Fleeing on the Blood Cult's River (1)
Thanks to that, the man's face came into full view at a glance. My first impression of him was simple.
'Fucking handsome.'
His features were so striking that you'd never forget them after one look. He wasn't burly like Hyeong Jeong-gakju or Uncle Moyong Jae, but his broad shoulders and lightly tanned skin gave off a magnetic charm. The woman was a cool beauty in her own right—no surprise if they turned out to be Sohee's parents.
The man shifted his gaze from me to the woman and asked casually, "Somi. Even if your master keeps quiet, if they know you're alive, it'll get messy. Is that what you want?"
"No."
"Right, then we'll take Sohee next time."
The man's lips curved up slightly as he spoke, giving off an eerie vibe.
'Is this guy nuts? Why's he smiling when he couldn't take his daughter?'
Even though both sides had acknowledged the kidnapping failure, the tension hung thick in the air.
'No way those two are just gonna leave quietly without Sohee.'
If they didn't take it out on us, we'd be lucky. The Tang Family escorts in the carriage were trembling like aspen leaves.
"Harder to break than the Heavenly Demon Net, huh? The Heavenly Division Spider Web?"
Spider web—that had to be the threads encircling us overhead.
'The ultimate technique Bi Yeon Pavilion Master invented herself?'
Her nickname Poison Insect probably came from her fighting style.
"You know poisons don't work on me."
Bi Yeon Pavilion Master didn't reply, just tautly pulled the thread from her fingertip. She only seemed mildly puzzled. The same woman who'd strong-armed even the Emei Sect leader.
The woman pointed her sword at Bi Yeon Pavilion Master and demanded, "So, where's Sohee? This breaks our deal."
Bi Yeon Pavilion Master bellowed in fury, "Why the hell would I honor a promise with you? If you want that child so bad, take her! I can't stand the sight of your spawn, that vile bloodline!"
'What the—?'
Her venomous words sliced through the air, but the barrage aimed at Sohee made my eyes water.
"What, I'm an easy mark but Myeongseok scares you? That's why you couldn't take her? No, right? Why would that bastard stop you from meeting Myeongseok?"
My chest tightened. A whirlwind of thoughts raced through my mind. Bi Yeon Pavilion Master was proud and never minced words—so those had to be her true feelings. My fists clenched at the realization.
"How could you say that about Sohee? What did she ever do wrong?!"
Betrayal toward Bi Yeon Pavilion Master boiled up inside me. From that conversation alone, she'd had no qualms handing Sohee over! And she knew about Sohee's origins? Even growing up under her father in Tang Family Village, no adult had recognized Sohee's talent? Looking back, it was suspicious. All the kids I knew had learned Tang Family Fist except Sohee. Maybe Bi Yeon Pavilion Master's influence made her the exception? As a major elder in our family, she could pull that off. If true, it was infuriating.
"Shall we get going?"
No sooner had the words left her mouth than she swung her sword. But Bi Yeon Pavilion Master's threads were tough—even the blade couldn't sever them. Instead, they elasticized and coiled around the sword?
'Internal energy! Each thread can be controlled individually!'
"You go first, Somi."
With the man's permission, the woman withdrew her sword from Bi Yeon Pavilion Master and shoved the poison threads aside with it. She slipped through the gap and fled gracefully. Her flesh was still sliced by the taut threads, though.
'Without poison resistance, she couldn't have escaped like that.'
A Tang Clan move, perhaps. I'd hoped for a show, but her quick exit left me baffled. Bi Yeon Pavilion Master didn't pursue.
She turned coldly to the remaining man. "So, you demon. You're all that's left. I'll deal with you myself."
It was the brightest smile I'd ever seen on her.
"Dang Mihee, if you want to fight me, I'd welcome it any other time—but not now..."
'Full Sky Flower Rain prep stance!'
I recognized it from the mirror ghost's forced demo. Bi Yeon Pavilion Master was layering Full Sky Flower Rain atop her existing poison threads, ready to unleash a storm of venomous needles any second.
The man reached out. The threads filling the space obeyed like a new master, gathering neatly into his grasp via void attraction. A mere wrist flick wound the poison threads around his hand—like twisting multiple strands into a single rope, dozens merging into one.
Whiiing—
A suspicious hum followed, along with a red glow. Bi Yeon Pavilion Master's response baffled me.
'What the hell? If you're bluffing with Full Sky Flower Rain, use something else!'
