A Failed Rendezvous
Because he had deflected the dagger thrown by Dang Go-hye, the rogue wanted to feel pleased, but her smile made him uneasy.
"...Have you gone mad, as expected of a daughter of the Tang Clan?"
"Pfft, haha!"
Dang Go-hye didn't answer, only giggling. She simply pulled back her extended right hand, clenching it into a tight fist.
Just as the rogue sensed something was amiss and tried to back away—
"...?"
The dagger he thought he had deflected was spinning in a circle around him. Then, a suffocating tightness gripped his neck.
"...Thousand-Year Silk Thread!"
"You only just noticed?"
It was a rope dart made by tying Thousand-Year Silk Thread—a thread tougher than any other, so transparent it was practically invisible—to a pair of daggers. Anyone facing Dang Go-hye for the first time was bound to fall victim to this weapon.
The daggers had already wrapped around the rogue's neck twice. Before he could do anything, Dang Go-hye simply yanked hard on the Thousand-Year Silk.
"Gah...!"
As the taut silk thread began to constrict his throat, the struggling rogue glared at the two with a flushed, purpling face.
"Y-you cowardly...!"
"You're the one who attacked us first, you know?"
"Urgh... A wicked woman indeed."
"Spewing nothing but trash after attacking first. Young Master Man, what are you doing?"
With those words, Dang Go-hye scoffed in disbelief and raised her daggers even higher.
"Gurgle."
As the thread tightened even harder than before, the rogue's knees buckled beneath him.
With the rogue pinned and unable to budge, Man Hanseok squatted down in front of him and asked,
"Who are you?"
"Cough... Do you... think I would tell you...?"
"Are you really not going to talk?"
Man Hanseok wanted to dig up some information, but having never even witnessed an interrogation, there was no way he could pull it off properly. Seeing the rogue refuse to speak, Man Hanseok fell into deep thought.
What would Chef Yoon have done in a situation like this?
He usually walked around with a goofy grin, but he always showed a serious side when it truly mattered. There was no time for long deliberations. He needed to think of what Yoon Gomyung would do, and fast.
And then, Yoon Gomyung's voice echoed in Man Hanseok's mind.
You impudent centipede bast-a-a-a-ard!
To be precise, it was Yoon Gomyung's roar when he defeated the In-myeon-o-gong.
He had stuck to Yoon Gomyung like a brother for months, so he had no idea why this of all things was the first memory to pop up. But his mind was made up. Man Hanseok gritted his teeth and brought his spear down hard, aiming right for the center of the rogue's head.
Thud!
"...!"
Without even a chance to gasp, the rogue blacked out instantly.
Watching the rogue collapse backward, Man Hanseok stared at him with a tense expression and spoke.
"...Is he dead?"
At Man Hanseok's words, Dang Go-hye slowly walked over, daggers still in hand, and roughly peeled back the rogue's eyelids.
"Hmm..."
Examining his pupils, Dang Go-hye shook her head.
"He's alive. Just knocked out cold."
"Whew, thank goodness."
As Man Hanseok slumped down in relief, Dang Go-hye asked with a coy look,
"What if he did die?"
"Uh... then we wouldn't be able to find out who's behind this."
"They wouldn't tell us even if we asked."
"What?"
When Man Hanseok asked in bewilderment, Dang Go-hye replied in a casual tone.
"Do you really think a guy like this would spill his guts just because rookies like us asked?"
"If we try having a sincere conversation..."
"Ha! I'd rather have a conversation with an ant. A guy like this would stubbornly insist he knows nothing even if you pulled out his fingernails."
"Do you know how to pull out fingernails?"
"Who do you think I am, a professional torturer? Of course I don't."
If she can't even do it, why use that as an example...?
Setting aside Dang Go-hye's gruesome examples, it was clear that neither of them had any idea how to conduct an interrogation. No matter how much the Mutual Righteousness Academy taught them about the ways of the Murim, it certainly didn't offer classes on torture and interrogation.
Dang Go-hye pointed to the boy who had been watching everything from behind a tree.
