038
038
"This is a disaster..."
Back in his quarters, Namgung Pae was tearing at his hair in despair. The guards outside hadn't been touched either, but they too had a sinking feeling the situation had taken a very ugly turn.
The Divine Doctor had gone missing because of the Demonic Cult, and on top of that they had gone and accused the very Divine Doctor who came to support the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering of being in league with the Demonic Cult.
"We nearly exposed the Divine Doctor's disciple, so we'll be a disgrace to the Alliance... and we called the Divine Doctor a Demonic Cult remnant, so we're a disgrace on that side too... Damn it...!"
Crash!
A decorative vase on the wall toppled and shattered on the floor. Namgung Yurin had snatched whatever was closest and smashed it on a whim, her true nature on full display. Her face flushed, she fumed and raged.
"What is this! Why are we the ones getting in trouble?!"
"Because we did something to land ourselves in trouble."
"What did we do wrong? Before all that chaos started, he could have just said, 'I'm a disciple of the Divine Doctor,' and that would've been the end of it!!"
Namgung Pae wanted to throw the Divine Doctor's disciple's own words right back at Namgung Yurin. But blood is thicker than water, and as much as the name Namgung was tied to Yurin, he was a Namgung man himself.
"That's the point. We might not have done anything wrong, but the problem is the rest of the world doesn't see it that way."
"Aaargh! So annoying, I wish I could smash everything! And why did you have to go chasing after some plain woman, oppa?! This is all your fault!"
"What?"
He could put up with his younger sister's tantrums all day, but twisting the facts was something he absolutely would not tolerate.
"Did I ask to go first? Do you have any idea how much you nagged me to let you talk to him because you thought that disciple was handsome?"
"Th-that's..."
"Little sister, if you had any conscience, you wouldn't say things like that! Sure, I was also drawn in by that woman's body, but if we both messed up, we should both get scolded. How dare you try to sneak out of it alone!"
"...H-hic, h-hurk, hwaaaaaah!!"
Namgung Yurin burst into tears. Namgung Pae, terrified the people outside would hear, grimaced and walked over to pat her on the shoulder.
"I'm sorry. Oppa went too far."
"H-hic, sniffle, h-hurrrk..."
Namgung Yurin, eyes brimming with tears, gasped for breath over and over. If this were an act, Namgung Pae was certain every man alive would fall for it.
"Those people are the bad ones. They should've just revealed who they were first, s-sniffle."
"Right, right. They just should've told us plainly."
Neither of them gave a thought to the idea that, Namgung status aside, simply approaching someone like that was a nuisance. In Anhui they had been treated like royalty, so they had mistakenly assumed the Namgung name would carry the same weight in Hubei, which wasn't far away.
"Damn. What do we do now? Will Father pull strings for us?"
"What about the rumors on the street?"
"The beggars already know. It'd be stranger if those guys didn't."
- A quarrel broke out between the children of the Namgung clan and the Divine Doctor's disciple.
- If a Wudang elder hadn't come down, the Divine Doctor's disciple would have been in serious trouble.
- Acting so stubborn and unreasonable outside of Anhui... how like the Namgung clan!
"Those damned bastards."
The fault belonged to the Divine Doctor's disciple and her guard warrior, yet the world was pinning the blame on the Namgung clan.
Both of them were annoyed at the thought of their father, the clan head, flying into a rage and delivering a stinging lecture. They felt no remorse whatsoever about having exposed the Divine Doctor's disciple.
"That guard warrior... I'm going to smash that bitch to pieces."
"How?"
"Hmph. A wench with such profound martial arts can't possibly sit out the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering, can she? Don't worry. I'll make sure I smash her to pieces."
Namgung Yurin drew her sword and aimed it forward. Though she had a woman's body, she took the first form of the Imperial Sword Form, brimming with the intense, distinctive aura of the Namgung clan. Namgung Pae shook his head.
"Give it up. Even if she's only at the threshold of the peak, peak is peak."
"Hmph, so what? We were humiliated. I will repay this disgrace no matter what! Just let me run into her! I'll challenge her to a duel immediately!"
Namgung Yurin began to burn with a fierce desire for revenge.
But.
Even after many days and nights passed, the Divine Doctor and the female warrior remained shut inside their rooms.
- Due to the stress caused by those from the Namgung clan, the patient's anthropophobia and fear of men have relapsed. They will remain inside the sickroom for the time being.
"Aaaaaaah!!"
Crash.
Only the innocent vases were smashed to pieces.
* * *
Time flowed by, and before we knew it, the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering was only two weeks away.
