Chapter 388

ROOOOOAR!

The lion’s roar Beom-gon unleashed was clearly transmitted all the way to the inner courtyard of the Tang Family Main House.

Tang Qing, who had been drinking tea with Tang Gwi-ok in the rear garden, raised his head.

A warrior rushed in and reported.

“Shaolin Temple is attempting to enter!”

The warrior left immediately after delivering the message.

Tang Qing muttered.

“It has finally begun.”

Tang Gwi-ok also nodded at Tang Qing’s words.

“Eighteen Stone Vajras. Shaolin Temple seems to have put considerable effort into this.”

Tang Qing giggled and laughed.

“That’s right. But conversely, if eighteen Stone Vajras die, Shaolin Temple will feel just as much pain.”

Another warrior came running.

“Shaolin Temple has just broken through the first outer courtyard gate!”

Even while the warrior was reporting and immediately leaving, other warriors came running in.

“They are breaking walls in a straight line heading toward the inner courtyard.”

Reports from warriors continued in succession.

“The fifty who blocked them in the first wave have been completely annihilated.”

“The second water gate has also been destroyed.”

“Forty vassal warriors from the Byeon and Yeom families have been completely annihilated.”

In half an hour, news continued to come that about one hundred fifty had already died and the path had been cleared to the third water gate.

“They’re faster than expected by fifteen minutes. Are they truly elite?”

However, contrary to his words, Tang Qing rather showed a welcoming expression. He still leisurely leaned back in his chair.

Tang Gwi-ok said to Tang Qing.

“Older brother, considering damage to our family, wouldn’t it be good to start suppressing them soon?”

“What are you talking about?”

Tang Qing frowned and laughed.

“We need to take damage. Eighteen Stone Vajras have set out, so it would be disappointing if they died without causing any damage at all.”

Tang Gwi-ok’s voice became slightly subdued.

“Older brother. I don’t oppose what you’re doing, but the vassal families’ warriors are also our family’s dependents. Having our dependents get hurt…”

Bang!

Tang Qing stamped his foot. Tang Qing frowned and said.

“My work is the family’s work, and everything I do is for the family. You just need to comfort the family members well so they don’t waver even after this matter ends. That’s your job. Do you understand?”

Tang Gwi-ok let out a low sigh.

“I understand.”

Only then did Tang Qing relax his expression.

“Well then, let’s allow the monks to enjoy slaughter a bit more.”

Tang Qing enjoyed his tea leisurely without caring about the continuous news of annihilation.

For Shaolin Temple to reach the point he was thinking of, they would need to exert more effort.

* * *

The stench of blood vibrated in the air.

The Shaolin monks advanced straight toward the inner courtyard. When there were walls, they broke walls; when there were traps, they crushed them. Since they didn’t move along paths, the Tang family warriors’ formations and battle arrays using terrain features were meaningless.

The Shaolin monks’ killing intent grew thicker as time passed. Beom-gon, who was leading the charge in beating Tang family warriors to death at the front, was even breathing heavily. Not because he was out of breath, but because his killing intent had reached extreme levels from slaughtering dozens of people.

Swoosh!

Tang family warriors appeared on top of a dead-end wall more than a zhang ahead. They held square boxes in their hands.

When they manipulated the devices, hidden weapons poured down blackly with the sound of wind.

Since the path was narrow, normally invaders would have become porcupines unable to avoid the hidden weapons.

However, their opponents were Shaolin monks.

As soon as they saw the hidden weapons, they drew up their Iron Cloth technique and swept their robe sleeves.

Clatter clatter clack!

All the hidden weapons pouring through the rain struck their robes and bounced off.

The narrow path and high walls that limited the trajectory of hidden weapons actually worked in the Shaolin monks’ favor.

Beom-gon bounced off all the hidden weapons and leaped onto the wall. He spun like a whirlwind and kicked in all directions. Sweeping his legs in all directions was like wielding a crescent blade. The Tang family warriors who had been shooting hidden weapons had their limbs fall off and their waists split in half.

Blood poured in all directions from atop the wall.

“Hm?”

Beom-gon’s killing intent-filled eyes gleamed. Among the ordinary warriors, there was one martial artist dressed distinctly differently.

A high-ranking vassal warrior pointed a black tube at Beom-gon.

Bang!

Four hidden weapons shaped like small, sleek tops were fired. Beom-gon spread his sleeve trying to deflect them with Iron Cloth technique. Suddenly the hidden weapons wrapped around the Iron Cloth and penetrated through.

Thud thud thud!

The robe sleeve tore with a rough sound like bones being torn at joints. Fresh blood also spurted from Beom-gon’s side. Blood and wet water spread in a whirlwind.

Beom-gon’s mouth split wide.

“Pointed spinning tops?”

Hidden weapons that destroy protective energy shields. Not only do they penetrate protective energy shields, but the top-like sides have serrated edges that tear all the flesh as they spin past.

The warrior aimed the black tube once more. Beom-gon shook his sleeve to wrap around his palm and blocked the tube’s opening with his palm. It seemed like he was saying ‘go ahead and shoot if you dare.’

The warrior’s face, covered in colleagues’ blood and rainwater, contorted. He had just seen that Iron Cloth couldn’t block the pointed spinning tops, yet he was showing such recklessness!

The warrior pulled the device hard and shot the hidden weapon.

Poof!

But nothing happened.

Thud thud, the pointed spinning tops fell without being able to penetrate the palm Beom-gon was spreading. The warrior continued pulling the string to shoot spinning tops.

Bang! Bang!

The pointed spinning tops that had just penetrated through his robe sleeve could no longer exert any power.

Beom-gon smiled so widely his mouth nearly split.

“Golden. Orchid. Iron. Pillar.”

