NOVEL NEXT Chapter 86
Chapter 3: The Exciting Discovery
“Twenty-Four Poisons Branch!”
-Skreeee!
At my shout, Chao, Hyang, and Bin emitted warning sounds, wriggling their way across the floor and hugging onto the bamboo in front of them.
And then, adorably, they started to nibble on the bamboo.
-Crunch.
-Crack.
What followed was a chorus of delightful gasps.
“Oh my, how cute!”
“Aww, so precious!”
Hua Eun and Older Sister Seol couldn’t contain themselves, their faces lighting up at the sight of the Ogong.
The Ogong Continuous Formation, combining the Beast Heart Technique I learned from my adoptive father and the Beast Spiral Formation taught by Seol, was originally meant for ferociously attacking opponents using connected beasts. But somehow, our Ogong doing this ended up being just adorable!
Even though they sprang forth from my body to bite a person with great speed, the sight of them crawling on the ground made them look incredibly cute. Maybe it was due to their lack of skill in the Ogong Continuous Formation or some miscommunication, but the sluggish motion really emphasized their adorableness.
While Hua Eun and Older Sister Seol were utterly charmed, I found myself a bit disappointed.
I was expecting a fierce display, not this cuteness…
So, a line slipped out before I knew it.
“This isn’t it…”
-Skree?
-Skreee?
-Skree?
The Ogong seemed to convey confusion about what they did wrong, so I quickly waved my hands and answered.
“Oh, no! You did great! My little ones did well.”
I had in mind something grand, like a dramatic attack on a target, but it seems our Ogong still needed to grow.
A tad disappointing, sure, but I gathered them into my arms.
Thinking about it, they weren’t even a year old yet.
‘They’ll grow eventually. This dad believes you’ll become giant Ogong like their mother.’
“All right, let’s head back now. You did well.”
-Skree!
-Skreee!
The little ones skittered back, conveying their pride in accomplishing the task.
I gently patted the heads of the ones who crawled up to me.
What I was currently doing wasn’t that significant.
It had only been fifteen days since I received the Beast Heart Technique from my adoptive father and registered the Ogong.
Since the core technique of the Five Poisons Return to Origin Divine Skill was derived from the Beast Heart Technique, it didn’t take long for it to settle in, separating venomous powers from the original Beast Heart Technique.
Moreover, I was able to carry over the skills I had learned, leading to an immediate increase in proficiency.
So, I decided to test the connection with the three Ogong I registered on the first day by running the Beast Spiral Formation that Seol taught me.
Of course, I didn’t go through the ridiculous process my adoptive father instructed, where you lie down and let them suck your blood.
There was no way I could do that sober!
It made me feel less than human.
So, I completed the registration by having them suck on my pinky finger.
‘No matter how I think about it, that really wasn’t right.’
Just recalling that day made me shudder, and I turned to Seol.
“Seol, by the way, is there still no news?”
“Yeah, the warriors went about three days from here, so they should get back to us soon. Just a little bit longer to wait. By the way, you keep asking every day.”
“Ha, haha. I’m curious…”
Seol looked at me with wide, innocent eyes because I asked every day about the news regarding the Flying Heavenly Snake.
But then, she expressed some hurt feelings.
“By the way, I feel a bit neglected by So-ryong.”
“Huh? Neglected?”
“It’s just that I know So-ryong likes venomous insects, but it feels like if that Flying Heavenly Snake didn’t exist, my brother wouldn’t even be into it.”
“Re-really?! No way!”
“Hm… I just don’t feel that way.”
After only a few days of knowing me, she thought she understood me completely!
I quickly shook my head in denial.
“No, that’s not it! I was just worried about whether someone like me could actually become Seol’s brother.”
“Really?”
“Of course!”
‘Phew, I never thought having a caring sibling would be this terrifying. I’d rather have a casual sibling like back in my past life.’
I didn’t know what a sister was like, but the current Seol was vastly different from the ideal ones I had seen in my previous life.
