The Price of Independence
Dang Sobaek had lived for nearly a century, but never in his life had he felt a chill as bone-deep as this.
If the sword scars had inspired a trembling terror akin to awe, the barrier shrouding this island was of an entirely different nature.
It was a primal dread, the kind that gripped a mortal who had stumbled upon a truth they were never meant to know.
This is...
It truly is a birdcage.
He could not shake the sickening realization that every living thing on this island was being raised like livestock.
Alongside the terror, a seed of profound unease took root in Sobaek's heart. It was a shock that shook his very soul. With an effort of will, he forced his spiraling thoughts away.
For now, treating Jim-i was his utmost priority.
The massive sailing ship that had lingered in the distance had vanished without a trace. A heavy, complicated feeling settled in his chest.
The evening glow was beginning to fade.
Sobaek let out a quiet sigh and descended. Spreading his wings, he flew swiftly toward Jim-sam's nest.
Along the way, he sensed the presence of beasts and insects harboring demonic qi, but he ignored them, focusing entirely on speed.
He crossed mountain ridges and flew over rushing rivers.
By the time Sobaek reached Jim-sam's nest, the night sky was in full bloom with a scattering of stars.
Jim-i was half-unconscious from the pain.
"Pyah..."
Her voice was entirely devoid of strength.
Yet whenever her body convulsed, she would let out a sharp, agonized shriek. She was like a candle flickering on the verge of going out.
Sobaek knew the cause. With her inner wing bone shattered, any movement would force the jagged shards deeper into her flesh.
Jim-sam did not pay her much attention, but he seemed uneasy in his own way. Unlike his usual indifferent self, he kept casting sidelong glances to check on her.
Consider yourself lucky.
If Sobaek had not been here,
and if he had not spent so much time mapping out the meridians of the Jimjo species...
...she would have died.
By the ruthless law of the wild, Jim-i would have closed her eyes in agony before she ever had the chance to truly spread her wings.
Sobaek gently stroked Jim-i's head for a moment, then set the Guryeong-ji grass down on the floor.
Though he had managed to find the right medicinal herb, the grass alone could not cure her. Shattered bones would not miraculously realign themselves.
In other words, he had to perform the surgery himself.
Sobaek stared intently at Jim-sam. To perform the treatment, he needed absolute, uninterrupted focus. Even the slightest disturbance could prove fatal.
Sobaek made his intentions clear to Jim-sam, gesturing for him to leave them be. Understanding the message, Jim-sam quietly stepped out of the nest. Only Sobaek and Jim-i remained inside.
I didn't mean to kick him out entirely.
But perhaps it was for the best.
Just as the Sichuan Tang Clan was renowned for its mastery of poison arts, they were equally unparalleled in the art of medicine—surpassing any other sect or clan in the Murim.
Sobaek first purged the poison from several of his own feathers, then began inserting them into Jim-i's body.
His feathers would serve as makeshift acupuncture needles.
He sealed her Mute Acupoint to prevent her from screaming, and then pierced her Paralysis Acupoint where her wing bone met her neck, ensuring she could not move a muscle.
Fortunately, Sobaek's understanding of the Jimjo's acupoints was flawless; Jim-i's body stiffened instantly.
There were two main ways to treat her.
The first was to slice open her wing with his talons and piece the bone fragments back together one by one. However, this posed a critical problem: in a bird's body, lacking hands, suturing the wound afterward would be impossible.
Of course, the regenerative properties of the Guryeong-ji grass might heal the flesh naturally, but that was a matter of mere probability.
It was too much of a gamble.
The second method was to use his inner qi. By channeling his own energy into Jim-i's body, he could manually realign the shattered bone fragments.
In other words, a form of healing through True Qi.
However, this method demanded absolute, razor-sharp concentration. If anything went wrong, Sobaek himself would likely suffer severe internal injuries.
Under normal circumstances, Sobaek's pragmatic nature would have driven him to choose the first option. It was far safer for him, even if it was riskier for Jim-i.
Sobaek pondered for a long moment. In the end, he chose the second method.
It was not out of some sentimental guilt because Jim-i had been injured fighting the Ink-Scale Blood Python on his behalf.
His decision was driven by a cold calculation of various factors.
Though they shared the same nest, Jim-i and he were fundamentally different.
At the end of the day, she was merely a beast.
He, on the other hand, possessed the soul of a human.
He did not feel anything as soft as familial love.
Few men were foolish enough to risk their own lives for a mere pet.
However, through this battle, he had witnessed Jim-i's immense potential for growth with his own eyes.
