Chapter 29
Chapter 29
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 29
Chapter Title: I Want to Hold You... (3)
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A strange woman had stopped by briefly, giving me a headache, but since there was something important today, I decided to put it out of my mind for now.
Tonight, my master would arrive, and we'd definitely discuss what to do next.
Maybe I'd stay here a while longer and continue learning martial arts from Go Cheon.
Or perhaps I'd drop everything and follow my master back into some remote mountain for secluded training.
For the record, I wanted to avoid the latter if at all possible.
Ascending Immortal Art training required sex anyway. Wouldn't it be better to stay where there were women I wanted to hold?
'I've only managed to have Tang Hye-won so far...'
Tang Hye-won was certainly an alluring woman. But she wasn't nearly enough to quench my thirst for the other two.
She only came every two or three days to begin with, so on the days she didn't show, I'd be soaking my pillow with tears.
'Well, no tears, really. That was bullshit.'
In any case, to convince my master to let me stay, I needed to highlight the benefits of remaining here.
From that perspective, my real combat experience with Huangbo Hyo-seon had been tremendously helpful.
The insights gained in a life-and-death struggle far surpassed the quality of all the spars I'd had with my master.
It was like experiencing firsthand how the half-baked theories he'd taught me adapted and transformed in actual combat.
'Even the sword switch in the middle turned out to be a blessing in disguise.'
When I wielded the greatsword, she pressured me like a master of heavy swords. With the lighter blade, she fought like a swift sword expert.
Thanks to that, I'd gained not just depth but breadth in my experience.
The Dragon Fang Slice missing its mark? In hindsight, just another fond memory.
'Still pissed me off, though. Next time we meet, I'll fuck her no matter what.'
I'd have fucked her anyway, pissed or not. Who could look at those tits and not want to?
Anyway, I'd made decent progress with techniques, but now my internal energy was acting up.
The internal energy that had been growing by leaps and bounds, improving daily, had slowed to less than a tenth of its previous pace.
Tang Hye-won insisted that kind of growth was still incredible, but...
'Is it because I've reached the peak realm?'
My master had said my body was already as open in its meridians as a peak expert's, even without any internal energy.
In other words, once I hit peak realm, I might lose the edge that set me apart from others.
In the end, only my master could give me answers.
To get his advice on the right path forward—and to protect my happy sex life—I needed to organize everything I had today.
Sichuan Tang Family Patriarch's Office.
Patriarch Tang Jo-myeong was devouring the report Tang Hye-won had handed him with his eyes.
"Name: Kang Yun. Age: twenty-two. Origin: unknown. Martial prowess: unknown..."
No matter how voraciously he read, the "unknown"s refused to change.
Tang Jo-myeong set the report down and glared at Tang Hye-won with axe-like eyes.
"This is all you've got?"
"Yes, Brother."
Tang Hye-won answered promptly.
"Just a name and age? Nothing else? Is this really the best your Silver Spirit Society could do?"
"I'm sorry, but yes."
Tang Jo-myeong pinched the bridge of his nose. He held back his rising anger, and held back some more, but finally exploded.
"What an outstanding investigation! How many days do you think it's been since I gave the order? Ten days! Ten!"
Tang Hye-won bowed her head slightly.
"He'd tell you himself if you just asked! How can you call yourself head of intelligence with results like this?"
"...I have no excuses. But please understand that Go Cheon turned out to be a far more formidable expert than anticipated."
"What?"
Go Cheon, Go Cheon! That bastard!
Recalling how the man had intimidated him—the patriarch of the Sichuan Tang Family—with mere parlor tricks made his blood boil.
"Approaching that imposter wasn't easy. I'm sorry, Brother, but wasting more time on him isn't wise."
"Not wise?"
"Go Cheon might be manageable, but if Zhuge Mi-ryeong catches wind, things get complicated. The Zhuge Family could get involved."
She lived quietly now, but in her prime, Zhuge Mi-ryeong had been one of the Three Peaks, the greatest among them.
A peerless beauty with exceptional intellect and martial arts.
Her family had grown distant after she stubbornly married the nobody Go Cheon, but...
'If her son gets tangled up... who knows what she'll do.'
The woman was half out of her mind since her son's death. If she learned of an investigation into him, she might call on her clan for pressure.
And the Zhuge Family held more power than the Tangs.
Seeing Tang Jo-myeong relent, Tang Hye-won spoke up.
"Wouldn't digging into the Go Escort Agency be more reliable?"
The Go Escort Agency—Go Cheon's hand-built enterprise.
Unclear exactly how to proceed, but the idea of disrupting his turf sounded appealing.
Impressed by his unusually proactive sister's suggestion, Tang Jo-myeong decided to hear her out.
