Chapter 15
Tang Hosan
Gwangpungmu
Mapungtoe
It’s not the ‘toe’ meaning thigh, but the ‘toe’ meaning hammer strike. The downward smash, driven like a lightning bolt by pouring the twisting rotational force into it, becomes in itself a terrifying weapon.
The illusion that the air itself was splitting came precisely from that.
A hammer strike carrying the demonic wind raised by a fiend.
For Tang Gyujin, who had lost his sword, it was an unavoidably disadvantageous situation.
Deungnyongakbeop
Seungcheongak
He tried to unfold Cheongseong Sect’s kicking techniques, but since Cheongseong Sect was famous for its swordsmanship, their martial kicks could hardly be powerful.
But with a genius idea, Tang Gyujin succeeded in turning it into an entirely different martial art by mixing in Sichuan Tang Family’s Dobansamyang Guiwongong, which had the characteristic of instantly amplifying yang energy.
Seungcheongak? Explosive Sun
Yes. Yang energy by itself possessed explosive power.
That must have been why he thought it was the only way to block Mapungtoe.
In fact, Tang Gyujin seemed to have not neglected his training in the Tang Family’s martial arts as well as the Cheongseong Sect’s sword techniques, showing a level of mastery that was far from shallow.
Naturally, the newly transformed Seungcheongak looked extremely fierce.
So much so that even I couldn’t guarantee victory.
However, one thing was certain.
When the duel ended, whether victor or loser, both would suffer wounds far from small.
Even so, the reason we risked injury and poured all our strength into the fight must have been because we simply couldn’t stop this thrill.
It was at that very moment, right before the clash erupted.
『This should be enough playtime, don’t you think\~』
Suddenly, a booming voice resounded from the sky, and something dropped between the two of us.
Kwaaaang!
The leg I was bringing down and the leg Tang Gyujin was kicking upward were both ‘lightly’ blocked—mine with his right hand, Gyujin’s with his left—by a middle-aged man who now stood there.
“Fa… ther?”
A face that seemed half Tang Gyujin, half Tang Yuchang.
It was the appearance of Tang Hosan, the master of the Nine Dragons Branch.
Caught completely off guard by someone he had never expected, Tang Gyujin quickly stepped back and showed proper respect.
The blue demonic aura that had surrounded her vanished as if it had all been a lie.
“I pay my respects to the Branch Master!”
“I pay my respects to the Branch Master!!”
The spectators all sprang to their feet and offered their respects.
Of course. The king of the manor had appeared—such a response was only natural.
「So, six years have passed, hmm!」
「I heard you did little but seclude yourself instead of training, but that must have been a lie. To think you possess such skill.」
The specters familiar with Tang Hosan seemed somewhat surprised.
To be honest, I was a little surprised too.
No matter how legendary the Gwangpungdae was, wasn’t it still nothing more than a military unit?
So I had assumed that even its leader would, at best, rank on par with one of the elders of the Divine Sect.
It seemed I would have to revise that prediction.
Bonggong.
They seemed to rank just below the Cult Leader himself.
In other words, even if ‘Yeon Woon-hwi’ were to return right now, victory wouldn’t be guaranteed.
Why would someone of this caliber remain merely a branch master?
“Do you have something to say to me?”
While receiving the greetings of his retainers, Tang Hosan slowly turned his gaze toward me.
It was because I had been standing there blankly, failing to pay my respects until now.
“……I pay my respects to the Branch Master.”
Of course, I couldn’t reveal my true feelings, so I hid my reluctance as best as I could while showing courtesy.
“But, what brings you here?”
“This is the Nine Dragons Branch. Is there anywhere I cannot go?”
“Of course, there is no place the master of the manor cannot enter. It’s just that we worry whether our unworthy skills might sully the Branch Master’s eyes, that’s all.”
In other words, I was implying that his arrival had killed the mood here.
“Hmmm.”
“?”
But instead of replying, he just stared blankly at me?
