The RoFan Novel Fan Has Reincarnated Into A Martial Arts Novel-Chapter 40: A Wrong Encounter

Thudthudthud. Swish. Thudthudthud. Swish.

The repeated sound made Tang Jeonghu frown.

“Stop turning around already.”

“Huh? Y-Yes, Father...”

His daughter’s timid answer only irritated him more.

I thought she’d changed... but she’s exactly the same.

At the recent Martial World Assembly, his meek daughter had done something unexpected—she’d raised her voice. Said she wanted to follow some girl named Hwang Bo Yeon to Hunan. It was the first time she’d ever made such a request, so he'd allowed it, harboring a faint sliver of hope.

Red Flower Gate and the Baekha Escort Agency, was it? I heard she helped resolve some matter involving them.

That much, Tang Jeonghu had learned through his subordinates. Though, he found it hard to believe his daughter had played any meaningful role. If she hadn’t caused trouble, he’d count himself lucky.

Had she dragged the Tang Clan’s name through the mud? What could she possibly have contributed, when the only thing she was good at was memorizing the names of medicinal herbs?

Clicking his tongue softly, he heard his daughter call to him.

“Um, Father...”

“What?”

His curt response came out instinctively, making her shrink back even more.

Hmph.

That kind of behavior annoyed Tang Jeonghu the most. As a daughter of the Tang Clan, she shouldn’t look so weak. She should be someone others feared, not someone who wilted like a flower in the rain.

“Can’t you ever speak with some spine, just once?”

“I-I’m sorry.”

“I’ve told you to stop stuttering, haven’t I?”

“...Yes.”

He wanted to scold her more, but just barely held himself back. Past experience had taught him it was pointless.

“So what did you want to say?”

Soso swallowed hard and did her best to speak clearly.

“Do I have to go back to Sichuan right away?”

“What?”

“I’d like to stay a little longer...”

Tang Jeonghu stopped walking and looked at his daughter.

“To do what?”

“I want to keep helping Yeon unni. Things aren’t completely settled yet.”

“Help?”

He asked because he was genuinely curious. Help with what?

Helping someone requires you to be on their level. If she meant Yeon unni, that had to be Hwang Bo Yeon. And she was on an entirely different tier. She’d withstood even the pressure he himself had put out on a whim to test her. Her potential had honestly surprised him.

I figured the Hwang Bo clan wouldn’t need to worry about its heir, with talent like hers.

He was trying to suppress a flicker of envy when Soso gave a bitter smile. Tang Jeonghu hesitated for a moment, though there was no way she could have heard his thoughts.

“You’re right, Father. I’m not really helping her. She’s the one helping me.”

“Helping with what?”

She didn’t answer this time. So he rephrased the question.

“Are you friends now or something?”

“W-What? Oh. Y-Yes. Fr-Friends...”

Her face flushed bright red as she stuttered again, but he didn’t care. What surprised him was that his daughter had made a friend at all.

She’s never gotten along with Central Plains kids.

Not that he’d ever been particularly concerned about that. As far as he was concerned, the Tang Clan wasn’t truly a part of the Central Plains anyway. Relationships were always subject to change, depending on shifting interests and mutual benefit.

“Hm.”

Still... a friend? Maybe she really had changed a little. As he considered it, Soso spoke again.

“Father, if you’ll allow it, I’d like to travel the Central Plains a bit longer.”

The look in her eyes was unexpectedly firm. He got the sense that even if he said no, she might just go anyway. But instead of scolding her, Tang Jeonghu’s voice carried a rare note of approval.

“Is that so?”

“Yes.”

“Then do as you please.”

“...What?”

“I said, do as you wish.”

Soso blinked, stunned for a moment, then bowed her head.

“Thank you, Father.”

“Hmph.”

Tang Jeonghu responded with a gruff grunt and was about to start walking again when she spoke up once more.

“Father.”

“Hm?”

“I tried using hidden weapons this time...”

“What? Hidden weapons? You?”

“It wasn’t anything special, really...”

She fumbled around and pulled something out for him to see. Small marbles.

“Marbles?”

Tang Jeonghu examined them with a flicker of curiosity in his eyes.

