Isn’t this truly an amusing coincidence.

The very next day after the discovery of the divine sword Asura, which is said to be wielded only by the descendants of Cheonma. Suddenly, a situation arises where we must perform the blood mixing ritual with the blood of the Cult Leader.

In the midst of this, Gong Son Wu tries to hide the identity of the blood owner, and Bi Sa Mun Cheon, who is in charge of the Asura sword, locks the gates of the North Heaven Palace and forbids any interaction.

Why would he do that?

‘The Cult Leader couldn’t wield the sword!’

Once the thought struck, the rest of the story naturally fell into place.

If you think about it coldly, it’s not surprising. How could the bloodline of Cheonma, who lived thousands of years ago, have survived until now?

‘If the Cult Leader is not a descendant of Cheonma, all legitimacy disappears. The law that only those with the Dokgo surname can become the Cult Leader, and the long-standing discrimination against the Ma Clan will also disappear.’

A new era of the Demon Cult is about to begin.

Yang Ga Ho’s lips curved into an unusually gentle smile.

“I understand. Let’s do that.”

“What? Really? So easily?”

When Gong Son Wu was surprised, Yang Ga Ho spoke with a straight face.

“What good would it do if I insist? You’ll just break me with force. If I want to keep my pride, I have to cooperate willingly.”

“Ahem……”

Gong Son Wu scratched his head as if embarrassed.

He remembered the time when he and Na Rin had forcefully demanded to see the blood scripture.

‘Was I a bit too harsh?’

No matter how much the Demon Cult values the strong, how can everything be done with force alone? Even performing the blood mixing ritual requires the help of the Blood Demon.

“I will make sure to repay you for this. Officially, from the East Heaven Palace.”

“That’s a pleasant offer. Is the blood ready?”

“Here.”

Gong Son Wu took out two palm-sized glass bottles from his bosom.

One was blue porcelain. The other was white porcelain.

The two ceramic bottles, tightly sealed with beeswax, were placed on the table.

As the Blood Demon raised her hand, a waiting maid placed a silver tray on the table. A transparent liquid was poured onto the mirror-smooth silver tray.

“Human blood is largely divided into four types. Some say it represents the temperament that distinguishes the four social classes, but who knows? It’s uncertain.”

She opened the lid of the blue porcelain bottle and tilted it over the transparent liquid, and bright red blood drops dripped down.

“But one thing is certain. Just as beans are planted and beans grow, and red beans are planted and red beans grow. The blood of parents and the blood of children share the same nature.”

Swish.

She opened the lid of the white porcelain bottle and tilted it all at once, and a long, thin stream of red blood was drawn and fell onto the tray.

“So there’s an old saying that you can’t steal seeds.”

The red blood from the two bottles remained in the transparent liquid, maintaining a distinct red color. Gong Son Wu was staring at the silver tray as if he couldn’t miss a single moment.

‘Will they mix together?’

Or will they scatter before that?

“Isn’t it absurd, Jiguk Cheonwang?”

Yang Ga Ho burst into laughter at the sight of Gong Son Wu, who was looking at the silver tray with a serious expression.

“You and I. Two people who are among the top ten in power, clinging to this small plate as if the fate of the world depends on it.”

“What are you trying to say?”

“I’m saying it’s futile.”

Yang Ga Ho leaned back, resting her body against the backrest.

“The blood mixing method is a meaningless superstition. The fact that there is a need to confirm a parent-child relationship already means that the trust in that family has been torn and broken. Once shattered, trust cannot be restored. Even if the blood on the silver tray……”

“They mixed.”

“Even if they mix…… What?”

“They mixed! I’m telling you, they mixed!”

Gong Son Wu clenched his fists and thrust them into the air as if he had won.

‘No way!’

Yang Ga Ho abruptly stood up and examined the silver tray.

The blue porcelain and white porcelain. The red blood drops that flowed from the two glass bottles were harmoniously mixed as if they had originated from the same source from the beginning.

“Thank you for being a witness, Blood Demon. Thanks to you, I have one less worry.”

At Gong Son Wu’s words, the Blood Demon suddenly raised her head.

“…… Witness?”

