Chapter 141: Love (3)
Translator: bjgoofy
The Beggar Emperor's explanation was as follows: unidentified insects had been breeding en masse in Yueyang, causing severe harm to the people. Because of this, the newly appointed Governor, who also happened to be the husband of the Guandao Princess, was in a very difficult position.
In these ancient times, natural disasters were often dismissed as some kind of spiritual matter or blamed on someone in particular, so the new Governor was likely being subjected to a witch hunt over it.
In short, they wanted me to go and help.
The deal, as I understood it, was that if I did, the princess, who enjoyed the emperor's favor, would in turn aid the Murim Alliance, which had been unable to deploy troops due to pressure from the imperial court. Something like that?
From the Murim Alliance's perspective, this was like rain after a long drought, and since royalty was involved, they had apparently sent one of the Three Emperors, the Beggar Emperor himself, all the way here to make the request in person.
"So, in the end, you're asking me to go to Yueyang, find out why the Black Insects have been breeding in such numbers, or at least advise them on how to deal with the swarm, and then come back?"
"That's right. Exactly."
In other words, the Murim Alliance wanted me to take a commission from the Guandao Princess and provide expert advice or services regarding the insect problem.
It was a consulting proposal.
'So they're asking me to do consulting work? Hah.... I've barely shown a tenth of my abilities. A consulting offer, of all things. Did I come across as that capable?'
I had shown barely a tenth of what I could do, and here I was getting a consulting offer.
A small surge of pride swelled in me, but still, this was an awkward situation.
I was currently in no condition for long-distance travel.
Given that royalty was involved and the Beggar Emperor had come personally on behalf of the Murim Alliance, refusing would be difficult. But the problem was our Silver Silkworms, Moji and Soji. Those two had a tendency to Turn Dark whenever they were separated from me.
So leaving them behind was out of the question, and taking them along meant traveling a great distance. On top of that, Snow's delivery was imminent, making any long journey rather problematic.
Between my visit to the Murim Alliance and helping the Divine Thief, a month and a half had already slipped by before I knew it.
If what we had witnessed wasn't their first mating, it wouldn't be strange for Snow to lay her eggs today.
I gripped my chin, let out a heavy sigh, and wore a grave expression.
Without a clear solution, there was nothing I could do about it.
"Hah.... But what am I supposed to do about this...."
"What's the matter?"
The Beggar Emperor tilted his head in curiosity.
I replied with an apologetic look on my face.
"I'd like to help, but I have little ones that are about to give birth right now.... And this time I've brought Silver Silkworms along on my shoulders. If they're separated from me, they leak venomous energy everywhere.
On top of that, the creatures I'm raising don't like being apart from me either, so if I go, I'd have to take them all with me. But I can't exactly bring them to a place packed with people...."
I kept the fact that Moji and Soji leaked Turbid Energy a secret, explaining only that I wanted to help but that it would be difficult. The Beggar Emperor smiled and replied.
"Don't worry about that. The Strategist said it would be better to bring some of your venomous creatures along anyway, to build trust with the Guandao Princess, so he's already sent a ship from the Zhuge Family."
"A ship!?"
'Wait, they've even chartered a ship?'
My eyes went wide at the news that a ship had been arranged. The Beggar Emperor continued.
"Yes. It's the fastest and largest ship the Zhuge Family owns on the Yangtze River, so the journey won't be difficult at all. And no one else will be aboard that ship except you."
If the ship was large, it wouldn't rock too much, and the cabins would have less temperature fluctuation.
On top of that, if it was essentially a livestock transport carrying just me and my creatures, that was quite reassuring.
No risk of running into other people, after all.
They had clearly prepared quite thoroughly to make this request, and the explanation that followed was enough to surprise me even further.
"And as repayment for all the help you've given, they said they'll give you the ship if you need it. Crew included, of course. With the Blood Cult situation, you'll likely need to travel to and from the Murim Alliance often, and carrying venomous creatures around must be a hassle, they said.
They also said they'll modify the ship however you want, if needed."
"Wha-!?"
A personal livestock transport.
No, a personal venomous creature transport.
This was an offer I truly couldn't refuse.
Of the Ten Great Venomous Creatures, seven remained.
