TDTPF~09

Chapter 9

. Vigilance

Yeon-ah retrieved her sword from the ground as if nothing had happened.

Tang Min’s lips curled to one side.

“You’re a rough-mannered child.”

The torn piece of fabric was embedded into the tree along with the dart. When Tang Min raised his hand, the blade returned to his hand.

Fiddling with the recovered dart, Tang Min looked at Yeon-ah with interest.

“I see. I understand what you meant when you said you have no master. You mean you can copy something just by seeing it once.”

The moment he finished speaking, the small dart stilled between his fingers.

At the sight, Tang Hak’s breath began to tremble.

“N-no, don’t…”

So-hwa fully agreed with Tang Hak’s words.

Tang Min’s gaze grew serious.

The look of someone ready to go completely mad.

He had to be stopped.

If they wanted to take Yeon-ah with them, they couldn’t afford to offend the group.

No saint would forgive it if their disciple were reduced to a pulp. Even Confucius would salt Tang Min and hurl curses at him if his beloved disciple Ahn Hyeon came back barely breathing.

She hadn’t wanted to do something like this if she could avoid it.

So-hwa bit her tongue while cursing Tang Min hundreds of times internally. Then, covering her mouth with her sleeve, she began to cough repeatedly.

“Cough, cough.”

“A-are you alright, sister?!”

At Tang Hak’s cry, the Black Tiger Unit’s attention turned toward the siblings.

“Haah.”

So-hwa, catching her breath, slowly lowered her sleeve. At that, Tang Hak shouted loudly.

“No, sister! Why are you suddenly bleeding—uwaaah!”

So-hwa’s lips and sleeve were soaked in red.

With the commotion, even Yeon-ah and Tang Min, who had been tense and alert, turned their eyes this way. Yeon-ah’s eyes widened enough to be clearly seen from a distance.

Facing those rabbit-like startled eyes, So-hwa felt so ashamed she wanted to die.

But there was no helping it. Seeing her own blood was better than seeing Yeon-ah’s again. She had to stop Tang Min’s madness before something irreversible happened.

‘This is why I wanted to come in a palanquin…’

Swallowing her regret, So-hwa coughed violently once more.

Since the group never turned away the sick, she had thought that if she came in a palanquin, they’d assume someone inside was ill and allow them entry. So-hwa had considered many ways to lower their guard, but Tang Min was creating distrust that hadn’t even been there to begin with.

This was the worst.

So-hwa closed her eyes, afraid she might glare at Tang Min. Then she pressed her tongue, torn from biting, once more. The metallic taste of blood made her shiver, and a cough escaped her again.

“Cough, cough!”

A more realistic-sounding cough was expelled.

“Uwaaah, sister, why do you keep coughing up blood! We shouldn’t have come out, hngh, you should’ve stayed home. Hhik, I should’ve listened to Father!”

Tang Hak, pale as a sheet, collapsed to the ground with So-hwa and began bawling.

Just over fifteen, at that sensitive age unique to boys, Tang Hak easily drowned in his own emotions.

Thanks to that, people began to grow confused. Of course, the sight of Tang So-hwa coughing up blood(?) without rest also played a part in setting that mood.

Seeing the girl endlessly spitting blood with her eyes closed, Yeon-ah flinched.

‘She must be in so much pain she can’t even open her eyes.’

The girl, deeply mistaken, bit her lip.

Physician Jin-cheol had always scolded her, saying the most important thing for a patient was rest. Seeing someone that ill suffer like that, of course, she’d be startled and cough up blood.

Yeon-ah’s gaze slowly swept over the young siblings and the martial artists surrounding them.

… They seemed dangerous before, but looking again, it almost looked like they were guards escorting a seriously ill patient.

If it were the latter, she may have made a mistake and could be scolded by Grandpa Jin-cheol.

But even so, they couldn’t just let anyone in, given the current situation.

While Yeon-ah struggled with that thought, So-hwa slowly opened her eyes.

Eyelashes bleached white by the sun rose heavily. At the sight, Yeon-ah involuntarily flinched again.

A face pale to the point of looking sickly. Eyes weakly drooping as if drained of energy. Blood-soaked lips curling into a faint smile. And next to her, a younger brother on the verge of losing consciousness from crying.

