I kept flicking my eyes between Cheongyu and Hwa-eun without realizing it.
Hwa-eun tilted her head, puzzled by the expression on my face.
“So-ryong? Is Cheongyu... really that sick?”
“Ah—no, not really. I don’t think it’s anything serious...”
“Then that’s a relief. But... why do you keep looking at like that? Like you did sothing wrong?”
A chill ran straight down my spine.
I swear, sotis I really think Hwa-eun has telepathy or so supernatural sixth sense. She’s like a shaman about to go into a trance—just hits the mark dead-on.
She did it before I entered the inner realm too... And look, just because the clan is called Tang doesn’t an she’s so kind of fortune-telling priestess.
But her instincts? Freakishly accurate.
“Cheongyu might be the literal ghost here, but Hwa-eun’s the one creeping out...”
Anyway.
Given how upset Hwa-eun had been last ti—about how I got out of the inner realm—I wasn’t sure how to explain the current situation.
It wasn’t fair, but... she clearly saw Cheongyu as so kind of rival. Even though I absolutely didn’t feel that way.
“I only care about Cheongyu because she’s a beautiful venom beast. That’s it. Wait... didn’t Hwa-eun once say she’d feel less worried if Cheongyu were human?”
Yeah. She had said that.
That she wouldn’t be concerned if Cheongyu were a person—because I had no interest in people.
So maybe... the human Cheongyu that lives inside the Golden Crown Death Centipede would be fine, right?
By Hwa-eun’s own logic, Cheongyu the person should be in the clear.
“Wait no, she did get mad when she found out Cheongyu kissed in the inner realm—on the cheek, but still...”
Right. She said people were fine, but then blew up over a kiss.
That brought right back to square one—and my head started throbbing.
She says she doesn’t mind if it’s a person, but then her actions say otherwise.
“So what am I supposed to do!?”
Caught between Hwa-eun’s contradictory words and behavior, I had no idea how to get out of this ss.
She was still staring at , waiting for an answer.
“So-ryong?”
『“Ah, screw it. If I try to hide it and she finds out, it’ll be even worse. I didn’t even do anything wrong! That’s right—I didn’t do anything wrong! The one I love most is Hwa-eun. Period.”』
Sure, she got upset over how I left the inner realm, but co on—a kiss on the cheek? That’s basically a handshake in the West.
And I didn’t even initiate it!
It was just the only way to escape the inner realm at the ti. No hidden feelings. No intent. Nothing romantic.
I was clean. So instead of tying myself in ntal knots, I decided to face it head-on.
『“I’m innocent. Damn right. And if she misunderstands, I’ll make it clear: I don’t love Cheongyu. I treat her like a damn rock. The one I love is Hwa-eun. No question. I’ll just say it loud and clear.”』
And then—
A voice echoed in my mind.
『—“Shiaa? (So-ryong... that kinda hurt, hearing it so bluntly like that...)”
—“HUUUUHH!?”』
I jolted in place and looked down.
Cheongyu was still nestled in my arms... smiling.
“Wait—what the hell?! That was a private thought!”
Turns out, I’d switched channels without noticing. I’d started off on a one-on-one ntal link with Cheongyu, but sowhere along the way, I’d slipped into the group chat.
“Ah, no, that’s not what I ant—!”
I had literally just called her a lifeless object and declared my love for soone else—right in her face. Not cool.
Now I felt guilty and embarrassed.
I quickly checked the ntal connection. Thank god—none of the kids were online.
“Whew... Okay. Crisis averted. If the kids had heard, they would’ve exploded: ‘Why do you love Mom the most?!’”
I wiped the sweat from my brow—only to suddenly feel a familiar presence in the group chat.
Hwa-eun.
“GYYYAAAAH!”
I’d thought no one was connected, but apparently, Hwa-eun had been listening in the entire ti.
She must’ve called while I was thinking and her channel auto-connected.
“It’s over. I’m done for.”
This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.
Just then, I felt a soft pulse of embarrassnt through the ntal link.
『—“Shiii... (So-ryong, it’s okay. You can let go now. I think I just got a little dizzy earlier. Being held like this is... kind of embarrassing.)”
—“Oh noooooo...”』
Right.
I was still holding Cheongyu.
I freaked out and imdiately let go—springing back like a startled cat.
Thud.
Cheongyu fell right onto the wooden deck, landing on her butt. She rubbed the back of her head and sat up.
『—“Shiaa? (That probably would’ve hurt if I were human... but I guess being in the Golden Crown Death Centipede’s body has its perks. Still, you surprised , So-ryong.)”』
She pouted slightly, placing her hands on her hips—like a scolded girl sulking at her boyfriend.
And then—
A gentle voice broke through the air.
“Cheongyu Young Lady? It’s been a while. Good to see you again.”
I turned.
Hwa-eun, her cheeks faintly flushed, was smiling softly as she greeted Cheongyu.
“Huh!?”
For a second, I thought she was mad—her face looked a bit flushed, and I assud it was from anger.
I instinctively braced myself for verbal punishnt.
But... her voice was calm. Almost kind.
“W-Wait... what’s going on?”
***
I’d been worried sick...
But in the end, things turned out surprisingly well.
After all, that slip I made—saying in front of both Cheongyu and Hwa-eun that the one I love most is Hwa-eun—had apparently made her incredibly forgiving.
Throughout the conversation, I’d catch Hwa-eun glancing my way, and each ti, her expression said one thing:
Satisfied.
She looked like soone who’d forgive any cri short of fraud right now.
“Seriously, it’s like there’s a glowing neon sign on her face saying: ‘I am benevolent.’”
『“Ah, I see. Let’s get along from now on, Miss Cheongyu.”
