I Kidnapped the Youngest Daughter of the Sichuan Tang Clan Chapter 84

After rejecting Seo Mun-Hwarin’s proposal for the second ti, sothing about her deanor changed.

Thanks to the unexpected distance she had covered while carrying , we had so breathing room. Instead of imdiately leaving the cave, we decided to explore further, hoping to locate a village.

We couldn’t live in the mountains forever.

I had brought so Fasting Pills, given that this whole abduction was sowhat pre-planned, but…

There was nothing in the way of basic necessities.

That was why we were retracing Seo Mun-Hwarin’s path, relying on her mory.

"Ah!"

Suddenly, Seo Mun-Hwarin spotted sothing, her short legs carrying her swiftly toward the bushes. A mont later, she returned with a handful of red berries.

"Look at this!"

"What is it?"

"Raspberries! They usually ripen until early sumr, so they should be hard to find by now… but it looks like so were still clinging on a little longer!"

Seo Mun-Hwarin bead, delighted at the unexpected find. She extended her hand, offering so of the berries.

"It’s not much, but let’s share."

"Thank you."

I gave her a small nod before taking turns eating the berries with her.

"You seem to know quite a lot about wild berries. I recognize raspberries when I see them, but finding them in the mountains is a different matter entirely."

"Hmm… Perhaps it’s because I used to eat them often."

"You an back when you were still in the Seo Mun Clan?"

"Indeed. Whenever I wanted to avoid martial arts training—or studying—I would sneak away to a small hill behind our estate. I’d snack on these to stave off hunger."

So it wasn’t just about the taste; it was a food tied to her mories.

We continued chatting as we walked along the mountain path. Eventually, only one raspberry remained, and since it was Seo Mun-Hwarin’s turn, it should have been hers.

However, she hesitated, staring intently at the lone berry. Then, as if making so grand decision, she squeezed her eyes shut and thrust it toward .

"T-This one is for you!"

"Huh? But don’t you like these?"

"I’ve already had plenty! And besides…"

She paused for a mont before continuing with a solemn expression.

"A mother should always want her child to have more to eat, should she not?"

…She still hadn’t given up on this.

I stared at her in disbelief, but she smirked and began waving the raspberry in front of .

"This is the last one. If you miss it now, you won’t get another until next year. However, if you agree to beco my son, I just might give it to you. Well? Would you like to beco Seo Mun-Hwi?"

"No thanks. You should just eat it, Senior Seo Mun-Hwarin."

"Ah! How heartless! But… if you insist, I suppose I have no choice. I shall eat the last raspberry myself."

She pouted for a mont but ultimately popped the berry into her mouth, a satisfied smile forming on her lips.

Despite what she had said, she must have felt a little reluctant to give it up, knowing it was her last one for the year.

I simply shook my head and continued walking.

At the ti, I didn’t know.

That this was only the beginning.

We had to walk quite a bit, but we finally managed to spot a village in the distance.

It was small, and there was no way rumors about Seo Mun-Hwarin and had spread this far yet.

The plan was simple—hide her distinctive white hair, enter the village, and rent a room.

But…

"I wasn’t expecting an inn, but I didn’t think there wouldn’t be a single spare house or room either."

"Even in a small village, there’s usually at least one empty place. Unfortunate."

With nowhere to stay, and since it was too late to return to the cave, we ended up borrowing a barn and so bedding instead.

A handful of copper coins was all it took to convince the owner.

After sweeping out the dust and spreading out our bedding, I decided to loosen up my stiff body before bed by swinging my sword in an open clearing behind the barn.

That was when—

"Ahem, ahem."

"?"

Seo Mun-Hwarin suddenly appeared, clearing her throat conspicuously.

She gazed off into the distance, speaking to herself as if she weren’t really talking to .

"Haa… I suppose that since I focused on fist techniques, the Seo Mun Clan’s swordsmanship will be lost with ."

"…What are you going on about?"

