Chapter 260: This? Me? Why?
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 260: This? Me? Why?
First, the facts needed to be confirmed.
It wouldn't be right for someone of her stature, the Priestess of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, to act on the word of a mere lizard.
Of course, this wasn't just any ordinary lizard, and they did share a certain bond, but a person in her high position had to be exceedingly cautious.
That's why, even while believing me, she took these steps to verify the truth for herself.
To see what the Heugunbang Leader was hiding.
It was her way of subtly asking who this "master" he spoke of was.
More precisely, she was probing to see if the "master" the leader mentioned was the same being who had fought a fierce battle with my own master.
If it was, then there was no longer any reason to let the Black Cloud Faction exist.
Not only were they useless to her master, but they were also responsible for healing her enemy.
And with that, the fact-checking was more or less complete.
Because instead of continuing to speak, the leader had reached for the sword at his waist.
It seemed he hadn't just stumbled into his position as leader; he had some sense.
Of course, Seol-hwa had also been a bit too obvious.
She could have taken a more roundabout approach.
Slowly, naturally, so as not to arouse suspicion.
But Seol-hwa didn't do that.
Why? Because she could.
It was the so-called "What are you gonna do about it?" strategy.
It didn't matter if a fight broke out, and it didn't matter if they just let it slide.
"Gasp, wh... when?"
The Heugunbang Leader reached out for my tail, looking dumbfounded.
Chomp.
I opened my mouth slightly in a threatening gesture.
This guy has grabby hands.
How dare he touch my tail?
As I did, I prepared to draw power from my dantian.
I would decide how to respond after seeing what Seol-hwa did.
"Oh my, little lizard. When did you move?"
Seol-hwa calmly reached out and picked me up.
It was a sign to stand down for now.
Honestly, if we put our minds to it, we could annihilate the entire Black Cloud Faction at any time.
We wouldn't even need the power of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult; the people here were enough.
Seol-hwa alone was a master of the Transformation Realm, and I was about at that level myself.
No matter how strong the Heugunbang Leader was, even if he was at the Transformation Realm, he couldn't possibly take on two of us.
And if Taotie joined in, that would make three Transformation Realm masters.
...Of course, one of them was just a lizard at the cusp of the Peak Realm, but if you rounded up, you could call it Transformation Realm.
The Heugunbang Leader seemed extremely flustered.
"H-how could a lizard... without leaving any trace of its presence..."
Most lizards can do that.
It's not because my realm is high; lizards are just naturally like that.
If I don't make my 'gek-gek-gek' sound, you'd have a hard time finding me.
I wanted to attack right then and there, but we still had things to do.
I'd have to be satisfied with just preventing an unnecessary conflict.
"Oh my, Leader? Why are you sweating so much? Are you feeling unwell?"
Seol-hwa's words snapped the Heugunbang Leader back to his senses.
"Hmph... It is nothing."
"Is that so? Hmmm... In that case, show me that thing."
"That thing...?"
"You know, what you just mentioned. The fermented Fire Bird egg."
Seol-hwa smoothly changed the subject.
The Heugunbang Leader, who had been looking uncertain, let out a sigh of relief.
He probably thought it was best to let it go, that he must have been mistaken for a moment.
Either that, or he was acting like it.
"Ah, of course. Would you mind waiting a moment?"
"Wait? Can't I just go with you? I'd like to have a look too."
The leader wore a conflicted expression.
He was likely debating whether it was right to take Seol-hwa with him or leave her here.
Let this kind lizard help you out.
Snap.
"Gah!"
The leader flinched in terror as I feigned a bite.
"...Please, follow me."
There, a good boy.
Guided by the Heugunbang Leader, we entered another elixir storage room.
Unlike the drab place I had been in, this space was adorned with ornate patterns.
...Seriously, they kept a precious elixir like me in a place like that.
"This is a fermented Fire Bird egg. It is filled with fire energy and yang qi, an elixir perfectly suited for the Palace Lord."
The leader took out the elixir, which was nestled in a red wooden box.
Indeed, its appearance was clearly a cut above the riffraff he had shown us earlier.
