189
189
I do have a conscience, you know.
As a Sex Demon, my fate is to become the enemy of the Hwangbo Clan. In that sense, violating all seven sisters would... weigh on my conscience.
As Hwangbo Hye-ji said, if I were to rape them and leave, I'd be ruining their marriage prospects.
'So I should just leave without tasting them?'
This isn't even my own marriage but someone else's. A ripe pumpkin rolled right into my lap, vine and all—and I'm supposed to walk away? That's no way for a Sex Demon to act.
'When they've laid out a seven-course meal, clearing only the rice bowl and leaving would be rude.'
Just a bite.
'There's just one thing that worries me.'
I kept an eye on Hwangbo Hye-ji more than anyone else. I was secretly on edge that she might blow everything wide open over this sudden development and decide to burn it all down.
"Father! What is the meaning of this?!"
Anger first. Hwangbo Hye-ji erupted at the idea that her sisters would become wives to the same man alongside her.
"Calm yourself, Hye-ji. This is not such a bad proposal."
Hwangbo Yeom soothed Hwangbo Hye-ji and continued.
"Seven sisters, living together in harmony, serving one man as husband without quarreling. No matter whose son he is, his children will still be direct-line descendants of the Hwangbo Clan. Is that not better?"
"What exactly is better about it?"
"For one, there will be no chance of a collateral branch seizing the clan head's seat. And among the seven of you, at least one will carry on our bloodline."
Hwangbo Yeom calmed Hwangbo Hye-ji down and launched into a lengthy explanation. He systematically and logically detailed why all seven sisters should marry the Soul-Seizing Crushing Fist, working to convince her.
"You are all blood sisters. If you were born of different mothers, perhaps not, but because you are blood sisters, even with multiple wives, you will be able to live together without strife."
Reason one: The sisters won't fight each other.
"And the sons and daughters you bear will grow up as full siblings, not drawing lines between half-brothers and half-sisters. Just as I did."
Reason two: Even if the children compete for succession, as half-siblings they can still strengthen their fraternal bonds.
"Moreover, it is only after you and the son-in-law have had your say that I speak. If there is anyone among you unwilling to accept him as your husband, speak now."
"This is a matter the Clan Head has decided."
"It is also a matter Father has decided."
"Is he not the man Father has acknowledged?"
"He is a fist expert stronger than any other man. He is more than worthy to become a man of the Hwangbo Clan."
"He is also handsome."
"If he is the man Sister Hye-ji marries, then I too am satisfied."
"In accordance with Father's will, we shall serve the Soul-Seizing Crushing Fist as our husband."
Reason three: Not only Hwangbo Hye-ji, but the other six sisters also did not refuse the marriage, each following 'her own wishes.'
"Wait. Even so, one man taking seven...?"
"Son-in-law, is it too difficult?"
"If a man who has overcome a hundred stout warriors cannot handle seven women, how could he be called a true man of the world?"
"Well said! Ha ha ha, your confidence pierces the heavens! I knew my eyes did not deceive me. Heh heh."
Reason four: The Soul-Seizing Crushing Fist is more than capable of taking seven sisters as his wives.
And the fifth and final reason—the most important one to Hwangbo Yeom.
"A man's word is as heavy as a thousand pieces of gold!"
As clan head, he showed no intention of swallowing the words he had already spoken. Though he seemed to consider his family in many ways, in the end, as the head of a great clan, he intended to make the judgment most beneficial to the family.
"I have already declared I would give my daughters to my son-in-law. If a true man speaks with two tongues, how would others look upon me?"
"They could swallow that much and just think, 'Ah, he simply made a mistake,' and let it pass!"
"Never! Once decided, it cannot be undone. Where else in the world could I find such a son-in-law?"
"Father...!"
If I weren't a Sex Demon, this would truly have been a fine choice.
"Unless, Hye-ji, are you already indulging in jealousy?"
"What?!"
Bang!!
Hwangbo Hye-ji was outraged by Hwangbo Yeom's sudden accusation.
In the Hwangbo Clan, where fighting spirit was second to none, having her own father, of all people, ask if she was consumed by jealous spite sounded like a profound insult to Hwangbo Hye-ji.
"Jealousy? How can you say such a thing to me?!"
So Hwangbo Hye-ji fumed and sputtered. Hwangbo Yeom's expression began to twist, his eyes a little surprised by his daughter's fury.
"So it is jealousy. Surely you do not intend to oppose your son-in-law's polygamy?"
The Hwangbo Clan was spirited and broad-minded, but also more intensely patriarchal than any other great clan. The women of the family could voice their opinions as family members to the clan head's proposals, but they could not quibble over his final decisions.
The Central Plains Murim was not a world where a man taking multiple wives was illegal or legally problematic.
Long live the world.
"Your older and younger sisters said that the son-in-law is not a bad match—no, that they themselves wish to be chosen. Should you not be considerate of your older and younger sisters?"
"What sort of consideration...!"
