The Faltering Legend and the Undetectable Stealth

Now, there were many more things I could picture whenever I thought of Gwang-yeon. Before, I could only recall fragments from my past life without even knowing his name, so discovering who he truly was step by step brought me immense joy. I also wondered if my grand-disciple would manage to secure his Master’s permission to return to the quarters.

It had been a terribly long time since I last looked forward to tomorrow like this.

Two days passed, yet Gwang-yeon did not show up.

I was still unable to revert to my original human form, so I rested beneath the wall, watching Venerable Won-hyun train.

Venerable Won-hyun had firmly resolved to teach me in earnest now, and because of this, he seemed intent on displaying his skills before me without holding anything back.

He was far more formidable than I had ever imagined. In my past life, I was relatively well-versed in the rankings of masters across the various sects. Yet, I had never heard the name Venerable Won-hyun.

However, that was merely because he had remained entirely removed from the affairs of the outside world; if one were to rank him, he would easily place within the top three in all of Shaolin.

Saying ‘top three’ was simply an easy way to put it; if asked whether there was anyone in Shaolin actually stronger than Venerable Won-hyun, no one came to mind immediately.

‘Why has Venerable Won-hyun kept his power hidden all this time? How long does he intend to conceal it?’

Then, the words he had spoken to Gwang-yeon drifted back to me—that Hyeon-geon loved Shaolin so deeply that he would do absolutely anything if he believed it was for the sake of the sect.

Until now, Venerable Won-hyun had understood Hyeon-geon’s heart and chose to leave him to his own devices. But if he so desired, could he put a halt to Hyeon-geon’s actions?

If it came down to it, would Venerable Won-hyun be able to protect me from Hyeon-geon?

As I was pondering this, I felt the familiar onset of signs and hastily slithered toward the wooden veranda. Sensing the change, Venerable Won-hyun rushed over to me. Since I could not open doors myself while in a serpent form, he was hurrying to unlatch it for me.

I slipped inside through the door he held open, and as I waited, I gradually reverted back to my original form.

“I shall have to carve out a hole in the door or the wall again, Sorin.”

Venerable Won-hyun spoke while I retrieved my clothes and put them on.

It seemed he believed I needed a way to freely enter and leave the room should I ever face such a situation while left completely alone.

“It seems the transformation back was far more effortless than before. What do you think, Sorin?”

“I feel the same way, Master.”

“That is a relief. It would be truly wonderful if, eventually, you could transform at your own will.”

It was something difficult to even imagine, but if it truly became reality, I could wish for nothing more.

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

“No, Master.”

While changing my clothes, I meticulously inspected my body. On occasion, wounds that did not exist before my transformation would manifest while I was a snake. Seeing as nothing throbbed and I hadn’t particularly caused any trouble this time, I assumed all was well, but Venerable Won-hyun suddenly gasped in surprise.

“What happened to your back, Sorin?”

“Pardon? Why?”

Until he mentioned it, I hadn’t felt a single thing, but the moment the words left his mouth, my back strangely began to ache.

“You stubborn child. I told you to be so careful, yet you never listen.”

Venerable Won-hyun spoke with an I-told-you-so sigh, then brought over some golden injury salve to apply to the wound.

“Master, you could easily heal this with your internal energy.”

“Indeed. I could.”

“Then why are you applying medicine?”

As he rubbed the salve over the injury, the pressure of his finger sent a sharp sting through me. Writhing from the pain, I grumbled at him, to which he replied with utter righteousness:

“Because if I comfortably heal you with my energy every time you get hurt, you will never learn to be cautious.”

“That is entirely unfair, Master. It isn’t as if I get hurt on purpose.”

“I care not. If it hurts, ensure you do not get injured next time. If you knew how much my heart breaks every time I see you wounded, you would be far more careful, you rascal.”

For some reason, it felt like he was intentionally rubbing harder. I couldn’t even remember where I had gotten hurt.

“Master, didn’t you say that the One-Legged Fire Python’s hide is difficult to pierce even with swords and blades? Then what could have cut me?”

“Why are you asking me that?”

“Could it be that I am not actually a One-Legged Fire Python? It is a bit strange. I don’t even have venom fangs, so I can’t spray poison either.”

“One cannot expect to be full on the first spoonful. It may well be that a One-Legged Fire Python must grow for at least several decades before it earns such a legendary reputation.”

Venerable Won-hyun spoke, but then, realizing it wasn’t a matter to dismiss so lightly, his hand came to a sudden halt.

“If that truly is the case, you must be even more cautious from now on, Sorin. Truth be told, because you are a One-Legged Fire Python, I secretly harbored a sense of reassurance, believing you wouldn’t get hurt even if you were attacked somewhere.”

With that, Venerable Won-hyun scrutinized the wound closely and asked, “Did you force your way through a thicket of thorn bushes or something?”

“Ah… yes. A certain rabbit chased me like it had gone completely mad.”

Thinking back on it now, it truly made me furious.

I mean, if I had been hunted by a ferocious beast, I wouldn’t say a word. But why on earth did a rabbit have to do that?

