I looked at the Escort Guards.
They shook their heads at my gaze.
“Our top priority is your safety, Young Master.”
“I know.”
But how could I walk away after hearing a child beg for their life?
It’s not like I’m incapable of helping.
“Still, I want to save that child.”
Moved by my earnest plea, they nodded.
“Understood.”
“Please, make your safety the first priority. We’ll handle the rescue.”
“I have a good idea.”
I explained my plan to them. The two warriors hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
“That might be best.”
“The Division Head said your martial arts are at least Second-rate, so we’ll follow your lead—but don’t push yourself.”
“Got it.”
Soon, we headed toward the direction the child’s voice had come from, and encountered a group.
“Unorthodox Sect.”
Of course—it was them.
That nauseating feeling kept gnawing at me, though it was a bit more bearable than before.
Now that I think about it, Master did say it’d get better the more my internal energy grew.
There were four of them.
But none seemed especially strong.
That meant it was doable.
A child, who looked to be around seven or eight years old, was resisting their grasp.
“No! Where are you trying to take me?!”
“I said, somewhere very nice.”
“No! Please! Help me!”
“Hehehe, no one can hear you scream. This place is off the beaten path.”
He’s right.
That’s exactly why I came this way.
Suddenly, a question crossed my mind.
From the child’s tone and appearance, it was clear they’d been raised in a wealthy household.
So why were they wearing clothes made of coarse cloth, the kind commoners wear?
And judging by the fit, it wasn’t something forced on them.
Also, how could a child that young make it this deep into the forest alone?
Just then, Warrior Yeo Eung-am whispered to me.
“There’s a woman dead over there.”
I followed where he pointed and saw a woman collapsed on the ground.
She looked to have been stabbed in the back and killed, but unlike the child, she was wearing expensive garments.
Eventually, the men managed to subdue the child and tightly bound them with a rope made of rough-looking fabric.
“Ah, if only we could use Paralysis Powder or Sleeping Powder.”
“What can we do? I heard the kid’s constitution doesn’t respond to that stuff.”
“We’re done. Let’s go.”
“Move fast. If we’re late, those bastards’ll throw a fit.”
“They’re seriously shameless. Working with people like us.”
“How else would they pull off a public kidnapping?”
“True. This kind of work is our specialty.”
“Well, they’re paying us pretty well to keep our mouths shut, so let’s look forward to that.”
They turned to the dead woman.
“Let’s take care of her first.”
“Right. Thanks to her, we caught that little brat without a fuss.”
They dug a pit, dragged the woman’s corpse over, and sliced the tie of her jacket with a sword.
Their actions—typical of the Unorthodox Sect—were revolting.
I had to turn away.
When I did, I saw the two warriors next to me had eyes colder than ice.
They were waiting for the right moment.
I guess surviving in the murim really does require a cold edge.
Just as the Unorthodox Sect members were distracted and let go of their weapons, the warriors sprang into action.
Shhk!
Shhhk!
Lee Pil struck first, injuring them with hidden weapons.
The weapons embedded cleanly in their necks and wrists. His precision was far better than I expected.
“Damn it!”
“They noticed?”
“Looks like the Tang Clan caught wind!”
Their reaction to the hidden weapons was strange.
The Tang Clan? What do they have to do with this?
Still, that was the signal.
The two warriors charged at them, and the sound of blades clashing filled the air.
I took that chance and dashed toward the carriage with Palgap.
The plan I’d devised was to distract the Unorthodox Sect with the warriors while we rescued the child.
Palgap swiftly scooped up the child and ran to a safe spot.
In the meantime, the two Escort Guards defeated all four of the Unorthodox Sect members before I could even join in.
They’re more skilled than I expected.
No wonder Squad Leader Jo chose them for this mission.
“It’s over.”
“Thank you for granting my unreasonable request.”
“No need to thank us.”
“To be honest, we couldn’t turn away either.”
