After So-ryong left with his wives, at the residence of the Martial Alliance Leader.

The Alliance Leader, who was still alone, tossed back the remaining tea and spoke toward the darkness of the empty room.

“Didn’t I say I would verify it myself?”

At that, an old beggar and a man in black martial attire stepped out from a shadowed corner, both wearing awkward looks.

They scratched their heads and gave apologetic expressions.

“Ahem. We were worried, you see. He’s your heir-disciple, yes, but he also caught my eye—I’ve been watching him closely. If you hadn’t taken him as your heir first, I might have made him my disciple myself...”

“Were you planning to turn a perfectly decent fellow into a beggar? If Dokhwa hears that, she’ll be appalled. Good thing I beat you to it.”

“Now, now—am I just any beggar? At my level of beggar, Dokhwa wouldn’t have minded.”

“Even if you’re Geolhwang, a beggar is still a beggar, isn’t he?”

The ones who appeared from the corner were Geolhwang and Tu-je.

Because the Martial Alliance had summoned the Three Sovereigns and the Five Elders ahead of the expedition to Dai Viet, Geolhwang and Tu-je had arrived at the Beast Palace.

“Come now, why so mean about it? You’ll hurt a beggar’s feelings. I said I was sorry for sneaking in.”

As Geolhwang hurried to take a chair on the other side, Tu-je moved to stand beside him and spoke in a contrite voice.

“I was against it. But my elder brother kept insisting...”

“That rascal is always trying to save his own skin!”

Barking at Tu-je as he sat, Geolhwang asked in haste,

“Is it true, what he said—that she’s of the Demonic Cult?”

“Yes. It seems certain. I couldn’t be sure earlier at a distance, but this time I could clearly tell.”

“Truly? No, I don’t mean you were mistaken, it’s just...”

Geolhwang wore a guilty expression; he didn’t want to accept that So-ryong had taken a woman of the Demonic Cult as his consort.

It was as if he were doubting the Alliance Leader himself.

So-ryong was, at present, a young hero of the martial world.

If he kept growing like this, he’d accomplish great things for Murim—but if word spread that he had wed a woman of the Demonic Cult, he would not escape harsh censure. The thought made Geolhwang anxious.

In response, the Alliance Leader smiled faintly.

“You know I tried to devise a method to perceive the aura of those Blood Cult bastards, yes?”

“Know it? Who in Murim doesn’t?”

“I failed at that, but I did manage to devise a way to detect their root—their demonic qi—and I felt it clearly.”

It was well known in Murim that the Alliance Leader, having lost family to the Blood Cult and burning with vengeance, had tried to create a method to root out Blood Cultists.

He had no success to show for it, but perhaps as a result of that failure, he’d gained something that made him acutely sensitive to demonic qi.

“Ah, so that’s why you said you would check it yourself?”

“Yes.”

“Then isn’t this a serious matter?”

The Alliance Leader’s heir-disciple taking a woman of the Demonic Cult as a consort?

And with the Alliance Leader himself having verified it, the fact was now undeniable.

Stunned, Geolhwang’s expression turned grave—then a thought occurred to him: could guileless So-ryong have been deceived?

Are not women of the Demonic Cult said to be cunning?

Brightening as the idea struck him, Geolhwang said,

“No, he could have been tricked. Of course. She must have hidden her identity. She surely infiltrated the righteous Murim and...”

But contrary to Geolhwang’s hope, the Alliance Leader’s answer indicated So-ryong seemed to know.

“I don’t think that’s it. It looked very much like he knew.”

“What!?”

Startled by the Alliance Leader’s words, Geolhwang immediately pressed,

“And it’s not like he was caught by something like a Soul-Seizing Art?”

“No. If he’d been ensnared by a Soul-Seizing Art, a hierarchy would form between them—you can’t hide that in conversation so neatly. There was nothing odd in his eyes, either.”

“Then what on earth is this? Why would So-ryong...?”

Geolhwang wore a look of utter incomprehension.

He simply could not understand why So-ryong had accepted a woman of the Demonic Cult as his wife.

Wasn’t he the son-in-law of the Sacheon Tang Clan?

For the son-in-law of a righteous house to take a Demonic Cult woman—unthinkable.

Irritated for no good reason, he turned a look on Tu-je.

It had been Tu-je who first realized that So-ryong’s second wife was of the Demonic Cult.

On the way to meet the Palace Lord after arriving at the Beast Palace.

Tu-je had never directly stolen from the Nine Great Sects or the great clans, but outside of that... well.

