The princess collapsed over the table, staring up at Bin-ak with an expression of utter disbelief.
She had treated him with sincerity—only to be repaid with cold betrayal.
A wave of fury and betrayal surged up her throat, bringing blood with it.
Heart Demon—the inner demon. The loss of emotional restraint most feared by martial artists.
She barely suppressed it, but a trickle of blood escaped the corner of her mouth.
“B-Bin-ak... why...?”
At that moment, the door burst open, and a man in black martial robes entered with government guards.
The man in black stepped forward and pressed his fingers to one of her acupoints.
Bin-ak, watching the scene, calmly sipped his tea and muttered as if to himself.
“Each day, I died slowly, alone in this place. And in that solitude, a thought began to grow. Why must I die like this? What wrong did I commit to deserve such a wretched fate? What sins from a past life am I being punished for? I never wanted to be the emperor’s son-in-law. I never sought riches or fame. And then—I met a benefactor. They told me they could cure my illness. So I took their hand. You ask me why? Because I just wanted to live a little longer. Nothing more. Because my life... is the most precious thing to me.”
The princess spat her words like venom.
“You threw away your loyalty—just for your life!? Coward!”
Because that’s what it was—he had thrown away loyalty and trust for the sake of mere survival.
The bond they had forged wasn’t that of husband and wife, but of sovereign and retainer.
Loyalty between ruler and subject.
For a retainer to give their life for their lord was the natural path of honor.
She had governed Bin-ak with virtue—only to be repaid with betrayal.
At her words, Bin-ak’s eyes flashed.
His voice rose, shaking with rage.
“For my life!? FOR MY LIFE!? Do you even know what it’s like—panting for air with every step, hovering on the edge of death!? Do you know what it feels like to be forced to play along with a noble’s childish game, all just to stay alive!?”
And then the princess understood.
Seo Bin-ak had never, not for a single moment, served her with the respect due to a lord.
The vow they exchanged before their wedding had been nothing but a strategy to stay alive.
He would grasp any hand that offered him another breath.
And he had done just that.
It was her own failure—not seeing the man clearly because she had been blinded by martial ambition.
The Emperor had taught her: even in the smallest of schemes, one must always choose those with integrity.
She had not followed that wisdom.
With lips trembling from fury and betrayal, the princess asked:
“Then tell me—who did you sell me to? My father’s concubines, vying to place their sons on the throne? Or perhaps the northern barbarians, who always hunger for our borders?”
Who had she been sold to?
One of the Emperor’s concubines, trying to make her own son crown prince?
Or the northern savages who schemed endlessly for the Great Wall?
What were they demanding in exchange for her?
As she thought this, Bin-ak turned to the man in black and spoke.
“Don’t think of it as unjust, Princess. Yes, I betrayed you—but this is a burden you, too, brought upon yourself.”
“Wh-what are you saying?”
In all her life, she had never made true enemies. What burden? What karma?
She was about to shout in disbelief when the man in black, clearly the leader, looked at her with a serpent’s smile and said,
“What do I mean? You falsely persecuted our Five Venoms Sect and the Blood Cult. You must now pay the price.”
“Th-the Five Venoms Sect!?”
The Five Venoms Sect—one of the factions currently in conflict with the martial world.
They were the very ones who had framed her, in secret dealings with the Martial Alliance, to install Bin-ak as Governor of Zhejiang.
Of course, they were far from innocent themselves.
Even without the false charges, the Five Venoms Sect had allied with the Blood Cult.
Decades ago, they had murdered citizens like animals, draining their blood for martial rituals.
Their alliance with those who brought ruin to the people made them worthy of death.
The princess, lips stiffening from poison, managed to say:
“You dare—! What do you intend to do with me?”
Still smiling, the man in black responded with eerie calm.
“First, we’ll take control of Bo-ta Temple. Your disciples and sisters will become our puppets. We’ve lost too much strength because of you, Princess—we need replacements.”
“Y-you wouldn’t...”
The idea of using her sisters-in-arms as pawns, with her life as leverage, horrified her.
If they used her life to force surrender, the sect would have no choice but to comply.
