Chapter 43
“Miss, Miss!”
While gently stroking the egg, Unyeong heard Hyang-ah’s voice calling from a distance. The sound of her hurried footsteps drew nearer and nearer.
“Oh dear, our little Hyang-ah is going to get scolded by the nanny again.”
Rising from her seat, Unyeong carefully placed the egg back into the basket. It was the same basket the nanny had prepared after seeing the egg she brought home.
“You picked it up in the mountains? What kind of bird lays an egg like this?”
The egg’s unusual sheen had made the nanny rather talkative.
“I don’t even know if it will hatch. Usually, the mother bird has to warm it… Well, let’s make a cozy nest for now.”
With that, the nanny had busied herself and created a luxurious nest by lining a small basket with cotton and covering it with silk.
“An egg with such a beautiful glow must surely hatch a lovely bird.”
Unyeong had hoped that would be the case.
“The nanny really is good with her hands.”
She admired the basket again.
“With a nest this nice, surely a beautiful bird will come out of it, right?”
She lifted the teapot to pour some tea just as the door opened.
“Haa, Miss!”
“Yes, come in.”
Hyang-ah rushed in and stood by the table, panting.
“Here, drink this first.”
“Haah… Thank you, Miss.”
Gratefully accepting the teacup Unyeong handed her, Hyang-ah gulped the tea down in one go and exhaled deeply.
“Did you go?”
“Yes, just as you said, I stayed near the Jangju Pavilion.”
After Seol Dojin had headed there alone, Unyeong had sent Hyang-ah to observe the situation from a distance.
“After a while, I heard loud voices from inside.”
“Loud voices?”
“Yes. I think it was the head of the household. He sounded furious. I’ve never heard him shout like that before.”
“So my brother got scolded pretty badly, huh.”
Unyeong had expected Seol Wonpyeong or Seol Jadan to be angry. Discovering a hidden formation was one thing, but going into it recklessly was sure to cause concern.
She had hoped Seol Dojin would explain it well, but it seemed he’d failed. And considering there were things she couldn’t speak of, it was probably even harder for him.
Still, she hadn’t gone with him because she thought it would be better if the family matters were handled without her presence.
At least for now, it was more convenient if the family believed she didn’t know the Seol clan’s secrets.
“Soon after, all three of them came out.”
“They did? Hmm.”
“Yes. The head, the deputy, and the young master all headed toward the rear gate. I think they’re going up the mountain.”
“I see.”
“You’re not surprised, Miss?”
“Is there any reason to be?”
“Oh my. This all started because of you, Miss. Why did you have to say you found something in the mountain? What happened out there anyway? You’re not well—you really shouldn’t do dangerous things!”
Hyang-ah had a lot to say. Though she was still young, her nagging skills were at expert level.
Unyeong had already been scolded once by the nanny, but Hyang-ah was relentless—and knew just when to stop too.
“Nothing big. I just found a cave.”
“A cave?”
“Mhm. And I found this egg there.”
She gently stroked the egg again. The smooth texture beneath her fingers was strangely addictive.
“Was… was there anything dangerous?”
Hyang-ah asked cautiously. It seemed like she was just guessing—but it was remarkably close to the truth.
Unyeong gave her a curious look.
This girl had good instincts. She would’ve made an excellent scout or informant.
She got along well with people, had sharp observation skills, and a keen sense of intuition. If she’d been raised in the Gae-bang or Hao-moon, she might have gone far.
“…No, nothing dangerous.”
Unyeong shook her head and dismissed the thought.
She couldn’t ask Hyang-ah to do anything risky. It was enough for her to simply live well within the clan.
“The sun’s going down. They must be having a tough time.”
Still, they were all martial artists. Nothing to worry about.
“Here, have one more cup of tea, and then prepare brush and ink for me.”
“Yes, Miss.”
With a satisfied expression like a well-fed cat, Hyang-ah took another sip.
After finishing her internal energy circulation and sharing energy with the egg, Unyeong opened her eyes.
“Hmm… my internal energy increased.”
Compared to her morning session, the difference was clear. It seemed the energy absorbed from the illusion formation had converted into true qi.
