Chapter 3. Kidnapping (2)
"I'm hungry."
Tang Sowol, still tightly bound, spoke with a bold attitude.
"I have Byukkokdan pills."
"Senior… No, young swordsman, you might not realize this because you've probably ruined your taste buds while cultivating, but Byukkokdan isn't real food."
"If it fills your stomach without harming your body, it's food."
"No. Byukkokdan tastes awful and only provides just enough nutrition to keep you from dying. It's no different from eating tree bark, and nobody calls tree bark food."
Did she really dislike Byukkokdan that much? Well, I could understand her point.
After all, it's just ground grains mixed with a bit of pine pollen and hardened into pills. Even at its best, it wouldn't taste good.
It's something used only in special cases like closed-door cultivation. I only bought it because I figured I'd be stuck here for a while doing just that.
"Still, you'll get used to it if you keep eating it."
"What a poor, unfortunate soul. Your taste buds… how pitiful."
Tang Sowol gave me a pitying look, then continued in a mockingly gentle tone.
"Come on, repeat after me, young swordsman. Byukkokdan is…"
"Byukkokdan is…"
"Not food."
"Not foo— Wait, hold on."
I was about to mindlessly repeat her words before catching myself. Ever since we made our agreement, her hostility had diminished significantly, but somehow her shamelessness seemed to have increased even more.
"For someone who's been kidnapped, you sure are demanding. Just eat what I give you."
"If I'm unlucky, I'll have to live on Byukkokdan for a whole year. I'd rather bite my tongue and… Oh, wait. I promised I wouldn't do that. Fine, then—I'll refuse to eat anything and starve to death instead."
"Do you really think such bluffs will work on me? I can just force-feed you."
"And do you really think I wouldn't be able to throw it up afterward? I assure you, I can."
Knowing Tang Sowol, she probably would do it. I'd experienced her stubbornness enough times to be certain of that. Still, there was a fatal problem with fulfilling her request.
"I don't have any money."
"…What?"
"I spent all my money buying antidote wine."
"Oh…"
No matter how well I knew Tang Sowol's abilities, I wasn't foolish enough to confront her unprepared. With my insufficient internal energy and incomplete physical training, I had to make thorough preparations—so thorough that I spent every last coin I'd scraped together in my second life.
After a long moment of hesitation, Tang Sowol sighed in resignation and spoke.
"Inside the right side of my waist sash, there's a pouch. Use that."
"Hmm. Alright."
Feigning a cough, I reached toward her waist.
As my fingers brushed against the high-quality silk of her green robe, it made a soft, rustling sound. As expected of the Sichuan Tang Clan—they sure wear fine clothes.
Though the sash was tightly tied, it wasn't snug against her waist. In fact, from a distance, it might have appeared a bit loose.
It made sense—Tang Clan warriors, who often used poison and concealed weapons, tended to wear loose-fitting clothing to hide the contours of their bodies.
Just last night, Tang Sowol had resisted fiercely, pulling out hidden weapons from various parts of her clothing to throw at me.
Carefully, I slipped my fingers inside the sash, mindful not to get cut by any hidden weapons.
"Ah!"
Tang Sowol flinched slightly. Even though she'd given me permission, I suppose it's only natural to react that way when someone touches your personal belongings—or your weapon, for that matter. I should finish quickly.
With that thought in mind, I carefully searched the inside of her sash. Since there was no outward bulge indicating the pouch's location, I had no choice but to feel around.
However, whether it was discomfort or something else, Tang Sowol began squirming and trying to move away from me.
"W-Wait! That's…"
"Stay still. You're getting in the way."
Gripping her shoulder to keep her still, I continued my search.
I felt the cool metal of darts, the sharp edges of needles, and the hard surface of steel shards. Finally, my fingers brushed against a small pouch.
"Is this it?"
"Yes! That's it, so please hurry and take your hand out!"
"No need to rush. I was going to do that anyway. Just how hungry are you?"
Tang Sowol shot me a glare, her expression one of disbelief. Still, the pouch was more important.
It was surprisingly heavy. When I opened it halfway to peek inside, it was filled not with coins but with silver ingots.
This is more than I managed to save after my regression. Does she seriously carry this much around as allowance during her debut in the martial world? The five great families must be wealthier than I imagined.
"That's only natural. Oh, by the way, have you decided to demand a ransom after all? If you release me now, I'll have this pouch filled with gold ingots for you."
"Don't act like you're flaunting your wealth—it's your family's money, not yours."
"Then how about my weight in gold and silver?"
"I believe your value is far greater than a mere heap of gold, Tang Sowol."
"Well, I am an extraordinary woman."
Tang Sowol nodded seriously, as if she agreed wholeheartedly with my words. Her nonchalant attitude made me chuckle as I pressed a few pressure points on her body.
The pressure point seals would hold until tomorrow. The bindings were secure too.
Satisfied, I stood up and stretched my stiff body.
"I'm going to head down to the village. Is there anything specific you want to eat or need?"
"Ugh… As long as there's meat, anything will do. As for other necessities… freedom?"
"If you want to escape, feel free to try."
"Really?!"
"But if you run away after making a promise and get caught again… Well, you can look forward to what happens then. I won't be as lenient as I am now."
Of course, no matter how much I tried to sound harsh, I doubted I'd be able to truly treat Tang Sowol cruelly. Even when I resolved to be strict, my body wouldn't follow through.
