Chapter 13 – Sichuan’s Tang Family (3)

As soon as I set foot in the entrance of the Tang Family, people poured out from the Nine Progress Gate, standing tall at the entrance.

The people rushing out greeted the Family Head and congratulated him on his return.

As for me, not yet introduced as a family member, I followed behind the Deputy leader, glancing around, when suddenly I heard the voices of the warriors, like a chorus, exclaiming:

“The Young Miss is coming down!”

“The Young Miss is on her way!”

At the mention of the Young Miss, I peeked over the Deputy leader’s shoulder towards the distant mountain ridge, where I saw a lady in a red silk dress, flying towards us like a fairy.

‘Insane…’

It felt like a burst of radiance from the sky.

Did she have her own halo or something?

I had been quite popular as a YouTuber and had discovered that poisons, surprisingly, make for great content with women.

I wasn’t afraid of snakes.

I wasn’t scared of insects.

Many female celebrities and pretty YouTubers, wanting to show their strong image or scream in fear, had requested to collaborate with me. Hence, I thought I had built up quite a resistance to beautiful women.

I had even collaborated with the three most beautiful actresses in Korea.

But…

This lady was different.

Her birth, her lineage, her aura, her very existence was just different.

The women I had met in my past life were mere squids compared to her.

No, if this lady had been among the women I met in my past life, she would have turned them all into mere garnishes, or rather, radish slices laid beneath sashimi.

A human radish maker.

‘Is she the Family Head’s daughter!? The Lady must be incredibly beautiful… Well, of course.’

I thought that the future of Sichuan Tang Family was bright, thanks to the Lady of the house.

“Father!”

“Hwa-eun, are you well?”

“Yes, Father. I’m sorry.”

“No matter. As long as you are healthy. Ah! I have someone to introduce to you.”

As she gracefully descended before the Family Head, my introduction suddenly began.

As the Deputy leader stepped aside at the words of the Family Head, my disheveled appearance was revealed.

The appearance of someone who hadn’t washed properly for nearly a month.

I wanted to hide in a mouse hole out of embarrassment, but as a newcomer, I couldn’t skip the greeting.

Feeling intimidated in front of such beauty, and embarrassed by my unkempt appearance, I stepped forward hesitantly. Then, I heard the Family Head introduce me.

“Ah, Xiaolong. This is my daughter, Tang Hwa-eun. What did you call it? Yuejo? Ah! Right. Yueji! Yes, this child is precisely Yueji.”

“What!?”

“Huh!?”

The surprised looks of the warriors around me.

I had heard stories in my past life about employees being crushed like ants by the absurd jokes of presidents and chairmen, but I never thought it would happen to me.

I checked everything thoroughly before joining, except for the Family Head’s penchant for absurd jokes.

‘This must be that infamous boss joke I’ve only heard about, where only the boss finds it funny and the employees suffer… I never expected the Family Head to have such a taste for useless jokes!’

My first impression with the boss’s daughter plummeted because of the Family Head’s boss joke.

The boss’s daughter looked at me with a bewildered expression.

And why wouldn’t she? If someone called a woman ‘Yueji,’ what woman would like that?

In my past life, ‘Yueji’ was a euphemism used for unattractive women.

‘Damn! Is my life in the Tang family going to be twisted like this? With the boss’s daughter, of all people… But why did I call her Yueji?’

Amidst my astonishment, I tried to recall when I ever mentioned “Yueji.”

I needed to know the situation to apologize, if necessary.

Or else, I would clear up the misunderstanding.

「”······Of course, it’s not something I boast about, but my daughter, one of the Three Beauties of the Central Plains…”

“Wait a moment!”

“What did you just say!?”

“Huh? Ah, even though you are young, you’re also a man, right? Yes, my daughter, one of the Three Beauties of the Central Plains…”

“Not that, not the beauty. Before that.”」

“What!?”

‘No… It can’t be. Surely not? That’s impossible.’

It was a situation that exceeded my brain’s capacity for comprehension.

If I remembered correctly, this fairy-like lady, no, the boss’s daughter, was supposed to be one of the benefits the Family Head was granting me.

‘Wei Xiaolong, get a grip! Honestly, she’s a beautiful woman, so it’s natural to wonder when you’d marry or what to name your third child the moment you see her. You’re a man, after all.

But she’s the boss’s daughter. It must be some misunderstanding.

This is definitely a memory error! A great family like this wouldn’t offer a goddess to an orphan like me…’

Indeed, it was an absurd thought.

All I had done to save the dying daughter of the Family Head was to provide information about the possible location of a Blue-Spotted Centipede.

But giving his daughter in return was just nonsense.

