Chapter 575

Chapter 575 - Side Story 9

"Ah, yes. Thank you for the meal."

Tang Yu-jeong and Tang Gyeong ended up having dinner at Jeong Jin's house by chance. After Jeong Jin and So-so exchanged written notes, they suddenly invited the two to dine.

Two whole chickens were served boiled.

Awkward...

Tang Yu-jeong and Tang Gyeong sat quietly, feeling embarrassed. Jeong Jin and So-so didn't ask anything. They just occasionally looked at the two. Tang Gyeong also occasionally touched the back of his head while glancing at Tang Yu-jeong. Of course, the emotion contained was quite different from Jeong Jin and So-so's somehow warm gazes.

"Um..."

Tang Yu-jeong opened her mouth.

"Thank you for the dinner invitation, but why are you suddenly doing this?"

"You said you wanted to hear about Benefactor Poison Dragon, didn't you? If you don't want to, never mind."

"No. Please tell us. You said earlier you didn't know."

"Actually, there's not much to tell, but there's something that comes to mind, so I thought I'd share at least that."

Tang Gyeong asked.

"Don't tell me it's what you mentioned earlier? That anyone who tries to kill Poison Dragon becomes his lover..."

Since he'd already been caught being a man, it was strange to try hard to make a woman's voice, but he couldn't outright use a man's voice either, so Tang Gyeong was still imitating a woman's voice.

Not only the listeners but he himself felt extremely awkward, but there was nothing he could do.

"That's right. It was really strange, but the most vicious of them was, uh, um... the one who became his wife now..."

Tang Yu-jeong and Tang Gyeong simultaneously thought of Tang Ha-ran.

'Mom?'

So-so poked Jeong Jin's side. Jeong Jin urged Tang Yu-jeong and Tang Gyeong.

"Ah, it's not much, but let's eat while we talk."

"Yes, yes."

Even if there was poison, they wouldn't care, but Tang Yu-jeong and Tang Gyeong felt strange and nervously tore into the chicken.

"So where should I start with this story..."

Jeong Jin pondered a bit while speaking. Since he'd noticed they were Jin Ja-gang's son and daughter, he couldn't speak in too much detail, but he couldn't be too vague either.

"At the time, there were several women who liked Benefactor Poison Dragon. Ah, I didn't know this myself, my wife told me later."

So-so nodded with a blushing face.

"There was a young lady named An Ryeong from the An Family Medical Clan, whose main branch has since been annihilated and is hard to find. And there was Ice Phoenix Son-bi, a disciple of the Southern Sea Sword Sect. Both were outstanding enough in beauty and ability to be counted among the Three Dragons Four Phoenixes."

When stories of Jin Ja-gang's past came up, Tang Gyeong's eyes sparkled.

"Three Dragons Four Phoenixes!"

Fighting and defeating the most outstanding among the younger generation of prestigious families was one of Tang Gyeong's favorite stories. And two of them liked Jin Ja-gang!

"The Southern Sea Sword Sect also stood in opposition to Poison Dragon at the time, so it has now nearly collapsed. If Benefactor Poison Dragon has another child, it would probably be with one of those two."

Jeong Jin said, thinking of the old days.

"Actually, Young Lady An Ryeong was disliked by Benefactor Poison Dragon, and Young Lady Son-bi was extremely beautiful in appearance, but Benefactor Poison Dragon showed no interest in her either. So I can't give you a definite answer."

"Ah, I see."

Despite his answer, Tang Gyeong was inwardly admiring that Dad wasn't swayed by women either.

Then So-so expressed something to Jeong Jin with hand gestures.

"Right. Yes. There's one more person... if there's anyone it could be, it would be that person. When Poison Dragon couldn't use lightness techniques, she carried him on her back for a very long time and took care of him. Right. Come to think of it, she also tried to kill Benefactor Poison Dragon, I think."

"There was another person like that?"

"Yes. She was a prominent younger generation member of Leper Mound, named Yeong-gwi..."

Tang Yu-jeong and Tang Gyeong shouted simultaneously.

"Aunt Yeong-gwi...!"

Both covered their mouths in surprise, but pfft! they burst into laughter.

'Even Aunt Yeong-gwi?'

Tang Yu-jeong sent a voice transmission to Tang Gyeong.

