Chapter 61: I’ve Been Kidnapped 2 (1)
Chapter 61: I’ve Been Kidnapped 2 (1)
Tianjin, a summer night where the heat had finally begun to subside after the rainy season.
In this paradise for Black Path sects, rowdy hoodlums—ever eager to burn through what remained of their lives—were cooling off the summer heat by setting off bursts of fireworks.
Whistle—!
Bang!
It was a land where boisterous laughter and the beautiful melodies of various instruments overflowed from every alleyway.
In Tianjin—the city of milk and honey, the city that never sleeps, the city of love and peace.
"Your acupoints are already beginning to unblock. Do not struggle."
Wait, teacher, how is that even possible?
25. I’ve Been Kidnapped 2
Seo Wi-ryang only stopped walking once he reached the outskirts of Tianjin.
Being carried across the city like a piece of luggage was a remarkably novel experience, even for me.
With the fireworks exploding overhead, the pedestrians' gazes were naturally drawn upward, yet Seo Wi-ryang had traversed the city by leaping across rooftops without attracting a single eye.
Super Peak Realm...?
I wasn't skilled enough to gauge someone's martial level just by looking, but to pull off such a stunt in Tianjin right now, he had to be at least at that level.
It was immediately after the Great Dragon Slaying Alliance had tightened its surveillance over all of Tianjin following the operation to arrest our friends from the White Lotus Cult.
It was to the point that the dark circles under the Pavilion Master’s eyes had grown noticeably deeper.
In other words, Seo Wi-ryang had just displayed stealth techniques on par with the Pavilion Master of the Assassination Pavilion. He had completely deceived the eyes and ears of the Pavilion’s patrol teams hidden throughout the city.
Wait, the Assassination Pavilion guys are actually scrubs.
Come to think of it, I’ve never actually seen them do anything professional as assassins.
"We are here."
Seo Wi-ryang spoke as he set me down on the roof of an inn.
Before my feet even touched the tiles, his fingers poked and prodded various spots on my chest and arms.
A stinging sensation of internal energy pierced through me like needles following his fingertips. Only then did the tingling sensation fade as my blocked qi passages were cleared.
Acupuncture Striking.
In the wuxia novels I read back in the 21st century, it was always treated like a one-touch switch that instantly applied silence, stun, or fear just by poking someone. But after falling into this world, I realized it was a subject of immense study.
The acupoints of the human body don't activate simply by being stimulated.
If it were that easy, cultivation methods wouldn't be classified as such complex and difficult martial arts.
Acupuncture Striking involves sealing specific acupoints passed down through a sect, synchronized with a specific application of internal energy. It’s an advanced technique rarely found in common sects, usually only transmitted within great clans with deep histories.
Naturally, my family didn't have such a thing.
We don't waste time researching physical reactions by poking acupoints.
We realized long ago that if you're close enough to poke an acupoint, it's much faster and more effective to just throw a punch.
"Ugh..."
As I stumbled from the sensation of my qi flowing again, Seo Wi-ryang gave a slight nod toward the front.
"Go down. Open the door at the railing right in front of you."
"Would it have killed you to just go through the front entrance...?"
"You are a member of the Hao Clan. You cannot show your face at the inn's entrance. You would surely be followed."
"This isn't one of our establishments, so it wouldn't have mattered."
I grumbled as I quickly circulated my true qi.
The acupuncture technique itself seemed to have no effect other than sealing my movement, as the traces of the technique completely vanished from my meridians once the blockages were cleared.
This is why martial artists loathe Acupuncture Striking.
It’s not just about being helplessly captured; it’s the fear of what unpredictable side effects another person’s true qi might leave in one's acupoints—the very lifeblood of a martial artist.
I’d heard that some extreme acupuncture techniques could leave permanent trauma on the acupoints.
Techniques like the Zhuge Family’s Eight Gates Sealing Method or the Jongri Family’s Heavenly Severing Restriction were such cases.
Wait, is the Jongri Family like a disciple of the Zhuge Family? Why do they always seem to do similar things?
