Is this Sichuan Tang Clan? (3)

Tang Oe and the other members of the Tang clan could immediately understand why this inextinguishable flame had erupted, and who had committed such an act.

In everyone’s eyes, numerous suspicions arose, quickly morphing into resentment.

“Why…”

Tang Oe’s trembling voice cut through the crackling of the flames consuming the burning wood.

“Why would you do such a thing? Elder Shinsu… Why?”

If anyone else within the Tang clan had committed such an act, no one would have questioned the motive. They would have surely started by embedding flying daggers in their body.

But now, that was not an option. Before them stood none other than Shinsu Tang Jopyeong. Despite often losing clearness of the consciousness due to the passing years, he remained the eldest within the Tang clan and the head of the workshop, the core of the clan.

In his presence, there was no one within the Tang clan who could raise their voice, not even Tang Oe, the former Head Elder and Grand Elder.

“Why? Why would you do this?”

Tang Oe asked desperately, but Tang Jopyeong simply turned to him with a lazy gaze. The intense glare of Tang Oe, filled with righteous indignation, met Tang Jopyeong’s indifferent gaze in the air.

Tang Jopyeong spoke at last.

“…I have just burned it.”

Silence.

Tang Oe bit his lip until it bled.

“Who doesn’t know that now! Do you really not know what you’ve burned? Why would you set fire to the Sun Pavilion and workshop with all of Tangga’s essence, even using White Furnace Blood!”

“…”

“Why! Why! Why would you do this! Even if your mind isn’t clear, aren’t you Shinsu Tang Jopyeong! Why!”

Tang Oe’s voice seemed to be dripping with blood, resentment and agony. The Tang clan, everything he held dear, was burning before his eyes. It felt like crimson tears would soon trickle down his cheeks.

But Tang Jopyeong’s gaze remained chillingly indifferent. It was impossible to guess what he was thinking.

“Shinsu Tang Jopyeong, just what the hell…”

Instead of Tang Oe, the other elders were about to say something, but Tang Jopyeong’s composed voice flowed as if to seal their lips.

“It’s not here.”

“…Excuse me?”

“It’s gone now. Things you have struggled to protect, things you wanted to preserve.”

“… “

“So leave. All that remains is a ruin to crumble to ashes.”

The elders turned their heads, looking at the raging flames with a sense of despair.

Tang Jopyeong’s words were not wrong.

What they sought to protect here was Tangga’s pride – the facilities capable of producing poisons, elixirs and weapons renowned throughout the world.

But now, with everything reduced to rubble, there was no longer any reason to cling to this place.

The very reason to fight against Sapaeryeon, risking their lives, had vanished.

“What… what are you all doing?”

Tang Oe erupted in a frantic shout.

“Put it out! I said, put out that fire right now!”

“G-Grand… Elder.”

“Why are you all just standing there! If you can’t extinguish the fire, then at least retrieve the items inside! Immediately! Move, I said!”

Tang Oe raged desperately, but no one moved.

Even if it was a fire fueled by White Furnace Blood, it wasn’t impossible to extinguish. If such a feat were achievable, White Furnace Blood itself would have gained worldwide fame as the greatest weapon.

But even if extinguishing the fire were possible, it would be exceedingly difficult. Suppressing an inferno of this magnitude would take an enormous effort, even with everyone here putting it out.

It was evident that there would be nothing left by then. Even if they managed to salvage the surviving furnace and poisons, it would still be impossible to rebuild the Tang clan with just that.

Tang Oe was well aware of this fact. However, he simply couldn’t give up.

When the elders remained motionless, Tang Oe, gritting his teeth, shouted.

“Move aside! I’ll do it myself…”

But at that moment, Tang Jopyeong spoke up.

“…Is that what you should do?”

Tang Oe, taken aback, trembled as he glared at Tang Jopyeong.

“You… are you in your right mind…”

He briefly wondered if Tang Jopyeong had lost his senses to commit such an act. But no matter how he looked, Tang Jopyeong seemed fully aware.

“…So… do you feel relieved now?”

Tang Oe’s voice erupted like a sharpened blade, filled with anguish and rage.

“After centuries of preserving our legacy, is this what satisfies you? Turning everything the ancestors protected into ashes? Are you relieved now that the name ‘Sichuan Tang Clan’ will vanish from the world? Are you pleased to give the remaining members of the family, who have lost their honor and skills, just a slim chance to survive?”

“Tang-…”

“There!”

Tang Oe’s hand trembled violently as he pointed at the workshop.

“All that you, Elder Shinsu, has dedicated his life to is being reduced to rubble! Are you happy now? That’s what I’m asking! Whether it’s Shinsu or me, once we’re gone, we’re gone! But because of your arbitrary decision, the remaining children of the clan will live their lives being persecuted!”

Surviving in Gangho ultimately means carrying countless grudges, no different from living under the oppression of the strong Tang clan. It’s clear that those who once feared the Tang clan will reveal their true feelings once the clan loses its power.

Now, Tang Jopyeong has pushed the descendants of the family into the shackles of that resentment.

“How can you be so indifferent! How can you be so cruel! Is this really for the sake of the Tang clan? If you are truly the oldest of the Tang clan, you should have done whatever it took to protect it! Why don’t you understand that!”

A shadow fell over everyone’s faces at Tang Oe’s bitter words.

