Chapter 302: Spirit Beasts and Humans (2) |
Episode 302. Spirit Beasts and Humans (2)
The Beast Palace Lord chuckled and casually remarked that the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace's secret vault had once been raided. It seemed he was trying to lighten the mood with an amusing story—especially since it had happened quite a while ago.
However, knowing the truth behind the incident, I couldn't help but break out in cold sweat.
After all, the only person who could've pulled off such a heist in recent years was none other than the Ghost Shadow Thief.
And of those still alive, I was the person closest to him.
I wasn’t quite his disciple, but I had inherited the essence of his techniques.
I wasn’t his family, but I was the one who saw him off in his final moments.
It wasn’t as if the Beast Palace Lord would suddenly demand I take responsibility for the Ghost Shadow Thief’s actions, but if the truth got out, things would definitely get annoying.
Especially since once the Tang Clan began mingling with the Beast Palace, they’d soon find out we were the ones who “raided” the vault.
“Isn’t it amusing? The intruder went through all the trouble of breaking past the Beast Palace’s defenses and infiltrating the vault… only to steal a single chestplate.”
“I… I see.”
“Of course, it wasn’t an ordinary chestplate—it was made from a spirit beast’s hide… but in terms of pure performance, there were plenty of better options.”
“Then perhaps it was a thief without good taste.”
“That might be so, but that chestplate had a rather unique story behind it.”
No matter how cautious I was with my words, there was no way to calm down the Beast Palace Lord, who was clearly excited at receiving guests for the first time in ages and hopeful that he might finally cure the poison that had eaten away at him half his life.
“As you well know, White Moon Sword Lord, here in the Beast Palace, each person lives and trains alongside a companion. Quite literally, a lifelong partner.”
“So I’ve noticed. While there are those in the Central Plains who care for animals, I’ve never seen people treat them as part of themselves—until I came here.”
“You observed correctly. To the people of the Beast Palace, their companions are as dear to them as their own selves—sometimes even more. Now and then, some even grow a little too attached.”
“Too attached? What do you mean by—”
“Ahem. I mean there are those who… wish to become family in a slightly different sense.”
Wait—could he be implying…?
Perhaps I was too flustered, but as I stammered, the Beast Palace Lord nodded as if to reassure me.
“Don’t worry. It’s not common, and even within the palace now, it’s considered shameful.”
“Yes. But still, why bring this up all of a sudden…?”
Seeing my widened eyes, the Beast Palace Lord simply shook his head with a small smile.
“It might sound similar, but the story I’m about to share is a bit different. The point is—there have been times when humans and spirit beasts truly connected. But such things were originally forbidden.”
“I can’t deny it does sound… unsettling.”
“But in the past, someone thought like this: if the problem lies in the difference of species, then why not just become the same species?”
“Are you talking about shapeshifting techniques? Like those old tales of foxes turning into humans?”
“Ah, no. The opposite. A human turned into a beast.”
For a moment, I wondered if I’d misheard. I blinked and looked around at the others.
They all had the same expression as me—just blinking in disbelief.
“Long before the Beast Palace was founded, there were many more spirit beasts—some of them even divine beasts. I heard one of them offered help.”
“Wow…”
Unlike martial artists who train in inner energy, those beings used nature’s qi and their own unique methods. As a result, some wielded strange powers.
Among them, apparently, was one who could turn a human into a beast.
In ancient times, as the Taoist priests of the Central Plains performed miracles, so too did divine beasts in the Southern Barbarian lands.
Even now, many legends about mystical animals remain in the region.
“After that, humans became beasts, beasts became humans, and they truly lived together in harmony. Of course, it’s all an ancient tale, the truth of which is uncertain… but one thing’s for sure—the Beast Palace’s martial arts have roots in that story.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“The chestplate that was stolen was the relic of the first Beast Palace Lord. Inside it, the very story I just told was inscribed.”
There once was a person and a living beast.
And there was someone who married that beast.
Because in ancient times, humans and beasts were the same.
Something like that was engraved inside.
Honestly, even after hearing it, I wasn’t sure I understood it… but perhaps it wasn’t entirely impossible.
I mean, if a person could die and return to the past, then why couldn’t one become a beast?
But combining everything I’d just heard led to one shocking conclusion.
“So basically… someone stole the relic of the first Beast Palace Lord—an item believed to hold the origin of the Beast Palace itself.”
“Exactly.”
“A very precious item, then.”
“Indeed. Even if nothing else, the symbolism alone is enormous.”
Just what the hell was the Ghost Shadow Thief thinking…?
The Beast Palace Lord was smiling, but his eyes revealed a storm of emotions.
That proved just how priceless a treasure it was to the Beast Palace.
Though it had been reduced to a rag and discarded somewhere after the Ghost Shadow Thief fled from the Heavenly Demon and battled assassins…
Still, this raised a major question.
The Ghost Shadow Thief had a showy personality and the skills to match, but… it was never about wealth. He did it all for personal satisfaction.
He’d steal rare items, yes—but always those that others deemed useless or burdensome.
That meant stealing something this important to the Beast Palace would go against his personal code.
He wasn’t someone who easily broke his beliefs, so he would’ve thoroughly investigated beforehand…
Could he have stolen that chestplate without knowing what it was?
