WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Chen
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◈ Damned Transmigration ◈
Chapter 136: Seongju 2
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Come at me?
It was easy enough to understand, but not for Tang Seo-woo.
To her, Haryeong, “Aunt Tang Yu-ryeon,” was just a dog.
A dog that came when called, went when told, ate bugs when they were given for food, and sat when commanded.
And that dog was telling her to come at her. A person and a dog fighting, did that make any sense? Once Tang Seo-woo finally understood, green light rippled in her eyes.
What could she possibly be relying on to act so arrogant? Tang Seo-woo did not know. Was it Cloud Dragon and Sword Dragon, who were grouped together with her as the Three Heroes?
Tang Seo-woo had heard that the three of them had destroyed Red Wolf Stronghold, one of the Eighteen Green Forest Strongholds. She also knew its Stronghold Lord was a tier 6 martial artist.
But not every tier 6 was the same. Even if the head of a martial family or the leader of a sect was tier 6, that did not make them equal to some bandit chief.
A man with that much skill who became a bandit chief was only fit for such a position. He had been rejected by the Righteous Sect and the Unorthodox Sect, and could not survive in the Demonic Cult.
In other words, he was bottom-tier scum whom a peak tier 5 martial artist from a prestigious school could reasonably challenge. Tier was not an absolute measure of strength.
Was she so full of herself just because she had taken down a mountain stronghold ruled by someone like that? With the Dang Family's Salmun forces, even Mountain King Stronghold, the leader of the Eighteen Green Forest Strongholds, would not be a match for them.
“Does Auntie want this niece to become unfilial?”
Tang Seo-woo bit down on her lower lip and smiled. The green flame wavering deep in her eyes spread beyond her pupils.
“If you, my shit-niece, beat me up, that would be unfilial. But if I, your aunt, beat up a shit-niece like you, how is that unfilial?”
Unlike Tang Seo-woo, Haryeong was not smiling. Not even the usual curve remained on her lips or in her eyes. That emotionless face resembled the Tang Yu-ryeon of Tang Seo-woo’s childhood.
That creepy little girl who would not even shed a tear when her mouth was stuffed full of spiders and centipedes, desperately keeping her face blank.
She must have endured it because she thought showing a reaction would only make them torment her more. In the end, it was just a bluff. That lowborn wench had not changed at all, then or now.
“You truly want this niece to commit an act of unfiliality.”
Tang Seo-woo snorted and ran her right hand down her thigh. A whip hidden beneath her skirt came loose.
“If that is what you want, I will oblige. But Auntie, do not misunderstand. I will not make the same mistake as my foolish brother. This is neither a sparring match nor a bet.”
Tang Seo-jin, abruptly called foolish, furrowed his brows, but Tang Seo-woo continued without caring.
“I will not hold back. Even if, by some chance, Auntie defeats me, the Dang Family will not withdraw. Do you understand?”
“There are two things I like about the shit coming out of your shit-niece mouth.”
Haryeong’s lips twisted into a crooked smile.
“That this is not a spar. That you will not hold back. This auntie has no intention of doing either, so I can beat you to a pulp without concern.”
Tang Seo-woo’s eyes curved into crescents. Green light spilled between them and pooled as though it might pour out at any moment.
Black Enchantress Snake Flower Tang Seo-woo was at the peak of tier 5. The fact that tier was not an absolute measure of strength applied to Tang Seo-woo herself as well.
She was a Poison Human. The most terrible poison born in the Dang Family pooled in Tang Seo-woo’s dantian and flowed alongside her inner power.
If she released her Poison Qi in earnest, it could easily kill thousands of ordinary people.
That was why tier was not much of a barrier to Tang Seo-woo. Even a tier 6 martial artist was human, made of flesh and blood. They could not withstand this poison.
‘Much less a tier 5.’
Naturally, Tang Seo-woo never once considered that Haryeong might have reached tier 6.
How could that lowborn wench, who had not even been granted proper martial arts and had learned by watching others, possibly reach tier 6?
