Chapter 9: I've Been Kidnapped (1)
Chapter 9: I've Been Kidnapped (1)
By 15th-century standards, Beijing wasn't just China's largest city; it was the largest city in the world.
If you were to rank the top ten cities by population during this era, at least five of them would be Chinese.
Naturally, it was impossible to see all of Shuntian Prefecture—the greater metropolitan area including Beijing—in a single day.
In this situation, it was better to act as a local guide and satisfy the customer's specific needs. This wasn't a backpacking-style trip where we'd trudge through every single historical landmark; it was a curated package tour designed to hit exactly what our customer wanted.
"What do you want to see first?"
"Sweets..."
"Aha."
Anyone born between the '80s and the 2000s who took their school trips seriously would agree: at that age, historical sites are just big houses and big castles.
The point is who you go with, not where you go.
I went to Gyeongju every year for school trips, but I don't even remember Bulguksa Temple. I remember the Hwangnam-ppang bread I ate there much more clearly.
I gave a firm reminder to Hwa-yeong, who was sitting across from me in the carriage, her lips twitching in anticipation.
"Now, you remember our promise, right? Tell me."
"Never let go of Hwi’s hand... and... don't take candy from strangers, even if they offer it..."
The little kid chirped away, folding her fingers down one by one as she listed the rules.
I gave her head a casual pat.
Not bad. I’d managed to upgrade her from a rabid stray—a Chihuahua, really—to a decently trained puppy.
As they say, there are no bad dogs in a world filled with enough affection, attention, walks, and snacks.
I watched the scenery of Shuntian Prefecture roll by, feeling quite pleased with myself.
The sky was even looking particularly perfect today.
And then.
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Hwa-yeong vanished.
She had been right beside me just a moment ago, munching on sugar-coated pills and chatting away, but the second I turned my head, she was gone.
The West Gate Great Avenue inside Guang'anmen was so damn crowded that no matter how much I looked around, I couldn't find her.
I finally understood the heart-wrenching despair of a dog owner who ties their pet to a tree for a second only to find the leash gone.
"Nang-nang!! Hwa-yeong!! Did you see where Hwa-yeong went?!"
"One moment! I-I'll look for her immediately!"
"Argh!!"
What the hell was Nang-nang thinking? He had a wider field of vision than me, yet he couldn't keep track of one child?
It seemed the guards my eldest brother had attached to us hadn't noticed her disappearance either.
Useless bastards. I bit my lip and hurriedly scanned the surroundings.
"I'll head down that street! You follow me, and the rest of you fan out and search this area! Focus on the candy and confectionery shops! Nang-nang, contact the main house and request backup!"
"Young Master! It's dangerous!"
"I'm armed and I'm not going alone! I'll be fine!"
"No, that's not it... Wait, Young Master!"
"If we don't find her, we're all dead anyway!!"
I meant it. If I lost the Young Heavenly Demon of the Demonic Cult on an outing I was leading, someone was definitely going to die.
Nang-nang was a goner for sure, these guards would have their meridians severed at the very least, and honestly, my own life would be hanging by a thread.
They might not kill a member of the direct lineage over this, but my standing within the family would be utterly destroyed. My beautiful "Superstar Youngest Son" project would go up in smoke.
Realizing the gravity of the situation, Nang-nang looked at me with worried eyes before turning around with a hardened expression to run.
"If anything dangerous happens, make a scene! The Prefect of Shuntian is a close friend of the Young Family Head!"
"Can't that guy help search for a missing child?!"
"Stop talking nonsense and go!"
We scattered, sprinting through the market streets of West Gate Great Avenue.
The street was so packed that you had to force your way through the crowd.
People traveling to and from Beijing usually chose one of two routes: Guangqumen, which sat along the Grand Canal, or here, Guang'anmen, which stretched inland.
Guangqumen was more of a docking point for logistics. Merchants moved through there and big deals happened, but the market wasn't built for commoners.
On the other hand, Guang'anmen was where the common folk who couldn't use water transport gathered. Naturally, a market formed, making it a "hot place" with plenty to see.
