Chapter 1422: Is This the Sichuan Tang Family? (Part 2)

"All the hidden weapons needed for throwing are ready."

"Chief Elder! We've completed the inspection of the Illusionary Poison Formation (幻毒迷理陣) set up near the main entrance of the Tang Family. It's functioning properly without any issues!"

"The hidden weapons for forbidden techniques are completed! Elders, you will use them!"

People who rushed urgently continued reporting to the elders one after another.

"All the family members staying at Tang Family's residence have been summoned. Everyone is gathering, except for those we haven't heard from!"

It was a full-scale mobilization that had never appeared throughout the history of the Sichuan Tang Family. Not only the direct descendants living within the family but also the branch families living outside were rushing with determination, ready to sacrifice their lives.

Yes, this was how the Tang Family should be. They may not know how formidable Jang Ilso was, but at least, they wouldn't be passively defeated.

"And those guys?"

"They haven't arrived yet."

"Hmm."

The distance from Emei to here was four hundred li. Even for an ordinary person, it would take at least four days of continuous travel to reach this place.

So, no matter how formidable the Evil Tyrant Alliance was, they wouldn't arrive immediately just by making up their minds. At least, there was time until sunset today.

"Double-check everything. And..."

Tang We firmly commanded.

"Issue poison and hidden weapons to the female members of the family."

"E-Elder Leader! That's..."

The elders were shocked.

This was Tang Family. However, not everyone here was a member of the Tang Clan.

Those who were not bestowed with the Tang surname, even though they were part of the Tang Family, couldn't touch poisons and hidden weapons. Even the women who married into the Tang Family, despite being proud members of the prestigious Sichuan Tang Family, weren't allowed to handle hidden weapons and poisons.

It wasn't because it was dangerous. The Sichuan Tang Family was a renowned family in the rivers and lakes of Sichuan. So, even those who married into the Tang Family were women from families of a certain standing.

Out of concern that they might leak the secrets of the Tang Family to their original families, they refrained from handling hidden weapons and poisons for centuries. This practice was considered a tradition.

Moreover, this rule didn't apply only to those who married into the family. Even the daughters born with the Tang surname couldn't poisons and hidden weapons that the Tang family referred to as 'secret techniques'. It was a law that had been strictly upheld.

But now, Tang Wei was suggesting breaking this tradition. It was the most conservative and steadfast among the Tang Family members who was proposing this.

"...But, outsiders..."

As if unable to bear that statement, Tang We asked the elders coldly.

"Who is an outsider here? Everyone here has pledged their lives to protect the Tang Family. Where is the outsider among those who bear the Tang surname?"

At his words, the elders all fell silent.

Of course, Tang We might've had different intentions. It was difficult to change a mindset that had been adhered to for a lifetime in an instant. However, even so, they couldn't refute his words.

"I will take responsibility for breaking the rule. You all just follow my orders. So, hand it over. We can't ask them to fight without providing weapons."

"Yes, Chief Elder. We understand your intentions."

He would take responsibility. That was all he needed to say. As long as Tang We was willing to take responsibility, there wouldn't be a case of Tang Gunak punishing others.

"Hurry! The fate of the family is at stake. Double-check everything! If there's anything unfinished, finish it somehow! Time is of the essence!"

"Yes!"

Watching the elders rushing with determined faces, Tang We swayed for a moment.

"Cough!"

He covered his mouth with his hand and coughed several times. His body trembled violently. His dry hands were shaking.

"Ah..."

It wasn't that he had a particular illness. His body just became exceptionally weak, unlike before. Destroying the dantian was enough to weaken even ordinary people. And dealing with such changes was not easy for someone as old as him.

To be honest, even standing here and enduring was not an easy task for him. But he straightened his back forcibly.

If he still had the martial skills, he would have fought against the invaders without any regrets. But now, he had no strength left to unleash poisons, and he had no hidden weapons to throw.

Even so... he was still part of the Tang Family.

Tang We gazed at the Tang Family's buildings for a while. A murmuring voice seemed to escape from his mouth.

"Amusing..."

Once, he found these buildings unsightly.

Despite the possibility that they could have been his, in the end, they never became his. His life was a journey to embrace these cursed things back into his possession.

Betrayed by his father, living in the shadow of his younger brother, and now even receiving punishment from his nephew. Such was the life full of suffering that this Tang Family bestowed upon him.

Nevertheless, Tang We still intended to defend this place until the end. It might have been miserable, but that was his life. Everything about him was intertwined with this place.

He might be a failure. But if that was the case, he would at least remain a failure of the Tang Family. [...deja vu author?] If the Tang Family were to disappear, wouldn't he become truly insignificant?

'It's the same for everyone.'

The existence of the Tang Family gave meaning to everyone here. If the Tang Family disappeared, not only these people but also all the blood and sweat of thosewho spread the name of Sichuan Tang Family throughout the world would vanish.

So!

'I will protect it. Even if I have to sacrifice everything.'

Tang We bit his lips and shouted with a rattling voice.

"Bring more hidden weapons! No need to save them!"

"Yes, Chief Elder!"

"Tang Byeok!"

"Yes!"

"If you go to Gaju-nim's office, there's Gaju-nim's poison cabinet at the back! Bring the poisons stored inside!"

"Chief ELder, but without the key held by Gaju-nim, it cannot be opened..."

"Break it!"

"...Are you seriously saying that?"

When Tang Byeok turned thoughtful and asked, Tang We glared at him with a bluish hue.

"Do I look like I'm joking right now?"

"...No."

"If you don't go, I'll go."

"No, Chief Elder. I will do as you command!"

