Chapter 42 – Lizard (1)

Yesterday, those who had eaten hamsters were sentenced to Companion Venomous Creature Punishment.

What’s that, you ask?

It’s a punishment where they must raise venomous creatures as companions, fostering a loving attitude toward their Companion Venomous Creatures.

So, when I ordered them to go out and catch anything venomous, three martial artists, unaware of how their futures would unfold, each brought back one venomous creature.

“Alright, let’s see what you’ve brought.”

I asked the martial artists, each holding a jar, standing in front of me. The martial artist at the very front opened the lid, showed me the contents, and replied,

“I caught a scorpion, Young Master Soryong.”

Scorpion, meaning the venomous arachnid.

Scorpions are an excellent choice of venomous creature, as they are not difficult to breed or care for, so I nodded and replied,

“Oh, a scorpion. Very good. A very good venomous creature indeed. Now, next?”

“I caught an centipede, Young Master Soryong. Seeing that you always have one with you, I figured that when it comes to venomous creatures, it has to be an centipede.”

“Centipedes are very good too.”

A confident answer from the martial artist who caught a centipede.

And that flattering remark? Excellent.

Once the answers of the first two were complete, I turned to the last martial artist. He hesitated, shuffling his feet nervously.

“Uh, um…”

“What is it? Don’t tell me you didn’t catch anything?”

A Tang Sect martial artist failing to catch anything was absolutely unacceptable.

This was a task that could be completed very easily if one set their mind to it. Failing to bring back anything meant a lack of effort or an unwillingness to try.

Hearing my words, even Gu Pae seemed to think the same as he scowled and said,

“I gave you ample time and yet you failed to catch anything, it means you have no will. You’ll be assigned Horse Stance Training for a month!”

Having done Horse Stance Training myself when grandfather assigned it to me, I can confidently say it’s a punishment akin to the torturous posture of a transparent chair from my previous life.

The martial artist then replied in a voice so small it could barely be heard.

“I, I did catch something! It’s just not a venomous creature… It’s, uh, a lizard.”

“A lizard?”

“Pass!”

When Commander Gu Pae’s eyes turned sharp, I shouted “Pass!”, causing him to tilt his head and ask.

“Young Hero Soryong, but lizards aren’t venomous creatures?”

As he said, most lizards are not poisonous.

Only about two species in the Americas, a few in Australia, and some in Indonesia like the Komodo dragon possess poison.

But I like lizards, so it’s approved.

“It’s fine. Lizards have poison in their gaze.”

“What?”

“Anyway, pass!”

Commander Gu Pae was flustered, but this was a matter of personal taste, and I wouldn’t budge.

So I gave it a pass and issued the next order to the martial artists.

“The creatures you’ve caught will now become your Companion Venomous Creatures. Come back by tomorrow with names for them.”

“What?”

“Didn’t you hear me? I said to come up with names for them.”

Hearing my command to name the creatures, the martial artists wore expressions of disbelief.

But I made a firm resolution. I’d make sure that as they raised these creatures, if they ever lost one to death, they would cry their eyes out.

That’s the essence of the cruel punishment known as Companion Venomous Creature Punishment.

‘People who’ve never cried over the death of a pet have no idea how painful that can be.’

Just as I was carrying out the Companion Venomous Creature Punishment for the martial artists who had eaten hamsters the day before,

“Soryong, the little ones have woken up. They’ve been wandering around since dawn.”

Nunim came to the Venomous Creatures Garden to inform me.

When I looked toward the sound of her voice, I saw Cho, Hyang, and Bin sitting on her shoulder, wiggling their antennae as if delighted.

-Tsurur.

“These little ones have finally regained their energy. Come here now.”

I quickly approached Nunim and placed my hand on her shoulder so the little ones could move over to me.

Immediately, the centipedes climbed onto my arm.

As soon as my arm rested on Nunim’s shoulder, Cho, then Hyang, and finally Bin began to move one by one from her shoulder to my body.

Even though I occasionally checked on them at Nunim’s quarters, when taking them back, it was necessary to inspect their health.

This is the duty of a true Companion Venomous Creature Keeper.

I carefully examined each of the creatures as they moved over to me.

“Cho is healthy as always, Hyang… hmm, no issues there either…”

Finally, as Bin was moving onto my body, I noticed something unusual.

