Since my grandfather was leading the main force and following behind us, I was technically in charge here.
So, I stepped forward and gave a respectful fist-palm salute to the man in front of us.
“My apologies, honored warrior. We are from the Sichuan Tang Clan.”
“Sichuan Tang Clan? What business does the Tang Clan have in the depths of the Yunnan jungle?”
Even as he asked, his eyes flicked back and forth between me and Yohwa, who still held me by a silk thread like I was some kind of pet.
Realizing that this conversation wasn’t going to go well in my current state, my sister stepped forward instead.
“I am Tang Hwa-eun, a direct descendant of the Sichuan Tang Clan. My father is the clan’s leader. We have no intention of trespassing on the Beast Palace’s territory. We were simply collecting venomous creatures from the Yunnan jungles.”
She politely apologized and explained our situation—
But the moment she stepped forward, something odd happened.
Now, standing on either side of me were two identical versions of my sister—one real, and the other Yohwa’s doppelganger.
The warrior’s eyes bulged as he stammered,
“Tw-Twin-born...? The people of the Central Plains consider twins inauspicious... How can this be...?”
‘Ah, great. That backfired.’
But to his credit, the man quickly shook off his shock and straightened his posture.
“My apologies, Lady Tang. I am Hei Lang (Black Wolf) of the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace. I understand your reasons, but this land ahead belongs to the Beast Palace. I must ask you to turn back.”
“This land belongs to the Beast Palace?”
“Yes. You are now at the entrance to Beast Valley.”
Beast Valley?
In Central Plains dialect, 谷 (valley) could mean many things—usually a narrow pass, a ravine, or a canyon.
Hearing that, I immediately glanced over my shoulder, back toward the hill behind us.
If this “Beast Valley” was truly a narrow passage—
Then these people were in serious trouble.
Because the army ants were moving straight toward it.
A confined space with no escape routes?
That was beyond dangerous—it was a death trap.
And if the valley was blocked by mountains, there was no way out.
I gave my sister a meaningful look, silently asking, Shouldn’t we warn them?
She nodded in agreement and turned back to Hei Lang.
The sourc𝗲 of this content is frёeωebɳovel.com.
“Lord Hei Lang, before we leave, we must warn you of a great disaster approaching from behind.”
“A disaster? A warning?”
He furrowed his brows, clearly puzzled by our words.
Instead of explaining, I simply gestured toward the hill behind us.
“This will be easier to see than to explain. Please, look over that hill.”
Hei Lang gave a short nod and ordered two of his warriors to check the hilltop.
The moment they peered over the edge—
Their faces twisted in horror.
“What in the name of—!?”
“L-Lord Hei Lang! Y-You need to see this for yourself!”
Hei Lang glanced at me, then sprinted up the hill.
I followed closely behind, with my sister right beside me.
And as soon as he reached the top—
His shout of disbelief echoed through the valley.
“What... What the hell is that!?”
The crimson tide of army ants stretched as far as the eye could see, their chitinous shells glinting under the blood-red sunset.
Beneath a massive tree, they were already forming a living nest, their writhing bodies interlocking into a massive, pulsating mound.
Pure, unrelenting horror.
That was the only way to describe it.
—"Screeeeeech!!"
A piercing whistle cut through the air.
Hei Lang had pulled out a signal flute and was blowing it frantically.
Within moments, dozens of warriors poured out of the valley’s depths, carrying torches and leading beasts of various sizes.
I turned to my sister and whispered,
“Who are these people?”
She gave me a knowing look and explained,
“The Beast Palace is the greatest beast-breeding sect in all of Central and Outer Lands. They raise everything from ferocious war beasts to exotic pets.”
I blinked in surprise.
“...So they’re basically a sect of animal lovers?”
“Essentially.”
‘Huh. Are we... kindred spirits?’
It seemed like we weren’t so different after all.
Except, of course, that I raised venomous creatures—and they seemed to favor mammalian beasts.
And now, these two worlds had just collided.
All because of an unstoppable crimson tide rolling in from behind.
***
The people of Southern Barbarian Beast Palace were said to belong to the Outer Lands martial world, and according to my sister, they were not particularly friendly toward the people of the Central Plains. However, we were surprisingly welcomed into the Beast Palace rather courteously.
