"The Inmyeon Spider! So, you went out to fetch food for the stone centipedes, and you came back with an Inmyeon Spider? And this supposedly ferocious creature is this docile?"
"My son-in-law, where in the world did you find an Inmyeon Spider? And more importantly, how on earth is it imitating Hwa-eun’s appearance? What’s the story here?"
"Oh my, this is truly the Inmyeon Spider! It looks exactly like Hwa-eun!"
The astonished voices of Mandok Shingun, my father-in-law, and mother-in-law echoed as they marveled at Yo-hwa. Behind them, the rest of the Tang Clan family members nodded quickly in agreement, their eyes wide with surprise.
It wasn’t surprising that they were shocked—every time their son-in-law returned, the number of venomous creatures in the family increased.
Already basking in the pride swelling in my chest, I answered with a mix of arrogance and modesty, keeping my expression nonchalant.
"Well, it just sort of happened that way."
What I really meant was, "I just picked it up on the way," or "This is just how great I am."
Perhaps because capturing one of the Ten Great Venomous Beasts earned me the right to some arrogance, the elders smiled approvingly and nodded.
"Indeed, if you’ve captured an Inmyeon Spider, you’ve earned the right to stand tall. Hahaha!"
"Well done, So-ryong. You’ve worked hard."
As we walked toward the Tang Clan’s private pavilion for direct descendants, the atmosphere remained warm and cheerful.
Walking beside me, my sister-in-law cautiously asked the elders, "Father, I thought the Inmyeon Spider was only capable of mimicking a human face. Why does this one have an entire human body? I was hesitant to even call it an Inmyeon Spider at first."
The name "Inmyeon Spider" literally means "Spider with a Human Face," so it was natural for her to question why Yo-hwa had a full human body. By her logic, the spider should have been called a "Human Body Spider" or "Human Form Spider" instead.
Even I was curious about this. Despite knowing I’d captured one of the Ten Great Venomous Beasts, her concerns made me await my father-in-law’s explanation.
Smiling, he replied, "You must not have read the Secret Compendium of Venomous Creatures properly, focusing only on martial arts texts instead. This one is female. What you know is about the male Inmyeon Spider. Females are much rarer than males, which is why the creature is named after its most commonly seen form. Both are Inmyeon Spiders, but you’ve brought home an even rarer one."
"I see. So, Yo-hwa isn’t just imitating the appearance of a woman—it really is female?"
Although my sister-in-law seemed to have just realized this, I already knew Yo-hwa was female.
I’d confirmed it through its pedipalps.
There were two reasons I checked Yo-hwa’s pedipalps. First, I was curious about the extent of its mimicry ability, and second, I wanted to determine its gender.
It made sense that Yo-hwa could transform into my sister-in-law’s likeness after consuming my yang energy. However, the fact that it could replicate intimate details, such as the mole on Namgung Seol’s chest—details no one else would have seen—needed an explanation.
If the transformation depended solely on my memories, it wouldn’t have been possible to mimic such precise, private characteristics.
When I examined Yo-hwa’s pedipalps, I found that it couldn’t perfectly mimic the parts I didn’t know. Curious, I asked Yo-hwa about it, and instead of answering, it secretly ate a strand of my sister-in-law’s fallen hair.
Afterward, its transformation became flawless.
It turned out Yo-hwa could imitate someone perfectly only if it consumed their hair. Without it, the mimicry was incomplete.
While confirming this, I also determined Yo-hwa’s gender.
In spiders, males have reproductive organs developed in their pedipalps. If the pedipalps lack these organs, the spider is female. Yo-hwa’s pedipalps, though mimicking human limbs, lacked any such organs, confirming it was female.
Moreover, in nature, female spiders are generally much larger than males. If Yo-hwa were male, then a female of its kind would be unimaginably massive, which would defy all logic.
My sister-in-law now looked as though her doubts had been resolved, her expression clear. My father-in-law, having explained everything, clapped me on the shoulder and laughed heartily.
"Hahaha! So, you’re officially our son-in-law now, aren’t you?"
"Oh my, now that you mention it, their agreement has been fulfilled, hasn’t it?"
"Wh-what? How did you know about that!?"
Their words and expressions made it clear they were aware of the deal between my sister-in-law and me. Startled, I widened my eyes, only for my father-in-law to chuckle and say, "Does that matter? What’s important is that you’re truly one of us now."
When I turned to look at my sister-in-law, she avoided my gaze, her face flushed as she awkwardly looked up at the moon.
I’d spent so much time agonizing over this, but it seemed she had already told the family about our arrangement.
Then came Mandok Shingun’s booming voice.
"Now, So-ryong, starting tomorrow, head to the river and catch a live goose."
"A... a live goose?"
Confused, I blinked at him, trying to process his sudden request. Laughing, he explained in a cheerful tone.
"You fool! You need a live goose for the engagement ceremony. While you’re still too young for the wedding, we can hold the engagement ceremony now."
My mother-in-law chimed in with an explanation.
"An engagement ceremony is a formal event where you publicly pledge to marry in the future. And as for the goose, it symbolizes loyalty. Geese are monogamous creatures, so they represent a promise of lifelong fidelity. That’s why they’re an essential gift for the bride at the ceremony."
Hearing this, everything finally clicked into place.
Then my father-in-law added mischievously, "Once the engagement ceremony is done, Hwa-eun won’t be able to change her mind, no matter what. You’ll be tied to us forever!"
It was clear now: my engagement ceremony was imminent. There was no escape—I was now unquestionably the son-in-law of the Tang Clan.
