〈 Episode 424 〉 It’s a snake.
What the?
Neither sight nor sound worked properly underwater.
Carefully regulating my breath so as not to disturb the flow around me, I surveyed my surroundings.
It was strange if someone had sent a voice transmission from outside.
But to say it came from within the water, it was exceptionally, almost impossibly clear.
[Why……why….]
As if I had not misheard, the voice continued to echo in my head.
Don’t tell me.
—Is it you?
When I sent a voice transmission as if speaking to the demonic beast, its body squirmed slightly.
[…Great One….]
What the hell is this thing?
Is a real demonic beast actually talking to me?
‘…A demonic beast, talking?’
It was not something to dismiss as simply bizarre.
Because when I went to the secret grotto of the Golden Heavenly Lotus Family in the past, a giant snake had spoken to me too.
And as it turns out, this one is a snake as well.
‘Could it be that snake demonic beasts can speak?’
Such a thought crossed my mind precisely because I had absolutely no experience with this in my previous life.
—What are you? Do you know me?
I tried speaking to it again.
Kyaaaaah!
The thing was engulfed in flames and could only scream.
I hurriedly tried to withdraw the flames, but the demonic beast’s eyes gradually lost their vitality and eventually stopped moving, as if its breath had been severed.
‘Damn it.’
I furrowed my brows as I watched.
It seemed to be something significant, yet it went and died….
Pulling my embedded arm free, I replayed what the demonic beast had said.
‘Great One?’
It had definitely called me that while looking at me.
What did that mean?
‘Calling me that makes it seem like we’re on the same side or something.’
A demonic beast on my side? Ridiculous.
They are beings that follow only their instincts and exist solely to devour their opponents; how could such creatures become allies?
‘Though it’s not entirely unprecedented.’
Even as I thought that, memories of my previous life surfaced, as if to say it wasn’t entirely unheard of.
There had been instances where creatures that followed only their instincts had uncharacteristically bowed their heads.
The Heavenly Demon.
I remembered that before her, countless demonic beasts had prostrated themselves and cast away their very lives at a small gesture.
‘…This.’
Thinking that far, something felt strange.
Could this really be a coincidence?
No, it definitely didn’t seem like a coincidence.
The sudden appearance of a red demonic beast was one thing.
The timing beginning to twist strangely was another.
Not to mention the feeling that I was at the center of all those problems.
‘Something seems wrong.’
It felt like the flow was going awry.
Even if the situations were complicatedly intertwined, what was certain was that I was definitely connected to it.
‘Then did the red demonic beast appear because of me too?’
It was an absurd notion.
I wanted to say that, but doing so was impossible.
Because all the circumstances felt like they were pointing at me.
‘Shit.’
I bit my lip and retracted the flames clinging to the demonic beast’s body.
This wasn’t a certainty. Moreover, now wasn’t the time to think about such things.
Rolling my eyes about, I rummaged through the demonic beast’s corpse.
By nature its body was massive, so searching was somewhat difficult.
If left like this, it would obviously sink deeper into the riverbed, so I had to find it as quickly as possible.
I spread my qi sense wider and scanned the demonic beast’s body with my energy.
‘…!’
Only then did I find the part of the demonic beast’s body where energy was heavily condensed.
Finding the point I sensed, I infused inner qi and tore off its scales.
They were tough and tenacious, no joke, but since it was already dead, it wasn’t difficult to tear them off with force.
Screech—! I forcibly ripped them away, cut through the flesh, and reached my hand deep inside.
I couldn’t reach. Even that wasn’t enough, so I plunged my body in.
Its flesh and blood were distinctly felt.
A terribly unpleasant sensation. I don’t hunt in water precisely because I hate this… Damn it.
Moving bones aside and continuing deeper, I felt something touch my fingertips.
This is it.
Grasping the sensation, I pulled it straight out.
Thud-thud-thud-thud—!
Immediately after obtaining what I wanted, I pulled out of the demonic beast’s body and checked the object.
In my hand was a stone lump about the size of a child’s head, and this was the demonic stone of the red demonic beast.
Confirming that, I nodded slightly.
What had just happened was quite unsettling, but I had obtained what I wanted, so it should be fine.