In modern terms, this was basically the Gyeongridan-gil of its time.
It was the easiest place to reach from the Peng Family in Hebei, and because there was so much to do, coming here was my fatal mistake.
There’s a reason elementary school trips focus on historical sites. If you let kids loose in a crowded market, nine out of ten will run off—and if that market is in China, those nine will become missing children!
Am I not also a seven-year-old kid? A sharp observation.
However, if a seven-year-old kid is wearing the martial robes of the Hebei Peng Family with a great saber slung across his back, no one in the lands of Hebei would dare lay a finger on him, even if he were alone.
Anyone with that much guts had already been wiped out by the Dragon Slaying Alliance.
Within the territory of the Hebei Dragon Slaying Alliance, there were no Orthodox sects. The martial society of Shuntian Prefecture was practically the private property of the Peng Family.
'This godforsaken Somalia of a place.'
First of all, there was no police force to report a missing child to in this era. In medieval times, police power belonged to the military, and the Imperial Army's main goal wasn't maintaining public order—it was maintaining authority.
The people? Even Confucius said the people were the foundation of the state, not its backbone. Worshipping the land as important is something only the Horde would do.
According to police data, the "golden time" for a missing preschooler is three hours. Considering this was medieval China, I had an hour at most. By this era's standards, half a shichen.
I couldn't even use information organizations. The Beggars' Sect was Orthodox, and the Hao Clan was a Black Path organization closer to the Unorthodox Faction. Regardless of which one I commissioned, I couldn't exactly advertise that the Young Heavenly Demon was here.
I had to find her myself. Within half a shichen!
"Have you seen a girl about my age wearing a black palace dress with red tassels?"
"Where does a brat get off talking to—ack, Young Master?"
"Just answer me."
"There are plenty of kids like that. I wouldn't know. Hehe."
The merchant, who was about to scowl and shout, froze and gave a weak smile the moment he saw my martial robes.
Shuntian Prefecture was a land where even the commoners recognized the Peng Family's uniform. This was a world where your clothes, attitude, and speech served as your identification.
Thanks to that, I was able to continue my investigation among the market merchants with the proud status of a Peng Family young master.
Eventually, the owner of a candy shop thought for a moment before nodding.
"Now that you mention it, a young lady fitting that description did pick up some sugar-coated pills and left a while ago."
"Which way did she go?"
"I'm not entirely sure... She went down that alleyway, but since the men from the Black Dragon Gang paid for her, I naturally assumed she was with them..."
"The Black Dragon Gang?"
"They're the Black Path... er, I mean, the local heroes of this area. Oh boy!!"
I immediately slammed a silver coin into the merchant's stall.
Thanks to my training with the Iron-Shattering Hammer, the silver was embedded deep into the wooden board. I saw greed flicker in the merchant's eyes as he stared at the silver.
"Where can I find those bastards?"
If they were a Black Path gang in Shuntian Prefecture, they had to be part of the Dragon Slaying Alliance. It was actually better if they were the ones who took her. I could control them.
The merchant quickly pried the silver from the stall and tucked it away before speaking.
"If you go straight down that alley, you'll see a large gate with a black dragon painted on it. It won't be hard to find... hehe."
"I don't need a guide. Keep the change as an information fee, and keep your mouth shut."
"Of course, Young Master!"
I didn't even wait for the merchant to finish before I turned and ran.
"You. Go ahead and... wait, where the hell did he go?"
Unbelievably, the guard who had been following me had also disappeared.
Long live medieval China, a place that just keeps on giving. Now I was a lost child too.
"Dammit, just you wait until I get back."
The Tiger Hunting Battalion was going to be out of business once I returned. Leaving a direct descendant alone in a market? Still, I couldn't just sit here crying like a normal lost child.
The milk was already spilled; I had to go to the Black Dragon Gang.
If you're wondering if I was scared to run alone into a Black Path gang's hideout full of cutthroats as a seven-year-old, that's a sharp point.
