Chapter 25 – Elixir (3)

“Those are Chengdu’s major unorthodox sects – Feng Yuan Sect, Yuan Hou Sect, Overlord Dragon Pavilion, and the White Jade Demon Slaying Sect from Mianyang. Damn bastard, he’s been selling information all over the place.”

Uncle Gu Pae, our vice commander, scanned the faces of the people gathered in the open space before explaining the situation further.

Right now, it wasn’t just double-booked, but a full-on pentuple-booked mess.

The scoundrel who sold us the information had already sold it to four major unorthodox factions in Sichuan before coming to us.

As a result, the area near the massive ancient tree, where the Golden-Furred King Bee’s nest was rumored to be, became a meeting ground where the five factions stared at each other with bewildered expressions.

“S-Sichuan Tang Family? What are they doing here…?”

“Don’t tell me, those crazy bastards sold information to the Tang Family too!?”

“These lunatics… to think they’d dare sell information to the Tang Family as well…!”

Hearing their reactions, nunim’s lips twitched in anger.

‘Those two guys I saw last time are definitely doomed now…’

Judging by her expression, it was clear that those two wouldn’t enjoy a peaceful retirement anytime soon.

As I silently wished them rest in peace, nunim strode forward with an enraged expression to confront the gathered crowd.

“Whoever it is, they must have some real nerve. Selling information to our Sichuan Tang Family and then peddling it to others as well.”

It seemed like nunim’s remark was meant to establish the fact that we had bought the information first, laying the groundwork for any disputes.

But more than her words, her mere appearance left the opposing factions in utter shock.

“Eek! Poisonous Flower Tang Hwa-eun!”

“An actual direct descendant of the Tang Sect’s poison lineage is here?!”

“T-This is…”

I hadn’t realized it before, but it seemed nunim carried quite the infamous reputation.

The leaders of the four factions exchanged looks of complete despair as if they were utterly doomed.

‘As expected of an assassin clan from the Central Plains. But what exactly did she do for them to react like this?’

I was curious why her presence alone had caused such a commotion, but more than that, I was left wondering how on earth we were supposed to untangle this mess.

It felt like the situation of a rental scam where five people had been given the lease for the same house. Like showing up on moving day and running into everyone else at the one-room apartment entrance.

So, I quietly asked Vice Commander Gu Pae for advice on how to handle this situation.

Even though nunim had stepped forward, I asked because, as the leader of this group, the responsibility ultimately lay with me.

「“Soryong, this is your first expedition as a member of our family, so be careful, and never forget that you represent the Tang Family.”

“Yes, Father-in-law.”

“And though Hwa-eun will assist you, it will be you who leads this group. Take this opportunity to learn how to manage people.”

“What? I’m supposed to lead them?”

“But Young Miss Hwa-eun”

“Ah, enough! Hwa-eun is your wife-to-be, and you are her partner. That makes you the highest-ranking person here.”

“W-Wife? Ahem… I see.”」

Right, I was the leader because I was nunim’s partner. It had been decided that I would head this group.

Of course, I was just the nominal leader, nunim would take care of everything anyway.

[But what do we even do now? Should we split the spoils, no matter how much there might be?]

I asked if we should amicably share the bounty among the five factions, but Uncle Gu Pae gave me a look that said I was speaking complete nonsense and shook his head.

Then, with a slightly irritated expression, he replied.

[The bastard who sold the information sure created a frustrating mess. Share it? Hah, who here would dare suggest sharing with us, the Sichuan Tang Family?

Luckily, it’s just unorthodox sects. They’ll withdraw without much resistance. If orthodox sects were involved, we’d be stuck in tedious negotiations. But still, we might have to watch our backs carefully.]

At the mention that the unorthodox sects would retreat willingly, I nodded in agreement. However, when Uncle Gu Pae added the comment about watching our backs, I couldn’t help but give him a puzzled look.

[“Watch our backs?”]

[“They’ll definitely pull back for now because they don’t want to go head-to-head with us. But they won’t retreat completely. Unorthodox sect members tend to scurry like rats when someone stronger appears. They’ll hide nearby, watching to see if we fail so they can take advantage later.

Unorthodox sect members are like maggots drawn to corpses.”]

Uncle Gu Pae’s disgusted expression as he spoke about the unorthodox sects made me tilt my head in slight confusion.

As if to prove Uncle Gu Pae’s words true, nunim began to swiftly “organize” the situation.

“Well then, what will you all do? Are you planning to compete with our Tang Family over the Golden-Furred King Bee’s honey?”

Her cold tone carried the unspoken message: ‘Do you actually dare to challenge us?’

At that, the leaders of the four factions exchanged glances, seemingly coming to a silent agreement. One by one, they responded as if they had rehearsed it in advance.

“If the Sichuan Tang Family is involved, then we at Feng Yuan Sect will withdraw.”

