Chapter 59 – Wu and Yue in the same boat (4)
Sichuan Tanga.
Usually, people recognize it as one part of the Five Great Families and a family that specializes in poison. However, if one delves a little deeper.
Most likely, the martial artists would call the people of Sichuan Tanga eccentric. It is not true that all Sichuan Tanga have flaws in their personality.
But it is also true that due to their eccentric personalities, some flaws do exist. However, the people of Sichuan Tanga do not concern themselves with any rumors that circulate.
They simply let everything pass by, like flowing river water.
◇
The young man who had been disguised as a boatman completely removed his bamboo hat. Then, his thick brown hair, as thick as an animal’s fur, was revealed to the world.
“Let me formally introduce myself properly. I am Dang Baek-ha, the young master who will someday lead Sichuan Tanga and a genius of poison.”
“…Young master? You mean to say that you are the Young master of Sichuan Tanga?”
“That is correct.”
At first, I thought he was just a low-ranking martial artist infiltrating among the common people in the marketplace to detect suspicious people. Yes, if that was the case, I could understand.
But the nobleman who had been waiting for us disguised as a boatman was not just an ordinary martial artist from Sichuan Tanga, but the young master who would succeed the current family head. This is crazy.
‘What’s the point of just acting normal?’
Of course, I wasn’t that surprised because I had received hints from Mu-wol beforehand. However, that didn’t mean this strange encounter wasn’t embarrassing.
“Conversation with pretty ladies is always welcome.”
“Master, may I kill him?”
“Calm yourself.”
Seeing Dang Baek-ha wink and flirt, Sua seemed momentarily enraged. Without the slightest hesitation, she expressed her genuine feelings aloud.
Because of that, I had to do my best to stop Sua. No matter what, threatening to kill in front of me? If I was not careful, things could have gone wrong.
“Hmm~ This is too bad. I thought that wasn’t a bad flirtation.”
“…”
What is wrong with this crazy guy?
Typically, righteous sects trace their origins to Taoism and Buddhism, so whether one likes it or not, they inevitably cultivate deep manners and knowledge. Moreover, this person belonged to Sichuan Tanga, one of the Five Great Families.
Yet his current behavior was extremely light-headed, like watching a wild calf. Shouldn’t a young master be more careful about his conduct?
However, that didn’t mean I particularly disliked Dang Baek-ha. Rather, I like Dang Baek-ha’s appearance of not being overly formal.
“What an interesting young man.”
“Isn’t fun the whole essence of life? If there’s no fun, what use is martial arts or learning?”
“I can’t help but agree with that.”
While the conversation was indeed pleasant, time was too precious to continue such an unnecessary conversation. Especially when facing the Evil Sect, the common enemy of the martial world.
“Now, tell me. How did Sichuan Tanga find out about the Evil Sect? The Namgung Family would have kept it a secret.”
“You’re right. Those accursed individuals thoroughly deceived everyone. Not just Sichuan Tanga, but the entire Martial Arts Alliance.”
Once I opened the topic, words poured from Dang Baek-ha’s mouth like a flood. Thanks to this, I was able to obtain information that I had completely failed to notice until now.
“At first, there were guys who bought land in Sichuan indiscriminately. And on top of that, some guys took away jobs.”
“Are you saying it could be the Evil Sect?”
“That’s right! Their intention must have been to diminish Sichuan Tanga’s influence while simultaneously holding the people of Sichuan hostage.”
Indeed, that was a method I had not expected at all. In any case, if they bought land with money and used the people’s jobs as bait, it would have been quite difficult for Sacheondangga.
“So how did you resolve it?”
“Naturally, we drove them out by force.”
“…So you just used force? What if the other party had not been the Evil Sect?”
Still, they were nobles of the same level as Sacheondangga. I expected that there would have been some information or basis. However, Young Master Dang Baekha’s answer was more remarkable than I had anticipated.
“That wouldn’t be possible. A person’s character is always revealed in their facial features.”
“…”
“And behind all of this was the Namgung Family. That’s certain.”
You have to believe that right now. You crazy bastard.
◇
Although my trust in him had hit rock bottom from our very first meeting. Nevertheless, since it was true that he had successfully driven the Evil Sect from Sichuan. Therefore, we decided to visit the Sichuan Tanga directly.
