Chapter 173: Yi Seong Ryeong, Yi Se-ryeong (1)
If we rewind time just a little, the winner of the spirit beast hunting contest at the Dragon-Phoenix Conference was, naturally, me.
It had to be.
There were all sorts of incredibly diverse spirit beasts in this world.
Never mind Mu Geuk Cheon Hwa; even the Sa Mi Myo that Dang Si Hyeok had brought possessed healing abilities.
"Heavens! A Crystal Turtle? How can its shell be that transparent?"
There was a turtle whose shell was as clear as diamond, refracting light in a rainbow of colors.
"A Three-Tailed Fox! If it absorbs a few more centuries of spiritual energy in that state, it'll become the legendary Nine-Tailed Fox!"
A fox with three tails.
"The Cloud Snow Leopard! The legendary leopard that commands clouds and snow, right? A sure winner! The champion!"
A pure white leopard that could manipulate clouds to alter local weather.
It probably would have been the winner. In fact, the late-stage expert who brought the Cloud Snow Leopard was grinning ear to ear, acting like he'd already claimed victory.
Until Woongjin made his entrance.
Woongjin ambled along on all fours, casual as could be.
"S-so cute...!"
"What kind of creature is that? A bear? A cat?"
"Its eye sockets are pitch black, but how can its eyes sparkle like that?"
And that wasn't the end of it.
Thud!
There was no actual sound effect, but the impact was that shocking. Woongjin stood up on his hind legs.
Pat pat.
As he waddled forward on his stubby legs, gasps echoed from all around.
"Ugh, I-I need to circulate my qi for a moment!"
"My heart—something's wrong with my heart!"
Woongjin toddled over to Tak Horak, who was waiting nearby, and held out a short front paw.
Tak Horak handed him a bamboo stalk, and Woongjin grabbed it with practiced ease, munching away.
"A-a bear eating bamboo?"
"And that eating posture is just so..."
I'd mentioned it to Pa Cheon before, but the Bear Cat's greatest strength was none other than its cuteness.
Overwhelming cuteness was violence in its own right.
It was enough to crush spirit beasts with amazing abilities or beautiful forms and vault straight to the top of the winner's list.
"So cute! Brother Kim, give it to me!"
"This time, I agree with Sis."
Je Gal Hye, who would normally click her tongue and shake her head, was fervently agreeing with Paeng So So for once.
"Impressive. Small but with the air of an immortal—it would suit our Kunlun perfectly, no?"
"Jeomchang Sect has plenty of bamboo."
Even the profound Taoists were falling under Woongjin's cute spell.
"Our Nangong Family could provide the finest quality bamboo year-round."
"Nonsense. It's a Sichuan spirit beast—it belongs with our Tang Clan."
These people were drooling like we'd ever said Woongjin was up for grabs.
Woongjin wasn't something you could just give away in the first place. He was a proud Bear Cat with Bear Might.
"Grrr...!"
The late-stage expert with the Cloud Snow Leopard was sweating bullets.
The Cloud Snow Leopard was undoubtedly an excellent spirit beast.
Elegant black stripes etched into snow-white fur.
Fierce yellow eyes brimming with the wildness of a predator.
As a spirit beast itself, it must have sensed the admiring gazes shifting from it to Woongjin.
Suddenly, it bared its teeth and charged at Woongjin.
"Watch out!"
The crowd startled at the abrupt turn.
Our group, the ones with Woongjin, remained utterly calm.
"Heh heh heh..."
Sa Wol wasn't in her usual stealth mode guarding me; she stood right beside me.
She let out a strange chuckle at the leopard's charge, then met my eyes and looked sheepish.
Her mask hid her full expression, but her eyes alone screamed embarrassment.
Show-off.
Anyway, what happened next left the Dragon-Phoenix attendees stunned.
Whoosh!
Woongjin lightly stepped into a footwork stance, dodged the leopard's paw, circled around, and smacked its head with a stubby paw.
Yelp!
The Cloud Snow Leopard recoiled in shock, then backed off. Sensing the power gap, it tucked its tail and bowed its head.
"I-Im-Impossible!"
"A spirit beast using martial arts!?"
"Martial arts from a spirit beast?!"
"That movement looked at least Peak realm."
"That strike resembled the Six Harmonies Fist."
The Six Harmonies Fist was one of the most basic, common martial arts—like the Three Calamity Sword Method, easy to learn and widespread.
'Can't leave traces of the First Heavenly Demon.'
The Divine Cult might get it, but we couldn't reveal arts taught by the First Heavenly Demon in the heart of the martial world.
Even if we could, someone spotting it and gaining enlightenment would cause an uproar.
So I'd had Sa Wol teach Woongjin the Six Harmonies Fist.
Woongjin absorbed it like a sponge, mastering it in a flash and wielding it nimbly. This was the result.
I suppressed a grin tugging at my lips.
The plan had worked perfectly.
'If it could talk, that would've been real chaos.'
I'd told Woongjin not to speak. A spirit beast that knew martial arts and could talk?
This wouldn't just shake the Dragon-Phoenix Conference—it could rock the entire martial world.
If greedy factions or individuals caught wind, the Bear Cats' habitat could be razed.
So no talking.
Of course, even without that, victory was sealed.
Just look at those burning eyes.
"No need to even count the votes, it seems."
The late-stage experts nodded at Namgung Jin's words—even the Cloud Snow Leopard's owner.
