Kidnapping

"I've gone and done it now…"

I kidnapped the youngest daughter of the Sichuan Tang Clan.

I prided myself on a clean job, so a pursuit team wouldn't be on my tail right away, but that was only a matter of time.

The Orthodox Sects had a strange tradition called Murim Wandering, where rising talents roamed the Central Plains alone, but just because they left home didn't mean they were truly abandoned.

If a sect was large enough, they'd periodically check on their disciples' well-being and even send support if something went wrong.

They wanted their rising talents to gain experience, not to drive them to their deaths, so it was only natural.

However… even knowing all this, I had no choice. It felt like if I didn't act yesterday, the opportunity would never come again. So I did it.

Feeling apologetic, I forced an awkward smile at Tang So-wol.

"Did you sleep well last night?"

"Mmph! Mmmph!!"

Tang So-wol writhed convulsively, as if telling me to stop talking nonsense. How harsh.

First, I rolled her to the side and shoved her into a corner. Then I sat down in a spot far away and began a light Qi Circulation.

The Crazy Wolf Life-Stealing Art.

A Mental Cultivation Method I had re-established, incorporating the Enlightenment I gained upon reaching Transcendent Peak.

Now, unlike before the regression, I wouldn't be held back by chronic Lack of Inner Qi and the turbidity of my internal energy, all because I hadn't learned a proper Mental Cultivation Method.

A brief Qi Circulation was all it took, yet my internal energy and stamina, which had been drained completely from yesterday's overexertion, began recovering at a rapid pace.

"Hoo."

I extinguished the immediate fire and opened my eyes. I had no choice. The sound of Tang So-wol grunting as she tried to crawl toward me had been grating on my nerves for a while now.

"Were you planning to catch me during my Qi Circulation and induce a Qi Deviation?"

"Mmgh!"

"I'll tell you in advance—it's a wasted effort. In your current state, you can't undo the Acupoint Sealing, nor can you escape from the stake you're tied to."

And even if she somehow managed to break free and land a hit on me, the internal energy of the Crazy Wolf Life-Stealing Art was rather peculiar, making it difficult to fall into a Qi Deviation easily.

I didn't tell her all of that, but it seemed she understood that no matter what she did in her current state, she couldn't cause me any real harm.

"…"

Her eyes were still murderous, but the strength had drained from her body. I crouched down in front of her and spoke.

"Whether you scream or curse, I don't care, but don't bite your tongue. Promise me that, and I'll take the gag off."

"…Grr."

Tang So-wol hesitated for a moment, then nodded. She seemed displeased at having to follow my words, grinding the wooden gag between her teeth, but it would be off soon enough, so it didn't matter.

As I carefully pulled the gag free, a long strand of saliva stretched and snapped. I wiped her mouth with my sleeve, and her voice came out, somewhat calmer.

"What's your goal?"

"Hm?"

"You've even achieved Rejuvenation, Senior, so you must know well what it means to make an enemy of the Tang Clan."

"…Senior?"

So that's how she was thinking about it. Well, it made sense. Before the regression, I had been a fully grown adult, so we'd never paid much mind to each other's ages—but Tang So-wol was five years older than me.

Tang So-wol, who had just reached the Age of Twenty, and me, even younger than that now. Since I was still growing, the age gap would feel even larger.

And yet, that child had been defeated by none other than Tang So-wol—the direct-line daughter of the Sichuan Tang Clan, a rising talent counted among the best?

It had been a surprise attack, but the fact that she'd been captured without a single wound must have driven home the gap between them.

She couldn't possibly imagine someone had come back through time, so she must have taken me for a grand master who had undergone Rejuvenation.

Surprisingly enough, it wasn't unheard of for a master who had achieved Rejuvenation to step back into the murim. Still, being regarded that way by Tang So-wol wasn't exactly a pleasant thing.

Think about it. From my perspective, it's only been a few months since I promised my future to someone, and now she's calling me "old man."

