Cheonyeong, who had finally finished his long, long speech, felt a sense of satisfaction that could not be expressed in words.

He felt like he had finally become a real family head.

Look, the eyes of the children. The children, with their fists clenched tightly, are glaring at him with their eyes full of strength.

Such enthusiastic punks.

How admirable.

He wanted to say one more thing to the children's passionate gazes.

"F-Family Head! Family Head!"

"...Huh?"

Just as Cheonyeong was about to open his mouth, Baekgang, who was behind him, came running with a startled expression.

"Th-that was a really! Good speech."

"As expected... right?"

"Yeees."

Baekgang gritted his teeth and answered as Cheonyeong wore a proud expression.

"Let's see, there was something else I wanted to say."

"Don't!"

"Huh?"

"...Ah, I mean, aren't you busy?"

"I'm not busy."

"You're not busy?"

"I'm the most free these days. I have a lot of time."

"..."

As Cheonyeong fumbled for words, Baekgang's eyes twitched, and he shouted at the waiting Hoyeon Brigade.

"You punks! What are you doing! If the Family Head's speech is over, you should hurry up and start training! Do you think you have time to spare?! Move quickly! You lazy slugs!"

"Yes! Tang Family Forever and Ever!"

"Hooray, hooray!"

At Baekgang's roar, the Hoyeon Brigade breaks ranks and returns to their places at a tremendous speed.

How diligent they are.

Cheonyeong, feeling an unparalleled sense of pride, nods his head as he watches the Hoyeon Brigade, which has started training.

"Then I'll go and guide them now."

"Huh? Ah, yes. Our Baekgang is really diligent."

"Thank you!"

Baekgang, who had finished his greeting, runs off in a hurry.

That punk too.

Cheonyeong thought that he had done well to entrust the Hoyeon Brigade to Baekgang.

Cheonyeong, who is leaving the training ground, looks at the roof of the Tang Family's estate's main building, the Three Yang Hall, which has become distant before he knew it.

The clouds that had been hanging over it overlap with the image of his father.

Father, do you see?

This is my, no, everyone's Tang Family's estate. The place that had only six family members is now bustling with people.

Gongson Seung is in charge of the internal affairs, and Baekgang is diligently raising the future pillars. Also, a great blacksmith named Danya has joined us and will create weapons never seen before anywhere to make the Tang Family's estate even stronger.

This huge fence built around the Three Yang Hall will become an inner fortress.

The name of the Tang Family's estate will go beyond Ganyang and to the world...

"Why such an emotional expression?"

"...The world... huh?"

Cheonyeong, who had been lost in his own emotions, snaps to his senses at the voice he heard from the side.

"You... were you crying?"

"..."

"Were you crying?"

It was Nosanggae, who was sticking his head out and examining Cheonyeong's face.

Anyway, he's a natural at ruining a touching moment.

"Heh, you cry too? I thought you had no blood or tears."

As Nosanggae clicks his tongue and is surprised, Cheonyeong pretends not to know and rubs his eyes.

"...A-a speck of dust."

"Liar. You were crying. I've been watching you from over there since a while ago."

Cheonyeong's face contorts at the teasing expression and tone.

You damn beggar...

"How did you get in?"

"How did I get in? I walked in through the main gate."

"Walked?"

"Well, aren't I on very close terms with the Tang Family's estate? The guard captain greeted me politely and opened the gate."

Cheonyeong glares at the main gate at those casual words and makes a vow.

I have to fire the guard captain.

These guys are just letting anyone through...

"By the way, what brings you here? I heard from Family Head Gongson that you wanted to see me."

"That's right."

"Why?"

Nosanggae wears a hurt expression at Cheonyeong's blunt question.

"My, my. If you see someone after a long time, shouldn't you offer them a cup of tea or move to a comfortable place, instead of asking for their business right away?"

"You should be glad I'm not sprinkling salt."

"You're so petty. Are you going to be like this just because I caught you crying?"

"Shut up."

As Cheonyeong growls, the embarrassed Nosanggae soon coughs.

"Keu-heum, first, let's move. Since there's something we need to talk about."

"Let's do it here, quickly."

"Ahem, I'm telling you it's not that kind of matter."

"Tch, is there a separate matter for that? Let's do it quickly. I have to go to the Divine Works Pavilion too."

"Then let's go together. We can talk on the way."

"...Do as you please."

