The Fake Blood Demon
Car sex was a first for me.
If I were to localize the term...
Is this what you'd call carriage-coitus?
...
Before we could even think about eating, I decided to soothe Jeoktoma first. It was at the strong request of Baek Ri-seol, who didn't want the fishy smell of the meal to be ruined by the scent of the beast.
...
We had reached the stage where we treated the thing almost like a sentient being. Which, in a way, was half-true.
...
Baek Ri-seol stripped off all her clothes inside the carriage and crouched down in front of me. Between her bent knees, her pink, delicate flesh was dangerously exposed. And at that very moment, Jeoktoma began to thrash about like a madman.
...
"You."
Baek Ri-seol glared directly at Jeoktoma.
"Gaga is driving, so why are you making such a fuss?"
...
For a split second, I felt a strange sense of déjà vu. It was a scene I felt like I had seen somewhere before.
...
Baek Ri-seol scolded Jeoktoma for quite a while with a very serious expression on her face.
...
And after the disciplinary session was over, she even gave it a reward. She climbed onto my lap, held me tight, and began to slowly soothe Jeoktoma.
...
This sense of déjà vu, too... it was a sequence I had seen many times before.
...
Jeoktoma tried its best to wedge its way inside, but the two of us desperately blocked it.
"No."
"Entry denied."
...
In the end, rejected at the entrance, Jeoktoma trembled as if in deep resentment—
Pshhh—
It sprayed its ma-yu (demon fluid) once more, then went limp and vanished, completely deflated.
...
"Poor thing..."
"It's not poor at all."
Fortunately, thanks to a well-aimed final shot, all the fluid flew right out the window.
...
We tidied our clothes as if nothing had happened. Then, I poked my head out of the carriage.
...
Flap, flap—
Something was thrashing violently on one side of the forest. Looking closer, a pheasant, having taken the full brunt of the snow-white fluid, was rolling on the ground, flapping its wings.
"..."
I watched the scene for a moment, then quietly opened my mouth.
"Pheasant... want to eat it?"
...
Baek Ri-seol shook her head with a look of utter disgust.
"...No."
...
Just in case, I went all the way to the stream to wash the pheasant clean. I plucked all the feathers, chopped off the head properly, and stored it in the cooling box.
...
I stared at the pheasant for a moment and grinned.
"I'll serve this to any guest I don't like later..."
...
Baek Ri-seol took a step back, looking thoroughly repulsed.
"...You're truly vicious, Gaga."
A large, savory fish cured in salt, perfect for a campfire meal.
I took a large, salted fish out of the cooling box. It was a fish that had been gently infused with salt.
...
After washing the fish clean at the stream, I poured a bit of white liquor over it to neutralize the fishy smell. Then, I drizzled a little oil and began to slowly grill it over the portable brazier.
Sizzle—
The fish skin slowly turned golden-brown on the hot grill. A savory aroma began to fill the entire campsite.
...
I cooked rice, too. After lighting a campfire with my Hwaseobja, I hung the pot over the Y-shaped branches. Rice began to boil inside, and hot steam slowly rose into the air.
...
Meanwhile, Baek Ri-seol was feeding water to Dong-gwi and meticulously tending to his fodder. Dong-gwi seemed to be in a good mood, sniffing and wagging his tail repeatedly.
...
A little while later, Baek Ri-seol walked toward the tent with a very serious expression.
"...Gaga."
"Yeah?"
She hesitated for a moment before carefully opening her mouth.
"Dong-gwi just took a leak, and..."
...
Instantly, a very ominous premonition flashed through my mind. D-don't tell me...
"...And?"
Baek Ri-seol was silent for a moment, then muttered softly.
"Jeoktoma was bigger..."
"..."
"..."
A silence fell for a moment.
...
And at that moment, Jeoktoma twitched as if it were incredibly proud of itself. ...I really wanted to die.
...
Baek Ri-seol enjoyed the grilled fish immensely. She skillfully picked out the well-cooked white meat with her chopsticks, placed it on top of the hot white rice, and devoured it bite by bite.
Nom, nom—
Every time her cheeks moved, I felt a strange sense of satisfaction.
...
I even forgot to eat, just staring at her with my chin in my hands. Sometimes I'd pick out the fish bones for her, or scoop her more rice. It was practically at the level of raising a pet.
...
Baek Ri-seol glanced at me with her mouth full of rice.
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Just because."
I chuckled and placed another piece of perfectly deboned meat on her rice.
"I feel full just watching you eat."
...
Suddenly, I thought that if there were such a thing as a 'YouTube' here, she would have been a massive hit.
...
The next morning, Baek Ri-seol's face was noticeably stiff when she returned from scouting the perimeter.
...
"Gaga."
"Yeah?"
She scanned the surroundings once more before speaking quietly.
"There are traces of someone attempting to infiltrate our formation."
My expression stiffened along with hers.
"Is it those pursuers?"
Baek Ri-seol fell into thought for a moment, then slowly shook her head.
"It could be..."
"Or it could have been a traveler passing by."
...
I looked back toward the brazier from last night for no reason.
"The smell of the grilled fish was a bit strong..."
"Yeah."
Baek Ri-seol admitted it readily.
"Gaga's food was just too delicious yesterday..."
"...My vigilance was a little lowered."
...
A silence followed. Soon, Baek Ri-seol pulled a small bamboo tube from her robes and handed it to me.
