The White Tiger Clan’s Baby Cotton Ball - Chapter 219

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Part 2, Chapter 11

Finding Cheongya adorable for believing so earnestly in an old legend that sounded like a bedtime story, Soya chuckled softly as she comforted her younger sibling.

“Don’t be too sad, Cheongya. This is just an old legend. But isn’t it quite beautiful?”

“Uung….”

Cheongya looked back and forth between the painting and Soya, then shook his head vigorously.

“No! Cheongya thinks big sister is the prettiest! You know, big sister.”

Cheongya tugged at Soya’s sleeve and whispered as if sharing a secret.

“Earlier Uncle Cheongno and the others said that you give orbs to the person you like most! Cheongya wants to give his orb to big sister!”

“Oh my, really? How wonderful.”

Soya burst into a small laugh.

“Cheongya should also hurry and learn beast transformation so he can fly too.”

“For that, you need to eat well and grow big and strong.”

“Yes, yes!”

After viewing the painting, Soya rested with Cheongya on top of the pavilion by the pond in the rear garden.

Palace servants brought fragrant tea and snacks.

There were even fig confections that Gayul loved.

‘If Yul knew about this, he’d be sad that he couldn’t come along.’

While Soya chuckled softly thinking of Gayul, Cheongya, who had been hopping around playfully on the grass below the pavilion, looked back at his sister and tilted his head curiously.

‘Huh? What’s that?’

A black snake was lurking around Soya’s vicinity, secretly watching her.

‘A black… snake?’

Although he had never actually seen a snake before, since his eldest brother Gaya always called him ‘baby snake’ or ‘baby python’, he knew what snakes looked like.

“What’s wrong, Cheongya?”

“Big sister, over there….”

Cheongya raised his small index finger and pointed at the snake.

At that sound, the black snake turned its head and made direct eye contact with Cheongya.

—Hiss!

The startled snake seemed to slowly back away, then suddenly began to flee.

“Bad snake! Bad snake was peeking at big sister!”

Cheongya ran off to catch the snake.

“Cheongya! It’s dangerous to run off alone!”

Soya also hurriedly got up and chased after him.

Cheongya chased the snake earnestly, but soon reached a dead end.

Having lost the snake, Cheongya pouted.

“Hmph, it got away.”

“You can’t wander around just anywhere like this, Cheongya. It’s dangerous.”

“Uung, Cheongya was wrong.”

When Soya mimicked a stern voice, Cheongya immediately wilted and apologized.

“You mustn’t do that again, Cheongya. Let’s go back now. People will be looking for us.”

Soya took Cheongya’s hand while glancing at the puddle that had formed beneath the wall.

‘Dark water…?’

Looking at the puddle cast in dark shadows beneath the dead-end wall, she suddenly recalled Irim’s words that all the recent sinister incidents in the capital had occurred near dark wells.

Of course, this was inside the imperial palace, the safest place in the Central Region, and it wasn’t even a well….

“Big sister, are you angry?”

As Soya stood still in one spot, staring only at the puddle, a cautious question reached her ears.

“No, Cheongya. Let’s go now.”

It was when Soya was turning around while comforting Cheongya.

She froze.

Sensing something strange, she immediately whipped around to look behind her.

“…!”

In an instant, along with the thick scent of sorcery, the water in the puddle shot up in the shape of sharp hooks and flew toward Cheongya.

“Cheongya, it’s dangerous!”

Soya pulled Cheongya into her arms.

* * *

The meeting hall for the Emperor and the three Family Heads.

The Emperor sat at the head seat, with the three family heads positioned one level below in the eastern, western, and southern directions respectively, while the central ministers accompanying them and the retainers of the three families sat around the edges.

“So, what is the reason the three Family Heads requested this meeting?”

“Recently, flying creatures beyond the control of beastmen have appeared in the Southern Lands.”

The first to speak in response to the Emperor’s question was Jeok Sanyu of the Vermillion Bird Family.

“Suspecting it might be the demon beast transformation phenomenon, we were worried, and upon hearing news of the two Family Heads’ visit to the imperial palace, we requested this meeting.”

“In the Eastern Lands as well, there have been consecutive disappearances of young beastmen. And one of them was found in the form of a demon beast.”

