By Zephyria 
HF 39
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Ho-yeon had seen Do-gyeon in person twice before. Judging by how Young Master Yeom had been flustered around him, he had guessed that the man was a formidable expert, but he hadn’t known that he had even made it onto the rankings.
“Since Do-gyeon is fifteenth, most demonic practitioners haven’t been able to challenge him to a martial arts duel.”
“Why?”
Ho-yeon asked while embroidering the eye of a dragon. Han Hee-ryeong didn’t believe Ho-yeon was embroidering just to make money. Since dragon patterns could not be used by anyone other than the Cult Leader, she assumed he was showing his sincerity for the Cult Leader’s upcoming birthday. To her, it was quite admirable, and the future between the two seemed bright.
“The rankings don’t mean much to Do-gyeon. I hate to admit it, but if the current number one were to engage in a life-and-death duel with Do-gyeon, I couldn’t guarantee who would win.”
Ho-yeon marveled inwardly, realizing that Do-gyeon was such an incredible person.
“Who is the number one?”
Ho-yeon asked, thinking it wouldn’t hurt to know.
“Haven’t you already seen Young Master Wi?”
“I have?”
“Mu Seong-pyeong, my husband.”
Chuk. Ho-yeon, who was finishing the dragon’s eye, plunged the needle deep and widened his eyes and mouth. Han Hee-ryeong looked very pleased with Ho-yeon’s reaction and smiled even more proudly.
Come to think of it, while Mu Seong-pyeong’s aura was imposing, he hadn’t felt any demonic energy. He must have reached a level high enough to completely suppress his demonic energy. Perhaps the reason he had treated Mu-gyeong so coldly was because of his own greatness.
“However, even my husband is nothing more than an ordinary man before the Cult Leader. And Do-gyeon is merely a little pup.”
A little pup… It seemed the rumors that the Cult Leader’s realm had reached transcending demonicity were not exaggerated. But for such a person to suffer from the nine yang severed meridian? If he had reached transcending demonicity, he should have overcome the limitations of the physical body, which was somewhat puzzling.
“Will the Cult Leader emerge from closed-door cultivation on his birthday?”
“That depends entirely on the Cult Leader’s will.”
“Now,” Han Hee-ryeong said, lightly clapping her hands together.
“The reason I came today is that I want Young Master Wi to enjoy the Cult Leader’s birthday as well.”
“Me?”
“It is the grandest banquet of the year. It will be so splendid that it will surprise Young Master Wi.”
In the North Sea, banquets were also held every year on the Palace Master’s birthday. On that day, the doors of the ice palace hall were thrown wide open, and numerous merchants and commoners enjoyed the festivities inside.
“But I plan to stay here on that day.”
“Absolutely not.”
She spoke firmly with a smiling face.
“Everyone present at the main sect must celebrate the Cult Leader’s birthday.”
Indeed, since it was the birthday of a god-like being, he didn’t think he could refuse by saying he didn’t want to participate.
She opened the cover of the bamboo case she had placed on the table. He had wondered what she had brought in the bamboo box, and inside lay a single white rabbit mask. She lifted the mask, partially covering her face, and spoke to Ho-yeon.
“With this, you won’t stand out even if you don’t dye your hair.”
He had just been worrying about whether he should dye his hair again with jamhwacho.
“Since people enjoy the banquet wearing masks or disguises. Some even wear wigs.”
It seemed everyone dressed up for the birthday. She added that thanks to a certain someone, white hair wigs were in fashion for this birthday, so there would be no need to dye his hair. As if that was truly all she had come for, she rose from her seat without lingering.
“Excuse me, Chief. By any chance, the letter I asked you about…”
Ho-yeon tried to ask her about the letter in a way that wouldn’t be rude. Han Hee-ryeong nodded as if telling him not to worry.
“I’ve decided to send a messenger to put it on a foreign trade caravan. By now, Young Master Wi’s letter should have safely left the hundred thousand great mountains.”
“Thank you so much.”
Ho-yeon stood up from his chair and bowed deeply.
“It was nothing.”
Han Hee-ryeong accepted the gratitude without blinking. Then, fluttering the hem of her official robes, she left the annex.
If he waited patiently, news of the children at eumbyeol hall would also arrive. Feeling quite good, Ho-yeon meticulously filled in the dragon’s eye with embroidery. With only a few more stitches to go, his hand moved without hesitation. The owner of the Neungra-bang had mentioned that everything from the entrance of the heavenly demon palace to the heavenly demon hall would be decorated with dragon-patterned silk.
After spending some time, Ho-yeon shook out the finished silk. Actually, he had intended to embroider it roughly and crookedly, but because it turned out cleaner than expected, he felt as if he had lost a bit to the Cult Leader.
As if intending to crack the embroidery, Ho-yeon folded the silk neatly and placed it on a chair. Then, he walked toward the inner part of the annex.
For some reason, Mu-gyeong had not gone out today and remained in his quarters. Maybe he’s sleeping. Ho-yeon hesitated over whether to open the door to the room with the bed. However, usually, he was the one who slept a lot; he had never seen Mu-gyeong asleep.
