Chapter 109: The Human-Faced Spider Causes Trouble - Part 2
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 109: The Human-Faced Spider Causes Trouble - Part 2
While Sun-woo was in the middle of a drinking bout in the outer guest room, the Human-Faced Spider was playing in Madam Tang’s quarters.
"Human-Faced Spider, please try some more of this."
Madam Tang spoke as she handed her another piece of tang-gwa.
"Whoa, what’s this?"
"It is called tang-gwa. I believe it will suit your palate."
Crunch, crunch.
Taking the sweet from Madam Tang, the Human-Faced Spider began to munch on it greedily. A sweet and salty flavor burst forth, filling her mouth.
"It’s delicious!"
Having finished the treat in an instant, the Human-Faced Spider marveled with a beaming smile.
"Hehe."
Watching her, Madam Tang couldn't help but let out a chuckle. When she had first heard that this girl was a spiritual being hundreds of years old, she hadn't believed it. How could a woman as cheerful and lovely as a young girl be a centuries-old creature?
Her appearance was more beautiful than any woman’s, yet her inner self was cuter than any young girl’s. That dissonance brought a natural smile to Madam Tang's face.
"Hey, Madam Tang, look! I finished it already."
The Human-Faced Spider opened her mouth to show the crumbs of the tang-gwa. It was a clear sign that she wanted more.
As if reading her mind, Madam Tang pulled another sweet from her sleeve and placed it in the girl's mouth.
"If you lick it instead of chewing, you can enjoy it for much longer."
"Really?"
Lick, lick, lick.
Following Madam Tang’s advice, the Human-Faced Spider began to lick the sweet industriously.
"It’s true!!"
She let out a cry of admiration and wore a satisfied grin. Madam Tang watched her with a warm, motherly gaze. It felt as though she had gained a young daughter, which put her in a wonderful mood.
It was then.
Knock, knock.
The sound of someone rapping on the door drifted in from outside.
"Who is it?"
"It is I, Mae-wol, Madam Tang."
Mae-wol was a servant under Tang Seo-yoon.
"What brings you here so late at night?" Madam Tang asked, sounding puzzled.
"The Young Lady is looking for you urgently."
At those words, Madam Tang felt a jolt of realization. She had promised to help organize documents in the office before the auction ended, but she had completely forgotten while playing with the Human-Faced Spider.
Her face turned pale. Tang Seo-yoon hated it when people broke their promises; she was likely very angry.
"Tell her I shall prepare myself and come at once."
"Yes, I understand."
Once Mae-wol departed, Madam Tang hurriedly began to tidy her appearance. It seemed the auction had ended sooner than expected. She fastened her waistband and threw on her outer robe.
Just as she was about to leave—
Lick, lick, lick.
The sound of licking came from behind her.
'I almost forgot.'
She turned her head to see the Human-Faced Spider sitting on the bed, still licking the tang-gwa. In her haste, she had nearly overlooked the girl's presence. She looked at the Human-Faced Spider and fell into thought.
'What should I do with her?'
She wanted to take the girl along, but since she would be stuck doing tedious paperwork, the Human-Faced Spider would likely find it boring. Yet, leaving her alone weighed on her mind.
"Why? What?"
Sensing the gaze, the Human-Faced Spider asked back.
"Human-Faced Spider, I have to go to the office now. What would you like to do?"
"The office? The place filled with those weird papers?"
"Yes, that’s the one."
"I’m not going. It smells bad there, and it’s no fun."
The Human-Faced Spider could play well anywhere, but the office was the one place she detested. The peculiar, pungent scent of ink and paper bothered her sensitive nose. Furthermore, that place housed women like Tang Seo-yoon and Geum Jeok-hwa, who felt as cold and hard as stone. She had no desire to go near them.
"Is that so? Then would you like to stay here?"
"Yeah, yeah! But give me lots and lots of tang-gwa and mooncakes."
"I understand. But in exchange, you must make one promise to me."
At the girl's answer, Madam Tang spoke with a deep smile.
"What is it?"
"That you will absolutely not go outside."
"Got it! I definitely, definitely won't go out."
The Human-Faced Spider replied with a bright, innocent smile. Seeing that smile, Madam Tang couldn't stop herself from beaming. It really did feel like raising a young child.
After patting the Human-Faced Spider’s head a few times, she brought over a mountain of mooncakes and tang-gwa before heading out.
Crunch, crunch.
Lick, lick.
Munch, munch.
After she left, the only sounds echoing in the room were those of the Human-Faced Spider devouring the sweets.
*
"Hmph."