"If you are finished, go down."
"Yes, yes. I'm going."
Noticing me checking my physical condition, Seo Wi-ryang looked slightly apologetic.
Well, I didn't have a grudge against the Demonic Cult yet, so kidnapping me after sealing my acupoints was practically a declaration of war.
I shrugged and leaped down from the roof.
Landing lightly on the railing, I saw a massive window befitting the top floor of a luxury inn.
Hwa-yeong is inside.
The thought made me break into a cold sweat. How should I put it? It was a sense of tension.
I took a couple of deep breaths before stepping forward.
As I approached the door handle, it slid open with a faint creak.
A spacious interior lit by small lanterns was revealed.
"You've arrived."
A slender, soft voice drifted out.
It came from atop a large ta (a type of couch-like bed) situated in the center of the room. Thick red bead curtains were draped around the edges, leaving only the faint silhouette of someone sitting inside.
She was a woman whose willow-like, delicate frame stood out.
Her shadow, swaying slightly with the flickering lantern light, seemed to lean forward as if she wanted to rush toward me this very instant.
"My Lord."
—Is my Lord doing well?
Along with her voice, the handwriting of the letters delivered to me every month flashed through my mind. The neat, upright regular script and the scent of irises that had been deeply infused into the paper.
No, it wasn't an illusion.
As a breeze blew and the bead curtains swayed, a thick scent of irises wafted out.
"Tianjin is quite mild. It is a fine night."
—Today, the weather at the Heavenly Mountain is clear and serene.
Im Hwa-yeong’s manner of speaking was far more mature than what I remembered from ten years ago.
Yet, her voice still had that delicate, fluttering quality that brought back memories of those days.
"Please, come inside, My Lord. There is so much I have wished to share with you."
"Hwa-yeong... is that you?"
"Yes, My Lord. It is I."
A small giggle tickled a corner of my heart.
As I stepped into the room, the door closed behind me on its own.
The floral scent that had been faint outside was now so thick it was dizzying.
Uh, isn't the perfume a bit much?
The lanterns were also covered with suspiciously red shades, making the atmosphere incredibly suggestive.
In modern times, "red light" is used in a rather illicit sense, but essentially, the meaning of a red light is "longing for a beloved."
That is why the alleys lined with brothels are called red-light districts. Brothels hang red lanterns to signify they are welcoming a lover for the night, and these are called "Red Pavilions."
As such, the meaning of a red light in Han culture is quite explicit.
Hwa-yeong probably didn't turn them on with that intention, but having lived in Han culture for seventeen years, I couldn't help but feel a bit embarrassed.
I mean, this is an inn. It's a hotel suite, but the interior design is basically turning into a love hotel.
It's too early for a seventeen-year-old...
"Come, closer."
Regardless of my thoughts, Hwa-yeong’s voice echoed with a certain stickiness.
It was a beautiful voice that sent shivers down my spine.
Unknowingly, my feet moved forward.
Before I knew it, I was standing in front of the bead curtain. It felt as if I had been caught in a charm spell.
Whether she was watching me from behind the curtain or not, a small, giggling laugh reached my ears.
The long bead curtains clattered against each other following her laughter, making a sound like tinkling glass.
I couldn't keep my head straight.
"You have grown quite dashing... Yes, exactly as I imagined."
A snow-white hand appeared from behind the curtain.
The hand, reaching out cautiously, parted the curtain slightly and came to rest on my cheek.
As I felt the cool, delicate fingers gently stroking my cheek, the scent of irises grew even more intense...
Wait.
A subtle smoke was drifting out from the gap in the curtain where her hand had emerged.
A purplish smoke was rising in wisps.
That was the source of the iris scent.
An incense burner. A small incense burner caught my eye.
The moment I realized this, a sharp pain shot through the back of my head.
As my internal energy surged like a lightning bolt through my acupoints, the fog in my mind cleared instantly, replaced by a sharp ache.
"Soul-Capturing Incense...?"
"...Pardon? Uh... Hm? What... are you talking about?"
"You lit Soul-Capturing Incense!"
