Chapter 244
Chapter 244. Retaliation of the Blood Sect
Kwaang!
Flames engulfed the Blood Demon's body. Even so, the Blood Demon laughed, leaving the fire as it was.
"I didn't ask you to do anything so difficult, so why are you angry? Is the road to the Central Plains so far for that fellow, or is it truly that hard to bring Tang So-hwa here, someone he already has ties with?"
Then he added meaningfully,
"Ah, are you worried not about that fellow, but about Tang So-hwa?"
Though his opponent offered no reply, the Blood Demon continued speaking.
"There's nothing to worry about. I have no intention of putting your subordinate in trouble, nor do I intend to kill Tang So-hwa. Besides, this is something good for you as well, so don't exhaust yourself too much."
Ta-at.
As if petting a dog he kept, the Blood Demon reached for the head of the Main Blood Hall Lord, but his hand failed to touch him and instead flared red with heat.
The Blood Demon's face twisted.
"...... Growing too fast isn't always a good thing."
Hwaak.
The Blood Demon opened his acupoint.
The chill trapped in his palm burst out the instant the acupoint opened and wrapped around his arm. The heat clinging to his hand quickly subsided.
Shaking his hand lightly, the Blood Demon said,
"Hm, at this rate, I might actually have to worry about the day I die by your hand."
"Were you not worrying about that until now?"
For the first time, Min Haerak replied. His killing intent-laden voice brushed right against the Blood Demon's ear.
Kwaak.
The Main Blood Hall Lord's hand reached the Blood Demon's nape.
At once, an acupoint interlocked with acupoint. Just as Haerak tried to force his heat inside, his wrist was seized.
The palm that was knocked away by a hair's breadth burned fiercely in midair.
The faces of the Blood Demon and Haerak drew so close they might touch.
The Blood Demon whispered in a low voice, like someone revealing a secret.
"Didn't I say it would be something good for you as well? At least hear me out."
"What's good for me is you dying. Are you planning to die here? If so, I'm willing to listen."
"I think it's something even better than that."
At those words, even Haerak paused. He grew curious about what could be better than death.
More precisely, he was bothered by what that monster believed to be something good for him, by that warped judgment.
"Isn't life more precious than death? I intend to entrust you with the sacred task of creating a new life."
Haerak let out a hollow laugh. He had already heard such nonsense many times. The Blood Demon had shoved women into his room, calling them peerless beauties, and had even burned strange aphrodisiacs to force him to move.
Treating a person like breeding stock, he considered it a great act of benevolence.
To one who regarded vessels as mere creatures, it must indeed have seemed like consideration.
Just as Haerak withdrew his interest, a familiar name reached his ears.
"You seem to be well matched with So-hwa, so I came personally to pair that child with you."
Min Haerak's gaze snapped upward.
The Blood Demon's face, lips drawn long up to his ears, filled his vision.
Perhaps pleased with Haerak's reaction, the Blood Demon's eyes gleamed.
"I'm looking forward to what kind of vessel you and So-hwa will create. If you produce a vessel that pleases me as much as I expect, I can forgive both of you."
"Crazy bastard."
For the first time, the Main Blood Hall Lord lost his composure and cursed in earnest.
Yet the Blood Demon still looked pleased.
“Is it not a generous condition even to your ears? You can resolve my anger and receive forgiveness just by taking the woman you felt lust for and embracing her, using me as an excuse. Furthermore, I intend to bestow great mercy upon you."
In a slow voice, the Blood Demon continued,
"If you produce a vessel to my liking, I will grant you the Great Desert. I no longer plan to hide myself from the world, so it would be fine for you to take charge of the Great Desert. It means you won't need to hide the bloodline of the Solar Palace Lord anymore."
It meant he would not question their crimes and would acknowledge him as Palace Lord.
On the condition that he hand over a child imbued with his blood.
“Do not move”.
The sound of grinding teeth echoed across the desert.
The Main Blood Hall Lord spoke to Min Doyu.
He had sensed Min Doyu wavering.
Haerak believed there was no one in the world less trustworthy than the Blood Demon. He had no need to keep promises. And even if he broke them, what could anyone do to him?
To properly interpret the bastard's words, there was only one thing to focus on.
What he wanted.
That alone was true.
He wanted a new vessel.
When Haerak did not waver, the Blood Demon turned his words toward Min Doyu.
"You'd better hurry. As you can see, your superior is a fool who rejects my mercy, so if you're too late, even if you bring Tang So-hwa, this one might already be dead."
The Blood Demon clicked his tongue.
"I'll try to keep my Haerak from dying, but you know, don't you? How perverse his temperament is. He might fall just like his sister......."
Kwaang!
The Blood Demon could not finish his words. The barrage of attacks was fierce, and the strike of the grown descendant of the Solar Palace inflicted serious damage even on his body.
Even so, there was no benefit to Haerak having shut the Blood Demon's mouth.
Ta-at.
Min Doyu, who had risen from the sand dune, turned and began to flee.
The Blood Demon's crafty proposal had ultimately shaken the heart of the descendant of the Solar Palace.
Even knowing what would happen if she were brought here, the Deputy Hall Lord had no choice but to head for the Central Plains.
* * *
As night fell, the Zhuge Clan grew quiet. It had never been a place of great commotion to begin with, but these days the retainers felt even more subdued.
The Clan Head and the elders continued a long meeting, and the martial artists beneath them also kept an eye on the situation and focused quietly on their training.
