Chapter 49: The Hunter Vine and the One Flower Sect’s Burden
As they walked, Bok Taejin looked at the bird sleeping soundly in his cupped hands, feeling slightly more at ease.
He then asked Im Beomhyeon, "Brother Im, what kind of bird is this? It looks a lot like a species I know called a myna bird. Do you think it could be one?"
"It is a myna bird," Im Beomhyeon confirmed. "They’re great at mimicking the calls of other birds—and they can even learn to talk like humans!"
Bok Taejin asked again, "I remember they live in flocks, right? Was this the only one you found?"
Hearing this, Im Beomhyeon’s expression darkened.
Im Beomhyeon snorted, "As for what happened to the rest of its flock, I have no idea. Maybe they’re still alive. It’s probably just because this one is young and weak that it couldn’t escape fast enough when avoiding the Hunter Vine and ended up getting caught. When we found the Hunter Vine and this bird, we only saw it—none of the others."
The more Im Beomhyeon spoke, the angrier he became. "That damn Hunter Vine! It roamed around here hunting in early spring, but I led some people up the mountain and cut down a good portion of its vines, so it disappeared for a while. I thought it had finally learned its lesson and realized our village wasn’t easy to mess with, so it wouldn’t dare return. But who knew it would show up again now?"
Bok Taejin was even more confused. "You’re talking about the Hunter Vine... but isn’t that a plant?"
"Obviously! What else would it be, an animal?"
"But you said it ’came back’?" Bok Taejin couldn’t imagine what kind of plant could match Im Beomhyeon’s description. "And you said it learned to be smarter? That sounds like you’re talking about a demonic beast!"
Im Beomhyeon rolled his eyes. "You’ve never heard of the Hunter Vine? Are you really from the Jade Blossom Mountain Range?"