-han, who is currently investigating the incidents happening within the clan, is thinking of directly reporting the findings to the Martial Alliance."
"…To the Martial Alliance?"
"More specifically, to the Special Investigator."
"Is that even possible?"
"It seems he is using a special artifact called adaptation."
"Hmm…"
Uncomfortable expressions appeared on the faces of the elders.
"Is there no way we can verify the content of the report? We cannot stop the report itself, but we should prevent other content from slipping through disguised as a report. If they return to the Martial Alliance, they will inevitably learn of the contents, but at least we would buy some time…"
"We attempted to censor it with the same idea but were stopped by Wi Yeon-ho."
"Ugh."
It was Wi Yeon-ho again.
The elders sighed as they faced each other.
Wi Yeon-ho, Wi Yeon-ho…
Now among the elders, there were those who complained of indigestion just by hearing the name Wi Yeon-ho. He was that frustrating of a presence for them.
"Can't we stop that brat from running wild?"
"We can no longer sit idly by. We are the Sichuan Tang Clan. Should we really accept that a foe-like individual is making waves within our clan with our eyes wide open?"
"Would it be better for us to band together and press the issue? It's cowardly, but it would be better to take the blame. It is much better to be scorned than to be disregarded."
"Indeed! Under these circumstances…"
"Silence!"
When Dang Pyeong opened his eyes and barked, silence enveloped the meeting room.
Dang Pyeong turned to Dang Yong-min and said.
"Tell me."
"Yes, Elder Sang."
"What do you think is the most important thing for us to do right now?"
Dang Yong-min took a brief deep breath.
Now comes the real deal.
"We must retrieve the authority of the clan leader."
Dang Pyeong fell silent for a moment. What Dang Yong-min was saying carried enormous implications. Although they had been pushing for the Demon King's resignation until now, that was merely a resignation in name. What Dang Yong-min was proposing now indicated an ousting instead.
Feeling the bewildered stares directed at him, Dang Yong-min added, "As I said from the beginning, the reason we cannot punish Wi Yeon-ho is that only the clan leader has the authority to mobilize the clan's military forces. If that were not the case, would Wi Yeon-ho dare to act so recklessly? He is not foolish. He knows that the Tang Clan cannot touch him right now, which is why he behaves so arrogantly."
A major misconception was forming.
Of course, those who had lived within the system of the clan would find it impossible to understand Wi Yeon-ho. If they realized there was no different nature to him, much about this meeting would have changed.
"In the end, it all comes down to authority. But while we can advise the clan leader to resign, we cannot forcibly remove him."
"Of course."
Dang Yong-min turned to look at everyone as if to bind them all in that moment.
"If all the elders here work together, wouldn't that be feasible? No matter how much of a clan leader he is, he cannot oppose the opinions of all the elders."
"Hmm…"
Dang Pyeong looked around as if finding some validity in it.
However, he could not comfortably meet the returning gazes. Everyone was subtly avoiding his eyes, seeming to have something uneasy brewing within them.
'Pathetic beings.'
Even though they knew that the existence of the Demon King was a harm to the clan, they were showing reluctance to intervene in fear of taking on the consequences.
Once, how had the Sichuan Tang Clan come to this point?
"And if that doesn't work, there are other methods, right?"
"Other methods?"
"Yes. I mentioned this from the very beginning. If there are no answers from within, we look for them from the outside. No matter how much of a Demon King he is, he cannot disregard the Tianshu League."
The eyes of the elders simultaneously focused on Dang Yong-min.
"What we hoped for at the establishment of the Tianshu League was exactly this. To complement each other's weaknesses and leverage each other's strengths to make Sichuan the center of the Central Plains. Now, the person who can fulfill that role has arrived."
"Hmm?"
Dang Pyeong looked toward the door with a mix of suspicion and anticipation. He felt a presence.
"Elder Yi, should we let them in?"
"It seems they have already arrived, and it wouldn't be polite to turn them away. Please let them in."
"Yes, come in."
The moment Dang Yong-min finished speaking, the door opened, and a person entered. Upon seeing the one who entered, everyone's eyes widened.
"Y-You are…"