Chapter 23
Chapter 23
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 23
Chapter Title: Lord (?)
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Dang Hosan swam through the night air beneath the moonlight alongside Dang Gon, then let out a light chuckle.
It was because Dang Gon seemed to have a lot he wanted to say.
Ping.
"If you have something to say, then say it."
"You seem... in a good mood, after such a long time."
"Do I?"
Dang Hosan touched the corners of his mouth with his fingertips, then nodded.
He truly couldn't recall the last time he'd openly shown his emotions like this.
"Does the Second Young Master please you?"
"Please me? Well. I wonder if I'm even worthy of saying such things as a father. I've left him so neglected all this time."
If there was one misunderstanding Unhwi had, it was that Dang Hosan had ignored him because he was a bastard son.
Truth be told, he simply hadn't cared at all.
He hadn't given a thought to what trials Unhwi was facing or what he was thinking.
'The problem is... it's not just the Second Young Master. You've been the same with the First Young Lady and the Third Young Master too. Even with the Great Madam.'
Dang Hosan's concerns had always lain elsewhere.
The well-being of the Nine Dragons Branch Family.
"As you know, I've always given my children whatever they wanted. When Jina wanted to join the Qingcheng Sect, I let her go. When Changa desired a dark projectile weapon, I permitted access to the library."
Dang Gon simply listened to his lord in silence.
Was it because summer was approaching? The chirp of crickets echoed from somewhere.
Chirrr, chirrr—
"This time is no different. Huiya wanted a reward for his merits, so I gave it to him. If I could have approved entry into the Demonic Woods, I would have allowed that too."
Anyone bearing the Tang name—whether direct descendant or collateral—had to prove themselves solely through their own abilities.
That was why Dang Hosan granted his children everything they asked for.
What came after was entirely up to them.
Unhwi and Dang Gyujin had succeeded, while Tang Yuchang had failed. That was all there was to it.
"But—"
"Isn't Blood Butterfly an exception?"
"Indeed. Wasn't that item something you treasured immensely, my lord?"
"It was."
"But now it seems not."
"It's been over twenty years since I left the front lines. So it's in the past tense now."
"......"
Dang Gon knew full well how heavy the weight of Blood Butterfly was to Dang Hosan, so he couldn't so easily believe those words.
"There are no exceptions for me. If it's needed, I give it. Huiya claimed it as his reward, and I gave it. There's no other reason."
Dang Hosan twisted one corner of his mouth.
"He wants to follow in the footsteps of the Stormwind Squad? In that case, there shouldn't be any other reason needed."
*This is it. The real reason he brought out Blood Butterfly.*
Dang Gon realized this was Dang Hosan's true intent.
It seemed that even in the heart of his lord—like a monster worn down by eroded emotions—the grudge of the Stormwind Squad still lingered.
The resentment from that day when two prodigies had to abandon their dreams.
"Jina and Changa saw Blood Butterfly too, but they uncovered no secrets. The same for you and the other squad members."
Dang Gon pressed his lips tightly together.
"Yet only Huiya made it move the moment he first laid eyes on it. So who knows? Perhaps that child—"
Dang Hosan glanced up at the clear half-moon shining brightly and murmured.
"Might uncover the secret of Blood Butterfly."
In that case, Blood Butterfly's fate was destined to reach Unhwi. And it would be through Unhwi's own abilities.
Dang Gon followed Dang Hosan's gaze up to the half-moon.
The half-moon seemed to cast a faintly reddish halo.
*...It's difficult.*
It was a predawn morning, with less than a month left until the Dark Lord's visit.
* * *
"Blood Butterfly... so you're saying rumors went around that the Stormwind Squad's legacy lingered in this butterfly or something?"
"Yes, Young Cult Leader!"
The lark circled my head, nodding vigorously.
After the spider, this time I'd implanted a spirit into an animal to spy on Dang Hosan and Dang Gon.
I flicked the butterfly still perched on my fingertip, flapping its wings languidly.
I'd expected it to hold extraordinary inner force since it was a substitute for the Demonic Woods.
It definitely had something to it.