Of course, that was mostly because they wanted a detailed explanation of the ants swarming outside.
“This is the Beast Valley of the Beast Palace, then?”
“For the Tang Clan, this must be your first visit in a hundred years.”
As we entered Beast Valley, now cast in the dim glow of the setting sun, the first thing that caught my eye was a massive circular clearing.
At the very center stood a jagged rock formation, towering like a lone fang piercing the sky. The ground was covered in soft lush grass, stretching across a field so vast that it could fit several soccer fields side by side.
Scattered throughout the clearing, pairs of glowing eyes flickered ominously in the twilight—the beasts that the man called Hei Lang had been leading earlier. They were likely the wolves and predatory beasts roaming freely across the land.
Beyond the expansive clearing, another large open space came into view, slightly smaller but still vast. This area, however, was illuminated by the warm glow of torches and lanterns.
Here, natural wooden buildings blended seamlessly into the landscape, forming what appeared to be a residential area for the Beast Palace’s people.
It was as if two circular zones were connected—one for wild beasts, the other for humans.
Encircling the clearing were sharp, towering rock formations, rising like a natural wall, shielding the inner valley from outside threats.
“The place we passed through earlier is the pasture where we raise our wild beasts, and this is where our people live,” Hei Lang explained. “Beast Valley is shaped like a bottle gourd.”
“You mean... the back of this place is also sealed off by rock formations?” I asked.
“That’s correct. The rear side is nothing but a massive rocky mountain—a natural fortress that cannot be breached.”
Hei Lang was explaining that Beast Valley had only one entrance, making it an ideal defensive stronghold.
But that was only true when fighting humans.
Against an army of flesh-devouring ants—
They were trapped rats in a sealed jar.
‘I’ve got a bad feeling about this. We need to explain the situation quickly and get out.’
The situation felt ominous, but since our job was merely to warn them and leave, everything should be fine as long as they evacuated quickly.
With that thought, I followed Hei Lang into the largest building.
Inside, a round table dominated the center of the room.
Seated at the head of the table was a man with a massive frame, reclining comfortably against a tiger pelt draped over his chair. His body was as thick as a mountain, his muscles rippling like he had spent his entire life wrestling bears.
On either side of his chair, two black panthers sat, their fangs bared at us.
—Grrrrr...
Beside him sat several men and women, each accompanied by a beast of their own—wolves, leopards, and even a massive eagle perched on a wooden stand.
“Welcome. I am Meng Hu, the Palace Lord of the Beast Palace. And these are my Elders.”
Meng Hu’s gaze flickered toward Yohwa, who was still standing behind me, holding the silk thread around my neck.
When he realized that she could not speak, he simply nodded in understanding.
“She cannot speak? I see. In any case, you are welcome here. However, due to the situation outside, I hope you understand that we cannot offer proper hospitality at the moment.”
“Please, do not trouble yourself over it,” I replied, returning his fist-palm salute before taking a seat.
Instead of tea, our table was soon served with a tray of crushed ants.
A few army ants had been captured and smashed—their remains now presented before us.
Meng Hu leaned forward, frowning at the grotesque sight.
“What exactly are these creatures, and why have they swarmed this far?”
I nodded and began to explain everything.
“We originally came to Yunnan to capture venomous creatures.”
“Hm... The Tang Clan has occasionally ventured to Yunnan for poisonous beasts. That, I am aware of. Continue.”
“At first, we traveled to a place called Venomous Creatures Valley, but when we arrived, there were no venomous creatures left.”
Meng Hu’s frown deepened.
“Not a single one?”
“Not just venomous creatures—all living beings were gone. Not even bugs or small animals remained. At first, we suspected that some kind of massive venomous beast had wiped them out.
But as we investigated the empty land, we discovered these creatures.
We tracked them all the way here.”
Meng Hu picked up one of the crushed ants, his expression grim.
“This is definitely an ant... But I have never seen one this large before.”
“We’ve never seen them before either,” I admitted. “We have named them Army Ants because they march like a military force.”
“Army Ants...”
Meng Hu mulled over the name before his gaze sharpened.
“Tang Clan is far more knowledgeable about poisons and venomous creatures than we are. In your expert opinion, what should we do?”
‘What should you do? Run, obviously.’
An individual ant was nothing—a trivial insect.
