Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.
In the still, quiet room, only the sound of soft tapping echoed at steady intervals.
It was the sound of Sister Seol’s fingers drumming on the table—endlessly—after hearing our full explanation.
“Um...”
“Just be quiet for now. I need to think.”
“O-okay, unnie.”
Unable to bear the tension any longer, Hwa-eun tried to speak, but was immediately cut off.
She looked at me with a glum expression, and in my mind I heard Gun Hye-rin’s voice.
『“I’m the Young Cult Leader of the Heavenly Demon Cult, destined to rule ten thousand demons... and yet I still had to kneel...?”
“It’s a serious moment right now, so be quiet.”
“...Understood.”』
Perhaps due to the influence of the Beast Heart Art, Gun Hye-rin went quiet immediately.
After silencing her, Hwa-eun whispered her apology.
『“So-ryong... I think Sister Seol is really mad. I’m sorry. This is all because of me...”』
“What do you mean ‘because of you’? Where I’m from, we have a saying—the married couple is one in body and spirit. If one spouse makes a mistake, it belongs to both. So don’t say that.
She does seem upset, but Sister Seol is fair and reasonable. She won’t scold us too harshly.”
“Thank you... So-ryong.”』
As we were quietly waiting for judgment...
Huuuu...
Sister Seol suddenly let out a deep sigh.
We all flinched together.
She began recapping our story, as if to confirm it once more.
“So... you went out to hunt down demon cultists and happened to run into the Successor of the Heavenly Demon Cult. Then you heard rumors about the Millennium White Serpent and the Millennium Black Serpent nesting in the cult’s holy land, so you went to catch them?”
“Yes, unnie.”
“That’s correct, Sister Seol.”
“That’s right.”
“And then, after catching them, you felt uneasy. You were worried that if word got out, So-ryong might be seen as a traitor to the martial world. So you decided to use the Beast Heart Art to mitigate that risk. Is that right?”
“Yes, that’s exactly it.”
“Correct, unnie.”
“The Successor wanted to maintain friendly ties and seemed trustworthy, but since she’s the leader of a sect, you worried that unforeseen trouble might arise. So you decided that if she were bound by the Beast Heart Art, there’d be no risk.”
“Yes, that was our thinking.”
“That’s right, Sister Seol.”
Tap tap tap.
The tapping sped up, tension mounting.
Then, the sound suddenly stopped—and Sister Seol turned to Gun Hye-rin.
“Young Lady Gun, you may rise.”
“...Me?”
Startled, Gun Hye-rin touched her chest in disbelief.
Sister Seol nodded.
“Yes. From what I’ve heard, you’re practically a victim in all this. Please, have a seat.”
“But I’m... a demon.”
“That’s by the Central Plains’ standards. The Beast Palace is outside of their jurisdiction—we don’t have that kind of prejudice. We’ve had no previous contact with the Heavenly Demon Cult, have we?
There are plenty of nasty rumors, but those were from the previous generation before the cult fell. You weren’t involved in any of that.”
That was Sister Seol—always rational and just.
Gun Hye-rin looked at us with an apologetic expression, and I gave a slight nod back. It looked like she was planning to forgive us one by one.
“Hwa-eun, you too. Stand up already. You just did it out of concern for So-ryong.”
Gun Hye-rin cautiously stood and sat in a chair. Then Sister Seol continued, this time addressing Hwa-eun directly.
Just as I had expected—she was going to forgive us step by step.
“Thank you, Sister Seol.”
“Hehe. You’re doing well, Hwa-eun. Thank you for always taking such good care of So-ryong.”
“Oh, it’s nothing, unnie...”
Even though it had led to this mess, Hwa-eun was actually being praised for looking out for me.
As she sat beside Sister Seol, the final judgment came.
“So-ryong.”
“Yes, Sister.”
As expected of our fair and rational Sister Seol.
I smiled and started to rise from the floor, anticipating a gentle warning at most.
But just as I began to straighten my back from my kneeling posture...
“You, on the # Nоvеlight # other hand, need to be scolded.”
Unlike the other two, she made it clear that I had to be punished.
“...What!?”
I couldn’t believe it.
Why me!?
