It was while I was sitting on Geumdo’s back, looking ahead.

The glimmering lights started to come into view.

Those sparkling lights were coming from the city of Taian in front of Mount Tai, and at that moment, the boatman who had been checking the water route shouted urgently.

“So-ryong, over there!”

The direction he pointed to was where the flow of the Yellow River split into two.

It was the right-hand waterway between the two.

Just as the light turned on in a tower built between the two channels, I shouted quickly from Geumdo’s head, disguised as a figurehead.

“Geumdo, it’s the right side!”

– Bughrrrr.

Responding to my words, Geumdo swiftly anchored his right foreleg to the riverbed and shifted his left leg quickly.

Our boat, mounted on Geumdo’s shell, began to turn slowly to the right, following his movement.

– Budududuk.

The sound of wood creaking as the boat turned to the right.

After a brief shake at the waterway split, Geumdo pushed off with his hind legs, and we were swiftly pulled into the right canal—Tongjijeo.

– Chwaa!

The reason we were heading this way was because to get from the Yellow River to the Yangtze, we had to use the Grand Canal that connected the two.

We had come up from Yizhou by sea, but since a canal connected the two rivers, it made sense to use it to return to the Tang Clan.

Geumdo, being a spirit beast, might’ve been able to manage the sea route again, but if we could use the river, that was definitely better.

After about ten minutes of traveling through the Tongjijeo—

Geumdo let out a pleasant sound.

– Bughrr.

– Tsrut. 『Geumdo says it feels good, Dad. The water’s cool.』

Hyang, wrapped around my body, translated Geumdo’s voice, and apparently the meaning of the cry was that the water felt cool.

And since Geumdo was a turtle and didn’t breathe underwater like a fish, he likely didn’t feel suffocated from the water quality.

It probably meant the water was clean and refreshing. Since he had always lived in the muddy waters of the Yellow River, entering clearer water seemed to have lifted his spirits.

The canal water wasn’t exactly crystal clear, but it was definitely cleaner than the Yangtze, and far better than muddy water.

At Geumdo’s words, I tapped the wooden structure over his head and promised to let him sunbathe at Yi Tae’s base in the Three Gorges of the Yangtze.

“When we get to the Three Gorges, I’ll take the boat off and let you get some sun.”

I’d been planning that for a while.

Since Geumdo was a golden turtle, sunbathing would attract a ridiculous amount of attention, so a secure place was necessary—and there was no safer place than Yi Tae’s base. I was planning to dock there for a while, let him sunbathe, and strengthen his shell.

– Bughrrrr.

Excited by my promise, Geumdo let out another joyful cry.

Smiling, I patted his head and looked around.

The sky had darkened, and the water of the Tongjijeo flowed calmly. Aside from the split waterway earlier, this part was calm enough to just let ourselves drift safely for a while.

“Geumdo, if anything happens, let the boatman know by crying out.”

– Bughrrr.

Thinking it was time for dinner, I flew lightly to the bow with qinggong.

“Boatman, if Geumdo makes any noise, please check the area and let me know right away.”

“Understood, So-ryong.”

“If nothing goes wrong, we’ll reach the Yangtze in two days, right?”

“Yes, So-ryong.”

“I don’t think anything will happen in those two days... but if something does, day or night, let me know anytime.”

I was finishing up instructions with the boatman when I heard an excited voice from Cheongyu Sojeo coming from the cabin.

– Shia. 『Ah! I really think I can come out at night now!』

Turning my head, I saw Cheongyu Sojeo’s delighted face as she popped out from the cabin.

It wasn’t the usual dazed expression of the Golden Crown Demon Queen but a lively one—definitely Cheongyu Sojeo.

From the looks of it, her wish had come true: the daytime belonged to the Golden Crown Demon Queen, and the night to Cheongyu Sojeo. A full split.

‘Did it change to a 12-hour cycle or something?’

She’d appeared not in the middle of the night but right after dusk, which meant the body’s ownership probably alternated every 12 hours.

