[Over there, Commander.]

Nanhwa arrived near the spot where the house was said to be and looked in the direction the warriors pointed.

But all she saw was an ordinary forest atop a cliff.

A dense forest, especially thick under the moonlight.

A few rocks poked out here and there, but the trees were so lush and overwhelming, it was hard to believe a house had ever existed there at all.

The thought crossed Nanhwa’s mind again—had they perhaps mistaken the location?

[How did you figure out it was a formation?]

[This way.]

Led carefully by the warrior, Nanhwa followed to where the rocks and trees mingled at the edge of the cliff.

Arriving in front of a rock large enough to conceal a person, the warrior nodded briefly and raised his hand to the stone.

—Ssshhh.

And then, his hand vanished into the rock.

Nanhwa’s eyes flew wide open.

A hand disappearing into thin air—just as she’d suspected. This was definitely a high-level formation.

Illusionary techniques like this were among the most advanced forms of formation magic.

Still staring in disbelief, Nanhwa reached out and placed her own hand inside. Instead of stone, she felt open space.

[Let’s... let’s step back.]

Startled by her own reckless gesture, Nanhwa stumbled back with the warrior and pressed a hand to her chest to calm herself.

She hadn’t meant to reach in like that—some formations were known to pull people inside just from a touch.

Fortunately, it didn’t seem like this one did.

As she stood at the cliffside, catching her breath and letting her pounding heart settle, Nanhwa frowned.

[This... this means we can’t get in, nor can we fire arrows.]

[Correct. Most likely.]

Before they set out, Nanhwa had heard from the head of the Five Venoms Sect that Wei Su Long kept a number of spirit beasts.

The centipede, the toad, the scorpion, the gecko, and the snake.

They were said to be powerful enough to wipe out an entire Blood Cult or Five Venoms martial unit on their own.

So powerful it made one’s skin crawl.

But Nanhwa wasn’t foolish enough to face them head-on.

Her plan had always been to strike from a distance—quietly, with arrows or throwing weapons.

The beasts might be strong, but Wei Su Long himself wasn’t said to be much of a martial artist. That was how the Bloodshade Unit fought—through precision, not brute force.

But with their target completely hidden behind an illusion, even that was impossible.

They couldn’t attack what they couldn’t see.

[What should we do, Commander?]

[Hmm...]

Nanhwa turned back toward the illusory forest.

Even with a formation, they needed to at least confirm whether the target or his companions were inside.

At that moment, the sky began to lighten—dawn was breaking.

And then—

From within, faint voices of women began to drift out.

“Hwa-eun, did you stay up all night again? You should’ve slept.”

“No, I just woke up. Ah, it’s already morning? I’ll go make breakfast.”

Clear voices pierced the still air of early dawn.

[That sound—!?]

[It’s coming from inside, Commander.]

So it was confirmed faster than Nanhwa had expected—there were people inside.

As morning broke, the sounds of life started emerging from within the forest.

Voices of women. And now, smoke began rising through the trees—someone was cooking.

[They’re definitely in there.]

[Yes, Commander. Sounds like two women.]

Judging by the voices, two women were inside.

It was unclear whether Wei Su Long himself was among them, but the woman from the Tang Clan and the one from the Beast Palace were definitely inside.

Since they couldn't confirm Wei Su Long's presence, Nanhwa decided to change the target.

She would capture one of the two women and lure Wei Su Long out.

Reports had mentioned that one of them had already come down to the village twice for supplies.

Which meant they were bound to run out again soon.

Unless the house had its own vegetable garden, which was unlikely—this was a rented place. Grains might keep, but meat and vegetables wouldn’t last long.

No matter how powerful the spirit beasts were, they couldn’t do much if she held a human hostage.

[Now that we’ve confirmed people are inside, we’ll change the target.

They rented the house for two months, and have come out twice already to buy supplies?

Then they’ll have to come out again soon. That’s when we strike. We capture one of the women—and if Wei Su Long is there, he’ll show himself.]

[Understood, Commander!]

The Blood Cult warriors began to spread out, encircling the cliff.

***

It had now been four days.

Four days since Seol, Bing, and Dong had awakened.

Which meant Hwa-eun was burning with anxiety.

Back when Cho, Hyang, Bini, or even Hwayang had been registered, So-ryong always woke up shortly after the children.

But this time, no matter how long they waited, So-ryong wasn’t waking up.

Her older sister had tried to reassure her—said that tonight was the full moon, and Cheongyu would awaken too. Maybe she’d understand what was happening.

But Hwa-eun couldn’t shake the fear gnawing at her heart.

What if even Cheongyu didn’t know?

What if something had gone wrong with So-ryong?

What if he ended up like a stone-clinging lizard, forever crawling along walls?

That thought alone was all she could think about.

“Hwa-eun, you need to calm down. You’ll make yourself sick.”

“Yes, Unni...”

Seol glanced at Hwa-eun’s worried face with concern.

At her sister’s gentle scolding, Hwa-eun headed to So-ryong’s room and sat cross-legged across from him.

So-ryong’s face was visible within Bini’s body.

At first, she’d wanted to rush over and pinch his cheek in frustration for making her worry so much again.

But then she thought—what if she hurt him?

She hated the thought of So-ryong being in pain more than she hated her own.

And then her thoughts wandered.

She was Tang Hwa-eun, of the Sacheon Tang Clan.

Just a year ago, she’d sworn not to rely on any man and to become so powerful that even the clan elders would be shocked.

How had she ended up like this?

Staring at So-ryong, she came to a decision and reached up to remove Sandan from her hair—his gift to her.

Yes. Sitting around and waiting didn’t suit her.

—Peep?

Sandan tilted its head, curious.