I already knew who had one of them, and the king of all venomous creatures, the Zhen Bird, had already been spotted once.
Only five whose whereabouts were completely unknown remained, and to track them down, having a ship would be invaluable.
The reason a ship would be so useful was simple: when I went out to capture them, I'd need to bring the others along, and there was nothing better than a ship for moving them all out of sight.
Moreover, the last one I planned to capture was most likely the Zhen Bird.
To reach Hainan Island, I would absolutely need a ship.
'If I asked my father-in-law, he'd probably get me a ship, but there's a difference between earning something through my own abilities and having my wife's family hand it to me, you know?'
It was a good offer, so I glanced toward my father-in-law first.
Setting the ship aside, I wanted to know what he thought about the matter.
Since royalty was involved, this wasn't just a personal issue; it was a matter that concerned the family.
A Sound Transmission reached me.
[Son-in-law, if it's possible, I'd prefer you accept. You may have married into a different household, but this is a chance to earn favor with someone of the imperial family.
Even if it doesn't benefit us immediately, it will surely prove useful in some way down the line.]
Even my father-in-law, who led the entire family, was of the opinion that I should accept.
Government-Murim Non-Interference was the principle, but it seemed to apply only in a limited sense, to matters involving the use of force.
Come to think of it, hadn't they just recently prepared and sent medicine to give the Provincial Governor of Sichuan some confidence as a man?
My heart had already tipped in favor of the venomous creature transport, so I turned the matter over in my head.
'Right. When you go through life, getting entangled with people is inevitable. How could anyone truly pretend to have nothing to do with each other just because of Government-Murim Non-Interference? Then, should I leave Snow and Ice with Hwa-eun and make a quick trip?'
I did worry about missing the moment the babies were born, but a personal venomous creature transport ship was on the line, making this an offer too good to refuse.
I decided to first confirm whether this was within the scope of what I could actually consult on.
It would be embarrassing to accept a ship only to arrive and realize I knew nothing about the problem, after all.
"I'm leaning toward going, but do you happen to know what kind of insect it is?"
The Beggar Emperor's face lit up, and he nodded eagerly.
He gave a rough description of the insect based on what he knew.
"Oh! So you'll go? Good, that's a relief. And as for the insect, I was told it's black and has wings."
Rough was certainly the word for it.
But how many black, winged insects existed in the world?
What looked similar to an untrained eye could be an entirely different species.
I had no choice but to run through a list for him.
To a layperson, one insect was as good as another, after all.
'Right. I'm the expert here; I should be the understanding one.'
"A pitch-black insect with wings.... Could it be a fly, a mosquito, a cockroach, or perhaps a locust?"
The insects that typically bred in massive numbers and caused harm to people's livelihoods were flies, mosquitoes, cockroaches, or locusts.
When I asked if it was one of the four, the Beggar Emperor shook his head.
"They said it's none of those. If it were any of those, they would have said so. They specifically said it's an insect they've never seen before."
"An insect they've never seen before...."
'Black, with wings.... What kind of insect breeds en masse like that?'
Nothing came to mind right away.
I would probably need to see the real thing.
Just as I was thinking that,
a voice came from outside.
Tang Hwa-eun's voice was calling from beyond the door.
"Father, forgive me for interrupting."
"What is it?"
"I know you're in the middle of an important discussion, but something rather urgent has come up. May I borrow Soryong for a moment?"
Tea had already been served inside, so I thought perhaps she was bringing additional refreshments because of the Beggar Emperor's visit. But instead, Hwa-eun was calling for me from outside.
Her voice carried an urgency she was trying hard to contain.
'Me?'
At Hwa-eun's question, my father-in-law looked over at me.
She knew the Beggar Emperor had come to visit, yet she was intruding despite that. Whatever this was, it had to be serious enough to warrant it.
I excused myself from my father-in-law and the Beggar Emperor, deciding to step out and see what the matter was.
"Let me step out and check what's going on. I'll be right back."
"Go ahead."
"Of course, son-in-law."
The moment I received their permission and opened the door of the Family Head's Hall,
there stood Hwa-eun, her face drained of all color, gnawing at her fingernails as she stared at me.
Whatever the reason, her hands were trembling. And despite being a martial artist who rarely broke a sweat, her forehead was slick with cold perspiration, the detail catching my eye the moment I looked at her.