"Ah… To think that the renowned sword techniques of the Seo Mun Clan will fade into obscurity like this… As the last true heir of the clan, as a martial artist, this is truly lantable."

"If you’re bored, just go to sleep."

Seo Mun-Hwarin flinched at my blunt remark but quickly pretended nothing had happened and continued her exaggerated monologue.

"It would be nice if soone could inherit it, but I can’t just pass it to anyone… Maybe if it were my adopted son."

…Was she seriously using martial arts to bribe into becoming her adoptive son?

I unconsciously made a strange expression and paused mid-swing.

Sensing an opportunity, Seo Mun-Hwarin began speaking faster.

"Sigh… Even though you’re impressive for your age, watching you practice those techniques… sotis it’s frustrating. I might not use a sword, but I certainly know how to fight better than you. I’d love to give you so advice, but… it’s improper to do so for soone who isn’t my child."

"…"

…And now she was offering personal martial guidance as an extra incentive.

The funny part was that I had already experienced all of this before in my past life.

Seo Mun-Hwarin had personally taught martial arts, and I had learned the Seo Mun Clan’s techniques under her guidance.

Back then, I knew she held Ironblood Hall, and especially Seol Lihyang and , in high regard…

But I hadn’t realized she saw us as family-level close.

I smirked slightly and resud swinging my sword.

"Maybe I’ll consider it if I ever hit a wall. But for now, I don’t think it’s necessary."

"Grrr…!"

Seo Mun-Hwarin let out a strange, frustrated growl, clearly irritated that things weren’t going her way.

Her not-so-subtle attempts at persuasion continued.

The next morning, as we traveled further away from the Murim Alliance, she would rush over whenever she saw sothing nice and offer it to as a gift—most of the ti, they were nothing more than smoothly polished stones.

In the next village, when we found an inn, she would "coincidentally" appear during my training sessions, offering advice—but only up to a crucial point before stopping.

And when I was ditating, focusing on my breathing techniques, she would creep up behind and whisper in an ominously hushed tone,

"Do you desire power…?"

***

Eventually, I had enough.

I firmly tapped Seo Mun-Hwarin on the shoulder, eting her expectant gaze with a serious expression.

"Sit down."

"At last…!?"

The hopeful look in Seo Mun-Hwarin’s eyes made sigh deeply.

"This is the third ti I’m telling you. I have no intention of becoming your adoptive son."

Seo Mun-Hwarin’s eyes trembled slightly at my unexpected words.

"W-Why not?! I give you the best of what I have, I offer to guide your martial arts, and though I haven’t said it outright, I fully intend to be a strong backing for you. You do understand what it ans to have a Flowering Stage martial artist supporting you, don’t you?"

"Of course, I do. And I still stand by my decision."

Seo Mun-Hwarin’s expression flickered with disbelief, as if she had just heard sothing incomprehensible.

In the end, the emotion that settled on her face was disappointnt.

"…Don’t tell you’re rejecting because I look too young?"

"That’s not it. I know your real age—why would your appearance matter?"

"…That makes it worse. Then what reason do you have to refuse?"

"Because I can’t be bound by the na Seo Mun."

"Bound? Are you afraid of being tied to my reputation? I—I won’t deny that I have a fair number of infamy attached to my na. If I were to revive the Seo Mun Clan, perhaps it would tarnish the honor of a once-proud orthodox lineage… Perhaps even bring trouble upon you."

She wasn’t wrong.

If word spread that Seo Mun-Hwarin was rebuilding the Seo Mun Clan, the world would rember it as a sect of the unorthodox path.

In my previous life, Seo Mun-Hwarin despised that idea.

That’s why she never taught the Seo Mun Clan’s martial arts to anyone.

That’s why she never claid the title of clan leader.

To her, the Seo Mun Clan had perished, and she was rely the last remnant of a na that would fade into history.

But now… it seed she had started longing for it once again.

As I stared at her in silence, Seo Mun-Hwarin trembled slightly before speaking again.