Tang Byeok bit his lips. Tang We, who lost his martial arts, couldn't possibly break open the safe. So, if it had to be done, Tang Byeok was the right person for the job.

The Chief Elder seemed to have no intention of looking back. No, he might not even be thinking of surviving until the end of this battle.

If the Chief ELder had made such a strong determination, then he couldn't just sit on his butt.

"Use everything possible. If we can preserve the poison and the furnace, even if we suffer losses, the family can be revived. Remember! We must protect the poison and the furnace at all costs!"

"Yes!"

At that moment, Tang We instilled strong determination once again in everyone.

"Fi... Fireeeee!"

A scream-like sound erupted from the back. Tang We quickly scanned the surroundings with a sharp gaze.

Fire! Did those bastards already...?

"Is it the enemy?"

"I-I don't know! Flames suddenly..."

Now, even Tang We could clearly see it. The flames that seemed to flicker above the main hall turned into an enormous conflagration in an instant.

It couldn't be a natural fire.

"Check if it's an invasion! Quickly!"

"Yes!"

Several frightened elders hurriedly rushed to inspect the cause of the fire. Tang We, who was trembling with anxiety, soon received news that allowed him to breathe a sigh of relief.

"N-No sign of an invasion! No traces of intrusion."

"Ah..."

Tang We, whose knees almost buckled for a moment, forcibly straightened his body.

Then it must be a fire that broke out in the process of using the weapons. Uncommon, but not impossible. Of course, it would have been better if it hadn't happened, but it's not an incident that cannot be handled.

"Tsk. At a time like this."

Tang We cursed bitterly.

"Hurry and control the fire!"

"Yes, Elder Leader."

Not the time to focus on trivial matters; Tang We, who was about to turn his head, hesitated for a moment.

'Wait a moment...'

That fire...

"Where is it?"

"Yes?"

"The fire! Where did it break out?"

Tang We suddenly shouted as if cursing. The faces of the elders who were blinking at his words turned instantly pale.

"Oh, the Sunlight Pavilion (陽閣)...Sunlight Pavilion!"

"What are you doing! Hurry, go! Put out the fire! Quicklyyyy!"

"Yes!"

The Sunlight Pavilion. A name that felt warm and gentle, but in reality, it was not such a warm place.

It was where the Tang Family's unique poison was produced, based on countless poisons and toxins from all over the world. Thus, the laboratory where all the poisons and toxins collected by the Tang Family so far were gathered was precisely the Sunlight Pavilion. Quite literally, it was no different from the heart of the Tang Family.

And now, of all places, it was on fire.

"This...!"

Unable to leave it to others, Tang We rushed with all his might. Although his body was difficult to move, he couldn't just stand by and watch if the fire broke out in the Sunlight Pavilion.

'Once the fire is out, it'll be over. Fire is...'

While trying to keep his mind calm, when Tang We arrived at Sunlight Pavilion, the scene he faced was more tragic than he had imagined. The elders of the Tang Family were rushing in, trying to extinguish the fire, but there seemed to be no sign of it being extinguished.

"Chief ELder! The fire won't go out!"

"What... what did you say?"

Tang We's face turned pale. And right at that moment.

"It's a fire! The workshop is on fire!"

"The Tangluo Hall is on fire! Call for help quickly! It's not an ordinary fire!"

Flames erupted throughout the Tang Family.

Including the laboratory for researching toxins of the Tang family, the workshop with the White Furnace that the Tang family must protect at all costs, and the toxin chamber that preserved the crafts created by these two.

In places that could be considered the essence of the Sichuan Tang Family, fires broke out simultaneously.

"Put it out, put it out."

In this truly dreadful situation, even Tang We, the Chief Elder of the Sichuan Tang Family, lost half of his sanity and shouted.

"Put out the fireeeeee! Put out the fire no matter what! Quicklyyyyy!"

A new voice burst out.

At this moment, his Sichuan Tang Family, the Tang Family he had put his life on the line to protect, was burning at this very moment, even before the blades of the Evil Tyrant Alliance reached it.

"It won't go out! Damn it! This fire won't go out!"

"We have to demolish the building!"

"Are you out of your mind? If we destroy the workshop, all the poisons will die! You madman!"

"Then what should we do? The fire won't go out! Are we going to let everything burn?"

Even the seasoned elders of the Tang Family, who had lived dignified and astute lives, lost their reason at this moment, exchanging harsh words.

"The fire... won't go out?"

A vacant voice flowed from Tang We's mouth.

Even though trained individuals had taken direct action, the fire wouldn't be extinguished. This meant that it wasn't an ordinary fire.

Tang We knew.

There was only one substance in the world that could create such flames.

"White... Furnace Blood. (白爐血)."

The white flames of the white furnace would never extinguish. Even if its purpose was fulfilled, the flames must be kept.

The white furnace, which never went out, symbolized the Tang Family and its spirit.

That was why the ancestors of the Tang Family scoured the world and created an oil that could produce such everlasting flames.

As long as the white furnace's fire didn't go out, the Tang Family would not disappear.

Therefore, it was named White Furnace Blood. The oil was the blood of the furnace and the blood of the Tang Family. It was an oil that only the top craftsmen of the Tang Family were allowed to touch.

"Why..."

The furnace that was burning the Tang Family suddenly turned white. Seeing that sight, a desperate scream erupted from Tangwai's mouth.

"Why! Whyyyy! Whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!"

Amidst the burning flames, an old man holding a hammer slowly walked out.

Shinsoo ['God's Hand'] Tang Jopyeong.

His eyes, which had always been murky, now glowed with a blue light, colder and sharper than usual.