She forgave both of them, but I had to be punished?
I looked at her in disbelief, and Sister Seol scowled as she spoke.
“You don’t even know what you did wrong, do you?”
“I mean... the Beast Heart Art, that was Hwa-eu— no, I mean... it was my fault, but...”
I almost slipped and said it was Hwa-eun’s idea, but quickly changed course.
After all the stuff I’d said about sharing responsibility in marriage, I couldn’t go blaming her now.
Then Hwa-eun jumped in to defend me.
“Sister Seol, it was my idea to use the Beast Heart Art. So-ryong opposed it the entire time—why is he the one being scolded?”
Hwa-eun... thank you. I’ll cherish you forever.
Her words nearly brought tears to my eyes.
But then Sister Seol turned a fierce glare on me and said,
“Listen closely. When a person—or even a beast—is cornered, they can’t make rational choices. In the Beast Palace, we have a saying:
Don’t drive a rat into a corner when you hunt it. Even a frail little rat, if it’s trapped, can bite and wound a predator.
Now think about it.
The moment Young Lady Gun mentioned there were venomous spirit snakes in her sect’s holy ground, you probably rushed to go catch them without thinking twice, right?
In that moment, Hwa-eun did what she could to protect you, and Young Lady Gun got caught in the mess. That’s why you deserve to be scolded.”
Why is that... so incredibly logical?
Sister Seol’s words shut both of us up.
We had nothing to say.
And then the floodgates opened—she launched into a lecture that pelted me like a hailstorm.
“So-ryong, this isn’t the first time, and today you’ve seriously...!”
It felt like it might never end. My soul and eardrums were both on the verge of disintegrating.
Until Gun Hye-rin stepped in.
“Excuse me...”
“...So-ryong, how many times do I have to—yes? Young Lady Gun?”
Sister Seol stopped mid-rant and looked toward her.
Gun Hye-rin met her eyes and said,
“So-ryong was wrong, yes. But scolding him won’t solve anything. The core issue is that I have inherited the Beast Heart Art, is it not? Rather than blame, shouldn’t we focus on how to resolve that?”
She was right.
This whole situation started because Gun Hye-rin ended up receiving the Beast Heart Art.
Punishing me wouldn’t fix that.
The real question was what we were going to do about it.
Could we trust her? Detain her at the Tang Clan? Or deal with it in the martial world’s traditional way?
Though let’s be real—anything besides the first option was impossible.
If anyone harmed the last remaining successor of the Heavenly Demon Cult, their followers, no matter how few remained, would fight to the death. It was a religious sect. They wouldn’t back down.
But Sister Seol, upon hearing Gun Hye-rin’s words, didn’t seem all that concerned.
“There are only two solutions. Just choose one, and there’s no need to worry, Young Lady Gun.”
I figured we’d have no choice but to trust Gun Hye-rin—but apparently Sister Seol had something else in mind.
Both Hwa-eun and I looked at her with expressions that said she really is something else, just as she began to explain.
“First, you could join our family.”
“Family?”
Gun Hye-rin tilted her head at the word.
Hwa-eun and I exchanged horrified glances.
No way. She’s not saying...
But of course, there are no exceptions when it comes to Sister Seol’s logic.
And sure enough, the expected answer came:
“You’d become So-ryong’s second wife.”
“W-What!? That’s ridiculous!”
Her solution was that if Gun Hye-rin became my wife, the problem would be solved.
All eyes turned to Sister Seol as she smiled calmly and said,
“Why are you all so shocked? Just like the Tang Clan passes martial arts to a son-in-law, it makes sense for the Beast Palace to pass martial arts to a daughter-in-law. Problem solved.”
Technically true—but suddenly being told I’d have a second wife!?
Both Gun Hye-rin and I shouted in unison.
“Th-that’s absurd, Sister Seol!”
“This is nonsense!”
But Sister Seol just nodded solemnly and said,
“Well, then I suppose we’ll have to use the second method... though I really don’t like it...”
“If that means harming me, I will resist with all I have!”
Gun Hye-rin cried out in alarm, tension written all over her face, when Sister Seol said she didn’t like the second option.
