Chapter 94: Palace of Southern Beasts

There was something scarier in this world than a cliff.

It was a madman who suddenly appeared and hacked at the bridge.

Crash!

Another rope was severed. The bridge instantly turned into a living hell.

“Run!”

I shoved Ilhong’s back with all my strength. Ahead of me, Tang Yeo-hye was pushing Neung Sam’s back as we ran together.

The bridge swayed left and right as if it would snap at any moment. Amidst the chaos, I still managed to glance back.

A man in black was pulling a long cylindrical device from his robe.

It looked strikingly similar to the projectile hidden weapons Ilhong often used from the Tang Clan.

“Ilhong! Run to the end!”

Boom!

That familiar explosion. A rain of poisoned needles poured down on us.

I spun around, frantically swinging my Dog-Beating Staff.

Clangclangclangclang!

Short, rapid impacts rang out. The staff tip split the air, knocking most of the flying needles away.

Fwip! Fwip!

But some slipped through, and I had no choice but to block them with my body. Sharp poisoned needles pierced deep into my shoulder and thigh.

The poison coating them was no ordinary venom—it brought dizziness crashing over me, my legs losing strength.

“Mujin!”

“Boss!”

Meanwhile, the bridge collapsed with a roar. The price of turning back to protect my companions was heavy.

From beyond the crumbling bridge, the women screamed my name as if in despair.

I felt the ground beneath my feet vanish.

“Shit…!”

My body plunged downward, with nothing to step on. My panicked arms and legs clawed at empty air.

To fall off a cliff not once but twice—was this some kind of cruel joke of fate?

Swoooosh—

The cliffside scenery streaked past like lightning. My robe flapped violently, on the verge of tearing.

Below, foaming rapids surged like a beast.

‘One day, I’ll learn Sky-Stepping, no matter what.’

That was the thought flashing through my mind just before the abyssal waters swallowed me whole.

Splash—!

In wuxia stories, protagonists often gained miraculous encounters after falling off cliffs.

But I had long realized that no such fortune existed in my life.

So I struggled desperately in the rushing waters, clinging to survival.

“Guh! Pwah!”

The current dragged me not toward fortune, but toward death.

The cliff hadn’t been as high as before, but the river’s current was even fiercer.

My body was swept left and right against my will.

Every now and then, rocks jutting from the riverbank “welcomed” me.

Thud. Crack.

“Guhk!”

Each impact forced out what little air remained in my lungs.

The relentless water made it nearly impossible to even keep my eyes open.

My hands and feet grew weaker, and it seemed I was finally about to sink into the depths—when something strange grabbed my arm from outside the water.

With a strong pull, my body was yanked from the river in an instant.

“Cough, cough, guh, hah.”

Water streamed from my mouth.

The touch had been brief, but the hand was massive. And oddly enough, it carried a strange softness, almost like fur.

“Whoever you are, thank you…”

I had heard that some of the Nanman folk were hairy like barbarians, but this was something else entirely.

When I looked up, however, my rescuer wasn’t human.

“…What the hell?”

Dark circles around the eyes, an enormous body, and thick fur.

A massive beast was looking down at me.

“W-… Wangbao?”

It wasn’t exactly the same, but its appearance was very much like a panda.

“Grruuuh?”

Yet despite the cute sound it made, its colossal size and monstrous claws made it anything but panda-like.

To make things stranger, all of its fur was blood-red, except for the black patches around its eyes.

As I gaped at this surreal panda, voices of children drifted from above.

“The Blood Panda picked up something weird again.”

“It’s not weird. It’s a person.”

I lifted my head further and saw a boy and a girl riding on the panda’s broad back.

Their sun-browned skin glistened under the light, their faces brimming with the mischief of youth.

“This guy’s skin is pale.”

“And his body is trained. He must be a martial artist from the Central Plains.”

They spoke so naturally that I guessed they were siblings.

“But why’s he just staring like that?”

“Say something.”

“…P-Panda?”

The Central Plains was vast, filled with eccentric people, or so they said.

But I never thought I’d be rescued by a panda.

“He really did just say something random.”

“Guess he’s too shocked.”

I shook my head and gathered myself.

My body might have belonged to the Central Plains, but half my mind came from the Land of Courtesy in the East.

And it was only proper to show gratitude after having one’s life saved.

“Thank you for saving me.”

The nameless siblings smiled brightly and nodded at my thanks.

“But who are you, mister?”

The boy asked the very question I’d been meaning to ask them.

“I’m a troubleshooter from the Central Plains. My alias is the Dog-Beating Dragon, and my name is Dan Mujin.”

I revealed my alias with a bit of flair, hoping it might ring a bell, but the siblings looked utterly unimpressed.

It seemed I’d need to spread my fame as the Dog-Beating Dragon deeper into the Nanman.

After all, clients could appear anywhere, anytime.

“We live nearby, in the Palace of Southern Beasts.”

“He’s Maeng Pyo, and I’m Maeng Seol.”

We introduced ourselves to one another by the riverside.

Then, as if wanting to join the conversation, the massive beast in front of us let out a snort.

“Snort, snort.”

“…What’s wrong with this beast?”

I asked the boy and girl, who were lying on the scarlet panda’s back, looking down at me.

“I think it’s sulking.”

“Huh? Why?”

“Because it was the one who saved you, but you only thanked us?”

