Chapter 69
Growl—
First things first, I had to fill my hungry stomach.
But maybe because I was so famished, this little bit of food wasn’t enough.
“Wait right here, don’t go anywhere.”
Just then, the human who had stood up crouched back down in front of me again.
This time, she was holding a handful of meat.
Hiss—!
I really wanted the meat, but I still didn’t like her getting too close.
Even though I hissed, the human mumbled something and ended up giving me all the meat.
For a moment, I forgot all about being wary of her and gobbled the food down instinctively.
Fortunately, she didn’t try to touch me at all.
Unlike other humans who would get greedy and try to grab me the moment they saw me, this one felt… kind.
And for some reason, there was a refreshing energy from her that I hadn’t sensed from any other human before.
She was the only human who ever reached out a hand to me.
Now… I had nowhere left to go.
I saw my mom being killed by humans when I ran away. She was supposed to meet me in the forest.
Going back to the forest… I was too young and scared to survive on my own.
In the end, with no other place to lean on, I secretly followed behind the human.
Then, early this morning, when the small human climbed the mountain with the bigger ones—
I saw her in danger because of a giant two-headed snake.
Her helpless figure looked just like mine when I was cornered by humans.
Before I knew it, my body rushed forward.
‘I don’t want to be alone anymore!’
Rumble—Bang!
A flash of lightning burst from the clear sky and struck down like a bolt from heaven, hitting the snake squarely.
For the first time in my life, I had unknowingly called upon the power my mother left me.
All thanks to that small human.
“…Were you the one who saved me?”
I had saved her.
I wanted to stay with this small human.
She protected me from others and petted me with gentle hands.
Purr—
That touch felt just like when my mom used to lick me.
Somehow… I felt like I could face anything as long as I was with her.
Even when the humans who killed my mom appeared again, I managed to hide in the small human’s arms and escape safely!
So surely… my choice was the right one…
“What’s with this little rat?”
Squeak!
‘Oh no… Was this really the right choice?’
***
“Kid, I’m warning you nicely. Answer me. What’s with this rat?”
Having left the Black Poem Valley and returned to the lodging in Kunming, Eun Sowol was now getting thoroughly scolded by Dokgo Ryong for the first time.
Kneeling on the floor, her legs numb, her arms trembling from exhaustion, and her eyes welling with tears, she pleaded with him with an aggrieved look.
Unlike Dang Jinak and Lee Jaeha, who felt sorry for her, Dokgo Ryong wasn’t budging at all.
In his hand was the little weasel that had been hiding in Eun Sowol’s clothes.
“It’s not a rat… it’s a weasel…”
“Rat, weasel, whatever. Why the hell did something like this crawl out from inside your clothes? Did you seriously pick this up from the forest?”
“N-No! It followed me on its own!”
“Ahem. Who said you could lower your hands? Keep them up properly.”
“Ugh… My arms might fall off at this rate…”
Whining, Eun Sowol struggled to lift her arms again. Though before long, she sneakily started lowering them again.
“I just gave it some meat yesterday, and it started following me… I swear, I didn’t bring it here on purpose!”
“Meat? No wonder something was wiggling under the table yesterday… You were sharing precious food with a rat?”
“It looked hungry… Anyway! Uncle, you can’t kill it. It’s just a baby, okay?”
Dokgo Ryong narrowed his eyes, glancing back and forth between Eun Sowol and the weasel.
“Who said I’m gonna kill it? Do I look like the kind of guy who kills tiny things like this for no reason?”
‘Yes… You totally look like that…’
Eun Sowol recalled the scene of Dokgo Ryong gleefully smashing in the heads of the Yin-Yang Twin Serpents.
Thankfully, he put the weasel down on the floor without further incident.
The weasel, after glancing at Dokgo Ryong warily, darted straight to Eun Sowol.
It climbed up onto her shoulder and glared at Dokgo Ryong with cautious eyes.
Squeak!
Startled by Dokgo Ryong’s sour glare, the little thing flinched in fear.
“Hyung-nim, ease up on the killing aura. You’ll make the poor thing faint.”
“What did I even do?”
“Come on, Sowol didn’t bring it on purpose. The weasel just decided to follow her.”
When Dokgo Ryong snorted dismissively, Dang Jinak gently pushed him aside and crouched to meet the weasel’s eye level.
