After disembarking and sending the military vessel back, Gun Hye-rin asked,
“So, are we going straight to the Sacheon Tang Clan?”
She was asking if I intended to stop by the Tang Clan first, but I shook my head.
“No. I’m going directly to the location Hwa-eun told me about.”
“Wouldn’t it be better to stop by the clan first and get more intel?”
“Yes, wouldn’t that be the wiser move?”
Smiling at the two of them, I answered,
“Heh. Just imagine—when we arrive at the Tang Clan and my father-in-law greets me with a worried expression, and I smile and tell him everything’s already been taken care of—he’ll be completely stunned, won’t he? We’ll go after resolving all the problems.”
Rather than going now and telling my father-in-law I was off to solve the issue, it’d be far more satisfying to solve it first and then arrive.
When I show up after everything’s been handled, and he starts explaining the current crisis with a grave face, I’ll flash a grin and say:
“Father-in-law, it’s all been resolved. No need to worry.”
That’s the scenario I’m aiming for.
Just thinking about it gave me a full-blown dopamine rush.
‘Ahhh. He’s gonna be so surprised, huh?’
As I was grinning to myself, Gun Hye-rin asked,
“So then, how are we moving?”
“The water’s nice and the scenery’s good, so let’s rest here until sunset. Once the sun sets, we’ll ride Hwanji and Hwana along the water route.”
Since we might attract attention during the day, it was better to travel by water under the cover of night with Hwanji and Hwana.
When I shared my plan, Gun Hye-rin pulled a dagger from her sleeve and said,
“Understood. Then I’ll go catch a roe deer or a stag.”
Looked like she intended to roast some venison for lunch and dinner.
As she launched her body toward the nearby brush, she added,
“I’ll prepare the fire.”
She was probably going to gather some small twigs—but that wasn’t good.
She was still a princess, after all. I couldn’t just have her doing menial chores.
“Ah—Your Highness, please, just rest.”
“It’s fine. I can’t be the only one taking it easy, can I? I’ve decided to live as an ordinary woman, so don’t hesitate to ask, So-ryong.”
“Still, I mean... how could I?”
“Really, it’s fine. I even did my own laundry at Bo-ta Temple.”
“You did?”
“Yes.”
Back on the military ship, there had been women who attended to the princess.
They were likely court ladies the Crown Prince had arranged in advance for the journey’s sake.
But out here, we were in the wild.
Once we reached the Tang Clan, of course the maidservants there would take over, but right now, there was only Gun Hye-rin.
I might treat her like a punching bag sometimes, but truthfully, in the Heavenly Demon Cult, she was practically royalty.
I couldn’t make her attend to chores. But for minor tasks, I supposed it was only fair.
Nodding, I said,
“Well, there’ll be maids at the Tang Clan, and even at the Beast Palace someone to help, but for now, it’s just the three of us. So if Your Highness doesn’t mind helping with a few small things...”
“Of course. I’ll go gather some branches then.”
“Alright. Hyang, Cho, go with the princess and help her out, will you?”
Still, I couldn’t let the princess go alone, so I sent Cho and Hyang along.
—Tchrrr. 『Okay, Dad.』
—Tchrr. 『Got it. We’ll go with her, Dad.』
Once Gun Hye-rin left to catch a deer and the princess vanished to collect firewood, I started preparing a resting spot.
I cut dry reeds and cattails to make a seat and gathered stones to form a fire pit.
Then I picked up a flat, dry stone from the riverbank.
I planned to heat it and grill the meat on top.
Sure, roasting directly over the fire was good, but stone-grilled meat hit differently.
The thought of it made me crave pork.
A slice of pork belly sizzling on a hot stone, fat crackling—
Damn, that’s pure bliss.
In the Central Plains, people considered venison or roe deer meat high-class, but pork was viewed as a lower-grade meat.
That’s because pigs here were raised on human waste.
So, unlike my past life, pork wasn’t something I got to eat often, which is probably why I was craving it now.
I quickly reached out to Gun Hye-rin through our mind link.
