Chapter 6: I Became the Childhood Friend of the Demonic Cult’s Young Leader (1)
Chapter 6: I Became the Childhood Friend of the Demonic Cult’s Young Leader (1)
Once the chaos following the duel had been settled, I was finally able to hear the full story—but only after I had soaked my body in a medicinal bath within the Purple Tiger Hall.
Nang-rang spoke as she tossed strange, dried grasses into the hellish herbal concoction.
"The third daughter of the Heavenly Demon?"
"Yes, Young Master."
"I mean, why on earth would someone from the Demonic Cult come all the way here... No, more importantly, is our family even on good terms with them? Did we have some kind of prior relationship?"
"Not particularly, no."
What exactly was the Demonic Cult?
Strictly speaking, the term was a general label for illegal religious organizations that deceived the masses. In medieval China, numerous cults stemming from Taoism or Buddhism cropped up, and those that drew the ire of the central government were often branded as "Demonic Cults."
However, in this era, there was only one sect that people specifically referred to as the Demonic Cult: the Heavenly Demon Cult.
They were located on the distant Mount Tian—a foreign religion that wasn't even technically within the administrative boundaries of the Central Plains.
And here we were in Shuntian Prefecture, Beijing, Hebei. On a map, that was the distance between the eastern and western edges of the Central Plains. It would probably be faster to travel to Vietnam from here, at least there was a sea route for that.
And yet, they sent their third daughter across that vast distance?
"So, why is she in that state?"
"Ah, well... from what I've heard, she suffered some... some issues as a result of side effects while practicing demonic arts as a child..."
"The fact that you're describing it as just 'some issues' tells me exactly how bold the Demonic Cult's primary education must be."
I sank deeper into the tub and pondered.
I had expected an arranged marriage. After all, this was at least five hundred years too early for the arrival of the "lewd and decadent culture of the Western barbarians" known as dating for love.
In this age, the opinions of the parties involved didn't matter. Arranged marriage was common sense once you were born into this world.
I just didn't expect it to happen at age seven.
And I certainly didn't expect my in-laws to be the Demonic Cult.
‘Considering I’m the youngest, they’ll almost certainly send me away as a matrilocal son-in-law.’
Adapting to life on the distant Mount Tian was one thing, but could I live as the "Superstar of the Hebei Peng Family" over there? Not a chance. It wasn't like they would coddle me out of fear of the Peng Family's prestige.
No matter how great the Demonic Cult's martial arts were, the techniques they’d teach a mere son-in-law would undoubtedly be inferior to what a direct descendant of the Hebei Peng Family would learn.
And there was one more problem.
The idea of marrying a beast I couldn't even communicate with was a major sticking point. If her condition was a side effect of demonic arts, it didn't seem like something I could fix just by being around her. And once she got older, there was a 99% chance she’d be able to beat me up...
‘Yeah, I really don't want to get married.’
I splashed around aimlessly in the tub, lost in thought.
I remained submerged in the greatest dilemma of my life at age 7 (+27).
*
5. I Became the Childhood Friend of the Little Heavenly Demon.
Commonly referred to by the Orthodox Faction as the Demonic Cult.
To use a more respectful title, the Heavenly Demon Cult.
And by its traditional sectarian name, the Sixth Heaven Esoteric Buddhism.
The overlord of the distant Mount Tian, a ruler of far-off lands evaluated as the most powerful single entity among the countless sects of the vast Central Plains.
Seo Wi-ryang, the Law-Enforcing Elder of the Senate and one of the top ten most powerful figures within that cult, sat at a desk in the guest hall, pressing his fingers against his brow.
"Kill... Please kill us!!"
"Indeed, that is my intention."
At Seo Wi-ryang's grim voice, the maidservants turned pale and trembled violently.
However, Seo Wi-ryang did not immediately strike down the maids who had failed to prevent the Little Heavenly Demon's escape. He merely let out a long sigh.
"However, since we have been invited as guests of the Peng Family, it would be ill-omened to shed blood... Your transgressions will be strictly judged once we return to the Cult. Begone."
"Yes, yes, milord...!!"
The maids scrambled out of the guest hall, shaking with fear.
Now, only he and the Little Heavenly Demon—who lay unconscious and wrapped in bandages from the aftermath of the duel—remained.
He looked at her with complicated eyes.
‘This marriage must happen.’