‘Better than coming away empty-handed.’
This was a harvest in its own right.
The reason I was heading to Sichuan right now was to obtain a White Demonic Stone to supplement my currently incomplete realm.
I don’t know how the situation is turning, but the amount of inner qi a red demonic stone provides would definitely be substantial.
Thinking that, the moment I tried to absorb the demonic stone in my hand underwater.
Ooom.
‘Hmm?’
I felt something from the demonic stone in my hand.
Leaving behind the demonic beast slowly sinking to the bottom.
I turned my gaze and looked at the demonic stone.
And.
“Kup…!”
Surprised despite myself, I had to expel my breath.
The air that burst out with my breath rode the water current and rose upward.
Thanks to that, I had to swallow a large amount of water mixed with the demonic beast’s blood, but that wasn’t important right now.
‘What the hell is this now.’
I examined the demonic stone in my hand with wide eyes.
No matter how I looked at it.
The state of the demonic stone was somehow strange.
******************
After Gu Yangcheon was swept into the river along with the demonic beast.
Inside, the river churned like mad from the demonic beast’s screams and rampage.
But after some time passed, it was calm as if nothing had happened.
Roughly a few minutes had passed.
Not just the demonic beast, but Gu Yangcheon hadn’t come up for quite some time, for some reason.
It had been only a few minutes at most, but it was different if it was underwater.
It was a duration in which a normal person wouldn’t be strange to die.
An apex martial artist might last for over an hour, but what mattered was that he had sunk with the demonic beast.
Nangong Biya watched this with a stiffened face and was about to leap into the water.
Grab—!
Someone grabbed her arm tightly.
It was Woo Hyuk.
The moment her movement was blocked, Nangong Biya turned her head toward Woo Hyuk.
When their eyes met, Woo Hyuk was inwardly startled.
The calm eyes of Nangong Biya he had seen until now were nowhere to be found. Eyes brimming to the brim with killing intent were looking at him.
“Let go.”
It wasn’t just her eyes; a fierce aura distinctly wafted from her voice as well.
Seeing this, Woo Hyuk let out a faint smile and spoke to her.
“Calm yourself.”
“I told you to let go.”
As if she was willing to cut off his arm if he didn’t let go, just as Nangong Biya infused inner qi into her sword.
“Sister-in-law. Even if you do this, that fellow won’t like it very much.”
“...”
Perhaps because of the title Woo Hyuk had uttered, Nangong Biya’s eyes wavered slightly.
“You know that friend isn’t someone who would die so easily.”
“...”
“He wouldn’t have gone in without thinking. Let’s wait a bit for now.”
At Woo Hyuk’s words, Nangong Biya’s killing intent gradually subsided.
Seeing that, Woo Hyuk felt relieved inwardly.
‘…That was close.’
Though he was smiling on the outside, Woo Hyuk wasn’t exactly calm either.
Because the killing intent Nangong Biya had just shown was genuine.
If he had been even slightly later, she would have truly tried to cut off his arm.
‘That’s quite an intense love.’
He had been inwardly just a tiny bit envious of Gu Yangcheon being surrounded by beautiful women and living happily.
But seeing this, he felt a bit of distance.
He thought that too many romantic tribulations could also be a problem.
Because Nangong Biya wasn’t the only problem right now.
When Woo Hyuk turned his head slightly, he saw another woman staring down at the river with sharp eyes.
What was her name, Wi Seol-a?
Wasn’t she the descendant of the Sword Lord?
Including the Divine Dragon Hall, they had traveled together for several months now.
Woo Hyuk had spoken with her enough to count on one hand.
To be exact.
Except for Gu Yangcheon, there were extremely few people who had struck up conversations with the woman called Wi Seol-a.
Perhaps because the difference in Wi Seol-a’s atmosphere when Gu Yangcheon was present versus absent was extreme. When they were together, she was like a gentle sheep or a puppy.
Wi Seol-a without Gu Yangcheon was like a sharply honed blade. It felt as if she wouldn’t allow anyone to approach her.
Seeing that.
Before long, these two women would likely hurl themselves into the river.
And that.
‘I would be the same.’
Woo Hyuk was the same.
Right after Gu Yangcheon entered the river with the demonic beast.
