Chapter 577

Chapter 577 - Side Story 11

"See what? I told you it's not mine!"

Tang Yu-jeong leaned back slightly and pushed the table with her foot. Rumble, the wooden chopstick holder on the table shook and slid along with it. The table caught Tang Gyeong's stomach and his hand couldn't reach Tang Yu-jeong. Tang Gyeong breathed to put strength in his stomach and lightly pressed the edge of the table with his elbow.

"Hup!"

The table tilted and bounced up on the opposite side, striking Tang Yu-jeong's hand. The letter bounced upward. Tang Gyeong picked up the wooden chopsticks scattered on the table and snatched at the letter. Tang Yu-jeong also picked up chopsticks to interfere with Tang Gyeong's chopstick movements.

Tick tick tick, tick! The chopsticks became frantically entangled.

"Hey hey, sit down first. So we don't catch people's attention."

At Tang Yu-jeong's suggestion, Tang Gyeong sat down without stopping his chopstick movements. Their movements were extremely small in case people looked.

Both sat with their arms on the table, moving only their wrists and fighting with just chopsticks, yet all kinds of Tang Family sword techniques came out. They even used paired weapons techniques since the chopsticks came in pairs.

"Hmph, you've learned the Soul Chasing Sword quite well?"

"When did you learn the Returning Origin Divine Hand, big sister?"

Then Tang Gyeong's movements momentarily changed. What Tang Gyeong was using wasn't Tang Family martial arts. The chopsticks spun greatly in his fingers.

Crack thwack! Each time they struck Tang Gyeong's chopsticks, Tang Yu-jeong's chopsticks were shaved down.

"Well well. What is that?"

"Moon Breaking Dual Blade."

"That's Dad's martial art."

"Didn't you know Dad wrote down all the Yunnan Medicine Sect martial arts and put them in the library pavilion?"

"You found and learned all of them?"

"Of course."

As the offense and defense intensified, the internal energy dwelling in the chopsticks deepened, and gradually the chopsticks tore apart, sending splinters flying. Each time their chopsticks collided and bounced, the letter also fluttered and floated on the wind. Tang Gyeong unexpectedly had the upper hand in the chopstick fight.

"You're not the only one who trained martial arts. I worked hard too, you know?"

"Wow, you really were holding back all this time?"

"Of course I was holding back...!"

While Tang Gyeong was answering, Tang Yu-jeong extended her left hand and pulled out another pair of chopsticks from the holder. Then like lightning she grabbed Tang Gyeong's right wrist.

"That's cheating!"

They were chopsticks in name, but with internal energy dwelling in them, there was pressure as if his wrist was caught between thick iron stakes. Tang Yu-jeong leisurely picked up the letter with the chopsticks in her right hand. Or tried to.

Tang Gyeong inhaled and blew hard.

Whoosh! The letter fluttered upward.

"Ugh."

Tang Yu-jeong rolled her eyes. To catch the letter, she had no choice but to let go of Tang Gyeong's wrist. Tang Yu-jeong pressed hard on Tang Gyeong's wrist then released it and leaped onto the table. Tang Gyeong kicked the table leg with his foot and broke it.

Crack. As the table tilted, Tang Yu-jeong missed her footing. Tang Yu-jeong hastily stepped on her left foot with her right foot to stay floating in the air without falling. Tang Gyeong rushed in and grabbed Tang Yu-jeong's robe with both hands and pulled hard.

The robe that had been tightly tied because it didn't fit her body type was pulled and her clothes almost came completely off.

"Hey!"

Tang Yu-jeong was startled and grabbed the upper part to keep the robe from coming off. But she ended up falling down from Tang Gyeong's pulling force. Tang Yu-jeong made a snorting sound and used the falling momentum to headbutt Tang Gyeong.

Crack.

The sound of heads colliding echoed eerily.

"Argh!"

Tang Yu-jeong clutched her forehead. She had struck the crown of his head with her forehead, but the impact was greater on Tang Yu-jeong.