If word got out that a direct descendant of the Peng Family had thrashed the Little Heavenly Demon during her visit to finalize the marriage proposal, the Cult would have to cancel the engagement just to save face. Even if it happened because of the Little Heavenly Demon's own provocation, the result would be the same.
But that could not happen. This marriage had to be finalized.
"Hwa-yeong."
"..."
"I know you are awake."
At Seo Wi-ryang's words, Im Hwa-yeong opened her eyes. Her pupils, overflowing with demonic energy and devoid of almost any reason, turned toward him.
Even though he knew his words wouldn't reach her, Seo Wi-ryang began to vent his frustrations.
"You child. How can you not know that this marriage with the Peng Family is your best option? Do you intend to die as a mere demonic creature?"
"..."
"If you live under the Peng Family's protection, they will look after you, if only out of respect for our Cult's might. But if you stay under the Cult's wing, you won't survive more than ten years. That is why... I told you to stay quiet until the marriage was settled."
Seo Wi-ryang felt a pang of sorrow.
A genius. No, a natural disaster. A talent bordering on calamitous.
Because her entire body's meridians had been optimized for divine arts since infancy, she was a prodigy who had entered the path of cultivation before she could even walk. That was the evaluation Im Hwa-yeong had once received.
She was the child expected to one day sit upon the throne of the Heavenly Demon.
However, because she had begun her training too early, she had been consumed by demonic energy—a pitiful child.
When everyone in the Cult had abandoned her as a failure, he was the only one who took her in. He was the one who had tried to shelter, raise, and teach the child who had grown up like a beast, understanding nothing.
Therefore, he did not look at her with the eyes of an Elder looking at a Little Heavenly Demon. Instead, with the eyes of a foster father looking at a reckless daughter, he wiped her damp forehead and spoke.
"You must live happily. If only... if only you can come to understand what happiness is."
The child let out a low growl and nipped at Seo Wi-ryang's finger.
*
About a week had passed since the shocking first meeting (where I thrashed my fiancée in front of her family).
It was a day when a pleasant, misty rain was falling from a cloudy sky.
I was practicing the Heart-Protecting Fist at the training ground as usual when I suddenly felt a gaze and turned my head.
"..."
"..."
In the distance, I saw something that felt exactly like a stray cat. Specifically, it was perched atop a zelkova tree hanging over the wall of the Purple Tiger Hall's outer training ground.
"Nang-rang...? Nang-rang?"
"Yes, Young Master? Do you need something?"
"Something strange showed up at our house again."
I pointed toward the wall with my left hand, which was clad in a gauntlet. There, the Little Heavenly Demon of the Demonic Cult was crouched, glaring at me as if she were about to hiss.
"Why is she here again?"
Seriously, how does her family manage their pets?
She was getting drenched by the misty rain, water droplets dripping down her pale face.
"Where do I go to report a stray animal...?"
I let out a deep sigh and stood up. At the same time, she flinched, curling her body and releasing a rather menacing aura. I gave her a look and said, "Nang-rang, bring me an umbrella."
"Didn't you say umbrellas are for those who have nothing left to wash away in their hearts?"
"She clearly looks like she has plenty."
I walked into the main building of the Purple Tiger Hall, snapped open the paper umbrella Nang-rang brought, and sighed again.
*
Im Hwa-yeong sat silently atop the wall of the Purple Tiger Hall amidst the falling rain.
The injuries she had sustained had long since healed. As far as external wounds went, the Peng Family's medicine was excellent, and she wasn't weak enough for such injuries to be fatal in the first place.
So, the moment she opened her eyes, the first thing she felt was curiosity.
While methods varied between sects and families, the basic framework of education was generally consistent. Once a child could read, they built the foundation of their internal energy; once they could walk and run, they established their base with the sect's basic arts and external arts.
In other words, seven was not an age where one had learned anything that could truly be called martial arts. At most, it was an age for training the lower body with the Horse Stance or the Bear Stance, as they weren't even old enough to sit in the lotus position proficiently.
Therefore, that duel had been a first for Im Hwa-yeong as well.
The first time she had exchanged moves with someone, the first time she had competed for victory or defeat.
And the first time she had met someone her own age.
She was the only daughter of the Heavenly Demon—the youngest, at that. Who would have dared to even lay a finger on her?
