Chapter 226

Finally, Jin Ja-gang and Tang Ha-ran returned to Qingcheng Mountain.

It had been nearly a month since they left the Tang family.

A Qingcheng sect Taoist guided them to the quarters where Taoist Dan Ryeong-gyeong and her companions were staying, then went back down.

“Poison Dragon!”

Bian Bu, Soso, and Woon-jeong, who had been eagerly waiting for Jin Ja-gang, came running like lightning.

“What happened? There were widespread rumors that there was a huge fire at the Tang family!”

Woon-jeong added from beside Bian Bu.

“There were also stories that someone from the Tang family betrayed them and let Poison Dragon go…!”

While speaking, Woon-jeong naturally looked at Tang Ha-ran who was beside them.

“……”

Tang Ha-ran blushed and made a gesture as if slightly hiding behind Jin Ja-gang.

“Huh? Huh huh huh?”

The atmosphere between the two was strange. Especially for a Tang family daughter famous for her fierce personality to act like that…

Bian Bu muttered.

“Trouble, trouble happened.”

At those words, Tang Ha-ran’s face turned even redder.

Woon-jeong looked back and forth between the two with his mouth agape.

“Don’t tell me the person who betrayed them was…”

Bian Bu said from the side in an incredulous tone.

“Wow, look at the poison draining from Poison Dragon’s eyes. When he was with us, he just acted all serious, but now honey is literally dripping from him.”

Jin Ja-gang felt embarrassed.

Taoist Dan Ryeong-gyeong, who was sitting on the wooden floor, scolded Bian Bu.

“Don’t be too harsh. They’re both young friends with good appearances, so whatever happened would be natural.”

“That’s true, but it’s a bit strange since they went from fighting to kill each other to having romantic feelings.”

Bian Bu hesitated for a moment, then asked Jin Ja-gang.

“So have you given up on revenge?”

It was the most painful question for Jin Ja-gang and Tang Ha-ran right now.

“That’s…”

“But whether you two work out or not, the Tang family will absolutely not stay still.”

Then Soso kicked Bian Bu’s shin again.

Whack.

“Ahhhhh! Soso, why are you doing this again!”

Bian Bu fell over holding his shin and rolled around.

Soso walked up to Jin Ja-gang and smiled brightly at him.

She was welcoming him like a younger sister looking at her older brother, with an attitude that things had turned out really well.

Soso made a gesture of bringing her hand to her mouth. It seemed like she was asking if he had eaten.

“No. I haven’t eaten anything yet today.”

Soso nodded and immediately ran to the kitchen.

In the meantime, Jin Ja-gang went to Taoist Dan Ryeong-gyeong and handed over the antidote and Muscle Strengthening Heart Liquid.

“I owe young hero a great debt. The Muscle Strengthening Heart Liquid would also be quite useful for young hero Jin.”

“If it weren’t for Fairy Maiden, I wouldn’t even be here now.”

“Thank you.”

Dan Ryeong-gyeong called Bian Bu and Woon-jeong and said.

“Since I’ve been poisoned for a long time, it will take considerable time to return to normal. I want to practice internal energy alone without being disturbed, so please wait a little.”

“About how long will it take?”

“At least ten days, or at most two weeks.”

Bian Bu smiled brightly.

“Then I can return home without being treated as unwelcome by the Qingcheng sect anymore.”

Woon-jeong pouted.

“That’s too much. When did our Qingcheng ever treat you poorly?”

“No matter how well the Qingcheng sect treats me, I can’t help but feel like I’m eating food while reading others’ faces. Isn’t that right?”

“Still, that’s too much.”

Perhaps having grown fond after being together briefly, Bian Bu consoled Woon-jeong.

“Alright. I misspoke. I admit it!”

“I’ll take care of things today. So… you can’t tell master that I didn’t practice. Hehe.”

“Haha, our Taoist Woon-jeong has grown a lot.”

Jin Ja-gang and Dan Ryeong-gyeong watched the two with comfortable smiles.