I quickly brushed Hwa-yeong’s hand away and stepped back. Are you crazy?
If I hadn't been of the direct Peng lineage, which is immune to all poisons, I wouldn't have noticed at all!
I narrowed my eyes and scanned the surroundings, finally hearing a presence.
In the corner of this large room, I spotted a figure curled up and moving cautiously.
"A sorceress, too!"
"Hiek! I-I'm just a, a waiter...!"
"Why is a waiter in a guest's room!"
"Have a good night, Great Sir!"
A small woman wearing a suspicious Taoist robe and even holding talismans scrambled out of the room.
Then, a "Tsk" of annoyance came from behind the curtain.
"Hwa-yeong?"
"It... it was nothing special. I was worried My Lord might misunderstand, but that wasn't Soul-Capturing Incense. It was just... a normal incense burner."
"Give it to me for a second, then."
"Oops."
The sound of porcelain shattering echoed from behind the curtain.
"I must sternly interrogate the craftsman who made this. I was told it was a precious incense burner, yet it broke so easily. I fear My Lord might cut his hand, so I shall call a maid to clear it away."
"My hands aren't so soft that they'd be cut by a bit of porcelain."
"It makes me proud to see that you haven't neglected your training."
When did she get so good at talking?
They say ten years changes even the mountains and rivers. I can't believe she's the same kid from ten years ago.
"Will My Lord continue to stand there? Perhaps... you did not wish to see me?"
"Of course I wanted to see you."
She was one of my few childhood friends. Of course I was curious.
But there was nowhere to sit.
She had prepared so meticulously that there was no furniture to speak of in the vicinity. Only this single bed sat there in a shockingly minimalist interior.
Even if it was the outskirts, this was still Tianjin.
In a region that served as the hub of inland trade, there was no way the furniture arrangement in the VIP room on the top floor of this large inn would look like this. This, too, must have been Hwa-yeong’s doing.
Scary kid.
To greet a friend she hasn't seen in ten years by spraying Soul-Capturing Incense and using a sorceress to cast a charm spell?
She's a Great Arch-Demon in the making...
I looked away and spoke.
"Anyway, what's with the bead curtain? I don't think this was originally here."
A typical ta doesn't have bead curtains.
In modern terms, it's a large wooden bed that functions like a sofa, used for resting during the day rather than sleeping.
The beads on the curtain were high-quality crystals, but honestly, the tone and manner were a bit off. It was obvious they had been hung up in a hurry.
"Even if an engagement has been arranged, it is the custom for both families to maintain distance before the wedding. How could I dare to violate the ancient rites?"
"Ah, right. Hwa-yeong. About... the wedding. That is..."
"Therefore."
Hwa-yeong cut me off and continued.
"My Lord, please part the curtain and come inside yourself."
"Uh... well. Since it's the custom for both families to maintain distance, that's a bit difficult. First, listen. About the wedding..."
"My Lord."
Please don't cut me off...
"I have traveled a very long way. From the Heavenly Mountain to Hebei, and then from Shuntian Prefecture to this Tianjin Prefecture, the journey was by no means short."
"Right. Yes, yes. The Heavenly Mountain is very far."
"So, My Lord must understand how much I have looked forward to this day."
A red light flickered from behind the curtain.
My skin tingled as demonic energy was released.
As the bead curtain clattered and swayed, a powerful wave of energy spread like mist.
She’s at least in the Peak Realm. At that age...? Is that even possible? She should be a year younger than me.
For now, I knew her progress was enough to compete for the Guinness world record for the youngest Peak Realm martial artist in the history of the Murim.
As far as I knew, even my grandfather only reached the Peak Realm after he had passed his twentieth year.
In other words, the girl before my eyes was already guaranteed a spot among the future Fifteen Lords of the Central Plains.
Then again, the title of Heavenly Demon had never once been excluded from the Three Evils Beyond the Great Wall.
"Therefore... My Lord, please, part the curtain and enter. Is this not a reunion after ten years? I wish to speak while looking at one another."
I'm scared...
