“How exactly are you going to catch it?”
“How does one catch a thing like that?”
“You have a method?”
Hwa-eun, Elder Yakseon, and Elder Uiseon all asked with expressions of intense curiosity.
Of course they’d be curious—if I could easily capture a creature the Tang Clan itself couldn’t even lay a finger on.
I smiled brightly as I replied.
Wasn’t there always something I said at times like this?
“Se...”
“Se?”
“Se what?”
“It’s a secret.”
The three of them froze, staring at me with faces full of disbelief.
But that didn’t last long.
As martial experts, they reacted immediately—with a barrage of flicks and pokes to my arms, forehead, and cheeks.
“You rascal! Is this because we always say you’re cute!?”
“So-ryong! You always say that same thing! Ugh, why do I fall for it every time!?”
“You little brat! Teasing your elders like that!”
“Waaah!”
I tried to dodge, but the three of them used martial techniques to stick to me.
I managed to avoid everything except the finger jab to my side.
That was Hwa-eun.
The two grandpas were now slower than me, so I could read their movements and dodge them easily.
But Hwa-eun, though the same age, had far stronger martial skills than me, and I couldn’t avoid her jab.
Her slender finger pinched my side before I could react.
“Ow ow ow ow ow!”
Of course, she didn’t actually pinch hard.
It was just a light teasing squeeze, the kind that says, you little rascal.
Still, I dramatically pretended to be in agony and collapsed to the ground.
Startled and apologetic, Hwa-eun ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) immediately panicked.
“Ah, did it really hurt? Was it that bad? I’m sorry, So-ryong. You just never tell us anything...”
“Oh no! So-ryong’s dying!”
“Wait just a minute! That didn’t hurt that much! So-ryong’s messing around again, isn’t he!? I fell for it again! Like a fool!”
But thanks to my exaggerated overacting, my performance got busted—and Hwa-eun ended up sulking.
“So-ryong never tells me anything when I’m curious. He’s always just playing around...”
She spun away and grumbled under her breath.
“Hwa-eun’s pouting?”
“Wouldn’t you like to know.”
She was definitely sulking. So, from behind her, I gently placed my hands on her shoulders and spoke softly.
“It wouldn’t be fun if I told you now. Come on, don’t stay mad.”
“Too late...”
“But you’ve always said it was fun when I revealed the answer later, right?”
“I said nothing of the sort...”
As we continued our sweet, tooth-rotting exchange, the two grandpas clicked their tongues in unison.
“Tch... what are those kids even doing?”
“Ah, youth...”
“Oh! Sorry!”
“S-sorry, sir.”
Yeah, that was probably too much for in front of elders.
In my previous life, thanks to Western influence, even a public kiss wouldn’t raise eyebrows.
Young couples kissing in alleyways had become pretty normalized.
But in this era, what we just did probably landed somewhere between a kiss and... something more.
I quickly apologized, and Elder Uiseon spoke up.
“No, no. It’s good that you two are close. That’s a blessing. Anyway, So-ryong—you say you really can capture it?”
“Yes, Grandpa.”
“Hmm...”
As I answered, the two elders looked at me, clearly deep in thought.
Then, after a brief pause, they asked,
“Then if you learn where the creature is... will you go after it?”
“You plan to, right?”
“Of course!”
Isn’t that a question that answers itself?
A golden frog that can destroy the world.
If I learned where it was, I’d absolutely go to catch it.
I had already captured most of the Top Ten Venom Beasts.
Only Jimjo and this one remained. I wanted to capture it before my next attempt at Jimjo.
That way, my achievement list would be complete.
But then Elder Yakseon asked with a serious expression,
“Is it absolutely necessary for you to capture this one?”
“Huh? Why do you ask?”
Telling me not to catch the World-Ending Golden Frog?
How dare they try to interfere with my hobby?
I tilted my head with a puzzled look, and Grandpa explained.
“Because this poison has already been reported to the imperial court.”
“To the court!?”
“Yes. It was included in the report about the Five Venoms, to once again warn the imperial family of their threat. That’s why we came here in the first place. The Martial Alliance was asked to investigate further after the imperial court expressed great concern.”
“Ah... but why are you telling me not to catch it?”
