Tang Clan Reincarnation (1)
Shh!
"Welcome, young master."
The kindly looking butler, Tang Hwang, greeted him with a smile. The boy, Tang Chanil, bowed politely.
"Yes. Hello, Butler Tang Hwang. Father told me to inspect this place today."
"Of course he did. You'll soon be responsible for our Hadokcheo."
The Poison Research Division
Hadokcheo.
One of the many sub-organizations within the Tang Clan, it was the institute that researched methods of dispersing poison.
Clatter!
A thick haze of acrid, pale-violet poison smoke spilled out as Tang Hwang opened the door. Covering his mouth with a handkerchief, he offered another to Tang Chanil.
"You needn't worry too much. This isn't real poison. Though the stench is rather unbearable."
Tang Chanil nodded at the explanation. Tang Hwang, seeing this, smiled with satisfaction.
"You're already thirteen now, young master."
Already? It felt like just yesterday he was ten. Time truly flew.
Chanil, hiding his true thoughts, smiled sheepishly. Thinking he was just embarrassed, Tang Hwang spread his arms proudly.
"Anyway, this department is the foundation and core of our Hadokcheo. Here, we study poison dispersal using the wind. Now, the southern wind is…"
As his speech grew long-winded, Chanil sighed inwardly.
"It's most effective when dispersed with a south wind. The finger-and-spit trick works for checking wind direction, but for accuracy, it's better to combine with other methods."
"The spit-on-the-finger method is possible, but very dangerous. Are you listening, young master?"
"Cough, cough!"
Snapped from his thoughts, Chanil hastily coughed.
"The smell is too strong."
Tang Hwang frowned in disappointment.
"Young master, even if the smell bothers you, please endure it. It would be disrespectful to those working here. Maintaining their respect is also respect for the division chief."
After eyeing him reproachfully, Tang Hwang gestured.
"Let us move to the next location."
Before opening the next storage door, he warned Chanil carefully.
"There are some rather gruesome things here, but please endure and observe to the end."
"I understand!"
Though Chanil answered brightly, Tang Hwang remained doubtful. Yet he took his role seriously, though he couldn't help worrying about the future of Hadokcheo.
"Sigh. Of all heirs, why must this frail young master be our next division chief? Then again, the current chief himself was excluded from the clan head struggle early because of his gentle nature."
Shaking his head, Tang Hwang opened the door.
The Insect Vault
Chhh.
The dark storeroom was silent, but Chanil knew well. This was perhaps the very heart of the Tang Clan.
"Difficult to see, isn't it?"
"Yes, it's a bit dark."
But unlike his words, Chanil saw everything clearly.
Inside the room of barely ten square meters, there were over 472 species of poisonous insects, more than 500 beneficial insects, and over a thousand yet-to-be-classified insects being raised.
"As you know, honeybees are usually considered beneficial. People think of them only as honey-makers, but that's just one side…"
"A sting can kill a man. Which is why we're researching multiple ways of weaponizing bees."
"Poisonous and beneficial insects differ by a paper's width… Hm! Young master, you seem distracted today. Can't concentrate?"
Sigh. If only this butler talked less…
How would he feel if someone read aloud the textbook he himself had written fifteen years ago?
Suppressing a massive yawn with near-lethal willpower, Chanil forced the calmest expression he could.
"Pardon? What did you just say?"
"…"
Tang Hwang drooped his shoulders as he shut the storeroom door. Behind him, Chanil's eyes gleamed.
"Nothing."
Ignoring Tang Hwang's expression of thinly veiled disappointment, Chanil kept quiet.
"Truthfully, this place is not under Hadokcheo's jurisdiction."
"I know. This belongs to the Poison Materials Division."
"Yes, it's managed by the Poison Materials Division. Though our duties overlap slightly… Anyway, the last place you'll observe today is their biological storage vault."
For the first time, Chanil's face brightened, though Tang Hwang, walking ahead, did not notice.
"This is the biological storage vault."
Though Tang Hwang went on explaining, Chanil's focus was locked on one spot.
"The creatures stored here are…"
Coo-roo-roo!
From a massive cage in the corner came a pure, resonant cry. Tang Hwang brightened.
"Well, what's this? Why's it crying today?"
"Why? Is something wrong with that bird?"
"Not wrong, but… actually, that one is among the rarest spiritual beasts in our clan. For thirteen years it has drooped like water-soaked cotton, so we worried much. But today it seems to be in high spirits."
"Why would a spiritual beast act like that?"
"Well, that's… The attendant who cared for it… ah, never mind. Let us stop here for today."
Tang Hwang hurriedly closed the vault door.