The instant she opened her mouth, all the emotion she had been holding back burst free.
"So, Soryong! Hurry! Hurry!"
Without a word of explanation, she seized my hand and started pulling me along, desperate in her urgency.
"Hwa-eun, calm down and tell me what's happening. We were in the middle of a discussion, so I need to get proper permission before I leave."
I had told them I would just check what was going on and come right back, so I couldn't simply run off without a word. When I stopped in place and told her as much, Hwa-eun turned back to me with a blank expression.
Then she shouted at the top of her lungs.
"She's giving birth!"
"Giving birth?"
Hwa-eun shouting about a birth, completely out of the blue.
The explanation that followed made my eyes go wide.
"Sn-Snow latched onto the Ice Jade right after you left for the Family Head's Hall, and she w-wouldn't let go. At first I thought she was just eating. But something felt off, so I kept watching her....
Seol noona came to visit, and when she took a look at her.... Noona saw her and said something seemed wrong, that she might be laying eggs!"
Seol noona wasn't exactly a specialist in this field, but she was someone who was deeply devoted to animals.
On top of that, she had said she'd helped deliver many puppies and wolf pups since childhood. If Seol noona said so, the odds were high that she was right.
Hwa-eun was trembling, tense from the first-time delivery. I laced my fingers through hers, gripping her hand firmly, and called out.
Permission or not, this was no time for formalities when a baby was coming.
"Let's go!"
We sprinted to Hwa-eun's quarters. There, on the table, Snow clung tightly to the Ice Jade, completely rigid.
Ice, alarmed by Snow's state, was circling the table frantically, licking her face over and over.
"Soryong! Come quick, she's definitely trying to deliver something!"
Hwa-eun and I burst into the room, and Seol noona leapt to her feet.
As I approached the table, Ice rushed over and tugged at my sleeve.
-Kkukkku! Kkukkuu!
I had saved Snow once before, so he must have believed I could fix whatever was happening this time too.
"I know. Ice, step back for a moment."
I moved Ice aside, but the sight of Snow had me on edge as well.
In my previous life, I had helped deliver eggs more times than I could count, but it had been about one shichen, roughly two hours, since I left for the Family Head's Hall and began the discussion.
She had been like this for two whole hours.
It could simply take a long time to lay eggs, but since this was her first delivery, there was a risk of egg binding, a condition where the egg gets stuck inside.
Egg binding was one of the most common conditions in egg-laying birds, turtles, lizards, snakes, and other reptiles. If the egg formed too large inside the body, or if it was a first delivery, the egg could become lodged and unable to pass through.
If it was egg binding, this was serious.
A retained egg could cause uric acid and toxins to back up, destroying the internal organs. It could be fatal.
'Please, anything but egg binding.'
"It's okay, Snow. It's Dad. Let Dad take a look."
-Kkuuuu.
Touching her during a normal delivery was a bad idea, but if it was egg binding, the consequences would be dire.
The moment I carefully lifted her tail to examine her,
-Sliiide.
Fluid trickled down from near Snow's tail.
"Water?"
Some fluid was normal during egg-laying, but this seemed like too much for a creature laying eggs.
Just as I was wondering, 'Is that how it works for a Spiritual Creature?',
Snow's birth canal, which had been quivering, opened, and something slid out from within.
I opened my eyes wide to see what it was. What had emerged was not the egg I had expected, but a baby.
"A, a baby!?"
"Soryong, it's not an egg. It's, it's a baby!"
"It's, it's too cute!"
What Snow had delivered was not an egg.
It was a tiny lizard, the spitting image of Snow and Ice, wrapped in a translucent membrane.
I had assumed Snow and Ice would lay eggs, but like some species of lizards that bear live young rather than lay eggs, Snow had given birth to a baby.
"A, a cloth! Hwa-eun, a cloth!"
"H-here!"
The live birth was astonishing, but the baby was still wrapped in its birth membrane.
I quickly took the cloth from Hwa-eun, peeled away the membrane, and cleared the baby's nose. The newborn then let out its first mighty cry, announcing its arrival to the world.
-Kkwet.
So mighty was that cry that it made all three people in the room melt, a devastatingly adorable sound.
*****
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