I shook off Orange, who was clinging to me with half-closed eyes, and leapt with light steps into the courtyard of the abandoned Daoist temple.

Spinning quickly in midair, I landed in the open space—only to find that the interior of the temple had completely changed.

Unlike the outside, which had only shifted in appearance, something deeper and unseen within had been altered.

A faint, refined air lingered in the place, yet everything felt razor-sharp.

From all directions, cutting auras spread through the air.

The floor, paved with stone, was cracked and split by age. Between those gaps, I could glimpse the tails and bodies of snakes—it seemed a snake formation had been laid.

Cheong-yu Sojeo must have called them; they had gathered to form a protective array, most likely to guard Yeondu.

But the instant my foot touched the ground,

the sharp pressure dissolved in a rush.

Every step I took loosened the tension, the wary energy unraveling like strands of silk.

The hostile aura melted into a gentle hum that spread outward.

The snakes hiding in the cracks lifted their heads and blinked at me, confused.

When I’d spun through the air earlier, I thought I’d shaken off any lingering trace of venom—but apparently not completely.

'Wait. Does that mean even Cheong-yu Sojeo...?'

I had just begun to wonder whether I should keep my distance when the door opened and her startled voice echoed out.

“Shia? Why are the children like this? Ah! So-ryong, you’re here? You came back early, didn’t you? But why are they acting so strange? They always did their duties even when they liked you.”

Hongbi followed behind her, grumbling, “You’re back? Why so early?”

“Yeah, I’m back. Mm-hmm. Back again.”

“Hm?”

I wasn’t sure how Cheong-yu Sojeo would react, so I tried quietly stepping away.

But she had already closed her eyes and was flicking her tongue.

'Ah, too late.'

When a snake flicked its tongue, it was smelling.

She was catching my scent.

A moment later, she opened her eyes with a faintly pleased expression.

“So-ryong, you smell really good.”

Apparently, spinning in the air hadn’t gotten rid of all the poison aura. But her reaction was nothing like Orange’s.

Her tone wasn’t sticky or seductive, and her gaze stayed calm.

“It doesn’t feel strange to you?” I asked.

“Strange? No, it just smells nice.”

Thank goodness—she must have thought it was just a pleasant fragrance, like perfume.

“What kind of smell is it?”

“A very sweet one. ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) Makes me feel happy.”

Orange, on the other hand, had come staggering toward me in a trance, talking in a syrupy voice that almost made me punch him.

No matter how fond I was of snakes, hearing a male voice talk like that was terrifying—my skin still crawled thinking about it.

'Orange, you’re the only snake who’s ever managed to scare this Spicy Fabre.'

Still, if it was just a pleasant scent, that was fine.

Maybe it felt different because of their spiritual ranks.

Smiling faintly, I explained, “Ah, earlier I tried crafting a new poison. I modeled it after the yin energy that leaks from centipedes or scorpions. I guess that’s why.”

“Oh, I see. But why did you come back so soon?” she asked.

Since I had returned in a single day, her question made sense.

Crouching in front of Hongbi, I answered, “I was planning to use this to lure out Jimjo. When I first saw him, he was eating the snakes gathered around the centipede.

But I think my poison was too weak, so I’m going to register Hongbi and ascend to the Nine Poisons. That way I can make it stronger.”

“Ah...”

Cheong-yu Sojeo nodded, seeming convinced.

Listening nearby, Hongbi tilted his head.

“Nine Poisons? What’s that?”

If I were still a YouTuber, I’d have cracked a subscribe and like joke, but this wasn’t a broadcast. Stifling that urge, I said, “It links you and me—heart to heart.”

“Heart to heart?”

“Yeah. Even if we’re far apart, we can talk to each other. Our trust will become stronger.”

Lifting the bewildered Hongbi onto my head, I turned to Cheong-yu Sojeo.

“I’ll be in that hall over there. Please guard the area with your formation while I enter his inner world.”

“Of course. Don’t worry, So-ryong.”

Taking Hongbi with me, I walked to the old building my father-in-law had once used when he brought the Tang family here.

It was even more ruined now, but there was still a corner where one man and one frog could sit.

Because of the poison I’d just created, I couldn’t enter Yeondu’s room.

If she reacted like Orange, that would be a disaster.

'Could turn into a crime of passion... or if both liked me, what would that even be?'

Pushing away useless thoughts, I sat down beneath a half-collapsed beam and set Hongbi on my lap.

