[Chapter 20]
The Tang Family.
A unique martial arts family that gained fame throughout the Central Plains with poison and hidden weapons as their main weapons.
For the White Way, which pursued upright justice and morality, poison and hidden weapons were difficult weapons to accept. They were weapons that specialized in assassination rather than fair and square.
The first family to break that prejudice was the Tang Family. They were harsh and ruthless like their main weapons, but they did not cross the minimum line.
Of course, Yeon Ho-jeong had no interest in such history.
He unconsciously rubbed his throat.
It was still vivid. The unpleasant sensation of the cow hair needle stuck in his chest as he was dying.
'Tang Kwan.'
The vice-leader of the Martial Alliance, Tang Kwan.
The bastard who sent his flesh to the underworld completely as he headed to the Three Paths.
Twitch!
His hand holding the iron rod unknowingly exerted strength.
The instinct of the Black Emperor, who never forgot his grudge, was awakening.
'…'
Yeon Ho-jeong calmed his mind.
The opponent was not Tang Kwan. Even if he was Tang Kwan, he should not attack him because he had a grudge.
He was not the Black Emperor now, but the eldest son of the Yeon Family. At least until he touched him first, rash actions were forbidden.
"By the way, who are these people…?"
"They are the eldest son of the main family, Yeon Ho-jeong, and the second son, Yeon Ji-pyeong."
Han Ho-myeong greeted them with a smile.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Han Ho-myeong."
It was a brief greeting, not even bland.
Shin Mo's face stiffened slightly.
To Han Ho-myeong, they were just children of another family, but this place was a gathering place for the descendants of the Seven Great Families. He could talk like that, but he shouldn't act like he was carrying a burden and treat him like a subordinate.
Shin Mo was about to argue.
"I greet the great leader of the Han Family. I am the second son of the Yeon Family, Yeon Ji-pyeong."
Yeon Ji-pyeong bowed politely.
Unlike Han Ho-myeong's arrogant greeting, Yeon Ji-pyeong's greeting was polite and respectful.
Han Ho-myeong burst into laughter.
"You are the second leader of the Yeon Family. I heard that the second son of the Wall Mountain is a talented martial artist. Seeing it in person, it seems that the rumor is not false."
Yeon Ji-pyeong smiled.
"You are too kind. I don't have that much talent, and I'm nothing compared to my brother."
People's eyes naturally turned to Yeon Ho-jeong.
Han Ho-myeong's face showed interest.
"The second leader is…"
"Shin Da-ju."
Shin Mo bowed his head.
"Yes, eldest son."
"I'm hungry. Let's sit down and eat first."
"Okay."
"Let the guards take turns. There's no need to escort me here, so let the rest rest."
"I will obey."
Shin Mo said in a stiff voice to Han Ho-myeong.
"I'll go ahead. Please rest comfortably."
That's how the Yeon brothers and the Chang-eung Group entered the garden.
Han Ho-myeong's eyes dimmed. The friendly smile disappeared.
"He can bite with dull fangs, you know?"
It was then.
"Han Mu-sa."
"Yes, eldest son."
The young man who received Han Ho-myeong's polite greeting, Tang Yang-seon, tilted his head.
"Is that lazy guy the eldest son of the Yeon Family?"
"It seems so."
"Hmm? Does he have any illness?"
"Excuse me?"
"He looks healthy, but the energy he has is too ordinary. The level is not very good."
Han Ho-myeong cut it off.
"According to the street rumor, the eldest son of the Yeon Family is a typical dog under a tiger father."
"Oh?"
"Unlike him, the second son is rated as having more talent than the current head of the family."
"They are of the same bloodline, but their talents are poles apart, right? That's interesting."
Han Ho-myeong bowed his head.
"It seems that you don't need to pay attention to the eldest son. It would be better to ignore him."
"Really?"
"Yes?"
Tang Yang-seon shrugged his shoulders.
"At least he has some manners, right? To show such rudeness in front of the Tang Family, that's not easy."
There is a saying in the martial arts world. If you prepare for the poison and hidden weapons of the Tang Family, you can live ten years longer.
If you make a grudge with the Martial Alliance, you will have a hard time sleeping, but if you make a grudge with the Tang Family, you should cut your life right away. That's how much people feared the martial arts and cold-heartedness of the Tang Family.
"By the way, we came too early. Let's unpack and take a look around the city."
"Okay."
The Yeon Family had already disappeared from their minds.
They came early, so they could choose the room they wanted. The servants, who had come to the garden in advance, guided them.
Yeon Ji-pyeong glanced at Yeon Ho-jeong.
