“No, stop saying I’m going to eat it... It’s embarrassing...”

At my remark about food, Gun Hye-rin covered her chest in embarrassment.

She must have misunderstood and thought I was talking about her chest.

Of course, that too was something edible, but that was a different story.

I brushed back the hair by her ear and spoke in a gentle voice.

“No, that’s not it. When you mentioned it, Hye-rin, it gave me a slight idea about how we might find the World-Destroying Golden Toad. That’s what I meant.”

“My words made you think of a way to find the World-Destroying Golden Toad?”

“Yes.”

At my answer, Gun Hye-rin blinked and looked down at her chest.

Was she still not convinced?

But before long, she asked with eyes full of curiosity.

“And how exactly?”

I gave her a sly grin, then instead of answering, slipped my hand into the folds of her clothing.

First her outer robe.

Then the layer of her undergarments.

Peeling back the two layers revealed a plump, rosy peach.

I took a big bite of that luscious, pink peach.

“Let’s eat something real first, and then I’ll explain.”

—Chup.

“Mm? Haah...”

A faint moan spilled from between Gun Hye-rin’s clenched lips.

And a little while later—

“Um? Why is Hye-rin like that?”

Answering my summons, Hwa-eun entered the room. She tilted her head as she looked at Gun Hye-rin, slumped over on the bed, her head hanging to the side.

Then, seeing the rise and fall of Hye-rin’s ample chest, her face flushed red.

“Sh-should I have come later instead?”

It seemed the heat in the room and Gun Hye-rin’s sprawled state had clued her in to what she thought had just happened.

But what Hwa-eun was imagining hadn’t actually happened.

All it had been was a somewhat intense form of medical treatment for Gun Hye-rin’s body and mind.

You could call it a process of her growing accustomed to my touch and even my lips.

It was all for the sake of saving her life.

If I hadn’t gone through with it, Gun Hye-rin might have spiraled into despair and ended up with dangerous thoughts.

'It’s not like I’m doing this just to please myself. Absolutely not.'

“No, it’s nothing like that...”

I was about to clarify, but then I noticed Hwa-eun’s ears had turned red and she said something strange, as though she’d realized something.

“Ah! Ji-ryeon did say a moment like this might come... Does that mean I need it too?”

“...Excuse me?”

As I blinked at Hwa-eun’s words, the princess stepped into my quarters.

Spotting her, Hwa-eun seemed to come to some sort of decision. She quickly sat down close beside me, pressing her hip tightly to mine.

“So it’s true... So-ryong, you really are a man. The princess said all men have dreams like this.”

“?”

As question marks floated above my head, the princess, having slipped in beside my other side, wrapped one arm around mine. Casting a sidelong glance at Gun Hye-rin, she spoke.

“So that’s why you suddenly called us here? I was wondering. After all, it’s been more than ten days since you last did it, ever since your trip to Dai Viet. The palace maids were saying you must be pent-up.”

Then she continued with a sly smile.

“But are you sure you’re up for it? You said you even had to feed Yo-hwa, who hadn’t eaten in days. And we’d be fine, but what about Hye-rin? She gets nervous even when it’s just the two of you. Though maybe it’s easier if it’s the three of us?”

At the same time, the princess’s hand slid up onto my thigh, while Hwa-eun’s hand began to caress my chest.

In that instant, I realized what they were thinking.

So this was what they had in mind—they were planning a joint assault.

In Murim, a combined attack was something only used against someone much weaker. Their cultivation might be the same as mine, but their actual skills were better, and here they were, shamelessly plotting to gang up on me.

I quickly tried to shout and spring up between them.

“W-w-wait! What are you saying? No, it’s not like that!”

But both of them clung to me from either side, pressing close as they questioned me.

“Hm? Not like that? Then why did you call us here?”

“That’s right, Young Dragon. Why did you call us? Why?”

“Did you suddenly feel embarrassed after calling us?”

I put on a serious face and answered their questions.

