An Unexpected Guest of Honor

Mogang-pa. A sect held in high regard for standing as a true rival to the Songin Sect, the greatest power in So-ui-ju. That being the case, it was only natural that Yong Yu-tak—who had killed a disciple of the Songin Sect—would take shelter under Mogang-pa's wing.

Objectively speaking, the Songin Sect held the upper hand in strength. But Mogang-pa's forces were nothing to scoff at either, so the Songin Sect contented itself with mutual hostility rather than open war.

Of course, just because Mogang-pa was weaker than the Songin Sect did not mean Han Yuhyeon could stroll around without bowing his head.

"Hey. You bow your head too."

"What?"

"Keep your head down and shut up. Unless you want to get refined into a spirit pill."

"Hup."

Dang Ga-hye clamped both hands over her mouth and immediately lowered her head. Unlike Han Yuhyeon, whose face no one wanted to look at for long, Ga-hye was already striking enough even as a mere mortal.

Yuhyeon ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠had seen it clearly on the way in—how the gazes of every Mogang-pa cultivator they passed had drifted toward her.

If she managed to cultivate without major setbacks and simply reached Golden Core, he could only imagine how fully that face and charm would bloom.

"Did you not notice the other cultivators staring?"

"Huh? What stares?"

"Never mind."

In Yuhyeon's estimation, Ga-hye was a remarkably consistent kid. Maybe Dang Sa-hui had raised her to see and learn only the good things. No matter how hard he hammered the point home, she never quite seemed to grasp the deep-rooted malice of cultivators.

Then again, he thought, if he had never played Yeonhwa Seonrok himself, he might not have believed it either. Where in the world was a realm stuffed full of nothing but malice and misanthropy?

Right here, that's where.

And that was exactly why his guard stayed up. He had no idea how a Mogang-pa cultivator had recognized him, but these people were not the type to roll out the red carpet for no reason. Their default setting was malice, not goodwill—so if they were being friendly, there was definitely a reason.

While he kept his head bowed, he sensed two people emerging from a nearby building. One person had gone in; two were coming out. Exactly double the threat level.

"So this is the beast tamer?"

"Indeed. Junior Han, introduce yourself. This is Elder Yu Yeo-heun of Mogang-pa."

To his surprise, the voice beside him was refined and beautiful. Yuhyeon lifted his head without thinking—and found an elegant woman who looked like a noble lady gazing down at him with lofty composure.

"I am Han Yuhyeon of Baekun-pa in Yeongil-ju! And this child is a mortal servant I keep with me!"

The instant his eyes met Yu Yeo-heun's downward glance, Yuhyeon seized the back of Ga-hye's head, slammed her forehead into the dirt, and flung himself down right after her.

The moment their gazes locked, an abyss yawned open—chilling and impossibly distant. Definitely Foundation Establishment. And not some greenhorn who had just stepped into the realm.

"Rise. I have heard your name before."

"That a lofty Elder of Mogang-pa should know my humble name is an honor beyond words."

Yuhyeon sprang up and bowed. Ga-hye, forehead reddened, cautiously got to her feet as well, reading the room. Her eyes burned with resentment at having her head suddenly planted in the dirt, but there was no time to explain or apologize.

"Might this lowly one dare ask how my insignificant name has managed to spread even to the glorious halls of Mogang-pa?"

"Heh. You look upon us far too much like demons. A junior need not stand on such ceremony."

Yuhyeon flinched at her soft laughter. Had he gone too low? No. Whatever the temperament of the cultivators in front of him, so long as this world held people who took offense at anything less than total deference, the weak always had to keep their heads down. Only once permission was granted was it proper to slowly raise one's gaze.

"I heard a sect gathering was held at Wonhu-mun. Feeble as Wonhu-mun may be compared to our Mogang-pa, if they went out of their way to gather the mid- and small-sized sects, that alone is worth our vigilance."

"Ah—! That is absolutely true!"

Yuhyeon let out a gasp of pure revelation, as if he had just glimpsed some great truth of the universe. That was how a subordinate was supposed to react.

"Your posture for listening is excellent. It is no easy thing for someone from Yeongil-ju to stand out at a So-ui-ju sect gathering, yet that attitude alone shows unusual promise."

"As it should be, Elder."

This time the Mogang-pa disciple who had brought them rubbed his hands together.

In his past life on Earth—or even in the lower world's martial circles—this level of reaction would have been mistaken for sarcasm. But in the cultivation world, where life and death hung in the balance, it was a perfectly standard response, so Yu Yeo-heun merely looked pleased.

Ga-hye, who had never done this sort of thing, wore a thoroughly bewildered expression. All of this was real-world education delivered over the shoulder.

"Naturally, among the invited sects were some with ties to us, so obtaining information was simple enough. We learned everything about what was discussed at the gathering and what events were held."