Of course I was scared.
I was scared of the fallout if Hwa-yeong went missing. The relationship between the Demonic Cult and the Peng Family would be irreparably damaged, and Nang-nang and I would be the ones held responsible. Nang-nang would surely be killed or have his meridians destroyed, and I would lose all standing in the Peng Family.
I couldn't accept that future.
As I ran with these thoughts, I eventually saw a two-story pavilion nestled between alleyways where the foot traffic was thinning out.
A gate with a crude painting of a black dragon. The Black Dragon Gang.
Sure enough, I saw the characters for "Black Dragon" written beside it. I don't know why these Black Path bastards love names like that.
I took a deep breath and tensed my entire body.
My dantian pulsed with my breath.
Guan-yuan, Qi-hai, Yin-jiao, Zhong-fu, Xia-bai, Chi-ze, Qu-chi. I gathered my internal energy, imagining the constellation of meridians along the twisted Chong Channel.
Creeeak.
The sound of metal twisting came from my fist as I gripped my gauntlet. It was a sound one would never expect to come from the body of a seven-year-old.
This was the result of a descendant of the Hebei Peng Family training while consuming the family's elixirs.
I focused that power into a single point.
I twisted my waist, arching my body like a bow to draw out the lightning. My internal energy, which had been wavering, transformed into a sharp awl and rushed toward my fist.
At that exact moment, I struck. My gauntleted hand slammed into the gate.
BOOM!!
The Iron-Shattering Hammer. It was the most powerful "knock" I could manage.
Through the splinters of wood, I saw men in black looking this way in shock.
The Unorthodox warriors of the Black Dragon Gang—every one of them an adult with a face scarred and sinister.
"What the hell is this brat?"
"Are you crazy, kid? Do you know where you are?! Where did you crawl out from?!"
None of them had drawn their swords yet. They probably couldn't decide if they needed to draw steel against a kid who barely reached their waists.
I took a deep breath and shouted.
"I'm from the Great Hebei Peng Family, you bastards."
I stepped over the broken pieces of the gate.
"Where are you hiding my fiancée?"
Slowly, I rested the great saber Peng Jeon-gun had secretly given me onto my shoulder. I wasn't technically allowed to carry it yet since I had just started learning the Hunyuan Saber, but he had given it to me anyway, saying he couldn't let a direct descendant of the Peng Family go out unarmed.
"I am Peng Hyeon-hwi. I am the direct grandson of the Blade Emperor, Bloodhound Asura Peng Ik-jin, one of the Three Venerables of the World, and my father is the Mad Blood Saber Demon Peng Wi-cheon. Do you dare remain standing instead of kneeling?"
"The... the Peng Family's direct lineage...!"
Confusion and fear spread among the Black Dragon Gang warriors. Three of them quickly exchanged glances.
"Nobody said anything about a direct descendant! Are we... are we busted?"
"Shit. Busted or not, what does it matter? You knew there was no turning back once we took this job!"
"I didn't expect a direct descendant to just pop out, you idiot!"
"Who the hell is that girl that a direct descendant would show up? Did the Boss mess up the job?"
"Hey, first... first, block the door!"
One of the men in black in the corner slunk toward the space behind me. He stood with his back to the shattered gate, looking down at me.
Did these guys really intend to make enemies of the Peng Family and the Dragon Slaying Alliance?
"Um, Young Master?"
The rough-looking man at the front gave me a weak smile.
"Did you perhaps... come here alone?"
"Do you dare try to intimidate me?"
"You did come alone."
Shring. The men in black surrounding me drew their swords in unison. Sabers and short swords gleamed ominously as they closed in.
As the men moved, I finally saw Hwa-yeong through the gaps, gagged and struggling.
Thank god. She's still okay.
That was my first thought, and a smile escaped my lips despite myself. It seemed I had succeeded in finding the missing child.
Tears welled up in Hwa-yeong's eyes as she spotted me.
