A Tale Of A Scribe Who Retires To The Countryside [EN]: Chapter 197

197. Obstruction

The people of the Tang Clan were in chaos. The heavy vibration of the indoor training hall shook beneath their feet, and the debris raining down obscured their vision.

“What is the meaning of this!”

Someone shouted at Tang Yue-ah. Tang Yue-ah’s single sword strike had caused all of this, so, in a way, the anger wasn’t entirely misplaced.

However, Tang Yue-ah lightly struck the table instead of answering.

Clang.

The swords and scabbards on the table flew into the air. Three swords still in their scabbards and two empty scabbards.

Tang Yue-ah waved her hand at them. A very short and extremely restrained gesture.

Thwack, thwack, thwack.

The five swords and scabbards tore through the air and shot out in all directions.

At that moment, Tang Ok-dam, the Lord of the Tang Clan, the Warlord, swallowed hard.

One of the swords Tang Yue-ah had launched was flying straight towards Tang Ok-dam, scabbard and all.

Whoosh.

It didn’t carry any particular force, but the sword flew with tremendous speed. That alone was enough to take Tang Ok-dam’s life.

Warlord Tang Ok-dam squeezed his eyes shut. Was this how his life as a puppet lord, respected by no one, would end? In that moment, a quiet thud echoed from right beside him.

Thud.

There was no groan or any sound. But he knew for sure that someone other than himself had taken the blow from Tang Yue-ah’s sword.

Warlord Tang Ok-dam opened his eyes. He saw a small shadow moving away from him in an instant.

In that brief moment, Tang Ok-dam saw a grotesquely distorted face.

‘Ugh.’

A figure that looked like it was straight out of a nightmare. An odd expression that seemed to be both crying and laughing. Fortunately, it was a mask.

Thud.

The masked figure landed on the floor of the training hall.

Small enough to be mistaken for a child, the figure crouched on the floor like a beast, glaring at Tang Ok-dam.

A bizarrely shaped mask covered its face, and leather armor covered its body more than necessary. The right shoulder, wrapped in cloth, was exposed, perhaps torn by the impact just now.

Tang Ok-dam frowned. He couldn’t see clearly, but it seemed blood was flowing from the figure’s right shoulder.

But the figure didn’t cover the wound or groan. It just glared at Tang Ok-dam with sharp eyes.

The moment he met that gaze, Tang Ok-dam felt a chill run down his spine. The eyes hidden behind the mask seemed like those of a beast for a moment. A beast baring its teeth, ready to devour him at any moment.

Tang Hwa-ryun was also surprised.

The moment she realized that Tang Yue-ah’s sword was flying towards her, Tang Hwa-ryun knew it was a warning.

Swish.

Tang Hwa-ryun immediately drew her sword. And she discovered a bizarre mask falling towards her. That distorted expression was like an evil spirit or vengeful ghost.

‘Heh.’

In that instant, Tang Hwa-ryun realized she was in danger.

The evil spirit-like figure that had pounced on Tang Hwa-ryun was reaching out its hand towards her.

The hand, tinged with a deathly red light, was already lunging for Tang Hwa-ryun’s neck, and it seemed too late for her sword to block the evil spirit’s hand.

However, Tang Yue-ah’s sword was not late.

Bang!

Tang Yue-ah’s sword struck the bizarre mask’s shoulder head-on. As if not even considering defense, the bizarre mask’s body shook violently. Tang Hwa-ryun didn’t miss the opportunity and swung her sword.

Whoosh.

But Tang Hwa-ryun’s sword cut through the air. The bizarre mask lightly twisted its body to avoid Tang Hwa-ryun’s sword.

‘This is!’

Tang Hwa-ryun’s expression changed. Even though she was in a state of chaos, Tang Hwa-ryun’s skill was by no means low. To deflect her sword right in front of her, even after being struck by Tang Yue-ah’s sword.

Tang Hwa-ryun, who was about to continue her attack, immediately raised her sword and stepped back. If she followed up like this, she might be counterattacked.

Thud.

The evil spirit-like mask landed, creating distance from Tang Hwa-ryun. Tang Hwa-ryun shouted, holding her sword in front of her body.

“Who are you!”

The clear voice of the young Chief Military Officer Tang Hwa-ryun echoed through the training hall.

“How dare you intrude here! Reveal your identities at once!”

