The plan is simple. First, I threaten—no, I draw the attention of Peng Woo-jin and Eon Ga-hye by letting them know I'm aware of their relationship.
After the Dragon and Phoenix Gathering ends, Tang So-wol and I confirm that the two, having gathered at the designated spot, are thoroughly drunk, and we bring them to the inn right in front of us.
"Finally, we hear the honest truth from the two once they've sobered up. Isn't it a truly perfect plan?"
"What's so perfect about it?! You just said 'threaten,' didn't you?!"
"You misheard."
"In the first place, the two of them didn't even drink that much! There's no way they'd be so drunk they can barely stand!"
"If they can't stand on their own, that's drunk. …Right. Whether their vital points are sealed or they've been hit with Paralysis Poison, they're drunk either way."
"Poison?! Are you trying to drag me into this too?!"
Tang So-wol was taken aback. I gently cupped her face with both hands. Her small face fit perfectly in my palms. I inwardly admired the softness of her cheeks as I lowered my voice.
"Isn't it said that a married couple shares one mind and body? Since we're destined to become husband and wife someday, it wouldn't hurt to practice a little in advance."
"Married… one mind and body…"
"Besides, what we're about to do is partly to find out exactly what the Demonic Cult, which once tried to take our lives, is scheming. At the same time, it's also a matter of clearing up the misunderstanding between the Paeng Clan and the Eon Clan and helping the two reconcile. This is by no means a bad thing. If anything, it's something worthy of being called a righteous deed."
"R-righteous… deed…?"
"That's right. A righteous deed. A righteous deed with not a shred of shame before heaven."
"Wh-what…?"
Tang So-wol's eyes, swirling with green energy, began to spin round and round. At the same time, her face grew hotter and hotter.
Good. It's working. If I just keep this up…
Just as a smirk was about to creep onto my lips without my realizing it.
"Hah!"
Tang So-wol snapped back to her senses, focus returning to her eyes.
"You coward! Did you really think I'd fall for the young hero Cheon's words just because you said it like that?"
"Didn't you?"
"Of course not!"
"Then why are you still holding my hand?"
"Eep!"
Tang So-wol placed her hand over mine as if to pull it away from her cheek, but then just left it there, unmoving.
She pouted her lips at me once, then finally pulled away with a lingering, reluctant motion.
"Haa… young hero Cheon. Is this really the right thing to do?"
"Honestly, even I was surprised by what just happened. I never expected it to be that easy."
"Eek! That's not what I'm talking about! I mean the matter of kidnapping the successors of the Paeng Clan and the Eon Clan!"
"It's not a kidnapping, it's temporary protection. …Well. I plan to make it the right thing. This matter doesn't seem like it's going to be that simple."
"Looking at you, young hero Cheon, you seem to have a lot on your mind. What exactly is making you so uneasy? Honestly, I can't understand it at all. You've achieved something that words like genius fall short of describing—something that only one person in a generation might accomplish."
Well, of course. To me, it just feels like regaining the martial level I had before my regression, so even the current pace feels rather frustrating…
But in the eyes of Tang So-wol, who knows nothing of regression, it must look like I mastered martial arts on my own, reached the Peak Realm in just a few years, and then set foot into the Transcendent Peak in only three years.
Of course, there have been similar figures in the history of the martial world.
Zhang Sanfeng, the founder of the Wudang Sect; Bodhidharma of the Shaolin Temple; and the Blood Buddha, who was Bodhidharma's rival and once ruled the martial world of Tibet—all of them were like that.
Of course, I'm not on par with them. Even setting aside the regression factor, they achieved incredible things at a much younger age than me.
Or they succeeded in breaking through to a realm no one else had ever seen, even if it took a long time.
That's why people are amazed by me, but not suspicious.
As I nodded silently, Tang So-wol continued speaking with a serious expression.
"Young hero Cheon, I still don't quite understand. It's true that the Paeng and Eon Clans have a hostile relationship, but at most it's just arguments over interests and some verbal sparring. Even at its worst, it's just a fierce sparring bout. It's not like anyone is fighting to the death."
"Not yet."
"Of course, the relationship between young hero Paeng and young lady Eon is a bit unfortunate, but… wait. Did you just say 'not yet'?"
