Looking back, the children of Jangsa Village had come out in a flurry and were watching Na Rin.

They didn’t seem surprised, as if they had always known she would leave someday, but they couldn’t hide their disappointed expressions.

‘That’s right. What should I do about them?’

The Demon Cult people would probably want to take all the orphans from Jangsa Village, since it was their practice to snatch up any orphans they could find.

But where would they take these children? It’s the Demon Cult, the Demon Cult. Grr!

‘Even with good luck, they’d probably just end up as meat shields.’

From Na Rin’s observations over the past month, most of the Jangsa Village children were kind-hearted and diligent by nature.

It was clear that dragging such children into the martial arts world of blood and swords would only lead to short lives.

But it also didn’t seem like those children could live well if left behind in Jangsa Village either.

As Na Rin was making a troubled “Hmm” sound, Seung Wu stepped forward quietly and spoke up.

“Thank you for everything, Baby Village Chief.”

Being one of the older kids in Jangsa Village, he seemed to have guessed Na Rin’s thoughts with some perceptiveness.

“From now on, we’ll try to live by fishing and farming on our own. We may not look it, but we’re children of farmers, so that much should be easy for us.”

It was clearly bravado to anyone watching, but since it was bravado tinged with admirable consideration, Na Rin smiled brightly.

This kid. All grown up now.

“You have to hide well until the black-robed people leave.”

“I know. Don’t worry.”

“Smoke or dry the remaining fish in the wind to eat later.”

“Okay. I will.”

“You should also greet the neighboring village. Don’t go empty-handed. Act tough so they don’t look down on you.”

“I know. Now go.”

“And also…”

“Baby Village Chief.”

“Hmm?”

“Just go already.”

These ungrateful brats.

“I’m going.”

“Alright.”

Na Rin parted from the Jangsa Village children and walked briskly to the village entrance.

The children had survived for nearly a year without adults, so there was probably no need to worry about their ability to get by.

Even so, Na Rin thought she should visit Jangsa Village again if she got the chance.

To ensure the warm village scene these children would create didn’t remain just imagination.

In any case…

‘There they are.’

At the village entrance, she saw three people in black clothes searching through the ruins.

Na Rin was about to wave her hand big and shout “The orphan you’re looking for is here!” but stopped abruptly.

‘But are they really from the Demon Cult?’

Thinking about it carefully, just because they were black-robed people coming to take orphans from Jangsa Village didn’t necessarily mean they were from the Demon Cult.

In martial arts novels, orphans were a very precious resource after all.

That’s because what parents would want their child to become a martial artist living by the sword?

Unless it was the Namgung family that had ruled Anhui Province for generations or the Ha Buk Paeng family that thought martial arts prowess was everything, parents would typically threaten to break their child’s legs if they said they wanted to become a martial artist.

As a result, martial artists looking for orphans to become their disciples could be found anywhere in the world.

Not just the evil sects or demon cults, but even those from prestigious orthodox sects would become obsessed upon seeing well-built orphans, immediately exclaiming “Muscles! Let me see your muscles!”

‘I should probably ask to make sure.’

It would be a shame to be taken to the wrong place when she already had a long way to go.

Na Rin stood up abruptly and shouted while flapping both hands:

“Excuse me! Are you from the Demon Cult?”

“…”

“…?”

“…”

An awkward silence fell.

The black-robed people exchanged glances, not knowing how to interpret this situation, and spoke using sound transmission, a martial arts technique for secret conversations.

[Hey, what’s this?] [It’s the Jangsa Village orphan. The one we were looking for.] [Yeah, but why is the kid we were looking for looking for us?] [How should I know?]

By the way, Na Rin could hear all of the black-robed people’s sound transmissions.

Sound transmission couldn’t be hidden from an overwhelmingly superior opponent, and for the black-robed people, Na Rin was exactly that kind of opponent.

‘I can hear everything. Everything.’