Tang Hwa-ryun’s voice was full of anger. The people who had been in confusion seemed to finally realize the rapidly changing situation and began to speak one by one.

“Wh, what is this…….”

“What is going on!”

“Tang Un-yeong!”

Someone shouted in surprise. A person wearing a bizarre mask was crouching in front of the old woman, Tang Un-yeong.

Like the one in front of Chief Military Officer Tang Hwa-ryun, this strange person had also been directly hit by the sword Tang Yue-ah had launched in its scabbard.

“I’m fine.”

Tang Un-yeong said in a calm voice.

“Is everyone else alright?”

Other than the three people, Lord Tang Ok-dam, Chief Military Officer Tang Hwa-ryun, and the old woman Tang Un-yeong, no one else seemed to have been attacked.

“Yue-ah! Are you alright?”

Tang Hwa-ryun asked in a hurried voice. Only then did people see another strange person crouching in front of Tang Yue-ah. Tang Yue-ah was also included in the list of targets.

Tang Yue-ah stood quietly as if nothing had happened. Only the shattered table and the missing swords told that she had prevented this situation.

“Keuh.”

A groan escaped from someone’s lips. The person who collapsed, clutching his arm, was Tang Chun-woo, the head of the Golden Dragon Unit.

“Golden Dragon Unit Leader!”

Elder Tang Bi-kwang exclaimed in surprise. The Golden Dragon Unit Leader’s face was filled with dismay. He had also been attacked by a bizarre mask.

The scabbard that Tang Yue-ah had launched had clearly pushed the attacker away. However, the Golden Dragon Unit Leader saw it as an opportunity and instead followed the bizarre mask, launching a sword strike.

As the Golden Dragon Unit guarding the Tang Clan, it was a natural judgment and timely action. In fact, his sword, imbued with sword energy, seemed to cut the opponent in two.

However, the opponent not only lightly avoided the sword but also inflicted a wound on the Golden Dragon Unit Leader’s arm with something like a sharp dagger.

Rustle.

The five strange people stepped back. The people of the Tang Clan felt a chilling sensation.

As they moved quickly with their small frames and lowered postures, it was like watching beasts or spiders moving.

“Are you alright?”

Elder Tang Bi-kwang, who was near the Golden Dragon Unit Leader, asked with a serious expression.

“I don’t think I’m alright.”

Tang Chun-woo, the handsome middle-aged Golden Dragon Unit Leader, grimaced. Elder Tang Bi-kwang, who had approached the Golden Dragon Unit Leader while wary of the masked strangers, swallowed hard at the sight of the wound.

‘Poison.’

The wound itself was small, as if scratched by something. But the area around the wound was rapidly turning black.

Ordinary poison could never harm the Golden Dragon Unit Leader like this.

Tang Bi-kwang quickly pressed on the pressure points on the Golden Dragon Unit Leader Tang Chun-woo’s shoulder and arm.

Tap, tap.

“Kuh-euhm.”

Tang Chun-woo groaned. Tang Bi-kwang took measures, accepting that he would not be able to use his arm in the future, but the rate of discoloration did not decrease at all.

Swish.

“Step aside.”

Elder Tang Bi-kwang raised his head at the voice he heard from above. The young Chief Military Officer Tang Hwa-ryun was already standing in front of him.

Rustle.

Tang Hwa-ryun knelt down next to the Golden Dragon Unit Leader Tang Chun-woo. A slender cylindrical object appeared from her bosom.

Holding the slender, finger-sized, and sparkling white object with both hands, Tang Hwa-ryun straightened it. And without hesitation, she twisted it with force.

Crack.

With a small sound, one end opened, and a refreshing fragrance spread out. What came out of it was a thin silver needle about the length of a finger.

Tang Hwa-ryun plunged the silver needle, glistening with some kind of liquid, into the area near the Golden Dragon Unit Leader’s heart.

“Keuh.”

The Golden Dragon Unit Leader Tang Chun-woo’s massive frame convulsed. Tang Hwa-ryun poured the remaining liquid onto Tang Chun-woo’s wound without a care.

Sizzle.

A burning sound and a pungent smell rose. It was such an intense reaction that it seemed like she was adding more poison rather than treating it.

“Congratulations.”

Tang Hwa-ryun said in a clear voice. She put the remaining items back into her bosom and said.

