Chapter 34
Chapter 34
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 34
Chapter Title: Our Child Has Changed
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'What was that sound just now?'
I could say with certainty that it wasn't just one noise.
'Judging by the unpleasant foreign sensation transmitted from under my foot, the first sound was a bug being crushed to death under my foot. The second one...'
The slimy remains of the bug and the deeply caved-in floor felt beneath my foot.
'I just put a little pressure with my foot, and the perfectly fine wooden floor is completely smashed?'
Come to think of it, the Golden Immortal Lotus said it was concealing the aura of my power, but that didn't mean the power itself had disappeared, right?
It absolutely could not be revealed right now that I possessed the power of a spirit beast.
'How do I explain this?'
"Ah, no wonder the floor felt flimsy despite being old. I barely touched it with my foot, and the wood just gave way."
After pondering, I awkwardly smiled and glanced at the gaping hole in the floorboards, muttering loudly enough for Daddy to hear.
Daddy stared at me with a puzzled expression, as if he couldn't believe what his eyes had just seen.
"We repair the floorboards periodically, and it was just two days ago that they were fixed."
'I see. No wonder the wood looked too pristine to be that old.'
"Maybe they missed repairing this spot by mistake?"
'Repair workers, sorry for making up a mistake you didn't commit.'
I'll make sure to compensate you properly when I grow up.
To pursue greater ambitions, I had to hide my power like this, no matter what.
If they found out I'd gained power from the Golden Immortal Lotus's seed, it would blow my cover of living in the Demon Cult while hiding it from Daddy.
"That's strange. I clearly confirmed it was repaired properly..."
Despite all my efforts, Daddy couldn't shake off his suspicions.
Really...
I hadn't wanted to resort to this method.
But now there was nowhere left to dodge.
"Daddy, I don't want to eat noodles."
"Why suddenly say you don't want noodles? Didn't our Star say she loves the noodles Daddy makes?"
"I do love them, but I can't."
"Why not?"
"The fact that a perfectly fine floor broke means Star has definitely gained weight! So I'm not eating noodles!"
The moment I declared I wouldn't eat breakfast, Daddy's face turned deadly serious.
"It's the floor's fault. Definitely the floor's fault!"
'Daddy acts like the world would end if I skipped even one meal.'
"But didn't you say you checked that the floor was fine?"
"Looks like we overlooked that spot. It's all because the floor was shoddy. Did our Star get hurt anywhere?"
Daddy rushed over and inspected my feet from every angle.
'He won't suspect anything anymore now, right?'
"Yeah, no injuries..."
As I secretly flashed a victorious smile behind Daddy's back and glanced down at my feet—
I spotted the bug's crushed leg stuck to the sole of my foot.
"Daddy, there's a buh, bug leg on my foot...!"
Daddy's hand moved like lightning as I stared in horror, chills running from head to toe, unable to speak properly.
In an instant, the bug's carcass shattered into pieces and fell off my foot.
'Just now... didn't the bug tear apart the moment it touched Daddy's hand blade?'
"It's fine now. Daddy removed the bug."
Daddy lifted me into his arms and gently patted my back with his large hand, as if to soothe his startled daughter.
'Daddy, I called it a mistake, but you're really hiding that you're the Heavenly Demon from me, aren't you?'
It was a moment when I truly questioned Daddy's intentions, but this time, I'd let it slide.
'Let's call it even—we're each keeping one secret for the other!'
"Daddy, I want to wash my feet quick and eat the noodles you made. I'm hungry."
"Good thinking. Daddy will prepare them right away!"
Daddy, who had been fidgeting anxiously, brightened up instantly at my words.
'Now I can enjoy a hot bowl of noodles without worry?'
As saliva pooled in my mouth at the thought of Daddy's noodles, I noticed something watching Daddy and me from atop the red fruit tree.
'Huh? That's Ppippi, isn't it?'
I raised my hand to wave, but Ppippi suddenly flew off.
'Weird? Our eyes definitely met... Was it my imagination?'
I stared wistfully at Ppippi flying far away.
Feeling an inexplicable sadness.
"Caught again?"
Crash!
