Chapter 574

Chapter 574 - Side Story 8

The old person answered.

"We're just travelers passing through after losing our way."

"That's strange..."

"Hehehe, it's not strange at all. We wander wherever our feet take us, so we often get lost like this."

"Ah, I see."

But his expression showed he didn't believe them.

"But why did you come here and get lost?"

As suspicion filled the man's eyes, the old person quickly got to the point.

"Hehehe. We're not bad people. We're just looking for a Taoist who once used the Taoist name Woon-jeong..."

Jeong Jin, who now had a new name instead of Woon-jeong.

Jeong Jin looked at the young maiden and said.

"I can't recall ever meeting people like you two. Wait, I feel like I've seen you somewhere before... or maybe not..."

Tang Yu-jeong and Tang Gyeong's faces brightened.

'Taoist Woon-jeong, it's him!'

Jeong Jin asked first.

"What happened to the Qingcheng Sect Taoist?"

"Ah, about that."

"I mean my fellow disciple who warned me of danger. Did you harm him?"

Tang Yu-jeong shook her head.

"Hehehe. There seems to be a misunderstanding. We didn't do such a thing. We simply came to ask Taoist Woon-jeong one thing."

"What is it?"

"Well... there's a rumor that Poison Dragon has a hidden child... do you happen to know about it?"

Jeong Jin flinched.

"Does Benefactor Poison Dragon have another child besides the two at the Tang Family?"

"What?"

At Jeong Jin's question, Tang Yu-jeong and Tang Gyeong were greatly flustered.

Tang Yu-jeong blamed Tang Gyeong via voice transmission.

「What the hell, Taoist Woon-jeong really doesn't know!」

「When did I say he knew? I just thought he'd know since he's close to Dad.」

You can't expect to be full from the first spoonful, but they didn't expect him to not know at all.

Tang Yu-jeong was seething inside.

'Ah damn, we suffered for nothing.'

Tang Gyeong, feeling deflated, said.

"Think carefully. If you were closest to Poison Dragon, how can you not know that?"

Jeong Jin made an uncomfortable expression. He seemed to be recalling the past.

"Was there another woman who tried to kill Benefactor Poison Dragon..."

"What?"

"Strangely, all the women who tried to kill Poison Dragon Taoist Friend ended up falling for him."

Tang Yu-jeong and Tang Gyeong simultaneously thought to themselves.

'Mom?'

As Jeong Jin was speaking, he watched the two who had fallen into thought, then frowned and asked again.

"But who are you?"

"Ah, we're just travelers passing by..."

Jeong Jin pressed them.

"Who are you?"

Tang Yu-jeong and Tang Gyeong answered in panic.

"My daughter."

"This is my father-in-law."

"...?"

Tang Yu-jeong fumbled through an answer.

"Hehehe, actually she's a daughter-like daughter-in-law."

Without answering, Jeong Jin snapped off a tree branch from a nearby tree. Then he held the branch forward. A heavy aura burst forth from Jeong Jin's stance.

Tang Yu-jeong quickly said.

"Since you say you don't know, we have no reason to fight each other."

"No, there is. There is."

Jeong Jin said.

"I don't know who you two are, but I understand why you came looking for me. I heard followers of the Hungry Ghost King have been rampaging lately. I see why you've been searching for me. You won't leave this mountain in one piece."

"No, that's not it..."

Tang Yu-jeong and Tang Gyeong were flustered. They hadn't expected to easily get answers, but they never expected to be mistaken for the Hungry Ghost King's followers!

Wait, wasn't it?

Wasn't it better to be misunderstood than to have their identities discovered?

"Very well. We can't help it. If you win, we'll quietly withdraw."

Having said that, Tang Yu-jeong said something different to Tang Gyeong via voice transmission.

「Let's just go through the motions then escape.」

However, from the listener's perspective, saying they'd withdraw if he won sounded like they'd harm So-so if things went wrong and they didn't quietly withdraw. Jeong Jin's expression hardened.

"What will you do if you don't quietly withdraw?"

"Huh? There seems to be a misunderstanding, but I mean we'll quietly withdraw if you win?"

"So what will you do if you don't quietly withdraw?"

"No, I just mean if you win we'll quietly..."

Tang Yu-jeong thought this would go on endlessly, so she pushed Tang Gyeong's back.