She wasn’t just any disciple—she was a princess.
If she were a common student, even if she died, her master and sisters might grit their teeth and fight on.
But with her life on the line, they couldn’t risk it.
If word got out that Bo-ta Temple had allowed the princess to die, the Emperor’s wrath would erase them from existence.
They couldn’t afford to let her die.
Overwhelmed by the horror, the princess made her decision.
Before her tongue could stiffen entirely, she would bite through it.
Better to die here than let Bo-ta Temple be destroyed because of her.
She was a princess—but more than that, she was a disciple of the martial world.
She couldn’t pronounce a death sentence on her sect with her own life.
Quickly, she prepared to bite down on her tongue.
She shut her eyes tightly and clenched her jaw—but just then, the man in black spoke with a whisper of laughter in his voice.
“You might want to reconsider.”
“...?”
She opened her eyes and looked at him.
He raised one finger and beckoned her forward.
“If, let’s say, the princess were to get caught up in a fight between Bo-ta Temple and the martial world and die because of it... what do you think would happen to Bo-ta Temple and those martial artists?”
“W-what did you just say? Who would ever believe such a lie!?”
Then the man in black turned to look at Bin-ak.
He patted Bin-ak’s back, and Bin-ak calmly spoke.
“Ten years ago, it’s well-known that the direct disciple of the head of Cheonwol Sect from Zhejiang Province had his hand cut off for harassing a disciple of Bo-ta Temple. After that, relations between Cheonwol Sect and Bo-ta Temple soured so badly that there were even incidents in Hangzhou where members of the two sects would draw their swords upon meeting.
And now, recently, another conflict broke out because of that bad blood. In the chaos, the princess was tragically killed. Isn’t that right?”
“As expected of the governor. Incredibly clever. Heh. Choosing to keep you alive was indeed the right decision.”
“Y-you...!”
Bin-ak’s words made her body burn with fury and despair.
Because of her status, no matter what decision was made, her sect would fall into ruin.
If she lived, she’d be humiliated.
If she died, Bo-ta Temple would be annihilated as punishment for her death.
And the martial world would bear the consequences as well.
If she were to end her life here, the emperor’s wrath would surely descend upon the martial world.
The princess’s life wasn’t just her own.
Swallowing her rage, the princess asked,
“A-aren’t you afraid of the emperor’s wrath?”
To that, the man in black replied calmly.
“Of course we are. That’s why we’re going to use you as leverage and beg the emperor to clear the false charges laid against us.”
“What kind of nonsense is that...?”
Despite saying they feared him, they were threatening the emperor?
Her expression twisted in disbelief.
Even if the emperor agreed to their demand, the rage he bottled up would eventually explode—and it would be aimed at them.
The man continued.
“You don’t understand what we’re doing, do you? But it benefits us no matter what. If the emperor cherishes his daughter, he’ll comply. And if not, if he rages, that works for us too. To the emperor, we and the Martial Alliance are all just martial artists. The more furious he becomes, the more equally that wrath will fall on both the central martial world and us. Our base is in the Kingdom of Daewol—so who do you think will take the most damage?”
It was said that the government and the martial world should never interfere with each other—that they should remain untouchable.
This was because the emperor’s royal martial forces and the martial world’s power were so evenly matched that direct conflict would lead to mutual destruction.
But these bastards were deliberately provoking the emperor, trying to drag both the martial world and the imperial court into ruin.
Just as the horror of that realization hit her, her acupoint was struck, and the princess lost consciousness.
***
Bo-ta Temple fell quickly.
Though the warriors of the Five Venoms Sect and Blood Cult who arrived on military ships weren’t many in number, once they held a blade to the princess’s throat and threatened to kill her if there was any resistance, the temple master surrendered, just as the princess feared.
Because if she truly died, the emperor’s fury would not only destroy Bo-ta Temple but come crashing down on the entire martial world.
Everyone’s meridians were sealed, and for the first time since its founding, Bo-ta Temple was overtaken by men.
And once the sorcery bugs from the Kingdom of Daewol arrived, they would be implanted in the bodies of the Bo-ta disciples—that decision had already been made.
