Chapter 14 – Sichuan’s Tang Family (4)

The Blue-Spotted Centipedes were clearly intelligent.

No, it seemed like they could understand human speech.

In front of the steaming bathwater prepared by the servants,

“Guys, I think I need to take a bath, but this water is hot and might not be good for you… Can you stay here for a while? I’ll be quick.”

As I pointed to the wooden tub prepared with petals and steaming water, the Blue-Spotted Centipedes scurried up my arm.

They curiously watched me as they huddled into the wooden tub and I entered the water, much like how a mongoose or a meerkat would intently watch something, heads raised.

‘It’s fascinating.’

Most centipede species almost have no eyes.

Those that seem to have eye-like organs typically lack the genes for light detection.

Recent research suggests they use their antennae to detect heat, functioning like eyes. But that’s not to say they see like us, perhaps they can only discern light and dark?

Moreover, our Blue-Spotted Centipedes are still transparent and yellow, not having molted yet.

Even if they were a new species with eyes, their transparent eyeballs wouldn’t reflect images properly, making it unlikely for them to see.

“It’s embarrassing when you stare at me like that when I’m undressed.”

The centipedes looked at each other as I spoke and then cautiously curled up inside the tub.

They definitely seemed to understand what I was saying.

Curious about what kind of creatures they were, I decided to find out more about them as I soaked in the hot water.

Then, I quietly pondered underwater.

‘I need to ask Deputy leader Gu Pae about what a Spiritual Creature is. He did mention “Spiritual Creature,” after all.’

Relieving the fatigue of the long journey, I was drying my wet hair in a pavilion in the inner backyard, enjoying the cool breeze.

-Clomp, clomp.

I heard the sound of someone hurriedly walking somewhere.

The daughter of the Family Head, no, the daughter of the Tang Family Head, passed in front of me.

Seeing me sitting in the pavilion, the lady looked surprised and quickly changed direction towards me.

‘Uh?’

She stopped in front of me with a slightly flushed face and asked urgently,

“Excuse me, Young Hero. I’m in a bit of a hurry, could you lend me your hand?”

‘Wow… Is she a bold lady?’

The lady, whom I had barely gotten to know, was asking for my hand outright.

But considering this is akin to an ancient society from my past life’s standards, a woman’s touch is a significant act of intimacy.

I was pleased, but it could be problematic, especially with the Family Head nearby.

Getting caught by the Family Head would be awkward, after all, her father.

And even if she was in a hurry, there are stages to becoming close with someone.

‘I’ve always thought it would be nice to have a love-filled first experience, be it holding hands or anything else. I’m a romanticist, after all.’

“Cough… I’m not sure why you’re in such a hurry, but wouldn’t it be better to do this sort of thing once we know each other better? Not that I mind…”

The lady, who looked dumbfounded at my response, suddenly turned serious and yelled,

“What, what are you talking about! That’s not it!”

“Oh my, you startled me!”

At the lady’s exclamation, I made a startled expression, to which she spoke with a reddened face and slightly angry tone.

“It’s not like that. I just wanted to take your pulse.”

“Oh, I see. Ah, ahaha… I didn’t know. I’m, I’m sorry.”

‘Pulse? Does the lady study medicine? Maybe she’s planning to prepare some medicinal tonic for me because I’ve been traveling? But damn, what a way to ruin a first impression.’

It was a mistake made because my mind was filled with rosy thoughts after seeing her.

However, the lady, being generous-hearted, quickly apologized to me.

It was a bit twisted, like she had eaten a pretzel, but still an apology.

“I asked for your hand so suddenly, so I can see how you might have misunderstood. Although I’m not sure what that misunderstanding was?”

The lady looked at me as if I were trash.

She probably thought I was getting too big for my boots.

“It wasn’t a big misunderstanding. Of course.”

I vaguely brushed it off, thinking I’d need to kick myself several times under my blanket tonight.

The lady then spoke with a slightly reluctant expression.

“I heard from my father just now. You know about it too, right, Young Hero?”

“Something you heard from the Family Head?”

“My father is considering you as my prospective husband.”

