Chapter 31 – First Kiss (3)

When Nunim told me to look into the mirror, I couldn’t help but wonder why she suddenly wanted me to do that.

However, as I pulled myself together and prepared to wash my face in the morning, I came to understand the meaning behind her words.

The reflection of myself in the water.

It was distinctly different from yesterday.

“What… Something feels off?”

My features seemed to have softened, and even the texture of my skin felt different to the touch.

When I finished washing my face and rubbed my cheek with the back of my hand, it clung to my hand like jelly, with a bouncy yet smooth sensation.

In the end, I did as Nunim had suggested and asked the attendants to bring me a mirror. Upon examining myself, my skin had completely transformed.

It looked as if I had undergone some sort of peeling treatment at a high-end Gangnam cosmetic clinic.

This body I had reincarnated into came from a rural island village on Haenam Island. Being surrounded by sea breeze and tropical jungles had naturally given me a tanned complexion, with freckles and darkened skin as inevitable consequences. Yet now, it had turned as pale as if I had applied BB cream.

“Did royal jelly have this kind of effect? Where the hell did that Haenam country bumpkin go?”

Though said to be a mid-level, the royal jelly of the Golden-Furred King Bee truly had remarkable effects.

But as I admired my transformed skin, an unsettling thought struck me.

‘Wait a second, this is practically women’s skin….’

Royal jelly is a miraculous substance that transforms worker bees into queens.

Startled by the thought, I immediately checked inside my pants.

I worried there might be some… unexpected effects that even Nunim hadn’t realized.

‘Ah, thank god… It’s safe. That scared the hell out of me.’

Fortunately, my precious “friend” inside my pants was unharmed.

For a moment, I thought the royal jelly might have turned me into a woman. Thank goodness that wasn’t the case.

Once I felt relieved, I began to understand what Nunim’s earlier behavior might have meant.

‘Wait? Then, Nunim’s face turning red was? Could Nunim be face-crazy?’

Even from my own objective perspective, my altered appearance was rather handsome. How much more striking must it seem to others?

Thinking that her earlier reaction might have been a green light, I headed toward the dining area where the direct descendants of the Tang Family typically gathered for meals.

Normally, around this time, everyone would have finished their morning training and come together for breakfast.

Though I hadn’t been able to train today because of my collapse yesterday.

As I passed through the backyard and headed toward the dining hall, the sun was barely peeking over the edge of the mountain, leaving the surroundings dim and shadowy.

‘Man, isn’t this way too early for breakfast?’

After deciding to become part of the Tang Family, the hardest thing to adjust to, aside from the psychological factors, was this early morning culture.

Being martial artists, the family members naturally didn’t sleep much and rose at the crack of dawn for training. Keeping up with this routine had been exhausting.

But that struggle ended as of yesterday.

With ten years of internal energy now at my disposal, my body felt incredibly light.

Even Nunim had said that waking up in the morning wouldn’t be as difficult for me anymore.

At last, I arrived at the dining hall.

When I stepped inside, I saw the attendants setting up the food, and my mother-in-law greeted me with a delighted expression.

“Oh my, oh my! Our son-in-law’s face has improved so much! Are you feeling better?”

“Yes, Mother-in-law. I’m sorry for causing you worry.”

“No need to apologize. Congratulations on your fortuitous encounter. But just look at this face and skin of yours.”

She seemed genuinely pleased with my transformation.

Looking further inside, I noticed Nunim already seated.

“Soryong.”

“Miss Hwa-eun. You must have had a hard time staying up all night taking care of me….”

I heard that Nunim had looked after me through the night, yet here she was, seated before I had even arrived.

Taking my seat next to hers, I trailed off with an apologetic tone, but she responded with a faint smile.

“It’s fine. I recently realized I can go several days without proper sleep.”

“Ah, haha. That’s true….”

I laughed awkwardly at Nunim’s smiling response.

It seemed like she meant it as a joke, but I couldn’t help but feel guilty.

After all, it was because I ran off with the queen bee that she had ended up in such a situation.

‘She wouldn’t still be holding a grudge about that, would she?’

As I settled into my seat and waited, my father-in-law and Grandfather Man of Ten Thousand Poisons arrived, and the Tang Sect’s breakfast began.

A modest meal, consisting of large lamb-filled dumplings, warm soup, and a few stir-fried dishes made with vegetables and meat, was laid out.

‘These lamb dumplings are seriously delicious.’

Just as I was about to take my first lamb dumpling and shove it into my mouth without thinking, my father-in-law spoke.

“So, Soryong, are you feeling better?”

Hearing his question, I put the lamb dumpling back down and quickly responded.

“Yes, ahem. Father-in-law. I apologize for worrying you.”

“No need to apologize. It’s a relief that you’ve gained such a fortuitous encounter.”

My father-in-law congratulated me on the blessing I had received.

Come to think of it, I hadn’t yet thanked Grandfather for looking after my body. I immediately turned to him to express my gratitude, intending to get it out of the way so I could finally enjoy the lamb dumplings.

