Before a table laden with so much food the legs were bending, Tang Jincheon, seated at the head, spoke.
"First, sit."
"Yes."
I answered Tang Jincheon's words briefly and took a suitable seat. Tang So-wol, who had sat down beside me, poked my thigh.
"My goodness. So young hero Cheon does know how to use polite speech?"
"…I don't know what you take me for, but I obviously know the basic courtesy of respecting one's elders."
"Then why don't you use it with me? Am I not five years older than you, young hero? When I think about how I was fooled by your tone, I still can't believe how absurd it is…"
"A five-year gap is the same age. What do you mean, an elder?"
"It's a bit much to call us the same age. Even if it's the same five-year gap, the difference between the Age of Fifteen and the Age of Twenty is enormous. From now on, you should speak politely to me too."
Tang So-wol lifted her chin and puffed up with pride. I let out a small laugh and shook my head.
"How about you just speak casually to me too? Then there's no problem at all."
"Oh, come on. I want to receive polite speech from young hero Cheon, not to use casual speech myself."
"Same for me. I don't know about others, but I don't want to speak politely to you, Tang So-wol."
"To say you don't want to speak politely to me of all people. What does that mean?"
Tang So-wol pouted her lips and glared at me. She really does seem more comfortable now that she's home. Her expressions are far richer than before.
Tang So-wol tried to lightly step on my foot under the table. I dodged her little trick and turned it against her, snorting in amusement—but only for a moment.
Tang Jincheon cut the conversation short with a calm voice.
"I hear Head Chef Jin put considerable effort into today's meal. The aroma is excellent. If it's not enough, I'll have more brought out—eat your fill."
"Oh! Now that Father says so, it really does look delicious."
"…Thank you."
On the surface, Tang Jincheon's urging was full of goodwill. Tang So-wol, in truth, paid it little mind and picked up her chopsticks with a bright smile… but I saw it.
The brow that furrowed ever so slightly in that moment, and the Aura that wavered as if it were about to surge forth at any instant.
So that's it. So this is what overprotection really means.
I knew well that just as Tang So-wol cherished the clan, the Tang Clan cherished Tang So-wol in return. And it seemed that Tang Jincheon, as both clan head and father, was the most protective of all.
I nodded inwardly and began my meal. It wasn't that the food I'd eaten at the Tang Clan had been lacking, but this young body had a far heartier appetite than I'd expected.
Before the regression, I'd been lucky to eat enough to stave off hunger, so this was something I'd only recently come to realize.
Opportunities like today wouldn't come easily, so I decided to eat my fill.
As I kept stuffing whatever came to hand into my mouth without pause, it wasn't long before I heard Tang Jincheon's faint chuckle.
"You're Cheon Hwi, is that right? Glad to see the food agrees with you. Though I wonder if this amount will be enough."
"I'm at a growing age, so I eat quite a lot."
"Is that so. Well, they say you have to eat plenty to grow plenty. …Still, you look like you've spent more time swinging a sword than sitting down to a meal."
"Isn't it all just to make a living? The more I swing, the better and the more I get to eat."
"Well said. Then what would you need to eat to be satisfied? The Tang Clan owes you a great debt for this matter, so I'll help with anything within my reach."
"Hard to say. It's true that I picked up the sword because I was hungry, but I don't think simply increasing the quantity and quality will fill my stomach."
"You mean to live your whole life starving?"
"No. I just…"
I set down my chopsticks for a moment and glanced at Tang So-wol. Then I met Tang Jincheon's gaze head-on, the gaze he'd been half avoiding.
"If there's someone I can share a meal with like this, that's enough for me."
"…I see."
Tang Jincheon nodded with a noticeably softened tone. This time, he turned his gaze toward Tang So-wol.
"So-wol."
"Ah… What is it, Father?"
Tang So-wol, who had been dazed, unable to keep up with the sudden exchange between me and Tang Jincheon, was struck by a bolt from the blue.
"Enter into an engagement with young hero Cheon."
"What?! What do you mean…"
Tang So-wol's face turned flustered at the unexpected talk of an engagement. She stammered, unable to get the words out, glancing back and forth between me and Tang Jincheon.
Then, as if exasperated by my calm demeanor as I chewed on some braised pork belly, she openly jabbed me in the side.
"Excuse me. Young hero Cheon? We were just talking about an engagement with me, and you can still eat?"
"There is no situation in which I can't eat. And didn't you hear the conversation we just had? Why are you acting like this is news?"
"I understood you were saying something, but I didn't know what it was!"
"To summarize, the Poison King asked if I needed anything, and I said I didn't want anything else—I just wanted to become family."
"That's what that was about?!"
Tang So-wol's mouth fell wide open. I wished she wouldn't do that in the middle of a meal.
I gently closed her chin so nothing would fall out, and only then did Tang Jincheon speak.
"So-wol. I'm not telling you to marry right away. Nor am I saying we'll hold a grand engagement ceremony and announce it to everyone. I'm just saying we should give you the position of betrothed for now, keep you by his side, and see how things go."
"But…"
"Honestly, we've received no small amount from the young hero. Not to mention the debt of saving your life—did he not hand over the purple poison-nurturing herb that would be hard to obtain even for a thousand gold pieces? You know well how much strength that will give you."
"That's… true."
Her voice was still sullen. Tang Jincheon continued his explanation toward Tang So-wol, step by step.
"Of course, it's true that the process was extremely rough. However, even taking that into account, young hero Cheon has the right to demand to become a member of the Tang Clan. Do you acknowledge that?"
"…Yes."
"Good. Up to this point, the reasons were about the family precept and propriety. Now, I shall speak as the clan head about the family's interests."
"There's more?"
