Chapter 1432: You'll Have To Kill Me First (Part 2)

"How far! How far are they?"

"Well, it's hard to determine exactly, but not too far!"

"This!"

Tang We bit his lips. If his martial arts wasn't destroyed, he would be able to gauge the strength and distance of the enemies, but now he was no different from a blind man with his eyes open.

"Hurry! We need to widen the distance!"

"Great, Great Elder!" [I realized it's "Great Elder" not "Chief Elder"]

The elders looked at Tang We with bewildered faces.

"Great Elder! We are mobilizing those who have not learned martial arts. How can we separate ourselves from them? They will catch up soon!"

"So what? Do you have any other plans?"

Tang We shouted hoarsely.

"We are the Sichuan Tang Family! We must resist and fight to the end! Don't you understand that?"

The elders bit their lips. Tang We noticed that their expressions were not as determined as he expected.

"Why? Are you old folks now regretting your lives? Are you planning to abandon your families and run away alone?"

"W-We are not saying that, Great Elder. It's just that..."

"Is there any other way?"

One of the elders hesitated before speaking.

"Wouldn't it be better to surrender?"

"What?"

Tang We's face froze as if he had been slapped. Surrender. A word he had never thought of in his entire life. And now, it came out of the mouth of a Tang Family elder.

"What did you say?"

The elder who faced Tang We's rising anger spoke cautiously.

"As far as I know, Paegun may be evil, but they do not harm those who have not learned martial arts. There is no need for someone like that to kill them, right?"

"..."

"If we resist here halfheartedly, it will give them justification. It might be better to surrender to them..."

"Are you finished?"

"Great Elder..."

"You idiot!"

Tang We's face turned red with anger.

"Is that what the elder of the Tang Family has to say?"

But this time, the elder did not succumb to Tang We's outburst.

"This is what the elder of Tang Family has to say! Even you, Great Elder, must know that we alone cannot stop them!"

"T-This..."

"If there is something to protect, we will fight with our lives! But now, there is nothing left to protect in Sichuan Tang Family, right? Why should we fight to the death? Shouldn't we at least try to save the descendants of Tang Family?"

Tang We's tension eased momentarily as he looked at the elders.

It wasn't anger or disappointment. It was because the words had stabbed him with the truth that there was nothing left to protect in the Sichuan Tang Family.

If they had fought for a reason in the Tang Family, it might have been justified. But now, there was no reason to fight like that... No reason at all. Was there a reason for non-martial artists and children who have not learned martial arts to fight for their lives?

If they were fighting to survive, wouldn't it be right to choose the path with the highest probability of survival?

"Paegun may be ruthless, but... he is clearly different from the Evil Sect bastards we know. So maybe he will treat them differently..."

"No!"

At that moment, Tang We's supporter, Tang Sobu, spoke firmly.

"That's not acceptable, Elder."

"How dare you!"

For a moment, the elder's face showed anger. How could an unnamed girl intervene in a conversation between Tang We and the elder? This was something that couldn't happen in the Sichuan Tang Family.

"What do you know to dare to open your mouth?"

"I don't know anything. But I know one thing. There is a life worse than just living in this world."

"What are you talking about?"

"If we surrender to them, what about Gaju-nim? How can those who have left the family fight against them?"

The elder looked at Tang Sobu with disbelief.

"The Sichuan Tang Family may die miserably, but they won't live in servility. Isn't that what the elders said? So why are you asking us to become hostages?"

Tang Sobu's outcry injected venom into the eyes of others around her.

Those who left their families and became part of the Tang Family. Those who would eventually have to leave the Tang Family. Therefore, they had never been recognized as true members of the Tang Family, but nevertheless, they were still people of the Sichuan Tang Family.

"What about the children? Can you decide the life and death of those innocent children?"

In response to the elder's question, Tang Sobu momentarily hesitated. Then the elder turned to Tang We and spoke.

"If it's too difficult, it might be better to take only the children and run away..."

"Enough!"

"Great Elder! You need to think carefully! Taking Tang Family's women away like this..."

"Stop, won't you!"

At that moment, Tang We shouted, interrupting the elder's words.

"Those who want to leave, leave. The Tang Family will not look for you again. Who would blame you for valuing your lives?"

"Great Elder! How can you take my words like that?"

"Ha... Haha."

A bitter laughter escaped from Tang We's mouth. The elder's eyes, confident that there was no mistake in his words, were no different from the ones that had admired Tang We in the past.

"Young ones... couldn't be trusted."

"...What?"

"What can those who haven't even lived for long know? I thought that those who had experienced the ups and downs of life and became mature had the qualifications to lead the family."

"Great Elder?"

"Yes, that was how I thought. That's how I perceived it. I believed that women who couldn't learn the Tang Family's martial arts or those who were still too young to understand the ways of the world should simply endure and bear with it."

Tang We looked down at Tang Sobu. Although showing signs of exhaustion, Tang Sobu's eyes were still clear and bright.

"...I lived in vain."

"Great, Great Elder."

"One is not wise just because one grows older, and one is not foolish just because one is young. I thought we had to somehow lead those stubborn ones. But in reality, I was the real stubborn one."

"You..."

Tang We shook his head.

"There's no time to say more. Those who want to leave, leave! And those who claim to die as Tang Family's elders, hold the rear and block Myriad Man Manor! Tang Family will fight to the last. That's the duty of those who bear the Tang surname!"