"Ah—ahhhh!"

"That is a bit much, junior."

Yuhyeon had gotten so carried away with the lesson that he clutched both cheeks and cried out in wonder. Yu Yeo-heun's brow furrowed. Mortified, he immediately bent at the waist.

"My apologies."

"In any case, beast-taming arts are a rather rare skill. We have been searching for someone proficient in them as well. Most cultivators who take up technical arts pursue the Four Arts of Cultivation, however, and few bother to learn beast-taming—so we have been at an impasse."

"I see."

Same conclusion as Wonhu-mun, then. They needed his beast-taming. The problem was that Yuhyeon had never actually tamed Biyong with any art at all—they simply got along because they were half the same species.

"I heard you had a question for our sect. Might I ask what it is?"

Yu Yeo-heun said. Yuhyeon hesitated for a beat. If he accepted even the slightest help here, he would somehow have to repay Mogang-pa with his beast-taming skills.

But he was already past the point of no return. Saying he had no intention of helping them and therefore wanted no information would be no different from picking a fight.

"I came looking for Senior Yong Yu-tak."

"Yong Yu-tak?"

Yu Yeo-heun tilted her head, clearly not expecting that name.

"You mean the one lodging with our sect as a guest? There can hardly be two of him."

"That is almost certainly him."

Yuhyeon bowed his head. She told him freely.

"I heard Yong Yu-tak went to clear a nearby demon den. Guest cultivators of our sect are required to clear one in the area once a month. He has likely gone to fulfill his quota."

"Ah, I see. Then he should return soon."

"Indeed. He left several days ago, so at longest he will be back within three days."

She said it with a gleam in her eye. Yuhyeon realized he had walked straight into the trap.

To meet Yong Yu-tak, he would have to wait at Mogang-pa for a while. And what he would be doing while he waited was perfectly obvious.

"I do not know why you seek Yong Yu-tak, but it will take time for him to return, so stay with Mogang-pa in the meantime. I promise you excellent treatment."

"Thank you!"

Yuhyeon snapped his head down in a bow—and while he was at it, he quickly summoned the Mongan Hyeolseo onto the ground.

Insane. He did not even have a single lower-grade spiritual stone.

Could he even learn a beast-taming art like this?

Shit.

Fortunately he knew the absolute most basic text for beast-taming and found it at once. The True Manual of Commanding All Spirits. As a foundation-of-foundations primer, he had hoped it might be affordable—but it was five lower-grade spiritual stones.

Come to think of it, five lower-grade spiritual stones was roughly the same price as Dang Ga-hye's Clear Stream Art.

If I just hadn't bought the Clear Stream Art!

Still bowing, Yuhyeon glared daggers at Ga-hye—who was staring blankly into space, completely unaware she was being glared at.

"Ahem. No need for such gratitude. Honestly, our sect needs your beast-taming. One of the spiritual beasts we raise is in rather poor condition. It is a beast our Sect Master is especially fond of, and if it dies like this, things will become… awkward. Would you take a look at it?"

Yu Yeo-heun said. The tone was more demand than request, but that was average for cultivators, so it did not particularly offend him. If she had spoken gently, he would have been terrified she meant to kill him.

"Ah, of course I can look. But my beast-taming is so meager I worry I will not be able to examine it properly."

"It is fine. Perfectly fine. Simply assessing its condition with your arts will be a tremendous comfort to the Sect Master. Right now he is suffering without even knowing why the creature is sick."

"How dreadful. Having raised a spiritual beast myself, I deeply empathize with that pain. I would rather be the one suffering in its place."

Yuhyeon stroked Biyong, who was asleep against his waist, and spoke with distant sorrow.

"Kyaa-eung?"

Biyong stirred at the sudden nonsense, whined, and promptly fell back asleep.

Yu Yeo-heun, of course, knew none of this and was simply delighted that Yuhyeon had shown the true face of a beast tamer.

"Indeed, indeed. They said you were a rare true beast tamer, and so it proves. To receive such an unexpected guest of honor… I had dismissed the rumors as mere hearsay, but looking at your appearance alone—you resemble a spiritual beast more than a human. How could I not believe it?"

"…"

The truly astonishing part was that she meant every word as genuine praise. This was a place with no polite circumlocution whatsoever.

Infinite flattery and infinite bluntness. The strong spoke bluntly; the weak flattered. A truly simple etiquette of conversation.

"Then shall we go see it? Where is the spiritual beast?"

Yuhyeon changed the subject. It had been a while since someone insulted him with ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠his face, but he was not particularly upset.

If all he had to do was look at a spiritual beast, he could bluff his way through easily enough. He could simply say his current beast-taming arts were insufficient to examine it.