***
Yo-hwa seemed to have taken a liking to the large tree planted by the well at the center of Tangjia Mountain, deep within the Tang Clan grounds.
I had been debating where to arrange a home for Yo-hwa, but as soon as I told her that this mountain would be her home, she darted off to the well in the distance. Once there, she scurried up and down the massive tree several times before settling on a spot high in its branches.
Despite her large size and preference for staying in one place, I had assumed she would live on the ground like most ground-dwelling spiders. Apparently, the reason she hadn’t climbed before was simply because she hadn’t found a tree she liked.
She immediately began constructing her web, but instead of the usual spread-out spiderweb, it resembled a cocoon-like structure—a proper home.
"Do you like it here?" I asked.
"I’ll show you where I sleep. Come along for now," I said, gesturing for her to follow.
I led her to my quarters, pointing out the location, and told her to come find me there if she ever got hungry. Yo-hwa, in turn, tied an almost invisible thread of her silk to my window frame.
"What’s this for, Yo-hwa?" I asked, puzzled.
"You’ll come when I pull it?" I asked, to confirm my hunch.
Yo-hwa nodded again. She was remarkably intelligent in so many ways.
With Yo-hwa’s home now settled, I turned my attention to the stone lizards. Since they couldn’t be housed in the Venomous Creatures Pavilion or the Venomous Beasts Hall, I decided to keep them in my room for now. They were too much like puppies to leave them anywhere else.
With new arrangements made for all my new companions, I finally managed to wash up and get some rest.
***
The engagement ceremony itself wasn’t particularly elaborate.
The only unusual incident was when Yo-hwa, under the cover of night, secretly captured the goose I had failed to catch alive after two days of trying.
The ceremony was a simple affair in which I presented a gift to my sister-in-law in the presence of the family elders, pledging to marry her. However, there was a minor hiccup with the preparation of the gifts.
There were three required gifts for the engagement ceremony: a live goose, a handwritten letter, and a gift of my choosing. While the goose and the letter were easily handled, the issue lay with the third gift.
I intended to use a norigae (traditional ornament) made from the knot Namgung Seol had given me as the gift. However, my sister-in-law unexpectedly suggested the stone lizards as the third gift.
"So-ryong, what about offering the stone lizards as the gift?" she asked.
I had suspected for a while that she had her eyes on them, but I hadn’t expected her to be so upfront about it. I felt as though I had been struck from behind.
I scrambled to think of a way to respond, knowing that outright refusal could haunt me for years to come.
"Hwa-eun, the engagement gifts are meant to symbolize permanence. The goose represents unchanging loyalty, and the handwritten letter is a pledge of unending commitment. Naturally, the third gift should also be something unchanging, like the jade crystal. Besides, once we’re officially engaged, everything of mine will become yours anyway..."
Her cheeks flushed a deep red at my words, and she turned her head, speaking in a trembling voice.
"I-Is that so? Then I’ll defer to your judgment, So-ryong."
"Nice! Well done, me!"
With that, I successfully dissuaded her from taking the stone lizards, and the engagement ceremony concluded smoothly.
After the ceremony, my father-in-law and Mandok Shingun summoned us to the Patriarch’s Hall. It seemed they had something to say, perhaps words of wisdom or congratulations.
Once inside the hall, my father-in-law and Mandok Shingun began to speak.
"The reason we’ve called you two here is because of the Great Venomous Art, So-ryong," said Mandok Shingun.
"The Great Venomous Art?" I asked, tilting my head in confusion. I wondered if it was some kind of official registration or documentation akin to a marriage license.
My sister-in-law offered an explanation.
"The Great Venomous Art refers to mastering the Tang Clan’s internal energy cultivation method and incorporating venom into it."
"Ah, you mean the process of absorbing the venom of the Ten Great Venomous Beasts?"
"Exactly, So-ryong," she confirmed.
Since I had captured one of the Ten Great Venomous Beasts, it was time to begin the process of incorporating its venom into my cultivation. I nodded in understanding, and Mandok Shingun continued.
"Capturing the Inmyeon Spider was an excellent decision, So-ryong. Of all the Ten Great Venomous Beasts, the Inmyeon Spider’s venom is the mildest, making it ideal for the initial stages of the Great Venomous Art. Had you captured a creature with stronger venom, we would have needed to dilute it and repeat the process several times."
The fact that Yo-hwa’s venom was mild enough for this process felt like a stroke of divine luck.
"It seems everything worked out for the best. Shall we begin the process immediately?" I asked, noting the Tang Clan’s tendency for urgency.
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Both men shook their heads.
Mandok Shingun spoke again. "Listen carefully, So-ryong. If you hadn’t brought back the Inmyeon Spider, the Patriarch and I were planning to make you a different proposal."
"A different proposal?"
"Yes. As we observed the venomous creatures you’ve gathered and plan to bring back, it reminded us of something long forgotten within the clan."
Curious, I turned to my sister-in-law for clarification, but she looked just as puzzled as I was.
Mandok Shingun opened a book and asked, "Do you know the true meaning of the Five Venoms, So-ryong?"
I knew the Five Venoms referred to the creatures used in the Five Venoms Returning to the Origin Art, but I wasn’t entirely sure of the exact meaning.
My sister-in-law stepped in to explain.
"So-ryong, the Five Venoms refer to the centipede, snake, scorpion, lizard, and toad."
Her explanation clarified that the Five Venoms were these five specific venomous creatures. Knowing that two of them were already among my companions made me even more curious about this alternate proposal.