Chapter 64: A Request from the Mother-in-law
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 64: A Request from the Mother-in-law
Business talk.
I liked the sound of that.
I just wished she would get to the point instead of testing me.
Staring at those internal energy pouches was pure torture.
“Ohoho. What a strange one you are. If you truly are a snake with legs, you would have no need to be embarrassed by such a sight.”
I felt like she’d struck a nerve.
There was no particular reason to hide the fact that I was once human.
But I doubted anything good would come from revealing it.
There was no telling what this mother-daughter snake duo might do.
They could suddenly become curious about the taste of human flesh.
…Of course, Swish-Swish wouldn’t, but the Snake Queen? I couldn’t be sure.
She might try to devour me. In every sense of the word.
Face it.
The internal energy pouches right in front of me.
Right.
I’m only looking at them to avoid suspicion. It’s unavoidable.
“We’ve come this far, so I assume I don’t need to introduce myself, do I?”
That was obvious.
The being before me was the Snake Queen.
The Basilisk whose level was unmeasurable.
“You’ve clearly met the King of Birds. And you survived.”
The Snake Queen smiled faintly.
“I can see traces of him on you, so I know you didn't side with him. Yes. As you might have guessed, this Snake Queen and the King of Birds are not on good terms.”
It seemed so.
The King of Birds, who commanded everything from massive Terror Birds to parrots.
And the Snake Queen, who, though I hadn't seen them, likely commanded snakes like anacondas and titanoboas.
The fact that these two had divided this giant jungle between them was something even a passing Microraptor would know.
The King of Birds and the Snake Queen.
Could they be a married couple?
Was this just a marital spat?
“…You snake with legs. Your expression is rather unpleasant.”
You’re a snake with legs, too.
“The King of Birds is the enemy of all snakes. Snakes are born to kill birds.”
Okay, so probably not married.
Besides, there was no way a beauty like her would marry that weird-looking Human-faced Bird.
“Why, are you thinking of becoming my companion?”
A Gomodo is better than a Human-faced Bird… wait a minute.
“Why are you so surprised? When you are this close, is it not common sense that I can read your simpler thoughts?”
Since when was that common sense?
“Hyaaaak!”
Swish-Swish diligently tried to run interference.
…But aren't you a snake?
Why do you keep acting like a cat?
Swish-Swish bit down hard on the Snake Queen’s finger.
Good job, my little Lucky Charm.
“Your fangs have certainly grown sharper. If you keep growing like this, you might soon be able to succeed me.”
The Snake Queen stroked Swish-Swish, who was still biting her finger.
“Birds and snakes are each other’s mortal enemies. But because of the balance of power, we have been unable to move carelessly.”
A Human-faced Bird and a Basilisk.
A fight between them would be an incredible spectacle.
Even if one of them won, the other would surely not emerge unscathed.
It was only natural that a third party, aiming to become the ruler of this jungle, would attack the victor.
“There is one who seeks to shatter this delicate balance.”
That would be me.
The legendary spirit beast, Gomodo.
The Snake Queen planned to use me, her joker card, to bring down the Human-faced Bird.
So this is the level of cunning required to earn the title of Queen.
I couldn’t help but admire her brilliant scheme.
“Gek, gek, gek…”
The power of a Gomodo would be more than enough to break the balance.
Should I just wipe them all out?
Slaughtering them so they couldn't even utter a word sounded like a good idea.
“Hmm… I’m terribly sorry, but I wasn’t referring to you.”
…Was there a hole I could crawl into?
Could I fit into that hole Swish-Swish went into earlier?
If I curled my body up just right, it might be possible…
[The effect of Cold Blood activates.]
My burning face gradually cooled.
Well, a lizard is allowed to be mistaken once in a while, right?
Time to brazen it out.
“Gek, gek…”
“Of course, it’s true that I need your help. But for you alone to break the balance is…”
“Gek!”
Stop. Please.
I was wrong.
“Ohoho. Yes, you are quite cute.”
“Dyororong…”
At some point, Swish-Swish had started snoring.
…You fell asleep after just a few pats on the head?
“The one who will shatter the balance is the snake that embraces the Morning Star.”
The snake that embraces the Morning Star?
“A vile traitor who dared to betray me.”
The Morning Star (啓明星).
It was a grand name.
The star of dawn.
Didn’t that mean Lucifer?
First, the gluttonous Beelzebufo, and now a Lucifer snake.
Wait a minute.
The Morning Star?
The Snake Queen is a Basilisk.
If the snake that embraces the Morning Star betrayed her…
*
In a certain building within the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
Tang Soyeong’s mind was a mess.
Why was she, a member of the Sichuan Tang Clan, in the heart of the Demonic Cult?
No one would believe her if she told them.
Moreover, she wasn't being treated like a hostage; she was being treated with the utmost care.
Her meals were never lacking, and warm water was brought for her to bathe in every day.
Her body was comfortable, but a corner of her heart felt heavy.
And there was one thing making Tang Soyeong’s mind even more chaotic.
“Kieeeek!”
The stars of the show were these spiders, which had been causing a ruckus for a while now.
The small venomous spider ground its fangs.
“Kioooooh!”
The web-spinning spider, unable to contain its anger, was rubbing its body all over a lizard-shaped figure made of silk.
“Kyaaaaaaaak!”
The largest spider was clashing its two legs together with a kang, kang sound, roaring toward some unknown direction.
Why were these spiders acting like this?
