Bu Eunseol’s brow furrowed as he gazed at the man standing in the center of the reed field. It was none other than Tang Gon.
An internal family feud, then. Just as his interest waned and he turned to leave, Black Leopard landed beside him on the tree, eyes wide.
“Huh? Poisoned needles?” Black Leopard whispered, but his voice wasn’t low enough to escape the keen ears of the Tang Clan masters.
“Who’s there!” one of them shouted.
Pew! Pew! Pew!
A Tang Clan master, pinpointing Black Leopard’s position, unleashed eighty-six poisoned needles in rapid succession.
“Hmph!” Bu Eunseol snorted, reaching for the dark sword on his back.
Clang!
As he drew his blade, a chilling aura spread outward.
Clatter!
With the sound of metal clashing, the incoming needles veered sharply, redirected back toward their sender. Bu Eunseol had used the second form of the Supreme Heavenly Flow, Return to Origin, to reverse the hidden weapons.
What’s this? The startled Tang Clan masters scattered as their own needles flew back at them.
Thud! Thud!
The redirected needles embedded themselves in the ground, leaving Tang Gon alone in the center of the reed field, breathing heavily.
“Haa… haa…”
Black blood trickled from his tattered clothes where needles had grazed him, and the sword in his hand was nearly ruined, its edge chipped. Though his injuries weren’t critical, he was clearly on the defensive and wouldn’t last much longer.
Thud.
As Bu Eunseol descended from the tree, the Tang Clan masters’ eyes glinted.
“Who are you?” one demanded.
“Mind your own business,” Bu Eunseol said coldly, looking down at the glaring masters. “I’m just passing through.”
The surrounding Tang Clan members’ expressions turned peculiar. Though Zhongjing was distant from Sichuan, it was still within the Tang Clan’s sphere of influence. To treat them—clad in Tang Clan garb and wielding their signature weapons—like flies?
“Elders, please don’t misunderstand,” Black Leopard said, descending from the tree and clasping his hands. “We’re truly just passing by. We have no intention of meddling in Tang Clan affairs.”
“Take them out too,” said a middle-aged man, seemingly the leader, glancing between Bu Eunseol and Black Leopard. “They’ve seen what they shouldn’t.”
Black Leopard’s face paled. The man’s eyes and demeanor suggested he genuinely intended to bury them both.
“G-Great Hero, please…” Black Leopard stammered, waving his hands.
“Don’t,” Tang Gon said, raising his head with a smile despite his blood-soaked state. “If you touch him, you’ll die.”
“…”
“Just let them go,” Tang Gon continued. “And let’s resume our fight.”
The middle-aged man smirked. “If this were within the clan’s stronghold, I’d follow the Third Young Master’s orders. But…”
“Clan matters should be settled within the clan,” Tang Gon interrupted. “What you want is my head, isn’t it?”
“Hmm,” the middle-aged man muttered, then approached Bu Eunseol from behind, speaking coldly. “Forget what you saw today. Understood?”
Instead of answering, Bu Eunseol turned, baring his white teeth in a smile. The middle-aged man’s pride seemed wounded as he raised an eyebrow. Then—
Boom!
He suddenly unleashed dark palm energy at Bu Eunseol’s back, the Tang Clan’s infamous Fire Poison Palm.
“Careful…!” Tang Gon shouted, but it was too late. The attack was too sudden, the distance too close.
“Aaaagh!”
A piercing scream echoed, blood splattering everywhere. Astonishingly, Bu Eunseol, still facing away, had drawn his sword and severed the middle-aged man’s wrist.
“How…” Tang Gon gasped, mouth agape.
The middle-aged man’s Ghostly Shadowless Strike was a stealth attack move, infallible within a jang. Even knowing it was coming, cutting off a Tang Clan master’s wrist without turning was impossible.
“Not bad,” Bu Eunseol said, nodding as he looked at his dark sword.
His feat was due to the mystical art of Radiant Sword Control, which sensed killing intent and instinctively countered attacks.
“Ugh… Attack!” the wristless middle-aged man roared.
The surrounding masters pulled hidden weapons from leather pouches.
“Aagh!”
But another scream rang out before they could act. Bu Eunseol, using Swift Beyond Shadow, closed the distance instantly, unleashing his sword among the Tang Clan masters.
Flash!
Each glint of his dark blade felled a man without fail. Having faced the Hell’s Blood Fortress’ Blood Demons who were experts in hidden weapons and poison, Bu Eunseol easily dispatched the Tang Clan masters, who used similar tactics.
“Ugh…” Realizing they couldn’t match him, the middle-aged man shouted, “Retreat!”
The Tang Clan masters withdrew in disciplined formation, as if awaiting the command.
Bu Eunseol sheathed his sword, nodding. “As expected of one of the Eight Great Families.”
Even with their lives at stake, their retreat was orderly, maintaining strict formation—a testament to the Sichuan Tang Clan’s storied reputation.
