I Kidnapped the Youngest Daughter of the Sichuan Tang Clan Chapter 80

—White-Haired Rakshasa, Seo Mun-Hwarin. Kidnap .

This was the best plan I could co up with.

I had no confidence in persuading Seo Mun-Hwarin. I also had no confidence in deceiving the Murim Alliance Leader.

So, the only thing left for to do was to overshadow this entire situation with an even bigger issue.

What mattered most was that Seo Mun-Hwarin did not join the Black Lotus Sect—that, no matter the trials ahead, she would not give up and would instead live a proper life.

Of course, upon hearing my sound transmission, Seo Mun-Hwarin reacted as if I had just exposed her greatest secret.

“Hiccup!”

Halfway up the Battle stage, she suddenly let out a hiccup.

Her wide, trembling eyes quaked as if an earthquake had struck her soul, her lips opened and closed soundlessly, and her fingers twitched, itching to clamp my mouth shut before I could say anything else.

Anyone could see that she was utterly flustered. But, as a master who had reached the Flowering Stage, she quickly regained her composure.

Her expression smoothed out, and soon enough, her lips moved as she replied through sound transmission.

—W-What nonsense are you speaking of? This one no idea what you an!

Oh?

So her face had cald down, but her mind was still in complete chaos.

Outwardly, she maintained her indifferent stance on the Battle stage, performing a proper bow. anwhile, she continued to send sound transmissions at a rapid pace.

—I know everything. And by the way, not only did you respond through sound transmission, but you also referred to yourself as ‘This one’ instead of this humble one.

—Nngh?!

Seo Mun-Hwarin smacked her own lips as if trying to punish them for their betrayal.

Her abrupt action drew the attention of both the referee and the audience. Realizing her mistake, she hurriedly perford another bow, pretending nothing had happened.

After that, the Murim Alliance master serving as the referee began explaining the rules of the Battle.

I only half-listened, letting his words pass through one ear and out the other, while I focused on sound transmission once more.

Since I could no longer call her the Ironblood Hall Master, and she disliked the title White-Haired Rakshasa, I figured the safest choice would be to simply call her senior.

It was just a pseudonym, but after traveling together for so long, I had gotten used to calling her by na.

—Senior Seo Mun-Hwarin . I understand this must be overwhelming. But please, for the sake of the ti we’ve spent traveling together, just listen to for a mont.

—Why are you speaking so formally? It’s creepy. And yes, I did slip up and call myself 'This One', but what does that have to do with this White-Haired Rakshasa nonsense? Sound transmission isn’t a skill exclusive to peak-level masters, you know.

She rubbed her arms as if trying to shake off an unpleasant chill.

Since she had outright referred to herself as a demonic cultist while denying it at the sa ti, it was clear she planned to feign ignorance until the end.

Technically, she wasn’t wrong—sound transmission required exceptional internal energy control rather than a high cultivation level.

But I had expected this much.

If I could have simply talked her into reason, I wouldn’t have needed this elaborate plan.

Since persuasion wasn’t an option, I had no choice but to set up a different strategy—one that involved getting kidnapped.

—If you want to feign ignorance, so be it. But just know this: I am aware of why you entered the Dragon and Phoenix Gathering.

—My na is Seo-rin, not Seo Mun-Hwarin. And my only purpose here is to gain experience and make a na for myself.

—As I ntioned before, the Murim Alliance Leader is seated in the VIP section above us. He is probably already suspecting you.

—And why should that matter? I am not this Seo Mun-Hwarin person, so I have nothing to hide.

—You may believe you can conceal yourself, but you will fail. Your identity will be exposed to the entire world, and you’ll be branded as a disgraceful fugitive with no place left to go.

—That’s a bit harsh, don’t you think?

She pouted slightly, looking rather dejected.

Now that I had made my point, I got to the real issue.

—That is why you must kidnap .

—What?!

—Your cover is going to be blown anyway. But if you take hostage and release after so ti, I can vouch for you. I can say that Seo Mun-Hwarin was a good person at heart.

—I told you, I am not Seo Mun-Hwarin. And besides, what difference would that make? A single person’s claim won’t overturn the entire murim’s judgnt.

—The murim as a whole? No. But the Tang Clan is a different matter.

Seo Mun-Hwarin had no intention of avoiding the Dragon and Phoenix Gathering.

Which ant she had no way to avoid the Murim Alliance Leader’s scrutiny.

When her identity was revealed, people would undoubtedly react with shock and condemnation.

And if she kidnapped —the Tang Clan’s future son-in-law—it would only make things worse.

But what if I returned unhard?

What if I claid that Seo Mun-Hwarin had helped rather than hard ?

What if I testified that she truly wished to leave her past behind and start anew?

Other factions might not believe , but the Tang Clan would.

Because I was already one of them.

The Tang Clan repaid both grace and grudges in full asure.

If I asked Tang Jincheon to give Seo Mun-Hwarin a chance, he might hesitate—but he wouldn’t refuse outright.

Of course, at first, they would be wary of her. Even if they provided her with accommodations, they would keep a close eye on her.

But I knew the truth.

I knew that Seo Mun-Hwarin was not the villain that murim rumors made her out to be.

Given enough ti, the Tang Clan would slowly co to accept her—just as they had accepted and Seol Lihyang after we left the Ironblood Hall.

—So, Senior Seo Mun-Hwarin . Kidnap . Leave the rest to .

The referee was almost finished explaining the rules.

The crowd’s excitent over the first match of the tournant was building.

And the Murim Alliance Leader’s suspicions were deepening.

It was ti for a decision.

Seo Mun-Hwarin subtly shook her head—so faintly that only I could notice.

