Chapter 3 – The Dark Flower of the Tang Clan

Chapter 3 – The Dark Flower of the Tang Clan

There was a very good proverb in Korea.

‘If you just stay still, you will at least make it halfway.’

And here, I was, who dug my own grave because I could not stay still.

“…What did you say you are looking for?”

“How many times do I have to tell you. I said it is the Earth Dragon.”

I hoped I had misheard it as Torong-i, but that would not be the case, right?

I shut my mouth tight and recalled the expression of Sawol, who had been behind the pillar. Right… That was why our Sawol turned pale and looked at me. I was the one who lacked tact.

I remembered watching a documentary. Earth Dragon . A dragon that lived in the mud. There was only one creature called an Earth Dragon in this era.

Namely, a crocodile.

Of course, I only remembered seeing crocodiles at the zoo.

Let me see… How many teeth did a crocodile have again?

“No, why that guy?!”

My limbs might slide down that bastard's throat, so let's at least know the reason.

At my question, Tang Hae-soo frowned and opened his mouth.

“You…”

“That is because~ the Earth Dragon is a spiritual beast, so we are looking for its inner elixir! Moreover, the damage it has inflicted on the commoners is also great.”

However, before his words could finish, a middle-aged warrior who appeared smiled and answered instead.

“Tang Jin-oh, the Leader of the Red Shadow Squad , greets the Young Master. I joined a bit late because there was something I had to deal with. Have you been well in the meantime?”

He then clasped his hands and greeted me.

‘Oh, a Martial World-style greeting.’

The fist-palming salute . It was a greeting done by meeting one's fist against the palm of the other hand. It was said that the fist represents the sun and the palm represents the moon . In modern times, it was similar to a handshake.

“My, for someone who was only this small to grow up so much. Time really flies.”

“Ah, ahaha…”

Tang Jin-oh laughed, showing his thumb. Indeed, it seemed I had been born as Thumbelina.

“Is the search not too difficult for you? If camping is uncomfortable, should I look into separate accommodations for you?”

The search area was the Yangtze River basin extending east from Sichuan. It was a place so vast that the word 'vast' could not fully express it. That meant, during the search period, they would spend most of the time camping without proper lodging.

Since I, who had only lived in the annex, was going to sleep outdoors, Tang Jin-oh asked indirectly as if he were worried.

I could not tell if it was sincere concern or a roundabout way of saying I was in the way. In any case, since I had stepped forward to do it, backing down did not fit my nature. And I did not particularly think camping would be hard.

Have you guys ever set up a 24-person tent? Have you ever dug the ground with a shovel and camped at minus 20 degrees Celsius?

I shook my head lightly and replied.

“I am fine. I, too, am a warrior of the Tang Clan.”

“Pfft…”

As if my reply was ridiculous, giggles could be heard from among the warriors sitting around. It was clear ridicule.

‘…Well, so they don't accept me as a warrior.’

The proud warriors of the Tang Clan did not think of me as a fellow warrior. Instead, they called me a Dark Flower .

It was definitely not a good meaning. A few days ago, when a warrior told me that I smelled like flowers, I thought it was a compliment and thanked him, and his expression was quite a sight.

Tsk. In my past life, nicknames with 'flower' in them were all compliments. Flower boy, flower scholar, flower deer… Things like that.

Anyway, was it because they ate poison day in and day out? Their temperaments were spectacular.

“Quiet.”

Hearing the laughter, Tang Jin-oh gave a brief warning to the warriors.

Then he bent his waist slightly and asked in a low voice that only I could hear.

“I heard from the Clan Leader. You said you want to learn martial arts in earnest after this search is over.”

“Ah, yes. I thought it would be better to train my body through practice rather than recuperating. The physician also said that if possible, that would be better.”

I have to learn martial arts as soon as possible so I won't hear such things. Tsk.

“Hmm, I see.”

At my reply, Tang Jin-oh stroked his beard for a moment and fell into thought.

“Actually, the Clan Leader ordered me to check this time whether the Young Master has the qualifications to learn the martial arts of the Tang Clan.”