Following Cheong Sua’s report, the atmosphere in the hall grew heavy.

Beasts that had become wild beyond the control of beastmen, and a young beastman found in the form of a demon beast.

What this implied was only one thing.

“The Azure Sea Palace strongly suspects that the evil that disappeared with Hyeon Rabaek’s death five years ago has awakened again and is now on the verge of resurrection.”

The resurrection of evil.

According to old records, the first sign of this was precisely ‘demon beast transformation.’

Long ago, the four divine beasts had stolen evil’s physical body, so evil remained only as a soul.

Hyeon Rabaek succeeded in awakening evil’s soul but could not perfectly resurrect evil.

Because his body was too weak to contain evil’s soul.

The demon beast transformation phenomenon that didn’t exist back then.

Perhaps this time, evil had found a perfect physical body.

“Then we must stop evil before it can be perfectly resurrected.”

At her assertion, the gathered beastmen stirred restlessly.

“That’s nonsense! Hyeon Rabaek was the leader of the Xuanwu Clan, descendants of the divine beasts! Even he couldn’t perfectly resurrect evil….”

Starting with someone expressing doubt, the meeting hall instantly became noisy.

“We don’t know. Evil might have taken possession of an even stronger beastman’s body.”

“The only beastman stronger than him would be His Majesty, wouldn’t it? Surely the head of the Azure Dragon Family doesn’t suspect His Majesty of becoming evil’s host?”

“What kind of speculation is that? Our Family Head was merely stating the results of reasonable deduction regarding recent incidents on the continent…!”

“Aren’t you the ones making speculations…!”

“Enough.”

Irim, who had been quietly observing, raised his right hand.

The hall became quiet again.

Irim looked at Saeon and asked.

“How are things in the Western Lands?”

“After hearing from Family Head Jeok about the anomalies in the Southern Lands, I examined whether there were any related signs in the Western Lands. But I couldn’t find any signs resembling demon beast transformation anywhere.”

Saeon answered with a troubled expression.

“However, if there is one anomaly in the Western Lands, it’s that the water in the earth and air is drying up, which we’re currently investigating. Other than that, there are no special incidents.”

“Water…?”

As if suddenly remembering something, Irim’s eyes hardened slightly.

“Look at this. The idea that evil has awakened again is mere speculation. Isn’t it strange that only the Western Lands would escape such signs? There must be some other cause….”

It was when someone was cautiously expressing their opinion.

They flinched.

A sharp killing intent flashed across the faces of the three Family Heads who had been sitting with serious expressions.

Unlike ordinary beastmen, the three Family Heads with their keen senses detected some dangerous aura and were about to spring to their feet.

“T-terrible news, Your Majesty!”

The door to the meeting hall opened and a soldier who had rushed in shouted with an urgent voice.

“The, the Young Lady of the White Tiger Family and the Young Master… Your, Your Majesty?”

However, Irim’s figure, who should have been at the head seat, was nowhere to be seen.

He had disappeared without even the three Family Heads noticing.

“His Majesty has vanished!”

“We must find His Majesty…!”

While people were frantically searching for the Emperor, Saeon immediately kicked off from the meeting hall and rushed out.

What mattered to him was not the Emperor’s whereabouts.

“Where is Soya?”

“Fa, Family Head, the thing is…”

When he ran toward where the commotion could be felt, the palace servants spoke while looking up at the sky in terror.

“Th, that black water swallowed the Young Lady and Young Master!”

High up in the sky, a large sphere-shaped black water droplet was floating.

The black water droplet filled with ominous energy was writhing as it had swallowed something.

“…”

Clang.

Saeon drew his sword with a cold and terrifying expression that seemed like it would freeze everything around him.

Whoosh—

Aggressive red flames also bloomed around Sanyu who had followed behind.

Just as the two were about to rush forward recklessly to save Soya and Cheongya.

Rumble—!

Dark clouds gathered in the sky and the world grew dark, then with the sound of the earth shaking, golden light burst forth from all directions.

“Gasp, Your, Your Majesty…!”

Atop the pavilion across from them, Irim, who had silently disappeared from the meeting hall, was glaring at the black sphere that had swallowed Soya with an expression colder than any they had ever seen.

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