“I thought of a way to find the World-Destroying Golden Toad, so I called you to tell you.”

At last, their arms loosened.

I quickly slipped out from between them and sat down on a chair by the table. The princess muttered in disappointment, and then Hwa-eun asked,

“Aw, really... That could’ve been fun...”

“You thought of a way to find the World-Destroying Golden Toad?”

“Yes! It came to me while I was talking with Hye-rin.”

No sooner had I answered than Gun Hye-rin, finally regaining her senses, straightened her body.

Clutching her slightly loosened robe at the chest, she sat down next to Hwa-eun. At once, Hwa-eun turned to her and asked,

“Hye-rin, what on earth were you two talking about to leave you in that state?”

“N-no, it wasn’t anything else. Just food...”

“Food?”

“Food?”

“Ehem. Y-you mean the food a baby eats?”

At Gun Hye-rin’s words, the two of them tilted their heads. Worried the conversation might wander into lewd territory again if “baby food” became the topic, I quickly asked Hwa-eun,

“Hwa-eun, among the lower, middle, or even high-grade spirit beasts, are there any others like the white ants—what I called the Pagoda White Ants?”

Hwa-eun thought it over carefully, then shook her head.

“No. What you discovered was the first and only one, So-ryong. I only learned such a spirit beast even existed back then.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. Should I check with Grandfather once more?”

“Would you?”

“All right. Wait here a moment.”

Grandfather Mandok Shingun was the eldest of the Tang Clan.

He might not know the habits or ecology of venomous creatures, but when it came to types, no one knew better.

Hwa-eun hurried out, and after about half an hour, she returned with the same answer.

“So-ryong, it’s as I said. Grandfather said he too saw the white-ant spirit beast for the first time then. There’s no mention of it even in the Tang Clan’s records on venomous creatures.”

“Really? In that case, I know just the place we’ll be going tomorrow.”

If things went well, it seemed I’d be able to find the World-Destroying Golden Toad without much trouble.

'Why didn’t I think of this from the start?'

***

As soon as I woke up in the morning, I requested brush, paper, and ink and immediately began to draw.

“What kind of drawing is this?”

“The drawing looks like...”

“Like what?”

“It’s like... a great pillar... Oh my.”

All I was doing was sketching the home of the Pagoda White Ants, yet the princess blushed for no reason.

Thinking she was being unreasonable, I asked with an incredulous expression,

“No, Ji-ryeon, how on earth were you ever planning to become a nun?”

The princess tilted her head and asked back,

“What do you mean? Once I became Master’s disciple, I would’ve been a nun.”

“No, that’s not what I meant. What I mean is, you seem like you can’t survive even a day without me. How did you expect to live alone for the rest of your life as a nun?”

At my words, the princess gave an awkward laugh, embarrassed.

“Ahaha. Back then, maybe I had some curiosity, but it wasn’t this bad. Being by So-ryong’s side just made me this way without realizing it. So you have to take responsibility.”

'So this is what they mean by that saying—once a monk tastes meat, not even the bedbugs in the monastery will survive.'

Right now the princess was in the state of a monk who’d tasted meat.

In fantasy terms, it was like a saint who’d tasted So-ryong and become his personal attendant maid.

'It’s certainly an attractive character archetype...'

When I saw it in fantasy stories, I always found it charming, but now that I was on the receiving end, it wasn’t purely charming anymore.

'Because nights are frightening.'

When I drew another pillar beside it, the princess exclaimed in surprise.

“Oh my, two pillars.”

“Hey now, that’s not what it is. This is just a stone pagoda.”

“I was just teasing. Hehe.”

I went on to draw several pillars until the picture was complete.

After sketching a few more, I left one on the table and headed off to Senior Strategist Zhuge Hu.

“Greetings, Elder.”

“Oh, it’s you. What brings you here so early in the morning? You must be exhausted after coming back from Dai Viet. You should rest more.”