No one could witness such a scene and remain unmoved.

So-hwa gently parted her bloodied lips and carefully asked,

“Young lady, is this the place where the Divine Yeonju Group resides?”

Yeon-ah almost answered without thinking: yes.

As Yeon-ah hesitated, So-hwa let out another loud cough.

“Cough, cough.”

Tang Min looked at the deputy leader as if to ask what the hell was wrong with her. The deputy leader subtly averted his gaze. He had no idea either.

Only Tang Hak, who would tear up at the sight of even a hurt animal by the roadside, was wailing like he might faint.

“Uuuhhh, sister, what is happening…”

Tears welling up, the boy pulled out a clean cloth and frantically wiped the blood from his sister’s lips, not knowing what to do. Tang Min watched that scene with a dazed expression and let out a sigh.

He didn’t know what this was, but for now, he left that sly girl to her performance. It wasn’t because he trusted her. Watching the most ruthless child in the Tang Clan pretend to be frail and coughing so delicately made his skin crawl, and he didn’t have the nerve to get involved.

At that moment, So-hwa apologized in a soft voice.

“I’m sorry if I’ve been rude to you, young lady. My body is weak, and I’ve grown overly sensitive…”

“What? Who’s sensitive?”

“Cough.”

As Tang Min interrupted, So-hwa covered her face with her sleeve as if coughing again and turned her gaze away. It was brief, but Tang Min caught her cold stare directed at him.

‘… Yeah, right. As if she’s sick.’

Tang Min clicked his tongue inwardly.

Just then, a voice filled with worry rang out.

“U-Um, are you really sick?”

Yeon-ah hesitantly parted her lips, studying So-hwa’s complexion closely.

At those words, Tang Hak burst out, raising his voice.

“You say that even after seeing her like this?!”

“… Hak-ah, quiet.”

So-hwa’s cheeks turned a flushed red. To someone who didn’t know better, it looked like she was suffering from a slight fever. To someone who did, they’d likely click their tongue and mutter, so, you do know how to feel embarrassed, huh.

Click. Click.

Tang Min tutted, and at the same time, Tang Hak, overcome with emotion, burst into tears again.

“Sister! That young lady is calling you a liar. How can we just sit back and let it go! How dare she insult the treasured jewel of the Great Tang Clan of Sichuan… Ugh!”

Thwack.

Just then, like a ghost, Tang Min appeared from the side and smacked Tang Hak’s mouth.

“This damn mouth of yours!”

“Uwah! J-Just a second! Great Elder, please! Agh!”

Thwack, thwack, thwack.

In a flash, Tang Min struck Hak’s lips several times, his expression twisted in irritation.

Watching that, for the first time in her life, So-hwa found herself agreeing with Tang Min.

Hak was the kind of child who’d bring ruin to the clan if he ever became its head.

Revealing their identity so casually in front of someone they didn’t even know.

It was only because they did know who Yeon-ah was that this reaction was relatively mild. If they hadn’t known anything about her, So-hwa would’ve probably helped Tang Min twist Hak’s neck right then and there.

But then, an unexpected response came from the other side.

“Tang Clan of Sichuan? You’re from the Tang Clan?”

At that joyous voice, both Tang Min and So-hwa flinched.

The two, old and young, stiffly turned their heads like broken wooden dolls to look at Yeon-ah, and flinched again.

At some point, Yeon-ah’s eyes had welled up with tears, and she was smiling.

“The Tang Clan of Sichuan… Rulers of Sichuan! Masters of poisons and hidden weapons! One of the most powerful sects in the world, aren’t you?!”

It was true enough, but it was the kind of question that was awkward to answer when you were the one it was about.

A strange silence settled in.

Then Yeon-ah, as if demanding a response, clenched her fists and raised her voice.

“The strongest sect in the world, that none would dare cross—right?!”

“……”

“No! Am I wrong? Doesn’t one have to risk their life to provoke the Tang Clan of Sichuan in the Murim?!”

“……”

“Why aren’t you answering?! Even I, a mountain girl, have heard the terrifying saying—’That one should never make enemies with someone in green robes!’”

