“W-what do you mean, Tang Un is nowhere to be found?”
“He went out for a drink yesterday and still hasn’t returned.”
Tang Pae stared at the subordinate in alarm.
Just then, another subordinate rushed inside.
“The Second Young Master and Third Young Master are missing as well!”
“What? The second and third too?”
What in the world was happening?
More reports followed one after another.
Every last one concerned someone who had vanished without a trace.
By the time Tang Pae finished hearing them all, he was certain.
Someone was abducting the descendants of the Tang Family.
It was unprecedented, and Tang Pae could not hide his agitation.
“I believe this is their doing.”
“Theirs?”
“The True Martial Merchant Company’s.”
“Why?”
“Someone reportedly saw Hae Jeon, the Master of Delicacies, at the True Martial Merchant Company. Once the Leader of the Dark Blood Unit learned Hae Jeon was there, he posted a public notice using Hae Jeon’s family as hostages. This appears to be retaliation for that.”
“Hae Jeon is with the True Martial Merchant Company? No, more importantly, Tang Jin kidnapped his wife and children?”
“He did not abduct them. He merely had them detained.”
“That is the same damned thing!”
Tang Pae let out an incredulous laugh.
“So they answered kidnapping with kidnapping?”
“They truly dared to pull such madness against the Tang Family?”
“I knew they had to be insane from the moment they attacked the Heavenly Flower Merchant Company, but...”
Tang Pae paced restlessly.
It was the first time any of his subordinates had ever seen him this shaken.
“The others do not matter. But... not Un. That child is the future of the Tang Family.”
Tang Pae shouted urgently.
“Bring Tang Jin here at once!”
*****
Tang Jin knelt before him with an expressionless face.
“You heard?”
“Yes.”
“What are you going to do?”
Tang Jin remained silent.
“I asked what you intend to do!”
“What would you have me do? Give the order, and I will obey.”
Tang Pae’s expression twisted.
The moment Tang Jin released Hae Jeon’s family, the Tang Family would effectively be admitting defeat.
But if he refused, Tang Un, the family’s heir, could be placed in danger.
Even if it meant casting aside the Tang Family’s honor, Tang Un had to be saved.
“Release them.”
Tang Jin nodded without another word.
“Your command will be carried out.”
Tang Pae’s fist was clenched so tightly that his nails dug into his palm. Blood trickled between his fingers.
It was humiliating.
His anger turned toward Tang Jin.
“Why did you handle this so incompetently?”
“I apologize. I believed it was the fastest way to draw them out. I never imagined they would go this far against the Tang Family. The True Martial Sect’s reputation as a righteous sect made me lower my guard.”
“You had no firm proof they belonged to the True Martial Sect, yet you still made that assumption?”
“It appears I grew arrogant. I will accept whatever punishment you deem fitting.”
“Your punishment can wait. Resolve this matter first.”
Tang Jin pressed his lips together and nodded.
*****
Tang Jin posted another public notice.
This one proposed a meeting between those directly responsible for the matter.
Everyone who read it was astonished.
The mighty Tang Family had yielded to someone.
Worse still, it had announced its submission through a notice posted for the entire world to see.
News of this would spread throughout the Central Plains in no time.
People were stunned to see that even the Tang Family could be forced into such a position, but a part of them also found it deeply satisfying.
The Tang Family’s reputation was hardly a pleasant one.
Jeok Wigang smirked as he read the notice.
“He must be extremely important.”
At the end of Jeok Wigang’s gaze sat Tang Un, his expression perfectly calm.
The captured members of the Tang Family had gathered closely around him.
Jeok Wigang had not treated them harshly.
Their treatment was closer to that of guests than hostages.
They had not been bound or locked away. They had been allowed to move around freely.
Perhaps because of that, the younger members of the Tang Family had repeatedly tried to help Tang Un escape.
But no matter what they did, they could not leave.
No guards stood watch, yet every escape attempt ended with them striking an invisible barrier.
There was clearly nothing before them, but whenever they reached out, their hands touched something solid.
“It’s a formation.”
The others stared at Tang Un in surprise.
“Is this one of those formations we have only heard about?”
“It seems so. I have only ever heard of them myself, so I cannot say much more.”
Tang Un ran his fingers over the rippling air, his face filled with fascination.
“How does this work? Aren’t you curious?”
“Young Family Head, you are far too relaxed. How can that be what interests you in our present situation?”
“What is wrong with our situation?”
“We have been kidnapped.”
Tang Un smiled.
“Nothing is going to happen to us.”
“What? The Tang Family never negotiates. If the family refuses, what do you think these people will do with us?”
“They might kill us. Or perhaps cut off our arms and legs and send them back to the Tang Family as an example.”
The others’ faces went pale.
Tang Un smiled reassuringly.
“Father... No. The Tang Family will submit for the first time.”
“What?”
“Because of me. Father knows how important I am to the family.”
“Young Family Head...”
“I truly feel sorry for Father, but I think this may have been for the best.”
“What are you saying? H-how could this possibly be for the best?”
“Did you see the people who brought me here? They were strong.”
“Of course they were. They defeated even you in a single blow.”
“Exactly. And yet there was someone before whom even those powerful people did not dare move. Then I met someone who made even that terrifying man shrink back in fear.”
“We saw him too. He appeared to be their leader.”
“No.”
