048
048
Two weeks passed.
The Yongbong Assembly, which had run for a month, was finally drawing to a close. Just yesterday, the World's Greatest Dragon had been decided, solidifying the rankings of the Nine Dragons.
"I present to you!! The pride of the Namgung Clan, the greatest among the Nine Dragons! The First Dragon, <Exploding Dragon> Namgung Pae!!"
Waaaaahhh!!
The massive roar of the crowd thundered. The bastard who had once knelt before me had now defeated every other martial artist and raised his fist to the sky, his face brimming with confidence.
"He looks ready to beat down any demonic fiend that gets in his way."
"He is quite manly. He has a sturdy build too."
"Hm? Is that your type?"
"If Gaga looked like that, I think I would really like it... but you are also nice the way you are now, so you can stay just like that. Fufu."
I was in disguise, observing the Martial Arts Arena from the spectator stands with Jin Sa-wol. While Namgung Pae became the greatest of the rising stars and the crowd cheered, everyone was anticipating something else even more.
"Hee, it's tomorrow, right?"
"Yes. Ultimately, it played out just as everyone expected."
In a normal Yongbong Assembly, the World's Greatest Phoenix would be decided first, followed by the World's Greatest Dragon the next day.
But this year was different.
The following day, Taiji Martial Phoenix (太極武鳳) versus Demonic Phoenix Princess (魔鳳姬).
Sagong Hee and the Little Princess, who had already claimed their seats among the Six Phoenixes, were now set to compete for the title of World's Greatest Phoenix. Over the two weeks I spent working as the on-site physician, the two steadily suppressed and defeated their opponents, each taking down two other Phoenixes to reach the final match.
"Sa-wol, who do you think will win?"
"Obviously Hee. Even if she's the Heavenly Demon's daughter, Hee has shown us what she's made of up to now."
The Taiji Sword.
It was Wudang's foundational sword art, but nothing is as fearsome as a solid foundation. With a single sword, Sagong Hee deflected all of her opponents' attacks and launched counterattacks time and again, even defeating a woman who had reached First-Rate Expert with ease, flaunting her own achievement.
'But she still has something she hasn't revealed yet.'
It's common sense for a murim warrior to keep around thirty percent of their true skill hidden, but I never imagined she wouldn't need to use the Taiji Wisdom Sword up to the finals.
"Did I raise a monstrous talent?"
No one could match her. With Sagong Hee's current skill, it seemed she could even easily defeat Dokgo Yeon, the genius swordswoman and daughter of the Murim Alliance Leader who was originally expected to participate.
...Even if it's impossible right now, perhaps within the next five years, she'll surpass her?
"Congratulations. On having the world's greatest body slave. Pfft."
"It's not over yet. Her opponent is also a formidable monster."
If Sagong Hee was a pearl unearthed from the mud, the Little Princess was a raw gemstone that had been polished into a jewel since birth.
Considering all the spirit medicines and finest things she consumed from birth, the Little Princess's inner energy had likely already surpassed one gapja by age ten.
"Victory or defeat will be decided tomorrow."
"Gaga, who do you think will win?"
"...Who knows."
I kept my words to myself. I had no choice but to hold them back.
'Sagong Hee will win ten times out of ten.'
Sagong Hee was fated to win. Watching the Little Princess from afar as she congratulated Namgung Pae on ascending to the Nine Dragons, I gauged her realm.
'She hasn't grown at all!'
Over the past two weeks, while Sagong Hee achieved rapid growth, the Little Princess showed no growth whatsoever. The reason for this was clear to me.
The one who lags behind on the path but carries a map, knowing exactly which direction to advance.
The one who is slightly ahead but blocked by a dead-end wall, unable to find a detour, forced to scale the high wall with their body.
There was no need to say which of the two had progressed further in two weeks.
"Everything will be settled tomorrow."
The same went for me. I took Sa-wol and exited the Martial Arts Arena.
"Sa-wol, you've worked hard all this time. Your hair looks beautiful worn down like that."
Sa-wol hadn't put it up with a hairpin like a courtesan from the Pleasure House, but instead had neatly tied it into a single tail that flowed down to her waist. Even her attire felt more like the quiet modesty of a woman her age, not that of a courtesan.
"Fufu, thanks to Gaga, I've earned my retirement fund. So it's goodbye to being a courtesan now."
"Really? Did you find a new job?"
"I heard the Wudang Divine Maiden is terribly bad at cooking. Fortunately, through an acquaintance, I intend to serve the Divine Maiden."
"Hoho. That's a wonderful plan."
I tightly clasped Sa-wol's hands.
"Then how about becoming the wet-nurse who will care for that lady's child someday? I think I could fully trust you to handle it."
