Chapter 52
Chapter 52
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 52
Chapter Title: Let's Start the Hunt
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[Chapter 2: Find the Tang Clan Initial Pellet!]
Chapter 2: Find the Tang Clan Initial Pellet!
Chapter 1's content had been: "Go to the Demonic Cult and find a cure for the mind-body weakness!"
"Does that mean the scroll's content has advanced to Chapter 2 because the conditions for Chapter 1 were fulfilled?"
That essentially meant the Tang Clan Initial Pellet was the cure for the mind-body weakness!
The rumors Lianhua had heard weren't just empty talk!
Lianhua deserved a lot of credit for finding the clue that allowed progression to Chapter 2.
"Lianhua, thank you! I've finally got a lead on the cure for the mind-body weakness!"
"What are you talking about?"
Having felt inwardly heavy-hearted over the lack of progress in finding a cure, I suddenly felt much lighter as I scooped the Golden Immortal Lotus into my arms.
"I received the next part of the scroll I got before coming to the Demonic Cult!"
"You mean the one that bird just delivered?"
The Golden Immortal Lotus pointed toward the open window.
"Yeah! It says to find the Tang Clan Initial Pellet! They probably know the cure."
"Sorry to rain on your parade while you're so excited."
The Golden Immortal Lotus looked at me with a puzzled expression.
"But how are you going to find the Tang Clan Initial Pellet?"
"……."
"I hadn't thought of that."
"Ah, no. I misspoke."
The Golden Immortal Lotus watched me fall suddenly silent, flustered and unsure what to do.
"I just meant that once we locate where the Tang Clan Initial Pellet is, finding the cure won't be hard. That's a huge breakthrough in itself."
"Right?"
Try to grab too much at once, and you'll just wear yourself out.
Finding the cure was the same way.
If we gathered clues step by step like this, we'd eventually find the Tang Clan Initial Pellet.
"By the way, that bird that just came. It's a spirit beast humans know about?"
"Yeah! Why?"
"I thought it was just a regular bird at first…."
"Now you've got birds and snakes—it's like a full-blown animal farm."
The Golden Immortal Lotus shuddered as if utterly fed up.
"That's rich coming from a lotus. Animals and plants are different, I guess…?"
"But why was that bird so pissed off? It seemed to have a real grudge against humans…."
"Come to think of it, Pippy was mad because I went to the dumpling shop with Gwang-yu, right?"
From the way it talked, it seemed seriously sulky.
How do you soothe a bird that picky?
"Ah, whatever! I'm tired."
I'd been out of stamina for a while now; thinking about that was beyond me.
"Well, humans have to go to work tomorrow, so you should sleep."
"Right! Don't I have to go to work?"
"So exhausted, and I still have to clock in tomorrow…."
I rolled over on my bedding and quietly sobbed.
"I'll put out the light then."
"Yeah…."
It was already late; to wake at dawn, I needed to sleep diligently.
"Is it because it's mad? Pippy probably doesn't want anything to do with me from now on. Without Pippy around, it feels kinda lonely."
The Golden Immortal Lotus was here now, but it felt different from being with Pippy.
"Lianhua makes me feel secure, but it's not as comfy as sleeping with Pippy."
Where was Pippy right now?
After delivering the scroll, was it wandering somewhere, shivering in the cold with nowhere to go?
It'd be better if it went back to whoever sent the scroll and rested there….
Wait a second….
Worried about Pippy, my eyes suddenly snapped open.
"Where did Pippy get the scroll from?"
Who was the one sending these scrolls to me in the first place?
Pippy's owner?
How did they know not just that I'd possessed this body, but also about my dad's condition?
Until now, I hadn't thought deeply about where Pippy lived, but now endless questions bubbled up.
"Honestly, I have no idea what's going on, but one thing's for sure. Follow Pippy!"
If I tailed Pippy, I could find out who was sending me the scrolls.
No—the timing of the deliveries was so perfect, it seemed like they could observe my thoughts and life. Was it not a human, but a god?
If so, I definitely needed to follow Pippy.
"If the scroll sender is a god, they'd know where the Tang Clan Initial Pellet is."