“Yes. Witness.”

Yang Ga Ho bit her lip as if in sorrow.

If she had known this would happen, she would have refused to preside over the blood mixing ritual. The thought of being used to solidify discrimination against the Ma Clan was unbearable.

But what can be done?

Truth cannot be covered with lies.

If enduring and practicing for another thousand years is the ordeal given to the Ma Clan, that too is the will of the gods.

“Now that it’s all over, let me tell you who the owner of this blood is……”

“You don’t need to say it.”

The Blood Demon rose from her seat with a dejected expression.

“Please convey my congratulations to the Cult Leader.”

“You knew?”

“You underestimate me too much. Who else could it be after going through all this trouble?”

Gong Son Wu looked a little surprised, then soon relaxed his face and nodded.

“Yes. Thank you. I will definitely tell him. That with the help of Blood Demon Yang Ga Ho, we found the Cult Leader’s long-lost youngest daughter.”

Huh?

Yang Ga Ho’s eyes, slowly turning towards Gong Son Wu, were wide open.

…… Daughter?

“Then, then the owner of the blood is……”

“The white porcelain was the Cult Leader. The blue porcelain was Na Rin.”

Thud.

The Blood Demon felt dizzy, as if someone had hit the back of her head hard.

Sitting down on the spot where she was standing, the Blood Demon took a deep breath and tried to regain her confused mind.

“…… It wasn’t the blood of Cheonma?”

“The blood of Cheonma? Haha! How could we get that? You’re quite the joker!”

In front of Gong Son Wu, who was laughing heartily, Yang Ga Ho muttered while hiding her flushed face.

“Ha…… Haha……. Indeed.”

Upon hearing that the legendary Asura sword had been found, she had carelessly assumed.

‘Thinking that they might have also obtained the blood of the first Cheonma.’

If anyone had heard that, they would surely sneer, ‘You thought the blood from thousands of years ago would still exist? You’re more childish than you look!’

“No. Come to think of it, it’s not entirely wrong. Perhaps the blood of Cheonma flowing in Na Rin’s body helped her find the Asura sword. Hahaha!”

“Yes…… Indeed.”

Yang Ga Ho responded soullessly to Gong Son Wu’s excited chatter, thinking.

‘The romantics will love this.’

An orphan girl from China accidentally caught the eye of the guides and became a new disciple.

Not only did the new disciple coincidentally become a disciple of the Dharma Protector, but she also accidentally got involved in an accident during the lower warrior exam and accidentally found the Asura sword, and in the process, suspicion arose that she might be the Cult Leader’s bloodline, so a blood mixing ritual was performed, and it turned out they were really father and daughter.

‘Even a third-rate popular novel would be criticized for lacking credibility if this many coincidences piled up.’

In reality, it was the inevitability that Na Rin had barely created by being reborn ten times, but this was a story Yang Ga Ho had no way of knowing.

“By the way, who is the mother?”

At Yang Ga Ho’s sudden question, Gong Son Wu shut his mouth tight.

“His Holiness hasn’t been close to women since that incident. Na Rin is now……”

“Don’t nitpick.”

Gong Son Wu waved his hand as if it was nothing.

“Ni, nitpick? Nitpick, you say! That’s what the Blood Demon Palace does!”

“Are you proud of losing a daughter? It’s embarrassing enough that we barely picked up a child who had drifted all the way to China. Just say she was secretly raised in the East Heaven Palace. What’s good is good.”

Yang Ga Ho opened her mouth wide at the absurd words.

“Do you seriously think that makes sense?”

Gong Son Wu knows it doesn’t make sense either.

But what can be done? To publicly announce that Na Rin is Wol Yeong’s daughter, there are not enough shields to protect her.

‘I’m sorry, Wol Yeong. It’s all for your daughter.’

Gong Son Wu lowered his voice and spoke.

“I’ll be honest with you. Na Rin’s mother’s status is a bit, you know. After that incident, the Cult Leader was so weak that we tried to call a Chinese woman to play with him for a night…… But things turned out like this.”

“What did you say?”

“So just play along. She’s already dead, so there’s no need to let the child hear bad things about her.”

