Chapter 1: Matrilocal Son-in-Law
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 1: Matrilocal Son-in-Law
“Samadhi True Fire.”
At Hyeok Ryeon-yeom’s word, a flame flickered to life at the tip of his finger.
“So, I really have regressed.”
Regression.
A miraculous phenomenon where one returns to the past.
“This will probably be the last time.”
Hyeok Ryeon-yeom was experiencing this phenomenon for the third time.
It all began with reincarnation.
Hyeok Ryeon-yeom’s life before his reincarnation—his first life—was spent in South Korea, struggling as a second-string professional baseball player.
Back in high school, he had been a highly anticipated super-rookie. But during his very first game after being called up, he stepped into the batter's box only to suffer a career-ending shoulder injury. Stripped of his first-string status, he pushed himself through reckless training until he was struck by a stray ball and died instantly.
When he finally regained consciousness, he realized he had been reincarnated into the Martial World.
His second life was as the Third Young Master of the Demonic Cult, Hyeok Ryeon-yeom.
He was born the son of Hyeok Ryeon-hwi, the Heavenly Demon—the leader of the Heavenly Demon Cult, a man whose very name made martial artists tremble in fear.
He was born with a gifted constitution: the Extreme Yang Body.
The problem, however, was that he was not the legitimate heir, but a concubine's son.
Thinking he might as well enjoy this new life to the fullest, he lived like a total scoundrel.
Yet, he didn't neglect his martial arts. He even harbored a dream of surpassing his two older brothers to become the Young Cult Leader and inherit the Heavenly Demon Cult.
But a dream was just a dream.
“Little brother, you should have listened. You should have followed our Father’s wishes.”
His father, the Heavenly Demon Hyeok Ryeon-hwi, had ordered Hyeok Ryeon-yeom to leave for the North Sea Ice Palace to save his life.
The scoundrel Hyeok Ryeon-yeom had refused that order.
“This is what happens when you covet a tree you cannot climb.”
Perhaps that was why.
Hyeok Ryeon-yeom lost his life to his eldest brother, Hyeok Ryeon-geuk, the Young Cult Leader.
His second life came to a hollow end.
The issue was that he opened his eyes once more.
His third life was a possession.
This time, it was a fantasy world.
He possessed the body of a servant belonging to a Master of the Demon Tower.
He was a half-baked mage, cursed with a body that could not absorb mana—a divine punishment of sorts.
Having already experienced two lives, he did not give up and struggled desperately to survive.
He studied mana and the human body like a madman to manifest magic.
He endured the envy and jealousy of his fellow disciples and eventually earned the recognition of the Master of the Demon Tower.
It was a wretched life.
He possessed a more natural understanding of mana and the flow of nature than anyone else and could solve countless magic circles.
However, because he could not accumulate mana, he never once succeeded in actually manifesting magic.
His only achievement was discovering the reason why: his peculiar constitution, the Extreme Yang Body.
Just when he thought he was one step away from a breakthrough in his research...
He met his end amidst a searing, burning pain.
And now.
Following reincarnation and possession, regression had occurred.
He had returned to the Martial World.
Specifically, to the time before the tragedy, retaining all of Hyeok Ryeon-yeom’s memories.
“They say life is a best-of-three. I’ve been through regression, possession, and reincarnation, so this must be my last chance.”
His instinct told him so.
That there would be no next life.
“Third Young Master!”
Fwoosh.
Hyeok Ryeon-yeom extinguished the fire on his fingertip and looked toward the door. His maid, Weizhi Young, had burst into the room.
“What is it?”
“The... the Cult Leader is calling for you!”
“Let’s go.”
“R-right now?”
“Why not?”
He already knew what this was about.
Hyeok Ryeon-yeom still remembered the day Weizhi Young had made such a fuss.
If, on this day...
If he had left for the North Sea...
‘I can survive.’
“Let’s go.”
To receive the solemn command of the Heavenly Demon.
“Go to the Ice Palace.”
As soon as he arrived at the Palace Lord’s Hall, his father, the Heavenly Demon Hyeok Ryeon-hwi, spoke without preamble.
“Yes.”
“...Do you not ask why?”
“If you tell me to go, I must go.”
“....”
A hint of interest flickered in Hyeok Ryeon-hwi’s eyes as he looked at his son.
“If you go to the North Sea, you will enter a political marriage with the Young Palace Lord.”
“I see.”
