Chapter 100: Like Master, Like Disciple
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 100: Like Master, Like Disciple
Baek Seol-hwa wasn't one to listen to Baek Yeon-yeong.
Like many sisters, they weren't particularly close.
However, it was unthinkable for the Priestess of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult to disobey the Cult Leader.
There was an order given not by Baek Yeon-yeong, but by the Cult Leader of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
Do not touch that handsome lizard.
Even without Baek Yeon-yeong present, she could not defy that command.
The Left Guardian, Woo Jin-woon, whom Baek Yeon-yeong had assigned as her escort.
He was hiding in the shadows right now.
If she tried anything foolish, a report would go straight to the Cult Leader.
Of course, even without him, Baek Seol-hwa, aware of her position as Priestess, would never have disobeyed the Cult Leader's order.
And yet, she had mentioned the words "Chastity Mark."
It wasn't something she said thoughtlessly or simply.
The reason she brought it up was to gauge the lizard before her.
Baek Seol-hwa organized the information she had gathered so far.
First, this lizard enjoyed being touched.
The fact that it remained still even when she touched its soft belly showed it was different from other lizards.
A lizard that liked the touch of a human hand.
It was no ordinary lizard.
Then again, possessing internal energy that rivaled, no, perhaps surpassed the Peak Realm, it couldn't be considered ordinary in the first place.
This lizard did not hate people.
On the contrary, it seemed to hold a certain degree of goodwill towards them.
Spirit Beasts were creatures that, even if they could communicate, could never fully align their understanding with that of humans.
This was especially true for the Spirit Beasts of the 100,000 Great Mountains.
It was a place where thousands, tens of thousands of Spirit Beasts gathered.
They coveted each other's inner cores, hunting one another.
Naturally, their dispositions were bound to become violent.
Of course, it wasn't as if there were no Spirit Beasts friendly to humans, but they were an extreme minority.
Furthermore, this lizard understood the term "Chastity Mark."
Spirit Beasts that could speak human languages did exist.
However, even for such a creature, it was impossible to know a word used exclusively by humans. Unless, of course, it had learned it from another human.
And there was no human who would have taught a lizard about a Chastity Mark.
Even Baek Yeon-yeong would never have explained its meaning.
Yet this lizard knew exactly what a Chastity Mark was.
The way it was struggling was proof that it knew the main ingredient for a Chastity Mark was a lizard.
A lizard that was friendly to people and possessed human knowledge.
Moreover, it was a lizard that the Cult Leader of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult had already claimed.
Baek Seol-hwa decided she needed to learn more about this lizard.
*
This was an emergency.
I’d run into a crazy person.
I mean, what kind of being would mention the words "Chastity Mark" in front of a lizard?
…Well, Baek Yeon-yeong did.
No, even Baek Yeon-yeong just mentioned it in passing and that was it.
She didn't call me by name and speak to me with honorifics like this.
May I feed you cinnabar and then grind you up?
That’s what she was saying so brazenly.
Should I fire a Gaegaek Death Beam?
No, escaping should be the priority.
I was in the middle of contemplating my options.
“I was only joking.”
The white Baek Yeon-yeong said, slightly loosening her grip.
Thanks to her, I could breathe a little easier.
It felt like I could escape if I used some strength, but now wasn't the time.
The fact that she loosened her grip meant there was still room for dialogue.
If I attempted a risky escape, I might just add the crime of insolence to my charges.
Anyway, she was joking?
“Gek gek!”
That’s a terrifying joke.
The chances of her lying were slim.
She knew my name was Hui. How could she think of turning me into a Chastity Mark?
That was a name given to me by the one and only Baek Yeon-yeong.
If you mess with me, my master won't stand for it.
But it was too early to feel relieved.
My long experience was telling me.
This was an opponent I could never let my guard down against.
“My name is Baek Seol-hwa. I’ve heard a lot about you, Hui.”
Baek Seol-hwa bowed her upper body in a rather elegant posture.
My eyes were nearly stolen by her swaying Internal Energy Pouches.
Was she planning to turn me into a Chastity Mark the moment I let my guard down?
Not gonna work.
“Gek gek gek!”
I smacked her wrist with my tail.
I was expressing my extreme displeasure.
I was, in my own way, a recipient of Baek Yeon-yeong’s favor.