"One thing is for sure: that boy is being chased by these people."
"Y-yes, but..."
"Then you know there's only one way forward, right?"
There was only one option. Man Hanseok and Dang Go-hye had to protect the boy. Mysterious martial artists were targeting this filthy boy hiding behind the tree. To find out why, they had to keep him safe.
"But what if he did something terrible to deserve this?"
"What could a kid running away barefoot possibly have done?"
Dang Go-hye pointed at the boy's feet. They were completely bare, on the verge of being torn to shreds.
Dang Go-hye ran through the possibilities, but there were very few crimes a boy this young could commit to warrant being hunted like this.
A thief? A swindler? An informant?
If the boy were just a thief who stole something, that rogue from earlier had been far too relentless. Moreover, the man had even managed to deduce that she was a daughter of the Tang Clan. A martial artist of that caliber would never be dispatched just to catch a petty child thief.
Although the boy hadn't revealed any secrets yet, it was obvious he was harboring something of immense value.
"But what if more of these martial artists show up? There will definitely come a point where the two of us won't be enough."
"That's why I prepared something extra."
The moment she finished speaking, Dang Go-hye pulled a small cylinder from her sleeve.
"Is there anything not hidden in your sleeves, my lady?"
Man Hanseok stared in fascination at her sleeves, which seemed like magic pouches capable of producing weapons and large cylinders alike.
"You'll get hurt if you try to pry too deep into a woman's secrets."
Dang Go-hye took out a pea-sized object from the cylinder and crushed it in her hand. The moment she crushed it, a fishy, indescribably subtle scent wafted into the air.
"What is that?"
"It's Ten-Thousand-Li Tracking Incense."
"What? Why use that all of a sudden...?"
"After I got caught completely off guard last time, my family gave this to me, asking how a daughter of the Tang Clan could be so helpless."
It was a special scent that allowed only members of the Sichuan Tang Clan to track whoever it was applied to, no matter where they were in the Central Plains.
Beckoning Man Hanseok closer with a flick of her finger, Dang Go-hye meticulously rubbed the Ten-Thousand-Li Tracking Incense from her fingers onto his collar and her own.
"Ugh, the smell..."
"Don't be such a baby. Can't you just bear with it?"
After applying the scent to herself and Man Hanseok, Dang Go-hye searched the pockets of the unconscious man on the ground, but found nothing of note. Except for one thing: a four-character tattoo engraved on the back of the rogue's hand caught her eye.
'Repay resentment with blood?'
It was an incredibly suspicious phrase. Dang Go-hye committed the four characters to memory and spoke to Man Hanseok.
"What do you want to do? Seeing how they targeted our two guards so precisely, even if we head down the mountain, that weirdo's comrades might be waiting for us."
"Are you asking me what our next move should be?"
"Of course! It's not a decision I should make alone, is it?"
Dang Go-hye snapped her fingers to get him to focus. Man Hanseok fell into contemplation.
We don't have many options...
As the terrified boy still hiding behind the tree stared at him, Man Hanseok sighed, scratched his head, and came to a conclusion.
"In any case, shouldn't we head somewhere with a lot of people?"
"The village at the foot of the mountain won't do, right?"
"That's just a tiny hamlet with a single corner store. A guy like the one we just knocked out could easily slaughter everyone in that village."
"So we need to head to a larger town, one that at least has government soldiers or a minor sect?"
"Yes. If there are plenty of witnesses, they won't be able to attack us so recklessly."
"Then let's leave right away. I have a rough idea of the geography."
Fortunately, Dang Go-hye had packed a map in her bags beforehand just in case they got lost. As Dang Go-hye took the lead, Man Hanseok reached out a hand to the boy.
"Here, take my hand."
The boy shook his head in panic.
"N-no, I can't!"
"Why not?"
At Man Hanseok's question, the boy hurriedly wiped his hands on his clothes. The dirt and grime covering his skin fell away.
"...Huh?"
His hands were completely purple.
Since there was no one in the Central Plains trying to collect five stones to wipe out half of all life in the universe, purple skin was always a terrible omen. He recalled something Wijiak had casually mentioned a few days ago.
