Chapter 183

Miss Tang, no. You can’t.

No!

The third-generation disciples were mouthing frantic warnings at me. I realized my mistake a moment too late, but the words were already out.

Jinseong closed his eyes and drew a deep breath, as though forcing down his anger. Then he turned to the others.

“Who was it?”

“It wasn’t like that, Daoist Jinseong. I brought it because I wanted to drink with them.”

“You need not cover for them, Miss Tang. My disciples broke the sect rules. They should be punished accordingly.”

“I’m telling the truth. The guest quarters were so noisy, and sitting alone made me crave a drink. I couldn’t sleep, either, and I didn’t want to drink by myself, so I was the one who talked them into it. I didn’t know it was against the sect rules. I’m sorry for causing trouble.”

Jinseong’s cheek twitched with displeasure.

He stared into my eyes for a long moment before answering with a sigh.

“...Very well. I understand.”

He knew I was lying. He was simply choosing not to press the matter any further out of consideration for his guest.

The anxious third-generation disciples visibly brightened when Jinseong gave us that much ground.

I snickered, dropped onto the ground, and gave the wine jar a light pat.

“So you’ll join us tonight, right?”

“I cannot. I’ll return the wine to where it was kept.”

His firm tone made me flinch and hug the jar to my chest.

Jinseong narrowed his eyes.

“Miss Tang.”

“Oh, come on, Daoist Jinseong. A senior can’t be strict all the time. You have to loosen the reins once in a while or the people under you will suffocate.”

“...”

Jinseong looked as though he disagreed with every word, but apparently had no desire to argue. He pressed his lips together.

“Still no? Then couldn’t we call it my birthday drink? My birthday’s coming up.”

“What? Miss Tang, it’s your birthday?”

Startled, Songhwa blurted the question loudly, then hurriedly shut his mouth after glancing at Jinseong.

Even Jinseong stared at me blankly.

“Not today. I was told it was around the Lower Yuan Festival, so it should be about now. I don’t know the exact date myself.”

Tang Un always gave me presents around this time.

I’d answered casually, only to grow awkward when the mood suddenly turned solemn. I gave them an embarrassed smile.

No. It’s not what you’re thinking. Stop looking at me like I’m some poor orphan.

“Elder Jinseong, she said it’s her birthday! On an occasion like this, surely we ought to drink together— I’m sorry.”

Songgwang had apparently tried to lighten the mood by babbling on, only to shrink his neck like a turtle when Jinseong shot him an icy look.

When Songhwa caught my eye, he discreetly clasped his hands together.

It looked like a signal for me to say something first.

Putting on a dejected expression, I picked up the wine jar and muttered,

“I was inconsiderate. I’ll take it back. Please don’t punish anyone else. This was my fault.”

“...Miss Tang.”

“Sorry for disturbing you so late. I’ll be going now.”

“Miss Tang. Please wait.”

Jinseong rubbed at the corner of his eye as he stopped me.

His brows twitched while he wrestled with himself, until finally he surrendered.

“...Thirty minutes. No longer.”

The moment his resolve weakened, the corners of my mouth curled upward.

I set the jar back down, plopped onto the ground again, and beamed.

“Thirty minutes is plenty. Come on, Daoist Jinseong. Sit down.”

“I...”

“It’s a special occasion. Have a drink with us.”

I grinned mischievously and mimed tossing back a cup.

Songin cautiously whispered,

“Um, Miss Tang. Elder Jinseong doesn’t drink.”

“What? Not at all?”

“No. He never does anything that violates the precepts. He won’t drink. None of us has ever seen him touch alcohol.”

“Come on, surely that doesn’t mean he’s never had a single drink in his...”

Life?

My mouth fell open in surprise.

“Daoist Jinseong. You really don’t drink at all?”

“No.”

“Seriously?”

“That is correct.”

“But the Sword Immortal loves drinking.”

“Master is... Haa.”

Jinseong trailed off and let out a quiet sigh.

Then, apparently realizing what he had almost said, he quickly schooled his expression.

He must have decided he couldn’t bring himself to speak ill of his own master.

I stared up at him with wide eyes.

Jinseong looked away awkwardly.

He was well past twenty, yet he had still never tasted alcohol.

Considering that people in the Central Plains were treated as adults and even married from around fifteen, that was remarkable.

Judging by how everyone else sneaked drinks behind closed doors, the prohibition felt more like a rule people obeyed only when someone was watching.

Still, Jinseong really was something else.

He had an incredibly rigid sense of principle.

“Ha ha. I won’t pressure you, Daoist Jinseong. Just stay with us, then. You’ll probably feel better if you can keep an eye on us yourself. We’ll drink quietly and leave quietly.”

“...Very well.”

I patted the ground beside me.

After a brief hesitation, Jinseong approached and sat down at my side.

The relieved third-generation disciples immediately turned expectant gazes toward the wine jar.

“All right, everyone, sit down. Daoist Songhwa, want to open it?”

“Yes, Miss Tang. I’ll do it.”

Songhwa happily reached for the jar with a broad grin.

The instant he removed the lid, a rich fragrance billowed out.

