Chapter 1448 What Should I Do? (5)

Day broke, and those who had slept like the dead overnight began to stir and rise one by one.

Although Sichuan is famed for its warmth, the morning in this field felt unusually chilly. Or perhaps the chill came not from the air but from the hearts greeting this morning.

“What do we do now?”

“First, we should prepare to leave. We’re heading to Mount Hua, after all.”

In the uneasy atmosphere, Tang Family members tidied their bedding and looked around.

Not far from there, disciples of Mount Hua—waking up with faces resembling those of the Tang Family folk—rubbed their faces and did a quick, dry wash.

“Ugh… I thought my jaw would lock up.”

Jo Gul shuddered.

Camping in a field wasn’t particularly remarkable to them. Following that harsh man, sleeping sprawled on the road had become routine.

Still, the unusual chill and aching creeping into their bodies meant they were more worn out than usual.

“Still, the Tang Family people checked on us yesterday.”

“Yes, sahyung. They even offered a word of encouragement.”

“Oh? What did they say?”

“They said if you want to die before thirty, keep living like this.”

…Yoon Jong shook his head.

In truth, every member of the Five Swords was in bad shape. They needed to make time to recuperate and recover their bodies, no matter what. Especially…

“Sasuk, are you all right?”

At Yoon Jong’s worried question, Baek Cheon glanced back.

“…Your face is very pale.”

“My face is naturally fair.”

“No, I mean really pale…”

“White enough to be pale.”

“…”

Seeing Baek Cheon’s face filled with a look that seemed to ask, ‘Jealous?’, Yoon Jong was left speechless. The corner of his mouth trembled. This man might as well die.

Yoon Jong turned his head and glanced at the Tang Family people.

“More than that, the atmosphere is something else.”

“Hmm.”

Baek Cheon nodded at that.

The absence of people doesn’t immediately register. They too wouldn’t have grasped it yesterday amidst the chaos. But after one night’s rest, the reality would hit.

Those who had shared faces and lives were gone on a path from which they would never return. Now the survivors would have to leave Sichuan and live in unfamiliar places.

“I’m worried. That they…”

“You worry about everything.”

“…Huh?”

Yoon Jong looked at Jo Gul with a puzzled gaze. Jo Gul’s face showed a twisted resentment. Yoon Jong sighed deeply.

“What are you complaining about this time?”

“It’s not like a cat worries about mice. Why would Mount Hua worry about the Tang Family? Do those men look like they’d collapse just because a few halls burned?”

“…”

“Even now the Tang Family is likely better off than Mount Hua, so sahyung, worry about us instead.”

Yoon Jong gave a wry smile. Jo Gul wasn’t entirely wrong. The Tang Family had preserved fighting strength and still held considerable influence.

But the Sichuan Tang Family’s situation wasn’t as simple as Jo Gul suggested. The crucial fact was that they had little left to lose.

Just as Mount Hua, having lost the essence of its predecessors and martial scholarship, had been driven to the brink of collapse, the Sichuan Tang Family would suffer similar fate. Even with Tang Gunak and those who could fight remaining.

It might be fine for now. But as generations pass, that downfall could come rushing in like a sudden lie.

‘Perhaps the one suffering most now isn’t the Family Lord but the Young lord.’

Yoon Jong’s gaze turned to Tang Pae. He was helping the elders with a face that revealed nothing of his thoughts.

He must be heavy with thoughts. If Yoon Jong were in his place, his head would likely be so crowded with worries and burdens it might burst.

“But where is the Family Lord?”

“Right? I haven’t seen him since earlier.”

At that moment, Mount Hua’s disciples were looking around for Tang Gunak.

“There he is coming.”

They saw Tang Gunak walking over from a slightly distant part of the field.

Baek Cheon let out a low, almost groan-like exclamation. Tang Gunak’s expression looked a bit more at ease than yesterday. He was usually so expressionless that it might have been just Baek Cheon’s impression.

Tang Gunak approached where the Tang Family people had gathered and made a light gesture.

“Young lord.”

“Yes, Family Lord.”

Tang Pae approached Tang Gunak as if he had guessed this and bowed his head.

“Preparations to depart will be finished shortly. We’ll ensure there are no problems…”

“No. First, stop whatever you’re doing and have everyone gather in one place.”

“…Yes?”

Tang Pae looked briefly startled, then quickly answered as if he understood Tang Gunak’s intent.

“Yes. I’ll gather the trained warriors.”

“I specifically said ‘everyone.’”

“…Family Lord?”

Tang Gunak said it with an unchanging expression.

“Gather every person with the Tang surname. Leave no one who can speak or voice an opinion behind.”

Tang Pae couldn’t immediately reply—not because he didn’t understand, but because, as far as he knew, this had no precedent in the Tang Family.

Though called the Sichuan Tang Family as one name, strict divisions existed within. Each hid secrets from the others, so it was rare for people of different roles to assemble together.

And yet he was ordering not just the heads of divisions, but everyone to gather.

“Don’t you understand yet?”

“Ah, no. Family Lord, I understand. I’ll implement it immediately.”

Tang Pae nodded vigorously.

Thus, all those bearing the Tang surname sat together in one place.

