192
192
The day of the festival arrived.
The Hwangbo Clan bustled from dawn, hosting hundreds of guests and holding a banquet to celebrate the martial tournament.
They turned the entire martial arena into a banquet hall, hiring renowned Shandong chefs to prepare dozens of dishes on the spot.
"How could a few dishes satisfy everyone? I'll spend six times what I would on any other day! Who dares stop a Clan Head when he opens his purse? Haha!"
The festival cost a fortune—a great feast of meat and wine that rivaled a mid-sized sect's monthly operating expenses.
"As expected of the Hwangbo Clan!"
"Whew, they sure know how to spend money!"
Those who had lost in the tournament savored the meat and got drunk on the Hwangbo Clan's wine. Though they'd been eliminated in the second round, they merely voiced mild regret to Hwangbo Yeom rather than any real complaint.
"Great hero, the second round was truly unfortunate for you."
"Hah. Who knew so many Peak Experts would turn up?"
The gap in skill was so vast from the start that making the top seven, let alone winning, had been unlikely.
"Brother Park, you still exchanged three moves with the Soul-Seizing Crushing Fist. The number of people here who could withstand even one blow from him is tiny—hahaha!"
"I was lucky. Right after me, he faced the legitimate son of the Hyeoncheon Baek Clan. If I had taken that attack, I'd be in a healer's clinic right now."
"Truly, he was strong. I had no choice but to acknowledge it."
"The successor of the Hwangbo Clan is practically decided."
And even if the Soul-Seizing Crushing Fist married a different sister, the position of Clan Head was essentially already his.
Every Murim warrior aspires to the highest seat: clan head, sect leader. Even for those who joined the Hwangbo Clan, the clan head's seat was a tree far too tall to reach.
"By the way, did you hear? Many from the branch families are coming this time as well."
"Yes, I heard. Whew, some of them are even prettier than a few of the Seven Princesses, you know?"
"The reason they were specifically invited here..."
"Hahaha, isn't this the perfect moment for 'a chicken instead of a pheasant'?"
The alcohol had most in high spirits. But a few, while not openly complaining, sipped their drinks with displeased faces.
For example, Azure Heaven New Dragon Bang Do-rim.
He had been gaining the upper hand in a duel against the legitimate son of the Hyeoncheon Baek Clan, but other martial artists interfered, and just as he steadied himself to fight again, the arena was destroyed and he was thrown out.
And then there was Baek Bo-jun, the legitimate son of the Hyeoncheon Baek Clan.
Wrapped in bandages all over, he drowned his anger by refilling his cup again and again.
As the tournament host, the Hwangbo Clan spared no expense in treating the wounded. Strangely, while the Soul-Seizing Crushing Fist's attack had incinerated the arena, Baek Bo-jun, who took the direct hit, hadn't suffered injuries severe enough to keep him from standing.
"Was it called the Great Subduing Fist? What do you think the principle of that martial art is?"
"Isn't it just a fist that uses Force Emission? The shockwave dispersed into the ground."
"Whew, if he'd been hit in midair... ugh."
The warriors openly gossiped about Baek Bo-jun. They spoke so bluntly not because they disliked him, but because he kept cursing the Soul-Seizing Crushing Fist's 'trickery,' despite the man having held back and Baek Bo-jun's own elimination from the competition.
"That bastard definitely used Dark Arts...!"
Others at the banquet, like Baek Bo-jun, harbored doubt and jealousy toward the Soul-Seizing Crushing Fist's abilities. They gathered in small groups and aired their suspicions.
"I've never even heard of a sect like that."
"A man of unclear origins and background. I doubt he's a match for the Hwangbo Clan's standing."
"One shouldn't put too many eggs in one basket... tsk tsk."
That was one group grumbling.
"...Hahaha."
"...Heh heh heh."
And there was another group, sipping wine and exchanging soulless conversation.
Countless people gathered at the banquet, cups clinking, and the atmosphere grew increasingly lively.
"You there. Stop."
Drinking his wine, Baek Bo-jun called out to a woman in a servant's uniform. The woman, who might have been mistaken for a male servant without her hair tied up, slowly bowed.
