Chapter 19: Baek Yeon-yeong
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 19: Baek Yeon-yeong
The pale, apricot-hued hands were flawless enough to be called delicate jade hands.
Her blue eyes, seemingly emotionless, were like a lake of unfathomable depth.
At first glance, her eyes might seem sharp, even cold, but that too felt beautiful.
A small mole rested beneath her eye. Seeing it brought to mind the old saying, "dotting the eye of a dragon."
It was as if she were a painting that had come to life, completed only when that beauty mark was added, just like the dragon's eye. Her appearance was almost inhuman. She was like a masterpiece, crafted with an intricate mix of bold and fine lines.
An ink wash painting, to be precise.
Yes. Her lush hair was like a waterfall drawn in ink.
Had I ever seen someone so beautiful in my entire life?
If I had to choose the most beautiful woman in the world, I would pick her without hesitation.
Of course, she was the first person I'd seen since coming here, so it's not like I had other options.
I've described her appearance at length, but my situation could be summed up in one sentence.
A person had appeared before me.
A female person, at that.
An incredibly beautiful female person, even.
“Gek-ge-gek!”
Hello.
I may have the body of a lizard, but I'm actually a human.
I ended up like this because I posted a picture of a Spinosaurus in a maid outfit on an online community.
…
There was no way she could understand me.
But why on earth was there a person in a cave like this?
I only got here because the ground collapsed.
It would be difficult to get here by any normal means.
There was more than one strange thing about this situation.
Besides, wasn't I just performing Qi Cultivation?
This woman touched me.
I'd suffered internal injuries just from the turtle screaming loudly, yet this woman had touched me directly.
Why didn't she suffer any internal injuries?
Was it because my Qi Cultivation failed?
One question led to another.
As I was pondering this, the woman's lips moved.
“Your hide looks tough at first glance, but it’s surprisingly soft. And this white belly is perfectly plump… it makes me want to keep touching it.”
The woman was gently kneading my belly.
“Gek-ge-gek!”
No matter how pretty you are, this is not okay.
That spot is sensitive.
“What a curious creature. I have seen many spirit beasts, but never one that looks like this.”
As expected, I must be a handsome lizard.
Don't be fooled by my appearance; this body even seduced a Nephila Jurassica.
“Your face is rather unremarkable, but it has a certain charm.”
“Gek-gek!”
She's saying whatever she wants just because she's pretty.
I expressed my displeasure with my entire body.
“And what about these small feet? How can a lizard have webbed feet?”
She fiddled with my front paw with her finger.
Being touched while listening to words I couldn't tell were compliments or insults left me feeling bewildered.
“Your tail is also quite a sight. It’s long and thin, and feels nice to the touch.”
This time, she gently stroked my tail.
Fine.
Let's say I'm okay with her touching me.
It can't be helped.
If a lizard like me appeared before me, I'd be touching it all over too.
Of course, I would have been bitten immediately.
Look at me. She's been manhandling me like this, and I haven't bitten her once.
It's definitely not because my teeth are still throbbing, forcing me to keep my mouth shut.
Touching the lizard in front of her is fine.
It's all well and good, but could you let me go now?
I'm starting to feel a little suffocated.
“You would be perfect as an ingredient for a Chastity Mark.”
The woman's lips curved into a smile.
Right. Whatever that Chastity Mark thing is, just let me go first.
Wait, a Chastity Mark?
What was that again?
…I remember now.
A Chastity Mark (守宮砂) is a type of cosmetic, a red paste applied to the body.
It has a special function; it's easiest to understand if you think of it as the wuxia version of a unicorn.
The red paste applied to the body has the characteristic of never fading until death.
There is only one way for it to disappear: engaging in sexual intercourse.
It is mainly used by the Emei Sect to verify if their disciples have maintained their purity.
It is also sometimes applied to the daughters of noble families.
It was a wondrous item, essentially a high-class virginity detector.
So far, so good.
It's a unicorn-friendly item.
However, the ingredient for the Chastity Mark is...
A lizard fed with cinnabar.
“Gek-gek-gek-gek-gek!”
I struggled frantically.
You said you'd raise me! You said you'd raise me!
No, you never said you'd raise me, but you didn't say you were going to grind me into powder either!
“What is the matter?”
The woman grabbed me by the scruff of my neck and lifted me up.
All the strength drained from my body.
I dangled helplessly, unable to do anything.
“Gek…”
“Gek? Gecko? Your cry is peculiar as well.”
“Ge-ek…”
Strange.
Why can't I muster any strength?
Even when I faced the Caiman, I eventually managed to move.
Besides, this woman didn't look that strong on the outside.
She was just bigger than me.
The black-haired woman raised her other hand and pressed firmly on my belly.
“You have so much inside that small body of yours. So much that you haven't even digested yet.”
“Gek!”
You can't press there!
I just ate, you know.
“Gek-gek!”
I used the only method available to me: crying out.
Perhaps my earnestness reached her, as she began to say the words I was hoping for.
“Alright. I will put you down, so stay still.”
I grew closer and closer to the ground.
She was clearly going to let me go.
She told me to stay still, but I had a gut feeling that if I didn't act now, I wouldn't get another chance.
…Should I run?
She may have subdued me with some strange technique, but her physical strength doesn't seem that great.
There's no way she can keep up with my footwork.
Alright. The moment she puts me on the ground, I'll run.
But first, let me check something.
I focused my eyes.
[Cannot appraise target.]
Huh.
