The 44th Son of the Heavenly Demon is a House Husband!? (Patreon)

As a Househusband, Food Security is Fundamental (4.4).

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Ambushed by five masters, yet Seol came out on top.

Sometimes, I wondered how she’d fight and win against my father, even with a few more years of training behind her.

After that ambush, when she arrived with prisoners without even being scratched, my question was answered.

A few more years of training, while my father’s strength ebbed with age?

Yeah, Seol would have won that fight.

Instead of that fight happening, though, my father arranged my marriage to her, and now she was his daughter-in-law, and both their lands were flourishing thanks to trade. Her land benefitted from it the most since it was more ruined by the war, but that was part of the plan's design. If the Namgoong pulled the trigger and broke the alliance, they would lose more than he did, and that was without considering the fact that they were an Orthodox Sect that wouldn’t normally betray anyone.

Even their enemies.

Yeah, without a doubt, my father had planned against the Namgoong for years and set this up to prevent a future conflict.

And now, people who would’ve benefitted from the Namgoong and the Heavenly Demon coming to blows were taking action.

War was a time of opportunity here. Cultivators could make plenty of money and resources from fighting Demonic Beasts and ensuring the peace, but that was for people with established territories and with enough influence. Territories only changed hands through conflict, and influence here was derived from glory gained from victories in combat. The Unorthodox and Orthodox Sects coming to blows gave people a chance to seize opportunities, and some people were probably hankering for another chance after losing out on the prior war.

Father was interested in winning the peace, but some people didn’t want there to be a peace in the first place.

So, though Seol was convinced through the tactics used that it was the Orthodox Sects that contrived the ambush, I wasn’t. People from the Unorthodox Sects under my father could probably see the writing on the wall. If they did nothing, displacing my father and our sect could become impossible, and our lineage would permeate through all other sects and clans within a generation or two with the current peace. People can read, strategize, and connive just fine in the Unorthodox Sects, and they are more likely to betray or backstab for their own benefit than the Orthodox Sects.

Heck, some factions within both might work together just to reignite war, because cultivators were more than willing to bury the hatchet... so that they could dig it up later and fight with them in the right situation.

Well, whoever planned it was in for a tough time, anyway.

I played my cards right, the Namgoongs were good relatives, and we just got attacked.

My father’s message about his arrival arrived just a week ahead of him.

Meaning that he practically got on a horse and sped over the moment that he heard.

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Interlude: The 7th Sword Saint of the Namgoong Clan, Seol

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“I see that the Namgoong have improved their prison cells. It is much better than when I stayed here as a young man.”

I turned to face my father-in-law and gave him a small bow as he walked upon the cobblestone halls.

“This one greets the Heavenly Demon.”

“Now, none of that nonsense. You are a martial artist who has been ambushed by five masters and whose home was set upon by monsters as a distraction. You may call me by my family name. Father once you are wed to my son.” I could not help but raise an eyebrow at the Heavenly Demon’s easy temperament. Restraining myself from gleaning a deeper truth, I simply accepted his words. “Are these the records of those once kept here?”

The Heavenly Demon gestured towards a shelf full of books. We incarcerated many in our dungeons. It was part of our duty as protectors of this land. Our cultivators set forth to capture criminals, then ferry them to the towns that would decide their fate. For mortals only, of course. Cultivators we rendered judgment upon.

“Yes. If I recall, you are listed for a quarter of a page in the second to last book. You escaped too quickly for more.”

“If I were captured as the future Heavenly Demon, I suppose that I wouldn’t have escaped at all.” He turned my way and stroked his beard with a faint smile. “I don’t suppose your treatment of prisoners has diminished thanks to my escape? Are they fed less now so that they will not heal under your care and escape once strong enough?”

