NOVEL WEB Chapter 117
Chapter 5: The Snares of Destiny
The sun was lazily sinking in the evening sky.
The final preparations were infused with tremendous tension.
Hyang was still struggling to differentiate between the Jin and Soo times, even as the sun was setting.
Jin and Soo are clearly different characters, but apparently, they looked similar to Hyang’s eyes.
Could it be that both have a lid-like appearance?
‘This classical Chinese script is truly a tough nut to crack; I hope she doesn’t end up traumatized!’
I couldn’t help but worry that Hyang might be dipping into depression.
I once heard that for every ten English kindergartens, a mental health facility springs up; such absurd sayings stuck with me.
Now, Hyang wasn’t learning English, and I couldn’t confirm whether she actually needed a psychiatrist.
“Come on, Hyang! You can do this! Try again! Jin time!”
With a compassionate voice, Hua Eun encouraged Hyang, while Grandfather, the Artisan, and the Mother-in-law anxiously focused their gaze on her.
– Ts… Tsuru…
However, she hesitated yet again, caught in deliberation over Jin and Soo times.
As Hyang fidgeted between the two times, Chao, unable to bear it any longer, gently poked Jin with her antennae.
– Poke…
But this turned out to be Chao’s grave mistake.
In an instant, Hyang lunged towards Chao, unleashing a fierce wail.
– Tsuruuru! Tsuru! Tsurut!
Hyang’s heart screamed, ‘I knew it! I knew it already!’
When doing practice problems or memorizing times, nothing is more irritating than an older sibling acting like they know better.
‘Chao really is like a little know-it-all, huh?’
Technically a kind of arachnid, but in this era, centipedes are considered insects, so Chao’s behavior was indeed that of a know-it-all insect.
Watching Hyang, who was bursting with fury, Chao, bewildered, turned her gaze towards me and shook her antennae.
Seeing that little rascal throwing a tantrum gave me an odd sense of disbelief.
Fearing a fight was imminent, I decided to take Chao outside for a moment.
“Chao, let’s go outside together.”
– Tsurut.
Had I not taught Chao about the twelve times, was she feeling left out?
Or was it because all the family’s attention was solely on Hyang that it hurt her feelings?
Patting Chao’s head, I praised her, “Turns out our Chao knows all the twelve times? You’re amazing!”
– Ts, Tsurut.
Chao nodded shyly, seemingly pleased by the compliment.
She appeared to have already grasped the twelve times just by eavesdropping.
It usually takes me ages to learn something myself, but when overhearing, I seem to catch on quickly.
“Well done, Chao! But for now, let’s let Hyang try on her own. Okay?”
– Tsurut.
Having showered Chao with plenty of praise, we sat on the threshold of the Clan Head Hall while the sounds of applause came from inside.
“That’s right! Great job, Hyang! You’re your mother’s pride!”
“Haha, that kid! Memorizing everything in a day is quite impressive.”
“She’s just as sharp as Hua Eun back in her day.”
It seemed Hyang was all set, which meant it was time to catch some thieves.
I rubbed Chao’s head one last time, saying, “Chao, as night falls, get up into the sky and wait for what Daddy says, okay?”
– Tsurut!
After instructing Chao on her role, I dashed back inside the Clan Head Hall, where Hyang stood proudly with her antennae raised high on Hua Eun’s shoulder.
She exuded an aura of brilliance, much like an intelligent centipede.
Extending her head towards me, as if asking for praise, I scratched her chin and obliged with a hearty compliment.
“Oh my, our Chao is fantastic!”
– Tsurut!?
“No, wait, I mean Hyang.”
The sting of accidentally misnaming her sent a sharp pang through me.
The sibling rivalry brewing between my daughters was evident.
I knew I needed to be more careful not to mix up their names in the future.
‘Phew… How did my parents manage to raise my sister and me without mixing up our names?’
*
The notice from Shin Tu stated the time was after Soo.
It indicated that the ambush would occur after 7 PM, and the Clan’s warriors and elders moved to their predetermined positions as dusk set in.