“Oh, is that so. I also heard something at the front of Sachuan’s Tang Family earlier…”

It seemed that the reason the lady suddenly came looking for me was that she had heard from the Family Head that I was a candidate for her husband.

It must have been astonishing for her to suddenly hear that her father picked up an orphan to marry her off to.

“You might not know, Young Hero, but I’m not really pleased with this situation. Although I owe you for saving my father’s and my life, and I intend to repay that debt, being sent off as a gift to someone doesn’t sit well with me.

It seems my father is quite delusional.”

As expected, the lady was upset.

I tried to lighten the mood, showing that I understood.

“Of course, you would feel that way. If suddenly my father picked up a skinny orphan and told me to marry, I would wonder if he’s gone senile. Absolutely.”

“What!?”

A triumphant quip.

But contrary to my expectation of her laughing, the lady suddenly looked panicked and quickly bowed her head to apologize.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that. It’s not because of your appearance or the fact that you have no family… It’s just that this involves the internal matters of Sachuan’s Tang Family…”

It seemed she felt sorry for possibly making it sound like she was belittling me.

She truly was a person of good nature.

“I know. I don’t think you’re the kind of person to say that.”

“…, …How do you know that? We’ve only met for a few hours?”

The lady, blinking her big eyes at my smiling response, asked.

I replied with a smile.

“Just a feeling. If you weren’t kind-hearted, you wouldn’t have apologized.”

Isn’t there a saying that if you’re pretty, you’re also kind-hearted?

Considering that, the lady must be close to Mother Teresa or an angel.

At my words, the lady stared at me for a moment, then carefully sat down next to me.

She then apologized for her rudeness so far and began to explain slowly why she came to see me.

“Um… First, let me apologize. I’ve been rude by coming here like this. And although you’re still young, Young Hero, you seem thoughtful, so I’ll speak honestly. Why I’ve come here and behaved rudely.”

“Uh? Yes? Yes.”

From what I gathered from the lady’s explanation, Sachuan’s Tang Family consisted of direct and collateral lines.

And in this generation, she was the only direct descendant.

As a result, there were many talks about the Family Head taking a second wife to continue the lineage, but he refused out of love for his late wife, explaining that he already had a daughter.

“Can’t a woman continue the lineage?”

“No, that’s possible by taking a son-in-law. Our Sachuan’s Tang Family has a tradition of taking sons-in-law.”

“Ah, I see. A son-in-law…”

So, the responsibility of continuing the lineage had now fallen on the lady.

Sachuan’s Tang Family, originally a family dealing with poisons and holding many secrets, had this tradition of taking sons-in-law, especially since the Family Head refused to take a second wife. If the lady took a son-in-law and had a child, that child would continue the lineage of Sachuan’s Tang Family.

But the lady, who had suffered from the malice of the collateral family, wanted someone who could flatten the noses of those collateral members, be it in martial arts or marriage.

I could help with martial arts, but that left the matter of a spouse.

The lady wanted at least a husband with exceptional martial arts potential.

‘Potential? Like talent, perhaps?’

There was a reason why the lady desired a husband with outstanding martial arts potential.

It wasn’t just her own ambition, but also for the sake of her partner.

Martial arts potential signified a limit – the limit a person could reach, which was highly valued in the martial world.

Thus, to stand tall within the family despite being a son-in-law, one needed to have outstanding potential, as the lady explained. The pressure from the collateral family was not minor.

“……So, I’m sorry to say this, Young Hero, but I want to check your potential. Of course, even if your potential does not match my expectations, I won’t send you away.

You’re my savior, so naturally, you’ll be a guest. Or, how about this? Since you don’t seem like a bad person and you appear thoughtful, I’ll ask my father to take responsibility for your life in our Tang Family as sworn siblings. So…”

So, the lady was practical, desiring a husband with potential in martial arts, the most valued skill in the martial world, even if he wasn’t yet accomplished.

‘Well, she’s more realistic than I thought.’

I guessed that would be the case for a daughter of such a prominent family.

Marriage in such families is often like a business.

“I understand what you mean. Well, then, let’s check.”

After listening to the lady’s explanation, I nodded and extended my arm.

But then, the lady looked flustered, just like before when she saw my outstretched wrist.

