Chapter 6: Meeting the High Priest (1)

When people face unexpected situations, their thoughts tend to freeze momentarily.

This was no different for Hong Yelin. She had managed to endure the continuous insults, but she never imagined that such a strong move would be made.

She glared at Tian Xiazhen.

His expression was calm. His eyes were on her, but there was a sense of resolve as if he was looking beyond her.

‘C-Could he really mean it?’

At that moment, the head of the guard bowed.

“I will inform the Palace of the Demon God. However, it’s uncertain how long it will take for the palace entry permit to be issued.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“I understand. I will prepare the carriage as soon as the permit is issued.”

The head of the guard, with perfect decorum, bowed and retreated briskly.

Hong Yelin involuntarily held her breath.

‘He’s serious!’

In fact, there was no need to ask.

There was no one bold enough to request entry to the Palace of the Demon God with a lie.

The Palace of the Demon God was a sanctuary that the internal power struggles of the sect's leadership dared not touch.

The Palace of the Demon God.

The grand temple, a sacred place in itself, where the High Priest, the incarnation of Pashun, the Celestial Demon who governs the Desire Realm, resides.

This madman really intended to go to the Palace of the Demon God, the High Priest's hall, with that agreement.

“Third Young Master!”

Tian Xiazhen sat on the bed without a word, crossing his arms. He had no interest in her to begin with, and now it was truly none of his concern.

Hong Yelin, with a pale face, fidgeted.

She had turned a one-on-one fight into a localized conflict, but it was Third Young Master who had escalated it into a full-scale war.

And she lacked the confidence to handle this full-scale war.

“...Do you want to die together now?”

Tian Xiazhen chuckled.

“I don’t do deals that don’t benefit me.”

“What do you mean?”

“Why should I die with you? Do you think your life is worth that much to me?”

Hong Yelin's face contorted.

“What are you trying to say to the High Priest?”

“Is there a problem?”

“If the High Priest knows you made a deal with me, you won’t be safe either!”

“So what?”

“What?!”

“Tsk tsk.”

Tian Xiazhen waggled his finger.

“I don’t want to hear any more of your annoying chatter. Just to be clear, you’re right. If the High Priest finds out about this mess, I’ll probably get a good scolding.

I might even be expelled, given that I’ve lost my martial arts abilities.”

“...”

“But what about you?”

Hong Yelin's eyes flickered wildly.

“Everyone knows your family is powerful, but that power has its limits. I might just be expelled, but you could end up in prison.

Your family will be thoroughly investigated for your misdeeds, and it’s only natural that your family’s reputation will be tarnished.”

Don’t be ridiculous!

That’s what Hong Yelin wanted to say. But deep down, she already acknowledged that he was right.

Favoritism always prevails.

If her actions today were known, Third Young Master would be seen as a failure, but she would be buried in the martial world of the Demon Sect.

In the worst case, her family might also fall out of the High Priest’s favor.

‘What the hell? ’

She couldn’t understand. The Third Young Master she knew would never make such a reckless move.

That’s why she could be so aggressive.

She was confident that Third Young Master wouldn’t make such a move.

“Do you... not want to seize the throne?”

His ambition, which was on par with hers.

He was the kind of person who would do anything to become the next successor, even at the cost of his reputation.

That’s why she was confident he wouldn’t do something like this.

But Tian Xiazhen’s response was astonishing.

“Huh.”

“What, what did you say?!”

No matter how much she combined all the shocks she had received, none of them could compare to her current confusion.

“I don’t know what you think of me, but that’s old news. I have no interest in the throne now.”

“Why?!”

“You’re pretty stupid. Can I become the successor with this body?”

Tian Xiazhen laughed as if it was amusing.

“You know that, right? That’s why you came here.”

“...!”

“Why did you think my desires would be the same as before, knowing there’s no hope?”

Hong Yelin felt as if she had been hit in the back of the head.

That’s right. She no longer saw Third Young Master as a horse she could ride.

He was a sick horse, but once a famous horse that could travel a thousand miles a day.

She should have considered what kind of desperate move he might make when cornered.

Her confidence that she had the upper hand and that she wouldn’t be harmed was what led her to this predicament.

“Get out, I can’t stand the sight of you.”

Tian Xiazhen closed his eyes, regaining his composure.

In contrast, Hong Yelin couldn’t relax at all.

Her heart pounded with increasing anxiety as time passed. Cold sweat trickled down her forehead, and her complexion turned visibly pale.

‘No! This can’t happen! ’

He was serious, and he had to be. The head of the guard had already gone to inform the Palace of the Demon God.

She frantically tried to think of a way to resolve the situation as best as possible.

But she couldn’t find a solution.

‘What should I do? How...?’

At that moment, Tian Xiazhen opened his eyes.

“What are you doing?”

“...”

“Should I call the guards to drive you out? Get out, now.”

Hong Yelin bit her lip.

No solution?

