Lingering Traces and the Sima Lian Plot
"...Did I overdo it?"
The first words that slipped out unbidden as I opened my eyes in a room caked with dried semen and love juices.
After Paeng Soso's turn came the three of us wandering the estate, indulging in nonstop orgies everywhere. If I exaggerated just a bit, there wasn't a single spot in this mansion we hadn't defiled. With my stamina enhanced in every way, I could handle both of them at once without too much trouble.
It had only been three days, but the intensity of our holiday had completely purged all the pent-up frustration I'd accumulated. It was great. Really great... except for one unforeseen problem.
The traces of our debauchery littered every corner of the house.
Since Hong Yeonhwa had come out publicly as mine, no one would question my relationship with her. And with Paeng Soso as my concubine, there'd be no nitpicking there either. Thanks to that, I could shower them both with affection without worrying about prying eyes.
Still, ordering the maids to clean up this mess felt a bit much. It was embarrassing, and if word of our extravagant romps reached Paeng Ojin's ears...
It wasn't too late yet. I could wake the soundly sleeping Hong Yeonhwa beside me and burn away the evidence throughout the house before anyone noticed.
.
.
.
.
.
.
It didn't take long at all.
The mansion was cleaned up now, leaving just one final territory marker on the outer wall. Feeling relieved that we'd handled it in good time, I was strolling along the wall with Hong Yeonhwa when—
Thud!
Paeng Ojin suddenly dropped down from the other side.
"Hic!"
"Urk!"
Hong Yeonhwa's startled hiccup and my short yelp made Paeng Ojin turn toward us.
"Hm? You were inside? The gate was locked, and no one answered when I called, so I thought something might be wrong and jumped over... but I really can't guess what you're up to."
Well, yeah. Right now, I had my hands slipped under her armpits from behind, hoisting her up high.
She'd whined about being sleepy after I teased her too much yesterday, so I had no choice. Anyway, I couldn't exactly say we were erasing orgy traces, so I needed a decent excuse... but nothing came to mind.
Hong Yeonhwa had been hiccuping nonstop since earlier, so no help there either.
In the end, after some agonizing, I slowly rocked her up and down while flashing an awkward grin.
"Uh... I was doing up high~ down low~ with her."
"You fiend?!"
Did she really not expect me to throw her under the bus? Hong Yeonhwa called out in a voice thick with betrayal, but I pretended not to hear.
"...That game you play with little kids?"
"Yeah, that one."
I answered without hesitation, and Paeng Ojin looked at Hong Yeonhwa with eyes full of utter pity.
"Your tastes are... something."
"No! I said no! Don't look at me—this lady—like that...!"
Hong Yeonhwa thrashed wildly to escape his gaze, but realizing she was still in my grip, she covered her eyes with both hands and curled into a ball.
...Was she really like a kid?
"Well, whatever. Anyway, where's Soso? And the maids?"
"Ah, Soso's probably in the kitchen prepping breakfast. She gave the other maids the day off so we could spend some intimate time alone. They'll be back by lunch."
"I see. So you had my daughter working while you played with another woman?"
"Yes?! No, that's not—"
I reflexively denied it, but... thinking it over, it was all true!
Paeng Ojin chuckled as cold sweat poured down my face.
"Just kidding. Soso probably wanted to do it herself anyway. She's loved cooking since she was little."
"Haha..."
I laughed awkwardly, and he nodded.
"I'll go see Soso now, so wrap it up and come join us. We have things to discuss over breakfast."
"Things to discuss?"
"What do you think I've been doing all this time?"
"Working at the Murim Alliance... Ah!"
He must've uncovered the culprits behind the Yongbong Branch Meet attack.
Paeng Ojin nodded silently and headed to the kitchen where Paeng Soso was. Once his massive back vanished from sight, I figured it was safe and rushed to the last marker spot, shoving Hong Yeonhwa right up to the vivid stain.
This was where she'd normally burn it away like all the others... but nothing happened.
"Um... you need to burn this..."
"......"
"Yeonhwa? Can you hear me?"
"......"
"No way... is our Heavenly Demon still mad about earlier?"
I spun her around in midair to face me, and she whipped her head away with a pfft!, puffing out her cheeks.
"Hmph!"
Yup. Pouting.
