It was a slightly excessive—no, a wildly excessive—defensive formation.

The formation the kids had built was one so secure, even a single fly wouldn’t make it past.

And that was just the start. As if it had only just begun, the scenery around us began to change—slowly but surely.

The house and the surrounding area were being transformed by Jeokwol-noona’s butterfly powder into a thick forest.

In the blink of an eye, everything outside the door had become dense woods.

Land, sky, stealth, and even an illusion barrier.

It looked so secure it was almost too secure.

I gave the kids a smile and asked if they could maybe ease up just a little.

Just in case, of course.

“Hey kids, don’t you think this might be a little too safe? I mean, maybe just watch the area nearby?”

The reason for this was mostly just in case the Blood Cult sent someone to investigate the disappearance of one of their intel teams—or in case any of them were still lingering nearby.

But as far as we knew, the Blood Cult in this area had already been dealt with.

Last time, that woman Nan-hwa had said only her team was operating in this region.

Assuming she was telling the truth.

And while I appreciated their eagerness to protect me, when it all stacked up together, I couldn’t help but agree with Sister Seol—it really was a bit too much.

Cho and Yeondu were flying overhead like fighter jets, with stealth bomber Jeokwol-noona hidden between them.

Down below, Cheongyu’s snake infantry was completely covering the perimeter, all hidden and camouflaged—no one would even know the area was secured.

Even if someone did break in, they’d be met at the front by tank Orange, and if they got past that, Bini would shield me while Hyang covered the rear.

And up on the ceiling? Assassin-class Yo-hwa was waiting.

No matter which Blood Cult bastard showed up, this was overkill.

But all the kids immediately shook their heads in unison.

–Tssrrr!

–Pii!

–Kssht!

Their cries practically said, What kind of nonsense is that? Absolutely not!

I looked at Sister Seol with my hands raised, silently saying, Yeah... I don’t think I have a choice here.

“If I take even one of them out, they’re definitely gonna sulk...”

From the way the kids looked, they were in high spirits—this whole situation probably felt like a game to them.

Doing something together like this made them happy.

So if I excluded one of them now, they’d resent me for life.

“Phew... I guess this is how it has to be? I mean, safer is better, right?”

Yeah. When it comes to safety, more is more.

I nodded and shifted my gaze toward Seol, Bing, and Dong-i, who were waiting nearby—when suddenly Hwa-eun’s voice rang out.

“What on earth is going on here? The area turned into a forest, and I got lost trying to get back. This is Jeokwol’s ability, isn’t it?”

She must’ve just finished up in the kitchen and was surprised by the change in scenery on her way back.

When Hwa-eun stepped into the room and saw the full defensive formation, she wore a stunned expression.

“They’re all guarding me while I cultivate.”

The kids flinched at Hwa-eun’s appearance.

They must’ve thought they were about to get scolded.

After all, in this house, Hwa-eun was the scariest authority figure.

But contrary to their expectations, Hwa-eun didn’t scold them—she praised them instead.

“Oh my, how admirable. Yes, you must protect your daddy. Everyone, keep up the good work!”

–Tssrrt!

–Pii!

She looked so proud of them for standing guard together.

Cho, Hyang, and Bini had all been so tiny once, and now they were grown enough to protect their dad—it made her proud too.

If I found it touching, imagine how cute they must’ve looked to Hwa-eun, who always doted on them.

With Mom’s full approval secured, the kids let out cries of triumph, their voices echoing through the room.

–Tssrrr!

–Tssst!

“Well then, I guess it’s about time we got started.”

Since we were keeping the formation as-is, there was no point in waiting any longer.

Time to attempt the Five-Poison Realm.

I looked over at Seol, Bing, and Dong-i and called to them.

“Come here.”

–Kyuit!

–Ggukkuuu.

–Kuuu.

They had been licking each other and now scuttled over to me.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

I thought for a moment about who to register first, then picked up Dong-i.

I still wasn’t sure if Dong-i was a granddaughter or a grandson.

But I figured once I entered the spiritual landscape, I’d be able to find out.

Sister Seol and Hwa-eun seemed to think Dong-i was male, but the kid was still so small that no one could be sure.

“All right, Dong-i. Let’s take a look and see what you’re really like, shall we?”

As I held Dong-i in my hands, they licked the corner of my lips.

I closed my eyes quietly and activated the Beast Heart Technique.

As my consciousness drifted away, I slowly began to descend into my spiritual realm.

Let’s go, Five-Poison Realm!

***

There was a heavy sensation.

My head, that is.

‘Why does my head feel so heavy?’

This had never happened before.

As I tried to awaken, I was immediately struck by the weight pressing down on my skull.

When I finally opened my eyes, I saw a narrow cave.

This was a completely different spiritual realm from before.

It was always wide and expansive before—yet this place was narrow, long, and dark.

There were glowing stones on the ceiling, so it wasn’t pitch black, but the surroundings were only faintly visible.

I held my pounding head and waited, and slowly the pressure eased.

Once my head felt lighter, I began to move through the cave.

“This is the first time I’ve seen something like this.”

The strange part was, Dong-i had been born in our home and had never seen a cave like this.

Yet their spiritual landscape looked like this.

I figured it was because they were a true spiritual beast.

As I followed the cave, light began to appear ahead.

“I’d better hurry. They might be crying, scared...”

If Dong-i had been pulled into the realm and was frightened, I needed to reach them quickly.

When I exited the cave, what awaited me was a familiar scene.

A strange space surrounded by sheer cliffs.

It was the same place where I’d first met Seol and Bing.

“Huh? This is...”

Ahead, I saw a familiar boulder.

The one Seol and Bing used as their home before.

Feeling nostalgic, I ran toward it.

And there, I found three people.

“Three!?”