I turned to the child. At some point, Palgap had removed the ropes and gag.
“Are you alright?”
At my question, the child asked,
“Who are you? And what’s your connection to those men?”
Of course.
Just from the way they spoke, it was obvious this child came from a wealthy family.
“My name’s Eun Seo-ho. I work for the Eunhae Merchant Group. As for those men…”
I glanced at the unconscious Unorthodox Sect members tied to a tree and grinned.
“I’m the one who beat them down. Does that answer your question?”
“Then… you’re the one who saved me?”
“That’s right. You were crying for help. I heard you and came.”
Hearing that, the child solemnly cupped their fists.
“If what you say is true, I’m deeply grateful for saving my life. My family will properly reward you.”
I chuckled softly.
“That’s not necessary. I didn’t do this expecting a reward. I just saved you because it looked like you were being kidnapped.”
“Huh?”
“If you’ve got the ability to save someone in danger, then you should. That’s all.”
“Oh…”
The child seemed flustered by my words.
“But still, I want to repay you…”
“If you really want to repay me, then when you grow up and see someone else in danger, don’t turn your back on them—if you’ve got the ability to help. That would be enough of a reward.”
The child looked at me with sparkling eyes.
What… What is that?
Why are they looking at me like that?
“Anyway, we should report this to the authorities.”
At that moment, the child trudged over to a spot. They stopped in front of the woman’s corpse.
The child bowed their head in silent prayer.
I waited, then asked,
“Someone you know?”
“She was my nanny. They killed her in front of me.”
“…”
“Today, she said I should experience how commoners live, and dressed me in these clothes before we came out.”
I felt like I understood the whole situation now.
Those Unorthodox Sect bastards must’ve ordered the nanny to dress the child in inconspicuous clothes and bring them out.
But if he had a nanny, shouldn’t there have been an Escort Guard too?
“Where’s your Escort Guard?”
At my question, the child shook their head.
“I’m… not really sure.”
I sighed and walked over to the four Unorthodox Sect warriors.
Then I raised my foot and gave one a solid kick in the stomach.
“Guhk!”
“Feeling awake now?”
“Wh-Who are you…?”
“Doesn’t matter who I am. I’ve got a few questions.”
I saved the child, but I couldn’t let them go off alone not knowing what other dangers might be lurking.
Might as well make sure it’s safe to the very end.
“Hah! You think I’ll just answer—”
Right then, Yeo Eung-am unsheathed his sword and drove it into the man’s thigh in one swift motion.
Thud!
“AAARGH!”
Yeo Eung-am gave a pleasant smile.
“Guys like him only respond to pain.”
Seemed the stab worked, because the Unorthodox Sect member broke out in a cold sweat and spoke.
“Ask anything, please.”
“How’d you get to the child’s nanny?”
“Well… we kidnapped the nanny’s kid, and— AARGH!”
Yeo Eung-am twisted the blade still lodged in his thigh.
Truthfully, I’d wanted to do that myself…
“Good job.”
I praised him and turned back to the Unorthodox Sect warrior—no, the kidnapper.
“Then how’d you get rid of the Escort Guard?”
“They created a distraction on purpose…”
“You mean they set up a diversion to make the Escort Guard lose track of the target?”
“Y-Yeah, that’s right. Hehehe. So if I’ve answered everything, could you please take the sword out…”
“One last question.”
“A-Anything!”
“Who ordered this?”
“What?”
“Someone put you up to this, didn’t they?”
He couldn’t answer—just kept sweating bullets.
“Looks like we’ll need a bit more blood.”
As the silence dragged on, Yeo Eung-am twisted the sword in his thigh again, no mercy.
“GAAAAH!”
At last, the man screamed and confessed.
“Lu… Luminous Sect (炯人們)…”
What?
Did he say… Luminous Sect?
That’s a name I remember.
To be sure, I asked the child,
“Are you by any chance a child of a major clan?”
They looked a little wary as they replied.
