122 – Heavenly Fortune

The look in his eyes, a mixture of disappointment and resignation, was something he had never seen in Wi Ho-yeon before. No matter how much he had threatened him or spat out harsh words, the man had always chattered away shamelessly, his blue eyes sparkling; now, however, his lips were pressed firmly shut.

The sight of him spouting incomprehensible things and then becoming disappointed in him of his own accord felt like a thin blade slicing through his nerves.

“What do you mean, ‘back then’?”

Cheon Mu-gyeong exercised patience, resisting the urge to force open those tightly closed lips.

“Here… you tried to kill me here before, too.”

Was it only once or twice that Mu-gyeong had sought to kill Wi Ho-yeon to obtain what he wanted? But he had failed every single time. Even now, he could do it if he wished. Yet, Cheon Mu-gyeong could not bring himself to do it.

“I believe I promised that I would not kill you.”

“Not back then.”

“I didn’t kill you back then, either.”

Ho-yeon wore a seemingly indifferent expression, avoiding the red eyes that remained fixed upon him.

Perhaps Ho-yeon had hoped he would simply tell him it was a misunderstanding. From the moment he first met Cheon Mu-gyeong, he had considered him a significant [stolen visit our sitecontent]wm: stolen content -->connection, but the fact remained that Mu-gyeong’s first instinct had been to take his life.

Even though not enough time had passed to build such deep affection, he couldn’t help the feeling of betrayal. Especially now that he had regained his memories.

He had cherished the man even when he had no memories, yet Cheon Mu-gyeong had treated him like a mere pebble rolling around the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains. He knew this was a leap in logic. However, since the person he had given his heart to had tried to harm him, it felt as though Mu-gyeong was completely discarding the past they had built together.

Cheon Mu-gyeong spoke again to Ho-yeon, who remained with his head bowed, exposing only the crown of his head.

“Still, I didn’t kill you.”

At that, Ho-yeon snapped his head up. Their faces were inches apart.

“I don’t die easily, either.”

Ho-yeon’s vigilance was immense, as if he thought Mu-gyeong might harm him this very second. Cheon Mu-gyeong tightly embraced Ho-yeon’s body, which was still weak from just waking up. The hand that had been constricting his chest had already moved to wrap around his back.

“My promises are not that light.”

“…Let go.”

“Even if you are the Incarnation of the Ice Dragon.”

In an instant, Ho-yeon’s body convulsed.

He had clearly confirmed that he was asleep… Could he have been pretending? No, Cheon Mu-gyeong had no reason to do so. In fact, even Ho-yeon had never seen him sleep so soundly.

“Then why… why won’t you kill me?”

Cheon Mu-gyeong’s chest vibrated. A short laugh escaped him. To ask why he wouldn’t kill him, rather than lying and saying he’d never said such things or that it wasn’t like that.

Wi Ho-yeon was truly transparent. Had he not been trapped in the underground cave, his soft nature would have surely led him to be exploited by countless people.

“How cunning of you to have secured a promise from me first.”

But come to think of it, he wasn’t entirely naive. He had never properly mentioned the Ice Dragon until now, and it seemed the same applied to the Palace Master, Wi Yeon-gang. If Wi Yeon-gang had known the full truth, he would never have handed Wi Ho-yeon over on a silver platter.

Then again, who knew? Even if he had known, he might have pushed him in, thinking Wi Ho-yeon could devour Mu-gyeong. But whatever Wi Yeon-gang’s intentions were, it didn’t matter in the slightest. Regardless, Wi Ho-yeon was now in his arms.

“Even if killing me would make you perfect?”

Ho-yeon looked at Mu-gyeong with eyes clearer than before. A silence that lasted only a moment felt interminable.

“In ninety-nine lifetimes, I have never seen anyone like you.”

Cheon Mu-gyeong could now state with certainty [Read on Read BL Novels]Read on Read BL Novels -->the reason he had hesitated to take Wi Ho-yeon’s life time and time again.

“I don’t think a life without you would be particularly interesting.”

The corners of Ho-yeon’s eyes twitched slightly.

He didn’t understand the part about ninety-nine lifetimes, but his disappointment deepened at being dismissed as mere entertainment. As if reading his mind, Cheon Mu-gyeong spoke dryly.

“You’re not satisfied with the current me anyway. I’m a completely different guy from the one in your delusions.”

“It’s not a delusion,” Ho-yeon asserted flatly.

Since Mu-gyeong had long since given up on persuading him, there was something else he had to ask.

“Ninety-nine lifetimes… what is that?”

“Exactly what it sounds like.”

Cheon Mu-gyeong had never mentioned to anyone that he was repeating his life. Even now, it was merely a passing comment, but Ho-yeon caught the drifting words with both hands and asked again.

“You’re ninety-nine years… old?”

Another short laugh escaped Mu-gyeong. Ho-yeon tried to push Read stolen contenton Read BL Novisit our sitevelshim away and demand a proper explanation.

But Mu-gyeong did not budge an inch. Though it felt a bit suffocating, when Ho-yeon’s cold breath touched Mu-gyeong’s chest and returned, it was tinged with warmth.

“Since there’s less than a year left, I’ll have to find a way. And if there’s no way this time either, it wouldn’t be so bad if you went with me the moment I die.”