“If we report to the court what we’ve discovered—that the poison is from the World-Ending Golden Frog—then they’ll either try to eliminate the creature, seize it for themselves, or place it under constant surveillance.
But if they believe it’s untouchable, then they’ll stop at surveillance—just to prevent anyone from using the poison.
Now imagine what happens if you get your hands on it. The court may label you a traitor and execute you. Or they might confiscate it. At the very least, they’ll start watching your every move.
And if that happens, all the creatures you’ve been keeping will be exposed, and you’ll be considered even more dangerous.”
After hearing Grandpa’s explanation, I pretty much got the picture.
In other words, this “Myeolse” poison was being treated like a biochemical weapon—or even a nuke.
Its power was so immense that even the imperial court was alarmed and had ordered a full investigation.
And if Grandpa and the others confirmed that it was indeed the poison of the World-Ending Golden Frog, then the court would likely try to seize the frog or destroy it, or at the very least keep it under tight surveillance.
But if I, a private individual, came to possess such a thing...
What would that make me? A lone civilian with nukes or bioweapons?
For safety’s sake, the imperial court would either eliminate me—or keep me under constant watch.
Even worse, if the existence of the frog came to light, they’d dig deeper into me. All the other spirit beasts I’d raised would be exposed too.
The court would start seeing me as a full-scale national threat.
So their suggestion was: maybe don’t catch the World-Ending Golden Frog.
I understood what they meant.
But being told not to capture one of the Top Ten Venom Beasts?
With a desperate look, I pleaded.
“Can’t you just report it as a poison the Five Venoms created?”
After all, the origin of the poison hadn’t been officially identified yet, so I was asking if they could fudge the report a little.
If it were simply reported as something the Five Venoms developed, then even if I ended up possessing the World-Ending Golden Frog, it wouldn’t become a major issue.
But Grandpa shook his head, looking utterly baffled.
“So-ryong, this isn’t just about deceiving some random person. Deceiving the Son of Heaven... that’s a crime worthy of wiping out your entire bloodline.”
“Exactly. So-ryong, this would be the most heinous act of disloyalty.”
Sure, in my past life you could lie to a president and nobody would bat an eye—but in a Confucian society, the emperor was the highest authority, an absolute being.
Trying to deceive him wasn’t just unimaginable—it was an unforgivable betrayal.
Sigh... So it’s Confucianism tying me down here, huh?
I used to like Confucianism because it taught men to be respectable and admirable in their households... and yet now it stabs me in the back like this.
Then again, wasn’t I the Heavenly Master of Humanity?
I was the head of Buddhism, yet here I was, getting suckered by another doctrine. It was time to clearly reaffirm my Buddhist alignment.
Just as I was making that mental shift, I heard Ji-ryong’s voice from outside.
“So, Young Master? Are you in there?”
“Ji-ryong?”
“Was that Ji-ryong’s voice?”
“Let him in.”
I was about to reply that we had a guest, but the elders apparently felt the conversation was finished and told me to let Ji-ryong in.
“Ah, Ji-ryong. Come in.”
Why would Ji-ryong come alone at this hour?
I was still wondering when Ji-ryong stepped into the room, arms full of what looked like documents.
When he saw Elders Yakseon and Uiseon, he froze and bowed in alarm.
“Oh! I didn’t know the elders were here. I’ll come back another time.”
But the two elders rose from their seats and waved him off.
“No need. It’s already late, and we’ve said all we needed to say. So-ryong, we won’t report what you’ve told us—at least not right away. You obtained this information, so it’s yours.
But when Mandok Shingun arrives, the truth will likely be reported then.”
They were saying they wouldn’t immediately pass the info we’d given them to the Martial Alliance or the imperial court, out of loyalty to Hwa-eun and me.
But once Grandfather Tang Mu-seong—Mandok Shingun—arrived, he would recognize the signs, and the secret would eventually be disclosed upward.
I bowed gratefully.
That was the utmost consideration they could offer me.
“Understood, Grandpa.”
“Then we’ll leave you two to talk.”
“Take care, Grandpas.”
“Be well, Hwa-eun.”
“Farewell, child.”
As the elders exited, Ji-ryong, who had been awkwardly standing by, placed the documents he was carrying onto the tea table and spoke.
