The next morning, Tang So-wol watched from a short distance as about ten martial artists gathered in the Outer Hall. She placed a hand on her chest and let out a deep sigh.
"Haa…"
Even the Tang Clan's generously cut martial robes couldn't hide her curves, which swelled and then settled with her breath.
I averted my gaze and fidgeted with the sword at my waist. Tang So-wol, her face stiff with awkwardness, asked.
"Is the young hero not nervous? You look quite composed."
"Why would I be? I'm not the kind of delicate person who gets nervous over something that isn't dangerous."
"Yes, yes. Unlike the young hero, I'm delicate, and this is my first time, so I'm a little nervous. So won't you hurry and calm me down?"
As she said this, Tang So-wol extended the hand that had been resting on her chest just moments ago.
"…"
I stared at her in silence for a moment. Then Tang So-wol pouted her lips and began to huff.
"No, really. Here you are, holding my hand, saying it'll be fine, that this time will be different from last time. Shouldn't you be saying something like that?"
"Hmm."
I pressed her protruding lower lip back in with my index finger and let out a soft laugh.
"There's no need to calm down. Even if it's to repay a Karmic Debt, in the end, we're going to kill someone, aren't we?"
"That's true…"
"Don't become numb to killing. The moment you grow indifferent to the business of life and death is the day your sword goes dull. And the martial world is hardly a good place for a dull blade to survive."
"…"
Tang So-wol wore a blank expression for a moment, then began to ponder something with a serious look.
Before long, she raised her head, her face softening.
"I asked you to calm me down, but I never expected to be told to stay tense. I still don't quite understand what you mean either."
"Hmm."
"But I do understand that you said it with my best interests in mind, young hero."
Tang So-wol gently wrapped my index finger in her palm. Then, with a deliberately playful air, she tilted her head.
"You do know I don't use a sword, right?"
"…It's a metaphor. Just a figure of speech."
I let out a hollow laugh at how absurd that was, and Tang So-wol, as if mimicking me, let out a soft "heh" and nodded.
"It was a joke. Anyway, thanks to you, I feel a bit more at ease."
"Then that's settled."
I answered with a gruff tone for no particular reason, but Tang So-wol simply brushed it off and patted my shoulder.
"Alright! Let's not think too deeply and just focus on what needs to be done right now! For example… making sure we don't fall behind the Dark Soul Squad."
"Now that I'm asking, just how skilled is the Dark Soul Squad? Surely these people gathered here aren't the average, are they?"
Around ten martial artists stood in perfect formation, aligned in rows and columns, even though no one was watching or giving orders.
How strong they truly were could only be determined by fighting them directly, but from the Aura they radiated, each and every one had reached the level of a fully mature first-rate martial artist.
It was a level anyone could reach with effort, with only the difference being how quickly one got there.
But that didn't mean they were weak. It meant it was the realistic limit an ordinary person could attain.
Most martial artists ended their lives somewhere between Third-Rate and Second-Rate, while some rose to first-rate and either opened a small Martial Hall or lived like kings in remote villages.
In fact, the sect leader of the Jeoksa Faction was a first-rate martial artist, and the rabble beneath him were mostly at the Second-Rate level.
The wall of the Peak Realm was too thick, and the power of Sword Qi too overwhelming, so first-rate martial artists seemed relatively weak in comparison… but in the end, masters of their craft could never be insignificant.
Yet right now, before my eyes, such first-rate martial artists were gathered as mere squad members.
No matter how well I knew that the Tang Clan was one of the Five Great Families boasting tremendous prestige, I couldn't help but be astonished.
This was the kind of sight I'd only seen before my regression in the Black Alliance, or in the alliances formed to withstand the Demonic Cult's offensives.
After all, the Unorthodox Sects had a strong sense of every man for himself, making it hard to build up any real power.
Even if they managed to succeed somehow, the moment they showed even a slight weakness, those around them would immediately tear them apart.
Tang So-wol blinked at my words and asked in return.
