What Tang O wanted from Dong Bong-su was not just for him to become his disciple, but to become a member of the Tang Family altogether.
"Grandfather! Such a momentous matter without the elders' consent, alone...."
When the expected words finally poured from Tang O's mouth, Tang Hwa spoke in bewilderment.
Tang O looked back at such Tang Hwa, smiled faintly, and moved his lips. At the same time, he also showed her the Dragon Phoenix Golden Needles.
The two comfortably had a secret conversation in the manner of Sound Transmission, thinking Dong Bong-su couldn't hear their conversation.
But the thing is.
That was truly behavior done without knowing Dong Bong-su. Just because a person cannot hear doesn't mean they cannot 'eavesdrop.' Even if they cannot hear, there are people who can 'read' conversations with their eyes.
Lip reading.
Dong Bong-su was reading everything the two were discussing just from the shape of Tang O's lips. Though he couldn't tell what Tang Hwa was saying since she wore a veil, Tang O was saying all the important things anyway. Just by analyzing his lip movements, he could tell what Tang Hwa was saying.
In the end, Dong Bong-su was able to find out everything—why Tang O was trying to embrace him even to the point of giving him the Tang surname, and even why he had taken out the Dragon Phoenix Golden Needles.
'So that's what it was?'
Dong Bong-su continued analyzing the conversation that passed between the two behind a protective layer covering his eyes.
From a certain point, he went further and saw through even what Tang O didn't know. No, it would be more accurate to say Tang O couldn't see it in the first place.
Half-human half-character.
Though Dong Bong-su wasn't a complete game character, by being under the New Murim Online system, he had obtained a strange body that was neither human nor game character. Because of this, he had a body structure truly different from ordinary people. The subtle changes in his body caused by this had captivated Tang O and led to this very situation.
Though Tang O was now talking to Tang Hwa with various analyses about Dong Bong-su's constitution, the conclusion was 'don't know.' While not knowing, he was interpreting it as he pleased.
Dong Bong-su was inwardly sneering while creating his next behavior pattern. If the opponent interpreted things as they pleased, it was a grateful thing. If he played along with that interpretation, the opponent would naturally digest an excellent performance as an actor fitting that play.
A chilling ability.
Tang O was caught in a double trap—the trap of having a conversation through Sound Transmission and the trap of thinking Dong Bong-su was just a mute groom. Caught in this double trap, he couldn't even imagine Dong Bong-su possessed such an ability.
A while later.
The secret yet not-so-secret conversation between Tang O and Tang Hwa finally ended. Secret meant it was the two's belief that it was a conversation between just Tang O and Tang Hwa, and not-so-secret meant Dong Bong-su had read or reproduced their entire conversation. Of course, only Dong Bong-su knew that fact.
Since Tang Hwa had been persuaded by Tang O at the end of their discussion, she now had no more reason to stop Tang O. She didn't interfere further and silently withdrew.
At that, Tang O smiled slightly, then looked at Dong Bong-su again and asked.
"I'll ask again. Are you willing to receive the Tang Family's surname?"
Dong Bong-su had no reason to refuse from the beginning.
Moreover, now that he already knew everything about Tang O's hidden intentions, why would he refuse this good proposal?
Dong Bong-su didn't hesitate. He confidently nodded while showing a fabricated firm gaze.
Not knowing the face hidden behind that false expression, Tang O showed a completely satisfied expression.
"Good. However, you haven't yet completely become a member of the Tang Family. When you go to the Tang Family, you must prove before the Tang Family elders and Family Head that you are a person worthy of having the Tang surname. In that process, you might even die. Even so, will you do it?"
It changed from 'might be painful enough to wish for death' to advancing one step further to 'might die.'
'So what. Nothing changes.'
He still had no intention of refusing. Because he knew he wouldn't die.
If everything Tang O had said to Tang Hwa through Sound Transmission was true, no one in the Tang Family would refuse him. No, they couldn't. Though they might plot schemes to put him in danger later, they couldn't stop him from entering the Tang Family, and there was no reason to. The content contained in Tang O's Sound Transmission was that significant.
Even Dong Bong-su himself hadn't realized such a secret existed in his body.
He once again found this New Murim Online interesting. A 'game' tailored for Dong Bong-su where he couldn't let his guard down for even a moment and couldn't miss even one thing—that was precisely this New Murim Online.
A smile appeared on his lips after a long time.
From that plain smile, Tang O felt 'Sosam's sincerity'.
Though Dong Bong-su's sincerity and the 'Sosam's sincerity' that Tang O felt were different, sincerity was sincerity.
The gazes of the cold Tang O and the passionate Dong Bong-su intensely intertwined in midair.
Shortly after.
Tang O finally declared as if having made a complete decision.
"You are now not a groom of the Danri Family, but a person of the Tang Family, the First Family of Sichuan."
With that, Dong Bong-su had now shed the shell of being a groom.
"I will now perform the Great Method. Are you ready?"
When Dong Bong-su nodded once more, Tang O signaled with his eyes to Tang Hwa standing behind Dong Bong-su. It meant to stand guard.
Tang Hwa bowed her head to show affirmation and left the room.
If another person intruded during the performance of the Great Method, it could become dangerous by falling into Qi Deviation. So she would stand guard to prevent other people's approach.
Now that only the two remained, Tang O approached Dong Bong-su.
"I will now perform the Crown Opening Great Method on you. This Crown Opening Great Method will clear your head and open your blocked speech. From now on, you must close your eyes and absolutely must not move no matter what happens. Do you understand?"
Though Dong Bong-su knew by 'hearing it directly' from him that what Tang O was about to perform on him wasn't just the Crown Opening Great Method, he didn't particularly care. After all, he too was using Tang O, and Tang O was using him.