Until that rabbit was right in front of my face, I hadn’t even realized it was targeting me, nor did I know I was supposed to run away. When I told him this, Venerable Won-hyun burst into a ringing roar of laughter.

“They say in the Jianghu, one must always beware of three types of people. It seems that old adage holds true even in the animal kingdom.”

The young, the female, and the elderly.

And rabbits.

Venerable Won-hyun laughed for quite a while longer before reassuring me that the wound was not deep and would not take long to heal.

“Is there anything good about turning into a snake, Sorin?”

I expected myself to instantly answer that there was absolutely nothing, but it wasn’t entirely true. While I hesitated, Venerable Won-hyun seemed to arrive at a similar thought.

“Indeed. If utilized correctly, it could very well become your greatest weapon, so perhaps it is not something to blindly give up on. If you can master transforming at your own will, you might become nigh invincible.”

Though that was a story for a distant day when I could truly control the shift, I found myself already dreaming of that moment.

A few days later, Gwang-yeon came to visit our quarters. Because he hadn’t shown up all this time, we had assumed he had run into severe opposition from Hyeon-geon.

Since I had already returned to my human form, I was actually thinking it was a relief he hadn’t come, as we wouldn’t be able to show him the snake he was looking for. But then, Venerable Won-hyun detected Gwang-yeon’s approach first, his eyes going wide as he spun around to look at me.

“Sorin. No matter who else sees you, Gwang-yeon absolutely must not find you here. Hyeon-geon is a fellow capable of conjuring up all sorts of bizarre delusions. He might easily suspect that you are here to steal Shaolin’s martial arts secrets through me.”

As he spoke, he seemed to grow more convinced of his own logic.

“Hurry and hide. Even if he doesn’t suspect that, Gwang-yeon will find it highly peculiar to see you suddenly appear here. And he might end up reporting what he saw to his Master.”

Deciding there was no more time left to persuade me, Venerable Won-hyun practically shoved me out through the back door. Left with no choice, I retreated to a spot a fair distance away from the quarters and concealed myself.

Gwang-yeon stayed for nearly two incense sticks’ time before finally leaving. I had thought he would depart immediately upon realizing the snake was missing, but I couldn’t fathom what had taken him so long.

Once Gwang-yeon had departed, Venerable Won-hyun came out to fetch me. He shook his head from side to side, looking utterly exasperated.

“What an incredibly bullheaded lad… Honestly, why does he refuse to believe a single word I say? He practically accused me of lying to him. Declaring that even a Grand-Grand-Uncle must keep his promises, he began to thoroughly ransack the entire room. And it wasn’t just the room. He marched right out into the courtyard and searched every nook and cranny around it too.”

“Pardon?”

I was just thinking to myself that if I hadn’t slipped far away through the back courtyard, I would have been caught red-handed. Just then, Venerable Won-hyun’s eyes, which were directed behind me, suddenly widened to the extreme.

“…!”

Nothing but a silent gasp escaped his parted lips. Startled, I whipped around, only to find Gwang-yeon standing right there. It was impossible to tell who was more shocked—Gwang-yeon, Venerable Won-hyun, or myself.

It was a moment where Gwang-yeon’s sheer persistence shone brightly once more. Even though his opponent was Venerable Won-hyun, he had refused to blindly trust his words and had doubled back to check the moment the Grandmaster’s guard was down. Yet, even he clearly hadn’t expected a young girl to be at the quarters, as a look of profound bewilderment washed over his face.

“You… How on earth did you manage to approach without giving off even a shred of a presence!”

Looking closely, Venerable Won-hyun seemed far more shocked by the realization that he had completely failed to detect Gwang-yeon’s presence. Come to think of it, it was entirely natural for him to harbor such a doubt.

For a supreme master of Venerable Won-hyun’s caliber, it was only logical that he should perceive Gwang-yeon’s presence long before the youth ever entered his field of vision, no matter how distracted he might have been. Plunged into a deep state of confusion, the two of them simply stared at one another.

“Grand-Grand-Uncle…”

Gwang-yeon’s face clearly demanded to know who this child was. However, Venerable Won-hyun seemed intent on resolving his own burning question first, stepping closer to Gwang-yeon. He didn’t even have the spare mind to realize he had been hiding something from the youth, or to feel embarrassed about having his secret exposed.

“Gwang-yeon. How is it that you can completely conceal your presence from me? Did your Master teach you some extraordinary stealth technique?”

“Pardon?” Gwang-yeon blinked, staring back at Venerable Won-hyun.

“Were you truly unaware that I was approaching, Grand-Grand-Uncle?”

“Speak the truth! If you dare think of deceiving me, I shall not leave you be!”

Sensing the gravity of the atmosphere, Gwang-yeon began to fret in anxiety.

“I did indeed approach quietly, but it never even crossed my mind that you would fail to notice me, Grand-Grand-Uncle. I am deeply sorry.”

Venerable Won-hyun looked as though he was not about to let the matter drop so easily.