'After people die, their skin temporarily turns blue. Or purple. You can even estimate the time of death based on when the skin changes color.'
Purple skin meant one of two things: he was either dead, or poisoned. Whichever it was, the situation was equally dire.
Ah, why does this keep happening to me...?
Man Hanseok's face contorted into a complicated grimace. Why couldn't he just have a peaceful, cozy time searching for toxic plants with Dang Go-hye? He felt as though the entire world was conspiring against him.
Three days after Man Hanseok's departure.
"..."
Her face flushed a deep crimson, Seonwoo Seol sat at the table with her head hung low, unable to utter a single word.
"Didn't I tell you? Don't just pick up and eat whatever is lying around on the table."
"..."
Normally, Seonwoo Seol would have snapped back with, 'People make mistakes!' but right now, she was utterly speechless. Why? Because up until five minutes ago, she had been clinging to me, showering me with every ounce of affection she could muster.
Not that I disliked it. In fact, I was quite pleased, but the problem was that Seonwoo Seol was an Absolute Master at the Peak Realm. Trying to pry off a clinging Seonwoo Seol, who refused to let go, had nearly been the death of me.
Hey, I said let go!
Mmm-mm. No. I'm not letting go.
Seriously, what is wrong with you?
I feel like once I go back to Xinjiang, I'll never get to see you again.
Ah, the Cult Mother told me to come with you when you return to Xinjiang!
I don't care. I want to stay stuck to you like this.
Behaving like a stubborn five-year-old, Seonwoo Seol had clung to me for a full fifteen minutes. She had suddenly blown into my ear and touched my body without hesitation. It was nice, sure, but the sheer bewilderment had far outweighed the pleasure.
After all, Seonwoo Seol was secretly a conservative Confucian girl at heart. She had never done anything like this before. In the Central Plains, even holding hands was a gesture reserved strictly for children or lovers. It was a blessing that people rarely visited the Inner Dining Hall Master's Office; if anyone had walked in on us, it would have been an absolute disaster.
Oh, and as for the reason she had clung to me and acted so lovey-dovey?
The chocolate sitting on the table was the culprit. I hadn't intended to eat it all myself; I was planning to give it to Seonwoo Seol along with a few warnings. Like me, Seonwoo Seol absolutely loved pairing her tea with sweet treats.
"You recklessly scarfed down four pieces of Jeogoryeongdang from the box all at once. How could you expect anything else to happen?"
"W-what kind of dessert has an effect like that...?"
"The problem is that this one does."
The mysterious property of chocolate that I had forgotten to mention earlier was, of course, its aphrodisiac effect. Modern people are so accustomed to sensory stimulation that they can easily devour thirty-one flavors of ice cream without batting an eye, but the reality was that people of the Central Plains were far more sensitive.
While modern folks wouldn't feel a thing after eating a few chocolates, the people of the Central Plains, who had a much lower tolerance for such stimulants, reacted quite differently. As an experiment, I had fed Gye-yeong half a piece of chocolate, and he had immediately burst into a nosebleed, completely succumbing to the aphrodisiac effect. Seriously, was chocolate some kind of aphrodisiac from an adult martial arts novel?
It was a relief there were no women around him at the time. If any of the kitchen ladies had been nearby, it would have been a catastrophe. For the record, the moment Gye-yeong started showing symptoms, I had chopped him on the back of the neck and knocked him out.
Even so, as a Peak Master, Seonwoo Seol seemed to be fine with one or two pieces, but she admitted her body started burning up from the fourth piece onward. The chocolate pound cake was fine because of its low cacao mass ratio, but pure chocolate used pure cacao mass, making its potency incredibly high.
As if recalling the affectionate display she had just put on, Seonwoo Seol buried her face in both hands.
"My chances of marriage are ruined..."
I pinched the bridge of my nose as Seonwoo Seol whimpered, her face scrunched up in mock despair. I mean, who told you to gobble them up like that? My own face grew warm, and I could only let out a sigh.
Suddenly thinking of her mother, Seonwoo Seol looked up with a worried expression.