"Hey…"
"Hmm? Why? Do you have something to say?"
"Are you okay?"
"What?"
"The Tang Family."
Yeon Ho-jeong tilted his head.
"Why them?"
Yeon Ji-pyeong swallowed his breath unknowingly.
Them? If the Tang Family member next to him heard his words, he would have been angry.
"Did you do something wrong?"
"Yes? No, no! That's not it…"
"Hey, Shin Da-ju. Did I make a mistake?"
Shin Mo said in a sharp voice.
"Absolutely not."
Absolutely not. The words were funny, but Yeon Ji-pyeong couldn't laugh. Shin Mo's face was serious.
It wasn't because of Yeon Ho-jeong. He was angry at Han Ho-myeong's arrogant attitude.
He was so angry that Shin Mo added another word.
"I think you did well."
"Did I do well?"
"Yes. You may know the water in ten miles, but you don't know the people in one mile, but sometimes you can know ten by looking at one."
"In other words, it's better not to associate with them?"
"This is a gathering place for the successors of the Seven Great Families. Even if you don't belong here, you should be courteous to the children of the other families."
Yeon Ho-jeong said with an amused expression.
"Well, I was a bit crooked, but it wasn't a big mistake."
"If it wasn't an unintentional act, I wouldn't have said this much."
"Did you know?"
Shin Mo bowed his head silently.
Yeon Ji-pyeong asked with a curious face.
"What?"
"Was it Han Ho-myeong? He was so rude, not just his own will."
"Then?"
"The Tang Family guy told him to do it."
"Really?!"
Yeon Ho-jeong shook his head.
"He's curious, but he doesn't want to step up himself. He wants to provoke the other person and find out something."
"…!"
"It's a classic act that makes you yawn. It's so obvious that it's boring, now."
"Then, did you ignore them too?"
"I didn't want to talk to them from the start. But why would I bother with them when they came out like that?"
Yeon Ji-pyeong sighed.
At the same time, he was embarrassed. He didn't know that and was worried for no reason.
Yeon Ho-jeong stroked Yeon Ji-pyeong's head.
"In that respect, you are definitely growing up well."
"Me?"
"Yes. I ignored the other person, but you followed the etiquette you learned from the family. That's not something you can do by learning. Especially at your age."
Yeon Ji-pyeong blushed.
"I, I'm not like that…"
"My father said that. To endure humiliation is not patience, but cowardice. But don't bark along with the dogs."
Yeon Ji-pyeong coughed.
"I don't think of the Tang Family as… I mean, I never think of them as dogs…"
"That's what I mean. Shin Da-ju and I have twisted judgments, so we can't live by the rules like my father or you."
Yeon Ho-jeong looked at Shin Mo and asked.
"Right, Shin Da-ju?"
Shin Mo smiled and answered.
"It seems so."
"See? It's easier to ignore the other person. Everything is hard to follow the rules."
Yeon Ji-pyeong's face was confused.
"I don't know what's what."
"It's not hard. You just have to live as you learned, as you have been doing. I hope you become more flexible, but don't give up your current self."
"…Am I not wrong?"
"Absolutely not. Rather, you are right and ideal. There will be many fools who mock your appearance as unrealistic, but they are idiots who can't understand that the foundation of this world is built on ideals."
"Then what about you?"
"Me?"
"Yes."
Yeon Ho-jeong said with a bitter face.
"I'm a fool who can't tell the difference between dogs and humans."
* * *
The two days passed quickly.
Until the day of the meeting, Yeon Ho-jeong stayed in his room. And so did Yeon Ji-pyeong. Yeon Ho-jeong reviewed his martial arts and planned his future, while Yeon Ji-pyeong pondered his identity.
The descendants of each martial arts family did not arrive until the night before the meeting. They seemed to be exploring the city.
There was a little tension between the Tang Family and the others on the first day they entered the meeting place, but they did not clash any more. Their lodgings were too far apart.
That's how the two days went peacefully.
On the morning of the meeting day.
As Yeon Ho-jeong was doing his energy breakfast in his room, he heard Shin Mo's voice in his ear.
[Eldest son.]
[Tell me.]
[Namgung and Peng Family's descendants have arrived.]
Flash!
Yeon Ho-jeong's eyes opened.
The matured Wall Dragon Energy was in his eyes. The faint blue light in his pupils swirled and disappeared.
He got up from his seat and walked to the window. It was a room with a good view of the whole garden.
He saw a group of people entering through the gate.
'Namgung.'
He saw a very handsome man with a tall stature.
He had an extraordinary sword on his waist, and his expression was confident. He was setting up a refined energy that could be felt from this distance.
