"I'm hungry."
Bound tightly, Tang So-wol said this with a confident attitude.
"I have grain-avoidance pills, if that's what you want."
"Senior… no, young hero. You may not know this since your taste buds have been ruined by training, but grain-avoidance pills are not food."
"If it fills your stomach and doesn't ruin your body, it's food."
"No. Grain-avoidance pills have no flavor and just enough nutrition to keep you from dying. It's no different from chewing on tree bark. And no one calls tree bark food."
"…"
Do you hate grain-avoidance pills that much? Well, I can roughly understand what you're trying to say.
How delicious could food made from ground grain, a bit of pine pollen, and then hardened possibly be?
It's true that it's something you'd never eat unless you were in a special situation like secluded training.
In fact, I'd bought them in advance because I planned to hole up here for a while thinking of it as secluded training.
"Still, it's not bad once you get used to it."
"Oh dear. How pitiful, your tongue…"
Tang So-wol sent me a look of pity. She continued in a deliberately gentle tone.
"Come now, young hero. Follow my lead. The grain-avoidance pill."
"The grain-avoidance pill."
"It's not food."
"Not food… no, wait."
I stopped mid-echo, catching myself. Since making that pact with her, her hostility had faded considerably, but her shamelessness seemed to have grown even more.
"Kidnapped, and still so picky. Just eat what you're given."
"If I'm unlucky, I'll be stuck eating grain-avoidance pills for a year. I'd rather bite my tongue off… ah, right. We agreed not to do that. Then I'll just refuse all food and starve to death."
"…You think that kind of bluff works on me? I can just force-feed you."
"And you think I can't manage to throw it up? I can force myself to vomit just as easily."
"…"
Knowing Tang So-wol, she might actually do it. I'd learned that about her more than a few times. But even if I wanted to grant her request, there was a fatal problem.
"I don't have any money."
"…Pardon?"
"I spent everything I had buying the Blood Poison Wine."
"Ah."
No matter how well I knew all of Tang So-wol's tricks, there was no way I could face her unprepared when my internal energy and physical training were still so far behind.
It had been a carefully planned operation, one I'd executed with full preparation. I'd poured in every last coin I'd scraped together in the short time since my regression.
Tang So-wol hesitated for a long while at my words before finally opening her mouth with a resigned expression.
"On the right side of my belt, in the back. My money pouch is in there. Feel free to take it out and use it."
"Hm. Very well."
I cleared my throat for no reason and reached my hand toward Tang So-wol's waist.
The green robe, made of fine silk, brushed against my fingertips with a soft, ticklish sound. Truly the Sichuan Tang Clan. They certainly know how to dress well.
The belt was tied tightly, but not so much that it clung to Tang So-wol's waist. From a distance, it might even look loose.
Wearing loose clothing to hide the contours of one's body is a trait of Tang Clan martial artists, who frequently use not only poison but also hidden weapons. It made sense.
In fact, last night, Tang So-wol, who had been resisting me, had pulled hidden weapons from all sorts of places and thrown them at me.
Carefully, I slipped my fingers inside the waistband, making sure not to cut my hand on any hidden weapon.
"Ugh."
Tang So-wol flinched for a moment. Even though she had given me permission, it made sense that she'd startle when someone else touched her sword—something like that, anyway. I needed to finish this quickly.
I nodded to myself and felt around the inside of the waistband. There was no visible bulge on the outside, so I couldn't pinpoint the location of the money pouch. There was no helping it.
But perhaps she didn't like that. Or maybe something else was the problem. Tang So-wol squirmed, constantly trying to pull away from me.
"W-wait a moment! That's…"
"Stay still. You're in the way."
So I grabbed her shoulder to hold her in place and swept my hand along the inside once more.
"Eek!"
Flying Dagger, Cow Hair Needle, iron pellets… After passing through several types of hidden weapons that couldn't be identified by touch alone, I finally reached the money pouch.
"This is it."
