The Family's Decree

"Shall I collect my reward right now, then?"

"Right now? In here?"

My sister's gaze drifted toward the door I had just walked through. She had sent Yugo outside so we could speak in private, but that also meant there was nothing but a single wooden door between us and him. Of course, given Kang Ha-yeon's high status, the door's soundproofing and security were top-notch. This was the office she would be ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠working in for decades; it would be absurd if it weren't secure. So, really, it was just a matter of her peace of mind. The worry that Yugo, or someone else, might suddenly barge in. In short, she was just being coy.

"Come here, Sister."

"...I had no idea my little brother had such peculiar tastes."

But whatever her complaints, she ultimately let me hold her. Perhaps she had finally realized how few people there were in this world she could actually trust or rely on. Soon, her soft, voluptuous body filled my arms.

"Haaah..."

"..."

Soft. Incredibly soft. A woman's body never failed to satisfy when held, but my sister's was on another level entirely. As I squeezed her tight, her smooth skin pressed flush against mine, and her sweet, feminine scent washed over me like a fragrant perfume. When I squeezed a little harder, I could feel the delicate contours of her bones beneath the flesh. Every time I rubbed against her, I felt that exquisite, intoxicating contrast—the soft, yielding flesh cushioning the firm, solid joints beneath. On top of that, perhaps due to her active metabolism, her body was wonderfully warm—perfect for cuddling up to sleep. I rubbed my arms against her back and offered my honest thoughts.

"You're so soft, Sister."

"..."

"Holding you like this, I realize you're actually a bit shorter than me. We always seemed the same height, so I never noticed."

"...That is enough commentary. How long do you plan on staying like this anyway? Now that I think about it, we never set a time limit. If you've had your fill, let go."

"Come on. I only get to hold you once every three days. I have to make it count."

Saying that, I pulled her even closer. Her soft, supple breasts flattened against my broad chest, and the friction of her bare legs rubbing against mine sent a thrilling, tingling sensation straight down my spine.

"Haaah..."

She finally let out a sigh, as if giving up. It wasn't just a figure of speech; her sweet, warm breath brushed directly against my ear. Ah, damn it. It's highly problematic when she tempts me like this. If she does this, I'm going to get an—yep. I'm hard.

Naturally, Kang Ha-yeon shoved my chest with all her might. Then, she glared at me and snapped:

"I agreed to a hug, not to act as an outlet for my little brother's lust!"

"Hey, it wasn't intentional. How is any guy supposed to keep from getting hard in that situation?"

"Regardless, now that you've erected that thing, our hug is officially over! Come back in three days!"

I was kicked out of the room. I stared longingly at the firmly shut door, but the only thing greeting me was Yugo, who gave me a silent nod of acknowledgment.

Well, it's a shame, but...

Still, this wasn't a bad start. Just moments ago, my cock had gone rock-hard from her sweet breath tickling my ear. It had clearly poked against her lower abdomen. Even though it was through our clothes, the sensation had been electric. And her flustered, snappy reaction was absolutely delicious.

I wonder if she's a virgin?

Judging by that pure, innocent reaction, she very well might be. Having spent enough time with her, I knew how haughty and proud she was. She might use her beauty and charm as political tools, but she would never easily give herself to anyone. Did she allow me to hold her because my potential was simply too great for her to let pride get in the way? Well, to anyone else, my growth rate was utterly absurd. Even by my own standards, I was clearly cut out to reach Samgeuk.

How many years had it been since I started cultivating? Not even five. With the Samgeuk elders remaining neutral or only offering indirect support in the succession war, how massive of a help would I be if I reached Samgeuk myself?

"Even ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I didn't expect to be this good."

Back when Kang Baek-jin first picked me up, I had serious doubts about my own talent. Sure, I possessed an overwhelming ambition to climb to the top, and my memories and modern perspective from my past life gave me an edge. I had also met Ryeo-ah and managed to squeeze a decent amount of Foundation Establishment Pills out of Kang Baek-jin through sheer luck. But even taking all those fortuitous encounters into account, my innate talent was exceptionally outstanding.

"A Dokkaebi in the Yeondan realm lives for two hundred years. Ungi gets you five hundred. And they say those who reach Samgeuk can live for nearly a thousand."

And I wasn't even thirty yet. Oh yeah, I was a blue-chip stock if I ever saw one. No wonder my sister was willing to swallow her pride. And of course, the world is always full of people who can't stand to see others succeed. And even more common are those ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠who will gladly stuff their rising rivals into a barrel and dump them in a river just to secure their own position.

