Chapter 195: Chapter 42. The Unbarred Gate

RUMBLE—!

A monstrous crash thundered through the heart of Chengdu.

Buildings collapsed one after another as though an earthquake had struck, while screams rang out from people fleeing the falling debris.

The sight of people pouring out from within the Tang Clan’s shattered walls sent nearby civilians running as well.

Those in the outer compound could at least flee.

Those in the inner compound were not so fortunate.

The killing intent pouring from the direction of the Council of Elders crushed most of them to the ground, leaving them unable to move. Those with weaker martial prowess simply lost consciousness without even knowing why.

Even the Grand Elders who had rushed toward the Council of Elders in alarm were terrified.

Tang Gak, a Grand Elder whose martial prowess had once rivaled the former Clan Head’s, lay sprawled on the ground with his neck broken.

The sight felt horribly unreal.

“I let you die far too easily. I should have flayed you alive and packed you in salt.”

Tang Jung muttered coldly, then brought his foot down on Tang Gak’s head and crushed it.

Dark blue poisonous energy surged violently, beginning to melt bone and flesh into a grotesque mess.

No matter what happened, Tang Jung had always refused to lay a hand on members of the Tang bloodline.

Yet now he had crushed a direct descendant who had once competed for the position of young clan head—and a Grand Elder at that—as casually as one might step on an ant.

The sight was enough to shock everyone present.

Only then did the Grand Elders fully grasp the severity of the situation and drop to their knees.

The Head of the Council of Elders crawled forward on trembling limbs and pressed his forehead against Tang Jung’s instep.

“Sir, we were wrong. We were wrong, sir. Please forgive us.”

Tang Jung answered the plea by kicking him away without mercy.

The man rolled across the dirt.

Tang Jung strode after him, planted a foot on his throat, and slowly pressed down.

“Ghk!”

“You bastards are no different. I warned you before I left, yet you stood by and watched it happen. Did you think this old man would never come out again? Were you hoping the useless old relic would drop dead inside his secluded cave?”

“N-No, sir—ghk! Kgh!”

Foam gathered at the man’s lips as he choked, but Tang Jung showed no emotion whatsoever.

He finally lifted his foot.

“Where is Jani?”

“S-Sir. Jani is only a child. He knows nothing. The boy did nothing wrong.”

“And what did my little girl know to deserve what happened to her? Don’t make me ask twice. Where is Jani?”

“Jani is also a child of the Tang Clan, sir. Please, show mercy...”

At the desperate plea, Tang Jung bared his teeth in a savage smile.

His hair whipped wildly around him.

“Mercy? Don’t make me laugh. All this time, I overlooked whatever Gak did for the sake of his pride. I thought losing to Cheongi must have become the regret of his life. I told myself the bitterness must have eaten him alive, so I even ignored his pathetic schemes to make his own grandson Clan Head. And what came of it?”

“S-Sir...”

“Blood is washed away with blood. That is the law of the martial world. What happened today is the result of my being too lenient until now. I will set a proper example so that nothing like this ever happens again.”

Tang Jung’s gaze swept over them.

“That is the lesson this old man is giving you.”

The Head of the Council of Elders went deathly pale.

Tang Jung intended to leave behind no seed from which future trouble might grow.

And how could any of them defy the will of a king who had thrown open the gate and declared that he would rule once more?

Before his storm-like fury, all they could do was bow their heads and beg for mercy.

“Grandfather! What in the world is—!”

Tang Muheok arrived late, shouting as he ran toward them.

The instant his eyes met Tang Jung’s, however, the sheer pressure forced him down onto one knee.

Tang Muheok fought back the nausea rising in his throat and forced himself to speak.

“Grandfather, please restrain your anger—”

“Restrain my anger? Did you just tell me to restrain myself? Shall I cut you into pieces and pin your carcass atop a bamboo stake?”

Tang Jung roared and seized Tang Muheok by the collar, lifting him off the ground.

The shout itself made the air tremble.

Everyone clamped their hands over their ears in pain.

Tang Muheok, who had taken the roar head-on, began bleeding from both ears.

“Ghk...! Kghh...!”

“She is your daughter. Your daughter! What kind of bastard watches his own child being driven to her death right in front of him and does nothing? Are you even human? Even beasts protect their own young!”

Tang Muheok’s face turned blue as blood poured from his mouth.

Tang Jung looked ready to snap his neck on the spot.

Tang Geunmyeong hurried forward on his knees and tried to stop him.

“S-Sir...! He is... the Clan Head. You must deal with him... according to clan law. Ghk...”

“What use is there in keeping something lower than vermin alive?”

“Sir, please think of the child... She is waiting for you.”

Tang Geunmyeong pleaded between ragged breaths, but he could not withstand the pressure of those eyes burning like blue fire.

He lowered his head.

