Bachelor Swordsmanship Remastered [EN]: Chapter 334

334. The Person in Charge

Il-Ayoung tilted her head, puzzled.

‘Was I rescued? While I was unconscious?’

The surroundings were so ordinary and even peaceful that such a thought crossed her mind.

Except for the fact that she was in a completely unfamiliar place.

‘Ah! Head Trader!’

Il-Ayoung remembered Head Trader Lee Ho-am.

She recalled someone shouting that the elder had been kidnapped.

Thud.

Il-Ayoung got off the bed.

She was still wearing her shoes, but she had no time to worry about that.

Rustle.

Il-Ayoung approached the door and cautiously surveyed the situation.

The door opened by sliding to both sides, but she couldn’t hear any sound from outside.

Slowly and carefully, Il-Ayoung opened the door.

Creak.

The sound of the door, which seemed unusually loud, made Il-Ayoung frown.

Swish.

A sharp blade suddenly appeared before Il-Ayoung’s eyes.

“Eek!”

Il-Ayoung screamed involuntarily and stepped back.

Two sharply honed swords blocked the entrance like a gate.

Il-Ayoung immediately understood the meaning.

She was still being held captive.

Swish.

In the meantime, the two swords disappeared to the left and right.

‘Tch.’

Startled, Il-Ayoung bit her lip.

She steeled her resolve and took another step towards the door.

Swish.

As expected.

The two swords blocked Il-Ayoung’s path again.

But Il-Ayoung didn’t scream or step back.

“What are you doing?”

Il-Ayoung looked to the side and spoke sharply.

Two warriors stood on either side of the door.

They were the ones who had drawn the swords.

“Who are you? Why did you bring me here?”

However, the warriors remained silent.

The warriors who had drawn their swords glared at Il-Ayoung with fierce eyes.

Even a strong man would feel fear, but Il-Ayoung was different.

“What? Why are you glaring at me?”

She is the daughter of a martial arts family.

Moreover, Il-Ayoung, who resembled Il-Chunghyun in his younger days, had a personality that rebelled even more when someone tried to suppress her.

“Where is this place? Who ordered you to do this? This is clearly a crime! Hey!”

Il-Ayoung poured out words like a waterfall, but the warriors didn’t even flinch.

“Hey, if someone asks you something, you should answer……”

Shuffle.

It was when Il-Ayoung took a step forward.

Whoosh.

The sword cut through the air.

‘Ah!’

The sharp blade passed before Il-Ayoung’s startled eyes, cutting through her hair.

Rustle.

Il-Ayoung’s expression turned pale as her hair fell to the ground.

When had she ever been threatened so openly?

Il-Ayoung was breathless and her heart was pounding.

But at the same time, a fierce sense of rebellion surged within her.

It was her nature.

“Why are you suddenly waving your sword around? Does anyone get eaten if you talk? Who is in charge here? If you kidnap someone, you should at least show your face!”

Il-Ayoung shouted.

But she didn’t take a single step forward.

“What do you want? Hey! Can you hear me? Bring the person in charge!”

The warriors didn’t even respond.

“Hmph!”

Il-Ayoung grabbed the door with both hands and slammed it shut.

Thud.

The door closed.

Only then did Il-Ayoung breathe.

“Haa, haa.”

Her heart was beating rapidly.

‘I was crazy. Talking to people with swords……’

Thinking about it, it was an extremely dangerous thing to do.

What if they had tried to harm her?

‘But they don’t seem like they’re going to kill me……’

Judging from the situation, they didn’t seem to be planning to kill her recklessly.

‘Where is this place anyway? When I looked earlier, it wasn’t a village or a city……’

Even in the midst of all this, Il-Ayoung made sure to take in the scenery outside.

Outside the door was a wide corridor, and beyond that was a garden.

She could see a low wall, but it was all trees, and there were no signs of people or other buildings.

‘Wait. What about the window?’

Il-Ayoung approached the window with the shutters open.

As expected, she could see two warriors standing outside the window as well.

‘Tch.’

They were guarding the door, so there was no way they would leave the window unguarded.

At that moment, beyond the window, beyond the dense trees, the blue horizon sparkled.

‘Not the sea, a lake? Could it be near Dongting Lake [a large, freshwater lake in Hunan province, China]?’

The horizon is visible, but there is no salty smell.

Il-Ayoung, who lived in Yueyang, which is adjacent to Dongting Lake, recognized that the horizon was a lake.

If the lake is large enough to see the horizon, there is a high possibility that it is Dongting Lake.

But she couldn’t tell where she was just from the horizon.

“Hoo.”

Il-Ayoung slumped down in front of the table.

Suddenly, a teapot on the table caught her eye.

Along with it, thirst and hunger came rushing in.

‘I’m hungry.’

Il-Ayoung looked inside the teapot and poured a little tea.

Pour.

She tasted it lightly, but there was nothing strange about it.

She hesitated for a moment whether she should drink it, but her thirst was greater.

Gulp.

Il-Ayoung drank three cups of tea.

Only then did her thirst seem to subside a little.

Thud.

Il-Ayoung put down the teacup and muttered.

“They should at least give me something to eat.”

Hoping for the best, Il-Ayoung rummaged through her pockets.

And soon, she discovered that there was nothing there.

Her small makeup pouch, which she usually carried around, and even the small amount of money she had, were all gone without a trace.

“What is this? Did they take everything?”

It wasn’t like she had anything valuable, but she was dumbfounded that they had taken everything.

‘Ah!’

As if remembering something, Il-Ayoung hurriedly rummaged through her pockets.

But it wasn’t there.

“Oh no.”

