Free Web NovelChapter 6: Mount Emei
*Click.*
A slight opening appeared in the palanquin window, and the guard's troubled voice reached her.
"Young Miss, we cannot ascend by palanquin from here."
Tang So-hwa nodded. She had already been informed there was a lake ahead.
As she stepped out of the palanquin, she saw a huddled figure awaiting her.
"Sister, let me carry you."
When she didn't immediately climb onto his back, Tang Hak turned his head to look at So-hwa.
With a wiggle of his thick eyebrows, Tang Hak slapped his back loudly.
"You'll lose your fancy shoes! I will carry you from here!"
...What possesses this boy?
For a moment, the heavy thoughts that had weighed on her mind scattered completely.
So-hwa swallowed a sigh and asked Tang Hak.
"...Hak-a, do you know why we cannot go by palanquin from here?"
"It's because the waterway is rough! But I am fine. Get on my back, Sister."
In the face of such pure brightness and innocence, it felt as though her own mind was emptying alongside his.
It was a profoundly unpleasant feeling.
She had been thinking this often lately, but perhaps the choice to distance herself from this child in the past hadn't been such a bad one after all.
"And that simpleton is the young family head of my family. Ha, the Tang family is doomed."
Behind her, Tang Min clicked his tongue. Tang Hak flinched, glancing sideways and carefully avoiding his gaze.
*Splash.*
Just then, the sound of cool water reached them. A boat was moored by the wide lake shore. The Black Tiger Guards accompanying them had scouted the path ahead and found a means of transport.
They were, in fact, searching for signs of human habitation. If there was no way to cross the lake in the vicinity, then this valley couldn't be where Yeonjuda resided, and they would have to turn back.
The fact that the Black Tiger Guards hadn't reported a need to turn back meant they had indeed found a way across.
Only Tang Hak remained oblivious to this implicit meaning.
So-hwa patted Tang Hak's back and stepped aside.
"I appreciate your willingness to carry me across the lake, but I don't particularly wish to drown on your back."
Tang Hak awkwardly cleared his throat and straightened his posture.
"Ahem, I wondered why Yun Jin disappeared; he must have gone to find a boat."
As if displeased by his words, Tang Min muttered.
"When we get back, I should seriously suggest changing the young family head to Ji-ha. We can just seat him at the meeting and beat him together."
He had just committed the act of a subordinate disrespecting a superior, speaking down to the Family Head with utter disregard, yet no one around found it strange. Some even seemed cowed by his words.
"Gr-Grand Elder! Please, don't do that to Father. I promise I'll do well."
The Mad Green Dog shook his head with a serious face.
"What could you possibly do? If your martial prowess is lacking, I can beat it into you, but there's no cure for stupidity."
"You're going to b-beat me?"
Startled, Tang Hak hugged his shoulders with both arms and stepped back.
"...It truly makes me want to hit you."
Ignoring the old man's bickering, So-hwa turned her gaze toward the valley.
The valley opened up, revealing a clear lake cradled by steeply falling peaks.
The area around the cliffs was deeply hollowed out, whether by artificial excavation or due to a landslide. Because of this, the valley water had pooled widely around the gorge, forming a lake.
*Splish.*
Tang Min, who had approached her side unnoticed, spoke quietly.
"Many wandering martial artists have tried to find Yeonjuda over the past half-century."
Tang So-hwa nodded slightly at his words.
Those facing death would often waste their lives searching for Yeonjuda, clutching at straws.
"If, as you say, Yeonjuda still exists, there must be others who found them before us. Perhaps they are even living together."
Tang Min scratched his temple with the handle of a flying knife.
"I am not a man who cannot protect you children... but are you truly alright with this? Since we seem to have roughly located their {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} position, wouldn't it be better to inform Ji-ha, no, the Family Head, and bring the main force of the Black Tiger Guards?"
So-hwa quietly shook her head.
The Black Tiger Guards were one of the Tang family's combat units. Their specialty lay in quiet, stealthy ambush.
Those accompanying her now were not the full strength of the Black Tiger Guards. As the commander was absent, only ten elites, including the vice-commander, were escorting them.
