After several days of travel since leaving the Kunlun Sect, we finally arrived at the place where our boat had been moored.
Over the past three to four months, the surrounding vegetation had grown considerably.
However, despite the fierce currents, the boat remained firmly in place, still securely fastened with Yo-hwa’s silk.
“That’s the boat we’ll be taking, Cheongwol. Once we get on, we’ll be able to travel swiftly over the water. It’s going to be fun.”
Krur.
I pointed toward the boat, which had begun to co into view through the overgrown grass, introducing it to Cheongwol.
But just then, our voices must have alerted soone—people erged hurriedly, pushing through the thickets to see who had arrived.
It had been months since I last saw them—Do Sagong and the other boatn.
“...Oh.”
However, the mont they stepped out of the foliage and ca face to face with us, they froze—staring blankly at sitting atop Cheongwol’s massive form.
A startled voice escaped from Do Sagong, who stood at the forefront.
“Th-this is...”
Peeking out from Cheongwol’s back, I leaned forward and looked down at him.
“It’s been a while, Do Sagong.
This is Cheongwol, our newest family mber.
We’ll need to make room for him to board. He probably can’t fit inside the cabin, so he’ll have to stay on deck.
Would that be alright?
Maybe with the Night-Climbing Technique, he can get on, but...”
Our boat was less than two zhang wide—roughly 8 ters across.
Cheongwol, when curled up, was around 4 ters, and when stretched out, he was just shy of 5 ters.
It wouldn’t be an easy task to get him onboard.
However, even though I had asked the question, Do Sagong remained silent.
He stood frozen, seemingly lost in thought, as if ti itself had stopped for him.
It wasn’t until one of the other boatn nudged him in the ribs that he snapped back to reality.
“Ugh! Huuuh! I-I’ll figure sothing out!”
He exhaled deeply, as if he had been holding his breath the whole ti, his face still in shock.
It seed they had grown accustod to Cho and Bini, but the sight of a massive scorpion had shaken them.
“Alright, I’ll leave it to you.”
“Yes, Young Master!”
Do Sagong quickly gathered the boatn and rushed off toward the boat.
As they disappeared into the tall grass, I turned to Cheongwol.
“Let’s go over there too, Cheongwol.”
Krurrr.
As Cheongwol moved forward, following the boatn, the trees in his path toppled over.
Rustle. Crash!
Amid the fallen trees, a clearing erged—its worn-down state revealing clear signs of past human activity.
Though the grass had grown considerably since I last saw it, it was still more organized than the rest of the wild terrain.
“Uh, so... what should we do first?”
“We should start preparing the cargo!”
“But Do Sagong, what about the weight...?”
“Ah, right. We need to check the weight first. But how do we even asure it?”
As soon as Cheongwol entered the clearing, the boatn started panicking.
It seed they weren’t sure what to do first, as their voices grew frantic.
I figured I should help, so I jumped down from Cheongwol’s back.
At the sa ti, the rest of our party also began dismounting their horses.
“F-finally, we’re here!”
The first loud complaint ca from Gungbong, who imdiately rubbed her sore backside after getting off her horse.
Soon after, mbers of Oryong, the Beast Palace, and the Martial Alliance warriors trickled into the clearing.
“Alright, as we discussed, we’ll rest here for the night and set out tomorrow. So-so, you’re in charge.”
Ji-tong, who had quietly approached, confird the plan for the night’s camp preparations.
I nodded in agreent.
Riding for long distances was exhausting, and we had already decided that we would rest here for a full day before continuing our journey.
“That sounds good, Ji-tong.”
Once I gave my approval, Ji-tong got to work setting up camp.
anwhile, I turned my attention to the flustered boatn.
They had all gathered around Cheongwol, unsure of what to do.
“Uh... S-Spirit Beast, sir... May we asure your size?”
One of the boatn, holding a coil of rope, cautiously asked.
It seed they intended to take Cheongwol’s asurents to ensure he could fit onto the boat.
However, as expected, Cheongwol wasn’t allowing anyone near him.
Krurrr.
Hiiiik!
With a low, guttural growl, he intimidated the boatn.
While my other companions would at least allow so level of contact, Cheongwol was different—
He wasn’t letting anyone approach him.
As I walked closer, he turned his head and spoke with clear irritation.
Krut. “Those people tried to touch !”
‘I thought he was quiet and indifferent, but... is he actually a bit picky?’
Amused by his cat-like reaction, I smiled and explained through my thoughts.
