Chapter 95

This deal was truly the end. It was enough to have actually experienced the vague fantasies he had only imagined. In fact, his experiences with Dang Ran-yeong had been beyond what he had vaguely and trivially imagined.

'But it was only a bewitchment of the mind. I can't stay with Dang Ran-yeong forever. I'm a person of Moon Lake Sect, after all.'

His stern but affectionate master, his uncle who was like a parent, and his Great Senior Brother, junior disciples, friends, and martial sisters. Recalling those he loved dearly made it much easier for Cheong-ra to steel his heart. This made him ashamed of how he had subtly wished for punishment from Dang Ran-yeong last night.

'The deal is only until Beijing. After that, I'll forget about Dang Ran-yeong and return to my original life.'

Cheong-ra was more afraid of how his thoughts and feelings were changing beyond mere attraction to Dang Ran-yeong. Similarly, when he was with him, he showed vulgar and ugly sides of himself that he had never imagined before. His ideal type, forged from fear, shattered Cheong-ra's mind every time. In the end, he was an existence that made Cheong-ra indulge to the point of forgetting himself.

'So I need to get my head on straight.'

After reaffirming this to himself, Cheong-ra stepped out into the rain. The fine raindrops falling from the clear sky were so light they could barely be felt. As Cheong-ra returned to the village chief's house in the rain...

Dang Ran-yeong, who had been lazily lying down when he left, had somehow come outside and was standing in the rain.

The drizzle, sparkling in the bright sunlight, beaded like pearls on Dang Ran-yeong's hair and clothes. It looked as if he were adorned with clear golden glass beads. His beautiful face showed no trace of the mischievous teasing he had directed at Cheong-ra earlier. His appearance, gazing into the distance, was so ethereal that he seemed like a transcendent being.

When Cheong-ra stopped abruptly and didn't enter, Dang Ran-yeong slowly turned his gaze. As their eyes met, with a faint green tinge in Dang Ran-yeong's, Cheong-ra felt as if everything around him was filled with a pale light. Dang Ran-yeong's presence alone was so intense that Cheong-ra instantly lost all his attention and gaze to him.

That moment felt like an eternity.

As if fate, if it existed, was strongly intertwined between them.

He felt like he would be enchanted. No, he already seemed to be enchanted...

Despite his earlier resolution, Cheong-ra realized he was becoming more attracted to the other with each passing moment. He barely came to his senses and managed to break free from the other's charm. He took a step forward, breaking the strange standoff filled with silence and light.

"Young Master Dang, why are you out here getting rained on?"

He asked in a calm voice, as if the previous silence was nothing. However, Dang Ran-yeong didn't answer the question and just stared at Cheong-ra blankly. There was no hint of a smile in his eyes or at the corners of his mouth. And with one question, he shook the other's barely calmed heart.

"Beauty, would you consider extending our deal?"

Caught off guard by the unexpected question, Cheong-ra momentarily held his breath. He managed to keep his voice from trembling as he asked back in his usual tone,

"Extend the deal? What do you mean?"

"I don't mind keeping your conditions the same. No, I'd rather prefer it that way."

To act basely. Dang Ran-yeong mouthed silently. That soundless message made Cheong-ra's mind reel. Even if he were offered the rarest treasure as compensation, it wouldn't be as enticing as this. Suppressing the urge to immediately agree and say he would go along with it, Cheong-ra asked,

"What are Young Master Dang's conditions?"

Was he planning to accept if the conditions were good? He should have denied it outright without hesitating like this... Such a voice echoed in his mind. Cheong-ra's ear tips gradually reddened, feeling that his attitude in asking this way clearly revealed his feelings for the other.

But what more did Dang Ran-yeong need from him? Honestly, Cheong-ra didn't feel like he was helping Dang Ran-yeong by being with him. Given Dang Ran-yeong's extraordinary martial prowess, it seemed this man could eradicate the Blood Cult on his own.

