“I’m sorry for not being able to take care of you after saying we’d go to the banquet together.”
“…Huh?”
At my apology, Ran shook her head vigorously, as if completely taken by surprise.
“Ah, no! Young Master! There’s no need for you to apologize at all! I’m not just saying this… I really enjoyed it….”
She tucked her messy hair behind her ear and shyly muttered quietly.
“…I’m happy. Just seeing Young Master’s face makes me happy.”
Well, Poong Ran was happy right now.
“…Is my face really that funny-looking?”
“Ah, no! That’s not what I meant…!!”
“I’m joking. If anything happens, call me right away. Of course, you can call me even if you’re just bored.”
She carefully walked beside Sima Mantian, who was smiling playfully, trying not to let her pounding heart be noticed.
The first meeting was ordinary.
If it were a novel, it would have been just a passing scene, not particularly important.
The son of a high-ranking official who came to learn about the business.
Thinking about it now, it feels really rude… but at first, I just thought he was an arrogant young master. I thought I could just humor him.
But the Sima Mantian I actually met was a completely different person.
He was confident but not arrogant when dealing with others, appearing carefree yet possessing outstanding literary talent.
Poong Ran tilted her head slightly and looked up at Sima Mantian’s profile.
‘Does Young Master know?… How charming he is.’
It’s not just about praising his appearance. It’s about his charm as a person.
Just looking at him draws you in.
In Poong Ran’s eyes, Sima Mantian was like the protagonist of a story.
She fiddled with the cherry blossom branch accessory.
‘Young Master was worried if I was bored….’
But she wasn’t bored. Her green eyes sparkled as she looked at Sima Mantian.
Just being together was enough.
*
Looking at the various foods set up for easy access.
Since it was mainly a networking event, not many people were actually eating, but as expected of a banquet hosted by the Martial Alliance, the food was well-prepared.
“Wow~ They prepared a lot of things.”
Is hunger the best spice when eating?
Because I was busy greeting people, I hadn’t had a proper meal. Everything looks delicious.
Normally, I would just grab meat, meat, and more meat here, but since others would be eating too, I had to balance meat and vegetables.
So, what should I take? As I was looking around.
“Hoho~ You have to be careful when eating delicious food. You never know what traps might be hidden.”
A fox-like laugh came from behind, and someone approached.
“The red dragon of Baekje, who inherited the blood of the Southern Red Dragon King Ao Run, obsessed with delicious food ‘gourmet,’ couldn’t resist his appetite and bit the neck of the white horse that Kim Yu-shin used as bait.”
Krrr~ It’s gourmet!
“And because of that, he got his head cut off by Kim Yu-shin. You have to be careful.”
I’ve heard this story somewhere. Samguk Yusa? Samguk Sagi? Anyway, I’ve heard it before.
It’s a folk tale, but when the allied forces of Tang and Silla invaded Baekje, the red dragon, who had a contract with King Uija, blocked the allied forces in the river leading to the castle.
Kim Yu-shin then cut the neck of a fine white horse and hung it on a giant hook to lure the red dragon and kill him.
Wow… Kim Yu-shin cut his beloved horse’s neck to break up with his girlfriend and cut a white horse’s neck to kill a dragon.
Thinking about it now, he’s really a horse hater.
No wonder he’s remembered as the guy who cut horses’ necks.
Anyway, that’s not important now, so I turned to see who was talking to me.
With long fingers clicking, a seductive voice greeted me.
“Hoho~ Long time no see~ Lame Jeoseokcheon, sir.”
A woman with black hair reaching her waist, smiling with narrowed eyes.
It was a familiar face.
The one who guided me and Sososo at Jeoseokhyeon for treatment and suggested we try acting.
“Young Master, who is this…?”
Poong Ran, who was next to me, tilted her head at the appearance of an unfamiliar woman. The guide woman brightly smiled and introduced herself.
“Sword to the Xuan, fox to the Hu. Xuanhu. Festival guide and a nosy storyteller.”
I had thought this before, but her smile strangely reminded me of a fox.
“Nice to meet you~ Cute lady.”
·
·
·
Just ending with a greeting and leaving felt a bit off.
We moved to a pavilion with a good view of the night sky.
I hadn’t noticed inside.
A cool breeze and a light drizzle were falling.
