There was a tickling sensation on my face.

When I opened my eyes, Zihwa was tickling my nose with the tip of her wing, a faint smile on her face.

It seemed I had dozed off without realizing it while brooding the egg at Zihwa’s request.

Zihwa wore an expression like she could barely hold back her laughter.

I was a little taken aback by the sight of her.

I hadn’t thought she would play this kind of prank.

Zihwa’s inner nature feels like a lofty empress. Doesn’t that kind of feeling not suit such pranks?

Even if she did, it would be with lofty poise, like nudging with a toe—the aura of that sort of queen.

Scratching my head, I asked,

“Ah, you’re back?”

[ Hehe, were you tired? ]

“No, I must have just fallen asleep from sitting still.”

[ Move aside. I shall take over. ]

When I stepped away, the egg that had been between my legs revealed its gleaming form.

Zihwa quickly settled herself over the egg and began to brood it.

‘Shall I go to Ji-ryeon’s quarters?’

I had handed over the egg, after all.

It seemed my quarters had been taken over by Zihwa and the egg, so I thought I should head to the quarters of the princess Ji-ryeon and Gun Hye-rin.

Hwa-eun was staying with Sister Seol, so going there felt a bit off.

I had just started to take a step when Zihwa’s question came from behind.

[ Where are you going? ]

When I turned my head, Zihwa was tilting hers and asking.

The golden plume on her head swayed.

That golden plume on her head felt like it conveyed her feelings.

That was unmistakably the equivalent of a questioning expression.

“Huh? I was going to Ji-ryeon and Hye-rin’s quarters—why? Ah, two of my three wives are named Ji-ryeon and Hye-rin.”

I was about to head to the quarters of two of my three wives.

As I moved my feet, I added that explanation, and Zihwa tapped the spot beside her and said,

[ Where are you going in the middle of brooding the egg? We must take turns brooding, so stay beside me. ]

No, she went out and came back, and now she asks me where I’m going?

A little flustered, a counter-question slipped out.

“Do I have to keep brooding too?”

I had thought she might be a bird species where male and female take turns brooding, so I was mentally prepared, but when she put it that way I ended up asking back.

For a moment, Zihwa looked at the egg beneath her with a piteous voice and said,

[ I am sorry, little one. It seems your father doesn’t much want to brood you. How pitiable. A father’s love... ]

“Haa...”

I hadn’t done anything with Zihwa, nor did I intend to, but in any case she had said half of that egg had been made because of me.

So it felt like I had said something awful to my own child for no reason.

Well, in the egg state it wouldn’t understand anyway.

“Ah, fine...”

With a sigh, I sat on the leg she was tapping, and Zihwa showed a satisfied expression.

I was about to ask how long it would take for the egg to hatch when Zihwa tossed out an out-of-the-blue question.

[ Well then, have you thought of it? ]

“Thought? Thought of what?”

If you’re going to ask something, it needs a subject—at her subjectless question I tilted my head, and Zihwa slightly bared the egg, patted it, and said,

[ I am sorry. Dear, it seems your father is so busy he still hasn’t chosen your name. I do not know what could be busier than naming one’s child, but there it is. ]

So that’s what she meant—she seemed to be asking me to name the child who would be born from the egg.

Well, a bird’s egg is like the mother’s womb, so is this a kind of fetal name?

No, it felt like she wanted the true name outright.

At Zimjo’s words, I answered with an aggrieved expression.

“Ah, no—you have to tell me in advance. If you ask all of a sudden, that’s not fair.”

If she had told me ahead of time to come up with a name, with my sparkling naming sense I would have whipped one up on the spot, but she’d said nothing until now and suddenly asked, so of course I wasn’t prepared.

At my words, Zimjo looked even more dumbfounded.

[ It is only natural that the father should name the child; must one really be told that? Troublesome, you are. ]

In this Confucian society of the Central Plains, the elders of the household name the child.

Well, if there are no elders, the father names the child.

But it seemed among Zimjo the father names the child.

True, birds don’t live together across generations, so I excused myself by saying humans don’t know because we’re different.