"This wine has a remarkably fiery taste. Where is this fine liquor from?"
"...I hesitate to say, but if you're truly curious... it's called Mawiraecheon. It was brought in from Shaanxi."
"Shaanxi had a wine like this? Hmm... well, as long as it tastes good. Bring me another bottle."
Baek Bo-jun received the wine from the woman. He had been draining bottles while cursing the Soul-Seizing Crushing Fist, so his cup emptied quickly.
"Whew, my body's heating up. Guess I've bottled up a lot of anger. Ugh, it's already getting hot... ke-heum."
Baek Bo-jun tried to stand but found he couldn't.
And little by little, very slowly.
Whenever the woman moved around, some martial artists began to slouch, bend over, or slip away from their seats.
* * *
'So many have come.'
I was sick of the huge crowd that had gathered. Fifty percent were lured by free drinks and meat, thirty percent came to curry favor with the Hwangbo Clan's branch families, and the remaining twenty percent were all Sex Demons.
'I hate crowds.'
When too many people gather, it always feels like they're about to try to kill me—a groundless but constant unease. In fact, some among them clearly harbored a hidden hostility toward the Soul-Seizing Crushing Fist. Whenever I spotted them, I released my qi to suppress them.
'The bastards who'll all be thrown in jail soon, and they dare to glare at me?'
They were all Sex Demons of the Scarlet Order, in secret communication with me. They cast furtive, lecherous glances at the Hwangbo Seven Princesses, including Hwangbo Hye-ji, and I sighed.
'You think they wouldn't notice?'
No one knows a man's furtive stares better than the women who receive them. The Hwangbo Seven Princesses pretended not to notice the looks and busied themselves attending to the guests.
"Is people-watching that interesting for you?"
"Of course. Are you done sorting..."
I lost my words when Hwangbo Hye-ji quietly approached. She usually wore martial attire or simple clothes, but dressed up fully, she was the match of any daughter from the other Eight Great Families.
"You're beautiful."
"Thank you, even if those are just empty words."
"I mean it. My eyes were not wrong after all."
If I had seen this side of Hwangbo Hye-ji first, I would have certainly violated her. I'll be doing it soon enough anyway, but it would have been a violation by my own will, not at Dokgo Yeon's request.
"You're much prettier dressed up."
"I don't see what's pretty about this. It's only uncomfortable when using martial arts."
Hwangbo Hye-ji grumbled about her fluttering clothes. True to the woman who inherits the Thunder Divine Fist, she preferred clothes that were easy to move in.
But a woman truly looks most beautiful when wearing womanly clothes. Faced with a beauty on a different level from the martial attire, I offered her a drink.
"It was good eye candy. Keep wearing it, and please take care of things later."
"......Really, I can never figure out what you're thinking."
Hwangbo Hye-ji stuck close to me and spoke curtly.
"You could just violate me and run. Why did you add another strange plan?"
"I wonder. Maybe I've taken a liking to the Hwangbo Clan's magnanimous spirit more than I expected."
Its chivalrous side was quite charming.
In my past life, with no connection to them, I simply thought of them as similar to the Hebei Paeng Clan among the Eight Great Families. But they unexpectedly had a refreshing and bold charm, so I couldn't just screw them over.
"...The old man offering all seven daughters is pitiful, you see."
"Will it really be okay? It could end up poking a hornet's nest."
"That's not for you to worry about."
Ultimately, Hwangbo Hye-ji just needs to become the tragic heroine defiled by coercion. I'd partially revised the plan for the better future of the Hwangbo Clan.
"You worry about how you'll convince your love. You can hide your physical relationship with me if you like."
Would the person Hwangbo Hye-ji loves accept that she had a physical relationship with me? Personally, I'm a little curious, but if Hwangbo Hye-ji hides the truth for her own convenience, it'll remain an eternal mystery.
"No, I'll tell the truth. That I lay with the Sex Demon."
"Well, well. You're quite stubborn too."
"I can't tell a lie."
"...You're not normal either, come to think of it."