"I had no choice. There might've been another way, but Father-in-Law popped up so suddenly my brain froze."
"Piii!"
"You really gonna act like this? Fine, two can play that game."
Hong Yeonhwa flinched for a second but puffed her cheeks even bigger.
"Siii!"
No helping it then. I pulled her close and planted a firm kiss on her manju-like puffed cheek, forcing out the air.
"Pbbbt..."
She made a weird deflating noise. Her eyes still squeezed shut, so I did the same to the other cheek.
"Ugh..."
As her swollen cheeks softened, the mood eased considerably.
...Even I felt weird saying it, but was it really okay for her to forgive me this easily?
As I stared at her with that question in my eyes, she cracked one eye open, puzzled by my stillness, then pursed her lips out.
Next up: lips, huh? I chuckled at the cute signal and pressed my lips to where she wanted.
Mwah. Mwah. Mwah.
Like a bird pecking with its beak, I repeatedly targeted her small, soft lips.
Around the time I absently wondered if I'd start tasting like Hong Yeonhwa, the sensation on my lips changed. Feeling her twitch like she was holding something back, I tilted my head down to look.
"Nngh... hehe..."
There was Hong Yeonhwa, her melting expression comically strained as she fought it.
Seemed her mood was fully mended. After one last kiss, I asked,
"Still mad?"
"Ahem ahem. What are you talking about? This lady was never mad to begin with-nya."
Playing dumb, huh? With a light cough, she snapped her fingers, and the last trace on the wall vanished cleanly.
"There, all done-nya. Now let's head back. We can't keep Soso waiting."
"Uh... yeah..."
She patted my wrist, so I set her down. Her short legs waddled ahead as I followed her back to the mansion.
"To cut to the chase, no twists."
Paeng Ojin wiped his mouth after devouring Paeng Soso's feast amid all the fuss and said as much.
"So... it really was Sima Lian?"
"Indeed. With a new leader, they've gotten bolder."
According to Paeng Ojin's explanation, all the captured assailants bore grudges against the Jegal family.
The Jegals had long served as strategists in the Murim Alliance. If the Hebei Paengs boasted superior physiques, the Jegals were born clever. Naturally, they led the charge against Sima Lian, with current Alliance Strategist Jegal Myeong capturing unorthodox masters through countless schemes.
Sima Lian had taken in their families or disciples and used them for this attack.
The finals drew the biggest crowd and would've humiliated the Alliance most... but the Murim Alliance Leader was in attendance.
During the assault, Paeng Ojin had swatted down every Bi-Geok Jin-Cheon-Noi within reach. Like, if you couldn't tell real from fake, just slice 'em all.
Murim Alliance Leader Hyeon Heo Jin-in could manage that much too. As a Hwasan Taoist who'd reached the Flower Realm with his soft sword style, he might've blocked them even easier. Deflecting and redirecting was always better with soft sword than forceful strikes, right?
Figuring they couldn't inflict real damage with the Leader present, Sima Lian targeted other matches instead. Conveniently, they'd gathered grudge-holders against the Jegals.
Most unorthodox warriors chased personal desires and shied from risky jobs. But grudges changed that. Murim obsessed over resentment regardless of righteous or evil.
Sima Lian offered them revenge, taught basic concealment and transformation arts, and snuck them into the audience disguised. Then... they targeted the match featuring Jegal Myeong's daughter, Jegal Yeongyeong, and hurled the Bi-Geok Jin-Cheon-Noi.
"Wait. Where'd they get the Bi-Geok Jin-Cheon-Noi?"
Paeng Ojin shrugged at Paeng Soso's question.
"No idea. All we got was what we squeezed from these guys."
"They were meant as one-time pawns from the start."
Hong Yeonhwa nodded, noting it was common not to share key info with discards.
"No need to worry too much. With explosives involved, the imperial family will cooperate on that front. That's all from me. Now, your turn."
"Us?"
I tilted my head, wondering what he meant, and Paeng Ojin clicked his tongue.
"Your and Soso's inner energy has noticeably surged. Did you split some spirit pills? It's been bugging me."
"Ah."
I glanced back to see Hong Yeonhwa and Paeng Soso blushing furiously, heads bowed.
Well... spirit pills they were, in a way. Three straight days of that had surely reaped the full benefits of the Sun and Moon Star Cycle Gong.