I Became an Evolving Lizard in a Martial Arts Novel-Chapter 239

Tang Mu-yeong’s suspicion was entirely reasonable.

There was no way Tang So-yeong’s chest could have changed like that.

“What are you talking about? That’s hurtful!” Tang So-yeong protested.

“Silence! Remove that accursed disguise at once!” Tang Mu-yeong barked.

He had encountered countless spiritual beasts in the Mountains of Ten Thousand Beasts.

Storm-summoning birds, mountain-shattering snakes, and even the peculiar mating habits of unicorns and bicorns—he had seen it all.

The Mountains of Ten Thousand Beasts were a realm of the extraordinary, filled with impossible spiritual beings.

And in such a place, was it unreasonable to think there might be a creature imitating a human?

There were plenty of fiendish beings, like the Nacha Clan, that transformed into familiar faces to lull their prey into complacency before devouring them.

“What did you do to So-yeong? Speak immediately!”

“Brother?”

“Do not call me that with your vile mouth!”

Tang So-yeong narrowed her eyes.

What was the point of demanding an answer if he wouldn’t let her speak?

“I am Tang So-yeong! The cherished treasure of the Tang Clan!”

Tang Mu-yeong was left speechless.

Not only did the creature mimic her appearance, but it also had access to personal information.

That meant this fiend had encountered Tang So-yeong before.

“You fiend! What kind of scheme is this? Our So-yeong’s chest is as flat as her back. There’s no way I could mistake it! You can fool others, but not me!”

Initially, Tang So-yeong was happy to see her older brother.

After all, he had always treated her well, as the youngest in the family.

But the more he spoke, the more irritated she became.

What on earth was he so fixated on?

And wasn’t he indirectly insulting her?

“Brother.”

“...You dare address me...”

“No, Tang Mu-yeong.”

A chilling atmosphere filled the air.

Even Pus and Tus had never seen Tang So-yeong look like this before.

“Are you asking to die?”

In less polite terms, Tang So-yeong was furious.

Tang Mu-yeong, who was about to shout again, snapped back to his senses.

“Ah... It seems you really are So-yeong.”

He began to think logically.

After all, only Tang So-yeong could possess such a temper.

Especially someone who would confront him like this, even while he was ready to unleash poison and hidden weapons.

“Good grief, you only listen after I get angry,” Tang So-yeong muttered.

Then a thought crossed her mind—why was he even here?

She had considered the possibility that someone from the Tang Clan might come looking for her.

After all, once the moderate faction realized she had been caught in the radicals’ schemes, they would try to rescue her.

Still, she never imagined the Tang Clan’s heir himself would come.

“How much have you suffered here? You’ve... um, gained a bit of weight.”

It was hard to believe she had suffered, given how neat and tidy she looked.

And that made sense.

The Cheonma Shinkyo had tailored several sets of clothes for Tang So-yeong, allowing her to change outfits almost daily.

With nearby hot springs and cool streams, cleanliness wasn’t an issue.

Her diet had been so abundant that she had even gained a bit of weight.

Her needs and wants were well taken care of, and her interactions with spiritual beasts had been plentiful. Naturally, she looked healthy and radiant.

Tang Mu-yeong’s gaze shifted from Tang So-yeong to the two spiritual beasts standing beside her.

“...As expected of the Tang Clan’s pride. To tame two rare venomous beasts in such a harsh environment... Perhaps my worries were unfounded.”

“Kioong?”

Pus and Tus tilted their heads.

Tamed? By her?

They turned to look at Tang So-yeong, who met their gaze with a sly smile.

“Hohoho...”

For some reason, she felt it was appropriate to laugh mischievously at this moment.

She poked Pus and Tus on their backs with her finger, as if to say, Play along, just this once.

“You’ve seen through me. Yes, I command two spiders with the potential to become Great Demon Lords, or rather, spiritual beings.”

Quick on the uptake, Pus and Tus decided to go along with her act.

“K-Kioong!”

“K-Kieeak!”

They weren’t sure why they needed to roar, but it seemed fitting for the atmosphere.

“Impressive. Now that I see it, you truly are my sister. I can’t believe I didn’t recognize you at first glance—I’m ashamed of myself.”

“Well, I suppose that’s understandable. With growth like this, mistakes can happen,” Tang So-yeong replied, puffing out her modest chest ever so slightly.

If the lizard had been watching, it would have wondered what she was trying to accomplish.

“But, Brother, how did you get here? And all by yourself?”

“...I made a connection with someone from the Cheonma Shinkyo.”

Tang Mu-yeong explained what had happened in Tang Ga-ta.

A member of the Cheonma Shinkyo had infiltrated the Tang Clan and killed all the elders of the radical faction.

It was revealed that those elders had been using poison to worsen the clan leader’s illness.

Once the poison was removed, the clan leader began to recover.

Tang So-yeong was stunned.

She had only realized too late that the elders had been scheming against her.

But to think they had even targeted the clan leader.

And they had gone as far as reviving forbidden techniques like poison worms.

“With the radical elders dead and other offenders imprisoned, the moderates have gained significant influence. Now that Father has recovered, he had the leisure to send me personally.”

“The clan leader... I should have realized this sooner. I did think it was strange when Dal Dae-hyeop attacked me.”

“Dal Dae-hyeop? Are you saying he attacked you?”

In truth, the Dilophosaurus that attacked Tang So-yeong had acted out of its naturally violent temperament, not because of any schemes by the radicals.

But Tang So-yeong, convinced of her closeness with Dal, assumed the radicals had turned him against her.

“I was so shocked. He ambushed me with sleeping poison—it was almost disastrous. Luckily, I survived.”

“It’s a relief you’re safe... truly a relief.”