Il-Ayoung muttered in a distressed voice.

“They even took my ring.”

The two rings left by her deceased father, Il-Chunghyun, including the ring that Unhyun had given her, had disappeared.

For the first time since waking up, Il-Ayoung looked like she was about to cry.

***

“Il-Ayoung has regained consciousness.”

At the subordinate’s voice, Mun-Wang raised his head.

“Is that so?”

Mun-Wang, who was leaning back on a long chair, casually picked up a grape.

“What is she doing?”

“She is shouting.”

Mun-Wang’s hand stopped.

“Shouting?”

Mun-Wang turned to look at his subordinate and asked.

Mun-Wang’s eyebrows, which were as elegant as a painting, furrowed.

“Yes. She is vehemently protesting, demanding that the person in charge come out.”

Pfft.

Mun-Wang let out a dumbfounded laugh.

“She’s not in her right mind.”

Mun-Wang said, chewing on the grape.

“Or she’s gone mad from fear and confusion. To think that she’s the niece of Sword Master Changryong, is this all she’s capable of?”

“Although she shouted, she did not act rashly. She did not try to go out recklessly, and after drinking the prepared tea, she seemed to be looking for her belongings.”

“Hmph, at least she’s not stupid, so that’s a relief.”

Mun-Wang spat out what was in his mouth onto a silver tray.

“Where is Sword Master Changryong?”

“He departed from Mount Emei [a sacred Taoist mountain in Sichuan Province, China] a few days ago.”

“Then he still has a long way to go. To get here.”

“That is correct.”

“The preparations?”

“They are proceeding without any setbacks.”

Tock, tock.

Mun-Wang tapped the armrest with his finger.

For him, waiting was always painful.

Especially waiting to get Sword Master Changryong into his hands.

Gritting.

Mun-Wang gritted his teeth.

“It’s slow.”

The day was approaching when he would hold Sword Master Changryong in his hands and prove his worth.

But it was too slow.

So slow that he couldn’t bear it.

“Too slow.”

Mun-Wang said, biting his lip.

His eyes were filled with impatience and anxiety.

***

It had already been three days since Il-Ayoung woke up.

She was sitting at the table, lost in thought.

‘I’m glad they at least give me something to eat……’

Fortunately, they didn’t seem to be planning to starve her, as a maid brought her food once a day.

Taking this opportunity, she tried to talk to the maid, but she couldn’t get any response.

She hadn’t been able to leave the room for three days.

Fortunately, she was able to take care of washing and other matters behind a partition in the room.

The maid cleaned up right away, so the environment wasn’t bad.

But she couldn’t help but feel stifled.

‘Judging from this, they seem to be people hired by a certain merchant group……’

She could quickly tell that they were martial artists.

There were occasionally those who tried to resolve disputes between merchant groups with force, and Hoam Merchant Group was often targeted for various reasons.

‘They’re definitely not third-rate street gangs.’

They are meticulous and organized.

Judging from the fact that they even kidnapped Head Trader Lee Ho-am, their martial prowess is by no means low.

This is by no means a simple kidnapping case.

‘What are they after? And why did they kidnap me?’

The purpose is unknown.

There are too many possibilities right now.

The problem is why they kidnapped her.

She is only someone who assists Secretary Lee Seo-yeon.

‘Did they perhaps mistake me for someone else?’

It would make sense if they were trying to kidnap Lee Seo-yeon.

But it didn’t seem likely that an organization of this size wouldn’t know her identity yet.

They had already taken her belongings.

‘Or are they trying to use me as a threat?’

They can’t touch Lee Ho-am, so they might kill her instead to threaten him.

But the treatment is too good for that.

Even though she openly expresses her dissatisfaction.

‘Is protesting three times a day not enough? Should I increase it to five times?’

Il-Ayoung opened the door three times a day.

Invariably, two swords blocked her path, but she was no longer surprised.

Rather, Il-Ayoung scoffed and said.

She asked when the person in charge was coming.

But there was no change.

‘But I can’t just sit still.’

Il-Ayoung knows that it’s better to stay put.

But if she stays still like this, nothing will change.

‘I have to help the elder somehow.’

She had to confirm the safety of Head Trader Lee Ho-am and find a way to help him.

To do that, she had no choice but to take risks and try various things.

Il-Ayoung got up from her seat.

Shuffle, shuffle.

It didn’t take long to reach the front of the door.

Il-Ayoung took a deep breath and opened the door.

Creak.

Swoosh.

As soon as the door opened, two swords blocked her path.

“Please let me meet the person in charge.”

Il-Ayoung glared at the warrior on the right and said in a firm voice.

She had reflected on not provoking people with swords recklessly, so instead of shouting, she spoke as firmly and politely as possible.

But as expected, there was no answer.

“Can’t you hear me? Or don’t you understand what I’m saying? Tell the person in charge to come.”

The warrior’s eyes did not change in the slightest.

Il-Ayoung sighed.

And said in a quiet tone.

“Hey. Aren’t you tired of this? Just call the person in charge. Or at least answer if you can’t.”

She spoke as if complaining out of frustration, but as expected, the warrior remained silent.

Il-Ayoung was annoyed.

“Ah, seriously. Who the hell is the person in charge……”

“I am.”

“Eek!”

Il-Ayoung screamed at the sudden voice.

She was surprised that an answer, which she thought would never come, had popped out.

Turning her head, she saw an unfamiliar nobleman standing before her.

His slightly furrowed brow made him look as beautiful as a woman, and his attire was quite extravagant.

“Wh-who are you?”

When Il-Ayoung asked, the nobleman frowned and said.

“I’m the person in charge.”