A Rough First Impression
The journey to the patriarch's office was not that long, it only took around an hour at most. However, this fact still doesn't make things feel any better for Tang Soso as well as Old Jiang.
After a long walk, both of them finally stood before a large building on the northern side of the clan, towering over every other building around it. The building itself was heavily decorated with many carvings and the material used to build it, especially the wood, seemed to be way more grandeur compared to her worn-down shack of a residence. Their speckless appearance highlights the fact that this building is very well taken care of and will most likely last for many years to come.
Despite it already being around one to two hours after the sun had set, the rooms inside were still brightly lit and were full of people working tirelessly.
Tang Soso squinted as she knew what this place was just by instinct. This is definitely the main building of the clan and the place where her father's office lies. They have finally arrived...
[ Should we just enter? How in the world are we going to enter discreetly just as the letter said? ] she swiftly wrote on her signboard as she turned her head toward Old Jiang nervously. However, even after reading the question and sensing her worries, Old Jiang still smiled confidently.
"No worries, Young Lady. It was for this occasion that I have prepared this..."
As he said that, he continued to pull out a pair of clothing from underneath his servant's robe. He quickly unfurled the pair of clothing, revealing something that made Tang Soso's mouth agape as she rubbed her delicate hands on it.
It was a pair of loose black cloaks that looked identical to what the dark figure that Old Jiang encountered wore and he seemed to have successfully made it to fit both of their size properly.
[ W-What? What is this? ]
"It's a pair of black cloaks, Young Lady. You see, I gained inspiration from a certain dark figure who delivered the patriarch's letter earlier, and I thought to myself... Since it could conceal that unknown figure perfectly, shouldn't it be able to perfectly conceal ours as well?"
He continued with a smirk, "Thus I sacrificed some useless black dresses in your room and made one for both of us during the time you were bathing. It sure was worth every single minute I spent!"
Hearing Old Jiang's explanation, her eyes started to twitch a little. Did this senile old man just destroy her wardrobe of clothing just to make this thing? But more importantly...
[ WHY IN THE WORLD DIDN'T YOU PULL IT OUT WHEN WE FIRST LEFT HE RESIDENCE!? ]
Tang Soso was literally screeching through her writings as she tugged at Old Jiang's back. Her eyes were shooting daggers at Old Jiang and her fists were balling up, shaking from annoyance.
Ever since they first set off from her residence, they have worn formal clothing that is extremely eye-catching and anyone who could have seen them would instantly know that she was one of the heirs of the clan!
They did this out of formality since they would be meeting the lord patriarch and couldn't afford to ruin their impression in his eyes, thus they were forced to travel through the damp, dark woods in order to keep themselves away from the eyes of the public as well as the eyes of other heirs just as the letter instructed.
However, had Old Jiang pulled out these dark cloaks earlier, they wouldn't have needed to go through the trouble of navigating through the dark woods. They could probably just use the main road comfortably and still be fine. That would have saved a lot of time and she herself wouldn't have to endure wrecking her sore muscles along the way!
This old man is really testing her patience!
Ehem ehem!
Facing Tang Soso's banter, Old Jiang coughed nervously and simply avoided eye contact with her, "Well, we didn't really catch anyone's attention during our walk here, correct? And you also obtained brand-new clothing, Young Lady. One that you can use conveniently from time to time..."
[ You're dodging my question! ]
Tang Soso proceeded to spit a thousand swear words in her mind while unleashing a barrage of punches onto Old Jiang's back using her frail hands, successfully dealing absolutely no damage. In response, he would constantly ignore her banter and look away, whistling away his problems.
...
...
"Hello, Sir. Is something the matter?"
Hearing this sudden question, Old Jiang turned his attention away from the angry Tang Soso and focused on the man who suddenly appeared before them. It seems that their banter had attracted some attention from the workers inside the building...
The man wore a polite and humble attire that was quite obscure with an ordinary dark green robe with his long hair bundled up into an updo style. If not for his formal attitude and body language, anyone would have mistaken him as a random commoner who happened to cross this place. Old Jiang could vaguely remember seeing him a few times inside this building when he strolled around the clan a few days ago. If he had to guess, it seems like he is a worker from this place.
'Oh, did we get caught already?'
Old Jiang quickly stretched his right hand and clutched Tang Soso in the face, effectively locking her in place while preventing her petite body and punches from ever reaching him. This act already earned a raised eyebrow from the man in front of them.
Nevertheless, Old Jiang proceeded to show a polite smile to the worker in front of them,
"Ah, it was nothing. You see, me and my granddaughter had some... business to attend to the patriarch at this hour. Do you mind showing the way to the lord patriarch's office?"
'W-What did he say!? Granddaughter!? I'll kill him!' Tang Soso overheard as she started to get even more aggressive. However, her aggression was completely futile as Old Jiang simply kept her face away from him with his palm, once again preventing her from ever getting closer. All she could do was whine away on her mind...
The worker heard Old Jiang's words and his eyes became cold as he seriously stared directly at Old Jiang's gaze, "For what reason do you want to meet our lord patriarch?"