“Not bad. The origin of hidden weapons lies in stone-throwing, and the essence of throwing stones is picking good ones. But marbles eliminate that step. As long as they fit your hand, that’s what matters. Plus, they’re easy to carry.”

He rattled off his evaluation quickly, and Soso eagerly nodded along.

“Yes, exactly.”

“Still, they’re hard to poison and not very lethal. You do know our clan has plenty of perfected hidden weapons far better than this, don’t you?”

“I know... but marbles just feel the best in my hand.”

“Hmm, is that so?”

That could be true. Hidden weapons were even more about personal preference than ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) swords or spears. Nodding thoughtfully, Tang Jeonghu launched into further explanation.

“In that case, there are ways to improve them. Most people—especially sword wielders—will try to strike down incoming marbles with their blades. So, design the marbles to explode on contact. Release poison, acid, something nasty.”

“Uh...”

“Those posers who care about flashy moves are perfect targets. They’ll always try to slice the marble in half. When that happens, they’ll get a face full of poison. Depending on the type, it could melt their face off. Ha!”

Excited by the mental image, Tang Jeonghu burst into laughter.

To think he was standing here, discussing hidden weapons with his daughter. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt this pleased with her.

But just as he was about to express it—

“Th-that’s... a bit much. Is it okay if I just keep throwing normal ones?”

“...Why?”

“I mean... melting someone’s face is a little extreme...”

“...Hmph.”

Tang Jeonghu’s face turned slightly sullen, but he decided to let it go. She’d made a start, and that was something.

“Well then, what about crafting the marbles from rare materials to increase their impact? Or varying the size and speed when you throw them—to confuse your opponent? Like hiding a smaller marble behind a bigger one, for example.”

“Ooh...”

The sight of his daughter quietly repeating things to commit them to memory left Tang Jeonghu deeply satisfied. In truth, when it came to raw talent, she was more gifted than his twin sons. It was only that fragile temperament of hers that had always been the issue.

“And if you're going to use hidden weapons, there’s something more important than anything else. Do you know what that is?”

“Um... is it lightness skill?”

“That’s right!”

It was a basic answer, but Tang Jeonghu still found himself raising his voice and cleared his throat awkwardly.

“Exactly. And when it comes to lightness skill, no one can match our Sichuan Tang Clan. You’ve trained your internal energy well, so your foundation should be solid.”

“Yes, Father.”

When you deal with poison and hidden weapons, escaping becomes part of the job. If something goes wrong, you’re often ambushed. That’s why the ancestors of the Tang Clan always emphasized the importance of lightness skill.

Of course, if you fully master a palm technique that emits poison when struck at close range, you don’t need to worry about that...

But expecting something like that from his daughter was too much. Above all, to learn Poison Palm, one needed a matching kind of poison heart. You had to be the sort who could splash poison straight into someone’s face without even blinking.

Still... Soso really has changed. Could it be the influence of that girl, Hwang Bo Yeon?

Tang Jeonghu’s lips involuntarily curled into a small smile as he walked—but then he noticed there were no quick little footsteps following behind. He turned to find Soso standing still, looking at him.

“Why are you just standing there?”

“Oh, I think I’ll head back now. The Hwang Bo estate is that way...”

“Ah, that’s right.”

As if it were the most natural thing in the world, Tang Jeonghu turned toward the northeast.

“Um, Father?”

“Hmm?”

“Sichuan is west...”

At her comment, Tang Jeonghu casually glanced up at the sky.

“I was planning on stopping by anyway.”

“What?”

“The Hwang Bo family. We clan leaders have things to discuss, don’t we?”

He briskly passed by the puzzled-looking Soso, quickening his pace. In truth, his real intention was to take this chance to observe his daughter’s martial development. Who knew when her interest might fade again?

“Come along, now.”

“O-Okay...”

And so, the two of them set off for the Hwang Bo household. There was no particularly warm conversation between them, but a slightly softer air began to settle around the father and daughter.

****

Meanwhile, after Gongye and Soso had departed, Yeon and Cheon Gang took the last fork heading east and arrived in Nanchang, Jiangxi Province.