I composed myself and bowed to ease this awkward situation.

“Fa, Family Head, you have quite the sense of humor. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Young Miss. My name is Wei Xiaolong. I heard you were very ill, so seeing you healthy now is a relief.”

“What? Ah… Nice to meet you. I am Tang Hwa-eun. Thank you for saving my life. I, Tang Hwa-eun, will never forget this debt in my lifetime.”

With that awkward greeting over, the Family Head smiled and said,

“Hwa-eun, you must repay this debt for a lifetime.”

“Yes, of course, Father. I, Tang Hwa-eun, won’t engrave this gratitude in blood and stone, but in blood and bone. I will honor this young hero with the gratitude etched deep in my marrow.”

“That’s my daughter.”

With the greetings concluded, the Family Head started climbing the stairs, his daughter on his right and me on his left.

As I followed the Family Head deeper into Sichuan Tang Family, I heard his voice in my head as if it were ringing inside.

[What do you think? The rose, would you like to pluck it?]

It sounded like the Family Head’s voice echoing in my mind.

Having seen the use of telepathy in the martial world during my journey to Sichuan and having witnessed the Deputy Leader’s demonstration, I knew this was telepathy.

Looking up at the Family Head, I saw him smiling mischievously at me.

‘Is it true!? Then, as expected, the rose is that lady…’

My hand covered my mouth in surprise, and my head involuntarily shook rapidly in response to the Family Head’s question.

It seemed like an affirmation, though it was more out of shock.

Really.

***

The awkward greeting initiated by the father’s joke had ended.

Having heard of the mysterious young hero, She had imagined various images, but Tang Hwa-eun’s first impression of the young hero was pitiful, which was unexpected.

The journey must have been hard, but more than that, he seemed very thin, perhaps from not eating well, and his clothes were shabby.

According to grandfather, the young hero had survived by catching snakes and lizards in the mountains, so it seemed plausible.

However, considering he lived alone in the mountains, Tang Hwa-eun was quite impressed with his polite behavior.

Deciding to care for him as a younger brother, she had worried he might be a ruffian, but seeing his character, she felt relieved.

Therefore, Tang Hwa-eun instructed her servants to prepare rich food daily and personally made sure to arrange for new clothes and baths for him.

It was only natural to repay a debt of gratitude.

So there they were, Tang Hwa-eun, her father, and the Young Hero, arriving in front of the left room of the quadrangle house where only the direct descendants of Sichuan Tang Family resided.

Her mother and grandfather were waiting in front, both delighted at her father’s return.

“Have you returned?”

“I have returned, Father.”

“Good, you’ve worked hard. Young Hero, it’s been a while. Feel at home here.”

“It’s been a while, Elder. Thank you for your hospitality.”

“Have you returned, Family Head?”

“My wife, have you been well? You’ve worked hard.”

“What hardship could I have? The Family Head has had the true hardship. Moreover, this is the Young Hero who helped save Hwa-eun. Thank you, Young Hero. The Tang family will never forget your kindness.”

“It’s nothing. I haven’t done much, and I appreciate your warm welcome.”

After a brief exchange of greetings.

Now, as they were about to enter the inner part of the courtyard, reserved only for the direct descendants, her mother was about to guide the guest to the guest hall.

“The maids should prepare a bath for the guest, and in the guest hall, the best room should be…”

“Wife, please offer the guest one of the rooms inside the inner courtyard.”

“What!? The inner courtyard?”

Her mother was surprised by her father’s words.

Her grandfather also widened his eyes in disbelief.

“Are you saying to put the guest in the inner courtyard?”

The inner part of the courtyard, beyond the Courtyard Gate, was really for family members only, and the innermost rooms, even more inner, implied sharing the backyard, which was indeed surprising.

Sharing the backyard was only possible for blood-related direct family members, especially since Tang Hwa-eun’s room was also there.

For the daughters of noble families, it was unheard of to cross the Courtyard Gate and go into the inner garden, let alone share the further inner backyard with someone outside the family.

It was astonishing because it suggested sharing the same space as the daughter.

“Yes, Father. We both have urgent matters to discuss, so let’s go inside.”

It was a bit too much, even for a benefactor.

As the bewildered guest was led by the maids to the innermost rooms, Tang Hwa-eun entered the main room used by her parents with the elders.

Then, as expected, her grandfather was the first to speak.

“How could you place the Young Hero in the innermost rooms? That’s a place for sharing the backyard. Isn’t it a bit too much for a guest? And Hwa-eun, who isn’t married yet, is there too.”

As her mother and Tang Hwa-eun nodded in agreement to the grandfather’s question.

Her father smiled and began to explain.

