Chapter 393

As expected, Tang Qing had predicted the rebellion.

If martial artists of this level had been lying in ambush, the three divisions would have failed even if they tried to kill Tang Qing.

After laughing for quite a while, Tang Qing said.

“Using Coal Mining Office to block Funeral Parlour’s request was good. But providing such pretext naturally raises suspicion. Isn’t that right?”

Jin Ja-gang only looked down at Tang Qing with cold eyes, not opening his mouth.

Tang Qing said.

“Why did you have to be greedy? If you had just waited, it would have naturally become yours.”

Only then did Jin Ja-gang answer coldly.

“What fool in the world would inherit an enemy’s position?”

Tang Qing, whose mood had soured, frowned.

“What’s wrong with inheriting an enemy’s position? I was even prepared to offer my neck for you. Then you’d be good having revenge, and I’d be good setting up someone I like as successor. Wouldn’t it have been mutually beneficial? Since you’ve already conceived our family’s bloodline, you’re practically family.”

“You’re being unreasonable. Inheriting the position of organization leader isn’t simple succession but inheriting beliefs. Are you telling me to inherit the beliefs of the enemy who harmed my teacher’s sect?”

“Hah. At your age you already know the difference between inheriting and seizing?”

Tang Qing put his hands behind his back and sighed long.

“You really are too precious. I guarantee that if I had met you before starting the great undertaking, I would have abandoned it. Without doing such troublesome things, you could have brought our family to the top through normal methods.”

Jin Ja-gang’s eyes flashed.

Great undertaking.

Finally the words “great undertaking” came from Tang Qing’s mouth.

Tang Qing looked at the sky that opened up after walls and roof had all flown away and said.

“It was gloomy until just now, but now it’s quite bright. Young people should be in bright places, not crouching in dark places.”

Tang Qing snapped his fingers.

Snap.

When Jin Ja-gang flinched in reaction, force was applied to the spears embedded throughout his body, preventing movement.

Soon a warrior came from behind carrying a steaming tray. The warrior set the tray down between Tang Qing and Jin Ja-gang surrounded by spears.

Hot tea was placed there.

“You’ve been in the cold for a long time, so your body must be stiff. Drink.”

Jin Ja-gang answered.

“No thank you.”

Trickle.

Because he spoke while his face was pierced by numerous spears, the spear points stabbing his cheeks and chin went deeper and blood flowed.

“It’s not a suggestion.”

Tang Qing opened his eyes wide.

“It’s an order.”

Simultaneously, all the spears piercing Jin Ja-gang moved at once.

Stab stab stab stab!

They stabbed the back of Jin Ja-gang’s knees and pressed his thighs. They stabbed and pushed his calves, stabbed and pressed his shoulders and back of his neck.

They were forcing Jin Ja-gang to kneel!

Dozens of spears stabbed pressure points and dug into flesh. Though dozens of spears were stabbing, with bodies pressed close and pushing, the force of hundreds was fully transmitted. Jin Ja-gang couldn’t endure and knelt down.

Then the spears pushed Jin Ja-gang’s shoulders, armpits, and forearms.

Each time spears stabbed and pushed Jin Ja-gang deeply, blood flowed in streams. Jin Ja-gang picked up the teacup and drank.

Now their eye levels were different. Tang Qing looked down at Jin Ja-gang from above. Jin Ja-gang looked up at Tang Qing, putting force in his eyes and glaring.

“If you want to rule over others, you must learn dignity. And sometimes you must know how to submit. Only then can you make others submit. How long do you plan to rampage like an unbridled beast?”

Tang Qing’s words became orders and hundreds moved in unison to pressure Jin Ja-gang. They pressed the back of his head and shoulders and stabbed his belly. Jin Ja-gang dropped the teacup and fell forward.

He was forced into a kneeling prostration position. He tried to support himself with his hands on the ground, but even that wasn’t allowed. Empty spears were densely embedded in the ground on both sides of Jin Ja-gang’s head, leaving no space to place his hands.

Jin Ja-gang was forced to bow his head to Tang Qing. Even when he tried to raise his head, the spear points only dug deeper. Jin Ja-gang’s entire body was already soaked with flowing blood.

Tang Qing put his hands behind his back and spoke in a pleased voice.

“How about it? The fellows I brought. They are my limbs that I’ve cultivated with great effort for decades. They were trained to listen to no one else’s orders and obey only my commands.”

The scholars from the office who worked with Tang Qing!

The warriors holding spears were precisely them.

Jin Ja-gang barely turned his face buried in the ground to the side and asked.

“You mobilized direct subordinates rather than regular warriors. Didn’t want others to see?”

“It would be awkward if others knew there was rebellion within the Poison Sect.”

“You’re not supposed to bring armed subordinates with intent to harm to the Poison Sect’s six cliques standing meeting. Wasn’t that the rule?”

“It’s different when dealing with those plotting rebellion.”

“Where was there any rebellion?”

“Are you still going to deny it?”

When Tang Qing gestured, the spears all forcibly lifted Jin Ja-gang’s head.

Swish.

With his chin raised, Jin Ja-gang spoke more easily than before.

“I followed designated procedures and didn’t try to seize by force. I’m here alone. Where is the rebellion?”

Tang Qing frowned.

“No, no. The others were too scared to appear before me. So they sent you alone and planned to watch the situation from behind.”

“I brought a letter of authorization.”

“What meaning does such a letter of authorization have?”

“It’s a signed and sealed letter of authorization. They were prepared to die.”

“You don’t understand. I’m asking what meaning their lives have.”

“If there are no procedures or rules, what meaning does the Poison Sect’s six cliques standing meeting have?”

“It has meaning as the minimum formality that lets vermin act as if they’re something!”

