Chapter 40
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 40
Chapter Title: Companion Poisonous Creatures (3)
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Dang Yeoryeong gazed out at the vast, sprawling field.
Though it boasted fertile land, no one in the Tang family could use it.
Because ‘it’ lived there.
A problem even her grandfather couldn't solve.
She knew this wasn't a request entrusted to him with any real belief it could be resolved.
It was more likely a desperate, last-ditch effort, like clutching at straws.
A full twenty years.
That was how long the field had been left untouched.
Dang Yeoryeong herself had tried everything to solve the field's problem, only to eventually give up.
But now, a very rare sight was unfolding on that very field.
A young man was doing a strange set of warm-up exercises.
A centipede was mimicking him.
Of course, given the different physical structures of a human and a centipede, it was impossible to tell if it was actually copying him or just wriggling its body.
But the centipede’s eyes were fixed on the young man, and its movements subtly changed in response to his words.
“Now, slowly raise your right arm up!”
Dang Yeoryeong suddenly became curious.
Among the centipede’s countless legs, which one was its right arm?
“Ah!”
It was just all the legs on the right side.
But why do those two seem closer than I am with him?
Dang Yeoryeong pitied herself for feeling jealous of a mere (?) centipede.
“Well, at least it’s a centipede he’s with and not another woman.”
She could never permit the man who would be her husband to be with another woman right under her nose.
At that moment, a brief image flashed through her mind.
A woman daring to flirt with her future husband.
Dang Yeoryeong shook her head from side to side.
Because even she knew that was impossible.
The famous Ice Flower of the Murim Alliance showing interest in a man first?
It was nothing more than a pointless fantasy.
She nonchalantly glanced at his subtly defined forearms.
“I can’t let this be.”
Waiting was never her style.
Ever since she was young, Dang Yeoryeong was one to find things out for herself.
“I have to go to the Murim Alliance.”
One of the Three Flowers of the Martial World.
The Poison Flower of Sichuan, Dang Yeoryeong, had decided to head for the Murim Alliance.
***
As a rule, using martial arts was forbidden indoors within the Tang family.
It was a rule established because the nature of their arts, which utilized poison and hidden weapons, meant they could kill an opponent at any moment.
Right now, that rule was being broken.
However, because the person in question held a rather high position in the family, everyone was simply turning a blind eye.
The Tang family's general manager, Dang Chong, was rushing toward the family head's study, even using his lightness technique.
He threw the study doors open without ceremony.
Dang Yu, who had been working inside, wasn't particularly surprised as he had sensed Dang Chong's approach. Still, he couldn't help but frown at the somewhat disrespectful behavior.
As the saying goes, if the water upstream is clear, the water downstream will be clear too.
Just as Dang Yu was about to say a word, Dang Chong’s mouth opened.
“We’ve hit the jackpot!”
Dang Chong handed over a bundle of papers he was holding.
They were all adoption request forms for the Imitation Poison Creatures.
“This is actually working?”
Dang Yu forgot all about the sharp reprimand he was about to give Dang Chong.
***
People have always been sensitive to trends.
This was partly due to living in groups, but it was also a form of entertainment, a way to display one's own value.
The most obvious method among them was splashing money around.
Now that the Imitation Poison Creature business was a success, he could finally understand why it had worked.
But there had been many obstacles.
Their appearance, for one, and also their appearance, and their appearance.
Unlike other animals, poisonous creatures just looked… a certain way.
So, even if this plan succeeded, it was targeted at a very small group.
People who had a lot of money, not much to spend it on, but wanted to show off how much money they had.
But now, orders were flooding in.
The Tang Family of Sichuan had to face the stark reality that they had grossly underestimated their own influence in Sichuan.
If this had been anywhere other than Sichuan, their plan might have unfolded as they originally expected, but!
This was Sichuan.
The place that reigned supreme in the Central Plains when it came to poison.
If there was one thing all the people of Sichuan had, it was a pride in poison that was second to none in the Central Plains.
And they could raise poisonous creatures?
What’s more, safe ones officially certified by none other than the Tang Family of Sichuan?
