Chapter 178
Chapter 178
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 178
Chapter Title: First Impression
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"I-I bought breakfast for now..."
"If it's thin noodles again, don't even think about coming in."
"...Beef noodle soup."
"...Come in for now."
It was noodles again, but at least better than thin noodles.
Still, beef noodle soup from a regular inn was a pretty pricey dish. Compared to the thin noodles last time, this was a huge improvement.
And with plenty of hearty beef, it was perfect for my current state where I had no strength left in my body.
Nom nom.
"H-How is it? Tasty?"
"...It's edible."
"G-Good, then."
Yeo Sochen seemed to be reminded of the past, fidgeting nervously ever since she arrived. Truth be told, I wasn't that angry.
I'd grown a bit closer to her lately, and honestly, I'd been the one to seduce her first this time...
Passing out during sex had become almost routine, so the weight of it was fading.
I was just a little sulky, not enough to warrant that kind of caution.
'But since it's convenient, might as well pretend to be upset.'
Since I had a chance to boss her around, I decided to keep up the sulky act.
And thanks to that...
"...Here, have some more beef. I'm a Daoist, so..."
"Wow."
I snagged the beef from Yeo Sochen's portion.
After that big win, we ate with relaxed expressions, chatting idly.
The Sword Empress had simply packed her things and was staying in one room at Dang Ayoung's house.
Dang Ayoung had gone back to her family home in the meantime and spent the whole day venting frustration afterward—apparently, they'd been pressuring her about marriage...
"Marriage pressure at that age?"
"Not an unusual age. Unless a family is fairly well-off, commoners usually marry around 16. Martial artists are a bit different since pregnancy can ruin training, but the age itself isn't strange for pressure. Great families expand their influence through marriage, so it's even more common there."
"Then you too..."
"...Would a Daoist get marriage pressure?"
"...Ah."
Come to think of it, both the Sword Empress and Yeo Sochen were Daoists.
Dang Ayoung's situation was a bit different.
"Even if I weren't a Daoist, I'd been treated better than elders since I was young, so no one would dare pressure me. And even as an adult, with this appearance, it'd be hard to suggest it."
"Hmm..."
"Even I didn't imagine I'd end up like this until about two years ago. Geez. How did I get bewitched by a guy like you..."
Yeo Sochen pinched my cheek lightly as she said that.
Unlike her cool tone, her voice carried a subtle affection, so I just puffed my cheeks a bit without stopping her.
"But I did meet Dang Ayoung's father last time..."
"He probably saw how you've ruined Poison Phoenix's personality and wants to dump her off ASAP."
"...He did say something like that."
The marriage issue I'd been putting off and off.
My first excuse was my master; the next was the bloodsuckers.
The bloodsuckers from another world, hiding and gnawing away at this one, aiming for its destruction.
I wanted to start a family only after resolving that too.
...Just in case something happened.
"I can guess, but you still have no intention of marrying, right?"
"..."
Nod.
"When you get back, play nicely with Poison Phoenix. She was the loneliest without you."
I nodded silently at the advice from my life senior.
"And after you return, we'll finish the final preparations and set the trap to lure in the bloodsuckers. You know what I mean, right?"
"...That already ready?"
"Probably done about a week after I get back. The Sword Empress and I will fight those demons there... so you and Poison Phoenix..."
"...Stay safe in Shaanxi?"
"You remember well."
The trap Yeo Sochen mentioned to draw out the bloodsuckers.
It referred to the Blood Cult's shrine we'd visited beforehand.
The bloodsuckers from another world had essentially taken over the current Blood Cult, but since they'd been summoned by the remnants and inherited the name, they couldn't ignore the cult's sacred relic.
Whether useful or not, the constraints imprinted on them forced them to secure it. Naturally, most of their forces—and their leader—would show up there.
"I've recruited a few decent juniors—not as good as the Sword Empress and me, but serviceable. Now that I've reclaimed my sword, I won't lose to their leader. Confident in a head-on fight."