Tang Gyeong laughed "hehe" and leaped up to catch the letter. Tang Yu-jeong, tearing up, lifted her foot to her head and swept Tang Gyeong's leg. Just before Tang Gyeong grabbed the letter, his leg was caught in midair and his body turned sideways. Tang Gyeong rolled his body completely like a ball and deliberately rotated half a turn more. Then he unrolled his body and straightened his posture in midair.

But until then, Tang Yu-jeong hadn't been idle either.

Tang Yu-jeong had her index finger extended straight forward. Tang Yu-jeong grinned the way Tang Gyeong had smiled.

Flinch! Goosebumps rose on the back of Tang Gyeong's neck.

Tang Yu-jeong's finger touched Tang Gyeong's thigh. Tang Gyeong lifted his leg upward with all his might.

Boom!

Air burst out like a whirlwind from where Tang Gyeong's thigh had been. Tang Gyeong's clothes were mercilessly torn off. Tang Gyeong got angry and stomped down.

But it wasn't an ordinary leg technique...

Swoosh!

The table was cut in half as if sliced by a sharp blade. Tang Yu-jeong kicked upward with her foot the same way. Swoosh! The table split into a cross shape. Tang Gyeong twisted his body once more and split his foot horizontally. Tang Yu-jeong also kicked diagonally horizontal.

Swoosh! Swoosh! Their feet didn't touch each other, but only the table was cut.

The letter shook in the wind and flew toward Tang Gyeong's front.

Tang Gyeong stopped attacking and aimed for the letter. Tang Yu-jeong reached out her hand. The letter was closer to Tang Gyeong, but Tang Yu-jeong's hand approached the letter faster.

Tang Gyeong blew his breath hard again. The letter shook and Tang Yu-jeong's hand missed it. Tang Yu-jeong twisted her wrist to grab the edge of the letter. Tang Gyeong blew breath at Tang Yu-jeong's face. Tang Yu-jeong's beard flipped upward and blocked her vision.

"Huh!"

Meanwhile, Tang Gyeong snatched the letter. Tang Yu-jeong did a backflip in place. Tang Gyeong pulled without letting go of the letter. Tang Yu-jeong's foot vertically sliced through the space, cutting the letter in half.

Tang Gyeong only held half. Tang Yu-jeong also quickly grabbed the other half.

"Ah, damn. Because of the beard!"

Tang Yu-jeong glared at Tang Gyeong with seething anger inside.

"You...!"

Tang Yu-jeong was about to say something but noticed the surrounding atmosphere and closed her mouth. The people in the teahouse were looking at them with half-embarrassed, half-surprised expressions. They'd fought frantically and it got out of hand.

Already in front of them were table fragments scattered messily, their original form hard to recognize.

Tang Yu-jeong quietly collected the table debris. Tang Gyeong also glanced around and picked up fragments, stacking them neatly like firewood.

Then Tang Yu-jeong introduced Tang Gyeong to the people watching them.

"Hehehe, this is my daughter-in-law."

"..."

While speaking, Tang Yu-jeong tried to suppress Tang Gyeong by pressing hard on his shoulder. Tang Gyeong lowered his shoulder then raised it, striking Tang Yu-jeong's jaw.

Thud!

Tang Yu-jeong's head jerked up. Tang Gyeong escaped upstairs in the meantime.

"Hehehe..."

"..."

People's expressions became even stranger.

What kind of daughter-in-law...

What kind of father-in-law.

"Hehehe. Hehehehe."

Tang Yu-jeong cursed Tang Gyeong inwardly, gave the innkeeper money for the broken table, then walked upstairs to the room with her hands behind her back as if nothing had happened.

***

Thud.

Tang Yu-jeong entered the room, quietly closed the door, and exhaled a long breath. In a very long, low voice full of force, she said.

"Huu... you crossed the line today. You're really dead."

And when she turned around, Tang Gyeong was standing right behind her with wide eyes.

"Big sister!"

"You scared me! What, what? Why are you so close? Move away."

Tang Gyeong seemed quite shocked and showed Tang Yu-jeong the half of the torn letter while looking at her.

"Big sister, did you see this? Did you read it?"

"Why would I read someone else's letter! Are you crazy? Give it here."

