“Hahaha. So you’re the kid who gave the Elders’ Council a hard time.”
The person who came from the Elders’ Council was aligned with those supporting us. With a benevolent face, he explained the current situation of the council.
“If you need the innards of a man-eater, you must get approval from the Elders’ Council. However, right now, opinions are sharply divided. Originally, this situation would have been maintained until the Tang Family Head returned.”
“Are you saying things are different now?”
“Within the Tang Family, there’s unrest due to the Tang Geoh incident and the Rise of the Tang Family. They’re worried that if they ignore your existence, they might lose control over the council in this chaotic Tang Family. So, I have a proposal for you.”
The Elders’ Council leads the Tang Family in the absence of the Tang Family Head. Losing trust in such a chaotic state is a major problem.
“What kind of proposal?”
“Prove before the council that the blood of the Tang Family flows in you. If you can make your name known in the line of succession, then you’ll be given the innards of a man-eater. Of course, it won’t be easy.”
I had no reason to refuse.
———————
A day later, I was summoned to the Elders’ Council meeting.
As I entered a place that resembled a small amphitheater, I was surrounded by a multitude of people, including the Elders’ Council, all come to see me.
At the front, the council members, resembling judges of a courtroom, were waiting for me.
Why does it feel like this is a scene where I should be screaming my introduction? My name is Kang Yoon-ho. I am the husband of Murong Sang-a, childhood friend of the Heavenly Killing Star, and the owner of the Tea Bookstore. I’m the author of The Rise of the Tang Family, Ho Pil, and in the moment of death of my friend, I will seek vengeance. The atmosphere demands such a declaration.
I stifled a chuckle at my nonsensical thoughts and opened my mouth.
“It’s truly hard to see your faces.”
I began boldly, directing a displeased look toward the council members, who were glaring at me.
“This isn’t a place for your sarcastic comments! Just answer our questions directly!”
An elderly man, appearing to be the chair of the council, shouted at me. Is that guy the Elder Councilman, representative of the faction supporting the Deputy Head of Family?
“Go ahead and ask.”
“Before you ask! If what you said is proven false and it’s confirmed that the blood of the Tang Family does not flow in you! No matter who you are! No matter who is backing you! The crime of spreading the secrets of the Tang Family! The crime of bringing discord to the Tang Family! I will not let it slide.”
Without even needing to say it, I knew. My life has been on the line since the moment the Tea Bookstore shut down temporarily.
Seeing no signs of backing down, the Elder Councilman continued with an annoyed expression.
“I’ll start with this matter of the book. You are the one who wrote the secrets of the Tang Family over twenty years ago?”
“Seems like everyone knows about it now, huh?”
“Just answer the question!”
“That’s correct. I am Ho Pil. I wrote The Rise of the Tang Family based on stories I heard from my mother.”
It’s just that I added some content from Hyang-a’s diary. If I speak the truth now and admit that the blood of the Tang Family does not flow in me, I will become an experimental subject of the Tang Family’s human body mystery, so there’s no way I’ll say that.
“It’s true that very few know this story. However, that does not prove that you have the blood of the Tang Family running in you. Isn’t your friend the daughter of the Color Demon associated with the secrets written twenty years ago?”
Mentioning Hwa-rin like that makes my blood boil.
“Don’t refer to my friend that way! The name of my friend, whom you abandoned and left to die, is Tang Hwa-rin. And how would Hwa-rin know about the anecdotes of Tang Jung and Du Eung-hyang?”
“She’s the child of the Color Demon. She might have heard detailed circumstances from those around her.”
You’ve got to be kidding me. Just because she’s the child of the Color Demon, does it mean she can know the romantic history of the Tang Family Head? Just as I was about to counter, shouts came from another side of the Elders’ Council.
“Elder Councilman! Do you really believe that?”
“Elder Councilman! How can you say such absurdities!”
Turning my head, I saw my supporters erupting in anger. It’s nice not to feel alone while fighting in this isolated situation.
