The Little Baby Snake of the Vermilion Bird Family - Chapter 67

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 67
***
“The Ghost Dragon is formed from a fusion of wraiths, so it doesn’t shed fragments like that.”
Siyeom picked up the Ghost Dragon Fragment with a grave expression and murmured to herself.
“Then what you’re holding isn’t a Ghost Dragon Fragment—it’s a dragon’s scale?”
“Don’t talk nonsense, Jeokseo.”
She rebuked him in an irritated tone.
“In any case, if a Ghost Dragon Fragment enters someone else’s body… Yes, Doeui was right. It would result in Spirit Possession. In other words, possession.”
“Is there a way to recover the fragment?”
“It won’t be easy.”
Siyeom laughed awkwardly.
“This isn’t an ordinary wraith—it’s a dragon’s spirit that’s been around for at least several centuries, if not a thousand years. Even the Black Tortoise Family’s Abnormal Ability can’t control or summon it. Doeui probably only managed to pick it up by chance.”
She exhaled heavily.
“But we can’t pretend we don’t know the dragon’s spirit is scattered about. We can delay the possession.”
She drew a line across the table with the short blade she carried, and the grooved mark glowed a murky green.
“With the right incantation spell, I can prevent and delay the wraith’s possession. But for that, the spell-caster would need to remain here…”
“Then stay.”
“Yes, thank you.”
Siyeom sighed deeply.
“But with a grudge this strong, I can probably hold out for about a week at best. And that’s only if Doeui helps me.”
She squinted.
“How did you lose it in the first place?”
“We had placed a Golden Cord Seal, but it seems someone cut it and released the fragment.”
“Does that mean there’s a traitor within the Vermilion Bird Family?”
“There might be, but preventing possession takes priority over rooting out traitors.”
“That’s true. And there’s another major problem.”
“What is it?”
“Because the Ghost Dragon is made of grudge, it will exert even stronger power in this Namto, where contamination reeks. And… you know the legend of the Ghost Dragon, don’t you?”
Ju Jeokseo nodded.
“It’s said to be a wraith that brings plague in its wake, which is why it’s also called a Plague Deity.”
“Yes. If the Ghost Dragon Fragment scatters, plague may soon sweep through Namto. The key is to recover the fragments before that happens.”
“But if you don’t know the method…”
“Ask Jangwangshin.”
Siyeom replied curtly.
“Jangwangshin has lived on this land since the Ghost Dragon first came into being, so he might know how to summon the Ghost Dragon again.”
She handed Ju Jeokseo something that looked like a black fragment.
It was Xuanwu’s Shell Piece, a Sacred Artifact that Siyeom had created with her Abnormal Ability.
“This Sacred Artifact will show you where Jangwangshin and his retainers live. Is this what you wanted?”
“Yes, I appreciate your quick understanding.”
“No, I also owe you a debt. It’s the least I can do.”
She exhaled and stretched leisurely.
“I was planning to leave right away, but somehow I’ve ended up staying for a week. But remember—I can only hold back the possession for a week. After that, I must return to Bukto regardless of Namto’s circumstances.”
Siyeom spoke firmly.
“Bukto’s situation isn’t good either. If I’m away for a week, there’s no telling what might happen.”
“Understood. We’ll resolve this within the week. Thank you for your help.”
“Think nothing of it.”
Siyeom waved her hand dismissively. Her gaze shifted to Baeksa, who stood quietly beside Ju Jeokseo.
“You’ve had it rough, little one. I hear you’re going to meet Jangwangshin because of your Abnormal Ability?”
“Yes.”
“Jangwangshin is a very wise turtle deity, so he will surely give you the answers you seek.”
She smiled kindly and rose from her seat. Siyeom asked:
“Where should I stay?”
“The servant girls will show you to the Residence.”
“I see… Then I should go rest first. I need to restore my strength to deploy the spell that will prevent possession.”
An Abnormal Ability doesn’t flow like a spring, endlessly replenishing itself.
Each person has a fixed amount of Abnormal Ability they can use in a day, and they cannot exceed it.
So to deploy a major spell, one had to sleep in advance to conserve energy.
This tendency to sleep heavily while restoring strength was one of the characteristics unique to the Black Tortoise Family.