However, he already knew what Tang O was thinking and what Tang O was about to do to him, while Tang O didn't know that he knew all of it.
With that, the game between the two was already over.
In a poker game, if you know the opponent's hand and you have a perfect poker face?
Game over already. No reversal.
The opponent merely continues the game, entrusting themselves to a thread-thin hope that they can win while aiming for that non-existent reversal.
But.
The game had already been Dong Bong-su's victory before it even started.
***
Tang O opened the case of the Dragon Phoenix Golden Needles. Inside the case, befitting its name, were hundreds of gold needles with dragons and phoenixes intricately carved on each needle. The fact that their lengths and thicknesses were each different suggested each needle had a different purpose.
Dong Bong-su glanced at the Dragon Phoenix Golden Needles once and quietly closed his eyes. And soon fell into meditation. He slowly sank into the world of nothingness familiar to him.
"Hoo-."
Tang O let out a big sigh and slowly floated the Dragon Phoenix Golden Needles in the air through the technique of Remote Object Manipulation.
In fact, Tang O was in the most tense state of his life right now.
Using the Namgung Family's wedding as an excuse, he had come out to the Martial World for an outing after a long time, and in Bongyang, he had 'picked up for free' an unbelievable talent.
Wheel-Turning Sage King Appearance, Heavenly Yang Divine Martial Body, Heavenly Meridian Body, Nine Grade Sacred Bone, Heavenly Martial Heart Meridian, Purple Cloud Ethereal Divine Body, Cosmic Sacred Bone...
In the world, there were various terms describing bodies excellent for learning martial arts. All of them were accompanied by modifiers like appearing once in ten years, once in a hundred years, or once in a thousand years.
However, today Tang O had met a talent with a body for which such modifiers were useless. The very person was the groom with the name Sosam now sitting before him.
Tang O put strength in his eyes and looked at Sosam once more. Sosam was now closing his eyes, fallen into a state of no-thought and no-image. It was perfect. The moment he said not to think, it meant Sosam had already completely erased thoughts from his mind.
A smile appeared on Tang O's lips again.
Ten years? A hundred years? A talent appearing once in a thousand years? What's all that?
That fellow has a body born for the first time since the Martial World began its history. Though not as conspicuous as known bodies, it was definitely one of the finest qualities.
Holeless Body.
Sosam didn't have the acupoints and meridians that any human should have. When he first saw Sosam, he hadn't noticed it. He merely thought it was an ordinary body that hadn't learned martial arts. But when he looked again, he realized that wasn't it.
Sosam's body was too 'calm.' No matter how much a person hadn't learned martial arts, there was at least minimal qi in their body that naturally flowed along the meridian paths.
But in Sosam's body, there was no such flow at all.
Nothing.
There was simply nothing. As if he wasn't human.
If he hadn't been a master of the Tang Family, he wouldn't have noticed just by looking once. This was because all these characteristics appeared in jiangshi.
The only martial sects in the Martial World that could make jiangshi were the Tang Family and the Blood Tower of Heavenly Demon Castle. However, even if they were masters of the Tang Family or Blood Tower, if they hadn't made jiangshi, they wouldn't have noticed Sosam's characteristics.
Tang O had dabbled at least a little in all martial arts and miscellaneous arts passed down in the Tang Family. Jiangshi arts were naturally included among them.
The basis of jiangshi creation was to artificially block all the meridian paths of a corpse. Because of this, all flow of qi was cut off. This was to block the flow of life energy and connect the flow of death energy.
But differently from this, Sosam wasn't blocked or had something blocked, but rather had no acupoints and meridians from birth. Having no paths meant paths could be made however one wanted. It also meant one could go wherever one wanted to go freely. Whether it became true qi or whatever.
Tang Hwa also easily withdrew after hearing this story of his.
In her view too, the Holeless Body was a tremendous quality that would never come again. Perhaps there were none or could be counted on one hand those with qualities that could match it in the current Martial World.
Perhaps not. There might be another talent born under the Star of Heavenly Calamity or Star of Becoming Divine. Those born with such fates, regardless of innate qualities, had the fate to endanger or save the Martial World.
Perhaps this Sosam was born under the Star of Heavenly Calamity or Star of Becoming Divine. Verification of that was a matter he couldn't handle. Though he could read with his own eyes the vitality and intelligence hidden deep in Dong Bong-su's eyes, he couldn't be certain. Proof and verification of things other than quality would be done by the elders instead of him when they returned to the Family estate.
For now, he just needed to embrace and secure this item called Sosam into the Tang Family.
Even if this child was born under the Star of Heavenly Calamity, the Tang Family could handle it. It wasn't a big problem. If it came to that, the Tang Family could gain fame for handling it before the Star of Heavenly Calamity properly manifested.
Also, if he was born under the Star of Becoming Divine, with that alone the Tang Family would gain great fame and become the center of the righteous Martial World. If neither, and he was just the owner of a Holeless Body, that was also good. With that quality alone, they could restore Sky Full of Flowers and Rain, which had been passed down in form only for the past hundreds of years.
If Sky Full of Flowers and Rain descended upon the Martial World again after hundreds of years, the heroes of the Martial World would bow their heads before the Tang Family's name.
In a word, if Sosam was born under the Star of Heavenly Calamity, fame; if the Star of Becoming Divine, the family's glory; and even if neither, just Sosam's Holeless Body alone meant the Tang Family's revival was already reserved.
The Tang Family ancestors must have sent me to Bongyang to open the path to the Tang Family's revival.
'Kukuku. The Tang Family's future hangs on my fingertips!'
Thinking this made Tang O even more tense.
Crack crack crack!
Tang O's tightly tensed hand finally began to move.