“It is a political marriage to seal a blood alliance, but in truth, you will be no different from a hostage.”
“Understood.”
“....”
Hyeok Ryeon-hwi’s interest deepened.
His son’s reaction suggested that such things didn't matter at all.
“Are you not resentful?”
“I understand my Father’s heart, so how could I be resentful?”
“....”
His third son had been a scoundrel.
To think this boy, who did nothing but cause trouble, would claim to understand his heart?
It was more shocking than hearing the sun would rise in the west.
“I will live a grand life at the Ice Palace.”
“....”
He seemed sincere.
If he were to grab any cultist passing by and order them to leave the Cult, half of them would choose suicide. That was how many people wished to be buried in the Cult’s soil.
And yet, the son of the Heavenly Demon was speaking as if he had not a single lingering attachment to the Cult.
“So, you have no ambition.”
“I am leaving because I have it.”
“...!”
“Sometimes, a tree that has weathered the northern winds is sturdier than one in a lush forest.”
The Heavenly Demon Hyeok Ryeon-hwi was visibly flustered.
The Heavenly Demon, the lord of ten thousand demons...
For a moment, he was at a loss for words.
In that interval, the boy bowed.
“The next time I come to pay my respects, I shall return with the Wish-Fulfilling Pearl in my grasp.”
“....”
Hyeok Ryeon-hwi remained frozen until the boy who had bowed and left was long out of sight.
After standing still for a long while, he let out a hollow, deflated laugh.
“They say blood is thicker than water... was he a hidden dragon all along?”
Perhaps the North Sea would provide better nourishment for the boy than these Hundred Thousand Mountains.
That is, if he could truly claim the Ice Palace’s Wish-Fulfilling Pearl.
There was only one reason his father was sending Hyeok Ryeon-yeom to the Ice Palace.
‘To save me.’
In the past, he had stubbornly refused to go, even if it meant death, and instead tried to learn martial arts from the elders.
That was the best move a reincarnator who knew nothing of martial arts could make at the time.
Of course, the situation was different now.
He knew perfectly well that if he didn't go, he would die at the hands of Hyeok Ryeon-geuk.
To survive, going to the North Sea Ice Palace was the right choice.
“Oh my, Young Master! I heard you’re going to the North Sea?!”
When he returned to his quarters, Weizhi Young shouted, the rumors having already spread.
“Why the big grin?”
Weizhi Young quickly pretended to cry.
“Oh, heavens! My heart is breaking at the thought of not being able to see you, so these are tears of sorrow! How could you call it a grin?”
“Then why? You’re coming with me. Pack your bags.”
“Pardon?!”
“I’m not just going to the North Sea; I’m going there to get married. I can’t go alone.”
“Married?”
“He told me to marry. The Young Palace Lord of the Ice Palace.”
“Eeeek?!”
Her reactions were certainly lively.
Ignoring whether Weizhi Young was screaming or not, Hyeok Ryeon-yeom organized the current situation in his head.
His departure for the Ice Palace was set.
They called it an alliance, but he was essentially a hostage.
‘At least I can use the political marriage as an excuse. That’s a relief.’
He couldn't just go there and quietly play the role of a hostage, though.
“Weizhi Young. What am I good at?”
“Wine, women, and gambling?”
Hyeok Ryeon-yeom smirked.
‘A handsome face, a warm body.’
The conditions were good.
Playing around was something he had been doing his whole life.
The Scoundrel of the Hundred Thousand Mountains.
That was the title that followed Hyeok Ryeon-yeom.
“Young-ah. What was the name of the Young Palace Lord of the Ice Palace?”
“My name isn't Young-ah, it's Young!”
“Right, right. So, the name?”
“The Young Palace Lord... are you talking about Lady Seol Yerin?”
Seol Yerin?
Right, that was the name.
The precious daughter of the Ice Palace Lord, cursed with the Extreme Yin Body and destined for a short life.
The Ice Flower, Seol Yerin.
His goal was set.
“But the rumors say she is very ill?”
“I know.”
“Pardon?”
“Let’s study it on the way.”
“Study what?”
“How to melt Lady Seol’s frozen heart.”
“What?! I just told you she’s sick! They say she can’t even step outside, to the point that few in the Ice Palace have even seen her.”
“Heh. I know. I know.”
He had lived three lives and returned to the Martial World through regression.
When he thought about why he was given another chance to live as Hyeok Ryeon-yeom...
‘It must be to get revenge.’
