The boat moved away powerfully.

Leaving Neijiang Wharf and moving away to join the Yangtze River, Meng Sheguang, standing on the wharf, grumbled with an irritated expression.

"Damn bastard, he really got one hundred taels..."

It was an absurd amount that he had stubbornly insisted on, but because Meng Serling took the fellow's side, he ended up writing a promissory note.

He put the promissory note in his chest and was so smug about it.

It was truly detestable.

"One hundred taels seems sufficient."

"What's sufficient!"

As Meng Serling seemed to take the Tang Family's side again, Meng Sheguang, displeased, burst out loudly and glared at her.

Damn brat.

He had just been charmed by that man and made to hand over one hundred gold taels entirely.

But the displeasure quickly faded, and Meng Sheguang sighed and observed his daughter's expression.

"Was your heart hurt?"

It was a question about the political marriage.

His wife had come to his family that way, and he had sent off two daughters above her the same way.

When a family's will was determined, it was the fate of a martial family's daughter to follow, but parents couldn't help but care about their children's hearts.

"Yes, I was quite hurt."

It was an unexpected answer.

This child had never once complained or expressed dissatisfaction, always accepting his will.

At the sight of Serling openly expressing her feelings, Meng Sheguang smiled gently.

She was smiling in a way that didn't match the word "hurt."

Surely something had changed.

Her feelings had changed, and her actions had changed.

He had expected it when he saw her eyes full of romantic feelings.

"I'm sorry."

"It's fine."

"..."

"Through this incident, I came to understand the path I must take."

"You seem to have learned something during your time at the Tang Family."

"Yes."

"What did you learn?"

"There... each person had their own role to play."

"Hmm."

"I saw women not retreating to the back but discussing and fighting."

"Are you talking about that child Sanghui?"

Meng Sheguang glanced at Sanghui, who was currently cleaning up Neijiang Wharf with the Tang Family's martial artists.

Cheonyeong had departed with only the disciple of Blue Green Sect.

Yu Seong-yeon had clung to him like a leech.

Sanghui had said she would go too, but Cheonyeong said someone had to stay and protect the newly acquired Neijiang Wharf.

Since she had a deep friendship with Sanggun Namgwangro, there shouldn't be great danger, he had said.

"Not just Miss Tang. Even the young girls who just joined the Tang Family and belong to the Green Warrior Unit, the servants, the women doing laundry—all of them expressed their opinions without hesitation."

"That's not a common sight."

"But it was common in the Tang Family."

Meng Serling spoke while her eyes followed the boat that had become a small dot in the distance.

"They were like that. But when opinions aligned, they moved as one. It seemed like they were following the Family Head's orders, but it felt like everyone had become the Family Head of the Tang Family."

"Is that so?"

"Yes."

At Meng Serling's observation, Meng Sheguang nodded.

If his daughter felt that way, it must be true.

She was a wise child, after all.

In the end, the reason the Tang Family is strong isn't because Cheonyeong is strong, nor because they possess formidable weapons they've never seen before.

It's because they're united around the Family Head.

As Cheonyeong said, though their blood doesn't mix, they're bound more strongly than those who share blood.

That creates strength.

Even if a faction is newly founded, even if the group consists of only a few people, it's common for dissatisfaction and conflict to arise regarding decisions made.

But if what Meng Serling saw is accurate, the Tang Family, though they discuss and argue, moves as one when a decision is made.

It's not easy.

No, because it's not easy, the path the Tang Family has walked must be so remarkable.

Starting with destroying the small Yinsu Faction and seizing Ganyang, connecting with Blue Green Sect, then the Blue Serpent Sect, and now the Minglun Chamber.

A great hope standing before the dragon.

He had thought it was only because Cheonyeong was exceptionally outstanding, but that was a mistake.

Sichuan's Tang Family.

It seemed it wouldn't be long before it ascended to the sky as heaven itself and soared between clouds.

"Why didn't you insist on going with him?"

"That wasn't my place. My use was as a hostage."

"A hostage?"

"Yes."

"Did that fellow use you as a hostage?" 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

"Yes, he said that as long as I was in his hands, the Black Heaven Sect wouldn't move. Unlike what I thought."

The last words of his daughter struck deep into his heart.

"You viewed your father too coldly."

"Yes, that's what I thought. But the Tang Family Head enlightened me."

"What did he say?"

"He said not to simply comply without making my own decisions, and not to prematurely judge others or situations with only my own thoughts."

"That damn fellow..."

"And if, even as a hostage threatened with my life, you didn't care at all... then he said I should abandon my parents. Parents who don't care about their child's life have no value as parents."

"Damn bastard."

Meng Sheguang grumbled.

"So what will you do from now on?"

"I want to make my own decisions about my future life. Not by anyone's will, but by my own."

"By yourself?"

"Yes."

"What do you mean?"

"Didn't you already create a connection for me?"

"Huh?"

"You wrote a promissory note, so someone will have to make payment to the Tang Family."

Meng Serling smiled gently as she spoke.

It seemed his daughter harbored more than just romantic feelings.

She was breaking through the hard shell that had confined her and attempting to move forward with her own strength.

"Do as you wish."

"Thank you."

"Let's go. If we stay in what has become Tang Family territory, I'll only think about that one hundred taels."

"Yes, Father."

Meng Sheguang led his daughter and martial artists away, and Sanghui, who had seen them off, began moving busily.

"Hey! Did you send a messenger to the main family?"

"Yes? Not yet..."

"You bastards! What if someone attacks right now? And we need to normalize the wharf's operations!"

"Understood. I'll send a messenger right away."

"Tell Gongsun Seung to come directly! Tell Yongcheon to come running with martial artists to protect Neijiang!"