Tang Sowol, unaware of my inner turmoil, swallowed nervously and shook her head.
"As a daughter of the Tang Clan, I wouldn't dream of breaking a promise I've made. Still, a cave is hardly a suitable place for a person to live. If we're going to be here for a while, there are a few things we'll need."
"What exactly do you need?"
"First, something to lay on. The floor is too hard and uneven to sleep comfortably."
"And?"
"I can't keep wearing the same clothes forever, so could you get me some spare clothing? Normally, I would have obtained additional Tang Clan uniforms through the family's merchant groups, but… I won't expect that here. Just something clean and decent will do."
"Got it."
"Do we have enough water for drinking and washing? If not, we'll need jars to store it."
"I'll prepare that too."
As I listened to Tang Sowol's requests, I realized something.
I'd spent all my time thinking about how to kidnap her—I hadn't given a single thought to what would come after.
I began mentally listing the supplies we'd need. But before I could finish, Tang Sowol's confident tone faltered, and she started to stammer.
"Also… um…"
"Also?"
"W-Well… Uh… Ugh!"
She hesitated, chewing on her lips as if debating whether or not to speak. Finally, with a determined expression, she said,
"Undergarments. And… a chamber pot, please."
"I've been holding it in for a while, but I don't think I can last much longer."
"…Got it."
"Oh, just to be clear, when I mentioned undergarments, I meant as spares, not because… well… not because I had an accident, so don't get the wrong idea!"
"You don't need to explain in such detail…"
A headache started to form. Just as I raised a hand to rub my temple and sigh, I met Tang Sowol's gaze—her face bright red, but her posture rigid as she stared at me defiantly.
Of course, she was embarrassed. But knowing Tang Sowol, she was probably trying to hide it behind a show of pride.
I'd seen her act like this before—when cornered, she'd resort to bluffing.
"Stay put for a moment."
"Huh?"
Ignoring her confusion, I released some of the pressure points I had sealed, allowing her to circulate a small amount of internal energy.
"What is this?"
"Hold out until I return."
"Of course, I planned to… but are you sure it's okay to let me use my internal energy? Even if it's a small amount, if I use it well, I might be able to escape."
"'If you use it well,' huh. I'm sure you could. But I trust you—you promised, didn't you?"
Tang Sowol stared at me, her mouth slightly agape, as if she'd been struck speechless.
"Alright, I'll be off now. Stay put while I'm gone."
"Y-Yeah… Have a safe trip?"
Waving lightly at Tang Sowol, who was still stammering in confusion, I left the cave.
***
Tang Sowol was bewildered.
"Why?"
Why had he released her pressure points and left?
Could he have genuinely meant it when he said he trusted her? Of course, Tang Sowol intended to keep her promise.
It wasn't just because of the promise—after considering the strange man's skills, she figured that staying put was actually safer.
She slowed her breathing and tried to suppress her bodily needs, recalling the events of the previous day.
That lunatic had told her to return home because it was dangerous, and when she refused, he had drawn his sword without hesitation.
Clearly, he wasn't in his right mind, but his martial skills were undeniable.
He had perfectly countered every hidden weapon she threw, as if he had predicted their trajectory. He seemed well-versed in poison, discerning between those that could be neutralized with antidote wine and those that couldn't, skillfully alternating between breaking through and evading her attacks.
But what chilled her most was his eyes.
Cold, sharp, and unwavering—like a blade driven deep into its target, devoid of emotion and utterly ruthless. Even when she revealed the hidden needles concealed behind her darts or released her final attack, the Black Smoke Needle Barrel (묵연침통), scattering countless poisoned needles in an instant, he remained unfazed.
Without showing even a hint of disturbance, he had dismantled her every move with precision, all without emitting a single trace of sword energy.
No matter how prideful Tang Sowol was, she couldn't help but feel crushed. She had lost consciousness in despair, only to wake up bound and gagged, with her internal energy sealed—yet otherwise unharmed.
"…Maybe 'unharmed' isn't quite right."
Could her current state really be considered unharmed? Upon reflection, she realized that wasn't quite true.
Sighing deeply, Tang Sowol began wiggling her fingers, testing the strength of her restraints.
With some effort, it seemed possible to escape. She could, for example, dislocate one of her wrists and slip it free.
Could she make a successful escape from that lunatic's grasp if she fled now?
She seriously considered it for a moment but soon decided against it. She relaxed her body and slumped into a more comfortable position.
What ultimately held her back was the weight of her promise and an undeniable sense of unease.
She had invoked her family's name when making that promise, so breaking it would be dishonorable. That much was obvious.
But why hadn't the lunatic severed her tendons or taken away her hidden weapons, even after finding them while searching her pouch? Why had he left her body intact?
More than anything, despite how arrogantly she had acted, why had he complied with all her requests without much complaint?
Tang Sowol had already realized that this wasn't an ordinary kidnapping. But she still couldn't figure out the exact reason behind it.
"Could it be…?"
Perhaps… Though it seemed absurd, perhaps the lunatic genuinely believed she was in danger and had kidnapped her purely to take her somewhere safe.
The reason didn't matter much. His methods were eccentric and unreasonable, but…
"Well, all old martial masters are like that."
Everyone knew that martial masters who reversed their aging rarely had a sound mind.
Tang Sowol gave up on trying to figure it out. At the moment, holding back her bodily urges was a more pressing concern than deciphering her kidnapper's motives.