Chapter 464

“Think quickly. Even at this moment, the Hungry Ghost King is strengthening his grip on the martial world. Through actions we can’t understand.”

Jin Ja-gang fell into thought.

Tang Qing urged him.

“You must figure it out so I can get close to the Hungry Ghost King. Do you know why I’m still angry? I’ve never once seen that bastard’s face. He arrogantly never showed himself and used me, King of Hell. That’s a crime death can’t repay.”

Jin Ja-gang quietly looked at Tang Qing.

“What are you saying? The person saying that also annihilated our sect without ever showing their face.”

Tang Qing also frowned.

“I won’t make excuses, but honestly speaking, I don’t individually pay attention to or give orders to small sects like Hundred Flower Valley. Do you know how many poison sect branches there are just in Yunnan?”

“So I went to find those who directly acted, and they excused themselves saying they only did as told. So I went up and up to find who ordered them, and those in the middle said they had no choice, and then the one at the top now makes excuses that it wasn’t their order.”

Tang Qing contorted his face.

“Who made excuses! The responsibility lies with me. I don’t deny that. The middle managers under me move according to policies I decided. Even if I don’t give direct orders, I take responsibility for determining the final direction!”

Jin Ja-gang sharply threw out words.

“By that logic, the final responsibility isn’t with King of Hell.”

“What?”

“In the end, King of Hell also moved while being played by the Hungry Ghost King’s hands. Then since the Hungry Ghost King decided the policy, the final responsibility lies with the Hungry Ghost King. Of course, King of Hell also can’t be free from basic responsibility.”

Crunch, Tang Qing ground his teeth.

“This bastard is making me into a mere lackey. There’s one more reason to catch and kill the Hungry Ghost King. And you bastard, you keep calling me King of Hell instead of Grandfather from earlier, you’ll regret it later. Wicked fellow.”

For father-in-law and grandson-in-law, they weren’t bound by ordinary grudges.

They were in a relationship where it wouldn’t be strange if they killed each other right now.

However, on the one hand, to Jin Ja-gang he was his new family’s elder, and to Tang Qing he was the son-in-law of the family that would achieve his dream…

It couldn’t be anything but a bizarre connection.

“Thinking about it, it’s unfair.”

“What is.”

Jin Ja-gang looked at Tang Qing briefly then threw out words.

“A great-granddaughter was born, yet you don’t look at her face once, don’t give her a name, give no gifts… and then insist on being called Grandfather, isn’t that too much?”

Even Tang Qing had nothing particular to say to that.

“Instead… I gave you the Tang Family Main Estate.”

“That wasn’t taken by me but by King of Hell’s granddaughter. And I’m talking about Poison Heaven, not me.”

“…”

Tang Qing’s eyes, which had been glaring at Jin Ja-gang, suddenly gleamed with interest.

“You seem to have found something! Is that why you’re pestering me? Ehihihihi! I knew it, I knew you could find…”

Jin Ja-gang cut him off.

“No.”

“…”

“Since you brought up family relations first, I said it to mean you should fulfill your duties first.”

Tang Qing glared at Jin Ja-gang with an expression like chewing a sour persimmon.

“This bastard, now he’s going too far…”

However, Tang Qing’s eyes glanced toward Poison Heaven, and his expression softened somewhat.

“What does the child like?”

“She likes poison. Eats it well.”

“She’s given birth to one exactly like herself.”

“Probably ‘Grandfather’s’ blood is mixed in too.”

Tang Qing bristled.

In any case, Jin Ja-gang was hard to beat in verbal fights. If you weren’t careful while speaking, you’d fall into a trap and get annoyed.

“You’ve already sucked my bone marrow dry, so I have nothing more to give even if you ask!”

“Instead, I saved your life. So there’s no need to mention that further.”

Jin Ja-gang saved Tang Qing using the method Divine Doctor An Yul-jin taught him. If he’d done nothing, Tang Qing would have died.

“Why did you save me?”

“To reveal the Hungry Ghost King’s identity.”

“If you’d known I didn’t know, would you not have saved me?”

“That’s right.”

“Ha, this bastard to kill. Look how shamelessly he answers.”

But then, murmuring sounds were heard.

“What’s that?”

“There are many gathered over there?”

“Are those the suspicious people?”

Jin Ja-gang and Tang Qing met late at night, and the location was also a secluded path. Yet over ten martial artists who had no reason to appear there showed up.

Tang Qing heard their sounds and smiled, raising one corner of his mouth.

“Look at that. Those are people the Hungry Ghost King sent.”

“We defeated Northern Heaven’s Evil Faction and the Zoroastrian Cult. Yet there are still people working under the Hungry Ghost King?”

Tang Qing answered.

“They’re from ordinary nearby martial halls.”

“Not major sects but ordinary martial halls?”

“Usually large sects verify the reporter’s identity before moving. But those bastards probably rushed over thinking they’d make a name for themselves when someone said suspicious people were wandering around.”

“Is there a particular problem?”

“It becomes a problem if my presence is revealed. My movements will be exposed, what I’m doing will become known, and what I’ve done will be revealed too. Every one of them is a lay disciple of some sect, and a lay disciple of lay disciples, connected all the way to giant sects. So if I kill them all whenever we meet because they’re annoying, eventually even giant sects will step forward.”

Tang Qing laughed long.

“This is what the Hungry Ghost King does. He’s a bastard who tightens the noose as viciously as you.”

