Investigating the Five Venoms Clan was absolutely necessary.
Both the Tang Clan and the Beast Palace had assumed that they had been wiped out a hundred years ago, yet traces of their existence had been discovered.
Not only that, but they had already launched a preemptive attack.
Their last known refuge was said to be deep in the jungles of Yunnan, so it seemed that Mandok Shingun and my adoptive father intended to conduct a joint investigation before the Tang Clan members returned home.
“We couldn’t leave while we still had to check on your condition, but now that you’re awake, we plan to confirm things soon.”
“Yes, So-ryong. We already received permission from the clan leader, so it’s best to confirm it while we’re here in Yunnan.
If they dared to attack the Beast Palace, our Tang Clan could very well be next. Rather than sitting and waiting, it’s better to track them down and settle what should’ve been finished a hundred years ago.”
In short, the Beast Palace and the Tang Clan weren’t the types to let things slide. If the remnants of the Five Venoms Clan had survived, they would be dealt with.
It was a logical conclusion, and I nodded inwardly.
‘If they barely managed to escape extermination, they should’ve just stayed hidden. Why rush to their own deaths?’
Acknowledging the situation, I spoke up.
“Oh, so that’s what happened. Then I absolutely have to come along, right?”
My philosophy in life was that a person should have tact.
I was the adopted son of the Beast Palace and the son-in-law of the Tang Clan.
In a situation like this, it was only right for me to accompany them.
With a resolute expression, I looked at the two elders, and both were visibly surprised.
“You? After just waking up, you want to come with us?”
“You, So-ryong? You’ve barely recovered!”
“But I am the son of the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace and the son-in-law of the Sichuan Tang Clan! An enemy of both clans is my sworn enemy. How could I possibly sit this one out?”
If it were a mission that involved outright killing people, I might’ve hesitated.
But this was just an investigation into some ruins.
It was the perfect chance to earn points with them.
One side—the Beast Palace—was filled with venomous creatures that aligned with my interests, and the other—the Tang Clan—actively supported my hobbies.
I had to take advantage of this opportunity.
“Haha. So that’s how you think?”
“To hear So-ryong speak like this... He’s already one of us! Hahaha.”
Mandok Shingun and my adoptive father smiled with pride, and both Seol and Hwa-eun looked at me with touched expressions.
‘Tact is the most important thing in life.’
***
“Agh, my body feels sluggish.”
A few days later, as Mandok Shingun and my adoptive father finalized the investigation plans, I stretched and stepped out of the Beast Palace’s main hall.
After sleeping for fifteen days, my body felt as stiff as a machine missing lubricant.
As my joints and muscles groaned in protest, I exaggerated my discomfort, prompting concerned voices from behind.
“So-ryong, do you want to rest in your room?”
“Yeah, maybe you should lie down for a bit?”
Tsrrt?
Hwa-eun and Seol followed closely behind, worried expressions on their faces, and even Cho made a noise of concern.
Even though both the elders had assured them that my body was fine, they were still anxious.
It was probably because of the talk about my consciousness being at risk.
I shook my head.
“No, I’ve already slept for fifteen days. I need to move around. Besides, I need to check on the kids.”
“The kids?”
“The venomous creatures I’ve been keeping.”
I had been unconscious for fifteen days, but what worried me more than my own condition were my little ones.
I had to check on them immediately.
‘Damn, I call myself a caretaker, yet I was out cold for over two weeks. That’s unacceptable.’
As someone who raised animals, I had no right to be sick or lazy.
The fact that I had been incapacitated for so long meant I had to do a full inspection.
But before I could move, sharp noises erupted again.
Tsrrt!
Tsrrrr!
Hyang and Bin, still perched on Hwa-eun’s shoulder, glared at me with puffed-up bodies, their chittering filled with outrage.
And through our bond, I could feel their emotions clearly.
‘You haven’t even made up with us, and now you’re worried about the others?!’
“...Kids, Daddy didn’t mean to—”
Tsht!
Tshtsht!
Since Mandok Shingun and my adoptive father had interrupted earlier, I still hadn’t properly soothed their hurt feelings.
Seol tried to pet them, attempting to console them, but they dodged her hand and stared directly at me.
No doubt about it—I had to fix this first.
Seol, holding back a laugh, reassured me.
“You should smooth things over with them first. And don’t worry about the other creatures. Most of them were sent to the Tang Clan ten days ago.”
“They were sent to the Tang Clan?”
“Yes, So-ryong. When we contacted Father, he arranged for them to be transported.”