“They just need to asure you so we can get you onto the boat.”
Krung. “I refuse! Let do it myself!”
It seed like he hated the idea of soone else's hands touching him.
Even though his outer shell was covered in rock-like mineral deposits, aning no one’s hands would actually co into direct contact with his flesh, he detested the thought regardless.
Turning to the boatn, I spoke up.
“Looks like I’ll have to do it myself. I just need to tie the rope and pass it to you, right?”
“Yes, Young Master.”
“Alright, Cheongwol, just stay still for a bit. You might have to remain like this for quite a while.”
Krurrr. “That’s fine. I’m used to staying still.”
Though I had been slightly worried about him fitting onto the boat, he actually seed surprisingly calm about the whole situation.
Feeling relieved, I took the rope from the boatn and handed one end to Cheongwol, asking him {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} to hold it in his pincers.
Then, I carefully moved along his body, tying the other end near his tail.
“Here you go, Do Sagong.”
“Thank you very much, Young Master!”
This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.
As soon as I handed the rope over, the boatn rushed toward the ship, eager to get things ready.
From the deck, Do Sagong tested the rope’s strength to see if Cheongwol could board the boat.
Then, after a few monts of verification, he called out excitedly in my direction.
“It should be possible for him to get on! But... that spirit beast, what should we call him...?”
“Cheongwol.”
“...Excuse ?”
“His na is Cheongwol.”
“A-ah, I see... Cheongwol. Then, Cheongwol, would you be able to board the ship on your own?”
Scorpions could climb not just trees or rocky surfaces but also stone walls, though it depended on the species.
Since Cheongwol was a desert-type, I wasn’t sure how he would handle it.
I turned to him and asked,
“Cheongwol, do you think you can climb up there?”
Krung.
Cheongwol tilted his head slightly as he gazed at the deck.
It seed he wasn’t entirely sure himself—
Which made sense. He had lived his whole life in the desert, so he had never really climbed high places before.
‘Should we test it out? Want to give it a try?’
Krur.
“It looks like we’ll have to test it. Give us a mont.”
Cheongwol responded with a short growl of affirmation before approaching the ship.
“Everyone, step back for a mont!”
I shouted at the boatn, warning them to move.
Cheongwol placed his two massive pincers on the ship’s railing and began to lift himself up—
CRACK—!
The ship tilted violently.
CREAK! CRACK!
“H-heeeeek!!”
“W-wait! Cheongwol, hold on!!”
The boatn scread in panic, clutching the ship’s railing for dear life.
In the end, I had to pause Cheongwol and quickly ask Yo-hwa to reinforce the ship with extra silk strands to keep it from moving.
After securing it, we resud the climb—only to encounter another issue.
Even though Cheongwol could climb up on his own, the mont he crossed over the railing, the entire side of the ship broke apart.
Despite being reinforced with silk, the ship still rocked violently due to being on water.
Cheongwol stumbled slightly, causing the railing to completely shatter.
CRACK!
‘M-my ship...!’
At that mont, my brand-new ship was instantly wrecked.
First, Hyang had burned the deck.
Then, there had been a minor collision incident.
But this?
The entire midsection of the railing had been completely torn off.
‘My B-pillar... My ship has officially beco a wrecked vessel...’
It was like buying a new car and getting a scratch on it—except my ship wasn’t just scratched.
It had turned into an accident-prone disaster.
“...Oh. Did I... break sothing?”
Cheongwol looked at , his face full of guilt.
For a mont, I hesitated—then quickly shook my head.
“No, it’s not your fault. The ship was just too weak. We can fix it.”
Yeah... We can fix it.
Or I could work for decades to buy a new one.
But was the ship more important, or was Cheongwol more important?
If soone asked that, the answer was obvious.
After taking a deep breath, I turned to Do Sagong, who still looked completely stunned.
“Let’s just... cut off the rest of the railing.”
A brand-new ship, and yet one side of the railing was completely destroyed.
But what else could I do? It was already broken.
Besides, even if we repaired it, Cheongwol would break it again while getting on and off.
Better to remove it entirely.
“...You want to cut off the handrails?”
“Yes. If we fix it, it’s just going to break again every ti he gets on or off.”
“But without the railings, people could fall overboard.”
One of the boatn voiced his concern, but I simply shrugged.
“That’s not a problem. Yo-hwa’s silk can replace them. Just cut them off.”
Instead of wooden railings, we could just use silk barriers.