The moment I stepped out of Heokgak Palace into Yagwi City, I froze. A face I had only seen once, but could never possibly forget, was staring intently at me.

"Well, hello there. Just finished having a little chat with Ha-yeon?"

"Hello, Sister So-ye."

"My, my. Aren't we polite? Though your hands seem to have a rather naughty habit."

The Sneering Ghost Girl, Kang So-ye. She had earned that epithet because she was always smiling, whether in a good way or a bad one. But even I, who had barely met her, could tell that her smile was deeply fractured. As for the reason? It wasn't hard to guess. Instead of answering, I reached back and gripped the Red Agate Bow slung across my back. Surely she wouldn't try anything crazy inside the city walls... but with a lunatic, you could never be too sure.

"Hoho. Don't you know that activating a Dharma treasure within the city without cause is strictly forbidden? The Samgeuk elders might get away with it, but you're a different story."

"Who's activating anything? I'm just touching my bow because it's pretty."

A guy can't even touch his own bow without people getting all sensitive?

"Ahaha. So that's how you're going to play it? Fine, whatever. I only came here for one reason."

"Do you have business with me, Sister?"

"Yes. You. Come work under me. You don't have to return that Dharma treasure, and I promise you some very handsome rewards."

Ah. Too bad my answer was already decided.

"I'm afraid I'll have to decline. I just came back from renewing my contract with Sister Ha-yeon."

"That bitch Ha-yeon has absolutely nothing on me. Just look at the personnel and the Dharma treasures deployed for the recent mine expedition. The answer is obvious, isn't it? She can never defeat me."

Well, that certainly left me with very little to say. But I simply shook my head anyway.

"I wonder what the problem is with my cheeky little brother."

"It's simple logic."

Sorry, but I don't trust you. Her very epithet was "Sneering," for God's sake. How could I trust someone so unstable? Originally, I had thought about making Kang Ha-yeon the head of the family. But after breaking through to the Ta-un stage of the Qi Circulation realm so easily, my perspective had shifted. Can't I just rush to Samgeuk myself? Honestly, just reaching Samgeuk would make me an invaluable asset to the family, wouldn't it? And even if I couldn't reach it, it was fine. As I had noted before, contributing to the family didn't require some legendary, heroic exploit. It was more like a standard evaluation to prove my utility and show that I had a promising future. I could bribe people, or find any number of other ways. I had plenty of options. The only thing I lacked was time. A minimal buffer to ensure I didn't get snapped or broken along the way. It didn't need to be exceptionally sturdy or deeply rooted. As long as it bought me time, that was enough. And naturally, the only person I shared that level of stability and trust with was Kang Ha-yeon.

"I'm sorry, Sister."

"Huuuh..."

Kang So-ye's expression shifted. She scowled, then smiled. Her face went deathly pale, then she smiled again. Her features contorted in rage, yet she kept smiling. It was as if her face was being violently forced back into a grin the moment it tried to show any other emotion.

Is she really that dangerous?

As I tensed and quietly prepared to activate my Dharma treasure, Kang So-ye's eyes blinked. Then, with terrifying fluidity, she began pulling weapons out of the pouch at her waist, only to slip them back in. A dagger, a club, a candlestick, needles and thread... It was as if she were meticulously calculating exactly how to slice, crush, burn, or sew me to death. Even with my limited knowledge, I could tell every single one of them was a top-grade Dharma tool. Each one easily rivaled a Dokkaebi's club.

"Huuuuh..."

Yet, as if nothing she pulled out quite satisfied her, her lips curled into a crooked smirk. Finally, she let the gleaming hilt of something peek out from her pouch.

Crazy bitch.

I seriously debated whether I should scream for help, but Kang So-ye suddenly shook her head and slid the hilt back into her pouch. Instead, she stepped right up to me and lightly scraped my forehead with her claw-like fingernail.

"For today, we'll leave it at this."

"Excuse me?"

"Next time, I'll carve it a little deeper. And after that, I'll leave a much, much, much bigger, darker scar. How does that sound?"

How does it sound? It sounds like you're a fucking psycho.

"I'm leaving."

With that, Kang So-ye vanished. She left behind parting words that made me wish I had the strength to eliminate her right then and there to avoid future trouble. Being weak truly was a sin. If I were strong enough, I would have smacked her upside the head to stop her bullshit, then fucked her senseless until she was completely broken, nipping any future schemes in the bud.

"I might need to move."

I was worried about Jeong-ha and So-wol. I couldn't let anything happen to them. I'd have to ask my sister to help me relocate to a more secure area.