"Wait a minute. Then what about the Jeogoryeongdang we gave to my mother...?"
"I wrote down the warnings on a piece of paper when I gave it to her, so she should be fine. Besides, the Cult Mother is a far greater master than either of us. Her detoxification abilities must be superior."
While ordinary people felt the full effects after just half a piece, martial artists who trained in internal energy seemed to possess a higher resistance. Of course, to me, a guy thoroughly desensitized by the modern world of Earth, it was just a delicious snack.
Still, I couldn't help but worry about what would happen when Jin Ranyeong returned to Xinjiang. The Heavenly Demon's "mandatory defensive battle"... now that was a terrifying thought.
"...Anyway, this is a secret."
"I have no intention of telling anyone either."
Setting aside Seonwoo Seol's marriage prospects, I was worried that chocolate would start claiming victims left and right. As we sat there in awkward silence, exchanging sheepish glances—
Patter-patter-patter!
The sudden, frantic sound of rushing footsteps echoed from outside.
"Is that the five-minute response squad?"
"The what squad?"
"Ah, the people who rush out whenever an emergency happens."
The footsteps drew closer and closer until they stopped right outside the Inner Dining Hall Master's Office.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Following a violent pounding, the door burst open.
"Are you the Inner and Outer Hall Master, the Three-Virtue Chef?"
He wasn't a servant of the academy. He was clearly an outsider.
"Who are you?"
"Forgive my intrusion. It's an emergency... I am from the Tang Clan."
"The Tang Clan?"
Seeing his frantic expression, any annoyance I had vanished. I gestured for him to speak quickly, and the Tang Clan martial artist stammered out his reply.
"Lady Gohye and Young Master Man have disappeared."
"What?"
"Rather, to be precise, they used the Ten-Thousand-Li Tracking Incense and then vanished."
Man Hanseok and Dang Go-hye?
In modern terms, what the Tang Clan martial artist just said was equivalent to them activating an emergency GPS beacon. There was no way they would have used the Ten-Thousand-Li Tracking Incense without a damn good reason. It was safe to assume they were in deep trouble.
"Using the Ten-Thousand-Li Tracking Incense means they're currently in hiding and want the Tang Clan to track them down, right?"
At Seonwoo Seol's clarification, the Tang Clan martial artist nodded. Seriously, it's not like they eloped. Why on earth did they suddenly use the tracking incense and disappear?
"Is there any other information?"
"Well... the two guards who were waiting for them were also found dead."
"...!"
What? This is a major crisis. If it were just some random third-rate unorthodox thugs, Man Hanseok and Dang Go-hye could have easily handled them. And who would dare touch them when Dang Go-hye of the prestigious Tang Clan was right there?
"We have deployed our martial artists to search for them. While we can take responsibility for Lady Gohye, we need someone who knows Young Master Man well. Three-Virtue Chef, please help us."
"Is the Poison Dragon also involved in this?"
"He is leading the operation on behalf of the Clan Leader."
If the Poison Dragon, Dang Mieon, was personally leading the charge in Hebei—a region with relatively decent public security—then this was a massive deal. Especially since Man Hanseok was involved, I absolutely had to step in.
"Then of course I must help. Hanseok is like a brother to me, and Lady Dang is practically family to us as well."
At my words, the Tang Clan martial artist clasped his hands in gratitude and urged me to follow him quickly.
"Are you coming too?"
"Of course I am!"
Seonwoo Seol nodded with an obvious expression, as if this was the perfect opportunity. So Seonwoo Seol was joining the party. Fortunately, I had prepared plenty of preserved rations for Man Hanseok beforehand. I had high-calorie pound cakes that could be stored for a long time.
"Where were they last seen?"
"I heard it was near the border between Hebei and Shanxi."
They went pretty far. And isn't that area highly mountainous?
"It's going to be difficult to find them."
"Indeed."
Seonwoo Seol spoke in a worried tone, and I replied with equal concern. Still, in situations like this, time was of the essence. I hurriedly packed my bags and set off after the Tang Clan martial artist.