As Cheonyeong walks quickly towards the Divine Works Pavilion, Nosanggae keeps pace and follows him.

"I'm grateful for the matter of Yunnan. Thanks to you, my junior brother was able to achieve a great accomplishment."

"That damn punk Myeongseon must have run to you and told you right away, right?"

"He's a punk who doesn't hide anything from me."

"That's good for you."

"Both Baekta and I will not forget your help."

"Of course. Repay me tenfold, later."

"Of course. I will."

"So, what's the matter?"

"That's..."

Nosanggae looks around and says in a small voice.

"It's about the assassin you killed in Dongting Lake."

"...!"

At that moment, Cheonyeong had no choice but to stop walking and look at Nosanggae.

An assassin?

Is he talking about Jasu?

Damn, that punk Myeongseon. I asked him so firmly to keep it a secret.

A punk who doesn't even keep his promises.

"You told your junior brother, didn't you? That the vagrant children kidnapped in Inhoe are being raised as assassins."

He had.

Although he was grumbling about Baekta inwardly, Cheonyeong listened to Nosanggae's words with a hardened expression.

"Since my junior brother asked me while he was on his mission in Yunnan, I looked into it a bit."

"You looked into it?"

"Yes, although it's nothing compared to the help you gave my junior brother."

"I'm glad you know."

"My, my. Anyway, I started an investigation on the vagrants in Ganyang and its nearby cities."

"And so?"

"There really was a kidnapping."

"...?!"

"The vagrant children had disappeared without a trace in units of one to five years."

Cheonyeong's eyes grow wider and wider.

As expected... it seems it wasn't a kidnapping that was being carried out in just a few regions.

Well, the hometowns of the children who had been kidnapped like Cheonyeong were all different.

"First, let's go to the Divine Works Pavilion and have a cup of tea. Quietly."

"You should have done that sooner. I hear the Tang Family's estate has made a lot of money lately... give me some good tea."

"Keuk."

Cheonyeong laughs at Nosanggae's nerve and heads to the Divine Works Pavilion.

***

A brief conversation with the Divine Works Pavilion Master.

It was a rough explanation of the buildings to be built in the Tang Family's estate in the future.

"Please ask the great blacksmith Dan for a usable forge and residence."

"Of course. I've already talked to the great blacksmith Dan. We're planning to build a residence and a forge in the near future."

"I hope the largest and best place in the world will be created."

"Of course, of course."

As the Divine Works Pavilion Master nods his head, Cheonyeong looks at Danya.

"Great Blacksmith."

"Yes, Family Head."

"If you need anything, please let me know at any time. If I have the means, I'm thinking of buying a mine so that the great blacksmith can use as much ore as he wants."

"Pardon? Y-you'd go that far?"

"Instead, please make me one good sword. Since it was broken in Yunnan."

Danya says as if shouting with a determined expression as Cheonyeong smirks.

"Of course! I will make your sword, Family Head, with all my heart and soul. So that it can become a weapon that represents the Tang Family's estate for generations to come!"

"You don't have to go that far..."

"No. I will. I will also make the weapons that the members of the Tang family want."

"Then please do so. I'll look forward to it."

"Leave it to me, Family Head!"

Cheonyeong nods his head and smiles at Danya's vow.

"If you need a hand, please let me know at any time. I'll ask Family Head Gongson if there are any blacksmiths that the great blacksmith can use."

"Thank you. Family Head! Thanks to you, I have a new life, and I will serve the Tang Family's estate with all my heart."

It was excessive. But that excessiveness was very good.

"Would you two please leave for a moment?"

"Pardon?"

"Because I have a secret conversation to have with the Beggars' Sect branch leader."

"Ah! I see. I'll prepare some tea."

As Cheonyeong nods his head at the Divine Works Pavilion Master's words, Nosanggae adds.

"Please make it an expensive one, Divine Works Pavilion Master."

"Heh heh, you mean this."

Not long after the Divine Works Pavilion Master and Danya went outside, tea was prepared.

Seeing that there was no sign of people outside, it seemed that the people around had also been dismissed.

"I always feel it, but the Tang Family's estate has loyalty."

"Loyalty?"

"Yeah, it's rare to see a place so united in heart like this. The same goes for the new great blacksmith. It's only been about two years since the family was founded. I'm suddenly thinking that you're really amazing. If your late father were alive, he would have said you were very admirable."

Cheonyeong smirks at Nosanggae's sincere admiration.

Well, compliments are never a bad thing.

