WBDS CH 02

Chapter 2

Not a gold spoon, not a silver spoon — a poison spoon.

The Sichuan Tang Clan (사천당가) was a very private family, but known for being deeply loyal to their bloodline.

They repay kindness twice over — but if you wrong them, they pay you back ten times worse.

Because of this, most martial artists were careful not to mess with the Tang Clan.

But even so…

“Am I really part of the main family?”

So-ye looked around her.

The ceiling looked old, even if the design was elegant. The furniture seemed outdated.

Even though she’d been seriously ill with a fever, there hadn’t been any attendants or servants staying nearby.

So-ye looked again at her nanny.

Sure, in the martial world, judging people by appearances was foolish.

Still, this was the woman who’d nearly tripped just because their eyes met when she came in with a tray.

She seemed timid and not particularly sharp.

Even if she knows martial arts, she’s probably third-rate at best.

Her name was Sa Gong-hee, meaning she wasn’t a Tang by blood.

Does this girl… have low status in the Tang Clan?

Unless the clan had completely fallen apart, there’s no way a true direct heir would be assigned a weak nanny like this.

“I see…”

So-ye muttered as she turned back to the mirror.

Seeing her expression, Gong-hee wiped her eyes — and then suddenly burst into tears.

“Huuu… my poor young miss… what will we do?”

“N-Nanny?”

“It wasn’t enough that the poison from the main family made you unconscious — now you’ve lost your memory too!”

So-ye’s eyes widened.

“Poison?”

She’d been told she was sick from a fever — but poison?

Wait… if I’m a direct heir, could this be some kind of family power struggle?

Just as So-ye’s imagination ran wild, the nanny clarified the truth:

“Yes, while you were training.”

“Ah…”

That made sense. In the Tang Clan, learning poison arts often involved actually ingesting poison as part of the training.

Still… maybe the dose was too much for a child’s body.

Gong-hee sniffled again.

So-ye, who was never good at comforting crying people, tried to change the subject.

“Then… wh-where’s my m-mom? An’ my d-dad?”

Oops. Her tongue slipped again.

Ugh, I really need to practice speaking clearly…

Just then, the crying nanny forced a smile.

“Your lady mother went far away after giving birth to you. When you grow up as big as I am, she’ll come back to see you.”

So-ye immediately saw through the gentle lie.

She’s dead.

But she didn’t get emotional. Why would she?

Her “original” self hadn’t had parents either. So, this wasn’t anything new.

At least I know who they are this time.

Gong-hee had tried to soften the truth in her own way.

But inside this small body was a woman with the mind of an adult.

“And your father…”

Gong-hee paused, then gently unfolded Sohye’s tiny fingers.

“If you sleep ten nights… ten times… he’ll come see you.”

The warmth in her voice was vague.

That’s a lie.

So-ye knew instantly.

For a child just learning to count, “a hundred nights” is a lifetime.

Even if the child forgot halfway through, they wouldn’t realize.

But still, the explanation about her father was more detailed than the one about her mother, so he was probably still alive — just not around.

“I see…”

Sohye’s smile twitched, caught between laughter and tears.

Mother’s dead. Father abandoned his child.

So this poison spoon isn’t just poison — the spoon’s also cracked.

Still, So-ye forced a bright smile.

“I hope a hundred nights pass quickly.”

***

Eventually, the nanny calmed down and got up to prepare dinner.

“You should be able to eat some rice porridge now, right?”

She looked truly excited that So-ye had recovered.

Now alone, So-ye crossed her legs and closed her eyes.

“First, let’s check my body.”

According to the nanny, So-ye had gotten sick from poison taken during training.

But taking poison at a young age could cause long-term damage.

But I feel… fine?

There was no leftover poison. No blocked energy channels.

“As expected of the Tang Clan…”

They had clearly detoxed her very thoroughly.

She absentmindedly checked her danjeon (the core of internal energy) — then suddenly opened her eyes wide.

“No way…”

The dark, sticky energy that had once filled her lower belly — from the demon cult’s martial arts — was completely gone.

Instead, there was a pure, clean energy forming in its place.