She must have thought the only remaining possibility—if not marriage—was that some kind of harm would be done to her. Hwa-eun, with an apologetic expression, quickly stepped in.
“Unnie, isn’t there another way? If not, then we’ll both take the punishment instead.”
But even if we were punished, it wouldn’t change the fact that the mnemonic chant of the Beast Heart Art had already been passed to the Successor of the Heavenly Demon Cult. That couldn’t be undone. So there really was no “other way.” Sister Seol shook her head.
“You’re all misunderstanding something. It’s not what you think.”
“It’s not?”
“You don’t mean that, Sister Seol?”
“I do. You’re all thinking of something grim, but it’s not like that.”
“Then what is it?”
The three of us exchanged glances, uncertain. Then Sister Seol placed her hand gently on Gun Hye-rin’s shoulder and spoke with a reluctant look.
“I don’t like it... but I think we’ll need to put a leash on you.”
“A... leash?”
“A leash?”
The unexpected word made us all blink, and Sister Seol turned toward me with a resentful look.
“There’s a part of the Beast Heart Art that I didn’t pass on to you, So-ryong. It’s a forbidden technique that’s only taught to the Beast Palace’s direct line. It’s a psychological restraint used on wild beasts with strong aggression or animals that have been abused by humans. Even after bonding through the Beast Heart Art, they remain hostile to anyone other than the caster.
It’s a way to implant a mental command—like ‘don’t bite humans.’”
“It’s never been used on a person, but since Gun Hye-rin is registered, it should still work. We can implant something like ‘never speak of or pass on the Beast Heart Art.’”
“Ohh... so such a method exists?”
So, there was a way to mentally restrict someone through the Beast Heart Art—though the Beast Palace detested forcing it on beasts and had made it a forbidden practice.
That meant it could work without needing to punish anyone, and all of us could rest easy.
Gun Hye-rin nodded slowly.
“Like putting a leash on a trained beast, I suppose. If it’s just that much, I accept.”
It was a relief to see her accept the condition, though there was something that needed correcting—and Sister Seol spoke up just as I was about to.
“You misunderstand, Gun Hye-rin. We don’t put leashes on the creatures we raise.”
“She’s not a criminal. That’s a terrible thing to say. We never leash our companions, Miss Gun.”
The idea of leashing a raised beast? It was unthinkable.
At our words, Gun Hye-rin’s face twisted into a strange expression.
***
Following Sister Seol’s instructions, I placed my hand on Gun Hye-rin’s head and recalled the forbidden chant of restraint from the Beast Palace’s teachings.
My vision blurred—and the mental landscape formed.
I heard her voice in surprise beside me.
“This place...!?”
When I opened my eyes, I saw that we were back in that familiar underground cave—the one only I had entered before. And this time, Gun Hye-rin was here with me.
“I didn’t hear anything about this. This is my mindscape.”
Sister Seol hadn’t mentioned this detail. Perhaps Gun Hye-rin was being treated like a spirit beast, so the ritual was occurring within her own mind.
“Amazing. All the registered creatures are engraved here?”
“Yes. I visit often.”
She stopped in front of a stone tablet engraved with herself and Hwa-eun, then turned to me.
“So... what do we do now?”
It was different from what Sister Seol had described—but I figured the location was the only thing that had changed. The rest should work the same.
“Let’s just do it the way we learned. Should be fine.”
“Alright. Let’s try it.”
Placing my hand back on her head, I invoked the forbidden aspect of the Beast Heart Art and spoke.
“You may never reveal or pass on the Beast Heart Art to anyone else.”
“I accept.”
I’d been told that under normal circumstances, this kind of restriction required suppressing the spirit to force agreement. But if the other party willingly accepted, that wasn’t necessary.
As soon as she said the words, a silver leash appeared visually around Gun Hye-rin’s neck.
Strangely, the leash and collar looked exactly like a dog’s.
And the other end was in my hand.
‘Seriously, why is it a dog leash...?’
It felt weird, but I’d already secured both Heukhwa and Baekhwa. The problem was resolved. This was a minor detail.
***
Three days later.
With everything resolved, I decided to repay Gun Hye-rin with a bit of service.
She had accepted a major condition, after all.
“You expect me to ride this?”
