Chapter 12
The Value with Tang
“If it’s about what just happened, there’s no need to—”
“Not that, but what Mother and Yuchang have done to you all this time.”
“…….”
For a moment, silence flowed.
“I’m really sorry. I’ll apologize on behalf of the two of them.”
I scratched the back of my head. I didn’t know how I should respond to this.
“Lift your head.”
“That’s—”
“I trust you’re not trying to ask me to forgive the two of them.”
“…….”
“If you really intended to say something like that, I’d appreciate it if you’d leave now.”
My thoughts on how to handle Tang Gyujin hadn’t changed much.
What if Namgung Sanyeong and Tang Yuchang, who would soon get their comeuppance, came charging in for revenge? I’d just stomp them the same way.
Otherwise? I was thinking of just leaving it be.
That would be enough.
The value Tang Woon-hwi had endured with Tang all this time.
“I know, me too. I know it’s difficult. Still, I really wanted to tell you this.”
However, Tang Gyujin didn’t offer any particular opinion on this either. He must be confused himself. No matter how much he hated them, they were still his parents and siblings.
I silently nodded.
After that, we only exchanged trivial chatter.
“By the way, where on earth did you learn such martial arts? The cursed poison too, and even your Qi technique seemed unusual from the start.”
“My martial arts master right now is Dangon.”
“You mean you were taught by Uncle Dang?”
Uncle Dang?
She called Dangon that?
I’d been speaking casually all this time… huh?
“Yes. Thanks to my mother.”
“??”
Tang Gyujin’s face was full of confusion.
There was no way she could connect the dots—the relationship structure between Namgung Sanyeong, Dangon, and me.
But I just smiled and didn’t properly answer.
“How have you been all this time, sister? I heard from the letter that you came down the mountain with your friends—”
As we chatted about this and that, time quickly passed.
“I heard you’re going to spar with Yuchang. Are you okay with that?”
“Do you think I’ll lose?”
“I did see your Qi a moment ago… but you shouldn’t underestimate Changa. Especially after winning, it’ll be even more of a problem.”
Namgung Sanyeong seemed to be subtly hinting that she had hidden tricks up her sleeve.
“I’m fine. I’ve already thought about that too.”
“Thought?”
“It wouldn’t be fun if we only sparred, right?”
“??”
I gave Tang Gyujin a bright smile instead of answering his puzzled look.
Grin!
「…She’s plotting something again! The little sect leader is scheming!」
The spirits shivered.
* * *
The next day, at noon.
Tang Gyujin only realized what Woon-hwi had meant after arriving at Jay Training Ground, where the sparring match was to take place.
“Opportunities like this don’t come every day! Only five nyang! Only five nyang for the pumpkin taffy that Junggyeong boasts about—”
“Selling mats, mats! These mats are woven from fabrics brought all the way from the Western Regions, from the Pasa Kingdom—”
The training ground was swarming with merchants and spectators. Warriors and servants from the Guryong Branch, and even outsiders.
Those who happened to have nothing to do and were bored seemed to have all gathered there.
But the biggest problem was…
“Place your bets, place your bets! The current odds on the pot are a staggering 164 to 1! So, will you bet conservatively and win a tiny bit, or go all in and win big\~?”
In one corner, a gambling pot was boldly being run.
‘Somehow… things are turning out a little… no, a lot differently than I expected…?’
Everything was confusing.
In fact, this was all the result of rumors Woon-hwi had spread over the past day.
-It’s said that Tang Woon-hwi and Tang Yuchang will have an official sparring match at noon.
-It’s said that the loser must serve the winner as an elder brother for life.
-It’s said that the loser promised not to show their face at the upcoming visit from the sect leader.
At the Guryong Branch, none of these were matters that could be taken lightly.
Of course, those who underestimated Woon-hwi scoffed, wondering how he could possibly face Tang Yuchang.
But the conversation between the Inspection Department, who had stepped in to stop the sparring, and Dangon caused an even bigger stir.
“Prince Woon-hwi and Prince Yuchang are going to spar?”
“Yes. That’s why the training ground is in an uproar. So, as his martial arts master, what do you think about this—”
“Why would he engage in a fight that shouldn’t happen, I don’t know.”
“Exactly! Then, to prevent any accidents, we should try to stop Prince Woon-hwi—”
“Uh. Try stopping Prince Woon-hwi. I mean, he just won’t listen. Poor Prince Yuchang, though.”
