Chapter 290: Centipede Gate (1) |
The reception room was a bit cramped for four people. Still, since it was meant for receiving guests, it was well-maintained. Just as he brought a freshly brewed cup of tea to his lips, Seol Lihyang poked his side.
“Do it, Cheon Hwi. That thing.”
“Oh, come on. Just one more time? Please?”
Her poking turned into gentle tickling as she whispered, her voice unusually sweet and full of charm.
He knew this version of Seol Lihyang all too well from his pre-regression experiences. When she got like this, she wouldn’t stop pestering him until she got what she wanted—even if it took days.
Eventually, he shut his eyes tightly and opened his mouth.
“If you don’t want to die, drop your weapons.”
“Ahahaha!”
“If you bring out warm tea, I’ll spare your life.”
Seol Lihyang burst into laughter, clutching her stomach. While Tang Sowol and Seo Mun-Hwarin didn’t laugh aloud, they turned their heads and covered their mouths, shoulders trembling.
A blissful, cheerful scene where everyone was smiling.
Everyone—except for two people.
One was the speaker—himself.
The other was the one who had heard those words—the Centipede Gate Sect Leader.
Flinching as if recalling a traumatic memory, the Sect Leader barely managed to sip her tea. Now that he looked closely, she wasn’t just unable to smile—she looked like she was about to cry.
Though he’d intended it to calm the situation, it seemed the shock had been too much.
He let out a short sigh and finally drank the now lukewarm tea.
The scent lingered on his palate before disappearing down his throat. A strangely familiar taste.
“This is… you used some pretty good tea leaves.”
“D-Did it suit your taste?”
“But you brewed too much of the good stuff. Rather than using expensive tea leaves multiple times for guests, it’s better to steep decent leaves in moderation.”
“Ah…”
The Sect Leader flailed with an embarrassed expression. Watching her, he gave a wry smile and shook his head.
“I’m not criticizing. I just found the weak, fading aroma oddly nostalgic.”
“You’ve experienced poverty too, Sword Demon?”
“Before I became the Tang Clan’s son-in-law, it was my daily life.”
Strictly speaking, that was pre-regression.
At that time, the Ironblood Hall had been barely supported by the Black Lotus Sect.
If he wanted access to better martial arts from the Black Lotus’s storehouse, he had to give up comfort. To keep warm and fed, he had to forgo cultivation. He and the Demonic Sound Ice Witch, whose life depended on expelling Yin energy, had little choice.
Thus began the impoverished days of Ironblood Hall—but the problem was, many still came looking for Seo Mun-Hwarin.
After all, she was a master at the Flowering Stage. Even if she didn’t actively help people, many came hoping for a favor.
There were times when they had to receive guests without a coin to spare. Eventually, just like Centipede Gate now, they’d steep the same expensive leaves over and over again…
“Maybe it’s because of those memories, but when I taste this kind of weak tea, I can feel the effort behind it. It’s comforting in its own way.”
“Thank you…”
The Sect Leader—Meng Yubaek—bowed with a complicated expression, unsure whether to feel ashamed her little trick had been caught, or grateful for the understanding.
With a chuckle, he studied her closely.
Her short brown hair barely reached her shoulders. Her eyes were also brown, but oddly shaped—her pupils were elongated, more beast-like than human.
Likely a result of learning the Beast Palace’s martial arts.
Her dark skin wasn’t from martial cultivation, but simply a characteristic of those living in the Southern Barbarians.
As for her age… perhaps fifteen. She had looked young from afar, but up close, she looked even younger—her timid impression only added to that.
No wonder she had starved to the point of being eaten by the Fire Centipede before his regression.
A noble daughter with no preparation had left home with only a giant centipede. Young, inexperienced, weak, and shy—of course she struggled just to eat.
It seemed little had changed even now, after founding Centipede Gate.
Well, what could a clueless noble girl and rejected sect members do together, besides starve?
He had worried when he first heard she’d started a sect, but with this level of poverty, it looked like money would be enough to handle the Fire Centipede.
Smiling with satisfaction, he nodded—but was quickly interrupted when Tang Sowol placed a hand on his arm.
“Young Master Cheon.”
“Hm?”
“You were staring at the Centipede Gate Sect Leader, then nodded to yourself… What exactly does that mean? I don’t think it’s anything, but perhaps…”
Ever since seeing his memories via the trick, Tang Sowol had become more prone to what might be jealousy or anxiety.
He understood why, considering what she might’ve seen—but he hadn’t expected her to act like this now.
Chuckling dryly, he shook his head.
“It’s not what you think. You know me well, Sowol. Whenever I meet someone new, I always assess whether or not I could cut them down.”
“Eep!”
“She’s the daughter of the Beast Palace Lord, so I was wondering if she might have hidden protection—but she doesn’t. She’s someone I could kill any time. Same goes for that centipede waiting outside.”
“P-please spare me…?”
The Sect Leader trembled, nearly spitting out her tea. All the wariness he had just dispelled was now back to square one—but Sowol came first.
At last, with a composed smile, Tang Sowol returned to her usual gentle demeanor.
“Oh my. If that’s the reason, I suppose it can’t be helped. Centipede Gate Sect Leader? There’s no need to be so afraid. Our Young Master Cheon won’t harm anyone without a reason.”
“…But if there is a reason, then…”
Meng Yubaek’s eyes started spinning as she imagined something horrifying. Her arms shook so badly she spilled half her tea on the floor.
