Chapter 18 – The Sword Demon’s Bride

Swish!

The curtain was drawn open.

Beams of light pierced into the dimly lit bedroom.

A middle-aged woman dressed in plain white martial clothes frowned briefly before turning around.

“Huff… Huff… Huff…”

On the bed lay a young woman, slumped and completely exhausted.

Her clothes clung to her from sweat, clearly revealing her curvaceous figure.

Even lying down, her long legs and well-defined arms showed a powerful build.

Her hair was disheveled, but her high-bridged nose and thick eyebrows gave her an exotic beauty.

Her large eyes were a deep brown, adding to her distinct aura, though the lack of focus in her gaze made them seem vacant.

‘Tsk tsk… Such a fine body wasted like this. What a shame.’

The woman on the bed was Zhuge Ah-Hyun (諸葛兒現).

Her name, given directly by Zhuge Shinsan, head of the Zhuge clan, meant “the child who finally appeared.”

‘Long limbs, strong bones… Her body, perfect for martial arts, was fully developed by eighteen.’

Not only that, she possessed exceptional talent and a strong bloodline. By the age of fifteen, she had already stepped into the ranks of first-class martial artists.

Back then, everyone in the Zhuge family expected her to become the supreme master who would finally fulfill their long-cherished dream.

‘But… she hasn’t trained a single day in the past three years. They say it’s… “Mind Madness,” right?’

A disease of the heart—madness of the mind.

In short… she’d become mentally ill.

Random seizures, locking herself away in dark rooms, refusing to see anyone.

Three years passed like that.

Plenty of time for Zhuge Shinsan’s heart to give up on her.

‘Tsk tsk… She should’ve seized the chance when she had it. Now all she has left is that body, that pretty face… and the Zhuge surname.’

Seo Seon-Rim (徐線惏), known as the Twin-Stringed Sword of Heaven, clicked her tongue inwardly as she looked down at Zhuge Ah-Hyun.

But only for a moment.

Quickly regaining her composure, she smiled benevolently and comforted her.

“Miss, it’s alright. No one here will harm you.”

“……”

“Don’t worry. You have me, Seo Seon-Rim of the Twin-Stringed Sword, by your side.”

“……”

Even at Seo Seon-Rim’s words, Zhuge Ah-Hyun remained unresponsive.

Seo Seon-Rim’s lips twitched slightly, but she forced herself to continue with gentle words.

“Miss… Tonight at the dinner banquet, you’ll meet the Namgung family head and his wife… and your fiancé. Time to start preparing.”

“…The engagement was called off… wasn’t it?”

At last, Zhuge Ah-Hyun responded.

Her voice cracked and dry like parched earth.

“Not yet.”

“…Not yet?”

“The family head said he would defer the decision for a month while visiting the Murong family.”

“……”

Zhuge Ah-Hyun turned her hollow gaze toward Seo Seon-Rim.

After all, the original plan had been to announce the engagement’s cancellation during tonight’s banquet and then leave for the Murong family immediately after.

“Hehe… They say your fiancé, Namgung Ho-Yeon, is now being called the ‘New Dragon.’ Though, that’s more like an in-house nickname… Still, it shows how much hope they’ve pinned on him.”

“…So?”

“Who knows? You two might make quite the pair. The ‘Sword Phoenix’ and the ‘New Dragon.’ Hehehe…”

‘Sword Phoenix’—that was what they called Zhuge Ah-Hyun in the clan until she turned fifteen.

‘Though now you’re more like a broken-winged sparrow.’

Hiding her true thoughts, Seo Seon-Rim continued with a smile.

“So… go take a bath and dress up nicely. He might be your future husband. Best to leave a good first impression.”

“…Leave me alone.”

“Pardon? Your bath attendant…”

“Don’t need… Ugh…!”

As Zhuge Ah-Hyun clutched her head in pain mid-sentence, Seo Seon-Rim quickly gave in and soothed her.