“Oh, so that’s why he sent a message. They must’ve left around the same time.”
“Yes, So-ryong.”
Most of the creatures had already been given detailed care instructions, so sending them to the Tang Clan wasn’t an issue.
That wasn’t a problem.
But suddenly, I remembered something.
Turning to Seol and Hwa-eun, I asked,
“What about Bi-cheon Shin-sa?”
Unlike the other creatures, I hadn’t learned much about it yet.
Just sending it away felt a bit reckless.
I had figured out what it ate, but after spitting out its Neidan, it had suddenly shrunk.
“Oh, right! We forgot about that one.”
“Come to think of it, Gu Pae was worried because it hasn’t been eating.”
Both of them answered as if they had only just remembered.
I needed to calm Hyang and Bin down quickly and go check on it.
That’s when an idea struck me.
I could check on Bi-cheon Shin-sa and use it to appease Hyang and Bin.
“Kids, I know you’re mad, but... What if Daddy gets you two more Neidans?”
“More Neidans?”
“You’re getting more Neidans?”
Tsrrt?
Tsrrt?
Seol and Hwa-eun blinked in confusion, while Hyang and Bin’s heads tilted slightly, their anger momentarily forgotten.
I quickly led the four of them toward Bi-cheon Shin-sa’s enclosure.
I didn’t know if I could actually get more Neidans, but at the very least, I could make a show of trying.
The place we arrived at was the first circular clearing that Yo-hwa used as her dwelling.
As I approached the jagged rock formation, Yo-hwa, still in her human form resembling my sister, rushed over with a worried expression.
Ki-sst! Ki-sisisisi! Kisist!
“Yo-hwa was really worried about you.”
“Sorry, Yo-hwa. You were worried, huh? I’m fine now.”
Unlike Hyang and Bin, she wasn’t angry.
As I patted her head, she quickly calmed down.
After reassuring Yo-hwa, I turned my attention to the area where Bi-cheon Shin-sa was kept.
Inside a large water container, a nest of baby flame lizards wriggled around.
Next to them, I spotted something new—a makeshift enclosure built with bamboo poles, covered with a translucent silk-like material spun by Yo-hwa.
Inside, coiled in a tight spiral, was Bi-cheon Shin-sa.
I crouched down and spoke to it.
“You doing okay?”
Shhhhaaa?
The creature, which had been slumped over, raised its head at the sound of my voice and glanced around hesitantly.
Because of the webbing covering the enclosure, it was having trouble pinpointing my exact location. Since it had lost its ability to fly, I figured it would be better to speak face-to-face, so I turned to Yo-hwa.
“Yo-hwa, can you open the top for me?”
Ki-sst!
At my request, the top of the square enclosure opened, and I leaned in, speaking again.
“This is the first time we’re seeing each other properly, isn’t it? Nice to meet you. I’m So-ryong. I wanted to have this conversation because I think there’s been a misunderstanding between us...”
?
The creature tilted its head slightly.
I explained the misunderstanding.
“You see, I never had any bad intentions toward you. You were just so amazing and beautiful that I wanted to bring you home and take care of you. But then you went wild, and things turned out like this. I’d return your Neidan if I could, but... well, my daughter ate it.”
Shaah?!
At its stunned reaction, I gestured toward Cho.
The moment it saw her, its reptilian pupils widened, and its mouth dropped open.
It had finally realized what had happened.
Sha... sha... shaaa...
Its entire body trembled violently.
Though it had surrendered the Neidan to save its life, actually seeing another venomous creature possessing its hard-earned inner power must have been a shock.
It was probably no different from a martial artist witnessing their stolen Qi being absorbed by someone else.
I spoke as gently as possible to the devastated creature.
“You were suddenly captured, which must have been frightening, and on top of that, all of this must feel unfair. But why don’t we think about it logically?
You’ve become so small now. If we were to release you like this, you could get eaten by another venomous creature.
So, how about this...? We’ll take care of you until you regain your strength. What do you think?”
Sha?
“No tricks. We’ll feed you, keep you safe, and make sure no other creatures can harm you.
I heard you haven’t eaten anything since you got here.”
Using a scoop net, I picked out a plump, glossy flame lizard hatchling from the nearby water container and held it out toward the creature.
“Why don’t you eat first and think it over? You must be hungry.”
Gulp.
At the sight of the offering, the creature swallowed hard.
“You see? If you’re willing, we’d like to help you regain your strength. I’m not such a bad guy, you know. My daughters are here too. Oh, and— Hwa-eun, where are Bing and Seol?”