In the end, the railings were removed, and after much struggle, Cheongwol finally settled onto the ship.
***
“We’ll need about two days to restock supplies.”
“Understood. We’ll stop in Xichang and leave in three days.”
“Yes, Young Master.”
It had been several days since we followed the Yalong River downstream.
Now, we had arrived at Xichang, a beautiful city situated around a large lake.
Since we hadn’t originally planned to carry this many warriors from the Martial Alliance and the Beast Palace, we had to stop for supplies.
As we docked in Xichang, I noticed sothing unusual—
The city’s population had a distinct appearance.
Curious, I turned to Hwa-eun for an answer, but before she could respond, sister Seol answered instead.
“Who are those people?”
“They’re the Yi Tribe.”
The Yi Tribe—I had t them before, so I frowned slightly and asked,
“But... the Yi people didn’t dress like that last ti I saw them.”
As I recalled the Yi people I had encountered before, they had worn white pants, blue tops, and enormous white-and-red hats that resembled the elaborate wigs of court ladies.
However, the Ji-tong here was dressed in black garnts and wore a black cap similar to a court official’s hat.
Noticing my confusion, Seol nodded, indicating that she would explain.
“Oh, that’s because those were the Bai Yi (White Yi), while these are the Hei Yi (Black Yi).
Their social status is determined by color—Hei Yi are the nobles, while Bai Yi were historically slaves.”
“...I see.”
As we disembarked from the boat, the boatn headed straight into the marketplace to resupply, and we followed closely behind.
At the entrance to the market, near the lake, I imdiately noticed a row of fish stalls.
Since we were far from the sea, they likely only sold freshwater fish caught from the lake—
Yet, despite that, the variety was impressive.
The stalls displayed huge freshwater fish, turtles, and a wide assortnt of species.
The lake was clearly large and abundant, as even the crabs looked plump and delicious.
After spending so long traveling between Qinghai and Kunlun, we had only been eating mutton, horse at, and venison—
At this point, we were sick of at.
Just the thought of eating fresh fish and rice made my mouth water.
“Shall we have so fish and rice for a change?”
“That sounds good! I’m in.”
“I’m honestly getting tired of eating at too.”
Both sister Seol and Hwa-eun agreed instantly.
Even if it was pork, eating nothing but at was starting to feel unbearable.
“Alright, let’s find a good place to eat.”
As we wandered through the market, examining the stalls, we were suddenly stopped by a cheerful-looking Yi woman.
She was wearing a black cap, similar to the other Hei Yi.
With a bright smile, she called out to us.
“You should try the fish from Qiongchi (邛池)! I’ll cook it for you right away!”
Following her gesture, I looked behind her stall—
There was a small restaurant attached to it.
It seed like one of those places where you could buy fresh fish from the stall and have it cooked on the spot.
In the large tanks behind the stall, various fish swam around, still alive and fresh.
Unlike most of the dead fish we had seen while walking through the market—many of which were already sward with flies—these looked exceptionally fresh.
“All of your fish are still alive?”
“Of course! Fresh fish makes the best al.
Those other stalls only sell dead ones, but if you want to taste real fish from Qiongchi, you’ve got to co to my shop!”
The pride in her voice was undeniable.
I exchanged glances with Hwa-eun and Seol—and at the sa ti, we all nodded.
“Let’s eat here.”
“Agreed.”
“Sounds good.”
With a unanimous decision, we stepped up to the stall to choose our fish.
“Alright, we’ll leave it to you.”
“You made the right choice! Now, pick whatever you like, and I’ll cook it fresh for you.”
Along with Hwa-eun and sister Seol, I approached the tanks the woman pointed to.
The first tank contained massive carp.The second tank was filled with a type of crucian carp.The third tank had freshwater crabs and shrimp, swimming about.And the fourth tank...“...H-HOLY SH—!”
“W-what?! What’s wrong?!”
“Tong-ah, what is it?!”
Both Hwa-eun and Seol flinched at my outburst.
Without hesitation, I rushed forward and pressed my hands against the glass of the fourth tank.
“These—give all of them!”
“...All of them?”
“...ALL of them?”
“Yes, every single one!”
The stall owner, Hwa-eun, and Seol all widened their eyes in shock.
They were stunned by my sudden enthusiasm—
But how could I not be?
Inside the fourth tank were giant Chinese salamanders—known as E or Wawa.
These were Chinese Giant Salamanders—one of the largest amphibians in the world.
‘There’s no way I’m passing this up!’
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