Chapter 72: Divine Thief and the Mad Physician (7)
Chapter 72: Divine Thief and the Mad Physician (7)
Before spreading word that we had captured the Divine Thief and the Mad Physician, we stopped by Shaolin Temple first. I climbed Mount Song again and came face-to-face with Buddha's Son. As I handed over the captured Divine Thief and the Muscle-Tendon Transformation Classic, he simply stared at me, blinking in astonishment.
"To be honest, I never thought you'd actually bring Divine Thief in, benefactor. I mean, I suppose you could catch him, but I expected it would take quite a long time, at the very least. You've shattered common sense head-on with that kind of speed."
"I happen to be rather talented."
"It truly is a shame that someone like you hasn't received the Buddha's blessings."
"......"
Was he trying to pick a fight with me right now? He was saying it was a shame I wasn't a monk who'd chosen to live as a eunuch. Or did he mean it was a shame he couldn't fuck me in the ass? I could let the former slide, but if it was the latter, I'd beat Buddha's Son to death, even if it meant turning to the demonic path in earnest. Had he seen my murderous intent with his Mind Eye? He suddenly let out a dry chuckle.
"Ho ho. There's no need to be so angry, benefactor. I truly spoke out of a sense of regret for the sake of Shaolin's peace. It's not as if I regret that you aren't a monk."
"Is it really all right for someone who calls himself the Buddha's Son to say something like that?"
"What's wrong with speaking the truth? I may look like this, but I'm a crooked monk. The peace of Shaolin is what matters most."
"No, and yet you have that kind of relationship with your disciple, Seung-ryong?"
A man who claimed Shaolin mattered most was fucking the asshole of Seung-ryong, Shaolin's future. I'd never seen a contradiction like it. At my criticism, Buddha's Son gave me a bitter smile for the first time.
"This is all Shaolin's karma."
He wore an expression that suggested there was some story behind it. Would she get angry if I said that look reminded me of Seol Yu-ran's, when she had no choice but to abandon her family after being corrupted by King Cock? "Tch. Well, it looks like there's a story there, so let's leave that subject here. More importantly, let's get to the point."
"Very well."
Buddha's Son said that, gathered up the Muscle-Tendon Transformation Classic manual, then held out the chest beside him and a book toward me.
"Here are the Great Rebirth Pill and a copy of the Restraint Seal, as promised."
"Thank you....By the way, is the original name of the Sorcery Brand the Restraint Seal?"
"That's right. Bodhidharma created the sorcery himself, in the first place, to apply the Restraint Seal."
As a modern person, how was I supposed to take the fact that Grandmaster Bodhidharma had created a Sorcery Brand like this to manage his disciples' sexual urges? I decided to let it pass as a junior of the martial world. It also seemed like a filthy story I didn't particularly want to know about.
I'd obtained the Sorcery Brand manual and the Great Rebirth Pill. My business was done, so I rose to my feet, eager to get out of this temple that served nothing but weeds. That was when Buddha's Son spoke.
"By the way, benefactor, may I ask you one thing?"
"What is it?"
With a benevolent face, Buddha's Son casually asked about my schedule.
"Do you have any plans to attend the Dragon and Phoenix Assembly, which will be held in two months?"
***
Though I'd finished my business at Shaolin, I hadn't left Henan yet. As Buddha's Son had said, I did intend to attend the Dragon and Phoenix Assembly, which would be held in Hubei, but there were still two months to go. Besides, leaving now wouldn't even be a wise choice. The Central Plains' attention had turned toward our group because we'd captured the Divine Thief and the Mad Physician.
Divine Thief, who'd been toying even with the great sects and clans as he stole their secret arts, had been caught. Those who'd had their secret arts stolen must have felt as if their asses were on fire. They might fly into a rage and demand that we return the manuals right away. So I spread a rumor in advance through the Hao Clan.