Although, listening to Hua Eun’s stories, it seemed that not all older sisters were like this…
“Anyway, speaking of which, Hua Eun, how about we take the Lizard over to that flower field today? There are plenty of mushrooms there that are delicious when stir-fried.”
“Sounds good! Let’s do it.”
As soon as Hua Eun and Older Sister Seol’s attention veered elsewhere, I quickly took my chance to leave the training grounds and head toward the Tang Clan warriors.
I had a feeling I was going to be dragged to the flower field, so I wanted to make my escape before they could pull me along.
If I left them to their devices, they would likely drag me around for the entire day.
But it wasn’t a blatant escape.
While I was busy adapting to the original form of the Beast Heart Technique intertwined with the Five Poisons Return to Origin Divine Skill, the warriors of the Four Heavenly Houses had been gathering venomous insects around here in the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace, so I was going to check on that.
I had an excuse since I was already monitoring it every day!
“All right, we were told to keep it nice and clean, so let’s take care of this by today!”
“Understood, Deputy Commander!”
“By the way, where did the scorpions we caught yesterday go?”
“This way, Deputy Commander.”
Following the voices of Gu Pae and the warriors as they spoke in the palace, I entered the area where guests kept their catch.
Upon entering, I was greeted warmly by Gu Pae.
“Welcome, So-ryong!”
“Thank you for your hard work, Gu Pae.”
Then I reported back on several concerns we discussed yesterday.
“Not at all, So-ryong. As you mentioned, we’ve been cleaning up, and we’ve been catching field mice and locusts outside to feed them.”
“Are they eating well?”
“There are some that haven’t eaten yet, but the lizards are eating well.”
“The ones that haven’t eaten can go days without food, so that’s not a problem.”
As I was confirming the bamboo enclosure, I suddenly heard a voice.
“Is that So-ryong?”
Turning my head, I saw Mandok God, my grandfather, entering the courtyard.
Following him were Blood Poison Deputy Commander and several members of the Poison Blood Team.
He mentioned that he had gone out gathering for a few days, and now he was returning from collecting.
“Did you have a good trip, Grandfather? You must be tired.”
“Indeed! So, have there been any advancements in your Five Poisons Return to Origin Divine Skill?”
“Yes, I’m making progress.”
“Good, good. Also, take a look at this. Blood Poison Deputy Commander, bring it here.”
Grandfather seemed excited about something notable he had caught, and as I eagerly waited with anticipation, the Blood Poison Deputy Commander came forward holding a small bamboo sieve and opened the lid.
Inside was a lizard.
But not just any lizard.
It resembled one that had been sliced open with a knife, revealing a coin-like pattern on its cross-section.
“This is! The Gold Money Trap Spider!”
“Gold Money Trap Spider?”
Hearing the name, Grandfather looked at me with curiosity.
He pointed at the spider in surprise.
“Yes, it’s called the Gold Money Trap Spider.”
The Gold Money Trap Spider (金錢活板門蛛) is a type of ancient spider, known in the West as the Chinese Hourglass Spider (Cyclocosmia ricketti).
It is characterized by its uniquely shaped abdomen, which has a cross-section that looks like it has been sliced open, resembling a coin.
That’s why it’s called the Gold Money Trap Spider in China.
In the West, it’s called the Hourglass Spider because its abdomen resembles a sand timer.
It’s an incredibly rare species.
In my previous life, it was a kind of arachnid that couldn’t be found in Korea.
There are rumors that they block their entrances with their butts, but that’s not true. This type is a trap spider that digs and lives underground; since they live in vertically oriented burrows, the flatness of their butts is likely a result of that.
“I thought this uniquely shaped one would catch So-ryong’s interest, and indeed!”
“Hehe…”
I scratched my head awkwardly at Grandfather’s words, and he seemed curious.
“By the way, have we figured out the location of the Flying Heavenly Snake in the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace?”
“No, not yet. The warriors who went to check haven’t returned yet.”