“Oh!”

“Excellent wine. What a beautiful aroma...”

Songrim exclaimed and pretended to wipe tears of emotion from his eyes.

Jinseong clearly disliked the entire situation, but he kept silent and did not interfere.

“Would you like some water, Daoist Jinseong?”

“I’m fine.”

“Then at least have a snack. How about some dried fruit?”

He was just sitting there stiffly, so I kept offering him things.

Eventually he nodded and put a piece of dried persimmon into his mouth.

The third-generation disciples, who had been fidgeting under Jinseong’s gaze, soon relaxed enough to savor their little slice of happiness.

“Senior Brother... this isn’t a dream, is it? We have actual cups.”

“How long has it been since we drank from proper cups...”

“Hurry up and drink. We don’t have much time.”

Their cheerful chatter lifted my mood as well.

I smiled and sipped my wine.

Songgwang, already in high spirits, struck up a conversation with me.

“Miss Tang. There’s something I’ve been wanting to ask you.”

“Sure. Go ahead.”

“I heard everyone in the Tang Clan commands poisonous creatures, but aside from your sable, you don’t seem to use anything like that. Is there some particular reason?”

I scratched my cheek.

Poisonous creatures? That’s not right. Hardly anyone does that.

Plenty of people kept a scorpion or snake, but very few actually fought their enemies with them.

There was the Ninth Elder, who went around with poisonous spiders crawling all over him, and Aunt Onjeong’s son, who kept fire ants in a porcelain gourd.

Maybe people like them.

Otherwise, poisonous creatures weren’t particularly useful unless you were going to war and wanted to unnerve the enemy.

Any martial artist capable of surrounding themselves with protective inner force could brush off something like that with ease.

“Uh... I’m not sure. Is that really what people say? There are martial artists who can handle poisonous creatures as naturally as their own limbs, but they’re hardly the norm. I’m not one of them, either. I don’t particularly like creepy things in the first place.”

“Ah. So it was just a false rumor.”

“That’s how rumors are. Get three people talking and they’ll invent a tiger that never existed.”

Songin, who had been watching me with interest, joined in.

“Please forgive us if we ask something foolish, Miss Tang. The Tang Clan doesn’t interact much with outsiders, so all we ever hear are wild rumors. There are probably many things we’ve misunderstood.”

“I’m well aware of the Tang Clan’s reputation. Don’t worry about it.”

I waved a hand to show I didn’t mind.

Songgwang clasped his hands together and grinned like an idiot.

“To be honest, Miss Tang, you’re nothing like the rumors I’d heard. You seem so respectable that I’ve wondered why such stories ever attached themselves to you.”

“What stories did you hear?”

“That you’re so extravagant gold dust falls from your footsteps, and that you wear venomous snakes around your neck and terrify everyone you pass like some lunatic— Mmph!”

Songhwa hastily clamped a hand over Songgwang’s mouth and dragged him backward with an awkward laugh.

“My apologies, Miss Tang. It seems our eldest senior brother is already drunk.”

Having to keep a senior brother younger than himself from running his mouth seemed exhausting.

I snorted softly.

“That isn’t me. Sounds like stories about my eldest sister have been making the rounds. She isn’t extravagant enough to leave gold dust in her wake, but she does love dressing up. And she really does keep venomous snakes.”

Songin’s eyes lit up at my confirmation.

“Miss Tang, if it wouldn’t be rude, may I ask a few more questions? There are so many strange rumors that I’ve always wanted to know which ones are actually true.”

“Of course. Ask whatever you like. The Tang Clan is a place where ordinary people live too, you know. It isn’t nearly as terrifying as the rumors make it sound.”

I shrugged and drained my cup.

Songrim quickly refilled it before asking,

“I heard the Tang Clan feeds poison even to its servants. Is that true?”

“Oh, we do give them medicinal decoctions to build resistance. But the poison is so mild they don’t even need an antidote. It’s actually good for them. It helps their bodies learn to neutralize toxins on their own.”

“S-so you really do feed them poison...”

Songin’s eyes began trembling violently.

“Th-then is it also true that anyone visiting the Tang Clan should bring a silver spoon...?”

“People say that too?”

What kind of nonsense have they been spreading?

I tilted my head.

“There’s no need to bring your own. We serve all guests with silver tableware. The same goes for banquets.”

Songhwa nodded in sudden understanding.

“Ah, so you provide silverware yourselves to put those ugly rumors to rest. I suppose anyone would feel reassured after being treated that way.”

“Right. Though silver doesn’t react to every poison, so I wouldn’t trust it too much. If we truly wanted to poison someone, there are countless ways to do it, aren’t there?”

Every face around me went pale at once.

Huh? That wasn’t what I meant. Did I say something wrong?

Songin slowly edged away from me and hid behind Songhwa’s back.

He barely managed to force out,

“They weren’t baseless rumors, Second Senior Brother... You really must never provoke the Tangs...”

Seeing how frightened he looked, I smacked my lips awkwardly.

Apparently, instead of clearing up their misconceptions, I had only managed to reinforce every prejudice they had about my family.