Here in the mountains, it turned dark only after 6 PM, so we decided to wait until the surroundings became shrouded in darkness.
The reason for avoiding movement in the light was to prevent our stealthy maneuvers from being detected.
“Everyone, move discreetly!”
“Yes! Clan Head!”
“Let’s get going!”
“Yes, Father.”
“Understood, Grandfather.”
Mandok God and the Artisan along with the Mother-in-law were stationed centrally.
The Clan elders had spread themselves throughout the surroundings.
Immediately, besides a portion of our rapid response forces, the Clan’s warriors lay hidden in various places across Tang Clan’s territory, waiting for Shin Tu to make a move.
Of course, I was nestled comfortably in the house woven by the warm threads of Yo-hwa’s webs, right beside her clutch of silken strands.
The fact that Yo-hwa’s webs block infrared vision also meant incredible insulation was on offer.
I had felt this warmth before, and truly, Yo-hwa’s webs are a cozy sanctuary.
‘Relaxing in the warm threads of my pet, perched like this, is nearly perfect—unless we fail to catch this rogue!’
While we all anxiously waited in our positions, time dragged on endlessly.
Just as I started to doze off and blinked awake—
– Ding!
The soft sound of a bell announcing the time echoed from the distant temple.
– Ki-sit?
– Shaaa!
‘What? Did I sleep too soundly!?’
“Chomp… No, er, no, I didn’t sleep, Dad!”
Yeon-du and Yo-hwa, who had been coiled around my neck, scolded me with their murmurs as the bell continued to ring.
Maybe it was just me being a minor who, after 10 PM, felt drowsy all over again, but I roused myself.
“Why on earth is this thief being so late? Please tell me it’s not going to be the terrible hours of three or four in the morning!”
In military night shifts, three and four are indeed crossing the line.
I was worried this sneaky rogue would hit right at those hours, but as expected, the bell marking In-shi rang softly, and Yo-hwa immediately delivered the signal.
– Ding! Ding!
– Ki-sit!
Yo-hwa confirmed someone had appeared towards the direction of Tang Clan’s residence, in the Zi-shi direction.
*
“Phew…”
Yeongryeon let out an exhale to dispel her nervousness.
Down below, the walls of the Four Heavenly Houses lay bare.
Nothing could be seen beyond them, and all the lights were switched off.
There was a solid sensation of being fully prepared.
But if this was all for her Master to investigate her, then she must break through.
With clenched fists, Yeongryeon’s figure darted towards the wall.
Using her Muyoungmuumshin technique, she leaped over the outer walls of the Four Heavenly Houses and took a couple of swift steps.
– Whee-woo!
Suddenly, an arrow flew over her head.
“What!?”
There were no warriors nearby, nor had anyone from afar spotted her, yet an arrow soared above her.
Moreover, for an arrow to fly just two steps past the outer wall indicated that they had become aware of her entrance the moment she stepped in.
Unable to believe it, she widened her eyes, and warriors popped out from all directions, beginning their search for her.
Something felt off.
Yeongryeon quickly retreated beyond the wall, keeping a watchful eye around her.
“Have they found me!?”
“Not here!”
“They must be nearby! Search!”
Hearing those voices, it became evident they sensed her presence without having actually caught sight of her.
Desperately slipping back toward the mountains, Yeongryeon, spotting two rabbits, caught them quickly and hid them nearby.
‘Best to find out how they knew I was here.’
People think a thief works swiftly with their nimble footwork and lightness skill to steal everything, but that’s only part of the story.
Most importantly, a thief’s posture involves confirming who’s vigilant and surveying their defenses for an opening.
To check how they realized she had crossed the wall, Yeongryeon tossed the two rabbits inside the wall, triggering an immediate response.
– Whee-woo!
– Whee-woo!
‘How on earth did they know?’
The moment the two rabbits hit the ground inside, arrows rapidly flew towards her.
And with them, warriors appeared as expected, too.
Stepping inside the wall seemed to give away her presence instantaneously, regardless of what she stood on.
With that thought in mind, Yeongryeon summoned her eye technique to scrutinize the inside.
