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Chapter 97: It’s to Fill My Curiosity
He wore a conical straw hat, partially covering his face. A middle-aged man dressed in a white robe, with black hair and a short beard. His handsome face, sharp eyes, and sturdy frame radiated the charisma of a leader. Yet, at this moment, his expression resembled that of a kind father speaking to his son, leaving Aldrian speechless.
Everyone had said this man was the true embodiment of a demonic cultivator, but what Aldrian had seen so far felt more like a positive, enthusiastic uncle. Ryu Hyuk-Jae then glanced at Baek Ji-Min.
"Oh, I didn’t realize the young miss of the Thorny Flower Garden was here. Are you close with her, Aldrian? I didn’t think her mother would let her daughter get too close to you. She even bares her fangs at that brat from the Black Dragon Pavilion for trying to approach her."
He looked at Aldrian and Baek Ji-Min with astonishment. As for Baek Ji-Min, she flushed red with embarrassment before cupping her hands and bowing slightly.
"Baek Ji-Min pays her respects to the sect master of—" Before she could finish her sentence, her voice suddenly disappeared.
"Shhh, don’t tell anyone. I’m here without anyone knowing," he whispered, placing a finger over his lips.
Baek Ji-Min nodded, and her voice returned. Aldrian turned to the man and asked once more,
"Why are you here, Sect Master Ryu Hyuk-Jae?"
"I wanted to let you know that the preparations are complete, and you can come to the Piercing Heaven Sect anytime," Ryu Hyuk-Jae said.
"That’s it?"
"That’s it."
"...."
"Well, I’ll be waiting for you at the Piercing Heaven Sect. See you soon." With that, he disappeared as if he had never been there in the first place.
Not long after, the owner of the food vendor approached Aldrian and asked for his order. Aldrian replied, asking for the vendor’s recommended drink.
Aldrian then glanced back at Baek Ji-Min. He wanted to talk to her, but noticed she was staring at him with a puzzled expression.
"What did you do to make the sect master of the Piercing Heaven Sect come to you personally and invite you to his sect? He’s acting so out of character—it’s bewildering! Every time I’ve seen him, he’s always had that rigid expression."
"I didn’t do anything, but—" Aldrian paused, creating a sound barrier around them.
"But he believes I’m the destined one to comprehend the Heavenly Demon’s Scripture—"
Suddenly, Baek Ji-Min grabbed Aldrian’s collar.
"What?! Is that true?!"
Her voice rose sharply, and if Aldrian hadn’t created the sound barrier earlier, it would have startled everyone around them. The surrounding people could only see their gestures, unable to hear their conversation.
"You... why you?" Baek Ji-Min’s expression grew sad. She loosened her grip on his collar and slumped back into her seat.
She had found someone interesting, someone she thought could become a friend because he seemed different from the others. She couldn’t look at his essence for too long, but at the same time, it made her feel secure and drawn to him. It was a contradiction that left her confused, but still, she followed her heart.
And now, he was telling her that the Heavenly Demon’s Scripture had chosen him as the destined one? She wasn’t sure if it had something to do with her being the destiny bearer of the Heavenly Demon’s name, but the idea that he could be the chosen one saddened her deeply. Had he become the destiny bearer because he had met her?
"No, it’s not that. Stop overthinking, and don’t let yourself be consumed by negative thoughts. You need to relax your mind and stop blaming yourself for bad luck," Aldrian said, waving his hand dismissively.
Baek Ji-Min was stunned. Could he read her mind?
"To tell you the truth, I’m interested in the Heavenly Demon’s Scripture. The fact that it chose me is just a coincidence, not you—so don’t worry!" Aldrian added with a reassuring smile.
"Well, I’m only interested in the Heavenly Demon," he thought to himself.
"But why? You’re choosing such a difficult path, one that most people would avoid. Even your companions could be affected if you pursue this," Baek Ji-Min said.
"Hmm, I’m not sure how to explain it, but what’s considered a difficult path is relative to each person. Maybe it seems difficult for others, but for me, it’s about satisfying my curiosity. There are many things I still need to learn, and the Heavenly Demon’s Scripture is one of them. I have a feeling that I’ll gain something valuable if I comprehend it," Aldrian replied.