Woo Hyuk’s ears were in quite a dizzying state.
—Gu Yangcheon is….
—What in the world is that young master….
—The surroundings….
From nearby sounds to ships far in the distance that had turned around to keep their distance.
All kinds of sounds were piercing Woo Hyuk’s ears.
‘This is troublesome.’
He forced a smile and maintained a calm pretense, but the noise he hadn’t heard in a long time was still burdensome.
He had known for a while that when he put distance between himself and Gu Yangcheon, the noise would return.
But it had been a long time since it had become this loud.
It was just like before he met Gu Yangcheon.
Was it because he hadn’t heard it recently and was hearing it again? Gradually encroaching headaches made Woo Hyuk feel exhausted in an instant.
‘What is going on.’
Feeling this, Woo Hyuk looked down at the river. The sudden onset of this noise was a few minutes after Gu Yangcheon fell into the river.
Right when the demonic beast’s rampage had subsided and the waves had stopped.
It was a phenomenon that appeared suddenly. Seeing this, Woo Hyuk wondered if something had happened to Gu Yangcheon.
And.
‘Them too.’
Woo Hyuk’s gaze turned to Nangong Biya and Wi Seol-a.
Right after the noise started coming to him.
He had seen them flinch simultaneously, their expressions changing drastically.
‘Don’t tell me. Do they have something too?’
Seeing that, he wondered if they too had some abnormality like him, but right now Gu Yangcheon’s safety was more important than that.
Just before he had stepped forward to hunt the demonic beast, Woo Hyuk recalled what Gu Yangcheon had said to the party.
[Just do as I say. Even if something strange happens, don’t be surprised.]
He had definitely said that.
If someone else had said it, he would have wondered what they meant.
But strangely, Woo Hyuk had trusted Gu Yangcheon’s words.
If asked whether he was a human worth trusting so much, not particularly… it wasn’t like that.
Nevertheless, strangely, his words were convincing.
In fact, following his words had allowed them to face the demonic beast.
It was simply amazing.
How could that be?
When Woo Hyuk first felt the demonic beast’s barrier, he had been shocked, wondering what it was.
A barrier that absorbed inner qi.
What kind of thing was that?
How on earth was he supposed to hunt something like that?
That shock was momentary, as Gu Yangcheon gave orders while looking at it, and the moment he swung his sword accordingly.
Woo Hyuk was struck with an even greater shock.
Because he vaguely understood why Gu Yangcheon had given such orders.
When he had swung his sword a couple of times.
Woo Hyuk could feel that there was a definite difference in the transparent barrier.
It was an extremely subtle difference.
Grasping this sense of disparity was quite difficult for Woo Hyuk.
It meant Gu Yangcheon had felt all of this from behind and given orders.
‘…He’s truly an absurd friend.’
Every time he looked at Gu Yangcheon, he felt an unknowable wall.
Woo Hyuk knew he had talent himself.
He had never become arrogant or conceited because of it.
Rather, he knew he possessed talent superior to others.
But.
Even that often felt meaningless when he looked at Gu Yangcheon.
They were on different trajectories.
Born in the same generation, yet Gu Yangcheon was somehow different.
Barring any unforeseen events, Gu Yangcheon would rise to greater heights at a different speed than them.
Before long, he would reach a position they couldn’t even imagine.
Woo Hyuk was certain of this.
Moreover, he was curious about the future that would unfold.
So.
‘Hurry up and come out.’
He gripped his sword as he looked at the river.
Gu Yangcheon was someone who shouldn’t die in a place like this.
At least, that was how Woo Hyuk saw it.
Just as he was gradually unable to hold back his impatience and furrowed his brows.
Saaaaah—!
“…!”
Woo Hyuk’s eyes widened at the sensation from below the water. Then he could feel the surrounding noise vanishing like a ghost.
It wasn’t just Woo Hyuk.
Nangong Biya and Wi Seol-a seemed to feel it too. They ran across the water toward the center of the presence.
Bubble-bubble.
Bubbles gradually rose from that spot.
“Puhah…!”
A head suddenly burst out from below the water and exhaled roughly.
“Wah…. Damn. I really almost died… Aaack!”