She's strangely stubborn in strange places. Thanks to that, I'll get to hold Hwangbo Hye-ji once in consensual sex rather than rape, but I couldn't read her inner thoughts at all.
I wasn't curious enough to use the Soul-Hooking Technique on her. I felt it was much better to leave it unknown.
Murmur, murmur.
Just then, voices began to rise from below. I raised my glass toward the moon as the sun set.
"To the Sex Demons who will soon be captured."
The present.
"Hye-ji, what do you think is the strongest power in the world?"
"...Martial force?"
"That's right. And among them, there is the most powerful force of all."
Dokgo Yeon, not present here, was quietly heading somewhere in secret.
"Public power."
Carrying a letter detailing our Hwangbo Clan gang-rape plan, heading toward the place that could fundamentally solve this problem.
* * *
"I, this humble person, am overwhelmed by Clan Head Hwangbo's generosity."
"Haha! Young hero Ju, it's nothing. This wealth was gathered for such a fine day—how could I be stingy in spending it?"
Hwangbo Yeom's mood soared with every greeting he exchanged.
"Please accept my cup."
"Thank you."
Hwangbo Yeom frowned briefly at the cup full of wine, but laughed heartily and downed it in one boisterous gulp.
From the start, he had used a specially designed cup to put the wine into his mouth but didn't swallow it. Though he liked wine, drinking too much caused him problems, so he employed all sorts of tricks to drink as little as possible while appearing to drink a lot.
"Hyeon-ji, water."
"Yes, Father."
Slosh.
Pretending to rinse his mouth, he spat the wine back out and laughed heartily, exchanging more greetings. Avoiding alcohol was difficult today, as there were unusually many guests toasting the Clan Head.
"Kehaha, this is good."
"Clan Head. I have something to tell you."
The steward approached with a serious face. He glanced at the others and couldn't speak openly, but his expression said he urgently needed to say something.
"Hoho, Hyeon-ji. I'll go relieve myself for a moment."
"Please go safely."
Hwangbo Yeom turned toward the restroom. He went to the private restroom for clan members, separate from the guest facilities, and lowered his pants.
"So, what did you want to say?"
"The Government Office... a report was made to the Shandong Provincial Governor. It seems a woman at an inn received this letter and reported it to the authorities."
"A letter?"
"Yes. Soldiers from the government office will arrive soon."
Hwangbo Yeom frowned.
"Tsk tsk, is the Inviolability of Government and Martial Arts a hollow name? How dare a mere Shandong Provincial Governor send soldiers into the Hwangbo Clan's affairs—"
Fwoosh!
The alcohol instantly drained from Hwangbo Yeom's body. He pointed at the letter with cold eyes.
"Is this true?"
"Yes. When they went to the location written in the letter, martial artists were found embedded in the ground. They were... regrettably, participants of the martial tournament."
Thud!
Hwangbo Yeom swung his fist into the wall. His fist embedded itself into a wooden pillar, leaving a clear mark.
"These sons of bitches dare to use this auspicious day to gang-rape my daughters?"
Hwangbo Yeom recalled his memory. Among those who had offered him cups, there had been a few whose Qi Sense felt oddly off.
"Get me drunk, cause a disturbance, and then assault my daughters? Ha, not a chance!"
"What shall we do? Shall we secretly mobilize warriors before the authorities arrive?"
"...No, no. Don't do that."
Hwangbo Yeom washed his hands and face with water to cool his anger.
"Since the Shandong Provincial Governor has already dispatched troops, this is no longer a matter of weighing government against martial affairs. Steward, you contact the government and ask them to form a siege net."
"Understood. Are there any other orders?"
"Gather all six children except Hye-ji in one place. Let me see... the room next to Hye-ji's would be good."
"You intend to entrust the young ladies' safety to the Soul-Seizing Crushing Fist. Understood."
"Yes, yes. A son-in-law must protect his wives."
Hwangbo Yeom clenched his fist.
"I will personally punish the Sex Demons targeting my daughters."
There wasn't a trace of intoxication in the eyes of the World's Strongest Fist.