I wiped my cold sweat on my pants and cautiously reached out.
Chime, the beads of the curtain wrapped softly around the back of my hand.
Let's not forget. In this room right now, there is Hwa-yeong, who is at least in the Peak Realm, and a Demonic Cult elder who must have reached at least the Super Peak Realm.
And is it just the two of them? There’s no way the escort for the Little Heavenly Demon’s excursion would be so small.
I was currently kidnapped and brought into the heart of such martial power.
My friends in the Dragon Slaying Alliance wouldn't even realize I was missing until the sun rose tomorrow.
Even if they did notice, they wouldn't think much of it.
Since there couldn't possibly be any madmen who would kidnap a direct descendant of the Peng Family in Tianjin, they’d just assume I went out early to take care of some business.
In other words, I shouldn't expect any backup.
No matter how favorable Hwa-yeong seemed toward me now, I couldn't afford to be complacent and rely on the vague goodwill of someone who could cut my throat at any moment.
Medieval China is not that forgiving.
Furthermore...
My family is unilaterally preparing to break off the engagement.
From what I’d heard, Hwa-yeong had no intention of breaking the engagement at all.
I don't know what she liked about me, but...
Just like in modern times—no, even more so in this era—breaking an engagement was an act that severely damaged the other party's prestige.
Unless the family had been destroyed, a sudden declaration of breaking an engagement could be taken as a sign that there was a flaw in the other person.
Would the youngest Peak Realm genius, the Little Heavenly Demon, just laugh and let that slide?
I didn't think so. If that happened, I would become a mere first-rate martial artist scrub dropped alone among the furious members of the Demonic Cult whose prestige had been tarnished...
I have to survive.
If I were an ordinary seventeen-year-old youth, I would have frozen stiff in this life-or-death situation.
But as always, a transmigrator must laugh in the face of crisis.
"Ah..."
As I parted the curtain and stepped closer, the lingering scent of the Soul-Capturing Incense wafted over me even more intensely.
In the midst of it, I saw Hwa-yeong, enveloped in a faint white smoke.
Her ebony hair flowed like waves, contrasting with her snow-white skin.
Hwa-yeong’s eyes were staring up at me blankly.
A faint blush was rising on her pale cheeks.
After staring at me vacantly for a moment, Hwa-yeong soon smiled like a flower blooming.
"My Lord. Seeing you like this... seeing you like this, I don't know what to say."
"Are you going to keep using that tone?"
"Is it uncomfortable?"
"Just speak comfortably. We used to speak informally to each other."
"...Hwi... Um. It is still difficult. I have tried practicing... but yes, it is still difficult."
Hwa-yeong pursed her lips a few times before smiling softly.
She moved aside slightly, making room for me beside her.
"Do you intend to keep standing? It is rare for me to look up at someone, and it is uncomfortable."
"Wow, as expected of the Little Heavenly Demon. Your ego is insane."
At my words, Hwa-yeong covered her mouth slightly and giggled.
She was the picture-perfect image of a noble lady.
And because it suited her so well, I was a little impressed.
She really became a person.
The kid who, when we first met, had charged at me with a palm strike and punched Nang-rang in the back was now...
I sat down beside her and modestly gathered my hands on my knees.
Honestly, I didn't have the confidence to look Hwa-yeong straight in the eye.
I was scared, and her appearance was something I felt I could never develop an immunity to.
I think Tolstoy said something like that.
All ugly people are ugly in their own way, but beautiful people are mostly similar.
It’s been twenty years since I read that, so my memory is fuzzy—was it about unhappiness, not appearance?
Regardless, it was an insight worthy of the great man of letters from the North Sea Ice Palace.
Looking at her face, I could only think blankly, Ah, she's beautiful.
This is the real charm spell.
"What brings you to Hebei?"
"I came to see My Lord. What other business could there be?"
"You really came just for that?"
"Fufu... It is my first excursion in ten years. I have many memories of Shuntian Prefecture and the Peng Family estate, so I wanted to revisit those paths while I was out. Are the streets there still the same?"