“A fortuitous encounter…”
She pressed a hand to her lower abdomen and smiled in satisfaction. But soon, her expression turned pensive.
“Hmm… Is it really okay to accept just any poison energy like this?”
In the past, she had turned the poison in her meridians into energy. Though she hadn’t wanted to part with the poison, she couldn’t accept all of it either, only using a portion.
The energy she absorbed this time was also poison—pure poison from nature. Yet accepting it as it was had increased her true qi.
Unyeong closed her eyes and focused, guiding the poison energy through her meridians.
Once, twice… in a flash, the energy circled her body twelve times and returned to her dantian. The poison naturally merged with her qi.
This was a delicate maneuver that most wouldn’t dare attempt. She was nurturing her dantian using both true qi and poison.
The poison settled at the core of her dantian, while her qi wrapped around it protectively.
At this rate, the poisonous energy wouldn’t leak out at all. And if necessary, she could even wield it.
“…Am I becoming a poison master? Though it’s not quite like the Tang clan’s methods.”
She smiled, recalling the old secret techniques of the Sichuan Tang Clan she’d once read.
This was a new path—different from her past life as the Sword Demon.
It felt like she’d discovered a clue to reach a higher realm.
She continued her meditation.
A new realization.
The Sword Demon had been resistant to poison, but he had never thought to use it.
“At this point, ordinary poisons might act like elixirs. My body is becoming one that can fully control poison.”
Every martial artist who survives in the world has their hidden weapon. The more secrets, the better.
When facing powerful opponents, such things could determine life or death.
And now, Unyeong had gained one such weapon: poison.
Her cheek twitched as she opened her eyes and exhaled deeply.
“This… might become too powerful.”
But she shook her head again.
She couldn’t be satisfied. She needed to grow stronger than the Sword Demon she once was—and quickly.
To linger in small achievements was to fall behind.
There was still a long road ahead, and complacency was the enemy.
“Now that Grandfather’s gone, I suppose the formation will remain as it is.”
From what she could tell, the family itself didn’t seem to fully understand its own history. Like those under a spell, they simply guarded Hongan’s secret.
There didn’t seem to be a clear purpose as to why.
For Seol Wonpyeong, it must have been of immense value because it was a legacy from their ancestors. So the pupils and formation would remain untouched.
She had told Jegaldam it was because of the Hyangyuk mushroom—but that wasn’t the whole truth. Of course, that mushroom was important; it was part of her very first business plan.
But what Unyeong truly wanted was the cave where energy gathered—the Donggong.
It was a natural training ground.
“A cave where poison gathers… That’s the best.”
Her lips curled in delight, and her shoulders twitched.
Now that she knew how to separately manage the poison energy, the cave’s value had only increased.
“If the poison keeps collecting, it could be dangerous. So I’ll just have to use it well. Yep, definitely.”
She chuckled to herself, her gaze drifting toward the egg. It felt… more substantial than before her meditation.
“Right, you’ll need some of that poison too, won’t you? Don’t worry. I won’t keep it all for myself. I’ll share. But I get the first bite…”
Gently stroking the egg, she stood up and picked up her brush.
There was still much to be done.
“…This should buy us some time.”
She muttered as she put the brush down.
She had just organized a coded language—Am-eo.
It was one Jegaldam had created during the war with Cheongung. One Cheongung had never managed to decipher.
“Seriously… the guy’s a genius.”
As she checked for errors, she couldn’t help but marvel again.
There were other coded systems created by the former head strategist. Some Unyeong hadn’t even learned.
The information agency Biyeonggak and special unit Amyeongdae, both under Jegaldam, had used those secret codes.
“A code is just a contract. As long as the rules are set, it’s not that hard.”
“Ugh, still insufferably smug.”
Unyeong’s delicate lips curled in a pout.
“Heh. Shall I play genius for a bit?”
Gathering the now dry ink-covered papers, she smiled with satisfaction.
Wouldn’t pretending to be a genius using someone else’s work be fraud?
“It’s fine, it’s fine. Once he sees this, his eyes will spin and he’ll go make something new. This is all for his growth.”
Conscience? What use is that?
On the battlefield, there’s no such thing as ‘mine’ or ‘yours’.
