Chapter 20 Baek Yeonyeong
The pale white hand with a hint of rosy tint was indeed flawless enough to be called “exquisite jade hands.”
I saw blue eyes that seemed emotionless but were as deep and unfathomable as a lake.
At first glance, they might appear sharp, or cold, but even that felt beautiful.
A small dot under the eye. Seeing that dot reminded me of the story of adding the finishing touch to a dragon drawing.
Just as drawing a dragon’s eyes brought the drawing to life, could it be that this woman, too, became human because of that teardrop? She didn’t look like a person. She was like a masterpiece meticulously crafted with both bold and delicate strokes.
To be precise, she resembled an ink wash painting.
Yes. Her lush hair was like a waterfall drawn with ink.
Had I ever seen such a beautiful person in my life?
If I had to pick the most beautiful person in the world, I would choose her without hesitation.
Of course, she was the first person I met here, so I didn’t have other choices.
Although I described her appearance at length, my situation could be summarized in one word.
A person appeared before me.
And it was a woman.
Moreover, a very beautiful woman.
“Gegegek!”
Hello.
Although I have the body of a lizard, I am actually a human.
I got into this mess because I posted a photo of a Spino in a maid outfit on the community.
…
There was no way we could communicate.
But why on earth was there a person in this cave?
It was a cave I arrived at because the ground collapsed.
It would be hard to get here by any conventional means.
There were many oddities.
Moreover, wasn’t she just practicing energy cultivation?
This woman touched me.
Even the turtle’s loud noise had inflicted internal injuries on me, but this woman touched me directly.
Why didn’t she suffer any internal injuries?
Was it because she failed her energy cultivation?
Questions upon questions arose.
While I was pondering, the woman’s lips moved.
“At first glance, it looks like tough leather, but it’s surprisingly soft. And the plump white belly makes me want to keep touching it.”
This woman was fondling my belly.
“Gegegek!”
No matter how pretty she was, this wasn’t right.
That’s a sensitive area.
“It’s a miraculous creature. I’ve seen many spiritual creatures, but none like this.”
Indeed, I must be quite handsome for a lizard.
Even Nephila Jurassica fell for me.
“Although the face is quite insignificant, it has its own charm.”
“Gekgek!”
She sure talks rudely just because she’s pretty.
I expressed my displeasure with my whole body.
“And these tiny feet, why does a lizard have webbed toes?”
She fiddled with my forefeet with her fingers.
Listening to her uncertain whether she was praising or insulting me while being touched made me feel restless.
“And the tail is quite something too. Thin and long, it has a nice texture.”
This time, she gently stroked my tail.
Fine.
Touching me is one thing.
I couldn’t help it.
If I saw such a lizard in front of me, I would touch it all over too.
Though I would have been bitten right away.
Look at me, despite being touched like this, I haven’t bitten even once.
It’s definitely not because my teeth are sore, making me keep my mouth shut.
Touching the lizard in front of her is fine.
Everything is fine, but couldn’t she let me go now?
I was starting to feel a bit stifled.
“It’s perfect to use as an ingredient for Sugungsa.”
The corners of her mouth curved into a smile.
Yeah, forget about Sugungsa or whatever; just let me go for now.
Wait, Sugungsa?
What was Sugungsa again?
…I remembered.
Sugungsa (守宮砂) is a type of cosmetic; it refers to a red clay applied to the body.
It has a special function, easy to understand if you think of it as a martial arts version of a unicorn.
The red clay applied to the body doesn’t wash off until death.
There is only one way it can be removed, and that’s through sexual intercourse.
It’s mainly used by the Ami sect to verify if their chastity is maintained.
It’s sometimes applied to the children of noble families.
It’s a mystical item that functions as the ultimate virginity detector.
That’s all good.
It’s a unicorn-friendly item.
But the ingredient for Sugungsa is…
A lizard that’s been fed cinnabar.
“Gekgegegek!”
I thrashed about.
You said you’d raise me.
You said you’d raise me!
No, you didn’t actually say that, but you didn’t say you’d grind me up either.
“What’s the matter?”
The woman grabbed my scruff and lifted me up.
All strength left my body.
Dangling, I couldn’t do anything.
“Gek….”
“Gek? Gecko? Even its cry is unique.”
“Gegek….”
Something was wrong.
Why wasn’t I regaining my strength?
Even when I met the caiman, I eventually managed to move.
And this woman didn’t even seem that strong on the outside.
She was just bigger than me.
The black-haired woman lifted her other hand and pressed my belly.
“There’s too much inside this small body. So much undigested food.”
“Gek!”
Don’t press there like that.
I just ate.
“Gegek!”
I used the only move I could, wailing.
Maybe my earnestness got through; she began to say what I wanted to hear.
“Alright. I’ll let you down, so stay still.”
I was getting closer to the ground.
She was definitely going to release me.
She told me to stay still, but I had a feeling that now might be my only chance.
…Should I run away?
Although she subdued me with some strange method, she didn’t seem that strong.
There’s no way she could keep up with my footwork.
Alright. The moment she puts me down, I’ll run.
But first, let me check something.
I focused my eyes.
[This target cannot be appraised.]
