The flames of the campfire surged up wildly as my blood reacted with Hyang’s venom.

And just like that, the inside of the abandoned Daoist temple started to warm up.

There were holes here and there, sure, but since no wind was blowing through, the interior quickly grew warm.

– Crackle. Snap.

Now that the fire was going strong...

The smoke was escaping well through a hole in the ceiling, so it didn’t seem like I’d need to worry about it anymore.

“I should go grab some dry reeds and lay them down now.”

I figured I could bring over the reeds piled up in one corner, lay them down where the fire’s warmth reached, and spend the night there.

That’s when my eyes landed on the raincoat and bamboo hat I’d tossed near the entrance earlier.

“Ah, my hat and raincoat.”

As I stepped inside, I grabbed the bamboo hat and raincoat I’d left near the entrance and hung them on a tree branch jutting from the half-broken wall.

I’d be using them again tomorrow, after all.

Since they were made from reeds and bamboo, if I didn’t dry them properly, they’d soak up moisture and become useless.

After I hung the hat and raincoat on the wall, the kids were already busy working—without even being told.

They were moving the pile of reeds closer to the fire.

“Helping out your dad?”

At my question, the kids gave me a proud look as if asking if I wasn’t impressed.

– Tsrrr.

– Kku-kuu.

– Ppiut.

Hyang was dragging a bundle of reeds wrapped around her body, and Hongdan was carrying a bundle with her pincers.

Seol and Bing were each carrying a stalk in their mouths, helping the other two.

Dong was biting a reed leaf bigger than himself and spinning around in circles.

When I tried to help, Hyang pushed me down onto the pile of reeds she’d already brought over and chirped:

– Tsrut!

Was she telling me to take it easy while they handled it?

I really felt like my daughter had grown up.

It felt like just yesterday she was a little yellow egg, and now she was all grown up and helping her dad.

This is what makes parenting worthwhile.

‘Gyaaah.’

While I was basking in my emotions, the five of them rustled around busily, and soon enough, a nest made of reeds was complete.

The finished nest looked a bit like a bird’s nest, and Seol, Bing, and Dong were already sprawled out along the edge near the fire.

They must’ve felt drowsy, basking in the warm flames.

When you raise lizards, if you turn on a warm heating pad or lamp, they close their eyes and look all sleepy like that. It seemed like they were trying to raise their body temperature after getting chilled from the rain.

Hyang and Hongdan leaned against the nest wall, and in the middle—an open, circular space.

That vacant center was probably meant to be my spot.

“This is Daddy’s spot?”

– Tsrrr.

– Ppiut.

The kids answered leisurely with their eyes closed.

They gestured me over, as if telling me to hurry up and come snuggle in, but first, I had to dry my outer clothes near the fire.

The kids could just shake off the moisture, but I had to dry mine properly.

I couldn’t strip completely, so I took off my outer robe and pants and laid them across the pile of firewood.

Then I crawled into the center spot the kids had left open for me, turning my gaze toward the wall where Blood-Blossom Dream Illusion Butterfly (Jeokwol) was.

Sister Jeokwol had clung to the wall as soon as we entered the temple, so I needed to check what she was doing.

“Sister Jeokwol?”

I looked toward the wall she had attached to earlier—but couldn’t see her.

When I called out to her, the wall shimmered slightly, and she emerged from the darkness.

She was clinging to one wall with her wings spread wide, glimmering in the firelight.

Since her body was waterproof, she hadn’t gotten wet, so she must have been trying to absorb some warmth.

When butterflies spread their wings wide, it’s to soak up warmth.

“Sister Jeokwol, are you all right? You’re not hungry or anything, are you? Like I mentioned earlier, we’ll have to stay here for the night.”

– Chiiiii.

She gently moved her antennae to show she was fine.

She usually fed about once every two or three days, and today marked the third day, yet she said she was okay.

I’d told her she could ask if she got hungry—we even had the Boheoldan that Grandpa Yak Seon gave us—but maybe she felt a bit guilty drinking the blood of a kid like me who wasn’t even an adult yet.

– Chii. Chiit.