"Yes!"

In the place where everyone had departed.

Under Sanghui's command, Neijiang Wharf was rapidly transforming into Tang Family territory.

Moreover, the blocked waterway was reopened as before, and commerce flowed actively.

As a result, the Tang Family's position among Sichuan merchants using the Yangtze River became even more firmly established.

Because when problems arose, the Tang Family moved without hesitation and resolved them.

* * *

"Kehehehe."

He was in a good mood.

Though it was just a scrap of paper, it was worth one hundred taels, wasn't it?

More than anything, it was free money obtained through shamelessness.

An unexpected windfall, you might say.

The Minglun Chamber, defeated in battle, would be torn to pieces and scattered into small groups, but most of the territories they had controlled would undoubtedly fall to the Tang Family.

Just ten.

If rumors spread that they had broken through the trap created by two hundred martial artists with that number, there would be countless people who would surrender just by drawing a sword.

Taverns, wine houses, and various rights would pour in.

But most importantly, there was Neijiang Wharf.

Ganyang, Ziyang, Neijiang, Rongchang—the waterways of northwestern Sichuan connected to the Yangtze River.

All of it had fallen into the Tang Family's hands.

What did that mean?

It meant all merchant groups located in the northwestern Sichuan region had to cooperate with the Tang Family and pay tolls.

It was a right difficult for a mid-tier faction to possess.

Martial prowess?

Money! You need money!

Especially for the Tang Family, which used hidden weapons as its main armament, it was very important.

Without high-quality weapons, could they have won so easily against the Minglun Chamber?

"I need to buy a mine this time. And normalize trade with Yunnan. Kahahaha!"

As Cheonyeong, with his hand on his chest, sat on the ship's rail and laughed loudly, Yu Seong-yeon frowned.

"Why? What?"

"Are you so pleased?"

"Of course I'm pleased. That's a lot of money."

"Family Head, really... no matter what, how can you keep laughing 'kehehehe' so ominously until the boat passes Hubei's Yichang?"

"It's one hundred taels. At this rate, I'll be in a good mood from stopping at Dongting to going home."

"You're really materialistic."

"What, you bastard?"

"Isn't it? Greed, after all..."

"Shut up. What does a Taoist know? And your robes and sword just appeared for free?"

"Well, that's not quite..."

"A Taoist is still a person. Don't you know how precious money is? Where do you get off talking about greed?"

As Cheonyeong even glared, Yu Seong-yeon burst into laughter.

"Family Head, you're truly remarkable."

"What is?"

"Sometimes you seem like a teacher giving lessons, sometimes like an unparalleled master, but this time you seem like a merchant who'd kill for profit."

"You see well."

"Yes?"

"How can a person be consistent all the time? Does a Taoist only chant Amitabha Buddha every day? Sometimes you can say damn it too."

"Well, that's true."

"What you've seen is all me. I'm originally unpredictable."

"Now that you mention it, that makes sense."

Yu Seong-yeon smiled and nodded.

"Ah, by the way, the boat fare you mentioned last time is offset by the Minglun Chamber incident, right?"

"Huh?"

"I helped diligently, didn't I? Among those outside the formation, I'm confident I fought the hardest."

As Yu Seong-yeon tapped his chest and spoke, Cheonyeong looked at him incredulously.

This bastard had just been talking about greed.

Now he's trying to weasel out of paying?

Annoyed at his attempt to dodge, Cheonyeong held up two fingers.

"Double."

"Yes?"

"Offset? What offset? That's separate and boat fare is boat fare. You switched boats, so double it. Twenty gold taels."

"This damn bastard! What kind of ridiculous logic is that!"

Yu Seong-yeon burst out loudly.

See?

Taoists don't always chant Amitabha Buddha either.

"Shut up! No negotiation! Double, period!"

"I refuse!"

"Then get off."

"Yes?"

"If you want to follow, swim here, will you? As you said, I'm materialistic."

"This, I..."

Yu Seong-yeon's face was flushed red with anger.

"F-Family Head."

The ship's captain, who was piloting Cheonyeong's boat, called out to him with a terrified expression.

"There, the boat..."

The captain's finger pointed.

"It's water pirates from the Yangtze River."

Visible.

Three boats painted black with lacquer.

"Family Head, what should we do?"

Though he hadn't yet calmed his anger, Yu Seong-yeon tensed and tried to draw his sword.

"What are you doing?"

"Yes? They're pirates, aren't they?"

"So why are you drawing your sword?"

"Well, obviously I'm a Taoist from Blue Green Sect, and pirates are..."

"Want to get off?"

"Yes?"

"The Tang Family is righteous. If they don't attack first, we don't distinguish between orthodox and unorthodox factions and draw swords."

Having rebuked Yu Seong-yeon, Cheonyeong spoke to the captain.

"Stop the boat. They don't seem to come with ill intent."

"Yes? Yes."

At Cheonyeong's words, the captain nods.

That's exactly right.

Three boats.

Not all water pirates use the same flag.

Basically, they bear the black dragon emblem with a mark indicating each pirate captain's identity.

The flag on the approaching boat is that of Sanggun Namgwangro.

Perhaps he heard the news of Neijiang Wharf.

Since it was the waterway most adjacent to the Yangtze, the nearby pirate groups must have been watching the situation and contacted Sanggun.

Based on the sequence of events.

"He felt awkward?"

Cheonyeong smiles with a bloody expression.

Having made an agreement and turned a blind eye to the Tang Family's difficulties, he must have felt sorry and sent his subordinates to welcome them.

This seemed like it might bring in a bit more unexpected income.

(End of Chapter)