Chapter 77
“My name is Cheonyeong.”
“Does the Dokgak Hwamang even have a name?”
“Of course! Doesn’t your little venomous snake have one?”
“…….”
…It doesn’t, actually.
I glanced at the Manhyeolsa peeking out from the sleeve.
Those round, jet-black eyes somehow seemed to hold a trace of resentment toward me.
‘I’ll… name you later, okay?’
For now, I just hadn’t thought of a fitting name yet. That was all.
Following Yujahun down the underground stairs, we came across a long corridor leading somewhere.
The passage was dark, but because he was carrying a torch, it didn’t feel overwhelmingly so.
As I walked behind him, I heard the trickling of underground water somewhere nearby.
‘Water.’
There was also a faint sound of wind.
Hearing both water and wind meant that an exit was close.
No sooner had that thought crossed my mind than the corridor widened, revealing a massive cavern.
Huge stalactites and stalagmites hung from the ceiling like sharp spears.
Above, a hole allowed sunlight to pour in, and below was a pond perfectly suited for a massive spirit creature to reside in.
‘So this is why the Dokgak Hwamang could live here.’
It was said that this spirit had been raised by the previous generation of the estate owner, so it naturally followed them closely from the beginning.
‘Without a proper habitat, it couldn’t have survived.’
With a place like this beneath the estate, the Dokgak Hwamang could settle in comfortably.
While I was exploring the cavern, Yujahun walked straight to the pond without hesitation.
He knelt down as if to peer into it.
“Cheonyeong!”
When the youthful boy shouted loudly, bubbles began to surge from the pond.
Startled by the threatening display, I instinctively stepped back.
The bodyguards did the same.
Only Yujahun remained kneeling, waiting patiently for the Dokgak Hwamang called “Cheonyeong.”
And then, not long after…
Splash!
An enormous volume of water erupted in all directions as something shot up from the pond.
“Th-This…!”
It really was the Dokgak Hwamang.
And it was enormous—truly massive.
Even if I hugged it with both arms, its circumference would still exceed my reach.
“Have you been well?”
Yujahun waved his hands excitedly, and the Dokgak Hwamang simply stared back.
It didn’t attack.
‘The venomous beast famous for its ferocity!’
Normally, the Dokgak Hwamang is a poisonous creature capable of attacking other beings with its venom.
‘Yet I can hardly sense any poison.’
It seemed that the spirit itself was regulating its energy. Truly a mystical phenomenon.
I stepped forward, staring at the Dokgak Hwamang.
It felt as though the creature was gazing straight at me.
Yujahun gently placed his hand on the damp skin of the spirit serpent and looked back at me with a smile.
“This, miss, is Cheonyeong.”
“It’s as enormous as the name suggests!”
“Yes, it’s a huge and beautiful spirit creature. To the people of Cheonhwa Estate, it’s like family. But lately, it seems it hasn’t been eating…”
He looked at the massive spirit serpent with concern.
“It seems to have lost some weight.”
“But it already looks plump enough, doesn’t it?”
“It used to be even more well-fed.”
“Ah, I see…”
I cautiously approached the Dokgak Hwamang.
I felt an inexplicable pull, a strange attraction I couldn’t quite explain.
Could this be the “constitution” my grandfather had mentioned? Or something else entirely?
Even as I reached out to touch the creature’s enormous horns, it remained gentle.
Having been raised by humans for four generations, the Dokgak Hwamang truly was, as Yujahun said, almost like a companion creature.
“Hello, Cheonyeong.”
I almost felt as if the massive serpent were greeting me in return. Was that just my imagination?
“Since you haven’t been eating, the young master has been terribly worried.”
Yujahun probably brought me here, expecting I might somehow help feed the Dokgak Hwamang, or figure out why it wasn’t eating.
‘But honestly… how am I supposed to know why it hasn’t been eating? Hmm?’
As I ran my hands along its head and neck, something felt off.
“Why is it so hard here?”
This wasn’t where the snake’s bones should be.