“Ah, thank you, Grandfather. I heard you looked after me. I apologize for causing you concern.”

“Well, Hwa-eun explained the situation to me briefly, but what exactly happened?”

I wanted to eat the dumplings, but everyone’s curious eyes sparkled as they stared at me.

It seemed they were all very intrigued about what had happened yesterday. With a sigh, I lowered my hand holding the dumpling below the table and began explaining.

“Well, it seems the bee must have taken a liking to me and wanted to repay the kindness I showed it. So when I was dragged to the hive, it suddenly fed me royal jelly. I believe it sought me out specifically to give me that.”

“To think even an mid-level venomous creature would know to repay kindness…”

“Even mere creatures repaying kindness, how fascinating.”

“Indeed, it’s truly fascinating.”

Although my explanation was brief, I included all the key details, and the elders nodded their heads in understanding.

Once again, I reached for the dumpling, but before I could take a bite, my father-in-law, Grandfather Man of Ten Thousand Poisons, mother-in-law, and Nunim all began asking questions.

“By the way, is it possible to obtain more of it? If, as you say, we could acquire more of its honey or the substance itself, it would be greatly beneficial to the Tang Sect.”

“That’s right, Father. If we could continuously obtain the Golden-Furred King Bee’s honey, it would be of considerable help, and if it’s royal jelly, it would surely be of tremendous help.”

“Yes, Son-in-law, could you perhaps obtain more of it?”

“Soryong, can you get more?”

Well, now that I thought about it, this was definitely something that would spark interest. Martial artists typically forewent sleep to cultivate internal energy, training either early in the morning or late at night. If a single dose of royal jelly could grant ten years’ worth of internal energy, it would be an incredibly enticing prospect.

However, acquiring more wasn’t going to be easy. Unlike ordinary bees, where one could create multiple royal chambers, false cells meant to produce queen bees, and harvest royal jelly after removing the larvae, the intelligent Golden-Furred King Bees wouldn’t stand idly by.

Moreover, royal jelly, which is essentially nourishment for raising bees, is typically produced by worker bees. In my case, it was the queen bee herself that had fed me the royal jelly. If this substance turned out to be a unique secretion produced only by the queen bee, obtaining more of it would be a far-fetched task.

And if word spread that it could grant ten years’ worth of internal energy, it could result in chaos, a classic case of people killing the goose that lays the golden eggs.

For now, I decided it would be best to explain that it was nearly impossible until the situation became clearer.

‘How should I phrase this? Ah! That’s it!’

After thinking it over, the method that came to mind was nothing other than telling the truth.

I decided to reveal a truth so outrageous it would make everyone’s jaws drop, the reality of the title that only those with an open heart toward all living creatures could earn: Possible Insect.

Only someone with the utmost openness to possibilities could consume the royal jelly.

“It would likely be very difficult.”

“Difficult? Why do you say that?”

“Yes, Son-in-law, why do you think it would be difficult?”

The family members widened their eyes in surprise at my words.

“The truth is, even if it’s available, I doubt anyone would be able to consume it….”

“Is it because it tastes strange? Or does it have an unusual smell?”

When my father-in-law asked whether it was due to its taste or scent, I shook my head and replied.

“No, that’s not the issue. Actually, this substance is something that comes directly from the mouth of the Golden-Furred Queen Bee. It seems like it has to be delivered personally by the queen bee, and… well, it requires a process similar to kissing, a direct transfer mouth-to-mouth, where the queen bee’s tongue enters your mouth.”

“What!? Kissing with a queen bee!?”

“Kissing… with the Golden-Furred Queen Bee!?”

The family members stared at me in shock, their eyes wide with disbelief.

Even I, who likes insects, nearly lost my mind at this nutrient exchange, so how could anyone in their right mind do this?

“Then… I suppose it’s impossible to obtain.”

“Indeed, if it requires locking lips with the Golden-Furred Queen Bee. This might only be possible for Soryong, since she seems to favor him, but for anyone else, it’s unthinkable.”

I felt relieved, thinking I had successfully extinguished any ambitions they might have had for the royal jelly. I was just about to finally dig into my dumpling when,

Thud.

A sound came from Nunim’s seat next to me, as if something had dropped.

Turning my head, I saw Nunim sitting there in a daze, her hand limp on the table.

Her expression was one of complete shock, her eyes hollow as if she had glimpsed some forbidden truth that she was better off not knowing.

‘Ah, crap! I didn’t think about Nunim!’

I suddenly realized my mistake. By revealing that only someone with the ultimate openness could consume the royal jelly of the Golden-Furred Queen Bee, I had indirectly revealed that I was such a person.

The man she had pledged her future to had just outed himself as the ultimate insect. The light in Nunim’s eyes had completely died.

***

After breakfast, I intended to begin training, but Grandfather prohibited it, explaining that my body needed time to adapt to the new internal energy.

Though I now had enough internal energy to begin training techniques that required its use, my body still needed time to adjust.