So with countless martial artists gathered for the Dai Viet expedition, showing his face could cause problems.

Thus, he had wanted to lie low until the day of departure and was quietly heading for the Alliance Leader’s residence using the Hidden Silkworm Concealment Art.

He had meant to announce his arrival.

Then his eyes caught the venomous creatures So-ryong kept, clustered in a patch of grass—and three women.

“Our Hongdan can chop logs nicely now. You can do it well when you listen to Mom, right? In the end, cutting anything comes down to intent.”

“Scree!”

“Ji-ryeon, is that really true? Hongdan is still not fully grown...”

“No, it is true. In the end, the body follows the heart.”

Even though night had fallen, with only a single lantern set down nearby, the three women were out on the grass playing with the venomous creatures.

Tu-je knew two of them.

One was Tang Hwa-eun, the Tang Clan’s only daughter who had lately been coming and going often; the other was Yu Ji-ryeon, the Princess and former direct disciple of the abbess of Bo-ta Temple.

‘It hasn’t been made public yet, but didn’t they say So-ryong had taken three wives? Then that girl must be the last one.’

Though not yet announced outside, Tu-je already knew that So-ryong had received an imperial rescript and taken three wives.

He had been coming and going at the Tang Clan recently because of the Heavenly Silkworm matter.

Which meant the remaining one, whose face he hadn’t seen, must be So-ryong’s other consort.

‘That brat has quite the knack. I thought he only gathered spirit beasts—turns out he gathers women well, too.’

Geolhwang, now curious, hid his qi and watched from the shade.

From the darkness came a fluttering sound, and two silvery moths clung to the face of So-ryong’s consort whom he was seeing for the first time.

“Hungry again, are you?”

“Mew-mew.”

“Muuu.”

The two moths nodded like people.

‘Weren’t those called Eunjam?’

What had just flown in were remarkable spirit creatures said to transform only after devouring the queen of a spirit being descended from the Heavenly Silkworm.

As Tu-je stared, half-bewitched by the pair, So-ryong’s consort lightly opened her palm and moved them onto her wrist.

Then a sooty black aura rose from her hand.

It wasn’t large, but black qi coiled up from her fingertips.

‘T-that—!?’

In that instant Tu-je recognized what that aura was.

Demonic qi!

It was unmistakably the demonic qi said to be the aura of demonic practitioners.

He had seen it himself not long ago when demonic cultivators appeared, so he could be certain.

Others might not sense it, but to his qi honed razor-keen for thieving, that unpleasant current was vividly palpable.

‘S-So-ryong’s consort has demonic qi!?’

Startled, Tu-je hurried straight to the Alliance Leader.

He debated whether he ought to tell the Alliance Leader or not.

Fortunately, someone perfect to consult about such a matter—Geolhwang—was already there.

If Geolhwang was there, then it was worth bringing up.

“E-elder brother!”

“What’s this? You should be greeting the Alliance Leader first, not standing there looking like a thief caught in the act.”

“I-I just saw something strange.”

“Something strange?”

“S-So-ryong. I saw So-ryong’s wife exhaling d-demonic qi!”

“D-Demonic qi!?”

At the words demonic qi, Geolhwang flinched in shock.

He promptly cuffed Tu-je on the head and barked,

“Has this brat been drinking? You’re saying Hwa-eun is a demon, you fool?”

“N-no, that’s not what I meant.”

“Then are you saying the Princess is a demon? You must want your head lopped off instead of your hand! How dare you accuse a member of the Imperial family of being tied to that cult—”

Few people knew, but as the Beggars’ Sect chief, Geolhwang was aware that So-ryong had taken three wives.

Rubbing his sore head, Tu-je shouted back furiously,

“No, there’s still one left, isn’t there!”

At that, Geolhwang froze for a moment, then pressed with a grave look.

“Hm? One left? D-don’t tell me... You’d better be sure. So-ryong is also the Alliance Leader’s heir. If you’ve mistaken what you saw, you’ll bring great disgrace on the Alliance Leader as well.”

“I am Tu-je. Could I mistake an aura?”

“Even so, I cannot trust it until I see for myself. I’ll go and confirm it personally.”

As Geolhwang sprang to his feet, the Alliance Leader held him back.

“I will confirm it.”

“Hm? Y-you will?”

“He is my heir. It is only right that I be the one to confirm. I will take responsibility.”

And so, the Alliance Leader himself summoned So-ryong and his wives to his quarters, and confirmed it with his own eyes.