He had fretted they might scream at him to heal it—but for a major sect, they were relatively reasonable.

"Our Sect Master is so fond of spiritual beasts that we maintain a separate Spiritual Beast Sanctuary."

"He sounds like a truly warm-hearted man. I have not practiced beast-taming for long, but I have never met a cultivator who loves spiritual beasts and did not have a warm heart."

"Quite so. Your discernment is remarkable, junior."

Yuhyeon glanced back at Ga-hye and gave a little shrug—this is how cultivators talk, so learn it. But Ga-hye had apparently decided she could not stand the sight of him and let the focus drain from her eyes.

Before long the three of them stopped at a mountainside. Stretching across the slope was a fence so long and high he could not tell where it ended. Above the gate hung a plaque that read Spiritual ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Beast Sanctuary.

"This is the Spiritual Beast Sanctuary. The place our Sect Master treasures most."

"…The entire mountain from this mid-slope up is the sanctuary?"

"Indeed."

They were using an entire mountain peak as a zoo for the sect's spiritual beasts. That was the scale ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of the cultivation world for you. Yuhyeon marveled as he carefully stepped through the gate Yu Yeo-heun opened.

Ga-hye, following behind, also widened her eyes in astonishment that a place for raising animals could be this vast.

The moment he entered the sanctuary, Yuhyeon could immediately sense that the entire enclosure was a formation. The flow of spiritual energy felt unnatural.

There would be flying spiritual beasts as well, so he guessed the formation was meant to keep them contained.

"The Sect Master of Mogang-pa clearly loves spiritual beasts a great deal. I can sense the presence of so many of them."

"As far as I know, this sanctuary holds roughly two hundred species."

"My. That is considerable."

At that scale, even hauling in enough feed would be a full-time job. Not that it was his problem, since he was not a Mogang-pa cultivator.

As much as the Sect Master loved his beasts, the sanctuary was beautifully appointed.

Fruits the spiritual beasts favored grew in abundance on trees and across the fields, and a broad lake where they could drink was a magnificent sight.

"I have never seen water this clear."

"There is an artifact inside that purifies the water. It stays crystal clear year-round."

It was so clear the entire bottom was visible. A wide lake on a mountainside this pure—it was scenery from another world.

"The ailing friend lives over there."

After they had climbed for a while, Yu Yeo-heun pointed. Following her finger, Yuhyeon saw a massive cave whose entrance stood a good three zhang high.

It was so enormous it felt as if it might swallow him whole, and he entered with a faint chill of fear.

Still, where sunlight did not reach, torches were set into the walls at regular intervals, so the terror of the dark eased somewhat.

Shhhiiiiisss.

Something smooth scraped across the floor. Yuhyeon narrowed his eyes.

Soon he grasped the source of the sound. He tilted his head back and looked across the cave. Golden eyes, and a sleek, coiled black body.

"It is a Darkscale Serpent."

Yu Yeo-heun introduced it. An auspicious snake of black scales. The Darkscale Serpent was there.

With every breath, the serpent made a whistling sound no snake should produce. Even Yuhyeon, who knew nothing of beast-taming, could tell something was wrong.

"Let me take a look for a moment."

Yuhyeon pretended to be an expert and touched the Darkscale Serpent. For all that it was an act, he held no hostility. As if a spiritual creature would know that much, the serpent simply yielded its body weakly to his hands.

"How long has this friend been like this?"

"Since we found it. The Sect Master saw it ailing and brought it back."

"And when was that?"

"About fifty years ago."

Fifty years of suffering, then. Yuhyeon stroked its scales, pretending to examine it by touch.

"Hmm."

He circled the Darkscale Serpent, humming thoughtfully for no reason and letting out the occasional sigh.

The only unusual thing he managed to notice was that the bridge of its nose was faintly white. Had Darkscale Serpents always had pale noses? He had never built a character around a beast-tamer concept, so he had no idea.

"Haa."

A cold sweat began to crawl down his spine.

He needed to say he did not know and extract himself—but Yu Yeo-heun was watching his every move with such desperate intensity that he could not get the words out.

"It is Reverse Poison Syndrome."

Just as Yuhyeon was about to open his mouth, deciding he could not drag this out any longer—

He and Yu Yeo-heun both whipped their heads toward the voice. There stood Dang Ga-hye, eyes sparkling.

"The poison in its body has reversed and is flowing back. It needs to be drawn out."

Yuhyeon blinked. Come to think of it, the Dang Clan's deep mastery of poisons went hand in hand with medical skill. And given how often they handled venomous creatures and animals, calling them the greatest family of veterinarians in the martial world would not have been an exaggeration.

From Mogang-pa's perspective, the unexpected guest of honor was not Han Yuhyeon—it was Dang Ga-hye.