In that brief moment, Chanil met the bird's eyes through the crack.
Shh.
Bringing a finger to his lips so Tang Hwang wouldn't notice, Chanil turned.
"Let's go."
The bird made no further sound.
A Hundred Years Ago – The Rise of the Tang Clan
A hundred years ago, the Tang Clan was feared and shunned, but not considered anywhere near the greatest under heaven.
The reason was simple: concealed weapons and poison.
Unlike prestigious martial families that developed open martial arts, the Tang Clan focused on taboo techniques—poisons and hidden weapons—leading to open disdain from other sects.
The second reason was their closed-bloodline policy.
Most members bore the Tang surname, and even when lacking manpower, they recruited only collateral kin. This pure-blood exclusivity isolated them and prevented them from becoming a true central power in the martial world.
But all this changed under the previous clan head, Tang Jugwang.
Tang Jugwang – The Innovator
Fifty years ago.
Ascending as head of the Tang Clan, Tang Jugwang cast aside their obsession with pure bloodlines and actively recruited talented outsiders, while also venturing into profitable businesses.
There weren't many ways for a martial clan to make money—especially one that refused to absorb branch families like other sects. Even with open recruitment, poisons and hidden weapons weren't freely taught, so most talent left for other sects.
No revenue meant no influence.
But Tang Jugwang shattered that wall with ease.
"Don't waste effort on what cannot be done!"
He instead took on the shady work of both government and martial world—the dirty jobs.
In polite words, they were contracts. In truth, they were clean-ups.
But the business was profitable, and the Tang Clan grew wealthy. Then Jugwang turned to another venture—gambling dens.
Sharp-eyed in finance, he realized no trade was as lucrative. Using the wealth from contracts, he steadily increased the number of gambling houses.
The orthodox sects ignored this filth, leaving it to triads and petty sects.
The Tang Clan swiftly crushed them, spreading fear, and seized over 30% of all gambling houses across the Central Plains.
Only then did the righteous sect leaders begin to panic.
Some argued to block the Tang Clan's rise, but what could they do?
They had knowingly let the underworld hold sway; wasn't it better if one of their own ruled instead of bandits? Besides, Jugwang had already bribed key sects.
No coalition formed, and individually none could suppress the now-grown Tang Clan. Thus the clan rose higher and higher in power.
Tang Gwaro – The Ruthless Successor
After Jugwang, the next clan head was Tang Gwaro.
He was born a merchant—ruthless enough to cast aside brothers in the clan-head struggle and merciless enough to purge his rivals.
He named the assassination division Bicheonda and managed it separately. Once funds circulated well, he extended the clan's reach into the merchant guilds.
Price manipulation, black-market trades, and hoarding.
When signs of trouble appeared, unlike ordinary sects, the Tang Clan did not hesitate to deal directly with government officials. Thus the once-quiet commercial world of the Central Plains lost its peace like a teacup storm turned violent.
Small merchants denounced and protested the Tang Clan's shameless hoarding and unscrupulous conduct, but bureaucrats who had already taken their bribes were never going to step forward.
And above all—force.
If any problem arose, the Tang Clan would simply send in Bicheonda to root it out completely. They even handled the troublesome matters of corrupt officials, so by that time the Tang Clan was nearly untouchable.
The union of officials and martial power!
As their businesses expanded and their funds grew, the development of martial arts, hidden weapons, and poisons advanced remarkably. This, in turn, increased Bicheonda's success rate in assassination contracts, until it reached nearly ten out of ten.
Legal profits from gambling dens and businesses, illegal income through Bicheonda.
With both power and wealth in his grasp, Tang Gwaro advanced without restraint.
Before long, even the Martial Alliance—once dismissive of the Tang Clan—yielded the upper seat to Tang Gwaro. From that point on, the Tang Clan was no longer merely a great house of the martial world, but was hailed as the foremost family under heaven.
And with glory always comes sacrifice.
The very foundation that raised the Tang Clan to this height was Bicheonda, a sub-organization directly under the young clan heir.
And now, the one known as Tang Chanil was in fact Yu Pyeongwol, former commander of Bicheonda, who had been killed thirteen years ago for refusing to carry out a certain assassination mission.
Back then, Yu Pyeongwol's assassination target was—
"Father!"
Chanil opened the door, calling out.
"Oh, you've come."
The middle-aged man sipping tea looked up at Chanil with a warm smile.
"So, did you learn much?"
With his slender face, delicate figure that could be mistaken for a woman's, and soft-spoken voice, he gave off the air of a quiet scholar in his thirties.
"Yes, I listened well and observed much. But I don't think I truly understand yet."
"You can't be full with your first spoonful. Still, you've seen much, and that is enough."