"Agh! Go, daughter-in-law! Show the strength of our family!"

"Yes, father-in-law!"

Tang Gyeong was pushed forward. Still, his expression was bright, perhaps a bit excited.

Woon-jeong was one of the heroes who traversed the martial world together with Jin Ja-gang. For Tang Gyeong who wanted to follow Jin Ja-gang's path exactly, competing against such a person was nothing short of glorious. Especially since Jin Ja-gang himself had initially suffered greatly from Woon-jeong's sound attack techniques.

As Tang Gyeong drew up his internal energy and unconsciously tried to unfold the Tang Family's bare-handed starting stance, he stopped at Tang Yu-jeong's shout.

"Hey! Get a grip, daughter-in-law!"

The foundation of Tang Gyeong's martial arts was the Tang Family's. If he unfolded the starting stance as is, it would directly reveal they were people from the Tang Family. He had no choice but to awkwardly confront Jeong Jin.

However, Jeong Jin showed no mercy and unfolded the Seventy-Two Wave Sword with the tree branch he held. It was also the specialty sword technique of Sect Leader Bok-cheon who had been his master. The breathing never ceased and poured forth like a flood. It couldn't be blocked with awkward defense. Moreover, Tang Gyeong, who had been anticipating sound attacks, was caught off guard by the sudden sword strikes and got hit by most of them.

Thwack thwack thwack!

Tang Gyeong flew about a zhang away and rolled.

At the Tang Family, few could spar with Tang Gyeong because he couldn't properly control his poison energy. Even so, Tang Ha-ran was busy and Jin Ja-gang was too strong to be helpful. Tang Yu-jeong didn't particularly like fighting, plus frequent external missions meant she couldn't spar with him much either.

So Tang Gyeong mainly imagined opponents from Jin Ja-gang's stories. The strange technique of eavesdropping on voice transmissions was also something he learned during time alone.

But now after getting properly beaten in real combat, all the response methods he'd been thinking about were completely forgotten.

"Ow..."

Tang Gyeong barely managed to crawl and stand up. His arms and legs hurt as if they'd all break. Groans came out naturally. Of course, in a man's voice.

Jeong Jin flinched in surprise.

"What exactly is your identity!"

"Father-in-law."

"Daughter-in-law."

Tang Gyeong was incredibly stubborn too. He ripped his skirt completely to make it comfortable, then clenched his fist tight.

Boom! Kicking off the ground at full speed, he flew at Jeong Jin and thrust out his fist. Jeong Jin tapped Tang Gyeong's wrist with the tree branch, then spun his arm around. Tang Gyeong's entire body turned around. However, Tang Gyeong amazingly maintained his center in midair and changed his posture as he wished.

Both fists repeatedly fell toward Jeong Jin's head. Jeong Jin blocked with the tree branch while retreating three steps, but after retreating, the tree branch had completely burst and shrunk to a palm's length. And at each footprint made while retreating, the ground was deeply gouged. It was a phenomenon that occurred from dissipating the force loaded in Tang Gyeong's fist.

Jeong Jin fitted the shortened tree branch between his fingers and snapped it.

A sharp sound rang out. It wasn't just the sound of snapping but the breaking sound of a sound attack.

Tang Gyeong's eardrums felt like they were tearing, so he closed his eyes and screamed.

"Agh!"

His head felt dizzy and he staggered. Jeong Jin didn't rush in and waited. There were too many openings, making it difficult to attack with feints and reality mixed. But realizing he was truly in pain, Jeong Jin gathered his fingers and attacked with a hand technique. He stabbed Tang Gyeong's neck with his fingertips. Tang Gyeong twisted his shoulder and knocked away Jeong Jin's hand. Jeong Jin stabbed at his neck again with his other hand. Tang Gyeong retreated and repeatedly knocked away the hands aiming for his neck with both shoulders.

Jeong Jin leaped up and kicked Tang Gyeong's chest with both feet.

Boom!

This time Tang Gyeong flew three or four zhang and crashed into bushes.

Jeong Jin looked at Tang Yu-jeong. Tang Yu-jeong smiled awkwardly.

"Hehehe."

While sending a voice transmission to Tang Gyeong.

「Hey, that's enough so escape now. Escape.」

Tang Gyeong ignored Tang Yu-jeong's voice transmission. He stood up abruptly. He shook his head like a snorting horse.

