Leaving Seclusion for Murim (1)
I tormented Hong Yeonhwa until the early hours of dawn before collapsing into exhausted sleep. By the time I opened my eyes again, the sun was already high in the sky.
This is the latest I've woken up in ages.
The first thing I sought wasn't water to quench my parched throat, a blanket to ward off the chill air, or food to fill my empty stomach after the long night. It was Hong Yeonhwa herself.
As I shook off the sleep and glanced around, a heavy weight settled on my arm. Hong Yeonhwa was using it as a pillow, gazing at me with a beaming smile.
"Awake at last?"
"...Yeah."
It was past breakfast—straight into lunchtime. And she'd woken up before me, no less. She could've left me anytime if she'd wanted. Yet Hong Yeonhwa had stayed by my side, waiting patiently like this with her head on my arm.
Realizing that made something tingle warmly in my chest. The tickle soon bloomed into a smile that crept across my lips.
But perhaps to her, it carried a different meaning. Her eyebrow twitched faintly.
"Hoh... You find such great joy in reducing this lady to this state, do you?"
"This state...? Oh."
Glancing down, yesterday's marks were starkly etched across Hong Yeonhwa's body. Her pale skin was dotted with vivid handprints and lip marks like blooming flowers, and her pussy was swollen and crusted with dried semen.
Throb! The sight sent blood rushing to my groin before I could stop it.
"...Thinking of ravaging this lady again the moment you wake?"
"No, that's not—"
Before I could stammer an excuse, she pressed a finger to my lips, silencing me.
"This was a first for me, you know."
"......"
"From childhood as a young cult leader, into adulthood as the Heavenly Demon—this lady has lived her entire life that way. Never once as a woman."
Everyone saw Hong Yeonhwa as a great warrior and leader. No wonder she was oblivious to lustful gazes—that explained her thick-skinned attitude.
"...But you treated this lady like any ordinary woman. Even risking your life not for some grand cause, but purely for me... You have no idea how deeply that touched me."
Hong Yeonhwa chuckled softly and pressed her forehead to mine.
"You didn't think I offered my body just because you're my benefactor, did you?"
"I was hoping there was more to it."
"This lady feared exactly this—being enchanted by you, forgetting everything to live ordinary days. Even now, I crave soothing your manhood and basking in your affection."
She stroked her abused pussy with a wistful look.
"But even for me, any more right now might be a bit much."
With a magnanimous smile, Hong Yeonhwa spread her legs.
"Just once, okay?"
...How did we end up there?
Not that I had any reason to refuse.
After sorting the cum-and-fluid-soaked sheets and washing up, it was time for what I'd normally spend on training or chores. But not today.
The house was half-destroyed, for one thing. And more importantly, I'd decided to follow Hong Yeonhwa out into the world.
No need to stick to the rules I'd made for secluded mountain life anymore.
"Come sit here."
Hong Yeonhwa called me with a serious expression. I could guess what was coming—plans for the future.
Steeling myself, I sat across from her.
"......"
"......"
But she didn't speak, no matter how long I waited. She just fidgeted uncomfortably.
"Miss Hong?"
Calling her name out of curiosity earned me a sharp glare.
What? Did I do something wrong? Things had been fine moments ago. Racking my brain for mistakes, I suddenly saw her rise onto all fours, crawl over, and plop into my lap, leaning her back against my chest.
Her unique fragrance wafted over me. Startled but instinctive, I wrapped my arm around her soft belly and held her tight.
She let out a deep sigh.
"Hoo... The aftereffects linger; sitting's still a bit tough."
"Is that what it was...? I thought you said it was just a pleasant ache."
"Of course it's merely bothersome, not unbearable for this lady. But if sitting on you solves it, why endure?"
Fair point. Nodding at her flawless logic, she turned her head, fixing me with those axe-like eyes from before.
"By the way, you're practically my husband now—why call this lady 'Miss'?"
"Huh? You said you hated formal speech."
"That's not it. This lady can no longer be called 'Miss,' can she?"
Ah. It clicked. "Miss" was for unmarried young women. She'd spent the night with me and was sulking at being treated like she was still single.
So cute...