"The first wife will be you. Your elder sister Su-ji has said she will enter as a later wife. Surely you do not mean to prevent that?"
Hwangbo Yeom's momentum began to rise. The anger of a man who would not forgive even his own daughter for opposing his decision was plain to see.
"Father-in-law, may I ask one thing?"
I stepped directly into the path of the storm aimed at Hwangbo Hye-ji and entered a battle of wills with Hwangbo Yeom. He flashed anger at my intervention for an instant, then nodded as if to say, let's hear it.
"Did the six sisters truly agree to become later wives of their own volition? They are all beautiful, but the moment I saw Hye-ji, I fell in love at first sight."
I clasped Hwangbo Hye-ji's hand.
"So I dare not claim I could divide the love I want to give Hye-ji equally."
There was only one way to soothe that anger.
"I wish to love Lady Hwangbo Hye-ji. I am overflowing with confidence in martial arts, but I still know little of love."
Pure-hearted devotion.
"Heh heh, could it be... you are...?"
"Having only practiced martial arts in the mountains, I fell for Lady Hwangbo Hye-ji at first sight. ...It is my first time."
A first experience can sometimes be embarrassing, but it is also an excellent weapon for disguising oneself as innocent and sincere. Holding a daughter of the Hwangbo Clan in this life was a first, so I was not lying.
"That is why I do not know. Even if I took Hye-ji's sisters as wives, I cannot be sure I could give them the same love I hold for Hye-ji."
Father and daughter both let their anger subside at my embarrassingly sweet words. Hwangbo Hye-ji, in particular, wriggled her captured hand on her thigh and could not say a word.
"Heh heh, if that is your worry, fear not."
Hwangbo Yeom let go of his anger and laughed heartily. Right now, Hwangbo Hye-ji and I felt so serious we could die, and I could not fathom what exactly he found so amusing.
"When you have a child with each of them, you naturally learn to love them all equally."
Ah.
We are not communicating at all.
"Hoo hoo hoo, our own father decided his main wife by who bore a son first! Kah ha ha ha!"
My vision went white at Hwangbo Yeom's words.
* * *
After the meal with Hwangbo Yeom and the six sisters ended, I returned to my room.
"This is not how the Hwangbo Clan is. Not all Hwangbo Clan members are like this."
Hwangbo Hye-ji followed me back. Under the pretense of keeping her sisters in check with her eyes, she had shielded them from the hands of the Sex Demon.
'Not a bad outcome.'
They were so full of curiosity about me that the six sisters practically dissected me.
'Exchanging words with women who aren't going to put out right away is just exhausting.'
When you eat a sweet, you don't need to know the farmer's blood and sweat, the chef's artisan spirit, and the vendor's family history.
In that sense, Hwangbo Hye-ji served as a perfect filter. She assisted me in every way possible to cut off her sisters' interest.
- What did you say? All eight of us are to use the same room from now on? Father, you must at least give me a few days!!
- Wah ha ha ha! How pleasing it is to see you admit it so readily!! Yes, a woman must know how to show jealousy! That is where charm lies!
- Ugh...!
"Because of you, I've become a jealous woman who gets territorial with her own sisters. Take responsibility."
"I'll make you feel good."
Hwangbo Hye-ji was profoundly embarrassed by Hwangbo Yeom's actions. Still, in the end, she kept her mouth shut about our secret deal.
"So what will you do now?"
"About what?"
"Are you really going to take all of us sisters... as your wives?"
"No way. I have no intention of doing that with you, so do you think I'd do so with your other sisters?"
I came here to dine and dash. Even if the food was too delicious, I had not the slightest intention of packing it up to take home. If I wasn't even going to bring Hwangbo Hye-ji, why in the world would I bring them?
"Hmm... I see..."
She ought to be happy I wasn't going to ravish them. So why was she pouting her lips at me, looking almost sarcastic?
"So, did you happen to hear what their intention is, marrying me and volunteering as your later wives?"
"Yes. ...They say it's because of the Sex Demons."
"Me?"
"No, the Sex Demons overflowing in the Martial World."
What was this now?
"No matter how many Sex Demons rampage through the world, they've always existed—and when it comes to Sex Demons the Hwangbo Clan should fear, isn't there only the Ice-Colored Demon?"
"That very Ice-Colored Demon is exactly why they're worried. The Ice-Colored Demon who went to Hebei might come to Jinan, and he already sent his notice to the Moyong Family. All the Eight Great Families of equal standing are effectively in terror."
"That's only natural. I only target the pretty ones."
The deeper a martial family's history and tradition, the higher the probability of beautiful women. Personal taste in character might differ, but at least every woman of the Eight Great Families I had met so far possessed outstanding beauty.
Dokgo Yeon, Paeng Yuwol, Dang Seo-hee, Namgung Yurin, Moyong Ran, Jegal Seon, Hwangbo Hye-ji, and so on.