Surrounding the Tang Clan walls flowed a stream, and beyond the hours of In-shi, mist began to rise, revealing the innards of the Clan under the moonlight.
Glittering white threads were strewn from the ground to the rooftops across the vicinity.
‘What is that!?’
Activating Baekri Eye to investigate, it turned out to be delicate threads.
They shimmered from the dew they had collected, clearly visible to Yeongryeon.
The threads were meticulously laid across all pathways and the buildings’ roofs.
They were so thin that they were hard to notice in the dark.
Yeongryeon smiled upon observing the threads.
‘Sure enough, the Four Heavenly Houses employ such clever methods!’
Her heart swelled with competitive spirit.
As her racing heart calmed, Yeongryeon leaped back over the Clan’s wall.
If they had set traps with threads all around, then she could utilize her grass-floating technique to navigate through them.
Just as she barely broke through the outer layer while stealthily stepping on grass and stones—
A peculiar sound echoed above her head.
– Tsuruuru!
It seemed there was a sound different from the arrows overhead, and the warriors began closing in again.
“There she is! Over there!”
‘What on earth!?’
Even while employing her Muyoongmuumshin technique to remain hidden, the warriors had detected her location.
When she glanced upward to check on the ongoing noise.
As her gaze drifted skyward, she saw something hovering there.
‘A dragon!?’
At first, she thought she was witnessing a legendary blue dragon gliding under the moonlight.
But as she focused, she realized it was not a dragon at all, but a centipede.
The sky was filled with the sounds of that centipede bustling around after her like it was giving away her position.
‘No way. There really are spirit creatures in the Tang Clan!?’
The information I received wasn’t supposed to include any details about spirit creatures.
Up in the sky, a spirit creature was revealing Yeongryeon’s whereabouts.
The only silver lining was that it didn’t seem particularly swift.
Taken aback by the sudden appearance of the spirit creature, Yeongryeon thought, “If it’s following me, then I just need to shake it off.”
Yeongryeon’s body unleashed the technique of Muyoongmuumshin!
She darted away at a lightning pace, spiraling deeper into the depths of the Four Heavenly Houses, leaving no trace behind.
*
“They lost track of her!?”
Chao’s thoughts confirmed that she’d indeed been following Shin Tu, only to vanish suddenly.
Yo-hwa seemed to catch wind of something.
It was certain she had injected herself into the clan’s depths, yet none could pin down Shin Tu’s location.
“Yo-hwa, just to be sure, let’s head where the Golden Hair Bee King resides.”
As per our plan, I quickly hopped onto Yo-hwa’s back, and she leaped us to the old tree before the Golden Hair Bee King’s training ground.
Once we landed, I rushed inside the ancient tree, signaling to Seol and Bin, who had been waiting there.
“Thanks for the assist! Seol, Bin, don’t overdo it, okay?”
– Koo-koo!
– Kyu-uh!
After designating Seol and Bin for security, I entered the beehive, greeted by the buzzing of wings.
– Woom!
“It’s me, kids.”
Though I’d previously informed them not to be alert towards the training grounds, as soon as I stepped into the beehive, the alarmed buzzing quieted, letting them know I had arrived.
Comforting them, I waited inside the ancient tree as clamor ensued outside, and just as dawn’s light began to brighten, Seol appeared at the entrance of the training grounds, shouting towards me.
“Yeo-ryong! We caught him!”
She was likely saying they had bagged Shin Tu.
Bursting out of the beehive, I dashed towards her, eagerly asking, “Is it true? Older Sister Seol?”
“Yup! We caught him and dragged him straight into the Clan Head Hall. Let’s go!”
“I can’t wait to see what the thief looks like! Let’s hurry!”
Just as we exited the training grounds and stood before Older Sister Seol, her face suddenly morphed into a stranger’s, her chilling voice echoed.
“Caught ya!”
A jolt shot through my neck.
And my legs buckled.
I must’ve been gripped by fear, but as the woman clasped my wrist, Yeon-du sprang forward and bit her hand with all his might.
– Shaaaaa!
‘Not just me! I caught you too!’
The woman collapsed onto me as we both staggered back.