I could feel a power comparable to the thousand-year Hwari I had eaten.
It made me realize just how amazing the Snake Queen was for feeding me such precious Hwari and Snow Ginseng Wine so freely.
"It's certainly nice. I like it. Mmm, but since I've come all this way, I can't be satisfied with just this one."
"Ah, is there anything else you wish to purchase?"
"Shall we see the list first?"
"Men!"
At the leader's command, his subordinates came forward, each carrying a large wooden box.
As they opened the boxes one by one, the brilliant forms of the elixirs were revealed.
"The quality is excellent across the board. I'm sure you've set aside the ones to be offered to 'him,' but even these are quite satisfactory."
The Heugunbang Leader glanced around nervously as she emphasized the word "him."
"Since you've shown me such fine goods, I suppose I must pay a suitable price, right?"
Seol-hwa smiled with her eyes.
Perhaps it was a smile he never expected to see from the Ice Palace Lord in her current guise, as the leader stared blankly for a moment.
"Gerorong."
I was a little dumbfounded myself.
Seol-hwa's smile was that destructive.
But her attack didn't end there.
"From here to here. I'll buy everything."
Baek Seol-hwa delivered a line straight out of a drama.
"Gasp!"
The Heugunbang Leader's jaw dropped.
Being a merchant at heart, the man's eyes went wide at Seol-hwa's outrageous offer.
"A-all of these elixirs?"
"Yes."
"But... if we sell all of these, it will disrupt the operations of the Black Cloud Faction..."
"Oh, please, why beat around the bush? You're just asking me to pay extra, aren't you?"
Had Seol-hwa ever looked this cool?
Look at her, shining so brilliantly without a care for money.
"G-gasp! Th-then, how will you be handling the payment?"
"Put it on the Ice Palace's tab. It's too much for me to carry. Or should I write you a promissory note?"
Of course, it was easy for her to say since it wasn't her money.
...Is it really okay to do that to the actual Ice Palace Lord?
"Ah, then as usual, I will put it on the Ice Palace's tab."
The leader, who was busy writing something on a piece of paper, suddenly shouted.
"Men, what are you doing? Move these elixirs, quickly!"
He had the eyes of a man who'd get rich selling crabby patties.
From ginseng shaped like a human to red fruits that were said to increase strength, and even the gall bladder of a five-colored lion.
All sorts of precious elixirs were piled up.
I exchanged a look with Seol-hwa.
It was time to execute the plan.
Waaaaah.
I opened my mouth wide.
The name of the operation: Lizard Hides the Elixirs.
Like a certain round, pink, ball-shaped creature, I sucked up all the elixirs in one go.
"Wh-what!"
Munch, munch.
The subordinates ran around in confusion.
They were bound to be flustered, seeing the pile of elixirs vanish in an instant.
"Th-the lizard! That lizard took the elixirs!"
"Stop."
The leader stopped one of his men from getting angry.
"How can you blame a mere creature for acting on its instincts?"
What's with this guy?
His eyes look a little strange.
Like he's drunk on something.
"Look at that cute belly. It must have been so hungry to covet those elixirs."
...This guy is drunk on money.
"Palace Lord, for that beautiful lizard, I shall add a little extra to the bill."
"Oh my. There's no need for that."
"How could I not, after such a fine transaction?"
He didn't seem to care at all that I had eaten the elixirs.
Because the money he expected to receive from Seol-hwa was several times more than the value of those elixirs.
But isn't he mistaken about something?
"Transaction? What transaction?"
"Pardon?"
He said he was selling the elixirs to Seol-hwa, not to me, right?
"But your lizard just ate all the elixirs."
"My lizard? This one?"
"Geck."
Seol-hwa grabbed me by the scruff of my neck and lifted me up.
The reason Seol-hwa had told me to stand down was because there was more to squeeze out of this situation.
And now, she had accomplished that splendidly.
"Ice Palace Lord. Your jest goes too far!"
"Ah, are you telling me to compensate for the elixirs this lizard ate?"
"Ahem, hem. Someone of your standing shouldn't be playing such games..."
