Chapter 126

“So Qing’s joining the planning meeting, huh?”

What popped into my head was a grand scene of the Tang Family’s fancy model layout and a chaotic blackboard covered in complicated battle plans and papers.

The entire atmosphere felt serious and heavy, culminating in some inspiring speech to boost morale.

But reality? Total chaos.

Instead of strategizing, the senior members of the Tang Family were just milling around, rubbing their limbs, and chatting like it was a casual gathering.

Wait, didn’t they say this was a planning meeting?

As Qing tilted his head in confusion, one of the old men cast a gaze at Tang Nan-ah that was practically dripping with affection.

It was that classic look where honey could practically drip from their eyes.

“Ah, did you not sleep well? Hehe. I suppose you were up all night chatting away with a friend?”

Tang Nan-ah awkwardly avoided eye contact, her earlobes turning a lovely shade of red.

“Hahaha, what’s there to be embarrassed about? It’s only natural for good friends to lie on the same bed and chat endlessly, right?”

The old man had a rather interesting interpretation of that idea.

“Back in my day, I often shared a bed with my friends. Those nights spent gazing at the stars and chatting made any hardships seem trivial. Looking back, those times were truly beautiful.”

“So you too should laugh, cry, quarrel, and share a bed with your friends when you’re young, just like Uncle Son and Jo Gong-geun did.”

“Just like the Yu brothers did.”

“And how could we forget Baek Ah and his boys?”

“Guan Zhong and Po Suk shared a bed as well.”

“And let’s not forget Noyou and Marek.”

“You’re being ridiculous, old man. Noyou and Marek were fictional characters!”

“Are you sure? Their names could very well have been altered over time.”

The elderly chatter exploded into a friendly banter.

Qing took the opportunity to revisit his suspicions.

“So, sharing a bed between friends means…”

“Of course! Isn’t that the first step to welcoming a true friend? It’s essential…”

Tang Nan-ah wasn’t technically lying, but she was definitely being sneaky.

It was only a cheeky wish to share a bed with a friend at least once.

In reality, sharing a bed and a blanket meant they weathered tough times together.

When life got tough, they shared a bed and a blanket.

Having gone through hardships together would inevitably bond them tightly.

Usually, friends who live comfortably have their own rooms even among siblings.

The elders of the Tang Family lived comfortably as children, so they meant it in a different way.

It was their way of expressing how the land was their bed and the sky their blanket while they roamed the Martial World together.

The elders were blissfully unaware of Tang Nan-ah’s cunning scheme, making their sincere words all the more genuine.

Wasn’t it typical for young ones to throw questions around excitedly, eager to share their knowledge?

This made Qing drop all doubt.

Instead, he reflected.

Jang Myung must be really disappointed.

When I get back, should we share a bed? But Jang Myung is still a minor…

With such strict national law, how could one share a bed with a minor?

Perhaps this could turn into a risky act that might cause a crisis for the world!

“So, what about the planning meeting?”

“Hehe. The plan was made long ago. Preparedness is key; if we only start planning now when danger approaches, we’d be in big trouble.”

Basically, they had all the major risks covered, so there was nothing left to tweak.

That was the strength of a long-standing family legacy.

“Then why are we gathering here?”

“If the family elders are just sitting around idly, the young ones will lose focus. If we act serious, maybe they’ll follow suit.”

“Ah…”

“But, without a doubt, if you’re a friend of Ah-ya, you must be told the plan.”

“So, I’m a friend who shares a bed with her…”

“If you’re a friend of Ah-ya, then so be it.”

“So finally, my Ah-ya has a friend…”

“Wait, what are you saying?!”

Tang Nan-ah’s face turned bright red.

Seeing that, Qing realized at least one thing.

This girl definitely has no friends.

Should I do a good deed and befriend this friendless girl?

It’s no wonder the elders watched her with the same gaze one would reserve for daughters.

“Ahem, ahem. Let’s not get carried away here, elders.”

Tang Family Chief Tang Tu-juk casually settled the mood.

“First and foremost, Tang Family territory is a perilous place. You cannot enter without preparation, so haven’t we advised Ah-ya not to step into the flower beds?”

“Yes. We’ve laid traps of every kind…”

The Tang Family had an abundance of pointless flower beds.

Be it the front or back of the walls, any spare space had large stones encircling flower beds.

Usually, they were for cultivating poison plants or brewing toxic concoctions, and during a siege, they provided a quick way to hinder the enemy.

“While I gave the other retainers defensive plans for the guest hall, you are a genuine member of the Orthodox Martial World and a friend of my daughter. Hence, you can’t be treated as an outsider. Would you like to face the enemy with us?”

“Yes. That’s why I stayed.”

This made Tang Tu-juk’s eyes moisten.

