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Published:
2025-06-21
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2025-10-02
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6/?
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Finding each other (tang family be damned)

Chapter 4: Soso Goes Home

Summary:

Tang Soso is invited to go to the Tang Clan, ahead of the group.

 

Is it rich privilege? As the others suspect... or for some other reason?

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Cheong Myeong was a brat, a drunkard, wise beyond his current incarnation's years, reckless, insensitive, not at all empathetic... we could go on and on. But he wasn't unaware of anything going around him. He wasn't stupid; his intelligence was up for debate. Instead, he could be credited for the fact that he was at least aware of everyone being in their own little worlds. Baek and Geol sharing guilty looks, Soso getting comfortable feeling spoiled for the first time in months, Iseol was an enigma not even the Sword Saint could crack... Jong was actually being oddly like Elder Sister today. He was quite tame and quiet, so that he wasn't noticed. And Geol's father, to his credit, was doing his best not to inquire his son about one of the two females in their group. To his credit, Cheong could only tell he was curious because the guy was treating Soso nicely to see how his son would react... or he was doing so because he recognised her as a Tang. Either or. It seemed Iseol was at least not on his radar, probably because she had so little presence he forgot to consider her.

 

And Cheong could tell merely because he had exploited people who sucked up to him so much that he could recognise the pattern in others, too.

Ha. That would be a fun, awkward conversation between father and son, for Geol to haunt himself over with later.

 

He was also aware that the Tang clan would know that they were here. Would they find it disrespectful that the disciples of Mount Hua didn't greet them first? Happy that they gave them enough time to prepare for their arrival? After all, they neglected to send word ahead. Or maybe one of the sect elders sent a letter ahead of them. Cheong's mind was filled with the Tang clan a lot lately. 

 

The last wish of Tang Bo was to take care of them in his place... and all he did was secure leadership of the current Sect Head. Tang Guak... and get rid of some of the corrupt bastards. But Tang Bo would never be satisfied with that. 

 

He let himself think that he would be... the journey for the Primordial Panacea ingredients was a greedy quest that he had wanted to rush back to. He let himself believe it was enough to fix the influence of power upon the sect... without actually ensuring better livelihoods for the family, he didn't really do anything to correct their bias towards poison rather than their hidden weapons... so little done. So much that could be done, apart from the obvious sexism that he and Soso plan to correct this time. He hadn't really fulfilled Tang Bo's dying wish, and that revelation had crushed him...

 

And it was haunting him recently.

 

Just like the spies of the Tang clan outside this room.

 

It wouldn't be foolish to assume Tang Guak had added at least one to Geol's family home. Not to monitor, but to ensure the safety of their closest link to Mount Hua here, through Geol's family. Obviously, because Geol is from Mount Hua, if that was not clear.

 

Though if these spies were around, they would be like ghosts... like the ghost he misses the most at the moment. His Bo-Ya. 

 

 

...

 

 

He needed to get his mind off that brat... he was getting too distracted from his food, and if he didn't eat like the glutton he usually was, it would only concern the kids around him. It wasn't as if Cheong Meong was blind to the fact that he had been acting off this entire time. That he hasn't been acting normally. Guilt would do that to a person. Yet he shouldn't allow it to affect him as much as he has been letting it. He was going to fix his mistakes now, and he will get over the worst of it because he is doing something about it.

 

It wasn't too long after that when Baek noticed the familiar sight of Cheong stuffing his face with little to no care about manners. Even downing a bottle of sake as if it were water. It had taken him long enough to eat properly. To act somewhat normal again. One of the few comforting moments of that night. Yet Baek couldn't help how his own stomach twisted with the fact that he found this brazen display of eating like a swine, from someone who influences their sect so much, as a comforting sight. How far had he fallen now? He stopped being able to tell a few thousand training sessions ago.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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They all hadn't even retired for the night when a guest from the Tang sect showed up in a Palequin of sorts. It was Tang Ho, the one who had first faced Geol and lost in this very place. 

 

He was eventually greeted inside, due to the non-hostile intent and Geols father's hopeful optimism that now that Mount Hua and the Sichuan Tang Clan were now friends would mean he could trust them all together in his home. Yet he did seem to still bow respectfully as if he still had to act subservient to the Tang Family.

