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102
After I entered the Dokgo Clan estate, Dokgo Yeon stopped coughing up blood.
The only thing I'd done was accidentally spray her body with spirit medicine, but I had created an environment out of sight where she was unlikely to suffer hematemesis.
"My lord, how did you do it?"
"It's a secret."
"Won't you teach me?"
"Once I've completely cured the Eighteen Yin Torment Severed Meridian."
I kept the method hidden from the two of them. They both remained deeply unconvinced that the treatment was dual cultivation, but they had no choice but to believe my words.
"It's truly strange. As you said, my lord, simply performing the yin-yang union at the Dokgo Clan estate was enough to stop Miss Yeon's hematemesis."
"Is sex really the answer? Hmm... If she'd kept her virginity, she would've died young at twenty."
"......"
I dodged the question by sipping my tea.
"The tea aroma is excellent. No surprise, coming from the Murim Alliance Leader's clan. Every single tea leaf is high-grade."
I tried to forcibly change the subject, and fortunately, the two of them gave up prying, just as I intended.
"That's because everything here was inspected several times by the Alliance."
"It's good. Comparable to what you'd find on the Heavenly Mountain."
Sagong Hee and Lee Si-a freely enjoyed the tea I'd brewed and chatted. After the Murim Alliance people left, we fixed the broken bed and gathered in my room again.
The only woman absent from this room—Dokgo Yeon—hadn't come out of the kitchen because she was preparing a late lunch.
— Please stay put! I'll take care of the meal.
Part of it was discomfort at facing us, but she also felt a sense of responsibility as the mistress of the Dokgo Clan to serve us.
"My lord, should I go help too?"
"Hee, aside from peeling fruit, don't even think about stepping into the kitchen."
"You're so mean. I've trained hard in my own way, you know."
Sagong Hee revealed her confidence.
"I'm now capable of making boiled pork slices!"
"Forget dishes that just need to boil vigorously for hours. Name a dish you can make within one hour."
Sagong Hee turned as silent as a mute who'd eaten honey. When she mentioned boiled pork, I had my suspicions, and sure enough, Sagong Hee was still terrible at controlling heat.
Should I be thankful she at least succeeded at boiling, where you just leave the fire on and fish the food out after a long time?
'In martial terms, you could say she's just reached the 1st Star of Fire Cooking.'
She still had the martial forms from the 2nd to the 10th Star—stir-frying, grilling, deep-frying, pan-frying, searing, stewing, blanching, steeping, and braising—but the day she eventually mastered all these forms and reached the 10th Star, Sagong Hee would become the master of the kitchen.
Although that day would never come.
"Pfft. You can use a sword so well but can't do anything else, huh?"
"I-I'm only bad at using fire! What about you?"
"Me? I'm the complete superhuman."
Lee Si-a sneered at the thoroughly deflated Sagong Hee. Just as they both craved my Yang Energy, the two of them, desperate to devour each other, badmouthed one another at every chance.
"Speaking of which, as a super-genius who understood the formula of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art at age seven—"
"Lee Si-a, don't you even think about loitering near the kitchen."
At my words, Lee Si-a's mouth fell open in shock. Her expression plainly betrayed a sense of betrayal, as if she'd never expected I would say such a thing.
"H-Hmph! Fine, I'm the princess of the Heavenly Demon Cult. It doesn't make sense for someone like me to enter a kitchen."
"The moment you enter the kitchen for cooking or anything else, I will return the alias of Sky-Soaring. Don't enter the kitchen if you don't want to fight a life-or-death duel with me."
"...You didn't have to go that far."
Lee Si-a pouted, genuinely upset. But I already knew about her catastrophically destructive housework skills, so I had no choice but to make this threat.
Had I been living with her all this time treating her like a princess? No.
"My lord, what kind of skills does Shia have to make you...?"
"Terrible!"
'A level worse than third-rate.'
I knew this well from going on the run with the future Heavenly Demon for about a week.
Because of the provisions she burned, we had to starve over and over, and my loyalty—already headed for rock bottom—plummeted even further with every missed meal.
'Honestly, anyone who's tasted that bizarre cooking would have good reason to betray her.'
Lee Si-a helping meant doing nothing, just staying still like a doll.
"Sagong Hee, I'll give you a clear order. If Lee Si-a tries to enter the kitchen, kick her backside. And then tell me."
"H-Hmph. You think I'll bend to that? You've trampled all over a woman's pride—"
"If I catch you, I won't give you any Yang Energy. Don't try anything."
"......"
Lee Si-a's eyes even brimmed with genuinely aggrieved tears. I know it's an act, but it was half-sincere, which made my heart ache.