“Huh? Bin? Why is Bin acting like this? Are you sick, Bin? You’re not unwell, are you?”

“What’s wrong, Soryong?”

Noticing something strange about Bin that hadn’t been there before, I immediately moved to a sunny spot to take a closer look at Bin, who was coiled around my arm.

And sure enough, Bin’s appearance was different from before.

“Nunim, doesn’t Bin’s color look slightly different compared to the others?”

“Where? Oh! You’re right! I didn’t notice since it was dark indoors. Why do you think this happened? Could it be because I kept them in a dark place? Or maybe because I left them alone briefly yesterday while entertaining guests?”

The reason for our concern was that the tips of Bin’s antennae had turned slightly black.

Just a little, like they had been dipped in soy sauce…

‘Damn it. Thanks to those martial artists, now anything black makes me think of soy sauce.’

Shaking off the sudden thought of soy sauce, I carefully examined Bin again. Unlike the other two, the tips of Bin’s antennae were faintly tinged with black.

At first, I thought it might be a sign of coloration developing, but centipedes usually remain yellow until they molt twice.

The other two were still yellow, so it was clear that this wasn’t a case of natural coloration.

If it were, Cho and Hyang would also show changes in color.

“Coloration developing with age doesn’t seem to be the issue here…”

If it wasn’t natural coloration, then the remaining possibility was illness.

Having been exposed to rain when the Elder of the Blood Cult attacked, and crawling into various trees and pits, it occurred to me that Bin might have gotten sick.

Pets, whether insects or animals, cannot speak, so their owners must closely observe and detect signs of illness. Failing to do so could lead to their sudden death.

Moreover, while mammals show obvious signs when they are sick, insects are much more subtle, requiring greater attention.

Anyone who has raised insects like centipedes knows how difficult it is to determine whether they’re unwell, even for experienced handlers.

The only symptom they display when sick is refusing to eat.

“Did you notice anything unusual about Bin while they were with you?”

“I’m not sure? They just stayed still with the others the whole time, so I didn’t notice anything.”

“Bin, you’re not sick, are you?”

Bin, who had shown the most dog-like behavior when it bit a snake while trapped in the pit, was now concerning me greatly.

Is this what it feels like when your child is unwell?

Both Nunim and I had somber expressions on our faces.

‘Why must this punishment fall upon me?!’

***

Grandfather returned to the clan with the martial artists from Tang Family Mountain.

Behind Grandfather, martial artists followed, carrying sacks slung over their backs.

“Strategist, you’ve come?”

“It’s been a while, Elder Man of Ten Thousand Poisons.”

Zhuge Hu, the Murim Alliance’s Strategist who came running at the news of grandfather’s return.

Grandfather, who had just returned from his travels, greeted the Murim Alliance strategist warmly.

“Yes, it’s been a long time. It feels like just yesterday when you left home to work with my son on joint missions. And now, one of you is a strategist for the Murim Alliance, and the other is the Family Head of the Tang Family. Hahaha.”

“Elder, about those old stories… The clan’s children are present, as well as the martial artists of the Murim Alliance…”

“Hahaha, alright, alright, I get it. By the way, I’m sorry I couldn’t come out to greet you personally. I was busy preparing a gift for you.”

When the story about his past embarrassment with my grandfather was brought up, the Murim Alliance strategist appeared flustered.

However, at the mention of a gift, his eyes lit up.

The word “gift” seemed to bring joy to everyone, whether young or old, in my past life or present.

“A gift, you say?”

The reason why Grandfather, the Man of Ten Thousand Poisons, had temporarily left with the martial artists was to catch a Tiger Keelback on our behalf.

It was the first venomous creature capture project for our Venomous Creature Squad.

Before Zhuge Hu, the strategist of the Murim Alliance, had arrived, I had informed Grandfather about the capture plan to secure the Tiger Keelback. However, Grandfather did not approve of the plan.

No, to be precise, he did not allow me to leave.

With various sects surrounding Tang Family Mountain, it wasn’t likely, but he worried that the Blood Cult might send scouts to investigate the situation or confirm what had happened to their dead member. He deemed it too dangerous for me to leave.

However, as the poison from the Tiger Keelback was absolutely necessary, Grandfather had personally led the Venomous Creature Squad to capture it.

After all, catching snakes near Tang Family Mountain was a task anyone could do.