The Human-Faced Spider looked down at her hands. She let out a disappointed sigh. The mooncakes and tang-gwa that had filled her hands had vanished in the blink of an eye.
She lamented her loss. She felt as though she could easily eat hundreds more, so having nothing left in front of her was truly saddening.
Tap, tap.
She brushed her hands off a few times and flopped onto the bed. Closing her eyes, she began to introspect.
Her body had sustained severe injuries during her fight with Sun-woo. Having taken a direct hit from his Sword Ring, her inner core had been cracked. To make matters worse, she had launched an attack at the Poison Demon during her recovery, causing the crack in her inner core to widen further.
As a result, even after a significant amount of time had passed, she had not fully recovered her strength. It was the same even now.
Snap.
"Sigh."
She opened her eyes and let out a deep breath. Despite sleeping and eating so much, only about a third of her power had returned.
"Isn't there anything good?"
In truth, the best things for recovering spiritual nature were spirit herbs or martial artists. Objects saturated with pure nature qi were the most helpful for restoration.
However, there was no way she could obtain spirit herbs here, and if she tried to eat a human, it was obvious Sun-woo would beat her to death.
She shuddered at the thought of Sun-woo. When they had first fought, their skills were roughly equal, but he had surpassed her before she knew it.
'That monster of a human.'
If that man truly decided to crush her, she would never be safe. She vowed over and over that no matter how desperate she was, she would never eat a human. She was so close to ascending as a Yokai Immortal; it would be too unfair to die like this.
Flop.
Having made her vow, she sprawled out on the bed. The soft, plush texture welcomed her. She decided to think positively.
What did it matter if her recovery was slow? She was living a life of abundance. Her bed was soft, and she had no natural predators. Food was plentiful and even delicious. This place was practically a Peach Blossom Spring.
'Should I just live here forever?'
Initially, she had intended to leave as soon as her body recovered. But lately, the idea of staying here permanently didn't seem so bad. Sun-woo was still scary, but Madam Tang was kind and took good care of her. She even patted her head often.
It was then.
"Huh?"
She felt a substantial amount of energy swirling somewhere nearby. The energy was incredibly refreshing, stimulating her five senses.
"What is that?"
She was puzzled. This level of energy was comparable to the momentum of Tang Seo-yoon or the Sun-woo she had first met at the Godok Hall.
'Is there someone that strong here?'
Her confusion soon turned into curiosity. Just as she was about to move, she remembered her promise to Madam Tang. Hadn't she promised not to go outside in exchange for the sweets? She worried that if she broke the promise, she might never get mooncakes or tang-gwa again.
She agonized over it. Her curiosity was becoming too great to bear. Moreover, that refreshing energy was incredibly alluring.
Flash.
Suddenly, an idea struck her, and she looked at her pinky finger. Come to think of it, she hadn't done a pinky swear with Madam Tang. In her mind, that was synonymous with not needing to keep the promise.
Having rationalized it to herself, she leaped out through the window. The promise to Madam Tang was already a distant memory.
*
"Huff... huff..."
Un-jeok-ja was swinging his sword, his breath coming in ragged gasps. Perhaps because he was being treated as a VIP, the pavilion assigned to him had a small training ground attached. Thanks to that, he was able to keep his sword in hand, especially since he couldn't sleep.
Whoosh.
He swung his sword, struggling to clear his mind of intrusive thoughts.
Whoosh.
When he had left Qingcheng, he had been full of hope, thinking he could acquire the Tang Clan’s businesses for a pittance.
Whoosh.
He had heard that the Tang Clan had lost its main strength—the elders—and that the Clan Head was severely injured.
Whoosh.
But the Clan Head was perfectly fine, and his sheer momentum had forced both Un-jeok-ja and Bulheo Satae to retreat.
Whoosh.
The Tang Clan Head had turned the businesses into an auction, and Qingcheng hadn't been able to salvage a single thing. The choice businesses had been snatched up by wealthy merchants at high prices.
Whoosh.
He had been complacent. Far too complacent. The thought that things might have been different if they had arrived just a little earlier dominated his mind.
But regret came too late. It was certain they wouldn't get anything from the second auction tomorrow either. A wave of sorrow washed over him.
If he had been stronger, would things have been different? If he were powerful enough to intimidate even that formidable Tang Clan Head, would he have to feel this miserable?
What did it even mean to be the "First Sword of Qingcheng"?
Self-reproach took hold. He remembered the wrinkled face of his elderly Sect Leader, who had held his hand tightly while seeing him off. How much had the man suffered because of the massive trouble caused by his master, Jeokheoja? How hard had he worked to save a Qingcheng Sect that was reduced to eating grass porridge?