This was welcome news for Na Rin, who needed to uncover the identity of the black-robed people.

The black-robed person with a particularly large build asked in a round voice:

“Ahem. Cute little one. Do you have parents?”

Na Rin opened her eyes wide and tilted her head.

A three-year-old with 340 charm tilting their head would look adorably lovable and cute enough to make one want to bite them, but the thoughts inside were not so cute.

‘This Demon Cult bastard is ignoring what I said?’

In her past life, she would have slaughtered them on the spot.

Na Rin suddenly realized her own roughening thoughts and calmly settled them down.

It seemed her personality from the 10th cycle still remained, probably because it hadn’t been long since she died.

‘Calm down, Ju Na Rin. You’re not the Blood Plum Blossom now.’

Na Rin put on the most pitiful expression she could and said:

“They passed away.”

“Your parents passed away?”

Nod.

“Looks like she really is an orphan.”

“Hmm. Take her.”

“Wait, wait a moment!”

Na Rin flapped her sleeves to get their attention.

“I asked if you’re from the Demon Cult!”

“Huh? Uh… that…”

The black-robed people exchanged glances again.

[What should we say?] [Just say we’re from the Demon Cult, what else?] [But isn’t that a bit much for Central Plains kids? I heard they even scare kids by saying the Demon Cult will take them away if they don’t listen… Maybe we should pretend we’re not?] [Are you ashamed of being part of the Demon Cult?] [No! Who said that!]

‘Yep. They’re the Demon Cult.’

There was nothing more to hear. Without a word, Na Rin threw the bundle she had packed into the cart and climbed in, crawling slowly.

“Oh, you little one! Where are you-”

“How long does it take to get to Xinjiang?”

“What did you say?”

“Xinjiang. Xinjiang.”

“…”

Since when did I become a coachman?

The black-robed people were quite confused by Na Rin’s attitude, acting leisurely as if she were a paying customer who had called for a carriage rather than someone being kidnapped.

But for some reason, they couldn’t resist.

‘What is this inexplicable pressure?’

‘She’s clearly just a little kid. An extremely cute little kid at that!’

‘It feels as difficult and uncomfortable as facing a high-ranking person!’

The reason the black-robed people felt this way was due to Na Rin’s ability score in ‘Intimidation’.

Intimidation is the ability to pressure others through fear or awe.

While an ordinary farmer’s Intimidation would be 10, and a peak expert emitting sword qi would have an Intimidation of about 100, Na Rin’s Intimidation was a whopping 1,009.

It was not a number that the black-robed people, who were at best peak level, could dare to go against.

“Let’s go!”

“Yes! Ah, no. Ahem! If we go straight there, it would take about half a year, but since we can’t fill the cart with children if we don’t stop along the way, it would be a loss for us too…”

In other words, they needed to stop by various villages to collect orphans as they went.

Na Rin frowned in displeasure, causing the black-robed people to shrink back slightly.

“S-so, about that! There’s not just one orphan in this village, right? Where are the other children?”

“They died.”

Na Rin answered brazenly.

“Really? Not a single one left? All of them?”

“Stop it. This tiny kid wouldn’t lie.”

“I can’t believe it. I just can’t.”

The tallest of the Demon Cult members sighed deeply and began to ramble on about how much trouble he went through to get here.

From what she heard, it seemed they had set out as soon as they heard news of a plague in Jangsa Village. These Demon Cult bastards sure had it rough.

‘But this is inconvenient for me too.’

Na Rin really, really hated traveling.

In her past life, the reason she decided to become a disciple of the Huashan Sect was because it was the closest of the famous martial arts sects.

‘Xinjiang is already far from Shaanxi, and now we’re going to zigzag around visiting this village and that? I can’t allow that. There must be some clever way… Ah!’

“Mister.”

“Hmm?”

If you’re going to fill the cart anyway, it doesn’t matter who you take, right?

“Na Rin’s friend also doesn’t have mommy and daddy.”