Do giant spirit serpents have a different anatomy than normal snakes?
‘I don’t think so…’
Beneath the smooth, tough skin of the Dokgak Hwamang, I felt something hard pressing against my hand.
No matter how I felt, it definitely wasn’t bone.
After a brief moment of thought, I looked at the Dokgak Hwamang and said:
“Cheonyeong.”
“……”
“Open your mouth.”
Of course, it didn’t understand my words.
Apparently, having a venomous snake that responds to speech made it seem like all snakes would understand me.
“……”
I paused and glanced at the young master of Cheonhwa Estate.
Then I looked at the Dokgak Hwamang, which seemed to have something suspicious caught around its neck.
“……”
“……?”
“Ah, I really don’t want to…”
My vocal techniques weren’t strong enough to stop this massive serpent’s movements.
So…
“I’ll have to do this by force…”
I grabbed the creature’s jaw with both hands.
“Miss!”
The bodyguards flinched, but I gestured that it was fine, so they didn’t intervene.
I forced open its mouth and signaled the massive spirit serpent.
“……”
“……”
“……?”
“Not opening?”
Spirit creatures usually understand commands. That is what makes them spirits.
If words don’t work, it’s just a beast, not a spirit.
Slowly…
Creak…
Just as expected, the Dokgak Hwamang finally seemed to understand and opened its mouth.
I leaned in to inspect its throat but stopped myself, worried the bodyguards would panic.
Instead…
“Uh… anyone want to stick their hand inside a giant serpent’s mouth?”
“……”
“No one, right?”
After all, this was one of the top ten most dangerous venomous creatures.
Any ordinary person would be poisoned to death if they made the wrong move, even though the creature was regulating its venom.
‘It’s different from just brushing against its fangs.’
In the end, I was the only one who could safely reach inside the Dokgak Hwamang’s mouth.
As I prepared to insert my arm, the bodyguards were horrified.
They had seen all sorts of bizarre things, yet their mistress reaching into the mouth of a colossal serpent unsettled them.
Then…
“I-I’ll do it!”
Yujahun raised his hand.
“I’ll do it!”
“No! You’ll die!”
There wasn’t an antidote handy to feed it immediately.
Honestly, it was pure luck that this reckless young master hadn’t yet been poisoned by the Dokgak Hwamang.
Or perhaps it was thanks to the serpent’s extraordinary self-control.
Either way, it was impressive.
Standing on tiptoe, I reached inside the Dokgak Hwamang’s mouth and throat.
“There’s something caught…”
“……”
“Huh? Is this it?”
I felt something solid with my fingertips.
I grabbed it firmly and pulled it out.
Fortunately, it was near the entrance, so even my short arms could manage.
“It’s out!”
As expected, it hadn’t been eating because something was stuck in its throat.
I once saw a cat starve to death because a fishbone got stuck in its throat, preventing it from eating.
‘From that experience, I blindly reached in and checked, and sure enough…’
Something really had been stuck.
I inspected what I had pulled from the serpent’s throat.
It was a sharp piece of metal.
Apparently, it had lodged in the throat, preventing it from eating.
But this piece of metal…
“This is…”
Yujahun shone a torch on it and murmured softly:
“…A key?”
Meanwhile, Dang Jin-hyeon, Yoo Pyung-hyeok, and Paeng Sim-young were drinking tea and chatting casually.
Outside, a commotion arose, followed by the loud greetings of Cheonhwa Estate’s disciples:
“Master! You’re back!”
“Master! Where have you been this time?”
“Master!”
Like chicks following their mother hen, they chirped as they called for their master.
“Ah, it seems Father has returned.”
Yoo Pyung-hyeok and Paeng Sim-young stood to prepare for the master’s arrival.
Dang Jin-hyeon took another sip of tea before rising.
But…
‘Has the master of Cheonhwa Estate always felt this approachable?’
Dang Jin-hyeon tilted his head in curiosity.
“What? Guests have arrived?”
A deep, resonant voice echoed through the estate.
