I Am The Heavenly Demon - Chapter 10 (Patreon)

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As time went on, Chunma started to feel the plum wine’s effects. It was surprising because he hadn’t drunk much of it, a cup and a half at most. The porcelain in question wasn’t big either, having only a slightly larger volume than a shot glass.

‘What the hell? My human self wasn’t this much of a lightweight.’

He entertained the idea of demons being weak to alcohol, but it sounded ridiculous. More likely, the drink was spiked, but he doubted that too. He was familiar with the feeling of intoxication and wouldn’t mistake it for something else.

‘It happened so quickly, as well.’

Feeling lightheaded and being unable to figure out why, he shifted his butt down the sofa so he could lay his head on Xuanyin’s shoulder.

The girl looked coldly at him out of the corner of her eye, but she didn’t try to stop him.

“Do me a favor and finish the rest of that. It would be embarrassing if people found out I couldn’t finish a small jar of plum wine.”

He was being semi-serious. The natives didn’t have television—instead they enjoyed other pastimes, particularly gossip. A prominent, local figure like himself was a ripe target for it.

“It’s very sweet with a bit of sourness. I’m sure you’ll like it.”

With one hand, he poured the wine into a cup before handing it to her. This time, he didn’t give her a chance to refuse. He tended to get a little pushy when he was drunk. More than usual, if he was being honest.

When he handed her the liquor, Xuanyin surprisingly accepted it. She looked a little lost, only raising it to her face after a moment had passed. After imperceptibly scenting it, she must’ve decided it wasn’t too offensive because she brought it to her lips, taking a small sip.

With his face still buried in her neck, he looked up, noting her expression with curiosity. He was trying to see if she liked it, but the girl was as stone-faced as a marble sculpture.

“How is it?”

Feeling chatty and impatient from the alcohol, he pressed her for an answer. He didn’t want her to get drunk so he could take advantage of her—he would do that regardless. Instead, he was trying to test whether the wine really was a strong as it seemed.

‘She should be fine. I’m ninety-nine-percent sure it’s not poisoned.’

Something felt vaguely off about that idea, but he couldn’t put his finger on it.

Xuanyin didn’t answer his question, but she did drain the rest of her cup. Naturally, Chunma wasted no time in refilling it. While he was at it, he did the same for his own. With a drink in one hand and his arm wrapped around her waist, he felt extremely comfortable.

‘This is the ‘young master’ life I’ve been missing.’

Before regaining his memories, he’d lived like a hermit. In the first place, the previous him only saw humans as food, so he never socialized, aside from when he had to keep up appearances. Most of his time was spent practicing calligraphy, playing music and painting by himself.

Suddenly, while he was thinking his own thoughts, a cacophony of noise sounded from the stage below. Without lifting his head, Chunma peered over the low wall of their booth. The source of the spectators’ unrest was a female slave, standing in the middle of the platform.

At once, he noticed her peerless appearance. The sparse cloth she wore exposed her limbs, as well as her midriff and a decent section of her chest. Her hourglass figure was mouth-watering—the wrappings covering her chest barely managed to contain her pale, bountiful bust. Her soft, smooth abdomen connected to a thin waist, making her wide hips and long, slender legs seem all the more exaggerated.

Her facial features only added to her allure. She had large, phoenix eyes, full lips in the shape of a Cupid’s bow and high, sharp cheekbones. However, while she was indeed stunning, her appearance wasn’t what excited the crowd to such an extent. Or rather, it was a different feature of hers that riled them up.

Her long, silky hair gleamed like gold, as did her eyebrows and even her eyes. It was important to understand that such colors would never appear in native populations—both their hair and eyes were either black or lighter shades of brown. Now and then, it was possible to see someone with green eyes, but it was rare.

Yet, she wasn’t a westerner, as a person from the modern world might assume. While the inhabitants undoubtedly had Asian pigmentation, their facial features were more a mix of what Chunma considered ‘western’ and ‘eastern’. In the first place, the great Tang made up the entirety of the known world. If there were any human countries beyond the wildlands, then nobody had ever heard of them. 

Where did her unusual coloring come from, then? In fact, the source was commonly known by all—she could only be a member of the Tang royal family! Golden hair and eyes couldn’t be found in any other bloodline. More extraordinarily, the woman’s blood was exceedingly pure, as the traits wouldn’t be preserved with out-breeding. Her cultivation couldn’t be weak either—it was well known that the golden color would only grow more lustrous as an individual’s martial arts improved.

“Would you look at that! The pavilion sure has guts, selling someone like her. If her luck ever changes, she’s bound to find trouble with them. I can’t help but wonder how she got here, though…”

Chunma’s confusion was understandable. The news of the royal succession’s shocking outcome hadn’t spread that far yet. At this stage, only prominent individuals with spies in the capital would know the truth.

Unconsciously, his grip on Xuanyin tightened. The girl barely even noticed, so stunned was she. Laying eyes on a member of the royal family could already considered her good fortune. To the inhabitants of the great Tang, they were mythical existences on the level of gods. The fact that the woman was being sold like a common slave was almost… sacrilegious.