“Quiet down! This doesn’t conclusively prove anything. Therefore, we must test it.”
Elder Councilman Inchang, looking flustered, tried to calm down the commotion.
“What test? Just let it go already!”
“I will verify whether the statements from the Guard Unit members are true. Bring it here!”
At Elder Councilman Inchang’s shout, someone rolled in a cart in front of me. The cart had a large plate covered by a big lid, in order to conceal what was inside.
I had a bad feeling about this. Please tell me it’s not what I’m thinking.
The person bringing the cart glanced at my complexion, then opened the lid as if defusing a bomb, and immediately bolted.
As the lid was lifted, a sweet smell tickled my nose.
I had hoped for the opposite, but of course, it was just as I expected.
“Pineapple pizza…”
The food lying in front of me was the infamous Pineapple Pizza that could only be eaten by the people of the Tang Family.
“This isn’t just an ordinary pineapple pizza. It’s a pizza with five times the pineapple toppings.”
Elder Councilman Inchang said it proudly, but his eyes were trembling a bit. Don’t you think five times the toppings is excessive?
“Hah.”
I sighed at just how ridiculous this was.
Seriously. Can this even be called pizza? No, can it even be called pineapple pizza? It’s literally flour dough on top of hot fruit.
“If it’s hard, then just say it. I’ll send you right to brain death.”
Elder Councilman Inchang looked at me mockingly. Can you actually eat this? Even turtles living in New York sewers would skip this.
“It’s not hard at all. I’ll eat it.”
Without hesitation, I began to mock the pizza. Ugh. It’s mushy. This is serious. One bite, and the sweet juice soaks the dough, numbing my tongue.
If an Italian martial artist were here, I’d want to give him a proper pizza as a gift.
“Really, you can eat that?”
“That’s impossible. I enjoy pineapple pizza too, but adding so many toppings makes it no longer food!”
“Is the blood of the direct line flowing through you?”
“That’s… that’s nonsense…”
“Are you ready to admit it now?”
After finishing two slices of pizza, I wiped my mouth and confidently asked the wide-eyed Elders’ Council.
“Gagh! No! I can’t accept it! I heard that the black-haired barbarians eat pineapple pizza like it’s medicine.”
“What kind of nonsensical story is that?”
“They say pineapple (菠萝) is a fruit from hot regions, so if you put it on warm pizza, it cleanses the liver and intestines, soothing inflammation. It’s written in Joseon’s medical book, Donguibogam.”
Have they even found the effects of tuna’s DHA in Donguibogam? Was there such a passage?
With a bewildered expression, I looked at my supporters within the Elders’ Council.
“Is that really true?”
“It’s true.”
There’s no way there’s a line like that in Donguibogam. This must be causing all this chaos for nothing.
What’s going on? They’re not looking at me, just muttering among themselves. A strange smile appears. They probably aren’t trying to trap me.
As their chatter continued, I realized getting their assistance would be difficult.
I had no choice but to find a way out of this alone.
“Well then, how about this? Are you going to deny this too?”
Whether denying The Rise of the Tang Family or my pineapple pizza, I had a trump card. I raised my hand high, showing them the bracelet with my family crest on it.
“Bracelet of Remembrance!”
“That’s the Bracelet of Remembrance only a direct descendant of the Tang Family can give!”
“Rumors were true!”
The surroundings quickly became chaotic. Yeah, this is something that’s hard to refute.
“Everyone, quiet down! I’ve heard that you possess an unnamed Bracelet of Remembrance. It is true that it is a token of gratitude specifically given by the direct line of the Tang Family.”
Elder Councilman Inchang, looking solemn, spoke to me.
“My mother received the Bracelet of Remembrance over twenty years ago from a direct descendant of the Tang Family who was chasing the Color Demon. And there was only one direct descendant of the Tang Family chasing the Color Demon over twenty years ago.”