‘Gun Hye-rin, if you’re going to catch something anyway, could you get a wild boar instead?’
‘A wild boar? Why? Wouldn’t roe deer or stag be better?’
‘Just... kinda want it. Been a while, y’know?’
‘Got it. Then I’ll make sure to catch a wild boar.’
After a short wait, the princess and the kids came back carrying a bunch of branches, and from among them, the larger ones were chopped into kindling by Hongdan.
Hongdan had already molted twice by now, and her pincers had become razor sharp.
—Thud.
“Caught it, So-ryong.”
“Oooh, you’re the best.”
Once we had a fire going and the hot stone placed on top, Gun Hye-rin returned with exactly what I’d asked for—a wild boar.
Soon, pork belly started sizzling on the stone, its juices crackling.
But as soon as we finished eating, Gun Hye-rin and the princess dropped a bomb on me.
“You’re going to go bathe?”
“Yes.”
“You too, Princess?”
“Yes.”
It was still spring, and the water was cold—yet suddenly the two of them announced they were going to bathe.
I guessed they hadn’t had a chance to wash properly while traveling by boat. And though it was warmer here than the north, I still had concerns.
“Are you sure? Gun Hye-rin is immune to cold and heat, but the princess...”
“It’s fine. I’ll shield her with my energy.”
“Well... then go ahead.”
Since Gun Hye-rin said she’d handle it, I let them go.
But when they returned from bathing, for some reason, both of them were wearing Gun Hye-rin’s shabby martial robes.
***
After finishing her bath, Gun Hye-rin reported the current situation to Hwa-eun through the women-only group chat.
『“Just got back from bathing. Are things ready on your end?”』
Hwa-eun’s reply came immediately, saying there were no problems.
『“The plan changed a little, but nothing major. Everything’s ready here.”』
“Then I’ll trust you.”
It seemed everything over there was set.
Thinking that the time was drawing near, Gun Hye-rin spoke.
『“Thank you, Hwa-eun. Even if I’m the Heavenly Demon of the Heavenly Demon Cult, I’ll still fulfill the duties of a concubine.”』
Then came the voice of the princess.
『“Me too.”』
Since Hwa-eun had given her blessing along with her support, this was a promise not to challenge her authority in return—but Hwa-eun’s voice came laced with a light laugh.
『“Princess, but... His Majesty issued a decree.”』
“A decree? No way! Hwa-eun, if it’s something that will be a burden on you, I’ll stop it no matter what!”
“What’s going on?”
The princess shouted in shock at the mention of a decree.
Gun Hye-rin, unsure of what was happening, was flustered as Hwa-eun continued.
『“No, it’s not like that. His Majesty issued a very favorable edict for us.”』
“An imperial edict?”
“Yes, since So-ryong uncovered the cause of the recent earthquake and displayed the dignity of a hero, and a hero must have three wives and four concubines—he granted permission for three wives.”
“T-That’s!?”
“His Majesty has...”
At Hwa-eun’s words, Gun Hye-rin and the princess both went blank.
With a primary wife already in place, the remaining two had no choice but to be concubines.
But if all could be equal wives—it was like a dream.
As the two stared off in a daze, Hwa-eun’s voice followed.
『“Let’s make this work and live happily together—as friends and family.”』
Then came the resolute voices of the princess and Gun Hye-rin.
『“We will succeed, no matter what!”
“I’ll make sure we do!”』
The board had already been set.
Success was the only option.
***
Of all the silk produced and sold in Sichuan, half passed through the Sacheon Tang Clan.
Only recently had the Tang Clan begun silkworm farming with heavenly silkworms, but up to that point, they hadn’t produced their own thread. One of their main sources of income was purchasing silk produced across Sichuan and selling it throughout the Central Plains.
At early dawn.
Yang Wu, the warehouse head in charge of the Tang Clan’s silk storehouse, asked the warrior on night guard at the entrance.
“Still not here? He didn’t arrive overnight?”
“No, Warehouse Head. He hasn’t arrived yet.”
