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“You're…you chose to be part of the Martial Arts Hall instead?”
Cho Sam tilted his head, confused as to why the other person’s tone sounded as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing.
“Yes?”
“But…but…. why?!”
“Why?” He echoed, now really looking lost.
The person he was talking to, a man in green with his hair halfway tied up, looked at him as if he'd truly gone insane. Tang Jan shook his head in disbelief, fighting the urge to reach out and shake the younger boy in an attempt to find some sense in him.
“The Plum Blossom Sword Saint could've been your master!”
“Okay?”
“Okay?!”
No, has this guy lost it? Tang Jan looked at the ceiling for a long time, wondering if everyone in Mount Hua had truly gone mad. Was it a consequence of being beaten—ehem, trained by a legend everyday without fail?
In the present, every single prestigious sect has been trying their best to butter up to Mount Hua, if only to be given a chance to be trained by the Sword Saint who beheaded the Heavenly Demon. And there we have here this kid, barely in his twenties and hasn't even completely lost his baby fat yet, looking at him like he was the crazy one for making such a fuss about him declining the offer to train as a direct disciple and instead chose to live as a member of the Martial Arts Hall.
“What are you making a fuss about?” Cho Sam scratched the top of his head. “Even though if I work on martial tomes every day, it's not like the Great Elder would let me slack off?”
Tang Jan lowered his head again to stare at him, eyes still blank. “So you train and work on the records of Mount Hua’s sword techniques?”
“Yes? It's actually very fun. There's a lot of techniques that weren't taught to me yet because I'm still a third-class disciple. My sahyungs have been trying to convince me to tell them about it, but the last time that the Great Elder overheard that, he doubled their training from morning to the next dawn.”
“...”
Ruthless.
Cho Sam shook his head. “Anyway, what are you going on about? Don't you have the Dark Saint looking after you?”
The young Tang shuddered as soon as he heard that name, looking around him in fear of that person appearing out of nowhere.
“Let's drop this conversation.”
“Ah?”
It was true that the Tang Family was being looked after by their own legend, but the problem was that…he was too cruel! Although he already had an inkling the first time they visited the manor and exuded so much killing intent, being the target of his sadism when training was just too much! Tang Jan, who had survived the harsh training of his family when he was a child, didn't know it was possible for something to be even worse than that. Until Tang Bo appeared.
(He can still clearly remember the bloodless face of his own father , barely crawling his way to the office after being dragged to training by the ancestor.)
“Well, you seem to be getting along well.”
Tang Jan stiffened as he heard a horrific voice.
No! He knew this was going to happen! Aigoooo, he shouldn't have questioned Cho Sam too much!
“Great Elder! Elder Tang!” Cho Sam cheerfully greeted them.
Two impressive figures went to the direction of their table. The Sword Saint, just for a brief while, stared at Tang Jan with that intimidating look of his. Something about the sight must've amused him, because his lips quirked up for the slightest moment before he pulled back an empty chair and settled there.
Naturally, the person that he was with eagerly followed. He made sure to move his chair as well so they can sit as close to each other as possible.
“What a sight,” Tang Bo commented, eyes passing over the two kids in front of him. “It's like looking at the past!”
“Your brat isn't as much of a leech as you, though?”
“Aish! Hyung-nim, that's just the details! Look at them! It's like we're sitting in front of a mirror!”
“Is this why you were insisting on following them, you brat?”
“Haha…well, maybe a little?”
“This guy, really…”
Grinning to himself, Tang Bo easily caught the arm that was about to hit his head, before leaning forward to plant a kiss over the other's mouth.
“...”
“Yes?”
“I am going to kill you.”
“Ack!! Conscience, you damn malko bastard! Conscience!!!”
“I'll show you conscience!”
“What are you being embarrassed about, ah?! We're married! I can do what I want!”
“Shut up right now, you crazy guy!”
“Ahhh! Dosa Hyung-nim! Not in front of the kids!”
You should tell that to yourself!
