By Zephyria 
HF 37
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“I hope the Cult Leader emerges from his closed-door cultivation soon.”
At Han Hee-ryeong’s words, which hit like a bolt from the blue, Ho-yeon’s face—already white as a steamed bun—turned even paler, as if coated in flour.
“Nothing that Young Master Wi needs to worry about will ever happen. You can trust me. The Cult Leader will never harm you.”
I’ll only know that once he actually comes out of cultivation, Ho-yeon replied inwardly.
Han Hee-ryeong wanted to instill a positive impression of the Cult Leader by any means, but seeing Ho-yeon’s reaction, she decided to give up for today. After that, she didn’t even mention the word ‘Cult Leader’ again, instead engaging in light conversation as they finished their meal.
“I’ve taken up too much of your time, haven’t I?”
Only when the wine bottle was empty did Han Hee-ryeong stand up. Ho-yeon stood as well and responded.
“Not at all. I’m sure the Chief Administrator is far busier. I truly enjoyed myself thanks to you.”
“I feel like we’ve become quite close. Next time, tell me some stories about the North Sea. I’m curious about how Young Master Wi has lived.”
Han Hee-ryeong was truly a good person. The more Ho-yeon spoke with her, the more he could firmly feel her virtuous nature. The aura she exuded seemed closer to that of an orthodox sect than the demon sect.
But even this is likely just prejudice, Ho-yeon thought. With a lingering sense of regret, he blurted out the request that had been weighing on his heart as she prepared to leave.
“If… if it’s alright, could you send a message to the Ice Palace?”
* * *
“Young Master Wi wishes to send a message to the Ice Palace.”
Han Hee-ryeong reported the fact immediately upon seeing Mu-gyeong. Wearing a bamboo hat, Mu-gyeong walked through the main gate of the Demonic Shadow Martial House guarded by sentries, but no one stopped him. In the first place, the sentries did not possess the martial prowess required to even sense his presence.
However, Han Hee-ryeong had heightened her energy perception to the limit to wait for Mu-gyeong at the entrance of the annex. The Cult Leader was not only capable of dominating an opponent’s five senses but could also erase his own presence if he wished.
Usually, Mu-gyeong kept his qi perfectly converged within his body; had he not chosen to reveal himself, Han Hee-ryeong would have missed him entirely.
“A message, is it?”
The cedar trees surrounding the annex swayed in the wind, creating an eerie sound as they gnawed at the darkness. To reach the detached villa, one had to walk along a long stone path from here. It was a distance far enough to warrant a carriage, but Mu-gyeong simply walked at a steady pace. Han Hee-ryeong followed behind him.
“I permitted the message because I figured you would say so.”
From within her neatly worn official robes, Han Hee-ryeong pulled out the letter Ho-yeon had written and held it out to Mu-gyeong. As Mu-gyeong unfolded the letter, the light from the lanterns lining the path seeped into the rice paper.
It is unacceptable to stand by and watch.
The letter was blunt from the very first line.
Your unworthy son reports. While heading toward my destination, I was ambushed by atrocious attackers and barely survived alone.
Fortunately, I met a benefactor and reached my destination, but I am now in a state where I have become a beggar and am bringing shame upon the family.
Though I am but a minor pillar rather than the main support of the family, I beseech you to not stand by and watch as I starve to death, and pray that you send funds.
He seemed to have written it politely in his own way, but it was essentially just a demand for money. Meanwhile, there was no mention of the demon sect or the Ice Palace anywhere. It seemed he had fundamentally blocked any potential concerns, fearing the letter might leak elsewhere. The handwriting was round and soft, like clumped snow.
P.S.: My children are doing well, I assume?
As Mu-gyeong’s gaze reached the final line, Han Hee-ryeong’s face grew anxious.
“It seems Young Master Wi… was married.”
Furthermore, seeing that he mentioned ‘children,’ it appeared he had at least two children. Han Hee-ryeong nervously scanned the Cult Leader’s expression.
However, on the expressionless face beneath the bamboo hat, only the flickering light of the lanterns danced. Rather, the seeping light seemed to create an expression that looked almost like a sneer.
Whoosh. A flame erupted from Mu-gyeong’s right hand, and the rice paper turned to ash in an instant. As the wind blew through the cedars, the small handful of ash scattered. Han Hee-ryeong watched the ash fly toward the north.
“The letter will have arrived safely.”
“Your will be done.”
