A Foolish Wager for a Worthless Soul

If he had a son, Banya intended to pass down every martial art he knew to the child. No one in the world would ever dare look down on the eldest son of Hwa Banya. He would pave the most brilliant path for his son—one that Banya himself had never been able to tread. The misery he had suffered in his own childhood would ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠never be passed down to his flesh and blood.

On the other hand, if he had a daughter who looked exactly like his wife, Banya would ransack the entire world to give that tiny, precious girl everything her heart desired. He would drape her in gold and jewels so she would never have cause to envy a princess doted on by the Emperor. If the girl's ambitions grew so grand that she wished to become the Alliance Leader of Cheonsaryeon like her father, Banya would gladly make it happen. He would lay the entire world at her feet.

Well, he had indulged in such foolish daydreams for a brief moment. Utterly oblivious to the fact that Baekri Yeongso was merely biding her time, waiting for the perfect opportunity to kill her husband.

"Is her body coated in honey or something...?"

Why couldn't he develop an immunity to Baekri Yeongso? Though their marriage had lasted barely four months, they had coupled almost every single night, yet he never grew tired of her. He couldn't even conceive of another woman. Even though he had died by her hand, he still lost his mind the moment he laid eyes on his wife, behaving like a dog in heat.

Banya stared endlessly at the face of the wife who deserved a brutal punishment, until, without realizing it, he drifted off to sleep.

Is this a dream?

It was a place he had never seen before in his life. A crisp, refreshing scent drifted from the thin layer of mist. As Banya walked through an endless peach orchard, he spotted Yeongso kneeling on the ground. Just as he was about to press her, to demand if this too was part of her curse and if there was something else she hadn't confessed—

"You absolute scoundrel!"

A massive palm lunged out of the mist and slapped Banya across the face. Sparks flew before his eyes. Hwa Banya, the undisputed strongest master of the Unorthodox Path, was sent flying over a hundred feet like a scrap of paper until he slammed hard into a tree trunk.

Thud! Banya crashed against the tree and tumbled onto the dirt. An impact of that force should have snapped the peach tree in half, yet not a single leaf fell from its branches. Banya, however, groaned in agony, feeling as though his spine had been shattered. He wiped his mouth, his fingers coming away stained with blood.

"One for each cheek... Now take another!"

Another palm lunged from the mist, just like before. He tried to circulate his internal energy, but he felt absolutely nothing. He couldn't even duck to dodge. Once again, Banya was completely defenseless.

Thud! Slumping against a tree on the opposite side, Banya barely managed to push himself up. The palm that had struck him was large enough to grasp two grown men at once. Being hit by such a hand was practically equivalent to having his entire body battered. Coughing up a mouthful of blood, he wiped his lips with his sleeve.

"Hwa Banya, how dare you threaten your wife in the presence of the Queen Mother?"

The voice drifted down from atop the peach tree. Soon, a goddess with hair piled high like the night sky, draped in five-colored celestial robes, appeared amidst a flurry of scattering petals. Her shoes, embroidered with phoenixes, did not touch the ground, allowing her to look down on Banya despite his towering height of over six and a half feet.

As the goddess made to sit in midair, the petals swirled together to form a chair. She seated herself upon the floral throne and leaned against the armrest. She was a peerless beauty, looking down at the couple with an incredibly haughty gaze.

"How dare you stand tall before Seowangmo of Mount Kunlun? Even in a dream, you shall remain on your knees."

"Is this really just a dream...?"

"Impudent wretch. Mind your tongue. If I must graciously deign to answer, this is your dream and yet not your dream; it is the Peach Orchard of Mount Kunlun where I reside, and yet it is not. But whichever it may be, it is a place far beyond the reach of your petty strength, Hwa Banya."

Seowangmo glared at him with an expression that suggested she wanted to beat him to a pulp then and there.

"Baekri Yeongso was born with a celestial bone. It so happened that a vacancy had opened in my palace, and I was feeling rather lonely. I had intended to summon her to my side as my attendant when the time was right. Yet, because of a despicable wretch like you, this child's hands have been stained with blood. Do you understand the gravity of your sin?"

Banya tried to retort, but no sound came out of his mouth. It was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠just like when he had been slapped earlier and found himself unable to move. It seemed Seowangmo's claim that this was a place where Hwa Banya held no power was indeed the truth.

"Your wife claimed that those around you bear the responsibility for you turning out this way. She is not entirely wrong. However, not every human who suffers a miserable childhood becomes a monster like you. You must bear the blame for the man you have become."

Seowangmo slammed her hand onto the armrest, glaring down at Banya.

"Hwa Banya, in your mortal body, you have committed ten thousand grave sins. By all rights, you should have been pinned to a rock and struck by lightning for ten thousand years. A rock that burns hotter than fire when the sun rises, and freezes ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠colder than ice when the sun sets. Should you lose consciousness, thorns sharper than awls would pierce through the stone to tear your entrails to shreds, forcing you awake with a scream. And once that torment concluded, you were destined to be locked away in the pitch black for near eternity."

"And yet," Seowangmo continued.

"Baekri Yeongso begged me, even giving up her own chance at ascension. She pleaded to lessen her husband's severe punishment. When I refused to grant her request, your wife, audacious as she is..."

Seowangmo smiled faintly.

"...proposed a wager to the Goddess of Mount Kunlun."

"..."

"Are you not curious to know what that wager is?"

Banya stared blankly at Seowangmo. If you truly want to hear my answer, shouldn't you return my voice first? He hadn't been able to utter a single word since his brief mutter earlier. But Seowangmo merely clicked her tongue.

"Look at this insolent brat. Glaring at his elder when asked a question."

Then, with a smile brighter than the peach blossoms, Seowangmo addressed Yeongso.

"My dear, why don't you recite exactly what you said to me earlier?"

"Did you hear that?" Seowangmo shot a sharp glare at Banya.

"Can you imagine how utterly dumbfounded I was? Countless mortals beg of me, but rarely does one dare to propose a wager. And so, I decided to accept."

Banya stared at Yeongso, who remained kneeling. Unless she turned her head, he had no way of reading her expression. Her hair was styled up like a little rabbit's ears, adorned with dangling bead ornaments. No matter how intensely he stared at the back of her dark head, no answers came to him.

What on earth are you thinking? An intense irritation flared within him at his inability to comprehend her. I told you not to pray for anything on my behalf. Who said I wanted such a thing? It makes no sense for you to abandon your chance at becoming an immortal for my sake when you don't even truly care for me.

Banya was utterly dumbstruck. Why would one human go to such lengths for another—especially for a piece-of-shit husband? Was it guilt for having killed him? Sympathy? Pity? None of those emotions belonged to Hwa Banya. Ah, was it simply because Baekri Yeongso was born so pure and good that even the gods coveted her?

"Hwa Banya, if you perform ten thousand good deeds, you will be allowed to reincarnate as an ordinary human. You must perform at least one good deed every single day to safely ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠greet the next morning. However, the very moment you commit even a single evil act..."

Seowangmo's pupils dilated rapidly until her entire eyes turned pitch black. Within the goddess's gaze lay a primordial darkness so profound that merely looking into it felt like being swallowed whole.