Chapter 53: Snow, Ice (4)
Translator: bjgoofy
Just as I was about to ask who exactly it was that Nunim said possessed the Ice Jade, I heard a sound.
- Gukku.
The lizard’s cry came from besides my feet.
Looking down, I saw a pair of yellow, vertically slit eyes staring up at me as if urging me to hurry with the treatment.
Come to think of it, we had been so engrossed in our conversation that we had completely neglected the patient’s guardian.
I apologized to the lizard gazing up at me from below and said that we should hurry with the treatment first.
"Sorry for the delay. Did I keep you waiting? I think we should treat the lizard first before continuing our conversation. This little one is waiting for us."
"That’s really fascinating. I can’t believe a lizard understands human speech so well."
"Understood, Soryong. Let’s treat it first. It seems really anxious."
I squatted down and showed the lizard the seed, explaining as I did so.
"I’ll plant this seed first. Okay?"
- Guk.
Even if it wouldn’t grow any further, as long as it could still emit a faint energy, it was best to plant it again.
Until I could obtain the Ice Jade, which might serve as food, they would have to endure with this as best they could.
With that in mind, I replanted the Snow Ginseng seed beneath the rock and then turned my attention to examining the sick lizard more thoroughly.
I hadn’t been able to check it properly earlier because of the other one.
From my brief inspection before, it seemed to be a lizard capable of shedding its tail, but I hadn’t confirmed it properly.
I was checking its tail now not because I intended to cut it off myself but because I planned to induce autotomy, a self-severing process, rather than severing it directly.
In other words, instead of cutting the tail with a blade, I would prompt the lizard to shed it on its own.
This self-severing behavior in lizards is called autotomy, but not all species can perform it. Also, while many people assume that all lizards regenerate their tails, that’s not always the case.
Some lizards can shed their tails but cannot regenerate them.
Some cannot shed their tails at all and also cannot regenerate them.
And some can both shed and regenerate their tails. The characteristics vary widely among lizards.
Most people assume that all lizards shed their tails when needed, but in reality, that’s not true.
That’s why I was carefully checking the tail now.
The tail was clearly rotting at the tip and needed to be amputated. But if the lizard was incapable of autotomy, I would have to cut it manually, which was a risky procedure.
If a lizard sheds its tail on its own, the process places less strain on its body. However, forcibly cutting off the tail of a sick lizard could lead to its death, so I needed to be absolutely sure before proceeding.
As I examined the tail, feeling along its length, Nunim asked me a question.
"What are you doing, Soryong?"
"Oh, I’m checking the part where the tail will detach."
"The part where it will detach?"
"Yes, it’s called the autotomy plane. There are specific points along the tail where it is naturally designed to break off, and I’m looking for them."
"Autotomy plane? That means a segment meant for detachment, right?"
Lizards that can perform autotomy share a common trait: their tails have pre-determined breakpoints, known as autotomy planes.
You can think of these as specific zones along the tail that are structured for detachment. When stimulated, the muscles in these segments contract in a special way, allowing the tail to separate on its own.
There are also septa that prevent excessive bleeding, and the blood vessels constrict rapidly to stop blood loss. Additionally, the connective tissue in these segments is arranged in a way that makes separation easier.
"Yes. It might seem like a lizard’s tail can break off anywhere, but that’s not actually the case. The tail has designated points where it can detach."
"Ah... So it doesn’t just snap off at random places."
I smiled at Nunim’s response and continued examining the tail, searching for the exact breakpoints.
After a moment, I was able to identify about three locations along the tail that seemed to be autotomy planes.
'It looks like there are three spots.'
"Did you find them, Soryong?"
"Yes, I think there are three. That’s a relief."
"I never really paid much attention to lizards since they aren’t venomous, but how do you know so much about this, Soryong? It’s amazing."
If the tail had only been slightly rotten, I would have tried to preserve as much of it as possible. However, since nearly half of it had already decayed, there was a risk that the infection could spread. To prevent that, I decided to sever it as close to the base as possible.
'It's better to remove more than necessary than to risk the lizard dying.'
"Alright, let's begin."
- Guk!
I had already received the guardian’s consent.
I informed the lizard staring at me that I was starting the procedure and then began the operation.
