Chapter 55
“And then, to my surprise, the man started running somewhere — at a speed I simply couldn’t match. I’m no slouch when it comes to light footwork, but… he was fast. Really fast. Still, I was certain I had to follow him, so I pushed myself as hard as I could, but…”
“…”
“The man suddenly struck me with a powerful palm attack. I had completely concealed my presence and kept my distance, yet somehow he realized he was being tailed.”
It looked like Dae-woo’s wound came from dodging that strike.
“Was he a strong fighter?”
“Extremely strong. Honestly, if he had wanted to, he could’ve killed me right there.”
“…”
Namgoong Jin bit his lower lip.
It wasn’t enough that Miss Baek had been kidnapped — the kidnapper turned out to be such a master as well. Things just kept getting worse.
Even if the Heaven Silkworm Thread hid her spiritual energy, it wouldn’t take long before anyone realized she wasn’t just any ginseng spirit, but a Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng.
Hadn’t he himself figured it out rather quickly?
“Surely that black-hatted man wouldn’t just… eat her in one bite, right?”
Namgoong Jin’s anxiety flared.
“There’s no time! No time!”
The mere thought that Miss Baek might become someone’s meal made his insides burn.
At first glance it might have seemed like the fighting spirit that arises when facing a powerful opponent — but the feeling was something entirely different.
Namgoong Jin felt that unnameable emotion with complete clarity.
“Dae-woo, where did it look like that man was heading?”
“Judging from his route, it seemed he was going toward Yangyang.”
“Yangyang…?”
At that name, Namgoong Jin immediately turned to look at Jegal Hae-su.
Hae-su’s face, already pale since learning of Miss Baek’s disappearance, turned even whiter.
He was no doubt thinking of the Jegal Clan — based in Yangyang.
“Jegal Hae-su, you don’t mind coming with us?”
“…There’s no reason I can’t go there. I was planning to head near that area anyway.”
With a small, bitter chuckle, Hae-su let out a long sigh. Though he spoke without hesitation, there was a shadow of worry in his breath.
But Namgoong Jin had no time to care about his troubles.
“Then we leave immediately. Dae-woo, if your injury isn’t too severe, you’re coming with us.”
“Yes, Young Master.”
No sooner had he answered than Dae-woo’s figure vanished.
“Jegal Hae-su, keep your wits about you and follow closely.”
“You’d better not fall behind, little brother. I may not be good at many things, but I’m quite fast.”
And with that, the three of them set out toward Yangyang.
The man didn’t stop moving until Soso was dizzy from motion sickness.
“Ugh… my stomach…”
She felt nauseated and nearly collapsed by the time the man finally halted.
Her mind was hazy, as if she’d drunk too much, but she fought to stay conscious.
“Even in a tiger’s den, if you keep your wits, you’ll survive,” she told herself.
She had to stay sharp and think of a way to escape. No panicking allowed!
But despite her resolve, the two small roots that served as her legs trembled violently.
If she let her guard down even a little, the fear that had already taken root deep inside her would consume her completely.
At that moment, the man stopped walking. It sounded like he sat down somewhere.
“Waiter, bring me a jar of bamboo leaf liquor.”
Waiter? So this is an inn?
And why bamboo leaf liquor, of all things? Her head filled with questions.
Then a strange thought crossed her mind.
“That voice… sounds familiar.”
Before she knew it, she was recalling the gentle voice of Cheong Eon-woo, the man who used to call her name so tenderly.
A voice she could never forget — not even in death.
“Soso.”
It can’t be…
There’s no way this suspicious man could sound like Young Master Eon-woo.
Meanwhile, after receiving the liquor from the waiter, the man began walking again.
He climbed some stairs, and soon — thud — a door closed.
He must have entered a room.
“Time to see for myself.”
The man’s large hand rummaged inside his robe and then suddenly grabbed Soso’s tiny body.
Pulled out into the open, Soso stared up at him.
She wanted — needed — to see the face of the man whose voice sounded so much like Eon-woo’s.
But his black hat was pulled low, hiding everything except his lips.
“What did Young Master Eon-woo’s lips look like again?”
Even while thinking “It can’t be him,” she kept searching the man’s face for traces of Eon-woo.
Just as she’d never forgotten his voice, she remembered every detail of his face.
How could she ever forget the person she had admired — loved — for so long?
Even if she lived a third life, Soso felt she’d remember everything about him until the day she died.
The man’s lips were red like cherries, but they didn’t resemble Eon-woo’s.
“My Young Master’s lips are much prettier. Yes, much prettier. This man definitely isn’t him.”
Only then did Soso look around.
The surroundings resembled the place she’d been before — definitely an inn.
The man sat upright at a table.
On it rested the jar and cup of bamboo leaf liquor he’d ordered.
Soso did her best to remain limp and motionless, hiding the fact that she could move at all.
She thought he might have seen her standing in the alley earlier, but decided to feign ignorance.
Yet for some reason, the man only stared silently at the Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng he held near eye level.
Though she couldn’t see his eyes, she felt his sharp gaze sweep over every inch of her body.
Soso didn’t even dare breathe — not that she was sure a ginseng spirit could breathe anyway.
“That gaze… it’s completely different from Young Master Eon-woo’s.”
Eon-woo had always looked at people with gentle warmth.
Never once had his eyes carried this kind of chilling, predatory sharpness that made her skin crawl.
Finally, the man spoke.
“…Strange. It was definitely standing a moment ago.”
…!
So he had seen her standing!
Soso froze completely.
“Does a living Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng truly exist?”
…!!
He—he figured out what I am!
For him to recognize her true nature so easily, he must have been a martial master of frightening skill.
And if he was that strong, there was no reason he wouldn’t want to devour her.
Unconsciously, Soso stared at the man’s red lips again — they looked capable of swallowing her whole.
Her little roots trembled uncontrollably, and she couldn’t stop shaking.
Then, without warning, the man’s hand moved.
He set her down on the table and spoke in a cold, commanding tone.
“Stand up. Do that, and I’ll let you live — for now.”
…
Soso hesitated. Should she try to run? Or do as he said?
But a quick glance around told her the room was sealed tight. With her tiny root-legs, she couldn’t possibly open the door or window.
If she tried to flee and got caught, she’d only make him angry. Maybe it was better to obey — for now.
“If you don’t show me a trick,” the man added, “I’ll eat you together with this bamboo leaf liquor. I hate drinking something bitter.”
“Aah! So he brought the liquor to drink me with it?!”
Soso nearly screamed in horror as the man pressed again, mercilessly:
“Hurry up.”