“Y-Yes, but… how did you know?”
“That’s just basic deduction, if you look at a few details.”
In this context, the “major clan” in question clearly refers to the Sichuan’s Tang Clan (四川唐家).
They’re unrivaled when it comes to hidden weapon techniques.
That explains why, when Lee Pil used his hidden weapon, they shouted, “Looks like the Tang Clan caught on!”
It was a knee-jerk reaction.
And there’s another thing the Tang Clan is known for: poison.
Their territory in the west is filled with dense, untouched forests.
That’s how they mastered the use of poisonous insects and herbs.
They’re even famous for deadly poisons like the Three Steps Intestine-Severing Powder (三步斷腸), which is said to kill a man in three steps.
That’s why they didn’t use Paralysis Powder or Sleeping Powder on the child.
When it comes to poison, the fundamental rule is to poison the target without getting poisoned yourself.
To that end, children of the Tang Clan are raised from a young age to build up resistance to toxins. There’s no way something like that would work on them.
If they used a strong enough dose to actually affect the child, they’d risk killing them. That’d be a problem.
Still, the child hadn’t fully let go of their suspicion.
As expected of a high-born heir from a prestigious martial clan.
I remembered something Zhuge Yu-ah once told me.
That they’re trained to never let their guard down—against anything or anyone.
Then, one specific piece of information came to mind.
Children from major clans like this often had an identifying mark tattooed on the inside of their arm at a young age.
It was a way to confirm their bloodline should something ever happen.
“When I was rescuing you earlier, I saw it. The tattoo on the inside of your arm. That’s a Tang Clan mark, isn’t it?”
“Ah…”
“That’s when I knew for sure.”
Only then did the child lower their guard and bow their head.
“I see. I apologize for doubting you.”
“No need. That’s exactly what you should’ve done.”
Meanwhile, I sighed inwardly.
There was no doubt about it now—the child in front of me was from the Tang Clan.
Kidnapping.
The Tang Clan.
And the Luminous Sect.
With those three things together, I knew exactly which incident I’d stepped into.
One day, the cherished youngest son of the Tang Clan’s Clan Lord went missing.
The Tang Clan searched all across the Central Plains, and even sent requests for help to every merchant group.
That’s how I came to know about the case.
Five years passed.
Still no child. Everyone had started to lose hope.
Then, the Murim Alliance raided a sect called the Luminous Sect.
The charge? Human trafficking.
Though the Luminous Sect claimed to be part of the Orthodox Sect, they were actually an Unorthodox Sect group in disguise—guilty of many crimes, human trafficking among them.
And that’s where the Tang Clan’s missing youngest son was found.
They’d kidnapped him.
The Murim Alliance not only returned the boy but also compensated the Tang Clan with a number of lucrative rights and assets to help them recover from the losses.
Naturally, the Tang Clan became a loyal supporter of the Alliance.
But the truth was, the Luminous Sect had actually been created by the Murim Alliance itself.
I found that out during an investigation into the Baekcheon Merchant Group, which had once competed with us.
I confirmed it then.
The Baekcheon Merchant Group and the Luminous Sect were connected.
In other words, the Luminous Sect was a puppet sect secretly established by the Murim Alliance.
That means this whole kidnapping incident had been staged by the Alliance to gain the Tang Clan’s support.
So now… did I just sabotage their entire scheme?
Well, can’t say I’m not a little satisfied.
I decided to escort the child home personally.
Originally, I was going to hand him over to the authorities, but now that I knew the Murim Alliance was behind this, I couldn’t risk it.
Once they realize the kidnapping failed, they’ll definitely try again.
No way I’m letting that happen.
I had to take him home myself.
The fact that they had to threaten the nanny into going through with it meant they hadn’t fully infiltrated the Tang Clan yet.
At least the household itself should still be safe.
Besides, it’s on the way.
I looked at the Tang Clan child and said,
“Alright, let’s get you home.”
–TL Notes–
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