What he said next left Geolhwang, already grim-faced, in greater shock.

“And judging by the depth of the hidden aura, she must be at the realm of Extreme Demon.”

“E-Extreme Demon!”

“Extreme Demon!”

Extreme Demon meant a master of the Flame Realm.

Geolhwang and Tu-je widened their eyes in disbelief—only for the next words to be even more impossible.

“C-could it be!?”

“Yes. Most likely either the Little Heavenly Demon... or the Heavenly Demon herself.”

It was bad enough if she were merely a woman of the Demonic Cult, but the Little Heavenly Demon, or even the Heavenly Demon?

Geolhwang was nearly out of his mind—when beside him came a calm voice.

“There’s no need to take it so gravely.”

Geolhwang’s eyes bulged round at that.

This wasn’t only a problem for So-ryong—if true, it was a matter that could tarnish even the honor of the Alliance Leader who had taught him martial arts!

He couldn’t help but say it was nonsense. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

“What are you saying? Your heir, the young hero of Murim, has taken the leader of the Demonic Cult as a wife! How is that not a grave affair? If it goes wrong, your own name will be disgraced along with his...”

The Alliance Leader gave a crooked smile.

“It’s not that the Demonic Cult has schemed anything. It seems to be nothing more than a matter of what lies below the waist.”

“Below... the waist?”

At the Alliance Leader’s words, both Geolhwang and Tu-je looked down at their own waists.

Then came the Alliance Leader’s words, tinged with amusement.

“You two haven’t married, so you wouldn’t know... Ah, forgive me. I meant no offense.”

Both Tu-je and Geolhwang were indeed unmarried. The Alliance Leader gave an apologetic look, but Geolhwang answered with a thoroughly uncomfortable face.

“Ahem. You know, back in our youth we did keep company with women.”

“Don’t lie, elder brother. Who’d ever sleep with an unwashed beggar...”

“You brat!”

“Ow-ow-ow!”

Geolhwang cuffed Tu-je’s head again, then turned back to the Alliance Leader.

“Enough—keep speaking.”

“Yes. You see, when a woman falls in love, her attitude and eyes reveal it. All three of So-ryong’s wives had that look. It isn’t something one can simply put on deliberately.

So there’s no great need to worry. That’s what I meant.”

In other words, it was simply a matter between a man and women, nothing more. No reason to fret.

But that was not the true issue.

The true issue was that So-ryong’s wife was either the head of the Demonic Cult, or its next leader.

“No, you can’t mean that’s not the problem!”

“That’s right, Alliance Leader. Isn’t the very fact that she is the head of the Heavenly Demon Cult—or will be—a grave matter?”

Even Tu-je had to add his voice, and at that the Alliance Leader looked out the window and asked a strange question.

“I have lived my life for vengeance, and at last its end is near. What will remain when it is done?”

Knowing the Alliance Leader’s life, filled with struggle [N O V E L I G H T] against the Blood Cult, Geolhwang answered.

That by burning his own life away, peace would come to Murim.

“Peace will come.”

Turning his head, the Alliance Leader smiled gently.

“Yes. Then let us bury this matter. If it is buried, it is no more than a man and woman meeting and making a family, is it not?”

“Bury it?”

“The Demonic Cult has already been uprooted once; for a hundred, two hundred years they will not dare challenge Murim again. If we can also rid the world of the Blood Cult, then peace will come to Murim.

In that peace, what reason is there to stir needless discord? I want to leave a peaceful Murim to my disciple.”

“But...”

Had anyone else said this, Geolhwang could never have accepted it.

What about Murim a century or two hence?

But knowing the Alliance Leader’s life, Geolhwang could not refute him.

He knew what kind of battles he had fought all his life against the Blood Cult.

If he wished for rest, then he had to be allowed it.

Then the Alliance Leader spoke again, with a mischievous glint.

“One might think it’s leaving too heavy a burden to those a hundred, two hundred years later. But truly, ruling one’s wives is a man’s affair. If So-ryong transforms the Heavenly Demon, then even the Heavenly Demon Cult will change. Just as those terrifying spirit beasts became as tame as puppies.

I intend to trust that boy.”

The wind blew in through the window, and Tu-je and Geolhwang too resolved to trust.

To trust in So-ryong’s loins.

For families are, after all, set right by a man’s loins.

If that boy used his loins well, then unlike the Alliance Leader who came before, he might bring about a peaceful Murim in a peaceful way.