Chapter 126: Tang Clan's Paper Flower

The scene that first flashed through Qing’s mind when she heard “strategy meeting” went something like this:

An impressively detailed model depicting a panoramic view of the entire Tang Clan compound.

And surrounding it, complex diagrams on blackboards and walls covered in papers detailing systematic operational plans, outlining first, second, and third-tier defensive formations and coordinated troop rotations.

A palpable atmosphere of seriousness and grim determination.

And, naturally, it would all culminate in a rousing speech designed to boost morale before the impending battle.

However, the reality unfolding before her was… decidedly less impressive. A complete mess, actually.

It was essentially just a scene of all the Tang Clan elders gathered loosely around a roughly sketched map, casually massaging their own arms and legs while engaging in idle chatter.

What the hell? Qing thought, utterly confused. Didn’t they explicitly call this a ‘strategy meeting’?

As Qing tilted her head, trying to make sense of the relaxed atmosphere, one of the elders nearby looked over at Tang Nanah with an expression of pure, unadulterated adoration, making absolutely no effort to hide it.

It was the kind of look often described poetically (and perhaps creepily) as ‘honey dripping from the eyes.’

“Ah-ah,” the elder cooed affectionately, “did you perhaps not sleep well last night? Hoho. It seems you must have stayed up all night talking with your new friend.”

At this, Tang Nanah awkwardly avoided everyone’s gaze,

The tips of her ears flushing bright red.

“Haha,” the elder continued jovially, clearly misinterpreting the reason for Nanah’s blush, “there’s absolutely nothing to be embarrassed about! Isn’t it perfectly natural? When forging a bond with a truly good friend, you absolutely should lie together in the same bed and talk endlessly throughout the night! That is how true friendship blossoms!”

The elder seemed to have arrived at a completely different conclusion regarding the previous night’s sleeping arrangements.

“When this old man was young,” he reminisced fondly, “I often lay together with my own dear friends. When we lay side-by-side, talking while gazing up at the stars, the inherent hardships of sleeping outdoors during our travels seemed insignificant! Looking back now… those times were truly, truly beautiful.”

“Therefore, Ah-ah,” another elder chimed in encouragingly, “you too should make sure to laugh often, cry sometimes, argue occasionally, and definitely lie down and talk frequently with your friends during your youth! Just as the legendary Sun Ce and Zhou Yu did!” [^(Sworn brothers and key figures in the founding of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period, famed for their deep bond.)]

“Indeed! Like Liu Bei’s Three Sworn Brothers!” [^(Liu Bei, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei; their oath of brotherhood in the Peach Garden is a cornerstone of Romance of the Three Kingdoms.)] added another.

“And how could we possibly forget the tale of Bo Ya and Zhong Ziqi?” [^(Story from the Spring and Autumn period; Zither master Bo Ya broke his instrument and never played again after the death of Zhong Ziqi, the only person who truly understood his music.)]

“Guan Zhong and Bao Shuya also famously shared one bed!” [^(Two statesmen from the Spring and Autumn period, whose unwavering friendship became legendary.)]

“And Nuo Yao and Ma Li too!”

“Hey now, you old fool,” another elder interjected good-naturedly, “weren’t Nuo Yao and Ma Li just characters from a fictional story?”

“Well, who truly knows?” the previous elder retorted defensively. “The names might have been changed, but perhaps it was based on a true story passed down through oral tradition?”

The elders’ nostalgic chatter continued amiably back and forth.

Qing decided to take this opportunity to confirm her lingering doubts about this bizarre custom one more time.

“So,” she asked cautiously, addressing the nearest elder, “friends sharing the same bed is really…”

“Of course!” the elder confirmed enthusiastically. “Wouldn’t you say it’s the very first gateway, the essential trial, to truly welcoming a genuine friend into one’s heart? One absolutely should…”

Tang Nanah hadn't technically lied earlier (the custom, in some contexts, existed), but she had definitely been deceiving Qing about its universality and meaning.

It was all because of her own cunning desire to simply try sleeping in the same bed with a potential friend just once. Given the childishness of the motive, perhaps some small allowance could be made?

In reality, the historical saying about ‘lying in one bed and covering with the same blanket’ almost always referred metaphorically to enduring difficult times together.

Because a family was poor, siblings were forced to live sharing one cramped bed and one thin blanket.

