118 – Heavenly Fortune

Chief Han, unable to hide his astonishment, jerked his head up before quickly lowering it again. Do-gyeon also glanced at Chief Han with one eye wide open, signaling to ask if what he was guessing was correct. Everyone present could guess it.

That the Cult Leader intended to plant the Demonic Beast Seed in Wi Ho-yeon.

He needed to convey the fact that Young Master Wi had saved them from the Blood Cult’s attack, but the atmosphere was not one where he could utter a single word. That was how suffocating the fire energy emanating from Cheon Mu-gyeong’s entire body was. The surrounding moisture didn’t just dry up; it was enough to make the skin of those nearby feel as if it were scorching.

Ho-yeon, receiving that heat with his entire body, reached out his arms and gladly embraced Cheon Mu-gyeong, who was gripping his hair. Everyone gasped at the sound of the wet, clinging kiss.

Those who kept their eyes cast down bowed their bodies even further, as if they had become high traitors who had secretly peeked at the Cult Leader’s sexual affairs. Yet, their hearing grew increasingly sensitive, to the point where a vivid picture was drawn even without seeing.

That the Cult Leader was kissing Young Master Wi.

Thanks to the Cult Leader, who obsessively explored Wi Ho-yeon’s mouth, and Wi Ho-yeon, who drew all the fire energy coming from the Cult Leader into himself, the cultists were able to remain safe once again.

The eyelids of Ho-yeon, which had been blinking slowly with a hazy energy, gradually began to flutter faster. Each time he closed and opened them, reason began to flicker in his clear blue-gray eyes, and soon, his gently drooping eyes widened as if they were about to tear.

“Mmph!” As soon as Ho-yeon realized he was embracing the man’s large body, he quickly released the strength in his arms. He tried to pull his mouth away, but his head was held firmly in place, leaving him only able to let out pained groans.

What on earth was happening? His last memory was his mind becoming blurred while dealing with the blood-flame jiangshi. However, the fact that Cheon Mu-gyeong was here meant that, as he expected, the man had also [stolen [unauthorized copy]content]copy">unauthorized copycrossed the barrier to the hundred thousand great mountains.

“Ha, mmph…!”

He tried to push him away with his tongue and opened his mouth wider, but far from escaping, it felt as if he were being devoured by Cheon Mu-gyeong. Ho-yeon’s vision was filled with Cheon Mu-gyeong, but there was no way he didn’t know there were people around.

Ho-yeon felt as if his head had cooled down so much that his hands and feet were turning stiff. However, Cheon Mu-gyeong ignored this, driving Ho-yeon forward without even giving him room to breathe properly.

Due to the suction force that made his tongue tingle, Ho-yeon struck Cheon Mu-gyeong’s side with his fist, but it only ended up hurting his own hand. If this was to help him, who was being consumed by frost energy, it shouldn’t be like this.

In front of the cultists, in the sight of others, Ho-yeon was so ashamed he couldn’t even lift his head toward the sky, yet the grip crushing the back of his head remained.

A deep flush of shame spread across Ho-yeon’s pale face. Unable to endure it, he bit Cheon Mu-gyeong’s tongue with a grinding sound, but not even a scratch remained on the thick tongue. He knew the man had reached the pinnacle of external arts, but he hadn’t expected the tongue in his mouth to be that tough.

“Haa…!”

It was the moment Ho-yeon accidentally bit his own tongue that their lips finally parted. Because he had been sucked so intensely by Cheon Mu-gyeong, he couldn’t even properly feel the pain of his own bite.

Ho-yeon hurriedly covered his lips with one hand. He truly could not believe the actions the man had just taken. He had kissed Cheon Mu-gyeong several times, but this was his first experience of something so emotional and violent. He had always had a rough side, but now he was different from before.

“I-in front of other people.”

“Those things are my cultists.”

It was a statement that treated them like insignificant creatures that could be stepped on and killed if things went wrong. Ho-yeon felt as if the red-eyed man standing before him was pressing him down infinitely.

No expression was visible on his face, but anger could be felt from him. Looking at that calm face, one might think all emotions had been tucked away, but the energy inherent in the crimson light was not much different from the lava he had seen at flame mountain. He was a volcano that wouldn’t be strange to erupt at any moment.

However, Ho-yeon felt that since he was the one who disappeared first, he wondered why the man was angry with him.

“I… I was just because you disappeared, ugh!”

It was when Ho-yeon struggled to move his aching tongue to speak. Mu-gyeong hoisted Ho-yeon over his shoulder and left the demonic shadow martial house immediately.

“Wh-where are we going!”

Ho-yeon shouted, but the vibration of his torso only faintly shook Cheon Mu-gyeong’s shoulder. The touching bodies were still hot, so Ho-yeon wanted to stop struggling and just cling to him. It was likely because he had used frost energy beyond his own capacity.

But Ho-yeon clenched his fists tightly and somehow overcame the impulse. Even so, since the heat coming from Mu-gyeong was welcome, he felt a stray sense of resentment toward his own constitution.

