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Chapter 2: Something Strange

“What’s going on?”

“Definitely strange, Older Sister Seol. We should have been here much earlier after our arrival.”

Gazing up at the dark ceiling of the exposed cave, Older Sister Seol and I shared confused expressions.

And rightly so, as it had been two whole days since the main party led by our adoptive father and grandfather last communicated, yet they were nowhere to be seen.

No matter how I thought about it, the distance between us and them should only take an hour or two at most.

When we initially descended through the hole, Yo-hwa had even left a silk thread behind, so at best that should have been enough to gauge our distance, yet here we were, two days in, and there was no sign of them approaching.

“Yo-hwa? Still no sensations?”

– Hiss!

In response to my query, Yo-hwa peeked her head out of the dark hole above and shook it in negation.

Fearing the cave might be labyrinthine, she had stretched her silk thread while we navigated, but as she checked the hole, she confirmed she felt no vibrations at all.

Spiders have an exceptional sensitivity to vibrations felt in their webs.

Among known spiders, the one with the longest web is Darwin’s Bark Spider, which constructs webs up to 25 meters long—250 times its own body length.

This spider is only about ten centimeters long, yet it can detect the vibrations of insects trapped in its web from significant distances. Considering Yo-hwa’s size, her detection range should be at least 2-3 kilometers.

Being a spirit creature, one would expect it to be longer, yet if Yo-hwa sensed nothing at all, it could mean there was no passage leading in.

Thinking about it, the main party should have caught up to us well before we reached the end of the hole.

While we were forced to move slowly due to the conditions ahead, there was no reason for our grandfather and adoptive father to be unable to catch up, knowing we were here.

“Why do you think that is?”

“Hmm… Could it be that they haven’t found the writings from Long?”

“But I’ve left them prominently in two places. There’s no way they couldn’t notice them as they are on the walls!”

As I pondered why the main party hadn’t followed behind us, Older Sister Seol and I put our heads together to think it through.

It was then that Hua Eun, who had been sitting on the curled body of Chao, spoke up softly.

“Perhaps…”

“Perhaps?”

“Now that I think about it, the organ system seems troubling.”

“Organ system?”

“Yes, Wei So-ryong.”

The mention of the organ system rang alarms in my head.

I furrowed my brow thoughtfully and asked, “Oh, you mean it might have malfunctioned after a century?”

A century does seem like ample time for something to break down if Hua Eun’s theory held water.

Nodding at what I thought was a plausible deduction, Hua Eun shook her head.

“No, that’s not it. It’s the energy. The Five Poisons Return to Origin Divine Skill mentioned outside troubles me. If the door only opens by infusing the energy of the Five Poisons Return to Origin Divine Skill, rather than with just any energy…”

“Oh!”

Of course! A secret door wouldn’t just open for anyone—it would be an automatic door otherwise.

Given that it was the work of the Five Poisons Sect, it could indeed be attuned only to the energy infused through the Five Poisons Return to Origin skill, just like Hua Eun said.

“But surely Grandfather knows the Five Poisons Return to Origin Divine Skill?”

It was Grandfather who taught me by making me practice the foundational techniques.

Though I expressed confidence that he could make it through, Hua Eun shook her head again.

“Certainly, Grandfather knows the skill, but he hasn’t solely relied on it for building his inner strength. However, you, Wei So-ryong, have built your inner strength entirely with just the Five Poisons Return to Origin!”

Indeed, while Grandfather possessed the Five Poisons Return to Origin Divine Skill, it was akin to a foundation skill. The mainstream inner strength technique is the Ten Poisons Dual Origin Skill. Meanwhile, my own body is entirely formed through the pure essence of the Five Poisons Return to Origin.

If this difference meant I wouldn’t be able to pass through the door, then Hua Eun’s point was definitely valid.

“Hmm… That’s quite the point. So, what should we do now?”

If Hua Eun was right, it was unlikely for Grandfather to appear through that hole. That meant we would have to either continue our search or return to Mount Namna.

Or perhaps head to the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace.

Older Sister Seol picked up a piece of charcoal from the extinguished campfire and pointed upwards.

“We can’t just wait here indefinitely. Let’s write on the cave wall that we’re returning to the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace and go back to wait.

