Having recovered Golden Toad, Chu Jeongsan wrote us a letter of introduction before immediately departing with his escort guards.
We, too, finished our slightly delayed meal and prepared to resume our journey toward Wuhan City.
However, there was one significant difference this time.
“It looks like we’ll be traveling together for a while. Please take care of me, Lady Seo.”
“Oh! Since we’re staying at the Golden Flower Merchant Guild’s inn, that makes sense. I’ll be in your care as well!”
Seo Mun-Hwarin had officially joined our group.
Since the primary goal of this Dragon and Phoenix Gathering was to pull Seo Mun-Hwarin away from the Black Lotus Sect and into the Tang Clan, this development was a fortunate one for me.
She was clearly delighted, even hopping lightly in place.
She must have felt that she was taking another step toward the life she had dreamed of—a normal, human life.
“This is your first official step into the martial world, isn’t it? There must be a lot you don’t know yet. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.”
“You’re participating in the Dragon and Phoenix Gathering too, right? You look a bit younger than me… Even if your sect is a secret, surely your age isn’t?”
The two of them bombarded Seo Mun-Hwarin with curious questions, their eyes shining with interest.
Tang Sowol seemed excited at the chance to finally act as a kind senior martial artist, helping a junior—a role she had lamented missing out on for the past three years.
Seol Lihyang, on the other hand, was simply thrilled to meet someone close to her age and skill level for the first time since learning martial arts.
But I knew the truth.
Seo Mun-Hwarin wasn’t just some naive newcomer to the martial world.
She was once White-Haired Rakshasa, a name that had shaken the entire Central Plains with terror.
Despite her youthful face and petite frame, she was, in reality, a Flowering Stage martial artist who had long surpassed the age of fifty.
While the others enjoyed their conversation, I found myself in an awkward position, unable to laugh along.
Seo Mun-Hwarin, though flustered, answered their questions one by one.
“Uh, um… Then, may I ask about the Dragon and Phoenix Gathering? I decided to participate, but I don’t know much about it. And my age… I am s-sixteen.”
“Pfft—!”
I barely managed to stifle my laughter, clamping a hand over my mouth.
Tang Sowol, noticing my sudden reaction, turned to me with concern.
“Brother Cheon? Are you alright?”
“Ahem. I’m fine. I just choked on my saliva. Pay it no mind.”
“Well, as long as you’re okay…”
Though she still looked puzzled, she let it go.
Meanwhile, Seo Mun-Hwarin, who clearly had many reasons to feel guilty, sighed in quiet relief.
How was I supposed to react to this?
It felt like seeing a different side of my master and parental figure—one I probably wasn’t meant to witness.
While I was lost in thought, Tang Sowol clapped her hands together with a bright smile.
“Oh! Speaking of which, we got so caught up in other conversations that we never heard about Jiangxi Province.”
“Oh, that’s right! Well, let’s see… Since we still have a long way to go before reaching the next village, I suppose I can share a few stories.
Do you know why Jiangxi, unlike other provinces, lacks any dominant clans or sects worthy of being called its ‘overlords’?”
…Wait. Here? She was really bringing that up here?
The reason Jiangxi lacked any Five Supreme Clans or Nine Great Sects was simple.
Because Seo Mun-Hwarin—White-Haired Rakshasa—had completely overturned the province over a decade ago.
The Seo Mun Clan, once a righteous clan, had been wiped out, leading to the rise of unorthodox factions.
But even those forces had eventually been exterminated by Seo Mun-Hwarin’s own hands.
As a result, only minor sects and small-scale factions remained, unable to dominate the vast province.
There was no doubt that Seo Mun-Hwarin had played a tremendous role in shaping Jiangxi’s current state.
And she was well aware of that fact herself.
…Well, considering that she had spent so many years in seclusion training, maybe she just didn’t have any other stories to tell.
Surely, she wasn’t just trying to casually insert her own history under the guise of talking about Jiangxi Province.
***
That night, after arriving at the next village without incident, we secured rooms at a decent inn.
It was then that Tang Sowol made an unexpected suggestion.
“We’ll be traveling together for a while, so wouldn’t it be better if we got to know each other better?”
“What are you getting at?”