Sighing at the pitiful sight, he asked:
“Now that I think about it, we haven’t introduced ourselves, have we? As you probably know, I’m Cheon Hwi of the Tang Clan. I'd prefer to be called by the title ‘White Moon Sword Lord,’ not Sword Demon or Blood Flame Sword Demon.”
“Y-Yes! White Moon Sword Lord!”
“And you? What’s your name?”
“Eep! My name? O-Of course, I should tell you! I’m Meng Yubaek! But how did you know about my father?”
“Someone like me has ways of knowing everything.”
“Wow…!”
He couldn’t explain regression or make up a fancy lie, so he gave a vague answer—and Meng Yubaek swallowed it completely.
She looked like someone who could be deceived with minimal effort. Hiding a hint of embarrassment, he continued.
“The reason we came all this way is simple: the Fire Centipede, and matters related to the Beast Palace.”
“To Chilgong and Father…?”
“Chilgong?”
“Oh, that’s the Fire Centipede’s name! I gave it to him after I successfully tamed him!”
“I see…”
Perhaps because it heard its name, the scraping sound outside the room grew louder. Though it didn’t poke its head in, it was clearly watching them.
Well, with a spirit beast’s intelligence, it probably understood the gist of what was happening.
“Ahem. Back to the point.”
“Y-Yes!”
He flashed Meng Yubaek the gentlest, most harmless smile he could manage.
“I want to buy the Fire Centipede. And if possible, I’d like to arrange a meeting with the Beast Palace Lord. Can you help?”
Meng Yubaek hesitated, then slowly shook her head.
“I’m sorry. I don’t think I can help with either.”
“Difficult, huh… From where I’m standing, living like this seems even harder. No?”
“You’re right. I feel bad saying this about the others in Centipede Gate who took me in, but… Centipede Gate has no future.”
Her voice was calm and heavy, as if accepting an inevitable fate. Her gaze grew distant, as if staring not at him, but at something far away.
“You already seem to know, but… my father couldn’t accept Chilgong. I was stubborn, and in the end, I was cast out of the Beast Palace.”
“Well… given how hostile the Beast Palace was with the Five and Thousand Poison Gates, it couldn’t be helped.”
“Yes. I don’t regret it—it was my choice. It really was something unavoidable. And it’s the same for everyone in Centipede Gate.”
“Hm?”
“The Thousand Poison Gate… used to torment civilians around them. They’d steal everything people had, force them into nests of venomous insects, use them as test subjects for new poisons, or even kill them for no reason. So it’s no surprise.”
“Even among the unorthodox sects, that kind of cruelty is rare.”
“Exactly. That’s why—those who saw the Sword Demon destroy the Thousand Poison Gate feared him, but those who only heard the rumors were grateful.”
At that point, Meng Yubaek slowly looked up to meet his gaze. It was the first time their eyes met.
“The Thousand Poison Gate really was that terrible. But not every member was evil.”
“Some were forced in… or had no choice but to join.”
“You knew…?”
“That kind of thing is common in the unorthodox world, though perhaps a bit crueler here.”
“That’s right. Some people joined because they had no choice. They hurt others because they were ordered to. Hurt themselves because they had no choice. And after the Thousand Poison Gate was destroyed, they had nowhere to go, so they wandered the ruins.”
“You seem to know a lot about me, White Moon Sword Lord… But do you also know this? The first time I met Chilgong… was when I was about to be killed by an assassin my brother sent.”
“…What?”
“The Beast Palace’s territory was growing, and it had encroached on Chilgong’s domain. He must’ve known—if things went on, he’d be killed or driven out.”
“…That’s…”
“Yes. Chilgong tried to prove his worth by saving someone who looked noble—me. He gave up centuries of pride and bound himself to me. He had to survive. It couldn’t be helped.”
“At this point… it seems your father didn’t expel you just because he disliked you.”
“Right. He never said it directly, but… my father gave me a choice: keep fighting for succession and live in danger, or give up everything and leave, alive.”
His regression gave him knowledge others couldn’t have—but in the end, that was limited to what was externally visible.
So this was the truth behind the Fire Centipede incident.
As he nodded silently, Meng Yubaek gave a faint smile.
A forlorn smile.
“This is where we ended up. Centipede Gate is where those with nowhere else to go, for reasons beyond their control, have gathered. If I now sell my family—again, because it ‘can’t be helped’… then how far will we be pushed?”
A flicker sparked in the haze of her eyes.
A tiny flame born in emptiness. Some would call that determination.
Meng Yubaek—though young and only first-rate in cultivation—at this moment, was undeniably a Sect Leader.
“This is our final stop. I no longer want to retreat because I have no choice, nor live the rest of my life regretting a compromise.”
And with that, Meng Yubaek bowed deeply.
“So I’m sorry. I don’t think I can help with your requests, White Moon Sword Lord.”
Looking down at her bowed head, he opened his mouth.
“Understood. Then how much for just the Fire Centipede’s venom?”
“Oh! That! It’s ten nyang of silver per type! But if you buy all seven, I’ll give you a discount—sixty silver nyang total!”
The change in tone was so fast it left him speechless.
“Hehe. With sixty silver, we can eat two meals a day for a while!”
“…I see.”
Feeding the sect members was, after all, the duty of a Sect Leader…
He felt a bit of a pang in his heart.