Even Tang Gyujin and the other retainers were staring at me with their mouths wide open.
It was only then that I realized my mistake.
Until now, Tang Hosan had only ever given one-sided orders and listened to responses. No one had ever questioned him so directly like this.
All the more so for ‘Tang Woon-hwi,’ who couldn’t even look his father straight in the eye.
And yet, I kept addressing him clearly as “Branch Master” instead of calling him “Father,” keeping a deliberate distance.
It seemed my excitement hadn’t quite settled, so my proper judgment had been a little delayed.
I was racking my brain, wondering how I could make up for this mistake—
“Not bad to see.”
……That reaction was unexpected?
“I heard your personality had changed, but it’s beyond what I anticipated.”
I had assumed he would be angry, yet I couldn’t begin to guess why he was reacting this way.
“As you said, the poor skills of you two gave me no impression whatsoever.”
Well now, listen to the way he talks.
“Especially one child was downright disappointing.”
His gaze, when it shifted toward Tang Yuchang, grew especially cold.
“Ah, fa—”
“This is a public place. Mind your words.”
“I–I apologize—”
“The Clan Head’s visit is only a few days away.”
Tang Yuchang’s voice never even reached Tang Hosan.
A thorough disregard.
The exact same attitude he had once shown to ‘Tang Woon-hwi.’
Tang Yuchang was crushed.
“The Clan Head wishes to personally select the talents who will serve as his hands and feet. Even now, blood relatives bearing the Tang surname are pouring into this manor by the hour. Do you mean to draw the Clan Head’s concern with injuries great and small in the meantime?”
With his hands clasped behind his back, Tang Hosan shouted as he looked around.
“Until the Clan Head’s visit, all harsh training and sparring matches are strictly forbidden. Dismissed, all of you!”
The Branch Master’s orders were absolute.
The retainers quickly scattered in all directions.
“You two as well, return for now.”
At the very end, Tang Hosan’s gaze turned toward me and Tang Gyujin.
I clasped my fist in salute and replied that I understood.
To the very last, Tang Hosan’s gaze never once fell upon the despairing Tang Yuchang.
* * *
As expected, I don’t like him.
That was the first impression I got of Tang Hosan.
When ‘Tang Woon-hwi’ was useless, he didn’t spare him a single glance and merely watched from the sidelines. Yet now that some potential was beginning to show, he suddenly took an interest again.
Such behavior was only possible if one regarded their own child as nothing more than a convenient tool to be used and discarded at will.
Just look at Tang Yuchang.
Now that he’s deemed worthless, he doesn’t even get a single glance anymore.
The guy couldn’t pull himself together until we got back to Red Pavilion.
He looked completely dazed, like a man who had lost his country.
That just showed how much his father’s recognition meant to him.
Either that, or he was thinking he had completely lost his chance at the Branch Master’s position he’d been aiming for.
Well, I had been aiming for this situation from the start anyway.
“……Father doesn’t seem to see how desperately we’ve been struggling and working hard. Only the results matter to him.”
After all the duels had ended, Tang Gyujin had moved with me to White Pavilion.
Once I poured him some Dragon Well tea, the image of the Sword Demon had vanished again.
But what lingered on his lips was only bitterness.
A father who neglected his children, always wandering outside.
On the other hand, a mother who forced her own dreams onto her children.
Between such parents, how must the eldest daughter have felt—trying desperately to bring the family together, yet in the end leaving home almost entirely because she couldn’t?
I don’t know. I can’t imagine what that must have felt like.
In truth, I don’t even want to know.
But one thought does come to mind.
Just how deep and special the affection my master gave me truly was.
Cherishing and caring for me even more than his own flesh and blood—surely the grace he bestowed upon me was so great that I could never repay it, no matter how long I lived.
That was why I had to push myself even harder.
“……”
Silently, I took a sip of tea, then quietly set the cup down.
“There’s a saying—that when a person suddenly changes, it’s a sign they’re about to die.”