"Y-yes! It is, so please take your hand out quickly…!"
"I wasn't planning to linger anyway. Just how hungry were you, exactly?"
"…"
Tang So-wol stared at me with a dumbfounded expression, but the money pouch was more important than that.
It had a fair amount of weight to it. When I loosened it halfway and peered inside, it was filled not with coins but with silver ingots.
At this rate, it seemed like more than what I had gathered since my regression. And this was what a Murim Debut carried around as an allowance?
"…It seems the Five Great Families are richer than I imagined."
"Of course. Ah, is it possible that you've changed your mind about wanting a ransom? If you release me right now, I'll fill that money pouch to the brim with gold coins."
"Don't flaunt your family's money as if it were your own."
"Then how about gold equal to my body weight?"
"I believe your worth, Tang So-wol, is greater than all that gold."
"Certainly. I am quite an impressive woman, after all."
Tang So-wol nodded with a serious face. At her unperturbed demeanor, I let out a snort and pressed her Meridians.
Acupoint Sealing will hold until tomorrow. The restraints are sturdy too.
I'd already checked everything I needed to, so I got up from my seat and lightly stretched my creaking body.
"I'm thinking of making a trip to the village just below. Is there any food you'd like, or anything else you need?"
"Mmnn. Anything to eat is fine. As long as it has meat in it. As for anything else I need… freedom?"
"If you want to run, that's fine too."
"Really?!"
"But if you've already made a promise and then run away, only to get caught again… you can expect that. At the very least, I won't be as soft as I am now."
"…"
Well, I say all that, but I doubt I could actually be harsh with Tang So-wol. No matter how hard I steel my resolve, my body refuses to listen.
But Tang So-wol, unaware of my predicament, seemed tense. She swallowed hard and shook her head.
"As a daughter of the Tang Clan, how could I cast aside a promise I've already made? However, a cave is hardly a suitable place for people to live. If we are to stay here for a long time, there will be quite a few things we need."
"Like what, specifically?"
"First, we need something to lay on the ground. It's too hard and uneven—it's hard to even lie down."
"And?"
"I can't wear the same clothes forever. Could you get me a change of clothes? Originally, I would have obtained the Tang Clan martial robes I'm wearing now through the family's trading company… but I won't ask for that much. Just some reasonably clean clothes will do."
"Understood."
"Is there enough water for drinking and washing? If it's lacking, we'll need a jar to store more."
"…I'll have it prepared."
Listening to Tang So-wol, I realized something. I had only thought about how to kidnap her, never considering what came after.
I was mentally organizing the necessary supplies when Tang So-wol, who had been listing them with vigor, began to stammer.
"And… well…"
"What is it? Since it's coming out of your own money anyway, you can say it freely."
"It's just… ugh!"
Tang So-wol's lips moved hesitantly, as if debating whether to speak. But soon, as if she had steeled her resolve, she opened her mouth with a solemn air.
"Underclothes… and could you also prepare a chamber pot?"
"…"
"…To be honest, I've been holding it in for a while now, but I don't think I can last much longer."
"…I see."
"Ah, the underclothes are just spares, I haven't had an accident or anything, so don't worry."
"You don't need to go into detail…"
For some reason, his head began to ache. Just as he was about to grab his forehead and let out a deep sigh, his eyes met Tang So-wol's, who was staring at him with a stiff posture, her face flushed bright red.
Well, of course she'd be embarrassed. She was clearly putting on a brave front out of pride, refusing to show it.
I knew from experience that Tang So-wol was the type to put on a brave front when cornered, so I wasn't surprised.
"Stay still for a moment."
"Huh?"
I pressed the acupoints on her startled meridians, releasing the sealing halfway so she could circulate at least a sliver of her internal energy.
"…What is this?"
"Hold on until I get back."
"I was planning to, of course, but are you sure it's all right to give me my internal energy back like this? It's a small amount, but if I use it well, I might be able to escape, you know?"