Tang Seo-woo knew the Calamity Star had taught her over the past year, but no matter how remarkable and generous the Calamity Star might be, she would never teach her own martial arts to an outsider.
As the atmosphere steadily froze, Estor strode forward. Still saying nothing, he drew the sword at his waist.
“Step back, Sword Dragon.”
Unlike Tang Seo-woo, who was openly eager, Tang Seo-jin looked unwilling. He fiddled with the Folding Fan in his hand as he continued.
“This is a Dang Family matter.”
“Before it is a Dang Family matter, it is a matter concerning me and my friend.”
“As I said before, you are far too intoxicated by your family’s glory.”
“No matter what happens to me, the Orsia Family will not intervene, so stop talking nonsense.”
“Even if you insist on being stubborn, what will you do if you are injured? Especially if you suffer an injury that leaves lasting damage? Can you bear the Sword Emperor’s fury then?”
Killing intent flashed in Estor’s eyes.
“You are insulting both my grandfather and me. Do you think the Sword Emperor is so petty and shallow that he would step in because he was angered by his grandson’s defeat?”
“If the family’s only heir becomes a cripple here, the friendship between the Dang Family and the Orsia Family will be shattered. Is it not natural to guard against that?”
Tang Seo-jin frowned and glared at Estor.
“We are both meant to lead our families’ futures. Why should we redden our faces over something like this?”
“Say that after you have put a blade to my throat. Since I do not think that will happen today, you should worry about yourself instead.”
“You are too confident.”
“Confident?”
Estor did not withdraw the killing intent from his eyes. He twisted his lips into a smile.
“You are one to talk. To say you will lead your family’s future, your confidence is excessive. Your elder brother will be the next head of the Dang Family, will he not?”
Killing intent rose in Tang Seo-jin’s eyes as well.
Dark Soul Poison Dragon Tang Seo-jin was the Dark King’s second son. He had an older brother two years his senior.
Dark Moon Nether Lord Tang Seo-baek. In his youth, he had not earned the epithet Dragon and had shown only middling achievement, but after turning thirty, he had undergone explosive growth.
Even as the second son, Tang Seo-jin could have vied for the position of next Family Head five years ago. Tang Seo-baek had only been tier 4 at age thirty-one, while Tang Seo-jin, at twenty-nine, had been at upper tier 5.
But as Tang Seo-baek grew explosively, Tang Seo-jin was completely pushed out of the succession race.
Over five years, Tang Seo-baek had reached mid-tier 6, while Tang Seo-jin remained at early tier 6.
And that was not all. For reasons he did not know, that lowborn wench who had been cast out was drawing the Dark King’s attention.
By simple generational rank, that lowborn wench came next after the Dark King. Unless a miraculous stroke of fortune let Tang Seo-jin reach tier 7, he could not even dream of becoming the next Family Head.
“You are not the one who may discuss my future or the future of our two families. So there is no need for you to concern yourself beyond your station.”
“I treated you with respect for the Sword Emperor’s sake, yet your arrogance reaches the heavens...!”
Tang Seo-jin spat the words through a twisted expression. Cloud Dragon, that ill-mannered bastard, was absent for once, so Tang Seo-jin had intended to intimidate Sword Dragon into backing down. That intention had completely evaporated.
Sword Dragon was part of Cloud Dragon’s gang, and he did not even listen when an elder spoke out of concern but instead answered with sarcasm. Truly, birds of a feather flocked together.
Tang Seo-jin ground his teeth as he tried to calm himself.
[Seo-woo.]
Having barely steadied his emotions, Tang Seo-jin sent a Voice Transmission to his younger sister.
[Even so, is this not too extreme? The Family Head...]
[He did express his intention for us to bring her back, even by force, did he not?]
Tang Seo-woo replied through Voice Transmission as she raised her whip.
Crack!
The black whip writhed like a snake as it struck the ground. The sound of its tip ripping through the air rang far and wide. It was itself a Sound Art.