The moment he gathered his courage and opened the door to the bedchamber separated from the inner room—whoosh. At the sudden rush of intense heat, Ho-yeon instinctively covered his mouth with his sleeve. He saw Mu-gyeong sitting cross-legged on the bed, practicing meditative breathing. With his upper body bare, an immense heat was boiling within his body.
His two eyes, closed beneath perfectly drawn eyebrows, did not budge, but the script carved into his right arm moved as if it were a living creature.
What… on earth is that…
The veins branching out beneath the script densely carved into his forearm were bulging as if they might burst at any moment. Despite the tremendous fire demon heating the interior, Ho-yeon stepped inside as if possessed, like someone who couldn’t feel the heat. The dark red energy shimmering across his entire body looked similar to the dragon Ho-yeon had embroidered on the silk.
Is it demonic energy? But it was quite different from the energy the demonic practitioners of the Jade Pavilion had exuded. While their demonic energy was merely sticky and unpleasant, from Mu-gyeong, he felt a great void of immeasurable depth, aside from the burning heat. There seemed to be a purity, as if it contained a sunset-red sky.
A blue aura flickered across Ho-yeon’s body, which was clad in a blue robe. It was an instinct to protect his body from the excessive fire energy. Shivering slightly, Ho-yeon felt a sense of déjà vu. It felt as if the intense lava he had seen beneath the eternal snow mountains was within the man.
When the still eyelids lifted, a fierce crimson light appeared in Mu-gyeong’s eyes.
Come here.
It felt as if he were saying that. In reality, all that flowed between them was silence. But Ho-yeon approached him, unable to resist. At the same time, the right arm, which looked as if it were forcibly containing lava, reached out and grabbed Ho-yeon.
Pulled into Mu-gyeong’s embrace so tightly that it took his breath away, Ho-yeon squeezed his eyes shut. He felt as if he might reach out and embrace him as one if he wasn’t careful. Without knowing why, he wanted to surrender himself to that hot body. Ho-yeon clenched his fists to prevent himself from doing so.
Mu-gyeong’s chest, pressed tight against him, expanded greatly. He exhaled a deep breath. As if he could finally breathe now.
Do you… want to go to the birthday with me?
He couldn’t even bring himself to say those words.
* * *
In the depths of the hundred thousand great mountains, the hall of ten thousand demons, located at the demonic cult headquarters, emitted a brilliant red light for the Cult Leader’s birthday. Countless red lanterns were hung along the path leading to the hall of ten thousand demons. Whenever the lanterns swayed in the wind, they created a spectacle as if a fire dragon were moving.
The hall of ten thousand demons was the place where the Cult Leader, the elders, and the leadership held grand councils. However, when a massive banquet like today was held, practitioners were also allowed entry. The faces of the practitioners gathered in the plaza of the hall of ten thousand demons were filled with an excitement that seemed ready to burst.
On one side of the banquet hall, the rough demonic practitioners had set aside their killing intent-filled demonic energy for today. Wearing animal masks in the shape of beasts, they mingled with the other practitioners. Since the food and liquor provided by the cult overflowed, their hands never lacked something to eat.
Performers dressed in splendid silk clothes played instruments without rest. The sound of drums heard here and there added elegance to the resonance of the strings, and children scattered flower petals, brought in bamboo baskets, into the air. Ho-yeon’s heart was also secretly excited, swept up by the diverse crowd.
Seeing the abundance of the main sect, Ho-yeon decided that he would share what he had seen once he returned to the ice palace. The North Sea was a place where life was harsher than in the demonic cult, but he hoped it could become sufficiently wealthy compared to now. The demonic cult, which was as isolated as the north sea ice palace, had shown Ho-yeon a glimmer of hope.
Wearing the rabbit mask, Ho-yeon did not stand out to people, just as Han Hee-ryeong had said. This was thanks to the numerous practitioners wearing various animal masks and colorful wigs; in particular, white hair wigs were exceptionally common.
In the center of the hall of ten thousand demons plaza, a martial arts duel stage was prepared to determine the fifteenth rank. It was said that today, a formal duel would be held instead of a life-and-death duel.
“Young Master Wi, please come this way.”
Abok, wearing a deer mask, guided Ho-yeon to a spot near the duel stage. He was still as keen-eyed as if he could see.
On the high seat of the plaza overlooking the duel stage, there was an empty throne that appeared to be the Cult Leader’s, and beneath it sat the elders. This was the first time Ho-yeon had seen all five demonic elders at once.
The familiar Ma Young-mu and his people caught his eye first, and their children were seated with them. To the left of Mu Seong-pyeong were his sisters, and to the right of Han Hee-ryeong seemed to be the eldest son. He couldn’t see clearly because they were far away, but the eldest son seemed to take after Mu Seong-pyeong.
“Abok, is there no seat for Young Master Mu-gyeong over there?”
Ho-yeon pointed toward where the demonic shadow martial house was seated.
“Yes, there is no seat for the Young Master.”
This contrasted with Han Hee-ryeong’s words that everyone must attend the Cult Leader’s birthday without exception.