As Sobaek continued to navigate this dangerous island, she would undoubtedly prove to be a valuable asset. He was simply looking at the long-term picture.
That was the sole reason.
The reason Sobaek chose the riskier path.
And above all, he was confident.
Dangerous as it might be, Sobaek was a man who had once been hailed as a Medical Sage; his medical expertise was second to none.
Sobaek spread his wing and pressed it against Jim-i's chest, near her heart.
Filtering out the poison, he guided only the pure True Qi from his poison core and slowly, meticulously channeled it into her body.
Cold sweat began to bead on his feathers.
There is no need to rush.
Sobaek calmly observed Jim-i's internal state through his circulating qi, guiding his energy along her meridians.
Hmm...
Sobaek's own meridians were pristine because he had meticulously purged all impurities before storing his poison, but Jim-i's were a different story.
Her pathways were completely clogged with spiritual residue and impurities.
Pouring all his energy into the task, Sobaek began clearing the blockages to forge a path. For the stubborn obstructions, he utilized a minute trace of his poison to dissolve them, forcing the waste out of her body.
He had not even begun the actual treatment, yet the mental toll was already staggering.
Sobaek maintained his absolute focus, continuing the delicate operation.
Only after he had cleared every single subtle meridian leading to her left wing bone did the true treatment begin.
Among the fractured bones,
the larger fragments were relatively easy to guide back into place.
The real challenge lay in the tiny, shattered splinters.
Sobaek carefully extracted the bone shards embedded deep within her muscle tissue, one by one.
Jim-i's eyes snapped open from her unconscious state, filled with sheer, unadulterated agony.
With her acupoints sealed, she could neither scream nor thrash. She could only drench herself in cold sweat before blacking out once more.
Time ticked away.
Sobaek relied on superhuman willpower to keep his focus entirely locked on the treatment.
By the time the crickets began to chirp and a chilly night breeze swept through the nest,
Whew...
he had finally succeeded in aligning the last bone fragment.
He felt as if he might faint. He wanted nothing more than to collapse and sleep, but he forced himself to endure.
Jim-sam was nowhere to be seen. He seemed to have gone back outside.
Sobaek carefully unsealed Jim-i's acupoints.
"Pyahhh..."
A sorrowful whimper escaped her beak.
Sobaek watched her quietly before nudging the Guryeong-ji grass into her beak.
"!!"
But she reflexively spat it out.
You ungrateful little brat.
An involuntary curse flashed through Sobaek's mind. A surge of irritation welled up inside him.
He knew the taste of Guryeong-ji grass was notoriously foul, so her reaction wasn't entirely incomprehensible, but...
had he not flown across the entire island just to find this for her?
Though he hadn't done it expecting gratitude, he couldn't help but feel slighted by her insolence.
Sobaek sealed her acupoints again, with a bit more force this time.
Then, prying her beak open, he shoved the Guryeong-ji grass straight down her throat.
"Gag-!!"
Jim-i's face contorted in a grotesque grimace. But with her body frozen stiff, she couldn't spit it out; she could only roll her eyes in sheer panic.
Sobaek's gaze met Jim-i's. A faint, peculiar smile played on Sobaek's beak.
He tapped her acupoints once more to help her swallow. He watched as the Guryeong-ji grass slid down her throat.
Now, all that was left was to wait for her to heal.
Sobaek slept undisturbed for two full days.
The True Qi healing had been far more taxing than he had anticipated.
Forcibly clearing another being's meridians was an incredibly grueling endeavor.
Blink.
When he opened his eyes, he saw two Jimjo birds staring down at him with worried expressions. It was Jim-i and Jim-sam.
...
Fortunately, the treatment seemed to have been a resounding success. In fact, Jim-i looked to be in even better condition than before.
Her purple feathers gleamed with a healthy luster, and her frame appeared sleeker and more agile. This was undoubtedly the result of Sobaek purging the impurities from her body during the operation.
Having fasted for several days, Sobaek felt entirely drained of strength.
Just then, Jim-i nudged a piece of meat toward him. It was dripping with fresh blood, clearly a very recent kill.
Looking closer, he saw it was a rabbit.
Sobaek carefully inspected the meat for anything unusual. It wasn't that he doubted Jim-i; it was simply an old, ingrained habit.
"Pyak! Pyak-pyak!"
When Sobaek hesitated to eat, Jim-i chirped in a nagging tone. He hesitated no longer and swallowed the rabbit meat in a single gulp.
It was nothing more than ordinary wild game, but to his starved stomach, it tasted exceptionally good.