"Take this for now."
I took it and blinked.
"What is this?"
"Storm Needles."
She explained calmly.
"It's a close-range hidden weapon with poison needles."
"Keep one on you, just in case."
...
I turned the bamboo tube over in my hands. It was heavier than I expected. On the surface, there were even microscopic red patterns engraved into it.
"How do I use it?"
Baek Ri-seol took my finger and pointed to a string at the bottom of the tube.
"Here."
"If you pull this string, it fires."
She added with a very serious face.
"But."
"Don't pull it by accident."
"Even a Peak Realm master is in danger if they get hit at close range."
...
Cold sweat broke out on my forehead. I very quietly tucked the Storm Needles deep into my robes.
"We should move quickly."
"Let's do that."
...
I looked at Baek Ri-seol's red hair and spoke quietly.
"Seol-ah."
"Yeah?"
"That hair color change you mentioned before."
I added, glancing at the surrounding forest.
"If we're being hunted, your current color is too conspicuous."
...
Baek Ri-seol toyed with the ends of her hair for a moment, then quietly nodded.
"I'll do that."
...
She closed her eyes and began to circulate her qi. Whoosh— Red energy began to flow along her hair. A moment later, the flame-red hair began to settle into a deep ink-black. Her red eyes also slowly turned black.
...
I stared at the change in a daze.
"That's amazing..."
Baek Ri-seol brushed her hair back and chuckled.
"It's one of the common stealth techniques in the Blood God Sect."
She glanced at me and added.
"I'll teach you later if you ever need to change your hair color, too."
...
I nodded with a smile.
"Sure."
...
We hurriedly loaded our luggage back onto the carriage. We completely extinguished the embers and erased all traces of our campsite as much as possible.
...
Creak—
Dong-gwi began to move his feet slowly again. The carriage moved quietly along the main road, where the morning mist still lingered.
...
Baek Ri-seol was different from usual. Sitting on the driver's seat, she kept scanning the surroundings. The forest. The roadside. Even the merchant groups and travelers passing by in the distance. Her gaze moved with razor-sharp precision.
...
I glanced at her on the sly. Baek Ri-seol in 'martial artist mode' had a completely different atmosphere from her usual playful self. She didn't laugh mischievously, and her eyes didn't sparkle at the mention of food.
...
Cold, sunken eyes. Quiet breathing. And a very faint, spreading killing intent.
...
At that moment, I realized that she wasn't just a Blood Demon who loved to eat, but a true remnant of the Blood God Sect who had survived countless pursuits. For the next few days, nothing happened.
...
As time passed, both of us began to relax our tension again.
...
And sure enough, Jeoktoma began to raise its head again.
Twitch—
Twitch, twitch—
...
Baek Ri-seol finally saw it and burst into laughter. The cold atmosphere from earlier vanished as if it were a lie.
...
I glanced at her black hair and spoke.
"But."
"Yeah?"
"I don't think your current look is bad, either."
Baek Ri-seol blinked. I stared at her with my chin in my hands.
"Your original look had a very bewitching feel to it."
"But now..."
I struggled for the right word, then chuckled.
"You look quite elegant."
...
The tips of Baek Ri-seol's ears turned slightly red.
"G-Gaga..."
A moment later, she toyed with the ends of her hair and said.
"...It's all good, but."
Baek Ri-seol let a very faint blood-red aura flicker at her fingertips, then quickly extinguished it.
"In this state, I can barely use the Blood Demon's abilities properly."
"Combat using blood, blood-energy manipulation, and regenerative abilities are all weakened."
She shrugged.
"I'm basically just a late-stage descendant of a branch family of the Baek Ri Clan."
...
"Ohhh."
I looked impressed for no reason.
"That's a bigger nerf than I thought."
"It's huge."
Baek Ri-seol nodded firmly.
"If it gets really dangerous, I have to release it immediately."
...
I nodded slowly.
"I see."
...
That was the moment.
...
Someone grabbed me by the back of the neck.
"Huh—?!"
Before I could even react, I was yanked into the air by the scruff of my neck.
Whoosh—
It was an incredible speed. The forest scenery in front of me flowed backward in an instant.
...
"Gaga?!"
I heard Baek Ri-seol's urgent voice from behind.
...
Ah... that bastard, he really picked a good time. That was my last thought. I looked at the rapidly receding carriage and Baek Ri-seol standing on top of it. Her ink-black hair began to slowly turn red again. But with a sharp pain, my vision darkened, and I lost consciousness.
...
How much time had passed...
...
I shivered in the biting cold and slowly opened my eyes. It was dark all around. Only a faint lamp barely illuminated the small stone chamber. Damp stone walls. A faint smell of blood. And a strangely humid air.
...
At that moment, a cold, sunken woman's voice reached my ears.
"You're awake."
...
I forced my heavy eyelids open. My vision slowly began to adjust to the darkness. A moment later, the figure of a woman standing under the lamp was revealed.
Blood-red hair. Skin so white it looked pale. And cold red eyes that seemed to pierce right through a person.
...
She looked down at me and spoke slowly.
"Who are you?"
...
I swallowed the taste of blood in my mouth and stared back at her. The woman narrowed her eyes and asked again in a chilling voice.
"Why..."
"Are you traveling with that fake Blood Demon?"
...
"...I think... you're the knock-off here."
Thwack—
I was knocked out again.