Tang So-wol, who had been about to continue persuading me to stop, flinched and asked back.
"That's right. It's not like that now, but I believe it will get worse in the future. That's probably the Demonic Cult's intention."
"Considering the Demonic Cult's goals and their recent moves to subtly stir up discord in the Central Plains, it does make sense… but hasn't the Murim Alliance already taken notice and warned both families?"
Before the regression, they seemed to have hidden their plans well until the moment they meticulously invaded the Central Plains, but this time, I happened to uncover a few of the Demonic Cult's schemes.
Of course, with the preconceptions held so far, no one was truly accepting the seriousness of the threat.
Still, the Murim Alliance was at least keeping an eye on things. That was probably why they noticed so quickly when the Demonic Cult's spiritual medicine started circulating in Hebei Province.
No doubt, from the Demonic Cult's perspective right now, their plans kept going awry and they must be feeling extremely frustrated. But.
"Do you think the Demonic Cult would give up just because of that?"
"Hmm. I've only faced them once, but from my experience, I don't think they would."
Demonic Cultists were basically all madmen. And you couldn't expect rational judgment from madmen.
Their plans went awry? So they might fail?
I was the one who survived against the Demonic Cult until almost the very end in my previous life. I didn't need to see what came next to know how it would unfold.
It wouldn't be a quiet retreat. They would make a bolder move, trying to achieve their goal by any means necessary. And if that still didn't work, they'd cause as much chaos as possible before leaving.
That recklessness—not valuing their own lives, never knowing when to give up—was beyond the realm of understanding.
Wasn't that exactly why the Demonic Cult, whose overall strength was at most that of a single prestigious clan (excluding the Heavenly Demon himself), had been so difficult to repel?
"There's no harm in being careful. And there's no harm in hurrying, either. Didn't you say it's been quite a while since the Demonic Cult's spiritual medicines started circulating in Hebei Province?"
"So that's why you kidnapped me."
"…There's another reason. I'm telling you this now, but I couldn't imagine myself getting close to anyone quickly."
"You became close with young hero Namgung in no time."
"That's just because Brother Namgung is strange. I showed a bit of my aura, congratulated him on his win, and happened to save his face—but I didn't expect him to like me this much. It worked because he's someone with a strong need for recognition, just as Peng Woo-jin said about him being starved for praise."
"I think anyone would like that if you did that much for them… Ah, if we're talking about a need for recognition, I did see a bit of that side. But if you look closely, no matter how much someone praises him, he doesn't just keep anyone by his side. Do you remember the look in his eyes when he watched young hero Hwangbo?"
"Quite cold. To put it bluntly, it was the look one gives to garbage. And it wasn't far off, either."
It isn't widely known now, but before the regression, Hwangbo Gwang's deeds had been widely exposed by the Agwibu.
That he committed all sorts of atrocities against commoners and powerless martial artists was known to some extent through word of mouth… but what was actually revealed was far worse than that.
"Well, I suppose it means he's someone who, though weak to flattery, is clear-headed in distinguishing right from wrong. That's not what matters now. We're getting close to the meeting place, so what matters is how we'll subdue Peng Woo-jin and Eon Ga-hye."
"…You're really going through with it."
"It started from the moment I first sent the Voice Transmission."
"Once we've kidnapped… no, protected them, do you have a plan in mind?"
"We should first hear them out and share information. If possible, I'd also like to explain why there was no other choice. Though I'm not sure they'll be convinced."
"Then since we're doing this anyway, shouldn't we make sure it's done right? If we fail, it'll be an even bigger problem."
"I don't think we'll fail, but are you saying you'll become an accomplice too, Tang So-wol?"
"Either way, I'm already bound together with young hero Cheon, so there's no way for me to slip out alone. Besides, a complete surprise attack wouldn't be possible, would it?"
"That's true. Both of them will be on guard and waiting."
"Just in case, how about we do this? A single one would be meaningless, but there's a poison that causes powerful paralysis the moment it's applied…"
Tang So-wol whispered to me in a cautious tone. Her words were quite plausible.
***
A night so dark that clouds veiled the moon and one couldn't see even a single step ahead.
Peng Woo-jin and Eon Ga-hye had arrived first and were waiting. I stepped forward in front of them and gave a light wave of my hand.
