Chapter 258: This Lizard Feels Like He's Going to Dry Up!
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 258: This Lizard Feels Like He's Going to Dry Up!
Hair as dark as the night sky and expressionless blue eyes that betrayed no emotion.
Baek Yeon-yeong, the Leader of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, gazed down at her own hand.
Her eyes were fixed on her left ring finger.
It was the spot her one and only beloved disciple would bite whenever he had the chance.
One might wonder how a disciple could bite their master’s finger, but Baek Yeon-yeong paid no mind to such trivialities.
In fact, now, if he just stared blankly at it, she would feel a little disappointed, even secretly hoping he would bite it.
This wasn't born from some perverted tendency, like that of Mo Soyeong of the Tang Clan. It was simply a master’s way of gauging her disciple’s growth.
Being able to leave a mark on her body meant he had grown to a satisfactory level.
It was how she could recognize just how much that tiny lizard, once small enough to fit in one hand, had grown.
If one were to name the most anomalous figure in the current Murim, it would undoubtedly be Baek Yeon-yeong.
Her strength was such that the word "anomalous" was a fitting description.
It wouldn't be impossible to find a martial artist who could match her if one searched the entire Central Plains.
But among the masters of her generation, there was no one who could even compare.
She had reached the supreme state known as the Profound Realm.
A martial artist whose talent could not be explained by the word "genius" alone.
Because of who she was, Baek Yeon-yeong had lived her entire life without ever taking a disciple.
It was inevitable.
Traditionally, martial arts are systematically refined by later generations, building upon the foundations laid by their ancestors to achieve gradual progress.
But Baek Yeon-yeong’s martial arts were different.
She had never seen the Nine Yin Manual, yet she could use the Nine Yin White Bone Claw. She had never received the teachings of Shaolin, yet she could use the Dragon's Claws.
Hers was a talent for reinterpreting martial arts created by others and making them her own—a talent truly befitting the title of a Heavenly Martial Body.
How could such a person ever pass on her martial arts to another?
A human would never be able to comprehend her teachings.
But the lizard she met was different.
Because he did not possess a human body, he was able to receive Baek Yeon-yeong’s teachings.
At first, it was just a small curiosity.
After all, even for someone like Baek Yeon-yeong, it wasn't every day one saw a lizard sitting in the lotus position.
And he had fearlessly bitten her finger from their very first meeting.
It was something no master would ever dare to imagine, yet that tiny lizard had gone and done it.
He was so small, yet the sight of him trying to take on something tens of times his size was rather cute.
She had no intention of considering him a disciple, but then she saw him take a cupped-fist salute with his tiny front paws, regarding her as his master.
It was the moment warmth spread across her cold expression.
It was a brief meeting, but it led to more.
Her disciple continued to train, grow, and evolve.
Finally, she bestowed a name upon her beloved disciple.
Hui (曦).
It meant the sun.
The character Hui (曦) is a combination of 日 (sun) and 羲 (Fuxi).
Fuxi is an ancient Chinese deity, also known as the god of spring and the sun who rules the East.
Some legends depict him as a snake with a human head, while others say he had the form of a dragon.
It was Fuxi who created the Eight Trigrams, and it is Fuxi who governs Wood.
Baek Yeon-yeong hoped her disciple would become such a figure.
A being who, like the spring, gives birth to new life.
A being who ensures the faithful do not go hungry.
With such a wish, she gave him the name Hui.
Of course, she knew well that for him to become so was her own selfish desire.
No matter which path he chose, she was prepared to support him.
But as time passed and he continued to grow, her disciple began to follow the path of his name.
The lizard, whom she had named Hui for the sun because she couldn't bring herself to give him Fuxi's name directly, was now wielding the power of Wood.
Wherever he walked, life blossomed. Storms raged and thunder struck, once again giving birth to life.
Was his growth a coincidence?
No. Baek Yeon-yeong realized that he had unconsciously understood her wish.
She had done so little for him, yet he was walking such an arduous path for her sake.
Looking at her slightly trembling hand, Baek Yeon-yeong made a vow.
That she would do anything for her disciple.
"...It feels like it's been a long time since I last saw you."
She smiled faintly as she looked at her left ring finger.
There was no bite mark there, but a ring made of jade.
"You rascal. You can't be ignorant of what it means to do this to your master."
Her tone was chiding, but her voice was bright.
"Always wandering about outside, and so audacious as to not seek your master when you need help."
Wearing a bright smile that even her own sister rarely saw, Baek Yeon-yeong stared at her ring finger for a long while.
"When he returns this time... I must keep him with me for at least seven days and nights."
*
I had never even considered the possibility of my master getting hurt.
Who was my master?
Wasn't she the one who gave me teachings when I had only just shed my gecko form?
A small, insignificant lizard that no one would have blamed her for ignoring, or perhaps even for taking my inner core.
But my master extended a hand to me, a lizard like that.
