Surviving as the Heavenly Demon’s Concubine - Chapter 78

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Of course, she couldn’t say she was completely innocent since she had trespassed into someone else’s front yard and sprinkled poison on the garden trees(?) they were growing.

Still, since she had been poisoned by the toxic qi, she had paid for her crimes to some extent, hadn’t she?

On top of that, she had even provided protection while detoxifying, so she thought it was practically forgiveness.

‘What reason would there be now to manipulate someone else’s qi…’

Just then, a realization flashed through Riser’s mind.

【”I don’t carry antidotes around. I’ll stand guard for half a shichen, so detoxify yourself skillfully in the meantime.”】

“…Oh no.”

Half a shichen must have passed.

‘I made 90 dumplings and even made curry.’

Time in the mental world doesn’t necessarily flow at the same speed as reality.

Depending on the design, it could be faster or slower, but generally the mental world tended to be slower than reality.

It was similar to how you don’t feel the passage of time well while sleeping.

“It might not have been just half a shichen, but much longer…”

Perhaps that unnamed poison expert had determined that Riser couldn’t detoxify herself.

So maybe he got tired of waiting and directly helped with the guidance.

‘No way. Surely not.’

Riser let out a hollow laugh and shook her head.

No matter what, wasn’t that an overly optimistic thought?

‘A poison expert wouldn’t be that kind.’

From what she had experienced while staying with the Sichuan Dang Family, people who dealt with poison generally had eccentric personalities.

Even martial artists whose profession was swinging swords were no less eccentric.

So what were the chances that someone who swung poison-coated swords wouldn’t be eccentric?

‘Maybe he was trying to do something like absorption.’

It was an extremely eccentric idea, but that made it seem all the more plausible.

She had heard that the Demon Sect had evil demonic arts that sucked other people’s internal energy like mosquitoes.

Since Riser couldn’t detoxify the poison even after half a shichen passed, there was plenty of possibility he just tried to absorb it himself…

Creeeeak.

For a moment, Riser’s breath stopped.

The kitchen door had opened without any warning.

“…”

Gulp.

Riser fumbled with trembling fingertips to grab the Chinese cleaver placed on the cutting board.

* * *

There could be no intruders in the mental world.

Just as it’s not easy to keep a promise to meet again in dreamland, even for devoted lovers.

The mind is one’s own world where you cannot invite others, even if the owner desires it.

Like how the 【Chinese-style Pork Keema Curry Masala & Naan Set】 had run wild on its own earlier, external intervention wasn’t completely impossible, but that was merely at the level of noise heard while sleeping being unconsciously reflected in dream content.

Creeeeak…

Therefore, the current situation where a strange existence that Riser couldn’t even perceive was trying to open the kitchen (dantian) door was literally terror itself.

The door was half open and someone’s figure seemed about to be visible beyond it.

‘I have to succeed in one try.’

Riser lightly gripped the handle of the Chinese cleaver at her fingertips and steadied her breathing.

Though she was quite skilled at throwing daggers or hidden weapons, the Chinese cleaver was heavier than what she usually threw, so concentration was needed.

And the moment the door opened completely.

Whiririririik!

The Chinese cleaver left Riser’s hand and flew toward the doorway, spinning like a top.

Thunk!

“…!”

Perhaps startled by the sudden attack, the movement of the door being pushed open hesitated, and the Chinese cleaver embedded in the door frame at head height trembled faintly.

“Who is it? Show yourself.”

Riser spoke in a calm yet cold voice.

The intruder standing beyond the door unconsciously smiled at Riser’s somehow familiar tone.

“…Still giving fierce warnings as always.”

Finally, the door opened completely.

Against the pouring backlight, the shadow of a man revealed itself.

Step.

With one step inside, he boldly cast off his shadow like drawing back a curtain.

“It’s been a while, Dang Ri-seo.”

Mujin looked at Riser with a flowing smile.

A confident expression appeared on his sculpture-like handsome face.

Riser was truly startled by the appearance of someone she never imagined.

‘Who was that again?’

So much so that she momentarily couldn’t recognize who it was.

Mujin, who intuitively understood the meaning of Riser’s wandering gaze, frowned menacingly.

“Don’t tell me you…?”

Mujin’s face, complexly distorted with various emotions like disbelief, resentment, absurdity, and injustice, immediately proceeded with emotional unification work.

“Because of you, I’ve been so…!”

“Ah! Oh! Magong-ja! My, it’s been so long! Who would have thought I’d see you in a place like this!”

Feeling a threat to her life, Riser overworked her brain cells with all her might and came up with the right answer at a precarious moment.

“…Hmph, acting glad to see me. I know you’ve been avoiding me left and right.”

Fortunately, Mujin replied in a tone that was slightly, but noticeably, less irritated.

“I don’t know what you mean.”

Riser avoided his gaze and played dumb.

Though her attitude appeared quite composed on the surface, Riser’s inner state was in chaos with confused feelings.

‘Why is that scoundrel prince here? More importantly, how did he get in?!’

The fact that an outsider had entered her mental world was shocking, but that it was Mujin was unexpected in many ways.

Not the unnamed poison expert who had been with her until just before circulating qi, not the Swordmaster who came to rescue after hearing Gwari’s cry.

What did it mean for the scoundrel prince, with whom she wasn’t even close and hadn’t even exchanged names, to suddenly appear?

‘Could this be a mental image created by my unconscious?’

Riser glanced up and stole a look at Mujin.

His tall, imposing height and hair tied high like a horse’s tail, swaying gracefully.

Sharp eyes, and even his crooked expression and posture that twisted in atypical ways.

In appearance, he looked exactly like the real Mujin, indistinguishable from reality.

“Do I eat people or something?”

“Pardon?”

Mujin crossed his arms and bent his waist to forcibly meet Riser’s eyes.

“I’m saying don’t avoid me since I don’t eat people.”

‘Ah.’

Mujin’s eyes were a piercingly blue and deep lake color.

When facing that mysterious yet fierce gaze that seemed to see through to the truth, Riser would feel breathless as if drowning.

‘Hmm. It really is him.’

No matter how elaborate a mental puppet might be, it couldn’t elicit such a reaction.

Riser cleared her throat and answered.

“You, you misunderstand. It’s not that I’m particularly avoiding Third Prince, but just…”

“Just?”

“…I was wondering why you came.”

A brief silence flowed.

Mujin snorted again and straightened his body.

Though it was annoying that she had deliberately avoided him, he had no intention of pressing further.

If she was already scared and running away, wouldn’t pressing her only make her think ‘I should have avoided him better’ rather than ‘I shouldn’t have avoided him’?

“I don’t know what misunderstanding you have, but I didn’t come here to catch you.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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