Chapter 2. Kidnapping (1)
"Did I really go through with it..."
I was confident I had handled things cleanly, so a pursuit team wouldn't immediately follow. But that was only a matter of time.
In the orthodox sects, there's an odd tradition where young elites roam the martial world alone, under the name of Murimchuldo (무림출도, a sort of coming-of-age journey for martial artists). However, just because they leave home doesn't mean they're abandoned.
If a sect is large enough, they periodically check on the young warrior's wellbeing, and if something happens, they send reinforcements.
After all, they want these future elites to gain experience, not to die. That's only natural.
Still... even knowing all of this, I had no choice. It felt like yesterday was the only opportunity I'd ever get. So, I went for it.
Feeling a bit guilty, I awkwardly smiled at Tang Sowol.
"Did you sleep well last night?"
"Mmmpf! Mmmph!"
Tang Sowol writhed furiously, as if telling me to shut the hell up. How harsh.
I rolled her over and pushed her into a corner. Then I sat down a fair distance away and began to circulate my inner energy.
Gwangrang Talmyungong (광랑탈명공, Wolf Stealing Life Technique).
It was a revised cultivation method I developed after gaining enlightenment when I reached the peak.
Now, unlike before my regression, I wouldn't suffer from a chronic lack of inner energy or its impurities.
In fact, after only a brief session of energy circulation, my completely drained internal energy and stamina from overexertion yesterday began to recover rapidly.
"Huu..."
With the urgent matter of recovery dealt with, I opened my eyes. I had to—because I'd been distracted by the sound of Tang Sowol struggling and wriggling her way toward me.
"Were you planning to wait until I was cultivating and then try to cause inner energy deviation (주화입마, a state of losing control over one's energy flow)?"
"Mmmpf!"
"I'll tell you now, it's a waste of effort. In your current state, you won't be able to undo the pressure points I sealed or escape from the stake holding your ropes in place."
Even if, by some miracle, she did manage to break free and land a hit on me, the unique nature of Gwangrang Talmyungong's inner energy makes me less susceptible to inner energy deviation.
I didn't explain that part, but it seemed she understood she couldn't really harm me no matter what she did.
Her glare was still fierce, but her body slightly relaxed as if she had lost some of her tension. I crouched down in front of her and spoke.
"You can scream or curse all you want, but don't bite your tongue. If you promise that, I'll remove the gag."
"Ugh..."
Tang Sowol hesitated for a moment before nodding. She seemed displeased with the idea of complying, as she angrily gnawed on the wooden gag in her mouth. Still, since I was about to remove it, I figured it wouldn't be a problem.
Carefully, I pulled out the gag. A long strand of saliva stretched and broke as it came free. I wiped her mouth roughly with my sleeve, and soon enough, her composed voice reached my ears.
"What's your goal?"
"Hm?"
"You're a senior martial artist who's somehow regained your youth. Surely you understand what it means to turn the Tang Clan into your enemy."
"A senior martial artist?"
So that's what she thought. I suppose it made sense. Before my regression, I had been a fully grown adult. Tang Sowol is five years older than me.
Now, she was barely twenty, and I, who was even younger in this life, was still in my mid-teens. The age difference probably felt even greater since I was still growing.
But to her, the idea that a mere child had defeated her, a direct descendant of the Tang Clan and one of their most promising young elites, must have been inconceivable.
Even though it had been a surprise attack, being captured without a single wound would have made her acutely aware of the disparity in our abilities.
Since she wouldn't even consider the possibility of someone traveling back in time, it was only natural that she assumed I was an old martial master who had regained his youth.
It's not unheard of for such masters to occasionally return to the martial world after reversing their aging. Still, I didn't particularly like being viewed that way by Tang Sowol.
Think about it: from my perspective, I had only recently pledged my future to her, and now she was treating me like some old grandmaster. This misunderstanding needed to be corrected somehow.
"I'm fifteen this year."
"Is that so."
She said it, but for some reason, her wariness only increased. She looked at me as if I were some crazy old monster pretending to be a fifteen-year-old.
Sadly, it didn't seem like I could clear up this misunderstanding anytime soon. Strictly speaking, I wasn't entirely wrong in claiming to be fifteen, but still. I decided to change the subject for now.
"Relax. I don't intend to harm you."
"If that were true, you shouldn't have kidnapped me in the first place."
"I understand why you'd misunderstand, but I did this for your sake."
"Well, that's reassuring."
Tang Sowol responded with a sarcastic tone, clearly uninterested in hearing me out.
But what I said was the truth—I really did kidnap her for her own good.
That night, beneath a sky without even a trace of moonlight, when we made our promise and shared various stories, I had learned something.
The reason half of Tang Sowol's face had melted away had to do with an incident that occurred shortly after she debuted in the martial world.
"Double grace, tenfold vengeance."
That was the famous law of the Tang Clan. Because of this widely known rule, few dared to antagonize them. Conversely, many sought to curry favor with them.
Despite their rigid approach to navigating the complex web of grudges and favors in the martial world, the Tang Clan was not without enemies.
There are people who only remember the wrongs they suffered, never their own misdeeds. There are even those who hold dear the most vile of villains. And no matter how thorough one is in seeking vengeance, it's inevitable that a few flies will slip through the cracks.
Returning tenfold vengeance means planting tenfold the seeds of hatred.
Few dared to oppose the Tang Clan, but those who did were enemies of the worst kind—ones who could be called mortal foes.
Tang Sowol had been ambushed by such enemies.
