Mu Geuk Cheon Hwa
"What tea would you like, sir?"
"Anything's fine."
"Then we'll prepare Dragon Well tea."
Chu Tae Su's gentle words drew a tense, overly eager response from the waiter, who was practically quivering with nerves.
"Y-yes, sir!"
The First Demon Realm.
Situated right beneath the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult's main headquarters, it was packed with every convenience imaginable for the cult's high-ranking members—not to mention prestigious families outside the Six Great Demonic Clans.
But even if the staff here dealt with cult elites on the daily, a family head from one of the Six Great Demonic Clans was a whole different level.
No wonder the waiter was scared stiff.
"Uh, make mine iced, please."
"Pardon?"
"I said iced."
"R-right away! Someone find an Ice Arts expert!"
Nothing cleared the mind like an iced Americano, but coffee wasn't an option here. And this place stuck so faithfully to the world's lore that tea had to be piping hot—no exceptions.
[Your idea of iced tea is the weird part, you fool.]
Pa Cheon grumbled.
[Speaking of which, I sensed it at the gathering too. That Protector of his...]
Behind Chu Tae Su stood a lanky Protector with his bamboo hat pulled low, obscuring his face.
[Something's off about him. I can barely sense his energy.]
Pa Cheon had achieved the Three Flowers Gather at the Summit, however imperfectly. If even he was picking up weird vibes from the guy's qi flow, there was definitely something fishy.
I glanced at the Protector, and Chu Tae Su, following my gaze, spoke up.
"My Protector here isn't much of a talker."
A schemer like Chu Tae Su paired with someone whose energy was hard to read? I could guess what that meant.
"No worries. I'll just sprinkle some salt when I get home."
Chu Tae Su's eyes narrowed slightly at my words.
Damn, that was unnecessary—I'd only tacked it on because this guy's vibe was wearing me down.
I quickly changed the subject.
"So. You said you had something to tell me about the fire bird?"
Perfect timing—the Dragon Well tea arrived. Had they actually rushed out and hired an Ice Arts master? Thin ice crystals floated in my cup. Cube ice would've been better, but this would do.
"That's right. Oh, this tea is exquisite. I should come here more often."
"Th-thank you, sir!"
The waiter bowed while backing away as fast as his legs could carry him.
"Anyway. First off, congratulations. To think you've been chosen as the Supreme One's fiancée."
"Nothing's set in stone yet."
"Hahaha. If not the head of the Sado family, then who could be the Supreme One's consort? That trial? It's as good as yours already."
"If you're just gonna beat around the bush, I'm leaving. As you can see, I've finished my tea."
"How much do you know about the fire bird that appeared in the Red Dragon Realm?"
"Hmm. Enough to know it's no ordinary spirit beast. I mean, look what it did to Hyeok Mun."
Not just beat him—it had him showing up bandaged. Though it wasn't life-threatening; probably just some burns. In the modern world, burns were serious, but for a Super Peak expert treated by Ma Ui? A few months' rest and he'd be good as new.
Chu Tae Su nodded at my words.
"Exactly. Lord Hyeok may be a bit hot-headed, but he's been a Super Peak master for decades. Any normal spirit beast would've been caught the second it showed up."
"You're not calling me here for something everyone already knows."
"What if I told you this?"
Chu Tae Su leaned in with a sly tone.
"What if that fire bird isn't a spirit beast... but a divine beast?"
Divine beast.
Animals that gained spiritual energy were called spirit beasts. Among them, those with extraordinary powers, immense strength, and even the ability to communicate with humans were known as divine beasts.
The prime example? The Red Dragon—the one the Red Dragon Revolution Family claimed as their ancestor.
"That's common speculation too. Can I go now?"
Was Chu Tae Su getting a protagonist-induced intelligence nerf just by being around me? A Super Peak getting embarrassed? Obviously no ordinary spirit beast.
"What if we identified exactly which divine beast it is?"
I sat back down.
"You identified it?"
"They called it a fire bird because flames obscure its form... but we've uncovered its true identity."
"What do you want?"
Chu Tae Su covered his mouth and chuckled softly. Honestly, a middle-aged guy pulling off that chuunibyou mastermind act was getting on my nerves.
"Want? Nothing."
"...Nothing?"
"That's right. Nothing."
As if Chu Tae Su would share intel for free.
"Better tell me your real angle upfront. I don't like being played."
"Angle? This is purely out of goodwill."
Goodwill was the last word that fit Chu Tae Su. Like I said, the guy's about 0.7 Sado Gwang levels of scheming.
"I figured you wouldn't believe me otherwise. The fire bird is Mu Geuk Cheon Hwa."
"Mu Geuk Cheon Hwa..."
Rang a bell somewhere. Literal translation: Eternal Heavenly Flame. Pretty grandiose. I think it got a passing mention in the setting bible.