Unlike his other two lives, in the Martial World, he had been killed by someone else.
There was progress.
He now knew that this body possessed the unique constitution of the Extreme Yang Body.
And.
‘To me, with my Extreme Yang Body, the Young Palace Lord with her Extreme Yin Body is no different from a Wish-Fulfilling Pearl.’
The one who would turn Hyeok Ryeon-yeom into a dragon...
A short while later, inside a warehouse of the Heavenly Demon Cult.
“First, let’s pack some thick clothes.”
He hated the cold.
Because of his Extreme Yang Body, he usually didn't feel the cold, but the North Sea was a world he had never visited.
It might be freezing.
After packing clothes.
“Next, let’s pack some food.”
Since the North Sea was a cold region, they could probably store ingredients by freezing them, but other ingredients would be hard to find.
However, the Heavenly Demon Cult was different.
As a power considered the strongest single entity, the Cult was wealthy and militarily powerful.
And Hyeok Ryeon-yeom was the son of this wealthy household.
“I wonder what the Young Palace Lord likes?”
Since she had only lived in a cold region, she would likely enjoy warm things.
“Would she like it if I brought various types of tea?”
Rustle.
The warehouse was filled with famous teas from the Central Plains, such as Junshan Yinzhen, Baihao Yinzhen, and Biluochun. Hyeok Ryeon-yeom packed them all without hesitation.
An hour later.
“Phew. This should be enough, right?”
After packing everything that looked valuable, a mountain of luggage was piled up beside him.
He returned to his quarters in high spirits, feeling like he had successfully raided the Demonic Cult’s treasury.
“Greetings, Young Master.”
Waiting for him was a man with a hulking, rugged frame, standing next to a carriage bearing the flag of the Ice Palace.
“Are you Young Master Hyeok Ryeon-yeom?”
The rugged man spoke to him.
“I am. Are you from the Ice Palace?”
The only person who would be waiting for him like this in the middle of the night would be someone from the Ice Palace.
“Yes. I have come from the North Sea Ice Palace. My name is Baek Mu-yong.”
The man who introduced himself as Baek Mu-yong was a muscular, imposing figure.
Dressed in pure white robes and carrying a sword, he looked like a man with immense pride.
Judging by the confidence in his eyes, he seemed quite sure of his martial skills.
The thin, snow-white scabbard at his waist, which seemed almost too small for his frame, was striking.
“Our departure was supposed to be tomorrow. What brings you here in the middle of the night?”
“The situation has changed. We must move to the North Sea immediately.”
“Understood. Get ready.”
“...?”
Baek Mu-yong was startled.
He had come prepared for a struggle, having heard that the Young Master was a scoundrel.
And yet, he was cooperating so readily.
“...Thank you for your understanding. I will prepare the carriage.”
While Baek Mu-yong prepared the carriage, Hyeok Ryeon-yeom first woke his maid, Weizhi Young, who was in a deep sleep.
“Wake up.”
“Gah! T-Third Young Master?”
Startled, Weizhi Young, who had been sleeping with drool on her face, opened her eyes at his call and mumbled in a daze.
“Is it time for me to die? To think the Third Young Master would appear in my dreams.”
“It’s not a dream, so get up.”
“Hieee!”
Blink, blink.
Weizhi Young, now fully awake, looked outside.
The world was shrouded in darkness. It was still night.
“What brings you here at this hour... Gasp, don't tell me!”
Hyeok Ryeon-yeom sighed as Weizhi Young covered her upper body with both arms.
I’m not that much of a scoundrel.
“Stop letting your imagination run wild and pack your things. We have to head to the North Sea right now.”
“Yes, just give me fifteen minutes.”
“Right. Sorry for waking you.”
Weizhi Young, who was about to move to pack her things, froze and shuddered.
“Could you please not say you're sorry? It’s so startling I think I’ll wake up in a cold sweat.”
“It’s not hard to say sorry when I’ve done something to be sorry for.”
“You never used to say things like that!”
Hyeok Ryeon-yeom chuckled as he watched Weizhi Young scurry away.
True, rather than saying sorry...
“Thank you.”
She talked a lot, but as an assistant, she was a maid more capable than anyone else in the Heavenly Demon Cult.
—Third Young Master! Please, run away!
‘She was loyal enough to die for a concubine’s son like me.’
In this new opportunity, he would not let anyone who had formed a bond with Hyeok Ryeon-yeom die.
Never.