Die, kill—he wondered what on earth he was talking about.

“Speak so I can actually understand you.”

One moment he had eyes as sunken as a dead smelt, and the next he was talking back sharply. Ho-yeon struggled to escape Cheon Mu-gyeong’s embrace, but eventually grew exhausted and could only pant.

“Just because you confessed doesn’t mean I have to do the same.”

“I never confessed…!”

“You said you liked me very much.”

“…….”

He thought Mu-gyeong was talking about the Incarnation of the Ice Dragon, but to bring up that confession—Ho-yeon’s face flushed hot.

He had said it because he couldn’t quite compose his unauthorized [Read on Read BL Novels]copyunauthorized copy -->emotions, and he regretted it slightly now. However, since his affection for the Cheon Mu-gyeong in his memories had been genuine, Ho-yeon felt no need to deny it now.

“I’ve never passed the age of thirty. I always returned to nineteen in my twenty-ninth year.”

Cheon Mu-gyeong whispered softly, keeping Ho-yeon restrained as he tried to break free again.

“I’ve lived like that ninety-nine times now. To be honest, I’m not even sure if that’s entirely accurate. At some point, I just gave up counting.”

As Mu-gyeong’s explanation grew longer, Ho-yeon’s struggling subsided.

“Despite living so long, I couldn’t even find the reason. Whether it’s because of the curse of the fire dragon, or some other cause.”

“Do you clearly remember everything after you subjugated the fire dragon?”

“It’s a memory so old I can’t even recall it.”

“That’s only ten years, though.”

“What if to me, it’s no different from a thousand years?”

A thousand years… On that day, he had thought Mu-gyeong was talking nonsense because he didn’t believe him. But what if his words were true?

When Mu-gyeong hadn’t believed that they had met in the past, Ho-yeon had boasted just a few days ago that if it were him, he would have believed. Now that he found himself [[unauthorized copy]class="wm" style="opacity:0;font-size:1px;user-select:all;">visit our site]unable to believe Mu-gyeong’s words, Ho-yeon was experiencing true empathy.

While he still thought it was impossible deep down, he vowed not to be like Cheon Mu-gyeong. If he really had lived his life in ten-year cycles… then a thousand years actually made sense.

“Is… is that why you’ve changed so much?”

Despite his disbelief, Ho-yeon ended up asking.

“What was I like in your memories?”

Cheon Mu-gyeong found the weight resting on his forearm quite pleasant. Because he had been struggling to escape until a moment ago, Wi Ho-yeon’s face was as red as a peach. As vitality returned to the eyes looking at him, the irritating sensation that had been gnawing at his nerves subsided as if it had never been there.

“…You were kind.”

“Definitely a delusion.”

The corners of Cheon Mu-gyeong’s mouth curled up as if the claim were utterly absurd.

“You said you can’t even remember because it’s so old, so how can you be so sure?”

“I don’t forget one’s true nature.”

“You said it’s enough for a strong person to protect a weak person. And… that you would never become copy -->unauthorized copylike the Cult Leader. You said that although I wasn’t your lover, you promised your future lover… that’s what you told me.”

‘I am different from the Cult Leader. Even if I gain power, leave this place, and take over the divine cult, I will cherish the one who becomes my companion more than anything in the world.’

The cry of a thirteen-year-old, who had turned to bone and then scattered as a handful of dust, poured out of Wi Ho-yeon’s mouth.

A crumbling laugh escaped Cheon Mu-gyeong’s lips. Ho-yeon found it hard to look away from the unfamiliar laugh and Mu-gyeong’s expression.

He had felt Mu-gyeong was more human when they were together in the demon sect than at first, and even more so in the North Sea. It was also true that Cheon Mu-gyeong, who had been expressionless and showed no distinct emotional fluctuations, had gradually changed.

Ho-yeon liked that change. The sound of Cheon Mu-gyeong’s laughter as they fell together from the jagged cliffs still echoed vividly in his ears.

Because the expression was so foreign, Ho-yeon pleaded his innocence, fearing it might be a sneer.

“I don’t lie either. Very occasionally… when it’s necessary, but still.”

“So, did the ‘me’ from back then promise you the position of the Cult Leader’s companion?”

Ho-yeon shook his head, wondering where that random question came from.

“You said I would be recorded as the one the heavenly demon cherished most.”

This time, Cheon Mu-gyeong laughed out loud.

“I see you were just as clueless back then.”

“What?”

“And the guy who could have killed you but didn’t, and kept delaying the answer as to why, must have been a half-wit.”

Ho-yeon was lost for words as Cheon Mu-gyeong went from badmouthing him to badmouthing himself.

“If there is only one variable in that time that ends but never truly ends.”

Trapped in his arms, Ho-yeon managed to create a gap of barely a hand’s breadth. This distance was only possible because Cheon Mu-gyeong allowed it.

“Wi Ho-yeon, it’s only you.”

Mu-gyeong caressed the chin of the bewildered Ho-yeon.

“But what to do. Even if you look for that guy’s shadow in me, there’s nothing left.”

It was then. From outside, Abok’s voice was heard announcing that Mu Seong-pyeong had arrived. The Cult Leader’s loyal subordinate had come bearing the Demonic Beast Seed.