046
046
Just as I was about to get down to some nighttime business, I was interrupted and had to momentarily hide Sagong Hee inside.
'If you're revealed here, nothing good will come of it. Hide inside here.'
The spot I pointed to was the space under the desk, the only place in the clinic where a person could be concealed. There was just enough room for someone to fit if they crouched down, and Sagong Hee hid herself inside.
"This place is...?!"
"Keheum!"
I pulled the chair forward and sat down in front of Sagong Hee.
Sagong Hee's face slid into the space between my knees, and my groin was placed right before her eyes. With my legs spread wide and the chair pulled in tight, Sagong Hee's nose was so close to my manhood that she could touch it just by leaning her face forward a little.
"L-Lord...?"
"Don't make a sound. Understood?"
Since I'd left even the Flying Heaven Three Demons behind, I had to meet the Little Princess right now. But if I didn't relieve this Yang Energy immediately, I felt like I'd burst and die.
'Then I'll just hide it and use her mouth.'
I'd face the Little Princess with my upper body, and Sagong Hee with my lower body. Recalling what the Blood Cult Leader used to enjoy with her subordinates in the past, I improvised and put it into action right away.
Swish. I unfastened the front of my physician's robe and pulled out only my penis. Leaving the two Yang Energy sacs hidden under the robe, I placed the rigid disciplining rod right above Sagong Hee's philtrum.
"Come in."
Tap, tap. I knocked on the small mortar used for grinding herbs on the desk. At my call, the Little Princess opened the door and cautiously stepped inside.
Thump, thump.
The sound of a heart pounding echoed from beneath the table. A hot breath brushed over the baton. The pestle grinding the herbs began to heat up further, and at the entrance, the beautiful Little Princess, radiant even in the dark, gently bowed her head toward me.
"I greet the Divine Doctor's disciple."
"If you've come as a patient, sit. If you've come as the Demonic Cult, get the hell out."
"...You're as merciless as I've heard. I've come today to get a prescription."
"...Guh. Sit down."
The Divine Doctor's disciple, with ties of gratitude to the Demonic Cult. This gave me the pretext not to stand up to greet the Little Princess, allowing me to stay seated and greet Sagong Hee with my lower body as much as I wanted.
"What kind of medicine have you come looking for? At this late hour, a young lady alone."
"I have come to buy the Heavenly Rejuvenation Pill."
This is what I like about the Little Princess. Others would have beaten around the bush or started with small talk, but she cut straight to the point from the very beginning.
"The Heavenly Rejuvenation Pill? Huh, you came knowing what kind of thing that is?"
"Is it not an item that can heal any wound? Do you happen to have none?"
"I have it. But I can't just sell it."
Squelch. I pressed the pestle firmly into the moisture-laden herb. The sap from the herb mixed with a little oil, and the viscous fluid began to get sticky inside the warmed mortar.
"What's the purpose?"
"I wish to keep one as a reserve."
"There aren't enough to even use on the wounded right now, and you want a reserve? Ha, who will you use it on?"
"Lady Gyeon-hui."
I flinched. The hand stirring the pestle stopped. I had to ask again to confirm if it was the person I knew.
"Taiji Flower?"
"Yes. She is a representative martial artist of Wudang. She is a rising female expert, cited by connoisseurs alongside myself as a World's Greatest Phoenix."
"Purchasing the Heavenly Rejuvenation Pill in advance to give to Lady Taiji Flower Gyeon-hui..."
I swirled the pestle around as I tried to grasp the Little Princess's intent. The herbal concentrate inside the mortar clung to the tip of the pestle and the walls of the bowl, stretching into thick, long strands several times over, and more fluid flowed from within, making it even stickier.
'Recruiting her into the Demonic Cult? That's not it. There's something else.'
First clue: the Little Princess came to find me in secret, separated from the Flying Heaven Three Demons.
Second clue: the Little Princess is looking for the Heavenly Rejuvenation Pill to prepare for a future event.
Third clue: the target for the Heavenly Rejuvenation Pill is Gyeon-hui, the likely final-round opponent in the tournament.
And the decisive evidence.
"Why, do you also intend to turn Taiji Flower into a bloody pulp like the other opponents?"
"It is not like that."
The Little Princess turned serious and denied my words. Seeing her eyebrows twitch faintly and displeasure flicker in her pupils, she had pleasantly betrayed my concerns.
"My apologies. It was a preconception. I wondered if perhaps you meant to trample Taiji Flower to the point she wouldn't even need the Heavenly Rejuvenation Pill."
"I am not that kind of person. I am..."
The Little Princess was about to say something but swallowed the rest of her words. From the way she choked up and bit her lip, I could roughly grasp the situation.