“Oh, they’re eating in their room.”
Which probably meant they were in there absorbing energy from the Ice Jade we had brought.
Nodding in understanding, I continued.
“We even have two Seolbing Rock Lizards. Yo-hwa knows them. I take care of them all.
Ah, you must be starving. Let’s eat first and talk later.”
I introduced the rest of my ‘family’ while pushing the flame lizard hatchling closer.
However, instead of taking the food, the creature turned its head sharply and let out a warning hiss.
Shaaa! Shaa!
(Do you take me for a fool?! You think I’d fall for such nonsense?!)
That’s what it seemed to be saying.
But then, Cho, who had been watching the entire time, suddenly leaned her head into the enclosure and loomed over the creature.
Tsrrrrr!
(What did you just say to our dad?)
Her voice was laced with menace, befitting her new status as a ‘delinquent young lady.’
The creature, startled, scurried back into a corner and trembled violently.
Realizing that intimidation wasn’t the best approach, I grabbed Cho’s tail with my free hand and gently pulled her back.
“Cho, that’s not how you do things. You’re scaring them.”
Tsrrt!
I asked her not to frighten the creature, but she didn’t back down. Even as I tugged on her, she kept her gaze locked on the poor thing and jerked her chin in its direction.
Moments later, tears began to well up in the creature’s large eyes, and then, with a resigned expression, it crawled forward and took the flame lizard from my hand.
‘Wait... did it just accept the food to avoid getting smacked?’
Sha... shaaa...
Gulp.
“Oooh, yeah, that’s right. You need to eat.”
As I watched it eat, I realized something.
It was more timid than I had expected.
Rather than persuasion, intimidation seemed to work better on it.
Of course, it must have felt terrible to have lost its Neidan and then get bullied by Cho. But after fasting for over fifteen days, it seemed that food was too tempting to resist.
By the time its belly bulged with food, the creature curled up pitifully in the corner of the enclosure, burying its head in its coils.
It looked utterly dejected.
At least it was eating now, so that wouldn’t be an issue going forward.
“I think it needs some alone time. Let’s head back.”
As we left, I turned to Hyang and Bin.
“Daddy will nurse that one back to health and make it cough up another Neidan for you. Just wait a little longer.”
I did feel a bit sorry for the poor thing, but what could I do?
I had a family to take care of.
‘Sorry, but I don’t know how long it’ll take for you to regenerate another Neidan. Just two more times, okay?’
At my words, Hyang and Bin exchanged glances.
They must have found my plan reasonable, as they finally hopped off Seol’s shoulder and snuggled against my cheek.
***
After arriving at Nanna Mountain, the site where the Five Venoms Clan had supposedly been wiped out a century ago, we spent two days searching the area.
But since a hundred years had passed, it was nearly impossible to find clear traces of their presence.
The records at the Beast Palace only stated that the Five Venoms Clan had been annihilated here; they didn’t specify an exact location.
On the third day, I decided to take a different approach.
“Cho, do you think you could carry me?”
Tsrrt!
At my request, Cho immediately coiled around me and lifted me into the air.
The moment her legs started moving, her body glided forward as if she were crawling on an invisible surface.
“Ooooh! Wait, wait— Cho, stop for a second.”
She had gotten excited about flying with me, so I had to stop her first and scan the surroundings.
I had thought getting a bird’s-eye view would help us spot something, but even from above, I couldn’t see anything unusual.
The subtropical jungle was so overgrown that even a few days’ worth of vegetation growth could completely cover old ruins.
Expecting to find remnants of a century-old sect here was wishful thinking.
I was about to give up and descend when I heard my adoptive father’s voice from below.
“So-ryong, check the northern side.”
“The north?”
“In hot jungle climates, people usually build their homes on the shaded northern slopes. Check there.”
“Understood.”
I had always thought houses were built facing east or west, but in a hot jungle, north-facing homes made sense.
Just as I turned my gaze northward, I noticed movement in the dense treetops.
A massive flock of something dark suddenly took flight.
I focused my eyes and saw—bats.
‘Just regular bats?’
After finding nothing else, I landed back on the ground.
My adoptive father immediately asked,
“Did you find anything?”
Updated from freewёbnoνel.com.
“I saw a swarm of bats flying north, but that’s about it.”
“Bats! Then that’s where we need to go!”
He seemed far too excited about my discovery.
Why was he so pleased?
Seeing my confusion, he grinned and explained.
“If bats are swarming, that means there’s a large cave. Of course, we have to investigate it!”
I should’ve expected this from a man devoted to beasts.