In front of the Sichuan Tang Clan, the Tang Clan family members were lined up in white mourning clothes.
Looking at the burned Sichuan Tang Clan, the family members were paying their respects. After finishing his bow, Dang Myeong took hold of his mourning clothes and pulled.
RIIIP!
Dang Myeong tore off the mourning clothes in a single motion and carefully placed them into the brazier.
FWOOSH!
At that, the family members also tore off the mourning clothes they were wearing one by one and placed them into the brazier.
FWOOSH! FWOOSH!
Dang Myeong quietly watched the brazier as the flames grew fierce in an instant.
When the mourning clothes worn by hundreds of people were placed into the brazier, it soon began overflowing.
Looking at the mourning clothes burning inside the brazier, Dang Myeong opened his mouth.
“The main house has no time to grieve.”
At Dang Myeong’s words, the Tang Clan experts nodded.
“Rather than grieve, we must grow stronger and take revenge.”
Once the Tang Clan experts who had burned their mourning clothes were lined up, Dang Myeong looked at Dang Miryeong.
“Take people with you and procure carpenters and materials from Chengdu to build houses.”
“As you command.”
“Secret Serpent Unit...... enter the main house and search for the elders’ bodies.”
“As you command.”
“Heavenly Flight Unit, inspect the surroundings.”
“As you command.”
“Martial Spirit Unit, enter the main house and examine the storerooms.”
“As you command.”
“Myriad Martial Unit, establish a defensive line around the area.”
“As you command.”
As Dang Myeong was giving orders to the family members, he saw several members of the Flat Bat Unit approaching from afar with hundreds of people.
When Dang Myeong looked that way, one of the unit members hurried over, gave a Cupped-Fist Salute, and said, “On our way to Chengdu......”
The unit member, who had paused for a moment, spoke in a trembling voice.
“We met the people of Tang Clan Tower.”
At the unit member’s words, Dang Myeong looked at the people. And Dang Myeong’s eyes also trembled.
The people approaching were none other than the commoners of Tang Clan Tower. They were those Tang Clan Tower people who had lived for generations while working for the Sichuan Tang Clan.
The people of Tang Clan Tower were coming in great numbers, pulling carts behind them.
When Dang Myeong approached them, the Tang Clan Tower people prostrated themselves.
“Young Lord!”
“Young Lord!”
At the people’s cries, Dang Myeong sighed and helped the old man in front of him up.
“Please rise. All of you, please rise.”
At Dang Myeong’s words, the old man rose with tears streaming down his face.
“The Tang Clan ended up like this, yet we ate, slept, and...... stayed alive. Young Lord, we are sorry.”
At the old man’s words, Dang Myeong sighed and shook his head.
“No. Rather, I am deeply relieved that all of you are alive like this.”
Dang Myeong looked at the old man and the Tang Clan Tower people, then asked,
“But there seem to be fewer people.”
Many people lived in Tang Clan Tower. There were still many people now, but there should have been twice as many.
After all, Tang Clan Tower was a village where not only the people who worked for the Tang Clan lived, but their families as well.
“After the matter with the Demonic Cult, some people left far away out of fear.”
“And all of you......”
“We lived our entire lives in Tang Clan Tower. Where else would we go?”
The old man smiled and looked at the people behind him.
“We heard in Chengdu that the people of the main house punished those thieving bastards. So when we learned you had returned, we hurried back like this.”
The old man looked at the carts behind him and said,
“These are things we prepared little by little in case the people of the main house returned.”
At the old man’s words, Dang Myeong gave a Cupped-Fist Salute and bowed his head.
“They say one learns who one’s true friends are in times of crisis...... Every family member of the Sichuan Tang Clan owes all of you a great debt of heart.”
“No, no. It really is nothing.”
The old man wiped the corners of his eyes, then frowned and said,
“More importantly, there are some truly vile bastards.”
“Vile bastards? We have dealt with the sects that came here to steal.”
“There are vile bastards other than them. Even bastards who used to eat off the Sichuan Tang Clan dared to turn their backs on it.”