No, there was one. But the answer was so humiliating and degrading that she would rather die than choose it.

“What... can I do?”

Tian Xiazhen frowned.

“What are you talking about?”

Hong Yelin bit her lip. Blood trickled from the bitten lip, but she didn’t even notice.

“How can I make sure you don’t tell the High Priest about this?”

“Get out. You’re talking nonsense. Take your people and get lost, you woman.”

The crude insult made her clench her fists, but she couldn’t raise the stakes as she had before.

The tables had turned.

She, who had used the deal to pressure Third Young Master, now had to make the deal disappear.

How could she make all the secret deals disappear?

Rustle.

Hong Yelin took out the contract.

Two copies of the contract, both signed and sealed.

Her eyes, which had been looking at the contract, were bloodshot.

What had seemed like her best card to pressure him now looked like a knife that would cut her throat.

Squish!

Tian Xiazhen’s eyes gleamed.

Hong Yelin tore the contract in half, then in half again, and placed it near the candle.

Whoosh.

The two copies of the contract burned, turning into ashes. The ten thousand taels of silver, a huge sum, turned to ashes in an instant.

Hong Yelin said,

“You have the agreement, but with the contract gone, there’s no evidence.”

Her voice, trembling slightly, carried a deep sense of defeat and a hint of relief.

Tian Xiazhen tilted his head.

“That’s true, but does it matter?”

“...?”

“Are you underestimating the highest authority in the Demon Sect’s martial world?

Will the High Priest of the Great Celestial Demon Sect really care whether there’s evidence or not?”

“...!”

“If he points the finger at you, you’ll be a criminal, with or without evidence.”

Hong Yelin’s hands trembled.

Tian Xiazhen chuckled.

“The important thing isn’t the scraps of the contract or the agreement, but what I tell the High Priest.

Just like you tried to stir up public opinion with false rumors.”

“...”

“Why do you think you can get away with it, but I can’t? You really think the world is easy, don’t you?”

Tian Xiazhen waved his hand.

“I’m tired of talking. Get out, now.”

“I...”

“You never listen the first time. Get lost! I have nothing more to say.”

Hong Yelin’s expression was a mess, almost pitiful.

Given this situation, she had no choice but to use her last resort.

A more humiliating act than throwing away the cards in her hand.

The real answer to resolve this situation, which she had subconsciously ignored and excluded.

It was submission.

‘Submission? Bow your head?’

Am I really supposed to bow my head to this guy’s mouth? Me?

‘Absolutely not!’

Absolutely not. It was a matter of her pride as a human being.

But... if she didn’t bow, her life would be ruined, and her family’s reputation would be tarnished.

The first limit Hong Yelin, who had always relied on her family’s power and reaped the fruits of success, had ever faced.

The wall of this limit was much higher, wider, and more solid than she had imagined.

‘Grr!’

Should she really submit? Should she really kneel for this absurd situation?

Tian Xiazhen called out to Ang Hua.

“Ugh, it’s annoying. Ang Hua! Call the guards! If these people don’t leave, I’ll...”

“...I will.”

“Huh?”

Thud.

Hong Yelin knelt and bowed her head.

Her trembling body. But the trembling wasn’t from fear.

“I...”

She squeezed her eyes shut.

A tear, filled with arrogance, fell transparently.

“I have committed a grave disrespect to the esteemed figure of the Demon Sect. I humbly and earnestly beg for your mercy.”

Tian Xiazhen looked down at her with a cold gaze.

The trembling of Hong Yelin’s body grew more intense. He could tell how humiliated she was by the current situation.

“...”

A heavy silence fell.

In the long silence, only the sound of Hong Yelin’s heavy breathing could be heard.

How long had it been?

Whoosh!

The sound of something burning was heard.

“The debt between us ends here.”

“...”

“Get out.”

Hong Yelin stood up without a word. Her head was bowed so low that her expression couldn’t be seen.

Thus, Hong Yelin and her two bodyguards disappeared.

“Phew! What a stuffy place.”

The deal with Hong Yelin was something he could report to the High Priest or not, but it was safer not to.

Tian Xiazhen’s expression turned serious.

“Now, I just have to wait.”

Hong Yelin was nothing more than a worthless insect. What mattered now was the meeting with the High Priest.

If the High Priest didn’t meet him?

Then he had no choice but to think of a way to escape to the outskirts after fully preparing himself.

But if the High Priest did meet him?

If the harsh teacher who hadn’t called him for three months after he woke up from the demonic possession allowed him to enter the palace?

‘I’ll have to go straight.’

Half a day later.

The head of the guard’s voice came from outside the door.

“Young Master, we’ve received a response from the Palace of the Demon God.”

“What’s the news?”

“The permit has been issued. The carriage is ready, so please prepare to enter the palace.”

Tian Xiazhen slowly stood up.

A faint tension was visible on his smiling face.

“Let’s go.”

The matter with Hong Yelin was already out of his mind.