“I was starting to think I came at a bad time, but I guess not. Still... Young Master, why the dark expression?”
Noticing my gloomy face, he asked.
“It’s nothing major. Just... something happened.”
“Something too hard to tell me?”
“No, it’s not that...”
I trailed off and glanced at Hwa-eun, who nodded.
It meant she was okay with me discussing it with Ji-ryong.
Of course. That was Hwa-eun.
That nod was also her way of saying—if there’s another way to catch the World-Ending Golden Frog, I’m okay with it.
And if anyone could help find that way, it would be smart, reliable Ji-ryong. So I decided to share everything.
“It’s about the poison the Five Venoms used when we were chasing them.”
“Ah, yes. The one called Myeolse, right?”
“Exactly. Elders Yakseon and Uiseon came here to investigate that, remember?”
“Yes, I remember.”
“Well, they’ve managed to figure out what it likely is.”
“Of course they did. What then?”
“It seems to be the poison of the World-Ending Golden Frog, one of the Top Ten Venoms. I’m the only one who can realistically catch it...”
“Ah... I see. So the elders told you not to go after it because they were worried. I’ve heard rumors the imperial court is very concerned.”
“As expected of Ji-ryong.”
With just a few words, he grasped the whole picture.
Ji-ryong smiled and said,
“Then I’ve come at just the right time. I thought Young Master would like to see this, so I came even though it’s late. And it looks like that worked out perfectly.”
“What is it?”
I was expecting a plan, but Ji-ryong instead spread out the documents he brought.
Among them, he pulled out something familiar to me.
“Here. I’ve identified a potential location.”
“Oh! This is!?”
“Yes, it’s the map we found in that temple in Tianzhu. It belonged to those Five Venoms scum.”
Right.
I had completely forgotten, but after we wiped out the Five Venoms who were sending the locust swarms, we found a map.
It didn’t have any labeled landmarks, so I had handed it off to brilliant Ji-ryong to decipher.
And it looked like he had been researching it on his own all this time—and now had found a lead.
“Ohhh! You’re amazing, Ji-ryong!”
We had suspected the map might indicate the location of a powerful spirit beast.
Something clicked, and I looked at him and asked,
“Wait, does this mean...?”
“Yes. I had the same thought—that this might be where the World-Ending Golden Frog is located.”
“Ooooh!”
Originally, it was likely that the Five Venoms’ assassination squad had handled anything related to the frog.
But this map had belonged to someone else.
So the odds of the map leading to the frog were lower.
But not zero.
And sometimes, that was all you needed.
As I gave Ji-ryong a face that said, this is promising, he continued explaining.
“If the imperial court learns what this poison truly is, they’ll mobilize search teams to find the frog’s location.
They might even push the Martial Alliance to exterminate the Five Venoms entirely—then demand the information be handed over. But what if the frog isn’t there when they arrive?”
“Then... we hide it first?”
“Exactly. If Young Master finds it first and hides it, everything will be fine.”
Indeed, not all bad news stays bad.
Just when I was feeling miserable after the elders told me not to catch the frog, Ji-ryong swooped in like a healing salve.
But then came Hwa-eun’s worried voice, clearly surprised by Ji-ryong’s suggestion.
“Ji-ryong, wouldn’t that be... too dangerous?”
“No. Didn’t we establish that no one but Young Master can catch this creature? If it’s not officially reported, the court won’t suspect it’s in private hands. They’ll just keep searching around. That’s the safest approach.
I think the elders were simply being overly cautious.”
Hahh... Perfect timing. Perfect logic. This is why Ji-ryong’s the best.
I stepped up to the map Ji-ryong had laid out and asked,
“So, where exactly is it?”
Ji-ryong responded with a somewhat apologetic look.
“Before I show you, I should say this—the terrain was more common than I thought. I couldn’t pinpoint the exact spot. I managed to narrow it down to seven likely locations.”
Yeah, how could anyone identify an exact location from a vaguely sketched black-line map on white paper?
Even so, Ji-ryong had narrowed it down to seven candidates. That in itself was amazing.
Better than knowing nothing. Seven was a manageable number.
If you eliminated them one by one, you’d eventually find the right place.
I smiled and said,
“That’s more than good enough.”
Looks like I’d be heading out as soon as the wedding was over.