‘How could a man who was so tender become so ferocious?’

He must have suffered great hardships while living apart from him. He would have suffered from the curse left by the fire dragon, and while he couldn’t even guess what happened until he ascended to the position of Cult Leader, he must have gone through trials enough to discard all human emotions. He understood, but he couldn’t hide his heartache.

“Wi Ho-yeon.”

“I will definitely become the Cult Leader.”

The ambition of that day felt less like his own greed and more like a promise for Ho-yeon’s sake. That he would absolutely become the Cult Leader to arrange everything so that Ho-yeon could live as he wished within the demon sect.

Feeling a surge of emotion, Ho-yeon wanted to unclench his fists and stroke Mu-gyeong’s back. But he didn’t. Nor was he given time to ponder. In an instant, they arrived at the shadowless pavilion, the residence of the heavenly demon.

Thump. Ho-yeon’s body was practically thrown onto the bed, which remained neat even without a master. Ho-yeon lay there staring at the ceiling and tried to get up quickly. However, Mu-gyeong was faster, pinning Ho-yeon’s chest down.

He wasn’t wearing the light armor he had seen when they parted, but rather jade-colored sleeping robes. His forearms, revealed by the rolled-up wide sleeves, were pale to the point of being ghostly.

Ho-yeon strongly gripped Mu-gyeong’s wrist as the man tried to tear open the sleeping robes. With white hair disarrayed against the blue clothing, he looked almost sorrowful.

“Let’s talk first.”

At Ho-yeon’s request, Cheon Mu-gyeong let out a barely perceptible sneer.

“Talk?”

“Why are you angry with me?”

Ho-yeon appealed with a face full of unfairness. Because he was naturally unable to raise his voice, the impact was negligible, but Mu-gyeong, as if under a mystical seal, stopped tearing the robes and merely gripped them.

“Who was it that said they’d tell me everything after waking up? And then disappeared.”

Regarding that, even if he had ten mouths, he had nothing to say.

“Y-you also crossed through the barrier, right?”

Ho-yeon asked desperately, looking up at Mu-gyeong, who was mounted on top of him. He hoped Cheon Mu-gyeong wouldn’t be angry. He clearly seemed to be misunderstanding something, and if he listened to his words, he would surely soften his heart.

“Listen. A barrier suddenly appeared in the underground cave, and I crossed over. When I looked around and you weren’t there, I thought you had crossed over to the hundred thousand great mountains and left me behind.”

“How did you know the other side of the barrier was the hundred thousand great mountains?”

“……”

Ho-yeon swallowed hard.

“That’s because… because you had crossed over before.”

Cheon Mu-gyeong’s head tilted slightly. Then, like ink staining a white sheet, his black hair draped over Ho-yeon’s body.

“More importantly, a blood-flame jiangshi appeared in the demon sect. The Blood Cult’s jiangshi, which becomes stronger in fire—”

“Wi Ho-yeon.”

Cheon Mu-gyeong murmured lowly, as if cutting off Ho-yeon’s urgency. Ho-yeon knew he could no longer avoid it. That he must eventually confess that he was essentially the Incarnation of the Ice Dragon, the inner core that the man needed.

“Why can’t you remember me?”

But the words that came out were closer to resentment. Of course, he had also failed to remember him, but he was the one who had remembered first.

“After you… after you defeated the fire dragon, you came to the underground cave where I was. Through that barrier.”

Cheon Mu-gyeong stared at Ho-yeon without even blinking. He seemed completely [stolen contentstolen contentstyle="font-size:0;position:absolute;left:-9999px;">]swept away by the voice that trembled slightly with sorrow and unfairness.

“Before you became the Cult Leader… the two of us were in that underground cave together. You caught ice fish from the pond and cooked them for me, and you made countless promises to me.”

What on earth was this nonsense? He wondered if the excess yin energy had finally frozen Wi Ho-yeon’s brain.

“That’s what I meant when I said I’d tell you after I woke up.”

Very slowly, Ho-yeon nodded.

“Because you… disappeared without a word… I’m scared and lonely being in that cave alone.”

But if he had used the barrier, why hadn’t Cheon Mu-gyeong gone to the demon sect’s main headquarters? Since he had gone before him, he must have known about the attack of the blood-flame jiangshi…

Ho-yeon murmured while still holding Mu-gyeong’s wrist, wondering if it were possible.

“You… didn’t?”

While letting his wrist be held, Cheon Mu-gyeong wrapped his hand around the nape of Ho-yeon’s neck. He could feel the boiling body temperature from the hand that was large enough to cover his entire neck.

“I’ve never even seen a barrier.”

“T-then how?”

Ho-yeon didn’t know exactly how much time had passed since he fainted. However, he was certain it had only been a few days.

“I ran all the way here from the North Sea to catch the one who ran away.”

For some reason, Ho-yeon had the illusion that Mu-gyeong’s hand gripping him was damp with sweat.

“Without resting for a single moment.”

The low-pitched voice was rougher than ever before.