Dan Ryeong-gyeong said to Jin Ja-gang in a small voice.

“I must have told you several times. That it’s okay to give up revenge.”

“I remember.”

“If you don’t give up, it will be much harder from now on. Not your body, but your heart.”

Jin Ja-gang felt that too. By meeting Tang Ha-ran from an enemy family, and by Tang Ha-ran being expelled from her family, the situation had become much more complicated.

Whether Jin Ja-gang could really point a dagger at the Tang family where Tang Ha-ran’s blood relatives remained. Whether he could be confident that the blade of revenge wouldn’t become dull.

“For now, I still don’t have the heart to forgive them.”

“You still have many more days to live than the days you’ve already lived.”

Dan Ryeong-gyeong said.

“Even if now seems like just a momentary fling, looking far ahead, sometimes living ordinarily with someone precious isn’t such a bad choice.”

Jin Ja-gang didn’t answer. But he also couldn’t stop his revenge. His heart was still extremely complicated.

Dan Ryeong-gyeong looked at the distant mountains and spoke lost in memories.

“I’ve lived my whole life consumed by fierce desire for revenge. I can’t say those days were meaningless, but I often think of the past. What would have happened if I hadn’t met him? What if I hadn’t been born as a martial family’s daughter? If I had accepted another’s courtship, could I now be living watching grown children and grandchildren’s antics? Could I have been happy without bloodying my hands?”

It was a voice full of regret.

Dan Ryeong-gyeong looked at Jin Ja-gang.

“Having many days left to live for young hero means you also have much time left to turn back. Don’t think there’s no way back. Then even if it’s a little late, you’ll be able to return anytime.”

It was sincere advice flowing from the trajectory of the life she had lived.

Jin Ja-gang also accepted it seriously.

“Thank you for your words.”

“Don’t mention it. I promise that whatever happens, I will definitely support you two.”

* * *

Tang Ha-ran entered the kitchen.

Soso was squatting with a blank expression, having stopped cooking rice halfway. When Tang Ha-ran entered, she sensed the presence and stood up, brushing off her clothes.

Soso stared directly at Tang Ha-ran. For Soso too, the Tang family was no different from enemies. Because the Poison Sect had attacked the Medicine Sect, everyone from the Guizhou Medicine Sect had either died or been captured, leaving only Soso alone.

Only after a long while did Tang Ha-ran open her mouth.

“You must hate me.”

Soso just looked at Tang Ha-ran without any response. Tang Ha-ran paused briefly, then continued.

“I do too. But I won’t turn away saying it’s in the past. So anytime you gain strength, you can come take revenge on me.”

Soso shook her head. It meant she wouldn’t take revenge. But it didn’t mean she forgave either. Tang Ha-ran knew this wasn’t because of Tang Ha-ran but because of Jin Ja-gang.

“Even if you don’t come for revenge, I’ll carry it for life… my karma.”

Soso watched for a long time, then nodded.

Though she said nothing, Tang Ha-ran could fully feel that it contained small encouragement rather than anger.

Perhaps Tang Ha-ran, expelled from the Tang family, might be destined to experience exactly what Soso had gone through.

* * *

Not long after Jin Ja-gang and Tang Ha-ran returned, strange people suddenly began appearing on Qingcheng Mountain.

These people came all the way to the Qingcheng sect’s mountain gate to loiter, and sometimes even tried to enter the grounds directly by crossing the gate.

Naturally, Qingcheng sect disciples blocked them.

“You cannot enter.”

Showing bags containing rice, they said.

“We came carrying five measures of rice to receive teachings.”

“We don’t open the grounds to outsiders in winter.”

“Then we’ll wait until spring.”

“Pardon?”

Several of them began setting up camp and sleeping rough near the mountain gate.

There were those who looked like bandits and riffraff, women holding babies, as well as ordinary people who looked like scholars.

The Qingcheng sect was the main mountain and holy site of Taoism. As a martial sect, it was like a symbol of fear to martial world people, but among common folk, they were respected as Taoists who cultivated the Way.