He had asked as he clocked in for duty at the warehouse, but upon hearing the answer, Yang Wu sighed.
“Then another bolt is gone today. One disappears every three days... If only he could arrive {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} even a day earlier. It’s eating me alive. When is he coming?”
The warrior gave a wry smile at his lament.
“The Clan Head said he wouldn’t hold you responsible. Please try not to worry too much.”
But Yang Wu’s voice came out grave.
“He may have said that, but this is my duty. How could I possibly rest easy?”
The Clan Head had certainly said not to worry, but with his upright personality, Yang Wu found the current situation deeply troubling.
It had been pure torment lately.
And with good reason—strange incidents were happening under his watch.
It had started about a month ago.
Silk was valuable, so it was usually stored in lacquered cases.
Inside the cases, charcoal was placed to control humidity, and the lids were tightly sealed to prevent discoloration.
Even the warehouse built to store them wasn’t ordinary. Because silk is sensitive to moisture and pests, the warehouse was constructed to control humidity perfectly and seal it off from the outside.
Then, about a month ago, while doing an early-morning inspection, he spotted a hole.
A hole in the wall of the warehouse.
“A rat?”
At first, he thought it was a rat.
The hole looked just like a rat hole.
He assumed that, since the warehouse was built into the base of the mountain to stay cool, a rat must’ve made its way in from the mountainside.
Yang Wu quickly mobilized workers to inspect the warehouse.
Because if a rat had chewed through the silk, that would be a disaster.
But what they found was a lacquered case—with a hole in it.
“Wait, even the case?”
A box tucked in the corner had a hole.
In a panic, Yang Wu opened the box’s lid—and found the topmost bolt of silk completely gone.
Yang Wu was shocked.
“What in the world...!?”
The lid had been completely sealed before he opened it.
A rat might chew on silk, sure—but for a whole bolt to vanish entirely was unthinkable.
Even the paper wrapping the silk had a hole, but inside, the silk was just... gone.
As if the bolt had been extracted through the tiny hole.
It was beyond explanation.
He sealed the hole in the warehouse and laid poison from the warriors’ own supply.
But three days later.
The same hole reappeared in the exact spot, and another bolt of silk had disappeared from the same box.
This time, there were at least some traces—part of the silk had been reduced to powder and crumbs.
Yang Wu could no longer handle it alone and quickly reported to the main household.
And soon after, someone came from the main house—none other than the Clan Head himself.
“C-Clan Head! I-I’m so sorry!”
Seeing the Clan Head for the first time in a while, Yang Wu bowed and apologized.
After all, he had failed in his duty and caused great loss to the clan.
But after inspecting the warehouse, the Clan Head smiled and said,
“This isn’t your fault, so don’t worry. I won’t hold it against you.”
“Sir?”
He said he wouldn’t blame Yang Wu, which was a relief—but then gave a strange order.
Not to seal the hole or open the warehouse again.
Until So-ryong, the son-in-law of the Tang Clan, arrived.
And now, a month had passed.
A bolt disappeared every three days. Ten bolts had vanished so far, and Yang Wu’s nerves were shredded.
As he anxiously wondered when So-ryong would arrive, he started toward the warehouse—when suddenly, a warrior’s voice rang out from above.
“Oh! He’s coming!”
Yang Wu spun around and ran to the entrance.
There, against the morning sun, came that person—surrounded by numerous spirit beasts.
It was just like the rumors said.
A pair of massive twin serpents and a dazzling butterfly.
And the O-gong.
Watching the scene, Yang Wu recalled the order issued by the main house.
‘We were told not to speak that name, weren’t we?’
A few days ago, an order had come down from the main house.
When So-ryong arrived, there was a name they must never utter aloud.
It was unthinkable, of course—but based on the traces left in the warehouse, it looked like the culprit was a large silver-scaled fish (Euneo).
Yet for some reason, they had been strictly told never to say that name.
Why Euneo had to remain unspoken—Yang Wu still didn’t understand.
