Gong Son Wu spoke while organizing his thoughts about what was to come.
“Let’s wrap it up here for today. We’ll continue our detailed discussion tomorrow. I’ll head to Myeong Palace around lunchtime.”
“You’re going to Dong Cheon Palace now?”
Ju Na Rin’s eyes widened. From Bongma-dong to Dong Cheon Palace, one would have to cross a distance of a couple of cities.
No matter how great Gong Son Wu’s lightness skill was, the sun had already begun to rise. How could he possibly make it to Dong Cheon Palace and back to Myeong Palace?
“Sir. Tell elder brother to stay the night at Myeong Palace.”
“Stay the night at Myeong Palace.”
Seeing Dokgo Cheon relay Na Rin’s words like a puppet, Gong Son Wu made a slightly pathetic expression before shaking his head.
“I appreciate the offer, but I must decline. There’s somewhere I need to stop by.”
“Somewhere you need to stop by?”
“Does an elder brother have to explain every little thing to his disciple?”
No, well. There’s no need for that.
Na Rin shrugged lightly as if she understood.
“When you return, get some good sleep until lunchtime. Tomorrow, you’ll need to explain every single thing that happened today with a clear mind.”
Eugh. Just thinking about it was bothersome.
“Your response.”
“Yes. Elder brother.”
But what could she do?
The master is the sky, and the disciple is the earth.
[This is the timeline separator]Na Rin woke up feeling somewhat languid.
Her body was pleasantly relaxed like an egg in egg soup, and a pleasant sandalwood scent reached her nose.
As she turned her body to look around, the stiffly embroidered silk quilt curved and rose, half-covering Na Rin’s view.
At that moment, a warm and low voice was heard.
“Sleep some more.”
A warm and rough fingertip lightly brushed Na Rin’s forehead.
Ah. She had an idea of where the sandalwood scent was coming from.
“Yaaawn. Yes, sir.”
As Na Rin burrowed into the quilt like curling up her body, Dokgo Cheon’s giggling laughter gradually faded away.
This warmth, coziness, and comfort resembled something.
The heartbeat passed from one person’s embrace to another. The rhythmic breathing. The warmth of human skin.
“My precious and dear daughter. You must live happily.”
Na Rin nodded her head at the kind voice of unknown origin.
And after some time had passed.
“How long are you going to lie there!”
“Eeek?!”
Startled, Na Rin fell off the bed with a thud.
The pain in her knees brought her to her senses.
“El- Elder brother? Is it already lunchtime?”
“Lunch? It’s almost dinner time.”
Already?
As Na Rin turned her gaze to the window, she saw the navy blue sky starting to redden at the edges.
‘Don’t tell me I slept from sunrise to sunset?’
No matter how exhausted she was, she never thought she would waste an entire day sleeping.
Judging by the unfamiliar clothes she was changed into and her refreshed feeling, it seemed the maids had washed her while she slept.
“Is young master outside?”
As Na Rin naturally walked towards the door, Gong Son Wu stepped to the side, blocking her way.
“Before you go out, I have something to ask.”
“Please speak, sir.”
Na Rin looked up at Gong Son Wu, indicating that she was listening.
Gong Son Wu made a grunting sound and squatted down to meet Na Rin’s eyes.
“Do you know someone named Ju Wol Yeong?”
Na Rin’s eyes widened like lanterns.
Gong Son Wu nodded his head as if he had expected this.
“There’s no way you would know. I asked a silly question.”
“I do know her.”
“You know her?”
Na Rin nodded her head vigorously.
She didn’t know how this topic came up, but there was no reason to miss the opportunity that had rolled in.
“Yes. Ju Wol Yeong. She’s my mother.”
This time, it was Gong Son Wu’s eyes that widened.
“Didn’t you say you were an orphan?”
“Elder brother, really. Do orphans just fall from the sky?”
Gong Son Wu’s mouth gaped open as if he had been hit hard on the back of his head.
It was a fair point. Where would there be a person who doesn’t have a mother who gave birth to them in pain?
Gong Son Wu didn’t hide his perplexed expression and hastily asked.
“Do you happen to know your father’s name as well?”
“I don’t know that.”
Na Rin drew a firm line.
To be honest, she should have said, “It’s probably Dokgo Cheon, right?” But if she revealed that she knew that much, the story would only become more complicated.
“I only know my mother. Her name was written on the tombstone.”
“Tombstone… I see. So Wol Yeong is…”
Gong Son Wu briefly averted his gaze and fell silent for a while.
It seemed he was deep in thought, but she couldn’t wait indefinitely.
“Can I go out now?”
“Not yet.”
What now?
As Na Rin openly showed an annoyed expression, Gong Son Wu clicked his tongue. She wondered who she took after to be so brazen.
“I need to draw some blood.”
“Goodness!”
Na Rin was startled and wrapped her arms around herself as if to protect her body.
Then, with an expression as if she had been through some terrible ordeal, she asked.
“Elder brother. When did you become a Blood Cult member?”
“This kid really knows no bounds!”
“Eek!”
Gong Son Wu smacked Na Rin’s head with a loud smack.
“If not for that, why would you need blood!”
“To verify! To verify!”
“Verify what! What!”
“Should I just ignore it then? They said you were clutching the Asura Sword with your bare hands like a baby bottle! Sh- sh- shouldn’t I check if the blood of the Heavenly Demon flows in that tiny head of yours!”
As Gong Son Wu poked Na Rin’s head with each “sh- sh-” sound, Na Rin shook her head furiously and shouted.
“Ugh! If my head gets worse, 80% of it is your responsibility, elder brother! I’ll tell on you!”
“Really now. Go ahead! I’m your elder brother, so who are you going to tell on me to? Are you going to go to the village school and tell the teacher?”