The bond forged by sticking together and overcoming such shared hardships would naturally be exceptionally strong.

Originally, friends (or even siblings) from well-off families would naturally have separate rooms and wouldn't need to constantly bump into each other.

The Tang Clan elders, having been wealthy even as children, were clearly using the phrase in yet another sense entirely.

They were expressing it in a roundabout way, referencing the camaraderie built by sleeping rough together outdoors while wandering the martial world—where the earth became their bed and the sky their blanket.

Since the elders were completely unaware of Tang Nanah’s vicious little deception, their sincere words, meant to encourage friendship, ultimately came across as genuinely heartfelt and reflected a truly honest attitude.

Isn't it just like elders everywhere, getting excited when a young person asks about something they know well, eager to share their wisdom?

So Qing finally, completely abandoned her doubts about the custom.

Instead, she engaged in some self-reflection.

Jangmyeong-ie must have been really disappointed back then… she thought guiltily.

Should I offer to sleep together with her when I get back this time?

But wait, Jangmyeong-ie is still a minor…

How could I possibly share a bed with a minor when the laws of the land are so strict?!

That could potentially be a world-altering crisis! A heaven-defying, earth-shattering, profoundly dangerous act!

“But,” Qing finally asked, pulling herself back to the present, “what about the actual strategy meeting?”

“Ho ho,” one of the elders chuckled. “The core strategy was established long ago, wouldn't you agree? We have always maintained preparations for potential dangers, exercising constant vigilance as a matter of course. If we were only now scrambling to make plans, we would truly deserve to perish for our incompetence.”

It meant they already possessed comprehensive contingency plans for all major foreseeable risks; there wasn’t much that needed significant adjustment now.

This was the inherent strength, the deep resilience, of a long-prosperous and well-managed family clan.

“Then why exactly are you all gathered here like this right now?” Qing asked, still confused.

“Well,” another elder explained patiently, “if the elders of the family were seen lounging around idly like carefree loafers, the younger generation would inevitably become lax and lose focus. Shouldn’t we, the leaders, first demonstrate the appropriate seriousness ourselves, so that those below us have a proper example to follow?”

“Ah…” Qing nodded slowly, finally understanding the performative aspect.

“However,” the first elder added, turning back to Qing, “since you are Ah-ah’s friend, you cannot truly be considered an outsider to the Tang Clan. Therefore, it is only right that you should be aware of our strategy.”

“That’s right,” another chimed in. “She shared a bed with Ah-ah, after all.”

“Indeed, we can’t help it if she’s Ah-ah’s friend.”

“To think… our Ah-ah finally has a friend…” another murmured sentimentally.

“No! What are you all saying?!” Tang Nanah shrieked suddenly, her face flushing bright red again.

Seeing her reaction, Qing knew at least one thing for certain.

Yep. This kid really doesn’t have any friends.

Hmm. Does being a friend to someone friendless count towards accumulating Righteous Karma Points?

Seriously, how desperate must she be for companionship for the entire clan’s eldership to be watching me with expressions usually reserved for a potential daughter-in-law?

“Ahem, ahem.” Tang Clan Lord Tang Touzhong cleared his throat loudly, lightly bringing the situation back under control. “Elders, that is quite enough.”

He turned to Qing.

“First, you must understand, the Tang Center itself is essentially a death trap. Entering unprepared means one will likely not leave alive. Didn’t Ah-ah already warn you specifically not to step into any of the flower beds?”

“Yes,” Qing confirmed. “She mentioned they were filled with all kinds of nasty traps…”

The Tang Clan compound possessed an seemingly unnecessary number of decorative flower beds.

They lined the fronts and backs of walls, filled any small available space, typically surrounded by large, strategically placed stones.

In peacetime, these beds were used for cultivating various poisonous plants or raising venomous creatures for the clan’s use. In wartime, however, they could be instantly converted into deadly obstacles by scattering caltrops and other traps amongst the foliage, effectively stopping enemy advances.

“We have already delivered detailed defensive plans to the guest quarters for our other resident guests,” Tang Touzhong continued. “But you are not only a proper member of the Orthodox martial world, but also my daughter’s cherished friend. Therefore, you cannot be considered an outsider. So, the question is: will you face the coming enemy together with our Tang family?”