Not a single ugly woman among them. Food that looks good tastes good, and a Sex Demon is no Beggar Sect vagrant who shoves just anything into his mouth.
"Were the Hwangbo Seven Princesses afraid the Ice-Colored Demon might target them? Because they're all pretty?"
"It's not as if your eye for women is widely known across the world, so of course they worry. In times when no one knows who might be struck, or how, or when—they think it's better than being violated by a stranger and sold off to some shabby man."
"So they're in a hurry to seal a marriage."
The dominant thought was likely to marry first, before a Sex Demon violated them for nothing.
My becoming the sole groom candidate probably influenced their choice too, but they had accepted a joint marriage of seven sisters because I was a strong person who could protect them.
"At least in terms of strength, no man in this place can match you, second only to Father."
"They think of me as a guard warrior to protect them from Sex Demons?"
"Exactly. Thanks to you, the number-one groom requirement in every great clan has now started to depend on whether he can protect his wife from Sex Demons."
A chill ran down my spine at the Central Plains marriage culture transformed by the Sex Demon.
"I haven't violated that many women as a Sex Demon. That's a frightening tale."
"Other than Dokgo Yeon, the Eul Family Matriarch, and Paeng Sin-hye, how many more have you violated?"
"A secret. More importantly, was that matter resolved well?"
"...Yes. Truly, how embarrassing."
Hwangbo Hye-ji covered her face with her hands.
"I just... settled it as me being a little jealous."
"Thank you. Thanks to you, I won't have to suffer through three days of it."
Hwangbo Yeom was burning with impatience to have me meet the other sisters.
But I was only interested in their bodies. I did not wish to waste time exchanging tedious small talk about what each of us liked, preferred, and disliked.
I would rather spend that time doing Inner Energy dual cultivation with Dokgo Yeon. So I had externally secured my freedom until the day of the banquet.
"Then let's go out. A servant is coming at a good time."
I finished my preparations to leave at the sound of footsteps approaching from outside. Hwangbo Hye-ji, her face red and fuming, rose from her seat and greeted the servant directly.
"Lord Soul-Seizing Crushing Fist, the change of clothes... oh my, young lady?"
"Give that to me."
Hwangbo Hye-ji took the clothes personally. It was the attire of a pale-faced scholar, meant to hide my identity, different from the martial uniform I wore.
"I... will be taking a brief outing to Jinan with my husband. In the meantime, tidy this room thoroughly and leave the door open. ...We will likely return late."
"Oh my... young lady, the rumor that you intend to monopolize the warrior before the banquet was true!"
"Quiet, you."
Indeed.
To meet Dokgo Yeon, I had sold out Hwangbo Hye-ji. Pretending to take a stroll outside with the woman I would soon be formally wed to, I planned to enjoy myself merrily in Dokgo Yeon's embrace.
"Young lady, a man is what a woman makes of him. Ho ho ho, I so look forward to seeing the young master you'll bear soon!"
"Quiet! Just go do some other work for a while!"
After chasing the maidservant away, Hwangbo Hye-ji, her face beet red, placed my martial uniform on the desk. Then, her hands and feet trembling, she jabbed her finger at me.
"Even so, this is too much...! You're going off to spend time with Yeon, so why do I have to fool everyone into thinking you and I are doing that sort of thing?!"
"That way we can easily avoid people's eyes, and the other sisters won't pester us before the banquet. Is that not so?"
I took Hwangbo Hye-ji's hand and quickly exited the guest quarters. Deliberately leaping over the outer wall instead of using the main gate, we flaunted our escape-like outing to the surroundings for all to see.
A moment later.
After touring the Jinan area under Hwangbo Hye-ji's guidance, I suggested we rest for a moment and guided her into an inn.
"D-don't tell me you mean to do it here...?"
"You've come?"
Dokgo Yeon, waiting inside the guest room, smiled brightly and welcomed me. Hwangbo Hye-ji's mouth fell open in shock at her attire.
"Wh-what, what in the world is this indecent...!"
"A stealth garment."
The uniform for female cultists of the Blood Cult, specifically the specification for Moon Women.
Sleeveless, exposing the armpits; black clothes clinging tightly to the body; a hem touching the thighs with slits open on both sides.
"From this moment, we are provisionally named the <Scarlet Order>. We shall recruit the Sex Demons preparing to raid the Hwangbo Clan."
And every last one of those Sex Demons would end up in shackles. This was a task for the peace and justice of Jinan, Shandong, and the Murim.
"E-even so, this is too much! What if we get caught?!"
"You need not worry about that."
I laughed at the wave of déjà vu.
The Blood Cult Leader's Four Great Truths.
"If we don't get caught, there will be nothing for others to see."
"Hye-ji, this is comfortable and nice."
"...Huh?"
Dokgo Yeon pulled out clothes she had prepared in advance and beamed.
"Here, this is a night travel uniform for you, Hye-ji."
At the sight of the black garment just barely covering her groin, Hwangbo Hye-ji buried her face in both hands.