「At least we can eliminate one person from the list of suspects.」

「What are you talking about? It's darkest under the lamp; it might not be out of the question.」

「Huh? R-really? Then does Aunt Yeong-gwi visiting each time mean she was going with Dad to see the child?」

Tang Yu-jeong started getting more confused.

But Tang Gyeong wasn't. Tang Gyeong was just excited to meet another person who knew a different side of Dad.

Fortunately, Jeong Jin didn't hesitate to talk about Jin Ja-gang's past. Tang Gyeong lost track of time listening to the fascinating stories. He heard many stories he hadn't heard at the Tang Family. The somewhat awkward atmosphere also flowed cheerfully.

***

Time approached midnight.

Tang Yu-jeong and Tang Gyeong firmly declined the offer to stay overnight and left the house. They'd rather sleep outside; staying overnight didn't seem right no matter what.

Moreover, So-so insisted on dressing Tang Gyeong in clothes she had been wearing. It was So-so's most cherished outfit, but when Tang Gyeong wore it, he ended up looking like a country woman.

The two slept outdoors and looked at the stars.

"Isn't it strange? It feels like we ate at the home of people we've known for a long time."

"Me too. I guess it's because they're comrades who went through life and death situations with Dad."

"After this is all over, I want to come back officially and pay our respects."

"Yeah, me too. I feel really bad about deceiving them. They seem like good people."

Tang Yu-jeong and Tang Gyeong continued looking up at the sky with eyes full of anticipation for what kind of people they'd meet tomorrow.

When dawn broke, they planned to visit the Southern Sea Sword Sect.

***

Jeong Jin and So-so stood in the dark courtyard for a long time after seeing off Tang Yu-jeong and Tang Gyeong. So-so grabbed Jeong Jin's arm and placed it around her shoulder.

Jeong Jin's face turned red.

"Hehe. To think they're Benefactor Poison Dragon's children. No wonder the girl's side, I mean Tang Gyeong's face, looked familiar."

So-so nodded.

"Benefactor Poison Dragon is amazing. His children grew up well too. Their martial arts seemed incredibly strong. I thought I'd become quite strong myself."

So-so smiled. Jeong Jin pouted.

"I'm not joking. There was a reason Master didn't allow me to leave for so long. He didn't care whether I used Qingcheng Sect martial arts or not. He just said he'd only permit my descent if I had enough martial arts to protect myself. That's why it took so long to meet you."

So-so shook her head. Then she gestured with her hands.

'I went to your master and told him to send you out.'

"What?"

'I said I'd die of old age at this rate. I cried and demanded he send you out quickly.'

"Ah, s-so that's what happened? I was wondering... I was suddenly pushed out while training, and I didn't know it was because of you."

Jeong Jin scratched his head. So-so leaned her head against Jeong Jin's chest.

'But anyway, I'm worried. The Hungry Ghost King's successor... it seems a storm will sweep through the martial world again.'

"Well, Benefactor Poison Dragon will handle it well. Whatever we say, there's also the Tang Family."

As the two chatted quietly, they saw Qingcheng Sect Taoists holding torches leaping over trees in the distance as if flying.

"I'll have to make up something reasonable. It seems those two were deliberately hiding their identities."

Jeong Jin looked at So-so and they smiled at each other.

***

Jin Ja-gang visited a small estate on the outskirts of the city.

An elderly gatekeeper opened the door.

Inside, a dignified-looking woman stood with a maidservant. She seemed somewhat unwell, occasionally coughing.

Cough. Cough.

The woman appeared to be about forty and had extremely beautiful features. She had beauty that would fix one's eyes if you glanced at her while passing by. However, her expression was utterly cold, making her seem frigid.

That woman smiled at Jin Ja-gang with her eyes. Her closed lips were cold, but her gaze was warm.

"It's been a while, Young Lady Son."

At Jin Ja-gang's polite greeting, Son-bi bowed her head slightly in response.

Then she walked to Jin Ja-gang herself and extended her hands. She held both of Jin Ja-gang's hands and looked up at him. Son-bi's eyes grew brighter at the warm warmth conveyed from Jin Ja-gang's hands.

'Thank you for coming to visit this year too.'

"Not at all. It's only natural that I come."

Jin Ja-gang smiled gently and met Son-bi's eyes for a while.