While Tang Qing’s voice grew louder, Jin Ja-gang’s voice became increasingly calm.

“King of Hell. When you no longer keep even that minimum formality, have you ever thought about the aftermath?”

Tang Qing’s face contorted.

Jin Ja-gang asked again as if urging.

“When you achieve the great undertaking and the Tang family rules over the martial world, do you think people will follow you?”

Tang Qing’s face turned red.

“This bastard who failed plotting rebellion is lecturing me as if he’s something?”

Clatter! The spears pressured Jin Ja-gang. Jin Ja-gang looked up at Tang Qing without moving despite spear points digging in.

Fierce yet cold eyes.

Tang Qing hadn’t seen such intense eyes recently.

Tang Qing gritted his teeth hard.

“It’s too precious to kill. But I don’t want to tame you either. I don’t want you to force yourself to submit and come in. From the moment I tame you, you’ll lose your own value.”

Tang Qing truly agonized. Tang Qing gestured for Jin Ja-gang’s head to be raised more.

“What should I do with you?”

“The question is wrong.”

A smile appeared at Jin Ja-gang’s lips. His cheek was stabbed and blood flowed again.

“You should ask what I should do with you.”

“What?”

Jin Ja-gang slowly raised his left hand while prostrate.

“You said they only follow your orders?”

“What are you scheming?”

“Perfect. I feel at ease.”

The surprised martial artists looked at Tang Qing.

Tang Qing frowned.

But he couldn’t help being curious about what Jin Ja-gang was trying to do. Tang Qing gestured. The spear points pressing down on Jin Ja-gang loosened slightly.

Instantly Jin Ja-gang raised his left hand completely.

Glint.

A thread stretched long downward from Jin Ja-gang’s left hand.

“…!”

The eyes of Tang Qing and the martial artists focused on Jin Ja-gang’s left hand.

A beautiful silver line was shining.

“Soul Seizing… Thread?”

Could it be in this situation?

Tang Qing’s eyes bulged.

“This bastard!”

Jin Ja-gang pulled his left hand with all his might.

Swooooosh!

The silver thread hidden on the ground sprang up, undulating like waves and soaring into the air.

Blood spurted.

Spear shafts were cut away.

Ankles fell off.

All martial artists within a two-zhang radius centered on Jin Ja-gang were collapsing as if crumbling. They couldn’t stand properly as their ankles were all severed. The formation suppressing Jin Ja-gang collapsed instantly. The damage was more severe because they were pressed close together.

In the blood spreading in all directions, Jin Ja-gang got up.

Jin Ja-gang’s blood-stained eyes were shining.

The martial artists suffered in pain and fell one by one. From behind Jin Ja-gang to the front, from both sides to the center. Martial artists with severed ankles knelt toward Tang Qing.

Tang Qing couldn’t even remember if he had exerted this much effort in recent years. Without realizing it, he leaped into the air.

Swooosh!

The silver line of Soul Seizing Thread passed under Tang Qing’s feet.

But while leaping up, Tang Qing saw.

That Jin Ja-gang was holding something in his right hand as well, not just his left.

Jin Ja-gang’s right hand was already being pulled.

An ominous premonition rose like chills down his spine. Tang Qing stepped on his right foot with his left foot to leap once more, then sat cross-legged in the air, pulling both feet forward.

The ominous premonition wasn’t wrong.

Swish!

Something passed under his feet in the invisible air. But he didn’t dodge perfectly. The tip of his right middle toe was cut off along with his leather shoe.

The Soul Seizing Thread he knew was one strand. But there was another invisible Soul Seizing Thread strand.

Even in this situation, Tang Qing was impressed.

‘Wow…’

So that’s why he came to this place first and waited all along?

Planting Soul Seizing Thread in the ground?

For this one move?

Of course the Soul Seizing Thread would be coated with poison.

Because he’s Poison Dragon.

Tang Qing retreated far back and took position. Blood flowed from his severed middle toe and it began swelling as poison penetrated, but he didn’t mind.

Jin Ja-gang was striking down martial artists nearby with energy bursts.

Bang!

Since several were pressed together, they couldn’t dodge properly while entangled. The bodies of martial artists hit by energy bursts exploded.

Still, they were martial artists Tang Qing had gathered.

Even with severed ankles, they counterattacked by stabbing spears at Jin Ja-gang.

Jin Ja-gang used the martial artists’ bodies as shields. He endured being stabbed to some extent by protruding spears. But he killed them one by one, methodically and certainly.

Those in the back who were unharmed dragged out the ankle-severed martial artists in front and created space to join the battle.

A chaotic hell of tangled bodies.

So much bloodshed that it was difficult to properly recognize who was who.

Tang Qing’s heart pounded with excitement.

Seeing no reinforcements yet, Jin Ja-gang really came alone.

He came alone to face him.

Even knowing he had positioned troops in ambush anticipating rebellion.

Jin Ja-gang.

This guy is really something.

‘…’

But Tang Qing was originally a suspicious person.

In the midst of excitement, a suspicious thought suddenly occurred.

Could he have thought he could capture him with just this much?

Such a smart and bold guy… really came alone?

With just this level of countermeasure?

No matter how crazy, this doesn’t make sense.

Tang Qing thought repeatedly.

His mind became complicated.

Jin Ja-gang’s talk about procedures and rules was bothering him.

Moreover, the lack of support was strange.

He knew for certain that nearly two hundred rebels had entered Sichuan.

But where were the others doing what, just throwing down letters of authorization?

Could they be targeting the Tang Family Main House while he was away?

But it was the Tang Family Main House that even Stone Vajras couldn’t penetrate.

Not even the full strength of Leper Mound, Coal Mining Office, and Pleasure Heaven, three cliques, but just two hundred people – could the Tang Family Main House suffer damage from a surprise attack?