【Fist Hero, who captured Divine Thief, has declared that he will return all the stolen manuals at the Dragon and Phoenix Assembly!】
They were people who would buy and sell almost any information for money. I handed over some of the bounty money we'd earned by capturing the Divine Thief and the Mad Physician as payment, and had the rumor spread throughout the Central Plains. Now that they'd heard it, at least the decent ones would attend the Dragon and Phoenix Assembly and politely ask for their secret arts back. If they couldn't wait and came looking for us now to pester us, there was nothing I could do about that, but I didn't think anyone would be so foolish.
'Everyone in our group is known to be a Peak Realm master, so they won't easily try to offend us.'
Since we'd suddenly become famous, the Beggars' Sect fellows kept latching onto us, so we'd made a cave our temporary lodgings. It was called a cave, but the Moon Killing Sect fellows had been using it as a branch, so it had everything we needed to live there, shabby as it was. I'd just heard that the present for Seol Yu-ran was ready, so I hurried over to pick it up, then slipped back to the cave while avoiding the beggars' eyes.
"I'm back."
"You're back, Master. Lunch will be ready soon."
The one who welcomed me was Chi-chi, dressed in a black bikini. Judging by her outfit and the ladle in her hand, she seemed to be preparing lunch.
"Is Master still working on devising swordsmanship?"
"Tsk."
Chi-chi clicked her tongue right off the bat and answered my question with an expression that made it clear something was bothering her.
"That milk girl does seem to have a talent for the sword, just as you said, Master. She's begun weaving together and piecing together the principles of those Sword Studies that are actually quite useful, and setting them into a proper form."
"Already? She's faster than I expected."
"Was she like this in the future you know?"
"She wasn't, but there were signs she might turn out this way."
Chi-chi snorted at my answer, then made a point of telling me she was still stronger. After that, she slid her ass once across my crotch and went back to finishing the meal.
'What a little temptress.'
As she swayed her hips, Chi-chi was sending the clear signal that I could fuck her whenever I liked. It seemed that her jealousy had been building up into irritation because I was focusing my attention on Seol Yu-ran. I figured I would need to make it up to her later. After all, Chi-chi had been in charge of the housework while I was busy with things like placing requests with the Hao Clan or handing the Divine Thief and the Mad Physician over to the Imperial Troops to collect their bounties. Even if it wasn't anything important, I couldn't help loving the Bunny Heavenly Demon who had chosen to devote herself to our family.
After putting away my things, I headed to the very back of the cave, where Seol Yu-ran was. The Moon Killing Sect fellows had taken a naturally formed cave and dug out more tunnels inside it. They had rooms with windows and beds, almost as if they'd settled down there for good, and even a training room. I couldn't understand why they'd put so much effort into what was supposedly a temporary hideout. Or perhaps assassination contracts paid that well.
The space where Seol Yu-ran was training now was that very training room. I slipped inside quietly, making sure not to disturb her. A landscape like a snowy plain had already spread out around her. Since it was her domain, she would normally notice me the moment I entered—but I was an exception, as her disciple. I used the Ice White Divine Art as well, calling forth Yin Cold Qi and blending in with it. Normally, that would be impossible, but we were using the same martial art, and most of my Yin Cold Qi had been built up through yin-yang union with Seol Yu-ran. How could the yin energy drawn from her have a different nature from hers?
I entered her snowy domain and watched quietly. I decided to stay like this in case anything unexpected happened.
She sat cross-legged, with Snow Tears resting across her upturned hands—the blade on one, the hilt on the other. It seemed she was trying to build on the experience she'd gained when she had surpassed the Union of Sword and Self and united her martial arts with Snow Tears. Through that, she seemed to be laying a foundation, then layering upon it the principles she had drawn from the secret sword arts of various sects and clans.
Whooong.
She made her Yin Cold Qi resonate with Snow Tears. The two bit into one another, forming a harmony like the Great Ultimate.
