Feeling Like Himself

Yuan contemplated Hei Yin's words for a while, his eyes unable to look away from Huo Yan's chest.

Even Huo Yan seemed dazed.

'I am a Red Mist Demoness?'

According to Hei Yin, Huo Yan was a Red Mist Demoness, a rare type of Demon thought to have gone extinct during the Day of Rest.

Obviously, Huo Yan denied the accusation, but Hei Yin tried to reason with her by pointing out the fact that she had red hair and red eyes.

And though having red hair and red eyes was rare—especially among commoner with a slim chance of possessing a physique—it nonetheless existed.

So, Huo Yan firmly denied it, silently taking note that this woman was trying to sow seeds of discord between her and her benefactor.

But everything changed when her shadow rippled unnaturally—then rose, solidifying into the shape of a dagger aimed at her heart.

She couldn't move. Couldn't scream. Only watch as the blade came closer.

At that moment, her life flashed before her eyes, intense emotions erupting from her chest.

And when she braced for death, it did not arrive.

The dagger passed through her chest.

Hei Yan gulped. Her clothes were torn, but behind them, there was only swirling red mist.

"Told you~" Hei Yin giggled, clearly satisfied after proving herself right.

To her words, Huo Yan trembled. Fear and despair erupted from her heart.

She was a Demoness. She had the Demon Bloodline.

'Is this why my parents...sold me?'

'Not because they were poor… but because I was a Demon?'

But how had they known when even she had not?

Huo Yan fell deeper into despair.

Yuan looked at her, activating [Eye of Omen], but he could not see the fear in her eyes.

[Eye of Omen] could only show emotions that the target felt towards him and because of him. Everything else was rested on Yuan himself.

Understanding this, Yuan turned his gaze to Hei Yin, who was already watching him.

But now, he could not see her expression.

Her veil had fully covered her face, turning completely dark.

'…Artifact.'

For a moment, the presence of an artifact clouded Yuan's mind. It wasn't every day that one encountered such a thing.

'Just who is she?'

Hei Yin had presumably arrived in Taichian City because of a request from his missing sister—to protect Wu Qiong.

Though their first meeting was blurry, Wu Qiong's arrogance had increased several folds ever since having a powerful protector always by his side—and someone very, very beautiful.

Yet Hei Yin had barely shown herself in front of Wu Qiong. Their conversations were limited to his usual screaming: "Those bastards hurt me! Kill them!"

But now, she was being awfully playful with Yuan. She even revealed the fact that she had an Artifact.

Even a fool like Wu Qiong knew how rare and important Artifacts were.

Yuan looked at her deeply and felt that she was smiling beneath her veil, waiting for his question.

"Do you know how to hide it?" he asked tensely.

Only Hei Yin heard him. Huo Yan was still trapped in despair.

Hei Yin leaned casually against the wall of the carriage, as if she hadn't just dropped a bomb that could destroy their lives.

Her next words made her intentions clear.

"Are you sure you want to? You could get a lot of fame by killing her~"

As soon as she said that, Hei Yin seemed to fall through the carriage, vanishing like smoke—but in truth, she had become his shadow.

Yuan couldn't help but admire her supernatural powers, but he snapped back to reality when he felt Huo Yan's trembling hand reach for him.

'She must be scared.'

Being a Demon on the Eastern Continent was akin to being marked for death. And not the kind of death that came quietly.

Demons were tortured, paraded through the streets, hanged on public pillars as crowds gathered to shame and humiliate them before death.

'Why is this happening to me?' Huo Yan questioned everything—her life, her fate, the cruel twists of destiny.

She had been sold like an item, destined to be a slave, until someone—Yuan—had treated her like a human.

Then came a mysterious lady, claiming her savior might be a Demon or Demonic Cultivator. But even if that were true, Huo Yan didn't care.

He had saved her.

And now… she was a Demon.

What kind of joke was that?

Her trembling hand hovered, unsure if Yuan would reject her.

And then, she felt it.

Yuan grabbed her hand.

It was trembling. Cold. But soft, and smooth. Nice to touch.

Suddenly, Huo Yan felt herself jerked forward. Yuan had pulled her to his side, and before she realized, she was snuggling against his chest.

Her arms instinctively wrapped around his waist, burying herself into his warmth.

Yuan, looking at the beautiful girl holding onto him, for the first time since awakening, felt like himself.

With Lan Yue, he had been tense—forced to act like Wu Qiong, while also being careful not to offend.

Against the attendant, he had played the tyrant's role.

During the verbal fight, he had become something he never knew he was but always was.

But now?

Now, he felt like himself.

He felt that he was Yuan.

That didn't mean he was calm. Far from it.

His heart was threatening to break through his ribs. The sensation of Huo Yan's blossoms pressing into his chest made his nose threaten to bleed. Her tight grip around him only multiplied the experience.

He felt, in short, as a man being hugged for the first time by a woman.

But at least it was the real him.

Yuan sighed inwardly, savoring the warmth, then gently patted her back.

"You don't have to worry."

His voice was soft, almost like a whisper.

"Sister Yin is only playing with you. You only have the Red Mist Bloodline."

"Just because your predecessor had it turn into a Red Mist Demon Bloodline doesn't mean yours will too."

He felt moisture soak into his clothes—her tears.

So, instead of simply patting her, he took a deep breath, calming his wild thoughts, and adjusted his posture to properly hug her.

He added, his voice even more soothing:

"The Day of Awareness is approaching. With an awakened bloodline like yours, you're sure to become a Cultivator. Until then, just be yourself… and you'll awaken the Red Mist Noble Bloodline."