Just as I was lost in brief thought, the Beast Palace Lord suddenly burst out laughing.
“Ha ha! But even so, I’m glad it was stolen.”
“Pardon…?”
“I told you, didn’t I? The current Beast Palace shuns unions between man and beast. In the past, spirit beasts outnumbered humans, and divine beasts even protected us—that’s the only reason such stories were possible. But what about now?”
“We can hardly find a single spirit beast, let alone a divine one.”
“Exactly. Even here in the Southern Barbarians, spirit beasts have dwindled over generations. We’ve reached a point where we’re forcibly training normal animals in martial arts to artificially create spirit beast-like creatures. And even that might not last much longer.”
“I see…”
“The Beast Palace must change. That change could come today, tomorrow, or ten years from now… but it must come.”
The Beast Palace Lord looked at Meng Yubaek and his two sons with a blazing intensity unbefitting a man said to be ill.
In that moment, I realized everything he had said was just a prelude to what came next.
Though he was speaking to me, he was also addressing his own children.
“Under long-standing tradition, the Beast Palace has thrived to this day. But now, I think it’s time to forge a new tradition. And didn’t the Beast Palace just make a fine new friend in the Sichuan Tang Clan?”
Smiling faintly, the Beast Palace Lord continued.
“Thanks to the Centipede Lord’s introduction, I’ve made a new friend who claims they can cure my long-standing illness. For that reason, I’ll be staying at the Beast Palace for some time. So make sure you don’t offend them. Understood, Gyeom?”
Though he wore a smile, the Beast Palace Lord’s eyes were cold and sharp as he spoke to his second son… Meng Gyeom.
A warning not to cause trouble. And perhaps, a plea for me not to punish the boy—because he would handle it himself.
Meng Gyeom surely understood the message. His face flushed red and he lowered his head deeply.
Then, when he looked up again—
“I refuse to accept this!”
He shouted and stood up abruptly, eyes wide with fury.
Did he not understand the situation he was in?
Everyone, even the usually sympathetic elder brother, looked utterly appalled.
But Meng Gyeom’s madness didn’t stop there.
He suddenly pointed at me and Tang Sowol.
“O’Centipede Lord! Look at the people Meng Yubaek brought!”
Perhaps it was because no one, not even those still in the Peak Stage, ever acted this recklessly. It was honestly impressive in its own way.
I could understand that Meng Yubaek had survived and brought us back, and that it cornered him—but I didn’t expect him to spiral this badly.
“They’re from the Sichuan Tang Clan! And isn’t the Poison Demon of the Thousand Poison Gate also from the Tang Clan? You said these people could cure your poison? Of course they can! It was their own kind who inflicted it in the first place!”
“How dare you…!”
Hearing her clan being accused of colluding with the Poison Demon made Tang Sowol’s expression turn ice cold.
Having lost her mother to the Poison Demon as a child and nearly dying herself after being kidnapped, it must’ve been unbearable to listen to.
At the flick of her finger, green poison mist began to swirl around her.
She had already reached the Sub-Perfection level. There was no way she’d let any of the poison leak accidentally…
But if even a little did escape, I could guess the outcome.
Without a doubt, that Meng Gyeom would melt into a puddle of poison before he could blink.
The elder brother had reached Sub-Perfection thanks to age, but Meng Gyeom was still just at the peak of the Peak Stage.
Honestly, she didn’t even need to act. Seol Lihyang, the weakest among us, could subdue him in just a few moves.
And another person who knew this well—
The Beast Palace Lord. He panicked and tried to say something to Tang Sowol, probably to apologize and calm her down.
But I was faster.
“Tang Sowol. Calm yourself.”
“Brother Cheon?!”
“Don’t you wonder?”
“Wonder what? How far his rudeness will go?”
“No. How many lives he thinks he has.”
“You already decided to kill him once?!”
Even she looked shocked. I smirked and sent a bit of killing intent toward Meng Gyeom.
Knowing how sensitive the Beast Palace folks were to bloodlust, I kept it controlled—just enough to stop him from fainting.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
His face instantly went pale, his teeth chattering as he began to tremble.
Still, perhaps it was the blood of the Beast Palace Lord running through him—
Struggling to even breathe under the pressure, Meng Gyeom spoke, haltingly.
“L-Look! He’s the one who wiped out the Thousand Poison Gate in a single night! What guarantee do we have that he won’t do the same to the Beast Palace?!”
“How amusing. And did you have any guarantee that you wouldn’t die here today?”
“Look, my lord! How can you entrust your life to someone like this?!”
The Beast Palace Lord now glared at Meng Gyeom with eyes devoid of even a shred of affection.
But Meng Gyeom wasn’t done speaking yet.
“Punish me however you see fit…! But please, at least let the physician I brought treat you, my lord!”
What a fool. After acting like this, how does he expect anyone to trust him?
Was he trying to get his own father to kill him instead of Meng Yubaek?
“No! That’s not it!”
Meng Gyeom shouted as if wrenching the words from his lungs, gasping as he continued.
“The physician I brought is… a Demon Physician!”
At those words, the killing intent aimed at him eased dramatically. I, too, lessened mine to hear him out.
Because—
“Well, what luck.”
If a bastard was bringing another bastard, what reason was there to stop him?