novelzi Chapter 6
Chapter 6
Chapter 6: Mount Emei
Click.
The window of the palanquin opened slightly, and the strained voice of a guard drifted in. “Miss, the palanquin can’t proceed any further.”
Tang Sohwa nodded. She had already been informed of the lake ahead.
Stepping out, she saw a hunched figure.
“Noona, hop on.”
When she didn’t immediately comply, Tang Hak turned to look at her, wiggling his thick eyebrows and patting his back insistently. “You’ll ruin your shoes. From here on, I’ll carry you!”@@@@
... ‘What is wrong with this child?’ The heavy thoughts that had been weighing on her mind dissipated instantly.
Sighing inwardly, she asked, “...Hak-ah, do you know why the palanquin can’t go any further?”
“The path is treacherous! But I’m fine. Come on, Noona.”
His cheerful obliviousness left her feeling strangely empty-headed. It was an unpleasant sensation. Lately, she’d been thinking that perhaps distancing herself from him in her past life hadn’t been such a bad idea after all.
“That clueless boy is my clan’s heir? Ha, the Tang Clan is doomed.” Tang Min clicked his tongue from behind them. Tang Hak flinched and averted his gaze.
Splash.
The refreshing sound of water reached their ears. A small boat bobbed gently on the shore of a vast lake. The Black Tiger Unit warriors who had accompanied them had scouted ahead, securing a means of transport. They were searching for signs of habitation. If there was no way to cross the lake, then this gorge wasn't the right location, and they would have to turn back. The fact that they hadn’t indicated a need to retreat meant they had found a way across.
Everyone seemed to understand this unspoken message except Tang Hak.
Sohwa patted Tang Hak’s back and stepped aside. “Thank you for offering to carry me across the lake, but I’d rather not drown on your back.”
Tang Hak straightened, coughing awkwardly. “Ahem, I was wondering where Yoonjin had disappeared to. He must have gone to find a boat.”
Displeased with this observation, Tang Min muttered, “When we return, I need to have a serious discussion with Jiha about replacing the heir. We can just gather everyone during a meeting and beat some sense into him.”
He casually disparaged the Clan Head, an act of blatant insubordination, yet no one batted an eye. In fact, some even seemed intimidated.
“E-Elder Tang Min! Please don’t do that to Father! I’ll do better!”
The Mad Dog shook his head seriously. “What can you possibly do? If your martial arts are lacking, we can beat you into shape. But stupidity... there’s no cure for that.”
“You’re going to b-beat me?” Tang Hak’s eyes widened in alarm, and he instinctively shielded himself with his arms.
“...You’re really asking for it.”
Ignoring the bickering duo, Sohwa turned her gaze towards the gorge. A clear lake, nestled between steep mountain peaks, stretched before her. The cliffs surrounding the lake were indented, either artificially carved or the result of a landslide, creating a basin that collected the water from the mountain streams, forming a wide, lake-like expanse.
A chill had run down Sohwa’s spine. The air around them had grown frigid, as if her father had suddenly mastered ice-based internal energy.
He then smiled, looking at Elder Tang Min. I’m surprised someone so knowledgeable about raising children is still single at your age. Ah, but of course, children aren't made alone.
“...” The objects around Tang Min had levitated slightly. But Tang Jiha simply sipped his tea, feigning ignorance.
Caught between them, Tang Sohwa had briefly considered abandoning the entire endeavor. The atmosphere was that tense.
Unable to bear the suffocating tension, she had finally interjected. Why do you assume I’m lying?
She had feigned hurt feelings. If you’re so concerned about the truth, why not ask the Head Physician to verify my claims?
Despite fabricating the entire scenario, she had acted as if only the content of the note was in question. Her audacity had been so convincing that both Tang Min and Tang Jiha had summoned the Head Physician to confirm the information.
The Head Physician had corroborated her story. Naturally. Everything Tang Sohwa "knew" about the Divine Physician’s troupe came from his own lectures.
‘My lady, we are not divine physicians. We cannot afford to be so frivolous with our precious herbs. While the Tang Clan’s wealth is immeasurable, so too are the mouths we must feed. We must value the resources of the medical pavilion. This is our small contribution to the clan’s prosperity.’
It was a lecture she had heard countless times whenever requesting medicinal herbs.
The Clan Head could no longer refuse Tang Min's request to investigate.
Still clinging to his pride, he had proposed sending the Young Master in Sohwa's place.
Sending the heir apparent to a potentially dangerous location after forbidding his daughter from going?
Tang Min had been puzzled, but the Clan Head had immediately summoned Tang Hak and ordered him to accompany the Elder. Tang Hak, quickly grasping the situation, had agreed readily, relieved to be going in his sister’s stead. Even the terrifying Tang Min was preferable to facing his father's wrath.
Seeing this, Sohwa had intervened, expressing her hurt feelings at their lack of trust, questioning the point of her martial arts training if they wouldn't even allow her to use it. Finally, the Clan Head relented, but with conditions: She would be accompanied by his personal guard, the Black Tiger Unit. She would send updates via carrier pigeon every hour. A chef and ample provisions would be provided to ensure she didn't miss any meals.
Tang Min had nearly throttled the Clan Head, protesting the ridiculous demands, complaining about being forced into babysitting.
Remembering the chaotic scene, Sohwa massaged her temples. She finally understood why their ancestors had capped the repayment of kindness at twice the original amount. If they had demanded tenfold repayment for every kindness, half the clan would have abandoned the Tang name.
Repaying kindness was far more arduous than she had anticipated.
In the end, she was accompanied by ten elite warriors from the Black Tiger Unit, led by the deputy leader, along with Tang Min and Tang Hak.
Though forced to comply with her father’s demands, she still felt burdened by their presence.
She shook her head, declining Tang Min’s suggestion to bring the rest of the unit. “Bringing the main force would attract unwanted attention. There are many perceptive individuals on Mount Emei. It could lead to unnecessary misunderstandings.”
The Emei Sect resided on Mount Emei. Alerting them to their presence would be problematic. Anyone would be wary of a heavily armed group entering their territory.
However, she wasn't willing to reveal their true purpose, the search for the Divine Physician's troupe. Even within the Martial Alliance, there was no need to share information unless it posed a threat to the central plains. The Divine Physician, in these peaceful times, wasn’t a threat to the established order. Unless a demonic being like the Heavenly Demon or the Blood Demon emerged, disrupting the peace, the Divine Physician was inconsequential.
Tang Min nodded in agreement. “Indeed. We’ve done all the work. We can’t let those lazy Taoists reap the rewards.”
They couldn't possibly hand over the opportunity to form a connection with the Divine Physician to some other sect, content to laze around in the mountains. It would be infuriating to do all the hard work only to have another sect swoop in and claim the prize. Tang Min, true to form, voiced his greedy thoughts. Sohwa smiled and continued, “And there’s another reason.”