Elder Zhuge Hu was already in the middle of a morning meeting, yet when I sought him out, he greeted me with a bright expression. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

He seemed busy with preparations for deployment, so I didn’t want to take much of his time. I went straight to the point.

“Yesterday you said you’d help us find traces of spirit beasts or venomous creatures, didn’t you?”

“That’s right.”

“Then could you help me look for a place like this first?”

“Hmm? A place like this, you say?”

He studied my drawing intently.

I added a more detailed explanation.

“It usually looks like a red stone pagoda, about thirty meters (a little over ninety feet) tall”

“So this is the kind of place we should search for?”

“Yes.”

“Very well. I’ll immediately send word to the Hao Sect and the Beggars’ Union.”

“Thank you.”

“No, it’s we who should be grateful.”

After quickly passing on the matter to Elder Zhuge Hu, I returned /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ to my quarters. Inside, my wives were playing with the children.

Amidst that scene, I noticed Gun Hye-rin gazing at the drawing I’d left on the table.

“Dong-ah! Jump! Jump!”

—Kkyuit! 『Here I go!』

“Kyaaha! Well done.”

Dong leapt down from the table into the princess’s arms.

Hwa-eun and the princess pressed their cheeks to him, playing with him together.

Even in the midst of that commotion, Gun Hye-rin kept her eyes fixed on the drawing I’d sketched that morning.

I approached and, seeing the ink had dried, reached to fold it up and put it away. But Gun Hye-rin caught my wrist and asked me,

“Master, why did you draw this?”

“I was going to ask Elder Zhuge Hu to help us find a place like this. It’s where the Pagoda White Ants live. If we find it, it should make it easier to find the World-Destroying Golden Toad.”

Gun Hye-rin’s next question surprised me.

“Would it happen to be red in color, with the same red soil spread all around it?”

I had never described it that way to her.

My eyes widened as I asked,

“You’ve seen such a place before?”

It was clear she must have.

Gun Hye-rin slowly nodded.

“I have.”

I immediately turned and shouted to my wives, who had been playing nearby.

“There’s somewhere urgent I need to go. I’ll be gone for a few days.”

“Where to?”

“So-ryong, you’re going alone?”

“No. I’ll be taking Hye-rin with me for a short trip. I need to confirm the place she says she’s seen.”

At once, the princess and Hwa-eun pouted and demanded,

“What about us?”

“Yes, what about us?”

They were asking why only Gun Hye-rin was going, and what would become of them.

But with just me and Gun Hye-rin, we could travel much faster. If everyone came along, there’d be no way to make it in time.

Among the spirit beasts that could fly, Yeondu was the fastest.

If Yeondu pushed herself, she was nearly twice as fast as Cho. But she could only carry two people at once.

“If we all move together, it’ll take too long. And given the situation, we need to move quickly. We can’t afford to waste time. Even now, the Blood Cult is growing in power.”

Normally, they wouldn’t have agreed so easily, but in this urgent situation, when every day counted toward finding the spirit beast, I deliberately reminded them that the Blood Cult might be gaining strength even at this very moment.

As expected, permission came much more easily.

“Well, that’s true.”

“Fine. Hmph.”

I immediately turned to Gun Hye-rin.

“All right, where is this stone pagoda you saw? It’s not at the border of Qinghai and Sichuan, is it?”

I prayed inwardly that the place she had seen wasn’t the same as the one I had in mind, and asked.

Gun Hye-rin shook her head.

“It is definitely not at the border of Qinghai and Sichuan.”

The border of Qinghai and Sichuan—

That was where, at Elder Do-je’s request, I had found Moji and Soji.

If it wasn’t that place, then it was somewhere new. But her next answer was unexpected.

“It’s near the Demonic Cult—near my village.”

“You saw it near the Demonic Cult?”

“That’s right.”

Her answer was that she had seen it near the Demonic Cult.

It seemed I would have to pay a visit to the Demonic Cult’s territory after all.