But from this conversation alone, it didn't seem Dang Hosan had figured anything out either.
Same for me.
"Still nothing?"
I'd been examining it all this time, but I hadn't discovered anything.
I didn't know what its inner force was, how to use it, or even if it was a hidden weapon.
"I-I'm sorry, Young Cult Leader. If you just give me one gak—no, half a sichen more—"
"Forget it. If nothing came up after digging that much, it's hopeless."
"Ah, ah, no! Just a bit more! Please give me a little more time!"
"Drag this bastard out."
"Your command!"
"Your command! Hehehe! Come out already! That spot's mine now!"
Puff puff thunk!
"Young Cult Leadeeeeer!"
The spirits swarmed the butterfly like they'd been waiting, forcibly yanking out the fifteenth spirit.
The fifteenth resisted pathetically, fearing demotion in the reincarnation queue if deemed useless, but it fell on deaf ears.
The other spirits wouldn't miss this chance to score merits.
"Hey, thirteenth. You're up this time."
"I've been waiting for that command! This White Moth will prove it can meet your expectations!"
Another waiting spirit dove in and flew into the air with vigorous wingbeats.
But it was still too slow. Yawn-inducingly so.
"Uh... huh? This can't be?"
"This one's the same."
"Please wait just a moment, Young Cult Leader! I'll figure it out soon—"
"Next."
"Your command!"
"Th-this is weird...! Please wait, Young Cult Leader! Young Cult Leadeeeeer! Aaaah!"
One thing was clear: this wasn't a hidden weapon. No way it could hit anyone in combat at that speed.
But it didn't show any other functions either.
Even swapping spirits multiple times yielded the same results.
"...What the hell is going on?"
"It's like wet cotton—heavy as hell. What's wrong with it?"
Only after a full rotation did the spirits seem to notice something off.
...I wasn't getting fooled, was I?
"What's the reason?"
The previously sullen fifteenth piped up quickly. It looked utterly ragged.
"It's too heavy! Even a little flight consumes so much spirit power. Keep going and it'll run dry!"
"Heavy spirit power consumption? So it's some kind of magic tool then?"
"Seems so... but the problem is the internals are so convoluted, I can't even grasp what spells are hidden inside!"
Based on the info it provided, I fully unfurled my Violet Monograph.
Fwaaah!
As the fifteenth said, despite its palm-sized form, the butterfly's internal structure was a labyrinthine maze.
"No wonder the spirit power drain is inefficient. But why make it like this?"
No matter how abundant the spirit power, navigating these cramped, twisting paths would leave barely one-tenth.
Meaning, as a magic tool, its function was a mess.
"So there must be some other intent behind its creation."
I stared at the structure for a long while, then suddenly had an idea and fetched brush and ink to sketch it out.
My conclusion after that.
"No way, this is!"
"How did you figure it out, Young Cult Leader?"
I'd need a more detailed breakdown for certainty, but it was definitely a bizarre formation.
A maze formation designed to conceal something tightly.
I filled dozens of sheets with equations to find the solution, finally reaching the innermost core.
But.
"Nope. Can't solve this."
I gave up and tossed the brush aside carelessly.
—Incomprehensible.
This was a formation built from equations with no solvable answer.
"In the world! A formation the Young Cult Leader can't solve?"
"Impossible—"
"I'm not perfect at everything, am I? A flawless person lacks human charm, you know—human charm."
I spouted nonsense out of frustration, but inwardly I was quite shocked.
I'd always prided myself that, short of legendary immortal sages' dharma treasures, no spell or formation was beyond my interpretation.
I'd even awakened the First Heavenly Demon's sarira sealed in the Demon Dragon Sword, which no one else could solve, so the shock hit harder.
Hard to believe, but purely in formation skill, this little butterfly's creator outclassed the First Heavenly Demon.
That sparked my competitive spirit.
Some treasure from the Tang Clan of Sacheon surpassing the Great Heavenly Demon Divine Cult?
No way.
"Probably needs some other condition."
Living in the Tang Clan longer might reveal more.
An item like this surely hid tremendous secrets.
Maybe even hidden manuals or treasures of the Tang Clan.