'There's some behind-the-scenes scheme at play.'
She might have learned the martial arts of the Heavenly Demon, but her disposition and conduct are a match for any Orthodox Faction martial artist. If she'd been born not as the Heavenly Demon's child but as a disciple of the Nine Sects and One Gang, she possesses a character so fine it wouldn't be strange to call her a Divine Maiden.
'Even the way she took my virginity is proof of that.'
I still can't forget it. After killing the Inspector and succeeding in my first mission, she asked me what I wanted to do. I told her, as a do-or-die request, to give me three nyang of silver so I could go to a pleasure house and spend a night with a woman.
- Would any pleasure house even accept you, even if you had the money? Hm... very well. I will give high praise for your merit in killing the Inspector, who no one else could slay. It will be a reward you shall never forget for the rest of your life. Continue to devote yourself to the Demonic Cult.
Squeeeach.
The pestle pressed firmly into the mortar. As the memory of the past resurfaced, the hand gripping the pestle trembled with sudden strength. In the Little Princess before my eyes, I caught a glimpse of the demonic woman who had offered her own body when I wished to experience being with a woman for the first time.
"...It seems it won't be possible after all. I apologize for the intrusion."
The Little Princess moved to stand up. It seemed she had interpreted my long deliberation as a sign of refusal, since I was lost too deep in thought.
"Wait."
I grasped the mortar with both hands and pulled it forward. The pestle began to wobble on its own inside the bowl, and I leaned my upper body toward the Little Princess, interlocking my fingers.
"Are you saying that while you have no intention to do it yourself, oddly, Taiji Flower could be injured to the point of needing the Heavenly Rejuvenation Pill?"
"!!"
The Little Princess's eyes widened like oil lamps.
Her pupils held surprise that I had arrived at the truth, suspicion about how I could possibly reach that conclusion, and a budding curiosity about me.
"I know the Demonic Cult well. I know it better than you might think."
"...Then the conversation will be brief. It seems we have about a tea-brewing time, is that alright?"
"Of course. But wait a moment."
I momentarily took the pestle out of the mortar. The cloudy sap seeping from the herb mixed with the sticky honey, and a thick herbal juice pooled in the bowl.
"I haven't offered you any tea while hosting a guest."
I poured the herbal juice into a teacup—the one I'd been drinking from with Sagong Hee—on the desk and heated it with warm water. After stirring it with a spoon and placing it before the Little Princess, I poured the remaining warm water into the mortar and swallowed all the herbal juice inside.
Gulp, gulp.
"...Haa. I felt this wasn't a story I could hear sober... Keheum, my apologies."
"Not at all. I shall drink it well."
The Little Princess took a light sip of the herbal tea as well. I'd been staring blankly from the intense feeling of exhaustion before suddenly snapping back to my senses.
"So, returning to the main point, about Taiji Flower getting injured..."
I put the herb, honey, and warm water back into the mortar and began roughly swirling the pestle again.
"Are you saying some existence from the Demonic Cult other than yourself will ambush Taiji Flower?"
"...Shamelessly, yes."
I understood everything from that single word.
"Flying Heaven Three Demons."
That was the identity of the attackers.
* * *
The Ten Demons.
A term referring to the ten demonic practitioners who were granted the title of 'Demon' in their alias, standing beneath the supreme Heavenly Demon who had reached the state of Transcending Demon. And these Ten Demons were each divided into three factions.
The Earth Qilin Three Demons, who support the Grand Duke, the legitimate male heir of the Heavenly Demon from the start.
The Flying Heaven Three Demons, who support the Little Princess, a woman who displays superior talent to the Grand Duke.
The Wild Three Demons, who hold to a neutral stance, belonging to neither side.
And the single No Demon, whose identity no one save the Heavenly Demon knows.
In the succession struggle between the Grand Duke and the Little Princess, the Ten Demons are also divided into these factions. Because of this, the Flying Heaven Three Demons don't even listen to the Grand Duke's orders when they come down, and the Earth Qilin Three Demons constantly look for chances to assassinate the Little Princess at any opportunity.
- Hahaha! As expected, fighting each other makes you develop so fast! Yes, that's how demonic practitioners should be!
Although the Demonic Cult was split into two factions fighting, the Heavenly Demon actively encouraged the power struggle under the reasoning that 'conflict breeds development.'
- The survival of the fittest is the providence of the martial world! At the very peak stands the Heavenly Demon and the Heavenly Demon Divine Art!
Anyone has the right to challenge for the position of Heavenly Demon. And the Heavenly Demon must always stand at the apex of all demonic practitioners and, further, at the pinnacle of all martial artists and the entire Central Plains. As the head of the Hundred Thousand Demonic Practitioners, the one who will someday become the supreme ruler of the entire Central Plains must be more than capable of this.
