The Shameless Compromise and a Formidable Novice

“Since I cannot kill you, let us establish a boundary. If I were permitted to take your life, I could defeat you a hundred times over. But I cannot truly kill you, can I?”

“To strike without hesitation and make a resolute decision without leaving room for mercy is also a form of capability. If you cannot do so, Grand-Grand-Uncle, then you must admit defeat.”

Venerable Won-hyun let out a low groan. Gwang-yeon was vomiting blood, and a deep wound had now opened up, staining his robes completely crimson.

Venerable Won-hyun could not bring himself to cross that final line. Ultimately, it was the Grandmaster who retracted his nine-section whip first. Gwang-yeon stared at him blankly.

“Did I… win?”

Venerable Won-hyun could not find the words to answer. Instead, he simply gazed at me with a dazed expression. Had he known things would turn out like this, he would never have agreed to such a wager in the first place.

I was busy feeling sorry for him when I suddenly realized—this was my problem. Longing to wander the temple grounds or yearning for the outside world were desires meant for a time when my safety was guaranteed. I wasn’t so out of my mind as to crave them when my very life was at stake.

At first, I hadn’t been entirely against rooting for Gwang-yeon, but that was strictly under the assumption that Venerable Won-hyun would win overwhelmingly. I had merely worried that a budding sprout, who still had so much room to grow, might lose heart after experiencing such a vast disparity in power.

But if things were going to turn out like this, I had too much to think about. It was honestly a bit absurd, considering it only happened because Venerable Won-hyun had gone easy on him.

Gwang-yeon had no idea how much danger I was facing; he had made that reckless bet out of pure affection, simply because he thought I was cute and wanted to keep me. Therefore, just because Venerable Won-hyun had made a promise to Gwang-yeon didn’t mean he could just hand me over.

I slithered down from the table and climbed onto Venerable Won-hyun’s foot. At that, the Grandmaster picked me up and placed me in his palm. Unable to hand me over to Gwang-yeon, he just stared at me for a long time.

Finally, he turned his gaze back to Gwang-yeon and spoke.

“Since a promise was made, I shall not go back on my word. However, I still wish to keep a watchful eye on this little creature. Therefore, you may come here to see it after your daily duties are finished.”

“…Pardon?”

A look crossed Gwang-yeon’s face that clearly asked, ‘Isn’t that different from what you originally said?’ Yet, Venerable Won-hyun dug his heels in stubbornly, looking as though he wouldn’t budge a single inch.

Well, what choice did he have? He shouldn’t have agreed to such a ridiculous wager in the first place…

“Grand-Grand-Uncle, even after my daily duties are finished, I am worried that it will be difficult for me to freely enter and leave your quarters.”

“Then there is nothing to be done. I have offered a solution, and if you cannot come because of your own circumstances, I will not bear responsibility for that outcome.”

It seemed Venerable Won-hyun had decided to just play the shameless card from here on out. It was a bit embarrassing to watch, but I figured he had no alternative. At this point, what else could he do? Gwang-yeon stared at the Grandmaster with a utterly bewildered expression.

How many opportunities had Gwang-yeon actually had to truly understand Venerable Won-hyun’s character until now? He had likely only revered him from afar based on what others said. For some reason, Gwang-yeon looked as though his throat had gone completely dry.

“Grand-Grand-Uncle. In that case, could you perhaps speak to my Master? If you give him a quiet word instructing him to allow me to come and stay here after my duties, I believe I will be able to visit.”

“And why should I do that?”

“Well, that is…”

Listening to Gwang-yeon, I realized that Hyeon-geon was definitely not an easy person to deal with. Anyone else would be bursting with pride and joy to send their disciple to Venerable Won-hyun’s quarters. Yet, Gwang-yeon was genuinely worried that his own Master would refuse to permit it.

“Is your Master Hyeon-geon?”

“Yes, Grand-Grand-Uncle.”

“Do you truly believe he would forbid you from coming here if you spoke to him yourself?”

“My Master wishes for me to not waste a single moment of my time. Therefore…”

“Meaning, your Master would consider spending time with me a waste of time?”

At Venerable Won-hyun’s sharp retort, Gwang-yeon’s face turned deathly pale. Venerable Won-hyun was only saying it to tease him, but there was no way Gwang-yeon could have known that.

“It is not that… My Master simply does not know of this matter, and moreover, he dislikes it when I go around seeking out other elders. I only mentioned it out of concern. My Master also deeply admires you, Grand-Grand-Uncle.”

“Let us speak honestly. Hyeon-geon does not think of me that way. Regardless, I shall make myself perfectly clear. I lost the wager, and I intend to fulfill my promise by opening my quarters to you. If you cannot make use of that, I am no longer responsible for this matter.”

Poor Gwang-yeon. He lowered his head with a thoroughly dejected expression. Left with no other choice, he reluctantly accepted Venerable Won-hyun’s terms.

“I understand, Grand-Grand-Uncle.”

His voice carried a solemn, almost tragic gravity, as if he had come to a grim and resolute decision.

Hearing his tone, it was Venerable Won-hyun’s turn to grow tense, and he asked cautiously, “What exactly do you mean by you understand?”

