Chapter 33

As Mukgang meticulously examined my body for any issues, I began to recount the things I had seen in my mental world. Mukgang looked at me with a slightly surprised expression and said,


“…A celestial being has etched you into their world. Should I say you’re lucky or unlucky? What kind of life have you lived at such a young age?”


Huh? A celestial being out of nowhere? Does the martial world have angels like in fantasy? Then do demons exist too? Are there dragons or not? The martial world is amazing.


I admit defeat to fantasy.


“Well, I just lived happily eating the meals my mom gave me. But what’s this about a celestial being?”


“Usually, when we talk about celestial beings, we refer to the eight entities or races that roam the heavens and ignore earthly ethics—the Eight Legions of Heavenly Beings.”


Mukgang used a branch to write the names of the Eight Legions on the ground and explained.


“Deva, Naga, Yaksha, Gandharva, Asura, Garuda, Kinnara, Mahoraga.”


“Among them, the foremost are the Deva and Naga. Ordinary people should never get involved with these two.”


As soon as I heard “Naga,” the adorable face of Guhae, the baby dragon, came to mind. We ate together, played together, and slept together. We were always together.


Frankly, we were deeply entangled. It was like the inseparable bond between Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang.


“Uh… I think I’m already entangled with a Naga.”


At my words, Mukgang frowned for a moment but soon nodded as if to reassure me.


“Nagas are fundamentally gentle creatures. They don’t harm humans recklessly. However—”


‘Of course! Our Guhae is so kind!’


“—you should never get involved with the bloodline of Ao Shun, the Dragon King of the North Sea.”


My heart, which had started to relax, grew heavy again at Mukgang’s words. Ao Shun, the Dragon King of the North Sea—I’ve heard that name before.


…According to Guhae’s mother, Jiegal So-Wol, Ao Shun is Guhae’s father.


“Just as people have individual tendencies, Nagas also have their own tendencies. Depending on their bloodline and life experiences, their obsessions differ.”


“Obsessions?”


Somehow, it felt like regret and devastation would follow those ominous and terrifying words.


“Yes, Nagas are usually gentle, but when it comes to what they love, their obsession is terrifyingly strong.”


“For example, Ao Guang, the Dragon King of the East Sea, loves collecting treasures. He’s particularly obsessed with rare swords and armor. He never lets anyone who touches his treasures go unscathed.”


“And Ao Qin, the Dragon King of the West Sea, is obsessed with promises. Even if it’s a friend or family member, if they break a promise, he will never forgive them.”


The terrifying words—”never lets go,” “never forgives”—sent shivers down my spine.


“…Then what is Ao Shun, the Dragon King of the North Sea, obsessed with?”


“Love.”


“…Huh? Love?”


“Ao Shun, the Dragon King of the North Sea, rules over the North Sea, the coldest sea in the world. He yearns for warmth and craves love. So, when he finds someone he loves, he often kidnaps them to his palace.”


What the… If you’re cold, just get a heater. Or wear more clothes. Why kidnap innocent people? Is he a psycho or something?


As I was left speechless, Mukgang paused for a moment and then spoke to me in a serious, warning tone.


“There may be differences, but fundamentally, Ao Shun’s bloodline shares this tendency—they are sincere in love. Once they feel warmth, they never forget it. No matter where you hide in the world, they will find you. That’s why it’s dangerous.”


The image of Guhae, with her soft and cool cheeks, clinging to me came to mind.


…Come to think of it, Guhae loved it when I hugged her because she felt warm. I thought she just liked hugs because she grew up without much affection. Turns out, she takes after her dad.


But Guhae is still a baby dragon. Does she even know what love is?


[…The cookies are delicious!]


The image of Guhae happily munching on snacks with a bright smile came to mind.


-Well, it’s not like this world has dating sims. How would she know about love at such a young age?


‘…Is she really doing okay?’


Maybe because I saw Guhae in my mental world, I suddenly missed her today.


Sadly, I couldn’t just see her because I wanted to, so I shook my head to clear my thoughts and asked Mukgang in a serious voice.


“Uncle, I’ll get straight to the point. I’m entangled with the bloodline of the Dragon King of the North Sea. She has a history of going berserk. How do I prevent her from going berserk?”


I taught Guhae. So, I have to take responsibility for her until the end.


Personally, I want her to walk the path of a human, but I can’t deny her dragon blood either. Guhae is a half-human, half-dragon hybrid.


Both her human and dragon forms are precious. So, I can’t turn a blind eye to dragon-related issues. I need to understand dragons better.


At my consultation, Mukgang sighed as if he had expected this and responded seriously.


“Personally, I recommend the two of you holding hands and living in the mountains, peacefully and harmoniously.”


“…Huh? The mountains? Is there no other way?”


Living hand in hand with Guhae isn’t bad, but I hate the mountains. It sounds nice—living in the beautiful mountain nature—but it’s incredibly inconvenient.


You have to find your own food, there are lots of bugs, and if you get hurt, there’s no hospital nearby. Mountain life is no joke—it’s a dangerous place.


Plus, it’s too quiet. I personally like lively and fun places. At the very least, I want to live in a town where people are around.


“Then there are only two options. Die or become a hero.”


“…Why do you keep suggesting such extreme methods? Isn’t there anything else?”


“There’s nothing else. For someone who fearlessly climbs onto a dragon’s back, the only outcomes are falling to your death because you can’t handle the dragon’s power or taming the dragon by grabbing its horns and becoming a hero. There’s no in-between.”