Tang In, the head of Hadokcheo, one of the Tang Clan's divisions, put an arm around Chanil's shoulder and seated him.
"So, what did you think?"
His lips curved with gentle kindness.
"Up to now, you've only had brief tours. This is your first time truly observing."
"It was a bit disgusting, but still an interesting experience."
Chanil answered with words far too composed for a child.
"The smell must have been terrible?"
"It was, but not unbearable. Rather, I felt that I'd finally come this far, so I carefully observed everything."
"Hahaha! You're better than I am! At your age, I nearly cried at the entrance."
"That can't be true, Father."
"No, it's true. I was so frightened I nearly wet myself."
Tang In laughed again.
As he kept smiling, pouring tea for his son, he was about to share more stories when—
Clack!
"Well, aren't you lucky. Sitting here joking with a child."
The door opened and a woman in her late twenties entered.
Tang Sukjeong.
The sixth daughter of Tang Gwaro, current clan head.
Though overshadowed by the eldest son and daughter, she still held authority as head of the Poison Materials Division, and constantly sought to rise higher.
Pity her skill and daring were far smaller than her temper.
Just as Chanil was about to bow bitterly, Tang In quickly stood up.
"What are you doing, Chanil! Hurry and greet your aunt properly!"
"Hello. I, Tang Chanil, greet my aunt…"
"Enough. I didn't come to receive greetings."
Turning her head coldly, Tang Sukjeong jerked her chin at Tang In.
"Straight to the point—tomorrow the clan head himself will personally march against the Jegal family."
"You mean Father himself gave the order?"
"Father?"
She snapped sharply, her eyes flaring.
"Call the clan head 'Father' one more time and I'll never forgive you!"
"…I understand, Sixth Sister."
"I am the Deputy Head of the Poison Materials Division!"
"Yes, Deputy Head."
As Tang In bowed his head, Sukjeong clicked her tongue, glaring with disdain.
"Tomorrow at the hour of Chen (7–9 a.m.), there will be a meeting combined with a light meal. Do not be late."
"I won't be late."
"And fix those clothes. You look worse than a beggar. It's truly unpleasant to see."
Tang In's attire was modest. Compared to Sukjeong's lavishness, it seemed plain, but not so shabby as to be disgraceful.
Even so, he lowered his head.
"My apologies."
"Remember your bloodline. Even if you've fallen behind, you should at least uphold the dignity of a Tang Clan member."
She poked Tang In's chest repeatedly with her finger.
Chanil, watching this, felt a wave of irony.
Thirteen years ago, she wasn't like this…
No—more precisely, twenty years ago.
At ten years old, Tang Sukjeong had been like a flower.
Brilliant, well-mannered, speaking with refinement beyond her years.
With the halo of being the second daughter of the foremost clan under heaven, she naturally drew the gaze of every young bachelor in Sichuan—or indeed, the entire martial world.
Of course, even within the Tang Clan, more than a few had been smitten by this bright, adorable girl.
Back then she was a little arrogant, but in a charming way…
Turning his head so his expression wouldn't show, Chanil caught her eye.
"You dare look away while your elder is lecturing you?"
Sigh…
In truth, I'm six years older than you.
Chanil barely swallowed those words that had risen to his throat.
"I had no such intention, Aunt."
"Deputy Head of the Poison Materials Division!"
"Yes, Deputy Head."
As Chanil answered respectfully, Sukjeong snorted.
"Just like your pitiful father, you're hopeless. Well, the seed of a fool breeds only fools."
"Sixth—no… Deputy Head, your words go too far in front of a child…"
"And what's too far about it?!"
Her eyes sharpened, her voice blazing with fury.
Tang In's anger was palpable even to Chanil, but he still maintained his gentle smile.
"I can accept it, but he is still your nephew. Please think of that, just a little."
"Enough."
With hands on her hips, Sukjeong glared at them both.
"I've said what I came to say. Don't be late tomorrow."
"Yes, Deputy Head."
Bang!
Without waiting for an answer, she stormed out.
"Heh…"
Only then did Tang In scratch his head and laugh awkwardly.
"That must have startled you. Your aunt must be in poor spirits today, so try to understand."
She's always like that. So I expect nothing.
"Anyway, you've worked hard today. Go and rest early. Tomorrow we'll be seeing your grandfather."
"Yes, Father."
As Chanil rose, leaving his teacup unfinished, Tang In nodded.
"Good."
Leaving his father's room, Chanil interlaced his fingers.
So I'll finally meet Tang Gwaro?
The legendary giant, whom even in his past life he had never once laid eyes on—tomorrow he would meet him at last.