"Whoa..."

They'd only exchanged blows briefly but his mind was completely blank.

But.

It was fun. It was enjoyable. He felt good that his blood boiled and he was excited from fighting. This was something he'd never experienced at the Tang Family.

Tang Gyeong clashed with Jeong Jin again.

Jeong Jin had early on experienced fighting for his life against countless masters. He quickly realized that while Tang Gyeong had tremendous internal energy, he was a novice lacking experience. When he mixed feints into his techniques and slightly showed openings, Tang Gyeong would enter and get hit and fall away. It was impossible not to think it strange.

If they were the Hungry Ghost King's followers, he thought they'd be somewhat prepared. What could such greenhorns accomplish in the martial world?

'I need to subdue him in one strike.'

Even if interrogating, it's certain to subdue them first.

Jeong Jin momentarily heightened his offense greatly to give no leeway. Tang Gyeong was pushed back frantically. When Jeong Jin's fist came flying and he blocked above, his ribs were kicked; when he blocked his ribs, his foot was stepped on. He got hit over ten times in an instant.

No matter how deep his internal energy, getting continuously beaten caused his energy and blood to shake, making movement uncomfortable.

"Urgh."

Blood formed at the corner of Tang Gyeong's mouth. He didn't think he'd lose in strength, but he kept getting pushed back in the execution of techniques.

Suddenly his spine went cold. Jeong Jin's fist was fully loaded with internal energy. He could tell this was the final strike. Simultaneously, the fist flew like lightning and lodged in Tang Gyeong's jaw.

However, at that moment Tang Gyeong unconsciously used a technique he'd practiced thousands and tens of thousands of times in his mind. He grabbed Jeong Jin's forearm with both hands and clawed at it. It was Jin Ja-gang's technique, Capturing Dragon Claw!

A long wound formed on Jeong Jin's forearm. It was fortunate he pulled back immediately after thrusting his fist; if he'd been even slightly slower, his arm would have been torn like a rag.

Tang Gyeong lost consciousness and staggered about to collapse, then suddenly lifted his head.

"Heheheh. Did you think I'd fall easily?"

Jeong Jin exhaled a long breath as if exhausted. Seeing him stand right up when his strength was just three parts short of knocking him out, his true strength emerged.

Tang Yu-jeong threatened via voice transmission.

「Want to die? Hurry and naturally escape!」

Tang Gyeong spoke out loud.

"I still have a secret technique left, you know?"

Jeong Jin asked.

"What did you say?"

"Nothing. Now it's my turn."

Tang Gyeong's eyes gleamed.

Jeong Jin thought that gleam was strangely familiar.

The moment a green tint settled in Tang Gyeong's eyes, a shadow fell over Tang Gyeong's head.

"Hey. I told you not to do that."

Tang Yu-jeong was looking down at Tang Gyeong while holding her interlocked fists behind her.

"I won't...!"

Before he could finish shouting not to do it, Tang Yu-jeong's fist fell.

Boom! Tang Gyeong immediately collapsed and his limbs trembled.

"..."

Jeong Jin looked at Tang Yu-jeong in disbelief, and Tang Yu-jeong smiled sheepishly.

"My daughter-in-law... doesn't listen to words very well... hehe, then we'll be taking our leave."

What kind of daughter-in-law do you brutally strike with interlocked fists!

However, while Jeong Jin's several attacks hadn't worked, the old person had knocked out the cross-dressing man in one blow. He intuitively realized their hidden skill was extraordinary. Still, he couldn't let them go like this.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Jeong Jin scowled and tried to block them. Just then, So-so came out from inside and grabbed Jeong Jin from behind to stop him.

"Honey. I told you to stay inside. It's dangerous here!"

However, So-so stared intently at the unconscious, dazed Tang Gyeong and Tang Yu-jeong who was carrying Tang Gyeong on her back, then shook her head.

So-so wrote letters on the ground with a tree branch.

'Tell them everything you know about Poison Dragon Uncle's hidden child.'

"But... I really don't know. And people should have loyalty. Even if I knew, I couldn't tell them..."

'Hurry up.'

There was somehow a smile on So-so's face as she wrote.

"Honey?"

'Don't you still know who those kids are?'