You said that the Blood Cult members could be roaming around too? It could be dangerous for us, so let’s go back.

The adults will surely return if the entrance cannot be opened. We can always send someone from the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace back to Mount Namna as well. What do you say?”

Older Sister’s suggestion made sense; waiting here for our grandfather and adoptive father to arrive was futile.

Continuing the search?

If it were impossible for them to arrive, waiting would be as risky as searching.

With the remnants of the Five Poisons Sect as enemies, who knows what kind of trouble could await us, not to mention the Blood Cult lurking nearby.

So, returning to the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace or waiting as suggested by Older Sister was indeed the right choice.

“But returning won’t be as easy either, will it?”

Yet returning is fraught with risks for the same reasons waiting is.

Given that martial artists from the Martial Forest Alliance and masters from various sects were conducting intelligence operations around here, it’s highly probable that a Blood Cult stronghold is nearby.

Returning wouldn’t be simple, and while I mulled over Older Sister’s idea, Hua Eun offered another perspective.

“It might not be easy to return to the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace. How about we join Long’s group and follow them to the rendezvous point?”

“The rendezvous point?”

“Yes, the word is that they are conducting searches in this area, so they should know a safer route.

If we discover any signs of the Five Poisons Sect, we could gather information as well. Since there could be a Blood Cult base nearby, it seems safer than traveling alone. Didn’t Sword Phoenix say that they’d revisit if they found potential leads at the rendezvous point? We could join them on the way back.”

Indeed, if we were to converge with those searching the area, we could also glean the information they’d gathered.

Moreover, if we joined their return, we could safely return based on the intel they accumulated.

As I was nodding appreciatively at the idea, Gyu-seong, who had been silent until now, patted my shoulder and said:

“Yup, let’s go with that, little brother. This Pang Gyu-seong will safely escort you all back to the Central Plains, don’t you worry.”

“Alright, let’s do that then.”

Just as our plans were cementing and I nodded to Gyu-seong’s words, it was then that Spear Dragon hesitated and spoke up cautiously.

“Hey, Wei So-ryong, just to ask, can you handle hunting? Like, finding water or something?”

“Hunting? And water?”

That sudden inquiry about whether I could hunt or find water puzzled me.

After a moment’s thought, I realized that over the past two days, it had been Spear Dragon who had been responsible for our meals.

I couldn’t help but wonder why he was doing all this alone like a hired hand.

But upon his question, Sword Phoenix and Gyu-seong turned their eyes deep into the dark cave.

“Ahem…”

“Hmm…”

As I considered the oddity of their expressions alongside Spear Dragon’s question, I replied.

“Of course, Older Sister Seol, Hua Eun, and I can handle it…”

I’ve lived in the jungles of Yunnan to the point where I could catch snakes, and most importantly, with Yo-hwa around, hunting wouldn’t be an issue at all.

Not just me—Hua Eun and Older Sister Seol were capable in this regard too.

Hua Eun could release paralyzing poison to ensure she wouldn’t miss any prey, and Older Sister was a Southern Barbarian Beast Palace person.

Hunting is a basic skill for the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace folks, who solve most of their meals through it.

“Is that so!?”

Spear Dragon lit up with delight.

With sparkling eyes, he clasped my hand tightly as he implored:

“Then, as we’re not guests anymore but companions, could you please help me!? Pretty please!”

Delivering his request made me think back to his seemingly lacking demeanor from our first encounter, and I answered with a chuckle.

“Well, of course I’ll help!”

“Then, we must hunt right away! We’ll need food if we’re to reach the rendezvous point, since we’re out of supplies now! It’ll be impossible to hunt while we’re on the move.”

On hearing I’d help, Spear Dragon asserted that since we were now companions, it was critical to prepare supplies.

It wouldn’t be practical to go hunting at every turn while Blood Cult’s members could be lurking nearby.

So the plan was to secure supplies here in the safety of the cave before embarking.

We only had dried meat and rice cakes left for a day’s worth of food, so we nodded, needing supplies for the long road ahead.

“Understood.”

“By the way, I’ve only been able to find rabbits around here—what a predicament.”

While Spear Dragon worried about only being able to catch rabbits since arriving, our food problems soon found resolution.

“Oh! Yo-hwa, you caught a deer, huh?”