Determination flashed in Tang We's eyes. And the elders, influenced by that gaze, responded with a resolute answer.

"Yes, Great Elder!"

Tang We turned away. As if he didn't want to look back.

"Hurry, everyone! The enemies are chasing us."

Encouraging the tired ones, Tang We grabbed Tang Sobu's arm.

"Let's go!"

"Yes."

Tang Sobu supported Tang We and led him away.

A gentle laughter continuously flowed from Tang We's mouth. Behind him, he felt a busy atmosphere. Most of the elders were probably determined to hold the rear, but perhaps some were fleeing somewhere.

But Tang We didn't bother to look back. He didn't want to know who stayed and who left. Regardless of that, it would ultimately be Tang We's responsibility.

'The Tang Family.'

Who were the enemies of the Tang Family?

Was it those who were chasing after them with swords?

Or was it the one who had divided and classified the skilled and unskilled, women and men, young and old?

'Father...'

The head of the previous generation told Tang We that he was never qualified to be the patriarch of the Tang Family. Despite being more skilled and wise than his younger brother, he should not become the head of the Tang Family.

Tang We couldn't understand it and, therefore, resented and detested it. He devoted his entire life to proving that statement wrong.

But now, finally, he seemed to understand.

'I was not meant for it.'

He was never meant to be the head of the Tang Family.

He had divided everything within the Tang Family. He had strictly separated everything and set limits. It might've seemed efficient and good at first.

As young Tang We lamented, the decision might have made the name of the Sichuan Tang Family stronger.

But what laid the end of that decision, Tang We now knew.

'Gaju-nim.'

He had always resented Tang Gunak.

If Tang Gunak hadn't foolishly allied with Mount Hua, the Tang Family wouldn't have been in this crisis.

However... Perhaps the one who had created the current crisis for the Tang Family was none other than Tang We himself.

If he had initially believed in the Tang Family's intentions without interference and allowed Tang Gunak to unfold his plans, could the Tang Family have become a stronger and more noble place than it was now?

Cough!

"Grand Elder, are you okay?"

Tang We turned his head to look at Tang Sobu.

"...I'm sorry."

"Why are you saying that? Just hold on a little longer!"

Tang We twisted the corners of his mouth.

'So...I realized too late.'

The image of Tang Jopyeong's vigorous shouting flashed through Tang We's mind. Perhaps he wanted to say such words. He couldn't convey it with his poor speech skills, but his gaze and gestures must have conveyed it.

Maybe he had been shouting it all along, but Tang We hadn't heard. One cannot hear anything when blocking their ears, even if the surroundings are filled with cheers!

If only he had known this fact a little earlier...

"Oh, they're coming! They're coming! Great Elder!"

Tang We inadvertently turned around. He tried not to look, but he had no choice.

On the distant horizon, rushing towards them was... a red mass.

The sight of those figures spreading over the yellow earth was terrifying in itself. But what Tang We looked at was not them. It was a man in the center.

The red robes of the man fluttered in the air. A voice that sounded like a groan escaped Tang We's lips.

"Paegun..."

Even though he wanted to see him at least once with his own eyes, he didn't want to face him like this. At least it shouldn't have been as desperate as this.

The eyes of Paegun Jang Ilso seemed to penetrate him even from this distance, giving off an eerie vibe.

"Ryeonju-nim! They're there."

Jang Ilso lightly scratched the area between his eyebrows with his fingernail.

"Hmm, finally here? Tang Family is almost finished."

"There are hardly any people who can fight! At best, there are only a few old folks!"

"Indeed, that seems to be the case."

"Are we taking them alive?"

Asking such a question was only natural. Killing them was nothing special, but capturing them alive could be much more useful. They could use them as hostages to pressure Tang Gunak and the Heavenly Comrade Alliance.

But Jang Ilso's tongue-clicking was the only response.

"Tsk tsk. This is why Evil Sect are Evil Sect."

"I-I'm sorry."

"Look."

Jang Ilso pointed forward with his chin. In response, Jeokho looked in that direction. The Tang elders were moving backward, exuding momentum. It was as if they were fierce tigers ready to pounce.

"Where are you looking? It's not there. Look behind them."

"...Huh?"

At those words, Jeokho looked beyond the elders.

Children who hadn't learned martial arts, crying.

And artisans who seemed to be gasping for breath at any moment, having not mastered any martial skills.

"Do you see it?"

"...What are you trying to say?"

"If you want to know if the opponent is an enemy or not, look not at their strength but at their eyes. Look. All those eyes are saying they are ready to fight."

"..."

"And whether the opponent is an enemy or not, if they have the will to fight and set foot on this land, everyone is considered a martial artist."

"..."

"And if the opponent is a martial artist, we should show respect. Understand?"

"Yes, Ryeonju-nim!"

"Good."

The corners of Jang Ilso's mouth rose slightly.

"Kill them all. Don't leave a single one."

"Understood!"

As Jeokho gestured, the Myriad Man Manor disciples rushed forward.

"Haaaah!"

Watching those who ran out, Jang Ilso muttered quietly.

"It may seem a little excessive for the price of alcohol... But this is Evil Sect's way, please understand."

His gleaming eyes curved like a crescent moon.