“Really? But they know the Yunnan jungles like the back of their hands, so they should find it quickly. I had taken some people from the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace with us this time; they were a great help.”
“Is that so?”
Well, Yunnan is practically their backyard, so it’d be strange if they didn’t know it.
Nodding along, Grandfather continued.
“I saw the Twenty-Four Poisons Branch just once when I was young— it’s been a long time, so I’m looking forward to it.”
That mention of the Twenty-Four Poisons Branch triggered my curiosity further.
Since I didn’t get a detailed explanation last time, I quickly asked.
“Grandfather, um, what exactly is the Twenty-Four Poisons Branch?”
I gathered it was a selection of higher-tier poisons categorized under the Ten Great Venoms, and it felt like a sub-quest had emerged alongside a main quest I couldn’t ignore.
‘It seems to involve collecting twenty-four kinds of venom; that could be quite enjoyable!’
Honestly, the Yo-hwa being a pet helped lessen the hostility toward humans, and I accidentally got her, but other Ten Great Venoms definitely seemed like a serious challenge.
Just think about it: Yo-hwa can fog us into a trance and has powerful physical prowess, alongside the ability to transform her body.
If we were to encounter it under normal circumstances, capturing it wouldn’t be easy.
Other Ten Great Venoms would surely be just as hard to find and capture.
Since this is a main quest, it wouldn’t be as easy as just waiting for news about the Ten Great Venoms like picking fruit from trees; I figured it might be more feasible to aim for the Twenty-Four Poisons Branch as a side quest instead.
So, I expressed my thoughts aloud.
Then came Grandfather’s response.
“Oh, now that you mention it, I didn’t explain the Twenty-Four Poisons Branch. You should pay close attention.”
“Yes, Grandfather.”
“First of all, we should explain the term Twenty-Four Poisons Branch. Just like the twelve branches divide a day into twelve parts, we in the Tang Clan divide the day into twenty-four sections, and attach a poison for each section.”
‘Oh, so it’s a special timing system unique to the Tang Clan?’
The idea that they split the day into twenty-four parts, each associated with different poisonous creatures, made sense.
Nodding thoughtfully, Grandfather continued.
“Also, the Twenty-Four Poisons Branch refers to higher-tier poisons we classified that fall short of the Ten Great Venoms but are stronger than standard poisons.”
“Ohhh. So they’re stronger than advanced poisons but not quite in the league of the Ten Great Venoms. That’s impressive!”
“Indeed. There’s a tale that our ancestors segregated the Ten Great Venoms and formed the Twenty-Four Poisons Branch from those they felt were a bit lacking.”
All the ones that didn’t quite make the ranking were collected separately— my excitement was through the roof!
Seeing my sparkling eyes, Grandfather chuckled and elaborated.
“And among the flying snakes, we have the Flying Heavenly Snake, the first of the Twenty-Four Poisons Branch, which corresponds to the part of the twelve branches known as Zi that divides into six parts— the head of the Earth and Sky.”
It literally means “Heaven.”
“Heaven!”
‘Wow, that’s epic. The first in the series mirrors heaven. Plus, the poisonous creature has “Heaven” in its name— Flying Heavenly Snake!’
The very idea of having “Heaven” as the first of the Twenty-Four Poisons sent shivers down my spine.
Just as Grandfather finished the explanation, I suddenly heard Seol’s voice.
“Oh, So-ryong! I knew you’d be here!”
I turned, slightly surprised to see her approaching. After greeting Grandfather, she smiled and dropped the bombshell.
“Ryu, we finally got news!”
“News?”
“The news you were waiting for the most. The Flying Heavenly Snake! Ah, they referred to it as the Flying Heavenly Snake in the Tang Clan. The warriors who went into the jungle found it in the Xiashui Valley! Father wants to head out tomorrow without delay since you’ve been anxiously waiting. Hehe.”
“Ooooooh!”
Finally, the news I had been waiting for about the Flying Heavenly Snake had come!
It meant the time had come to grasp the first of the Twenty-Four Poisons Branch, “Heaven”!