Golden Orchid Iron Pillar was a protective energy technique one level higher than Iron Cloth. The warrior’s expression darkened.

Beom-gon turned his body, twisted his waist, and kicked the warrior’s side. The warrior blocked with his forearm but it was meaningless. Splitting through the arm and crushing ribs, Beom-gon’s shin tore through the warrior’s body.

“Aaaaah!”

The warrior let out a frail scream. The warrior’s arm and part of his upper body separated from his body. The warrior’s body fell from the wall, gushing blood copiously.

Whoooosh.

The ceaselessly falling rain washed the blood that had splattered on Beom-gon’s face and flowed to the ground.

On the ground, pools had already formed with the blood that had been washed away.

Beom-hae called Beom-gon from behind.

“Junior brother. Step back and rest.”

“Senior brother. It’s just a small wound on my side.”

“Don’t forget this is the Tang family.”

They had to be careful of poison at all times. Beom-gon showed a dissatisfied expression as he was getting excited, but he suppressed his killing intent and came down from the wall.

Then he took out a square box from his bosom, opened it, and put a pill inside into his mouth. It was a pill specially brought to counter Tang family poisons.

Only then did Beom-hae say.

“Then let’s go.”

At Beom-hae’s words, one Shaolin monk rushed out and struck the wall with both fists.

Crash!

The thick wall, more than three spans thick, burst apart. The corpses hanging on the wall fell and collapsed.

The Shaolin monks passed through the wall without hesitation and continued forward.

* * *

“Older brother?”

Unable to withstand Tang Gwi-ok’s urging, Tang Qing got up.

Tang Qing spoke as if pathetic.

“How is it that you’re still so immature now as you were decades ago? Should I neglect a hundred-year grand enterprise because of your petty nagging?”

This time, Tang Gwi-ok didn’t back down either.

“Hundreds of loyal warriors from vassal families have already been injured. Unnecessarily driving them as shields is not right. If there’s a way to stop the Stone Vajras, it’s time to try it now.”

“Even if it’s hundreds, the proportion of our family’s total strength is less than ten percent! Are you saying to ruin the grand enterprise because of just that?”

Tang Gwi-ok said quietly.

“It’s not ‘just that.’ Each one of them is the foundation of our family. If they’ve done wrong, that’s one thing, but if they haven’t done wrong, they shouldn’t be driven to death.”

Tang Qing’s mouth twisted.

“You’ve gone so far as to lecture this older brother?”

“When the grand enterprise succeeds and our family rules over the martial world, these are the people who could be our family’s greatest strength.”

“When there’s power, subordinates will flock in overflowing numbers. That’s human nature and power.”

“Older brother.”

Tang Qing made an irritated sound.

“Shut that mouth. Work has its flow. No matter how much you nag, it’s not time yet.”

“Must there be sacrifice? Didn’t you say that even if Shaolin Temple intervenes now, it can no longer be stopped?”

“Suppose Shaolin Temple’s elite sent to strike our family died without accomplishing anything. Would that look normal to others? They’d realize we’re hiding our strength. That’s not advantageous to us at all.”

Tang Gwi-ok was silent then asked.

“How much more… is needed?”

Tang Qing showed three fingers.

“Thirty percent. That’s the number I’m aiming for. Thirty percent of our family must die from this Shaolin Temple attack.”

Tang Gwi-ok closed her eyes.

“Thirty percent…”

“Of course, that’s just the headcount shown externally. Actually, less than twenty percent of our family’s real strength will be consumed.”

“Thirty percent is a lot.”

Tang Qing snorted.

“Fine. Twenty percent. Considering you, I’ll stop at twenty percent.”

* * *

Beom-hae raised his hand to stop the Shaolin monks.

“Strange.”

A destroyed space was visible before them. There were no human corpses, but pools of blood flowed on the ground, and traces of battle remained intact.

“It seems like a place we’ve already passed through.”

Beom-hae asked.

“How long has it been since we entered?”

It was dark due to rain and they were constantly under attack, so they couldn’t know the exact passage of time.

“It seems like half a day.”

The Shaolin monk who answered also thought it strange.

No matter how much they fought while advancing, if they had broken through straight for half a day, the inner courtyard should have been visible.

However, the Shaolin monks were still trapped within the outer courtyard walls.

Beom-hae looked around.

“The Tang Family Main House was built according to formation principles. Did we unknowingly fall under the influence of the formation?”

All the Shaolin monks tilted their heads in puzzlement.

“That can’t be. We came in breaking through all the walls blocking our way in a straight line from the entrance of the Tang Family Main House.”

Beom-hae touched the walls on both sides that were well over twice a person’s height and said.

“But we moved following these left and right walls.”

“Don’t tell me…”

Beom-hae closed one eye and stretched his hand forward. Rainwater splashed and water got wet and flowed, so he couldn’t see exactly. However, he concentrated his eyesight and gauged from where he stood to the final dead-end wall.

Beom-hae said.

“The walls aren’t laid out in straight lines.”

The walls and alleys were curved so subtly it was hard to notice!

There was a half-step difference in a distance of three to four zhang. This degree of curvature wouldn’t be unreasonable to miss while turning.

It wasn’t a big difference, but when this difference accumulated, they would end up going in a completely unintended direction.

Since half a day had already passed, with that distance they might have gone in a complete circle.

Only then did the Shaolin monks realize that the complex patterns carved on the left and right walls weren’t meaningless. The extremely calculated and meticulously carved patterns were cleverly made to create optical illusions so the wall’s curvature couldn’t be detected.

“Hmm.”

Beom-hae’s eyes narrowed.

As expected of the Tang Family Main House.

The saying that it was an impregnable fortress wasn’t said for nothing.