- I greet you by letter. I am Taoist Hyeoncheol, acting Sect Leader. We are grateful that the Divine Doctor's disciple personally comes to practice medicine for the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering. As Taoist Hyeonta has said, Wudang will not spare its support.
The story of the young physician, the Divine Doctor's disciple, had spread in all directions. Since I had temporarily nested inside Wudang, Taoist Hyeoncheol, the acting Sect Leader, did not refuse my presence.
- I have heard the words from Taoist Hyeongi.
Even though I had actually arrived at the request of Taoist Hyeongi—the Sect Leader himself—not Hyeoncheol's, the official story became that I had come "at the invitation of the Wudang Sect." If I'd claimed I came at the Sect Leader's invitation, he would have grown suspicious, but since the situation was framed in a way that elevated him, he quickly lowered his guard and bowed his head.
"The physician is truly beautiful."
A villa inside Wudang, guarded by warriors.
All sorts of guests visiting Wudang passed by the villa, glancing inside, but the door never opened for a single moment. It only opened when receiving patients, and all those who entered the villa were women.
"The wound is treated. It will leave absolutely no scar."
"Thank you, physician! I was so worried because it was a wound on my face...!"
"Haha, to inflict a wound on a woman's face, what a truly detestable person."
Under the bizarre pretexts of anthropophobia and fear of men, I had put up a notice refusing visitors and boldly declared that I would "only treat women."
"Pleased to meet you, young hero. I am the Lust-Exorcising Abbess of the Emei Sect."
"I greet you, Sect Leader. So, you have a wound and came for treatment...?"
"...By any chance, do you also have medicine effective for aging skin?"
"Of course! However, the medicinal ingredients are lacking...."
All the guests who visited me were, first and foremost, "patients."
"Hahaha! I heard the Divine Doctor's disciple was here! This one is—"
"Eeeek?! Aaaah! S-Stay awaaay!!"
"......"
The moment a rude male guest tried to enter, I feigned terror and fled into the room and shut down the clinic completely for the rest of the day. Ultimately, only after three more men suffered the same humiliation did men stop coming to the clinic.
And so, with the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering two weeks away, I was now receiving a steady stream of female guests and treating their injuries.
"You said you're from the Yoon Family Estate? Yes, nice to meet you. ...Medicine to improve marital intimacy? Which side needs it, and how much?"
"For this wound... apply this ointment once every three days. It'll heal fully, and then there will be no scar."
"Me-mens... ahem! If it's for your monthly issue, try taking this medicine. As long as you don't overexert yourself too severely, you should be able to endure until the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering ends."
I faithfully carried out my role as a physician, and relatively diligently at that. Even the two Taoists who had been worried about me at first soon trusted me completely and spared no support, seeing how sincerely I performed my duties as a doctor.
"Stop this. That person is a guest invited by Wudang. Do you intend to shame us with your stubbornness?"
"Sect Leader, even if your child is bedridden, we cannot tell the Divine Doctor's disciple to leave immediately. No matter how much your daughter is suffering... Wait. Ahem. The disciple has heard of the pitiful circumstances. They say if you leave the name of the illness and detailed symptoms, they will prepare and send medicine."
"What? Heavenly Rejuvenation Pill? Are you telling me they are talking about that now?!"
They turned away those who stubbornly insisted on seeing me, the one suffering from a fear of men, or they successfully chased off the annoying flies buzzing around the name of the Divine Doctor's disciple. Thanks to them, I was able to live quite comfortably, dealing only with women.
"Very nice, heh heh."
"I hadn't known my lord had a talent for this sort of thing."
Sagong Hee, wearing a pale-pink nursing uniform, brushed the medicinal residue from her hands and sat beside me.
"Thanks to this, we've met an awful lot of women. I never expected even the Emei Sect Leader to come alone."
"Aging is a critical matter for a woman. Even more so for someone of the Sect Leader's status. Unless your Inner Energy is at the level of several gapja, aging comes naturally. Do you understand?"
"I understand, my lord. I'll quickly cultivate my Inner Energy and maintain my youth forever. So, my lord, what did you think of the other women?"
For the past few weeks, we had done our best as physician and assistant, tending to many women. Nearly three out of every ten women in the Flower Directory had passed through our clinic.
"Was there a flower more beautiful than me?"
"Every flower has its own unique charm. Though, tsk, it was a bit disappointing. I felt nothing looking at the flowers blooming in the garden, but seeing them only made me realize anew that this flower here is the most beautiful one."
I had Sagong Hee straddle herself on top of me. For a woman to sit astride a man with her legs open was a vulgar act, but since we were about to do something beyond vulgar—something sexual—it hardly mattered.