The fierce-looking young man who had leaped from the water tried to say something, but Nangong Biya and Wi Seol-a flew toward him and embraced him.
“W-wait…! It’s a bit dangerous right now!”
Gu Yangcheon struggled in the two women’s embrace and fell back into the water, but Woo Hyuk could finally let out a sigh of relief at that sight.
******************
Immediately after the demonic beast commotion ended, we returned straight to the ship.
Normally, it would be proper to gather the demonic beast’s carcass and take its bones or hide, but the corpse had already sunk deep into the river.
The situation wasn’t over yet, so I judged it impossible to retrieve it immediately.
Under Dok Wang’s command, we returned to the deck.
I remember Dok Wang’s greatly surprised expression when we arrived on the deck.
It was no wonder, as the surroundings were filled with the corpses of demonic beasts.
They must have been the ones targeting the ship along with the red demonic beast.
Fortunately, they were all dead.
The number of corpses floating around the river and dead demonic beasts on the deck was considerable. So much so that it was hard to count.
And in the center of them stood a martial artist holding a spear, standing silently.
It was Dang Deok.
Before jumping out claiming to hunt demonic beasts, I had given him the order to protect the people, so he was forced to protect them.
His expression was souring with disgust at the fact that he had to protect people of the Tang family with his own hands, but that was none of my business.
Especially when Dok Wang expressed his gratitude to Dang Deok, the expression he made was quite a sight.
Dok Wang also made a strange expression seeing that.
Seeing that, I had to explain that this guy was a mute and his face was always like this.
It was like a play on words, but the certainty I gained there was.
‘Dok Wang doesn’t know Dang Deok.’
He had covered his unique hair with the Bloodwind Cloak.
Although Dang Deok hadn’t learned poison arts, the fact that he didn’t sense anything strange when meeting face-to-face like that meant he didn’t know about Dang Deok.
‘Though that too could be Dok Wang’s acting.’
Thinking that far was too complicated.
The situation had already become chaotic due to the red demonic beast that appeared out of nowhere.
The martial artists didn’t know what to do due to a grade that hadn’t appeared in hundreds of years.
Arguments unfolded about whether they should continue sailing or first return to Henan and report this.
Anyway, the leader of this group was Dok Wang.
Dok Wang said sending the transport party safely to Sichuan was the top priority and finished by sending a brief letter to the Martial Alliance.
Even if others made dissatisfied expressions, nothing changed.
If they didn’t like it, let them jump into the river and swim back.
If they couldn’t do that, they had to stay quietly on the ship.
They probably couldn’t choose the former right now.
Having witnessed the majesty and power of a red demonic beast, they couldn’t ignore the anxiety about another possible red demonic beast.
In conclusion, they couldn’t stop the journey to Sichuan anyway.
“Sigh….”
I sat alone on the bed in the ship and let out a sigh.
It was a truly unexpected situation.
Because of that, I had been tense from head to toe.
Only after the situation ended did my tightly wound body relax.
I guess I could finally breathe a little.
When I returned to the ship, Dang Soyeol and Mo Yong Hee-a nagged me so much after hearing the situation.
They told me to stop doing dangerous things.
From my perspective, it was a bit unfair.
Because it wasn’t a situation where I could just not do it.
When something like that popped up right in front of me, how could I just stay on the ship?
“…No, maybe I should have just stayed still.”
It was absurd that I had nearly drowned of all things.
If I had known that would happen, I would have stayed quietly on the ship.
I repeatedly sighed and held my hand out before my eyes.
If someone were to ask why I nearly drowned after going through the trouble of killing a demonic beast.
“…Come out now.”
It was all because of this guy.
Ssslither….
At my call, something slipped out from inside my sleeve along my hand.
In thickness, it was roughly the size of a pinky finger.
In length, at most about from my wrist to my elbow.
The thing squirmed and coiled around my hand, then turned its small head toward me.
Flick.
The tongue darting out from the tip of its mouth and the yellow eyes that looked familiar from somewhere.
Yes, they were exactly the same as the eyes of the demonic beast I had faced earlier. The feeling, and of course the species as well.
A snake. Yes, a snake.
A very small snake with red scales.
It was coiled around my hand, looking at me.