"But don’t misunderstand. I’m not trying to use you or the Tang Clan’s na to wash away my infamy. If that is the problem, we can keep the adoption a secret."

"I never once thought you were trying to use ."

"Y-You already understand what I want, don’t you? You were right. I’ve already seen more blood than one lifeti should allow… What aning is there in seeking more? Even if it isn’t imdiate, if I take my ti and prove I’ve changed, then… things will surely get better."

"That would take far too long, and I don’t think it would make much of a difference."

"It would be good for you as well, wouldn’t it? Becoming the Tang Clan’s son-in-law as an orphan must be difficult. Even though you seem to get along with Sowo… ehem, with Sowol, surely the rest of the Tang Clan isn’t so welcoming?"

It seed she was used to calling Tang Sowol "Unni," as she quickly corrected herself mid-sentence.

I simply shook my head.

"I get along well with my father-in-law. And while the Tang Clan is indeed insular and wary of outsiders, once soone is accepted into the family, they don’t impose the sa harsh standards on them."

"Guh…! T-Then what about martial arts?! If you beco my adoptive son, I’ll grant you the entirety of the Seo Mun Clan’s techniques! It might not be on the sa level as the Five Supre Clans, but the Seo Mun Clan’s swordsmanship was once regarded as just beneath them!"

…That was honestly tempting.

Before its downfall, the Seo Mun Clan had been a renowned sword sect.

Seo Mun-Hwarin herself had never learned swordsmanship, as she hadn’t been interested in martial arts as a child.

But that didn’t diminish the power of the clan’s techniques.

They weren’t divine arts, but at the very least, they were top-tier martial techniques—especially their swordsmanship.

Still, no was no.

I swallowed once, as if severing any lingering attachnt, and shook my head again.

"I’m sorry."

"Why are you so stubborn about rejecting ?! At least explain yourself properly!"

"Because even if you rebuild the Seo Mun Clan, you won’t achieve what you truly want."

"…What?"

Seo Mun-Hwarin blinked in confusion.

I t her gaze steadily and continued.

"What you desire isn’t simply to restore the Seo Mun Clan. Nor is it just about escaping the unorthodox path you beca entangled in."

"That’s…"

She knew it too.

She had likely struggled with that realization countless tis—through the agonizing self-reflection that had pushed her to reach the Flowering Stage, through the trials of Rebirth and Reverse Aging.

I had learned this about her in my past life—both from what she told and from the ti I had spent under her command.

But for Seo Mun-Hwarin, this wasn’t so new revelation.

She had rely lost herself in the sudden discovery that another had inherited her clan’s martial arts.

"Even without wealth or luxury, even if life is sotis difficult, you want a life where you can find happiness in small things. You want to surround yourself with good people and enjoy aningful relationships.”

"You want to live not as a warrior, not as a seeker of vengeance, but simply as a person—a woman."

Seo Mun-Hwarin clenched her lips shut, her gaze trembling as she stared at .

Her expression was different, yet sohow, I saw the Seo Mun-Hwarin from my past life overlapping with her.

Maybe that’s why—

I couldn’t help but relax my brow and smile faintly.

"The reason I want to help you is simple."

"It’s because if my master were in my place, he would have done the sa."

I paused, then reached out and gently grasped her trembling hand.

"And the reason I understand your desires so well…"

"…"

"Is because you and I… are the sa."

—

In my past life, I had once asked Seo Mun-Hwarin,

‘Why do you keep teaching ? Why do you treat so well?’

She had responded with a bitter smile.

‘Because you remind of myself. That’s why my eyes keep following you. That’s why I keep reaching out to you.’

Back then, I had only received her words.

Now, at last, I was able to return them.

A life forced into bloodshed. A path consud by vengeance, so much so that one forgets what lies beyond it.

But still… despite everything, we long for sothing more.

I smiled.

"Let’s be happy, together."

"Nngh?!"

Seo Mun-Hwarin’s face instantly turned bright red.

…Maybe I worded that poorly.