Chapter 38
Chapter 38
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 38
Chapter Title: Big Sis
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"Pip pip pibiik! Pip pip bibik! (Me, a mount?! Me, a mount!!!)"
Ppippi seemed pretty shocked by Gwangyu's words.
"No, Ppippi! Calm down! I didn't bring you along thinking of you as a mount!"
"Pi... pip! (But that snake guy dared to treat me like a mount!)"
Ppippi clung to me, tears welling up in its eyes, pouring out its grievances.
'Ppippi must be really shaken. I mean, calling it a mount like some public transport.'
"Don't cry. Ppippi, let me be clear: to me, you're not some mount. I really think of you like a blood sibling. You're family who shared my first adventure with me."
I hugged Ppippi and gently stroked it, conveying my sincere feelings in a soft voice.
"Piik pi? (Really?)"
Ppippi lifted its teary face and looked up at me.
"Of course! We've slept together, made fires in the forest, gazed at the sky, and shared so many memories just the two of us, right?"
"Piik pi. Pip pip. (That's true. Even back then, you treated me like a little sibling.)"
"So just let Gwangyu's words go in one ear and out the other. It's not true. And stop crying! Snap out of it!"
"Pip pip! Pi! (Snap! I won't cry anymore.)"
Whether my comforting worked or not, Ppippi wiped its tears with its wings and put on a brave face.
'Seriously, it doesn't feel like I'm traveling with a bird at all—it feels like I'm with a little sibling.'
For some reason, being with Ppippi gave me the same comfortable feeling as being with Daddy.
'Like real family? Even though I haven't had Ppippi for long, it feels like we've been together forever.'
"Must be nice. Family! I want that too. A little sister!"
Gwangyu, who had been watching me console Ppippi while holding his breath, looked at me with envy.
"You said sibling, but you're already an adult."
I tried to brush him off casually, but his gaze was too intense.
"If that's the issue, how about something other than sibling?"
His face lit up with anticipation, as if he thought he had a chance.
"Like what?"
"Well... Daddy, maybe?"
Gwangyu hesitated before cautiously revealing his true intentions.
'Snake daddy? And one that might bolt at any moment. I'm already overwhelmed just managing the daddy I have.'
"I already have a daddy. And even if I could have more than one, I don't want to make two."
"I'd be fine with two daughters the size of beans."
He said it like a joke, but anyone could see the disappointment on his face was genuine.
'At least he's clueless. If he knew Daddy was the Heavenly Demon, he wouldn't dream of offering to be my dad unless he was insane.'
"Thanks for the kind thoughts, but I'll pass."
"Pip pip pip! Piik pip. Pip! Piik piik pip! (Hee hee hee! I knew it'd flop! Serves you right! Seol Cheon-seong, hop on my back quick! Your little-sis-like self will get you to the cult in a flash!)"
The moment I finished speaking, Ppippi burst out mocking Gwangyu as if it had been waiting.
'Gotta separate them before they start fighting again.'
"Got it. Gwangyu, you can follow on your own, right?"
"I could give you a ride."
Gwangyu looked at me with lingering regret in his eyes.
"It's fine. I prefer going with Ppippi... er, riding with Ppippi."
'Almost slipped and said riding Ppippi.'
Luckily, Ppippi was too busy teasing Gwangyu to catch my words.
"Pip pip pi! Pip. Pip! (Then we're off. Bi. g Sis!)"
Ppippi emphasized "big sis" loud enough for Gwangyu to hear, then let me climb on its back and soared into the sky happier than ever.
'Truth be told, the reason I've come this far is because the Young Cult Leader had urgent business and temporarily left her protection to me...'
Gwangyu gazed silently at Cheon-seong flying through the sky on Ppippi's back.
'She seems to have figured out I'm no low-rank in the cult and that I'm no ordinary expert, yet she speaks her mind without flinching... Hard to believe that's the spirit of a mere six-year-old.'
Gwangyu liked Cheon-seong even more than when they first met at the market.
'As expected, you can't deny the Heavenly Demon's blood? But no matter how I think about it, her cuteness doesn't resemble him at all... Must be heavily influenced by her mother.'
While acknowledging some Heavenly Demon traits, Gwangyu was convinced her looks and charm came entirely from elsewhere.