“You, you lowlife!”

Slap!

The Blood Demon’s palm struck Gong Son Wu’s face.

Of course, he could have dodged it, but since it was a disaster he had brought upon himself, he had no choice but to endure it.

‘I mustn’t forget to get compensation for this slap from the Cult Leader.’

Yang Ga Ho shuddered as if she had never heard such nasty and vulgar words before.

“How can one who bears the name of the Four Heavenly Kings be so vulgar! Even if you practice good thoughts, good words, and good deeds, it’s not enough!”

It was a valid point in every way.

‘Yang Ga Ho is more devout than Jeok Gun Ak.’

Gong Son Wu rubbed his stinging cheek but maintained a relaxed attitude and said.

“The human heart is weak and evil. No matter what great god’s name you borrow, as long as you’re human, there are days when you are defeated by demons. Committing sins and seeking forgiveness is the process of training the body and mind and strengthening the armor of the heart, isn’t that what life is about?”

Gong Son Wu’s oratory skills shone brilliantly.

“Moreover!”

To Yang Ga Ho, who still had an unsatisfied expression, Gong Son Wu delivered the final blow.

“What sin does the child have?”

“…… Sigh.”

Yang Ga Ho sighed deeply, holding her forehead as if she had a headache.

Muttering something like, ‘Oh God, why do you test me?’

“I understand.”

“Really? Thank you!”

“There’s no need for that. I agreed with your sermon, not because I showed mercy. But there’s one thing. You missed a step.”

“Missed?”

Yang Ga Ho continued with a cold expression.

“For a sinner to seek forgiveness, they must receive proper punishment.”

“…… What?”

Gong Son Wu’s face turned pale.

“Ah, no! I was slapped here, wasn’t I? A slap! Wasn’t that punishment? It really hurt!”

“That was just me being carried away by emotions and resorting to violence, not punishment. Jiguk Cheonwang, the real punishment you must receive is……”

Yang Ga Ho’s fingertip pointed north.

“Far away, in the cold and distant land of the dead. At Bukmangsan (北邙山).”

“Crazy!”

Gong Son Wu was startled and jumped up, knocking over the chair with a thud.

“Are you telling me to meet Mahu?”

“Yes. Exactly.”

The only official wife of the previous Cult Leader. Mahu (魔后) Yang Ju Ran.

Strictly speaking, she should be called Mataehu, but since the position of the official wife of the Cult Leader Dokgo Cheon is still vacant, everyone thinks of Yang Ju Ran when they say Mahu.

“Let me make it clear, I will not lie to Mahu. Whether you say Ju Na Rin fell from the sky or sprang from the ground, sort it out under the jurisdiction of the East Heaven Palace. The Blood Demon Palace knows nothing. Then, goodbye.”

“You don’t know? Hey, you don’t know! Blood Demon! Hey! Yang Ga Ho!”

Whether Gong Son Wu tried to stop her or not, Yang Ga Ho rose with a resolute attitude and strode out of the room. Thinking it would have been better if she didn’t know who the owner of the blood was.

“I didn’t think about Mahu’s existence.”

Left alone in the room, Gong Son Wu clicked his tongue and leaned against the backrest. He admits he has no talent for using his head, but he can’t be this short-sighted.

But it’s not unreasonable for Gong Son Wu to have forgotten about Mahu’s existence.

The place where Mahu Yang Ju Ran resides is the land of the dead, Bukmangsan (北邙山).

In that place where only winter exists, it is said that even the majestic river of history freezes. In fact, it means that people who are no different from being dead live there.

On the day Dokgo Cheon ascended as the new Cult Leader of the Demon Cult.

According to the old laws, those who followed the previous Cult Leader moved their residence to the cold land called Bukmangsan, like the family members who were buried alive with the emperor.

“…… If only Wol Yeong had become Mahu at that time, we wouldn’t have been swayed by a dead person.”

It was all pointless talk.

Gong Son Wu’s gaze turned to the silver tray on the table.

Seeing the blood drops of the father and daughter who had happily mixed together, he felt a bit annoyed.

“Anyway, I’m the only one who’s busy. Only me.”