"Listen carefully because I’m only going to say this once."
"I’m always listening to what Lady Chun-bong has to say."
"I love you."
"What?"
"Let’s live together. I’ll treat you well."
Seo-jun’s eyes rolled.
"But we already live together…?"
"…You’re seriously asking for it. You know what I mean."
Chun-bong’s sharp gaze pierced through Seo-jun.
Seo-jun couldn’t say anything and just rolled his eyes around.
Love? Of course, he loved Chun-bong too. She was his adorable little sister. There wasn’t anything he wouldn’t do for her.
But even someone as dense as him understood what Chun-bong’s confession implied.
It wasn’t the love between family members. It was between a man and a woman—a proposal to live happily ever after and have three kids.
"……."
He didn’t know what to say.
‘You can’t do this with family.’
No, even he wasn’t dense enough to say something like that. He knew it would hurt Chun-bong.
‘You’re my sister, and I’m your brother?’
That’s just the same thing. That wouldn’t work either. Chun-bong might get upset and cry.
Then…
‘Alright. Should we have a cozy little date?’
Seo-jun, you’ve officially lost your mind. You might as well drown yourself in a puddle. Though, knowing you, even that wouldn’t kill you.
"Umm…"
While Seo-jun kept rolling his eyes, Chun-bong let out a small laugh.
"I know. You don’t see me as a woman."
"No… I know you’re a woman…"
"…Just shut up, will you? I feel like killing you."
"Yes, ma’am."
Seo-jun shut his mouth. Chun-bong straightened her lips, trying to keep them from trembling, and puffed out her chest.
"But how long do you think you can keep that up? I’m Geum Chun-bong. The one and only Geum Chun-bong."
"……."
"One day, you’ll be completely enchanted by me. Sure, I might still be your cute little sister now, but give me a little more time. You won’t be able to think of me that way anymore."
Chun-bong snorted. Her legs were trembling. She tried her best to hide it as she took a step closer to Seo-jun.
His eyes, filled with confusion, trembled. His lips awkwardly curved upward. Chun-bong felt relieved inside.
‘Yeah. This is enough.’
She was satisfied as long as he didn’t look disgusted. Things might be a bit awkward for a few days, but she believed it wouldn’t last long.
Because it was them.
Chun-bong reached out. Seo-jun didn’t resist as she grabbed his collar. She pulled hard, yanking his upper body toward her. Chun-bong closed her eyes and tilted her head slightly—
Smooch—
And again.
Smooch—
When she carefully opened her eyes, she saw Seo-jun staring at her blankly.
Chun-bong touched her lips. She could still feel the faint warmth.
‘…I must be crazy.’
Where did this sudden courage even come from?
No, she knew. She had realized she might really lose him, and maybe she had panicked a little.
But she didn’t regret it. Not even a little.
Because it was Seo-jun. He wouldn’t leave her.
Chun-bong grinned.
"Hey."
"…Huh?"
"Ttu-ttya-tta."
"Uh… Ttu-ttya-tta?"
"Good. Behave yourself."
Chun-bong lightly patted Seo-jun’s shoulder before leaping onto the roof.
Tap—
Her movement seemed composed—at least until she disappeared from Seo-jun’s sight.
Whoosh—! The moment she was out of his view, Chun-bong moved faster than ever and dove into her room, burying herself under the blankets.
"Ugh… Ughhh…! Aaaahhhh!!"
Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang—!
Her feet pummeled the blanket so hard it looked like it might rip apart.
"I-I must be crazy!"
Bang, bang, bang, bang—!
After flailing around for a while, Chun-bong panted and calmed herself down. Then, an important realization hit her.
‘We share the same room.’
Tremble— Chun-bong’s eyes shook violently.
****
Even after Chun-bong left, Seo-jun stood on the roof for a long time, absentmindedly touching his lips.
"You’ll fall for me eventually."
She wasn’t wrong. What man could resist Chun-bong if she set her mind to seducing him?
Even Pae Jin-gwang, whose muscles had probably invaded his brain, would fall for her within a few days if she really tried.
—Hey, old man! Ttu-ttya-tta!
Suddenly, Seo-jun imagined Chun-bong flirting with Pae Jin-gwang, and his eyes flared. He carved Pae Jin-gwang’s name into his mental death note.
‘Pae Jin-gwang, you’re dead.’
Next time he saw him, he was going to beat him to the brink of death.
After brooding over it for a while, Seo-jun finally crept toward the room.
Creak— He gently pushed the door open and peeked inside. The room was quiet. A single lump under the blanket stuck out. Ssss—Phew… Chun-bong’s breathing sounds when she was asleep.
Seo-jun activated Moonlit Phantom Steps and carefully lay down next to her.
Her blanket was tattered, as if she’d been flailing around earlier, and her forehead was slightly damp with sweat. Seo-jun reached out his hand.
"There, there, my Chun-bong."
No matter what happened, he wasn’t planning to leave her side—unless she told him to get lost, horrified.
But, well.
‘That’s never going to happen.’
With a satisfied smile, Seo-jun hugged Chun-bong tightly and closed his eyes.
****
"Hey."
His eyes opened. Chun-bong was there.
"After everything last night, this is how you act?"
Chun-bong’s sharp gaze made Seo-jun glance away.
"But… hugging you helps me sleep better…"
"Shut up."
Smooch— Chun-bong quickly kissed him and bolted out the door.
A giggle trailed behind her as if she was in the best mood ever.
"…What the hell."