"...Oh my, does Hee know of Gaga's plan?"
"She thinks I'm only joking and isn't certain. Even though I've said so from the start, repeatedly."
She was my body slave and my woman. So it was only natural that she would bear my child, and I was planning to have Sagong Hee conceive once she reached the Profound Realm.
'Getting pregnant too early hinders martial progress.'
If she became a mother rather than just a woman, Sagong Hee was the type to abandon her martial arts and choose my child. That was why I intended to welcome her as one of my companions.
"Teach her the cooking you do with fire. When the day comes that I return, I will welcome her not as a body slave, but as the mother of my child."
"......Understood, Clan Head."
Sa-wol was already teasing me. Seeing the three Taoists, Hyeongi, Hyeoncheol, and Hyeonta, standing guard near Sagong Hee, I pulled Sa-wol close by her waist.
"Sa-wol. But isn't a wet-nurse still a sort of mother?"
"Oh my, me too? I'll just care for the children rather than having my own."
"No, ahem. The thing is... because the match is tomorrow, Hee said she wanted to focus on her martial arts today. So we couldn't... have our nightly activities or internal qi cultivation."
"Is that so?"
Sa-wol chuckled, pointing toward an inn.
"Then that won't do. Shall we go over there and rest for a while?"
"Hng...."
The place Jin Sa-wol pointed to was the alleyway next to the Pleasure House where I first met her.
"Gaga, since we're here for the first time in a while...."
Jin Sa-wol slipped her hand inside my pants and whispered in my ear.
"Won't you stamp a lifetime contract inside your big sister's belly, our cute and strong Clan Head?"
"......Why is it that everyone around me is nothing but fox-like women?"
"Isn't that why it's more charming? A fox beside a wolf... doesn't it suit perfectly?"
"I suppose it does."
I pushed Jin Sa-wol against the wall and pressed my lips to the small of her back. Looking up at her as she leaned against the wall, trembling slightly, I made her tremble even more with a single sentence.
"I'll turn into a real wolf today and kill you completely, Sa-wol."
"Keuk...! If you put in something that big... big sister... will die...!"
And she loved every moment of it.
* * *
That evening.
With the showdown for the World's Greatest Phoenix approaching the next day, all the involved parties, except the competitors themselves, gathered in one place for an emergency meeting.
Wudang.
"The Flying Heaven Three Demons haven't made any unusual movements?"
The Acting Sect Leader, Taoist Hyeoncheol, pressed the other Wudang elders with his chapped lips. But none of them had obtained any worthwhile information.
"Apologies, Acting Sect Leader. They're simply too elusive...."
"We were completely turned away at the Namgung Clan estate. They said they left Hubei Province late at night."
"Hng...."
The eyes of the Wudang elders turned to Taoist Hyeonta. He, the Sa Jeong-hu, was the one with the most information here.
"...Considering their temperament, if defeat seems likely for the Taiji Martial Phoenix, they won't sit still."
"And if the opposite happens?"
"Then they'll likely cause a riot. According to the shady rumors in the marketplace, the one called Blade Demon is a lecherous villain who enjoys violating women out in the open. If the Taiji Martial Phoenix gains the upper hand, he might feign madness and attempt to abduct her."
"Ahem, such inhumane acts...!!"
The elders furrowed their brows. Even Sa Jeong-hu himself felt embarrassed after saying it, awkwardly scratching his head.
"What should we do?"
"One wrong move and the Great Righteous-Demonic War could erupt. Even the Murim Alliance doesn't wish to go that far."
The representative from the Murim Alliance clearly conveyed the Alliance's position. But to the Wudang Sect listening, it was sickening.
"So you're telling us to deal with it ourselves if an abduction happens?"
"Of course not. How could the Alliance pretend not to know? We simply hope to avoid a repeat of incidents like the Sword Demon or the Cheonhwa Incident."
"Khhm!"
Taoist Hyeoncheol coughed dryly, his discomfort evident. The forced sect sealing due to the Cheonhwa Incident was Wudang's disgrace.
"Do not worry too much, everyone."
The door opened to reveal an old man dressed entirely in white. While everyone was surprised by the arrival of Taoist Hyeongi, Taoist Hyeoncheol slowly rose with a face that looked like he'd bitten into a bitter pill.
"Don't overdo it. You'll collapse again at this rate."
"Hohoho, don't worry. I cannot die before I see the master of the Taiji Sword rise to the peak of the Murim with my own eyes."
Did he just deliberately let something slip? As the elders looked at each other, tilting their heads, Sa Jeong-hu bit his lip and muttered to himself.
Now that his time is near, he's spouting off whatever he wants.
"As a man with not much time left to live, it seems his mouth has become rather loose. Keolkeol."