Tang Jan looked away out of respect, his cheeks flushed red at the blatant display of affection. Still, nothing can beat how red Chung Myung’s ears have gone as he hits his husband over and over for being embarrassing in such a public space.
Hey, you guys…isn't it enough that you're like this everyday in Mount Hua…? Can you…can you stop? He can feel the eyes of the other people in this place moving over to them, falling into hushed whispers as they realized the identity of the twin saints.
Cho Sam only glanced at him, casually eating the dumplings that they ordered earlier. For him, this entire thing was a daily occurrence. It was sad to hear, but he's gotten used to it.
No, really. What's wrong with them?
This is the exact reason why Tang Jan had let his guard down the first time. It was both amazing and scary how two-faced Tang Bo can be in the presence, or lack thereof, of the Sword Saint. Right now, while he might be acting like a cowering dog, he wears a different face worthy of the Dark Saint back in Sichuan.
While he was busy shuddering to himself, Cho Sam asked, “But why are the elders here?”
Immediately, the two settled down. Tang Bo stared at the lookalike of his Hyung-nim with a fond look on his face, shaking his head as he resisted the urge to pat his head.
“We were passing by when this guy remembered you two are here,” Chung Myung answered. At that time, several more plates were brought to the table, likely ordered by the Tang Elder. His eyes flickered down at the delicious smell of meat, his tense face twitching into relaxation for a bit.
“Ah! Then, will the Great Elder be helping us?”
“It's your mission, you brat. Why should I help?”
“Oh,” Cho Sam deflated for a bit, before shrugging and resuming eating.
Tang Jan looked at him wordlessly for a while, then decided he should just…forget it all and no longer try to make sense of anything. This is Mount Hua, after all. Nothing they do ever made sense.
“Eat up well. After this, you're all alone in your mission again.”
Tang Bo’s hand took hold of his chopsticks, taking some food into it, before holding it up to his husband’s mouth to feed him. He received a sideways glance for that, before Chung Myung reluctantly opened his mouth and allowed himself to be fed. Seeing this, Tang Bo smiled brightly to himself, humming, before taking a piece again to eat for himself.
“Great Elder.”
“What?”
“Please go away.”
Stunned, Chung Myung stared speechlessly at Cho Sam who blatantly said those words to his face with a sweet smile. Tang Bo dropped his chopsticks, turning his head to the opposite direction to laugh loudly. Tang Jan almost broke his in half, face rapidly paling at what he just heard.
No…the audacity of this kid?
…The worst part was that he couldn't even say anything against it. Because they're the ones force-feeding them dog food when they were just minding their own business!
He slowly turned to the laughing person next to him, and kicked his calf.
“Stop laughing! Whatever! We're going!”
“Ah? But what about the food?”
“I said we're going! Didn't you hear that brat?”
Chung Myung got up from his seat, leaving as quickly as he appeared. So Tang Bo, who weirdly has a bowl hidden somewhere inside his sleeves, picked up his chopsticks again and took as much as possible, shoving it in the bowl before rushing off after his husband, trying to call out after him.
There was a loud silence after they left the restaurant.
Tang Jan slowly turned to his companion, looking like he'd just seen Death itself wave at him from the other side of the river.
He doesn't know. He really doesn't know this kid, who just kicked out not one, but two saints so easily like that. No hesitation whatsoever.
“You're a crazy guy.”
Cho Sam shrugged, laughing to himself as he heard those words.
“It comes with being a disciple of Mount Hua.”
…
He buried his face in his hands and yelled mentally.
Yeah, he can see that!
Really, that should’ve been enough of an indication of how this mission will turn out. A few hours later, they came to the conclusion that it is actually…difficult.
“Yah! Were you trying to kill me?” Cho Sam whirled around to face him, plum blossom sword in hand. Before his feet was a group of unconscious bandits that just tried to jump on him, tightly tied to make sure that they wouldn't be able to escape when they woke up.
Tang Jan gritted his teeth, trying to remain calm.
“You were in the way of my knives.”
“I was in the way? Aren't you supposed to have scary accurate aim?”