Not long ago, a request for support had come from the headquarters. It said that the Blood Sect seemed to be stirring in Sichuan, and asked them either to send support there or to come to the headquarters and offer their opinions on dispatching a combat unit.
Zhuge Cheon-yu felt stifled for no clear reason and left the hall to walk along the pond.
Because lanterns hung everywhere, brightly illuminating the garden, she could clearly see even the fish moving beneath the water. The red carp churned noisily, looking as though the pond itself had caught fire.
'If it's Sichuan, are they targeting the Tang Clan…?'
Strangely enough, the Tang Clan had always been close to the Blood Sect.
Rather than exchanging ties, it looked more like they were pressing them tightly.
That was why Zhuge Cheon-yu did not regard the Blood Sect's resurgence as a mere declaration of war against the Murim Alliance.
'Isn't this retaliation....?'
Not long ago, Elder Brother In-hwi and Young Lady Tang had made public the method of neutralizing the Blood Demon's weapon.
They had extracted the Gu poison from the body and even rendered ineffective the drug that manipulated memories, greatly weakening the other side's strength.
The Blood Sect must have invested great effort over a long time to plant spies, so their anger was bound to flare.
Even so, Zhuge Cheon-yu could not dispel the fear rising in her heart.
The Four Seasons Hall was under Elder Brother In-hwi's authority, and it was said that by the order of the Four Seasons Hall, Young Lady Tang had uncovered the Blood Demon's weapon.
Then how could it be that the Blood Sect retaliated against the Tang Clan, yet showed no interest in the Zhuge Clan?
She lifted her head.
An elegant hall came into view. It was not flamboyant, but each material was clearly expensive, giving off an air of dignity.
More than the refined scenery, the peaceful atmosphere surrounding the clan felt even more vivid.
'How can the Zhuge Clan be this relaxed?'
If the Tang Clan had suffered retaliation, an air of unease should naturally hang over the Zhuge Clan as well, yet the elders all seemed calm.
She could not easily let that pass.
The Clan Head and the elders had long tried to teach everything of the family to the Cheon–Ji–In brothers, yet they had kept the clan's affairs hidden from their precious daughter.
At times, Zhuge Ji-hwi would secretly tell Zhuge Cheon-yu about clan matters or look over her martial arts, and each time, elder Brother Ji-hwi would be severely scolded by Father.
This time as well, something she did not know must be happening.
Though she was of the direct line, Zhuge Cheon-yu felt frustrated at knowing nothing, yet all she could do was sigh in a place with no one around.
"The ground will cave in at this rate."
"Elder Brother!"
Startled, Zhuge Cheon-yu twisted around. As she stepped on her skirt and nearly fell backward, Zhuge Ji-hwi caught her hand.
"What worries you so, wandering alone at this late hour?"
"Has the meeting ended already?"
"Yes."
As Zhuge Cheon-yu debated whether or not to ask how things stood, she suddenly swept her gaze over Zhuge Ji-hwi from head to toe.
"...... Are you going somewhere?"
"I'm going to the headquarters."
"The headquarters?"
Zhuge Cheon-yu asked cautiously.
"Are we perhaps sending support to Sichuan as well?"
"No, that's still under discussion."
Not a positive answer.
Zhuge Ji-hwi swallowed the rest of the words and smiled.
"It seems the Four Seasons Hall Lord has something to ask me. He sent someone urgently, so I'm heading there right away."
"The Four Seasons Hall Lord? Elder Brother In-hwi?"
Zhuge Cheon-yu's eyes widened even more than when she had asked about the Blood Sect's resurgence.
"No way, did Elder Brother In-hwi really send a letter to us? Is the world ending tomorrow or something?"
As Zhuge Cheon-yu nearly fainted in shock, Zhuge Ji-hwi let out a bitter smile.
"I'm just as taken aback as you are, and curious about the reason as well."
For the first time, his younger brother had invited him to the headquarters, saying he wanted to speak directly, yet Zhuge Ji-hwi's expression was dark.
There was nothing that would suddenly improve their relationship, so something must have come up that required asking only him for help.
Zhuge Ji-hwi had a few guesses as to the reason, and he took a deep breath. He had come to the pond himself to steady his mind before leaving, but there had already been a guest.
Zhuge Ji-hwi straightened the sleeve of his younger sister, who looked left out.
"The night wind is cold, so stay only a little while and then go back inside."
"Yes. When you return, I also......."
"Right. If it's something I can tell you, I will. Let's talk again tomorrow."
Zhuge Ji-hwi smiled gently and left the pond.
Zhuge Cheon-yu let out a bitter breath. Judging by his suggestion to talk tomorrow, it seemed he had no intention of telling her.
She sat on a rock, watching the carp swimming leisurely. As she continued to watch their small, unhurried movements, a martial artist who valued even the lives of such tiny creatures came to mind.
He was known for his cold temperament and for rumors that his martial arts skills lagged far behind.
Yet the impression she had of the Tang Clan's Young Lord, whom she had met in person, was cool but warm-hearted, someone who knew how to care for even small beings.
'And his martial arts skill was unbelievable.'
Zhuge Cheon-yu brushed at the hem of her skirt for no reason.
It wasn't only matters within the Zhuge Clan that she did not know. She scarcely knew anything about what was happening outside either.
Thinking that the number of things she wanted to know was steadily increasing, Zhuge Cheon-yu let the night pass.