Tang Seo-jin narrowed his eyes slightly and stared at his sister’s back.
[If you truly want to do this, I will step in myself. If that arrogant brat Sword Dragon interferes, I will put him down first. Then...]
[No. There is no need for you to step in, Brother. That lowborn wench has singled me out, has she not?]
If the lowborn wench had run instead of fighting or cowardly hidden behind Sword Dragon, things would have become troublesome. But she had foolishly challenged Tang Seo-woo herself, making things easier.
‘It cannot be helped...’
He had been dragged into this by his sister, who acted as she pleased and caused trouble. If they retreated now, it would be the Dang siblings who faced difficulties. Since it had come to this, they needed to secure that lowborn wench for certain.
[Seo-woo. As you know, you absolutely must not kill her. If you kill that lowborn wench, we will both die with her.]
Victory was a given, so he could only worry about other things. His sister already had a fiery temperament. If she poured out Poison Qi simply because she disliked Haryeong, there was no way that lowborn wench could endure it.
[Of course I know, Brother.]
Tang Seo-woo answered with a smile. She understood what her brother worried about, but thought it was needless concern.
Why would she have any reason to use Poison Qi against a bitch like that? A few swings of her whip, like beating a dog, would end it.
[Do not intervene.]
Haryeong also sent Estor a Voice Transmission.
[I am not worried, but what are you planning to do after beating her up?]
Estor knew Haryeong’s skill well enough not to worry about her fight against Tang Seo-woo. But he could not help worrying about what came after.
The dozens of assassins surrounding Star Jade Manor? If they had only been first-rate assassins, that would be one thing, but special-class assassins were among them as well. It was a force too difficult to handle.
Still, if all they wanted was to escape, they could probably manage somehow. But what then? Unlike a year ago, Tang Seo-woo was trying to drag Haryeong away by force.
Was that the Dang Family Head’s will? Did he intend to use force to take Haryeong away? Tang Seo-woo had not directly answered that question.
Then, as with a year ago, was this something the Dang siblings had undertaken on their own to curry favor with the Family Head?
It was not hard to believe. As the Dark Soul Poison Dragon, once close to becoming the next Family Head, Tang Seo-jin would want desperately to regain the Family Head’s favor.
‘There may have been some degree of tacit approval...’
Even as direct descendants of the Dang Family, it would be difficult for the siblings to mobilize Salmun assassins for private use. The assassins surrounding Star Jade Manor alone numbered more than twice as many as those seen in Gwangseo a year ago.
[By the time I finish beating that arrogant shit-niece, Yuri will be back.]
Daggers settled between the fingers concealed by her wide sleeves. Haryeong strode forward and sent another Voice Transmission.
[Watch carefully as I beat that arrogant shit-niece to a pulp, Estor. Then tell Yuri later exactly how satisfying it was.]
This was not a spar. Tang Seo-woo acted as she had declared at the beginning. The instant Haryeong stepped into range, the whip in Tang Seo-woo’s hand sliced through the air.
The whip that had earned her the title Black Enchantress Snake Flower sprang toward Haryeong like a snake sinking its fangs into prey.
Baaang!
The sound of the air being torn apart struck her eardrums. The whip itself moved too swiftly to follow with the naked eye, while the Sound Art added to it disrupted her senses.
It was not an ordinary whip, either. Woven from black threads steeped in poison for a long time, it could tear flesh and inject poison with even a grazing blow.
A low-tier martial artist would have turned black all over, bled from all seven orifices, and died from that strike. But that lowborn wench was tier 5, for what it was worth.
It did not matter. The higher her tier, the more Tang Seo-woo could hit her and the more pain she could inflict. Tang Seo-woo aimed for the lips that had spewed such insolent words at her.
If Haryeong failed to defend herself, her lips would be torn clean away and her jaw crushed. But that was none of Tang Seo-woo’s concern. She was tier 5, so surely she could use at least protective force aura.