'Even so, no.'
I hardened my heart. Don't be deceived by a woman's tears. If I didn't put my foot down now, I'd end up living in a house where the kitchen exploded time and again.
— Heavenly Demon Heaven-Earth Reversal!
If I asked her to flip a pancake, she'd flip the whole house along with the grill.
— Heavenly Demon Qi Wave!
If I told her to shake water out of laundry, she'd not only launch qi waves by snapping the cloth but tear it all to shreds.
— Heavenly Demon Single Flash!
If I asked her to sweep the floor with a broom, she'd carve countless sword marks into it and split the house apart.
Lee Si-a just needs to eat. She's an existence that must do absolutely nothing regarding housework.
"Shia, it's okay."
Sagong Hee pulled Lee Si-a into her chest and patted her gently.
"Even if my lord says things like that, he's picking on you because he wants you to grow. I also got smacked on the forehead with a green onion back when I couldn't even stir-fry vegetables."
"No, he wasn't."
"He might talk like that, but it's all out of warm consideration."
"I said no."
You can't equate a loving whip meant to build a bridgehead for growth with a blunt honest truth meant to root out a disaster before its seeds could sprout.
"Hee, you say that because you don't know—"
"Hmph! Just you watch! I'm the woman who'll become the Heavenly Demon! Something like the world's greatest chef is nothing to me!"
"So, did you ever try cooking even once while you were on the Heavenly Mountain?"
At my question, Lee Si-a clamped her lips shut. Then she barely opened her trembling mouth.
"...I skinned a Celestial Fragrant Poisonous Snake when making snake wine!"
"Wow, how impressive. Truly magnificent. You must be wonderfully skilled at skinning."
"Oh my, my lord. I'm good at skinning things too. Shia's also good at it, right?"
Sagong Hee smiled with half-closed eyes and winked at Lee Si-a. Lee Si-a exchanged glances with Sagong Hee, and then the two of them clasped hands and pumped them up and down.
"My lord, you know I'm incredibly good at peeling fruit, right?"
"I know how to peel a skin or two as well."
'They're twisting an unfavorable topic into this?'
Baby Lust Demon, twitch. But I calmed the Baby Lust Demon by crossing my legs.
"Have you two been possessed by a lust demon in your heads?"
"...My lord, you shouldn't be the one to say that."
"I genuinely got chills just now."
At my comment, both of them glared at me with dumbfounded eyes. Fortunately, our conversation could wrap up there.
"Excuse me."
Dokgo Yeon, carrying a large table, set it down before us. From mapo tofu to xiaolongbao, stir-fried pork with green pepper, and even spiced soy-braised pork, a lavish array of delicacies from all corners of the Central Plains filled the table.
"I was quite rude this morning."
"No. It was I, as a guest, who was rude for using the owner's kitchen as I pleased."
Sagong Hee, Lee Si-a, and I sat around the table. But Dokgo Yeon did not readily try to sit with us.
"What's the matter?"
"I-I'll eat separately..."
"Come and sit here."
Sagong Hee tried to grasp Dokgo Yeon's hand. But Dokgo Yeon pulled her hand away as swiftly as light and stepped back.
"......"
Lee Si-a's eyes narrowed sharply.
It wasn't a complaint about Dokgo Yeon not eating with us, nor a sudden realization that she was outmatched in cooking skills just from smelling the food—it was an instinct she felt simply from the speed at which Dokgo Yeon pulled her hand out of Sagong Hee's grip.
"Hmm..."
"Physician, that is..."
The two of them silently demanded confirmation from me with their eyes. I nodded and gestured with my palm toward the empty seat for Dokgo Yeon.
"Let's eat together. As the host, are you planning to set out this feast and then eat separately in the kitchen? Food, by nature, tastes best when shared."
"T-together...!"
Dokgo Yeon glanced nervously at Sagong Hee and Lee Si-a before lightly taking a seat. The tableware itself was already arranged for four people to eat together.
"Miss Yeon, may I ask one favor of you after the meal?"
"A-a favor?!"
Since last night, her reactions to me were particularly intense. Even if it would be strange if they weren't, it made me feel needlessly sorry whenever she jumped in surprise at every single answer.
"Yes. I'll prepare a medicinal decoction for you to drink. After that, you can exert yourself physically without much trouble."
"Exert myself..."
I wish she'd stop picking out only the suggestive-sounding words and repeating them like that. The future Murim Alliance Leader, the Divine Maiden, seemed to have a lot of wandering thoughts in her younger days.