Although I was a bit disappointed to have missed out on the first field capture, it wasn’t a new species but just a Tiger Keelback, so my disappointment was somewhat eased.

After the major incident I’d recently experienced, which left me in a coma for ten days, I understood why Grandfather would be concerned.

“Well, let’s head inside for now. Soryong, I’ve brought back everything from the caves. Check on them and bring what you need to the family head’s hall.”

“Understood, Grandfather.”

The sacks slung over the martial artists’ shoulders wriggled and squirmed as they followed.

Leading them to the Venomous Creatures Garden, I released the creatures into a large wooden enclosure.

“For now, let’s select the largest and healthiest ones. Grandfather mentioned needing a little of the Tiger Keelback’s venom, so let’s extract just a bit.”

“Yes, Young Master Soryong.”

“The venomous fangs of the Tiger Keelback are different from those of other snakes. To extract venom, you’ll need to press as deep as possible into its mouth like this.”

I grabbed a Tiger Keelback and carefully pried open its mouth, pushing a small flask deep into its upper jaw.

Since the Tiger Keelback’s small venomous fangs are located further inside its mouth, the flask had to be inserted as far as possible to align the fangs with the flask’s edge.

Typically, when extracting venom from snakes, you only need to position the edge of the snake’s upper jaw slightly against the flask. However, with these snakes, the venomous fangs are positioned farther back, requiring this method to extract the venom more efficiently.

“Understood. Let’s hurry!”

“Yes, Commander!”

Snakes with injuries were immediately milked for venom and set aside, while the healthy ones were selected for a few days of quarantine.

As I observed the work being done, the Commander brought over a small porcelain vial, about the size of a palm, and handed it to me.

“Young Master Soryong, we’ve filled it halfway.”

“Understood. I’ll leave the rest to you. Grandfather has called for me.”

“Yes, Young Master Soryong!”

Leaving the Venomous Creatures Garden behind, I arrived at the family head’s hall, where I could hear voices from inside.

“Oh, as I suspected, the mysterious young hero from Haenam Island that the Tang Family’s family head met was none other than that young hero?”

“That’s right. He’s now the Tang Family’s grandson-in-law. So, what do you think? Isn’t he a precious gem of our Tang Family?”

“Calling him mysterious doesn’t do him justice. Honestly, I was astonished. Raising the Golden-Furred King Bee, no less!”

“Yes, everyone is always surprised by that when they enter the Tang Family.”

‘Ha, well, I am kind of a gem, aren’t I?’

Feeling proud as I listened to the conversation inside, I announced my arrival.

“Grandfather, it’s me, Soryong.”

“Oh, come in.”

Entering the family head’s hall, I found Grandfather and Zhuge Hu sitting and conversing over tea.

As soon as I stepped in, before I even had a chance to sit down, Grandfather asked,

“So, did you bring it?”

“Yes, here it is.”

When Grandfather asked about “it”, it was clear he was referring to the Tiger Keelback venom. I immediately placed the small porcelain vial on the table.

-Tak.

A small porcelain vial now rested on the table.

Grandfather pushed it toward the Murim Alliance strategist with a smile.

“Our grandson-in-law has brought you a gift. Please, take it.”

“A gift?”

The strategist alternated his gaze between Grandfather and me. Holding the porcelain vial that had been slid toward him, he tilted his head in curiosity and asked,

“What exactly is this? Hm? A Qi Barrier as well?”

When Grandfather appeared to be doing something, the strategist flinched and leaned in closer, his body tensing.

When I wondered what it was and looked at grandfather, he explained what a Qi Barrier was.

“A Qi Barrier is a technique that prevents sound from escaping. It creates a barrier of qi, which is why it’s called a Qi Barrier. The conversation we’re having here in the family head’s hall won’t leak outside.”

‘Wow, qi can do all sorts of things….’

Shooting air blades, emitting killing intent, creating barriers, using qinggong.

A world of endless applications.

It seemed like if you learned martial arts well, you’d never go hungry.

Once the Qi Barrier was in place, the strategist’s previously relaxed demeanor shifted to one of sharp focus as he asked again,

“What kind of item warrants the use of a Qi Barrier?”

At that, Grandfather turned to me with a smile before answering.

“It’s Energy Scattering Poison.”

“Energy Scattering Poison? Isn’t that a common poison? It doesn’t seem like something that requires a Qi Barrier or such secrecy.”