“…”

“I do not think so.”

He shook his head firmly and looked straight into my eyes.

“Of course, your qualifications as a direct blood relative are sufficient, but as you know, the Young Master is not in a state to properly learn the martial arts of the Tang Clan. Since you have already missed out on so much, there will also be opposition from the warriors.”

Tang Jin-oh said, glancing towards the direction where the laughter was heard earlier.

‘I expected it wouldn't be easy, but…’

Due to their nature, the martial arts of the Tang Clan required a long period of training. This was because simply using poison and throwing hidden weapons was not everything.

To use poison, one needed sufficient resistance, and to learn hidden weapon techniques, a body trained in external martial arts was required. Moreover, to learn high-level martial arts, one had to pass examinations in order, but unfortunately, I did not meet any of these requirements.

As I cast my eyes downward, Tang Jin-oh continued.

“…But, the Young Master must have made some kind of decision to make such a request, right? Therefore, I will set one condition.”

“A condition?”

“Before this search is over, receive recognition from the Young Clan Leader, not me. If you do so, I will follow without objection.”

“…Ah.”

Tsk. That won't work.

For a brief moment I thought I saw hope, but instead, my face grimaced at the even lower probability.

As if he knew my mind, Tang Jin-oh smiled slightly and patted my shoulder. Adding that he was rooting for me.

‘Of all people…’

A sigh escaped on its own as Tang Hae-soo's face came to mind.

From what I had felt so far, the warriors of the Tang Clan either ignored me, or utterly disregarded me, one of the two.

And of course, the foremost among them was Tang Hae-soo.

“Don't wander around and get on my nerves, just go and huddle in a corner. If you can't help, at least don't get in the way.”

As expected of the next Clan Leader. He had a real knack for making people pissed off with harsh words.

It was to the point of suspecting whether he attended some academy for destroying people with words.

“How you became even stupider than that… I cannot understand at all. Are you planning to become a goldfish brain?”

He said he was devoted to me, but he was devoted to scraping my nerves. I wondered if this was a form of blackmail and fraud. What was more infuriating was that the good-natured and affectionate Young Clan Leader was only like this to me.

So, how difficult would it be to get Tang Hae-soo's recognition? When every single day he went out of his way to point out and remind me of my uselessness.

‘…How on earth to do it with a guy who isn't even interested in my words…’

To think that the romantic life I dreamed of depended on that rude bastard who only had a decent face…

A deep sigh burst forth.

***

A few more days passed like that.

‘I can't sleep.’

One of the things I couldn't adapt to since coming here was, unexpectedly, nature. It was so eco-friendly that chickens crowed and birds chirped like crazy in the early morning. I didn't know if this was a chicken coop or a birdcage. The problem was, it was neither…

Having my sleep disturbed like that, I was now waking up in the night out of habit.

Since a few sentries guarding against night attacks were watching the perimeter, I left the campsite as quietly as possible.

‘Oh. There are so many stars.’

In the night sky, a number of stars I had never seen before were twinkling. My heart fluttered for no reason at that sight. It was because I felt once again that this really wasn't my original world.

Even though I had accepted the situation, it wasn't like I had no anxiety.

“…Of all things, I never expected to miss environmental pollution in my life.”

I sighed and threw myself flat on the grassy field.

‘Anyway, how am I supposed to get recognition? First, I should either be helpful to the search, or show some talent for martial arts, right?’

Unfortunately, there is currently no possibility for the latter. Although I did not know exactly what the martial arts level of this body originally was, as long as the soul inside was me, I could not display martial arts that I had no memory of.

Pondering the methods, I ruffled my hair in annoyance.

Because thinking about it again, the former had no possibility either.

I already knew information that would be helpful to the search. The only problem was that I was the only one who knew it.

‘What's the point of knowing where it is, when nobody believes my words!’

There was a reason why the crocodiles of the Yangtze River were called Earth Dragons.

Of course, their skin, which was hard like armor, and their appearance, with saw-toothed protrusions extending along their spine, did resemble dragons. But that was not all. In the past, people believed that dragons brought rain, and as it happened, Earth Dragons only showed themselves during the rainy season.