...How was that even possible?
'I heard Snow Tears was made from Ten-Thousand-Year Cold Iron in the North Sea, too.'
Whether it was a divine sword or a treasured sword, it was still the same in that it contained yin energy. But I couldn't even begin to guess how two kinds of yin energy could trace out the Great Ultimate together. I wondered if it was even possible for yin energy to do that, but when I saw the scene unfolding before my eyes, I couldn't exactly deny it.
'As expected, when it came to swordsmanship, she was a genius with no equal.'
If I tried to make my Lightning Qi do that, could I manage it? I prided myself on knowing Lightning Qi well, as someone with the Thunder God Body, but I didn't think I could imitate that. If I tried, my body would probably be unable to withstand the repulsive force and burst like a balloon.
Whoooosh.
A biting wind swept through, and the energy of the snowy plain began to gather. Two ice swords formed in the air and began circling around Seol Yu-ran. I didn't know how she was doing it, but she had completed the Great Ultimate. Now she was running two Great Ultimates in parallel, using them to control the ice swords as though performing the Sword-Controlling Art.
'That's what makes the Taiji Wisdom Sword so frightening.'
She was performing the Sword-Controlling Art simply by tracing out the Great Ultimate. Of course, it couldn't be called perfect Sword-Controlling Art, but it was frightening all the same. One might say that, since she was a Peak Realm master who could wield qi, it was only natural for her to perform the Sword-Controlling Art—but Seol Yu-ran wasn't using the Sword-Controlling Art now. Simply tracing out the Great Ultimate had turned into Telekinetic Sword Control. It meant that she could have done it even if she had been First-rate rather than Peak Realm. Of course, to masters at Peak Realm or above, it was nothing more than a sword technique that showed a good understanding of the Great Ultimate.
Woooong, woooong, woooong.
Then a pure white light began to stream from the ice swords she had completed. They said the Violet Mist Divine Sword cast a light like the sunset, and these ice swords shone just like that, casting the light of a white, endless night.
At the same time, I felt the white light of the eternal night press down with such force that it seemed ready to freeze everything around it. It was the distinctive sword force of the Hegemon Sword Form. 'She's really insane.'
She had imitated the Azure Cloud Crimson Mist Sword, which scattered blue clouds to create an advantageous environment, and completed a snowy expanse. Then, imitating the Taiji Wisdom Sword, she formed ice swords—and those ice swords became the foundation from which she once more unfolded the mysteries of the Violet Mist Divine Sword and the Hegemon Sword Form. Just how many Sword Studies were woven together in that process? Before, I'd only meant to give her an epithet that suited my tastes, but now I couldn't shake the feeling that she truly deserved the title of Sword Queen. And yet—
'That still isn't enough.'
The truth was, she was still lacking something. Crack. Cr-rack. A deep fracture appeared in the ice swords. The crack soon spread across their entire blades, and then they shattered into pieces, crumbling away like frost. The ice swords collapsed as if they had been nothing more than a dream that lasted for a single moment. It meant she had failed to contain all of the martial arts within them. The snowy expanse melted away, leaving the training room floor drenched. I'd have to evaporate all that water with Samadhi True Fire later.
"Hoo... I've just barely laid the groundwork."
"Master, is your new sword technique coming along well?"
"Oh. It's you, my disciple."
Seol Yu-ran, her clothes slightly damp with sweat, stood up and welcomed me, but then she suddenly flinched and discreetly backed away.
"Don't come any closer. I'm a little sweaty right now..."
"Come on. When has your disciple ever cared about something like that? If anything, I like it. Sniff, sniff."
"Eek! Will you stop that?"
I exaggeratedly brought my nose close and pretended to sniff. Seol Yu-ran's palm smacked me again and again.
"Sniff, sniff. You smell lovely. Why are you being so bashful?"
"Mm... Don't lie."
"I don't lie to my woman."
