Chapter 342: Fate (5)
Elder Eunuch Wi, head of Dongchang, and General Meng left right after entrusting Unmirang to us.
They wore relieved expressions, as if a great burden had been lifted now that Hwa-eun had recruited her faster than light.
Though she was a low-ranking palace maiden, it was still best to hide her as far away as possible in case her identity was ever revealed. The Tang Family compound was a place where once you entered, you didn’t leave—so there was no better place for secrecy.
Before departing, the two of them even handed Unmirang a pouch of money.
Though they were leaving her in our care, it was clear they still felt guilty.
After all, she ended up like this while helping them, and this seemed like their way of easing that burden on their hearts.
"We're sorry, child. To think that by helping us, you’d end up cast out of the palace."
"It’s alright. If I could be of service to His Majesty one last time, then I have no regrets."
As expected, Unmirang was a woman of extraordinary loyalty—there wasn’t even the slightest hesitation in her voice. It truly felt like she meant it without a single regret.
The two elders then each offered her a pouch.
"Such a child should have remained in the palace, serving the Emperor. The Tang Family will treat you well, but consider this a gift from us—keep it safely, and use it for your family when you marry someday."
"I-I didn’t help expecting anything like this..."
"Oh, hush. Just take it."
"Yes, take it."
"Th-thank you."
Thus, in the cabin left behind after everyone else had departed, only Unmirang, Hwa-eun, and I remained.
In the slightly awkward atmosphere, Hwa-eun gestured for Unmirang to sit and poured her a cup of tea, then asked,
"Your name is Unmirang, right? I am Tang Hwa-eun, direct descendant of the Tang Family and daughter of the Tang Clan leader in Sichuan. Please, sit down. Let’s talk over tea."
"Thank you, Lady Hwa-eun."
"Originally, there were some questions we would normally ask before officially accepting someone into the family. Though the order is a bit reversed now, I’d like you to answer truthfully.
Ah, and don’t worry—no matter what your answers are, I won’t take back what I said about accepting you."
At Hwa-eun’s words, Unmirang clenched her fists tightly and nodded.
"I understand, my lady. I will answer honestly."
Satisfied with her attitude, Hwa-eun smiled warmly and continued.
The sort of questions that should have been asked before recruitment.
"Do you have any family?"
"No, I don’t, my lady... They all passed away from a plague when I was young... I survived and entered the palace alone."
"Your age?"
"I’m nineteen, my lady."
But there really wasn’t much else to ask Unmirang.
No family, only her age.
Judging there was no need to question further, Hwa-eun nodded and said,
"You said you have no family, correct? Then from now on, the Tang Family will be your family."
"Th-thank you."
At the mention of "family," Unmirang flinched, and her eyes shimmered when Hwa-eun said the Tang Family would become her family.
She was clearly moved.
But before that emotion could fully settle, Hwa-eun’s face grew stern as she spoke firmly, as if to imprint something even more important.
"But you must remember one thing: The Tang Family never betrays its own. Not under any circumstances, even if it means death. Understand?"
"O-of course! The loyalty I once gave to the Emperor, I will now offer to the Tang Family!"
Unmirang answered without hesitation once again.
Satisfied, Hwa-eun smiled and nodded.
It seemed the "interview" had gone well.
Even without knowing much else, you could just tell from her aura—she radiated loyalty from head to toe.
Well, the special recruitment seemed mostly thanks to the fact that she had helped dress me up as a palace maiden, though I didn’t quite get why that alone was such an important condition...
Once the conversation ended, it was Unmirang who asked a question.
"My lady, what work will I be doing?"
It seemed she was curious about what role she would have. At that, Hwa-eun glanced at me with a smile before answering.
"Mirang, you’ll be looking after both me and So-ryong. You could say you’ll be our personal attendant."
"Ah! I’m confident I’ll do well, my lady! After all, I used to attend to the Emperor’s garments!"
‘Surely she won’t be asked to dress me up again sometimes... right?’
At the words "personal attendant" and the smile on Hwa-eun’s face, I suddenly felt a cold sweat.