"...Khm."
Sa Jeong-hu turned his head away. With a gentle smile, Taoist Hyeongi gave a martial salute to the representative from the Murim Alliance.
"As Sect Leader of the Wudang Sect, I give you my word. Even if such an event occurs, never again will an incident like the Cheonhwa Incident happen."
"Sect Leader...?"
The eyes of Taoist Hyeongi, gleaming within his white hair, held a hint of madness.
"This Hyeongi, even at the cost of his life."
* * *
And at that same moment, the hideout of the Flying Heaven Three Demons.
"This is insane. I ignored it, thinking it was the rambling of a senile old man, but it was real."
Blade Demon paced the room, biting his nails. The skin below his eyes was darkly stained, and his pupils darted left and right, unable to focus. Blade Demon was more tense than the competitors facing tomorrow's match.
"What do I do? Do I really have to become a Public Enemy of the Martial World?"
"You can't keep still for a moment, can you, bastard."
"Illusion Demon!"
Blade Demon greeted the old man with a wide grin. Distinct from Illusion Demon's usual simple attire, he now wore martial robes emblazoned with the Taiji and Eight Trigrams, a gray bamboo hat, and carried a cane, returning to the hideout with a clear mind.
"How is it?!"
"It's over. You can just go ahead and be a public enemy."
"Aaaaargh! Crazy!"
Blade Demon pulled out his saber and swung it wildly in the air. Bandit Demon, who had been stuck to the wall fiddling with a gold ring, yawned and approached Illusion Demon. Still stuck to the wall.
"Is that Wudang wench really that much stronger?"
"Don't even ask. I even read the heavenly secrets on my way here because I thought my eyes might be mistaken."
Illusion Demon pointed the tip of his cane at Blade Demon.
"That bastard, he'll die tomorrow."
"Aaarrgghh! Don't talk nonsense, you crazy old man!!"
"That crazy old man also dies."
"...What?"
"The one who just asked 'what' also dies."
Illusion Demon pulled three sheets of paper from his bosom. Written on them were the personal details and Saju Palja of the Flying Heaven Three Demons, with a chilling red 'X' marked over them in what looked like blood.
"All three of the Flying Heaven Three Demons die. What do you think that means?"
"...Shit, we're fucked."
Bandit Demon spat out a curse and scratched his head furiously. He couldn't entirely rule out the possibility that Illusion Demon had misread the heavenly secrets, but the odds of a lightning bolt striking him on a clear day were higher.
"Let's run."
Bandit Demon threw aside the gold ring and started packing his things. But Illusion Demon shook his head without moving a muscle, striking his own chest.
"It's no use. Have you forgotten what's inside here?"
"Aaaaaarrghh! Shit, why is this happening to me!!"
Blade Demon threw his saber to the floor and began to rampage.
"How, how am I supposed to die! Why me! With so many days ahead of me!! What wrong have I ever done!!"
"You've certainly done plenty of wrong. Look here, old man. Surely there must be a way to survive?"
"Of course. The Little Princess simply needs to defeat the Taiji Martial Phoenix. I've recited 1,400 heavenly secrets, and that path is our only chance of survival."
"So that means the Little Princess is highly likely to lose. Khuhuhu!!"
Bandit Demon burst into a maniacal laugh, his expression twisting.
"Should I have sided with the Eldest Prince's faction if I knew this would happen? If we had, the Earth Qilin Three Demons would be the ones with a death omen hanging over them."
"Then you'd be the Flying Heaven Two Demons. Don't worry. The Little Princess has grown strong enough over the past two weeks. Didn't she even win a bout against Blade Demon?"
"Damn it!"
Blade Demon slumped to the floor. A murderous glint began to flicker in his eyes.
"Let's strike now."
"What?"
"Shit, I said let's strike now! Whether we die tomorrow or today, it's obvious the Little Princess won't win!!"
"So you were here."
The Flying Heaven Three Demons raised their weapons. The voice from outside belonged to a 'young man' they had never heard before.
"I thought the mountain was becoming thick with demonic energy, and it was you bastards."
Creeeak.
The door to the hideout opened. Silhouetted against the moonlight, the young man spread his arms wide as he looked upon the Flying Heaven Three Demons.
"Is it Taoist Hyeonja?! Y-You bastard! Did you abandon Ascension to meddle with us...?"
"I am not Hyeonja. That crazy bastard... no!"
"Who the hell are you?!"
"Me?"
The moonlight illuminated the young man's forehead. The pretty young man, whose appearance seemed almost feminine, smiled brightly like the full moon.
"The one who will take the lives of you Flying Heaven Three Demons... the Lust Demon."
The young man's eyes were red, like blood.