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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Teottry
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Even after Mancheon departed, the conversation flowed uninterrupted. A warm, harmonious atmosphere filled the house. Those who had been unable to attend the welcoming feast the previous day were now, albeit belatedly, welcoming the new member of the family, engaging in lively discussions.
Sima Yeonhwa was an astute child. With just a few exchanges, she could discern others’ preferences and how to win their favor.
To Jang Chun-hwa, Mancheon’s adoptive mother, who cherished her disabled son, Yeonhwa praised Mancheon for his attentiveness towards her.
To Sima Rang and his wife, who adored their young daughter, Yeonhwa complimented their child’s cuteness and beauty.
She echoed their sentiments and offered compliments, a simple yet effective way to gain favor.
While it could be perceived as mere flattery, Yeonhwa’s melodious voice and elegant, aristocratic air lent an aura of sincerity to her words.
Her mesmerizing, fiery red eyes had a captivating quality, imbuing her words with persuasive power.
While this had little effect on Mancheon, whose cynical nature prevented him from accepting kindness at face value and instead compelled him to overanalyze every gesture and seek hidden meanings, it proved remarkably effective on Jang Chun-hwa and the Sima Rang couple. Their inherently kind natures and privileged upbringings made them naturally receptive to such displays of goodwill.
Yeonhwa smiled and nodded along as Jang Chun-hwa recounted various anecdotes from Mancheon’s childhood escapades.
“Was he ten at the time? He snuck some of the hidden snacks, and when I tried to scold him…”
“’The difference in speed is immeasurable, wouldn’t you agree? Discipline me if you can catch me,’ he declared.”
“Oh my, how adorable! What happened next?”
“So, of course, I caught him and spanked him. And then he suddenly started shouting, ‘Mama~ Oresama has done wrong, dechi! Forgive me, refu!!’ He was such a peculiar child.”
Despite recounting the trouble he caused, her eyes and voice were laced with affection for Mancheon.
Riding the wave of goodwill, Yeonhwa smiled brightly and offered her praise.
“He’s such a wonderful and mature young man now. It’s fascinating to hear about his lively and mischievous childhood antics. How intriguing.”
While the compliment was primarily intended to appease her adoptive mother, her admiration was, to some degree, genuine. Judging from his behavior the previous night, he had indeed been the epitome of the ideal older brother.
‘Though, his face isn’t really my type.’
She discreetly shifted her gaze to Sima Bu, who was watching his family’s cheerful banter with a contented smile.
Thick eyebrows, a sharp jawline, a prominent nose, and amber eyes reminiscent of a wolf. If not for the crippled leg, Mancheon was the spitting image of Sima Bu.
That was both a comforting and unsettling thought.
Ironically, when Yeonhwa looked in the mirror, she, too, saw a resemblance to Sima Bu. It was unavoidable. Inevitable. After all, she was his daughter.
Their conversation continued for some time. Jang Chun-hwa excused herself to attend to neglected household matters, and Sima Rang, still recovering, returned to his room, assisted by his wife.
Now, only Sima Bu and Sima Yeonhwa remained. The laughter that had filled the room faded, and the atmosphere shifted.
A brief silence. They observed each other, neither speaking, until Yeonhwa broke the silence.
Rising from her seat, her red eyes flashing, a dazzling smile illuminating her face, she offered a formal greeting.
“It’s been a long time, Father. How have you been?”
Not as a relative, but as his true, blood-related daughter.
The very air crackled with the presence of a single person. The amiable, adoptive father persona vanished.
A ferocious wolf, shedding its sheep’s clothing. Sima Bu, lord of the Sima household, narrowed his eyes and spoke in a low, powerful voice.
“Let us relocate.”
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Sima Bu’s hidden, private reception room. Protected by a formation, it was both invisible and inaccessible without permission. Naturally, sound could not penetrate the barrier.
“For a child who lost both parents to a plague, you seem remarkably well-adjusted.”
Yeonhwa responded to Sima Bu’s cold remark with a nonchalant smile.
“That’s right~ That was the narrative, wasn’t it? In truth, both of my parents are still alive and well. A slight slip-up on my part.”
“Why fabricate a non-existent sibling?”
A low, menacing growl, like that of a predator, pressed down on Yeonhwa.
Sima Bu had no siblings. Yeonhwa’s claim of being his niece was a fabrication from the start.
It was a mere excuse to journey to the Western Regions, a false entry in the family registry to account for Yeonhwa’s existence should it be discovered. That was the true nature of the “uncle” who had never been seen by the Sima family.
Sima Bu’s sharp, piercing aura pricked at Yeonhwa’s delicate skin. Yet, the smile remained fixed on her face.