“For today, there will be no training. In fact, take it easy for the time being. Rest well while taking the medicine that Hwa-eun brings you.”

“What? Really?”

“Yes. Since a great deal of internal energy has accumulated at once, your meridians need time to adapt to it.”

And so, this period was to be dedicated to harmonizing my body with the newly gained internal energy. For the time being, rest was my priority.

‘This is great.’

However, I had to attend the Tang sect meeting after the meal, and the reason was to decide on the punishment for those bastards who had sold information about the Golden-Furred Queen Bee all over the place.

The meeting took place in Black Tortoise Pavilion, where all the elders of the family gathered.

“So, Family Head, you’re saying there are those who sold information they sold to our Tang sect to other places?”

“Yes, that is correct, elders.”

At first, I had thought this:

Since Father-in-law had bought the information without proper verification, I thought he might be criticized for his mistake by the branch family members and family elders.

In a way, this was indeed an oversight on my father-in-law’s part.

‘How could he have brought such shame upon the Tang Sect by buying unreliable information without verifying it first?’

Judging by the atmosphere of previous meetings, I expected the discussion to unfold in this direction.

But to my surprise, the elders, usually so harsh and strict about internal matters, were of one unified voice when it came to external offenders.

“How dare they tarnish the reputation of the Tang Sect….”

“If we let this go unpunished, how will the rest of the murim perceive us? We must ensure that they do not die an easy death!”

“It seems we have been far too lenient in the past. For such an incident to occur….”

Their outrage was palpable. It was clear they would not tolerate outsiders sullying the Tang Sect’s name.

Internal squabbles within the family were one thing, but the consistent sentiment was that no one outside the family would be allowed to tarnish the reputation of the Tang Sect.

In the end, the punishment for the ones who sold the information was decided in true Tang Family fashion.

“We’ve asked the Beggar’s Gang to track down where the culprits fled. We should receive word within a few days. Once we do, I’ll handle it personally.”

“Of course. Such matters are best resolved by the Family Head himself. Go and show them the Tang Sect’s ‘punish one hundred to warn one hundred.'”

“So, how will you deal with them?”

At the elders’ inquiry, my father-in-law replied with a gentle smile.

“Shouldn’t we finish them off with Seven-Step Soul-Severing Poison after they experience agony with their blood burning, internal organs melting, and souls seeming to leave their bodies using Soul-Destroying Poison, Blood-Burning Poison, and Gut-Melting Poison?”

‘C-cocktail therapy.’

In my past life, “cocktail therapies” were used for medical treatment, but here they were being applied to kill people. It was decided that the fraudsters would be dealt with using a lethal mix of three or more poisons.

Just as I was about to move after that mind-numbing meeting ended—

“Ahem!”

“Ahem, ahem!”

I turned to see the elders of the family, who I thought would scatter throughout the Tang Sect after the meeting, standing behind me, gazing off at distant mountains.

‘What’s going on?’

“Wei Soryong greets the Tang family elders.”

It seemed they had something to say, so I lowered my head politely. One of the elders stepped forward, looked around to ensure no one was eavesdropping, and spoke in a cautious tone.

“Ahem. So… I heard you’ve gained a fortuitous encounter?”

“What? Ah, yes, elder.”

‘Could this be about the Golden-Furred Queen Bee’s royal jelly?’

I was suspicious, thinking they might be after the royal jelly, given how suddenly the topic of my fortuitous encounter was brought up.

Sure enough, after some hesitation, they got to the point, a request.

“Ahem, yes, the reason we sought you out is… we have a small favor to ask.”

“What kind of favor? Could it be about the Golden-Furred Queen Bee’s-”

“No, no, not that.”

“What?”

I quickly cut myself off, thinking they might ask if more of the Golden-Furred Queen Bee’s honey could be obtained. But to my surprise, the elders shook their heads.

The elder, now visibly embarrassed, asked shyly.

“The world’s rare elixirs and treasures are always destined for someone. Do you think we would covet such things?”

“Yes, of course.”

“Then?”

“Well, it’s… it’s that, you know? Courage Pill. Since you’re the one who made it, it’s only right that you have the authority over it… Ahem!”

“Courage Pill? Ah!”

The Courage Pill was a cantharidin-based aphrodisiac made from blister beetles. For ordinary people, misuse could result in death, but for members of the Tang Family, who had some degree of resistance to poisons, it was a famous medicine capable of boosting their confidence.

Smiling, I responded.

“I’ve had some difficulty adapting to the Tang family in many ways, but if the elders could offer their support in various matters, I’d be deeply grateful. Of course, I’d be more than happy to provide the medicine.”

‘If you take care of me, the pills are yours.’

Hearing this, the elders beamed with delight.

“Of course! Naturally! You are a member of our Tang family even after death!”

“Yes, yes. Don’t worry anymore. We will all support you.”

It seemed my life in the Tang Sect was shaping up to be smooth sailing from now on.

***

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

Thank you for reading!

[Author – 에르훗]

[Translator – bjgoofy]