This is a misunderstanding that has to be corrected somehow.

"I'm fifteen years old this year."

"…Is that so."

She said that, but for some reason, Tang So-wol's wariness had shot up to the max. It was as if she were looking at some insane old monster insisting he was fifteen.

Sad, but it seemed I couldn't clear up this misunderstanding right away. Strictly speaking, it wasn't entirely wrong, so for now, I decided to change the subject.

"Don't be so tense. I have no intention of harming you."

"Then you shouldn't have had any intention of kidnapping me either."

"I know it looks like a misunderstanding, but I did it for your sake."

"How reassuring."

Tang So-wol brushed off my words with a dismissive attitude. Was I wrong? She clearly had no intention of listening.

But it was true that I had kidnapped her for her own good.

That day, we had made a promise under a night sky where even the moonlight didn't shine. We had talked about all sorts of things, and that was when I heard it. That half of her face had melted away during her Murim Debut.

Favor is repaid twofold. Grudges are repaid tenfold.

That was the famous Family Code of the Sichuan Tang Clan. Because this code was widely known, no one dared to oppose the Tang Clan recklessly. Conversely, there were many who sought to earn their favor.

And so the Tang Clan navigated the complex karmic debts of the martial world with a firm hand… but that didn't mean they were entirely without enemies.

In this world, there are those who cannot remember their own wrongdoings but remember only what was done to them, and even the most heinous villain has at least one person who cherishes them, and no matter how thorough one's revenge, one or two flies always slip through the net.

Repaying grudges tenfold, in other words, means sowing tenfold vengeance.

Few dare to oppose the Sichuan Tang Clan. But those few are worthy of being called irreconcilable enemies.

Tang So-wol was attacked by such people.

Survivors of unorthodox sects exterminated by the Tang Clan's hand, Green Forest bandits from razed mountain strongholds, disciples of infamous Demonic Heads, assassins from Assassin Valley who tried to pin their own crimes on the Tang Clan and were crushed for it.

Those who harbored deep grudges against the Tang Clan banded together to attack Tang So-wol.

Perhaps they wanted to return to her exactly what they had lost to the Tang Clan. In that sense, Tang So-wol was the perfect choice.

She was the youngest daughter loved by all of the Sichuan Tang Clan, and the possessor of a special constitution known as the Poison Spirit Constitution.

They must have thought that if they could kill Tang So-wol, they could leave a deep wound in the Tang Clan. They failed, though.

Tang So-wol was only a first-rate martial artist at best, barely at the tail end of that rank. Her survival was entirely thanks to her Poison Spirit Constitution.

The Poison Spirit Constitution is a constitution that stores poison within the body and synthesizes that stored poison to create even stronger toxins.

Using this, she managed to spray poison potent enough to melt even herself and barely escaped.

After that, well… the enraged Tang Clan head personally tracked down every surviving attacker and melted them all into a handful of poison ashes.

And so the story goes that Tang So-wol spent her whole life hiding her face behind her bangs.

Knowing how much she cared about that half-melted face of hers, this time I intended to prevent the attack itself, but…

"How did it come to this?"

"That's because you attacked me in the dead of night."

"…"

She had a point. But there was a reason for it.

If I didn't know when or where someone might strike at Tang So-wol, it was simpler to just stash her somewhere safe than to follow her around and guard her.

Above all, taking down an unknown number of assailants whose martial arts I didn't know was far more troublesome than subduing Tang So-wol—someone I'd crossed blows with a few times before, even if it was before the regression.

"Didn't I tell you? There are people targeting you, Tang So-wol."

"And I told you as well. I appreciate the warning, but I can handle it on my own."

"And I said that was impossible."

"How can I trust the words of someone I've only just met today? In truth, it was you, senior, who was targeting me."

"Even if I'm fifteen."

"A fifteen-year-old young hero wouldn't speak like that."