Thud!
“?”
Something incomprehensible happened. The tip of the whip, shooting forward at high speed, collided precisely with the dagger Haryeong had thrown.
The whip had even been knocked back. Tang Seo-woo hurriedly pulled her wrist and changed the whip’s trajectory, but another dagger struck the whip at once.
‘What?’
The daggers were precise, as though the Sound Art had not affected Haryeong at all. The tip of the whip, tough from being steeped in poison, had become ragged after only two collisions with mere daggers.
And what was this weight that made her hand tingle even though she had infused the whip with inner power?
She did not have long to be startled. Soundlessly thrown daggers were targeting Tang Seo-woo’s body.
With most daggers, she could trust her protective force aura and endure them. But in that moment, Tang Seo-woo instinctively knew better.
She hurriedly pulled in her whip and knocked the daggers away. But she could not knock away all of them. Several daggers changed course in midair and shot toward Tang Seo-woo.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Tang Seo-woo staggered. The daggers ultimately did not pierce her protective force aura, but the weight that shook her internally was no joke.
Tang Seo-woo’s eyes widened as she regained her stance.
She tried to swing her whip again, but could not.
The lowborn wench, holding a pure white dagger, had already slipped in beside her. She had been right next to Tang Seo-woo a moment ago, yet Tang Seo-woo had not seen her move.
“Ghk...!”
Thump!
Tang Seo-woo kicked off the ground. Leaping sideways, she swung her whip, which tore through the air as it rushed toward Haryeong.
Her method of mixing Sound Art into her attacks was the same as Tang Seo-jin’s, but unlike the Ghost-Sound Killing Fan Dance, which seeped in insidiously, Tang Seo-woo’s Black Snake Exploding Roar Fang burst eardrums and shook the body’s insides with a single sound.
But Haryeong’s eardrums were unharmed. The explosive roar created by the whip could not rupture them, and the inside of her body, quietly regulated by the Scripture of Reversing Taiji Intent, would not be shaken by such a Sound Art.
Footwork.
The footwork used by Haryeong and Tang Seo-woo was the Dang Family’s Ghostly Shadowless Steps. But they were not the same. Unlike Tang Seo-woo, who had learned Ghostly Shadowless Steps properly, Haryeong had only learned half the art by watching from the sidelines.
Yet Haryeong held the advantage. The Ghostly Shadowless Steps she had filled out on her own over a year calmly let the whip filling her vision pass by and brought Haryeong within reach of Tang Seo-woo.
The White Fang in her hand was one of the first daggers Haryeong had ever held, together with the Black Fang that was not here now.
The detached residence where she had lived in the Dang Family. She did not know whether her mother had been an assassin. But in those days, her mother would sit blankly on the bed late at night, stroking the two differently colored daggers resting on her knees.
After her mother was imprisoned and took her own life, the butterfly hairpin and the Twin Fangs naturally became her mother’s keepsakes and were entrusted to Haryeong.
There was a fantasy Haryeong had imagined countless times in those days.
The fantasy of plunging a dagger into the older niece who laughed while forcing spiders and centipedes into her mouth, who called her dead mother a horrible ghost, and who despised her as a lowborn wench.
The force aura of the Scripture of Reversing Taiji Intent wrapped around White Fang’s blade. Tang Seo-woo tried to shake Haryeong off with the properly learned Ghostly Shadowless Steps, but Haryeong had become a tenacious ghost and would not leave her side.
“Now that I think of it, this auntie has never given a shit-niece like you a gift.”
Haryeong’s whisper reached Tang Seo-woo’s ears. That tiny sound shook Tang Seo-woo’s eardrums far louder and heavier than Black Snake Exploding Roar Fang’s blasts of air.
“Here.”
Crunch!
White Fang stabbed sideways, piercing Tang Seo-woo’s forearm along with her protective force aura.
Footnotes:
“Shit-niece” reflects Haryeong’s deliberately vulgar play on the Korean word for “niece” and a profanity.
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