“A jailor who cannot keep a healthy prisoner secure is a poor jailor. We did not lessen their treatment. We improved our security.” I told him honestly, and he gave a small ‘ah.’ In the dim torchlight of the dungeon hall, he remained radiant while clad in deep red robes with gold trim. However, I took note of the fact he had armor underneath his robes, and there was a sword by his side. The sight of the Heavenly Demon prepared for combat should have made me feel afraid. Instead, I merely considered his state of dress in passing. “I have considered mistreatment for my current prisoners, however. I refrained.”

“Were they my prisoners, they would have been healed enough to speak, then made to wish for death for as long as I could keep them alive. They lashed out at my home, killed my guards, and then attempted to kill me with my spouse at risk, after all.” The Heavenly Demon took one step and reached my side, despite being at the other end of the hall. The swift movement should have made a bead of sweat drop from my temple due to the mastery he showcased. Instead, I gave him a sidelong glance, while he gave a grin and laughed impishly. Then, he turned to face the survivors of the ambush. “You are much too kind. Break their minds, take what you wish from them, and then let them suffer in eternal darkness.”

“That is not the way of the Namgoong, but they will not be prisoners of the Namgoong while you are here.” The Heavenly Demon blinked at my words before a slow, small smile formed on his face. I turned to him and gave a proper bow with clasped hands. “This one asks the Heavenly Demon for guidance in retribution against her foes.”

The Heavenly Demon chuckled, then laughed, while his energy spilled out onto the halls.

The other prisoners in the dungeon, silent at his appearance, screamed as he laughed. His energy was like a storm of needles striking the skin, flying within a winter blizzard. The heat of being pierced was accompanied by the sensation of skin freezing and breaking, while skin tore and muscles burst. I had the mortal prisoners moved ahead of his arrival. It was a good move, as even those nearing the rank of first-rate warrior fainted in the Heavenly Demon’s presence.

“I would be honored to showcase my sect’s methods of retribution, Lady Namgoong.” The Heavenly Demon returned my bow. Properly bowing from the waist. I raised my head as he did, and he approached the cell door. His finger touched the bars, and they shook apart and settled on the floor neatly. The ends embedded deep into stone were all cut apart. A frightening show of sword aura, but all I could think of was the work involved in repairing the cell. I couldn’t help but sigh, and he turned to look at me… surprisingly mollified and gave a silent promise that it would be repaired before turning back to those who threatened his family, though extended. “Watch closely and learn.”

The fear that crept into the faces of those who ambushed me and still lived was gratifying.

…

It was what my future husband predicted.

There was a secret, hidden society in the shadows that worked outside the normal boundaries between sects in order to sow chaos to benefit from it themselves.

The Heavenly Demon sat before me with his wife at his side and pondered the revelation.

His fury was so strong that no one else besides I was with the two.

“They dare intrude upon the legacy I wish to leave before joining my ancestors. They intend to take from me the most honored title of the first Heavenly Demon who would be truly victorious.” It was strange, but I understood his mood. I sipped tea, calming the liquid within with a bit of effort, as it had been shaking and rippling within the cup due to my in-laws' anger. “Such impudence. Who are they to decide that the peace I sought should be disrupted? That they could raise a hand against the future that I seek to carve into being?”

I could offer no answer, so he turned to his wife, Lady Yue Xiang.

“I must ask for your family’s aid, my beloved. They will be too wary of me and flee like rodents would a tiger. They must be gathered up before I strike.” He raised his wife’s hand to his lips and placed a kiss on it. It was a display of affection that I found myself wondering if Rui would do for me one day. Thankfully, we would soon be married. “May I trouble Father-in-Law with such a favor?”

“Father will be happy to be of assistance. The younger warriors need their mettle tested, along with their minds. However, they will be of little use in the Orthodox Sect’s lands.” Lady Yue Xiang looked my way. Her free hand, uncaptured and being riddled by small kisses by the Heavenly Demon, opened a fan to hide her faint blush. She spoke to me whilst doing her best to ignore her husband’s ministrations. I met her shy glance with a stony visage, and she let loose a small giggle, then grew calm. “We must rely on your people to find the conspirators here, Lady Namgoong.”