"Even if it's mere child's play, the Heavenly Demon must be the best. I trust you all agree with this, elders."
The Grand Duke spoke without a single blink at the weapons aimed at him. The three demonic practitioners radiating demonic energy toward him, the Flying Heaven Three Demons, gulped as they faced the Grand Duke, who hadn't even brought his guards.
"Your martial arts have grown again in that time."
"I recently attained a single enlightenment."
"...But coming without your worthless underlings is arrogance, Grand Duke. Do you think we can't kill you?"
The Blade Demon pressured the Grand Duke, his sharp blade aura standing erect. But the Grand Duke simply sneered at him and took a deep breath.
"The Heavenly Demon has issued a command to the Flying Heaven Three Demons."
"...!!"
The Blade Demon sheathed his blade. Simultaneously, the Flying Heaven Three Demons knelt on one knee before the Grand Duke.
"The Flying Heaven Three Demons obey the Heavenly Demon's command."
The man before them was not just the Grand Duke, but a messenger bearing the orders of the Demonic Cult's supreme ruler. The Grand Duke twisted the corner of his mouth and pulled out a bamboo scroll from his chest.
Woooooosh.
The black demonic energy that bloomed from the bamboo scroll seeped into the Grand Duke's nose. After closing his eyes for a moment and opening them, his pupils were far redder than before.
"I heard the Illusion Demon's report."
The voice that came from the Grand Duke's mouth was not his own. The Flying Heaven Three Demons bowed their heads even lower and listened closely to the voice.
"The girl from Wudang possesses martial arts that rival the Little Princess's, so her victory is not certain. Is this correct?"
"It is, Your Eminence."
"Tell me your individual predictions for the outcome."
"The Blade Demon reports. Seven to three, the Little Princess's victory."
"The Bandit Demon reports. Six to four, the Little Princess wins."
"...The Illusion Demon reports. Two to eight. The Little Princess loses."
The Three Demons' opinions were starkly divided. The eyes, like red moons, focused on the Illusion Demon, who had given a different assessment.
"Your basis?"
"Taiji Flower's growth rate over the last couple of weeks has been unusual. Especially the rate at which her inner energy accumulates is akin to the Yangtze River flooding. Even now it's five to five, but if this momentum continues, the Little Princess will surely suffer defeat."
"......Is that so. I thought we only needed to beat that wretch Dokgo's daughter, but out of nowhere comes the disciple of Taoist Hyeonja... I let my guard down. That old man has raised a monster. Truly, the world is a vast place."
"Your Eminence, that means..."
"Blade Demon, I heard you ignored the Little Princess's orders and tried to rape the girl. Is this true?"
"......Yes, Your Eminence."
The heavens knew all. The Blade Demon's hands and feet began to tremble violently.
"Two weeks. Considering the personality of that bastard Dokgo Yeong, that duel will surely be the final event of the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering. Before then, you will ensure the Little Princess does not lose to a mere Wudang. Bandit Demon, gather information on the opponents the Little Princess will face. Illusion Demon, assist the Little Princess's duels with your illusion techniques. And Blade Demon..."
The voice boomed sonorously.
"If there truly seems no chance the Little Princess will win, violate Taiji Flower. Storm the arena, kidnap Taiji Flower, and then ravish her. Understood?"
"Your Eminence! If I do that, I'll become a Public Enemy of the Martial World...!"
"I commanded you to violate her."
"......I shall obey!!"
The demonic energy vanished. The Grand Duke, whose normal light returned to his eyes, grinned broadly at the Blade Demon before disappearing like the wind, leaving the Flying Heaven Three Demons to tear their hair out.
* * *
"...Thus, I have no idea what my father will do to Taiji Flower."
"So, if you win against Taiji Flower, there's no problem, but if it looks like you'll lose, all hell will break loose?"
"......I am so sorry. It is my own inadequacy. Please, if you have the Heavenly Rejuvenation Pill, sell it to me. I will pay tens of thousands in gold if I must."
"It's not something you need to apologize to me for.... P-please, raise your head."
The Little Princess bowed her head to me. The very reason the Flying Heaven Three Demons follow the Little Princess is this kind-hearted nature of hers, and the reason the other seven demons don't support her is this softness unbecoming of a demonic practitioner.
"Keheum, but doesn't the Demonic Cult have a Divine Doctor? Do you have no Heavenly Rejuvenation Pill?"
"That is... there was exactly one..."
With a face on the verge of tears, the Little Princess's hands resting on the table trembled uncontrollably.
"It ended up going into the Paeng Clan."
"......."
I quietly took a sip of my tea.