– Tsrut. Tsrrr. 『She said if she gets hungry, she can look for a deer or wild boar. Daddy.』

She seemed to be saying something, so I asked Hyang to interpret—and sure enough, she said she’d just find animal blood instead.

Thank goodness she didn’t feed exclusively on human blood.

‘Makes sense, right? She probably had nothing but wild animal blood back when she lived in the mountains.’

The kids were basking in the fire nicely, the nest was complete, and Sister said she was fine.

That meant we could spend the night just like this.

“Then I guess it’s bedtime now. Ah, it’s warm... Oh right, I should contact Hwa-eun.”

As I lay among the kids, I remembered I needed to contact Hwa-eun. So I dragged over the leather pouch I’d tossed aside and looked inside.

I was feeling a little hungry too—might as well have a light snack for dinner.

I just needed something to chew while contacting her.

I dug through the pouch and pulled out something wrapped in oil-treated paper.

Unfolding it revealed jerky.

It was a bit different from regular jerky—more semi-dried than fully dehydrated.

I pulled out a stick from the firewood pile, skewered the jerky, and held it over the fire, slowly turning it.

After a short wait, the savory smell of melted fat started wafting up.

I took out a small flask, wet my throat with a sip of water, then, with the jerky in my mouth, I sent my thoughts to Hwa-eun.

『Hwa-eun.』

‘So-ryong. How far have you gotten?’

The moment I called out to her in my mind, her warm voice responded right away.

She was asking how far I’d come, but I had to tell her I was way behind schedule.

‘Uh... I haven’t even crossed the river yet, Hwa-eun.’

‘Not yet? Why?’

Hearing that I hadn’t even crossed the river, she sounded a little surprised, so I quickly explained.

‘There’s been a lot of rain over here. The river overflowed and flooded the bridge.’

‘Ah, no wonder the water level rose over here too. So it’s been pouring where you are? Then where are you now?’

‘They said there’s another route, so I’ve been crossing a mountain. The sun went down, so I decided to rest at an abandoned Daoist temple.’

‘Did you eat dinner?’

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

‘Yeah. I’m grilling some jerky over the fire right now.’

‘Then...’

I chatted with Hwa-eun for a bit, grilled a few more pieces of jerky, and tossed more firewood onto the campfire.

Then I checked my clothes—they were completely dry and toasty from the heat.

I put them back on, curled up among the kids, and Hyang, feeling warm, snuggled into my arms.

And just like that, I drifted off to sleep, remembering our life back in Haenam Island.

***

– Ppiut! Ppiut! Ppiut!

Dong’s urgent cry rang out in my half-asleep state.

“...What? What’s wrong?”

– Kku-kuu!

– Tsrrr!

The flurry of sounds continued, and I rubbed my eyes with both hands and sat up.

I gently opened my eyes to a pitch-black surrounding.

The rain was still pouring outside, and in the silence between, only the crackling of charred wood burning remained.

– Ssshhhaaaaaa.

– Tap. Crackle.

And in the darkness, Dong’s cries continued.

– Ppiut! Ppiuuu!

I waited, thinking Hyang would translate what was going on. But instead, she slipped out of my arms and headed toward a corner of the abandoned Daoist temple.

After inspecting the area, she stood there and explained:

– Tsrrrut? 『Dong said something was there, but there’s nothing at all.』

“He said something was there?”

– Ppiut, ppiut!

‘Did he see a rat or something?’

I grabbed a handful of dry reeds from the bedding and tossed them into the embers of the campfire. Blowing on it with my mouth—whoosh—the fire flared up again.

I tossed some more firewood onto it, then grabbed a burning log and walked over to Hyang.

In the corner where she stood, there was a hole about the size of a human head. Hyang had already stuck her head inside and checked it out, but she reported that there were no signs of anything.

– Tsrrrut. 『There’s nothing, Daddy.』

“Jeokwol, did you happen to see anything?”

– Chii.

– Tsrut. 『She said she was asleep and didn’t see anything, Daddy.』

Just in case, I’d asked Jeokwol too. But since she’d traveled during the day even though she’s nocturnal, she must’ve fallen into a deep sleep.

