Book 13: Chapter 180
Tang Ye (Part 1)
Imagine how your mouth and guts would feel if you accidentally ate a bug. That was exactly how the two felt when they saw each other for the first time in six years.
Tang Za lived under the assumption that Tang Ye was no longer in this world, so he was shocked when he heard the latter was a subordinate of his target. Tang Ye, likewise, didn’t immediately recognise Tang Za.
Tang Za was a notorious bully in Beihai as a kid. However, just because he bullied smaller kids to flaunt his might, it didn’t mean he only had brawn. To the contrary, he learnt the importance of having proof of might at a young age. To him, Tang Ye was just another stone he kicked away and forgot about once the latter had served his purpose as a punching bag.
Tang Ye rarely ever reminisced on his days being bullied as a kid once he left home because revenge took up all the space in his mind.
Although they never realised it, the common denominator between them was that neither of them ever saw the importance of the other.
Tang Za no longer boisterously laughed before smirking and jumping his victims. However, Tang Ye could tell the bully was still an aggressive person. The emotions in one’s eyes was difficult to erase, regardless of whether that was hostility, fatigue or anything else. Like armour that suppressed fatigue until it was removed, the wearer themselves wouldn’t be aware of it.
In contrast, Tang Za barely recognised Tang Ye. Tang Ye was more reticent than in memories, had shed the image of a naïve kid and had gone from a skinny boy into a grainy rock. His gaze was unique, in that it was empty, as though his target was never before his eyes. If you lined up a bunch of people, his eyes would make him stand out straight away.
Tang Za wasn’t interested in how Tang Ye’s gaze transformed into that of a staunch warrior’s. “Why didn’t you kill them?”
Tang Za received the silent treatment just as he used to.
“Is it because they carry the Tang surname, as well?” Tang Za didn’t care whether his guess was correct or not. The only thing he ever cared about was making sure that everything unfolded the way he desired. “How childish.”
“They also carry the Tang surname… but not Beihai’s Tang, correct?”
The look in Tang Za’s eyes served as the answer.
There were two powerful Tang Clans in the world, one in the south and one in Beihai. Regardless if it was the one in the north or the one in the south, they both produced an abundance of elite fighters, had competent leaders and, most importantly, some of the most innovate forgery techniques.
Every few generations, either Shu’s Tang Clan or Bright Mirror Palace’s Tang Clan would change the landscape. There was never a period in which anyone could say one Tang clan had surpassed the other. At least for the last twenty years, the image of peace between the two clans had always remained; there were never any rumours of them having squabbles. Howbeit, that wasn’t fortunate news. The appearance of Tang Za and the other two Tang surname bearers revealed that the peace was but only an illusion. If more proof was required, their attitudes toward each other should’ve cemented the fact.
“I thought you were dead all these years, but it turns out you’re still alive and still a weakling. I’m only going to say this once, so listen carefully: no matter how different you are and no matter how weak you are, your surname is Tang, so you should take part.”
Tang Za gave Tang Ye no credit for surviving the ambush. Instead, he was focused on how it was a waste that Tang Ye couldn’t serve him due to his merciful decision. After all, who needed a subordinate who couldn’t complete jobs? Still, he hoped to recruit a member of Bright Mirror Palace, especially one who inherited the Tang surname.
“The time for the two Tang clans to merge is at hand, and nobody can prevent it. Everyone who inherits the Tang surname carries a tattoo on their shoulder. Are you light or darkness?”
Tang Ye only needed the minimal information to understand everything pertaining to the matter. Their encounter was by pure chance; nobody Tang Ye wanted to hide his existence from knew about it. If they did, he’d already be dead.
While they were now serving different groups, it didn’t interfere with Tang Za taking Tang Ye under his wind. To Tang Za, Tang Clan forever took priority over the martial world. Therefore, he wanted a clear-cut decision despite the circumstances.