Hwa-eun looked at her and asked softly,

“Could you give your mama just one drop of poison?”

—Pii!?

Sandan squeaked in shock. Then, Seol, Bing, and Dong—who had already awakened—and even Bini, who was wrapped around So-ryong’s body, all rushed forward and tugged at Hwa-eun’s sleeve.

They were telling her not to do anything dangerous.

Such warm-hearted children.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

Even without So-ryong’s group chat link, she could feel their emotions so clearly.

Smiling softly, Hwa-eun patted their heads and explained:

This wasn’t something she was doing because she wanted danger—it was something she had to do because someone else kept throwing himself into danger.

That man sitting right over there with his eyes peacefully closed.

Annoying and lovable, she had to do this if she wanted to walk beside him.

Though she worded it a little differently:

“I’m not doing anything reckless. It’s just... Daddy keeps making us worry so much, so Mommy’s going to get stronger so she can protect Daddy too.”

At her words, the children turned to look at So-ryong, sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed.

Then, in perfect sync, they turned back to Hwa-eun and let out a collective sigh.

Their little chests rose and fell dramatically, as if they were all sighing together.

And Hwa-eun could feel it—their emotions coming through clearly.

“Mom’s got it rough.

We get it.”

That’s what it felt like they were saying.

Hwa-eun couldn’t hold back a laugh. She looked at them with overflowing affection—and right then, it seemed all of them silently agreed. They gave a unified nod toward Sandan.

—Tsrut.

—Ggukguuu.

They were signaling Sandan to go ahead and give her what she needed.

Sandan hesitated, then finally raised her rear end and summoned a single drop of poison from the center of her flower-like body.

A small, clear drop of venom shimmered in the middle of her pale red lily petals.

“You don’t have to worry, kids.”

Hwa-eun closed her eyes and swallowed it without hesitation. A fresh floral scent bloomed inside her nose.

It felt like lying in a field of lilies.

She immediately began channeling the poison into her lower energy center—her dantian.

As the new venom merged with her inner energy, her dantian began to pulse—harder than it ever had before.

—Thump, thump.

At first, it felt like her dantian was swelling, bloated with pressure.

Up until now, her venom arts and the Neidan of the Blue-Spotted Centipede had filled her like a bottle full of water. Now, with Sandan’s venom added, that bottle was overflowing.

Her internal energy surged, flooding outward from her dantian.

She hadn’t even started formal circulation yet, but the power was gushing out uncontrollably.

Feeling the wild torrent bursting from within, Hwa-eun made a vow.

When So-ryong came back home, she would give him her answer for the lilies he’d given her.

She’d make sure he didn’t run away.

Even if that meant he had to die in her embrace.

After all, this choice—adding Sandan’s venom—was all because of him.

It was the mildest venom among the children, and it had been his gift.

That was why she absolutely had to include it in her cultivation.

Not like this—impulsively—but still...

The thought made her cheeks burn with embarrassment, but she quickly pushed those thoughts aside.

This was a critical moment. A stray emotion could lead to Qi deviation.

And what good would it be if she fell into Qi deviation right as So-ryong woke up?

—Tsururur!

—Gyuit!

The children’s cheers rang out in encouragement.

The spiritual beast’s venom she had just taken in was like a raging torrent.

If her past venoms were gentle streams, this was a full-on flood crashing through her.

That intense venom burst upward from her dantian, surging through the ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) perineum, then along her spinal base.

From there, it rushed up through the life gate, the great vertebra, the mute gate, and the jade pillow—

Then down the front through the heavenly prominence, the chest center, the solar plexus, and the sea of qi, before returning once more to the dantian.

Even the Neidan energy that had been scattered through her secondary meridians now rushed back into her core.

—Boom!

This time, a surge even stronger than the first erupted from her dantian and shot back down the same path it had traveled.

As that torrent repeated its cycle again and again, Hwa-eun began to slip into a trance.

—Ah...

When the flow of energy reached its peak—

—Rumble.

Sister Seol opened the door and stepped inside, only to see three red flower buds floating above Hwa-eun’s head.

The blossoms of the yuejie. Her emblem.

The Tri-Bloom Crown — the Three Blossoms Gathering at the Crown.

“Sohwa!”

Sister Seol’s startled voice echoed throughout the house.

***

Do you know what the hardest thing in the world is?

It’s making a decision.

From the age-old debate of black bean noodles or spicy seafood noodles, to the brutal “Do you like Mom or Dad better?”—decisions are a hellish burden for someone like me, who suffers from chronic indecision.

What am I talking about?

How much time had passed as I sat cross-legged at the center of the stone chamber?

There I was, still unable to make up my mind.

Why? Because this whole setup felt like some kind of skill specialization event.

It felt like whichever door I picked, my martial arts would become attuned to that particular beast.

So of course, I couldn’t decide.

If I chose the centipede door, I’d be snubbing Hwayang, Cheongwol, Cheongyu, Seol, Bing, and Dong.

If I picked Seokcheok’s door, the others would sulk.

Pick the toad or scorpion, and the rest would still pout.

To someone like me—who loved all venomous creatures equally—this was agony.

“God, I’m gonna lose my mind. This is as bad as picking between black bean noodles and spicy noodles. This is why ‘half-and-half’ dishes exist! Why can’t I pick multiple—wait a sec!?”

While rolling around and whining in the center of the chamber, a sudden thought struck me:

What if time in here was flying by out there?

“GYAAAAHHH!”

Who knows how many more days had passed out there!

As if having decision paralysis wasn’t bad enough, now there was a time crunch!?

There was no choice.

In times like this, there was only one thing to do.

What, you ask?

Go with what you always do.

I picked the door I always defaulted to—and sprinted inside.