The smile that man had shown for the first time in ages had made even Un-jeok-ja’s heart flutter. How much hope had been contained in that smile?
Drip.
A single tear escaped his eye. It was the tear of a first-generation disciple who could do nothing.
"Why are you crying?"
It was then. A clear, beautiful voice rang in his ears.
Startled, Un-jeok-ja quickly wiped his eyes with his sleeve and turned his head. Not far away, he saw a woman watching him.
"It’s okay to cry when you want to. I cry all the time when Sun-woo beats me up."
She smiled brightly at him. For a moment, Un-jeok-ja felt dazed.
Beautiful. Even that word was insufficient to describe the absolute beauty of the woman smiling at him.
Thump, thump.
His heart began to race. Although Qingcheng was a Taoist sect, it had a liberal tradition with no restrictions on marriage. Marriage between disciples was possible, and it was common for their children to become disciples as well.
However, Un-jeok-ja had always lived believing that women were a luxury. In a life dedicated to pursuing the Dao and training with the sword, where was the room to fall for feminine charms? Thus, even in the heat of his youth, he was the type to seek the Dao under freezing waterfalls. After reaching his current realm, he had never once been swayed by a woman’s beauty.
Or so he had thought.
Until he met this woman.
That pure, clear smile was like a lotus flower. Yes, she was a woman like a lotus.
His reason began to fail him. Looking at this woman of absolute beauty, the worries he had been harboring suddenly felt incredibly trivial.
When he thought about it, it wasn't as if Qingcheng would perish just because they missed out on the Tang Clan’s businesses. They were just losing an opportunity. No, he felt it would be better to spend his time praising this woman's beauty than worrying about such things.
Thump, thump, thump.
Un-jeok-ja’s heart began to beat faster than ever before.
'Please, stop! Please!'
He tried to blame his heart, but it was useless. The more he struggled, the more it pounded with heavy thuds.
"Hey."
Her voice, like the song of a nightingale, reached him.
"....Please, speak."
Hearing her voice, Un-jeok-ja barely managed to respond, his ears turning bright red.
"I have a favor."
At her words, Un-jeok-ja’s eyes sparkled. He felt as though he would pluck the very stars from the sky if she asked.
"Your sword gives off a really nice feeling. Show it to me one more time."
At her request, Un-jeok-ja readily lifted his sword. He had long forgotten the unwritten rule of the Murim that a martial artist should not carelessly reveal their training.
He swung his sword.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.
With every swing, a refreshing energy filled the surroundings.
"Hehehe, this feels so good."
The peerless beauty seemed completely enchanted by the refreshing energy scattering from Un-jeok-ja’s sword.
How much time had passed? Only after performing his sword dance with all his soul dozens of times did Un-jeok-ja finally stop.
"Huff... huff... huff..."
Un-jeok-ja gasped for air. His legs trembled, and he lacked the strength to even move. He had performed the sword dance with such intensity that his internal energy was nearly depleted.
He slowly raised his head to look at her. She wore a very satisfied expression.
"Huff... huff... How was it?" he asked, still breathing heavily.
"It was great."
She gave him a clear, bright smile. At that sight, Un-jeok-ja felt as if his heart had stopped. No woman he had ever seen had given him such an intense feeling. Even when he had seen Dok Seo-si, known as the Greatest Beauty of Sichuan, he hadn't trembled like this.
For the first time in his forty years of life, he felt the touch of destiny. And he felt that he must not let this destiny slip away.
"Young Lady, are you of the Tang Clan?"
"Nope."
Un-jeok-ja rejoiced at her answer. Fortunately, she wasn't a daughter of the Tang Clan, who were currently their obstacles. Was she the daughter of one of the merchant groups visiting the Tang Clan? It didn't matter. Wherever she was from, he would be with her.
"Then, perhaps..."
"Huh?"
It was then. The woman, who had been looking at Un-jeok-ja, suddenly snapped her head to the side. She stared blankly at a certain spot for a moment, then began to walk away slowly.
"Wait! Young Lady! Please stop! Young Lady!"
Un-jeok-ja called out to her desperately, but it was no use. She simply walked away with light steps.
"Dammit!"
Cursing his unresponsive body, Un-jeok-ja quickly sat cross-legged and began to circulate his internal energy. He felt that if he lost her now, he might never see her again.
It was a feeling he had never experienced in his forty years. He felt he absolutely could not let her go.
Refreshing energy began to rise from his body.