Tang Yu-jeong snatched the half of the letter that Tang Gyeong had unfolded. Tang Gyeong grabbed Tang Yu-jeong.

"Big sister... we need to see the other half too."

"You still haven't come to your senses."

Tang Yu-jeong raised her hand to knock Tang Gyeong's head. However, Tang Gyeong didn't care.

"I'm not joking. If my thinking is correct..., we need to hurry and find the person who gave that."

"What? Don't be ridiculous. Unlike you, I'm an intellectual and cultured person, you know?"

"Who was the person who gave you the letter?"

"A handsome person. He looked about our age."

Tang Gyeong suddenly asked bluntly.

"Didn't he look like us?"

"...!"

Tang Yu-jeong blinked. Only then did she understand what Tang Gyeong was trying to say.

Tang Yu-jeong had excellent initiative. She immediately made a decision.

"This won't do. Let me see."

"He looked similar, right? Right?"

Tang Yu-jeong didn't answer and placed the torn letter on the table and unfolded it. She read the text with a pounding heart.

***

Mother, please forgive your unfilial son's shameful behavior.

I still cannot forgive that person. I cannot accept him. I don't even know what kind of feelings to have toward him.

If I could vent my anger at him to my heart's content, would my heart be eased?

I wish it could be so, but I know well that it's impossible not only for me but for anyone in the martial world. Also, that wouldn't be what Mother wishes either.

Already over ten years have passed. Please forgive your son who lacks the confidence to face his face each year when he comes to visit, and avoids him.

As soon as my heart settles... I will return soon.

Your unworthy son, Heon.

***

Tang Yu-jeong and Tang Gyeong looked at each other.

"Southern Sea Sword Sect..."

"Each year... the person who comes..."

It seemed like pieces were fitting together. It wasn't definitive evidence, but the situation was extremely suspicious.

"It overlaps too exquisitely with the time Dad came out."

"He said it's impossible for anyone in the martial world."

That one statement pointed to a specific person. In the current martial world, there's only one person with that much prestige.

"The name is... Heon, I guess? He said he needed to send a letter but couldn't, so it's probably him."

Tang Gyeong said with a suspicious expression.

"Or... it's a trap targeting us?"

"No. He was an extremely polite person. Come to think of it, he also had a slightly cold impression."

Tang Gyeong shouted as if confirming.

"Ice Phoenix!"

"Wow... That's impossible. We met him by chance here? But why is he running away from Dad?"

"Well..."

Tang Gyeong shrugged.

"Because Dad's his enemy?"

"Just as we're the Southern Sea Sword Sect's enemy?"

"Probably."

"Let's first verify if the letter's content is correct."

Tang Yu-jeong and Tang Gyeong made a plan. Tang Yu-jeong, who knew the face of the young man named Heon, would search for him, and Tang Gyeong would go to the Southern Sea Sword Sect to investigate whether Ice Phoenix really had a son and if his name was Heon.

"I'll mark the village entrance so follow well. You've learned our family's symbols, right?"

"Yeah."

Tang Gyeong took off the women's clothes.

"Phew. Now I can finally go around as a real man!"

"I'll also take off the human skin face mask!"

Tang Gyeong gave the women's clothes to Tang Yu-jeong.

"...Why?"

"Why do you think? You have to wear them."

"I don't want to? I'm going to buy new ones."

Tang Yu-jeong divided some money and gave it to Tang Gyeong.

"Use it sparingly."

Tang Gyeong looked at her incredulously.

"You're buying new clothes for yourself but telling me to save money!"

"If you don't like it, you be the big sister."

Tang Gyeong changed his expression and clasped his hands together somewhat obsequiously. Then he said in a cute tone.

"Big sister, hehe. Please give me some allowance for snacks."

"Ugh! Don't do that, it's disgusting. Ugh!"

Tang Yu-jeong pushed Tang Gyeong away, but contrary to her words, she still placed a few more silver coins on the table.

"Thank you, thank you."

Tang Gyeong giggled and collected the money. Then while preparing to leave, he said to Tang Yu-jeong.

"Big sister."

"Yeah?"

"Just in case, always be careful."

Tang Yu-jeong chuckled.

"You be careful."