The Heavenly Demon's Idea of Parenting
"Haa... haa..."
I had been running along the outskirts of the Heavenly Demon Cult for hours. Every morning at the break of dawn, I made my bed and began to run, pounding the earth until my legs gave out and I collapsed from sheer exhaustion. That was my daily routine.
"Whew... haah..."
The sun had just slipped past its peak when I finally crumpled to the ground before the grand gates of the Heavenly Demon Cult. Strength had abandoned my limbs entirely. My mouth was so parched that my saliva tasted sickly sweet, and stinging, salty sweat poured continuously from my hair. A few droplets seeped into my eyes, burning like fire, but I could not muster the will to wipe them away. I merely lay there, gasping for air.
My heart pounded against my ribs so violently that every beat reverberated in my ears, and a sharp, tearing ache flared between my bones with every ragged breath. Worst of all was the fire coursing through my limbs, as though my blood were boiling alive. No matter how many thousands of times I endured it, I could never grow used to that sensation.
"Hwayeom, you worked hard again today! Here, have some water!"
"Haa... whew... Thank you, Sister..."
My name is Cheon Hwayeom, the son of the Heavenly Demon. To be precise, I am her only son. I have no younger siblings, only two older sisters.
"You ran for four whole double-hours today, didn't you? You're truly incredible. I could barely last even one..."
"No... compared to what Mother expects of me... this is still nowhere near enough..."
I answered between ragged gasps, remaining sprawled upon the dirt. The person handing me the water was Cheon Wolha, my eldest sister. Her waist-length hair and crimson eyes bore an uncanny resemblance to our mother, yet her demeanor could not be more different.
"If only Mother smiled as often as you do..."
"Hm? Did you say something?"
"No, it's nothing."
I took the gourd ladle she offered and drank ravenously. While running, the agonizing drain of vitality made every passing second feel like an eternity of torment, but the moment the cold water rushed down my throat, life flooded back through my entire being. It felt as though my scorched, overheated flesh was finally cooling back to normal.
"Ah, I feel alive again..."
Yet that fleeting moment of bliss after bitter labor did not last.
Thud. Thud.
A set of loathsome footsteps approached. The time I finished my morning run varied every day, so how did this wretched pest always know the exact moment I collapsed to come seeking me out? Anticipating the pain about to come, I squeezed my eyes shut. Someday, I swore, I would kill her.
Wham!
"Guh!"
A vicious kick sank straight into my ribs. The impact sent me tumbling across the dirt. I suppose I should consider myself lucky that mud didn't get into my eyes today.
"Hey, are you done already? You do realize you've been stuck at the third-rate level for fifteen damn years, right? Do you honestly think this pathetic circus act will ever make you a second-rate warrior?"
"You were third-rate for fifteen years too, you brainless idiot...! You only got ahead because of Mother...!"
The person who had just kicked me in the side was Cheon Suyeon, my second older sister. But not once in my life had I ever wanted to call her my sister. As you can see, she made it her personal mission to track me down and beat me the moment I finished my runs.
"Don't you have anything better to do? Someone who's reached the Peak Realm should be circulating her qi or practicing sword forms, shouldn't she?"
"I have more than enough free time to kick you around, so save your breath. A weakling like you sure talks big."
"Guh-aak!"
This time, her boot buried itself directly into my stomach. The air was violently driven from my lungs, and for several seconds, my breath halted completely.
"Su-Suyeon, stop it! You could really hurt him!"
"Shut up! Don't you dare act haughty with me, you second-rate trash!"
Wolha tried to step between us, but Suyeon merely snarled and barked her down. Left helpless, Wolha could only wring her hands in frantic distress. The reason I endured this abuse without fighting back was simple: she was vastly stronger than both Wolha and me.
Wolha was a second-rate warrior, the second-lowest rank in the martial world. I was third-rate, the very bottom of the ladder. Suyeon, on the other hand, had broken through to the Peak Realm. Above second-rate stood first-rate, and above that lay the Peak Realm. Even five first-rate masters working in concert would struggle to overcome a single Peak Realm expert. What could a third-rate and a second-rate like us possibly do against her?
Not long ago, pushed beyond my limits, I had tried to fight back. She had seized the opportunity to beat me like a slaughtered pig. With a woman whose temper was that foul, the best response was total indifference—yet even when I ignored her, she still beat me black and blue every single day.
"That is quite enough. Regardless of whether Lady Suyeon is the second daughter of the Heavenly Demon, mistreating Young Master Hwayeom, who shares that very same bloodline, is unacceptable."
A woman wearing a broad bamboo hat stepped forward and seized Suyeon's wrist. Suyeon failed to shake off her grip and instead glared back with undisguised venom.