What did I have left to do? More precisely, what was my next step? Well, that was a stupid question. I needed to quickly reach Tong-un and break through to Samgeuk. Since I had breezed through A-un and Ta-un, the first two stages of the Qi Circulation realm, surely Tong-un wouldn't be that difficult. Or so I thought. I mean, seriously, how hard could it be? No matter how difficult it was, I was the guy who had practically skipped his way to the Ta-un stage in just two short years—a level others spent their entire lives struggling to reach. I was confident. Things had gone so smoothly, one after another, that it felt like more than just luck. I figured if I just locked myself away and focused on my training, I'd eventually break through. Yes, that was what I believed. Right up until five years had passed since I moved near my sister's residence.

"O Heavens!"

The sky was bright. It was merely bright. But it did not grant me the Tong-un realm.

"Well. Nothing I can do about it."

Honestly, shouting at the heavens just now was just something I felt like doing. In truth, reaching Ta-un in just two years was already an incredible stroke of luck. If you asked whether I had put bone-breaking effort or life-or-death determination into it... well, not really. It wasn't that I hadn't worked hard, but I certainly hadn't been gritting my teeth in agony. I had made an effort, and I had resolve. But while I had plenty of time to spare, shouting at the sky and praying wasn't going to get me anywhere. And while I had a long life ahead of me, the time I had to establish a noteworthy achievement for the family was actually quite tight.

I had become quite proficient in using the Great Mountain Demonic Wisdom Art, my Dokkaebi club, and my Dharma treasures. My body was sturdier than before, and thanks to consuming high-quality resources, my core was brimming with demonic qi. I was undeniably stronger than I had been five years ago, yet the Tong-un stage remained just out of reach. While it was a blessing that I wasn't stagnating, it meant I could no longer rely solely on conventional cultivation methods. As always, it was time to find a shortcut.

"To be fair, calling these past five years a 'breakthrough attempt' is a bit of a stretch. I was mostly just consolidating my foundation."

In fact, it was questionable whether I had even made a serious attempt to break through. My growth rate had been ruthlessly fast, almost unprecedented. But because I had rushed up the stairs, my foundation was slightly uneven and unstable. If I kept building on top of it, the tower would eventually collapse. Considering that, five years of consolidating my foundation was actually far from enough. Ideally, I wanted to spend at least another ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠ten years reinforcing and reviewing my basics.

Around the third year of my training, I had realized it instinctively. Ah, reaching Samgeuk is going to take some time. If consolidating my foundation alone would take a decade, then Samgeuk was a mountain far too high for someone who hadn't even reached Tong-un yet. Besides, a mountain climbed by force was bound to crumble. It was time to make my move—either by securing an incredible achievement or finding bribes to feed the elders.

Fortunately, I hadn't just been cultivating for the past five years. With Kang Ha-yeon's help, I had introduced myself to several elders and established a casual rapport with them. They, too, were naturally drawn to a promising junior who had broken through to Ta-un after only a few years of training. While a few bitter old farts treated me coldly out of sheer jealousy, most of them were pragmatic enough to see me as a tool to be used. Which was fine by me. It was better than being hated. After all, isn't life just a game of mutual exploitation? It wasn't like the elders and I had some deep, emotional bond. We just needed to play nice and scratch each other's backs until there was nothing left to gain. And as it happened, some very interesting news had just reached my ears.

"You're here, Brother."

"Yes, Sister."

I looked down at my sister, who had been so incredibly busy lately she couldn't even rise from her seat to greet me. Stepping behind her as she busily reviewed bamboo scrolls, I wrapped my arms around her in a back hug.

"Did you change your perfume?"

"One of my subordinates gifted me a perfume made from the honey of Mount Cheonhye. They said applying it regularly helps keep the skin firm, so I've been using it."

"It's nice."

By now, I could perfectly distinguish Ha-yeon's scent. I knew how it changed when she was tired, when she was pleased, when she was annoyed, or when she was feeling awkward and flustered. I could read the subtle shifts in her breathing, her scent, the slight tremors of her body, and even the texture of her skin. Because I hugged her so frequently, she didn't even bother pushing me away anymore. Even when my hard cock poked against her back, her reaction was akin to a pet owner humoring a dog in heat. This was a massive win. The fact that she was used to me rubbing my erection against her meant it was about time to take things to the next level.

As I stared down at the nape of her neck, exposed through her fiery red hair, my warm breath must have tickled her skin. She shoved me back and tossed a bamboo scroll straight at my face.

"Oof."