"The winner, for bringing the mysterious spirit beast known as the Bear Cat, is Eastern Sword Dragon Kim Dong Yun!"
The crowd applauded. Woongjin, sensing the love, puffed up proudly.
I told him,
"You earned this, so go claim it."
He seemed annoyed but shuffled toward Namgung Jin anyway—likely for the fans. Tak Horak shadowed him just in case.
"The more I see it, the more wondrous and cute it is. Will you come with me?"
Woongjin ignored him, scratching his ear. Namgung Jin cleared his throat awkwardly and handed over a small box.
Woongjin took it, ambled back halfway, then tossed it to Tak Horak out of laziness.
Was Tak Horak tense from being surrounded by martial artists as a Divine Cult member?
Or did Woongjin's martial arts, derived from the First Heavenly Demon, unsettle him?
Whatever the case, Tak Horak—a Peak realm master—flinched and caught the flung box.
And as he did, the box popped open—
"?!"
One of the spilling contents hooked onto his hand.
"Uh oh?"
Cheong Hong Hwan.
The red earring of the blue-red pair.
In that instant, the Hong Hwan dissolved like smoke and reappeared dangling from Tak Horak's left ear.
"......"
"......"
Silence fell.
"S-sorry, Young Master!"
Tak Horak wailed.
"I'll kill him."
Sa Wol declared.
"According to the family head, this Cheong Hong Hwan treasure artifact only severs its link when one side dies. Simple enough. I'll kill him."
Killing intent darkened Sa Wol's eyes.
Tak Horak knelt speechless, head bowed.
I sat in a chair before them, like a judge interrogating sinners.
"Hee hee, tasty."
Unlike the grim mood, Woongjin chugged a bottle of Dead Leaf Qing. He wouldn't get drunk, of course—high internal energy prevented it, and Woongjin had plenty.
[Make that fool kneel too. If he'd just caught it properly...!]
Pa Cheon was raging.
Honestly, their fury was making it awkward for me to get mad.
Wait, I'm the victim here—why are you guys angrier?
For a fleeting moment, I wondered if they were putting on some scripted drama among themselves.
I swallowed a sigh.
"Tak Horak."
"Family Head."
At my call, he slammed his forehead into the floor with a thunk.
Not a light tap.
The floor cracked from the force.
Why do people in this world keep bashing their heads like that?
When Tak Horak looked up, his forehead was split open, blood streaming.
"I'll gladly die for you, Family Head. Forgive this disloyalty."
As he finished, Sa Wol moved to strike. I used the Time Wheel Jade's power to grab her wrist.
"Sa Wol."
"Family Head. That fool right—"
"You kneel too."
"—Pardon?"
"Kneel."
"Yes."
Sa Wol knelt beside Tak Horak.
This wasn't some tantrum-training session.
"Sa Wol, Tak Horak. Listen well. Stop casually throwing around death and lives."
"But!"
"Sa Wol. Didn't I tell you to value your body? It's not just yours—it's mine too."
"......"
"Same for you, Tak Horak. So Sa Wol, don't rashly harm what's mine. Understood?"
"......Yes, my lord."
Of course, artifacts like Cheong Hong Hwan were hugely advantageous for survival.
But trustworthy people to delegate to mattered more. I couldn't handle everything myself.
This could even boost their loyalty to fanatic devotee levels—net positive.
Though some cleanup was needed.
I picked up the remaining Cheong Hwan. Like the Hong Hwan, it smoked away and latched onto my ear.
In that moment, I understood: It conveyed the Hong Hwan wearer's danger or safety. If they sensed peril, the ring alerted me. A sudden wave of crisis hit unbidden.
And Tak Horak was genuinely prepared to die—the Cheong Hwan was blaring warnings.
[...What are you doing?]
'Tak Horak's a bit clumsy, but he's strong.'
Tak Horak was Peak realm.
We were surrounded by Super Peaks so often it felt otherwise, but he was a regional heavyweight.
Plus, he handled all the dirty work, tracking, guarding—versatile talent.
Idiot aside, a gem.
'Out in the world, Sa Wol and Tak Horak are my fixed party members anyway.'
If either sensed danger, that was enough.
'On second thought, this might be for the best.'
[Why?]
'If I shared Cheong Hong Hwan with Sa Wol and the Heavenly Demon saw...'
Obsessive yandere demon lord wasn't scary pre-awakening—almost pure love.
Post-awakening? Insane.
I had zero such intent, but from her view, it'd be perfect trigger conditions.
Plus.
Shh.
Cheong Hong Hwan turned transparent when not alerting—like it wasn't there. No misunderstandings.
"Family Head...!"
Tak Horak beamed, moved. As the crisis passed, his Hong Hwan vanished too.
"That doesn't mean I forgive the blunder. Tak Horak, two months in Punishment Cave. Train under Do Il Gwang."
"Eek!"
Bzzz.
The Cheong Hwan vibrated visibly.
It reacted just to "Punishment Cave" and "Do Il Gwang."
Anyway, the mishap wrapped up as a minor incident.
Peace reigned briefly.
Until Jin So-cheong arrived.
"Cult Leader. I've uncovered Yi Seong Ryeong's goal."
Jin So-cheong smiled brightly.
"Yi Seong Ryeong is searching for someone named Yi Se-ryeong."
Pretending to Be the Heavenly Demon