Besides his loss of blood and injuries, Tang Ye still had trouble breathing comfortably, too. The repercussion of refining all of one’s true essence in a short amount of time was that their internal energy wouldn’t return to the level it should’ve been at. This impelled Tang Ye to seriously contemplate his chances of winning against Tang Za.
Tang Za excelled in martial arts from the time he was a kid. Even if he had grown up in a comfortable environment, what was there to say that he wasn’t still superior to Tang Ye? Moreover, the fact that his aura had changed so drastically meant that Tang Za hadn’t been living complacently.
Tang Ye didn’t think he’d meet Tang Za again after the latter broke his nose. That was not to say that the aim of fighting now was to severe his past from himself. Frankly, he didn’t remember much of his younger self, but he did remember contemplating how to avenge his fallen clansmen when he was getting bullied back in Beihai.
Tang Ye slowly and vigilantly mobilised his breath, waiting for his meridians to loosen. Tang Za interpreted the silence, watchful gaze and inaction as resistance, which he didn’t appreciate in the slightest.
His fuse is a lot shorter than I remember. Does it have anything to do with his wicked gaze? There’s no doubt he’s killed plenty of people, or this wouldn’t be his personality now. Who has he killed?
Tang Ye ran his gaze down from Tang Za’s gaze down to the hidden scar on his neck, all the way down to the sword at his sash, which he couldn’t help but stop on. The sword reminded him of Tang Za’s late father, who was an excellent broadsword wielder in his own right, one capable of ranking among the best in Bright Mirror Palace. He could proudly say that he had fought virtually all the elites of Bright Mirror Palace. He loved to use profanity as much as he loved to fight; he was first to charge the enemy lines if a foreigner tried to harm them. He had as many fans as he did haters.
Tang Za was practically his father’s spitting image. He loved to follow his father around as he kid. You couldn’t convince him to take any advice if it didn’t come from his father. The only time he acted the way a kid would was around his father. Therefore, Tang Ye wondered when Tang Za switched to using a sword instead of a broadsword.
Apparently, Tang Za’s father lost his life two years ago, and his murderer was still free to walk around.
Tang Za couldn’t forgive somebody visually auditing him, especially when it was a weakling who disrespected him. His rage tensed up the atmosphere and drew his sword out of its sheath.
“Neither dark nor light,” answered Tang Ye.
Tang Za didn’t remember ever hearing Tang Ye speak so softly – or even a full sentence.
“I found out long ago that no Tang surname bearer had any characters tattooed onto their shoulders, but all of them had ‘death’ tattooed onto their forehead.”
The most accurate way to describe Tang Ye’s current eyes was that they could see through the darkness. For the first time ever, Tang Za was impressed with Tang Ye for being able to know that.
The Tang surname bearer who joined Liu Shan Men didn’t resemble any Tang Clan member. Instead, he resembled a constable. People would mock them if they heard Tang Clan member resembled a constable, but among those people, Tang Za wasn’t included. He, instead, would want to kill that constable. If one couldn’t resemble a Tang Clan member, no matter what their origins were, they were disqualified from being part of Tang Clan.
As soon as Tang Za drew his sword, he aimed it straight at Tang Ye’s forehead. As vast as Bright Mirror Palace’s martial arts disciplines were, none of them taught the technique Tang Za performed. However, Tang Ye, who had travelled the world, recognised that it belonged to Tang Clan, the other Tang Clan.
Tang Ye desperately dodged the attack. Tang Clan’s swordplay was vicious and poisonous – literally. While the style was vicious, Tang Ye didn’t believe Tang Za’s father would’ve lost to it if it wasn’t for the rippling green glow he could see on it. Contrary to his clear thoughts, Tang Ye’s evasion manoeuvre lacked finesse.
There was no way Tang Za was going to spare Tang Ye for numerous reasons, one being his secret. Each attack was delivered with the intent to kill. The swordplay was designed to take lives. The person who taught the swordplay to Tang Za told him, “If you’re not going to kill, you must kill yourself.” Tang Za would never commit suicide.