“Yes,” Qing replied without hesitation. “That’s the reason I decided to stay.”

At her simple affirmation, Tang Touzhong’s eyes suddenly moistened.

“To think… Ah-ah has finally made such a good, loyal friend…”

Okay, what is with the incomprehensible emotional sensitivity of middle-aged men in this world?

“The Tang Center,” the Clan Lord continued, regaining his composure, “is an impregnable fortress. Unless, that is, artillery is involved. Therefore, if we can simply neutralize the enemy artillery positions, we should be able to confidently face down even an army of ten thousand soldiers.”

The Tang Center, fortified with deadly poisons and layered with intricate formations, confidently prided itself on being one of the most dangerous, unassailable locations in the entire Central Plains.

Moreover, the true, terrifying extent of the Tang Clan’s poison expertise hadn't been properly demonstrated to the outside world since the era of the Celestial Martial Emperor.

(The clan's shift towards focusing on medical arts was partly because they judged further significant advancements in poison craft had become increasingly difficult, after all.)

The main vulnerability, however, was modern artillery.

One had to actually enter the Tang Center compound to be stabbed, poisoned, or trapped.

If the enemy simply bombarded the area from afar with artillery, turning the entire compound into a smoldering wasteland of ruins, then all the intricate formations and deadly poisons would be rendered utterly useless, with no opportunity to even deploy them.

“So,” Tang Touzhong concluded, “once we successfully remove the threat of their artillery, victory is ours. Therefore, our primary strategy must be to endure their provocations with minimal direct conflict until we can definitively pinpoint the locations of all their artillery pieces.”

Which meant the initial phase of the battle would likely begin with a war of words, insults, and psychological maneuvering.

The Sichuan Tang Clan was, officially, a respected member of the Orthodox martial world.

Furthermore, they provided invaluable free medical treatment to the populace and were one of the very few organizations actively involved in developing and improving agricultural pesticides.

The resulting increase in crop and fruit yields due to their pesticide innovations was arguably a major turning point in regional agriculture, comparable perhaps to the introduction of nitrogen fertilizers in Qing’s original world.

(In fact, the Tang Clan’s significantly high collective Righteous Karma score stemmed primarily from these often-overlooked agricultural contributions.

Of course, this was a fact known to almost no one outside the clan.)

However, combining their reputation for free medical care and affordable pesticides meant the Tang Clan enjoyed robust public support throughout Sichuan. This made it extremely difficult for even the Imperial Family to launch a direct, unprovoked attack against them.

If they made a misstep, not only would the other Orthodox martial sects likely rise up in protest (or at least, refuse to cooperate), but if the common populace, already sympathetic to the Tang Clan, also began to voice dissent… there was no guarantee that a ‘Tang Rebellion’ wouldn't erupt, following the historical precedents of the Yellow Turban and Red Turban Rebellions.

(The fact that the current imperial government had largely lost public trust by doing nothing but levying taxes without providing tangible benefits was, admittedly, the biggest contributing factor here.)

Therefore, the Imperial Censor investigating the Prince’s death would first try to find as many faults and pretexts as possible, maneuvering to definitively pin an undeniable charge of high treason upon the Tang Clan before initiating any overt military action.

“So, what we primarily need to do in the interim is…” Tang Touzhong paused, clearing his throat awkwardly again. “Ahem.”

“What is it?” Qing prompted.

“…Endure,” the Clan Lord finally admitted, looking slightly embarrassed. “Endure their provocations without giving them any legitimate pretext to escalate.”

The core plan was simple: maintain a tense standoff for as long as possible while gathering intelligence on the enemy artillery positions. Then, the moment open battle commenced, dispatch elite teams to immediately neutralize those artillery positions, lure the main enemy force into the Tang Center’s prepared defenses, and annihilate them utterly.

However, Tang Touzhong warned, the initial ‘enduring’ phase would likely involve suffering no small amount of public humiliation and deliberate provocation.

They absolutely could not afford to make the first aggressive move against the imperial forces, who would undoubtedly be actively seeking just such a pretext.

Otherwise, they risked having to pay the ‘compensation’ for assault with a formal charge of treason.

As demonstrated countless times throughout the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, for the people of the Central Plains, justification was equivalent to face; face was equivalent to honor; and honor was often considered as important as life itself.

