“Ugh...”
“So-ryong, are you awake?”
Along with the darkening vision, I heard Hwa-eun’s voice.
The moment I came to my senses, the first thing I did was check how much time had passed.
“Yes, Hwa-eun. How many days has it been?”
This time, when Hwa-eun reached the Flower Realm, the achievement in the Beast Heart Art rose, and aside from the moment of registration, I had finally grasped how to enter and exit the mindscape at will.
At that moment of realization, I also discovered that time within the mindscape flows slower—which is exactly why we chose to proceed with the registration there.
But since Gun Hye-rin hesitated inside the mindscape, I had the unsettling feeling that more time might have passed than expected.
If nearly half a month had gone by like when I registered the other creatures at the start, the Tang Clan would undoubtedly be in a frenzy.
They’d probably think that Hwa-eun and I ran into trouble while chasing down demon cultivators. A full-blown search party might already be underway.
“Fortunately, it’s only been two days.”
Her response brought a wave of relief.
Although Gun Hye-rin caused some delay inside the mindscape, this was still within safe limits.
Just to be sure, I quickly messaged Cheongwol in the group chat.
『“Cheongwol, is there anything unusual going on at the clan?”
“If something unusual refers to the obvious, don’t you already know? Hyang and Bini are seriously sulking.”
“Ahem... anything else?”
“No. Oh, Sister Seol said those who succumbed to madness are now fleeing, making them harder to track.”』
It felt like Gun Hye-rin’s Heavenly Demon Cult followers were doing their job surprisingly well.
With a sense of relief, I spoke to Hwa-eun.
“As long as we return quickly, there shouldn’t be any problems.”
“Everyone’s already up. We were waiting on you to wake up so we could depart.”
“Um... are you alright?”
Just as I began to rise, I heard Gun Hye-rin’s hesitant voice.
She must have woken up earlier than the others. Though her tone was blunt, probably due to having registered with the Beast Heart Art, there was clear concern in her voice.
“Yes. I’ve gone through this often, so I’m used to it.”
It’s not like I’ve only linked minds once or twice.
As I stood up and stretched, Gun Hye-rin approached with a worried expression and continued.
“Before you woke up, I spoke with Hwa-eun. She said that it wasn’t just one or two spirit creatures you’ve registered with, right?
This might strain your heart. If you feel anything off, you must tell someone. You need to be careful.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. In soul-flesh fusion involving blood or bodily fluids, the subjugation of the soul and spirit can place an immense burden on the host.”
“Ah, so that’s why Sister Seol warned me not to get consumed by the beasts’ consciousness?”
“Sister Seol?”
Gun Hye-rin tilted her head at the unfamiliar name.
I nodded and explained.
“She’s my sister—well, adopted—daughter of the Beast Palace.”
At that, Gun Hye-rin asked with a confused expression.
“But why do you speak about your own clan like it’s someone else’s?”
“It’s a long story, but to put it simply... I’m adopted.”
“Ah...”
“Anyway, that’s not the point. This technique is called the Beast Heart Art. It’s the signature martial art of the Beast Palace. The core concept is to grow alongside registered beasts, in a shared evolution.
That’s why both Sister Seol and my adoptive father warned me. If I register too many, I might be devoured by their consciousness.”
“That warning was accurate. Still, this development is astonishing. To think someone evolved it to this degree... The person who created this Beast Heart Art was either an unparalleled madman—or a genius.”
Gun Hye-rin spoke like she understood the core principles of the Beast Heart Art quite well.
Now that I thought about it, didn’t she speak like she knew something back in the mindscape too?
Curiosity prompted me to ask.
“Do you have experience with this kind of martial art? You seem surprisingly familiar with it.”
When I asked how she knew so much, Gun Hye-rin nodded and answered.
“Did you forget? The Blood Cult originally split off from the Heavenly Demon Sect.
They became obsessed with sucking blood to strengthen the body, but true bloodline martial arts aren’t just about that. With blood as a medium, you can dominate others—an incredibly terrifying form of demonic cultivation. Our sect has mostly lost that knowledge now, though.”
“Ah... so that’s why.”
If the Blood Cult’s origin was similar in nature to the Beast Heart Art, then it made sense she was so knowledgeable.
Then came her words of genuine admiration.
“To think you can transmit mnemonic chants through soul-spirit connections... it’s simply unbelievable...”
She was clearly marveling at the Beast Heart Art. But then I heard Hwa-eun’s shocked voice from the side.
“Uh...”