“No, among humans the elders of the household give the name.”

[ Is that so? Hm. In that case, it is not your fault. One may not know. Then would you not think of it now, at least? ]

Fortunately she didn’t press the matter and asked me to give the name.

I nodded that I understood.

I wanted to name it too, after all.

“Alright. Then I’ll name it right away.”

[ Thank you. ]

After thinking a moment, I asked Zihwa,

“Um... the baby that’s born will be similar to you, right?”

[ Of course. It will look exactly like me. Well, it will also resemble you. For it bears your venom. ]

What on earth would a baby bird that resembles me look like?

No matter how I thought about it, I couldn’t even imagine.

So I erased that from my mind, and since she said it would resemble Zihwa, I decided to center the name on those traits.

Gazing at Zihwa, I pondered what would be good as a name for a child that resembled her.

‘Purplish, with black mixed in...’

As I studied Zihwa and mulled the egg’s name, she tilted her head slightly to one side and said,

[ Such a heated gaze. ]

“Ah, no. I was thinking about it because you said the child would resemble you.”

Then Zihwa said in a voice of hurt,

[ Even if it were not so, such words are not to be said. Does it not make me feel hurt? ]

Even if it’s a fact, she said hearing that hurts; keeping my mouth shut was extremely difficult.

If I just kept my mouth shut, wouldn’t I become a strange person?

With... unusual tastes...

I didn’t want to slam down facts either, but for the sake of human dignity I said there was no helping it.

“No, because then I’d be a strange person, wouldn’t I?”

[ A strange person? ]

“Think about it. Not even a person, but a bird, and, um... if I harbored strange feelings, that would be a bit odd... I’m a human and you’re a bird.”

At my explanation, Zihwa’s eyes narrowed.

A voice filled with displeasure came.

[ Do you still think of me as some paltry bird? ]

“Weren’t you? Even if you’re a spiritual being, the fact that you’re a bird doesn’t change...”

Wings and a beak—of course that’s a bird; what else would it be?

Surely she wasn’t about to claim she’s a descendant of dinosaurs?

At my question, Zihwa flapped her wings and cried out.

[ What, I told you so and you still didn’t catch on? You notice everything else so well! ]

“?”

Seeing my expression, Zihwa let out a big sigh as if to calm her anger and explained.

[ Listen well. Though I have fallen low and become like this, I am not such a paltry creature. ]

“Then ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) what?”

[ If you cultivate here in the lower world and your stage grows high, you can perform what is called ascension to the immortals. ]

“You mean to ascend to the Immortal Realm?”

[ Yes. Born a common creature, if one cultivates and one’s inner energy or dao power grows high, one can leave this lower world and reach the Immortal Realm. ]

“Wasn’t that just a legend?”

[ Absolutely not. ]

“How can you be so sure when you haven’t even been there?”

When I asked how she could be so certain—since she asserted it so confidently—an astonishing answer came.

[ Of course I know because I have been there. ]

“What?”

[ Well, to be precise I didn’t go; this body is from the Immortal Realm. Didn’t I say that when we met in the mental landscape? ]

“No, this is the first I’m hearing of it?”

[ Did I not tell you? Since you allowed me to regain this body after so long, I would keep you company for a while? ]

Come to think of it, she might have said something like that.

At the time I was thinking I might melt away and vanish, so I forgot.

“Ah, you did say something like that...”

[ A common creature must cultivate and climb to the state of ascension to set even a foot upon the very lowest Nine Heavens of the Immortal Realm, but I am from a far higher place than that. ]

Whoa. So ascending to the Immortal Realm and immortals really exist?

[ Of course. ]

Grandfather Mandok Shingun always said one must cultivate and ascend, and to think that was true.

It was truly astonishing.

It wasn’t empty talk.

At that moment—

A flash skimmed through my mind at Zihwa’s answer.

With eyes gone round, I asked again,

“Then were you originally a human? Is that form in the mental landscape your true form?”

From what I heard, this rascal Zihwa seemed to be a person.

If so, my dignity could be spared at least a little shock.

Because brooding the egg together kept making me feel weird.