Well, calling it an operation was a bit much, it was really just a matter of using my thumb and index finger.
I first identified the autotomy plane and then pressed down gently with my thumb and index finger.
Applying steady pressure to the autotomy plane would trigger the lizard to sever its tail on its own.
This process was almost a reflexive reaction. That’s why people who raise lizards need to be very careful.
If you grab a lizard’s tail carelessly, it might detach unexpectedly. Sometimes, even during mating, the male can accidentally trigger tail loss.
Lizards are known for their ability to regenerate tails, but that doesn’t mean the new tail is a perfect replacement.
A regrown tail lacks bones and is usually smaller than the original. Some lizards don’t regenerate their tails at all.
As I applied slight pressure and focused on the sensation at my fingertips, I felt something unusual beneath the lizard’s skin.
A faint pulsating sensation, like a heartbeat.
It felt as if something inside the tail was throbbing, followed by the sound of something tearing.
- Zzziik.
Then, from within, the tail began to separate from the body as if it were being uprooted.
Through the slowly widening gap in the lizard’s skin, I could see the exposed muscle.
Finally, the skin detached completely.
There was almost no blood, and the separation was clean.
The procedure was a success.
The lizard lay motionless, showing no signs of pain. It briefly opened its eyes before closing them again.
- Padadak!
As soon as the tail hit the ground, it twitched and wriggled.
Muscle fibers protruded from the severed end, making it resemble a goblin’s club.
If the lizard had been healthy, the tail would have thrashed wildly for a while. However, since it had been half-rotten, it only wriggled weakly before losing its energy.
I picked up the severed tail and examined the cut.
I needed to check how far the decay had progressed.
If the infection had spread further inside, it could be a serious problem.
When a tail appears to be only half-decayed on the surface, the infection often travels deeper along the bones.
As I inspected the cut surface, I noticed that the muscle near the final root segment had already turned gray.
Normally, the severed end of a healthy lizard’s tail would be translucent pink with a slight reddish tint, but this one had already lost its color.
If we had delayed the procedure any longer, the infection might have spread to the body.
"It's done. That wasn't so bad, was it? Keep licking the wound to prevent infection. We'll be over there, so come find us if anything happens."
- Guk!
I told Ice, whom I hadn't yet called by name, to look after Snow, and we quickly returned to our campsite.
With that, we turned and headed back to the campsite.
Now that the inflammation in its eyes and tail had been treated, the lizard would gradually regain its strength.
But when it started regenerating its tail, it would need proper nutrition. That meant we had to find the Ice Jade soon.
"Miss Hwa-eun, so who exactly has this Ice Jade?"
Even before we reached the campfire, I turned to ask Nunim as we walked.
She smiled, and the answer she gave caught me completely off guard.
"Hmm... How should I put it? Ah, I suppose you could say it's just another plant?"
"What!?"
"The Ice Jade is in the possession of Miss Namgoong Seol, the daughter of the Namgoong Family and one of the Three Beauties of Murim, also known as the Flower King Peony."
"Uh..."
Nunim seemed to be holding quite the grudge.
That father-in-law of mine... Why did he have to tell her that...
***
Two days later, the lizard that had collapsed finally regained consciousness.
With the inflammation that had caused it to lose consciousness now gone, its condition had improved.
- Gukku!
- Gukuk!
As we made our way to the rock shaped like the Chinese character for person, which served as the lizards’ nest, they greeted Nunim and me with excitement.
They must have grown accustomed to us over the past few days, as one ran out in front of the rock like a puppy.
‘Damn, a lizard acting like a puppy? If this were my past life, this would be viral content for sure.’
Its overall appearance resembled a pet-tailed lizard or a type of gecko, but its considerable size also gave it a resemblance to a pinecone lizard.
Since the sick one hadn't fully recovered yet, I reached out to the healthy one.
As I touched its head, I felt the roughness of the small protrusions on its skin and its cool temperature.
‘Ah, this is exactly what makes lizards so fascinating.’
Feeling the familiar texture of my lizard after so long, I smiled and asked,
"Have you been well?"
By now, it remained still even as I petted its head.
Seeing this, Nunim also cautiously reached out her hand, but the lizard flinched and carefully examined her.
