Chapter 60
The Power of Sound
Sound techniques are martial arts that infuse energy into sound itself.
Naturally, the strength of such techniques depends on how much internal energy you’ve cultivated.
Which means—
“You must never neglect your training.”
“But I’m only eight years old… I haven’t even had the chance to be lazy.”
“It’s nice that you’ve been responding well to your father lately.”
“Didn’t you say I should talk back less?”
“My daughter would never do such a thing.”
Father looked up from the book he’d been reading and gently wiped the sweat beading on my forehead.
“If Grandfather’s training is too harsh, tell him you don’t want to do it.”
“But you said a disciple must never question or disobey her master.”
“You’re still a child. It’s all right for you.”
“No one else treats me like a child, though.”
I nestled into Father’s arms and touched my lower abdomen carefully—the spot where my danjeon lay.
My poison core and danjeon were both still tiny, no bigger than a chestnut.
Even in my past life, my danjeon hadn’t been particularly large, but now the energy within it was not even a quarter of that.
‘I guess that’s normal for my age…’
Even with the miracle of regression, energy didn’t accumulate more easily.
Resting my head on Father’s lap, I reached out to hold his hand.
“Father.”
“Yes?”
“Brother Lip is still overseeing the affairs of Dokryonggak, right?”
“Mm. Yes. Truthfully, this whole ‘suspension’ is a blessing in disguise. I’ve enjoyed having time to rest with you.”
He said it honestly.
Indeed, Father had been impossibly busy lately.
‘Wait, does that mean my brother’s handling everything alone right now?’
For a moment, I thought I heard the faint echo of Tang Lip’s scream in my ears.
But I pretended not to notice—it was far more important to savor this quiet moment with Father.
“Bi.”
“Yes.”
“There’s no need to rush.”
Father brushed my cheek softly with his hand.
“Okay…”
I closed my eyes, soothed by his touch.
I hadn’t slept much these past few days, running around endlessly.
Fatigue weighed heavy.
Time flew by like an arrow, and soon it was the morning of my departure for the Namgung household.
Although I hadn’t slacked in my training, managing the spider legion was still a bit difficult for me.
Still—
‘There’s no need to hurry.’
The urgent matter was dealing with Tang Pae-jin, not commanding the spiders.
So, just as Father said, I shouldn’t be impatient.
I squeezed my eyes shut and yawned.
“Haaahm…”
“Young Miss, please look this way.”
“You look so adorable! Just a moment.”
Yeong-yeong turned me around and fastened my hair more neatly, choosing light ornaments so they wouldn’t feel heavy.
“Once we’re done, I’ll show you the mirror—you’ll be surprised!”
It was the first time I’d seen her this excited.
Feeling a bit awkward, I touched my hair.
“Doesn’t it look strange or stiff?”
“No way! You look lovely no matter what you wear.”
“Really?”
“Of course, so don’t worry.”
Gayeon brought in warm water and carefully washed my feet. Her gentle touch was so soothing I nearly drifted off.
“Your feet are so small and pretty, and so warm!”
“Mm, this feels like paradise…”
“I’m glad you’re comfortable, Miss!”
She quickly dried my feet with a soft cloth and slipped on a pair of new shoes.
“These are new too?”
“Since it’s your first outing, the elders insisted on preparing everything properly. All of this came from them!”
Yeong-yeong and Gayeon dressed me skillfully.
The green robe Grandfather sent was the same style worn by Tang family warriors—
the only difference being the embroidery symbolizing direct lineage.
Once I put it on, Manhyeolsa—the red snake—slithered quietly into my sleeve.
There was a small inner pocket sewn into the sleeve, just large enough for it to coil up and rest.
“Look, it even has a little house!”
“Calling it a snake house sounds… odd somehow.”
“Manhyeolsa seems to like it though.”
Indeed, the snake curled comfortably inside the pocket.
In the other sleeve pocket, I placed Ilpabido, the blade Grandfather gave me, and the set of fine needles Father insisted I take—just in case.
Even though I was eight, I had to be able to organize my sleeves myself.
That wasn’t something Yeong-yeong or Gayeon could help with.
‘I’m the one who has to draw the weapon in battle.’
That’s why Tang warriors never let anyone else handle their weapons or sleeve storage.
Now that I was Grandfather’s disciple, it was only right that I did the same.
It was a bit hard since my fine motor skills weren’t fully developed yet, but—
“Done.”
Thanks to my memories and experience from before my regression, it wasn’t too difficult.
Just then—
“Young Miss, the Great Young Lady has arrived.”
Came the attendant’s voice from outside.
I froze mid-motion, fingers still fidgeting with my sleeve.
Click.
The door opened, and Tang Soyong entered.
“Bi.”
The moment our eyes met, she smiled softly.
For a second, she looked almost dazzling—whether from her beauty or the sunlight behind her, I couldn’t tell.
“Aunt! Oh, you’re so bright…”
“Have you been well? I brought you a gift.”
At her gesture, Yeong-yeong and Gayeon tactfully stepped back.
Behind her stood Tang Lip, dark circles under his eyes, likely from overwork.
“You look beautiful today, Bi.”
Even so, he didn’t forget to smile.
When he smiled, he looked just like his twin sister, Tang Soyong.
‘Even though they’re twins, Brother always looked more like Uncle.’
‘But now that I look, he really does resemble Aunt quite a bit.’
His beauty was remarkable, just like hers.
“A gift?”
“Yes.”
She lifted her outer robe and pulled a silk pouch from her waist.
“I heard you’ve been practicing sound arts lately?”
“Yes? Y-Yes!”
“Then handling a few creatures should be no trouble. Take this—you’ll find it useful.”
I carefully accepted the silk pouch.
Inside, I could faintly sense fluttering movement—butterflies.
“They’re nocturnal, so they won’t move during the day. At night, they’ll remain inside the pouch.”
Smiling kindly, Tang Soyong handed me another pouch.
“This one contains antidotes for poison moth venom, and a bit of honey—their food. Every three days, coat a leaf with honey and place it in the pouch.”
“Why… are you giving me these?”
“In case you ever find yourself in danger.”
She smiled again.
“It’s your first time leaving the Tang estate, isn’t it? Anything could happen. Jin-hyeon will be with you, but even he might face something beyond his control, like before.”
“Mother! Don’t say such ominous things…”
“People think that carrying a noble family’s banner keeps them safe, but it can make them a bigger target. So be cautious. Keep these in your sleeve, and release them only in dire situations.”
Then Tang Lip added, a bit worriedly—
“But Bi, don’t open the pouch while you’re at the Namgung estate, all right? And definitely don’t release the snake.”
Of course, given that I was only eight, his warning was reasonable.
‘Honestly, what kind of adults give a child a venomous snake and poison moths?’
I nodded earnestly.
“I won’t open the pouch at Namgung Manor.”
“And don’t mention the moths to them either. Everyone knows Tang warriors hide poison in their bodies, but there’s no need to remind them.”
Tang Soyong examined my hair, which Yeong-yeong and Gayeon had half-finished, and turned me around.
“Ah!”
“Let’s see… Aunt will fix your hair a little more.”
“Thank you, Aunt…”
While she tied my hair with a silk ribbon, she spoke softly—
“By the way, I heard he asked if you’d consider studying medicine at the Tang apothecary.”
“!”
“You’re not planning to go, are you?”
Uh…?