He was clearly the descendant of the Namgung Family. His energy was similar to Namgung Sang-hwa, not to mention his appearance.
But he was not Yeon Ho-jeong's interest.
He turned his gaze and looked at two young men. They were similar in height to Namgung's descendant, but their physique was much larger.
'Peng Family!'
Yeon Ho-jeong's eyes deepened.
Woo woo woo.
The Wall Dragon Energy that was in the core quickly spread to the whole body. The majestic Black Tortoise Energy rose from the waist and cooled his head.
Tss tss tss tss.
His senses became sharp.
He felt the chirping of birds in the distance, the scent of wood in the room, and even a speck of dust on his skin.
'…'
Yeon Ho-jeong frowned.
'What is this? Their energy is completely different?'
He had to see their inner energy methods to be sure. He also had to examine the atmosphere of their inner energy more closely.
But it seemed meaningless to the point where their energy was unique. The Peng Family's energy was so different that it had nothing to do with the attackers at the time.
'It won't work.'
It was limited to check from the window. Yeon Ho-jeong quickly left his lodging and walked to the gate of the outer garden.
"Hmm? Who is that?"
"Well… He doesn't look like a servant."
The Peng Family's descendants who saw Yeon Ho-jeong said that. They seemed to be speaking softly, but their voices were as loud as their size.
Thanks to that, everyone's attention was focused on Yeon Ho-jeong. But Yeon Ho-jeong didn't care about their gaze.
He stood next to a tree and crossed his arms, watching the Peng Family's descendants.
'As expected.'
Yeon Ho-jeong's expression involuntarily frowned.
'I have to check more, but…'
No matter how he looked, he was not.
His intuition told him that. The Peng Family was not.
The Peng Family's leaders might be different?
His head said that was possible, but his heart was sure that it was not. As Shin Mo said, the Peng Family seemed to be a family of people who could know ten by looking at one.
'…'
What should he do?
In the end, Yeon Ho-jeong made a decision.
'I have to see the Ming Family first. I have enough time. Don't rush.'
It was then.
"…Don't you hear me?"
He turned his gaze at the faint voice.
It was Namgung Hyun.
"Don't you think it's rude to stare at someone so hard on your first meeting, whoever you are?"
The Peng Family's descendants burst into laughter.
"Ha ha! Namgung hyung, you don't have to do that. We're fine. Right, brother?"
"It's not like it's going to wear off, so what."
"Look at that."
Their tone was rough, but there was a hint of innocence.
Yeon Ho-jeong, who lost his temper, bowed.
"I'm sorry. He reminded me of someone I know."
"Uhuhuhu! There was another man like me? The world is wide indeed!"
"Brother. Maybe he's talking about me?"
"You're kidding. If he looked like you, he would have run away, you crazy bastard. There's no bandit like you."
"Did you forget? We're twins."
"You don't have to look alike just because you're twins, do you?"
"…What the hell does that mean?"
Now that he looked, they seemed to have a lively personality as much as their size. That kind of personality couldn't be faked.
"By the way, who are you?"
"I'm Yeon Ho-jeong."
"Yeon Ho-jeong?"
"I came from the Wall Mountain Yeon Family."
"Oh! The Wall Mountain Yeon Family!"
Yeon Ho-jeong saw it. Namgung Hyun's eyes changed.
The Peng Family's leader, Peng Da-ho, ran over and grabbed Yeon Ho-jeong's hand.
Yeon Ho-jeong's eyes shone.
His fingers naturally pointed to Peng Da-ho's pulse.
"Ha ha ha! You're from the Yeon Family? This is great! I've always wanted to meet someone from the Yeon Family!"
"Hmm?"
"Ha ha ha! Just take it as a personal curiosity! Oh, I'm Peng Da-ho! And the bandit behind me is Peng Man-ho, my brother who has no shortage of flaws!"
He shook his hand vigorously, and he was at a loss for words.
He wanted to check the pulse, but he was too distracted to do so. But he could analyze the energy more clearly through his hand.
'I'd better put the Peng Family aside for now.'
It was then.
The gate opened again.
"Oh! Someone else is coming! Who is it?"
Clang!
The door opened, and a brother and sister with a group of guards entered.
Namgung Hyun's eyes widened. The Peng brothers were stunned.
The young man was also a young man, but the woman's beauty was truly amazing. She lit up the surroundings with her beauty, even though she wasn't wearing very fancy clothes.
Namgung Hyun muttered unknowingly.
"A-yeon?"
"Huh?"
Je Gal A-yeon pointed to the group with his hand.
Namgung Hyun smiled slightly and raised his hand.
"Jeong-a!"