And on the way to the family, why was a nobleman who was a small family disguised as a boatman and was watching us? It wasn’t hard to hear the reason.
“I am well aware that there was deep enmity between the Sword Demon, and Sichuan Tanga in the past. That is why I disguised myself as a boatman and waited so that I could see you without any prejudice.”
“But there was no guarantee that we would rent a boat, was there?”
“I heard the Sword Demon had taken in children with quite troubled backgrounds as disciples. And children who come to Sichuan for the first time usually beg to ride a boat. And the rest…”
“Are you a physiognomist?”
“Yes.”
Even setting aside his talk about facial features, his insight certainly matched what one would expect from the Young Master of Sichuan Tanga. I nodded and replied.
“So what did you think after seeing me in person? Do I pass?”
“Hmm, seeing you directly, I realized that your title of ‘Sword Demon’ is an exaggeration. No matter how I look at it, having the character for ‘demon’ in your title seems beyond forced, it’s more like slander.”
“That’s quite a fresh perspective.”
“After all, what demon in this world would not only take in children with nowhere to go as disciples but also care for them as if they were family?”
This was the first time someone had approached me from this angle, which made it rather refreshing. As we continued our pleasant conversation, we eventually arrived at the Sichuan Tanga family mansion.
“Welcome to Sichuan Tanga. Though it is a humble place, please make yourself at home.”
“Is this really Sichuan Tanga?”
“Yes. Is there a problem?”
“No, but…”
How should I describe the Sichuan Tanga mansion? Though there were signs of repairs here and there, so it didn’t look like an abandoned house. Compared to the fame of one of the Five Great Families, it definitely felt lacking.
“The house is so old! Even older than the place we saw in Shandong!!”
“Shhh! Seolhwa, I told you it’s impolite to speak that way.”
“Ha ha, it’s quite all right. I actually appreciate the honesty.”
As Seolhwa noted, while there were signs of human habitation preventing it from appearing abandoned, the various worn areas and even holes throughout the structure certainly did not appear normal by any standard.
“…It seems the aftermath of the Sword Demon War still remains.”
“There’s no need to apologize. In fact, I am very proud of these traces. They are proofs that we did not yield to injustice.”
Even so, the Sword Demon did not come to Sichuan to cause trouble. However, Dang Baek-ha explained that all sorts of flies took advantage of the sect’s weakness due to the Sword Demon War to target Sichuan Tanga.
Among them, there was even an Evil Sect under the protection of the Namgung Family, according to Dang Baek-ha. I nodded. It would be more advantageous to completely take down the Sichuan Tanga at this point.
However, it would not make sense for the Namgung Family as a fellow member of the Five Great Families and the Righteous Sect Martial Alliance, to directly attack the Sichuan Tanga, and above all, it doesn’t look very pretty.
“So you used the Evil Sect. And not through violence, but in entirely different ways.”
“It’s not just the Evil Sect. The Black Death Sect and all sorts of riffraff settled in Sichuan without fear, coveting the Sichuan Tanga’s position.”
“Did you request assistance from the Martial Arts Alliance?”
“When I went there, they were discussing a new family to replace the Sichuan Tanga. So I proved to them that the Sichuan Tanga was still standing strong.”
As I listened to Dang Baek-ha’s story, an inexplicable sense of discomfort began to rise. If we summarize what we’ve talked about so far, Dang Baek-ha alone supported Sichuan Tanga.
“Excuse me, but I have one question, Where is the head of the Sichuan Tanga?”
“…My father went missing two years after the end of the Sword Demon War. As a result, I, who had just started to walk at that time, ended up becoming the Young Master of Sichuan Tanga.”
“Then that means you are the current head of the Sichuan Tanga.”
“In order to let people know that the Sichuan Tanga still stands strong, a head of the family is necessary. That’s why I have no choice but to bear this heavy burden… But if my father ever returns, I would gladly return this position to him.”
He may not be without his eccentric and unique aspects, but he was a man who had a clear uprightness of wanting to move in the right direction. I thought so for a moment.
“Then, I will be able to meet women with peace of mind, right?”
In this situation, the Evil Sect and Namgung Family are working together? Is he crazy?