Tang Mu-yeong let out a sigh of relief.

The Dilophosaurus, Dal-lopo, was an unstable spiritual beast.

It could wield the Tang Clan’s secret arts, such as Mancheon Hwa-u, but that was the extent of its abilities.

It couldn’t communicate with humans, nor could it take on a human form.

It was best described as a creature straddling the boundary between beast and spiritual being.

While the Tang Clan’s experts were adept at handling such beings, the situation would be entirely different if the radicals had tampered with it.

Tang So-yeong could have been silently devoured by the very beast she once thought controlled.

This realization brought another thought to his mind.

Dal-lopo had attacked Tang So-yeong.

Recently, another of the Tang Clan’s spiritual beasts, Du-ul-li, had gone missing.

“...Have you seen Du-ul-li?” he asked cautiously.

“Du-ul-li Dae-hyeop... Yes, it attacked me while I was staying here,” Tang So-yeong replied.

“What? Could it be... the radicals’ doing?”

Tang Mu-yeong’s face turned red with anger.

Not only had the radicals sent Tang So-yeong into danger, but they had also dispatched the Tang Clan’s spiritual beasts to ensure her death.

“Those old bastards deserve worse than being ground into dust!”

Of course, those elders had already been decapitated by Baek Yeon-yeong, so there wasn’t much left for him to do.

Still, his fury wasn’t easily quelled.

“The Hwasan Sect? Those... mountain hermits dared... dared to interfere?!”

Adding to his rage was the news of the Hwasan Sect’s involvement.

“I see. That woman retrieved the Go Poison, and the rumors in the Hwasan Sect must have come from there...”

He began to understand Baek Yeon-yeong’s actions.

The Hwasan Sect had entered the Mountains of Ten Thousand Beasts, clearly offending her.

In retaliation, she had made their sect leader disappear, taken control of their elders, and appointed a native of the Mountains of Ten Thousand Beasts as the acting sect leader.

Reflecting on this, he regretted an earlier thought—that Tang So-yeong might have been living comfortably here.

The fact that she was alive at all was nothing short of a miracle.

“You’ve suffered greatly. It’s over now—return to Tang Ga-ta with me. The radicals who sought to harm you have lost all their power. All you need to do is come back.”

Though the radicals had targeted the moderates, they were still part of the Tang Clan.

Their downfall meant a weakening of the clan’s overall strength.

If Tang So-yeong returned, she could contribute by advancing the research that would replace the radicals’ martial prowess.

The venomous beasts at her side were also invaluable assets, and the unique poisons she could handle would be a significant boon.

But most importantly, it was about ensuring his younger sister’s safety.

She might have been living well, but her situation was as precarious as a candle in the wind.

There was no way the radicals could have orchestrated all of this alone.

Tang Mu-yeong was certain there was someone else behind the scenes.

He needed to get her back to Tang Ga-ta as soon as possible and prepare countermeasures.

“Return to Tang Ga-ta?” Tang So-yeong asked.

“Yes. Once you’re back, you’ll have the—”

“I’m sorry, but I don’t think I can,” she interrupted.

New novel 𝓬hapters are published on ƒreewebɳovel.com.

A tense silence filled the air.

Tang Mu-yeong blinked, doubting his ears.

Did she actually like this remote wilderness? Or did she harbor resentment toward Tang Ga-ta?

“The radicals are no longer a threat. Their influence has been decisively curtailed, and everyone involved with the Go Poison has been imprisoned,” he said, trying to reassure her.

“If you say so, then Tang Ga-ta must indeed be safe,” she admitted.

“Then come back—”

“But I can’t,” she said, shaking her head.

Her green eyes weren’t focused on Tang Mu-yeong but somewhere else entirely.

She had wanted to return to the Tang Clan.

However, knowing her life would be in danger if she went back, she had stayed here.

Now, with the radicals eliminated, her safety was assured.

“I’ve already given my body and soul to someone, so I plan to stay here.”

Still, she couldn’t bring herself to leave Gomodo behind.

The sacred spiritual beast revered by the Tang Clan and the Divine Beast of the Gae Gak Sect.

The one who had saved her life countless times.

How could she leave him?

Without her, he would likely spend all day wallowing in despair, letting out pitiful cries of “Geeeng.”

“W-what?” Tang Mu-yeong stammered.

Body and soul?

He struggled to process her words.

No matter how he thought about it, it didn’t sound like a good thing.

“Ugh...”

Tang So-yeong reached up and touched her head.

She understood why Nephila had given her the artifact—there were side effects.

Still, for Tang So-yeong, such minor side effects were a price she was willing to pay.

While she touched her head absentmindedly, Tang Mu-yeong noticed something.

A ring on her fourth finger.

As he stared at it, his thoughts began to connect.

A ring he had never seen before.

Her statement about giving her body and soul.

And the fact that she had gained some weight.

Not just in her chest, but her stomach also seemed slightly rounder.

No. It couldn’t be.

Surely not.

He kept repeating these thoughts, desperately clinging to denial, when the final blow landed.

“Ugh...” Tang So-yeong gagged slightly, a side effect of the Fung-Yuhwan.

Clatter.

The hidden weapon in Tang Mu-yeong’s hand fell to the ground.

Despite his denial, everything pointed to a single conclusion.

But no—it still wasn’t certain.

Clinging to his last hope, he looked at Tang So-yeong.

“...Ah...”

And then he saw her hastily covering her abdomen.

She had done so because the Fung-Yuhwan was slipping into an awkward position, but Tang Mu-yeong interpreted it differently.

To him, it looked as though she was cradling something precious.

Something she held dearer than her own life.

He could no longer deny it.

“Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaal!”