As if I really had been paired with Zihwa?

Zihwa shook her head and said,

[ The human form is also my form, but it is a little different. ]

“Different? How?”

[ There are many races in the Immortal Realm. There are humanoid races like you, there are ghosts and demonfolk, and there are also beastlike races such as divine beasts and spirit beasts like me.

Among those beastlike races—spirit beasts and divine beasts—when their yoryeok or spiritual energy reaches a certain position, they can perform what is called transformation of form. ]

“Transformation of form?” 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

[ It is the ability to change into a human form. ]

“Does only the exterior change?”

[ No. One is both a spirit beast or divine beast and a complete human. ]

“Ooooooh!”

If it were only a change of appearance into a human, I would have felt a little uneasy, but at the words “a complete human as well,” it felt like my soul was saved.

‘Right, I don’t have unusual tastes!’

As I felt relieved, Zihwa said proudly,

[ This body has achieved the state of Complete Human. ]

“Complete Human?”

[ There are stages even in transformation of form. At first is Half-Human Half-Beast, where one has arms and legs like a human but is close to a beast. There is hair or scales on the limbs and body, and one cannot hide tail or ears.

But if one piles up the stage further, one can reach the state of Humanlike Half-Beast. At this time one can possess smooth limbs. Well, the ears or tail still remain.

And what one reaches at the end is Complete Human. Becoming a person. ]

I froze at Zihwa’s explanation.

I had thought being a human—a full human—was the highest, but there was something even higher.

A human form, yet with scales, with ears and tail?

What came to mind were insect beastfolk, reptile beastfolk, amphibian beastfolk.

I don’t like hair.

I’m not into furry stuff, but insect beastfolk, reptile beastfolk, amphibian beastfolk—that’s a bit of a different story.

Those are, um... the best, aren’t they?

‘If something this great exists, maybe admitting I have unusual tastes wouldn’t be so bad?’

Curious about how our children would look in Half-Human Half-Beast or Humanlike Half-Beast form, I asked,

“Then can our children also become Half-Human Half-Beast or Humanlike Half-Beast?”

[ Of course. ] “Oooooh! How do you do it?”

Wanting to see the children in Half-Human Half-Beast or Humanlike Half-Beast form, I asked how they could change that way.

Zihwa shook her head.

[ It is impossible here in the lower world. The order of things does not permit that form. ]

“Tsk...”

If there are immortals, then there must be gods.

No, just what is this god person doing?

To put a server lock on something this good.

In games, putting a restriction on the server is called a server lock; perhaps this place Zihwa calls the lower world has a server lock on transformation of form—that is, becoming beastfolk.

No wonder, then, that Zihwa also cannot transform into a human form.

“Then we have to go to the Immortal Realm to change? So it’s as good as not.”

As I made a disappointed face, Zihwa nodded.

[ Yes. One must pass through the Ascension Platform, ascend, and at least reach the Nine Heavens. ]

From Zihwa’s explanation, it seemed ascension is not something where you suddenly soar to the sky upon reaching the stage.

You have to pass through something called the Ascension Platform.

The Ascension Platform is like a gate by which one can go to the Immortal Realm; if you do not pass through that place, you cannot ascend, she said.

[ If you only find the Ascension Platform, you can ascend at any time. Passing through a thousand kalpas means you have passed the qualification to ascend to the heavens. ]

“I’m not interested in immortals or any of that. I’m going to live here all my life happily with my wives.”

I had no interest whatsoever in a place called the Immortal Realm.

Born as a person, I thought my ending was to have children with my wives and live happily.

It was the resolve I made after reaching the Life-and-Death Stage.

But as we continued the conversation, words tempting to the ear came.

“By the way, in the Immortal Realm are there various spirit beasts and divine beasts like you, Zihwa?”

[ Of course. There are very many spirit beasts and divine beasts. There are those with venom as well. ]

“Hm? Spirit beasts, divine beasts with venom? Uh... are there, you know, those like insects, frogs, snakes, those kinds?”

[ Of course. ]

She said that up above there exist a great variety of venomous creatures.