A silver-haired woman, a silver-haired man—

And a silver-haired girl who looked about six years old, staring straight at me.

“You guys are... Seol, Bing, and Dong-i?”

Strangely, even though I’d only used Dong-i’s saliva to register, all three had appeared in my spiritual realm.

***

So-ryong was slipping into a mental trance, and both Hwa-eun and Seol couldn’t help but be startled by what followed.

So-ryong had been holding a jar, which he’d set on Hwayang’s head, intending to place it somewhere safe—but at that very moment, Seol and Bing also collapsed unconscious.

Their heads had dropped forward in a bowing posture, so upon checking, they realized both of them had lost consciousness too.

“Unni, Seol and Bing passed out too.”

“What? All three of them at once?”

The way they drooped like the jar made Hwa-eun and Seol exchange wide-eyed looks.

“No way, did all three of them—?”

“Looks like it, right?”

Normally, the registration of a beast through Mind-Link Martial Arts was done one at a time.

This was the first time they’d ever seen three linking at once, and they were clearly flustered. Then Seol suddenly shouted, her expression lighting up with realization.

“Ah! Weren’t they all licking each other just a bit ago?”

Technically it was called a “mind link,” but what So-ryong referred to as registration—linking with a beast using Mind-Link Martial Arts—required blood or saliva to establish the connection.

That meant, before the link, blood or saliva had to be ingested. And now that she thought about it, Seol, Bing, and Dong had been licking each other moments ago.

It seemed their saliva had mixed during that process.

“Wait, then—?”

“Their saliva must’ve gotten mixed up.”

“Will they be okay?”

Hwa-eun asked, visibly worried.

“There are records in the Beast Palace of people linking with multiple animals at once, actually. Some of our ancestors even tried linking to entire packs of wolves or swarms of rats in one go.”

It wasn’t that no one had ever attempted multi-beast linking in Beast Palace history.

There had been attempts to register whole wolf packs at once, and even a senior who’d tried to connect with a swarm of rats.

When she said that, Hwa-eun clasped her hands anxiously and asked again.

“Did they succeed?”

“Well, that is...”

Seol hesitated, and Hwa-eun covered her mouth, eyes going wide.

It was clear she sensed the answer wouldn’t be good.

So Seol quickly added an explanation, not wanting Hwa-eun to spiral into unnecessary worry.

“Ah, no—what I mean is, they did establish the link. But afterward, they ended up acting like the beasts—like mice or wolves. Still, they eventually came back to themselves.”

Though “eventually” was doing a lot of heavy lifting there.

The one who linked to wolves took three months to return to normal.

The one with the rats? Three years.

But Seol decided to keep that part to herself.

They might be fine, and there was no need to make Hwa-eun panic over nothing.

“That’s... a relief.”

“Y-yeah. I’m sure it’ll be taxing on them, but didn’t you say they all met in the mind realm recently? Let’s just hope for the best.”

Seol looked at the unconscious So-ryong and the three linked beasts with their eyes closed, thinking to herself.

At least these ones were spiritual beasts who could think like humans. Even if their minds did get mixed together, it probably wouldn’t be that big a deal.

Probably.

***

“‘He’s not at the Peng Clan?’

‘Correct. The Peng Clan is celebrating the engagement of their young lord to a daughter of the Ak Clan, and apparently Wei Su Long isn’t there.’

‘Then where the hell is that bastard?’

‘When the young lord returned to the Peng Clan, we got some intel from the coachman who drove the carriage with the Dragon Fangs. He overheard someone saying that someone was waiting at the Yellow River.’

‘That bastard Wei Su Long had a boat, didn’t he?’

‘Yes, Lord.’

‘Then that boat must be waiting on the Yellow River. Dispatch people along the tributaries and up to the Peng Clan—he might still be there.’

‘Understood!’”

Binghyeol Nanhwa, commander of the Bloodshade Unit, sat deep in thought, recalling the orders from a few days earlier.

She had just finished writing and sending a letter to the Five Venoms Sect when the madam of the brothel rushed in urgently.

Her face was bright—she clearly had found Wei Su Long’s location.

“Commander! We’ve found him!”

Just as expected. Nanhwa’s face lit up as she responded.

“Good. Where is he?”

“He’s moored under a willow tree near Bojeong. There’s a boat and a bamboo raft there!”

“You found the boat. Did you see him?”

“There were only boatmen on the vessel, and they were wary—we couldn’t get any info on the destination. But after poking around nearby, we confirmed the owner of the boat recently rented a house in the village.”

“Rented a house?”

At those words, Nanhwa tapped the table with her fingernail.

If he had rented a house in a village, that meant lots of variables to track.

She’d have to monitor the timing of foot traffic, any activity from patrol guards, and investigate each one to prepare for an assassination attempt. The real question was—could she finish preparations and eliminate Wei Su Long before the Dragon Fangs returned?

There weren’t many skilled operatives left at the moment. If the Dragon Fangs returned too soon, they might not even have the chance to make a move.

“Damn... if it’s a village, then there’s way too much to account for. This is getting annoying.”

Just as she muttered that with a slightly regretful tone, the madam smiled and added more.

“Oh, don’t worry. The house he rented is tucked away behind the village on a quiet mountain path—hardly anyone ever goes there.”

“Are you serious?”

“Yes, Commander.”

A secluded house on a deserted hillside behind the village...

Nanhwa thought to herself.

Looks like this is the end of the line for that bastard Wei Su Long.

With no one around, this would be perfect for them.

Nanhwa curled her lips into a grin and gave the order.

“So Wei Su Long’s time is up. Gather everyone. We’re drawing up a plan to take him out.”

“Yes, Commander!”

One hour later, luxurious carriages rolled out of Beijing, speeding along the government road toward Bojeong.

Loaded with Blood Cult operatives.