But an ant colony was terrifying.
They felt no fear, harbored no hesitation, and swarmed anything in their path, driven purely by pheromone signals.
Against such a swarm, there was only one option—evacuate.
“You must evacuate immediately before sunrise,” I said firmly.
“At night, the ants remain stationary, but once the sun rises, they will swarm into Beast Valley.”
In my past life, even indigenous tribes abandoned their villages when army ants marched through.
And those were tiny army ants.
With creatures this size, fleeing was the only viable option.
“Evacuate?” Meng Hu repeated.
Before he could respond, several Elders burst out in angry protest.
“Evacuate!? Abandon our home of three hundred years!?”
“You expect us to flee from mere ants!?”
“Their jaws may be sharp, but even an untrained man could crush them with a club! To flee is too extreme—”
I sighed internally.
They hadn’t witnessed it yet.
If they had seen the way those ants devoured a deer alive, they wouldn’t be talking like this.
I quickly pressed on, trying to convince them before it was too late.
“These ants do not attack structures or objects—only living beings.
However, as Hei Lang mentioned earlier, this valley has only one exit.
If the entrance is blocked, there will be no escape.
I strongly advise you to evacuate before it is too late.”
Just then, a woman among the Elders let out a scoffing laugh.
"If by five hundred Flying Wolves, you mean five hundred wolves, then those wolves will all be devoured by the army ants in an instant."
The female Elder narrowed her eyes, as if I had just insulted her entire bloodline.
"Are you insulting the Flying Wolves of Southern Barbarian Beast Palace!? Palace Lord, allow me to demonstrate the Thousand Wolves Annihilation technique on this Central Plains brat!"
At the same time, my sister's urgent voice echoed in my head.
[So-ryong, that was rude!]
I glanced around. The Beast Palace Lord's expression wasn't particularly friendly either. I quickly stood up and clasped my hands in a formal salute, speaking before the tension could escalate further.
"I meant no disrespect whatsoever. I have heard that the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace cherishes its beasts dearly. If the creatures you have raised with such care were to suffer or perish, would that not be a truly tragic loss?"
"The army ants know no fear and will never let go once they bite down. Even if you win, the cost will be devastating."
The female Elder scoffed again, her expression filled with disdain.
"Hah! Central Plains people are known for being heartless, eating dogs they raise as pets, yet now you pretend to care about the beasts we cherish?"
‘Hold on—this woman... I may raise different kinds of creatures, but we are the same kind of people!’
If she had insulted me over something else, I might have ignored it. But to doubt my love for my pets?
That, I could not forgive.
That was an attack on my very identity.
I turned to the Elder, my voice firm and unyielding.
"That remark was deeply offensive to me. I, Wei So-ryong, swear that every word I have spoken is the truth, and I will prove it to you."
"Prove it?"
"Hmph, prove it?"
The Beast Palace Lord tilted his head curiously, while the female Elder let out another mocking snort.
Rolling up my sleeves, I spoke again.
"Come out, my children."
—Ssshhh...
—Kuu-kuk?
At my call, the creatures hidden beneath my robes and my sister’s skirt hem crawled out.
Cho, Hyang, Bin, Seol, and Bing climbed up to my shoulders, their tiny eyes gleaming in the firelight.
Yohwa, who had been keeping her main body hidden, finally revealed herself as well.
—Kiiit!
Gasps of shock filled the room.
"Wha... what in the world!? Five Venomous Insects!?"
"A Stone Lizard!?"
"A human-sized Spider Wasp!?"
With practiced ease, Cho slithered along my arm, coiling around my wrist before making its way up to my head, where it perched playfully.
I smiled and spoke calmly.
"These children are also my pets. If they were to be harmed, I would feel just as much pain as you would for your Flying Wolves."
The female Elder, who had been mocking me moments ago, now stared at me in complete disbelief.
"T-Those creatures...?"
Seeing her shock, I gave her a polite but firm smile.
"Creatures? You must have misheard me.
These are my companion venomous beasts.
They all have names, so please do not speak of them as mere objects."
The Beast Palace Lord’s lips curled into a satisfied smile, nodding as if pleased.
Meanwhile, the other Elders—who had been wary of us before—suddenly softened their gazes.
After all, pet lovers always recognize their own kind.