Though spoken in a flurry of emotions, forgetting etiquette and coherence, the sentiment behind them was one that everyone could empathize with.

“Why on earth would you do such a thing…”

“Here.”

“…Yes?”

Tang Jopyeong slowly surveyed his surroundings. The sight of Tang clan’s manor, where he had lived his entire life, met his eyes. Not a single corner, not even a patch of the flooring where his touch had not reached.

Tangga was everything to him. Tang Jopyeong was no different from Tang Oe in that regard. But…

“Is this Sichuan Tang Clan?”

Tang Oe bit his lip. What nonsense was this all of a sudden? Was he losing his mind again now?

“Answer me.”

“Elder!”

“I’m asking if this is Sichuan Tang Clan!”

At that moment, a rough roar erupted from Tang Jopyeong’s mouth. The intensity of his wrath was incomprehensible, causing Tang. Oe to flinch momentarily. Venom filled Tang Jopyeong’s eyes.

“These pitiful things! At best, they’re just pavilions, at best, just lumps of poison! At best, they’re chunks of iron forged into pathetic weapons!”

“Elder?”

“Is that Sichuan Tang Clan? Is that really Sichuan Tang? Answer me!”

“…”

“Without poison, it’s not Tangga! Without hidden weapons, it’s not Tangga, is it? These fools who don’t know what comes first and what comes last!”

At that moment, Tang Jopyeong forcefully threw the hammer he had been holding in his hand.

Thunk!

The small hammer, which had struck the ground, bounced back up before falling back down again.

As the noise subsided, the courtyard was engulfed in a sudden silence. How many things had that little hammer forged? It was not only Tang Jopyeong’s pride but also the pride of the Tang clan.

Yet now, Tang Jopyeong had casually discarded that very hammer.

“To risk our lives to protect mere chunks of metal?”

“Elder!”

“As long as there are people!”

Tang Jopyeong’s anger surged. The old man’s body seemed to emit flames akin to a small furnace spewing out red-hot fire.

“As long as there are people, we can always recreate such things! As long as there are people!”

“…”

“Even if we may never enjoy the same glory again, what does it matter? If we must sacrifice everyone to preserve Tangga as Tangga, then it’s better for such a Tang clan to disappear!”

“This…”

Tang Oe’s body convulsed. So intense was his agitation that the startled Tang Byeok instinctively grabbed his arms, fearing he might rush at Tang Jopyeong.

Tang Jopyeong, who was staring at Tang Oe, slowly scanned the surroundings before speaking.

“Leave.”

“…”

“There’s nothing left for you to protect now. If there’s anything left to protect, it’s only your lives.”

“Elder…”

“So go. Time is of the essence. Leave before the enemy arrives.”

With that, Tang Jopyeong turned away, prompting Tang Oe to unleash a desperate cry at his retreating back.

“Do you think you can face our ancestors in death? What will they say to you! You’ll go down in the annals of Tangga’s history as an unparalleled sinner! No, everyone who carries Tang clan’s blood will spit on your grave and curse you! Elder Shinsu! No, Tang Jopyeong!”

Silently, Tang Jopyeong continued towards the blazing workshop.

‘Everyone spitting and cursing…’

A faint smile crept onto his lips along with the shadow of flames.

‘Well, that would be fortunate.’

At least there would be descendants of the Tang clan left to curse him. That’s all he wanted to protect in the first place.

“Elder…”

At that moment, the craftsmen who had been watching from afar approached him. Unlike before, there was a sense of distance and hesitation in their gaze. Tang Jopyeong glanced at them indifferently and said.

“You should leave too.”

“What about you, Elder?”

Tang Jopyeong glanced at the blazing workshop, now turning to ashes because of the fire he had ignited.

“I will stay here.”

Upon hearing his words, the craftsmen seemed to want to say something but ultimately shook their heads. It was understandable – fleeing from Sapaeryeon would be extremely arduous. Tang Jopyeong no longer had the strength to embark on such a journey.

“…Please take care.”

The craftsmen bowed deeply towards Tang Jopyeong. While they couldn’t fully agree with what he had done, they showed sincere respect nonetheless. It was their final gesture of reverence for the head of the workshop who had safeguarded the clan throughout the century.

Accepting their gesture, Tang Jopyeong walked towards the blazing workshop without a word. The workshop was burning more fiercely with each passing moment.

It had been his home for over a century, the place where he had lived and protected.

‘Grandfather Amjon…’

Blurry tears welled up in his eyes. He felt both pride in upholding his grandfather’s wishes and anguish for destroying everything with his own hands.

‘Is this the right choice?’

Perhaps, as Tang Oe had suggested, Tang Jopyeong had severed the soul of the clan. Perhaps they would forever exist as remnants of the Tang clan, living in torment as something other than the clan itself.

Was it the right decision after all? Was there truly no other way? Was it the best choice?

He couldn’t know. Perhaps he would never know, not even in his dying moments.

But there was one thing he could be certain of.

‘Grandfather.’

Clear as day, the memory emerged. The gentle touch of Tang Bo’s hand as he affectionately ruffled his young grandson’s hair. That hand had been so warm and comforting.

If Tang Bo were here now, he would surely ruffle his hair once again and smile, just like before.

– Well done.

A single tear trickled down Tang Jopyeong’s wrinkled cheek.

Now a white-haired elder, he smiled brightly, just like the child he had been on that day.