“So what now?” he asked.

“Hold still.”

I slipped a finger into his mouth, then put it into my own.

His eyes went round.

“W-what are you doing?”

“If you end up somewhere strange, stay put. I’ll come find you, okay?”

I didn’t answer further; no need to make the conversation weird.

My vision blurred, and Hongbi’s mental world came into view.

***

His inner world began at the Pagoda of a Hundred Flames.

Pagoda-like towers rose from the water all around, exactly like the place where he had lived.

“Maybe because you were alone here so long?”

It felt different from others I’d entered.

Most creatures’ inner realms were beautiful places, or landscapes shaped by memory.

But this one was identical to reality.

It was as though his real home had been copied perfectly.

I searched near the spot where he used to dwell, but he wasn’t there.

“Not here, then.”

Usually, the owner of an inner realm appeared near a landmark or symbolic feature, so this couldn’t be the right spot.

The pagoda was visible, but if this were the center, I wouldn’t have awakened here—I always woke a bit away from the landmark.

“Was there anything that stood out around here?”

I combed through my memories.

But apart from the pagoda, there was nothing remarkable—just mountains, grass, and trees like any valley in the Central Plains.

“Guess I’ll climb higher.”

Since nothing stood out, I moved uphill. Midway up the slope, a thought struck me.

“Ah, right—Hongbi’s house!”

If any place held his fondest memories, it would be that house.

The same village we’d visited before.

If he had lived there long with the girl, that might be his true landmark.

Using light steps, I rushed to the place I remembered. In a sunny clearing stood a small bamboo hut.

A clean yard, a stream trickling by the door.

As I approached, I sensed movement beyond the open doorway.

“Hongbi?”

At my call, someone darted out.

“So-ryong!”

A child about ten or twelve, adorable, with hair tied in two round knots.

“Hongbi?”

“Yeah, it’s me. What happened? Why do I look like that child...?”

“Oh, is this the girl who raised you?”

“No, I just look like her—but younger.”

Indeed, Hongbi had taken on the child’s form, only smaller.

Perhaps because he himself was still young as a spirit frog.

“Don’t be startled. When you enter your own mind, you take human shape. Since that girl is most familiar to you, you probably became her.”

“R-really? That surprised me.”

Once I calmed him down, he led me inside like a little host.

“Come in.”

The interior held bamboo furniture, chairs, and shelves.

He guided me to a chair by the open window.

Smiling faintly, he said, “This is where I always basked in the sun. I couldn’t show you before because the house was gone, but now I can. Here, with the girl...”

It seemed the knots in his heart had already been untied.

I listened quietly as he reminisced.

After a while, when his story ended, he asked what to do next.

I gently kissed his forehead.

His eyes widened again—and my vision went dim.

***

I’d planned to register Hongbi and then go straight after Jimjo, but when I opened my eyes, I was back in the familiar stone chamber.

“What—wait, no way!”

I looked at the remaining stone tablets.

Sure enough, they were glowing.

The fifth and final gate of the Five Venoms was about to open.

“Oh, nice!”

They said the gates opened only when the children grew, so registering Hongbi must have filled the growth quota.

“How come?”

I’d thought it required full growth, not just registration, but apparently not.

Not that it mattered—what mattered was that it opened.

“Maybe creating new poison counts as growth too?”

Whatever the reason, this was great.

Opening a gate meant progress—and stronger venom.

“Heaven’s on my side.”

First was Centipede.

Second, Snake.

Third, Gecko.

Fourth, Toad.

Now came the fifth—Scorpion.

“I’ve kept Cheongwol waiting so long... and her gate opens last too. Sorry.”

Standing before the Scorpion Gate, guilt welled up inside me.

She was always yielding, always patient.

That was her image—endless waiting, endless giving way.

With a heavy heart, I reached out and touched her tablet.

Light flared from it, and every stone I’d chosen before blazed together.

“Oh? Something’s happening?”

Cheong-yu Sojeo had said no one had ever opened the fifth gate—that it was the dream boundary of the Five Venoms Art.

So I’d expected something extraordinary. But though the tablets shone, nothing else occurred.

Wondering what it meant, I touched one again.

At once, the flashing lights went out, and the carved eyes of the venomous beasts lit up.

Then transparent forms of those creatures rose before me—

And all of them flew into my chest.

A brilliant light burst from my eyes, and my consciousness faded away.