For So-hwa, who wished to visit quietly with Tang Min, even the current number felt excessive.
Of course, her father didn't think so.
Her father had strongly opposed Tang Min's request. He didn't believe Yeonjuda was on Mount Emei in the first place. He found it preposterous to believe in the existence of Yeonjuda based solely on a note found in a bamboo tube.
Tang Min, on the other hand, usually granted So-hwa's requests, and having lived in Sichuan for nearly a hundred years, Mount Emei was like his backyard, so he thought little of accompanying her.
That was the difference between the Family Head Tang Ji-ha and Grand Elder Tang Min.
Was this why no one had stopped Tang Min when he voluntarily stepped down from the young family head position decades ago?
So-hwa understood her ancestors' judgment. While grateful that he was on her side, his boundless belief also made her uneasy.
The evidence So-hwa presented was merely a peculiar medicinal herb, not a credible story.
So-hwa had lied about finding a note in the bamboo tube. It was a list of medicinal herbs and a letter containing an unknown phrase. The phrase was a secret language known only to Yeon-a and Namgung Hyun, shared with her by Yeon-a in the past, and the list was a fabricated inventory she had created.
The Sichuan Tang family was widely known for Poisons and hidden weapons, but they were also a family renowned for their medical arts.
The Tang family's medical hall contained not only the Tang family's secret techniques but also medical texts brought from outside. Among these were records about Yeonjuda.
It was said that the divine doctor Yeonju strangely kept a brewery and an apiary on her estate. It wasn't because she liked alcohol and honey. She used these precious ingredients for treatment.
The distilled liquor Yeonju made was said to be unspeakably potent, difficult to swallow, regardless of its taste. Records stated she poured this precious poisoned wine like water when cutting a patient's flesh and applied it to the wound every hour, using it like wound medicine.
Furthermore, she was said to be more interested in propolis (a substance bees make from plant sap to reinforce their hive) than honey, making her truly an eccentric person. Records noted that she ground the propolis, which is obtained in small amounts from beehives, and fed it to patients, but because it tasted terrible and they couldn't eat it well, she later mixed it with expensive honey.
Despite this, Yeonju did not fall into financial difficulty but rather expanded her influence and even created Yeonjuda, which speaks volumes about her medical skills.
Tang So-hwa claimed the note listed medicinal herbs, and it was strange to request 麴蘖 (fermentation starter for brewing) and propolis together, arguing this was Yeonjuda's treatment method.
The Family Head and Grand Elder, being Tang family members, had basic medical knowledge, but they didn't know the fine details. Therefore, they couldn't possibly know the specific treatment methods of a vanished divine doctor.
Grand Elder Tang Min said he would go search for Yeonjuda without verifying the facts, while the Family Head didn't even consider verifying it and ordered the note to be discarded.
Extreme belief and utter disbelief.
The two adults with opposing natures argued fiercely over Yeonjuda.
Caught in the fight between the two pillars supporting the Tang family in different ways, Tang So-hwa felt like she had lost about half of the lifespan she had just regained.
-Come on, the kid can tell a little lie, why make such a fuss?
-One must not lie, Grand Elder.
Her father smiled at the Grand Elder's sarcasm and said.
-And who among the Tang family would dare to lie to the Family Head? They know how fearsome the Tang family's laws are.
For reference, according to the Tang family's laws, the punishment for a Tang family member who disrespects the Family Head was beheading.
The Grand Elder, far from being intimidated by his words, clicked his tongue and said to the Family Head.
-If a child who doesn't usually do that lies, you should be magnanimous and believe them, assuming there's a reason. That way, when something happens later, the child will report it quickly and won't cause a big incident. Tsk tsk, is this why the young family head sneaks away just by looking at the Family Head's face? What good is it if you're only good at work? You're ruining your child's education.
At that moment, So-hwa felt a chill. The surrounding temperature had dropped so much she wondered if her father had cultivated Yin-Cold Qi Art.
Soon, the Family Head smiled and looked at the Grand Elder.
-I don't know why someone who knows so much about raising children stays single at that age. Oh, right. You don't have children of your own.
-...