"There will be more than you think. First, look at the young hero's martial level. At that age, he defeated a Peak Realm master and cut down dozens of martial artists. That can only be explained if So-wol was born with a special talent that doesn't fall short of yours. There are a few things that give me pause, but… if we can bring him into the Tang Clan, there's no greater fortuitous encounter than that."
"Hmm…"
"Besides, he has no family or backing, so there's no problem taking him in as a live-in son-in-law. That also plays a part."
"Should I consider that fortunate?"
"It's unfortunate for the young hero, but from the Tang Clan's standpoint, it is fortunate."
Having said that, Tang Jincheon glances at me out of the corner of his eye. It's nothing I care about, so there's no need for him to feel sorry for saying it.
I gave a light bow of my head to show it was fine and picked up a piece of tangchori. The sweet-and-sour taste whets my appetite even though I'm fairly full. The head chef's skill is truly impressive.
A smile rises without my knowing. Tang So-wol, who had been pondering with a puzzled expression beside me, let out a deep sigh.
"It's a relief to see you so at ease while I'm this troubled."
"Thank you for the compliment."
"It wasn't a compliment."
Tang So-wol shot me a sharp glare, then turned to Tang Jincheon.
"There's another reason, isn't there? Please tell me more, Father."
"Hmm. The previous reason was about the benefits of making young hero Cheon a member of the Tang Clan, but this time it's about the problem of not accepting him."
"Well. Young hero Cheon may be a bit of an odd person, but he's not a bad one. He wouldn't cause trouble just because he was rejected."
"…That wasn't what I meant. I'm talking about the time you and young hero Cheon set up house together in that cave."
"W-we're setting up house…? But Father is the only one who came to find me, so there shouldn't be any problem, right?"
Whether she was embarrassed at having misread the situation, or had just realized what she'd been doing for the past month and a half, Tang So-wol's face flushed red.
Tang Jincheon continued with an even more complicated expression.
"How do you think I managed to find you, So-wol, when your trail suddenly went cold one day?"
"The Tang Clan's tracking squad…?"
"That would have been possible if you were still within Sichuan Province. But your trail went cold in Hubei Province. Reaching that far would mean drawing the attention of Wudang and the Jegal family, which is difficult."
"Then… Ah! The Beggars' Sect!"
"Correct. I had the Beggars' Sect's help, and thanks to them, I was able to learn your whereabouts."
"In other words, the Beggars' Sect knows enough information to pinpoint my and young hero Cheon's location. For example, the fact that we've been living together for over a month."
"Of course, the Beggars' Sect isn't foolish, so they won't go around shouting it from the rooftops. But given the nature of the Beggars' Sect, it would be difficult to hide it completely either."
The Beggars' Sect is a faction formed by gathered beggars. Those who have formally trained in martial arts would be strictly controlled, but it would be hard to rein in the lower-ranking members who haven't.
Eventually, word would spread through whispers. Rumors that Tang So-wol had set out into the martial world and practically set up house with an outsider man.
"If you formally take him as your betrothed, even if only in name, the rumors will quietly die down. However, if you don't, they'll blaze fiercely for a while. It's about the Tang Clan's face, but more than that, I fear your marriage prospects will be blocked, So-wol."
"You worry too much, Father. I'm not old, just barely twenty. And with you as my father, our family standing is good."
"If you were an ordinary child, that would be true. But So-wol, you have the Poison Spirit Constitution. That means you possess from birth a body that one would normally have to achieve through Bone-Exchange Rebirth to become a Poison Human."
"Ah…"
"You know this too. The Poison Spirit Constitution is a blessing, but at the same time, it is also a curse. A body closer to a poison creature than a human will grow ever more poisonous with time, even without training. In the future, it may become a body that cannot bear children. And now, you've even absorbed the purple poison-nurturing herb."
"…"
Tang So-wol lowered her head with a somber expression. Seeing her like that, Tang Jincheon spoke with an apologetic look.
"There is no need to marry right away. If you would be fine even if you could never bear a child, I won't rush you. …However, if you do have such intentions, I hope you remember that time is not so generous."
"…Yes. I will, Father."
"I'm sorry. But since you seem to think well of young hero Cheon, I thought you should seriously consider it at least once."
"I know well that you said this for my sake, Father. So there's no need for you to apologize."
Tang So-wol smiled softly and shook her head. Watching the two of them create such a touching atmosphere, I somehow felt a lump in my throat. In simple terms, it felt like I was going to choke.
With that, I set down my chopsticks for a moment and wiped my mouth.
"There's a solution to that problem."
"What?"
"What did you say?"
At the same time, Tang So-wol and Tang Jincheon snapped their heads toward me. Their eyes said they found it hard to believe.
Tang Jincheon in particular, perhaps because of his high level of cultivation, naturally exuded a stronger Aura as well.
I glanced at them cautiously, then corrected my wording.
"…There is a solution."
"Never mind that, just tell me quickly. If this is nonsense, I won't forgive you no matter who you are—but if it's true…"
"It's a simple matter. In the end, the problem is that the poison energy in your body is too strong, isn't it? Then all you need to do is restrict the flow of that poison energy."
Tang So-wol had also pondered this matter deeply before the regression.
Back then, she had ultimately resolved to never marry anyone and to focus solely on her martial arts… but the problem was that the Tang Clan had been exterminated, hadn't it?
As the last bloodline of the Tang Clan, Tang So-wol had a duty to restore the family once more.
And so she had spent a long time searching for a way to solve the problem, and in the end, she found the answer.
I still remember that day—we had spent the whole night sharing drinks as she told me every last detail.
"I will teach you the Oral Formula to control the poison energy of a Poison Human."
Back then, I hadn't realized it, but looking back now, perhaps that had been her roundabout way of confessing.
Though there is no way to confirm it now.