The martial hall warriors who had approached closely were confronting the scholars blocking the path.

They craned their necks trying to see Jin Ja-gang and Tang Qing behind them between the scholars’ shoulders.

“Who are you people? Why are you blocking the way!”

“We haven’t seen them here before?”

“If you don’t reveal your origins…!”

Tang Qing suddenly untied his bound hair and plucked out strands of hair.

“Right. I thought of a gift for you.”

Jin Ja-gang looked at Tang Qing with strange eyes, seeing the hairs held in Tang Qing’s hand.

“It’s not needed.”

“You’ll need it.”

Tang Qing smiled confidently.

“I caught Invincible One Hui-neng’s disciple with these hairs.”

Subduing a Shaolin Temple Breaking Sect expert with hairs?

Jin Ja-gang had also faced Shaolin experts but they were very troublesome. Especially the Iron Cloth lineage’s protective energy had the effect of deflecting hidden weapons and preventing poisoning by blades.

When Tang Qing infused internal energy, the hairs began standing stiffly.

Then he threw the hairs toward the backs of the scholars blocking the warriors.

Whirl!

The hairs passed through the scholars’ bodies as if permeating them.

The scholars flinched and trembled.

“Ouch, that stings!”

Even the warriors in front of the scholars suddenly made a fuss and twisted their bodies.

“What, this! What is it that stings?”

“I don’t know. Did a bee sting?”

“It’s not a bee. Something pierced through my body.”

“It seems like there’s a little blood too?”

The hairs Tang Qing threw pierced through the scholars’ bodies and even passed through the warriors they were blocking.

The warriors drew their swords with clanging sounds.

“These bastards are pulling strange tricks!”

“Move aside! What are you blocking!”

“We’ll find out what’s behind that you’re hiding!”

The scholars blocked the warriors with their bodies.

Jin Ja-gang watched with puzzled eyes.

“I don’t quite understand.”

“You can’t know just by watching.”

Tang Qing flicked his finger.

Crack! A strong air-splitting sound created ripples in the air.

Then the scholars all simultaneously let out bizarre sounds.

“Uuooerrrr!”

“Aheoouuuu!”

“Uuuuuuu!”

Even mutes, unless they’re congenital mutes, can make sounds. They’re just hard to understand. They were making such sounds wildly.

The warriors were startled and stepped back.

“Wh-what? These guys!”

“S-stop it, won’t you?”

“These bastards give me the creeps!”

Uuuuuuu!

The sustained noise hummed and echoed through the dark night sky.

Soon Tang Qing plucked a single hair.

“If I properly infuse internal energy.”

Pluck. Tang Qing plucked a single hair.

Then slowly threw it toward Jin Ja-gang.

Jin Ja-gang didn’t dodge but turned his body so Poison Heaven wouldn’t be hit, then blocked with his splinted shoulder. He infused internal energy to harden the splint. The hair embedded in the splint.

Without any sound, without any resistance, it permeated the splint. However, Jin Ja-gang received a shock from the splint as if cracks were forming and his entire body was shattering.

Crrrack!

The internal energy that had been flowing like a great river instantly all froze and felt like it shattered into pieces.

Tang Qing’s hair even pierced Jin Ja-gang’s shoulder bone. It penetrated straight through his body and flew backward.

Jin Ja-gang’s head spun for a moment and he nearly let out a groan.

Ehihihihi!

Tang Qing laughed with just his mouth shape.

Anti-Shaolin protective energy destruction technique.

Piercing Flash Severance.

Energy destruction technique using severance!

It delivers a lethal blow in one strike to opponents relying on protective energy.

It truly could be called a secret technique among secret techniques.

“Shaolin monks’ external martial arts are too solid to pierce. But when pierced, they really scream in pain.”

“Good. It was extremely painful.”

“If you don’t block with internal energy, Piercing Flash Severance doesn’t hurt even when it penetrates. It hurts because internal energy clashes.”

“Ah.”

Tang Qing’s casually thrown words contained the principle of Piercing Flash Severance.

The purpose isn’t to pierce protective energy, but to clash with protective energy to cause pain. When the mind scatters from pain, protective energy disappears and allows penetration.

And the poison imbued in the hair pierces through protective energy and infiltrates poison into bare skin, blood vessels, muscles and bones.

“Shaolin monks have resumed their righteous practices. In searching for the Hungry Ghost King, you can’t avoid them. It will surely be useful.”

Uuuuuu…!

While the scholars screamed, Tang Qing taught Jin Ja-gang the incantation for Piercing Flash Severance through telepathy.

“You’ve memorized it all.”

Jin Ja-gang nodded.

“Yes.”

Tang Qing briefly looked at Poison Heaven as if glancing past, then turned his head.

“I’m leaving.”

“You won’t look at the child’s face up close before going?”

“With what face?”

“You’re fully qualified.”

Jin Ja-gang slowly handed Poison Heaven to Tang Qing.

Poison Heaven, who woke from sleep, looked at Tang Qing then began crying loudly.

Tang Qing’s mouth slowly opened. Tang Qing’s eyes held a smile.

“You said she likes poison? Anything?”

“Even Extinction Essence.”

Tang Qing formed poison liquid at the center of his palm and applied it to Poison Heaven’s lips.

Poison Heaven smacked her lips then began smiling brightly. Tang Qing also smiled more radiantly. His long torn mouth was hideous, but his smile this time was genuine.

“Pretty. So pretty.”