"We were planning to leave anyway! They said they'd give us gold just for killing a boy and bringing the girl! Get it together, everyone! Even if he's a direct descendant, we just have to bury him!"
"B-but if we kill a direct descendant, the Hebei Peng Family will..."
"Do you think those high and mighty people care about guys like us? Think about who gave us this job!"
"Yeah, I'm curious about that too."
I asked the men who were whispering among themselves. I was genuinely curious. I couldn't help but wonder what kind of incredible backing they had to dare attack a direct descendant of the Peng Family in the heart of Hebei.
Isn't curiosity a child's privilege, after all?
"Tell me."
"It seems you don't understand the situation you're in..."
"That's why I'm trying to understand. Tell me. Who is it?"
The man's face contorted at my question. He gripped his sword and stomped toward me, looming over me.
"Ask that in the afterlife!!"
The blade swung straight down toward my head. It was the fastest and easiest move to use against a child much shorter than himself.
Naturally, I had expected that linear attack.
Clang!!
The blade was deflected by my gauntlet.
The Heart-Protecting Fist. A martial art designed to scatter an enemy's offensive and penetrate their guard to close the distance. The successors of the Hebei Peng Family learn the Heart-Protecting Fist first and most thoroughly among their introductory arts. I was no exception.
And then.
CRACK!!
"Guaaaargh!!"
The Iron-Shattering Hammer. I closed in and unleashed my power on the man, who was wide-eyed and trying to retreat, never imagining his attack would be blocked.
An offensive move with absurd efficiency that allowed even a seven-year-old's body to shatter a log. And a human body is almost always softer than a log.
Crunch.
I felt his ribs shatter.
I had realized it from his very first attack—this guy's martial prowess was nothing special. Third-rate at best. Everyone here was the same.
How strong am I? Good question.
Usually, someone who has just entered the path of internal energy is considered third-rate, but at my age, people don't even bother measuring martial prowess. It's meaningless.
However, a direct descendant of the Hebei Peng Family can easily face a master one level higher than their supposed rank, regardless of what that rank is. At this level, innate strength is almost everything.
Of course, no matter how strong I was, it didn't mean I was stronger than a full-grown adult. But even if a child stabs you, if the blade goes in, you die.
Shring.
The saber on my shoulder was lifted lightly. The great saber, which was almost the size of my upper body, rose without a tremor.
I loomed over the man who was doubled over, clutching his side. Like a Mountain Lord before the hunt, I crouched, ready to tear into the prey's throat.
THWACK!!
The Hunyuan Saber. It is the simplest and, at the same time, the heaviest of the Peng Family's inherited saber techniques. It teaches only one move—the downward strike—and marks the end of the introductory arts.
Splat!!
Blood erupted, raining down over my head. The blood flowing along the blade felt hot and sticky as it ran down my wrist and soaked my forearm.
In the midst of it, I pushed the collapsing man aside and turned my gaze toward the other warriors.
"You really took the Hebei Peng Family for a joke."
Panic filled the men's faces. They had never imagined a warrior could be killed by a mere seven-year-old brat.
In the background, I saw Hwa-yeong's pale face.
"Come. I'll show you that age doesn't matter to a Peng Family warrior once he has drawn his blade."
"Y-you brat...!"
"Get him!! Everyone attack at once!! Kill him!!"
As the men rushed at me, foaming at the mouth.
Left foot one step forward. Body tilted slightly, right foot back.
A slouching posture that a third-rate bandit might use, resting the saber casually on my shoulder.
The Mountain Lord's Stride.
With the bearing of the King of the Mountain issuing a command.
"Those Tiger Hunting Battalion sons of bitches."
I let out a sigh and raised my gauntlet.
I had killed a person at age seven.
And surprisingly, it looked like that score was going to go up a bit more today.
This wasn't in my plans, but it was something I had always vaguely considered. Learning how to swing a blade ultimately means learning how to kill.
If it's a matter of being early or late, I can only say that the Hebei Peng Family's early education was a bit excessive.
Crunch!
I thought to myself as I was sprayed with blood once again.