“Ah-ya found such a wonderful friend…”

His sensitivity was utterly unpredictable.

“The Tang Family is an impregnable fortress, as long as we’re not up against cannons. Once we remove the cannons, we could face an army of ten thousand!”

With traps and formations, Tang Family territory could claim to be the most dangerous place in the Central Plain.

Moreover, no one truly understood how terrifying the Tang Family’s poisons were, especially ever since the legendary Master Mucheondae walked among them.

The family’s focus on healing arts was also due to the recognition that they couldn’t further develop their toxicity.

The problem lay with those cannons.

Once they entered the Tang Family territory, they could poison or trap any intruders.

But if the cannons were firing away from afar, causing chaos and destruction, they wouldn’t even get a chance to utilize their traps or poisons.

“So, if we can just eliminate the cannons, we will win. Thus, we need to endure as long as possible without conflict until we pinpoint their location.”

That’s how the battle would begin, with words flying instead of swords. The Sicheon Tang Family was part of the Orthodox Martial World. Moreover, they provided free medical care and developed agricultural pesticides, making them one of the few organizations dedicated to such efforts.

Just the sheer increase in agricultural production due to their pesticides from before nitrogen fertilizers was enough to be a remarkable achievement.

In a way, the Tang Family’s lofty reputation stemmed from these deeds.

Of course, no one knew about it.

However, with free medical care and affordable pesticides, it wouldn’t be easy for the imperial family to make a sudden attack on the Tang Family.

One wrong move, and not only the Orthodox Martial World would rise, but the common folk could join in, leading to a chaotic uprising of the Tang violates, after the Huang Jin Ze and Bai Jin Ze.

The current government office was losing people’s trust due to their incompetence, so this was a significant factor.

This is why the inspectors would look for excuses to pin down charges of revolt before launching any attacks.

“So for now, what we must do is…”

Tang Tu-juk cleared his throat with a hint of embarrassment.

“What is it?”

“…without giving them a reason, we need to hold our ground.”

By firstly studying the positions of the cannons while deferring any confrontation, they planned to eliminate the cannons once the battle commenced and draw the enemies in for a complete defeat.

However, enduring that period would be a significant humiliation.

Going after them first would result in being accused of treason, which was a situation they wanted to avoid.

Just like the Three Kingdoms, for the people of the Central Plain, prestige is akin to life itself.

To draw swords suddenly without notice would lead to being viewed as a villain in the martial world, so one had to be judicious in their attacks.

Even though the martial world was fundamentally just a gang of thugs, it somehow managed to navigate the history without much conflict, acting as a sort of safety net.

Of course, there were those who were always looking for a fight.

The cult of sorcery had their moments.

Yet even they had some ground to stand on as they cited familial revenge, which worked well as a justification.

But it was the Blood Sect that was truly malicious.

A collection of lunatics, sexual deviants, drug addicts, and cannibals; it was a group all too eager to stain the world with blood, becoming a menace if they ever got riled up.

Yet, the government could not behave like that.

In essence, legitimacy is another word for justification.

The government’s Achilles’ heel was always their legitimacy.

There was a history where they had risen up to topple the imperial dynasty and divided the continent among the Eight Kings, leading to chaos.

Hearing this, Qing pondered.

Ah. So the martial world isn’t just a free-for-all brawl; there are layers of complexity behind it.

Who knew things could be so convoluted?

—-

Qing’s points for good deeds have now exceeded three thousand.

This miraculous growth was effective thanks to the thousand-point reward for overcoming the first crisis.

The mission panel was going wild with superlatives about paths to unity and hidden great accomplishments that earned him points.

So I guess overcoming the crisis did pay off.

In that case, I have three martial arts to choose from.

Qing took a serious moment to contemplate again.

Should I save my goodwill points for something uncertain, though?

First off, the Reverse Meridian Gold Technique is a bit ambiguous, isn’t it?

It’s a martial art that significantly nurtures the sinews and strengthens the dantian and blood vessels.

However, I’ve already surpassed human physical capabilities; my dantian and blood vessels are not just robust but nearly invulnerable to any internal energy.

Learning it would be more of a bragging point with my master.

So should I really pursue a martial art that has minimal effect…?

Actually, yes!

My master would surely appreciate me learning this!

With three martial arts to exchange, I might as well consider it a way of showing filial piety.

Worried that I might regret later, Qing immediately made the exchange.

Feeling a rush, his brain couldn’t process it, resulting in a dumbfounded imitation of a stuttering mute.

Within his dantian, the remnants of ancient powers began to cheer again.

The Great Unification Technique presented a hand in the form of the Buddha, while the Reverse Meridian Gold Technique mirrored that same hand in unison.

“Ughhh…”

Qing was still laying there in a daze.

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