- Guk!?
"Why... Why is it avoiding my hand?"
Nunim spoke with a hint of disappointment, but the lizard seemed to be searching for something with its eyes.
It focused mostly around Nunim’s shoulders.
Remembering that Nunim had been carrying the centipedes a few days ago, I rolled up my sleeve to show her arm, revealing centipede.
- Kyaaak!
The lizard immediately recoiled in shock, backing away from my touch.
As expected, it had been wary of Nunim because it thought she still had centipedes.
"It must have assumed that centipedes was still with you, Miss Hwa-eun."
"I don't have them. They're with Soryong."
Nunim playfully pushed the blame onto me, as if she wanted to be the only one allowed to pet it.
After rolling up her sleeve to show that she wasn’t hiding anything, she reached out again. This time, the lizard accepted her touch.
When Nunim gently scratched its chin, it closed its eyes with a pleased expression.
By now, it had grown accustomed to human hands, and all traces of wariness toward us had disappeared.
Since we needed to find the Ice Jade as soon as possible, I spoke to the lizards.
"We have to leave now."
- Guu!?
- Guk!?
The lizards’ eyes widened in shock.
Even the sick one, who had been resting, snapped its eyes open in surprise.
Smiling, I reassured them.
"Of course, we’re not leaving forever. We’re going to find food for you. The Snow Ginseng won’t grow any further, after all.
That’s why I wanted to ask, since it doesn’t seem like you can keep living here, would you like to come with us if we bring back food for you?"
At my question, the two blue lizards looked at each other.
***
Leaving Ice and Snow behind for now, we returned to the Tang Family.
While we had been away, quite a few reports had arrived.
The biggest news was, unsurprisingly, related to the Blood Cult.
A Blood Cult spy who had infiltrated the Murim Alliance was captured, leading to an operation where warriors raided a Blood Cult hideout near Wuhan, right under the Murim Alliance's nose.
Despite enduring severe torture, the spy refused to speak. However, they managed to locate the hideout by following the spy’s pet owl.
Additionally, the reports included information I had provided regarding the venom of the Tiger Keelback.
The Tiger Keelback we had captured was thoroughly examined, and its venom was extracted and sent it with the strategist. It played a significant role in the raid on the Blood Cult hideout.
There was also news that an official decree had been issued by the Alliance Leader, calling for the elimination of Blood Cult members across the entire Central Plains.
"The Alliance Leader even sent a personal letter of gratitude. Soryong, you’ve done us proud."
One of the items waiting for me at the Tang Family was this letter of appreciation from the Alliance Leader.
I wondered if the strategist had also sent the promised rewards, but apparently, gathering the necessary materials would take some time.
After the backlog of stories was roughly finished, father-in-law asked,
"By the way, did you manage to capture the lizard? I should visit the Venomous Creatures Garden myself to take a look at it."
"Well... we did capture it, but I suppose you could say we only half-captured it?"
"Half-captured?"
"Yes, you see, the situation is a bit complicated..."
I then explained to father-in-law about Ice and Snow, as well as the matter of the Ice Jade.
True to the nature of a powerful family, father-in-law immediately declared that they would do whatever they could to acquire it.
"The Ice Jade, you say... That won’t be easy to obtain. But don’t worry, I’ll see what I can do."
At father-in-law's words, Nunim spoke in a cautious tone.
"Father, I have something to tell you about the Ice Jade. Actually, I know the person who has it."
"You do?"
"Yes, Father. So I was thinking of going there with Soryong. Would that be alright?"
"It’s not the best timing... Where exactly are you planning to go now?"
At father-in-law’s question, Nunim replied with a playful smile.
"To Anhui Province, where the Namgoong Family is located."
"The Namgoong Family?"
"Yes, I saw that Miss Namgoong Seol has the Ice Jade."
Father-in-law seemed to ponder this for a moment before making us an offer.
"Hmm... In that case, could you run an errand on the way? There happens to be something that needs to be delivered."
An errand to run while traveling.
At first, I thought it worked out well, but then a thought crossed my mind.
'Do I get paid for this errand?'
I mean, I’m still at an age where I should be getting paid for running errands.
*****
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