In the first place, it was Guhae who kept climbing onto me while I was sleeping. It’s unfair.


Anyway, after that, I continued talking with Mukgang, but no proper solution came up.


…I had a lot of questions about Ao Shun, the Dragon King of the North Sea, the Eight Legions of Heavenly Beings, and the newfound energy of the Immovable King, but as the sun began to set, I decided to meet again tomorrow and descended the mountain.


When you think about it, all I did today was meditate and talk, but it was an exhausting day that left my body feeling heavy.


***


At the Jiegal Family’s residence, Jiegal Yang’s house.


A beautiful girl with fair skin, clear blue eyes reminiscent of the morning sea, and cute lips hiding sharp shark-like teeth lay sprawled on the bed.


Guhae always dreamed of Sima Mantian, but today’s dream was special. It felt real. She could feel Sima Mantian’s warmth.


With a happy expression, Guhae gently touched a red silk pouch with golden threads spelling out “Sima Mantian.”


This silk pouch and the well-polished staff in the corner of the room were Guhae’s treasures. No matter how busy she was with martial arts training, she always took care of them herself. She never let anyone else touch them.


…She wouldn’t let anyone who touched them go unscathed.


With her slender, pretty fingers, she traced the golden threads and wrote Sima Mantian’s name.


It was a strange dream. In the dream, the clever Sima Mantian forgot her name, turned into bubbles, and slowly sank downward.


‘…But he remembered my name.’


Her face flushed red. Her heart beat hotly and quickly.


Even though it was a dream, Sima Mantian, whom she hadn’t seen in a long time, was as cool as ever. His eyes sparkled even in the darkness.


And he was still warm.


The sensation of Sima Mantian hugging her tightly with his right arm came to mind. Her emotions were out of control. The warmth she felt at that moment made her heart and body warm.


She rolled around on the bed, twisting her body. She was happy. It was a happiness she hadn’t felt in a long time.


…But there was something that had disrupted a happiness that could have been even more perfect.


Guhae, who had stopped rolling, stared blankly at the ceiling. The light in her beautiful blue eyes gradually faded.


The image of the bright red thread connected to Sima Mantian’s clothes in the dream came to mind. The thin yet vivid red thread was connected somewhere.


It felt unpleasant. Her body was hot. But it wasn’t the warm heat from before. It was a stickier sensation. A fire rose from deep within her organs.


[It seems~ your beloved husband~ has been unfaithful~ Let me help-]


“Be quiet.”


[…Okay.]


The black snake, with a voice colder and harsher than the winter sea of the North Sea, judged that now was not the time to interfere and quickly coiled its tail and fled.


…The wound on its side from being hit by the Dragon Subduing Palm when it tried to take over my body in the mental world still hurt.


Even though I chased away the black snake, my mood didn’t improve. The red thread kept spinning in my head.


The beautiful blue eyes grew colder and colder, sinking endlessly.


***


“Brother, say ‘ah~’.”


In my room, I was being fed Western-style course meals prepared by Yeonghwa. It was an incredible luxury. Truly the pinnacle of happiness.


Since I never had a younger sister, I didn’t know, but now I understand why people like having a younger sister. All the effort to get close was worth it.


Though, I think we might have gotten a bit too close, but what’s good is good.


As I was enjoying the various exotic and delicious dishes, Yeonghwa quietly handed me a glass of water.


“Brother, here.”


…Now that I think about it, I’m thirsty. Perfect timing. I’ve always felt that Yeonghwa is really perceptive.


With a faint smile, I thanked her and drank the water while Yeonghwa watched me with a happy smile.


She quietly observed my eyebrows, nose, ears, eyes, Adam’s apple, and lips.


If you look closely, I’m not the kind of handsome man who would make someone fall in love at first sight. The world is wide, and there are many men more handsome than Sima Mantian. But if it’s not Sima Mantian, it won’t do.


I like my brother. Just looking at his face makes me smile. My heart is filled with happiness.


Carefully placing her hand on her chest, she felt her pounding heart. It was a heart that shared the same blood as her brother.


Currently, the eldest son of the Sima Family, Sima Rang, was originally the much younger brother of Jang Chun-hwa. At a young age, his father died of old age, and his mother ran away with the inheritance.


Because they said his blood was lowly, other relatives refused to adopt him, so Sima Bu—


“My wife’s family is no different from my own. If no one will take care of him, I will.”


—said this and took him in as his adopted son. It’s a heartwarming story.


A sneer filled Yeonghwa’s red eyes. Sima Bu only cherished his beloved wife, Jang Chun-hwa, and his real son, Sima Mantian.


Even though he was his wife’s younger brother, the only reason he took in a child who shared no blood with him and made him his adopted son was because he needed a decoy to protect his real son who would be born later.


Let’s say there’s a force hostile to the Sima Family. Between the family heir and the second son who received no education, who would they target?


The reason Sima Rang’s health is poor isn’t just because he has a weak constitution.


‘…What a trashy human.’


Shaking her head slightly to ensure no hair fell into the food her brother was eating, Yeonghwa erased Sima Bu from her mind and looked at her brother again.


How did such a kind and cool brother come from such a hypocritical man? It’s a miracle.


The fact that she shared the same blood as her beloved brother made her heart race.


Yes, only my brother and I are the true Sima Family, inheriting the blood of the family head. We are connected by an unbreakable thread of deep red blood.


The last male and female wolves in the world. This is fate.


The beautiful red eyes that only looked at Sima Mantian burned red—red—with intensity.