Baek Ji-Min, whose heart had been weighed down by sadness, found herself unexpectedly enlightened by Aldrian’s bold and arrogant perspective. His claim to pursue the comprehension of the Heavenly Demon’s Scripture merely out of curiosity? It was such an extreme way of thinking that she momentarily forgot her own sorrow. She couldn’t fully grasp his mindset, but it intrigued her all the same.
What kind of person would consider comprehending a life-changing cultivation technique as merely a way to satisfy curiosity? Baek Ji-Min stared at Aldrian like he was the craziest person she’d ever met. He just smiled, amused by her reaction. Her earlier sadness had now been replaced by an expression full of doubt.
"Don’t worry, I’m not a crazy person. And by the way, you should smile more and not waste such a beautiful face on sadness," Aldrian said.
Baek Ji-Min blushed. Every word that came from his mouth was so smooth and reassuring that she couldn’t find a way to argue with him. She could only sigh.
"Young Master Aldrian, you’ve really opened my eyes. I’m truly thankful for this conversation, it’s helped cheer me up, and helped me understand you better," she said with a smile.
"Here’s your drink." The vendor brought their order and placed it on the table.
"Anyway, I also came to tell you about the assassins who tried to ambush you," Baek Ji-Min continued once the vendor had left.
"Oh? What about them?" Aldrian asked.
"The two duke-stage assassins you left at their hideout, they’re incredibly persistent and refuse to give up. They’ve tried to commit suicide several times, but we’ve managed to prevent it. They haven’t given us any useful information yet, but based on their armaments, we’ve gathered that they belong to a group of assassins from the north."
"The corpses also had traces of a faint energy, which allowed us to identify that they comprehended lightning laws. With all this evidence, we can assume they belong to an assassin group called the Thunderous Shadow Pavilion."
This conclusion matched the information Aldrian had received from Xin Haotian, so there was nothing new.
"Mother flew into a rage over the boldness of this assassin group. To set up a hideout right under our noses. She’s even issued a Rose Garden Division kill order for anyone who helped them or has the slightest connection to them."
The Rose Garden Division was the elite force of the Thorny Flower Garden, specializing in combat, assassination, and all the dirty work needed to eliminate those deemed a threat by the sect. They were the sect’s grim reapers. The fact that the assassins had managed to establish a hideout so close to the Thorny Flower Garden without being detected was a serious insult to one of the three great sects.
"Good. Your mother is truly decisive, as expected of the sect master of one of the three great sects," Aldrian said, glancing at Baek Ji-Min to gauge her reaction. However, all he saw was a serene expression—no sadness, no anger, nothing. But Aldrian could sense her inner turmoil. He had felt it before. Whenever she mentioned her mother, even just calling her "mother" stirred chaotic emotions within her.
An awkward silence lingered for a moment before Baek Ji-Min finally spoke.
"Mother is truly decisive, and the weight on her shoulders is heavy as the sect master of the Thorny Flower Garden. Her personality has always been like that. She’s a demonic cultivator and one of the leaders of the three great sects. She must be strong and decisive."
She paused, her gaze falling to her drink, a mix of various spiritual herbs. "When I was a child, I remember her playing with me, pampering me. But everything changed after she introduced me to the Heavenly Demon’s Flower Scripture. She became distant, colder, as if she no longer cared about me."
She sighed deeply, her voice softening. "At first, I hated her for it. She was the one who brought me to the scripture—a scripture that changed my life. But as time passed, I started to understand. She couldn’t neglect her responsibility as the leader of the Thorny Flower Garden. And I... I am the one destined to bear that destiny, the destiny of the Heavenly Demon’s name."
Baek Ji-Min lifted her hand, intending to drink, but Aldrian gently grabbed her wrist, stopping her. She looked at him, puzzled, her expression asking, What’s wrong? Aldrian, however, was staring at his own drink.
Then, he glanced over at the vendor with a knowing smile.
"Poison."