I glared at the butterfly for a long time.
* * *
I set aside exploring the butterfly for now and moved on to dealing with Grandpa and the Black Sword.
My first spoils since this life's start.
Kiyooo!
Grandpa flew vigorous circles above my head in hawk form, as if proving his worth.
"You're shedding feathers? Want to die?"
Kieek......
Grandpa quickly perched quietly on the desk and buried his head.
Shivering—
"Do a good job, okay?"
Nod nod!
I absently stroked Grandpa's head while pondering how to handle him.
It was nice that he obeyed and tried to impress me, but carrying him around was awkward.
I was about to try something, but no clue if it'd work.
"Pray it takes well."
Kieek?
Grandpa peeked up at me.
When I drew a dagger and nicked my fingertip, his face lit up in shock.
Slurp!
Drool poured from Grandpa's beak.
His eyes sparkled like he'd found millennium ganoderma.
Of course it looked that way. My essence blood, packed tight with my inner force and spells.
Even a light taste of essence blood infused with Ghost King's info could awaken immense potential in a jiangshi.
And it flowed right before his eyes? Drool city.
"Th-that precious stuff—"
"To think a jiangshi makes me jealous for the first time...."
"Everyone snap out of it! Even as spirits, we must maintain our human dignity!"
"What's the point of dignity when we're dead?"
Even the elder spirits who obsessed over dignity fidgeted on their haunches.
"Want it?"
Keeeek! Kek!
He flapped wildly and nodded.
"If I give it? What can you give me?"
Kek? Keeek!
Some vow of utter loyalty, but that wouldn't cut it.
"The Black Bone Ghost Valley runs jiangshi workshops nearby, right?"
Keeek? Keek!
"Hand over their locations. Then every morning, I'll give you this much of my blood."
Betraying his comrades gave Grandpa visible pause and inner conflict.
I didn't rush him, just watched with a smile.
He'd cave to my offer anyway.
Black Bone Ghost Valley secretly operated workshops across the Central Plains, including beyond the Western Regions.
They hid jiangshi arts even from their own disciples, let alone the Divine Cult.
What if I raided them one by one?
They'd shit bricks till they dropped dead.
I planned to plunder them down to their souls.
This was my way to screw over Black Bone Ghost Valley and its backers without defying Dang Hosan's warning against interfering with the Dark Lord's assassination.
These spoils would boost my forces too.
Like how plundering their elixir warehouse had shattered my blocked meridian in one go.
"Uhehehe!"
"...There it is, that laugh!"
"He's scheming something again!"
The spirits paled and shivered.
"Why the hesitation? Raid the workshops, and the jiangshi there are yours too."
Kek? Keeek!
At my final toss, Grandpa nodded vigorously without further qualms.
As expected, he worried more about me sharing blood equally with other suspicious ones than betrayal guilt.
Entrusting him with the workshops meant free rein to devour the jiangshi.
Jiangshi were a type of yokai. Extracting their demonic essence alone could vastly boost yokai power.
Of course he'd itch to dash to the workshops right now.
"Alright, then. Drink up."
Kiyooo!
Grandpa pressed his beak to my fingertip.
He guzzled greedily for a good while, only backing off when his belly swelled too full.
And then.
Crunch crunch!
The transformation began.
He'd chugged a hefty dose of Ghost King Blood, so his yokai power grade surged.
Feathers shed in droves. His body ballooned like a puff, then shrank, forging his muscles and bones.
Like a human undergoing bone transformation and rebirth.
When all changes ended, Grandpa's eyes blazed fiercer than ever.
Smaller now, mere purple sparrow size, but his aura was incomparable.
Even his deathly qi began gaining vitality.
This guy was no longer a Gu Hawk.
Something superior.
—Lord (?).
A jiangshi—no, yokai beast—from legend: once it cries, villains appear wherever it perches.
Kee-ee-eek!
But in the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, we called this yokai differently.
The auspicious bird heralding the march of demon soldiers with its war drum cry!
Each time Lord cried out, my dantian resonated with a chirr.
And then.
"Wh-what is this!?"
The personality of the giant spider he'd devoured awakened.