“I do, but not when there's some guy getting in the way of my target!”
The two glared at each other, an unexpected rivalry forming just after their battle. Originally, these two are fully capable of fighting by themselves. However, being made to team up like this was something they weren’t used to. As two martial artists who have pride in their skills, it was annoying to be stopped because of someone else’s intervention, accidental or not. More than once, their weapons clashed against each other. The team up did more harm than it did any good.
“I don’t understand why they made us do this mission together,” Cho Sam mumbled to himself, turning away and shaking his head. “It would’ve been fine if it was any of my sahyung…”
Tang Jan huffed, crossing his arms. He, too, doesn’t know why the Family Head made him go to this place. But since he wasn’t even at the status of the next-in-line, he held back his tongue from saying any protests.
“If it was any of your seniors here than you, then this would’ve been easier.”
Angry eyes turned to him. Cho Sam’s eye twitched.
“What was that?”
“How can a Mount Hua disciple have terrible hearing? Is it all the climbing you do?”
“You—”
Turning away from the bandits, he sheathed his sword and raised it to the direction of the Tang that he was with. “Are you asking for a beating? Your head looks like it’s in need of some?”
“Can you even swing that sword right? At least your sahyung can defeat me in a fight all by himself.”
“Oh you’re asking for it!”
It was a bizarre sight. Usually, these two are mild-mannered whenever they are in their home. However, at that moment, maybe it was the pent-up frustration of struggling the entire mission just to find the group of bandits that they were after, the two martial artists attacked each other without hesitation.
There was one thing that Tang Jan was at a disadvantage of: it was that he hasn’t trained much with any sword-wielders. But sometimes, Cho Sam would be faced with the relentless daggers of a certain Dark Saint, so he was more than prepared to dodge the knives that went flying to his face.
“Fix your aim, you bastaaaard!”
…That fierce look on your face…Cho Sam, what happened to you, ah? You weren’t like this in the past…
“Heaaad! Head, head, head, head!”
Maybe being exposed to his Great Elder for a long time has truly warped his personality. At this moment, wasn’t it more accurate to liken his expression to a mad dog? Huh?
Since there was no one to stop him from teaching Tang Jan the painful lessons of Mount Hua, he made sure to hit as hard as possible until all his frustrations were finally blown away. He retreated back, stretching his arms and letting out a satisfied sigh as if a thousand years of problems all vanished in an instant.
“Eurkk…”
The young Tang twitched slightly from the ground, his ears still ringing and his eyes still trying to adjust to get its vision back. He rubbed the top of his head, where he can already feel a forming bruise, then blearily blinked to look up at that person.
…The people who told him it is easier to deal with this kid than Chung Myung himself clearly lied. Right now…aren’t they as difficult as each other?
He shudders as an image of an older Cho Sam, scarily similar to the Sword Saint, appeared in his mind.
“Seriously, I don’t get it at all,” the Mount Hua disciple shook his head as he hung his sword by his waist again. “Sahyung said you were good, but what’s with this?”
“Sahyung?” Tang Jan frowned, trying to guess which one it was. A face briefly appeared in his mind. Oh, was it…
“Jo Gul sahyung, I mean. Didn’t you fight against each other the first time?”
He sits up, still feeling a bit sore on the head after the beating, but is a lot calmer now. He recalls it as a stark memory in his mind, the son of a merchant from Sichuan, evenly meeting his eyes with a blade on his throat. There was nothing else that registered but the joyful smile on that person’s face, the loud beating of his heart that was yet to settle from the burst of adrenaline, and the plum blossoms that quietly fell all around him.
Finding out just who trained him, it made sense why he lost. He has already accepted that defeat a long time ago anyway, and resolved himself to train harder so the outcome wouldn’t repeat itself.
A hand reaches up to cover his mouth with his sleeves. There was something pleasant that hummed in him upon finding out that he was acknowledged by a sparring partner.
“He thought I was good?”
“I am starting to doubt it,” Cho Sam gave him a critical look. “Maybe sahyung was mistaken…”
“Or maybe your sahyung has a better eye than you do.”