The man's tone was very cold, and Old Jiang understood the reason behind them. It was already an insult to meet the patriarch, the head of a clan without prior notice or invitation. Let alone going in the middle of the night with an unknown identity... They might as well sneak in if that was the case!
However, Old Jiang was completely calm as he faced the man's question. Since the man didn't react to her Young Lady's style of clothing, he must still be quite new and hasn't been involved with other clan heirs. Sighing in relief, he proceeded to take out the small letter and vaguely showed the man the mark of a serpent that was engraved on it.
Seeing the mark, the man's eyes went wide as he immediately dropped his previous behavior. Now the cold stare was replaced with a nervous smile as he immediately made way for the both of them to the building.
"A-Ah! I-I see that the lord patriarch has invited you both to his office... dear me! Please forgive my previous behavior, I shall escort you to the lord patriarch's office right away!"
In response to the man's change in behavior, Old Jiang casually nodded as he followed behind him. He smirked as he quietly whispered to Tang Soso, "See? Didn't I tell you that everything will be fine?"
Hmph!
Tang Soso pouted at his words. Seeing that her outrage a moment ago would only make his smirk go wider, she decided to not give this old man any more fun and simply went quiet.
With that, she soon followed him as they both went inside the large building.
...
The building was even more crowded the deeper they went on. Tang Soso was glancing around curiously as they continued to walk, following the worker in front of them navigating through the building. Sadly, there was not much to see inside this office building and she quickly got bored after a few moments.
The walk took a little longer than they thought, but eventually, they were greeted by a long staircase that extended to the top of the building. None of them muttered a single word as they continued up the stairs and reached the very top. Finally, an empty hallway comes into view with a massive wooden door standing imposingly at the very end...
Only after reaching the massive door at the end of the hallway did the worker finally stop. He bowed politely and stepped aside to make way for the both of them...
"Sir, Young Lady, this is the lord patriarch's office. Although I'm not sure what you did to the point where the patriarch had given you the 'serpent-marked letter', I wish you both the best of luck."
As he said so, the man cast a few side glances here and there, seemingly very concerned about both of them being called like this. In his opinion, there is nothing good about being called by the patriarch forcefully like this. Either they didn't have a good relationship with the patriarch or there was something very urgent that they were chosen to do...
"If there is nothing else, then I shall excuse myself..." with that, the man bowed once again before leaving both Old Jiang and Tang Soso by themselves.
"..."
After the man finally left, Tang Soso turned her head to Old Jiang as she wrote slowly on her signboard. The previous behavior of the man didn't make her nervousness go away but rather made it even worse...
[ Should we really do this? ]
Old Jiang noticed her anxiety and smirked, "Ho... are you nervous? I'm sure it won't be anything too serious. Young Lady, don't be too nervous. We haven't done anything during the past few days that would anger anyone."
"And always remember, no matter how terrible others may perceive you, he is your father. Every decision he made will always be what's best for you, thus you shall be at ease."
Hearing his words, Tang Soso's heart felt a little relieved. It's nice to know that her head won't come flying off her shoulders anytime soon.
With that, he slowly walked in front of her and slid the door open, revealing a dimly lit room where a man sat behind his desk, staring at the both of them menacingly. The previous sounds of the crowds from the floor beneath them immediately dimmed down into silence. The only thing that both of them could hear was the constant impatient finger-tapping on the desk from the figure right in front of them.
"There you are. I have been waiting for a while..."
...
...
Tang Soso gulped nervously as she felt the eyes of the man who sat right in front of her. Even when he was casually sitting around without a care, the sheer aura that he emitted was enough to shake her heart into nervousness and deeply pressure her in place.
This kind of pressure could be felt both physically and mentally, thus giving both of them no choice but to look down just to barely endure it and continue standing still. Anyone who had greeted his presence would be reminded of who truly held the dominant position. Tang Hwi, the father of the original Tang Soso, and the man who ruled one of the five great clans in the Justice Faction...
He truly deserves his title!
She gulped nervously, 'So this is my father...'
'I can tell from my guts that this man certainly didn't simply manage to obtain his position by bloodline and luck. Just by this amount of internal energy that I felt pressuring me, I could tell that he had at least managed to break through the transcendent realm... How fearsome...'
Standing by the side, Old Jiang was also observing Tang Hwi quietly as a question rose in his mind. He noticed that Tang Hwi's attitude seemed quite different...
'Just a few days ago when I approached him to report about the Young Lady, he seemed way less intimidating and would occasionally welcome me. Yet, right now he seemed like a giant snake that was looking down upon his prey... Something is clearly off. I don't know exactly what it is, but I can't seem to shake this bad feeling in my mind...' he pondered as doubts started to appear in his mind.
As both of them finally walked inside the room, Tang Hwi casually flicked his arm and the door immediately closed on its own. The already tense atmosphere immediately became worse for both of them with each passing second, while the pressure they were feeling was steadily getting stronger...
Is something about to happen?