"After taking the decoction, your body will feel much lighter. There should be no trouble demonstrating your martial arts either."
"Ah, so it's to confirm whether Miss Yeon can participate in the Two Phoenixes Decisive Battle!"
"Hmm. It's true she hasn't coughed up blood so far, but can she really move vigorously enough to spar just with a decoction?"
'The way she instantly puts on a polite and intellectual act in front of Dokgo Yeon.'
I was dumbfounded by Lee Si-a's attitude, completely changing her expression, but I decided to turn a blind eye. After all, once Dokgo Yeon was in my arms too, the three of them would be sharing everything anyway.
"Of course. If the Black-and-White First Flowers are willing, I also have one request to make..."
I needed to deflate the noses of these two overly confident women.
"Miss Yeon, would you spar two-on-one against the Black-and-White First Flowers?"
The result of who would win was as obvious as watching a fire.
* * *
"Alliance Leader, a dispute has arisen between the Mount Hua Sect and the Diancang Sect!"
"Is that so?! Haha, I'll go resolve it immediately!"
"Alliance Leader! The disciples of the First Tears Victory Sect have all entered!"
"Is that so?! Haha, I'll go find out where the sect leader of the First Tears Victory Sect is right away!"
"Alliance Leader! The Green Forest King is here! He's causing a commotion in front of the Alliance, saying he wants to see Miss Dokgo Yeon!"
"Where is that bastard?"
The Alliance Leader beamed amid the flood of tasks and resolved everything swiftly. No one in the Murim Alliance handled things as quickly, speedily, and amicably in the direction everyone wanted as the Alliance Leader did.
It was no exaggeration to say that the current Murim Alliance was being maintained because of Dokgo Ja-yeong.
"Alliance Leader, you've worked hard."
"Haha, Strategist. This much is nothing."
After wiping the blood from his face and fists, Dokgo Ja-yeong sat in his chair and composed his internal energy. Though he clearly looked exhausted, there was no sign of the smile fading from his face.
"Alliance Leader, are you that happy?"
"Of course. How could I not be happy, now that our Yeoni can finally leave that island?"
The reason the Alliance Leader was happy was crystal clear.
— They say the Divine Doctor's disciple, Physician Mubung, can cure Dokgo Yeon's incurable disease!
— So the Alliance Leader's daughter is coming out for the Two Phoenixes Decisive Battle?
— I heard she's a white-haired sickly beauty...!
The excessive attention from the public irritated Dokgo Ja-yeong, but he genuinely wished for his daughter to stand proudly and healthily before others.
If things went well, she might be called the Sword Phoenix, and if things went even better, she might even take the title of the White Path's Number One Flower. Dokgo Ja-yeong smiled broadly, imagining his daughter's future success.
"You're being silly, Alliance Leader."
"Hey, are you any different, Strategist? Aren't you also silly when it comes to your son?"
"Ahem. Fine, let's drop this subject."
Flutter. The Strategist lightly unfurled his white fan. The moment qi waves spread in all four directions, the qi barrier that unfolded around them took control of the space where the Strategist and the Alliance Leader were.
"I've obtained information regarding the Demonic Cult's whereabouts."
"What?"
The Alliance Leader's expression changed in an instant. With a serious face, the Strategist handed him a paper containing the intelligence report.
"The Flying Heaven Three Demons have headed toward Liaodong. Seeing that, it seems the Little Princess has come to show her face, staking her pride as the Heukdo Je-il-hwa."
"That much fits. Wherever would the bloodline of the Heavenly Demon go? She's a heroine who wouldn't seem strange having been born on the White Path. ...The problem is the other side."
"The Eldest Prince, Ju Ji."
"...That insolent Black Flame Dragon, where is he?"
The young man who had deceived the orthodox sects and gained widespread fame for years as a member of the Nine Dragons.
He was now too old to participate in the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering, but the secret schemes he had sown while brazenly wandering the Central Plains were unspeakably cruel and venomous.
"Ju Ji must have set some stratagem in motion. The Little Princess drew all the attention at the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering, so none of the Nine Dragons and Six Phoenixes could place anyone, but he might try to insert a demon into the Seat of the Two Phoenixes."
"Which side should we check first?"
"...Search for female experts from the Unorthodox Faction whose origins are unclear."
"Understood. The Orthodox Faction makes it difficult to hide one's background."
"If any of them appear in the Two Phoenixes Decisive Battle, my daughter will use the Dugu Nine Swords to dig out their true identity. Even if..."
The Alliance Leader's eyes flashed fiercely.
"Even if it's one of the Ten Demons, Yeoni will not be defeated."