“I will speak to my Master carefully. I shall tell him that focusing my internal energy and cultivating qi here seems exceptionally effective.”

At those words, Venerable Won-hyun’s complexion shifted drastically.

“If you say something like that, what will you do if your Master decides to come along as well? I am telling you this because you seem entirely oblivious, but this creature is no ordinary snake. It is a spiritual beast. Should it fall into the hands of certain sects, it could drastically elevate their martial power in a short span of time. If your Master or certain other individuals discover it, they will seek to bring it harm.”

I hadn’t expected Venerable Won-hyun to lay everything bare like that, but realizing that things were getting out of hand, he ultimately confessed the whole truth.

Upon hearing this, Gwang-yeon’s eyes went wide.

“Wha—What do you mean by that…?”

Stuttering over his words in sheer shock at the unimaginable revelation, Gwang-yeon looked down at me with deeply sorrowful eyes.

“I am saying this horn on its head isn’t just for show. Have you ever seen a snake with a horn? Just because it looks this adorable doesn’t mean you should mindlessly dote on it. Do you finally understand what I am telling you?”

Gwang-yeon was completely torn, caught in a desperate dilemma. Yet, it seemed it was also too difficult for him to simply apologize and back down.

That was the funniest part. Having heard all of that, it would have been perfectly reasonable for him to cleanly give up and withdraw, yet he continued to hesitate.

“You must absolutely never mention a single word of what we discussed here to your Master.”

“But Grand-Grand-Uncle, even if my Master were to hear of this, I do not believe he would seek to kill this snake.”

“Do you know your Master better, or do I? Hyeon-geon is a child fully capable of doing such a thing. It is because of his profound love for Shaolin. If he believes it is for the sake of Shaolin, that child will do absolutely anything.”

Venerable Won-hyun cut himself off there, indicating he would say no more. From that moment on, Gwang-yeon’s expression twisted into an incredibly complex knot.

“Grand-Grand-Uncle, where did you find Gwang-eum?”

When the name ‘Gwang-eum’ suddenly popped up, Venerable Won-hyun looked confused, as if wondering who on earth that was. I had mentioned it to him before, but it seemed he had completely forgotten it by now.

I wanted to signal to him that they were talking about me, but I wasn’t in a position to speak. Fortunately, Gwang-yeon explained first.

“It is the name I gave it. If you have another name you call it by, Grand-Grand-Uncle, I shall call it by that name instead.”

“No… there is no such name.”

He certainly couldn’t blurt out ‘Tang Sorin.’ And so, it seemed my name in this serpent form was destined to be cemented as Gwang-eum.

Venerable Won-hyun didn’t even bother answering Gwang-yeon’s original question. He might have been thinking, ‘Why on earth should I answer that?’ Ultimately, after exchanging a few more words with the Grandmaster, Gwang-yeon left the quarters with his shoulders slumped in defeat.

Watching his departing figure, Venerable Won-hyun shook his head from side to side.

“I have never seen such a reckless lad. To dare throw his body into the fray like that, knowing full well where he was throwing it. He must have known he would get severely injured, so why…? It looks like he suffered internal injuries too; that bastard Hyeon-geon is bound to come storming over here.”

Venerable Won-hyun let out a breathless, exasperated chuckle. Even so, he didn’t seem to think Gwang-yeon was in any mortal danger from those internal injuries. Even while they were locked in that uncompromising battle of words, the Grandmaster had already tapped Gwang-yeon’s acupoints and administered basic emergency treatment.

“Among the first-generation disciples, Hyeon-geon is certainly dominant. But it won’t be long before Gwang-yeon stands on equal footing with the ‘Hyeon’ generation. Give it a bit more time, and there won’t be many even among the ‘Hyeon’ generation who can best him.”

Whether he was talking to himself or to me, I couldn’t help but feel a surge of delight. He wasn’t even praising me, yet I felt warmer and prouder than if I had received the compliment myself.

From that moment on, Venerable Won-hyun unfurled his nine-section whip right there in the courtyard and began to train. The realization that he could have been pushed back by his incredibly distant grand-disciple seemed to have given his spirit a sharp jolt.

It wasn’t that Venerable Won-hyun had actually lost to Gwang-yeon, but it seemed he wanted to devise a countermeasure just in case he ever encountered another opponent like him.

Being a martial monk acted as a severe constraint in times like these. The taboo against taking a life was so deeply rooted within them that even when they faced an adversary who absolutely needed to be put down, they often failed to deliver the decisive blow.

Even in my past life, instances where villains were completely subdued but left alive—only to return and cause catastrophic consequences later—occurred relentlessly. While Shaolin permitted the taking of a life if the villain had slaughtered innocent civilians, in reality, most martial monks chose to show mercy at the crucial, definitive moment.

What would Gwang-yeon be like? If he were faced with such a situation, I felt he would make a swift, ruthless decision.

The memory of him flashed through my mind—proposing a wager to his terrifyingly powerful Grand-Grand-Uncle out of a single-minded determination to have me, charging forward blindly and aggressively without looking back.

‘What a formidable grand-disciple.’