Boom.
Flames caught on the Blood Demon’s body. However, the Blood Demon left the fire as it was and laughed.
“I did not even give you such a difficult task, so why are you angry? Is the road long for that brat to go to the Central Plains, or is it so hard to bring Tang Sohwa, with whom you’ve already gotten acquainted, here?”
Then he added words filled with meaning.
“Ah, are you worrying about Tang Sohwa rather than that brat?”
His counterpart did not give any kind of answer, but the Blood Demon went on speaking.
“There is nothing to worry about. I do not intend to put your subordinate in a bind, nor do I intend to kill Tang Sohwa. Besides, I am trying to do something good for you as well, so do not wear yourself out too much.”
Swish.
The Blood Demon reached out as if to stroke the Crimson Blood Hall Lord’s head like a dog he was raising, but his hand could not reach and flared red instead.
The Blood Demon’s face twisted.
“...It seems fast growth is not only a good thing.”
Fwoosh.
An acupoint opened in the Blood Demon’s body.
The cold air trapped in his palm rushed out the instant the acupoint opened and wrapped around his arm. The heat clinging to his hand soon quieted down.
The Blood Demon lightly shook his hand and said,
“Mm, at this rate, I worry the day may truly come when I die at your hands.”
“So you still weren’t worrying about that?”
For the first time, Min Hae-rak’s reply came back. His voice, full of murderous intent, brushed right past the Blood Demon’s ear.
Crack.
The Crimson Blood Hall Lord’s hand touched the back of the Blood Demon’s neck.
Their acupoints meshed at once. Just as Hae-rak tried to push heat in, his wrist was seized.
His palm, which had fallen short by a hair, blazed hotly in midair.
The faces of the Blood Demon and Hae-rak drew close enough that they might touch.
The Blood Demon whispered in a small voice, like someone confiding a secret.
“Did I not say it was also something good for you? Listen.”
“What would be good for me is you dying. Are you planning to die here? In that case, I’d be willing to listen.”
“I think this is something better than that.”
Since he put it that way, Hae-rak, too, stopped. He had grown curious what could be better than that.
To be precise, what that bastard thought was good for him, and that bizarre sense of judgment, got on his nerves.
“Do they not say life is more precious than death? I intend to entrust you with the noble work of creating a new life.”
Hae-rak let out a hollow laugh. He had already heard talk like that countless times. The Blood Demon had shoved a woman into his room, calling her an unparalleled beauty, and had once burned some unheard-of aphrodisiac to force his body to move.
Treating a person like a breeding stallion, he still considered that some great act of grace.
Since he regarded frames as insignificant creatures, it was only natural he would mistake such things for consideration.
Just as Hae-rak was letting go of his curiosity, a familiar name reached his ears.
“You seem to be well matched in nature with Sohwa, so I personally came to you in order to attach that child to you.”
Min Hae-rak’s gaze shot up at once.
The Blood Demon’s face, his lips stretched in a line all the way up to beneath his ears, filled his vision.
The Blood Demon’s eyes flashed, as if he liked Hae-rak’s reaction.
“I am looking forward to the frame you and Sohwa will make. If you create a frame that pleases me as much as I expect, I will be able to forgive the two of you.”
“You insane bastard.”
For the first time, the Crimson Blood Hall Lord lost his composure and cursed from the heart.
But the Blood Demon still looked to be in a good mood.
“Even to you, is that not a generous condition? If you merely take a woman for whom you feel desire, embrace her under cover of my name, I will vent my anger and forgive you. On top of that, I intend to bestow great mercy on you.”
The Blood Demon spoke in a slow voice.
“If you produce a frame that pleases me, I will give you the Great Desert. I no longer intend to hide myself from the world, so it is fine if you take charge of the Great Desert. It means you no longer have to hide the Sun Palace Lord’s bloodline.”
It was as good as saying he would not hold their crime against them and would acknowledge him as Palace Lord.
On one condition: that they hand over a child carrying his blood.
“Don’t move.”
The sound of grinding teeth rang out across the desert.
The Crimson Blood Hall Lord spoke to Min Doyu.
He had felt Min Doyu waver.
Hae-rak considered the most untrustworthy being in the world to be the Blood Demon. The man had no need to keep promises. Even if he broke them, what could anyone do to him?
To interpret this man’s words properly, he only had to focus on one thing.
On what the man wanted.
That alone was the truth.
What he wanted was a new frame.
When Hae-rak did not waver, the Blood Demon addressed Min Doyu.
“You would do well to hurry. As you can see, your superior is a fool who rejects my generosity, so if you’re too late, this fellow might already be dead even if you do bring Tang Sohwa.”
The Blood Demon clicked his tongue.
“I’ll try not to let my Hae-rak die, but you know, don’t you? Just how eccentric this fellow’s temper is. He might fall the same way his elder sister did...”
Boom.
The Blood Demon could not go on. The onslaught pouring down on him was fierce, and the strike of the Sun Palace descendant who had grown stronger inflicted heavy damage even on his body.
However, Hae-rak’s effort to shut the Blood Demon’s mouth proved pointless.
Swish.
Min Doyu, who had risen from the sand dune, turned and started to run away.
In the end, the Blood Demon’s crafty proposal had shaken the Sun Palace descendant’s heart.
Even knowing very well what would happen once he brought her, the Vice Hall Lord had no choice but to head toward the Central Plains.
***
When night fell, the Zhuge family manor grew quiet. It had never been a place of great commotion to begin with, but lately the household had become even more subdued.