If one simply drew their sword rashly, declaring their intention to destroy someone, they would soon find themselves branded a public enemy, treated like a rabid dog by the entire martial world. Thus, one had to fight appropriately, always mindful of public perception and established protocols.

This complex web of face, honor, and justification, while often frustrating, was arguably the only safety mechanism that allowed the inherently violent martial world—essentially just a collection of powerful thugs—to maintain some semblance of stability and continue its history without constantly descending into total chaotic warfare.

Of course, there were always exceptions—those who simply wanted to fight whenever the mood struck.

The Demon Cult bastards, who periodically invaded the Central Plains seemingly on a whim, were a prime example.

Still, even the Demon Cult usually possessed some kind of flimsy pretext, however thin.

‘Ancestral revenge,’ for instance, had been a consistently effective justification since ancient times.

Far worse were the truly chaotic evil factions like the Blood Cult.

As a terrifying group that seemingly collected all the world’s scum—madmen, sexual deviants, drug addicts, cannibals, and worse—their only apparent motivation was to dye the world red with blood. They instigated massacres simply for the sake of chaos itself. Whenever they emerged, utter pandemonium inevitably followed.

However, the imperial government could not afford to act with such blatant disregard for justification.

The other word for justification, after all, was legitimacy.

And the imperial government’s greatest weakness had always been the inherent fragility of its perceived legitimacy.

History was replete with examples—the Rebellion of the Eight Princes [^(a devastating civil war during the Jin Dynasty)], the Sixteen Kingdoms of the Five Barbarians [^(Era of fragmentation and warfare after the Jin Dynasty)]—where entire dynasties were overthrown when the populace rose up, challenging the rulers' right to rule.

After hearing this complex explanation of the political and social situation, Qing thought:

Ah. So the martial world isn’t just about idiots shouting ‘Attack!’ and ‘Defend!’ while fighting to the death after all.

There are actually… unexpectedly complicated aspects to consider, huh.

Qing’s current Righteous Karma score had now exceeded 3,000 Points.

This surprisingly rapid increase was primarily due to the substantial 1,000 points she received as a reward for successfully overcoming the ‘First Crisis’ event back in the Heavenly Demon Tomb.

The Mission Window had made a huge fuss about it at the time, showering her with pop-ups declaring things like ‘Path of Harmony Achieved!’ and ‘Greatest Hidden Achievement Unlocked!’ while awarding the karma points.

Guess enduring that whole ordeal was actually worth it in the end, she conceded.

So, that meant she now had enough points to exchange for three martial arts manuals.

Qing took a moment to seriously consider her options again.

With a potentially decisive battle looming against imperial forces, this probably wasn’t the time to be stingy with her accumulated karma points.

First, the Inverse Marrow Washing. Hmm. Isn’t this one… still kinda useless for me?

It was a legendary internal art renowned for its great efficacy in building muscle, strengthening the owner’s fundamental constitution, and fortifying their energy center and meridians.

However, Qing’s basic physical abilities had already far transcended normal human limits thanks to the Overhaul Rebirth. And her energy center and meridians weren’t just ‘strong’ anymore; they were practically invincible, having already successfully contained the chaotic mix of multiple powerful internal energies without exploding.

Learning this technique now would likely only provide her with one more thing to boast about to her Master later.

So, is there really any compelling need to learn a martial art that probably won’t have much practical effect…

WAIT! Master would definitely like it if I learned this! How could I possibly not learn it?!

Since she had three exchanges available anyway, she could count this one as an act of filial piety towards her Master.

Afraid she might regret it later if she hesitated, Qing immediately selected the exchange.

Her brain felt like it was turning inside out. Involuntary, choked sounds—Uguk-guk-guk—escaped her lips as she automatically imitated a mute person completely losing their mind.

Deep within her energy center, the resident Daoist faction energies erupted in another round of jubilant cheering.

As the Great Tranquil Zen Art happily extended a spiritual hand formed in a classic Buddha mudra, the newly acquired Inverse Marrow Washing Sutra mirrored the gesture, raising its own identical hand shape, and the two ancient, venerable techniques high-fived each other enthusiastically within her soul.

“Ughhhh…”

Meanwhile, Qing, the vessel for all this internal drama, just lay there on her bed for quite a while afterward, her brain feeling completely murky and scrambled.