As she was stepping past Ju Jeokseo to leave the room, she suddenly clapped her hands as if remembering something.
“Oh, that’s right.”
……
“Doeui, come with me. I have something to say to you.”
At Siyeom’s words, Doeui’s expression darkened.
***
“How have you been?”
Siyeom asked in a gentle voice.
But Doeui offered no answer.
“When your mother calls, you should answer.”
“Yes.”
The answer was brief and clipped.
She studied her taciturn son for a moment, then glanced around the room.
This room was currently sealed by an Abnormal Ability, blocking out all sound.
That meant whatever was said inside would not leak outside.
Of course, it was unlikely anyone in this remote Namto would try to eavesdrop on her words, but one had to be careful nonetheless.
“Your Abnormal Ability has grown quite strong. The number of wraiths you control seems to have increased as well.”
She reached out and gently touched her son’s ear.
“Let’s see—if you’ve grown this much in such a short time, your ears must be exhausted. Yet your mind seems intact…”
Doeui subtly pulled away from Siyeom’s hand.
“Hmm.”
Siyeom stepped back with a smile.
She looked directly at Doeui and spoke.
“What? Do you resent your mother?”
“No.”
“No? Yet that’s the look of someone seething with resentment.”
She laughed softly.
“Prolonged exposure to the Ghostly Wailing can drive you mad, but if you don’t go mad, you gain a strong mind and powerful Abnormal Ability. It’s the method our Black Tortoise Family has long used to produce successors with formidable power. So don’t hate me too much for ignoring your suffering.”
“I don’t resent you, Mother. I know you left me here because you were thinking of me.”
“Then why do you act like such a petulant child?”
She brought an unlit tobacco pipe to her lips and chewed on it.
“Doeui, you won’t be able to hide in the Vermilion Bird Family much longer. In a few years, you’ll have to return to Bukto as well.”
Siyeom spoke again, her voice tender beyond measure.
“When you return to Bukto, you need to be strong enough to survive.”
And from her bosom, she produced a black fragment and thrust it into Doeui’s hands.
It was the same Sacred Artifact she had just given to Ju Jeokseo.
“But now you won’t have to suffer the Ghostly Wailing anymore. Keep it. It will ease your pain.”
“That’s not necessary.”
“…What?”
Siyeom blinked, disbelieving.
Doeui simply pushed the fragment back across to Siyeom without hesitation.
“I don’t need it. I’ll handle it myself. Mother, you must be tired from your long journey. Please rest.”
He finished speaking quickly and left the room before she could grab him.
Siyeom watched her son’s retreating figure—how much he had grown—and rolled her eyes in disbelief.
‘Why won’t he take it?’
Doeui’s Abnormal Ability was so strong that no one in the entire history of the Black Tortoise Family could match it.
The fact that he could already command so many wraiths at his age suggested a high probability he would become the Family Head of the Black Tortoise Family.
And if that were true, the Ghostly Wailing that Doeui heard would likely be far louder and more terrible than what others experienced.
It was almost miraculous that he hadn’t gone mad.
Yet he refused to take it?
Siyeom found it incomprehensible. She watched the space where Doeui had been, then lit the tobacco pipe.
Pale smoke curled upward, quickly filling the room.
She hadn’t meant to embrace Doeui, but she couldn’t help seeing her grown son hovering before her eyes.
She was a parent, after all. Seeing her child stirred affection and tenderness within her.
Yet precisely because of that, she could not embrace Doeui, could not soothe him with gentle words.
‘He must grow stronger.’
Siyeom murmured, chewing on the end of the tobacco pipe.
‘Otherwise he’ll die.’
For that, she had to treat her son with cold, rational detachment—not with parental affection.
Abandoned and discarded, he would grow stronger. The moment he came to understand he was alone in the world, his Abnormal Ability would instinctively swell to protect its master.
That was what Siyeom was aiming for.
There was no escaping the charge of being a heartless mother obsessed with power.
But there was a reason she had no choice.
‘I will never let him die like the others.’
Because now there were only two successors left in the Black Tortoise Family.
The rest of the children had been devoured entirely by the most promising successor, the current Young Lord of the Black Tortoise.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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