"Beijing is... well, the same. It would be nice if you could go up and see it."
"That is easily done. Shall we leave now?"
"Huh...?"
When I turned to look at her, Hwa-yeong had already leaned in close, whispering as she rested a white finger on the back of my hand.
"Since you are now on your way to the Heavenly Mountain, we can stop by Beijing along the canal to pay our respects to the family elders and then take the Yellow River."
"Uh, wait a minute. To the Heavenly Mountain? Me?"
"Yes, My Lord. Ten years is a long time to wait, is it not? Or perhaps..."
Hwa-yeong’s finger formed a sword gesture and poked me near the shoulder.
If she were to load internal energy into her fingertip now, my shoulder would be shattered.
I swallowed hard.
"Surely, another woman hasn't appeared in the meantime?"
I don't know why Murong Cheong’s face flashed through my mind at that moment.
No, Peng Hyeon-hwi, get a grip. There was nothing between us.
That was just a medical procedure.
"Even if there were, it would be meaningless now. Fufu, I do not dwell on My Lord’s past. Your most distant past is already filled with memories of me, and from your present to your future... no one else will be able to intervene."
"Uh, wait a minute."
I think she knows.
"About our engagement... I think you’ve heard something."
"There is no need to hear anything else, My Lord."
She knows.
She came here knowing that the breakup was in progress.
Well, she must have stopped by Beijing first and then come down to Tianjin because I wasn't there.
The Demonic Cult couldn't have found me in Tianjin right away.
So she must have shown her face to our family while she was in Beijing.
And she must have realized that our family had no intention of letting me leave after teaching me the secret techniques.
Our family elders must have looked at her with awkward expressions.
I could imagine what the atmosphere was like when the fiancée suddenly showed up unannounced at a time when the breakup was practically a foregone conclusion.
Furthermore, given her status, the only option for her husband was to be a live-in son-in-law.
"Wait a minute? Hwa-yeong, wait, the air is too stuffy and I can't breathe. Shall we just open the window for a second?"
"My Lord."
The moment I tried to stand up, something gripped me tight.
Threads...?
Pitch-black threads were already tightly wound around my arms and legs.
I gave them a slight tug, but they were so stubbornly wound that they showed no sign of breaking.
There was no need to even try using internal energy. This was a martial art belonging to Astral Energy Skills.
Damn it, this looks like the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.
I immediately spoke in a polite yet dignified and calm tone.
"What, what on earth are you doing? Teacher, I-I'm scared."
"My Lord, I have had many thoughts while traveling from Shuntian Prefecture to this place, Tianjin."
"What, what thoughts? I, I don't know. Please let me go..."
"I have trained hard to become the Little Heavenly Demon for My Lord’s sake. Therefore, it is impossible for me to marry outside of our Cult. I wished to apologize to My Lord for this."
"It's okay, it's okay, so just let this go..."
"Therefore, as My Lord wishes."
Hwa-yeong’s eyes began to glow blood-red!
Emitting a crimson light, Hwa-yeong slowly leaned toward me.
"In order for our marriage to proceed according to the natural order, I must... do something that violates the ancient rites."
"What, what is that...?"
"If I were to conceive, the Peng Family would have no choice but to let My Lord come to the Heavenly Mountain, no matter what they say, would they not?"
Hwa-yeong’s red lips slowly parted.
Between them, her snow-white teeth were perfectly aligned.
She has beautiful teeth. Quite a rarity in medieval China, where orthodontists don't exist.
But above all else...
One who forgets propriety and decorum is no human at all! (Without knowing the rites, it is impossible to take one's stand. — The Analects of Confucius, Yao Yue)
"Restrain oneself and return to propriety!!"
I let out a thunderous shout to startle Hwa-yeong, then immediately squeezed every drop of internal energy from my body.
I’d learned a thing or two since that CPR incident with Murong Cheong. Infusing my internal energy with lightning through the Hunyuan Thunderbolt Blade had become far easier than before.