"Gyeon-hui. What's this form called?"
"It is a form called... Face-to-Face Sitting Position. ...My lord, this isn't a martial art, is it?"
"It's the Seduction Art."
Squelch. I lifted the hem of Sagong Hee's skirt as she sat astride me and pushed my member inside. Since I had spread a Qi Barrier around us so no one could notice what we were doing inside, we were able to engage in heated lovemaking in the narrow room full of medicinal supplies.
"Quickly, before the next guest arrives—"
"Grandmaster, it's Hyeon-ta."
An interruption came in.
Sagong Hee stiffened her expression and swiftly pulled her Human Skin Mask back on, while I suppressed my anger and withdrew my manhood from her.
'Couldn't even do it this time.'
'I know. If they came in right at the end, that would actually be more exciting.'
We'd had countless guests arrive while we were making love inside, and we were already well experienced with many interruptions. We could now calmly face the visitor, even while in a state of incomplete combustion.
"What is it?"
"...Did something urgent just happen? Or did the previous guest cause you trouble?"
"No. Nothing."
The trouble came from Hyeon-ta himself, but Hyeon-ta wouldn't call me "Grandmaster" unless the matter was important.
"So, what's the matter?"
"I have come to seek Grandmaster's wise counsel on a matter."
"Wise counsel?"
"Yes. Well, the applications for the rising stars participating in the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering close tomorrow. But...."
Hyeon-ta glanced briefly at Sagong Hee, then pulled out two applications.
"One is blank."
"Yes. I wish for Lady Gyeon-hui to participate in the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering. After discussing her public affiliation with Taoist Hyeoncheol, we have arranged her to pose as the disciple of the late Senior Brother Hyeonja, who has ascended. I will become Lady Gyeon-hui's martial uncle."
"I see. But that's not your main purpose, is it?"
I turned over the application Hyeon-ta had deliberately placed face-down. On it, in an extremely neat hand, was the application of a woman stating she would participate in the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering.
"Little Princess?"
It was a familiar, uncommon handwriting, a script I recognized. There was only one person in the world who would write "Little Princess" in the name section like that.
"Don't tell me it's the Heavenly Demon's...?"
"Yes, that's right. The daughter of the Demonic Cult, or rather the Heavenly Demon Cult's leader, and the Little Princess of the Demonic Cult."
Sagong Hee covered her mouth with her hand, surprised. Even if the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering was meant to be a fair martial arts tournament bringing together the rising stars of the Righteous, Evil, and Demonic factions, the direct heir of the Heavenly Demon had never once participated.
'Even the Eldest Prince joined under a false name, hiding his true identity.'
I'd investigated that Eldest Prince bastard too, and found he'd made his appearance at the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering over twelve years ago, daring to use the alias Black Flame Dragon for a full twelve years. What's more, he hadn't used Demonic martial arts, but the righteous faction's martial art, the Flame-Breaking Sword, a direct predecessor technique of the Fear Flame Blade.
Now, he'd aged past the limit, so the Black Flame Dragon alias naturally faded. He hadn't made any special moves since his last Dragon-Phoenix Gathering, so no new alias had been formed.
The Eldest Prince earned renown as a member of the Nine Dragons through youthful bravado at the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering, but thanks to hiding his true identity to the extreme, he never once revealed his connection to the Demonic Cult.
'But what's with this person?'
Announcing she's a member of the Demonic Cult and the Heavenly Demon's daughter. There have to be limits to advertising yourself far and wide—how can she be this reckless?
"Did she come alone? Hey, no way she came alone, right?"
"It is said that the Flying Heaven Three Demons have also come with her."
"Madness."
It was absurd enough that she'd come so openly, but bringing three of the Demonic Cult's renowned warriors was even more unbelievable.
"She brought three fighters of sect-leader level? Is she trying to start a war?"
"That is why I came to you, Grandmaster. Please, grant us your insight."
"Hmm...."
What should be done about the Little Princess? I couldn't make a firm decision.
'But I'm indebted to her, so how could I...?'
Back when I was a Demonic Cult lackey, the one who taught me the Exploding Blood Great Art, bestowing her grace upon the talentless me, was none other than the Little Princess. Moreover, the kindness I received from her was a debt I couldn't forget even in this life, after my death and rebirth.
'She took my virginity. If I don't repay that, I'm trash.'
She was the woman who first taught the joys of releasing essence to me, who was then a hunchback.
At the same time, she was the woman who would later seize control of the Demonic Cult, win a one-on-one duel against the Eldest Prince, and become the head of the Heavenly Demon Cult—the Heavenly Demon.
"The Little Princess... where is she now?"