Survivors of a black-market sect wiped out by the Tang Clan, forest bandits whose stronghold had been destroyed, the disciple of a notorious demonic lord, assassins whose organization was shattered after being framed for their crimes—
All of them had deep grudges against the Tang Clan, and they banded together to attack Tang Sowol.
They likely sought to repay their losses in kind. In that sense, Tang Sowol was their ideal target.
She was the youngest daughter of the Tang Clan, beloved by all, and possessed a unique constitution known as the Poison Spirit Body (독령지체).
If they could kill Tang Sowol, they believed it would leave a lasting scar on the Tang Clan. Though they failed,
Tang Sowol was only barely first-rate at that time, and her survival was entirely thanks to her Poison Spirit Body.
The Poison Spirit Body allowed her to store poison within her body and synthesize it into stronger toxins.
Using that ability, she had managed to unleash a poison so potent that it even began to dissolve her own body, enabling her to narrowly escape.
Afterward, the enraged head of the Tang Clan personally pursued and eliminated every surviving attacker, reducing them to nothing but a handful of poisoned dust.
As for Tang Sowol—she had lived the rest of her life ashamed of her scarred face, hiding it behind her bangs.
Knowing how much she had been affected by what happened to her face, I had intended to prevent the ambush from happening this time.
"Still... how did things come to this?"
"Well, perhaps it's because you ambushed me in the middle of the night."
She wasn't wrong. But I had my reasons.
I didn't know when or where Tang Sowol might be attacked again, so rather than trailing her around to protect her, wasn't it simpler to just keep her in a safe place?
Besides, fighting an unknown number of enemies, each with different martial arts techniques, was far more complicated than subduing Tang Sowol—who, while formidable, was someone I had fought alongside a few times before in my past life.
"I told you, didn't I? There are people out there who are targeting you, Tang Sowol."
"And I told you, didn't I? Thanks for the warning, but I can handle it on my own."
"I also said that's impossible."
"How am I supposed to trust someone I met for the first time today? Especially when the person who's actually threatening me right now is you, senior."
"I'm fifteen, though."
"A fifteen-year-old swordsman wouldn't talk like you."
"What's wrong with my tone?"
"You sound like one of the elders from my clan. You definitely don't feel younger than me."
Now that I think about it, at this age, I did speak in a more casual, unrefined manner. No, perhaps it was more accurate to say that, as an orphan scraping by, I came across as servile and meek.
Regardless, I didn't try to act dignified back then. I didn't even know how to carry myself with dignity.
I briefly searched my memory, trying to recall how I used to speak as a child.
"Well... I-I don't think you should judge people based on how they talk..."
"It's a little late for that now, senior."
For a moment, I felt a pang of sadness. I remembered the Tang Sowol from before my regression, and I knew that the person before me now was not the same one. The realization made my heart ache.
Whether she noticed my feelings or not, Tang Sowol continued in her sharp tone, unfazed.
"By the way, senior, may I ask why you kidnapped me in the first place?"
"Hm? Oh, well..."
"I'm still alive, my dantian and limbs are intact, and I haven't been tortured in any way. So, it seems like you have a reason to keep me unharmed."
As if she'd seen something distasteful, Tang Sowol wrinkled her nose, clearly displeased with my attempt to change my tone.
This is harder than I thought. Maybe I should just speak the way I usually do.
'Whatever your reason may be, it surely isn't an ordinary one. If there's something I can do for you, I'll cooperate, so please release me.'
"My goal, huh…"
It was simple—protect Tang Sowol from the impending ambush. So that I would never again have to see her cry while looking at her scarred face.
That was my entire objective.
"I've told you multiple times already. Soon, people with grudges against the Tang Clan will come to attack."
"I was being serious, senior. I'm not seriously injured, so if you release me now, I can pretend this never happened."
"It's tempting to imagine avoiding the Tang Clan's infamous daggers, but unfortunately, I can't agree to that. Sorry."
"Then the grudge between us will only deepen."
Tang Sowol's response was as sharp as a blade. I sighed as I watched her for a moment.
"Fine. Let's do this instead. It might take some time, but the Tang Clan will surely notice something is wrong and send a pursuit team, won't they?"
"Yes. Despite appearances, I'm quite beloved by my family."
"That's obvious. Anyway, here's my condition: I'll release you either when the Tang Clan's pursuit team arrives or after one year."
If the pursuit team arrives, I'll hand Tang Sowol over to them and make my escape. Even if they don't find this place, a year should be enough to ensure her safety from the upcoming attack.
Tang Sowol thought for a moment, then nodded.
"Fine. How much ransom are you thinking?"
"I don't want any ransom. All I ask is that you listen to me while you're here. What do you say? I think that's a pretty generous deal."
"Hmm? If that's the case... Huh?!"
Suddenly, Tang Sowol scrunched up her face and curled her body, as if trying to shield herself from me.
"What now?"
"If it's not a grudge, and wealth isn't your goal, then there's only one thing left. You must be after my body."
"...…"
"You've regained your youth, and now you desire a young woman, is that it? How tragic... To think I'd lose my purity to some ancient monster in a cold, dark cave..."
"But remember this. If you dare to forcibly take a woman of the Tang Clan, you'd better be prepared for the consequences."
"...Is that so...?"
She certainly was bold and confident before her face was scarred. And honestly, she was beautiful enough to back it up.
Watching her tremble, flushed all the way to her ears, I flicked her forehead with my finger.
Ppaak!
"Ugh!"
The impact was stronger than I intended. Tang Sowol began trembling in a different way, her eyes brimming with tears.
"Let's add a condition. Stop calling me an ancient monster or making strange assumptions. If you agree, none of what you fear will happen."
"…F-Fine."
Tang Sowol nodded, tears welling up in her eyes.