Mount Hua’s disciples watched them from a fair distance. The Tang Family hadn’t asked them to give way, but it felt like something they should do.

“It’s quite a curious sight.”

“Indeed.”

The renowned Sichuan Tang Family—said to secure at least second place among the Five Great Families—had gathered in this desolate field. Seeing such a family sit together like this was no small thing.

“But… will this be all right?”

“What do you mean?”

“This isn’t exactly a safe place, is it?”

At Yoon Jong’s words, Baek Cheon glanced slightly to the south.

The Ten Thousand People Clan had indeed withdrawn, but there was no guarantee they wouldn’t strike again. Especially Jang Ilso—he might be devising schemes beyond imagination even now.

“The Family Lord isn’t someone who wouldn’t consider such things.”

“That may be, but…”

“It’s one of two things: either he is certain the Ten Thousand People Clan will never attack again…”

Baek Cheon’s gaze fixed on Tang Gunak sitting at the center of the Tang Family gathering.

“…or he considers the issue to be addressed here more important than the threat from the Ten Thousand People Clan.”

“…It must be the latter.”

Yoon Jong nodded in agreement and looked at Tang Gunak.

“I understand, but… can they really find solutions quickly by talking here like that?”

“Tsk tsk tsk.”

At that moment, a tsking sound laced with reproach was heard. Yoon Jong turned toward the sound with annoyance. The devilish fellow who had approached looked at him with the face of a hundred-year-old man.

“How can someone so young be so completely shut up?”

“I am older than you…”

And I’m the sahyung, Chung Myung. As if that’s new.

“Finding the solution isn’t what’s important. What’s important is trying to find a solution.”

“Huh? What’s the difference?”

“If that gathering requires a definite, correct conclusion, then only certain people will be allowed to speak.”

“Ah…”

Yoon Jong nodded as if he understood. He had experience of that too—having thoughts but being unable to speak freely.

“The crucial thing is enabling people to speak. Let anyone open their mouth, let anyone voice their thoughts, and ensure those thoughts aren’t dismissed.”

“…Isn’t that obvious?”

“Yes, of course. The problem is that such obviousness never occurred in the Tang Family.”

The Tang Family had changed a lot. There was a significant difference from when Chung Myung first visited the family in this life.

But that change was only the result of Tang Gunak, having won the power struggle against the elder council, listening to Chung Myung.

If Tang Pae or Tang Zhan had responded to Chung Myung’s words instead—if Tang Gunak had opposed Chung Myung?

Then the Tang Family would not have changed at all. Tang Pae or Tang Zhan would have followed the same path as the past Tang Bo.

“Rather than strictly defining limits by hierarchy, anyone should speak for the family. They should listen to each other’s opinions and seek better ways. Not merely to preserve what has always been, but to move forward even if it means breaking with the past.”

A bitter expression crossed Chung Myung’s face.

Tang Bo had spent his entire life striving for that obvious thing, and ultimately failed to achieve it in his lifetime. Perhaps this scene was what Tang Bo had imagined and longed for while alive.

Chung Myung found himself admiring Tang Gunak anew.

‘What an impressive person.’

Someone on the verge of collapse from despair managed to gather himself overnight and move forward. He might not settle on a conclusion, but he found a way to reach one.

Chung Myung suddenly wondered: what if that man had become the Family Head of the Sichuan Tang Family? Surely…

“…The Tang Family would have fallen.”

“Huh? Fallen?”

“Ah, no.”

Chung Myung flinched and waved his hand. The thought made him break into a cold sweat. Even now, Tang Gunak listened seriously to the retainers’ words. Chung Myung thought that having Tang Gunak as Family Lord in such times might be the Tang Family’s greatest fortune.

So the Tang Family people must be happy…

“Hey, they’re fighting over there?”

“Huh?”

“Oh— there goes a flying dagger, too.”

“Oh?”

“Wow, is that for real?”

Cold sweat ran down Chung Myung’s face.

Apparently many things had accumulated between them. What began calmly had quickly turned into chaos.

“Just because a family lives together doesn’t mean they get along.”

“Is it funny hearing that from sasuk?”

“W-what did I?”

Chung Myung snorted, watching Baek Cheon flustered.

‘No wonder.’

Strict rules, perfect hierarchy, statuses that only applied within the clan—Tang Family members had suffered that pretense their whole lives.

But when the Family Head, guardian of those rules, personally provided a place to break that order, it was natural for the suppressed tensions to burst out.

“Isn’t that going to be a real uproar? It’s a mess.”

“No need to worry.”

Chung Myung snorted.

“The Family Lord isn’t a child; he must have anticipated this. He knew everything. He must be pleased to see this…”

Suddenly Chung Myung fell silent.

“Family Lord?”

Everyone’s gaze turned to Tang Gunak.

“…He’s the one speaking over there, right? Yes, Chung Myung?”

Amid the squabbling retainers, Tang Gunak sat with a face drained pale.

“…I guess he didn’t expect this?”

“His expression is like ‘save me.’”

“Chung Myung?”

Chung Myung, staring at Tang Gunak, looked up at the blue sky. He felt as if a familiar face was looking down at him and smiling brightly.

“Hey, you…”

I didn’t realize it was this bad. Ugh.