“…Don’t tell me it understands words?”

So it wasn’t just big and strangely red after all.

Had it perhaps absorbed the energy of heaven and earth for a long time, awakening some spiritual sense?

“Roughly? It probably gets the feeling of it.”

Not a dolphin, but still a beast that could resonate with humans to some degree.

Clearly, this was a spiritual beast, one of those famed for its mystical powers in the Central Plains.

“…Thanks for saving me, Wangbao.”

I carefully tapped its belly to show my gratitude.

“It’s not Wangbao. It’s Blood Panda.”

“Thanks for saving me, Blood Panda.”

Now that I thought about it, pandas here were called Xiongmao (熊猫).

“Grooh.”

“It likes compliments.”

“You can keep going if you want.”

I stared in wonder at the enormous panda twisting shyly, almost bashfully.

I must have entered the domain of the Palace of Southern Beasts, and this spiritual beast seemed to be held in high regard. It couldn’t hurt to get on its good side.

“You’ve got such a solid build. Your muscles are strong too. I bet plenty of females chase after you.”

I tapped its thick arm and laid on the praise.

But instead of brightening up, the Blood Panda drooped gloomily.

“Grooooh…”

I asked the siblings why my compliments weren’t working.

“Because it’s female.”

“…”

Haah, what a hassle.

What kind of beast had emotions this delicate?

“Oh my, so cute… How can your fur be so soft?”

I forced my eyes away from its claws and fangs, which looked capable of tearing a person apart, and gave it another compliment.

“Snort-snort.”

That seemed to satisfy it, as the Blood Panda perked back up.

“But mister.”

“But sir.”

“Hm? What is it?”

I pulled my hand away from its red fur and replied.

“You seem like someone from the Central Plains.”

“So why did you come all the way to the distant Nanman?”

That would take quite a story to explain.

Should I say I came to rescue a woman who was about to be pitifully cast aside due to her lack of social skills?

“I came to catch the Human-faced Spider.”

I gave the shortest explanation possible.

The siblings’ eyes went wide on the Blood Panda’s back.

“T-The Human-faced Spider?”

“That bad monster that’s been tormenting the village?!”

It seemed the people of the Palace of Southern Beasts were already familiar with the creature we were hunting.

“Sniff, sniff…”

A boy of about fourteen buried his face between his knees, crying large tears.

The sorrowful weeping of someone who had lost his trusted leader.

“I can’t believe the Boss is gone… Sniff.”

The cliff had been deep, and the rapids violent. Believing Ilhong that even a Peak Martial Artist wouldn’t have survived, he was drowning in despair.

“…Hey, we don’t know yet. He could still be alive!”

Tang Yeo-hye, on the other hand, still clung to the hope that Dan Mujin was alive.

“But that cliff was so deep…”

“He’s a Peak Martial Artist. And for some reason, that guy’s tougher than even a Transformation Realm martial artist.”

A strange man who had gotten back up unharmed after being stabbed or poisoned.

“Th-That’s true…”

Though her mind was shaken by shock, thinking about it again, he didn’t seem like someone who would go so easily.

“Young Miss is right. The Young Master is to be your future husband, so he could never fall like this.”

“…”

And then there was Neung Sam, saying something odd with a strangely serious face.

“Anyway, let’s head down and search along the river. Surely there’ll be traces left.”

Crying endlessly would accomplish nothing.

It wasn’t too late to regret after searching.

Patting Ilhong’s back, Tang Yeo-hye stood up firmly.

“If we find him alive, let’s beat him up so he never does something like that again.”

He had risked his life to save them.

“That arrogant brat, who does he think he is saving us? I was the one who asked for the reckless favor…”

She clenched her teeth tightly.

Then she rose and began leading the group toward the river.

On the road to the Palace of Southern Beasts.

With every step I took, I felt my stomach twist and rumble.

The hellish hunger that always followed after my body recovered from mortal peril and immense damage.

“Hey, kids?”

“Maeng Pyo, Maeng Seol.”

“Right, Maeng Pyo and Maeng Seol.”

The brats rode comfortably on the Blood Panda’s scarlet back, leading the way.

“Do you have anything to eat?”

I asked with some desperation, hoping for food. This Heaven-Slaying Star’s fuel efficiency was terrible.

“Nope.”

“We just came out for a walk.”

For them, this place—filled with venomous insects and poisonous beasts—was nothing more than a walking path.

Well, with such a trusty Blood Panda around, I supposed it could feel that way.

“Tch.”

Swoosh.

As a last resort, I snatched one of the bugs flying around and popped it into my mouth.

“Uh, mister, that’s a Blood Poison Bug, a venomous insect.”

Maeng Seol’s eyes went wide as she spoke while I chewed it like a snack.

“It’s fine. Won’t kill me.”

I grabbed another and crunched it to prove my body’s resilience.

“Wow, I’ve never seen anyone like that before.”

“He really doesn’t seem bothered?”

“Amazing.”

People knowledgeable about poison always found me fascinating.

“Most Central Plains people really struggle here.”

“This guy could probably just live in Nanman. He fits right in.”

“Yeah, he suits it.”

Suits it, my ass.

I liked Anbulakdo.

I was someone who preferred the pleasures of refined inns, enjoying good food and fine wine.

Crunch.

Still, for now, I chewed down another oddly shaped venomous bug to sate my hunger.

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