In the Tang Clan of Sichuan, where a murderous atmosphere hung heavy.
A man dressed in luxurious silk robes, his white beard streaked with silver, hurled the vase from the desk at the black-masked man before him.
"I have no face to show before the Clan Head."
Shards of the vase scattered everywhere, one slicing the man's forehead.
The thrower was the head of the Tang Clan of Sichuan, the Clan Head himself.
The very man who had elevated the Tang Clan to the dominant force in the Martial Alliance—and father to Dang Hwi, the Heavenly Demon.
"Enough with the excuses about having no face. Give me the reason. There must be some explanation for getting outmaneuvered by those Demon Cult bastards."
Under the Clan Head's intimidating glare, the black-masked man hurriedly continued.
"From what we've investigated, our spies were discovered by the Demon Cult's advisor before they could even act."
"If they'd searched bodies one by one and found the Blue Death Grass, fine—but how did they know they were spies?"
"That... we couldn't determine."
"...Couldn't determine?"
"However, we do have a suspicion."
The masked man pressed on swiftly as the Clan Head looked ready to snap his neck at any moment.
"What is it?"
"The new advisor who spotted the spies is said to be an absolute martial arts master."
"The Martial Alliance has masters too. That's why we use poison for easy kills, isn't it?"
"That's just it... It's not just any master. They say it's a master using unheard-of martial arts."
"What kind of martial arts?"
"They burned a wound to summon a phoenix."
"A phoenix? You mean that fiery spirit beast from legends?"
"Yes. The spies were taken out in an instant by that firebird."
"I never knew phoenixes actually existed. So that Demon Cult advisor can summon spirit beasts?"
"Indeed. Their extraordinary abilities must be why they detected the spies' ambush."
"But if the Demon Cult had someone like that, I wouldn't be unaware of it."
To the incredulous Clan Head, the masked man rattled off details about the Demon Cult advisor.
"Apparently a recent recruit to the Demon Cult. Rose quickly to advisor thanks to impressive skills. However..."
"However?"
The masked man hesitated as if reluctant to speak, prompting the Clan Head to press.
"That advisor is a six-year-old girl."
The Clan Head burst into loud, absurd laughter at the masked man's words.
The man trembled as if it were the laugh of an asura.
"So you're saying the Tang Clan of Sichuan's spies were defeated by a mere six-year-old brat?"
"Y-Yes."
"Capture her."
"...Pardon?"
The furious Clan Head grabbed the masked man's collar with one hand and yanked him up.
His fierce eyes bloodshot, he glared at the man.
"That brat—I need to see her myself. Bring her before me. Fail again, and your head rolls. Got it?"
"Yes, u-understood. There won't be any mistakes this time. Please trust me, Clan Head."
Only after a firm affirmation did the Clan Head release the man from his grip.
Not missing a beat, the masked man bowed hastily and fled through the paper door.
"A Demon Cult brat who can summon spirit beasts..."
'Come at me if you dare. You might have taken out the small fry, but the Tang Clan of Sichuan still has its elite—and that includes me, the Clan Head.'
Gazing at his thick palm, the Clan Head clenched his fist with the resolve to dominate the world.
Vowing to crush the Demon Cult beneath his feet, by any means necessary.
"Heavenly Demon, you called for me?"
While Seol Cheon-seong slumbered sweetly after a hearty bowl of noodles, restoring her energy, Dang Hwi summoned Red Cloud.
Yet Dang Hwi's face seemed clouded with worry, more than usual.
'Is it about Seol Cheon-seong?'
Red Cloud instinctively knew it was connected to her.
She was the only one who could shatter Dang Hwi's usual composure.
"Iron spoon, floorboards, rock in the courtyard."
After a silence, Dang Hwi listed words that seemed utterly unrelated.
"I find it hard to grasp your intent from those alone, Heavenly Demon."
"Things our Star destroyed barehanded today. The iron spoon and rock, she smashed with her bare hands, no less."
Dang Hwi's inscrutable gaze pierced Red Cloud sharply.
"Any guesses?"
'If I had to guess...'
Suddenly, a face flashed in Red Cloud's mind.
A mysterious boy with shining golden hair and striking beauty.