During this time, not a single word or gesture was exchanged by any of them. Both Tang Soso and Old Jiang stood still in their place with their gaze down, waiting for Tang Hwi to open the conversation for them as a sign of respect. Tang Hwi on the other hand, for some reason continued to sit silently at his desk, refusing to do anything to acknowledge their presence.
But, one thing that Tang Soso started to notice was that his eyes had never once left her figure as he continued to stare in silence.
"..."
"..."
It doesn't take long for the atmosphere of the room to get awkward and Tang Soso herself started to shift around uncomfortably...
'This guy... why is he staring at me like this? Do I have something on my face? Even a spy wouldn't stare this much unless they were thoroughly beaten to do it!' she slowly complained in her mind.
This kind of silence was slowly driving her crazy. Even with just a few seconds of standing around like this, she started to occasionally give side glances to Old Jiang who was standing right beside her, but even he didn't dare to give her a reply. Thus she was forced to continue standing around and ponder to herself as to what the hell was going on.
...
...
...
Minutes quietly passed with absolutely nothing happening. She was starting to wonder why her father even bothered inviting her to his office in the first place. Is he about to reprimand her? Reward her? Or maybe he just wanted to torture her with deafening silence...
...
...
...
'Wait.'
Suddenly, her eyes lit up as she came to a realization!
'No, that's not right... he is observing me!'
As if sensing her sudden realization, Tang Hwi finally broke his eye contact and proceeded to lean back in his seat. Sensing this sudden change, both Old Jiang and Tang Soso's bodies shook. Is something finally happening?
At this moment, a slight frown was visible on Tang Hwi's face as he breathed a heavy sigh. He then glanced toward Tang Soso once more as a look of sadness and disappointment was visible on his face.
"It seems that it's true that you have lost your memory. What the old physician said to me was true. Soso, you would usually scowl the moment my face appeared in your vision in the past regardless of my powers. You held a deep resentment toward me due to your treatment within the clan. But now, you appear quite... normal. Just like any other one of my children. But more importantly..."
Tang Hwi muttered sternly, "You feel different, my daughter."
!
His gaze felt sharper than a knife as it dug into Tang Soso's heart at the moment. Cold sweat started to drip down on her back at this point and she could feel her legs shaking a little. These words caught her completely off-guard, she really didn't expect Tang Hwi to notice her difference in behavior this fast!
'Oh heavens... I think he might have noticed. I should have realized sooner that he was observing my behavior which was different from usual. I truly messed up...! M-Maybe there's something I can do to play this off...'
The neurons within her brain were firing like crazy as she tried to come up with an excuse. Yet before she managed to respond, Tang Hwi slowly got up from his desk and strolled over, approaching Tang Soso who was still standing nervously.
His quiet footsteps echoed through the room like a predator and the pressure within her mind and body was rising by the minute.
The air around the room subtly bends under Tang Hwi's pressure and Tang Soso could feel her face become paler, while breathing became harder and harder to do by the moment. Her legs also started shaking, threatening to fall over at any moment...
"Even before you got treated harshly by others, you were always cheerful to everyone you met, no matter who they were. I was starting to wonder if you were someone else wearing a facemask, but the more I observed you, the more unlikely it became. I suppose that is another side effect of memory loss... Nevertheless, that is not why I summoned you..."
He slowly continued, "Do you know why I summoned you here?"
She violently shook her head in response to his question. To be honest, she was still completely confused as to why this father of hers would call her suddenly when he had never done that in the past. Tang Soso would've had a curious expression at this moment, if not for the fact that her heart was beating violently out of fear.
"Oh, Soso... I saw that you have been practicing martial arts."
She jumped at this sudden mention of his. Tang Soso was completely sure that during the time that she had been training, it was completely secluded with no one to watch aside from Old Jiang. More importantly, her residence was more than a solid few kilometers away from this place! Yet, this man saw it!?
Even if a clan's patriarch was supposed to be strong, she had totally underestimated Tang Hwi. No ordinary transcendent realm martial artist should be able to have a sight that goes that far! If his sense of sight alone was this powerful, how about his Qi Sense!?
Without noticing it, she slowly took a step back trying to avoid his approach but to no avail. Tang Hwi was already standing right in front of her, stretching his arm menacingly toward her. Old Jiang who stood by her side wanted to help, but it was simply too late!
Sensing a malevolent intent, she flinched and put her arms up in defense...
'I'm dead meat...!'
THUD!
Unlike Tang Soso's predictions, the massive difference in strength made her puny defense useless as it did nothing to stop the advance of his grasp. His hand landed firmly on her shoulder and a burst of pain could be felt as Tang Hwi started to squeeze mercilessly!
'AAGH!'
That one move was enough for her meager body to give up. It was no longer possible for her to resist the pressure and her legs died down, causing her to fall to her knees. As the pressure became even stronger once again, the room shook violently and even Old Jiang was also sent to his knees.
'Ah... I need... to breathe...! I need... to endure!' she faintly muttered in her mind.
He looked down at his daughter kneeling on the ground with a cold expression. It was the same kind of look a person would give to an insect. The warmth of a father was non-existent in his eyes as he slowly muttered to her, "I will get straight to the point..."
"...Quit martial arts."