What?
What is this?
A target that cannot be appraised?
Even the caiman’s level and name were visible.
This was the first time I’d seen such a message since coming here.
Is it because she’s human?
Surely this woman isn’t stronger than the caiman.
It’s probably that my skill doesn’t apply to humans.
…Just in case, I decided to stay still.
The talk about Sugungsa might just be a bad joke by a martial artist.
It was easier to believe she’d say she’d eat me instead.
“Gek!”
I looked at the woman with very kind eyes.
“What’s with that expression? Oh. You seem to know what Sugungsa is.”
That was strange.
Why was she talking as if I could understand her?
“You even know how to sit in a lotus position, so it’s not surprising you know about Sugungsa.”
So, she saw it.
Then, please be kind to me.
I’m a rare lizard.
“In that case, the wound on that snake isn’t just a coincidence.”
The woman pointed to the snake bones I had eaten.
Most of the edible parts had been consumed, so there wasn’t much flesh left, but what did she see there?
“It was crude, but there were marks that couldn’t have been left by a lizard’s movements.”
“Gek!”
I was startled.
She figured that out by looking at those bones?
Or was it because she saw me sitting in the lotus position?
“Did you follow the drawing on the wall?”
Her blue eyes were looking at me.
They were so deep that I couldn’t see the end.
A huge pressure, like a tidal wave, crushed my body.
I had no choice but to tell the truth.
“Gekgek.”
I nodded.
“I had a good dream last night. It seems it was to meet you.”
For some reason, she seemed in a good mood.
“Even if spiritual creatures can understand words, they usually don’t act friendly. But you’re different.”
Well, if I wasn’t friendly, you’d probably turn me into lizard powder.
“Good.”
I don’t know what’s good, but I don’t feel good about it.
“I usually don’t like to interfere with nature, but you’re too precious to leave alone.”
No, I think you can just leave me alone.
“I’ll teach you Baek Yeonyeong’s teachings for a while.”
What?
Baek Yeonyeong’s teachings?
What’s that?
Who is Baek Yeonyeong?
“…But don’t go around boasting that you’re my direct disciple. If you want to, do it after you join our sect.”
So, this person’s name was Baek Yeonyeong.
So, she’s going to teach me martial arts?
But I’m a lizard?
Martial artists are more open-minded than I thought.
“I’d prefer if you were a bit bigger, but this will have to do for now.”
Baek Yeonyeong tapped my belly with her finger.
If I grow bigger, she’ll use me as an ingredient, won’t she?
Just like Hansel and Gretel!
I will never gain weight.
“Gekgek!”
But are you really going to teach me martial arts?
I think you’ve got the wrong idea.
A woman who wants to teach a lizard martial arts doesn’t seem normal.
…Well, still, she wouldn’t kill her disciple, right?
If I pretend to learn, I won’t become Sugungsa.
And if I actually learn some martial arts and get an attack skill, that’d be great.
Alright. Let’s listen to her.
“Little lizard
, get into position.”
“Gek?”
*
Baek Yeonyeong. I didn’t know who she was, but one thing was certain.
“Eh. That’s not it.”
This woman explained terribly.
“Gegegegegek!”
“How can you not understand this? From a straight line to a curve. Flow naturally like water.”
She was holding my forearms and waving them around, but I couldn’t understand it at all.
At best, she seemed like a third-rate martial artist.
No, even a passing kid wouldn’t explain it like this.
Just do it this way. Do it that way.
Something about yin and yang, the subtlety of emptiness.
“It’s frustrating. This is why I didn’t want to take a disciple.”
This is why I didn’t want to have a master.
“Gekgek!”
Baek Yeonyeong just kept touching my hands and feet.
“Watch carefully. Send your left hand forward while moving your right foot back….”
“Gekgekgek!”
This is lizard abuse.
“Right. Since you have a tail, you can use it too. Well, this is just my thought….”
No matter how I looked at it, it felt more like she was playing with a doll than teaching martial arts.
Of course, I was the doll.
“Gek… Gek….”
I felt upset.
I should just bite her finger and run away.
“Well, it’s easier to understand if I show you once rather than explaining it a hundred times.”
Oh.
She finally realized.
Quickly, show me.
Even if you’re third-rate, you should know the basics.
Baek Yeonyeong lifted me by the scruff and sat me on a high rock.
“Gek?”
“Stay here and wait.”
A special seat, huh?
Not bad.
Baek Yeonyeong raised her hand.
Finally!
And she stroked me.
…What are you doing?
“Gekgek!”
Weren’t you going to show me?
This woman kept petting me for a long time.
“Wait here. It will arrive soon.”
What are you talking about?
What will arrive….
Suddenly, I felt goosebumps all over my body.
The feeling I had when I first saw the caiman.
My crisis detection was going wild.
Kugugu.
At first, I heard it from a distance.
Kuuuuung!
But I quickly realized that the presence was rapidly approaching.
Kwaaaang!
A massive rock wall shattered, revealing the source of the sound.
【Titanoboa LV50(+)】
It was larger than any creature I had seen before.
Its sheer size was overwhelming, but Baek Yeonyeong just smiled.
“It’s an Imoogi.”