—Shia... (Thank you for saying that. I feel like I did a lot of terrible things...)
“Those were just the Five Venoms’ brainwashing, /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ weren’t they? Don’t worry about it.”』
“Man... I really got lucky.”
Or was it unlucky? I couldn’t tell anymore.
Either way, my little broadcast accident had led to a surprisingly pleasant outco.
『“But Miss Cheongyu, how exactly did you co out? You were still inside the Golden Crown Death Centipede, right?
Not trying to imply anything weird—I just need to know if it ans the beast is about to re-erge, or if it’ll be you for a while.”』
Once the warm greetings ended, Hwa-eun asked how the human Cheongyu had managed to co forth.
Cheongyu gently stroked her chin and answered:
『—Shia. Shiii... (Could it be because of the full moon? Yin energy is at its peak then. Maybe my soul was drawn out by that energy.)
“Ah, that makes sense. So you might stay for a day or two, then go back once the full moon wanes?”
—Shiaa... (That’s what I think. We’ll have to see, though.)
“Sounds about right.”』
Cheongyu’s guess—moon influence—actually sounded pretty convincing.
After all, full moons are special for animals.
For example, certain crabs and corals only lay eggs during a full moon. Most insects (except mosquitoes) go completely inactive during full moons.
Mosquitoes, by the way? Bite five hundred tis more during full moons.
But if you’re into insect collecting? Full moons are a nightmare.
You might not find a single bug out there.
No one really knows why—it hasn’t been scientifically explained yet—but insect activity drops like a rock, and even fishing yields plumt in tropical areas.
So if sothing unusual happened thanks to moonlight? Honestly, not even surprising.
And in this world, full moons rise twice a month, not once. aning Miss Cheongyu might show up twice a month.
As I nodded along, Hwa-eun turned to with a thoughtful look.
『“Oh, and So-ryong. I ant to ask you sothing, too.”』
The mont she said that, I flinched and glanced at Cheongyu.
Even if she was in a good mood, clearly she had sothing she wanted to clarify.
Cheongyu also looked at , flustered, unsure what was coming.
She must have thought the whole thing was smoothed over—clearly didn’t expect Hwa-eun to co right out with it.
『—Shii... (Uh, I... I just... I’m grateful, that’s all! There’s really nothing to misunderstand... and in the inner realm it was just... it had to be...)
“Oh, don’t worry about that. That was just being jealous and wanting So-ryong to pay more attention to .”
“That’s not what I’m asking about, anyway.”
“What I want to ask... is about the Five Poisons Returning to the Origin Art.
So-ryong didn’t say anything, but I heard from the Dragon Fangs that he went to ask them for help.
He’s been struggling lately—trying to handle all our conversations—and it looks like he’s trying to learn a mind-splitting technique.
I wanted to ask if that’s really okay. You’d know best, Miss Cheongyu.”』
『—Shii... (So that’s what So-ryong’s been struggling with...)
“Yes.”』
Cheongyu tapped her temple gently, as if recalling sothing.
Then she gathered her thoughts and spoke.
『—*Shiaaaa. Shii... (To be honest, even in the Five Venoms Sect, no one has ever reached the “Five-Poison Realm” with all five of the top-tier poison beasts at once.
But the founder of the Five Venoms did leave behind so theories—expectations about what kind of state one might reach.
And based on that...
So-ryong is progressing wonderfully.
So I’d suggest focusing on perfecting the Five-Poison Realm rather than splitting your mind.
You’ve already ford a contract with the Ice-Lizard Triplets, haven’t you?
Once your body stabilizes, I recomnd you move straight into full Five-Poison integration.)*』
When you accept a venom beast’s poison and your cultivation level rises, it takes ti to adapt to the new state.
It’s kind of like wearing clothes that are way too tight or too loose.
Your brain tells your body to move, but your bones and flesh lag behind a bit.
So your body needs ti to catch up to its own evolution.
That adaptation process usually takes a couple of months.
Cheongyu was saying—once that process with the Ice Lizards (a.k.a. Seol, Bing, and Dong) was complete, I should dive straight into Five-Poison cultivation.
No need to distract myself with new techniques.
“And in two months, we should be arriving at Hyung’s place anyway...”
I figured I’d decide then—whether to stick with Cheongyu’s advice or take up the Ak Clan’s offer.
I was just about to ask her what kind of abilities you gained once you fully reached the Five-Poison Realm when—
『“But Miss Cheongyu, once soone does reach the Five-Poison Realm, what—”
—Shii... (Ah, looks like that’s it for now.)
“...Huh?”』
Cheongyu suddenly staggered again, just like before.
I turned toward the horizon—and saw it.
The sun was starting to peek above the sea.
The full moon still hung in the sky, but its light was slowly being overwheld.
Just like that, the human Cheongyu began to retreat back into the Golden Crown Death Centipede’s body.
She and Hwa-eun had both hoped the form would last a few days—but it seed like Cheongyu could only erge when the full moon was at its peak.
“Are you alright?”
I asked carefully, worried sothing might be off.
Cheongyu placed a hand on her temple, still a bit dizzy—but then I felt one last ssage, on a private line.
『—*Shiaaa... (So-ryong, rember when you said you liked the Golden Crown Death Centipede?
I don’t think you realized this, but even though we appear separately... Cheongyu and I share the sa body.
So when you say you like her—half of that... belongs to .)*』
Her voice carried a tinge of shyness—but the ssage hit like a brick.
“Oh no. She just joined the list...”
Another one added to the growing harem.
“Gyaaaaaah!”
Maybe Hwa-eun’s concerns weren’t as exaggerated as I thought.
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