The Family Head and the elders had been locked in a lengthy meeting, and the martial artists beneath them, watching the mood, were quietly focusing on their training.
Not long ago, a request for support had come from headquarters. The message said it seemed a demonic sect had risen up in Sichuan, and asked them either to go as support or to come to headquarters and add their opinion to sending out a martial force.
Zhuge Cheonyu, feeling stifled for no good reason, left the hall and strolled along the pond.
Because lanterns hung here and there lit the garden brightly, she could clearly see the fish moving beneath the surface of the pond. The way the red carp thrashed about noisily made it look as if the pond were on fire.
'Sichuan... does that mean they’re targeting the Tang manor...?'
The Tang manor was oddly close to the Blood Cult.
It was not so much that they exchanged contact as that they acted as if they were dogging the Blood Cult’s heels.
So Zhuge Cheonyu did not take the demonic sect’s outbreak as a simple declaration of war against the Martial Alliance.
'Isn’t this revenge...'
Not long ago, Brother Inhwi and Young Lady Tang had revealed to the world the method to neutralize the Blood Demon’s weapons.
They had drawn the Dokgo out of the body and even neutralized the drug that manipulated memories, so the enemy’s fighting power had been greatly weakened.
The Blood Cult must have spent a long time and considerable effort planting agents, so it was only natural their temper would be running hot.
Even so, Zhuge Cheonyu could not shake the fear that had risen in her heart.
Sagye Hall was under Brother Inhwi’s authority, and it was said that Young Lady Tang had uncovered the Blood Demon’s weapon by Sagye Hall’s order.
Yet how could the Blood Cult take revenge on the Tang manor and pay no attention to the Zhuge family?
She lifted her head.
The refined halls entered her eyes. Though not gaudy, each material was so costly that it exuded dignity.
More than the elegant view, it was the peaceful atmosphere enveloping the family that struck her more keenly.
'How can the Zhuge family be this at ease?'
If the Tang manor was being subjected to revenge, then the Zhuge family also ought, by rights, to be shrouded in an uneasy mood, yet the elders of the household all looked tranquil.
She could not simply let that pass.
From early on, the Family Head and the elders had tried to teach the “Heaven, Earth, and Man” brothers everything about the family, but when it came to their precious daughter, they hushed up family matters.
From time to time, Zhuge Jihwi would secretly tell Zhuge Cheonyu about the family’s affairs or watch her martial arts, and every time he did, Brother Jihwi would be severely scolded by Father.
This time as well, something she did not know about had to be going on.
Though Zhuge Cheonyu was of the direct line, she felt frustrated that she could not know anything, but there was nothing she could do except let out a sigh where no one was around.
“The ground is going to cave in.”
“Brother!”
Startled, Zhuge Cheonyu twisted her body. As she stepped on her skirt and started to fall backward, Zhuge Jihwi caught her hand.
“What are you worrying about that you’re out here like this alone at such a late hour?”
“Has the meeting just ended?”
“Yes.”
Wondering whether to ask how the situation was going, Zhuge Cheonyu suddenly ran her eyes up and down Zhuge Jihwi.
“...Are you going somewhere?”
“I’m going to drop by headquarters.”
“Headquarters?”
Zhuge Cheonyu asked cautiously,
“Could it be that we’ve decided to go as support to Sichuan?”
“No, that is still under discussion.”
It was not a positive answer.
Zhuge Jihwi swallowed those words and showed her a smile.
“It seems the Sagye Hall Administrator has something to ask me. They sent someone in a great hurry, so I plan to go at once.”
“The Sagye Hall Administrator? Brother Inhwi?”
Zhuge Cheonyu’s eyes widened even more than when she had asked about their response to the demonic sect’s outbreak.
“No, did Brother Inhwi really send a letter to us? Is the world going to end tomorrow or something?”
When Zhuge Cheonyu reacted as if she might faint from shock, Zhuge Jihwi let out a wry laugh.
“I am just as startled as you and just as curious about the reason.”
For the first time, his younger brother had invited him to headquarters, saying he wanted to speak directly, yet Zhuge Jihwi’s face was dark.
They had had no particular reason for their relationship to improve, so most likely, something had come up for which Inhwi had no choice but to ask only him for help.
Zhuge Jihwi had several possible reasons in mind, so he took a deep breath. He himself had come to the pond to steady his mood before going out, but there was already a guest who had arrived ahead of him.
Zhuge Jihwi straightened the sleeve of his younger sister, who was feeling left out.
“The night wind is cold, so don’t stay too long and go in.”
“Yes, when you come back, I’ll also...”
“All right. If it is something I can tell you, I’ll tell you, so let’s talk again tomorrow.”
Zhuge Jihwi gave her a gentle smile and left the pond.
Zhuge Cheonyu let out a bitter breath. Judging by how he said they would talk again tomorrow, it seemed he had no intention of telling her.
Zhuge Cheonyu sat down on a rock, watching the carp swim leisurely about. As she continued to watch those small, relaxed movements, she was reminded of a martial artist who cherished even the life of a tiny creature.
He was said to be cold-natured and to trail rumors that his martial skills lagged far behind.
But the Young Clan Head of the Tang manor she had seen with her own eyes, though his impression was cool, was a warm person who knew how to show consideration even to small creatures.
'And his martial skills were absurd.'
Zhuge Cheonyu brushed at her skirt for no real reason.
It was not only the affairs inside the Zhuge family she did not know. There was hardly anything she properly knew about what went on outside either.
Thinking that the things she wanted to know were only growing more numerous, Zhuge Cheonyu let the night pass.