As Tang Hye-won left the patriarch's office, she inwardly sighed in relief.
'This should divert attention from Yun.'
The Go Escort Agency bit was just a convenient distraction. Drag things out vaguely, and another way to bury it would come up.
Truth be told, none of that mattered anymore. She had no intention of putting up with her brother's harassment going forward.
Her top priority was Kang Yun's safety.
After that came her own, her daughter's, and the family's. Her brother and husband were on their own.
Aside from being loved by Kang Yun, she had only one concern now.
How could she get Kang Yun to bed Peng Yeon-hwa?
It would've been a lie to say she wasn't miffed at first, learning he lusted after other women.
But on second thought, it wasn't so bad.
She could only spare time for him every two or three days anyway.
That seemed too little for him, so if he filled the gaps with Peng Yeon-hwa, it cost her nothing.
She liked Peng Yeon-hwa personally and pitied her suffering under her petty brother's thumb.
'As a new sister-wife... it might work.'
If Peng Yeon-hwa became Kang Yun's woman like her and knew the joy of being held by the man she loved, it'd be good for her too.
Tang Hye-won felt the pure internal energy writhing in her dantian and thought.
'The more I have sex with Yun, the purer and stronger my energy grows...'
She hadn't heard the details, but it was apparently an art with that property.
A martial art strengthened through intercourse—like a demonic art, but what stirred in her dantian was purely the Tang Family's secret technique.
The only difference was its noticeable surge in power.
'How can I use this on my new sister?'
Peng Yeon-hwa, bound by fierce family loyalty.
Kang Yun's mysterious martial art.
If she could tie those together somehow... but no easy solution came, so Tang Hye-won racked her brains right there in the street.
Darkness deepened into a pitch-black night without even a moon.
My master should arrive soon.
I'd told Tang Hye-won not to come tonight, just in case—he said he'd rest a bit.
She'd seemed troubled on the road... maybe some worries? But if she wouldn't say, nothing to be done.
Tap.
A light knock at the window.
I opened it, and my master slipped inside like night breeze through a crack.
How long until I reached that level?
Martial arts were like a company's core competency in the jianghu—building it up would make seducing women easier too.
My master sat in the chair where Tang Hye-won had been.
"You've arrived, Master."
"Mm."
Light greetings exchanged, we got to business. Martial arts first.
"Hm, Go Cheon, eh..."
Go Cheon was apparently an incredible master. One of the top peak experts edging toward transcendence.
I'd guessed he was strong, but not that tier.
My master clarified my internal energy issue first.
"I saw why your internal energy stalled. You've reached peak realm, so the advantages that set you apart from other experts in energy growth are gone."
Just as I thought.
"But learning techniques from Go Cheon to master them... I'm not sure about that."
"Pardon?"
My master waved his hand dismissively and began explaining.
"After you left, I pondered it myself. How to help you master technique application quickly..."
Techniques were simple motions combining into complex patterns.
"Starting martial arts late, at an age when others' muscles and bones have hardened, without prior training as a child... that could be a hindrance."
A typical jianghu martial artist performs basic motions unconsciously from childhood habit.
But me, starting late with less ingrained habits, had to think and focus even on simple moves, lagging in reflexive use—that was his theory.
"Life-and-death combat may have loosened those bindings somewhat."
In other words, flailing desperately for survival had rapidly ingrained unconscious habits.
"If that's true, Go Cheon might make a better teacher than me. Similar realms and all."
Reaching that conclusion, my master suddenly extended his hand.
"Let's go."
"Pardon...?"
Wait, I'd convinced him up to here—why leave? Where to...?
"Just outside to test it. You want to spar here and draw eyes?"
"Ah..."
Then say so from the start.
Ignoring my grumbling, my master tucked me under his arm like luggage.
"To the vacant plot?"
"Yes. There's a plain south of the city. We'll see how much you've grown and decide."
Outside the city walls—quite a distance—but he spoke like popping next door for rice cakes.
I was actually thrilled, though.
How many modern folks wouldn't love flying through the sky, wind in their face?
As long as safety was assured.
Noticing my glee, my master looked exasperated.
"Treating your master like a damn horse."
"How could I think that of you, Master? I'm just in awe of your peerless lightness skill."
See? See that? Corner of his mouth twitching up.
'Dude secretly loves praise...'
"Here we go."
His mouth curved, my master kicked off, and we shot upward fast.
Whoa, a bit quicker than usual? Nah, imagination.
Tsk.
His sharp tongue-click cut through the wind.
"Got careless."
With those ominous words, massive energy surged from the ground far below.
"Peng Yeon-hwa noticed."
The next instant, a red sword gang-coated blade hurtled toward my master like lightning.