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Chapter 427: Long Time No See (2)

Three days have passed.

Before I knew it, I had left the mountains and forest behind, and the villages filled with people started coming into view.

By this point, a sense of stability began to settle in the hearts of the travelers.

Since our purpose was transportation, this journey had kept us on our toes, bracing for any potential ambush that might occur.

Given that we had reached an area where the influence of the Tang Clan extended, there shouldn’t be any problems with our transport.

The faces that previously held no expressions were now filled with ease.

They exchanged trivial jokes and even sparred, supposedly saving their energy.

As expected, watching a fight was amusing, and the thrill of spectating was delightful.

With each passing moment, it became clear that the journey was nearing its end.

However, contrasting with everyone else’s comfort, I found myself plagued by a more complicated mindset.

Grrr…

I turned my energy around my body.

The energy escaping from my lower dantian traversed through me.

Tch.

I was consistently monitoring my condition, yet there was no progress to report.

This issue arose after I had hatched the demon beast from the demon stone.

While the energy that had escaped was gradually recovering, the speed of that recovery was painfully slow.

It wasn’t just me who noticed; Pejon did too.

When my training began to falter, he scolded me, wondering what I was doing.

Dammit.

At my age, getting scolded like this is just humiliating.

Ugh…

My displeasure was apparent, but from my sleeve, the demon snake peeked out and gazed at me.

“What are you staring at? My plans have all gone awry because of you. What are you going to do about it?”

Hiss…

Whether it understood my frustration or not, it licked my finger apologetically.

Watching this unfold, I couldn’t help but sigh repeatedly.

Oh, what a mess.

Here I was, taking out my frustrations on a demon beast, which was quite the ridiculous scene. I had hatched it of my own volition, yet I was blaming it.

Wrapping my forehead with a hand, I gazed out the window.

The carriage continued to race forward, and the scenery changed ceaselessly.

Thinking of what lay ahead, I realized it wouldn’t be long until we reached the Tang Clan.

Once we arrive…

First off, I’ll go for the White Horse Stone.

Originally, upon arriving at the Tang Clan, I was supposed to unload my luggage and go see Master of Wudang with the Sleeping Dragon.

Afterward, I had planned to visit the Paewoo Clan with Paewoocheol.

The plan was to wrap all that up and then go after the White Horse Stone.

Now, however, I had to prioritize getting that White Horse Stone first.

My body’s condition is dreadful.

The issue wasn’t just the physical aspect but the internal state that troubled me.

The energy that had once escaped wasn’t recuperating as it should.

This greatly hampered my use of Tua Pacheonmu and martial arts techniques.

Grrrr…

Along with that, I couldn’t even deal with the instability that came from touching the Transformation Realm due to the rapidly changing circumstances.

For now, the priority was to consume the White Horse Stone and replenish my energy.

Hiss…

The demon snake kept flicking its tongue and eyeing me.

“What is it, you?”

This snake didn’t seem to do anything beyond this.

Hiss?

It tilted its head and flicked its tongue at me.

Is this really its daily routine?

“Honestly, this is much better.”

It was preferable over that one who would whine about hunger.

It was less bothersome than that old man who churned endless complaints.

If it had been a creature that actually tried to drain my energy when hungry, I would have tossed it out on the spot.

At least this one wasn’t draining my energy.

It merely craved the flesh of demon beasts from time to time.

What a strange creature.

It didn’t eat standard food but only demon beast meat.

Demon beasts usually eat anything they can, so I wondered why it was so picky.

I guess that’s not too bad.

If it was after the demon stone, that would have been troublesome, but at least it was preferring meat.

Whenever I went hunting for the demon stone, it would typically be the flesh of demon beasts that came out.

It didn’t even whine about being hungry.

One day, when it was all droopy and lifeless, I wondered what was wrong, only to find out it was just hungry.

It hadn’t asked me for food, so I didn’t even realize it was starving.

When did I ever raise a demon beast?

I had never even raised a regular beast, so I was clueless about these matters.

“Did you hold back from speaking because you were being polite?”

Hiss…

The way it seemed to shrink back, lowering its head was genuinely concerning.

It reminded me of when it was too hungry to even ask for food.

…How frustrating.

Moments like this stirred up my irritation.

It felt too similar to my past self, and that made me uncomfortable.

“Next time, just say something. I’ll make sure to feed you at the same time.”

Hiss.

It wasn’t about seeking it out to feed; it was just a coincidental feeding while eating the demon stone.

No intention of raising it whatsoever.

Nodding my head, I thought that.

The little creature, seemingly in a better mood, began to flick its tongue even faster.

Watching it made me shudder and wave my arms.

“Ugh! You’re getting my hands all slimy!”

As I shouted, it startled and darted back into my sleeve.

Is this little brat even a demon beast? What’s with all the fear?

While wiping the saliva off my hands, I heard a voice from above the carriage.

“Oh! Looks like we’re almost there!”

It was the voice of Baek Cheon-gyeom, who was lying on top of the carriage.

I had no idea why she had abandoned the comfort of the carriage to lie on the roof, but I peeked my head out to see where she was looking.

Then I noticed something far in the distance.

Frowning slightly, I thought, “Really… it’s a long damn way.”

When we first set off, it was spring.

And now that we were nearing arrival, it was already summer.

Coincidental, perhaps.

I seemed to recall it was summer when I came years ago.

Of all seasons, it had to be the same.

Recalling that made me chuckle softly.