This was a major event that no native of Sichuan could possibly ignore.
“Sort the poisonous creatures by type!”
“Section 1 for snakes! Section 2 for spiders! Section 3 for centipedes! Section 4 for lizards! Section 5 for scorpions, and put all others in Section 6!”
“Yes, sir!”
Dang Chong had dark circles under his eyes, but a grin was perpetually plastered on his face.
‘Money, money, it’s all money!’
The nature of the Tang family required a vast amount of funds.
Dealing with poison was essentially just burning through money.
Why weren't there other factions in the martial world that dealt with poison?
Because it was dangerous? No! Dang Chong could say with certainty.
Because it costs a damn fortune!
What a sense of liberation this was, after so long.
“How many creatures do we have ready in total?”
“As of today, 1,000, sir!”
“Isn't that not even 30 percent of the orders we have!”
‘This is a massive hit! A super-massive hit!’
Hiding his excitement, Dang Chong issued commands to his subordinates with a stern face.
“Let’s put out the most urgent fire first. Prepare the creatures for the priority orders!”
“Yes, sir!”
The priority orders were for the Imitation Poison Creatures belonging to the class of Lesser Spirit Beasts.
***
Meanwhile, Ha Yuseong was also spending his days in a flurry of activity.
Ha Yuseong’s initial plan had been to relocate the Black-Scaled Bloodweb family.
The Black-Scaled Bloodweb’s family had deemed this place the most suitable for living, which was why they had settled in this field.
Ha Yuseong believed that if he guided them to a better location than this field, the Black-Scaled Bloodweb family would naturally move.
He needed money for that, which was why he had executed this plan.
People have always liked special things.
Honestly, he had started it half-expecting it to fail, so he never imagined it would be such a resounding success.
If there was a silver lining, it was that there were more Imitation Poison Creatures than he had thought.
Species that had poison, but not potent enough to survive in the wild.
Species that were on the verge of extinction due to their unusual appearance or color.
Hearing the rumors about the Imitation Poison Creatures, even those species had now come to find Ha Yuseong.
-I heard from Auntie Black-Scaled Bloodweb that he’s the one who’s going to give us a good home!
-Big Brother Agong said if we just listen to him, even we weak ones can live comfortably from now on!
-I’m tired of being hunted. It’s not like I asked to be born with a golden color.
-I’ve survived for 50 years with just a weak paralyzing venom. My brothers, relatives, and cousins have all been hunted down and killed!
“You’ve brought quite a few.”
“Agong!”
This time, it wasn't just Agong; the Black-Scaled Bloodweb had come along as well, so there were many snakes.
He never knew there were so many snakes in the Central Plains.
And scattered among them were actual spirit beasts.
No poisonous creature dared to approach the white marten.
*Shing!*
The marten extended its claws. An aura enveloped them.
A marten that used sword ki.
“Why did you come here?”
From Ha Yuseong’s perspective, it didn't seem like the marten needed to be here. The marten looked up at Ha Yuseong confidently and said.
“Marten!”
Ha Yuseong had no idea what it was saying, so he decided to just move on.
Besides that one, there were other spirit beasts like a Black Wolf, a Red Tiger, a White Bear, and a Blue Fox. He tried to communicate with them as well, but he couldn't understand them.
For now, Ha Yuseong decided that, unlike the other poisonous creatures, the spirit beasts would be allowed to choose their own masters.
However, he had no idea that this would make them even more popular.
***
Auctions were illegal, but an auction managed by the state was not. That was because they took 30 percent of the auction proceeds as a fee, under the guise of tax.
The Imitation Poison Creature business that became a trend in Sichuan gradually spread, reaching even the central government officials.
It had now reached a point where you were discriminated against if you didn't have at least one Imitation Poison Creature at home.
In the midst of this, word came from the Tang family that anyone with enough money could raise a spirit beast.
Naturally, the qualifications for this had to be thoroughly verified.
The final auction of the day began.