Na Rin bit her lip tightly.
So this is how it’s going to be?
“To young master!”
Flinch.
Gong Son Wu’s eyes shook violently.
He was well aware of Dokgo Cheon’s tendency to lose objectivity when it came to matters involving Na Rin.
“Y- you sneaky little…!”
“It’s sneaky for an adult to use their strength and authority to hit a growing child’s head with a bang! bang! Transparently reporting the facts isn’t sneaky at all!”
At that, Gong Son Wu protested as if he was wronged.
“When did I hit you with a bang bang? I hit you with a smack smack!”
“You hit me with a smack smack, but why did I get hit with a bang bang?”
“That’s because your head is small…!”
“Oh my goodness! Hitting a chil- child with such a small head with a bang bang! And!”
Realizing that he couldn’t win against Na Rin by simply insisting, Gong Son Wu tapped his chest as if he was frustrated. Now wasn’t the time to waste arguing with his disciple.
“Phew. Anyway, I need to draw blood, so give me your arm.”
As Gong Son Wu grabbed Na Rin’s wrist, she slapped it away.
“What is it again, why. Again, what!”
“It’s my blood, so don’t I have the right to know how it’s used? How will you verify? Will you draw a bowl of blood and splash it on a divine object like the Asura Sword? Or is there some secret Heavenly Demon ruins or something?”
Gong Son Wu let out a deep sigh and said.
“Na Rin.”
“Yes. Elder brother.”
“I don’t need a whole bowl.”
“Huh?”
“Probably just a drop or two?”
If that’s all, she could have just given it to him. Na Rin thought so but cleared her throat without showing her flustered expression.
“One drop or… a whole bowl…”
“You’re quite generous to say there’s not much difference. I’m sorry to disappoint you, but your blood is not expected to have any relation to divine objects or ruins. I’ll be using it for the Blood Merging Technique.”
Blood Merging Technique?
As Na Rin blinked her eyes in confusion, Gong Son Wu readily provided additional explanation.
“It’s a secret method of the Blood Demon Palace to verify parentage.”
“A secret method of the Blood Demon Palace… Sorcery?”
“It’s not sorcery, it’s medicine. Human blood is divided into several types, and if the bloodline is close, they clump together. I’ll use this method to check if the blood of the Heavenly Demon flows in you.”
“Hmm.”
‘Sounds like sorcery.’
Na Rin tilted her head skeptically.
But what did it matter? In a world where dead people’s memories could be rummaged through with the Blood Scripture, verifying parentage with sorcery wasn’t particularly strange.
“Alright. Take it.”
Na Rin stretched out her arm.
Gong Son Wu took out a small white porcelain bottle and a needle from his bosom and suddenly asked as if he had just thought of it.
“By the way, aren’t you curious about your father?”
“Huh? Ah…”
Honestly, when she didn’t know who her father was, it didn’t matter. No one misses someone who was never there in the first place.
However, it was different now.
The person who saved Na Rin when she was trapped in Bongma-dong, crying pitifully.
The person who became Na Rin’s connection to the world when she was alone under the sky.
“…Daddy!”
‘I want to call that person daddy.’
A desperate inner thought that burst out in a critical situation.
She didn’t want to run away from that feeling.
Na Rin smiled slightly.
“Will elder brother find my daddy for me?”
“Huh?”
Come to think of it, he only said he would check if the blood of the Heavenly Demon flowed in her, not that he would verify if she was Dokgo Cheon’s daughter.
Gong Son Wu nodded his head with a slightly relieved and tired smile.
‘The King of Uiwang said Na Rin would be from the same family as Wol Yeong.’
A woman from the Ju family blessed with the Heavenly Yin Body.
‘The Cult Leader said Na Rin held the Asura Sword.’
The divine sword that only the bloodline of the Heavenly Demon could wield.
“Ju Wol Yeong. She’s my mother.”
And the words that came directly from Na Rin’s mouth.
“Yes. This elder brother will definitely find your father.”
Now the Blood Merging Technique was just a formality.
[This is the timeline separator]“You found the Asura Sword that had disappeared for thousands of years. But as soon as you found it, you entrusted it to the Flying Lion of Heaven, so now it’s gone. Do I look foolish enough to believe those words?”
Blood Demon Yang Ga Ho glared at Gong Son Wu with an expression of disbelief.
Gong Son Wu shrugged his shoulders and answered glibly.
“It’s the truth, so what can I do? If you don’t believe me, go confirm it with the Cult Leader.”
“I will do so without you telling me.”
The Blood Demon crossed her arms with a haughty face, but she didn’t truly disbelieve Gong Son Wu’s words.
There was no reason for him to lie about such a thing in the first place, and it was no ordinary matter for the Flying Lion of Heaven, Jeok Gun Ak, to lock the gates of the North Heavenly Palace.
‘Moreover, suddenly bringing up the Blood Merging Technique.’
She didn’t know the details, but it was clear that something big was happening without her knowledge.
“So whose blood should I verify?”
“I can’t say that.”
At that, the Blood Demon’s expression darkened.
“Do you think I would manipulate the results?”
“It means I can’t allow even the slightest possibility.”
The moment she heard those words, the Blood Demon’s eyes gleamed.
There was only one person in the entire Simancheon for whom Gong Son Wu would be this defensive.
‘It’s the Cult Leader.’
__________
Turns Out He’s Been Secretly in Love with Me (Female-dominant)
One-line summary: He acts like he doesn’t like her but is actually playing hard to get.
Synopsis:
Xu Muzhou like her. He has liked her for a very long time, and through repeated schemes, he finally closed the distance with her.
But this is still far from enough.
He wants to be the one who stands out among her many suitors, to fight for her attention, and to make her take the initiative to pursue him.
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