“My warriors are not versed in such techniques. A trainer will be needed for them, which I would like to ask of you, Lady Xiang.” She gave a nod. It would have me owe her a favor, while she would have another to keep an eye on her niece. Perhaps it would even give her an excuse to continue staying here. “Until they are trained, I shall traverse the land and speak to my allies and neighbors. I will not have those I find suspicious to take part in my wedding.”

“Oh? But having all of the Orthodox Sects all here at once would prove to be a perfect setting to discern them all.” Lady Xiang raised a slender eyebrow at my words. “It is a good opportunity, no?”

“I do not wish for the ceremony to be despoiled by such schemes.” I told her honestly, and she gave a nod of understanding. I looked at the two flirting for a long moment before putting my cup of tea down. “If there is nothing else, then I will take my leave, honored future in-laws.”

The Heavenly Demon stopped tending to his wife to speak to me.

Thankfully, he kept his gaze away from me, because I would not have been able to give him the proper respect if he didn’t.

“How is Cha Young-Il? How would she have fared in your place?” Lady Yue froze at the words of the Heavenly Demon. Not her husband, but the Heavenly Demon who sought the strongest to take his place after he moved from this life. Her shoulders went still and she forced herself to not look my way. Her daughter’s position as heir relied upon my answer now. “Would she have been victorious?”

I spoke honestly.

As a fellow martial artist would to another.

“She would have been able to defeat three masters, even whilst protecting her people. However, without a suitable retinue, five would have killed her.” For a young woman her age, she was indeed an extraordinary talent. Within a decade or two, she will reach her pinnacle, but she will most decidedly not be like her father. “None of her siblings who I have fought can compare to her. She is the strongest of your children and will be able to uphold the peace you now seek.”

“But she is not like me, nor is she like you.” The Heavenly Demon stated simply, and I agreed with a nod. “The true champion of this generation is you. As it has always been, since time immemorial. Should the Unorthodox Sects rise, then so shall the Orthodox Sects have their star rise in the next. It is fate evening the scales. Something that mortals cannot overcome… unless they do not fight at all.”

A smile spread across the Heavenly Demon’s face, and for the first time since his arrival, he made a chill go down my spine.

In martial arts and physical ability, we matched one another to the point a mutual defeat was likely from our duel.

But as a leader, he was undoubtably my better, for this plan of his to win the peace came to him while he was doing his utmost to be victorious in the last war.

While he fought and fought before he even triumphed over the Head of the Alliance, he planned to find a way to win the peace that would come after his reign.

Even while victory was not yet in his grasp, he planned for it nonetheless.

The Heavenly Demon, Young-Il, shook his head.

“I agree with your assessment of my child. She would have been victorious against three and protected her people at the cost of her life from the last two masters. Of all my children, she is the strongest and most fitting to lead.” He pressed his lips against his wife’s hand as she tried to hide her relief. “The rest will be retrained for the coming peace. They already know my intentions, but with this threat looming ahead of us, I will guide them with a firmer hand. The ways of the Demonic Sect are what they were raised in, but that makes them susceptible to its failings while granting them its strengths. In the coming days, the strength it gives will not serve them well, so I shall guide them as a father should.”

The Heavenly Demon gave me a nod after a moment of contemplation.

“Inform Rui that I will visit, instead of bringing your children to me.” The Heavenly Demon declared with finality, implying that I needn’t stay any longer. I rose up. “Staying here with the Namgoong will give them strength better fitting for the peace to come, especially as I can entrust them to you, Lady Namgoong.”

He honored me with a tilt of his head, and I returned the nod after a moment.

I decided against declaring that he would have been hard-pressed to have my children go to his lands if they did not wish to do so.

He acted respectfully, and it was a filial tradition for children to visit their grandparents.

The Heavenly Demon choosing to visit here instead was something he needn’t do, but he did out of respect for me.

It would be disrespectful of me to speak ill of him in turn.

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