Dang Myeong was entering Chengdu together with the Tang Clan experts. It was to purchase more food ingredients and timber needed for Tang Clan Tower.
Ordinarily, there would have been no reason for Dang Myeong, the Clan Lord, to move in person, but he had done so himself in order to show that the Sichuan Tang Clan was still alive and well.
Dang Myeong was drinking tea offered by the owner at a fabric shop and speaking with him.
“When will two hundred sets of the main house’s martial arts uniforms be ready?”
“If you give me about six days, I should be able to prepare them.”
Two hundred Tang Clan martial arts uniforms was a large quantity. Saying he would prepare that amount within six days meant the fabric shop owner would do his utmost.
“Send them in batches of thirty as soon as they are completed.”
“Understood.”
After discussing the transaction with the fabric shop owner, Dang Myeong took out a promissory note from his robe and held it out.
“This is a large sum.”
“Keep it, and when people from the main house come to order clothes, provide them.”
“Understood.”
Dang Myeong took another sip of tea, then rose from his seat.
“Thank you for the tea.”
At Dang Myeong’s words, the fabric shop owner was about to give a Cupped-Fist Salute, then told him to wait for a moment and brought over a pouch of tea from one side.
“It is not much, but please accept it. ”
“I will enjoy it with gratitude.”
When Dang Myeong smiled and accepted the tea pouch, the fabric shop owner looked at him, then gave a Cupped-Fist Salute and bowed his head.
“It is truly a relief and a comfort that the Tang Clan is still standing.”
“The Tang Clan will continue to stand from now on as well.”
“Of course it must.”
Looking at the smiling fabric shop owner, Dang Myeong stepped outside.
“Where must we go next?”
At Dang Myeong’s words, Chief Administrator Dang Jinsu looked at the book in his hand and said,
“We have purchased everything we need.”
At Dang Jinsu’s words, Dang Myeong nodded and moved toward a tavern.
“Are you going to a tavern?”
At Dang Jinsu’s question, Dang Myeong entered Dragon Flower Tavern and said, “The people of the main house have truly worked hard all this time. Though the road we must walk from now on is long, this is a time when they should be allowed a little rest. I intend to prepare a small banquet for the people of the main house.”
At Dang Myeong’s words, Dang Jinsu nodded.
“You are right.”
When Dang Myeong entered, a waiter from Dragon Flower Tavern came out, then hurriedly gave a Cupped-Fist Salute and bowed his head.
“Young Lo—, no, Clan Lord, welcome.”
Because Dragon Flower Tavern was a place Dang Myeong had often visited, the waiter recognized him immediately.
“Brother Jang So, it has been a long time.”
At the sight of Dang Myeong remembering his name, Jang So smiled brightly.
“I will guide you to the seat the Clan Lord usually liked.”
At Jang So’s words, Dang Myeong suddenly looked toward the window seat of the tavern. Dang Myeong had enjoyed sitting there and watching people come and go.
After a brief moment, Dang Myeong shook his head and said, “Is Master Wang here?”
“Of course. Please wait a moment.”
Jang So hurried inside, and shortly afterward, an elderly man with a corpulent build hurried over.
“Clan Lord, welcome.”
When the owner of the tavern approached, Dang Myeong gave a Cupped-Fist Salute and said, “It has been a long time.”
“......I am truly ashamed. I should have at least come to pay my respects.”
Seeing Master Wang’s face turn pale because he thought Dang Myeong was trying to rebuke him, Dang Myeong smiled and shook his head.
“That is not what I meant. I meant it exactly as I said...... After going through hardship, I am greeting someone I am glad to see.”
“Thank you for saying so.”
At Master Wang’s words, Dang Myeong swept his gaze around the inside of the establishment.
“Business still seems to be going well.”
“No matter how the world turns, liquor always sells.”
At Master Wang’s words, spoken with a sigh, Dang Myeong nodded.
“When one is happy, when one is sad, when one is angry...... Whenever people’s emotions stir, liquor cannot be absent.”
“That is true.”
“That is why I would like to make one request of you, Master Wang.”
“A request?”
“As you know, because of what happened to the main house, several thousand people are working hard in Tang Clan Tower.”
“It is a heartbreaking matter. A heartbreaking matter indeed.”
“So I intend to hold a small banquet and comfort them.”
“Are you trying to order food?”
“In my heart, I would like to have the food made here at the tavern and taken with me...... but food tastes best when it is eaten right after being made, does it not? So I would like to bring cooks with me.”
“Of course. Of course.”
Master Wang nodded and answered at once.