"…What's wrong with the way I talk?"

"You sound like one of the clan elders. At the very least, you don't come across as younger than me."

Hearing that, I realized that at this age, I had spoken with less formality. No—perhaps it was because I was a beggar scraping by that my tone had carried a stronger sense of servility.

In any case, I hadn't put on airs for no reason. It was probably closer to the truth that I simply didn't know how to put on airs.

I briefly sifted through my memories, recalling how the child I once was had spoken.

"I-I don't think you should judge a person by their tone of voice…"

"It's difficult for me to accept that now, Senior."

"…"

I nearly felt my resolve waver. Because I remembered the Tang So-wol from before the regression, and because I knew the Tang So-wol before me was a different person, my emotions surged up in my throat.

Whether she knew how I felt or not, Tang So-wol opened her mouth again in that same sharp voice.

"Anyway, Senior. May I now ask what purpose you had in kidnapping me here?"

"Hm? …No, huh?"

"…I'm still alive, my Dantian and the meridians in my limbs are intact, and I haven't been subjected to any torture worth mentioning. It seems there must be a reason you need to keep me alive and well."

Tang So-wol frowned at me as if she had seen something unsightly, reacting to my deliberate change in tone.

This is harder than I thought. I decided to just speak the way I always had.

"I do not know what that reason might be, but surely you did not kidnap me for some ordinary purpose. If there is anything you wish of me, I will comply, so I ask that you release me."

"My purpose, you say…"

Protecting Tang So-wol from the attack that would soon come. And ensuring that she would never have to weep at the sight of my face.

That was the entirety of my goal.

"I have already told you several times—those who hold a grudge against the Tang Clan will soon come to attack."

"I meant what I said in all sincerity, Senior. Since I have not suffered any serious injury, I can still pretend this never happened if you let me go now."

"I understand the appeal of escaping the Tang Clan's daggers, but unfortunately, I cannot accept. My apologies."

"Then the karmic debt between us will only deepen."

Tang So-wol answered sharply. I watched her for a moment, then let out a sigh.

"Then let's do it this way. It may take a little longer, but the Tang Clan will surely notice the disturbance and send a pursuit squad. Am I wrong?"

"You are correct. Though I may not look it, I am quite the darling of my household."

"I can see that. At any rate, my condition is simple. When the Tang Clan's pursuit squad finds this place, or when a year has passed, I will release you."

When the pursuit squad arrived, I could hand Tang So-wol over to them and flee. Even if they failed to find this place, a year would be more than enough time to protect Tang So-wol from the attack.

Tang So-wol hesitated at my words for a moment, then nodded.

"Very well. How much ransom were you thinking?"

"None needed. Instead, while you're held here, you'll obey my words without fuss. What do you say? I think that's a fairly generous condition."

"Huh? That much… Hic!"

Tang So-wol suddenly twisted her face into a deep frown and curled her body into a ball. As if trying to shield herself from me by any means.

"…What now."

"If it's not a grudge against me, and not the Tang Clan's wealth you're after, then only one thing remains. It's my body, isn't it?"

"?"

"Having regained a young body, you've grown to long for a young woman. How pitiful. To think I'd lose my first time to an old monster whose age can't even be guessed in this cold cave…"

"…"

"But remember this. When you dare to take a woman of the Tang Clan by force, you must be prepared for the consequences."

"Is that so…"

Tang So-wol before she got her face injured was quite full of confidence. Though to be fair, she really was that pretty.

I flicked my finger against the forehead of Tang So-wol, who was trembling, her ears flushed red to the tips.

Thwack!

"Eep!"

A stronger impact than I expected. Tang So-wol began to tremble for a different reason than before.

"Let me add a condition. Stop treating me like some old monster and drop your strange speculations. Do that, and you'll have nothing to worry about."

"…Y-Yes, of course."

Tang So-wol nodded, tears welling in her eyes.