“What?”
“You could not have seen the person I mean. I was the only one summoned to meet him. There was someone who turned that terrifying man into a docile lamb. That person is their true master. And he is unbelievably strong.”
Tang Un’s eyes shone.
“Stronger than anyone I have ever seen. I want to become like him.”
“Young Family Head! That man is our enemy!”
Tang Un grinned at the word enemy.
“Make him our enemy? Are you trying to get the Tang Family annihilated?”
“What?”
“I am honestly grateful this happened to me. If someone else had been taken and the Tang Family had refused to submit before marching against these people, that would have been far more horrifying.”
“I-is he truly that dangerous?”
“Yes.”
“You possess the ability to see through an opponent’s strength. For even you to say such a thing...”
“I could not see it.”
“What do you mean?”
“I could not see where that man’s power ended. No matter how hard I looked, I could not reach its limit.”
Tang Un murmured with an expression filled with awe.
“It was like... looking into the universe. He is... the real thing.”
Everyone stared at him in disbelief.
Tang Un, the Young Family Head of the Tang Family, had been born with the Heavenly White Eyes.
The Heavenly White Eyes could instantly distinguish truth from illusions, duplicates, and phantasms created through sorcery.
They could even perceive the latent energy hidden within another person.
Their ability to track movement also exceeded the limits of ordinary human sight.
No matter how fast an opponent moved, that opponent could not escape Tang Un’s gaze.
Once his body was trained to keep pace with his eyes, no attack would ever be able to touch him.
His constitution was also uniquely suited to poison.
It was only a matter of time before Tang Un became the greatest expert beneath heaven.
That had always been the Tang Family’s greatest ambition.
The family longed to see the world’s greatest expert born beneath the Tang name.
Tang Un was the one who could fulfill that dream, making his existence more precious than anything else.
However, he had yet to reach the age of twenty.
He was powerful compared to others his age, but he was still no match for a Transformation Realm martial artist.
Even so, being defeated in a single strike had wounded his pride.
Once he left this place, Tang Un intended to devote himself to training so that such humiliation would never happen again.
“Isn’t it strange?” Tang Un asked. “There are no restraints on us at all. Usually, captors seal their prisoners’ pressure points so they cannot use martial arts.”
“I suppose they would.”
“But they have placed no restrictions on us whatsoever. What do you think that means?”
“Perhaps they simply look down on us.”
“No. It means they are confident. They know that even if they let us move freely, we still cannot escape.”
“What if we attack when they bring us food? We can hold one or two of them back while you escape.”
“Even if I escaped, I would only be captured again. The man guarding the entrance is extraordinarily powerful. No matter what I tried, I could never get past him.”
“Is he truly that strong?”
Tang Un smiled faintly at the question.
“Yes. He is a Divine Transformation Realm martial artist.”
“What? D-Divine Transformation Realm? Then he possesses strength equal to the Heavenly Martial Emperor?”
Tang Un nodded.
“H-how is that possible? Why would someone with the Heavenly Martial Emperor’s level of power serve beneath another person?”
“Exactly. It makes no sense, does it? But once you see that other person for yourself, it suddenly does. Even a Divine Transformation Realm expert is nothing more than a child before him.”
“You are saying someone exists who can treat a Divine Transformation Realm expert like a child? I-I cannot believe it.”
“I would not have believed it either if I had not seen it myself. But it is true.”
Tang Un looked toward Jeok Wigang in the distance.
“He is... a god descended into the mortal world.”
After gazing at Jeok Wigang in reverence, Tang Un repeatedly warned the others.
“Whatever happens, do not provoke him. That is the only way the Tang Family will survive.”
As Tang Un continued emphasizing the warning, Jeok Wigang slowly approached from the distance.
Having heard Tang Un’s words, the others swallowed nervously and stared at him.
Jeok Wigang stopped in front of Tang Un and studied him.
“I heard what you were saying from over there. You can determine the strength of other people?”
Tang Un nodded.
“Yes. I can see not only their strength, but even the flow of their qi.”
It was an extraordinary ability.
Jeok Wigang himself needed the aid of the Five-Elements Mantra Art to accomplish the same thing.
Nor was Tang Un’s talent limited to seeing through what lay before him.
He possessed the judgment to swiftly assess his surroundings and determine the most appropriate response, as well as the nerve to act upon that judgment.
Jeok Wigang grinned.
Tang Un would make an excellent friend and rival for his younger brother Jeok Wiun, the young heir of the True Martial Sect.
They were even the same age.
“You can relax. I have no intention of harming any of you.”
“I know.”
“You do? How?”
“I can also see a person’s inner intent. Had you truly meant to kill us, I would have seen that intention long ago.”
“What do I look like to you?”
Tang Un beamed.
“You are truly extraordinary. Would you allow me to call you my brother?”
He certainly had nerve for someone being held captive.
Jeok Wigang chuckled and nodded.
“Go ahead.”
“The power contained within your body is the universe itself. No matter how desperately we struggle, compared to the universe, we are nothing more than insignificant creatures. How could such creatures possibly resist someone who possesses the power of the universe? We can only accept the natural order and live accordingly. Is that not simply the way of the world?”
“Would your father agree with that?”
Tang Un bowed his head.
“I will stop him! If you wish, I will remain with you. Use me as your hostage. Then Father will not dare do anything.”