Chapter 312: Field of Vision (3) |
“…Why are you staring at me like that? It’s unsettling.”
The Beast Palace Lord set down the chopsticks he had been raising to his mouth, wearing a displeased expression.
It happened during one of the meals we frequently shared ever since Tang Sowol began his full-fledged treatment.
“I just suddenly grew curious, that’s all.”
“Are you wondering how a half-dead old man can still eat meat so well? My teeth are sturdy, that’s all. Fortunately so.”
“You really do see the world in a twisted way. I was simply curious whether, if someone else learned the ‘beast’ portion of the Beast Palace’s martial arts, it would link person-to-beast or person-to-person.”
“So you want to handle a person like a trained beast? Hard to see that in a positive light, but to answer—no, that’s impossible. The martial arts of the Beast Palace only help communication flow better; they don’t cloud intelligence or force behavior.”
“That actually was the meaning behind my question. And I do wonder why the distinction between human and beast matters so much. In the end, humans are just intelligent beasts, aren’t we?”
“The twisted one is right here.”
It was an outrageous accusation, yet surprisingly, several people nodded as if agreeing.
Notably, my companions—and Meng Yubaek, who nodded reflexively before freezing in shock.
The only exception was the Beast Palace Lord’s eldest son, Meng Yugak, who watched his younger sister with a complicated expression.
For reference, Meng Gyeom had been making excuses and refusing to come out ever since the Demon Physician left.
He must have realized he no longer had a chance at becoming palace lord, and was preparing to gather what he could before leaving.
Of course, he might be preparing a decisive move to overturn the already-set board, but… honestly, that possibility was low.
Meng Gyeom might be reckless, but he wasn’t stupid. In fact, he was rather sharp—just not sharp enough.
Meng Yugak, who was practically confirmed as the next Beast Palace Lord, had a sturdy, honest-looking demeanor. As I imagined what the future Beast Palace might look like under him… I couldn’t picture it easily.
Naturally so—before my regression, even up to my death, Meng Yugak never inherited the Beast Palace Lord’s seat.
Perhaps because Meng Gyeom was still a competitor back then, but more likely because the current Beast Palace Lord, Meng Oh, remained so absurdly vigorous it seemed he might outlive his prime.
While I quietly nodded to myself, the Beast Palace Lord grinned and spoke.
“Why did you suddenly fall silent? If it struck a nerve, don’t worry. High-realm martial artists always have a few screws loose somewhere.”
“I don’t know where you’ll find someone as properly upright as I am. I just asked because I recently gained some insight.”
“Insight, eh? Now that you mention it, your atmosphere is slightly different from before. Seems the Beast Palace’s secret arts helped you. If so, I’d appreciate you sharing that insight with me as well.”
Perhaps because he knew his treatment was progressing smoothly, he acted far brighter and more playful than when we first met.
Since what he said wasn’t unreasonable, I smirked.
“Not a bad idea. I’m not sure whether this is what the Beast Palace Lord had in mind, but I did gain plenty, so giving some back should be fine.”
“Oh? I appreciate it, but… that was a joke, you know. Don’t misunderstand it as a demand.”
“Don’t worry. Nothing like that. Have you met anyone from the Namgung Clan before?”
“I know they’re a famed sword clan of the Central Plains, but I’ve never seen them personally.”
“They’ve helped me greatly in multiple ways. They aren’t closed-minded about martial arts—quite open, in fact. In exchange for learning my swordsmanship, they taught me the Namgung sword.”
“Ohh… from what I know, martial artists of the Central Plains value their martial arts more than their lives. Surprising.”
“That much is true of the Namgung Clan as well. But because they value it, they do so.”
Swordsmanship is a technique; it grows faster through exchange than through hoarding.
What they must protect isn’t a set of movements, but the Namgung sky.
Under that philosophy, they held an open attitude toward martial arts and maintained their title as the strongest clan for generations.
Their sword embraced all swords—the sky above all blades, and the king ruling over them.
For someone like me, endlessly thirsty for advancing martial arts, it was an unforgettable philosophy. I agreed with much of it.
“So, I don’t want to be stingy with martial arts either. Though unlike the Namgung Clan, I can’t go as far as ‘steal it if you can.’”
“I see. If that’s how you think, then I’m grateful to hear it.”
Since we were on the same boat now, maintaining strong ties was beneficial—and it was more effective than I expected.
The Beast Palace Lord, Meng Yugak, and Meng Yubaek all looked at me with impressed expressions, and I felt my face warm.
I cleared my throat lightly to chase away the embarrassment and continued.
“Ehem. You told me before—spiritual beasts of divine rank leave something behind even at death.”
“I did.”
“So I observed what it left behind, and thanks to the Beast Palace’s teachings, I was able to accept it.”
“I doubt what it left for its killer was anything pleasant.”
“My killing intent was far more vicious, so it was fine.”
The Beast Palace Lord stared at me, stunned, so I gave him a gentle smile and continued.
“I added the Azure Cold Serpent’s lingering will to my own willpower. And now, if I choose, I can see the world through the sight she had in life.”
“She?”
“She was female. I remember clearly—I killed her offspring too.”
His expression shifted to that of someone looking at a deranged killer, so I quickly added,
“It was an all-out battle where we used every method to kill each other. She simply died in the order of the weaker.”