“I must tell this story first. After parting with you, Father, I almost lost my life at the abandoned Taoist temple where I found the Young Hero.”

“What!?”

“Yes!?”

The elders were shocked to hear that the father almost died.

Then the father took out a book from his robe and placed it on the table.

“This, this is!?”

“Th, The Blood Water Poisonous Claws! How come this cursed evil cultivation technique is in your hands!?”

The Blood Water Poisonous Claws was an evil cultivation technique known even to Tang Hwa-eun, originally belonging to the Tak Wun-yang, who was killed by her grandfather.

“It seems Tak Wun-yang did not die at the hands of Father but survived, harboring resentment in Haenam Island.”

“Ta, Tak Wun-yang that scoundrel! So, what happened? It wouldn’t have been easy for you to defeat him if he was alive!”

Given that even her grandfather had struggled in five hundred exchanges before he could strike Tak Wun-yang, it must have been no easy feat for her father.

As everyone was curious about what had happened, the father’s answer was astonishing.

“The Blood-Hand Rakshasa, Tak Wun-yang, was killed by the Young Hero.”

“What!? The Young Hero!?”

“This, this Young Hero?”

The story that continued, in front of the astonished family, was as mysterious as the grandfather’s description of the Young Hero, filled with extraordinary elements.

It began with the Young Hero hatching the eggs of the Blue-Spotted Centipede.

The story of how he used the offspring of the Blue-Spotted Centipede to defeat Tak Wun-yang left everyone in disbelief.

The father’s explanation of the Young Hero’s exceptional skill in breeding venomous creatures and his ability to identify them amazed everyone.

They were also impressed to learn that while searching Haenam Island to locate Tak Wun-yang’s hideout, the Young Hero discovered people suffering from a strange disease and identified the Kissing Bug as the cause.

“Such a talent existed?”

“Yes, we thought we were fortunate to meet him, but the real fortune was not his help, but the Young Hero himself.”

“Haha. To think we were oblivious to such a treasure.”

The climax of the father’s story was something even more astonishing, putting all previous tales to shame.

The father recounted encountering a Zhen Bird, a creature thought to exist only in legends.

– Click.

Inside a wooden box designed to block poison, a beautiful feather.

“This is the feather of the Zhen Bird.”

“This, this is… I can feel an incredible poison from the inside of the feather.”

“This is the feather of a Zhen Bird. It’s beautiful.”

While they were captivated by the beauty and toxicity of the Zhen Bird’s feather.

“Hwa-eun?”

The soft voice of her father.

As Hwa-eun shifted her gaze from the Zhen Bird’s feather to her father, he made an unbelievable proposal.

“I want to welcome this Young Hero as my son-in-law, what do you think?”

“Son-in-law? You mean as… What!?”

For her father to say he wants to welcome him as a son-in-law meant he wanted this young man as Hwa-eun’s partner. She was about to reach the Hundred Poisons Realm and soon ascend to the Thousand Poisons Realm.

Even if he wasn’t a man, he would bring great benefits to the family, she thought, but her father was ready to give her to this young stranger.

A son-in-law for the Tang family meant a live-in son-in-law.

It seemed her father was enticed by the young man’s ability to breed venomous creatures.

Even without that, Tang Hwa-eun herself was capable of advancing the family.

Rising from her seat, Tang Hwa-eun said firmly,

“I am also a member of the Tang family. I understand why Father would say such a thing. However, I will check if the Young Hero truly deserves me!”

With that, she stormed out towards the innermost room.

‘I’ll thoroughly check everything from his capabilities to his character!’

As she was briskly walking through the backyard.

There sat the Young Hero, having finished his bath, dripping water from his hair in the pavilion.

Hwa-eun approached him and spoke directly.

“Excuse me, Young Hero. I’m in a bit of a hurry, could you please lend me your hand?”

She asked for his hand to check whether he had the qualities to be respected as a martial artist, intending to feel his pulse.

Though she might not be as accurate as her grandfather, Hwa-eun could make out the basics.

Then, after a moment of silence.

The Young Hero cleared his throat and said,

“Ahem… I’m not sure why you’re in such a hurry. Perhaps it would be better to do this sort of thing once we get to know each other better?”

Realizing how her words might have been misunderstood, Hwa-eun’s face began to turn red.

“Well, I mean, I wouldn’t mind…”

“What, what are you saying! That’s not what I meant!”

Hwa-eun’s sharp voice echoed through the backyard and out towards Tang Family Mountain.

She had thought him a mere child, but it seemed the Young Hero was more mature than she had expected.

***

If you find any errors or have suggestions, please feel free to provide feedback.

Thank you for reading!

[Author – 에르훗]

[Translator – Roshi]