Chapter 8. The Black Blood Unit (1)
“The Black Blood Unit?! That unit is made entirely of criminals from our Cult! How can you possibly send my husband there?!”
When the Left Envoy personally delivered the news, Wolyeong exploded in anger.
The Left Envoy hurriedly created a qi barrier around the room to stop her voice from escaping.
For once, I almost felt sorry for him.
“The Cult Leader is giving that womanizer an opportunity.”
“An opportunity? You call sending him to a unit with a survival rate below twenty percent an opportunity?”
“That is precisely why it is an ideal place to earn achievements. Have you forgotten that the Right Envoy originally came from the Black Blood Unit?”
“Uncle Right is a monster! He doesn’t count!”
I did not know much about Uncle Right, but hearing that would probably hurt his feelings.
“Anyway, I absolutely refuse to let my husband enter the Black Blood Unit!”
“This is the Cult Leader's decision.”
“Then I will personally speak with Father!”
“Absolutely not! How can you disobey an order the Cult Leader has already given?”
“Move! I’m going to see Father right now!”
I grabbed her shoulders and stopped her.
If I let her continue, she would definitely cause a serious incident.
“There’s an old saying that speech is silver and silence is gold. When your head is boiling with anger, keeping your mouth shut is usually best, Wolyeong.”
“Then you expect me to simply watch while my husband is assigned to the most dangerous unit in the entire Cult?”
“Why are you acting unlike yourself? You know better than anyone that receiving an opportunity at all is practically a miracle.”
The Heavenly Demon Divine Cult had only recently gone through a rebellion.
Even though the rebellion had been suppressed, cooperation from the other Demonic Clans remained essential if the Heavenly Demon wanted to strengthen his authority.
And in that situation, his only daughter had returned after making a child with some outsider.
If I were the Heavenly Demon, I would have killed me immediately and buried the entire incident.
“Right now, I’m nobody in the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult. If the Cult Leader suddenly appoints someone like me as Prince Consort, the powerful families will rebel. The Cult could fall into another internal conflict.”
“Husband, but...”
“The Cult Leader is giving me an opportunity. A chance to make my name known inside the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult. I only need to build a reputation worthy of becoming Prince Consort. Isn’t that right, Uncle Left?”
The Left Envoy nodded.
“That is correct. Our Cult's foundation is Respecting the Strong. If he proves himself, even an outsider can rise. The Guangming Right Envoy was originally a criminal, yet no one questions his background now.”
“That is enough for me.”
Wolyeong continued looking at me with worried eyes.
But this time, I had no intention of giving in.
“If an outsider like me wants to become Prince Consort, I need achievements no one can deny. That’s the only way I can keep clinging to your side like a leech.”
“Are you really going to be all right?”
“I may not look like much, but surviving happens to be one of my specialties. Don’t worry.”
Right.
I had survived the Martial Alliance's Heaven-Ensnaring Net, where all Ten Great Masters had participated.
Even if they sent me somewhere worse than the Black Blood Unit, I would find a way to survive.
Wolyeong seemed to understand that I was serious.
Eventually, she had no choice but to step back.
“...Fine. Uncle Left, please leave us alone for a moment.”
“Yes, Princess.”
The Left Envoy went outside.
Wolyeong released a deep sigh.
“Husband, you’re always like this. You give in to me about everything, but when it comes to the most important matters, you never compromise.”
“You can be upset, but I can’t help it.”
“I know. That’s why even though I’m upset, I understand.”
Wolyeong brought out two cups and poured tea she had prepared earlier.
“Do you know the Black Blood Unit's nickname? The Suicide Unit. Its survival rate is below twenty percent.”
“Didn’t you say the Right Envoy came from there?”
“Uncle Right is a monster. Other than Father, no one in the Cult can match him.”
Wolyeong's voice trembled.
The news that I was being sent to the Black Blood Unit had clearly shaken her deeply.
“It isn’t that I don’t believe in you. Even if no one else in the world believes in you, I will. But...”
“Don’t worry. I spent half my life hiding in the mountains, then followed you all the way to the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult just because of you. Do you really think I would leave you behind now?”
“Can you promise me? Promise you absolutely won’t die.”
“Of course. Even if only because dying now would be too unfair.”
Wolyeong nodded, then handed me a cup of tea.
“This tea will be our Wedding Union Wine.”
“What?”
During a wedding, the bride and groom each drank from a cup.
Afterward, the remaining cups were tied together with string.
That was the final wedding ritual, the Union Ceremony.
Wedding Union Wine was the alcohol drunk during that ceremony.
“Normally I would have prepared alcohol, but I’m not alone in my body anymore.”
“...”
“We probably won’t be able to hold a proper wedding for a while. Not until you are officially appointed Prince Consort. But remember this. From now on, we are husband and wife, and husband and wife share one heart and body.”
We looked at one another and slowly drank the tea.
“Though we were born on different days, may we die on the same day at the same hour.”
“Seriously? Are we doing the Oath of the Peach Garden as husband and wife?”
“There may not be a peach tree here, but there are three people. You, me, and the child in my belly.”
“What kind of terrible thing are you saying? Our child should live longer than both of us.”
Wolyeong chuckled and tied the two cups together using red thread.
“You absolutely cannot die. If you die, once I give birth to our child, I’ll follow you immediately.”
I could see from her eyes that she meant it.
Wolyeong was the type of woman who did exactly what she said.
If I truly died, she would probably take her own life after giving birth.
She carefully placed the tied cups into a box made from old wood.
“Ah, right. Do you know what comes after the Union Ceremony in a wedding?”
“What? There’s something after that? I thought it was the last ritual.”
“Are you pretending to be innocent, or do you really not know? What else would a man and woman do after finishing their wedding?”
“...Wait. You’re pregnant.”
“The physician said there’s no problem. So stop complaining and come here!”
She practically threw me onto the bed and climbed on top of me.
“This reminds me of our first night.”
It seemed I would not be getting much sleep tonight.
Several days later, after we finally arrived at the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, the Left Envoy immediately summoned me.
It concerned my assignment to the Black Blood Unit.
“Listen carefully. You must never mention your relationship with the Princess. No, from now on, act as though you do not even know her.”
“Understood.”
“You already know that the Black Blood Unit is made up of criminals. If they earn achievements, their crimes are pardoned.”
“And if they fail to earn achievements?”
“Then they will probably die, so it does not matter.”
The Left Envoy continued lecturing me about various matters.
Some of his words included curses directed at me, but most were advice regarding the culture and laws of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
“For your information, you have two years.”
“Pardon? What do you mean?”
“If you are not officially appointed Prince Consort within two years, the Princess will marry the eldest son of the Sword Demon Clan.”
As expected.
I had assumed there would be a time limit.
It was simply much shorter than I expected.
“You do not look particularly surprised.”
“You cannot delay the marriage of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult's Princess forever.”
“Do not feel unfairly treated. The Princess has also effectively been confined to her quarters until she gives birth.”
Her pregnancy was not visible yet.
But as time passed, Wolyeong's belly would grow larger.
If an outsider saw her like that, an enormous scandal would erupt.
“If I fail to become Prince Consort within two years, what happens to the child?”
“The child will be adopted under the Second Young Master. We cannot abandon the bloodline of the Cheon Family.”
If I failed to become the Heavenly Demon's son-in-law within two years, Wolyeong would marry another man.
And my child would grow up calling someone else their parent.
I would never allow that.
Not before dirt filled my eyes.