This body has never learned demonic martial arts!

So-ye jumped up in excitement.

This wasn’t just her body becoming younger. She had truly been reborn.

“I can finally learn proper martial arts.”

So-ye had always hated demonic arts and dark sorcery.

She’d been forced to learn them in her past life, and suffered from their side effects for her entire life.

Now, she had a second chance.

“There’s no magic that can just make you younger out of nowhere. Even if there was, it wouldn’t come with new parents from the Tang Clan.”

“Is this what they call a blessing in disguise?”

This was the first time her life had ever taken a turn for the better, so she felt a little awkward.

She stared into the mirror and poked her chubby cheeks, then clenched her tiny fist with determination.

“Alright. My first goal is to eat well and grow up strong.”

After all, proper martial arts training would have to wait until she got a little older.

***

But her plan hit an unexpected problem: mealtime.

“I’m hungry…”

A spoonful of watery rice porridge (barely more than water) dripped into her bowl.

Once again, that was all she got to eat.

She knew it was because of her health — but it was too bland and too little.

Her stomach felt empty again right after finishing.

The doctor who had come recently said it was better to wait and see before changing her diet.

But So-ye knew she was completely fine.

“I’m pretty sure the doctor was just being cautious because of the nanny.”

Even though she hadn’t known her long, So-ye had already figured out that Nanny Gong-hee was seriously overprotective.

“Well, her little girl did collapse from poison. I guess I can’t blame her…”

Still, this couldn’t go on.

So-ye finished the porridge like a champ, slamming the bowl down with a determined look.

“Alright. I’ve made my decision.”

Escape.

She was going to sneak out and find some real food — wherever it was.

“You have to eat well to grow well!”

***

Just then, Nanny Gong-hee approached, holding a rag she’d been cleaning with.

“What did you decide just now?”

“N-nothing!”

So-ye shook her head quickly.

“Wow, you finished everything!”

The nanny looked delighted as she cleared the empty bowl.

“You always eat so little, so I was worried… and today, you’re not even asking to go outside?”

Until now, So-ye had been begging every day to go outside, only to be told no every time.

So the nanny looked a little surprised.

So-ye rubbed her eyes and played innocent.

“Mmm… sleepy…”

If an adult had done it, it might’ve seemed fake — but luckily, she looked like a cute, tiny child.

“Yes, sleep well. Eat a lot and sleep a lot, and you’ll get better fast.”

With a loving look in her eyes, Gong-hee leaned down and pulled the blanket (called a yagum) up to Sohye’s shoulders.

The sudden warmth made So-ye squirm a little under the blanket.

It tickles…

Being cared for like this was something she still wasn’t used to.

“Lullaby, lullaby, my dear little miss~”

The nanny softly hummed a lullaby.

So-ye had eavesdropped on lullabies before — but never imagined someone would sing one for her.

She forced herself to close her eyes and pretend to sleep.

Eventually, she heard the nanny get up, her footsteps fading as the door closed behind her.

***

“One, two, three… forty-four, forty-five…”

So-ye counted carefully, then jumped up.

She’d been secretly checking how long it took the nanny to leave the building after saying goodnight.

Old habits die hard — I used to time guard shifts like this all the time.

Luckily, no one else came in and out of this old house besides the nanny.

The building itself was worn down and shabby.

Am I really a direct heir of the Tang Clan?

Her father was supposedly alive, but she was stuck out here in the remote Tang family village (Tangkata).

Maybe I really was abandoned…

Well, I’ve never stolen from family before, but when the time comes, I’ll just ask for child support. That’s fair, right?

So-ye grumbled silently, then stuffed a pillow under the blanket, shaping it to look like someone was still sleeping.

“Not bad. I’ve still got it.”

She slipped out of the room.

She couldn’t take the same path the nanny had gone, since she might run into her.

But that was fine.

A true phantom thief makes their own path.

So-ye squeezed through a gap between the house and the wall, moving without hesitation.

It was a route she had already scouted earlier when the nanny took her out to walk in the yard.

Another habit from her past life as a thief.

Everything went smoothly so far.

But…

There was one problem So-ye hadn’t thought of.