She taught me what martial arts were, and she taught me what kind of mindset I should have to live.
Without her teachings, I would never have been able to grow this strong.
I am quite partial to the women I have formed connections with.
I wasn't like this when I was human, so this body must be the problem.
Even taking that into account, I always acted even more intensely toward my master.
In the eyes of others, I may be a small lizard, but I perceive myself as human to some extent.
I believe I must protect a minimum of pride and dignity, but in front of my master, all my defenses crumble.
That's how much I like her.
It's embarrassing to say this, but if I had a human body, I might have fallen in love at first sight.
And then, like a coward, I would have been unable to even speak to her, content with just recalling what she looked like.
But I don't respect and adore my master just because of her appearance.
My master possesses strength greater than anyone, yet she never wields it recklessly.
My master, and no one else, is that kind of woman.
I admired her strength and tried to constantly chase after her.
Vowing to one day leave a proper mark on her finger, I followed her path however I could.
Compared to the past, my current growth is so immense it feels like a different era, but the gap between myself and my master is still vast.
In fact, having come this far, it might even feel more distant.
Because my master was so strong, I could never imagine her being injured.
The power she showed me was not something that could be displayed in an injured state.
But thinking back now, there were a few strange things.
It was like that from our first meeting.
Did my master have any reason to visit the Silver Dragon Cave?
If it was for training, the creatures in the Silver Dragon Cave were not strong enough to help her.
Even the strongest among them, the Titanoboa, couldn't withstand a single blow.
Then why did my master seek out the Silver Dragon Cave?
To heal an injured body?
The Silver Dragon Cave wasn't a hot spring; it was just a place teeming with bugs...
...Come to think of it, wasn't there Gongcheongseokyu there?
Could it be... could it be that she hasn't recovered from her injury because of me?
No, I shouldn't think like that.
I found the Gongcheongseokyu after my master had left. If she had needed it, she would have taken it herself.
I must have just received the leftovers.
It has to be that way.
Otherwise, I don't think I could bear it.
...This is no time for self-justification.
What's important right now is that my master is hurt.
More accurately, I've only just realized she was injured in the past.
Who on earth did that to my master?
Didn't they say Jin-ryong was also injured around the same time?
Could it be that the two of them clashed?
Yes, that would make sense.
Jin-ryong and my master clashed, and both were injured.
If that's true, then I can also guess why Al-Yu was loitering around here.
Since my master wasn't in perfect condition, he was trying to provoke and lure her out.
And behind it all would be Jin-ryong.
Grind.
I ground my teeth.
Both Jin-ryong and Al-Yu... I must end them with my own hands.
No one else.
How dare they touch my master.
...But now is not the time to just be angry.
The first priority is to find a way to improve my master's condition.
An ordinary elixir probably won't be effective. How should I heal her?
There is...
There is one way.
I looked at my wriggling tail.
My tail is a ridiculously potent elixir, capable of elevating an ordinary animal to the level of a spirit beast.
It was powerful enough to evolve not only Tus and Pus, but also Chirpy, who wasn't even part of the Gaegaek Cult.
Plus, it regenerates infinitely.
However, that doesn't mean its effects are constant.
After evolving Tus and Pus, I ran a few experiments.
I gave my tail to the wolves to see if there were any changes.
The wolves wagged their tails, happy for the sudden feast, but that was it.
Of course, according to the Snake Queen and other spirit beasts, it had effects like making their skin supple, strengthening their hair, and purifying their blood, but that wasn't the effect I was looking for.
So, was it a coincidence that they evolved after eating my tail?
No, that wasn't it.
My tail contains internal energy far superior to most elixirs.
Just as a camel stores resources in its hump, I store internal energy in my tail.
Of course, cutting it off doesn't make my internal energy disappear, but the internal energy contained within the tail is lost.
That would explain it.
The reason I was able to momentarily overwhelm Gongbok when I had been consistently pushed back was that I used the internal energy condensed in my tail, wielding it like a sword.
It was as if hundreds, thousands of strands of sword aura had gathered to manifest something similar to sword flux.
So, what's the conclusion?
The longer I go without cutting my tail, the more its potency increases.
And as it happens, I have currently consumed a great deal of elixirs.
Of course, my tail as it is now won't be enough.
And even if I just handed my tail to my master, she wouldn't eat it right away.
The conclusion was clear.
Since she can't be healed with ordinary elixirs, I'll just have to put all the elixirs in my stomach.
I'm back to playing the role of a lizard thief.
Though now, I'll have to be a robber, not a thief.
Then, I'll avoid cutting my tail for as long as possible, and when enough power has gathered, I'll present it to my master as a gift.
She won't just accept it, so I'll tie my body with something like a red ribbon.
If I say, "I am your present, Master," wouldn't she shed tears of emotion?
"...Hui, you're making a face like you're having some very strange thoughts."
Alright, let's do it now.