“Everyone knows of Heavenly Silkworm Silk. The caterpillar here today is a Golden Heavenly Silkworm caterpillar, a special grade among Heavenly Silkworms, capable of producing Golden Heavenly Silkworm Silk. The Golden Heavenly Silkworm is currently nearing its time to form a cocoon and has sought refuge with our Tang family to find a safe place. For your information, this species was long considered extinct according to the Central Plains Spirit Beast Index, and this is the first individual to be discovered in 50 years. We will now begin the auction. Bidding starts at 100 taels of gold.”
Immediately, placard number 85 was raised.
“400 taels from number 85! We have 400 taels! If no other bids are made by the count of three, it will be sold to number 85. One! Two!”
At that moment, placard number 4 went up.
“500 taels from number 4! We have 500 taels! If no other bids are made by the count of three, it will be sold to number 4. One! Two!”
“700 taels from number 150!”
“770 taels from number 140!”
It was then.
“1,000 taels from number 1!”
One thousand taels of gold!
An amount that could buy a small castle.
“Wow.”
“Who is that?”
“Did the emperor himself come?”
Gasps of admiration flowed from all around.
“1,000 taels! Any bids higher than 1,000 taels? One! Two! Three! The Golden Heavenly Silkworm caterpillar is sold to customer number 1.”
Customer number 1, who wore a mask covering their entire face, stood up.
He went to the back of the auction house and entered a gate.
An old man was waiting inside.
“Hah! I never thought you’d be interested in something like this.”
When customer number 1 removed his mask, the face of an old man was revealed.
He was an ordinary-looking old man, the kind you would see anywhere on the street.
It was hard to imagine that such a person would possess the enormous sum of one thousand gold taels.
But Dang Mandok thought it only natural that this old man would have that much gold.
“Eok Mangeum, the General Manager of the Myriad Gold Guild.”
“This humble martial artist of the younger generation greets the Poison King.”
“We’re both getting old. Cut the pointless formalities. So, what’s your real reason for being here? To spend a thousand gold taels, no less.”
“Let’s just call it an investment.”
“What?”
“Do you know what a mere merchant guild like ours must do to avoid ruin?”
“How should I know? I’m a martial artist.”
“Indeed. You are a martial artist, Poison King. A renowned member of the Ten Grandmasters of the World, at that.”
“Former member.”
“To ordinary people like us, it’s all the same.”
“So, are you planning to swallow the Tang family whole?”
“Haha! We are not fools who would willingly swallow poison.”
“Then?”
“When a rabbit builds its home, it digs several burrows. If a predator appears in one, it can escape to another.”
“The Myriad Gold Guild is no rabbit.”
“To a merchant guild, martial artists are the predators. That’s why mere merchants like us dig countless burrows. A thousand gold taels is a small price to pay to find out who is behind an event of this magnitude. As I said, the more burrows, the better.”
Dang Mandok finally understood why the general manager of the Myriad Gold Guild had come to Sichuan in person.
“Heh heh heh. You’re more cunning than the Demonic Cult.”
“Thank you for the compliment.”
“So, what are your thoughts on today’s events?”
“Are you offering to build a bridge for me personally?”
“You’re greedy.”
“That greed made the Myriad Gold Guild the greatest in the Central Plains.”
Dang Mandok handed over the Golden Heavenly Silkworm.
“Go on. It’s a precious little one, so take good care of it. Ask if you have any questions.”
“Yes. Thank you.”
Haa.
He knew pests would gather.
But he never imagined such a big one would be drawn in so soon.
“This won’t do.”
Dang Mandok decided he had to take action before someone else snatched Ha Yuseong away.
People were already beginning to notice Ha Yuseong’s special qualities.
Later, there would be no time to act!
Besides, Ha Yuseong was not only a source of vitality in Dang Mandok’s life but also a benefactor who had brought immense profit to the Tang family.
Dang Mandok summoned his granddaughter, Dang Yeoryeong.
“Yeoryeong.”
Dang Yeoryeong, feeling that the time had come, replied with a determined look in her eyes.
“Yes, Grandfather.”
Dang Mandok said.
“You’ll have to seduce Yuseong.”
Dang Yeoryeong replied with confidence.
“Yes! I understand!”