Back then, my physique had barely been at a third-rate level, but now, after a few years, I had reached transformation.

My reputation across the Central Plains had changed significantly.

It was a reflective moment, to say the least.

But that’s not it.

It’s just a reminder that time has passed.

Leaning back into the chair, I took a breath.

Finally, after months of traveling, we had arrived at the vicinity of Sichuan Tang Gate.

I remember coming to Sichuan to find the Biwaegun of Geumcheon Clan.

It was during a time filled with numerous incidents; forgetting it would indeed be strange.

I had initially found Wi Seol-Ah hiding in the carriage when we first set off.

That was when I met Nangong Bi-ah for the first time.

I was utterly astonished by her face.

Internally, I thought, “What is that crazy woman doing here?”

In many ways, it was the beginning of significant changes.

It was when my relationship with Wi Seol-Ah began to evolve in earnest.

It was also the moment my bond with Nangong Bi-ah transformed into something entirely different.

The subtle flow of change had begun to shift dramatically.

I must have stepped onto Sichuan dirt at that time.

Creeeak…

A massive door opened.

It looked twice the size of an ordinary person’s door. Compared to the Gu Clan’s door, it was quite grand.

Our family door was one that Elder Lee or my father had to bow their heads to enter.

As the door opened, a sea of people lined up in neat rows inside.

“Congratulations on the Clan Leader’s return.”

– Congratulations!

As the Poison King appeared, the audience erupted in cheers.

…Wow.

Watching the servants all come out, clapping and cheering endlessly, I couldn’t help but wonder…

What the hell is this?

That was all I could think.

Do it all, even the busy workers had come out for this?

Seeing the reaction of the Poison King and Tang Soyeol made it seem like a natural occurrence.

Is this really how it’s supposed to be…?

Is it because my father always kept things modest that I’m unfamiliar with this?

Noticing that Moyong Hi-ah and Nangong Bi-ah showed no particular change in their expressions, it seemed other clans typically welcomed their leaders this way.

Crick, crick, crick…

As I walked on, an odd noise caught my attention.

It was the sound of Tang Deok tightly clenching his fist.

Confirming that, I quickly sent a message.

– Relax.

Upon hearing my command, Tang Deok trembled and unclenched his hands.

It was a natural reaction being in the enemy’s den, but it didn’t concern me.

It’d be troubling if I were found out, so I had to command him well.

I should’ve told them to wait outside.

But what can I do now, we’re already here.

Turning my gaze away from Tang Deok, I looked back to the front, where several old men with white hair faced the Poison King.

Elders, I presume.

They certainly seemed like the elders of the Tang Clan.

“Congratulations on the return of the Clan Leader.”

Upon the elders’ greeting, the Poison King nodded lightly.

From that, I could deduce one thing.

The Poison King’s influence seems strong.

The standing of the Clan Leader is notably substantial.

In clans where the elder council holds significant power, there wouldn’t be such a demeanor from the elder or the clan leader.

For example, in the Nangong Clan, the elders held considerable sway.

Rather, it’s that the Heavenly Lord holds great power.

The absolute being is not the clan leader.

The most potent issues arise from the strongest faction being the Nangong Clan.

In the case of the Tang Clan, the process may be somewhat diluted…

Unlike the Moyong Clan, which leaned entirely toward commerce, the Tang Clan also possessed considerable power.

By being the iron clan.

The Tang Clan was the one that supplied the highest quality iron goods throughout the Central Plains.

That is why everyone is aware that the influence of the Tang Clan is not just about strength.

Setting that aside for now…

I just want to get inside quickly.

I wanted to unload my luggage and rest a bit.

Mentally and physically, I was drained, so I wanted to take it easy on the day I arrived.

Just as I wondered when this welcoming ceremony would finally end…

“Good grief, this is taking forever. When is it going to end?”

At those words, someone in the back startled the rest of the group by turning their heads.

Someone had actually vocalized my innermost thoughts.

Can you believe that? This bold person had the audacity to say it out loud.

It was Baek Cheon-gyeom.

That lady must be insane.

To say such a thing in this atmosphere was truly remarkable.

Even I, no matter what, couldn’t pull that off.

“I’m so hungry I could die. Ugh…”

“Aunt, please…”

As Baek Cheon-gyeom kept sighing loudly, I saw Moyong Hi-ah next to her with bright red ears, trying to dissuade her.

Honestly, I felt somewhat refreshed listening to that.

While Moyong Hi-ah kept trying to hush Baek Cheon-gyeom, I turned my gaze back to the Poison King.

It seemed the conversation was nearing its end.

At that moment, someone from the elder side added a few words, causing the Poison King’s shoulders to flinch.

It appeared some important discussion took place.

Whoosh.

As the Poison King raised a hand, the cheers that had been erupting around us fell silent in an instant.

If only we could have wrapped things up this quickly, I wouldn’t have had to dwell on it.

As I looked at him discontentedly, the Poison King turned to us and spoke.

“You must have had a tough journey; you’ve worked hard.”

The atmosphere was quite heavy as he spoke with his hands clasped behind him, welcoming us.

“We have already prepared rooms for the guests, so please rest well today, and shall we gather when the sun sets for the banquet?”

A banquet, huh.

I wasn’t particularly interested, of course.

Given that he said it formally, it surely meant we had to attend.

Contrasting with the grand welcoming ceremony, the conclusion felt somewhat anticlimactic.

The Poison King excused himself and disappeared somewhere with the elders, leaving the remaining group to follow the servants to their respective lodgings.

 

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