Chapter 223

Jin Ja-gang and Tang Ha-ran finally left the Tang Family Great Compound.

From afar, Tang Ha-ran gazed at the Tang Family Great Compound’s estate with misty sadness in her eyes.

Jin Ja-gang waited until Tang Ha-ran had sufficient time to sort out her feelings.

Tang Ha-ran stood on the hill for a long time, looking down at the Tang Family Great Compound.

One watch period, two watch periods…

Though it took an extremely long time, Jin Ja-gang never once rushed Tang Ha-ran.

He quietly watched over Tang Ha-ran from a distance that was neither intrusive nor too far away.

The world was dyed in sunset glow, the sun set, and twilight began to fall.

Only then did Tang Ha-ran finally open her mouth.

“Hey there. You’re there, right?”

Jin Ja-gang, who had been sitting, also got up.

He answered with a rustling sound instead of words.

Tang Ha-ran said.

“How long are you going to leave me standing here? Please take me with you.”

Jin Ja-gang smiled calmly and answered.

“Miss, you may now walk as you please.”

“I know that. But…”

Tang Ha-ran turned around and looked at Jin Ja-gang. Tears were still welling up in her eyes. Her cheeks were all red from how much she had cried.

Tang Ha-ran said while sniffling.

“I can’t lift my feet with my own strength.”

Jin Ja-gang instinctively embraced Tang Ha-ran. Tang Ha-ran, who had seemed like she wouldn’t move like a stone statue waiting for her husband’s return, was held in Jin Ja-gang’s arms.

Tang Ha-ran sobbed for a moment, then gripped Jin Ja-gang’s hand tightly. And she prepared to lift the feet that wouldn’t move.

Finally, outside the Tang family.

Having always annihilated enemies from the Tang family’s side, now she had become someone who would be pursued by the Tang family until the day she died.

Tang Ha-ran took her first step.

One step, one step.

Those steps that had been so awkward soon became natural, and before long Tang Ha-ran was able to walk alongside Jin Ja-gang without any difficulty.

“I’m sorry. Were you bored because of me?”

“No. It’s fine.”

“You’re really a thoughtful person. Too good for a woman like me to like. Why did such a person end up coming this far?”

“It’s a long story.”

“I probably already know most of that story.”

Tang Ha-ran trailed off with a bitter expression.

“I’m sorry…”

It was an apology with a completely different meaning from her earlier sorry.

Jin Ja-gang only nodded without answering. Though he had decided to accept Tang Ha-ran, it was still a somewhat confusing time for Jin Ja-gang as well.

* * *

Since Jin Ja-gang was covered in blood all over and Tang Ha-ran was dressed in wedding clothes, they caught people’s attention.

The two didn’t enter the crowded capital city but chose mountain paths where few people traveled.

There was a pair of eyes keenly following their movements.

Just as the person dressed as an ordinary hunter was about to follow Jin Ja-gang and Tang Ha-ran.

A Tang family master blocked his path.

The two faced each other silently.

The Tang family master spoke first.

“Don’t forget that this is Sichuan.”

The hunter asked back.

“Sichuan doesn’t belong to the Tang family, does it?”

“But this is right at our family’s doorstep. I’ve seen you in this area for ten days. I know you were scouting our family.”

“I have no interest in you people now, so step aside.”

“Unfortunately, I cannot do that. One of those two received our family’s King of Hell’s Slip.”

It was the Tang family master’s warning not to touch the Tang family’s prey. The hunter responded immediately.

“I happen to need to retrieve the Death Warrant that our family issued to one of them. Moreover, the one who received the King of Hell’s Slip has already been expelled from the Tang family, so they’re not a Tang family person, are they? Then there’s no reason to interfere with our Zhuge family’s business.”

“One hundred days from today!”

The Tang family master spoke decisively.

“For one hundred days, they’re still Tang family, but not Tang sect people. Therefore, we cannot leave their disposal to others’ hands. I trust the Zhuge family will understand.”

Both the Tang family and Zhuge family were martial families that had to follow both family regulations and martial sect regulations. He emphasized that they were in the same situation.

After thinking for a moment, the hunter answered.

“If you put it that way, I’ll be satisfied with accumulating a small debt this time.”

The Tang family master cupped his fists.

“Thank you for your understanding.”

The Zhuge family hunter also cupped his fists in reply.

“Please give my regards to Lady Plum Blossoms.”

The two exchanged polite bows, then walked past each other toward their respective destinations without looking back once.

* * *

It was already time to go to bed for the evening.

Tang Qing gathered all the younger generation blood relatives in front of the burned Library Pavilion.

From teenagers to those in their twenties.

All were those who would be responsible for the Tang family’s future.

About a dozen people, both male and female, all stood in a line receiving Tang Qing’s sharp gaze while listening to his instruction.

“You must have all heard about what happened today.”

As Tang family rising stars, they were all receiving successor education to lead the next generation Tang family. Therefore, they were qualified to access Tang family’s high-level information to some degree.

Moreover, rumors within the family spread quickly. Especially successors eyeing the glorious throne worked harder than anyone to learn about family affairs.

One intelligent-looking boy who appeared to be about sixteen or seventeen answered.

“Poison Dragon. He’s the successor of the Yunnan Medicine Sect who gained fame by indiscriminately massacring Poison Sect martial artists, then later gained renown by defeating Young Phoenix and Silent Dragon.”

Tang Qing walked over and stood in front of that boy. Tang Qing’s build was small, shorter than the child. But the child didn’t dare look down at Tang Qing and knelt.

“Who killed Young Phoenix?”

“Poison Dragon…”

Tang Qing clicked his tongue as if pathetic.

“We killed her.”

“What?”

The children’s eyes widened in surprise.