“I’m so sorry, Master... sob...”
“Amitabha... This is not your fault. I should have been more vigilant when I accepted you as my disciple. This was my mistake.”
The princess tearfully apologized to her master, who sat in the prison of Bo-ta Temple, eyes closed, blaming himself.
Because he had taken the princess as his disciple, he believed he should have protected her better.
As she sobbed in repentance, the temple master quietly whispered in her ear while embracing her.
“Ji-ryeon... never give up hope. The moment you do, everything truly ends.”
At those words, the princess decided.
She would find a way to save her sect no matter what.
No one blamed her, no one resented her, even though the fault clearly lay with her.
In this bleakest moment, her master’s words had given her something to hold onto.
Since the women’s meridians had been sealed, their captors saw them as easy prey. About a month passed, and the guards grew lax.
Then came a storm.
Three days of howling winds and pounding rain drove the warriors of the Five Venoms Sect and Blood Cult to huddle indoors.
The princess had been waiting for this chance.
She chose one disciple she could trust—Hyehwa.
She had an exceptional physique. Even with her meridians sealed, her inner strength remained impressive.
On a dark night, long after sunset, when the sound of rain drowned all else, the princess pulled her from her quarters and ran toward the port.
She knew that a few days ago, a small boat had been left tied at the dock.
To keep it from being dashed on the waves, the boat had been left floating a bit offshore—perfect for an escape.
“Find her! She can’t have gotten far!”
“Search the harbor!”
They were eventually discovered.
After shoving her junior onto the boat, a voice called out.
“Senior sister! Who should I ask for help!?”
At that question, one name came to mind.
The one person who had always resolved her troubles without fail.
Young, yet greater than any she had met.
The princess shouted to Hyehwa.
“I’m being held hostage, so the palace and the Martial Alliance won’t be able to help us. Go to the Tang Family in Sacheon! Find So-ryong! He will help us!”
The man who resolved even the plague of flies she had thought to be divine punishment.
The one who made the elusive pirates of the Southeast Sea vanish as if it were nothing.
With his spirit beasts—surely, he could save her and her sect.
As the pursuers closed in and seized the princess, the boat carrying her disciple disappeared into the storm.
***
After hearing Bo-ta Temple disciple Hyehwa’s explanation, Gun Hye-rin looked dumbfounded.
“Those lunatics... They dared touch the imperial family? Even the Heavenly Demon Cult, in its prime, never dared that.”
“T-the Heavenly Demon Cult?”
Hyehwa’s eyes widened in shock.
Gun Hye-rin quickly waved it off.
“I mean, even that wicked Heavenly Demon Cult didn’t touch the imperial family in its heyday, so for these bastards to do so is absolutely insane. I wasn’t saying we had anything to do with that cult.”
“O-oh... I was just startled.”
『“Watch your mouth a bit!”
“S-sorry, Master...”』
In the group chat, Gun Hye-rin got a little scolding, and then came the plea.
“Sir, please help us. My senior said only you could save us.”
Turning his head, he saw that it wasn’t Gun Hye-rin, but °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° the woman named Hyehwa who was bowing with her forehead pressed into the sand.
He gently calmed her and answered.
“Please calm down. Of course I will help.”
He had already planned to.
The Martial Alliance had also asked him to investigate what was going on.
More than anything, these bastards were interfering with his fun hobbies and newlywed life, constantly causing trouble.
‘Guess I didn’t give them enough of a taste of the spirit beasts last time. This time, I’ll show them properly.’
But first, he needed to report.
Before doing anything, he had to inform Hwa-eun through the group chat.
After all, any married man planning to do something dangerous had to report to his wife first.
And since he was a special supervision case, it was mandatory.
『“Hwa-eun, are you there? I just arrived near Bo-ta Temple, and there’s something going on—I think we need to talk.”
“Something going on?”
“The princess has apparently been captured by the Five Venoms Sect and the Blood Cult.”
“What!?”』
Soon after, Hwa-eun informed them through the group chat that an emergency meeting had been convened at Beast Palace.