“…You have a friend whose parents aren’t around?”

Na Rin nodded and continued confidently.

“There was a huuuge fire in the village and many adults died.”

“A fire broke out?”

“Adults died?”

“Where is this place!”

I knew you’d like that.

Na Rin smiled brightly and spoke as clearly and precisely as she could.

“Huayin County, Fenglin Village.”

“Huayin County, Fenglin Village!”

“It’s not far from here!”

The black-robed people’s eyes bulged as if they had discovered a gold mine.

By the way, this Fenglin Village in Huayin County that Na Rin just mentioned was the place where most of Na Rin’s Huashan Sect peers who had bullied her terribly with their local cliquishness in her previous life had been recruited from.

Those who were disciples of a prestigious orthodox sect in their past life becoming Demon Cult members in this life – truly, the ways of the world are unpredictable.

‘Hehe. Think of it as atoning for your past life’s karma, senior and junior brothers.’

Of course, the one who made it happen was Na Rin herself.

“Waaah-! Please save us!”

“I’m skin and bones, and I don’t taste good!”

“Boo-hoo! Boo-hoo-hoo!”

Watching the Fenglin Village orphans wailing as they were tied up like dried fish and loaded onto the cart, the black-robed people let out small sighs of relief.

Yes. This is what kidnapping orphans should be like. I’m not the strange one.

The strange one is…

‘That little one.’

The black-robed people shook their heads as they watched Na Rin sprawled out leisurely, using her bundle as a cushion and picking her ear. No matter how they looked at it, that attitude was something they couldn’t get used to.

“Mister. Can we go straight to Xinjiang now?”

“Yes! No, I mean, yeah!”

Even stranger was their own attitude towards the little one.

They had no idea why their whole bodies would shrink like frogs facing a viper, breaking out in cold sweat, whenever they saw those round black eyes.

“Sob, sob, so…”

“Mommy…”

Na Rin ignored the Fenglin Village orphans sniffling and shaking their shoulders, and let out a big yawn.

This was a situation where they were being kidnapped by the Demon Cult. No amount of comforting would help.

‘Cry all you want.’

By the time they reach Xinjiang, they won’t even have the energy left to cry.

With all the Fenglin Village orphans loaded, about twenty children were packed tightly like bean sprouts in the cart.

The tall black-robed person spoke in a satisfied voice like a farmer rejoicing over a good harvest:

“With this many, we can send children not just to the Dark King Hall and Sword King Hall, but even to the Medicine King Hall!”

“Pick out some girls to send to the Blood King Hall too. It’ll be troublesome if we don’t at least pay our respects.”

“About that…”

The tall black-robed person’s gaze naturally turned towards Na Rin before he cleared his throat.

“I know what you’re thinking, but that won’t work.”

“What? Why?”

In response to the tall one’s question, the skinny black-robed person clicked his tongue as if to say ‘how can you not know this’.

“You know how picky the Blood Demon is about children. That little one…”

The skinny black-robed person, seeming somewhat wary of Na Rin, continued using sound transmission:

[She just looks cute. She’s creepy and unpleasant!]

‘What a rude thing to say.’

Where else would you find such a docile and cooperative kidnapping victim?

The black-robed people, not imagining that Na Rin could hear all their sound transmissions, began openly badmouthing her.

[You think so too? Actually, me too!] [Right. At first I thought, wow, how can such an adorable child exist in this world? But I must have been crazy.] [No, you’re right. She is cute. She’s cute, but… Whew! My legs go weak every time I look at her.] [Exactly! I don’t know why such a young child is so ominous.] [But if not the Blood King Hall, where should we send her?] [Well…]

The black-robed people stared blankly at Na Rin before shaking their heads.

Although they had kidnapped orphans many times before, this was the first time they had such difficulty deciding on a child’s future path.

[We’ve got a good haul this time, should we just abandon her and go?]

‘What kind of crazy talk is that?’