“I mean, let’s not just eat—let’s also have a drink tonight. Of course, Lady Seo should only have a little.”
“I don’t mind, but… Seol Lihyang, and, uh, Se— ahem —Rin. What about you two?”
For some reason, my tongue stumbled over Seo Mun-Hwarin’s new alias.
At first, she looked puzzled.
But after a few more times, she simply accepted it and nodded.
“I don’t mind.”
“I, too, am fine with it. B-But let’s not order anything too expensive…”
“You needn’t worry about that. I am a daughter of the Tang Clan, after all! I have plenty of money, so drink as much as you like.”
Tang Sowol puffed out her chest proudly, clearly excited about this.
No doubt this was another item on her list of things she wanted to do during her martial world journey—having drinks with newfound comrades.
Well, whatever.
She seemed to be enjoying herself, so that was enough.
And given her Poison Spirit Physique, she wasn’t likely to get overly drunk, either.
So I ordered a strong white liquor without much thought.
I really shouldn't have done that.
At first, it was fine.
We talked about the Dragon and Phoenix Gathering—how the grand prize this time was being offered by Shaolin Temple, making it highly likely that the legendary Great Rejuvenation Pill was at stake.
We discussed rumors about Wudang Sect’s rising genius, who had already been chosen as the next sect leader.
We even debated whether the Hwangbo Clan or the Jinjeon Clan would claim the title of Dragon of Authority this time.
It was an engaging and enjoyable conversation, filled with the latest martial world gossip.
But then, Seo Mun-Hwarin tilted her head and asked a single question—and that was where everything went wrong.
“There’s one thing I’m curious about. You two say you’re engaged, but how did that come to be? It doesn’t seem like a typical political marriage, since the Tang Clan is too prestigious for that.”
“…Are you implying my family name isn’t even worth mentioning?”
“A-Ah! That’s not what I meant! I just… I was simply wondering how it came about!”
Seo Mun-Hwarin flailed her arms in a panic, shaking her head so vigorously that her long white hair swayed in front of her face.
Tang Sowol, chuckling at the sight, took a sip of her drink before casually replying.
“Well, if I had to describe it… it’s not an arranged marriage—it’s closer to a kidnapping marriage.”
“…A kidnapping marriage?”
Seo Mun-Hwarin, still struggling to fix her half-messy hair, blinked and looked between us in confusion.
“…Just how brazen does one have to be to kidnap a daughter of the Tang Clan?”
“Hehe. Right? That’s what I thought too. But surprise! It really happened!”
“…What?!”
Seo Mun-Hwarin’s eyes went wide as she stared at me, even leaning back slightly, as if genuinely alarmed.
“Let’s get one thing straight—it was an inevitable situation. It’s not like I resorted to force from the very beginning.”
“Hmph. Cheon Hwi-da, skipping straight to kidnapping just because words didn’t work isn’t normal, you know? You did the same thing to me.”
“W-Wait a moment. Are you saying… this wasn’t the first time?”
“Mhm. It’d probably make more sense to hear Sister Tang’s story first, though.”
“That does seem logical. Then, after I finish, Lady Seo can tell her story to Seol—ugh, this is confusing. Your surnames are too similar. I’ve known Lady Seo for a while now—would it be alright if I just called you Sister?”
“Huh? I don’t mind at all! I already call you ‘Sister’ anyway, but you always call me Lady, and it felt a bit distant.”
“I suppose it became a habit. But I never meant to put distance between us. If anything, considering our similar circumstances, I’d love to treat you like a real younger sister.”
“Sister…!”
Tears welled in Seol Lihyang’s eyes as she trembled with emotion.
Meanwhile, Tang Sowol wore a suspicious smile—one that suggested everything was going exactly as she planned.
Seo Mun-Hwarin, unaware of any schemes, simply clapped her small hands together, moved by the touching moment.
…Honestly, what the hell was going on?
I took another sip of baijiu, only for Tang Sowol to casually extend her cup toward me.
Noticing it was empty, I poured her a refill without much thought.
She downed the entire drink in one go before continuing.
“Ahem. Now, back to the topic at hand. Lady Seo, let’s say you’d just embarked on your first journey into the martial world. Then, suddenly, a complete stranger—who looks much younger than you—shows up and tells you it’s too dangerous and that you need to return home immediately. What would you do?”