“You’ve saved your life. Without this ‘Return of the Soul (還魂)’ [a rare and potent elixir], I couldn’t have guaranteed your survival even if I had cut off your arm.”

“Return of the Soul!”

Some people gasped, and some were shocked. But many people didn’t understand what she was saying.

The twelve elders, including Tang Bi-kwang, were on the shocked side.

‘Sh, she had the Return of the Soul.’

The ‘Return of the Soul’ was a secret elixir of the Tang Clan.

Named ‘Return of the Soul’ because it could revive even the dead, it was considered lost even within the Tang Clan.

So much so that they said, ‘The one who has the Return of the Soul is like having an extra life.’

Tang Hwa-ryun had that Return of the Soul and used it to save the Golden Dragon Unit Leader Tang Chun-woo.

“Since you’ve directly experienced the family’s secret elixir for the first time in a hundred years, make sure to describe and report the subsequent symptoms in detail.”

It was an elixir that even the Tang Clan people who were watching, and even the Golden Dragon Unit Leader Tang Chun-woo, who had been saved, thought, ‘Is it okay to use this on me?’ But Tang Hwa-ryun was calm without even showing a hint of regret.

Rustle.

The people of the Tang Clan watched Tang Hwa-ryun, who was getting up, with stiff expressions.

If she had something like that, they couldn’t even imagine what else she had inherited from Tang Baek-ho. That was the power Tang Hwa-ryun possessed and the foundation that made her the Chief Military Officer.

“Now, will you reveal your identities?”

Tang Hwa-ryun said in a clear voice with a sneer. The five people wearing bizarre masks had already taken positions as if to surround them.

“Waiting like this means you wanted to make a grand entrance, right?”

At Tang Hwa-ryun’s words, some people flinched as if they had finally realized. Certainly, the other party had let Tang Hwa-ryun treat the Golden Dragon Unit Leader Tang Chun-woo.

“A grand entrance… That’s a vulgar expression.”

A familiar voice was heard from behind a large black pillar. Everyone’s eyes turned to that place at once, and the voice continued.

“It’s something a vulgar girl with no roots and no sense of propriety would say.”

Thud.

Someone stepped forward from the darkness. The moment they saw his appearance, everyone’s expressions hardened as if they couldn’t believe it.

However, Tang Hwa-ryun rather raised a sneer.

“That may be true. But I don’t want to hear that from you. From you, who has only inherited everything and hasn’t achieved anything with your own hands.”

Tang Hwa-ryun’s eyes turned sharp. She said, chewing on each word.

“Inner Lord Tang Hu-kwang.”

The person who revealed himself was none other than Tang Hu-kwang, the Inner Lord of the Tang Clan.

“Inner Lord!”

Someone shouted in surprise. Clearly, the Inner Lord Tang Hu-kwang, who had been next to them until just now, had appeared beyond the five strange people.

“Just inherited? Nobility is originally given from the heavens. I…….”

The Inner Lord Tang Hu-kwang’s words were not finished. A roar of anger and rebuke erupted towards him.

“Inner Lord! What is the meaning of this!”

“Explain yourself, Inner Lord!”

“Who are these people!”

The Inner Lord Tang Hu-kwang frowned at their voices pouring out towards him.

Swish.

Tang Hu-kwang bent down and picked up a sword lying at his feet. The water buffalo horn, which was originally the scabbard, was shattered, with only a part of it remaining.

“Hmm. Did you block it with this? Your inner strength is quite substantial for a girl.”

Holding the sword, Tang Hu-kwang shook off some of the shattered scabbard pieces. And he gripped the sword in his hand.

Whoosh.

A sound came from the sword held in Tang Hu-kwang’s hand, and soon a blue sword energy soared up.

“Gasp.”

Some people swallowed hard.

The martial arts of the Inner Lord, who manages internal affairs, are not very high. Not only Tang Hu-kwang but also the position of Inner Lord has been like that for generations.

But the sword energy visible before their eyes was lightly shattering that preconceived notion.

“You have seen what happened to the Golden Dragon Unit Leader.”

Tang Hu-kwang said in a seemingly polite tone. But everyone knew that it was not a sign of respect.

“I don’t want unnecessary sacrifices. So please keep your mouths shut and stay quietly in your places.”

People flinched at the words ‘unnecessary sacrifices.’

Everyone had seen that the Golden Dragon Unit Leader had almost died from just a graze. No, he would have definitely died if it weren’t for the ‘Return of the Soul.’

