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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: TushChen
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‘Please go back to the Tang family. Else, the Tang family will use san-gong poison or sleep incense to put him to sleep!’
Ho Cheon-an’s original plan didn’t include persuading Tang Do-gyeong.
From the start, he had pegged him as a madman and thought that if he could prevent the outcasts from stepping forward, the Tang family masters would take care of him.
However, due to the enraged Tang Do-gi, the time had run out before he could do anything.
From Sacheon to Jeomchang, and from Jeomchang to Sacheon.
It was a distance that would typically take 7 days using lightness techniques and even accounting for anger.
It should have taken 5 days, but they had arrived in just 3 days and on the dawn of the third day at that.
‘Now there’s only one answer left.’
There was no longer any justification to stop the Comrade Faction.
And even the outcasts who felt resentment towards the Tang family’s actions.
If the Tang family forcibly suppressed Tang Do-gyeong, it would immediately lead to an all-out war between the Sacheon outcasts and the Tang family.
‘Tang Do-gyeong returning of his own accord.’
It didn’t matter if the Comrade Faction didn’t accept it.
Since it was Tang Do-gyeong’s choice, they would have no justification to force the issue, and other outcasts wouldn’t support them either.
‘Tang Do-gyeong treated the outcasts sincerely. I don’t know why he did so… but he probably won’t be able to bear seeing the outcasts shed blood because of him.’
Tang Do-gyeong closed his eyes.
Ho Cheon-an, Yu Sa-yeon, the Tang family people, and the Sacheon outcasts all held their breath, waiting for Tang Do-gyeong’s choice.
“Thank you, Ya brother. My thoughts are now clear.”
Seeing his refreshed face, Ho Cheon-an smiled too.
If he had chosen the option leading to bloodshed, he would have shown an apologetic expression rather than this refreshed one.
“Then, will you return to the Tang family?”
Tang Do-gi, too, looked at Tang Do-gyeong with slightly hopeful eyes.
The Tang family masters also relaxed the internal energy they had infused into their whips and sighed.
After all, they, too, were reluctant to shed blood just to bring back a family member.
“Uncle.”
However, Tang Do-gyeong didn’t answer Tang Do-gi’s question.
He just called out to him.
“…Yes.”
Tang Do-gi looked at Tang Do-gyeong, feeling a vague uneasiness.
“When I was gambling with Ya brother in front of the Hwang Gold Clan, I was just distracted by Yeo Il-ye and the outcast lady. Yeo Il-ye’s sword techniques and the palm techniques and finger techniques displayed by the outcast lady seemed like they would be of great help in completing my self-created fist technique.”
Tang Do-gi didn’t respond, but Tang Do-gyeong just continued speaking.
“So I went to the Outcast Inn, fuming after being beaten by Ya brother. I said something about the Tang family’s vision techniques, but in truth, it was because I couldn’t accept the fact that I had been played by an outcast who seemed to be at best second-rate. No matter how much of a master I became and made a name for myself, I couldn’t bear to imagine that outcast proudly boasting to others about fooling Tang Do-gyeong while waving the Blood Jade Plaque.”
“I thought he was someone who deceived people by gathering crowds, but despite my forceful attitude, Ya brother gave me a chance. He said if I was so upset about losing the Blood Jade Plaque, I could come anytime.”
When did I…
Ho Cheon-an thought this, but it wasn’t the atmosphere to interject, so he could only seethe inside.
“As I frequented the Outcast Inn, I noticed the outcasts training. I, who had been hearing rumors about Sacheon outcasts, was greatly shocked. Not a single one of them was training carelessly, and the completeness of their martial arts was not something that could be achieved with just a day or two of training.”
“Seeing the outcasts steadfastly dedicated to their path despite receiving unspeakable evaluations, I saw my own situation overlapping with theirs. Myself, alone in the Tang family, cultivating my self-created martial arts when they had no intention of acknowledging fist techniques.”
“Tang Do-gyeong!”
“Do you remember that I told you all of this when I met you that day, Uncle!”
Tang Do-gyeong shouted.
“Yet how did you treat me, Uncle! No matter how much I talked about the emotion of meeting outcasts who simply walked their own path despite harsh external evaluations! And my admiration for the composure Ya brother showed by going along with my unreasonable demands! You just looked at me with eyes that said, ‘Ah, this child is causing trouble again!'”
“How many times do you think you’ve dragged the family’s reputation through the mud! Are you planning to cause trouble again! How can I just stand by and watch that!”
“You mean the incidents where I was pointed at as a fighting dog? In my entire life, I have never done anything shameful as a member of the righteous faction or as a hero, so how have I tarnished the Tang family’s reputation?”
Tang Do-gyeong continued speaking calmly yet without hesitation.
It wasn’t because of a momentary anger or the current situation… but the true feelings that he had felt all along flowed out in words.