“…I’d at least hear them out first.”
“But would you actually go back home?”
“Unless it was a truly serious matter, or their words inspired trust, I wouldn’t turn back.”
Seo Mun-Hwarin’s voice was firm—once she made a decision, she rarely changed her mind.
But even she was taken aback by Tang Sowol’s next words.
“I said the same thing. And that night, I was forcibly subdued and kidnapped. When I woke up, I was inside a pitch-dark cave.”
“…What?!”
Seo Mun-Hwarin’s gaze snapped to me, as if she were looking at a legendary pervert.
This was so unfair.
“If you phrase it like that, what do you think that makes me?”
“A reckless kidnapper?”
“What kind of kidnapper unties their captive’s acupoints just because she complains, travels to the next village to buy food and furs, and even empties her chamber pot for her?”
“KYAAAH! W-Why would you suddenly bring that up?!”
“I wasn’t the one who started this conversation.”
I shook my head in disbelief.
Meanwhile, Seo Mun-Hwarin physically dragged her chair closer to Seol Lihyang, as if distancing herself from the dangerous criminal.
“…A chamber pot…?”
Her face twisted in visible discomfort.
Tang Sowol, laughing gleefully, waved a hand dismissively.
“Haha! There’s no need to be so alarmed, Lady Seo. If I only told half the story, it would sound strange, but Brother Cheon actually treated me quite well. That’s why we ended up engaged.”
“…Is that so?”
“Yes. Allow me to explain the full story.”
After taking a sip of alcohol to wet her throat, Tang Sowol launched into a detailed account.
Since she was the one kidnapped, rather than the kidnapper, she remembered everything far more vividly than I did.
Even I found myself entertained—so Seo Mun-Hwarin, who was hearing it for the first time, was completely absorbed.
Aside from the moment when she broke into a cold sweat upon mistaking me for an ancient martial arts grandmaster, she listened with fascination, nodding along in admiration.
As the conversation flowed, the atmosphere grew warm and lively.
We moved on to discussing how we had settled old grievances, how Seol Lihyang had attempted to coax Tang Sowol away, and how, when things didn’t go as planned, she had simply kidnapped her instead.
Now eager to share, Seo Mun-Hwarin cautiously spoke up.
“…This one has yet to experience much of the martial world, so there aren’t many stories to tell. However, I can share a tale… that happened to this one’s master.”
She was clearly trying to slip in her own past under the guise of someone else’s story.
But before she could even get started, Tang Sowol abruptly interrupted her.
“So, let me tell you something interesting about Brother Cheon…”
…?
Seo Mun-Hwarin froze mid-sentence, caught off guard.
Tang Sowol, however, continued talking as if completely unaware of the interruption.
It was then that I noticed something alarming.
She had already finished five bottles of alcohol.
And rather than expelling the alcohol’s effects, she was intentionally letting it spread through her system.
“…Why aren’t you neutralizing the alcohol?”
“Hihihi~ Because proper drinking etiquette means not suppressing one’s drunkenness~!”
“…Who the hell told you that?”
“Oh.”
A beat too late, I realized.
No one told her that.
She was perfectly capable of neutralizing alcohol—but she was choosing to get drunk, just so she could justify saying nonsense while intoxicated.
I really didn’t want to learn this particular lesson about Tang Sowol’s personality.
“So, where was I…? Ah! When I asked for food, Brother Cheon actually pulled out a fasting pill! And since I was already miserable being stuck in a cave, I got a little irritated and told him to repeat after me that a fasting pill ‘isn’t real food’… And not only did he actually repeat it, but he even did it in a way that was kinda cute, so—”
“Tang Sowol. Why don’t you flush out the alcohol? If you don’t, I can do it for you.”
“Ah, ah! Brother Cheon, you be quiet! I’m still talking!”
Squish.
Suddenly, she threw an arm around my shoulder, wildly flailing the other in the air.
I froze.
There was a noticeable difference in her physique.
Her poison glands—normally small and subtle—had noticeably swollen.
That alone made me too stunned to argue further.
I had no idea… that this was only the beginning of a nightmarish, never-ending drunken rant.