No matter how thoroughly I checked, there were no signs of anything having passed through. It must’ve just been a field mouse that wandered in through the hole.

“Looks like it might’ve just been a field mouse. Don’t worry, Dong.”

Dong was still perched on top of the reed pile, body puffed up as he stared toward the hole.

It was the classic defensive posture lizards take when they encounter a predator—to make themselves look bigger.

To calm him down, I patted his head and told him not to worry, but he remained frozen like a little guard, eyes fixed on the hole.

The fire was stoked, and if I wanted to set out again tomorrow, I needed to get some sleep. So I gently patted Dong and pulled him into my {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} arms.

“Come on now, let’s sleep, Dong.”

Even as I held him, he kept sticking his head out of my arms, staring at the corner like something still felt off.

Only when I covered his eyes did the night finally return.

***

– KWAHHHHH.

– RUMBLE. CRASH!

I woke to loud crashing sounds. Morning had come, but outside, it was absolute chaos.

The rain, which I’d expected to let up, was now pouring like a hole had opened in the sky.

Even lightning and thunder were raging outside.

At this rate, there was no way we’d be able to leave.

“What the—why is it raining even harder?”

It must’ve been monsoon season or the wet season in this region. With the thunder, lightning, and relentless downpour, there was no way we could head out until the rain let up.

“Looks like we’re stuck here until the rain stops.”

– Tsrrr.

– KUGUNG!

As I stood at the main hall’s entrance, staring out at the rain, a loud crashing sound came from behind.

Some dust rose into the air, only to be immediately flattened by the rain. I rushed back to check.

Behind the main hall, a structure had collapsed under the weight of the rain. As the dust settled quickly in the heavy downpour, a large flower garden came into view.

Just like many buildings in the Central Plains, this temple seemed to have a quadrangle layout, with a main hall, a rear building, and a garden beyond the wall.

The flower garden, untouched and forgotten by human hands, was filled with wild lilies that bloomed beautifully even in the rain.

White and pink blossoms, densely packed and speckled with tiny dots—absolutely stunning.

“Wow, Hwa-eun would definitely love this.”

Though she loved martial arts and poison, Hwa-eun was still a noblewoman, and she really liked flowers too.

That’s why I thought she’d adore a sight like this. And right then, I felt her voice in my mind—guess being a proper lady isn’t in the cards for her after all.

『So-ryong, are you awake? Wait, did you already leave?』

I hadn’t even left yet. In fact, I was stuck until the rain let up. I told her so, and she sounded worried.

『How heavy is the rain?』

‘It’s not just rain—it’s like the sky’s dumping water. One of the buildings here even collapsed from it.’

『What?! Then isn’t where you are dangerous too?』

‘Uh... I think I’m safe where I am...’

But hearing how worried she was, I realized I probably shouldn’t have said that. So I added a little lie for reassurance.

‘No, no. The building that collapsed was already falling apart. The area I’m staying in is well-maintained and still solid, so there’s nothing to worry about.’

『Still, be careful, So-ryong. Should I come get you with Cho and Yeondu?』

Hwa-eun offered to come fetch me, clearly worried.

But asking her to come in this rain would’ve just been a burden, so I shook my head.

‘If we wait a bit, the rain should ease up. I’ll keep an eye on it, and if it looks bad, I’ll let you know.’

『Okay... Then every two hours—no, every four—no, just message me every two hours, okay? Promise?』

Oh boy... They say if you date someone super possessive in your past life, you’d have to message them every few hours. And apparently, that someone is Hwa-eun.

But she wasn’t usually like this—just worried right now. So I agreed.

‘Got it, Hwa-eun.’

I could feel her relaxing a bit through her response.

Time to wash up and eat something.

As I walked back along the eaves of the main hall, the kids asked where I’d gone.

– Tsrrr?

– Kku-kuu!

“Oh, I heard a loud noise, so I went to check it out.”

I explained what had happened and washed my face with rainwater dripping near the entrance.

Then I went looking for the jerky—but it was gone.

No, really—gone.

I’d left it right near the fire, but the oil paper was torn, and all the jerky inside had disappeared.

“What?! My jerky!”

At my outcry, everyone turned to the corner Dong had been watching last night.