Both the Sword Empress and Yeo Sochen had lost to the Blood Cult twenty years ago, but their realms were now entirely different.
If they were confident against the Blood Cult now, I had to trust them.
I had no choice but to.
And now...
"My story's about done, so spill yours. You look like you have something important to say."
Gulp.
It had arrived.
I took a deep breath and slowly opened my mouth.
"B-Before I say it, a question..."
"What?"
"When reading heavenly secrets... can someone inside them notice and interfere with an outside observer?"
"...?"
Yeo Sochen gave me a look like, what the hell does that mean?
"I mean... can someone inside the heavenly secrets detect the outside observer—you—and interfere?"
"Yes..."
"Impossible. Like a character in a book not only noticing the reader but physically acting on them? Ridiculous."
"B-But if that person is skilled in reading heavenly secrets..."
"Still no. What we do is reading heavenly secrets; detecting the outer ones is a whole different dimension. Even I couldn't. Even if someone from another heavenly secret is watching us right now."
"Hmm..."
"Ours is the realm of 'observation'; what you describe is 'management.' And the manager of heavenly secrets is..."
"...Heaven, Earth, Gods?"
"Yes. The domain of gods, not humans."
Her answer left my mind blank for a moment.
'Then is the Heavenly Demon a god?'
The thought flashed through, but it shattered quickly.
The Heavenly Demon had clearly looked at me like it was our first meeting.
If she were a god, she'd been watching from above all this time, yet pretending it was first now? If she was going to keep up the act, she'd do it fully—not rape me mid-divination and blow her cover.
So the remaining possibility: one.
'Fuck.'
The Heavenly Demon had transcended human limits. At least dipped into the divine realm.
"Why ask? Did that happen?"
"..."
How to explain this.
I knew it was abnormal, but I hadn't expected it to escalate this far, so I hesitated on telling the truth.
But per her words, the situation was serious.
I'd drawn the attention of that woman now.
Shiver.
'We're screwed.'
First crisis was master, second vampires—third might be the Heavenly Demon.
A powerhouse far beyond human bounds.
And that person now...
"You look off. It didn't really happen, right?"
"...Actually..."
Under Yeo Sochen's urging, I told the truth.
I'd accidentally glimpsed the Heavenly Demon's heavenly secrets, and inside, she'd noticed me and raped me.
I didn't mention being her fated opponent or getting trapped—didn't know outcomes yet—but even that was grave enough.
And sure enough...
"I knew she was monstrous, but not this much."
Yeo Sochen's expression darkened further.
"No wonder peering through the clouds felt blocked by strange energy... Makes sense now. Sigh..."
"I-Is it serious?"
I asked worriedly, fearing things had gone wrong, but...
"...No. No big issue right now."
"Huh?"
"We knew she was untouchably strong. As long as she stays out of the Demonic Cult and doesn't head to the Central Plains, it's the same as always."
The response was anticlimactic.
"...What about me getting raped?"
"...Well, if she peeked to see who's watching and found a guy like you? Might happen. Toss you into the Central Plains without that cloak, and a bloodbath among the women there for a while."
"Uh..."
No retort if Yeo Sochen said so.
The latter part was exaggerated, but I knew this face was dangerous.
"A-Anyway, glad it's fine."
Relieved it was better than feared, I unknowingly relaxed.
I'd slurped up the last of the noodles, but whatever—things went well.
I had money; order more if needed.
Now back to Shaanxi, meet Dang Ayoung and Sword Empress, finish tasks...
"Good. If you'd been linked to the Heavenly Demon in that heavenly secret, it'd be way messier. But this? Just don't provoke her."
...Huh?
"That realm turns imagination into heavenly secrets. Anything desired becomes reality unless physically impossible. Shatter a mountain? Done. Take a person? No refusal possible. Desire becomes future."
......Huh?
"But you just met her then, right? No strong future drawn with a stranger. Unless love at first sight intense enough to name kids—no heavenly secret forms. With your cloak hiding your face... unless she pierced it, no deep impression on first meet."
............................................
"Ah...?"