“…Huh? Did you mix up who you were talking about?”
“Huh? No, I didn’t.”
“!?”
“Prince Yuchang’s going to get beaten like a dog. Just imagine getting thrashed in front of all those people. Ugh! What kind of nonsense is that?”
"!!!"
"!!!"
Tang Yuchang was going to lose!
The problem was that, even though Dangon always seemed indifferent, he never spoke words he didn’t mean.
It didn’t simply mean that he sided with Woon-hwi just because he was now his martial arts master.
Because of this, the rumors snowballed, drawing a lot of attention from the retainers.
A Do-or-Die Match.
In reality, once defeated, one would essentially lose all privileges within the branch, which made the spectators even more intensely interested in the outcome—
“……How dare you make me look like a monkey in a zoo?”
Creak!
Tang Yuchang could no longer endure the situation.
He had always been raised with the teachings of Namgung Sanyeong, learning that he must maintain the dignity of a noble.
A noble born with the blood of the four provinces’ overlords, the Dang family and Anhui rulers, and the Namgung clan.
So today, when facing Woon-hwi, he intended to sternly reprimand him for his mistakes and make him realize the gap between them firsthand.
For him, this duel was not a sparring match but a lesson in discipline.
That was why he had chosen a place not easily found by others—but who would have thought so many people would gather here!
On top of that, seeing the gambling pot in one corner, he felt his head spinning.
If all of this was a scheme by that illegitimate son to provoke his temper… then it had certainly succeeded.
“Phew—”
But his anger was only temporary.
Tang Yuchang circulated his shadow energy, releasing all the pent-up rage inside him.
Is it worth getting worked up over something this trivial?
If that brat drags in some petty street-style trick, then I’ll just do the same in return—
『He actually came out just because I told him to? Didn’t expect him to listen so well. No wonder they call him a mama’s boy. Hehe! Good boy, good boy.』
The illegitimate son’s mocking voice pierced Tang Yuchang’s ears, and his composure instantly shattered.
Crash!
“P-Prince?”
The servant assisting Tang Yuchang beside him jumped in shock.
The shadow energy in his hand shattered immediately under the sudden force.
“…Tell Mother. Change the plan. After this sparring match, if necessary, we may even consider eliminating that Woon-hwi brat.”
“Y-Yes, Your Order!”
Tang Yuchang’s eyes glinted menacingly.
『Hey, hey. Ease up with the eyes. Getting all serious over a little joke?』
Ignore him, ignore him.
If I get worked up like this, I’m just playing into his hands—
『I wonder who he takes after to have no social skills, tsk. Ah, maybe he takes after his mother?』
『………Shut, up.』
Clenching his teeth, Tang Yuchang glared at Woon-hwi, who was sitting across the training ground grinning.
『Shutchu!』
『…I said shut up!』
『He said shutchu! Oh my! Scary!』
But this time he was imitating in a ridiculous way… and Tang Yuchang could no longer hold back.
Thud!
Something snapped in Tang Yuchang’s mind.
“Taaaaang Woon-hwiiiiii!”
With his face flushed and veins bulging, Tang Yuchang leapt to his feet.
* * *
「His reason has snapped.」
「Still, hasn’t he held out quite a long time?」
As Tang Yuchang flew across the training ground in a fury, everyone’s attention immediately turned to him.
The street vendors selling roasted chestnuts, the children playing with their parents—all froze.
Silence fell over the training ground.
“Get up here quickly! I’ll pull out your deceitful tongue and throw it to the pigs!”
Watching him rampage, face red as a firecracker, was simply ridiculous.
He wouldn’t realize it.
That just by his actions, the minds of the people had already judged the superiority between him and me.
That brat had to face me strictly as a challenger in the position of a defender.
No matter what provocation I threw, he had to maintain his composure.
He should have either refused the sparring, or if he accepted it, approached it with the attitude of giving a lesson—only then could he have retained any dignity.
Unlike me, who had nothing, he had far too much at his disposal.
If he won the sparring as the defender? People could perceive that he had imparted a lesson to the lacking me.
Conversely, if he lost? A warrior’s defeat is part of the natural order—he could simply accept it gracefully and aim for the next round.
After all, Namgung Sanyeong was behind him, and his reputation had been built up over time, so he could easily recover.
But this time, his poor judgment turned everything upside down.