“Hmm. What an unfortunate situation. Since we can’t afford to become enemies of the Tang Family, we at Yuan Hou Sect will also withdraw.”

“Poisonous Flower, our Overlord Dragon Pavilion will step back as well. There’s no reason for us to clash with the Tang Family over lower-grade elixir.”

“Damn it! That bastard! I’ll catch the one who sold me this information and skin him alive. We of the White Jade Demon Slaying Sect will also withdraw.”

With expressions of frustration and muttered curses, the leaders of the four factions dispersed, retreating in the same direction we had come from.

As the unorthodox sects disappeared, our group occupied the now-vacant clearing. For now, we needed to assess the rumored nest of the Golden-Furred King Bee and figure out how to tackle it.

“For now, two people should prepare dinner, and another two will stand guard. The unorthodox sects wouldn’t back off that easily. Gu Pae, check where they’ve stationed themselves and report back.”

“Understood, Commander.”

As Uncle Gu Pae used his movement technique to dash off in the direction the others had disappeared. Meanwhile, as the rest of the guards prepared the camp, I approached nunim, who was sitting on a rock and resting, to ask her something I’d been curious about.

“Um, Young Miss Hwa-eun, can I ask you something?”

“Of course, Soryong. What’s on your mind?”

Her face, which had been tense as she watched the direction the others had gone, softened into a smile when she heard my voice.

“What exactly is the unorthodox path? Unorthodox sects? From what the vice commander said earlier, they sound like bad people.”

“Ah… It seems Grandfather focused too much on real combat and forgot to teach you the most important things. Come, sit here. I’ll explain it to you. It’s crucial, so make sure you don’t forget.”

How could I possibly forget something explained by nunim? Resolving to focus all my attention, I sat down next to her.

“To understand unorthodox path and unorthodox sects, you first need to know about Xia (俠), Yi (義), and Ren (仁).”

“Xia, Yi, and Ren?”

“Yi refers to acting in accordance with moral principles as a person. Ren represents a compassionate and kind heart. And Xia —it combines the character for ‘person’ (人) with the character for ‘to hold under the arm’ (夾), and it signifies protecting the weak…”

Her lengthy explanation continued, but in summary, she explained that those who do not recklessly take lives and uphold Xia (俠), Yi (義), and Ren (仁) belong to the righteous path, while those who do not are part of the unorthodox path.

She also emphasized that while the Sichuan Tang Family belonged to righteous path, they valued pragmatism above all. It was important to uphold Xia (俠), Yi (義), and Ren (仁, but one shouldn’t become overly fixated on them.

Thinking it over, I felt like I understood what she was getting at.

‘Ah, so this is like a moral alignment system. Righteous path represents good, unorthodox path represents evil, and the Sichuan Tang Family falls somewhere in the middle?’

And the idea of protecting others under your arm… well, it didn’t sound too bad.

For now, nunim was stronger than me, so she’d be protecting me under her arm for the time being.

The thought of being tucked under nunim’s arm…

A person (人) sheltered under another’s arm (夾). In that moment, I silently vowed to definitely become a righteous hero (俠義志士).

***

[That’s the Golden-Furred King Bee!]

About twenty meters from the massive ancient tree in front of the cliff housing the beehive, we crouched low.

I was hiding atop a small rock along with the Commander and nunim. After finishing the setup of our campsite, we had gone out on a scouting mission. This was because I insisted that, while the Tang Sect had methods for harvesting the Golden-Furred King Bee’s honey, we needed to examine the hive closely to come up with a definitive plan.

The colossal tree, buzzing with giant bees flying in and out, loomed before us.

I had hoped it might be rock honey or tree honey, and it seemed that this time, it was the latter.

[This is my first time seeing it too. It’s truly enormous.]

Nunim’s voice carried a tone of admiration.

As she had explained before, the Golden-Furred King Bee was indeed a massive bee, roughly the size of a small dog, with an incredibly peculiar appearance.

Its shape resembled that of a common honeybee, but its fur was thick and fluffy like a bumblebee’s. The reason they were called the “Golden-Furred King Bee” was now obvious—their golden fur was magnificently plush and radiant.

[It’s so cute.]

[Cute?]

[Don’t you think it’s round and adorable?]

[If you say so…]

Nunim didn’t seem to agree, but honestly, what insect could be cuter than a bee? Sure, they had stingers, but without those stingers, bees would undoubtedly be among the most adorable insects out there.

[In any case, the colony doesn’t seem that large. Perhaps a few hundred at most? Though considering their size, that makes sense.]

[Colony?]

[Oh, I mean the size of their group. Normally, small honeybee colonies have about five to seven thousand members.]

[You can tell that without going inside?]

Nunim gave me a surprised look, but estimating the size of a beehive colony was fairly straightforward, thanks to the highly organized nature of bee societies.