She blinked and asked,

“Really? Is it okay?”

“Yes, if you want to check, feel free to do so.”

“What if I lie because I dislike you, saying your potential is low?”

“You wouldn’t do that, would you?”

The lady stared at me again for a moment and then cautiously reached out to grab my wrist.

At that moment, when her hand touched my wrist, suddenly, I felt a flash before my eyes, as if my mind briefly left and then came back. It was an odd sensation, like something mysterious had entered deep within my body.

“What’s wrong?”

“No, nothing. It’s not over yet, is it?”

“We haven’t even started yet.”

“Then, please proceed.”

Despite the strangeness, the lady focused on something, closing her eyes.

Then, I started feeling a slight tingling sensation, as if something from the lady’s hand holding my wrist was entering my body.

‘It’s a curious sensation.’

For a duration similar to having a cup of tea, the lady carefully checked something.

Her first comment after a long examination was unexpectedly hopeful.

“The martial arts of the Tang Sect aren’t something just anyone can learn. While some people can cultivate poison techniques, others cannot at all.

Fortunately, Young Hero, your body is capable of cultivating poison techniques.”

‘Wow! That sounds promising?’

However, as the saying goes, ‘a bad start leads to a bad end’, the following words brought a bit of disappointment.

“But it seems your limit is the Ten Poisons Realm. In our Tang Sect, we categorize bodies capable of cultivating poison techniques in various ways, and your body seems to be of the Ten Poisons Physique.”

‘What!? The Ten Poisons Realm? Ten Poisons Physique? Did my past life’s obsession with venomous insects and snakes somehow contribute to this?’

I was shocked by the lady’s words, but it turned out it wasn’t Ten Virtues but Ten Poisons.

So, it means a body capable of handling up to ten types of poisons…

“Five Poisons, Ten Poisons, Hundred Poisons, Thousand Poisons, Ten Thousand Poisons. In the Tang Sect’s poison arts, as the depth of internal energy increases, one must assimilate poisons accordingly to attain greatness. However, your body can only handle ten types of poisons.

In the context of our Sect’s internal energy, the more poisons one can assimilate, the higher and faster one can raise their realm. But being unable to do so means a limitation.

Honestly, for someone not from the Tang Sect to have a Ten Poisons Physique is remarkable, but in terms of the general realms in the martial world, it means being at the first-class level is your limit.

It’s just the highest realm an ordinary person without talent can reach. So, um…”

It was honestly quite a shock.

It was as if I was directly told that I lacked talent in something.

Whether it’s Ten Virtues or Ten Poisons.

Regardless of whether or not I was suitable to be the lady’s spouse, it was disconcerting.

I remember the Family Head mentioning something about capturing the Zhen Bird by achieving the Ten Thousand Poisons Realm, but if I’m at the Ten Poisons level, that means I’m two whole stages behind.

It felt like there was a thousand-fold difference just by the numbers.

My dreams had flown away.

The lady, noticing my expression, quietly bowed her head and withdrew.

It seemed she felt I needed some time.

As the lady left, the sky at dusk turned red, and the Blue-Spotted Centipedes, usually quiet, peeked their heads out from my clothes.

-Tsurur…

It sounded almost like they pitied me.

I murmured to myself softly.

“Guys, I’m not Ten Virtues but Ten Poisons… No, never mind that. Is it true I got rejected without even confessing?”

Reflecting on it, it seemed like I had become a zero-confessions-one-rejection post-reincarnation.

Quite unfairly.

***

There was no conversation during dinner.

I thought the lady would speak to the adults separately, but they seemed completely unaware.

The meal was pleasant, and the lady showed no particular signs of anything.

And that night.

I thought I had fallen asleep in the quarters provided by the Tang Family, but when I woke up in a forest, the lady appeared before me, bowing deeply with tears in her eyes.

“Sob sob… I am deeply grateful for your profound kindness.”

And in my arms were three little girls sucking their finger, clinging to my clothes and looking fearfully at the lady.

‘What kind of twist is this?’

***

If you find any errors or have suggestions, please feel free to provide feedback.

Thank you for reading!

[Author – 에르훗]

[Translator – Roshi]