And then, as if Hwa-eun had just remembered something else, she added,
"Oh, one more thing. Do you like children?"
"Children? Of course! I love children very much. Do the two of you already have children? Ah, no, you must mean the children you’ll have in the future!
I’m good at looking after little ones, too!"
Nodding at Unmirang’s enthusiastic response, Hwa-eun smiled warmly, then turned her gaze toward my room.
"Perfect. There might be times when you’ll need to look after them. Come out, little ones. Say hello to your new sister."
"You already have children? You both look far too young for that... But still, the children of the two of you must be so adorable and beautif—b-beautif—"
As the door opened and the "children" ambled out, Unmirang froze in place.
On the heads of two enormous centipedes rode lizards, earwigs, and, fluttering in from a corner, a magnificent butterfly. There was even a giant spider that looked just like Hwa-eun and Cheongyu, with her snake-like lower body, slithering into view.
It was the kind of scene that could shut down a human brain on sight.
Hwa-eun continued her introductions to the paralyzed Unmirang.
"This is Cho, our first daughter."
"And this is Hyangi, our second."
Slowly, just as she would have done at the palace, Unmirang turned her head and looked at me with wide eyes, a look that clearly said, "You’re seriously calling these... children?"
‘Hey, I never said they were human children.’
But they were definitely "children."
Just... not human ones.
And judging by the way Hwa-eun spoke, she had fully crossed over into my kind now.
After all, when introducing them, she should have included a disclaimer that they weren’t human.
‘She’s one of mine now.’
***
Unmirang definitely seemed like the kind of person who couldn’t stand even a speck of dust.
She swept and scrubbed so thoroughly that the boat was visibly cleaner than it had been before her arrival.
Though she had been quite shocked at her first introduction to the children, she adapted faster than expected.
After about three days, she no longer got their names wrong and didn’t seem at all bothered by them.
No, actually—it wasn’t that she wasn’t bothered. She was more... filled with curiosity?
She even started attempting physical contact with the kids.
– Tssrrr!
“I’m sorry! It wasn’t on purpose. Um, Miss Cho, would you mind stepping aside just a little? I need to clean here.”
– Tssrt.
Cho had reacted a bit sensitively when her body got brushed, but Unmirang quickly apologized and politely asked her to move.
And Cho, looking mildly annoyed, scooted to the side.
Then Unmirang continued cleaning, stealing glances at Cho out of the corner of her eye.
She was definitely trying to sneak in some physical contact under the guise of cleaning.
Eumbong and Gungbong still found Cho and Bini—those massive centipedes—scary, so this was quite surprising.
Still, it was a good thing. Better this than fear. So I continued writing in my So-ryong’s Venomous Beasts Log in peace.
After a while, I heard Unmirang call me.
“So-ryong.”
“Hm? What is it?”
When I turned, Unmirang had finished cleaning and approached me.
The children had scattered to avoid her, and Unmirang now wore a troubled expression as she asked,
“Um... how can I become closer to the young ladies? I want to serve them properly, but they get angry even if I barely touch them. They’re all avoiding me now...”
Her expression said it all—she genuinely wanted to take good care of them, but the kids rejected her touch, and it clearly upset her.
To be fair, the only one they allowed to touch them was Sister Seol.
Normally, this wouldn’t be a problem, but Unmirang was now their designated personal attendant. So yeah, this was something I had to step in and fix.
I’d assumed they’d grow close naturally over time, but even Cho’s earlier reaction seemed a bit too much.
‘Hmm... what should I do? Getting close is all about touch, but... ah!’
While wondering how to help her bond with the children, the idea came: physical contact.
Getting closer meant skinship.
Wasn’t there some old Japanese TV show in my past life where total strangers were told to kiss three times, and they actually reported feeling more connected afterward?
Unmirang already seemed emotionally open toward the kids, so if she was allowed to touch them, surely their hearts would open too.
“Then... would you like to help me give the kids a bath?”
“A bath? But the young ladies are already quite clean, aren’t they?”
True, the kids licked their antennae and bodies clean themselves and didn’t even carry any animal smell.
They were spiritual beasts—whether lizard or centipede—they usually had distinct scents, but our kids didn’t have any.