“Than you do, you mean. He could probably throw those knives better than you.” That was an exaggeration. No way Jo Gul could throw any hidden weapon in the right direction.
He lets out a huff, unable to believe this younger guy was jabbing these words at him in every way. Still, his mood wasn’t as bad as it previously was anymore.
“How strong is your sahyung in Mount Hua?”
“...”
The disciple paused, giving him a critical look for a long time. His face went from the warped expression of Mount Hua, to a curious, clever impression that was more common amongst the Beggars’ Union.
“Why are you asking?” he asked carefully.
Tang Jan tilted his head, confused by the sudden question. “I wanted to know how outstanding he was.”
To know how many of the Mount Hua disciples he could’ve beaten.
The other boy scoffed. “Sahyung is probably the most talented in our generation, it was no surprise you lost. Still, there are some who are stronger than me, and I was still able to beat you. Aren’t I the youngest after Soso?”
(That was a lie. A lot of disciples from the third-generation were already having difficulties keeping up with him. The combined attention from Tang Bo, Chung Myung, and his other seniors did wonders for his improvement.)
“...”
Still, didn’t that guy acknowledge his strength? Which means he also has plenty more room to grow. Tang Jan, whose pride won’t allow him to accept being below more people after being praised as one of the geniuses within his family for most of his life, tried to reason out to himself as much as possible.
He paused.
It seems like he wasn’t the only one who noticed this, of course. Cho Sam, too, turned his head slightly to the direction of the forest, staring into what seemed like an endless expanse of trees.
There was definitely someone there.
Without missing a beat, they dropped their conversation and immediately chased after the fleeing presence.
Unbeknownst to them, one slipped away, holding in his hand a letter written addressed to one specific person.
Nokrim King.
“Dosa Hyung-nim.”
Tang Bo was still dutifully feeding both him and his husband, his cheek resting on his hand with his elbow plopped on top of the table. Although he was scolded for doing this, since he wasn’t hit too much, he figured there was nothing wrong with it. They only moved to a different restaurant after being kicked out by the kids, making sure to get a private room so no one would be complaining at them for being too touchy-touchy with each other.
“Dosa Hyung-nim.”
“What now?”
Chung Myung looked up from that map that he had been staring at for quite some time now. There was a slight furrow in between his eyebrows that Tang Bo would’ve leaned forward and kissed to get rid of, if only he wasn’t all the way across the table.
“Is the kids’ mission related to that?”
He looks for a while, before picking up another pair of chopsticks to shove food into his husband’s mouth. Tang Bo was more than happy to open his mouth and receive it, smiling happily to himself after almost choking on the food from how harshly it was shoved to him.
“Maybe.”
He chewed for a while, and finally swallowed it, still happy that he was personally fed by his Hyung-nim (even though it was definitely done just to stop him from asking too many things.)
“Then, are you still thinking things through?”
“No.” Chung Myung’s eyes lowered back down to the map, where he was staring thoughtfully at the areas labeled as Shaanxi and Sichuan. “I’m just waiting for some meddling brats to move.”
Tang Bo chuckled at that, knowing him well enough to know when that head of his was going through numerous calculations. He dropped the chopsticks and stood up, moving to squeeze himself to the seat next to the swordsman. Chung Myung gave him an unimpressed look.
“Stop thinking for a bit, husband,” he mumbled, leaning close to rest his forehead against the unflinching Sword Saint. “Nothing is happening yet.”
“Yet.”
“It’s fine,” he insisted, eyes flickering up to meet the pretty plum blossom eyes that he has loved so much over the years. His hand moved, insistently making the other let go of his chopsticks so their hands can intertwine. “When time comes, there’s going to be two of us, alright?”
“...”
“I’ll be here. Always.”
“...Tsk. I know that, you sappy leech.”
“Good.”
Smiling softly, with a face of someone so utterly in love, Tang Bo moves forward to give him a long, sweet kiss.
Chung Myung closes his eyes and lets out a sigh.
That’s right. This time…they’re together.
-
end.