If it wasn't his martial skills that were needed, then what could it be? A secret expectation gleamed in Cheong-ra's eyes. Dang Ran-yeong stared at those eyes for a moment before a faint smile appeared. The corners of his mouth curved into a smooth line.

"Well, Beauty. What would be good... How about keeping you in the most secret and intimate place of The Pavilion of Golden Fragrance, along with zither, wine, gold, and silver treasures, to enjoy you over and over?"

Hearing words similar to what had been said at Full Moon Lake, Cheong-ra's face paled slightly. He was once again reminded that he was like an appealing toy to Dang Ran-yeong. Though he well knew that only the pleasure gained from tormenting his body held value for Dang Ran-yeong, why did this fact now pain him like a stab to the heart?

As if he had been secretly hoping for a more intimate and valuable exchange.

"Now, Beauty may not know, but this is the best offer I can make."

Dang Ran-yeong coaxed Cheong-ra in a voice so soft it was almost cunning.

"Why? Does it sound like I'm mocking you? That can't be, I'm sincere. You don't know how much I cherish you..."

"Cherish, is that so."

Cheong-ra muttered bitterly. He even felt quite pathetic for being so tempted by this offer. Dang Ran-yeong's gaze persistently followed Cheong-ra's unconscious step backward. Cheong-ra closed his eyes briefly, then opened them and shook his head.

"I decline. As I've said before, once I finish my business in Beijing, I'll head straight to the Martial Arts Alliance. Then, Young Master Dang, our connection will end there..."

In the end, unable to remain completely calm, Cheong-ra's voice trembled slightly at the end. He hoped the other wouldn't notice this wavering. The smile faded slightly from Dang Ran-yeong's face. For a moment, an emotion that seemed almost cruel flashed across his eyes. Suddenly, Dang Ran-yeong turned his head to look beyond the door and muttered,

"I wondered why such rain suddenly fell. It failed."

"Failed? What..."

As Cheong-ra was wondering, he soon got his answer. A familiar figure entered the village chief's house, accompanied by the smell of blood. In Hwan-hong's arms, soaked by the rain, was a baby fox. The scarred woman's face was dark as she raised her head.

***

The baby fox, which seemed to have just opened its eyes, cried pitifully with "yip, yip" sounds as if looking for its mother. After pawing and searching the floor, it finally found its way to Hwan-hong's side, who had fallen into a deep sleep as soon as she arrived. Rin-rin, perched on Hwan-hong's chest, kept flicking its tongue at the baby fox.

"Haa... Now I can finally rest."

Wi Je-ho, who had eaten a full meal, crawled into a corner and fell asleep with his head down. Nam Gang-ryong, the only survivor, seemed as sturdy in body and mind as the Diamond Body technique he had mastered, showing only slight signs of fatigue. Naturally, the explanation fell to him.

"There were two foxes, male and female."

With just that, Dang Ran-yeong nodded as if he understood. Nam Gang-ryong explained for Cheong-ra, who couldn't grasp the situation.

"Originally, when we were at the Hengshan Sect, there was only one female fox. But on the way here, it seems she found a mate, as there was another male fox. However, the male fox wasn't a spirit beast..."

It's only spirit beasts that the Blood Cult can't touch. They secretly captured the male fox, wounded it, and hung it alive with ropes to provoke the female fox.

Spirit beasts are much smarter than other animals and were well aware of the trap set by the Blood Cult members. However, in the end, unable to abandon her affection for her mate, she stepped into the trap. Hwan-hong and Nam Gang-ryong arrived when the Golden Fox had fallen into the trap and was slowly dying along with the male fox. But they couldn't rescue the foxes immediately.

"Among the Blood Cult members, there was one with a red mask whose skills were extraordinary. I heard he was called Kai Yang."

"There was someone like that here too. A person called Yao Guang."

At Cheong-ra's words, Nam Gang-ryong narrowed his eyes even further, lost in thought for a moment, then said,

"Yao Guang and Kai Yang. They're both stars of the Star of Heavenly Killing."