“Turn their backs? Ah! It could not be helped that the people of Tang Clan Tower left.”
Dang Myeong thought he was talking about the people of Tang Clan Tower leaving. But......
“No. As for our brothers...... they were simply frightened, and once they learn that the Tang Clan has returned, they will all come back on their own.”
“Then? What do you mean?”
“Four of the Tang Clan businesses in Chengdu changed their names.”
He stopped short!
At the old man’s words, Dang Myeong said with a hardened face, “They...... changed their names?”
“Yes. At first, they inspected the Tang Clan with us and worried over what to do, but perhaps after becoming certain that the Tang Clan had been annihilated, they changed their signboards and cut ties with the Tang Clan.”
At the old man’s words, Dang Myeong paused for a moment, then looked at the Unit Commander of the Secret Shadow Unit.
“Confirm it...... and bring them here.”
“As you command!”
The Unit Commander of the Secret Shadow Unit ran toward Chengdu with the Secret Shadow Unit. Watching them go, Dang Myeong said to the old man, “Will you continue to remain with us from now on?”
“Of course. Whether we live or die, we are people of Tang Clan Tower.”
At the old man’s words, Dang Myeong looked at the burned Tang Clan Tower and said, “By now, Tang Clan Tower should have been rained on, and enough time has passed for much of the poison to drain away. Since the people of Tang Clan Tower have always taken our clan’s antidotes steadily, the poison should not be a problem.”
“Of course. We are also accustomed to the Tang Clan’s poison.”
Since they were people who worked for the Tang Clan, they had a certain degree of resistance to poison.
Otherwise, they could be poisoned and die while working......
Dang Myeong looked around and said, “For now, we need a place where we can stay.”
Dang Myeong gestured to a Tang Clan expert, then pointed to the entire area in front of the Sichuan Tang Clan’s main gate.
“Demolish everything from there to there and create an open space.”
“As you command.”
“And Elder, please select those skilled at work and assign tasks to our Tang Clan family members.”
“No, how could we possibly order the Tang Clan family members......”
“When it comes to work, the people of Tang Clan Tower are better than us. Since they are martial artists who have learned martial arts, they will be able to move heavy things and large objects with ease. So do not concern yourself with formalities. Have them move and install things as quickly as possible. For lodging, tents will do for now. We will build structures once things have been cleared.”
At Dang Myeong’s words, the old man nodded and quickly turned around.
“Everyone heard the Young Lord. Those who worked at the Maintenance Pavilion, come here. And those who worked at the Three Treasures Pavilion, hurry and prepare food.”
The Maintenance Pavilion was the place that repaired the Tang Clan buildings, and the Three Treasures Pavilion was the place that made food for the Tang Clan.
“Ah! Changsu, make the latrines first! Separate ones for men and women.”
“Understood. Then...... since we need to dig the ground, Dang Gang, Dang Min, brothers, come with me.”
“Let us.”
As Changsu took one Tang Clan family member he was close to and some equipment and left, the other Tang Clan Tower people also began calling the Tang Clan experts they were close with and going off to work.
Watching that, Dang Myeong looked at the Sichuan Tang Clan.
“The Tang Clan...... is not dead. The Tang Clan begins now.”
Dang Myeong murmured quietly, then, after a moment, moved into the Tang Clan.
Inside the burned and collapsed Tang Clan, its people were inspecting the interior here and there.
Whenever a skeletal remains appeared, they examined it, and if it seemed to be a Tang Clan expert, they bowed and collected the remains.
Passing those people, Dang Myeong headed toward the Flying Heaven Pavilion and let out a small sigh.
There was a massive hole where the Flying Heaven Pavilion had been. There was no way to describe it.
The ground bore a massive hole and burn marks, and countless fragments of hidden weapons such as nails and needles were scattered everywhere.
At that sight, Dang Myeong let out a small sigh. This was probably the place where his father and the elders had met their end.
He could clearly picture the elders fighting the enemy and retreating all the way to this place.
