We’d caught it, sure — but collecting all members of the Twenty-Four Poison Branch required going through the proper process.

Catching it didn’t automatically make it mine.

Well... it was halfway mine already, but until it was completely mine, the collection wasn’t complete.

So, I went straight into interrogation.

“You there! Do you even know what you’ve done?!”

Normally, I welcomed new spirit beasts on good terms, but this one had dumped two wives on me.

This time, I decided on a semi-threatening approach.

I’d demand compensation for the silk it had eaten and the damage to the building.

'What’s that? No money? Then you’ll have to work it off... eheheh.'

My plan was to make it pay with its body — under the generous condition of being fed luxury food like silk.

As for the fact that it had forced me into marrying both the princess and Gun Hye-rin, I couldn’t exactly complain about that.

If I did, they’d both be upset.

Upset two out of three wives, and two-thirds of my life would turn miserable in an instant.

'Oh, so in your eyes, marrying us was a punishment, So-ryong?'

'I should’ve just stabbed you with that dagger that day.'

'I’m hurt.'

'Do you still think we only like you because of the Beast-Heart Technique?'

I could already see the conversation in my head.

— Pooo...

The creature, caught and trembling, said something while watching me nervously.

Hyang scampered up onto my body and translated its cries.

— Tsrut. 『It says it’s sorry for stealing food, Dad.』

“You bad thing. You think that’s all?”

I gave it a fearsome glare again, making it confess more of its crimes.

— Popo.

— Tchurrr. 『It says it’s sorry for making a hole in the building.』

“And?”

Pushing the momentum, I bore down with an even sharper look.

The creature hesitated, then let out another uncertain cry.

— Poooo?

— Tsrut. 『It says it’s sorry for spitting venom.』

“That’s right, you—steal from us and then spit venom when caught—”

I was just getting to the “pay up” part, inflating its crimes to make it flustered, when suddenly the princess and Gun Hye-rin stepped in, each grabbing one of my arms.

Their voices came soft and sympathetic.

“So-ryong, don’t scold it too much.”

“Yeah, poor thing. It probably stole because it was hungry.”

— Popopopo.

At Hye-rin’s words, the creature nodded so hard its head blurred.

I didn’t know why they were siding with it, but their intervention threatened to ruin my plan.

The guiltier it felt, the closer I got to my goal — but now they were trying to hand it a free pardon.

If it started thinking, I just ate a little because I was hungry, and besides, I’m cute, instead of I did something terrible, my ending would be ruined.

“Ahem. This creature damaged property of the Tang Clan, reduced its wealth, and attacked us.”

In my previous life, this would’ve been multiple counts: property damage, assault causing injury, theft, and unlawful entry.

Apart from the legalese, it needed a scolding if I wanted my conclusion to work out.

But the two women, oblivious to my intent, clung tighter and pleaded.

“Still, if not for it, we wouldn’t have been brought together.”

“That’s right. Thanks to this one, we’re with you — so don’t be too harsh.”

“Uh, no...”

'No, that’s not how this is supposed to go.'

This was turning into an unblockable guard crush.

If I kept scolding, it would look like I didn’t value the fact that this creature had played Cupid for us, and that would make it seem like my marriage to them wasn’t important.

That was a sure way to make them both unhappy.

So I couldn’t say more.

Even without directly saying, Because of you, I ended up with two wives, it was clear that pushing further would make them resentful.

While I was debating how to salvage this, the princess crouched down and asked gently,

“You were living alone in the mountains and went hungry, right?”

— Poooo.

『–Tchurrr. It says yes, Ji-ryeon Mom.』

Hyang relayed the answer to the princess, who patted the creature’s head.

“Don’t do it again, okay?”

— Pooo!

“And since you brought us together with So-ryong, if you don’t mind, we’d like to repay the favor by taking care of you.

Living alone in the mountains makes it hard to find food, doesn’t it? If you stay with us, we’ll give you all the silk you could want. We have lots of other spirit beast friends here too.”

— Pooo?

Come to think of it, this one might be a nemesis to me, but to Hye-rin and the princess, it was their greatest benefactor.

The promise of silk made it glance at me for a moment before nodding.

Having stolen silk out of hunger before, there was no reason to refuse free meals now.

Of course, since silk was a clan asset, it would mostly have to come from Yoha’s webs.

“Alright.”

“Good.”

Then the princess and Hye-rin spoke over the mental link, clearly expecting praise.

『So-ryong, we did good, right?』

『Now this one’s fully your spirit beast.』

Well, it wasn’t exactly the way I’d planned it, but in the end it was mine, so I supposed it didn’t matter.

『...Good job.』

I told them awkwardly that they’d done well.

The princess then asked the creature,

“Do you have a name?”

— Popo.

It shook its head.

Clearly, it didn’t. The princess turned to me.

“So-ryong, then let’s name this one Yeon-yeon.”

The “Yeon” was from the character for longing, and the “Yeon” was from the character for linking together.

It meant “one who linked hearts in longing.”

It was a fine name... but I still muttered in a small, reluctant voice.

“Names are... well, one of my hobbies as ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) a husband... you could say they’re one of my exclusive rights...”

After all, naming spirit beasts was a privilege unique to this So-ryong.

“What was that, So-ryong?”

But in the face of the princess’s questioning look, I had no choice but to say,

“I... I think that’s a fine idea.”

Come to think of it, my household had tripled its number of bosoms — but that didn’t mean my happiness had tripled.

If anything, it meant that when it came to my hobbies, I’d have to seek three times as much approval, three times as much permission.

Married life was not going to be easy.

'What, you thought six bosoms would mean three times the joy?'

***

With Yeon-yeon secured, I headed for the Tang Clan.

I had to report to my father-in-law that the problem he’d been worried about was resolved.