At that moment—

Hwa-eun, who came out after her from the cabin, asked through the group chat.

『“Are you Cheongyu Sojeo by any chance?”

– Shia. (Yes, Hwa-eun Sojeo.)

“So as So-ryong said, it seems you now appear at night?”』

To Hwa-eun’s question, Cheongyu Sojeo happily replied in the group chat.

『– Shii! (Looks like it!)

“That’s great. Oh, So-ryong, come in for dinner. Cheongyu Sojeo, come too. Let’s talk while we eat.”

– Shiia. (Okay, got it.)』

Just in time, it seemed dinner was ready, and Hwa-eun called us inside.

Following Hwa-eun in, I found Sister Seol waiting in my cabin [N O V E L I G H T] with the food.

Normally, meals on the boat worked like this: one of the boatmen cooked in the kitchen, brought it out in a large container, and we ate on the deck.

If eating on deck wasn’t possible, everyone would either eat in the kitchen or take the food to their rooms.

So today, since the sun had set and it wasn’t possible to eat outside, the food had been brought to the cabin.

“Welcome, So-ryong. You didn’t get wet, did you? I’ve made warm soup here, so eat up.”

“Yeah, I’m fine. Oh, this smells amazing.”

Steam rising from the warm broth.

It looked like it was made from a type of catfish common in the Yangtze, and since it was caught there, it had a bit of that earthy smell.

But it wasn’t to the point of being inedible, so I tore a dumpling, dipped it in the broth, and brought it to my mouth—when a message came in the group chat from Cheongyu Sojeo.

『– Shia. Shii... (Ah! So-ryong Senior, from what I heard inside the Golden Crown Demon Queen... it seems like you entered the Imprint Realm and came back out. What happened? Was the Gate opened?)』

She must’ve been curious about what happened this morning. Hwa-eun, hearing that, also asked.

“That’s right, So-ryong. What happened? Dong ran off when it started snowing, and then with all the guests, I forgot to ask. Did you enter the Imprint Realm? Dong said you didn’t.”

Then Sister Seol chimed in with the same question.

“Yeah. So-ryong, what happened with you?”

Come to think of it, I’d forgotten all about the Imprint Realm incident.

Nodding, I decided to explain what had happened in there.

I had meant to talk about it once I got out, but as Hwa-eun said, with Dong running off because of the snow and the guests arriving right after, it slipped my mind.

“I did enter the Imprint Realm. And I opened the Gate, too.”

『– Shia, (Really!?)』

“Is that true?”

“Really?”

They all looked surprised to hear that I had entered the Imprint Realm and opened the Gate.

Cheongyu Sojeo stared at me with eyes full of anticipation.

『– Shia. (Then... did you open the Gate of the Snake?)』

She must have been wondering if I had opened the gate tied to the snake, the one we promised to open together.

But before getting to that, I needed to explain what had happened inside the Imprint Realm, so I turned to the three of them.

“Before that... something strange happened inside the Imprint Realm.”

“Something strange?”

“Something weird?”

– Shia?

When I mentioned something strange, all three tilted their heads curiously.

I looked at Hwa-eun as I explained.

“Normally, when you enter the Imprint Realm, you wake up in a stone-carved chamber. This time was no different. The only thing that changed was that the centipede I chose last time was now carved into the ceiling.

And... just like before, there were five doors again.”

“Well, just because you opened a door doesn’t mean it disappears. If there were five before, of course there would be five again, right?”

“Right?”

『– Shiaa. (Exactly.)』

I had assumed that since I had already opened a door and the centipede—along with Hyang and Bini—was engraved on the ceiling, the door itself should have disappeared.

But the three of them seemed to think that, logically, the door wouldn’t vanish just because I opened it once.

‘Was I thinking too much in terms of how it worked in games back in my past life?’

In most game-like choices, when you select one, it’s gone the next time—so I naturally assumed that.