I didn't know her exact standing, but in terms of pure martial prowess, she was likely in the top five within the Demonic Cult. Although Baek Seol-hwa was her blood relative, her actual rank was probably lower.
“Oh my, are you upset?”
Seeing that face, identical to Baek Yeon-yeong's, act this way was hard to get used to.
But I couldn't back down.
Escaping this woman's clutches wasn't my only goal.
My objective was to retrieve the unicorn's horn lying over there.
To do that, I had to negotiate.
I glared at her with my triangular face.
It was a face that suited the word ‘venomous.’
“…Are you that upset?”
Baek Seol-hwa seemed to be thinking deeply about something.
Suddenly, she slipped a hand into the cleavage of her Internal Energy Pouches.
Such a shameless act!
Was she resorting to a physical offensive now?
I covered my eyes with my small hands.
Of course, I didn't miss her movements.
…It wasn't out of any personal desire, but to prepare for any sudden developments.
Baek Seol-hwa pulled out a long container from her bosom.
So the capacity of those pouches was large enough to hold something like that.
When she opened the lid, a sweet scent wafted out.
It was a familiar smell.
Yes, it was the same as the dango I had smelled in the Silver Dragon Cave.
“I don’t get to eat these often myself, but I brought them just in case.”
Drool started to drip from my mouth.
How long had it been since I’d eaten something sweet?
I was having high-quality meals every day, but that was strictly from a carnivore's perspective.
I wasn't saying I missed grass. But sweet things were always welcome.
Besides, that dango wasn't just ordinarily sweet.
“Oh? You know what this is? That’s right. It’s dango made with Jade Bee’s honey.”
Jade Bee’s honey!
I remembered what Tang Soyeong had said.
It was the Jade Bee’s honey that was suppressing the energies of the various elixirs in my body, preventing them from clashing with each other.
No wonder it was so delicious; it was made with such an ingredient.
Baek Seol-hwa took out a dango and offered it to me.
“Gek gek!”
I received the dango she offered with both hands.
It would be nice to share it with the Snake Mother and Daughter, but there was too little.
I guess I have no choice but to eat it myself.
Chomp.
Munch.
A sweetness that wasn't overwhelming filled my mouth.
If that was all, I wouldn't have been drooling so much.
Soon, a storm of various kinds of sweetness washed over me in sequence.
“Ge… Gek gek!”
I let out a sound of admiration without realizing it.
Baek Seol-hwa watched me with a pleased expression.
“Are you feeling a little better now?”
I couldn't help but feel better.
It was a situation where I couldn't even pretend to be angry.
But I couldn't let my guard down completely.
For her to give me such a precious food, she must want something from me.
“Gek.”
Go on, say it.
I'll at least hear you out.
“Sir Hui. Would you like to come with me?”
Isn't she seeing me as too materialistic?
“You’ll be able to eat delicious food like this every day.”
I shook my head from side to side.
I was the one who had refused even when Baek Yeon-yeong offered to raise me.
I couldn't go into someone else's care now.
Besides, if I followed this woman now, the picture would get weird.
If I ran into Baek Yeon-yeong and the four Tang sisters at the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, my position would become very awkward.
My vision would probably go dark amidst a chorus of kieeeeks.
“…You certainly are different from other Spirit Beasts.”
Baek Seol-hwa casually patted my head.
“Jade Bee’s honey is a type of elixir. Any Spirit Beast would covet its power, yet you restrain yourself with your own will.”
Hmm.
Is it that big of a deal?
Of course, it was incredibly delicious, but I didn't think it was enough to make me lose my mind.
I had already tried it once before, after all.
Baek Seol-hwa stared at me for a long time.
It felt strongly like she was checking to see if there were any side effects.
After observing me for a while, Baek Seol-hwa nodded.
“Truly amazing. It wouldn’t be polite to keep such a magnificent Spirit Beast captive.”
Baek Seol-hwa started to put me down on the ground.
…She’s just letting me go like this?
“Gek.”
Wait a minute.
“What is it?”
“Gek gek.”
I tapped her wrist with my tail.
Not a smack.
A tap.
That meant I was pointing at something.
My sharp claw was pointing towards the unicorn's horn that was set aside over there.
Give me that.
It was the posture of a shameless lizard.
“Gegegek.”