 

"I will not interfere in this family greeting for too long, I am merely here to see my own sister- where is- Soso!" Tang Ho beamed when he spotted her sitting amongst the others "You look stronger, Father will be proud and our cousins jealous. Even Zhang will envy you at home." He joked as Soso and him naturally came together for an embrace, her abandoning her quickly food to do so. It seems Soso wasn't just doted on by her father but truly cared for by her own family. Ignoring the envious other disciples, he continued. Somewhat rude in the sense he wasn't really acknowledging the others yet, but Cheong could appreciate a straight-to-the-point rational person who was merely distracted by seeing the sister he had missed for the past months.

 

 

"I am here on Father's orders, I will admit. He wants you home tonight, and for your fellow disciples to come tomorrow morning." And as if predicting the protest about to come, he turned to bow deeply, arms folded above his head towards both Cheong and, surprisingly, Iseol "I am aware that such a request to separate you all must seem sudden, rude and unfai,r but please before any reasonable protest, let me defend my father's decision. This is the first time sister Soso has returned to her home in months after the first time leaving home. Mother and our other brothers, and especially father, have missed her so. And we do not want to bother our friends of Mount Hua whilst we baby her. If possible, we would like to keep our family reunion and the arrival of Mount Hua a separate junction. So we can celebrate Soso's return tonight and then celebrate her as the friend of the Tang Clan by being a part of Mount Hua alongside all of you arriving at our humble home."

 

 

His words were oddly practised, and after moments of silent scrutiny being shared amongst the group, Iseol bowed back and said, "It is Soso's decision. We would prefer it to be welcomed wholeheartedly as a group, but we understand the familial aspect of the scenario. So it is up to her."

 

 

The way the pressure of the situation switched to Soso actually seemed to relieve her brother. Thanking Iseol kindly before turning to his sister, "We do have your bed set up for you, and I'm quite sure everyone wants to hear of your progress together. Even our youngest brother is curious about how you have developed as a fighter. But again it is father's request. Usuall,y he has a reason for haste, so whatever you say".

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Soso had left with her brother. It seemed the palequin was to ensure safe travel within the night, as it was already dark when they had left. But it was probably an unnecessary precaution considering the two were both martial artists... In all honesty, the entire scenario was an oddity for Jong. For Tang Gunak to have such a thing, decided so hastily, and rushed it without at least ensuring the interaction would have gone 100% smoothly? Out of the ordinary. But it was Soso's brother and blood family. She should be fine, and they were all going over tomorrow. It was probably for something silly, such as the well-heard about, but known little of, Tang Secrets or something along those lines. 

 

 

"How much do you want to bet she gets to go first because of rich privilege?" Cheong spoke up.

 

"I'll take it. I think it's a family secret type of thing."

 

"I'm siding with Cheong", Iseol said, all of a sudden appearing next to Cheong, who was getting better at pretending he didn't just have a heart attack at her jump scare.

 

"I think she's actually, you know, having family time? Like he said they would?" Geol, of course, being the rich boy with a loving family, couldn't really support either side, so he was left with just trusting Tang Ho's words. 

 

"I bet doing laundry for the next year, he gave the genuine reason, too. I rather trust noble honesty still exists." Baek spoke up. Mainly hoping for truthful humanity to still exist in the world after seeing the disciples around him care not for it more and more.

 

Bets were made, two vs two vs one.

 

"Laundry- plus money to buy some alcoho-" Cheong started but was cut off by a curt-

 

"Don't push it, we are supposed to be Taoist" by Baek, who, for once, retired to bed without wishing anyone goodnight. Obviously, done with everyone's shenanigans for the day.

 

 

....

 

 

Unlike Baek, the others stayed up to socialise with Geol's father a bit longer. Who acted as if he never even heard them make such bets because he had learned not to get involved when it came to business between Mount Hua and the Tang Clan.

Notes:

Helloooooo- yes- not cursed, I just have an exam in 4 days despite it being my holiday (UCAT). I would have had this out weeks earlier iif this wasn't the case tbh- so if this feels a little more rushed than usually it is cause it was!