“Yes. Fly back with Yeondu and ring the sacred bell from the sky. Won’t everyone be awestruck? And take Heukhwa and Baekhwa with you—anyone who dares run their mouth, let them handle it.
Besides, thanks to those two snakes, your people’s loyalty might be wavering, no?”
“Th-thank you!”
Now that the rebellious snakes had submitted, the remaining followers of the cult would be pleased. And if anyone resisted, Baekhwa could crush them with her demonic aura.
As Gun Hye-rin grinned with joy, I handed her the orb I’d coaxed from Yohwa that morning.
“What’s this?”
“Try sensing what kind of energy is inside.”
Gun Hye-rin held the orb in her hand and, upon detecting its aura, let out a shocked gasp.
“T-this!? How can such an elixir even exist!?”
As expected, the demon pill worked wonders on demon cultivators.
I snatched the orb back from her hands—she clearly didn’t intend to part with it easily—and said:
“Looks good, right? I might be persuaded to give it to you... if you agree to a favor.”
“W-what favor!?”
“Well... since you’ll be staying with us, I’d like you to help feed the kids.”
“...What?”
“You know those two giant moths clinging to your body? That’s Moji and Soji. They feed on demonic energy—so they need demon cultivators.
But most can’t hide their energy like you do, so we can’t bring them here. You’re perfect for the job.
And obviously, you won’t be able to leave the Heavenly Demon Cult for too long, so if you need to visit, I’ll send Yeondu to pick you up.”
Technically, with the leash, she wouldn’t be able to outright refuse me—but she seemed loyal and trustworthy, so I wanted it to be a fair exchange.
She hesitated, then asked:
“H-how many years?”
I wanted to say forever, of course—but she’d reject that.
“Twenty years?”
“Hmph. That’s too long. Ten.”
“Fifteen. You won’t find another elixir like this anywhere.”
“Grr... fine. Fifteen.”
And with that, we officially appointed Gun Hye-rin as the children’s nanny and sent her off to take care of business back at the Heavenly Demon Cult.
As we saw her off and descended Tang Mountain, we heard something.
Whumph. Whumph.
The sound of a large stick cutting through the air.
We followed the sound and found Gwiseong swinging a massive club in the training yard below.
Nearby stood Kwon Ryong and Geom Ryong—both had returned just yesterday, and yet here they were, already training.
“Already started, hyungnim?”
“Ah, So-ryong. My body’s itching for a fight. We struggled so much against that crazed demon—it’s time to train harder.”
Clearly, he was still dissatisfied with how the last battle went.
“Take it easy, hyungnim. And let’s have lunch later. All three of us.”
“Let’s do that.”
“Sure.”
“Sounds good, So-ryong.”
I told them not to overdo it, then started to turn away—when the brothers called out.
“Kwon Ryong, that thing!”
“Ah, right! So-ryong, come here a moment.”
“Yes?”
They motioned me over with a conspiratorial air. Kwon Ryong reached into his sleeve and handed me something wrapped in paper.
Inside were a few medicinal pills.
“What’s this?”
I tilted my head in confusion. I wasn’t sick.
Their answer was... suggestive.
“Your wedding’s just a few days away. Which means... the wedding night, huh? These are for men. We got them just for you while we were in the capital. We’re brothers, aren’t we?”
“Ahaha... why would you go out of your way... I mean, come on. My name does have ‘Ryong’—Dragon—in it. I could do it ten times a day if I wanted!”
I chuckled, touched by their concern.
But their next words came with a dose of caution.
“Sure, we know your name has ‘Ryong’ in it. But it also has ‘So’—Little. Your body’s not that mature yet. These pills will make you a ‘bigger’ man.”
These two really... worry about everything.
Still, their warm brotherly concern nearly brought a tear to my eye.
Not that they needed to worry.
I had it all covered.
Yesterday, Grandfather asked if I wanted to ascend to the Sixth Poison Realm before the wedding.
If I registered Yohwa and achieved the Sixth Poison, I’d undergo a full transformation—and gain the physique of a fully matured adult.
The ceremony would look even more dignified that way.
So yes, I was going to register Yohwa tomorrow—and ascend to the Sixth Poison Realm.