"Use it well, you say. You'd be more than capable of it. But didn't we make a promise? I trust you to keep it."
"…"
Tang So-wol stared at me with her mouth hanging open, looking as if she'd just been struck out of nowhere.
"Then I'll be on my way now. Stay out of trouble while I'm gone."
"Y-yes, well… Take care?"
I gave Tang So-wol, who was stammering her farewell, a light wave of my hand and stepped out of the cave.
***
Tang So-wol was confused.
"Why?"
Why had he released her Acupoint Sealing and left?
Could his words about trusting her have been sincere? Of course, Tang So-wol intended to keep her promise.
A promise was a promise, but considering the skill of the old fiend who had kidnapped her, she thought it would be safer to stay put.
She operated her internal energy, moving slowly but surely to suppress her bodily functions, and recalled the events of yesterday.
A madman who, without a word, told her to go home because it was dangerous, and when she refused, drew his sword without hesitation.
He was clearly out of his mind, but it was also true that he possessed martial skill of the highest order.
His responses were perfect, as if he had predicted how the hidden weapons would fly. His knowledge of poisons was also considerable—he distinguished between poisons the Blood Poison Wine could cure and those it couldn't, alternating between breakthrough and evasion to press the attack.
But what chilled Tang So-wol's heart the most were the old fiend's eyes.
Cold, sinking, and sharply honed eyes. Like a sword driven into its sheath, his emotionless and murderous aura did not waver under any circumstances.
Even when she spotted the thin Cow Hair Needles hidden behind the Flying Daggers, even when the secretly applied poison shook her from within, even when she triggered the Ink Smoke Needle Barrel in a final desperate gambit, scattering countless Cow Hair Needles at once—
The old fiend did not falter for a single moment. At the precise instant, in the precise manner, he dismantled everything Tang So-wol threw at him.
He didn't even unleash Sword Qi, as if he were deliberately matching her level!
No matter how strong her pride, Tang So-wol's heart could not help but waver. And with such a bitter heart, she lost consciousness.
When she opened her eyes, she found herself in a surprisingly intact state—except for the fact that her limbs were bound, her internal energy was sealed, and a gag was in her mouth.
"Perhaps 'intact' isn't quite the right word…"
Could this state truly be called intact? On reflection, it was not.
Tang So-wol let out a long sigh and wiggled her bound fingers, beginning to gauge the strength of the ropes.
A little of her internal energy had returned, so she wondered if there might be a way to slip free.
In fact, with a bit of effort, she thought she could manage it. For instance, by dislocating one wrist and forcing it through.
If she fled now, couldn't she escape that madman's grasp?
She seriously considered it, but soon reached a conclusion. She let the strength drain from her body and drooped into the most comfortable position possible.
What held her ankles in place was the weight of a promise and a distinct sense of dissonance.
She had made a vow in her own words, invoking her family name, so she couldn't easily break it. That was only natural, but…
Why had the old fiend who kidnapped her bound her limbs intact without demanding a ransom? It would have been far easier to just sever her meridians.
Also, as she rummaged through her money pouch and felt along her waist… no, he must have known about the remaining hidden weapons, so why had he left them untouched without taking them? The conditions for sending her back to the Tang Clan were absurdly lax as well.
Above all, she had acted quite insolently by her own reckoning, yet he had granted everything without much complaint—why?
Tang So-wol had long since realized she hadn't been kidnapped for any ordinary reason. But as for exactly what reason she had been taken for, she couldn't even begin to guess.
"Surely not?"
Perhaps. It was an utterly unbelievable story, but perhaps that old fiend had genuinely thought Tang So-wol was in danger and had only wanted to move her to a safe place.
Setting aside the purpose, his methods and means had been eccentric to the extreme, but…
"Well, that's how old fiends are, I suppose."
Isn't it common knowledge that a master who has undergone Rejuvenation isn't in his right mind?
Tang So-wol gave up on thinking. Holding in her urge was more important than the kidnapper's true intentions.