Having immediately understood the Cult Leader’s intent, Han Hee-ryeong performed a fist-and-palm salute. Then, a strong wind rose, and when she lifted her head, the Cult Leader was no longer visible to the naked eye.
Han Hee-ryeong respected and followed all the previous Cult Leaders, including Mu Seong-pyeong, but Mu-gyeong was the exact image of the Heavenly Demon she had envisioned since childhood. Of all the Cult Leaders she had seen, Cheon Mu-gyeong was the only one who had fully mastered the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.
The Heavenly Demon Divine Art consisted of the ‘First Movement: Quickening,’ ‘Second Movement: Divine Shadow,’ ‘Third Movement: Domain,’ ‘Fourth Movement: Wrath,’ ‘Fifth Movement: Freedom,’ ‘Sixth Movement: Golden Body,’ and ‘Seventh Movement: Void of Return.’
The first movement, Quickening, was the stage of restructuring the qi and blood to withstand the subsequent forms of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art. The art was originally intended to be passed down only to the Young Cult Leader, Cheon Beom-yeong, but Cheon Beom-yeong could not even properly absorb the first movement.
Conversely, Mu-gyeong, who returned from the lava, came to manifest the Heavenly Demon Divine Art that he had never been taught by the Cult Leader. His body possessed immunity to all poisons and had reached the pinnacle of external arts, making him impenetrable to any weapon.
Despite having no teacher, he had alone mastered the sixth movement of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, the Golden Body. His close aides, including the guardians, speculated that the original manuscript recorded by the first Heavenly Demon might be in Mu-gyeong’s possession.
The secret manuals of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art remaining in the demon sect were transcriptions passed down through successive Cult Leaders. The previous Cult Leader had only mastered up to the fifth movement and believed there was a problem with the transcriptions. That was why he had tried to subjugate the Fire Dragon at all costs to obtain its inner core and explosively amplify his internal energy.
However, since it was Mu-gyeong who succeeded in the subjugation, it was only natural that he consumed the inner core. Of course, at the time, the pro-Cult Leader faction raised their voices, claiming that severe punishment must be dealt to Mu-gyeong for not offering the inner core to the Cult Leader. Cheon Beom-yeong also shouted that this young master had recklessly learned the Heavenly Demon Divine Art and that his dantian should be crushed.
Cheon Beom-yeong had accused Mu-gyeong of stealing a glance at the transcriptions, but how could someone who had been in the lava have seen the transcriptions kept in the first-class archives of the Heavenly Demon Palace?
In any case, the logic of the demon sect was clearly the rule of the strong. After the Cult Leader’s sudden death, the forces of the First Young Master and Second Young Master naturally split, and the current result showed the outcome. Now that the lives of the cultists had become sufficiently stable, they only wished for the Cult Leader’s happiness, and yet…
“To think Young Master Wi is the head of a household…”
Han Hee-ryeong felt no guilt over burning the letter, but the fact that Ho-yeon had a wife and children felt like a heavy stone placed upon her chest.
* * *
In the annex, besides the spacious detached villa and the yard, there was one more space that Ho-yeon loved. It was a private room with a large bath. Abok had said he drew up hot spring water to fill the tub, and if cold water was mixed in periodically, it was the perfect temperature to melt away the body’s fatigue.
Since it was such a luxurious facility, he didn’t mind if people pointed fingers and called him worldly. But only with money could he buy delicious things for the children of Eumbyeol Hall, and since he was staying in such a fine noble house, he could use the hot springs to his heart’s content.
Swimming through the warm water with his hands, Ho-yeon hummed a song. His loose white hair, spreading through the ripples, looked as if the Milky Way had been submerged in the water. Between the steam rising from the bath, his flushed cheeks appeared and disappeared repeatedly.
“What are worries, when there is a warm bath here to melt the body? What more could I ask for?”
Slowly humming his own composition, Ho-yeon leaned back and looked toward the ceiling. His hair spread out long, like a shifting galaxy.
“Soaking like this, it feels as if the whole world is mine. Truly, the world is all mine.”
Screech. At the sound of the door being roughly opened, Ho-yeon snapped his head up.
“I didn’t know Young Master Wi had the whole world in his grasp.”
It had only been humming born of a good mood, but his already red face flushed even deeper. Just as Ho-yeon was about to speak, he caught sight of Mu-gyeong’s naked body and immediately dropped his gaze.
The sound of water being poured over the body from a wooden tub sounded like a waterfall cascading down a great mountain. After a few such sounds, Mu-gyeong’s presence drew closer to the bath.