Then a blunt voice flowed from inside.

"What? Are they the only people? Am I not even a person? I prepared liquor, so hurry up and come in."

Jin Ja-gang smiled and entered with Son-bi. An Ryeong had indeed prepared a drinking table and was waiting.

"You didn't expect me to stand up and greet you, did you?"

"Of course not."

An Ryeong was sitting in a chair with her legs covered by a thin blanket-like cloth.

"How's your health?"

At Jin Ja-gang's question, An Ryeong lifted a liquor bottle to answer.

"Well, there's no hope of improvement. I'm just grateful to heaven and earth for still being alive."

She didn't look well. Her face was extremely gaunt and her eyes were quite murky.

Jin Ja-gang sat at the drinking table with Son-bi. Maidservants warmed the food and brought new dishes, filling the table completely.

After the three emptied their liquor cups together, An Ryeong said.

"Sorry, but he's not here today either. He ran out as soon as he heard you were coming."

Jin Ja-gang took a sip of liquor and let out a shallow sigh.

"Everyone's running away from home."

"Hm?"

"Our kids ran away from home too."

An Ryeong and Son-bi laughed.

"They say raising children is the hardest thing in the world; how ironic. Even the great Poison Dragon can't help that, huh. Leave it be. Heon isn't the type to go around getting beaten up anywhere."

Son-bi tapped An Ryeong's hand to tell her to stop.

"What? Are you kicking me out already? Don't be like that. I'm also an old friend of Uncle Poison Dragon. Even if I seem blunt on the outside, I'm actually incredibly happy inside."

Jin Ja-gang laughed.

"I'm happy too. But this time I can't just leave him be."

An Ryeong said.

"Because of the Hungry Ghost King's successor?"

Son-bi's face darkened slightly. Son-bi and An Ryeong knew about it too.

Son-bi wrote letters on the table with her finger.

'Heon doesn't want to go to the Tang Family himself.'

Jin Ja-gang let out a shallow sigh. He smiled bitterly.

"Honestly, this is much harder than fighting the martial world."

An Ryeong laughed loudly.

Son-bi gave An Ryeong a look again.

"Okay, okay. But if I were him, I would've run away too. In a way, you're both his father and his enemy."

Jin Ja-gang had killed the Sword Empress, the greatest master of the Southern Sea Sword Sect and Son-bi's master, and was the very person who caused the Southern Sea Sword Sect's downfall. He was practically the enemy of her sect. On top of that, he left Son-bi with lung disease that would never heal in her lifetime.

"Of course, about half of that is my fault too."

As An Ryeong downed her liquor cup with a pained expression, Son-bi held An Ryeong's hand.

"Sigh... I'm sorry. If I had tried just a little harder. I've never regretted wasting time drinking and neglecting training while spouting worthless justice and morality as much as I did then."

Son-bi shook her head and wrote.

'An Ryeong, you did enough. I'm grateful that you saved Heon with that body of yours. Don't feel guilty.'

Cough cough.

Son-bi coughed again.

"Damn."

An Ryeong's eyes welled up slightly with tears.

Son-bi, carrying Jin Ja-gang's child, was in danger of dying from poisoning. That's when An Ryeong came to find Son-bi. The only one who could help with the birth of a child full of poison energy was An Ryeong, the disciple of the Divine Physician.

However, An Ryeong had fought against Great Buddha Beom-bon and had her bones crushed throughout her body and her muscles damaged, unable to move properly. They barely managed to finish the childbirth and saved the child, but An Ryeong lost her legs to poison energy and became unable to bear children herself. Son-bi wasn't unscathed either. Her lungs were damaged and she developed coughing as a chronic illness.

"But you know when I don't regret surviving instead of dying back then? Right now. Being able to see the two of you together."

An Ryeong wiped her tears and said.

"There probably won't be a more satisfying day than today in my entire life. I can no longer have adventures with this body. But this is enough. Because right now is the happiest I've been."

Son-bi squeezed An Ryeong's hand tightly. An Ryeong smiled as she looked at Son-bi and turned to Jin Ja-gang.

"So now, for the sake of our children... hoping that the children will find their own happiness."

An Ryeong raised her liquor cup.

"Cheers."

Jin Ja-gang and Son-bi also raised their cups.

"Cheers."