—I appreciate the thought, but I told you, I am not Seo Mun-Hwarin. I am Seorin.

…Is that so?

She said nothing more and simply assud her stance.

Seeing her prepare to fight, I let out a bitter chuckle and sent one final sound transmission.

—But you will end up kidnapping .

If she had agreed willingly, that would have been ideal…

But if she refused to cooperate, I had no choice but to force her hand.

I squared my stance, making sure she saw my movents clearly.

Left foot forward, knees slightly bent.

The key was to keep my soles pressed to the ground while lifting my heels just a fraction—allowing to explode forward at a mont’s notice.

This stance had been adjusted to fit my style, incorporating elents of Ghost Shadow Steps—but its foundation was unmistakably Thunderclap Steps.

And if there was anyone who could recognize Thunderclap Steps, it was the person who had taught it to —Seo Mun-Hwarin herself.

At first, she seed uncertain. But then, her mouth fell open in shock.

“T-That’s…!”

The mont her stunned voice escaped, the match began.

Daaang!

I didn’t answer her.

Instead, I charged.

Kwaang!

The ceremonial gong rang loud enough for the audience to hear—

But an even louder boom erupted from beneath my feet.

A burst of internal energy propelled forward like an explosive cannon shot.

And it didn’t stop at just one step.

Kwaang! Kwaaang! Kwarung!

A series of internal energy bursts erupted beneath my feet.

It was Thunderclap Steps—or at least, sothing close to it.

The sound was a little dull, likely because it had been mixed with various other techniques.

Still, in terms of speed, it was nearly on par with the original Thunderclap Steps.

Four steps.

Just four steps were all I needed to cross the vast Battle stage and arrive before Seo Mun-Hwarin.

She still wore a dazed expression.

I took advantage of the mont, slashing upward with my sword, which had been hanging low at my side.

Sswaeek!

The blade, now wrapped in a crimson sword aura, shot toward her neck at blinding speed.

But—

Tap.

Seo Mun-Hwarin, her hand cloaked in an even darker crimson internal energy, casually struck my sword with a single palm.

My trajectory was instantly thrown off-course.

She had used only the bare minimum amount of fist energy to block, effortlessly inserting her hand into the sword’s path and deflecting it.

It was a blow that hadn’t even required her full strength.

Of course, that was to be expected.

She was a Flowering Stage martial artist—the very wall I had failed to surpass.

I had never intended to win this fight in the first place.

Ever since I lost my cultivation and had to rebuild from scratch, I had known all too well that insight remains, even when power is stripped away.

So victory was never my goal in this Battle.

My purpose was simple—to show her what I had inherited from her.

That alone would be enough to force Seo Mun-Hwarin into kidnapping .

“Where did you learn that footwork?!”

“You know exactly how to make talk, don’t you?”

I smirked and began swinging my sword in earnest.

A downward slash. A diagonal cut. A horizontal sweep.

There was nothing particularly flashy about my movents.

No extravagant techniques, no overwhelming force—just an unbroken series of basic sword strikes.

Yet, each one was aid precisely at her weak points. Each one followed the exact trajectory needed at the exact mont.

This naless sword art, like Raging Wave Death-Stealing Art, was an amalgamation of various sword techniques I had pieced together.

Ordinarily, such a patchwork style should have been crude and ineffective.

But thanks to my understanding—and Seo Mun-Hwarin’s teachings—it had beco sothing deadly.

Yes.

In a way, this was a sword forged from everything I had learned from her.

From the skills she had imparted to .

From the battles I had fought for her vengeance.

Seo Mun-Hwarin’s expression grew more and more conflicted as she deflected each of my strikes.

“This sword… Who taught you this?!”

“I can’t say.”

I shook my head slightly and pushed my internal energy even further, activating Raging Wave Death-Stealing Art.

The sword aura wrapped around my blade surged, expanding in size and unleashing a ferocious presence.

At the sa ti, I could no longer suppress the killing intent embedded within the technique.

A chilling aura, honed through countless battles and deaths.

Of course, for soone like Tang Sowol or Seol Lihyang—or Seo Mun-Hwarin—this level of killing intent was no threat.

It wasn’t about martial prowess.

It was simply that they knew why I had co to wield such an aura.

Still, for Seo Mun-Hwarin, the fact that I could wield restrained killing intent rather than raw, unhinged bloodlust seed to strike a different chord.

“…You’ve gone this far?”

Muttering under her breath, she reached out once more.

Just as before, she aid a fist at my sword path.

But this ti, sothing changed.

Even before our weapons physically clashed, our respective sword aura and fist aura t mid-air.

And at that mont—

Seo Mun-Hwarin’s crimson fist aura trembled, then took on a distinct form.

—Qi Manifestation.

A technique that only those who had reached the Flowering Stage could wield.

A symbol of absolute martial dominance.

Her manifested qi did not deflect my sword.

It pulled it in instead.

I didn’t resist.

Allowing myself to be drawn in, I stepped closer.

Seo Mun-Hwarin, her face still complicated, pressed a finger against my pressure point.

Tuk.

“…It seems you got your way in the end. Now, close your eyes for a mont.”

A surge of internal energy sealed so of my ridians.

My eyelids grew heavy against my will.

I could have resisted if I truly wanted to—but I didn’t.

My vision blurred.

In the distance, I saw the Murim Alliance Leader abruptly rising from his seat.

I saw Seol Lihyang attempting to rush onto the Battle stage, only for Tang Sowol to stop her.

Ah.

I had told Tang Sowol about my plan, but I had forgotten to inform Seol Lihyang.

Well, she’d figure it out soon enough.

With that last thought, my vision faded into darkness.