When I arrived, he came out to greet me — but instead of addressing me first, his greeting went to Princess Ji-ryeon.

It was only natural; with a member of the imperial family visiting, proper greetings were mandatory.

“It has been a long time, Your Highness.”

They had met before, during the lovebug extermination incident, so he offered a martial artist’s salute and lowered his head.

The princess waved a hand.

“There’s no need for excessive formality. I am your daughter’s friend, so treat me simply as such. This is neither the palace nor a martial clan’s court; the courtesies of the martial world will suffice.”

“Then I shall do so. Ha ha.”

He accepted her words immediately, without even the customary two rounds of polite refusal.

Once their greetings were finished, I immediately bowed in apology.

According to Hwa-eun, he already had a rough idea of the situation.

She’d told him when she went to Chengdu a few days ago to buy us clothes and shoes.

He’d already thought something strange was going on, what with the imperial edict arriving before that.

But the fact remained — because of an accidental glimpse of another woman’s naked body, I now had two additional wives. How could I not feel ashamed?

If you marry a man’s daughter and then take two more concubines, you must apologize.

“I’m sorry, Father-in-law. There was an unavoidable accident... I absolutely did not intend for this to happen...”

I was genuinely embarrassed, but he stepped closer, patted my shoulder, and stammered as he echoed the word “accident.”

“Hm? An accident? Ah! An accident. Y-yes, of course. An accident.

But surely it was unavoidable, wasn’t it? And I’m glad my son-in-law is an upright man who takes responsibility for something beyond his control.”

“Father-in-law...”

“I said it’s fine, really.”

He patted me again, then led the way to the clan head’s hall.

Inside, instead of tea, he poured us each a cup of wine.

“Wine, Father?”

Hwa-eun asked, surprised, since he wasn’t particularly fond of drinking.

He smiled.

“To celebrate the fact that we’re now one family under my son-in-law.”

“One family?”

“Yes. Under So-ryong’s name, three women from three households have become equal wives. That is practically the same as uniting three clans. Of course we should celebrate.

And, Your Highness, there is no political motive behind this, so you need not worry.”

In other words, with me as the link, the imperial house, the Tang Clan, and Gun Hye-rin’s sect were now bound together. This wasn’t about borrowing the prestige of the imperial family.

The princess nodded, and my father-in-law turned to Hye-rin.

“Miss Gun, there’s no need for you to feel too self-conscious. Even if you stand alone, the Tang Clan will treat you and your descendants with the same courtesy we give the princess and hers.

And should your lost family ever reappear, they too.”

He gave Hwa-eun a look as if to say, Didn’t I sound impressive just now?

Hwa-eun glanced at Hye-rin and gave an awkward smile.

She knew I had said that my cultivation would eventually make this all a non-issue, but it still felt uncomfortable to see her father so pleased while knowing the truth.

'I’m sorry, Father-in-law.'

I could only apologize again in my heart.

He raised his cup high.

“Now that we are all one family under my son-in-law, let’s help each other in hardship and live in harmony.”

“I agree, Clan Head.”

“Agreed.”

— Clang.

After downing his cup, he threw it to the floor, shattering it.

The princess and Hye-rin followed suit.

Koreans might think breaking a cup is bad luck, but in the Central Plains, it’s a good omen.

“It means we’ll never pour into the same cup again — a vow that this promise will never be broken.”

Thus, without even realizing it, the Tang Clan’s master had proclaimed that the imperial house, the Heavenly Demon Divine Sect, and the Tang Clan were united as one, and sworn never to break that bond.

'Well... I’m sure it’ll work out somehow.'

To handle the fallout from this “accident,” I figured I should register Jeokwol noona quickly.

***

The wedding with the princess and Gun Hye-rin was kept simple for now.

It was little more than sitting across from each other and sharing a drink.

Normally, I’d have to inform the Beast Palace before marrying, but given that we’d already seen each other naked, the women refused to wait for a formal date.

Who refused?

The princess and Hye-rin.

“What’s the point of a ceremony when we’ve already seen everything? I’ve heard poor commoners just share a cup of wine and call themselves married.”

“That’s right. We’re already husband and wife, aren’t we?”

“But the imperial family—”

“It’s fine. When the time comes, we’ll just quietly pay a visit.”

“And you don’t have to inform the Heavenly Demon Divine Sect, Hye-rin?”

“If I say it’s done, who’s going to stop me? It doesn’t matter.”

They pushed ahead, and as soon as the vows were exchanged, they drew lots.

“What’s this for?”

“To decide who gets the first night.”

“That’s right. We agreed it would be fair to draw lots.”

“Both of you tonight?”

“What are you talking about? One each night.”

“So-ryong, you’re being lecherous.”

“No, I—”

They misunderstood because I hadn’t explained myself.

But before I could, I blurted out in alarm,

“I can’t right now — I’m gathering yang energy to register the next spirit beast.”

“What?”

“What do you mean?”

I sat them down and explained gravely.

“Think about it. I’m just one man, but I have to handle three women in the Flower Realm. Do you think my yang energy can keep up?”

“We could take turns and—”

“If we’re not careful, one of you might end up with a... disappointing first night. That would be sad, wouldn’t it?”

“...That’s true.”

“That makes sense.”

“Grandfather Mandok Shingun said that once I register the eighth spirit beast, I might reach the Profound Realm. If I do, my qi circulation will improve a lot, and then I can give you both an unforgettable first night.

How about it?”

So far, I’d registered: centipede, toad, scorpion, hornet, snake, and spider.

The moth and butterfly were still unregistered.

My plan was to register the next one and aim for the Profound Realm.

“So, which will you choose?”

“What’s the next one going to be?”

“Well...”

Butterfly or moth — that was the question.