“…it is exactly as you’ve seen, dear guests. This woman is none other than Tang Hye, the third princess of the empire! Most of you are unable to understand how she could appear here today, but to those esteemed identities among us, it is no great mystery!”

The female representative’s statement only provoked the crowd further. Hundreds of voices could be heard, shouting and yelling in incredulity, outrage and excitement.

Chunma huffed in amusement.

“This lot sure is brave. I don’t think many here could afford to buy her, nor to offend the Fluttering Petals pavilion.”

He was referring to those either clamoring for her release or expressing their desire to possess her.

For whatever reason, the auction house had the confidence to sell her, but they were a large, mysterious organization with countless branches across the country. The owner was a shadowy figure, shrouded in mystery—to this day, nobody had figured out their identity. That level of anonymity naturally provided some protection.

The same couldn’t be said for the prospective buyers. When a sale was made, the winner’s name would be declared for all present to hear. The princess undoubtedly had countless allies and even if they weren’t present, many people wouldn't mind currying favor with her.

It could be said that this deal was the mother of all hot potatoes. In fact, the auction house was probably trying to get rid of her as fast as they could. That way, they could shift some of the heat over to the buyer, in case the other shoe ever dropped.

After he’d let out a long sigh, Chunma grabbed the unresponsive girl next to him and lifted her into his lap. While downing the rest of his wine with one hand, he tightly hugged her to his chest. He felt he needed some stress relief.

“Rest assured dear guests, our Fluttering Petals pavilion naturally wouldn’t auction such an item without confidence. On our reputation, we guarantee that his majesty the emperor will not find fault with any who bid here today, nor with the fortunate individual who manages to claim the princess as their own!”

Her voice echoed clearly inside the opulent, spacious interior. The disclaimer raised as many questions as it answered, but the clever ones among the audience managed to realize something.

‘There’s upheaval in the capital!’

Chunma was among these. Even though he kept to himself, he did pay attention to the state of things. It wasn’t because he cared about politics, but because he couldn’t afford to be careless, given his precarious situation.

He pressed his lips against Xuanyin’s cheek before opening his mouth, intending to make a joke about buying the princess. However, when he did, he noticed that, despite his harassment, the girl’s gaze had remained glued to the golden-haired woman since the beginning.

His expression turned a little strange.

“If you want her, I don’t mind buying her for you.”

He casually tossed the statement in her direction, trying to fish for a reaction. 

It actually took her a moment to register his ridiculous statement. She finally turned her head towards him, wearing an expression like a school teacher dealing with a particularly dull student.

“…what? Don’t talk nonsense, the Jong clan would never let you waste money like that.”

Her rebuke sounded strange to Chunma’s ears. She wasn’t wrong, it was just that he’d expected her to call him a lecher, womanizer or something similar.

“You don’t have to worry about me taking advantage of my parents, Ms. Pretty. I have my own money.”

Of course, it was a lie. He was actually trying to confirm if she really did want to buy the princess. The reason he even suspected the idea was plausible was because of the look in Xuanyin’s eyes—she almost seemed… infatuated.

The girl shook her head, nearly sending her short hair into Chunma’s eyes.

“I’m ten times better with money than you. Who are you trying to fool?”

The youth didn’t take offense to what she said because it was the truth. The Mu clan rose to prominence because of their business acumen, while the Jong clan’s history was firmly rooted in martial arts.

Even if he was hustling something behind the scenes, he wouldn’t be able to earn much on his own. However, Chunma was confident that, if he really set his mind to it, he’d become the wealthiest man alive. That was because he had something he could sell that everyone wanted, yet no one had.

After setting down his cup, he took the girl’s chin in one hand. With the other, he lightly scraped his nails over her clothes, tracing the lines of her toned abdomen.

“If I say I can afford it, then I can. You don’t need to think so much, just say ‘yes’ or ‘no’.”

Like a horse trying to get a bridle out of its mouth, Xuanyin jerked her head out of his grip. She also dug her fingernails into the back of his hand, the one near her stomach. While her nails were indeed short, that was only when compared to those of other women. They were still plenty sharp enough to do some serious damage.

Unfortunately for her, Chunma’s skin was stupidly tough.

“A respectable person would never spend that much on a female slave.”

Her tone was derogatory and while the word ‘pervert’ went unspoken, it was definitely implied.

Chunma smirked mischievously.

“That’s not the same as saying you don’t want her, though?”

Xuanyin’s eyes widened before she answered him, clearly outraged.

“Why would I want her? She’s a woman!”

She sounded like she couldn’t believe what he was suggesting.

Chunma’s smirk only grew wider.

“Can’t women be attracted to women?”

For a moment, Xuanyin was shocked into complete silence. Her reaction was perfectly normal given that, in the conservative culture of the great Tang, same-sex relationships were unquestioningly taboo.

However, what happened next wasn’t ‘perfectly normal’.

In the span of a few seconds, the pink color on her nose and cheeks expanded until it covered her ears, face and neck, disappearing under the hem of her robe. It was like seeing a rose, beautifully blooming with the coming of spring.

Chunma was stunned. He didn’t think his guess would actually turn out correct.

‘Damn, it looks like I hit the jackpot!’

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