“Look at the little guy… Judging by its size, it’s only about a month or two old. Where did you first see it?”
“At the market yesterday! It was gobbling up the meat I gave it.”
“Hm… So it probably escaped from somewhere nearby.”
“Right? It looked so pitiful…”
“But… are we sure this is even a weasel? Father, take a look. Do weasels even look like this?”
Curious, Lee Mugul tilted his head and called for Lee Jaeha.
“Looks more like a marten to me.”
“No way, martens are bigger. This guy’s got small feet and a tiny tail.”
“It’s kind of different from a weasel too, don’t you think? Have you ever seen a gray-furred weasel or marten? I don’t think I have.”
Maybe because it was a bit grubby, but the little creature’s fur appeared grayish.
While everyone huddled together trying to guess what the little animal was, Eun Sowol mumbled.
“…Could it be… a Thunder Beast (Naisu)?”
Silence filled the room.
Everyone turned wide-eyed toward her.
Then—
“Hahahahaha!”
“Wow, Sowol’s really still a kid.”
“No way a legendary spirit beast like a Thunder Beast would be this tiny!”
“I heard Thunder Beasts are the size of cows, have bluish-gray fur, and roar like thunder. This little guy clearly isn’t that.”
Dang Jinak and Lee Mugul burst into laughter, holding their stomachs.
Lee Jaeha kindly explained as well.
Eun Sowol’s face turned bright red with embarrassment.
‘I just thought… since the Mukhyeongbang sect was looking for the Thunder Beast… maybe this was it…’
After all, this little one had been standing in the way when the Yin-Yang Twin Serpents got struck by lightning.
“…But still! It’s cute, so that’s enough! Uncle! Can I keep it with me?”
“As long as you handle all the cleanup yourself.”
Hearing what was practically a yes, Eun Sowol’s face lit up.
“But you should give it a bath first.”
When Dokgo Ryong motioned at her, Eun Sowol glanced down at herself.
“Ew.”
Her clothes and hands were dirtier than she’d realized, probably from the weasel hiding inside them.
“I wanted to give it a name first, but guess a bath comes first! Wanna bathe with me?”
Purr?
Not knowing what awaited, the little weasel tilted its head adorably.
***
“I sent the message, so someone from the main house should come soon. When you meet them, show this letter and take along the herbs we picked.”
The next day, the group decided to leave Kunming right away.
Dang Jinak firmly told Lee Jaeha and Lee Mugul to use the name of the Sichuan Tang family if the Mukhyeongbang sect showed up.
Nothing had happened the night before, but better safe than sorry.
“We will never forget this kindness. I hope you find the Millennium Flower safely in Haenam-do.”
“If we get any new information on spiritual medicines, we’ll let you know right away! And here—take this.”
Lee Mugul pulled out a book from his coat.
“Whoa! What’s all this?”
Eun Sowol gasped as she flipped through it.
The book contained detailed information about various spiritual medicines.
It even had illustrations and descriptions of their habitats.
“Mugul stayed up all night making this for you.”
“You made this yourself?!”
Startled, she asked Lee Jaeha.
Lee Mugul turned red and twisted his legs awkwardly.
“I just… wanted to help even a little… Oh, and there’s also a section at the back about useful everyday herbs you might need during your travels…”
“This is valuable enough to publish as a full herb manual. Thank you.”
Dang Jinak patted Lee Mugul on the shoulder, recognizing the book’s worth.
Blushing and grinning, Lee Mugul cleared his throat when he caught Eun Sowol staring at him.
“…Take care of yourself. Thanks for everything.”
“I didn’t do much though?”
“No, thanks to you, the young master stepped in to help.”
Lee Mugul leaned closer and whispered in her ear.
“And… your uncle’s crazy strong.”
“Right? I told you! My uncle’s the best!”
The two kids couldn’t hold back their laughter.
As they giggled together, something soft climbed up Sowol’s arm.
Squeak!
Whether it was a weasel, a marten, or a Thunder Beast… no one really knew.
After a proper bath, its fur was now snow-white.
Its tail gradually darkened toward the tip.
Its tiny body fit perfectly on Eun Sowol’s small shoulder, with white fur and little obsidian-like eyes and nose.
Now clean, the little creature looked even cuter than before.