But the cuter she got, the more I wanted to tease. "Miss" was specifically for young unmarried women, after all.
"True... No matter the talent, no one reaches that realm in just a few years. Not quite 'elder,' but past 'Miss' age, right? Now that we're closer, more respect is due."
"Wha—huh?"
Her confused face twisted as she fumbled, then reached back to wrap her arms around my neck, pulling my face to her lips for a whisper.
"Th-this lady is actually......"
Whisper whisper.
What? She's way younger than my past and present lives combined? No wonder I could drop the formalities without hesitation.
"Got it. Yeonhwa."
"Mm!"
Only then did she lift her chin smugly, nostrils flaring in satisfaction. Her eyes softened like she was dreaming sweetly.
"When we return to the Divine Cult someday, we'll hold a grand wedding. ...Then you may call this lady 'wife.'"
"What's the difference from now?"
"A crucial one."
She bonked the back of my head against her chest in exasperation.
"Until then, no children."
"Ah."
hadn't thought of that. A kid would complicate everything—wandering in search of a way back while pregnant? Impossible. And raising one? Even harder.
Hong Yeonhwa patted the back of my hand on her belly reassuringly.
"N-not that we should avoid coupling altogether? Have you heard of special martial arts taught to martial family daughters?"
"Arts only women can learn? Like virgin arts with restrictions."
I'd heard of ones with "jade maiden" or "fairy" in the name. Never seen them in action, though.
But she shook her head firmly.
"Not just for women... but ideal for them. It controls your cycle to avoid pregnancy intentionally."
"...They have everything."
Handy, sure, but kinda weird. She'd learned it but never needed it until now.
"Twenty-seven days a month are safe for this lady—no need to worry."
"No naughty talk."
"Wh-why is this naughty... Ah! No hands in my cleavage! We haven't gotten to the main point yet!"
Hong Yeonhwa squirmed in my lap. Coming from a world where "love harder, the safe word is safer" was a slogan, it sure sounded naughty to me.
I slipped a hand into her cleavage anyway before continuing.
"So, what's the main point?"
"Ugh... Plans for the future. This lady pondered how to return to my Murim."
"I have a few ideas too... But you first."
Blushing, she spoke with my hand still wedged in her chest.
"The Fengyu Merchant leader's diary said he tried everything to return before starting a family. Since nothing worked... ordinary methods won't do."
True. If normal ways sufficed, cross-world travelers wouldn't be rare.
She thrust her arms up, clenching her fists.
"So this lady thought: use an extraordinary method!"
Solid logic... I nodded along.
"There's a perfect study for delving into the world's truths."
"Martial arts?"
"No, martial arts probe one's own truths. The world's are via not martial arts, but Daoist arts."
The biggest difference between my past and this life? Qi. My injury that should've taken months healed in under one thanks to it.
But Daoist arts manipulate qi for the impossible, just like martial arts. Both seemed superhuman nonsense to me, despite the "evil sorcery" label on Daoism.
"Daoist arts follow a different path. My advisor, Demon Brain, said all things can be explained by the sixty-four hexagrams."
Her explanation got abstruse. Summing up: primal chaos as Hunyuan, splitting into Taiji, then four images, eight trigrams, sixty-four hexagrams forming the world.
"This lady barely gets it herself. But Daoists exist here too. Their help might yield a way."
"Mosanpa, then."
They were the largest group of formation Daoists still around. Hwasan and Wudang dabbled once, but now focused on inner alchemy—cultivating Dao via martial arts.
"Great idea. I was thinking imperial court, but this is way more practical."
"The court here is powerful, I hear. Mine collapsed long ago, so I overlooked it."
"Yeah. Their records or influence might work."
But I had no connections or leverage—pure fantasy. Mosanpa changed that.
I pulled a treasured metal plaque from my pocket. Front engraved with "White Tiger," back with dragon and phoenix—top quality.
"Gotta enter the Yongbong Tournament."
Tradition granted winners a private lesson with the Murim Alliance Leader. Officially guidance matches, but requests were fair game. Maybe ask for Mosanpa introductions.
"How long do you plan to keep your hand in this lady's chest?"
"...Until it warms up?"
The days have been chilly lately.