"Come to think of it, I haven't explained this to you yet. The Tang Clan has several Martial Force Units, but the most representative ones are the Poison Blood Corps and the Dark Soul Squad."
"Names I've heard mentioned before."
"Aside from those two, the others handle guarding the family estate, managing the businesses in Chengdu, or focusing on training while taking care of minor tasks."
So it's a purely martial force that can be mobilized immediately in times of crisis. Naturally, they would have invested heavily in them, so it makes sense that their average martial level is high.
"Both units learn the Tang Clan's martial arts broadly, but among them, those with talent in poison arts join the Poison Blood Corps, and those with talent in hidden weapons join the Dark Soul Squad."
"I see. So that's why only the Dark Soul Squad gathered this time."
Tang Jincheon was a master with such deep expertise in poison arts that he'd earned the alias Poison King, and Tang So-wol was born with the Poison Spirit Constitution itself.
With no shortage of poison, it made sense to bring along those skilled in handling hidden weapons.
"As one of the main martial force units, they receive ample support. The pay is good, they're taught advanced martial arts suited to them, and they're given low-grade spiritual medicines on a regular basis."
"That's treatment you'd be hard-pressed to get anywhere else."
As I nodded in silent admiration, a familiar voice came from behind me.
"If you're that curious, why don't you try rolling around in the Dark Soul Squad yourself?"
Tang Jincheon, who had approached without my noticing, let out a hearty laugh and continued.
"Still, now that you're a member of the Tang Clan, you should learn some of the clan's martial arts."
"I'm always open to new martial arts, but I'm not too keen on serving as part of the Dark Soul Squad."
"Why not? Don't give me that modesty about lacking ability."
"Quite the opposite. It's because I'm so outstanding that both I and the Dark Soul Squad would end up uncomfortable with each other."
If a newcomer who'd joined claiming to be Tang So-wol's betrothed suddenly walked into a place full of people who'd fought their way up, and had a higher martial level to boot, wouldn't it become hard to give him orders?
"…I'll admit you have remarkable talent, but arrogance isn't a good thing."
"I'll take this opportunity to prove that it's not arrogance."
"Heh. Fine. I'll watch without expecting much."
Did he take it as the typical brashness of youth? Tang Jincheon shrugged his shoulders and brushed it off. Sharing the same thought, the two men flanking him on either side subtly curled the corners of their mouths.
One of them was Tang Yujin, whom I'd briefly seen at yesterday's meal as Tang Jincheon's Personal Guard… but the other was someone I didn't know.
A man nearing old age. His hair was half-tinged with white, and deep wrinkles were forming on his forehead, but his eyes were sharp and piercing.
The aura he gave off didn't fall far short of mine before the regression. In other words, he was at least a Transcendent Peak martial artist.
He spoke in a courteous voice.
"Forgive my rudeness at our first meeting. So you are the young master who is the betrothed of the renowned Lady So-wol. I am Tang Cheol-yeong, the one who leads these men, though I am lacking in many ways."
"So you are the Dark Soul Corps Master. I've heard much about you from Tang So-wol."
"It seems you weren't very familiar with the Dark Soul Squad either."
"That's right. However, I did hear that while you couldn't use your poison art, you learned the Hidden Weapon Art from the person in the Tang Clan who handles hidden weapons best."
"Haha! The young lady said such things? My, my. I'm pleased, but hearing it in front of the clan head is a bit embarrassing. I've also heard much from the young lady about the young master's excellent Sword Art."
"Oh."
I casually glanced to the side, and Tang So-wol, who had been following my gaze, quickly looked away. So it was true, then.
"I'd prefer such compliments be given to me directly."
"If I had, you'd have gotten all smug about it, so I didn't."
"Correct answer. How could I miss an opportunity like this? Now that things have turned out this way, is there anything else you'd like to praise me for? I'm willing to hear it all right now."
"…"
Tang So-wol answered by pressing her lips firmly shut. However, she couldn't hide the fact that the tips of her ears had flushed red as if they'd been burned.
