The Filial Son
The Sichuan Tang Clan possessed the technology to craft Inpi-myeongu—human-skin masks—quite openly. It was a subsidiary technique adopted alongside the Lang Clan’s Jiangshi Art. For instance, if a master was brought in as a corpse but their face was too mangled to be presentable, the Lang Clan had developed a way to craft these masks to conceal the damage. The only drawback was that, being designed for Jiangshi, the technology was crude and could not properly mimic the movement of facial muscles; wearing one made the user appear expressionless to others. Of course, that was no problem for a family sneaking out for a casual outing.
Perhaps that was why Tang Suryeon found it so awkward that people failed to recognize her. Usually, when she walked around in the green martial arts uniform that symbolized the Tang Clan, people would bow and greet her of their own accord. But now, having changed her clothes and donned an expressionless mask, everyone passed by as if she were nothing more than a pebble on the road. It was a novel experience for her.
"It’s surprisingly strange... to be out in the city and have not a single person recognize me."
"But Mother, there are still people glancing at you. Perhaps they are overwhelmed by the aura you exude, even with the mask on?"
"Is that so?"
Tang Gahee, who had been watching Tang Suryeon’s reaction, leaned in and whispered the truth to Tang Gain. "Gain, that’s not it. They’re staring because Mother has a better figure than the other women."
"...Ah."
Of course, they were a family that would inevitably draw attention regardless. While Tang Gain and Tang Hwi were relatively average, Tang Suryeon and Tang Gahee possessed voluptuous breasts that could not be hidden by clothing, no matter how baggy the garments. Even in loose robes, the curve of their chests drew men’s gazes toward them before they even realized it. At Tang Gahee’s explanation, Tang Gain instinctively looked down at her own chest. It wasn’t small by any means; she had firm, perky breasts that were well above average even among female martial artists.
Glance.
Compared to Mom and Sister, it’s just a drop in the ocean...!
It was not a level comparable to the two women who possessed breasts of such staggering size. Come to think of it, maybe Aunt Sua favored me because she felt bad about the difference in chest size... It was a sorrowful reality.
Perhaps sensing that Tang Gain’s mood was darkening, Tang Hwi acted like a ghost. *Squeeze.*
"Ngh?!"
As soon as the distance between her and Tang Suryeon and Tang Gahee widened slightly, Tang Hwi reached out and grabbed her buttocks. He kneaded his younger sister’s rear through her clothes, calculating the line of sight of passersby to ensure he was in a blind spot. Of course, Tang Gain, unaware of the angle, was terrified by Tang Hwi’s audacity in touching her so brazenly while people were around.
"O-Oppa? Not here...! People are watching...!"
"Don’t worry. Because of the masks, they don’t even know it’s us."
"That’s not the point!"
Whether Tang Gain grumbled or not, Tang Hwi continued to knead her buttocks. He even slipped his hand deeper, poking at her perineum with his fingers. He also repeatedly grabbed and released her breasts through her clothes. Thanks to Tang Gahee keeping Tang Suryeon occupied in conversation, Tang Hwi had plenty of time to torment his younger sister.
Perhaps because it was a rare family outing, Tang Gain, who usually preferred trousers, was wearing a short skirt. She was used to being fondled over pants, but the sensation over a skirt felt fresh; despite maintaining an expressionless face due to the mask, Tang Gain trembled several times, perhaps having reached a light climax.
"Oppa..."
Though her expression remained stoic behind the mask, the petulant tone in her voice clearly signaled that she was slightly sulking. However, seeing that there was no hint of genuine dislike, Tang Hwi could tell she secretly enjoyed it. A cute rebellion, he thought. Smiling behind his mask at his sister’s complaints, Tang Hwi slapped her buttocks again when no one was looking and whispered.
"I was satisfied because your butt is like a rice cake."
"?!"
Tang Gain’s face flushed bright red at Tang Hwi’s assessment of her rear. Assuming no one would notice because of the mask, Tang Hwi stepped forward and wedged himself between Tang Suryeon and Tang Gahee, who were chatting away.
"Have you decided where to go?"
"Let’s go to a clothing boutique first. Come to think of it... I felt bad that I’d never bought you children any clothes."
"Then let’s go right away."
"Let’s. ...Gain, is something wrong?"
"...It’s nothing."
Tang Suryeon tilted her head, watching Tang Gain, whose reaction was strange as the afterglow of her peak had not yet faded. But when Tang Gain insisted there was no problem, she assumed it was just her imagination and moved on. Tang Hwi, who had been in charge of the general management of the banquet last time, knew a place that sold high-quality clothing and took the lead. He stopped his family in front of a boutique that had a decent reputation and said,
"I’ll go in first and talk to the shopkeeper. If a group of people with expressionless masks walks in and starts picking out clothes, it might look strange. They might even get scared, thinking we’re assassins."
"Hmm. That could be true. Go ahead."
Tang Suryeon agreed without any suspicion, but Tang Gahee and Tang Gain behind her wore strange expressions. They were gesturing with their eyes, clearly convinced that Tang Hwi was about to do something bizarre. Nodding as if to say he understood how obsessed his sisters were with him, Tang Hwi entered the shop and faced the owner. Before the shopkeeper could even ask who he was, he ripped off his mask.