Tang Soyeong had handled countless beasts and spirit beasts in the Tang Clan, but she had never encountered a situation like this.
Besides, for some reason, her own mood was gradually turning strange as well.
She felt a sense of anxiety, as if something precious was about to be stolen from her by someone else.
“C-calm down. I feel strange too, but there’s no need to act like this here!”
The spiders glanced at Tang Soyeong.
Perhaps because of the time they had spent together, Tus and Pus seemed to quiet down.
“Keng.”
Of course, that was just Tang Soyeong’s misunderstanding.
Making a very unpleasant sound, Tus and Pus resumed what they were doing.
“…Keng? What does that mean?”
“Keeeng!”
There was no way a spider and a human could communicate.
Even Tang Soyeong, with her exceptional ability to commune with spirit beasts, couldn't understand every word a beast or spirit beast said.
But she could guess what Tus and Pus meant by their expressions and the sounds they were making.
A low-ranking creature like you.
That’s what Tus and Pus seemed to be saying.
Whether it was Tang Soyeong’s misunderstanding or the truth, no one knew.
“F-fine. Let’s settle our ranks today. The secret art of the Tang Clan, Sky-Filling Flower Rain… W-wait a minute. Why are you two ganging up on me? H-hiiik!”
It was just as Tang Soyeong was about to get thoroughly beaten up by the internal-energy-wielding spider sisters.
Creeak.
The moment the door opened, Tus and Pus acted as if nothing had happened, becoming perfectly still.
“…Oww. Grr. You spiders…!”
Unaware that the door had opened, Tang Soyeong was about to retaliate against the spiders.
“Get along, all of you.”
At the flat, emotionless voice, Tang Soyeong’s body instantly froze.
It was a voice she could never get used to, no matter how many times she heard it.
The Leader of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
A woman who held one of the seats among the Ten Great Masters, the one closest to the title of the World’s Strongest.
It was Baek Yeon-yeong.
Barely managing to control her trembling body, Tang Soyeong managed to greet her.
“H-helloooo…”
Her voice was as faint as a crawling ant.
It was not a voice befitting the Cult Leader, nor one befitting a member of the Five Great Families.
But Baek Yeon-yeong paid it no mind.
“Yes. Is there anything uncomfortable about your stay here?”
She was being provided for more than generously.
Not only were the basics covered, but she was also allowed to see the daily life of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, something never revealed to outsiders.
What surprised Tang Soyeong here was that this place, too, was teeming with spirit beasts.
She could easily see spirit beasts that looked like miniature Dilophosauruses running around, and the cultists of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult striving to commune with them.
It was a starkly different scene from any of the Orthodox Factions.
Even in the Sichuan Tang Clan, with the exception of a few moderates like Tang Soyeong, the prevailing method was to tame spirit beasts through coercive means involving violence and fear.
But the cultists of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult were different. They aimed to communicate with the beasts patiently.
This threw Tang Soyeong into confusion. The actions of the Demonic Cult seemed more righteous than those of the Orthodox Factions.
“Have a seat. I’ve brought some refreshments, so let us talk for a while.”
A nerve-wracking tea time began.
Of course, Tang Soyeong’s trembling lasted only for a moment. As soon as the sweet food entered her mouth, her face melted into a silly grin.
The refreshments Baek Yeon-yeong brought were ones that the Priestess of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, Baek Seol-hwa, cherished dearly. But Tang Soyeong had no way of knowing that, so she just gratefully accepted and ate whatever she was given.
“Ehehehe…”
Letting out a slightly dopey laugh as she ate the snacks Baek Yeon-yeong offered, Tang Soyeong began to converse with her in a slightly more relaxed atmosphere.
The topics were nothing special.
The progress of the large spider’s treatment, and the training plan for the smaller spiders.
Additionally, she spoke of her impressions since coming to the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
Among them, she spoke at length about matters related to spirit beasts.
Since Baek Yeon-yeong also had a great interest in spirit beasts, the conversation between the two, who seemed like they would never get along, proceeded without a hitch.
“I never knew there were so many spirit beasts here.”
“They are beasts with the potential to become spirit beasts. Few of them possess an inner core. And even fewer are spirit beasts like Hui, who can handle internal energy.”
The topic had naturally shifted to spirit beasts that could wield internal energy.
Tang Soyeong spoke about the Dilophosaurus and the Gomodo, excluding information that the Sichuan Tang Clan managed as top secret. Spirit beasts that could handle internal energy were truly remarkable.
As the topic shifted, their conversation eventually turned toward that one being.
They began to talk about the now not-so-small lizard, whom one called Hero Go and the other called Hui.
“Oh, right. You said that Hero Go… no, Hero Hui, would have a fated encounter. May I ask what kind of encounter it is?”
She was worried about the Gomodo, and as a martial artist herself, Tang Soyeong couldn't help but be curious about the "fated encounter" mentioned by the Demonic Cult Leader.
Baek Yeon-yeong took a sip of her tea with an elegant movement.
“What kind of fated encounter could there be in the 100,000 Great Mountains? It is a spirit beast this time as well.”
She looked down at her own fingers holding the teacup.
The same finger that Hui had been biting.
“You will not have heard of it. It is an exceptionally rare spirit beast.”
Tang Soyeong waited for Baek Yeon-yeong’s words with a look of anticipation.
Hearing about spirit beasts she didn't know was always a joyous occasion.
“A snake with the cry of a rooster (鷄鳴聲).”
“Gogadurisu (苦假頭利獸).”