The reason was simple. Because they hibernated. The crocodiles inhabiting the Yangtze River were of the alligator family, and they remained in a state of hibernation from late autumn to spring.

‘With this… it's not like I can say I watched a documentary…’

Therefore, whether it was an Earth Dragon or Torong-i, to find a crocodile, they had to search the clay caves or caverns near the Yangtze River.

Instead of wasting energy by scouring the river basin like they were doing now.

But no one had much interest in the story of the youngest young master who knew nothing of the world. No matter how much I said it wasn't this way, there was no one who would listen. If it were grass or flowers, I would go look for them alone…

‘Since I can't go look for a crocodile alone, I should try talking to them again tomorrow.’

While I was staring blankly at the sky, a faint presence was felt in the distance.

The owner of the shadow moving silently was none other than Tang Hae-soo.

‘There he goes again…’

My brow furrowed at the not-unfamiliar sight.

The search became longer than the initially expected period. Since they hadn't made an appointment to meet, it was only natural. The problem lay in the fact that the warriors' morale was dropping as time passed, and there was no way Tang Hae-soo didn't know that.

Whether he felt pressure as the Young Clan Leader, or if it was because he also wanted to go back, I didn't know. In any case, from a few days ago, he had begun to slip out secretly at night, avoiding the eyes of the sentries.

‘…Let's not care. Why should I care what happens to that rude bastard? He's not a kid, he'll take care of himself.’

I turned my head away, pretending not to see.

‘Did they say he is about to reach the age of crown? The age of crown is twenty, right? …No… Wait. Then that means he is still a minor. Ah…’

Upon suddenly realizing that fact, my eyes opened slightly. The conscience of a modern person remaining within me kept speaking to me.

‘Are you going to send a minor out alone on this dark night? Even after seeing him come back injured yesterday?’

Wait. Am I caring for no reason just because he is called my older brother? As expected, school ties, regional ties, blood ties…

…None of them apply to me, do they?

Right. Then there is no need to care further. He is a stranger. A stranger.

The conscience of a modern person and the position of a weakling in the Martial World clashed, changing my mind several times.

‘…Yes. Don't care, San-ho… You're already in a tight spot yourself. I saw nothing. I saw no…’

“…Like hell I saw nothing, ah! It's bugging me.”

If he was going to wander around, he should have done it secretly without getting caught, who is the one lingering around and getting on my nerves right now.

In the end, by a narrow margin, the conscience of a modern person won. I sighed and quietly followed Tang Hae-soo.

Yes, this is all to receive Tang Hae-soo's recognition… Of course. To get recognition, we have to get close. Indeed.

There was also a reason in its own way.

First of all, if Tang Hae-soo isn't around, the path to learning martial arts is remote. If that minor gets injured even more, the search might be suspended, and if that happens, there is no way at all to receive recognition.

…I must go quickly and pick him up.

Tang Hae-soo was walking in the opposite direction from the riverbank where the campsite was located.

I tried to take him back before he caused trouble, but as expected of the difference in internal energy, the distance actually widened gradually.

‘Where is he going? This isn't even the riverbank.’

I followed him for a long time, but there was no sign of him stopping. Looking around, a landscape quite different from before was unfolding. A wetland where strange rocks and bizarre stones formed a spectacular sight. Unlike the open riverbank, overgrown trees blocked the space between the rocky cliffs.

‘Right, for an Earth Dragon to be present, it would be just a place like this… Huh?’

Only then did I stop walking and tilt my head. It was because the place was similar to the habitat of the Earth Dragon I had mentioned.

‘He ignored me so utterly, could it be that he came here after listening to my words? No way… That can't be. Where would such a lunatic be?’

But if that's correct, it shouldn't be good.

It looks dangerous at a glance over there, he isn't going to enter alone, is he…?

However, rendering my thoughts useless, Tang Hae-soo was seen striding into a small cave entrance in the crevice of a precipitous cliff.

“My goodness, that lunatic was right here…!”