"More than that, let's continue the story you were telling earlier."

"Ah! That's right."

Nosanggae, who had moistened his throat with tea, continues calmly.

"The kidnapping case ends there. With the power I have, it was impossible to dig any further. They're cunning punks."

"Hmm."

"Then I started to look into the movements of the assassins that had occurred in various places."

"The movements of the assassins?"

"That's right. My junior brother said so. From what he saw in Dongting Lake, it seemed they were moving as an organization, not as individuals."

Cheonyeong's eyes narrow.

As expected, he's not a candidate for future leader for nothing.

Seeing that he was able to make a deduction that was close to the truth by reflecting on the situation in Dongting Lake.

"One assassin to carry out the commission, and three assistant assassins to gather information."

"..."

"There were a few cases with similar circumstances. Here, look."

Nosanggae takes out a piece of cloth that he had crumpled in his bosom and spreads it on the table.

"This is?"

"This is a map showing the movements of the commissioned assassins that were carried out on a similar scale. Since they're secretive punks, it took quite a lot of effort to compile it."

"Hmm..."

The map showed a total of five locations.

Dongting Lake, Henan, Shanxi, Jiangxi, and Qinghai.

Cheonyeong knew about the assassinations in two of the places, but he didn't know about the other three.

It was natural.

At that time, Cheonyeong was just an assistant assassin, so he was in a position where he couldn't know the movements of the other assassins.

"If all the places marked were carried out by one organization, they're truly amazing punks. Since they're receiving commissions from all over the Central Plains."

"I see."

Jinkagu.

It was a name that made his anger surge just by thinking about it.

As Nosanggae had guessed, the Jinkagu was an organization that carried out assassinations all over the Central Plains.

To the extent that they had once aimed for the heart of the Cheongcheon Alliance...

At that time, Cheonyeong, who had been deployed to the Cheongcheon Alliance as a special-class assassin leading the assassins, remembered it all too vividly.

You damn punks.

To interfere in the internal political strife of the Cheongcheon Alliance.

But Cheonyeong nods his head with an expressionless face, hiding his true feelings.

"And, I found some slightly suspicious circumstances."

"Suspicious circumstances?"

"Yes."

Cheonyeong, who had been maintaining his composure, couldn't help but be surprised.

Don't tell me he caught their tail?

"What kind of circumstances?"

Cheonyeong asks with a tense expression.

Nosanggae, who had moistened his throat with tea again, said.

"The Assembly of Elders."

"...Pardon?"

What is this again?

What does the grand festival hosted by the Blue Green Sect have to do with the Jinkagu?

"It's just a circumstance for now. Just a suspicion... But my junior brother, who saw the contents of my investigation, said that those punks might be planning something at the Assembly of Elders."

"Myeongseon?"

"Yes."

Although Nosanggae nods his head, Cheonyeong's mind is just complicated.

"...Isn't that too much of a stretch?"

"It is. What crazy assassin organization would think of ruining the Assembly of Elders hosted by the Blue Green Sect? But..."

"But?"

"My junior brother's deductions are usually very accurate."

Cheonyeong nods his head at those words.

He had already experienced Baekta's deductive abilities to some extent. Because the foolish punk had sometimes surprised him with his fortune-teller-like words.

"Then shouldn't we stop them?"

"Stop them?"

"Yes. Whatever their intentions are, we should inform the Blue Green Sect of this fact and..."

"It's impossible."

"Pardon?"

"I told you, didn't I? It's just a guess, a guess. Besides, this Assembly of Elders is a festival that the Blue Green Sect is holding on a large scale after a long time, without any distinction between Orthodox and Unorthodox."

"..."

"The reason I came to you and told you this is because of my junior brother's will. For some reason, the leader of the Blue Green Sect, the Changlim Sword Immortal, personally sent a letter to my junior brother asking him to attend."

"To Myeongseon?"

"Yes. So he asked me to ask you. That you might know a little more about them. That my junior brother will participate in the Assembly of Elders and look into them."

"Hmm..."

Cheonyeong frowns and thinks at Nosanggae's words.

Those punks are aiming for the Assembly of Elders.

For now, it's a deduction. But what if Baekta's deduction becomes a reality?

You Jinkagu punks... what on earth are you thinking?

"Hey."

"...I will participate too."

"Huh?"

"The Assembly of Elders. I will participate in the name of the Tang Family's estate."

(End of Chapter)