“Alright, alright! As you wish, Miss!”

Later That Evening

The stone bath, about three meters wide, was designed in the shape of a well.

It hadn’t been used much since Namgung Sang-Ah left for her first long-term mission with the Flying Swallow Unit.

Now, steam gently rose from its waters.

“Huuu…”

Zhuge Ah-Hyun sat curled up, knees pulled together.

Compared to the morning, she seemed much calmer now. Even her previously empty gaze now held a hint of awareness.

“…So quiet.”

She lifted her head.

Through the lattice windows, the full moon was visible.

Lamps lit the corners of the bath, but their soft glow was no match for the moon’s beauty.

Inhale… Exhale…

Breathing deeply with the moon’s help, Zhuge Ah-Hyun began to wash herself in the flower-petal-filled bath.

Splash! Splash!

The bathwater, infused with rich fruit oils, foamed up, washing away her sweat.

She stared at her arm.

No matter how much she washed, her skin remained glossy and smooth compared to others.

That was thanks to her mother—a descendant of the Manchu people.

Her mother had endured the harsh winter winds of Heilongjiang thanks to this skin.

“…Mother… I miss you.”

Clench!

Gripping herself tightly, Zhuge Ah-Hyun’s teeth clenched.

Her mother had left her with these brown eyes… and then passed away.

When she was fifteen.

The very day she stepped into the realm of first-class martial artists.

‘We were just… used. No one in the Zhuge family ever saw us for who we really were.’

Her eyes sharpened.

People thought she went mad from grief over her mother’s death.

But they were wrong.

Her madness came from something else…

“Did you think I didn’t know? I feel it all…! Every filthy desire, every disgusting emotion you people ooze out…!”

Boom! Splash!

She slammed her fist into the bath, making the water explode upward.

Drenched, she swept back her soaked hair and pressed her fingers hard into her forehead.

“Stop it! Please, just stop! I don’t want to know anymore!”

Three years ago, at fifteen.

So much had happened.

She broke into the first-class ranks.

Her mother died.

And…

Her Indang Acupoint began to burn.

“Damn this cursed ability… If only I’d stayed ignorant… If only I’d remained their pawn in blissful ignorance!”

Her Heart Resonance Sensitivity (心緒感化).

The name she gave her awakened psychic ability.

The ability to sense and absorb the emotions and states of others.

To her, it was a curse.

‘Everything was a lie. I was just a naive little girl smiling in a fabricated world until I turned fifteen.’

Her ability wasn’t something she could control.

It constantly activated, drawing in people’s emotions, flooding her mind.

That’s why she called it “Resonance” rather than simple perception.

‘Everyone praised me… called me the Sword Phoenix… the Zhuge family’s future… the long-awaited child… But beneath it all… all I felt was…!’

Jealousy, hatred, rejection, disgust, ridicule, animosity, sarcasm, contempt, despair…

All those black, festering emotions rotted her from within.

But most shocking of all…

“Hehe… Father… No… Zhuge Shinsan… I’ve never met anyone as two-faced as you.”

Zhuge Shinsan… was the most duplicitous man she had ever known.

Compared to him, Seo Seon-Rim was almost cute.

Seo Seon-Rim, a peak master of the Formless Twin-String Sword, after 30 years of loyal service.

To her, the sight of Ah-Hyun, trained from birth in top-level techniques, must have been insufferable.

“Zhuge Shinsan… You used my mother and me… all for your obsession with some mythical Dragon Body (臥龍之體)!”

The Dragon Body, a supposed perfect vessel of martial and scholarly balance.

For that, her mother was dragged from Heilongjiang and forced to marry him.

A wife in name… but really no more than a broodmare.

After all, her mother was a descendant of Sakdata, the feared general once called the Monster-Faced God-Killer.

“Heh… Well done. Once again, you’ve bred… a failure.”