“Understood. Tell me the date, and I will bring not only our tavern’s cooks but also famous cooks from nearby.”
Since he had guessed Dang Myeong’s thoughts and spoken first, Dang Myeong smiled and said,
“Thank you. Then, three days from......”
“Well, look who this is. If it isn’t the Clan Lord of the Sichuan Tang Clan!”
At the sudden voice from behind him, Dang Myeong narrowed his eyes and turned around.
If there had been warmth in the voice, he would have looked back with a smile...... but this voice was clearly picking a fight.
Where he turned his head, a young man dressed in luxurious silk clothes was entering with two old men.
“Wiji Cheong?”
When Dang Myeong realized that the one who had spoken to him was Wiji Cheong, absurdity appeared on his face.
Wiji Cheong was the eldest young master of the Wiji Clan. And the Wiji Clan...... was one of the clans being named as a new Five Great Clan after what had happened to the Sichuan Tang Clan.
And Wiji Cheong was a bastard who had no right to pick a fight with him like this. No...... in a sense, he was also a deeply familiar acquaintance.
Even if he was not someone Dang Myeong particularly liked, under normal circumstances, he was a fellow who should have approached Dang Myeong with a smile and greeted him.
“Ah.”
Realizing something, Dang Myeong narrowed his eyes.
‘These are not normal circumstances.’
Wiji Cheong was a member of the Wiji Clan, which was aiming for the empty seat among the Five Great Clans left by the Tang Clan, so he was picking a fight with Dang Myeong.
Wiji Cheong, who until recently had approached him with smiles in order to curry favor......
When Dang Myeong said nothing after seeing him, Wiji Cheong smiled and approached.
“Hahaha! When I heard the Tang Clan had burned down and vanished, I came thinking perhaps you might need my help...... but a tavern in broad daylight, is it? It seems you have not yet fallen that far.”
At Wiji Cheong’s words, the faces of the Tang Clan experts following behind instantly hardened.
SWISH!
At that, the two old men who had come with Wiji Cheong each stepped forward slightly. Seeing that, Dang Myeong smiled.
“How glad I am to see an old acquaintance after so long. I wonder how greatly Brother Wiji’s skill has improved for your tongue to have become so sharp...... I request a spar.”
At Dang Myeong’s words, bewilderment flashed across Wiji Cheong’s face.
“A-A spar?”
He had not expected Dang Myeong to request a spar when they had barely exchanged a few words.
“I ask because I am glad to see you, so please do not refuse my request. At least in this moment, think of me as an old friend and not as the Clan Lord of the Tang Clan. Now! Let us go outside.”
As he spoke, Dang Myeong raised his internal energy.
“I, Dang Myeong of the Tang Clan, formally request a spar with Young Master Wiji Cheong of the Wiji Clan!”
RUMBLE!
Dang Myeong’s Lion’s Roar, filled with internal energy, began spreading through the surroundings for roughly three hundred meters .
At that sight, Wiji Cheong’s face turned white.
The difference in skill between Dang Myeong and himself was clear. He had never imagined that Dang Myeong, who had risen to the seat of Tang Clan Lord, would request a spar with him.
Especially...... when they had barely exchanged a few words.
Seeing Wiji Cheong like that, the old man beside him gave a Cupped-Fist Salute and said, “I would like to say a word to Clan Lord Dang.”
Dang Myeong looked at the old man, then gave a Cupped-Fist Salute and said, “I will listen carefully to the words of the Use Sword Master of the Wiji Clan.”
The Wiji Clan had five Protectors. The Use Sword Master was one of them, a peak realm expert.
“Though you are similar in age, the young master is still only a rising star. His generation rank does not match Great Hero Dang Myeong, the Clan Lord of the Tang Clan, so how can a spar be discussed?”
Dang Myeong was still too young to be called Great Hero, but the Use Sword Master deliberately attached that title to him.
Only then would the difference in generation rank between Dang Myeong and Wiji Cheong be made clear.
At the Use Sword Master’s words, which carried a faint thread of internal energy, Dang Myeong smiled and said,
“What does generation rank matter in a spar between acquaintances?”
“Are you saying that, if they are acquaintances, you would spar with anyone?”
At the Use Sword Master’s words, Dang Myeong smiled and raised his internal energy.
“I, Dang Myeong, say this here and now. I will not refuse a spar with anyone of the same age group as myself.”
At Dang Myeong’s proud words, the Use Sword Master looked at him, let out a small sigh, and turned to Wiji Cheong.
[Politely give up on the spar.]