When I turned, I saw her looking at me, face pale with dread.
The moment our eyes met...
Hwa-eun, stiff as stone, said,
“So-So-ryong, what should we do? I think we really messed up...”
“Messed up?”
Didn’t we already mess up the moment we registered Gun Hye-rin?
I was thinking it was too late to worry about that now—but Hwa-eun continued.
“We forgot... that registering with the Beast Heart Art also transfers mnemonic chants! What are we going to tell Sister Seol!?”
At that moment, I too froze.
It was as good as handing a Tang Clan secret martial art to the Successor of the Heavenly Demon Cult herself.
If I tried to shift the blame and say, “Didn’t I say not to do it?” Hwa-eun would only feel hurt.
It was a little unfair, but hey, we were about to be married—shouldn’t we share the responsibility?
Squeezing my eyes shut, I said,
“Well, there’s no helping it. For now, let’s just... uh...”
“Uh?”
“...bang our heads.”
Since Hwa-eun was in on it too, maybe bowing in apology would help smooth things over.
***
We brought Gun Hye-rin back to Sichuan.
Thanks to Cho and Yeondu, we made it in just a day and a half.
We had some time to spare, but guilt over what we’d done kept us hurrying.
—Beeep.
Once we arrived at the meeting point, Gun Hye-rin sent a signal.
A short while later, the masked leader arrived.
He bowed deeply before her and asked,
“What has transpired?”
Without answering, Gun Hye-rin pulled out the Sacred Fire Bell from her robe and gave it a shake.
—Jingle.
A mystical sound echoed from the bell.
“Gasp! This is the Sacred Fire Bell!”
I had shaken that very bell myself on the way here, and for some reason, it made no sound when I did.
It’s not like they have DNA verification in this era, so I had no clue how it worked.
The man threw off his mask and cried out with an emotional face.
“May the Heavenly Demon reign for a thousand years! Let us go! Now that the Sacred Fire Bell has returned, all remaining Heavenly Demon Cultists will follow the Successor of the Heavenly Demon Cult!”
In other words, he was ready to go unify the cult under Gun Hye-rin and crown her Heavenly Demon.
Gun Hye-rin handed over the Sacred Fire Bell and shouted in a solemn tone.
“I have matters to attend to here. You must take the Sacred Fire Bell and prepare the faithful!”
“At your command!”
The man received the order while still bowing.
Just before leaving, he looked back at the Successor of the Heavenly Demon Cult and asked,
“But... what happened exactly?”
At that, Gun Hye-rin’s expression twisted strangely—and she turned to look at me.
Because she had to come bow her head with me too.
***
Gun Hye-rin swore on her life to keep the secrets of the Beast Heart Art and never reveal them to anyone else.
Since she was now registered within it, it wasn’t like she could betray me or act deceptively.
Still, we had to inform Sister Seol about what had happened—so I brought the very person who had accidentally learned the technique, Gun Hye-rin, back with us to the Tang Clan.
“Young Lady!”
“The Young Lady has returned! Inform the household!”
“Thank you for your efforts.”
“We appreciate your work.”
As we arrived before the Nine-Tiered Gates of Mount Tang, the warriors came out to greet us.
Hwa-eun stepped forward and asked them,
“Where’s Father?”
“The Supreme Clan Head and the Martial Force Unit are both currently out leading the search.”
So Grandfather Tang Mu-seong and my father-in-law Tang Cheolsan were still actively out searching.
In the past, the two of them would never leave at the same time unless absolutely necessary, but now that our spirit beast children were holding down the fort, they must’ve deemed it safe enough to act together.
“We’ve already hunted down and eliminated all the demon cultists. Please inform them to return.”
“Understood!”
Just as Hwa-eun and I reported that we had taken care of the enemy and there was no longer a need for the search...
We heard Sister Seol’s voice shouting from up the mountain as she came running toward us.
“Hwa-eun! So-ryong!”
“Young Lady Hwa-eun! Lord So-ryong!”
Because she was technically a relative through marriage, Sister Seol had remained behind at the Tang household. She insisted she couldn’t allow an honored guest to be placed in harm’s way.
Behind her came her personal handmaiden, Unmirang, sprinting after her.
“U-unnie...”
“Sister...”
With the guilt still weighing on us, we couldn’t even greet her properly and were left wearing awkward expressions.
Sister Seol tilted her head, puzzled by our demeanor.
“What’s with you two? You’re acting like guilty kids who did something wrong.”
Could our sister-in-law possess some kind of sixth sense?