But now that I thought about it, their point made sense: just because a door was opened didn’t mean it had to disappear.

Still... what if Hwa-eun was carved on that door?

“Well, you may be right... But that door had Hwa-eun carved on it.”

As I finally said what I really meant to say, all three women blinked rapidly, as if wondering whether they’d heard me correctly.

Then their gazes turned to Hwa-eun.

“Hwa-eun?”

– Shia? 『Hwa-eun Sojeo?』

Hwa-eun turned to me with a startled expression.

She looked genuinely unable to believe what she’d just heard.

“Me? I was carved on it?”

“Yes, Hwa-eun. Your image was there.”

“But I’m not even a venomous creature, so why would I be...?”

“E-Exactly.”

At the end of that stunned silence, Cheongyu Sojeo spoke, wearing an expression of half-resignation and half-understanding.

『– Shia. Shiiii. (Then you must have chosen that door, right? I mean, even though you promised me... If Hwa-eun Sojeo was carved there, it makes sense you’d pick hers.)』

She clearly thought I must have picked Hwa-eun’s door.

I quickly shook my head.

“Ah, no. I didn’t.”

Cheongyu Sojeo widened her eyes in shock, turning toward Hwa-eun in alarm.

At the same time, Sister Seol’s eyes also snapped toward her.

When I turned toward Hwa-eun, startled by their reactions, her lips were trembling.

It was a look full of wordless complaint—like, you saw my face there, and you still didn’t choose me?

I panicked and rushed to explain myself.

“J-Just listen for a second, all of you. Remember how when I opened the door with Cho, Hyang, and Bini, I was able to talk with spirit beasts that looked like children and ask them for help?

Now imagine if I’d opened Hwa-eun’s door. What do you think would’ve happened?”

I said it all in one breath, and Sister Seol casually began to answer—then stopped, mouth agape.

“Then... Hwa-eun might have appeared as someone like herself...!”

“!”

That was the most shocked I’d seen the three of them all evening.

I looked at them and nodded slowly.

“I might’ve gained a technique like a soul-binding art—or people might’ve started feeling unconditional affection for me.”

Do you even know how much I wrestled with that decision inside the Imprint Realm?

But there was no way I could make that kind of choice.

“That’s... really dangerous.”

“Right. It sounds like the kind of martial art used by those... seductive sect types.”

– Shiaa. 『Y-Yes, it really does.』

I’d heard before that the arts used by those people, the ones Hwa-eun referred to as yin-based practitioners, focused on Yin-Yang union to gather internal energy—basically hypnosis-based martial arts.

Anyway, I continued explaining what I figured out inside the Imprint Realm, and how I planned to deal with Hwa-eun’s door.

“It seems that because I’ve learned the Five Poisons Returning to the Origin Art and the Beast Heart Art, the part of the technique that involves registering venomous creatures differs quite a bit from the original form.

The fact that Hwa-eun somehow got registered in that art must be a result of that difference...

So as for the door with Hwa-eun’s image... once I clearly understand what would happen by opening it, I’ll decide whether to try it or seal it off permanently.”

The three of them praised my decision.

“You thought that through well, So-ryong.”

“Yeah. Good job, So-ryong. You really are my little brother.”

『– Shiaa. (That’s the right decision.)』

They seemed pleased that I hadn’t been swayed by temptation and chose to seal it instead.

Then, as if on cue, the three of them asked me at the same time—

“Then... which door did you pick?”

“Yeah, which one?”

『– Shia. (So... what did you choose?)』

“Well...”

Just as I was about to answer—

A lazy, drawling male voice interrupted, followed by a female voice.

– Skah. 『Oof. I hope our Hyung-nim didn’t just talk himself into another mess... See, this is why you’re only supposed to keep one female...』

– Shaa? 『Huh?』

– Skaaah. 『Ah, no, no. Yeondu, forget I said anything.』

Even though I hadn’t registered them yet, the voices of Orange the Ji-yeong Snake and Yeondu came through loud and clear.