After finishing his meal, Sobaek slowly began to move his body.
A lingering stiffness still clung to his muscles, but...
Whoosh—
...circulating his True Qi through his body quickly alleviated the discomfort.
Whew...
The dark secrets of the island threatened to creep back into his mind, but he shook his head to banish them.
Dwelling on them now would only invite an inner demon. Besides, he had more pressing matters to attend to.
Come to think of it, we are all gathered here now, save for Jim-il.
He wondered where that fellow had decided to settle down.
From what Sobaek had observed,
Jim-il was a highly ambitious and prideful creature.
Therefore, he would have prioritized finding a nesting ground where prey was abundant, valuing food supply over safety.
The northern forest of the Jimjo territory.
He had likely claimed a nest in one of the massive, ancient trees there.
Well, he can take care of himself.
While Jim-il didn't possess any singular, overwhelming talent, he was well-balanced in agility, poison, and physical size.
If anything, Sobaek and his companions were the ones who needed to worry.
They would soon have to face the Ink-Scale Blood Python once more.
There was a specific reason Sobaek was risking so much to claim that particular territory as their nest.
Having witnessed the island's secret firsthand, their mother's parting warning resonated with him on a much deeper level.
The two were undoubtedly connected.
Her advice had not been a simple tip on finding a shelter to survive in the wild.
Therefore, to prepare for any unforeseen crises, they absolutely had to secure that location.
The terrain there was remarkably similar to a naturally formed Qimen Illusion Array.
Of course, it was far from perfect.
At its current state, it did little more than distort the flow of qi, making it slightly difficult for intruders to find their bearings.
But with a few adjustments, it will become an incredibly formidable defense.
They would never find a better stronghold.
Still, I wonder if Jim-i is truly alright.
Sobaek stared intently at Jim-i, who was preening her feathers. Sensing his gaze, she tilted her head in confusion.
I only hope she hasn't been traumatized...
Facing an opponent who had once utterly defeated you was a daunting psychological hurdle.
On the surface, however, she seemed entirely unchanged. At the very least, she didn't appear to harbor any lingering trauma.
But one could never be certain.
The Ink-Scale Blood Python wasn't standing right in front of her. She might freeze or panic the moment she laid eyes on it again.
"Pyak?"
Ignoring Jim-i's questioning chirp, Sobaek turned his gaze toward Jim-sam.
The single horn protruding from Jim-sam's head was particularly eye-catching.
By preying on the horned rabbits, Jim-sam had acquired the ability to manifest a poison mist.
Depending on how they utilized it, it could be a highly effective weapon.
The Ink-Scale Blood Python, being a mere sub-adult, did not possess a particularly high resistance to poison.
Sobaek had seen with his own eyes how its scales corroded under the influence of his Blood Sea Acid. As its wounds deepened, it had clearly shown symptoms of poisoning.
Is there a way to lure it out?
With the three of them working together, they could easily overpower the python with minimal risk.
However, Jim-sam was notoriously indifferent to everything, rarely showing interest in anything around him. The only emotions he occasionally displayed were mild pity or sympathy, and even those were fleeting.
Sobaek pondered for a long while, but no clever ideas came to mind.
First, I must test its reaction to the poison crystal.
If he could utilize it properly, he might be able to draw the Ink-Scale Blood Python out of its lair, allowing them to claim the high ground or poison it before the battle even began.
Sobaek fluttered his wings and hopped out of Jim-sam's nest.
Jim-i tried to follow him in a hurry, but he immediately gestured for her to go back. She still needed to rest, and he didn't need her assistance just yet.
Sobaek flew for a long while before slipping into a narrow crevice between the cliffs.
The metallic scent of blood wafted from a distance.
Sobaek suppressed his presence and stealthily approached the cave.
A swarm of bats lay dead in a heap in one corner of the cave. However, the python was nowhere to be seen.
It seemed to have gone out to hunt.
This is actually for the best.
Rather than luring it outside...
It would be far more effective to use the bat carcasses. Drawing it out into the open came with too many variables, and the scent of the poison crystal would likely attract other spiritual beasts and predators.
Sobaek discreetly hid the poison crystal inside the mouth of one of the dead bats and retreated.
The poison crystal, emitting a cold, emerald-like glow, shone eerily in the dark. A sweet, intoxicating fragrance began to drift through the cavern.
Now, all he had to do was find a suitable hiding spot and wait.
Just as Sobaek was about to take flight to hide in a crevice between the rocks,
Screeech—!
A bizarre, soundless acoustic wave erupted from the lightless depths of the cave.