“Still, there’s one that tends to collect a little dust.”
“Ah, you mean Miss Bini? She does have a bit of dust on her body in some spots, though not much.”
Most people wouldn’t notice, but Unmirang clearly had been watching carefully—probably trying to get close—so she knew.
As she said, Bini had a shiny black body that wasn’t dirty, but sometimes a speck of dust could stand out.
So while I didn’t bathe her per se, I occasionally wiped her down with a dry cloth to maintain her shine.
Centipedes don’t have mucous membranes, so water isn’t great for them.
This was something I figured Unmirang and I could do together.
The other kids didn’t need it, but whenever I wiped Bini, the others came over and asked to be cleaned too—this was the perfect opportunity for safe skinship.
“I need to wipe Bini down from time to time. Would you like to help? Maybe if she gets used to your touch, you’ll grow closer.”
“Oh, I’d love to!”
Unmirang’s eyes lit up at the offer.
I asked her to bring Bini and two clean cloths.
“Then please bring Bini and two clean cloths.”
“Yes, So-ryong!”
Not long after, her voice called out from outside.
“Young lady, So-ryong says it’s time for your cleaning!”
– Tssrrrt.
Bini entered the room.
Unmirang followed, carrying two white cloths in her hands.
I took one and approached Bini.
“Bini, today we’ll clean up together—with Mirang.”
– Tssrt!?
Startled, Bini immediately hid behind me.
She let out a bratty squeal in Unmirang’s direction—almost like sticking out her tongue.
– Tssrrrr. 『Blehhh...』
“I can do this too, young lady! Please trust me!”
As Unmirang looked on the verge of tears, Hwa-eun walked in, tilting her head.
“What’s going on in here?”
“Well, it’s, uh...”
– Tssrrr! 『That lady tried to touch me, Mommy!』
Bini scurried over to hide behind Hwa-eun and tattled on Unmirang.
After I explained the situation briefly, Hwa-eun gently stroked Bini and said,
“Bini, remember when Daddy dressed up like Mommy the other day? You said he looked pretty, right?”
– Tssrt!
“Well, this lady was the one who helped make him look that way. If she helps ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) you clean up, you’ll be pretty too.”
– Tssrrrt!?
Bini, shocked, paused for a moment... Then flicked her tail once at Unmirang.
As if saying, "Fine, make me pretty then."
– Tsst.
So very Bini.
***
The Mirang Beauty Salon was packed today—not with people, but with a literal sea of venomous creatures.
Word had quietly spread since she wiped Bini down yesterday, and the spiritual beasts were lining up.
As Mirang gave Bini’s shell one final polish with the white cloth, a smooth, glossy shine emerged.
Satisfied, Bini let out a happy trill.
– Tssrrr.
A customer clearly pleased.
Mirang wiped her brow and turned to look behind her—only to wear a helpless expression.
Cho and Hwayang were next in line.
“At this rate, I won’t have any time left to clean...”
– Tssrrr!
Cho chirped back, making it clear that cleaning was off the table until their turn came.
Mirang let out a happy sigh.
“Alright, alright.”
It really did feel like peace had returned.
Cho replaced Bini on the mat, and I went back to enjoying this rare moment of quiet, continuing to jot things down in So-ryong’s Venomous Beasts Log.
Until I heard a voice from outside.
“So-ryong. Are you inside?”
I immediately set down my brush and stood up.
It was the voice I’d been waiting for—my brother.
“Brother!”
I opened the door. Outside stood my brother and Yang Seong-hu .
I had sent them to the Shaolin Temple, and now they had returned—with a message, it seemed.
“How did it go?”
“I received permission. You will be allowed to meet the head abbot himself.”
“Ooh! You’ve done well!”
I was thrilled—now I could finally ask about my karmic fate.
But my brother wasn’t finished.
“However, there’s a condition.”
“A condition?”
“More of a request, really. There’s a Taoist nearby causing some strange commotion. They’d like us to check it out. The Beggars’ Union said... you’re probably the best person for the job.”
“?”
Now that was a rather odd request.
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