Even now, she hesitated. Despite her iron mask, there was reluctance. Like she couldn't go all out for some reason...
'Huh?'
Suddenly, my vision flipped. My legs were in the man's grip, hoisted upside down.
Her desperate cry echoed. "Yohwan—!"
"See you at Sama Family, then."
Those were the last words before my memory cut out. Turns out, things can go black even if you're not hit that hard.
The merchant ship sliced smoothly through the current, pressing onward silently. On the deck dyed red by the setting sun, a man and woman stood unfazed even as the boat rocked and spray dotted the planks.
As the woman stared holes into the man's hand, he continued his explanation. "Palm and fingers. Think about it. Throwing techniques focus on the finishing finger motion, right?"
"Do I still have that habit?"
"That's why you need to relax your fingers more. Or rather than relax..."
"Use the palm more..."
"Right now, it feels like you're just gripping with your fingers... Ah, is this from fist techniques?"
I had no clue what they were on about, but it was some serious instruction. I leaned back and looked up.
A goateed merchant approached. "Pardon if I'm interrupting your martial arts talk, but would your daughter like this?"
I had zero resemblance, so I glared.
'Come on, even in girl's clothes? How's this tough kid getting mistaken for a girl?'
With merchants like that, no wonder folks fall for scams!
'Wait, he's already scamming us.'
The man flashed exaggerated delight at the merchant. "Oh, thank you! Here, take this, sir."
Curious, I peeked—it was cheap junk snack we never ate back home. The goatee beamed at me, pleased.
"I've got a daughter waiting at home who keeps asking for these..."
"What are you doing, Sohee? Say thanks to the gentleman."
Prodded by the man, I unwillingly bobbed my head. For the record, pressure points kept me mute every few hours. These Sohee-less kidnappers were annoyingly thorough.
"You should find her a good match soon."
"Haha, yeah. She's a late bloomer at ten, but last time she said Dad's the best in the world."
Their friendly chit-chat and well-wishes only fueled my disgust. Blood Cult thugs playing nice guys? Sure, to hide their identities. But treating me like their daughter since they failed with Sohee? Utter madness.
Suddenly, the woman looked down at me. "Cold?"
If I was shivering, it was from the sheer gall of this fake-good couple. Fine for Sohee's mom, but her presumed dad? Shameless. He'd schmoozed most passengers already, chatting about hand techniques just now.
"Let's head in."
These villains had deep pockets, apparently. The cabin was cramped, but they'd snagged a room inside.
The real hardship was hygiene. Days without washing, human rights in the gutter. The room already reeked.
Reborn Chinese all this time, but now I felt fully Chinese.
"Gimme."
She pointed at the snack. "You weren't gonna eat that, right?"
I fumed at this villain snatching food from a kid. Sunset meant early evening, but no lantern made it dim anyway. The kidnappers watched me "sleep."
I turned away, eyes shut, when rustling started.
'Here we go again.'
She applied salve to wounds from breaking Bi Yeon Pavilion Master's whatever-net.
'I'm five, five-year-olds know nothing...'
I chanted it, squeezing my eyes shut.
'Can't have the tragedy of seeing Sohee's mom's bare body before Sohee's!'
She seemed oblivious to my age, but it was awkward for me.
'I'm five, five-year-olds know nothing...'
I repeated, eyes clamped.
'Can't see Sohee's mom's naked first!'
She lay beside me. In the gently rocking cabin, just one bed—of course. At least the man stayed out most nights, so no sandwiching.
Since boarding, it'd been just me and Aunt Somi.
'Woke up buried under blankets—she's got rotten sleep habits.'
Sohee slept meekly, but sharing with anyone else grated.
The wooden door creaked open. "No clouds tonight, stars are clear. Wanna get some air?"
'Smooth line...'
Gotta learn from Blood Cult someday. Vowed to stargaze with Sohee once.
"I'm good."
Aunt Somi closed her eyes again. "Yeah? Then just Sohee and me?"
Like scooping his real daughter, he hoisted me and left.
'What madness is this? Does he want this...?'
Too terrifying from such overwhelming power. Aunt Somi got hurt escaping the net but carried me off smoothly. Handling clan poison bare-handed? Probably Mysterious Realm.
Pressure point released—perfect chance to ask questions.
He chuckled at my hiccup, amused. "No need to tense up."
One-on-one with the beaming man. Knowing his identity, I wanted to dive into the Yangtze and chant "shoo shoo shoo" at the crocs.