In front of so many people, he had rushed out first, shouting at me to come out or whatever.
To anyone watching, it looked like he was challenging me.
Suddenly, he had taken on the position of the challenger.
Conversely, I became the defender.
Now, if he lost, he wouldn’t even be able to recover.
He had not just lowered himself, but completely ruined his own standing.
Even if he won, he wouldn’t regain his dignity.
At best, he would be treated like a fool who barely reclaimed his place.
In the end, either way, he had trapped himself in a no-win situation, losing everything.
「Truly an astonishing strategy—」
「From the moment he set foot in this sparring match, his fate was already sealed.」
Tang Yuchang bellowed again.
“Come out already—!”
I smiled faintly and slowly stepped onto the training ground.
A leisurely pace. The composure a defender could afford when being challenged.
“Tang Woon-hwi of the White War. No other title, a nameless soldier. I hope we have a good match.”
I assumed a dignified posture, slightly bowing my head.
The formal courtesy observed before sparring.
In an official sparring match, mutual respect and etiquette are paramount.
“Stepping onto the training ground must be scary, huh? But it’s already too late.”
Meanwhile, Tang Yuchang sneered harshly, showing blatant disrespect.
This contrasting display would surely be vividly imprinted in the spectators’ minds.
Whoosh!
Tang Yuchang stepped onto the Shadow Step.
With a faint shadow, countless afterimages rushed forward at high speed, covering the sky with innumerable needles.
Violent Rain Pear Blossom Needles
Heavenly Maiden Scattering Flowers
“Shadow Step and Heavenly Maiden Scattering Flowers!?”
“And on top of that, to wield the Pear Blossom Needles, which aren’t even allowed for first-class warriors, so skillfully!”
The masters among the spectators stood up, impressed.
All the impatience they had felt toward Tang Yuchang’s previously reckless behavior, which seemed unbefitting of a disciple, vanished in an instant.
『Each of these needles contains an extremely concentrated poison at the tip. I don’t know how you’ve been detoxifying them all this time, but now there’s no one to help you—so it’s impossible!』
His grin was a bit different from before, faintly sinister.
It seemed he had been acting to lure me into letting my guard down. So you weren’t completely foolish, huh?
Good. At least the first person I face after reincarnation isn’t a total idiot.
I turned my body sharply, watching the needles fill the sky.
There’s nowhere to escape in this cramped training ground anyway.
Then my only choice was to deflect them all at once and smash Tang Yuchang as I advanced.
Whoooosh!
The wind rising from my feet instantly became a gust, wrapping around my entire body.
“C-Could it be!?”
Those who realized what was happening all widened their eyes in astonishment.
The gust soon became a fierce Whirling Wind, sweeping away all the needles that had fallen toward me.
Kwarrrr!
“G-Gale…!!”
“It’s the Gale Technique! The Gale Technique has appeared!!”
“What? The Gale Technique? How did Prince Woon-hwi—”
With everyone else now in shock, I stomped on the ground fiercely, wrapping myself in the gale like armor.
Kwaaang!
Shaaak—
Gale Technique.
Gale Explosion
I became a single streak of light, striking Tang Yuchang with a close-range attack.
A technique that straightened the shoulders and back, sending the enemy flying with a single strike.
“Hgh—”
Tang Yuchang hastily activated his Shadow Energy, retreating backward while throwing other shadow weapons, but not a single one could pierce through the gale.
In the end, Tang Yuchang’s face turned pale blue.
Kwaaaang!
“Kuuueek—”
He screamed and was instantly flung out of the arena.
“!”
“!”
“!”
The entire crowd was in shock. Some covered their mouths in surprise.
One Strike, One Enemy.
No one could have imagined that their young master, at just seventeen, having mastered Shadow Energy and Heavenly Maiden Scattering Flowers, would be effortlessly defeated by “Tang Woon-hwi,” who was treated like a fool just a few months ago.
But from the start, my target wasn’t some insignificant weakling like Tang Yuchang.
It was someone higher.
The successor of the Guryong Branch and the pride of the Cheongseong Faction, a supreme master.
A rising star of the Sacho martial world.
Crushing someone like that would clearly solidify my position in a way that had never been seen before.
“Sister.”
I turned my head.
Tang Gyujin was looking at me, startled.
“Will you accept my sparring match?”
Chronicles of the Reincarnated Demon God
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