"Why should I?"
Seol-hwa put on an expression of pure innocence.
The leader suppressed his anger, gritted his teeth, and spoke slowly.
"Because it was your lizard that..."
"That's strange. Didn't you say this lizard wasn't mine, but 'his'?"
"Wh... what..."
"Shouldn't you be getting the payment from 'him,' not me?"
The leader had been smiling because he thought he could make a hefty profit.
Even if I ate the elixirs, as long as he got paid, it was all good.
But that was money he could never receive.
"Or are you saying... this lizard is mine after all?"
I was officially a rare and precious elixir to be offered to the True Dragon, making the True Dragon my owner.
The leader's face shifted between red and blue, before finally turning a sickly yellow.
He must have been so furious that he didn't even notice the centipede and mantis sneaking in through a crack.
*
"That damned bitch!"
Bang!
He slammed his fist on the desk.
"That fucking bitch!"
He'd been completely played by the Ice Palace Lord.
This incident was a massive blunder, one that might cost him his head.
"I thought that prickly bitch was being unusually quiet, but she was planning this all along!"
Craaash!
At the same time, a question arose in his mind.
Whatever the case, the Ice Palace Lord had been an excellent customer of the Black Cloud Faction.
Hadn't they been doing business for several years now?
So why would she suddenly backstab him like this?
Something was strange.
Backstabbing was one thing.
That's just how those martial artists were.
But he couldn't understand the reason.
What reason could she have for feeding such precious elixirs to a lizard?
If she had coveted the elixirs, she should have eaten them herself.
But she hadn't.
She had merely guided the lizard to swallow them.
That was what he couldn't comprehend.
What kind of grudge could she possibly hold to do something like this?
And that lizard was strange, too.
How could it be perfectly fine after swallowing so many elixirs at once?
Other than staring into space and making a gesture as if pressing down on something, it seemed perfectly fine.
It was all a series of incomprehensible events.
He was in the middle of this rage when...
"Cooo...!"
A carrier pigeon landed on the windowsill.
A blue crest was engraved on the note tied to its ankle.
The leader's eyes widened.
That crest meant the message was from the Northern Sea.
The leader hastily unfolded the note, and the corners of his mouth twisted.
At first, he frowned, but then his expression warped into a bizarre smile.
"It's not the Ice Palace Lord!"
The letter wasn't related to the current situation, but it did inform him that the Ice Palace Lord was currently staying in the Northern Sea.
Then who was the woman here now?
A fake Ice Palace Lord.
If that was the case, then the story changed completely.
He could cover up his blunder.
Moreover, since she was presumed to be a master of at least the Transformation Realm, capturing her could even earn him praise for his service.
Of course, it wouldn't be easy to defeat a master on his own level.
But she was alone, and the Black Cloud Faction had numbers.
Even without him, there were other masters. A coordinated attack would be no problem.
Creeak.
The Heugunbang Leader, Changmu, opened a drawer.
Inside were several pills that looked like white marbles.
These were not elixirs to be offered to the True Dragon, but elixirs received from the True Dragon.
They were pills called Dragon Pills. They were powerful items that instantly boosted one's internal energy upon consumption.
Their effect was so potent that a First-Rate martial artist could easily face a Peak Realm martial artist.
If he, who was at the early stage of the Transformation Realm, were to take one, he could wield power equivalent to the mid-stage of the Transformation Realm.
Of course, the effect was temporary, and the side effects were severe, so he was reluctant to take it.
But the Heugunbang Leader resolved to do whatever it took to capture that detestable bitch who had impersonated the Ice Palace Lord.
"Keuh, keheheh!"
With a venomous smile, the leader summoned his men.
He broke the Dragon Pills and distributed the pieces just in case, and had them check their weapons.
He didn't know who was impersonating the Ice Palace Lord, but the leader never considered his own defeat.
Unless she brought at least three Transformation Realm martial artists with her, no single individual could stand against the Black Cloud Faction.
"Keuh, khahahahat!"
In the dark of night, Changmu laughed maniacally.
Unaware of the fate that had befallen the lizard's other enemies who had thought much the same.