Everyone knows who that is, right? Even those who know the secrets from twenty years ago and those who have read The Rise of the Tang Family will have only one person in mind.
I looked at Elder Councilman Inchang with a smug expression. However, he smiled back with conviction and countered my argument.
“That Bracelet of Remembrance is an unnamed one that has never been officially reported.”
“What do you mean by that? Are you saying it’s fake?”
This is a certified product from the Guard Unit. Made by the Sichuan Tang Family.
“Anyone from the Tang Family must report to the family when using a token of gratitude. For example, I received information that a token of gratitude was given to a Taoist Master who helped the Guard Unit. However, the Tang Family Head has never formally mentioned an unnamed Bracelet of Remembrance.”
“Don’t play games with me. Just because it’s unofficial doesn’t mean there aren’t people who know about it privately. Bring anyone who followed the Tang Family back then; they’ll testify immediately.”
The Guard Unit must know this too. Surely those who were companions at that time would all know.
“The people involved at that time are unable to attend today for personal reasons.”
Elder Councilman Inchang’s lip curled up slightly. Did they intentionally keep them from coming? Blocking witnesses from attending? This is some modern courtroom drama.
My supporters in the Elders’ Council. Will they really stay silent? I looked at my supporters, but they only quieted down and said nothing.
Why are they only watching with interest without reacting?
I felt like a beast performing tricks, knowing I can’t escape my fate inside the tiger’s den.
There was no need to feel scared or deflated. To survive in the tiger’s den, you need to wear the tiger’s skin. I knew there were no true allies in here anyway.
“Is it true that the Sichuan Tang Family members become disabled after handling poison for too long?”
I glared at Elder Councilman Inchang with a bewildered expression.
“What?”
“It’s like you have ears but can’t hear and eyes but can’t see. Maybe it’s better to converse with the deaf and blind.”
Like a young tiger challenging an old one, I stepped forward defiantly.
“You daringly insult the Elders’ Council?!!!!!”
You should be the one not desecrating the sanctity of this trial. “Objection!” You can have eavesdropping, illegal entry, and summon the spirit realm all you want, but you have to admit the evidence gathered. How can you dismiss everything?
“You predetermined the conclusion and are arbitrarily making assumptions. Is this the way of the Tang Family?”
“Here you are! The filthy blood of a barbarian flows through your mouth! You requested this assembly, yet the crime of bringing discord to the Tang Family! The crime of recklessly revealing the secrets of the Tang Family! The crime of impersonating the blood of the Tang Family cannot be overlooked! That child is likely involved with Tang Geoh and his group too! I will reveal the truth through interrogation!”
Interrogation? More like torture, I’d bet.
That won’t do. I’ll use the Small Wheel Mental Image Technique. Gathering the anger I had from Hwa-rin being abandoned and everything leading here.
“How dare you! You wish to interrogate me, who has the blood of the Grand Sichuan Tang Family flowing in me, based only on your suspicions?!”
With a roar that shook the entire Elders’ Council, my voice echoed powerfully.
I was surprised by how strongly my voice carried with my prayer inside it. Everyone around stared at me in shock.
“Y-you—you can’t say that you have the blood of the Sichuan Tang Family.”
Startled by my voice, Elder Councilman Inchang spoke to me with a bewildered look.
There’s still hope. I have many prepared means. I still have many stories to tell. What should I pull? My mind races. I must find a way to survive. I need to find a way to save Hwa-rin.
A clap clap clap.
Just as I was about to reach a conclusion, applause sounded.
“I acknowledge it.”
Amidst those supporting me in the Elders’ Council, the sound came from there.
I turned my head to locate the source of the sound. There, a face I didn’t want to see again, yet also wanted to see, was smiling at me.
“Guard Unit?”
“It’s me, Guard Unit Tang Mu-ki. I have watched all the secrets for over twenty years, and as someone who has been alongside that child, I guarantee that Ho Pil and Kang Yoon-ho have the blood of the Tang Family flowing within them.”
