STNPC-C9

Chapter 9

“Huh? Why are you out here?”

Seogyeom had barely taken a few steps after leaving the Guest Hall when he ran into the old servant. Two maidservants followed behind him, each carrying a small dining table, apparently having finished preparing the meal.

“Perfect timing. Take me to my brother.”

“Pardon? What are you suddenly talking about?”

“There’s something I need to ask him. Eldest Brother is probably busy… and Second Brother is in the Inner Compound, right?”

As far as Seogyeom remembered, Tang Mujin was often away from the sect. Between acting as the Young Patriarch and procuring medicine for Tang Seogyeom, even two bodies wouldn’t have been enough for him. Naturally, Seogyeom found himself looking for Tang Yu instead.

“He is in the Inner Compound, but…”

The old servant, who had frozen at the sudden request, trailed off and shut his mouth. The way he glanced toward the Inner Compound made it obvious that he was terrified Seogyeom might actually insist on going there.

“Then take me to him.”

“Young Master…”

“I really have something important to tell him. I’ll just see Second Brother quietly and come right back.”

When the servant continued to hesitate, Seogyeom pleaded with him in an increasingly earnest voice. Except when he had been very young, the Young Master had never once mentioned going to the Inner Compound, so the servant’s concern was understandable.

More than anything, countless martial artists lived there. If Seogyeom accidentally came into contact with the poisonous aura they emitted…

The servant didn’t even want to imagine what might happen afterward.

“If you don’t want to tell me, forget it. I’ll find my own way.”

When the servant’s hesitation dragged on, Seogyeom changed tactics.

He had only asked because he was worried people would become suspicious if he somehow knew the layout of the Inner Compound. In truth, he already knew it like the back of his hand.

“There’s no need.”

“…Second Young Master?”

“Brother!”

Fortunately, Seogyeom never had the chance to push past the old servant and leave on his own.

Tang Yu stood there, radiating a chilling presence. The two maidservants, who had been quietly waiting nearby, immediately began trembling at the sound of his cold voice. Seeing that, Tang Yu clicked his tongue.

“Tsk. Bring another setting.”

“Y-Yes. I’ll have it prepared immediately.”

Unlike the young maidservants, the old servant recovered his composure relatively quickly. After bowing deeply, he gestured toward one of the passing servants.

The maidservant blinked blankly before hurrying out of the courtyard.

“It looks like you haven’t eaten yet either, Brother.”

Amid the atmosphere tense enough to freeze water, Seogyeom was the only one who remained perfectly calm—because he was the only one with something to gain from this.

He casually approached Tang Yu as though they were close.

Tang Yu immediately flinched and stepped backward.

“Don’t come any closer. Stay there—there and speak.”

Ah, right. They couldn’t touch.

Overjoyed to see him, Seogyeom had nearly made the same mistake again. As he scratched his head with the hand he had unconsciously extended, Tang Yu let out a quiet sigh.

“It isn’t because I dislike you. It’s just that the poison arts I cultivate… may harm you.”

His voice was filled with concern.

Any member of the Tang Clan was expected to learn martial arts, yet because of that very fact, Tang Yu had been forced into a living separation from his only younger brother.

He had watched Seogyeom from afar, but even if Seogyeom believed he had been abandoned, Tang Yu would have had no excuse.

And yet, he had stepped forward today because Seogyeom had called him Brother.

“Thank you for worrying about me, Brother.”

Just like now.

Tang Yu silently watched as Seogyeom smiled warmly and dipped his head.

His fierce appearance made it impossible to tell, but a storm was raging inside him.

Among those of the same generation as Tang Yu, there were only three direct descendants.

One was Tang Mujin, a talent admired not only throughout Sichuan but across the entire Central Plains.

The other was the younger brother who had one day arrived holding their mother’s hand.

A child seven years younger than Tang Yu—small, adorable, and painfully fragile.

His gentle eyes and chubby cheeks had been so lovable that Tang Yu had been utterly captivated from the very first day they met.

As he watched the child grow, his attachment only deepened.

Once he grows a little older, I’ll teach him martial arts. I’ll take him into town and buy him all sorts of delicious things.

He had never told anyone, but behind the nickname “Poison Needle Ghost”, he had secretly cherished such small dreams.

But Tang Yu’s dreams had soon been shattered.

The child, who had grown weaker day by day, suddenly began coughing up blood.

The cause of his illness lay within Seogyeom’s own body.

Born with the Mysterious Yin Heart Vein, one of the most severe types of blocked meridians, his qi and blood had already been damaged from whatever life he had lived before coming to the Tang Clan.

Worst of all, Seogyeom’s body could not tolerate poison at all.

Even the fumes from incense burned during the preparation of poisons were enough to leave him hovering between life and death.

After several similar incidents, the Tang Clan Patriarch had no choice but to make a decision.

Seogyeom would be sent to the Outer Compound.

For the first few years, neither Tang Yu nor Seogyeom could accept the Patriarch’s decision.

Tang Yu would watch over the child together with Tang Mujin, and whenever he felt sorry for the sight of Seogyeom crying alone, he would sometimes reach out and stroke his hair.

But the ending was always the same.

Not long after coming into contact with Tang Yu, the child would cough up blood and suffer a violent seizure.

After blaming himself countless times for the sight of the little boy in agony, Tang Yu eventually stopped visiting altogether.

How long has it been since we last stood face-to-face like this?

Lost in regret, Tang Yu stared for a long while into Seogyeom’s eyes, which were filled with nothing but affection.

Seogyeom would have been justified in pouring out resentment and asking why he had only appeared now.