They were here to attend a secret auction. According to Jogan, the "key" the Elder had been searching for was scheduled to appear as one of the lots.

I was expecting a sleazy place like the Palace of Ecstasy, but... this isn't like that at all.

The auction house they entered with the invitation from Jogan was only dimly lit—hardly decadent. In fact, the lights had been lowered specifically to draw focus to the stage.

Even though the auction hadn’t started yet, there were already a few people seated here and there in the wide hall. Strangely, most of them seemed to be martial artists. Seated in the very back corner, Yeon asked Cheon Gang:

“Have you ever been to something like this before?”

“This is my first time as well.”

He was wearing a mask. Yeon, too, had covered her face with a sheer face veil. That was the rule here. Everyone had to conceal their identities—and show no interest in anyone else's.

Yeon glanced at the egret mask she’d personally picked for Cheon Gang.

From cloth masks to animal masks now, huh? But honestly, the mask was better. It gave him a mysterious aura, and it made the event feel genuinely special.

Just then, Cheon Gang looked around and spoke.

“The key... I wonder what kind of key it is.”

“Right?”

Even Jogan had only known it was called a “key.” The only detail he’d been able to provide was that it gave off a blue glow.

“Miss Yeon.”

“Yes?”

“I’m beginning to think it may not be a literal key.”

“What do you mean?”

“Perhaps it’s a symbolic term.”

“Huh...”

Yeon was nodding in thought when another pair approached their row. A man and woman sat down one seat away from them, each wearing a mask—one a dragon, the other a tiger.

Dragon and tiger, huh. If they’re a couple, I bet their fights are brutal.

Yeon peeked past the table and sneaked a glance. Just then, the woman in the tiger mask also looked over—and their eyes met.

Yeon started to look away from her sharp gaze, but the woman suddenly stiffened.

...Huh?

The tiger-masked woman stared at Yeon, then slowly shifted her attention to Cheon Gang beside her. Her eyes darted back and forth, her shoulders trembling. Yeon could feel the heat of her fury like steam rising from her body.

The familiarity of it all made Yeon freeze.

No way... Namgung Jihyeon?

Yeon quickly checked the man in the dragon mask. Now that she was paying attention, his physique and energy felt familiar.

It was Namgung Jihyeon’s older brother—Namgung Myeong.

So they’re not a couple—they’re siblings. But what are they doing here?

“Cheon Gang...”

She whispered softly, and Cheon Gang replied.

“I saw them too.”

“You’re not surprised?”

“I was at first. But considering the Namgung Clan is based in Anhui, it’s not too far from here. It’s not that strange.”

Then the dragon mask turned toward them. At first he looked over casually, but then froze in place.

He had recognized them too.

“Wha—”

Namgung Myeong stumbled awkwardly to his feet, clearly flustered. But before he could move, another pair entered the room and seated themselves at the table between the Namgung siblings and Yeon’s party.

This new duo was a thin man and a fat man.

Strangely enough, the thin one wore a pig mask, while the fat one wore a monkey mask. With the thin man’s long limbs and the fat man’s rotund frame, it would’ve made more sense if they had swapped.

The fat man with the monkey mask grumbled the moment he sat down.

“Seriously? These were the only masks left? Damn it. I should’ve brought my own.”

He made no effort to lower his deep, gruff voice. Clearly, he wasn’t the type to care about others’ opinions.

“At least you didn’t end up with the pig mask. You hated that one, remember?”

“I’d rather die. You calling me a pig?”

“I didn’t say that.”

Yeon nearly burst out laughing at their bickering. Apparently, the fat man had some serious body image issues. But hey, everyone’s got something they’re sensitive about.

Then the skinny man changed the subject.

“Anyway, you think anything good’s gonna show up today?”

“Don’t get your hopes up. The prices are insane—we’ll have to be careful. Even the ticket to get in was pricey, remember?”

“Still, I came prepared. Maybe they’ll have some elixirs...”

The fat man snorted.

“Ha! You think elixirs are that common? Even if there are any, guys like us won’t get to taste them. This isn’t some damn fairy tale where you pop a pill and wake up as the greatest under heaven overnight.”