Tang Jincheon, who had been watching her with a complicated expression, patted his daughter's shoulder and spoke.
"We'll be departing soon, so come along."
With that, Tang Jincheon stepped forward. The Dark Soul Squad, who had been standing in neat formation, split to both sides, creating a path.
Tang Jincheon walked slowly along it. Tang Yujin and the Dark Soul Corps Master followed directly behind him, with me and Tang So-wol trailing a bit further back.
Once we crossed through the Dark Soul Squad members and stood at the front, Tang Jincheon turned to look back.
He slowly surveyed the Dark Soul Squad members who were fixing their eyes on him.
Their gaze carried a weight that was clearly different from before. It was somewhat distinct from the intense Aura befitting a Harmony Realm master.
It was closer to the commanding presence unique to one who stands in a high place, the kind that bends the entire room to their will.
Tang Jincheon opened his mouth, adding a trace of internal energy so that his voice would reach everyone present clearly, even without raising it.
"You've all heard the story by now. That So-wol, a daughter of the Tang Clan, was targeted by a bunch of unheard-of scoundrels."
No one answered. They merely grew slightly rougher in their Aura, or stole glances at Tang So-wol.
Before long, the true Tang So-wol straightened her back, bearing the gazes directed at her.
"However, fortunately, all of those bastards paid the price at the hands of the young hero Cheon standing here."
This time, the gazes were directed at me. Even amid the excitement, what their eyes held was gratitude and admiration.
It was a gaze I had often received while living with the Tang Clan, and yet… it was still a feeling I hadn't quite grown accustomed to.
It was a bit burdensome, to be honest.
"And this time, we've identified the ones behind those ruffians. The Demonic Cult. Those vermin, cast out of the Central Plains long ago and only testing the waters, dared to hold a grudge against the bloodline of the Tang Clan."
Whether it was money or martial arts, if they were after something the Tang Clan possessed, there was no need to kill Tang So-wol. Rather, they should have kept her alive to collect a ransom.
But they had targeted Tang So-wol's life. And those who belong to the Demonic Cult are usually of two kinds.
Those who sought a place to live quietly without being harassed by martial artists.
And those who, having suffered injustice in the Central Plains, crave power at any cost, driven by an unfulfillable thirst for revenge.
That goes without saying—those who seek a peaceful life would hardly think of sneaking deep into the Central Plains. Why would people who just want to live quietly ever want to set foot on Central Plains soil again?
So if someone went to the trouble of infiltrating the Central Plains in secret, not acting directly but using another's hand to kill Tang So-wol…
Then it must be the latter, someone consumed by vengeance. Whether that grudge is aimed at the Tang Clan itself, with Tang So-wol merely a stepping stone and the true target lying elsewhere, remains to be seen.
"Since we've built a grudge between us, there's only one thing left to do."
As if echoing Tang Jincheon's calm words, low curses rose from here and there. And the barely suppressed Aura of the Dark Soul Squad members shook violently.
Tang Jincheon curled the corner of his mouth into a grin toward the Dark Soul Squad, now bristling with killing intent.
"Favor is repaid twofold, and a grudge tenfold. Today, we go to put the Tang Clan's Family Precept into practice."
Waaaaah—!
The moment Tang Jincheon finished speaking, a roar of cheers erupted. Standing alone in the center of it all, I remained still.
The very fact that so many people had rallied to avenge someone else felt deeply strange to me.
"…"
As I silently stroked the hilt of my sword, Tang So-wol quietly placed her palm over the back of my hand.
"Are you nervous?"
"Not at all."
"But in my eyes, you look tense, so I'll make a special exception and hold your hand. Like this."
Tang So-wol gave me a reply that was similar yet different, as if returning the conversation we'd had just moments ago.
Then she added one more remark.
"This is the model answer, you see."
"…"
Once I understood the meaning behind her words, I let out a hollow laugh.
"I'll be sure to keep that in mind from now on."