Ah-Hyun laughed bitterly.

She wasn’t the Dragon Body Zhuge Shinsan wanted.

Ironically, awakening her Heart Resonance revealed his true intentions.

‘Did you think I’d dance to your tune? I’d rather be sold off to some distant place… anything but that!’

Now deemed defective, her only remaining value was her Zhuge surname.

If used for a political marriage… at least she could escape that hellish Zhuge clan.

And just as she expected…

Zhuge Shinsan planned to sell her to the Murong family.

“At least Liaoning is close to Heilongjiang. I guess I could call it… going home. Heh…”

Splash!

Ah-Hyun stood up from the bath with a hollow laugh.

The Namgung family might seem peaceful and kind… but she knew.

Zhuge Shinsan was an ambitious man.

He would never choose the declining Namgung family over the rising power of the Murongs.

Meanwhile, at the Namgung Family’s Banquet Hall, “Golden Orchid Pavilion”…

Namgung Baek, Peng So-Hwa, and Namgung Ho-Yeon sat around a round table set with simple yet elegant dishes.

“Ho-Yeon, are you excited?”

“…Not really.”

Ho-Yeon frowned at his mother’s question.

“Haha… Nervous, huh? I was too when I first met your mother.”

“Oh my…”

Peng So-Hwa covered her mouth, blushing.

“It’s true. Even with the family’s arranged engagement… I was terrified a beauty like her would reject a guy like me.”

“Fufu… Is that why you kept stammering?”

“Ahem… Embarrassing.”

Namgung Baek coughed awkwardly, making Peng So-Hwa smile with crescent-shaped eyes.

Watching this lovey-dovey scene with a sour face, Ho-Yeon asked.

“An arranged engagement? So you two were… engaged from the womb too?”

“That’s right.”

“…Seriously?”

Looking incredulous, Ho-Yeon got his hair ruffled by his mother.

“Hoho… Why? Afraid it means you won’t get along?”

“…”

Ho-Yeon stayed silent.

Namgung Baek burst into laughter.

“Wahaha! Acting so grown-up, but still just a kid, huh.”

“…”

“Fate is something you build together. Whether it’s an arranged marriage or not… that’s just how life works.”

“Fufu… Your father was so shy back then. Wouldn’t say a word… kept pouting.”

“Ahem… How could I not be nervous in front of such a beauty.”

“Is that why you tried to eat green tea with chopsticks?”

“Ahem… Ahem ahem…”

Namgung Baek’s face turned red this time, and Peng So-Hwa looked at him affectionately.

Ho-Yeon watched the whole scene with growing irritation.

‘Tch… Maybe I’ve been overthinking this? Guess arranged marriages aren’t seen as such a big deal here after all.’

Coming from the slums, where relationships happened overnight, the concept of engagement felt foreign to him.

There, survival came first… no one had the luxury to plan futures.

‘Well, sometimes a dragon would rise from the mud… but that was rare enough to become legend.’

Most powerful people came from wealth and power.

‘Well-fed, well-groomed, handsome and beautiful, producing more polished offspring…’

Unfair? Sure.

But that was life.

And now, the scales seemed to tip in his favor for once.

‘Zhuge Ah-Hyun… Hmm…’

A fiancée.

What an awkward word.

He’d met women before—even during his Sword Demon days.

But they were fleeting encounters… often secret, given his infamous reputation.

‘Well… I was a wanted criminal back then.’

On the run since age fifteen, he emerged in his twenties as the infamous Dark Ghost Killer (暗擅殺鬼).

‘Pretty sure my bounty reached a thousand gold coins at one point…’

Women who approached him back then?

Rarely genuine.

Poisoned nails… aphrodisiacs… mind-altering incense.

Even an old hag, trained in Yin-Harvesting Techniques, had tried to seduce him once.

He’d chopped her head off, cleanly.

‘Ugh… even remembering makes me nauseous…’

Disgusting.