What's this now?
Cannot appraise target?
Even the Caiman showed its level and name.
This is the first time I've seen a message like this since I got here.
Is it because she's human?
Surely this woman isn't stronger than the Caiman, right?
It's more plausible that my skill just doesn't work on humans.
…Still, just in case, I decided to stay put.
That whole Chastity Mark thing was probably just a bad joke told by martial artists.
It would be more believable if she said she was going to eat me.
“Ge-ek!”
I looked at the woman with incredibly innocent eyes.
“What is with that expression? Ho. It seems you know what a Chastity Mark is.”
It was strange.
Why was she speaking as if she knew I could understand her?
“Since you know how to sit in the lotus position, I suppose it is not so strange that you would know of the Chastity Mark.”
So she saw.
Then treat me a little better.
I'm a rare lizard.
“In that case, the cut marks on that snake were no mere coincidence either.”
The woman pointed at the bones of the snake I had eaten.
I ate all the edible parts, so there was barely any flesh left. What could she possibly have seen on that?
“They are crude, but there are traces that could not have been left by the movements of a lizard.”
“Gek!”
I was shocked.
She figured that out just by looking at the bones?
Or is it because I was sitting in the lotus position?
“Did you copy the drawings on the wall?”
Her blue eyes were watching me.
They were so deep they seemed bottomless.
A tremendous pressure, like a tidal wave, bore down on my body.
I had no choice but to tell the truth.
“Gek-gek.”
I nodded.
“I had a pleasant dream last night. It seems it was a premonition of our meeting.”
I didn't know why, but she seemed to be in a good mood.
“Even if spirit beasts can understand words, they are rarely friendly. But you are different.”
That's because if I wasn't friendly, you'd probably grind me into lizard powder.
“Good.”
I don't know what's good, but it's not good for me.
“I do not usually like to interfere with nature, but it would be a waste to simply leave you be.”
No, I think you can just leave me be.
“It will be brief, but I shall impart to you the teachings of Baek Yeon-yeong.”
What? The teachings of Baek Yeon-yeong?
What's that? Who is Baek Yeon-yeong?
“…However, you must not go around claiming to be my direct disciple. If you wish to do so, you must first join the main sect.”
So this person's name is Baek Yeon-yeong.
Does that mean she's going to teach me martial arts?
But I'm a lizard.
Martial artists are more open-minded than I thought.
“I wish you were a bit bigger, but I suppose I must be satisfied with this for now.”
Baek Yeon-yeong poked my belly with her finger.
Once I get bigger, she'll use me as an ingredient.
Just like Hansel and Gretel!
I will never get fat.
“Gek-gek!”
But is she really going to teach me martial arts?
I feel like I've gotten myself into something bad.
A woman who wants to teach a lizard martial arts doesn't seem normal.
…No, but still, she wouldn't kill her own disciple, right?
If I just pretend to learn, I won't be turned into a Chastity Mark.
And if I happen to actually learn some martial arts and pick up an attack skill, all the better.
Alright. Let's hear what she has to say.
“Little lizard, take your stance.”
“Gek?”
*
Baek Yeon-yeong. I didn't know who she was, but one thing was certain.
“Agh. Not like that.”
This woman was a terrible teacher.
“Ge-ge-ge-ge-gek!”
“How can you not understand this? From a straight line to a curve. Just do it naturally, like flowing water.”
She was holding my arms and waving them around, but I couldn't understand it at all.
At best, she seemed like a Third-Rate martial artist.
No, even a random kid off the street wouldn't explain things this badly.
Just "do this, do that."
Something about yin and yang, something about the profound principles of martial arts.
“How frustrating. This is why I never intended to take a disciple.”
This is why I never intended to have a master.
“Gek-gek!”
Baek Yeon-yeong just grabbed my hands and feet and kept manhandling me.
“Watch closely. Move your left hand forward as you move your right foot back…”
“Gek-gek-gek!”
This is lizard abuse.
“Right. You have a tail, so you can make use of that as well. Now, this is just my idea, but…”
No matter how I looked at it, it felt less like she was teaching me martial arts and more like she was playing with a doll.
And I was the doll, of course.
“Ge-ek… Ge-ek…”
I'm not happy.
Should I just bite her finger and run for it?
“Hmm, yes. It would be easier to understand if I showed you once rather than explaining it a hundred times.”
Oh.
She finally gets it.
Hurry up and show me a demonstration.
She might be Third-Rate, but she should be able to do the basics, right?
Baek Yeon-yeong picked me up by the scruff of my neck and sat me on a high rock.
“Gek?”
“Wait here quietly.”
Is this my personal chair?
Not bad.
Baek Yeon-yeong raised her hand.
Finally!
And then she petted me.
…What is she doing?
“Gek-ge-gek!”
Weren't you going to give a demonstration?
The woman continued to pet me for a long while.
“Wait. It will arrive soon.”
What does that mean?
What will arrive...?
In that moment, goosebumps erupted all over my body.
It was the same feeling I had when I first saw the Caiman.
My danger sense was going wild.
Rumble...
At first, it was distant.
RUUUUMBLE!
But I could tell that whatever it was, it was approaching at a rapid speed.
KRAAAASH!
A massive rock wall shattered, and the source of the sound revealed itself.
【Titanoboa LV50(+)】
It was larger than any creature I had seen so far.
Its colossal body was naturally overwhelming, but Baek Yeon-yeong merely smiled.
“So it’s an Imugi.”