The Hunyuan Thunderbolt Blade is an Astral Energy Skill, and the lightning qi drawn from it possesses the power to rival Astral Energy itself. This meant that even at the First-Rate realm, I could at least stand on equal footing with an Astral Energy technique.
Was this the true power of a divine art created by the world’s greatest master? Or perhaps a gap had formed simply because Hwa-yeong, fortunately, had no intention of actually harming me.
"Found it. The thread of opportunity."
With a sharp crackle, the lightning surging from my arms incinerated the black threads binding my hands all at once.
The moment I regained my freedom, I stumbled backward and quickly checked the window. It would only take a split second to reach the nearest one, but...
‘Damn it, Seo Wi-ryang! You meticulous bastard!’
Seo Wi-ryang’s long shadow stretched across the window. My retreat was cut off!
And there, atop the bed, watching me as if I were something adorable, was a woman smiling radiantly while swaying long, spider-like threads.
"This brings back memories."
"Memories...?"
"Of when you first taught me how to play cat’s cradle. I’ve spent every night playing with these threads while thinking of you."
Black threads began to swirl from her hands once more. That is not the cat’s cradle I know!
"Shall we try again? My threads aren't as easily broken as they were when I was seven."
I had been kidnapped without even a moment to grab my saber or gauntlets. If I let her take me now, I’d be subjected to... indecent acts far beyond my years before being dragged off to the Heavenly Mountains!
‘The Heavenly Mountains are out of the question.’
Common sense might suggest that as the Heavenly Demon’s husband, I’d be guaranteed a peaceful, comfortable life—Below One Person, Above Ten Thousand. But that’s a naive view of medieval China.
The Demonic Cult of the Heavenly Mountains acts as a bridge between the Ming Dynasty and the West, controlling the massive trade networks of the Silk Road. The Heavenly Demon Cult is an organization that consolidated those immense interests under a single person.
If the leader of such a group married the youngest grandson of the Hebei Peng Family, would the local power players there look upon me kindly? Regardless of the Heavenly Demon’s might, it was impossible. A rolling stone is bound to be rejected.
There’s a reason the ancient sages said a man shouldn't live with his in-laws even if he only has three measures of barley, or that the outhouse and the in-laws' house should be as far away as possible. I could spend the rest of my life living as the "away team," suppressed by a wife who is overwhelmingly more powerful than me!
‘Even Grandfather couldn't save me from this.’
No matter how angry Grandfather got, he couldn't make it all the way to the Heavenly Mountains. Countless Orthodox friends would surely block his path and stage a siege to keep him contained. And even if he broke through all that, the Heavenly Demon would be waiting. Worse, it would be the Heavenly Demon’s home turf.
A life where I could never set foot on the Central Plains again. A life where I couldn't achieve anything on my own terms.
Peng Hyeon-hwi’s true nature began to scream inside me, insisting that death was preferable to such a life. I felt the same. Why would I abandon the vast network of connections and the schemes I’ve spent seventeen years building just to start over in a new land? I only need to get rid of two more brothers to become the next-next Family Head of the Peng Family!
"Even if I have to go eventually..."
Force wasn't the answer. There was no escape. Yet, I couldn't let myself be taken.
In this desperate moment, I reached out and firmly grasped Hwa-yeong’s hands—
"Since we're in Tianjin, we should at least see the fireworks before we go."
I gave her a wide, bright smile.
"The weather is so beautiful right now, everyone’s setting off fireworks and the markets are bustling. Our little outing in Beijing didn't end so well, but today, there’s no one to disturb us. Wouldn't it be a shame to miss this?"
"...My Lord!!"
Against the backdrop of fireworks bursting with a bang! behind the thin paper window, I brushed a stray lock of hair from Hwa-yeong’s cheek and gave her a warm smile.
"Since you have made up your mind, My Lord... I... I have nothing more to wish for!"
"Oh, you can wish for much more in the future, Hwa-yeong."
"My Lord!!"
My hands were on the verge of trembling, but I immediately struck my acupoints with lightning qi to force my muscles to contract and steady themselves. Maintaining my smile, I gently held Hwa-yeong’s hands.