Just as her words caught us off guard, Unmirang spoke up.
“Pardon the interruption, but... that foreign-looking person behind you... is she a guest of the house?”
Unmirang was staring at Gun Hye-rin, who stood quietly behind us.
She must’ve assumed, reasonably, that since we brought her, she was our guest—and as Hwa-eun’s personal maid, it was her job to arrange a residence and see to her needs.
“Ah, please prepare some water for her to bathe. As for her lodging—she’ll be staying in my quarters, so there’s no need to make special arrangements.”
“In your quarters, Young Lady?”
“You’re sharing your quarters?” Sister Seol echoed, clearly surprised.
Both Unmirang and Sister Seol looked stunned at the notion of a guest sharing Hwa-eun’s private residence.
With a guilty look, Hwa-eun turned to her sister and asked,
“Yes, unnie. There’s something I need to talk to you about. Could we speak privately in my room, after greeting Mother?”
“Alright. I’ll wait there for you.”
Sister Seol responded as if it were no big deal.
After quickly paying respects to Mother-in-law, we arrived at Hwa-eun’s quarters, only to find Sister Seol already waiting—with our spirit beast girls, Bini and Hyang, already inside.
—Tsk. 『Hmph.』
—Snort. 『Tch.』
It seemed they’d come running after hearing the news. The moment we stepped in, they turned their backs to us and snorted loudly.
A clear sign they were upset and wanted comfort.
But this wasn’t the time—we had more urgent matters to handle. I figured I could smooth things over later.
Since they’d come to us rather than hiding, they were likely just sulking for attention. It wouldn’t be hard to fix later.
As I stepped closer, the two girls tried to avoid me, but I pulled them into a hug, one in each arm, and spoke seriously.
“Girls, I’m sorry, but I need to speak with your aunt urgently. I’ll apologize properly a bit later. Can you wait just a little?”
“Please. I have something important to talk about with your aunt,” Hwa-eun added.
Sensing something was off from the mood between me and Hwa-eun, Bini—carrying Hyang on her back—answered.
—Snnrk. 『You better keep your promise! Hmph!』
With that, they left the room.
Now it was just me, Sister Seol, Hwa-eun, and Gun Hye-rin.
Hwa-eun and I quickly took our place before Sister Seol, while Gun Hye-rin quietly stood behind us.
“What’s this now? Why do you both look like that? And with a guest?”
Sister Seol, who had been preparing tea, froze mid-motion.
We both dropped to our knees right there.
“We’re... we’re so sorry, Sister Seol.”
“I’m really sorry, unnie.”
As we bowed our heads low, Sister Seol blinked in confusion at our sudden apology.
She took a moment to collect herself, then rushed over and tugged at our arms, asking in concern,
“Wh-What’s going on? Seriously, what happened? Why are you two acting like this all of a sudden?”
I looked to Hwa-eun, who gently pulled Gun Hye-rin forward to sit beside her and began to explain.
“Unnie... I’m sorry. I told So-ryong to register this young lady into the Beast Heart Art... and... because he did, the Beast Heart Art got passed on to her!”
“...What!?”
She skipped the background, jumping straight to the critical detail.
At Hwa-eun’s words, Sister Seol’s face shifted to utter disbelief.
But then—her reaction took an unexpected turn.
“Ahahahaha! Seriously? That rascal So-ryong... Before the wedding, and with a foreign girl at that? Not bad. And you, Hwa-eun, showing such tolerance as the primary wife? I’m honestly impressed. I like you even more now.”
She gave a good-natured laugh.
“You both suddenly knelt down like something catastrophic happened. But it’s fine, it’s fine. If Hwa-eun gave her blessing, how could we say no to someone who’s going to be family?”
Clearly, Sister Seol had completely misunderstood the situation.
She began examining Gun Hye-rin closely from all angles, then asked,
“She’s as beautiful as Hwa-eun. So—what noble family is the young lady from?”
“...”
“Uh, well... unnie...”
“Well, Sister Seol... the thing is...”
As Gun Hye-rin hesitated, Hwa-eun and I tried to answer for her—but she beat us to it.
“Tian—”
“Tian family? Oh, that’s a prestigious house too, right? Weren’t they famous for mountains and academia?”
“Heavenly Demon Cult.”
“...?”
The smile faded from Sister Seol’s face. Slowly, her expression twisted into horror.
“W-What did you say!?”
Hwa-eun and I gripped each other’s hands tightly.
After all... we were in this together now.