"...What an insolent disciple you are to your master."
Ignoring what was, in truth, little more than a coy show of resistance, I wrapped my thick arms around her and hugged her tightly. I squeezed her until her breasts were crushed against me, then buried my face in the hollow of her collarbone. I took in her rich scent of sweat, but there wasn't the slightest hint of anything unpleasant about it. Just as you'd expect of the women in the smutty martial arts world, even the sweat that flowed from her body was simply a woman's natural scent. It wasn't exactly fragrant, but her strong, womanly scent was enough to make my cock spring up in an instant.
"Mm... A disciple who makes advances on his master... I took on the wrong disciple."
"Did you really take on the wrong one?"
"...No."
As I rubbed my erect cock against her lower abdomen, she couldn't meet my gaze, looking so bashful that she was utterly adorable. It was hard to believe that a woman like this was a mother with a child. The fact that Wi Ji-ja had never brought out this expression of hers was proof enough that he had never deserved her. Even after having given birth to a child, she still wasn't used to such affectionate behavior. I bit down on her collarbone and sucked at it.
"Haa..."
Her skin quickly flushed as her feelings swelled up inside her. I lowered my hand and fondled her buttocks as I spoke.
"I bought you an outfit today, Master."
"Are you going to make this master wear some indecent garment like the Heavenly Demon's?"
"Yes. I'd like you to wear it. You will, won't you?"
Perhaps because Chi-chi's bunny-girl outfit had been so shameless, she seemed reluctant to agree to my request. But I gazed straight into her eyes, silently pressuring her, and Seol Yu-ran eventually relented and nodded slowly.
"...All right. If it's a request from my disciple—and my husband—I should grant it."
"Thank you."
Today's dessert after lunch was going to be a milk cow, for sure. I took her bashful hand and led her to the dining area. Chi-chi frowned when she saw us arrive hand in hand, fingers interlaced affectionately.
"Your bullshit is in full bloom, I see. Hurry up and eat."
"Ahem. Yes, let's."
The home-style meal the Bunny Heavenly Demon had prepared was delicious. It wasn't anything as extraordinary as a royal chef's cooking, but it was simply, pleasantly good—the kind of taste that whetted your appetite. Chi-chi looked down at the table, its dishes all clean, as though she were admiring how spotless it was, then nodded with satisfaction and began carrying the plates. Perhaps Seol Yu-ran felt awkward thinking that Chi-chi was doing not only all the housework but the cleanup as well; she rose from her seat to help, but—
"Today is the day the master has promised to hold only you. Starting tomorrow, I won't give him up, so you'd better make the most of this moment."
Chi-chi firmly cut her off, making time for Seol Yu-ran and me. She wasn't free of jealousy, but her pride as the Heavenly Demon probably wouldn't let her interfere at an important moment like this. Perhaps she decided that Chi-chi was right after hesitating for a moment, because she gave up on helping and went with me to choose a room. Just then, beams of light streamed in through the window, lending the room a fresh, cheerful atmosphere.
"I'll keep my eyes closed. Please change, Master, and tell me when you're done."
"Very well."
I lay down on the bed and closed my eyes. After that, I heard the rustling of clothes, followed by a string of flustered muttering to herself.
"Haaah. T-this immodest outfit...!"
"...I suppose I have no choice but to wear it?"
"Ughhh. Wearing clothes like this at my age..."
"Mother, please forgive your unfilial daughter."
I listened to her grumbling on and nearly burst out laughing at the end. It was somehow funny hearing a mother herself ask her own mother to forgive her for being an unfilial daughter. If anything, it would have made more sense if she'd said ancestor. After a while, there came the sound of fabric brushing against fabric, and then a little more time passed as she struggled somewhat, not knowing how to put it on.
"Disciple. I'm all dressed."
When I opened my eyes, I couldn't close my mouth.
"D-Doesn't it look strange?"
I could swear this place was a paradise on earth.