Yet his gentle younger brother simply welcomed him happily, as though nothing had ever happened.

“Wouldn’t it be better to continue this conversation inside?”

At that moment, a voice cut through Tang Yu’s thoughts.

Leaning against the doorway was the scoundrel who had appeared so suddenly.

Tang Yu had already sensed his presence through his aura, and his brows immediately furrowed deeply in displeasure.

“You speak as though this were your own home.”

“If it sounded that way, then I apologize. I only said it because the Third Young Master doesn’t look well.”

As everyone’s attention suddenly turned toward him, Seogyeom blinked.

Putting aside the fact that he didn’t actually feel sick, he had no idea why Namgung Yun was suddenly taking such a contrary attitude.

Tang Yu had always been a prickly character, but wasn’t Namgung Yun supposed to possess the generosity befitting a protagonist?

He has been putting up with a lot… hasn’t he?

Seogyeom recalled the hostility Namgung Yun had endured since yesterday.

Considering that this was the martial world, the fact that he had tolerated this much was honestly impressive.

And although they were in the middle of the Tang Clan, hadn’t Namgung Yun now been granted permission to enter the Outer Compound because he had saved Tang Seogyeom?

Or perhaps the slow progress of his quest had simply put him in a bad mood.

Before their verbal sparring escalated into an actual fight, Seogyeom hurriedly stepped between them.

“Now that you mention it, I think my leg might hurt a little. Let’s go inside and talk. I have something to tell you too, Brother.”

At his hastily improvised excuse, Tang Yu’s gaze immediately dropped to Seogyeom’s legs.

They were hidden beneath his robes, but Tang Yu had repeatedly received reports that Seogyeom had fallen.

“Alright. Let’s go inside first.”

“You too, Brother.”

With a bright smile, Seogyeom scampered into the Guest Hall.

Tang Yu, whose face had been twisted into a deep frown moments earlier, relaxed his expression and followed after him.

But the peace didn’t last long.

“Gyeom-ah, sit here.”

The seat Seogyeom had been about to take happened to be right beside Namgung Yun.

He had deliberately chosen somewhere far away from Tang Yu in case they accidentally touched, so there hadn’t been much choice.

“Um… okay.”

Moving one seat closer shouldn’t be a problem, right?

Just as Seogyeom was about to follow Tang Yu’s instruction, Namgung Yun stopped him.

“Wouldn’t it be better for the Third Young Master to sit farther away from the Second Young Master?”

That wasn’t wrong either.

Seogyeom nodded and was about to lower himself into the chair Namgung Yun indicated.

“No. Sit here.”

But just before his backside touched the cushion, Tang Yu pulled out the chair beside him.

Frozen awkwardly halfway through sitting down, Seogyeom looked back and forth between the two men.

What kind of childish fight is this?

“The Third Young Master collapsed only yesterday.”

Namgung Yun was the first to upset the balance.

Tang Yu gritted his teeth at the provocative remark.

Just as he was about to fire back with another insult—

“Why are you all sitting around without even picking up your chopsticks?”

The old servant entered at just the right moment, carrying a tray.

Seogyeom breathed a sigh of relief and sat down.

The two martial artists also picked up their chopsticks as though nothing had happened.

Soon, dish after dish was arranged on the table.

“Does the food not suit your taste? You still need to eat if you’re going to take your medicine.”

Before Seogyeom could even take a bite, the old servant spoke in distress.

Apparently, he thought Seogyeom had skipped his meal because he was being picky about the side dishes.

Seogyeom felt unfairly scolded, but he decided to let it slide.

He had no desire to repeat the exhausting battle from earlier.

“Don’t eat only meat. Eat everything evenly too, understand?”

Seogyeom let the affectionate nagging go in one ear and out the other as he moved his chopsticks.

Come to think of it, hadn’t his original excuse for visiting Namgung Yun been that they would eat together?

He had been so focused on clearing the quest quickly that he hadn’t realized how hungry he was.

But now that food was right in front of him, he wanted to put everything into his mouth.

Food comes first, even before sightseeing.

Repeating the saying to himself, Seogyeom focused entirely on the dishes before him.

“You seem to like celtuce.”

He had been so absorbed in eating that he had temporarily forgotten about the presence of the two martial arts masters.

At the question from beside him, Seogyeom looked down at the tip of his chopsticks.

The plate of vegetables seasoned with chili oil was nearly empty.

He must have unconsciously focused on that one dish because he liked its crisp, crunchy texture.

He had only just learned that the vegetable was called celtuce, but Seogyeom answered calmly.

“I guess I do.”

“Have some more of this. I haven’t touched it.”

Before Seogyeom even had the chance to refuse, a generous pile of celtuce landed on his plate.

“Thank you, Brother Jo.”

Since it had already happened, Seogyeom decided to accept the kindness without protest.

He had been thinking there wasn’t quite enough, anyway.

As Seogyeom smiled softly and picked up a piece of celtuce, he suddenly felt a sharp gaze pierce into him.

Slowly turning his eyes toward its source, he found Tang Yu sitting there with his chopsticks lowered, his face twisted into a frown.

For some reason, his expression had turned red and then pale, making it obvious that he was displeased.

“Gyeom-ah, don’t just accept food from anyone so carelessly.”

He couldn’t bring himself to snatch it away when Seogyeom was enjoying it so much, so Tang Yu merely watched with displeasure before abruptly blurting it out.

 

• 궁채 (gungchae): A crunchy vegetable commonly translated as celtuce or stem lettuce.
• 기감 (gigam): A martial artist’s ability to sense another person’s presence or energy—essentially a supernatural awareness developed through martial arts training.