Ah… looks like this little body won't hold up tomorrow either.
In the dream that came after hard-won sleep, Pippy reported me to the authorities for stalking it, and I ended up stuck in prison, unable to move.
"Waaah, let me out! I have to go save my dad!"
Pippy came to visit me as I wailed in my cell.
Pippy gave me bread and milk as snacks and gazed at me with pleading eyes.
"Why can't you recognize me? We were always together there."
"There? Where's that?"
Pippy looked so sad that I tried to remember, but nothing came to mind.
"Seol Cheon-seong, I hate you!"
With that, Pippy scattered tears and left the visiting room. When I opened my eyes…
"Ah…. Morning already."
Dawn had broken before I knew it.
"How did it go from closing my eyes to morning already?"
If the Golden Immortal Lotus hadn't picked up my unresponsive body and washed my face, I wouldn't have made it to the office on time.
"It grumbled so much about suddenly having to play nanny…."
"Sort out the documents that need approval by end of day."
The Young Cult Leader assigned me work the moment I arrived.
"White stuff is paper, black stuff is writing…."
Reading from dawn had me drowsy on top of exhaustion; sleep came pouring in.
"Advisor Seol."
"……."
"Advisor Seol!"
"Yes, sir??"
"Oh no, busted."
I'd dozed off while reviewing documents and got caught by the Young Cult Leader.
"I distinctly remember sending you off to rest yesterday…. What did you do to be this sleepy?"
"…Sorry."
I wiped the drool that had leaked out and apologized politely.
"Well, you looked so happy nestled in the Golden Immortal Lotus's arms yesterday. Probably too busy playing to sleep, huh."
"No wonder it went quiet."
"…It wasn't playing. I was training and got tired, so Lianhua just helped me a bit."
"You train with the Golden Immortal Lotus too? I thought your master was Gwang-yu."
"With Lianhua, it's internal energy cultivation."
"I see."
Not sure if it was my imagination, but a hint of regret seeped into the Young Cult Leader's response.
"Still, carrying you when you're worn out from training doesn't seem like a normal master-disciple thing. Could it be… the Golden Immortal Lotus is your lover?"
"What kind of nonsense is this?"
"As you know, Lianhua is a spirit being."
"Doesn't mean it can't be a lover. Gwang-yu's parents were one human and one spirit being."
I unintentionally learned a new fact.
"No wonder the snake speaks human so well, unlike the water-only Golden Immortal Lotus that still knows all the popular eateries…."
"This morning, Lianhua wiped my face and grumbled about suddenly feeling like a housewife raising a kid. Last night, it smacked my back who-knows-how-many times for crawling into bed without washing."
"……."
The Young Cult Leader, listening to what happened between Lianhua and me, looked like he'd lost his words.
"Yeah, first time hearing about a spirit beast making you wash your face."
Me too.
"Does it still look like we're lovers?"
When I asked again, the Young Cult Leader seemed to fully realize his misunderstanding.
"…Like siblings, then."
"Well, if I had to put a label, Lianhua's like a mother to me. My real mom passed early, so no real memories, but I imagine she'd be like Lianhua."
I gave a soft smile, and the Young Cult Leader, watching, coughed awkwardly as if embarrassed.
"Sorry. I misunderstood."
"No problem. It was understandable. More importantly, could I have some personal time today?"
I quickly sorted the scroll with short bursts of focus and slid it toward the Young Cult Leader.
"What for?"
"Something I need to track down."
"Lose something?"
"Not lost, exactly. A bird I was raising ran off."
"You kept a bird. Catching a runaway one will be tough."
"Has to try. It's one I partially tamed… it'll come back for sure."
The Young Cult Leader eyed my sly grin—more cunning than sad—with faint unease.
"Fine, hand off the rest to Elder Five Elements if urgent. Go ahead."
"Thank you!"
After a proper bow to the Young Cult Leader, I shouldered my packed bag and headed out.
Then I pulled a Red Fruit from the bag.
"Pippy, as long as I've got this tasty Red Fruit, no matter how mad you are, you'll come back."
"Shall we get started?"
"Fun bird hunting with Red Fruit."