"You seem to recognize it. Correct. It's a direct bloodline of the Four Directional Gods' Vermilion Bird."
Vermilion Bird—Suzaku, as it's mangled in modern contexts for laughs—but in this world, it wasn't a joke.
The four beings upholding the world: the Four Directional Gods. True divine beasts in every sense. Beast in form, but no mere animals. They'd never appeared directly in Return to the Murim—just inferred from texts.
'A direct descendant of the Four Directional Gods... Yeah, the story's diverged way too much from canon.'
I'd chatted with Pa Cheon before about fixing this body's constitution. One key item was a spirit core from a spirit beast carrying the Four Directional Gods' power.
Those cores only showed up mid-to-late game in Return to the Murim, obtained via trade, not direct encounters. Vague stuff like "spirit core from a XX caught in some backwater."
Divine beasts? Final arc material at earliest.
[Isn't this a chance to fix my body?!]
Pa Cheon was thrilled, but who knew.
Solving one of those countless challenges might not fully restore me.
Still, researching with Ma Ui could lead somewhere.
Anyway, if it really was Mu Geuk Cheon Hwa like Chu Tae Su said, Hyeok Mun getting owned made sense.
"How'd you confirm it's Vermilion Bird blood?"
"Our family uses sorcery, of course. Some spells command divine beasts—pinning down its identity was simple."
Chu Tae Su continued.
"How can we assist? With our help, you'd catch it in no time."
"So that's your goal."
"Goal? Just offering goodwill."
"No need."
"Is it because of that kid with the amusing talents? Cho Ryang, was it?"
I gripped my cup hard. It shattered.
"You seem awfully interested in other families' business?"
"Perish the thought. Dok Ma's been singing his praises nonstop—said he's unusually gifted for an orphan."
His banter was a veiled warning. No other reason to bring up Cho Ryang's origins, using Dok Ma as a shield.
"Thanks for the info, but anything more is meddling."
"Naturally. Though... as I mentioned at the Six Clans gathering, the Il Wol Realm borders the Red Dragon Realm. Since you're tackling the trial anyway, why not do it sooner?"
Bullshit. If it were that innocent, he wouldn't smirk like that.
"I'm leaving."
"A pleasure talking. Until next time."
Speak for yourself.
[What's your plan? Cho Ryang after all? Demon, did you seek him out when you first returned to the cult because you foresaw all this?]
'Something like that. But first...'
I felt like I was about to collapse.
'Let's talk after some sleep. I'm dying here.'
Still, duty called.
Back home, I dictated a letter for Cho Ryang and crashed.
When I woke, two full days had passed.
I'd slept straight through without stirring. No dreams, nothing.
Good call ordering no visitors.
Two days of solid rest sharpened my mind. Looked like mental fatigue hit me harder than physical.
[Thought you were dead.]
"Knew I wasn't."
[Just saying.]
Pa Cheon rattled excitedly, like he was itching for action.
[Let's tackle that trial! Four Directional Gods power!]
"Calm down. Won't be easy."
[That's why we hurry!]
"First, summon Cho Ryang. I'm starving—might as well eat together."
I sent a servant with the message.
A bit later...
A feast fit for Manhanjeonseok appeared, and Cho Ryang arrived.
"You called, my lord—oh!"
"Lunch?"
"Ate... but... hehe..."
"At your age, you're always hungry. Join me?"
"Thank you!"
Cho Ryang bowed and sat across from me.
The kid had seemed rough and rebellious at first, but now? Pure innocence.
Seeing him tugged at old memories—hurt a bit. He wasn't born a rebel. Just thorns to protect himself, growing up parentless.
"Mu Geuk Cheon Hwa... nom nom... that's why... nom nom... you called..."
"Eat first, talk later."
Couldn't let him hog all the meat, though.
Stuffed, I got to business.
"So, looked into Mu Geuk Cheon Hwa?"
"Yep. Not in our library, but Dok Ma's had info."
"Dok Ma's?"
"Yep."
"Tell me."
Cho Ryang beamed proudly.
"Mu Geuk Cheon Hwa is a divine beast with thick Vermilion Bird blood—one of the Four Directional Gods. A massive bird with blazing flame feathers. Its blood purifies nearly all corruption, and its spirit core grants at least a decade's worth of extreme yang qi."
Despite its fierce, fiery image, it was cautious and hated fighting.
'...So why's it wrecking the Red Dragon Realm?'
That didn't match.
Either Chu Tae Su was wrong, or something happened to it.
"Any ideas on catching it?"
"I could probably snag it if I got close... but it's too cautious to land."
"Tricky."
"Likes pure, high-heat flames, though."
"...Oh ho?"
Struck gold.
Didn't I know someone who spat pure, scorching flames?
I grabbed Cho Ryang and headed straight there.
"Me?"
Yeah, you.