“You—”
“The Branch Master seemed the same as always. Didn’t you think so too, Sister?”
“……”
“Since it’s nothing new, I’d advise you not to dwell on it too much.”
Tang Gyujin stared straight at me.
“Why do you look at me like that?”
“…No, it’s nothing. I was just thinking that to you, whether it’s your mother or your father, they must not have been any different.”
I answered with just a smile.
Yes. Tang Gyujin needed to clearly understand that this family was a mess.
“More importantly, the excitement’s gone. What now?”
“Shouldn’t we follow the Branch Master’s orders? We’ve had enough rest by now, so we can settle the match during the Clan Head’s visit.”
At my gaze, Tang Gyujin broke into a wide smile.
“So, you mean we’ll really go all out then? With everything we’ve got.”
“Of course.”
“Good.”
Tang Gyujin and I laughed together.
Because we were both looking forward to the coming duel too much.
* * *
Thanks to me, the Cheongpung Inn was once again filled with hearty laughter today.
Meanwhile, I was irritated.
“Second Young Master, Second Young Master! If you’d just give me a moment of your time—”
Nope. Not happening.
“Ehem! I’ve long known that it wasn’t the Third Young Master, but you, Second Young Master, who had the true potential—”
Sure. Just keep knowing it. Just keep it to yourself.
“What kind of support do you need? If it’s money, my wife’s family can—”
Talking about money to a Tang family member? Really?
“Would you like to see a portrait of my daughter? She’s my daughter, but it’s no exaggeration to say she’s the number one beauty in Sichuan—”
Just looking at your face tells me I don’t need to see hers.
A sea of people.
The Cheongpung Inn was bursting at the seams with people.
All of them lining up, hoping to get even a moment with me.
No maternal family of note, unmarried so no wife’s family, not even a proper master-disciple connection—no real background at all.
To them, I was a bond bound to skyrocket in value if they grabbed hold of me now.
Even though that carriage had already left long ago.
“This is annoying. Block them from coming this way.”
“Of course, Young Master! We’ll secure everything tightly so no one disturbs you!”
The innkeeper bent his back nearly in half as he gave me the entire top floor.
Even if one floor was cleared out, the rumor that I was a regular here had already spread so widely that the inn was overflowing with customers, so it wasn’t a problem at all.
In fact, if I complained about the noise and moved to another inn, it would be a huge loss for him, so he even personally hired top-grade wanderers to block the entrance to the top floor.
This man—really, the more I see him, the better a businessman he seems to be.
Thanks to that, I was able to share a promised drink with Tang Gyujin without any real disturbance.
“Is it okay to order this much food?”
Faced with the endless flood of dishes, Tang Gyujin now sat with her jaw hanging open.
“Yes. It’s fine. I always eat like this.”
“What? You always eat like this!?”
Suddenly, Tang Gyujin grabbed both my hands with a serious look on his face.
Grab!
“Hwi-ya, you—”
Uh, that expression’s way too intense. Is he about to scold me for wasting food or something—
“You were rich.”
“……”
—Guess not?
“Let’s stay close. From now on, always. We’re like inseparable siblings, got it?”
“……Does the Cheongseong Sect not give you enough food?”
“They do.”
“Then why—”
“It’s a Daoist temple, after all.”
“…Ah.”
Tang Gyujin’s face turned into one of enlightenment.
At that point, I had nothing to say either.
“Eating nothing but greens every single day—how can a person get any strength like that! At an age when they should be growing strong, they should be filling their stomachs properly…! Feeding them only that stuff all the time is why the kids are always so frail!”
The way he rattled it all off—he must’ve really had a lot bottled up.
“A person, you know? Should sometimes get a taste of fat on their lips, huh? Have a little grain wine (alcohol), right? That’s what makes life worth living, but those stubborn old fogeys—”
The thing is, all of this wasn’t even my money. It was being put on credit under Tang Gyujin’s mother’s name.
Well, no need to mention that, right?
Chronicles of the Reincarnated Demon God
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