The world had completely changed overnight. Seo-jun stared at the ceiling blankly for a while before finally dragging himself out of bed.
"Hmm…"
He dipped his senses into the Qi Body Realm. Woom— The surrounding Qi resonated with his own. Seo-jun used Qi-Controlled Swordsmanship to lift the sword lying in the corner and fastened it to his waist.
For now, he planned to familiarize himself with this higher realm little by little.
‘Anyway, Chun-bong seems fine now.’
Completely unexpected, but she actually looked better than usual.
Of course, it had made things a bit complicated for him… but couldn’t he just handle it the way he always did?
‘I should contact my father-in-law in advance.’
Seo-jun was planning to head to the Demonic Cult soon to get stronger as quickly as possible.
He needed to gather information about the Demonic Cult first. On top of that, getting advice about martial arts from his father-in-law would be ideal.
—You made my daughter cry…
Gulp—!
Seo-jun instinctively rubbed his neck. No way. That wouldn’t happen. Right?
****
Permission to visit was granted as soon as the message was sent.
Seo-jun dressed appropriately and headed toward the main house.
"Welcome, son-in-law…."
Namgung Jincheon was there, appearing as calm and composed as ever. But Seo-jun’s eyes saw him differently this time. The moment he instinctively probed Namgung Jincheon’s aura—
Chill—
A shiver ran down Seo-jun’s spine, and he rubbed his arms to shake it off.
‘…This doesn’t make any sense.’
Was this man really in the same Transformation Stage as Shihyeol Mancheon? Even if ten of Shihyeol Mancheon stood together, they wouldn’t be able to lay a finger on Namgung Jincheon’s robes.
"Hoo…. You’ve changed quite a bit."
"Really? It doesn’t feel like the gap has closed much."
"Come now, son-in-law…. I’ve spent years honing my skills. If you caught up to me already, what would that make me? Take your time chasing after me…."
Seo-jun chuckled. It was a funny joke.
"Hmm…?"
…But Namgung Jincheon seemed serious. Seo-jun scratched his chin awkwardly. He wasn’t confident he could close that gap overnight.
Noticing Seo-jun’s hesitation, Namgung Jincheon smiled faintly.
"Anyway…. You’re here to ask about the Demonic Cult, aren’t you?"
"Yes."
"I’ll tell you everything I know. But before that—"
Namgung Jincheon’s gaze turned icy, freezing Seo-jun in place.
‘What’s going on? Am I screwed?’
Feeling guilty for no reason, Seo-jun swallowed nervously.
"You mentioned heading directly to the Demonic Cult, didn’t you? But no matter how skilled you are, I can’t allow you to go in unprepared. That’s a death sentence."
"Phew."
"……?"
Seo-jun let out a breath of relief.
"I’ve got a plan."
It was his father-in-law, after all—no reason to hide it.
Seo-jun covered his face with his hand, reversing the flow of his Qi channels using the Mixed Origin Sun and Moon Art to activate his disguise technique.
Swoosh—
When his hand lowered, the face of Cheon Seo-jun appeared.
"This should work, right?"
"Huh…."
Namgung Jincheon marveled at the flawless transformation.
"Even the Heavenly Demon would mistake you for one of his own…."
"That’s a compliment, right?"
"Of course. But, be careful about one thing."
Namgung Jincheon took a sip of tea, then continued.
"If someone at my level—or higher—were to see both your current and original forms, they might realize you’re the same person."
"What? How?"
Seo-jun was baffled. He’d changed his appearance and even altered his internal energy flow perfectly.
"Your soul doesn’t change. Those who can perceive the realm of Fate, or what some call the Soul Level, can recognize your soul. That said, if they only see this form, they won’t suspect you’re anything but a demonic cultivator."
"Shit."
So experts could see souls once they reached a certain level? What the hell was he supposed to do about that?
Seo-jun clicked his tongue, then asked,
"Are there others in the Demonic Cult at that level besides the Heavenly Demon?"
"Probably. The Demonic Cult has the highest number of experts, after all."
That was thanks to demonic cultivation. It allowed practitioners to advance quickly, though most ended up self-destructing or going insane.
"Oh, so demonic cultivation is efficient but also efficiently destroys their sanity?"
"Exactly. Even those who aren’t qualified can attempt to leap from the Absolute Stage to the Extreme Demon Realm. Though ten out of ten fail."
Hearing this, Seo-jun guessed,
‘Most of them probably have no patience.’
If you dangle an easy path to power in front of impulsive maniacs, wouldn’t they all jump in and march straight to the afterlife?
"Despite having many experts, their overall strength isn’t that different from orthodox and unorthodox sects. They’re plagued by internal strife and self-destruction. However, the chances of encountering an expert within the Demonic Cult are much higher."
"I’ll be careful."
"Good. Especially around the Heavenly Demon’s Palace."
Namgung Jincheon’s gaze turned sharp.
"Within a radius of 100 li (about 40 kilometers) surrounding the Heavenly Demon’s Palace, the demonic energy is stabilized by the Heavenly Demon’s influence."
"Wait, 100 li?"
That was roughly 5,000 square kilometers—about eight times the size of Seoul.
"Yes. Even without conscious effort, his influence covers that range."
"That’s ridiculous."
"The demons near the palace tend to be more mentally stable. More importantly, it’s where their elite, fanatically devoted forces are stationed."
Tap, tap—Namgung Jincheon drummed his fingers on the table. For once, his eyes carried a sharp edge as if piercing through distant threats.
"Be wary of them. The strongest military force in the martial world—the Ten Thousand Ghost Army."