Seeing that, I remembered the story about the Twelve Heavens that Xuanhu had told me at Jeoseokhyeon.
“…By the way, you said before that Jeoseokcheon pushed Sucheon aside and didn’t become the king of the gods. What was the reason?”
It wasn’t particularly important, but since I’ve been hearing a lot about Jeoseokcheon lately, I was curious.
When continuing a conversation with someone who’s not quite a friend but not a stranger, it’s easier to talk about their interests.
Xuanhu looked surprised that I remembered her story, then happily started talking.
“Hoho~ It’s a simpler reason than you think. He lost in a popularity vote to Jeoseokcheon.”
“…Huh?”
A dumb sound escaped my mouth at the completely unexpected reason.
Wait, was there a god king election?! That’s amazing!
“But originally, the gods didn’t intend to vote for Jeoseokcheon as their king. Do you know why?”
From the stories I’ve heard about Jeoseokcheon, he was a god who caused a lot of trouble, but he was also charming and loved by other beings, so it was surprising.
“Jeoseokcheon is a strong deity identified with Indra of India, the Jade Emperor of Taoism, and Hwanin, the ancestor of Dangun who founded Gojoseon….”
“But in countries where Confucianism developed before the establishment of Deng, he wasn’t well revered. Do you know why?”
Without giving an answer, she continued to set the mood. I raised an eyebrow slightly, and Xuanhu playfully smiled and took a step closer to me.
“It’s because of the most taboo in Confucianism… He was a god who committed patricide, trampling his father to death.”
She whispered secretly into my ear.
Born between the Heavenly King, the god of the sky, and the Earth Goddess.
Jeoseokcheon’s lineage was noble. But his birth was not blessed.
He was born with too much power.
Jeoseokcheon had overwhelming power even in his mother’s womb.
“Where~ Let’s hear our child’s kicking sound.”
“Waaah! I’m baby Jeoseokcheon! I’m bored! Get me out!!”
“?????”
Fearing he might take the throne, the Heavenly King tried to kill the fetus Jeoseokcheon.
His mother, the Earth Goddess, also feared Jeoseokcheon might bring great chaos to the heavens.
With the help of Brahma, he wasn’t killed, but.
“Sniff… Killing a baby is so sad.”
He was abandoned on earth, threatened by assassins and monsters sent by his father.
…And as time passed.
Mastering all martial arts on earth. The living incarnation of martial arts.
Jeoseokcheon, grown into a war god, ascended to the heavens.
“Heavenly King! Your son has returned-!!”
He fought a bloody battle with his father, the Heavenly King, trampled him to death, and turned him into dust.
Of course, the heavens were in chaos.
“I- I- knew that brat would cause trouble-!!”
“We should have killed him when he was a fetus!”
“Right! He’s rotten to the core anyway! Let’s all kill him now!!”
The gods of the heavens had no intention of accepting Jeoseokcheon, who had killed his father, as their new king, despite his royal blood.
They recommended Sucheon, the god of water and rain, justice, as king.
…But Sucheon wasn’t elected.
During the god king election.
A giant evil dragon covering the sky, the Tian Gai Evil Dragon Vritra, appeared.
An asura born with a body and power greater than anyone, symbolizing drought.
Because of Vritra’s existence, rivers, seas, and even the sky’s water were trapped.
The whole world suffered from drought.
Faced with an overwhelming difference in power for the first time.
The gods of the heavens trembled in fear and fled from Vritra.
…But at that time, there was one god who stood against Vritra.
“Hey, you’re good at fighting, right?”
It was Jeoseokcheon.
“Let’s fight.”
After numerous defeats and retries, Jeoseokcheon eventually killed Vritra and won.
The gods who returned to the heavens after Jeoseokcheon’s efforts acknowledged him as their king.
“Hey~ Hey~ I believed in you! Jeoseokcheon! You’re the hero of the heavens-!!”
“I always thought Jeoseokcheon was fit to be king! That Sucheon brat, for a male god, he’s too pretty, so he’s unreliable!!”
“In times of crisis, it’s all about strength! The king must be strong!!”
…And so, Jeoseokcheon won the popularity vote by a landslide.
Becoming the leader of the Twelve Heavens, the king of the gods ruling the heavens.