“…We’ll go with that.”
The atmosphere grew slightly awkward—not my intention—so I quickly moved on.
“Anyway, the point is this: I gained the sight of a divine beast, one that views the world differently from humans.”
“And what’s different specifically?”
“I can see the flow of energy.”
“Hmm???”
“I’m saying I literally see it with my eyes, not just sense it.”
Naturally, no matter how sharp one’s senses, sensing could never surpass actual sight.
And I hadn’t lost my energy sense—this was an addition—allowing me to observe the flow with far greater detail.
“For example, you and the Black Claw… that’s the panther’s name, yes?”
“Correct.”
“I can see how your internal energies operate.”
“…What?”
The Beast Palace Lord widened his eyes, unable to brush that aside.
Understandable. It sounded dangerously close to perceiving one’s cultivation method.
I shook my head with a wry smile.
“Not that far. If I could read a cultivation method just from the outside, I would’ve sensed something ages ago.”
“Ah, so you’re seeing what you normally sense, but visually.”
“Exactly. All I sense through energy sense is that you and Black Claw are linked through a shared cultivation method. So that’s all I can see as well.”
With that, I looked quietly at Black Claw.
Would a divine beast–level creature understand human speech?
As if reacting to my gaze, the beast stopped lounging lazily and grew alert.
I sensed its swirling energy through both perception and sight, then spoke.
“Beast Palace Lord, have you ever considered this? Other Beast Palace warriors have martial ability similar to their partner spiritual beasts. Since their qi is shared, it’s natural. But you and Black Claw do not match in the slightest.”
“Well, that’s because the realm of divine beasts isn’t something easily reached.”
“The Flowering Stage isn’t easy either.”
“True, but still…”
“Tell me—how many previous Beast Palace Lords raised their partners to the level of divine beasts?”
“Other than our founder, who became close friends with the Heavenly Winged White Tiger—none.”
Heavenly Winged White Tiger?
A tiger… with wings?
Spiritual beasts could evolve unpredictably, but that stretched imagination to its limit.
The absurd image of a flying white tiger roaring in the sky flashed into my mind. I shook my head to clear it and continued.
“After the Flowering Stage, humans and beasts simply cannot share the same path. Humans have a human path; beasts have a beast path.”
“Didn’t you just say humans are intelligent beasts?”
“Yes—different beasts require different paths.”
As I rephrased, the Beast Palace Lord sank into thought.
I spoke as carefully as possible; phrased poorly, it might sound like an insult.
“I’m not saying the Beast Palace’s martial arts are flawed. But consider this: if two martial artists reach the Flowering Stage with the same techniques, are they truly the same martial artist?”
“Oh…”
His eyes widened as understanding dawned.
The Flowering Stage was where mind, qi, and body unified—upper, middle, and lower dantian harmonized—revealing one’s purest self.
Naturally, everyone would differ, even if raised identically from birth.
Then how much more so between a human and a beast?
The Beast Palace’s martial arts were exceptional—they could elevate beasts to spiritual beasts and even push them to Sub-Perfection. But…
By sharing each other’s qi and will, they limited the growth of something unique within themselves.
“So you’re saying the Beast Palace’s martial arts become a shackle?”
“Rather than shackle, I’d say it becomes a wall to break.”
Until you reach it, it guides.
Once reached, it becomes a limit.
“The flow I saw told me this: the Beast Palace’s martial arts lean too much toward the human side of the bond. And that becomes a thick shell that prevents the spiritual beast from rebirthing into a divine beast.”
“I see… true. Humans have two arms and two legs and stand upright—but beasts vary infinitely.”
Frogs, dogs, cats, monkeys, tigers, birds, fish—everything was lumped under “beast.”
There naturally had to be trade-offs.
“Finding martial arts that suit Black Claw—that must be the first step.”
“Exactly.”
“Thank you. I’ll look into the specifics later, but the fact remains that you’ve given me tremendous help. I will repay it someday.”
“Then perhaps you could sell goods cheaper when trading with the Tang Clan—”
“Others need to make a living too, do they not?”
“If you can’t make them cheaper, perhaps you could at least serve as a guide?”
“I can promise that no matter how dense the jungles of Yunnan, you won’t lose your way while there.”
Considering Yunnan Province was so harsh even the imperial court avoided interfering, that was quite a good offer.
I nodded in satisfaction, then suddenly remembered something.
“Ah, there’s one more thing I should tell you.”
“What is it?”
“Since I can see the flow of energy now, I think I can control some of the risks accompanying your detoxification.”
We hadn’t been able to directly cure the Beast Palace Lord’s poison because three different poisons were tangled together in a delicate equilibrium.
Heal one, and the remaining two rampaged through his body—something his weakened state couldn’t withstand.
So the plan had been to split the burden between him and Black Claw, his partner, and research a method accordingly—which took time.
But poison qi was still qi.
And now, I could influence it.
I could delay the rampage, prevent clashes between poisons, or even absorb part of the poison qi with my Poison Immune Body.
Meaning, even if Tang Sowol’s research wasn’t fully complete, I could still treat him.
After listening to my explanation, Tang Sowol shouted in an aggrieved voice:
“Th-this… this isn’t poison arts at all…!”
A hollow cry.