It was a natural question, as while Energy Scattering Poison was prohibited in the Murim world, it wasn’t exactly rare or difficult to obtain. After all, our Ten Thousand Poisons Hall had it in abundance.

But Grandfather’s next words made the strategist’s eyes widen in shock.

“However, this is Energy Scattering Poison that works against the Blood Cult.”

“!”

His expression resembled someone who’d just been hit over the head with a bat.

He alternated between staring at the porcelain vial in his hand and Grandfather, his voice trembling with disbelief.

“T-this… Is this for real!? No, of course, Man of Ten Thousand Poisons wouldn’t joke about something like this…”

“Hard to believe?”

“Naturally! The Blood Cult members are known to be immune to Energy Scattering Poison. Wasn’t that the very reason why the Murim Alliance struggled during the Blood Cult Blood Rebellion thirty years ago? They made sure the poison only worked on us while they remained unaffected!”

“Indeed. That’s what I believed as well. But as it turns out, there is an Energy Scattering Poison that works on them.”

“This is real… No, it must be real. If so, this is truly an incredible discovery! How effective is it?”

“Hwa-eun took down a Blood Cult Elder affected by this poison with a single strike.”

“A single strike!”

I shuddered as the grotesque scene of the Blood Cult elder’s decapitated head falling to the ground after Nunim’s final blow resurfaced in my memory.

“According to Hwa-eun, the poison weakened his physical abilities to that of an ordinary person.”

“Oho! It truly works against them!”

“Of course, it has its limitations. It needs to be applied to hidden weapons or blades to induce poisoning; it won’t work otherwise.”

“That’s a bit of a drawback, but still, this is monumental! The Alliance Leader tasked me with bringing back good news, and I’ve been so worried, but this goes beyond good news – it’s extraordinary! You’ve lifted a great burden off my shoulders! Thank you so much, Elder Man of Ten Thousand Poisons!”

The strategist, Zhuge Hu, repeatedly expressed his gratitude with a radiant smile.

Grandfather, smiling as well, took hold of my hand and said,

“Don’t thank me. Thank this child. He’s the one who made this discovery.”

Hearing this, Zhuge Hu turned to me with eyes widened in astonishment.

“Young Hero Wei?!”

“That’s right. He played a major role in killing the Blood Cult elder as well. He deliberately poisoned himself with the venom and let the elder suck on his blood, thereby poisoning the enemy.”

“Oh! Such bravery and cleverness! No wonder he was chosen as Hwa-eun’s partner!”

“Indeed. Wouldn’t it be a waste to let someone like him go? Hahaha!”

Hearing myself being praised repeatedly right in front of me, I couldn’t help but feel my cheeks flush.

Being praised to one’s face like this- well, it was something even the most thick-skinned person would find hard to endure.

Trying to appear unaffected, I forced my expression to remain neutral, even though it wasn’t easy. It was then that the Murim Alliance strategist turned to me and asked,

“Truly, this must be a great blessing for the Murim. If I report this to the Alliance Leader, he will no doubt want to bestow a great reward upon you. Is there anything you’d like?

If there’s something specific you desire, I can bring it up when he decides to grant you a reward.”

It seemed they were planning to reward me, but being asked to name what I wanted felt strange.

How could someone receiving a reward start demanding this or that?

So, I humbly declined, but this made both elders break out into hearty laughter.

“I didn’t do it to receive a reward, so it’s fine, Elder.”

“Haha! And so humble, too! Elder Man of Ten Thousand Poisons, you’ve gained yourself a truly excellent grandson-in-law. Hahaha!”

“Is that so? Uahaha!”

After their laughter subsided, Grandfather spoke again.

“If there’s something you want, don’t hesitate to say so. Since the strategist has offered to speak to the Alliance Leader for you, don’t be modest.

A reward like this shouldn’t be refused, it’s only proper to accept it. After all, Soryong, you’ve more than earned it.”

Normally, in Korean etiquette, it’s polite to decline something three times, but it felt like declining twice was already pushing it in this situation.

So, in a cautious voice, I responded.

‘Well, if they’re offering, I might as well accept something.’

“If you insist, there is actually something I would like….”

The idea of receiving a reward from the leader of the Murim Alliance, the head of the union of martial artists, sparked a good idea in my mind.

***

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

Thank you for reading!

[Author – 에르훗]

[Translator – bjgoofy]