“…Are you perhaps asking for the unicorn’s horn?”
“Gek.”
“No matter what, I can’t give you the unicorn’s horn… Ah!”
Baek Seol-hwa exclaimed as if she had a good idea.
Right, good thinking.
“How about you become a Chastity Mark, and I’ll give you the unicorn’s horn?”
Bad thinking.
“Gek gek!”
Why is the conversation flowing this way?
“Then I have no choice. I need to get either the unicorn’s horn or a lizard to use as an ingredient for the Chastity Mark. I can’t miss out on both, you see.”
…Didn't you say the Chastity Mark thing was a joke?
Could it have been a sophisticated strategy to make me let my guard down?
It seemed she hadn't given up on the idea of turning me into a Chastity Mark.
“If I give the unicorn’s horn to you, Sir Hui, then I’ll have no choice but to…”
Baek Seol-hwa continued her explanation earnestly.
The unicorn's horn.
Or a Chastity Mark.
She needed one of the two.
She was in a situation where she had to return with one of them, so she couldn't just give me the unicorn's horn.
If she were to yield, she would have to grind me up with a whirrr.
…If she grinds me up, doesn't that defeat the purpose of yielding?
An ordinary lizard wouldn't be able to escape this situation.
At best, it would return to the Snake Queen and let out a sad gek sound, reporting its failure.
But who am I?
The master of the Silver Dragon Cave.
The master of the lower swamp.
The one beloved by the spider.
The companion of the Snake Queen.
The companion of the Snake Princess.
…There are a lot of weird things mixed in there.
Anyway, it meant I was no ordinary lizard.
I knew the best move to get out of this situation.
Gaegaek Style, First Form.
Tail Severing.
*
Baek Seol-hwa stared at her hand.
Only a lizard's tail remained there.
A long, plump tail.
It was the tail Hui had left behind.
At first, she was horrified.
Even though he had severed his own tail, she had technically harmed the lizard the Cult Leader had declared off-limits.
But as time passed, she was relieved to see the lizard's tail beginning to grow back.
It was a method she had never imagined.
Of course, she couldn't make a Chastity Mark with just a tail.
A Chastity Mark was made by grinding up a lizard that had been fed cinnabar.
However, in exchange for the tail, she had given him the unicorn's horn.
Because this was no ordinary lizard's tail.
It was a tail overflowing with a sacred energy that could be called divine power.
This tail was clearly several times more valuable than the unicorn's horn.
She watched him run off with all his might, carrying the unicorn's horn in his small body.
It was a little disappointing that he ran off without a single look back the moment he received the horn, but she didn't show it.
He was the lizard Baek Yeon-yeong had her eye on.
She knew they were bound to meet again soon.
“…Thinking about it again, he’s incredible.”
He was incomparable to any Spirit Beast she had ever seen.
It was hard to explain, but there was more than one thing that felt out of place.
Especially the matter related to the Jade Bee’s honey, which shattered Baek Seol-hwa's common sense.
Although there were many different elixirs and Spirit Beasts in the 100,000 Great Mountains, Jade Bee’s honey was something that couldn't be obtained here. No Spirit Beast would be able to refuse it.
Even a sacred Spirit Beast might lose its reason upon tasting Jade Bee’s honey for the first time.
But he had endured it, plain as day.
He didn't choose to wag his tail or attack her to steal the honey.
It was impossible unless he had some kind of resistance.
And there was no way that lizard had resistance.
Baek Seol-hwa sighed.
If I knew this would happen, I should have just eaten it myself.
Even as she thought that, she glanced down at her own chest.
One of her worries was that a certain part of her body grew larger every time she ate sweets.
For that reason, she restrained herself from eating Jade Bee’s honey. Besides, it was so expensive that even she, a Priestess, couldn't eat it carelessly.
…Still, I moved my body for the first time in a while, so one should be fine, right?
With that wicked thought, Baek Seol-hwa slipped her hand into the cleavage of her Internal Energy Pouches.
But the container that should have been there was gone.
No matter how much she fumbled, the result was the same.
How could this be?
She had definitely handed a dango to that lizard.
“…No way.”
She finally realized.
The reason that lizard had run off immediately after receiving the unicorn's horn.
“Th-Thief…!”
He had stolen all of her precious dango.
As expected of the lizard Baek Yeon-yeong has her eye on.