WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: WeTried Translations

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◈ Ophidian of the Immortal World ◈

Chapter 61: Hyeongu

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“Dragon Lord! I found them!”

Jegyeong, coiled amid the ruins of Black Shark Palace, raised his head at the turtle’s powerful voice.

The turtle crawled over, lowered their head, and said, “I found the school of Fleshscale Fish you mentioned.”

“Where?”

“Not far from here. It was about six days away. Um... a few of them kept getting greedy, so it wasn't easy keeping them in line.”

Water Demons were foolish, but they faithfully followed their instincts.

That meant they could tell what was good for them and what was not.

Fleshscale Fish could increase Qi and Blood, so it was only natural that the Water Demons would covet them. The Black Sect Hall knew this as well, which was why they always drove off the Water Demons in nearby waters to keep them from approaching the Fleshscale Fish.

“I understand.”

Jegyeong moved at once.

If he wanted to settle down on Black Shark Island and cultivate steadily, Gwak Jeongsin’s help was essential. To secure that help, he needed to establish and maintain a reliable Fleshscale Fish trade.

‘Fleshscale Fish.’

Jegyeong carried the turtle in his mouth and headed toward the school. The turtle had said it was six days away, but at Jegyeong’s full speed, he arrived in less than a day.

“Get lost!”

Jegyeong bared his fangs at the Water Demons lurking near the school. Though they sensed his approach, they only hesitated instead of withdrawing completely. They had truly set their sights on the Fleshscale Fish.

For a moment, Jegyeong considered killing every last one of them. In the end, he decided against it.

Just as people were resources, these creatures were resources too. They were simply harder to make use of.

“Turtle.”

“Yes, Dragon Lord!”

“Pick out a few useful ones from those we used this time. Lead them yourself and guard the school here. You understand what I mean?”

“Of course!”

The turtle seemed deeply moved simply to have been entrusted with such an important duty again, but Jegyeong did not intend to give orders without offering anything in return.

He believed there was no such thing as unconditional loyalty, whether from people or Demon Beasts.

“I think you should have a name. I can't keep calling you Turtle forever.”

“A name...?”

The turtle blinked in surprise. They fell silent as if lost in thought, then raised their head, their face carrying a faint expectation.

“I think that would be nice, but I don't know what sort of name would be suitable.”

Jegyeong immediately saw through the turtle’s thoughts. They were making no effort to hide them, their eyes shining so brightly that it would have been harder not to notice.

“Hyeon-gwi. What do you think?”

“Hyeon-gwi...”

The turtle repeated the name several times, then beamed.

“Thank you, Dragon Lord! It's a wonderful name! Please call me Hyeon-gwi from now on.”

Jegyeong had not done much. He had only given them a simple name.

Still, the value of a gift was decided not by the giver, but by the receiver. To Hyeon-gwi, receiving a name from the Dragon Lord they revered was worth more than dozens of Human Race cultivators’ corpses.

“Leave it to me! I’ll guard them thoroughly so that no bastard dares touch the Fleshscale Fish!”

Having received a name, Hyeon-gwi was more motivated than ever. They soon gathered several clever Water Demons under their command and began guarding the school of Fleshscale Fish.

* * *

Catching the Fleshscale Fish was not difficult.

All Hyeon-gwi had to do was herd them toward the surface with a few Water Demons.

Of course, driving the fish alone was not enough. Once the fish had been herded together, someone had to cast a net.

“Throw it!”

The residents of Three Frog Island took on the role of fishermen. Through Han Cheongyu, Jegyeong had hired some of the island’s residents to work as fishermen.

They had been frightened when they first heard the proposal, but Han Cheongyu persuaded them to accept the short-term work.

Then again, they had little choice. What other option did they have besides obeying a Great Demon Beast that had destroyed the Black Sect Hall?

In any case, the Fleshscale Fish were caught without issue. After casting the nets only a few times, they had caught more than enough to meet Gwak Jeongsin’s requested amount.

“Hahaha! Excellent!”

After inspecting the goods, Gwak Jeongsin paid with a satisfied smile.

Thirty mid-grade Spirit Stones.

It was a substantial profit for a single transaction, but not enough to make his eyes widen.

Still, Jegyeong was satisfied.

The Fleshscale Fish trade would continue steadily, which meant he would keep earning Spirit Stones. Besides, he had no immediate use for Spirit Stones.

‘What I need most right now is a cultivation method.’

To cultivate in earnest, he first needed a proper cultivation method. He could not cling to the Heat-Gathering Art forever.

Naturally, the cultivation method that would shape his future needed to be a good one, and for now, the Spirit Talisman Merchant Association was his only option. But...

‘No.’

He could not go through the Spirit Talisman Merchant Association. He could not go through Gwak Jeongsin.

He might be able to acquire other things from him, but not a cultivation method. The last time he obtained a basic cultivation method, he had needed to come up with an excuse. If he asked for another one now, he would surely draw suspicion.

Jegyeong had no intention of taking that risk.

‘Damn it. Should I have kept the Black Sect Hall Master alive, or at least killed him more carefully?’

Jegyeong had interrogated the Black Sect Hall members in case their Hall Master had hidden away some treasure. During that process, he learned by chance that Gong Byeok-un had cultivated a fire-aspect cultivation method.