"Tsk... Fine, I'm leaving! Why do you always have to butt in and ruin my fun? You miserable jinx!"
Spitting curses under her breath, Suyeon spun on her heel and stormed away. I rubbed my aching ribs and hauled myself off the ground.
"...Why do you always wait until after she's already hit me before stepping in? She does this every single day. Couldn't you stop her a little earlier?"
"Until Lady Suyeon actually strikes you, Young Master, the act remains unconfirmed. For me to intervene on mere assumption would be an overstepping of my authority. It is not my place to presume to control the flesh and blood of the Heavenly Demon."
"...Damn it all."
The woman who had driven Suyeon away was Sama Hyeol. Her neat hair, cut precisely to the nape of her neck, and the deep brim of her woven bamboo hat were her defining features. Her skill with a blade was beyond question; she was a formidable warrior who had held the position of second-in-command within the Heavenly Demon Cult for decades. Furthermore, she possessed full authority granted directly by Mother to oversee the three of us siblings. That was the sole reason Suyeon had retreated without further argument.
Still, her utter lack of flexibility made speaking with her an exercise in sheer frustration. How wonderful would it be if she could just thrash Suyeon on my behalf or prevent the beating entirely?
"Now then, Young Master. After half a double-hour of rest, you are to begin your meditative qi circulation. Here, I have brought your meal."
"These tasteless dumplings again? Can't you at least change the filling inside?"
"That is impossible. The filling is the essential component. It is prepared using the powdered essence of medicinal herbs personally selected by the Heavenly Demon herself. Beginning with tiger bone, a total of twenty-three precious ingredients are ground into this filling. These are no ordinary dumplings; they are spiritual elixirs capable of reinforcing your meridians no less effectively than sacred pills. The Heavenly Demon has emphasized repeatedly that widening your blood pathways at your current age is of the utmost—"
"Alright, I get it! It's not like this is the first time I've complained, so do you really need to recite the entire lecture every single day? I've never spit one out or trampled on them, have I? Besides, Mother had these prepared for my sake... so of course I'll eat them..."
Swallowing my irritation, I took the dumplings from Sama Hyeol's hands. As always, the taste was abhorrent. Small, gritty particles crunched between my teeth like coarse sand, followed by a bitter stench that forced my face into an involuntary grimace. To make matters worse, a foul odor reminiscent of rotting matter assaulted my nostrils. She had claimed that a fermented root aged over decades was the source of the stench. When I was a child, a piece of tree bark I had accidentally chewed tasted far better than this monstrosity.
"Ugh... I'd honestly rather run for another four double-hours than eat this..."
"Hwa-Hwayeom... do you want to eat some of my dumplings instead?"
Wolha offered me the basket Sama Hyeol had given her. Hers were ordinary, savory dumplings. Just smelling them made my mouth water, a stark contrast to the foul lumps in my hands.
"You must not. Tomorrow is the day Young Master Hwayeom receives the transmission of internal energy from the Heavenly Demon. Even a single bite of ordinary food could disrupt the delicate balance of his meridians. His intake must be strictly regulated."
"Haa..."
Sama Hyeol stepped smoothly between us, intercepting the offering before I could even touch it. It was deeply frustrating to miss out on good food, but what choice did I have? Tomorrow was the day Mother would impart the Heavenly Demon Divine Art to me. I had to endure. If my meridians were damaged now, fifteen years of grueling patience and sweat would crumble to dust.
"Whew... Done. I've eaten them all... I'll go begin my meditation now."
I forced the vile lumps down my throat and swallowed hard. As I turned toward the martial training grounds of the cult, Sama Hyeol fell into step beside me.
"Since tomorrow is the day of the transmission, focus your mind even more intently on the circulation. Maintain your concentration until the sun has fully set—roughly four double-hours should suffice."
"I know. The wider I expand my meridians, the more energy I can absorb from Mother. That's what I want more than anything."
With that, I sat down and assumed the meditative posture. Qi circulation was a discipline of widening the meridians little by little while maintaining a serene and tranquil mind. For now, I had to put aside the fact that Suyeon had kicked me half an hour ago and focus entirely on visualizing the future I longed for.
"..."
"..."
Sama Hyeol watched my motionless form in silence. Desperate to steady my focus, I sought reassurance from her about that very future. Only then, I thought, would my mind cease to waver.
"Sama Hyeol."
"What is it, Young Master?"
"If I receive the transmission tomorrow and become strong enough to fill the void left by Wolha... the other cultists won't look down on her anymore, right? And Mother will come to love her too?"
".........She will."
I deliberately ignored the heavy silence that lingered before she answered.
To dwell on it would only disturb my meditation.