Worker bees, upon hatching, spend roughly fifteen days inside the hive performing household duties, such as cleaning, attending to the queen, or maintaining the hive. After their wax-producing glands fully develop, they begin repairing or constructing the hive. Following this, they leave the hive to collect nectar and pollen, continuing this cycle for the rest of their lives.

Though we couldn’t approach too closely due to their heightened vigilance, I had observed the number of bees returning to the hive at dusk against the backdrop of the sunset. This gave me a rough sense of their internal activity.

[Yes, something like that.]

[Someone’s coming, Miss.]

While I was still studying the hive, the Commander’s voice alerted us to someone approaching our position.

As we turned to look in the direction he indicated, we saw Vice Commander Gu Pae returning from the direction of the campsite.

[Send him a sound transmission! He could get into serious trouble just walking over here!]

At my whispered suggestion, the Commander sent a sound transmission to Uncle Gu Pae. Just as Uncle Gu Pae was about to step into the clearing, he froze in place. Realizing the danger, he immediately activated his movement technique and leapt onto the rock where we were hiding.

[So, this is where you were?]

Upon his arrival, the Commander quickly asked for an update on the situation.

[Yes, how did it go?]

[As expected, the bastards have stationed themselves on the opposite side. They took a roundabout route to avoid being detected by us, but I confirmed they’re camped directly across from us.]

[Those damned scoundrels!]

-Thud.

In his anger, the Commander inadvertently dislodged a small stone, which rolled down from the rock and fell to the ground below.

What followed was a sound we had all dreaded.

-Buzzzzzzzzz!

The distance between us and the hive was about thirty meters.

Yet even from that distance, the vibrations caused by the falling stone triggered a sound from the hive akin to a propeller engine.

Several bees poked their heads out of the hive entrance, and soon, a few began flying toward us.

[Let’s retreat!]

We quickly pulled back and returned to the campsite, where I collapsed onto a rock to catch my breath.

“Whew, that was close. As I observed earlier, those creatures seem incredibly sensitive to ground vibrations.”

“Ground vibrations?”

The Bee Queen, true to its title as the queen of bees, seemed to embody all the characteristics of its kind to an extraordinary degree.

The reason was simple: bees like bumblebees or ground bees, which build their nests underground, are highly sensitive to vibrations. However, these weren’t ground-nesting bees, and yet they still reacted with extreme sensitivity to vibrations even though we were nearly thirty meters away.

The reason we had taken shelter on the rock was precisely because of their hypersensitive reactions.

“Yes, it seems like stepping into that clearing triggers their response.” 

The Commander nodded in agreement.

“That does seem to be the case. Then, let’s just handle it quickly tonight using the Tang Sect’s method.”

The Commander, being an experienced man, was referring to the Tang Sect’s method of driving away the bees by burning large amounts of mugwort and sending the smoke toward the hive.

Mugwort contains properties that repel or calm insects. It was a tried-and-true method even in beekeeping, where it’s used to calm bees. So, this plan was more than reasonable.

“Alright, let’s do that.”

The fact that the unorthodox sect members were still around, coupled with the urgency of wrapping this up quickly, led to a consensus: we would harvest the honey tonight.

But just as the conclusion was reached, Uncle Gu Pae made an awkward face and spoke up.

“Commander, the wind…”

“The wind?”

At Uncle Gu Pae’s mention of the wind, the Commander tilted his head curiously before his expression turned grim.

“Damn it. Of all times…”

At first, I wasn’t sure what he meant, but the explanation made it clear. To use the mugwort method, the wind needed to blow from our side toward the hive. However, the current wind was blowing in the opposite direction—from the hive toward us.

“Then can’t we just light it from the opposite side?” 

“If we do that, we’ll end up stuck between the unorthodox sect members and the Golden-Furred King Bee. The bastards probably won’t do anything outright, but wouldn’t it make us feel uneasy, knowing they’re behind us?”

It wasn’t likely that the unorthodox sect members would attack us outright—they weren’t that crazy. However, being sandwiched between the Golden-Furred King Bee and them wasn’t an ideal situation either.

Since the Tang Family, as a righteous orthodox sect, couldn’t openly attack without justification, the idea of subtly pressuring the unorthodox members to leave came up. But if we confronted them and they played their usual slippery tricks, it would only get more troublesome.

For example, they might say, “Haha, we’re just here for a bit of hunting since we were in the area. Please, carry on with your business.”

Or, “That’s right, we’re just hunting while we’re here.”

And if they dispersed in multiple directions under the pretense of leaving, that would make things even more difficult.

Frustrated, nunim spoke in an angry voice.

“I really want to just wipe them all out!”

Hearing nunim’s enraged tone, I couldn’t help but think to myself.

‘Looks like nunim will be good at cleaning after marriage too…’

Human cleaning, that is.

***

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

Thank you for reading!

[Author – 에르훗]

[Translator – bjgoofy]