At the Use Sword Master’s voice transmission, Wiji Cheong looked at him with a stiff face.
[You want me...... to refuse? Can’t you refuse on my behalf, Elder?]
For him to refuse it himself would ruin his face too much.
[It is a formal spar request. We cannot refuse it.]
[Then what about my face?]
[If you spar, face will not be the issue. Clan Lord Dang Myeong is...... strong.]
The Use Sword Master deliberately used the word strong to emphasize that he could not win, and Wiji Cheong’s face hardened.
His pride was wounded. Though Dang Myeong had risen to the seat of Clan Lord, it was only a seat he had taken because the Previous Clan Lord had been killed by the Demonic Cult.
If so, Dang Myeong was no different from him, merely another rising star.
At the Use Sword Master’s voice transmission, Wiji Cheong’s face twisted. Then he looked at Dang Myeong.
“Since the Clan Lord of the Tang Clan personally requests a spar, how could I refuse?”
At Wiji Cheong’s words, the Use Sword Master’s face distorted.
‘This fool......’
The Use Sword Master looked at Wiji Cheong with a hardened face. But Wiji Cheong had a thought.
‘In any case, Dang Myeong is about the same age as me. Besides, since this is a spar, he won’t be able to use poison or hidden weapons...... If so, we won’t know the outcome until we fight.’
With that thought, Wiji Cheong said, “Since it is a spar, you will not use hidden weapons or poison, will you?”
“Hahaha! Telling the Sichuan Tang Clan not to use poison and hidden weapons is the same as telling us to fight with our hands and feet bound. However!”
Dang Myeong looked at Wiji Cheong.
“I can do that much.”
As he spoke, Dang Myeong moved outside the tavern, and Wiji Cheong steadied his breath before following him out.
People had already gathered in front of the tavern. Since Dang Myeong and the Use Sword Master’s voices had spread from the tavern on internal energy, people had gathered wondering what was happening.
When the people of the Tang Clan and the Wiji Clan came out, the crowd hurriedly stepped back and made space.
Dang Myeong swept his gaze over those people and looked at Wiji Cheong.
Wiji Cheong was coming down from the tavern with a treasured sword in his hand.
Standing in the open space that had somehow formed before the tavern, Wiji Cheong drew his sword.
CLANG!
Drawing his sword with a sharp sound, Wiji Cheong sent Dang Myeong a tense gaze.
“Ah, but what brings you to Sichuan?”
“The main house is also part of the Martial Alliance. So I was on my way to visit and encourage the martial artists of the main house stationed at the front against the Demonic Cult.”
Then Wiji Cheong looked at the Tang Clan martial artists.
“And while I was at it...... I came to offer words of comfort to the Tang Clan, one of the former Five Great Clans.”
At Wiji Cheong’s words, the faces of the Tang Clan martial artists turned cold. And...... Dang Myeong gave a faint smile.
“Your blood should be enough comfort.”
SWISH!
Silver thread began to loosen from Dang Myeong’s sleeve.
SWISH! SWISH!
As the silver thread loosened, Wiji Cheong’s eyes flashed.
“You said you would not use hidden weapons.”
At Wiji Cheong’s words, Dang Myeong smiled.
“A hidden weapon refers to an unseen attack...... but my Silver Dragon is my signature technique. Are you saying this Silver Dragon is also a hidden weapon?”
“That...... is not easy to see.”
At Wiji Cheong’s words, Dang Myeong smiled.
SWISH!
And the silver thread slipped back into Dang Myeong’s sleeve.
“Well now...... to think you would tell me not to use even my signature technique......”
“You were the one who said first that you would not use hidden weapons, Dang Myeong.”
At Wiji Cheong’s raised voice, Dang Myeong smiled.
“By your logic, any attack too fast for the eye to see would also be a hidden weapon.”
“That is......”
“Enough. It would be absurd to use the Silver Dragon to deal with you.”
Then Dang Myeong turned his head toward the Tang Clan experts.
“Uncle, lend me your whip.”
At Dang Myeong’s words, one of the Tang Clan experts untied the whip around his waist and threw it.
SNAP!
Dang Myeong snatched the whip and lightly swung it through the air.
CRACK! CRACK!
After whipping the air a couple of times, Dang Myeong looked at Wiji Cheong.
“You will not call this a hidden weapon too, will you?”
“Hmph! Begin.”
When Wiji Cheong raised his sword upright, Dang Myeong smiled and looked at Wiji Cheong with the whip hanging loose.
‘I will tear your clothes...... to shreds.’
Of course, he would tear his skin to shreds along with his clothes.