“If I had used my strength for the Tang family, could my nickname, which was unblemished in my conduct as a hero, have become ‘fighting dog’? You just left it alone even when rumors about me creating and cultivating self-created martial arts, fist techniques, became distorted, didn’t you? The family was just anxious about the same thing happening as with father, so you left it alone, hoping that nickname would restrain me, didn’t you?”
Tang Do-gi didn’t refute.
“Why do you think I explained so much to you about frequenting the Outcast Inn, Uncle? It was because I knew it would tarnish the Tang family’s reputation. Even so, despite that, I, Tang Do-gyeong, wanted to train myself by playing shell games with Ya brother at the Outcast Inn, interact with the outcasts, and get to know them, that’s why I explained so much.”
“…Do-gyeong.”
“It’s true that I threw a tantrum about wanting to mingle with them more because of the sense of kinship I felt for the first time in my life. However, all that came back was just a threat to cut ties. Then let me ask you this. What can I, Tang Do-gyeong, do while bearing the Tang surname?”
“As someone bearing the Tang surname, you should naturally behave correctly. How can you say such things?”
“You’re right, Uncle. It’s become too difficult to do the right things as someone bearing the Tang surname anymore. Now I just want to put down that character ‘Tang’ (唐).”
Tang Do-gyeong drove in the final nail.
“I want to cut ties.”
Tang Do-gi looked up at the sky.
“I’m sorry.”
Tang Do-gi turned around and made a fist salute.
“You all… I have a request for you. Could you put away your weapons just this once?”
“…Brother Do-gi!”
“The Law Hall won’t sit still, brother.”
“I know. But I’m asking just this once.”
The five Tang family masters exchanged glances and sighed.
With a rustling sound, the whips returned to their waists.
“I’ll give you a week. No matter what the family says, I won’t budge for a week. So pull yourself together and come back.”
“I won’t return.”
“Exactly one week from now, at this time, I will send a messenger pigeon to the Tang family. Then the main family will proceed with the severance procedure. Since the family head has already spoken it out loud. You should return before that.”
“…”
“I’ll be waiting at the Soyogin.”
The Tang family masters deployed their lightness techniques and quietly disappeared.
The crowd that had gathered due to the untimely commotion and hidden their bodies from the swirling killing intent slowly revealed themselves and whispered.
“Hero…! I, Jeong Mo, never imagined that you thought of us to such an extent!”
“Hero Tang!!”
“Even if the Tang family people come next time, I too will draw my sword and fight!”
“I will do the same!”
The outcasts, emotionally stirred by Tang Do-gyeong’s words, rushed to show fist salutes to Tang Do-gyeong.
Ho Cheon-an peculiarly frowned as he watched some outcasts who were even shedding tears, overcome with emotion.
Tang Do-gyeong had even cut ties with his family because he liked the outcasts!
Seeing the faces of the outcasts who looked like they would give up their livers if asked, Ho Cheon-an discarded all the plans he had neatly stacked in his head to nurture the Flower Path Faction.
Now, neutrality and factions have become meaningless.
Because everyone had become Tang Do-gyeong’s fervent followers.
Ho Cheon-an watched Tang Do-gyeong enter the Outcast Inn, leading all the outcasts.
“Senior, what are you thinking of doing?”
Black Cat, who had acquired a basket of popped rice, asked Ho Cheon-an.
“Well….”
Black Cat thought Ho Cheon-an’s face looked strange.
Even for Black Cat, the current events were completely unexpected.
Who could have predicted that Tang Do-gyeong would pull out the option of cutting ties here and that Tang Do-gi would accept it?
Even Black Cat, who knew why Tang Do-gyeong focused on fist techniques and what story had led him to become who he was now, was incredibly surprised by Tang Do-gyeong’s choice.
Even though she knew the story, she didn’t think he would leave the Tang family.
However, part of her mind found the choice understandable. If he had that much pent-up… He could choose to cut ties.
Surprising, but it’s something that could possibly happen.
That was Black Cat’s impression of the recent event.
If she had only heard Tang Do-gyeong’s words here, she would have sympathized even more with Tang Do-gyeong’s choice.
‘But why is he making that expression?’
Black Cat was overwhelmed by a feeling that she might burst into laughter.
Ho Cheon-an was making a strange expression as if he had witnessed something that ‘absolutely could not happen.’
‘What is Senior seeing, what is he thinking?’
A genuinely thrilling ball of yarn.
Come on, tell me quickly.
What are you thinking? What are you plotting?
What thoughts will Ho Cheon-an have, and what actions will he take from now on?
The trajectory that this unpredictable ball of yarn would draw was utterly unexpected.
But isn’t that why it was such a thrilling ball of yarn?
Watching Ho Cheon-an sink deeper into thought, Black Cat giggled.
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