In all the years he had served Tang Jung, he had never once seen him this furious.

Tang Jung continued breathing heavily for several moments before grinding his teeth and finally reining in his aura.

“Be grateful that you are the Clan Head. If the safety of the Tang Clan did not depend on you, I would tear off your limbs and kill you here and now.”

With a growl, Tang Jung hurled Tang Muheok aside like garbage.

Tang Muheok rolled across the ground, his arms and legs bending at unnatural angles.

Already unconscious, he did not so much as groan.

“Tell Sim Hong to make sure that bastard keeps breathing. Pathetic fool.”

Tang Jung spat the words coldly, then shot into the air without looking back.

As the oppressive pressure gradually faded, people began struggling to their feet one after another, coughing violently.

None of them looked well. Every one of them had suffered internal injuries.

The Head of the Council of Elders stared blankly at Tang Gak’s mangled corpse before coughing up blood-streaked phlegm.

“Cough! Cough! What are we supposed to do now...?”

“First, move the Clan Head to the medical hall. His internal injuries are severe. More importantly, Jani...”

“Leave him alone for now. His anger may cool, and he may change his mind.”

“No. We should settle it ourselves. If he returns and sees the boy completely unharmed, he may become even angrier.”

“But Jani is only eighteen. Isn’t it pitiful for him to die because of his grandfather’s greed?”

“The child who was driven out is eighteen too. She was only sixteen when they expelled her. Did you truly drive out the Poison King’s disciple without ever considering that something like this might happen?”

“Was I the only one who stood by and did nothing? Fifth Elder, you were just as unwilling to oppose Tang Gak!”

“And now you’re saying this is my fault?”

Even now, the Grand Elders were blaming one another.

Tang Geunmyeong sighed and forced strength into his trembling legs.

It was pathetic.

But he had no ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) time to stand there watching them squabble.

He needed to send the child a letter immediately.

Tang Jung’s seclusion was over.

“W-What did you say?”

Madam Jo had fainted from the deafening roar and only recently awakened.

At her maid’s report, she clutched her chest and began trembling uncontrollably.

Grand Elder Tang Gak was dead.

Apparently, Tang Jung had discovered that he had arranged for the illegitimate girl to be expelled and killed him with his own hands.

Her husband had also suffered severe internal injuries and was supposedly recuperating.

“Where is my husband now? How badly was he hurt?”

“The Head of the Council of Elders told us to pretend we know nothing and wait.”

Madam Jo’s face drained of color.

That meant they were only claiming he was recuperating in order to conceal the Clan Head’s absence.

In reality, he was unconscious.

It also meant the Poison King had been furious enough to harm the Clan Head himself.

If that old man said even a word about me...

Madam Jo curled in on herself, her teeth chattering.

She felt little at Tang Gak’s death. The old man had been an eyesore anyway.

What frightened her was the possibility that the consequences might reach her.

She gnawed at her fingernails for some time before finally regaining her composure and straightening her back.

No.

If Tang Gak had mentioned her, she would never have awakened peacefully in her own chambers.

Tang Gak had taken all the blame with him.

The dead could not speak.

As long as she kept her mouth shut, there would be no problem.

But what if that hundred-year-old monster somehow uncovered what she had done?

Her neck might be broken before she could even blink.

Considering the cruelty the Tang Clan showed those it declared enemies, a painless death would be fortunate.

Perhaps her birth family too.

Perhaps even her children...

A chill ran down Madam Jo’s spine.

She bit hard into her red lips and burrowed beneath the covers.

“Madam, are you all—”

“Get out! All of you, leave!”

She screamed and drove the maid away, then pulled the blanket over her head and squeezed her eyes shut.

Everything would be fine.

Once her eldest son became Clan Head, every problem would disappear.

Tang Yeongho was a hopeless case whom everyone had already given up on.

And Tang Un would be dead soon.

If not Tang Hwayeop, then who else could possibly lead this clan?

Once she became the mother of the Clan Head, no one would be able to threaten her.

When that day came, even her eldest sister-in-law—the treasured jewel of the Jegal Clan—would no longer be able to look down on her.

Madam Jo had absolute faith that her son would protect her.

Yes. Perhaps this is for the best. At least I’ll never have to dance to that snake-like old man’s tune again...

She tried to console herself and empty her mind.

But no matter how hard she struggled to calm down, sleep would not come.

A vision of Tang Gak’s half-melted skull reaching toward her flashed before her eyes.

Madam Jo shuddered violently and opened them again.

“Is no one there? Bring me hot tea!”

She shouted while pounding at the tightness in her chest.

Even the sound of maids rushing about outside failed to calm her.

She pulled up her sweat-dampened clothes and raked her nails across her skin as she stared into empty space.

The cold terror of death was slowly tightening around Madam Jo’s throat.