– Hiss!

Although I had never asked her to hunt before, I figured she’d handle it well, so I asked Yo-hwa to fetch us some animals. Soon after, she returned with a large deer.

Older Sister quickly approached, skillfully preparing the deer with deft hands.

“For dinner, let’s wash the heart, intestine, and liver to grill, and we can smoke the meat. The innards spoil quickly.”

Spear Dragon’s eyes widened in surprise at Older Sister’s deft butchering skills.

“Wow! Not only can you gut beasts, but you can smoke meat too?!”

“Of course! Living in the jungle means you have to know how to do these things!”

“Yup, indeed!”

At Older Sister’s remark, Spear Dragon gestured towards Sword Phoenix, who then pouted.

“What’s wrong now!?”

Listening to Spear Dragon’s story, I learned that he had been doing all the menial tasks while staying with Gyu-seong and Sword Phoenix for almost two months.

As he turned red from an implied insult, it was when I took Spear Dragon and Older Sister to wash the innards.

As I prepared to drink some flowing water from the creek, Older Sister stopped me.

“Long, don’t drink that; drink this instead. You might get a tummy ache.”

“A tummy ache?”

“Yeah, beasts might have died upstream or something. So drink this one.”

– Splash.

Older Sister climbed up, snipped off a vine, and handed it to me with a smile.

“Is this what you mean?”

“Oh, water flows from here.”

No sooner had she spoken than droplets began to fall from the vine.

As I sipped the water, a sweet taste reminiscent of the sap I had tasted in my previous life came to mind.

“Impressive!”

Spear Dragon looked at Older Sister with eyes filled with admiration.

But those eyes held a deeper sentiment—one of absolute reverence.

‘Could it be? Is this guy crushing hard?’

Spear Dragon seemed to be the type to fall in love at the drop of a hat.

*

“By the way, Wei So-ryong, you’re quite something. It’s amazing how these little ones have grown so big. Especially to the skies.”

As we navigated through the thickets, Spear Dragon pointed at Hyang and Bin on my shoulder, then blankly stared at Chao, floating in the air like a dot above, disbelief covering his face.

Last time he saw them, they were tiny, and now one of them was soaring magnificently up high.

Certainly, Chao had become remarkable.

Not only in appearance but her flying skill had been improving every day.

When we followed the Flying Heavenly Snake, Chao’s max flying time wasn’t that long. But perhaps because she was a Ten Great Venom, or due to the Inner Dan I had given her before, now she could fly for three to four hours straight.

Her recovery time wasn’t long either; just fifteen minutes of rest and she’d be ready to go up again.

I couldn’t help but think that someday she’d fly all day long.

It’s quite uplifting for a praised daughter, isn’t it?

Just as I was smiling back in reply, a flicker of motion from Chao and Bin caught my eye.

– Zzzpt.

– Zzzpt!

Hyang and Bin shot glances at Spear Dragon while hissing angrily.

Suddenly, I realized they seemed upset, likely because they were being compared to their larger sibling.

‘Oh no, comparisons are bound to go badly…’

Before I could think of how to calm them, Chao’s and Bin’s antennae began to quiver.

– Zzzzz…

Inwardly, I knew I had to reprimand them for speaking so carelessly. Perhaps that was them displaying irritation.

Indeed, they were revealing their antagonism clearly.

As Chao flicked her gaze at Hua Eun, hearts of surprise blossomed in Spear Dragon’s eyes.

“Oh!? Wh-what’s up with them? Why are they acting like this!? Eeeh!?”

Hua Eun then nodded coldly.

It seemed she had sent a telepathic message, prompting Spear Dragon to squeeze his eyes shut and roll on the ground while releasing a painful yelp.

“Ahh, I’m dying! Ouch, it hurts!”

While it was just an act, the confusion of his predicament registered in the situation.

A voice echoed from afar with a hint of exasperation from Hua Eun.

[I sent a signal to act like your life is in danger. Just tell Wei So-ryong to deal with Hyang and Bin at a suitable time. Why provoke the kids by saying they’re lacking compared to Chao? Truly thoughtless.]

As someone who appreciated poison myself, I couldn’t recognize that little ruse, and I began to ponder whether this was the essence of a mother’s heart.

 

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