Even if everything was an illusion, a meticulously crafted lie, ironically, the artificial smile was real. It belonged entirely to Sima Yeonhwa.
She discreetly clenched her fist, digging her nails into her palm, the slight sting anchoring her to reality. She looked at Sima Bu and smiled sweetly.
“Father, unless you intend to kill your only daughter, I suggest you withdraw your aura.”
Sima Bu retracted his oppressive aura. However, it wasn’t out of concern for Yeonhwa, but due to his agreement with the Zoroastrian cult.
“You have been adopted into this family, so I have no choice but to acknowledge you as such in the presence of others. But when we are alone, you are not to address me as Father.”
“If you dislike being called Father, shall I address you as Papa instead?”
Sima Bu scowled at the irritating foreign word and drew a hard line. He rejected Yeonhwa’s existence. He would crush anything that threatened the harmony of his “family.”
“You are nothing more than one of the many seeds I scattered among the fire maidens of the Zoroastrian cult that happened to take root.”
“……”
“I will protect you and ensure your safety as per our agreement, but I will never acknowledge you as my daughter. Therefore, do not consider me your father.”
She had known. She had known all along that to him, to Sima Bu, she was nothing more than an irritating thorn in his side.
But she had allowed herself to hope. To hope for a father’s love, a family’s embrace, to experience something genuine.
Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes, threatening to spill over. And so, she smiled.
She carefully arranged the muscles in her face, forming a beautiful, practiced smile, just as she had rehearsed countless times in the mirror.
“Yes. I understand.”
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The Zoroastrian sect that Yeonhwa belonged to was a wealthy and powerful organization, commanding an army of skilled warriors and a multitude of followers, their coffers overflowing with gold and silk. But it was not a righteous organization.
By the standards of the Central Plains, it was a demonic sect.
Traditional Zoroastrianism emphasized the three tenets preached by the prophet Zarathustra: good thoughts, good words, good deeds.
The cumulative effect of good thoughts, words, and actions would influence others towards goodness, creating a ripple effect that would eventually vanquish evil.
Only the goodness of humanity could overcome Angra Mainyu, the embodiment of all evil, the adversary of Ahura Mazda, the destructive spirit, the devil of devils.
But Yeonhwa’s sect had chosen a different path. They sought another method.
That method was the advent of the Saoshyant.
According to prophecy, in some unknown future, evil would descend upon the world, bringing about its destruction. The minions of Angra Mainyu would set the world ablaze, defiling the creations of Ahura Mazda.
But that was acceptable. If ‘evil’ could manifest, so could ‘good.’
A hero, born of fire, would emerge to save the world from the unspeakable horrors wrought by the minions of Angra Mainyu.
The Saoshyant, a divine being of light and wisdom, the creator of all that is good, the emissary of Ahura Mazda.
A mythical hero, wielding a flaming sword, would deliver the suffering, persecuted followers of Zoroastrianism from their torment. That was the Saoshyant.
With the advent of the Saoshyant, all evil in the world could be purged.
Yeonhwa’s sect, clinging to this belief, whether earnestly or delusionally, studied and interpreted ancient prophecies, seeking a way to hasten the arrival of the Saoshyant.
And they arrived at a preposterous conclusion.
No one knew when the Saoshyant would appear. But the Saoshyant would appear when the world was on the verge of destruction, to deliver humanity from its plight.
Therefore, if they brought about the world’s destruction, the Saoshyant would appear.
The followers, embracing this absurd, ludicrous syllogism, sought a method to create a monster capable of ending the world.
Then, news reached them of a descendant of a monstrous wolf, a cunning strategist who had single-handedly quelled the chaotic Warring States era and unified the realm, only to fracture it into sixteen kingdoms, plunging it back into chaos. A descendant of Sima Yi, the Monstrous Wolf, seeking fortune to restore his clan’s former glory.
The demonic sect sought the bloodline of the Monstrous Wolf, a being capable of destroying the world, and the Sima clan sought fortune to restore their clan’s former glory.
An agreement was forged, and a monster was born.
A being to incinerate good thoughts (火), good words (火), and good deeds (火).
A being born from the union of a Zoroastrian saint and the last vestige of the wolf’s bloodline, a being destined to set the world ablaze (炎火).
That was the genesis of Sima Yeonhwa (司馬炎火).
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Damn, illegitimate child for sure 😏 but she’s got a nice name
No MC this chapter… but man MC’s father sucks. They made him seem so caring and I guess that’s reserved for what he considers his “real family”. RIP to the MC when he discovers his family is not righteous.