The despair and regret Jegyeong felt upon learning that fact had been considerable.

‘I won't swallow things blindly again.’

Biting down and swallowing his prey in one motion whenever an opportunity appeared was a habit he had developed while living as a beast and a Demon Beast.

It had been a good habit back then, but now... it was not exactly bad, only somewhat troublesome.

‘Actually, I don't need to worry this much. Once my Transformation Technique improves further, the issue of cultivation methods will resolve itself.’

If his Transformation Technique developed enough for him to naturally blend in among the Human Race, he could seek cultivation methods himself.

He might be too wary to visit large cities where late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators or even Golden Core cultivators could be present, but he could visit market towns of all sizes elsewhere.

Such places supposedly held sizable auctions at regular intervals, so obtaining a cultivation method would not be difficult. If luck favored him, he might even acquire a high-grade Foundation Establishment cultivation method.

‘Right. Don't rush.’

He needed to know the value of time, but he could not let himself be chased by it.

Just as humans could not live like mayflies, he, a Demon Race cultivator, could not live like Human Race cultivators who desperately clung to lifespans of only a few centuries.

Once he organized his thoughts, his mindset changed. And once his mindset changed, the same things looked different.

For example, the gentle waves of Yangseo Lake.

‘This is nice.’

A cool breeze brushed against his skin and stirred his hair. Jegyeong habitually lifted his gourd toward his lips, then lowered it again.

The unpleasant feeling that had begun to rise in him had been somewhat washed away by the breeze.

‘This works better than I expected.’

Cultivation was affected by one's heart, and the heart was affected by its surroundings.

When he cultivated in a dark, damp cave, there was nothing to influence his state of mind. After some time passed, irritation and anger would always rise within him.

Now, it was different.

The beautiful scenery and cool breeze soothed his anger and calmed his heart.

Come to think of it, this was the dream he had in his previous life. He had wanted to buy a small, scenic island and drink a sweet beverage with several pieces of ice in it while looking out at the endless horizon.

He had thought he would definitely experience it once he earned enough money.

That dream had now come true.

Well, he did not have a long sunbed, but still.

‘I wouldn't mind bringing a few things here.’

Jegyeong looked around and began considering what he should bring. Chairs or a bed would be nice, and perhaps he could build a small bathhouse or hot spring.

‘I should think about it slowly.’

That day, Jegyeong maintained his transformed form until dawn.

The Spirit Wine helped, but the cool atmosphere by the water played a major part as well.

* * *

The Black Sect Hall had fallen.

Black Shark Island had a new master, and that master was a black jiao.

The rumor spread quietly among the Human Race of Yangseo Lake, but it caused little stir.

Those with low cultivation and limited knowledge were too frightened by the black jiao’s reputation to react. Those with high cultivation and broad knowledge immediately realized the rumor was false and showed no reaction at all.

A black jiao?

Jiao Dragons were not beings that ignorant people could casually speak of.

They were one of the foremost species among the Demon Race, beings who claimed descent from dragons. Few in number yet individually powerful, even the weakest among them had reached the Demon King Realm.

Would such beings settle in a small lake, and in a Spiritual Land rather than a Spiritual Vein?

The rumor about Black Shark Island could only be a laughable joke, not even worthy of being called a lie.

Gwak Jeongsin had expected that response, so he spread the rumor of a Jiao Dragon on Black Shark Island even more actively.

It was meant to keep reckless small fry who did not realize they were courting death from snooping around Black Shark Island.

Thanks to Gwak Jeongsin’s consideration, Jegyeong was able to settle into his new home without trouble.

“Jegyeong! Humans are coming!”

Jegyeong, dozing amid the ruins at the center of the island, opened his eyes at Cheongo’s call from afar.

‘They’re quick.’

Pleased by their diligence, Jegyeong rose.

“Greetings, Dragon Lord!”

The Human Race members who had docked their ship at the harbor bowed to him. Other than Han Cheongyu at the front, all of them were pale as if they had fallen ill.

“Mm. You worked hard getting here.”

“N-no!”

They looked as though they would faint if he said another word.

“Begin.”

“Yes!”

They hurriedly gathered their tools and got to work.

Before long, a large stone structure began to rise where a fairly sizable harbor had once stood.

It looked like both a palace and a shrine.

Jegyeong had only told them to build a home for him, so the grand design must have come from the Three Frog Island residents themselves.

‘Not bad.’

Jegyeong was not particularly vain, but he did not dislike beautiful and imposing things either.

He had no need to worry about money, and even less need to care about others’ opinions. He was simply being true to his True Heart.

And in his eyes, the rapidly rising structure looked quite good.

‘Excellent.’

Even to someone as unfamiliar with construction as him, their building skill was impressive. Without the help of machines, they were creating all this with only simple tools and techniques.

“Jegyeong. Is that your new home?”

“Yeah.”

“Then are you going to destroy that too?”

“Hm?”

Jegyeong was about to ask what nonsense Cheongo was talking about when he recalled the cave that had once been cozy before an unfortunate accident had left it riddled with holes.

Jegyeong smacked his lips.

“That won't happen.”

“Yeah.”

“...”

His mouth tasted bitter.

Footnotes:

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