After looking at the site of the Flying Heaven Pavilion for a moment, Dang Myeong knelt and grasped the soil with his hand.
CRUNCH!
A stinging sensation spread across his palm.
The lingering poison energy dug into his palm. It was poison energy strong enough to poison even Dang Myeong, who, as the Young Lord of the Tang Clan, had high resistance to poison.
Feeling that energy for a moment, Dang Myeong circulated the Three Yang Divine Art.
WHOOSH!
As the Three Yang Divine Art circulated, Lesser Yang began to regulate the poison energy and internal energy.
The internal energy enveloped the poison energy, and Yang Brightness absorbed the poison energy. Then the energy of Greater Yang began to expel the poison energy.
WHOOSH! WHOOSH!
The reason the Three Yang Divine Art was the martial art of the Tang Clan Lord was that it could regulate poison.
Dang Myeong expelled and scattered the poison that had seeped into his body, then rose.
“Please watch over me. I will surely...... protect the main house.”
Dang Myeong looked at the site of the Flying Heaven Pavilion, then turned around.
***
Tang Clan Tower bustled as construction proceeded. Following the instructions of the Tang Clan Tower people who knew construction work well, the martial artists easily lifted the pillars and wreckage of the buildings and moved them far away.
Since it was a place that had to be cleared anyway, the martial artists carried the pillars far away and removed them or cut them with blades to turn them into firewood.
Ordinarily, they would never have done such a thing. For martial artists to use martial arts for such menial labor was unthinkable to them......
But right now, they were not martial artists. They were simply family members trying to raise the Tang Clan again.
They were family members building anew the place where their families, children, and siblings would live.
As the martial artists steadily carried and cleared heavy loads, a wide open space soon appeared in front of the Sichuan Tang Clan.
What remained was to clear away the burned soil and gradually build a new living space.
As Dang Myeong looked at the open space gradually widening, members of the Secret Shadow Unit approached him with several old men.
“As you commanded, we have brought the owners of the businesses that betrayed the Tang Clan.”
At the Secret Shadow Unit member’s words, one of the old men hurriedly prostrated himself.
“I-It is a misunderstanding. We only changed the name for a short while in case there were people who might target the clan’s businesses.”
“That is right.”
“We are longtime servants of the Tang Clan.”
At the old men’s words, Dang Myeong looked at them for a moment, then opened his mouth.
“Cut off two fingers.”
They stopped short!
At Dang Myeong’s words, bewilderment appeared on the old men’s faces.
But only for a moment. The old men bowed deeply, placed their hands on the ground, and said, “If you give us blades, we will prove our loyalty.”
At the old men’s words, Dang Myeong looked to the side. Then the Secret Shadow Unit members took out daggers and tossed them.
THWIP! THWIP! THWIP!
When three sharp daggers fell in front of them, they immediately picked up the daggers, hesitated for a moment, then placed the blades against their fingers and pressed down.
“Aaagh!”
“Aaaagh!”
“Kgh! Uurk!”
Two men cut off their fingers in a single motion with the daggers, while two stopped when the blades had gone halfway through.
It was too painful for them to go any farther.
At that sight, Dang Myeong said,
“You must sever them yourselves.”
At Dang Myeong’s words, the two old men bit their lips and pressed down with their bodies.
“Aaagh!”
“Aaagh!”
Watching the old men scream as they cut off their fingers, Dang Myeong sighed and helped them up.
Then he sprinkled medicinal powder, tore strips from his robe, and wrapped their wounds.
“I also wish I could forgive all of you with a smile. But...... the main house has gone through a crisis, and we must show others.”
“Ugh...... We know.”
Dang Myeong looked at the old men, then opened his mouth.
“Watch closely. See just how great a backing it will be for you to stand with the main house.”
“Thank you for forgiving us.”
As the old men bowed their heads while holding their bandaged hands, Dang Myeong nodded and looked at the open space being cleared.
After the old men withdrew, Dang Myeong sighed.
‘What must be taken into the fold...... must be taken in.’
Until the Tang Clan’s foundation was established, he had to take in what had to be taken in.