People looked at the five strange people wearing bizarre masks again. Even in this situation, they had not said a word or expressed any emotion. As if they were not people but something eerie.

“This is my last warning.”

Beyond the blue sword energy, Tang Hu-kwang smiled with a bizarre expression.

“Tang Hu-kwang!”

The indoor training hall echoed loudly. Elder Tang Hwan-dok’s voice was erupting like a lion’s roar.

“Do you think you can survive after daring to do such a thing!”

Elder Tang Hwan-dok’s temper was famous even within the Tang Clan. He was the one who had flared up at Tang Yue-ah’s words that she would test the Tang Clan, and he was also the one who couldn’t hide his anger at Tang Hu-kwang’s warning.

“Elder Tang Hwan-dok.”

The Inner Lord Tang Hu-kwang frowned.

“The fact that I didn’t target you is pure goodwill. Don’t make that consideration futile.”

Tang Hu-kwang was openly speaking down to him. His words might be true.

However, it was different for Tang Hwan-dok, who had been insulted.

“You bastard…….”

Elder Tang Hwan-dok’s voice trembled. He was about to disregard his life and charge at Tang Hu-kwang.

The Inner Lord Tang Hu-kwang held the sword with the flickering sword energy in one hand and quietly put the other hand into his bosom.

“Wait, Hwan-dok.”

It was Elder Tang Bi-kwang, with his cautious personality, who stopped Tang Hwan-dok. He looked at Tang Hwan-dok once and then spoke to the Inner Lord Tang Hu-kwang.

“Inner Lord. The Tang Hu-kwang I know was a person who was calm in everything and made rational judgments.”

Elder Tang Bi-kwang looked at Tang Hu-kwang and continued.

“Can you explain why you did this?”

“‘Why I did this’?”

The Inner Lord Tang Hu-kwang laughed.

“It’s simple. To rebuild the fallen Tang Clan.”

Elder Tang Bi-kwang frowned.

“The fallen Tang Clan?”

“I see you don’t know either.”

The Inner Lord Tang Hu-kwang’s smile deepened.

“A girl with no roots becomes the Chief Military Officer of the Tang Clan, and even if she acts arrogantly without knowing her place, no one rebukes her.”

The Inner Lord Tang Hu-kwang’s voice, which had been speaking in a rather arrogant tone, was gradually becoming agitated.

“And now they’re promoting that poisonous girl to be the best in the Tang Clan? Is this what the elders of the family should be doing! That’s why the name of the Tang Clan is being looked down upon! That’s why the name of the Tang Clan is……. Heok!”

Tang Hu-kwang, who had been shouting passionately, suddenly swallowed hard. He felt an enormous force shooting towards him.

Kwagwak.

There was no time to properly assess the situation. Tang Hu-kwang immediately twisted his body and swung his sword.

His sword, which had been spewing blue sword energy, tore through the air, and then an enormous impact struck him.

Bang! Chwaaa.

“Keuk.”

Tang Hu-kwang groaned and was pushed back. His sword had blocked the attack, but it had not been able to deflect the aftermath.

“Th, this bitch dares…….”

Tang Hu-kwang spat out the words as if chewing them. His eyes, gleaming with murderous intent, were staring straight at Tang Yue-ah, a delicate young lady wearing a fluttering veil.

“The Tang Clan, I don’t care about any of it.”

A small voice flowed out from behind the veil.

Tang Yue-ah’s slender white hand was lightly holding a small piece of a broken scabbard.

What she had shot at Tang Hu-kwang just now must have been that as well. Now it was shattered and impossible to find even a trace of it.

“But I already said I would test you.”

Tang Yue-ah’s cold voice echoed in everyone’s ears. It seemed as if Tang Yue-ah’s resolute eyes could be seen beyond the veil.

“I won’t forgive anyone who touches what’s mine.”

Her deep obsession was buried in her slender voice. The people who were listening felt goosebumps without realizing it.

‘Wo, Yue-ah.’

Her sister Tang Hwa-ryun was also the same. She trembled with joy and delight. At this moment, Tang Yue-ah’s appearance standing in front of her seemed to be shining more brightly than ever before.

But her emotion was only for a moment.

“Except for Young Master Sohn.”

At Tang Yue-ah’s added remark, Tang Hwa-ryun’s face twisted without her realizing it.