“She died from our poison. Not Poison Dragon. And we even sent an assassin to tie up loose ends, but the assassin was killed by Poison Dragon and didn’t return.”

Tang Qing paused, then asked again.

“Since it was Young Phoenix’s death, you all must have watched with interest. And now you know we used poison and even sent an assassin. Then who is the person you should be most wary of?”

While the children were reading the mood, one girl answered.

“Poison Dragon.”

Tang Qing immediately approached the girl and slapped her cheek.

Slap!

The girl staggered but stood straight again.

Tang Qing looked at the boy next to her. The boy hurriedly answered.

“The Zhuge family!”

Slap!

Tang Qing moved to the next one.

“I, I don’t know…”

Smack!

Tang Qing slapped the cheeks of all the standing children. In an instant, one side of their cheeks swelled red and their lips burst.

Tang Qing asked again while huffing angrily.

“Young Phoenix died and the assassin died too. But Poison Dragon is alive, and one of the escort warriors who was with Young Phoenix is still alive. And that escort warrior testified that Poison Dragon killed Young Phoenix. The Zhuge family doesn’t even know about the assassin’s existence. Then who should you be wary of?”

Tang Qing began asking in reverse order.

“The escort warrior!”

Smack!

The first child who was hit on the opposite cheek sat down on the spot.

“If not the escort warrior, then who, who…”

Slap!

The next child raised internal energy to protect their cheek, fearing Tang Qing’s slap. However, Tang Qing’s internal energy reacted against the child’s internal energy, causing the cheek to burst and teeth to break.

“Ahhhhh!”

The child rolled on the ground clutching their face. Tang Qing instead kicked the fallen child and moved to the next one.

It was the intelligent boy who had answered first. That child answered while sweating profusely.

“The escort warrior is correct, but not a simple escort but a retainer of the Zhuge family!”

Tang Qing had wanted a detailed answer.

Though he didn’t know the name, thinking that much was sufficient, Tang Qing lowered his raised hand.

However, he slapped all the children after that boy.

In an instant, both cheeks of all the children except that boy swelled up.

Tang Qing ground his teeth.

“You’re all ruined! You must have heard! That I said I would make Poison Dragon my successor!”

The children gritted their teeth and endured.

“But how is there not one who protests! Among those receiving successor education, not one rebelled! Since when did our Tang family become full of wishy-washy people with no spirit, ambition, or venom! How can I trust you people and entrust the Tang family to you!”

Grind.

Tang Qing ground his teeth loud enough for the children to hear, then raised his hand again.

Slap! Smack! Slap!

“Do you know how much I wanted that fellow even while being threatened by him?”

Slap! Slap!

“I met a real talent after so long and truly wanted him. I wanted to trade you lot and exchange you for him! Idiots, dullards. Inferior to even Ha-ran.”

Tang Qing hit the children’s cheeks and kicked them for over half a watch period. The children’s faces swelled, tore, and became bloody.

Though they managed to remain standing, they were all trembling and couldn’t stand properly.

Still huffing with unresolved anger, Tang Qing extended his hand to the side and a scholar ran over to offer white cloth. Tang Qing’s hand was covered in blood. When wiped with the white cloth, blood came off eerily. However, Tang Qing’s hand was unharmed. Though he had hit hundreds of times, it should have swollen or bruised, but it was completely fine.

“Put these brats in the snake pit for a month.”

The children looked at Tang Qing with horrified eyes.

The scholars standing behind Tang Qing immediately prepared documents with expressionless faces and received Tang Qing’s seal. Soon Tang family warriors approached and began taking the children away.

The children couldn’t resist and were dragged away trembling. Tang Qing’s anger was extreme. Though he said in words to rebel, if they actually rebelled, there was no telling what would happen to them.

No, who in the Tang family could rebel against Tang Qing?

Probably no one except Tang Gui-ok.

The children realized they would have to endure a month in the snake pit and bit their lower lips tightly.

There was a reason for gathering them in front of the burned Library Pavilion.

Right next to it was the Phoenix Pheasant House, and underground there was the snake pit.

Tang Qing pointed with his finger at the intelligent child who had answered well several times. Though the boy’s face was bruised here and there, he was notably better off than the other children.

“You stay. You’re at least somewhat useful.”

The boy was delighted.

“Thank you! I’ll work hard.”

“You get the dark cave for three months specially.”

The boy was flustered.

“What?”

He couldn’t understand why he was receiving a harsher punishment than others when he had answered so well.

But Tang Qing cut off the child’s question with one sentence.

“I’ll be watching. My expectations are high.”

The boy swallowed bloody saliva.

Since he said he had expectations, there was no refusing. The child was dragged to the dark cave under warrior escort with a despairing expression.

“Whew.”

When Tang Qing let out a long sigh, Tang Gui-ok, who had been sitting in the shadows behind watching, finally asked.

“Are you finally relieved of your anger?”

“Do you think I’m doing this to relieve anger? With the great enterprise one year away, they were too pathetic so I wanted to toughen their mental armor.”

“Do you still want that child?”

Surprisingly, Tang Qing couldn’t answer that question. He wanted him but couldn’t handle him, and when he tried to handle him by force, he rebelled even more, leaving even Tang Qing helpless.

Tang Gui-ok said.

“There are still one hundred days left. Let’s wait and see.”

Tang Qing nodded.

“Let’s do that.”

Then as he was about to return to his chambers, Tang Qing suddenly stopped.

“Oh right, I should send a message to that fellow Mang Ryo.”

One of the standing scholars ran over and immediately prepared to write.

“If he fails to fulfill his promise, it would be better for him to just die there. If he returns with no results after causing this trouble, I’ll make him experience what hell on earth truly is.”

Tang Qing spat out the words while grinding his teeth.

“Personally.”