"My apologies. I'm a bit late."
"You bastard. What exactly was the purpose of saying something like that? What are you trying to gain by threatening us as the Tang Clan's live-in son-in-law?"
"Depending on your answer, we won't just sit idly by either."
I had offered a greeting, but what came back was Peng Woo-jin snarling as if he were a real tiger, and Eon Ga-hye coldly raising her internal energy.
"Threatening? Isn't that a bit harsh? I merely wanted to ask a few things."
"Ha! What a coincidence. We have a few things we'd like to ask as well."
Peng Woo-jin approached with a sneer, his large frame and the aura he displayed without restraint reminiscent of a wild beast.
But the expression on the confidently striding Peng Woo-jin's face soon twisted subtly.
"What is this smell… Kugh!"
His face scrunched up in an instant. As if struggling to breathe, Peng Woo-jin clamped a hand over his neck, forcibly drew up his internal energy, and pulled the greatsword from his back.
"Poison…! Is this the will of the Tang Clan?!"
"How could it be. It's just a Poison Pill."
I replied indifferently, drawing my sword and swinging it toward the greatsword.
Clang!
Because he was busy expelling the poison and hastily aiming his strike, the internal energy behind his greatsword was weak. Perhaps it was because of his sheer physical strength, though—the rebound I felt in my hands was considerable.
Of course, if external arts alone could overwhelm internal energy, Mental Cultivation Methods wouldn't have developed as far as they have.
Now that I'd gauged Peng Woo-jin's strength, I raised my internal energy a notch higher to match it as I swung my sword a second time.
Slicing.
The fiercely blazing Sword Qi cleaved the greatsword cleanly in two.
"What?!"
While Peng Woo-jin, who had expected his sword to be deflected or to turn into a contest of strength, was caught off guard, I used the Mystery of the Gwiyeongbo to slip deep into his guard.
The movement was similar to before. But the gap was subtly different, and Peng Woo-jin, fooled by it, responded half a beat too late.
And then came the Acupoint Sealing.
Thud!
Perhaps because his muscles were so thick that I had to put more force into it. With a sound like a punch landing, Peng Woo-jin's body stiffened as his vital points were suppressed.
"Such a trivial Acupoint Sealing…!"
Peng Woo-jin tried to break the seal through sheer brute force. Surprisingly, the Paeng Clan's excellent bone and muscle structure made it possible.
"Nothing will happen, so rest easy."
As if I'd just stand there and watch.
I struck his vital point once more toward the momentarily stunned Peng Woo-jin, then sealed his acupoints as well, rendering him unable to speak.
Then I turned around.
"Sorry. Sorry. I'm so sorry!"
Tang So-wol was there, cradling the fallen Eon Ga-hye in her arms as she kept apologizing.
At first, she had taken advantage of the darkness to apply a poison that was dark brown in color but tasteless and odorless, then, targeting those who had already been poisoned in that first stage, she sprayed a poison with a godly fragrance to paralyze their bodies.
Of course, that alone wasn't enough to subdue the two of them. She couldn't use a poison that was too dangerous, and if she had to worry about secrecy, the poisons she could use became even more limited.
On top of that, both the Paeng and Eon clans had outstanding External Arts, so their bodies themselves had strong resistance to poison.
So, with Peng Woo-jin's body slowed, I stepped in and sealed his acupoints. Then, the moment Eon Ga-hye tried to help him, Tang So-wol sprayed a stronger poison and incapacitated her at the same time.
It was an improvised plan, but it worked out somehow.
Peng Woo-jin was still glaring at me with wide eyes. Feeling burdened by his gaze, I casually averted my eyes and hoisted him over my shoulder as I spoke.
"I'll admit it. Tang So-wol, you have a talent for kidnapping."
"…Please, just keep your mouth shut, young hero Cheon."
Tang So-wol, who had Eon Ga-hye on her back, squeezed her eyes shut.
All that remained now was to take the two of them back to the inn and have a quiet conversation.
.
.
.
.
.
Once I released his acupoints, Peng Woo-jin shouted with a resolute attitude.
"Hmph! Kill me!"
"Didn't I say I have no such intention…"
Somehow, that first remark sent a slight chill down my spine.