“Should I say thanks?” Tang Gon said, staggering to his feet with a weary yet refined smile.
“No need,” Bu Eunseol said coldly. “I acted because they ambushed me. No gratitude required.”
As he turned to leave without hesitation, Tang Gon called out, “Wait! If you leave like this, you’ll face significant trouble.”
“Trouble?” Bu Eunseol asked, glancing back.
Tang Gon gave a bitter smile. “The men you just drove off like dogs were Deng Guangying, head of the Tang Clan’s Black Hand Faction, and his elite subordinates.”
“So?” Bu Eunseol said.
“If you leave now, that snake Deng will make a false report to the clan leader,” Tang Gon explained. “You’ll be hunted by the Tang Clan relentlessly.”
“Sounds fun,” Bu Eunseol said, turning away calmly.
Tang Gon bit his lip. I can’t persuade him indirectly. To survive, Tang Gon needed to return to the Tang Clan, but that was impossible without a powerful ally.
“Help me,” he said, swallowing his pride. “I must return to the clan, but I can’t do it without the aid of a master like you.”
Bu Eunseol stopped in his tracks.
“Did you kill your brothers or something?” he asked.
Tang Gon’s pride flared, his eyes glinting. Does he think I’m weak because I’m asking for help?
But meeting Bu Eunseol’s serious gaze, he understood the implied question: Why is your own family trying to kill you? Bu Eunseol, averse to showing concern for others, had phrased it indirectly.
He could’ve just asked directly… This man is cold and utterly unfeeling, Tang Gon thought.
“If I’d killed my brothers, Deng would’ve carried me back in a palanquin,” Tang Gon said with a wry smile, shaking his head. “The Tang Clan has long tolerated infighting among heirs. This situation is just part of that process.”
“They allow kin to kill each other?” Black Leopard, standing beside Bu Eunseol, gaped.
Tang Gon sighed deeply. “The Tang Clan was built on blood. The process of choosing an heir demands blood as well.”
Taking a deep breath, he added, “Even if it’s the blood of brothers.” In short, the Tang Clan permitted fratricide to determine its heir.
Bu Eunseol, who had been listening silently, asked, “So the man earlier was sent by your brother?”
“Yes,” Tang Gon said. “Likely my second brother. He’s always been eager to eliminate me.”
“And knowing that, you ventured into the martial world alone?” Bu Eunseol pointed out.
Tang Gon looked ashamed. “What power does a bastard son have? Without allies or a foundation, I had to find my own way.”
Bu Eunseol realized why Tang Gon had gifted him the Pear Blossom Leaves earlier. Tang Gon had been trying to build a network of strong allies in the martial world to bolster his position.
“My eldest brother is frail and rarely shows himself,” Tang Gon said, gazing at the distant sky with a sorrowful expression. “That’s why my second brother constantly targets me.”
He wiped blood from his forehead, speaking softly. “I pride myself on my talent and martial skills, but I lack allies or a foundation—even less than our clan’s youngest, a daughter.”
Looking defeated, he continued, “I came to the martial world to make strong friends and strive forward, but… it’s over now.”
Allies and friends couldn’t be conjured at will. Realizing this, Tang Gon was ready to give up.
“I’ll return to the clan and renounce my claim to the heirship,” he said. “But…”
“They won’t even let you return,” Bu Eunseol finished.
“Exactly,” Tang Gon said, shaking his head. “My second brother is paranoid and would assume I might change my mind.”
He fixed his gaze on Bu Eunseol. Having laid bare his clan’s situation and his own vulnerabilities, the choice was now Bu Eunseol’s.
“Will you help me return to the Tang Clan?” Tang Gon asked boldly, though his eyes lacked confidence. The journey back would be a path of death, with no great reward for renouncing the heirship. Who would risk their life for such a cause?
“I hear the Tang Clan has fine hidden weapons,” Bu Eunseol said abruptly, veering off-topic. “I once bought a hidden weapon from a forge, but I couldn’t find replacement needle cartridges for it.”
Rolling up his sleeve, he revealed a thin bracelet-like device—the hidden weapon mechanism he’d purchased alongside a sword in Dongjeongho’s back alleys.
“A genuine Sahyang Clan device,” Tang Gon noted.
Bu Eunseol nodded. “Can I find suitable needles for this at the Tang Clan?”
Tang Gon, though puzzled, nodded. “Of course.”
“Good,” Bu Eunseol said, removing the device and tossing it to Black Leopard.
“For me?” Black Leopard asked, catching it.
“Since ancient times, masters of lightness skills have favored hidden weapons,” Bu Eunseol said calmly, looking at Black Leopard. “I needed a good weapon, so… let’s go.”
Black Leopard grinned widely.
Tang Gon suddenly realized something about Bu Eunseol. He’s not cold or unfeeling…
Staring at Bu Eunseol’s back as he walked ahead impassively, Tang Gon drew a faint smile.
He’s just not honest.
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