"Anyway, she says daddy's a no-go."
Gwangyu walked through the air with Void Step, pursuing Cheon-seong, his face serious as he pondered.
"What's the next closest thing to daddy in family?"
He felt regret at not being able to adopt Cheon-seong as his daughter.
"Today marks exactly one week since that human left."
The Golden Immortal Lotus woke earlier than usual.
'To be precise, I tossed and turned all last night.'
It was a strange thing.
Until now, the Golden Immortal Lotus had lived leisurely alone in its cave, but ever since Cheon-seong left the cult, time seemed to crawl by.
'After that, being alone started feeling insanely boring.'
To combat the boredom, the Golden Immortal Lotus tried its own ways.
It returned to the cave and soaked in its favorite pond.
"Come to think of it, this is where I first met that human. Back then, I had no idea he'd become the owner of the flower seed."
It floated on lotus leaves, enjoying the scenery.
"Come to think of it, humans feel better when they see beautiful landscapes..."
But no matter where it went or what it did, Cheon-seong came to mind.
'Am I that lonely? Well, I've spent nearly 30 years alone in this cave.'
In truth, before being exiled to the cave, the Golden Immortal Lotus had always been with companions.
'If I hadn't broken taboo by saving that human child back then, I'd still be with them.'
But even after one pardon, the Golden Immortal Lotus broke taboo twice more.
'Repeating the same mistake was entirely my choice. So I can't call the exile to the human realm harsh or hold grudges.'
As a spirit being, the Golden Immortal Lotus originally lived in the Immortal Realm.
It was a promising talent there, but also an object of envy among companions.
"Why does only the Golden Immortal Lotus have the power to intervene in fate?"
"Right? That's a ability for gods, not spirits."
"Honestly, if the gods gave it by mistake, they should take it back now before it causes trouble."
"Yeah, and the gods keep praising it as a genius, making it arrogant."
Not all companions hated the Golden Immortal Lotus.
"Golden Immortal Lotus, ignore them and let's go train."
Some truly cared for it.
But the problem arose during time training.
Time training involved swimming through human time streams, observing human lives and fates to comprehend emotions and truths.
At such times, Immortal Realm spirits were absolutely forbidden from interfering in human fates.
Yet the Golden Immortal Lotus intervened in human children's fates twice, sparking backlash from peers and companions, ultimately stripping it of that power and banishing it from the Immortal Realm forever.
'I wonder if those human children are doing well? Or did they fail to overcome fate and die?'
The Golden Immortal Lotus spoke as if indifferent, but hoped they had survived.
'I saved them because I truly wished for their happiness, but also because I wanted them—unlike me—to break free from fate and live their own lives.'
'Come to think of it, the second infant I saved... its eyes were the same blue ocean color as Seol-i's.'
'Since Seol-i's coming back today, maybe I should clean up?'
The neat freak Golden Immortal Lotus flung open the room's windows to start cleaning.
At that moment, the sound of someone opening the door to the Golden Immortal Lotus's room echoed.
"What is it? Seol-i won't be back yet."
Without turning, the Golden Immortal Lotus asked calmly, as if it knew who it was.
"It's not Seol-i who has business. It's you."
The visitor was Red Cloud.
"I'm busy preparing to welcome Seol-i, so make it quick, Young Cult Leader."
The Golden Immortal Lotus kept straightening the bedding as it spoke.
"Seol-i's power is unstable. Are you the cause?"
"And if I am?"
"What is your true identity?"
"Human, I already told you—I'm Seol-i's kin."
Red Cloud's blade edged toward the Golden Immortal Lotus's sharp jaw at the perfunctory reply.
"I'm asking what your real identity is."
"Can you handle knowing?"
"If it's something unseemly, I'll kill you here."
"You can't. I'm not some fragile body that dies easily. The human begged me to keep it secret, but no helping it. If you're so curious, I'll tell you specially."
The Golden Immortal Lotus grabbed Red Cloud's oncoming blade bare-handed.
"This body is..."
Blood flowing from the Golden Immortal Lotus's hand bloomed into a golden lotus in an instant, and its red lips parted at the blade's tip.
"The Golden Immortal Lotus."