Spouting such fearsome words, the girl beamed brightly.

Tang Min muttered under his breath.

“… That child is a bit off, isn’t she?”

So-hwa didn’t want to agree, but she couldn’t refute it either.

Could it really be Yeon-ah?

She carefully studied the grinning face of the girl.

She looked young, but her face was just as she remembered.

A soft outline as if carved delicately from white jade. Eyes that sparkled within, and crimson lips curved like a crescent moon. A serene face that, just by looking at it, filled a corner of one’s heart with clear, quiet joy.

Even her shabby appearance couldn’t hide her beauty.

“……”

So-hwa, taking in the girl’s radiant smile, couldn’t open her mouth for a while.

In her past life, it was only after going to Anhui that she learned of Namgung Hyun’s relationship with Yeon-ah.

When she first found out, she felt betrayed. Later, when Yeon-ah risked her life to fight for the Tang Clan, she felt grateful.

Though she’d known Yeon-ah for a long time, those were the only real emotions she’d ever felt toward her.

Resentment and gratitude.

Now, with Namgung Hyun no longer between them, meeting Yeon-ah brought an odd feeling.

A woman who had been her husband’s lover—and her own benefactor.

The Yeon-ah who had never met Namgung or the Tang Clan was a completely different person.

Back then, she had always worn a hollow expression, so void of emotion that it was unclear whether she felt anything at all. But now, she was an utterly pure girl who openly showed her joy.

Just what turned that child into a man-eating ghost?

It was something she couldn’t yet know. Of course, it was precisely to keep that truth unknown forever that Tang So-hwa had come to the Yeonju Group.

So-hwa gave Yeon-ah the warmest smile she could manage to lower her guard.

“… Wipe off that weird expression while I’m asking nicely.”

Ignoring Tang Min’s threat, So-hwa spoke gently.

“It seems there’s been a misunderstanding, young lady.”

She wiped her mouth with the cloth Tang Hak had given her and straightened her posture.

“My father, worried for my safety, sent guards and protective tools with me, but I have no intention of threatening anyone in the Yeonju Group. If you prefer, I can enter alone.”

“No.”

That reply came from Tang Min.

“A place that raised such a rude child—how could we let you go alone?”

“Y-Yes, absolutely not, sister!”

Her family, always there to spoil things at the last moment, made her want to sigh—but thankfully, Yeon-ah soothed her unease.

“No, it’s fine! Bring everything with you. No, don’t leave a single speck behind! If it’s poison from the Tang Clan, it’s certainly a reliable weapon! And bring the guards too. Ah, by chance, do you have a carrier pigeon? You should let the main family know where you are. There might be a need for reinforcements later, right?”

“… Reinforcements from the main family?”

When So-hwa slightly furrowed her brow, Yeon-ah gave an awkward smile, cold sweat beading on her forehead.

“N-No, I just meant it’s better to be safe. Please don’t mind it.”

Yeon-ah fidgeted and turned around.

“Th-This way, please. I’ll open the formation for you.”

The sudden change in attitude was highly suspicious.

Tang Min must’ve sensed it too, letting out a dry breath as he asked,

“What’s gotten into her all of a sudden?”

So-hwa had no answer.

She thought she knew the future—yet she couldn’t even begin to guess what was going on here.

Just then, Yeon-ah suddenly leapt upward and climbed a tree. A moment later came the sound of branches breaking—and the dense forest disappeared.

“W-What?!”

Tang Hak’s mouth flapped in shock.

What lay outside the formation was a sheer cliff, towering and vast. And nestled within its crevice was a small cave entrance. To call it a cave was generous—just a narrow gap barely wide enough for two people to pass.

Yeon-ah, having leapt down the middle of the cliff, gestured from the entrance.

“Hurry and come in. The formation will reactivate in half a quarter.”

At those words, So-hwa took a step forward.

And immediately, the deputy leader stepped in front of her to protect her.

“We’ll go in first.”

At the deputy’s signal, the Black Tiger Unit entered the cave ahead.

It wasn’t quite how she had envisioned it, but in the end, the Tang Clan party entered the Yeonju Group under Yeon-ah’s invitation, just as So-hwa had hoped.