So they couldn’t just drive people away when they flocked there.

Due to the commotion at the mountain gate, Taoist Bok-cheon came down leading several disciples.

Several of those who had been sleeping rough slowly got up when they saw Taoist Bok-cheon.

Taoist Bok-cheon looked over the faces of those who had set up camp with an incredulous expression.

Then his face hardened stiffly.

“These things…?”

Several of those who had gathered were even people whose faces he recognized.

Taoist Bok-cheon waved his hand as if there was nothing more to see.

“Catch all of them. They’re evil beings, so it’s fine to use lethal force.”

The Qingcheng sect disciples prepared to fight without understanding the situation.

Those who had gathered protested.

“What did we do wrong?”

Waaah!

A fairly beautiful woman’s baby that she was holding wrapped in a blanket began crying.

“Taoist master, my child has done nothing wrong. If there’s any fault, it lies with me who came to pray to the Heavenly Honored One and Supreme Emperor for my child’s health and fortune.”

The woman pleaded tearfully, but Taoist Bok-cheon glared at her coldly.

“Do you want to die?”

“Taoist master! This is unjust!”

Taoist Bok-cheon pointed his finger at an old man with a sage-like appearance behind the woman.

“The murderous demon Human Demon Gam Chung, who fled to Saoe after being chased by Shaolin Temple for killing only monks in Henan.”

The old man who had been stroking his long beard that reached his protruding belly with a benevolent face nodded his head as if greeting.

Taoist Bok-cheon then pointed to a fierce-looking giant covered in hair.

“Remnant Wind Guest, who fled to Shandong after fighting with the Eighteen Green Forest Strongholds while doing banditry in Shaanxi.”

The giant shrugged his shoulders.

Taoist Bok-cheon again pointed to the woman holding the crying baby.

“And you!”

Waaah! Waaah!

“Flower Snake Divine Woman, who uses ventriloquism to make baby crying sounds while seducing warriors to steal secret manuals.”

At that moment, as if by magic, the baby’s crying stopped and the woman smiled broadly.

“I’m honored that you remember my humble name.”

But Taoist Bok-cheon didn’t smile. Rather, he spoke with an even angrier face.

“Is this a gathering place for Evil Sect scum? How dare you come here. Are you testing Qingcheng’s patience?”

When Taoist Bok-cheon showed killing intent, Flower Snake Divine Woman pouted.

“That’s too much. Besides us, there are many pitiful people here. Are you going to kill them all?”

Taoist Bok-cheon bit his lips. Except for these three, the rest were ordinary people. The Evil Sect members had brought them from nearby villages as human shields.

“Send away the unrelated common people.”

“Are you going to kill us after sending them away?”

Taoist Bok-cheon’s face reddened from suppressing his anger.

“I’ll spare your lives.”

At Taoist Bok-cheon’s words, Flower Snake Divine Woman smiled slyly.

“You should do so. Since we have your promise, send them all away.”

Only then did all the ordinary common people except the three receive money from Human Demon Gam Chung and leave.

Remnant Wind Guest, who was a head taller than even the tall Taoist Bok-cheon, stood with his chest thrust out in front of Taoist Bok-cheon.

“We came to escort Wishful Fairy Maiden.”

Taoist Bok-cheon glared at Remnant Wind Guest with sharp eyes.

“Do you think you can protect the enchantress if you leave Qingcheng?”

“We survived well getting here.”

“The enchantress is injured.”

“We’ll take her and treat her.”

“No!”

When Taoist Bok-cheon shouted, Human Demon and Flower Snake Divine Woman slowly approached. Especially Flower Snake Divine Woman enchanted the Qingcheng sect disciples while talking to the baby.

“There there, baby. It’s okay. Mommy will protect you so those uncles can’t hurt you.”

Giggle, the sound of a baby laughing came. The Qingcheng sect disciples were confused.

Taoist Bok-cheon spat words through his teeth.

“Don’t be fooled. It’s a dead baby.”

“What?”