So, curiosity was bound to precede embarrassment, anger, or a competitive spirit. If Peng Hyeon-hwi had heard this, he would have mocked her, saying, "Is this the 'you're the first person to treat me like this' trope?" but hilariously, it was actually true.
"Mmm. Mmm."
Im Hwa-yeong stared blankly at Peng Hyeon-hwi as he practiced his forms under the rain.
Due to the side effects of the demonic energy she had accumulated since childhood, organized thought was still impossible for her, and yet...
If she were to barely piece together the thoughts scattered amidst the surging demonic energy—
It's very strange. That was the kind of thought she held.
Then, when their eyes met, she stared back in her own way. But the boy suddenly stood up and disappeared somewhere.
"Hmm..."
She let out a disappointed sigh and sat down on the wall, tapping her feet.
—Shhhhhh.
The cold raindrops that had been tapping against the tip of her nose vanished. A long shadow was cast against the dusky afternoon sky.
The sound of raindrops pitter-pattering continued, but it wasn't nearly as cold anymore.
"..."
When she looked up, the boy she had been watching was standing there. He held a large umbrella straight, looking down at her as she sat.
"Good grief."
"..."
"Come inside. Don't just sit here in the rain."
Peng Hyeon-hwi let out a heavy sigh with a complicated expression, pressed the umbrella into her hand, and turned around.
"Nang-rang, a towel and... no, never mind. Take her and dry her off, then give her some new clothes. Light a fire in the room."
"Yes, Young Master."
"Tell the guest hall that she's here again."
"Yes, Young Master."
"How does that family even manage their kid... No, wait. They're my in-laws. Sigh."
Im Hwa-yeong followed behind Peng Hyeon-hwi as he grumbled words she couldn't quite understand, and she let out a small giggle.
It really is strange, she thought.
"It's late, so eat dinner before you go back."
Hearing Peng Hyeon-hwi's voice, Im Hwa-yeong nodded vigorously.
*
It seems she’s scared of me now.
"Grrr...!!"
"Hey, stay still. Paw!"
"Grrr..."
"Paw!"
"...Mmm..."
Seeing how she immediately corrected her posture whenever I got angry or glared at her, I was almost certain. She had probably never been hit by anyone before.
Then again, there wasn't a single person in the Demonic Cult crazy enough to beat the Heavenly Demon's youngest daughter until she passed out.
Which meant this was the only window of time where discipline through fear would work.
‘The fact that the parties involved have personally visited the family means the marriage talks are almost finalized.’
Beyond just exchanging opinions through a matchmaker, the fact that they had brought the girl herself to stay at the other family's estate meant the progress was faster than I had anticipated.
Therefore, there was a very high probability this marriage would happen. If the engagement were broken after the Little Heavenly Demon had personally visited, it would be a massive blow to the Demonic Cult's pride.
In an arranged marriage aimed at an alliance between families, there was no reason to make an enemy of the other side. My family was almost certainly going to send me away as a matrilocal son-in-law.
So, while she was showing me both "fear" and "curiosity"...
‘I’ll train her until she at least looks like a human being.’
The socialization period for a young puppy lasts until six months of age. Translating that to a human life cycle, it would be around five or six years old.
As it happened, her age was said to be six.
Then I would make the most of this golden window to "discipline" her! At the very least, to the point where she wouldn't turn me into "Peng/Hyeon-hwi" after we were married!
"There are no bad dogs."
"Pardon? Young Master? What on earth are you...?"
"Because all dogs are wonderful."
Ignoring the strange look Nang-rang was giving me, I pressed a spoon into the girl's hand.
"Grrr?"
"Ah, you don't know? This is called a 'spoon.' Chopsticks will be too difficult for you yet, so let's start by swallowing soup with a spoon... If you use this, you can eat rice and soup without getting your hands wet!"
"Ugh...?"
"Now, go on... No! Don't swing it! Wait! Stop! Paw!!"
"Grrr!!"
From that day on, the daily routine of Trainer Peng Hyeon-hwi, an authority on Alpha Dog theory, was added to my schedule.
*
"How on earth."
Seo Wi-ryang muttered as he stared blankly at the events unfolding in the main building of the Purple Tiger Hall.
"How... just how?"
He watched Im Hwa-yeong as she sat before a set table in the main building, awkwardly holding a spoon and sipping soup.
"She's... eating?"
Normally? Without getting angry? Using a utensil? And doing it calmly?