The furniture around Tang Min floated about a handspan into the air. However, Tang Ji-ha pretended not to see and calmly savored his tea.
Tang So-hwa pondered in that icy atmosphere.
...Should I just give up on Yeon-a? freewebnøvel.coɱ
The atmosphere was so hostile that such a weak thought crossed her mind.
Tang So-hwa finally couldn't bear the suffocating tension and interrupted the conversation between the two adults.
-Why do you think I am lying?
She spoke, not hiding her disappointment.
-You can just confirm whether I am right or wrong with the Master of the Medical Hall, can't you?
Even though she had deceived them about the note itself, Tang So-hwa brazenly acted as if the content was the issue. She was so confident that Tang Min and Tang Ji-ha actually called the Master of the Medical Hall to confirm the content.
The Master of the Medical Hall replied that it was true. Of course. What Tang So-hwa remembered about Yeonjuda was what the Master of the Medical Hall always used to say.
'Young Miss, we are not the divine doctor Yeonju, so you must not use medicinal herbs so carelessly. Of course, the Tang family's wealth is immeasurable, but the Tang family's freeloaders also swarm like bugs in a rice basket, so you must cherish the medical hall's assets. That is a small step towards the Tang family's prosperity.'
It was a phrase she had heard until her ears were calloused whenever she took out medicinal herbs.
The Family Head ultimately could not refuse Tang Min's request to verify the existence of Yeonjuda.
However, as a last shred of pride, he suggested taking the young family head instead.
He said it was too dangerous, yet he would send the young family head to such a place?
Tang Min was puzzled, but the Tang family head immediately called Tang Hak and ordered him to go along. Tang Hak, understanding the situation through observation, resolved to go and bid farewell when told he was going instead of his sister.
He seemed willing to sacrifice himself for his sibling, even facing the fearsome Tang Min.
Seeing this, So-hwa finally interrupted the conversation.
Complaining why they couldn't trust her and why they taught her martial arts if that was the case, she eventually made the Family Head agree to her accompaniment under certain conditions.
To go with the Black Tiger Guards, the Family Head's direct combat unit; to report the situation every hour via messenger bird; and to bring ingredients and a cook so they wouldn't miss meals.
Tang Min scoffed, asking if he had to babysit at his age, and tried to grab the Family Head by the collar for making such unreasonable demands.
Recalling that chaotic scene, Tang So-hwa pressed her temples.
She understood why the ancestors had set an upper limit, saying to repay kindness only twofold. If they had said to repay kindness tenfold, there would have been more than a few people who would abandon the Tang surname.
She hadn't known repaying kindness would be this difficult.
In conclusion, Tang So-hwa was accompanied by Grand Elder Tang Min, Tang Hak, and ten elites from the Black Tiger Guards, including the vice-commander.
Though she had to come along due to Tang Ji-ha's command, Tang So-hwa felt burdened by the large number of people.
Shaking her head, she refused Tang Min's suggestion to bring the main force.
"Bringing the main force will attract attention. There are many with keen senses on Mount Emei, so bringing the main force could cause unnecessary misunderstandings."
There was a sect called the Emei sect on Mount Emei. It would be troublesome if they noticed. Anyone would be on edge if a combat unit entered their territory.
However, revealing their purpose was to find Yeonjuda felt like wasting valuable information.
Even within the same Murim Alliance, there was no need to share information with fellow members unless it was a threat to the Central Plains.
It would be a problem if a divine doctor caused chaos in the Central Plains, but in this peaceful era, a divine doctor was not someone who could overturn the world. Unless a Demonic Lord or a Blood Demon were to appear and shatter the peace.
Tang Min seemed to agree with So-hwa's words and nodded.
"Indeed, we did all the work; we can't let those idle Daoists who are just playing around in the mountains take the divine doctor."
They might form a fortuitous connection with the divine doctor, and they couldn't possibly hand over that luck to other sects who merely idled away their lives in the mountains.
He had done all the hard work, and the thought of neighboring sects freeloading would surely leave him resentful. As Tang Min indulged in his typically avaricious thoughts, So-hwa offered a small smile and spoke again.
"And there's another reason."