"Ah! Young Master! Welcome!"
"Listen, shopkeeper. Do you remember the small request I made when I placed an order with you in the past?"
"Ah... Yes, I see."
The shopkeeper nodded as if he understood. "You mean the request to pretend I don't know you whenever you bring women here to play like a debaucher?"
"Exactly."
Back when he held a banquet to celebrate the recovery of Tang Gahee’s face, Tang Hwi hadn't hired the top-tier suppliers for the necessary items. They were already practically part of the Tang Clan’s network. Hiring them would only give the impression that he was relying on the clan’s connections, so he had placed orders with small-to-medium-sized businesses that had good reputations even if they weren't the absolute best. And the condition he had set—the price for giving them the business—was exactly this: 'When I want to play with women to blow off some steam, lend me your shop.' He had promised to pay for anything broken and to compensate for any lost revenue if the shop had to be closed.
Tang Hwi had kept his word, placing orders for the banquet with them and significantly boosting their sales. They were ready to faithfully fulfill his conditions. A dog can’t change its spots, the shopkeeper thought. Namgung Buryun hadn't been able to change his ways until the end, and now it seemed his son, Tang Hwi, was the same. Of course, even if it was the same bad habit, the treatment was different. Still, it’s a relief that he’s asking for cooperation and proceeding quietly. Seeing him ask so politely, it feels like he doesn't want to make a scene either. Above all, wasn't he the 'A' (the client) who gave him business? It would be a disaster if I refused and fell out of his favor. He was the Young Master who would one day become the Clan Head. Wouldn't he throw more work his way in the future for helping him enjoy his womanizing?
Having finished his calculations, the shopkeeper used his silver tongue to quickly clear out the customers browsing the shop and sent them outside. With the shop now reserved, Tang Hwi brought his family inside.
"What beautiful ladies! Looking at you, I know exactly which clothes will give wings to these goddesses! Please, follow me!"
The shopkeeper tried his best to boost Tang Hwi’s ego, as if stuffing his shoulders with padding. He led the mother and daughters around, recommending clothes and using flashy flattery mixed with some truth to lift their spirits.
"How about this dress? It’s made of fabric from Hubei, and it couldn't suit a lady better. For you as well..."
The shopkeeper, who had been in the middle of his spiel, glanced at Tang Suryeon and Tang Gahee’s Danjeon and his pupils shook. Even if the clothes were good, it was obvious the physical dimensions wouldn't fit. He feared that if he recommended them and the clothes tore, they would take it as an insult and be offended. The shopkeeper had no choice but to recommend them to Tang Gain, who was standing next to them.
"I think this would suit this lady the best!"
"Mister. Are you insulting me by saying I’m worse than those two?"
"......"
Cold sweat running down his face, the shopkeeper desperately racked his brain on how to get out of this crisis.
"Oh my! How could that be? I recommended this because it suits someone with such shapely limbs as yourself, customer. Why would I, a mere shopkeeper... why would I do such a thing to you?"
"Hmm. I don’t think so."
"......"
The shopkeeper was certain after the aura Tang Gain had inadvertently leaked just a moment ago. This Young Master, obsessed with women, must have brought in some female martial artist! If I make one wrong move, I’m going to end up with a broken bone! He had thought they were courtesans because he was bringing three women around, but it turned out they were experts who looked like they could handle martial arts. Even a third-rate martial artist was as scary as a thug to commoners, and the aura leaked by Tang Gain, a Super-Peak expert, was not good for the shopkeeper’s heart.
To save the shopkeeper, Tang Hwi sent a telepathic message to Tang Gain. [Gain, stop it. You’re going to kill the shopkeeper at this rate.]
"...Hmph. You’d better hope it suits me."
Tang Gain, unable to send telepathic messages, seemed to decide to end it there and took the clothes the shopkeeper offered. "Where is the changing room?"
"Right there, customer. It’s a completely sealed space with safety locks, so unless a martial artist tries to break it down by force, no one will be able to peek."
Tang Gain walked briskly toward the changing room. Even after that, the shopkeeper recommended fabrics that would suit Tang Suryeon and Tang Gahee. As expected of a boutique that had prepared sufficiently for the banquet orders, the shopkeeper’s eye for fashion was quite good. Once all three women had entered the changing rooms,
"Listen, shopkeeper."
"Yes, Young Master."
"I’m going to enter one of the changing rooms now... later, if two of them come out first, use your tongue to stall for time."
"......"
The shopkeeper felt a moment of dizziness. He had just declared he was going to openly have sex in his shop, in a changing room no less. He looked at Tang Hwi with eyes filled with the sentiment, 'What kind of bastard is this?' Setting aside the risk of getting caught, wasn't the cleanup all his job? He wasn't an innkeeper; did he really have to clean up the traces of a man and woman biting and sucking on each other? He was starting to feel skeptical, but...
"I’ll give you this as a reward for keeping the two of them occupied. You’ll be able to get a pretty penny if you sell it to a merchant guild."
Seeing the Night-Luminescent Pearl Tang Hwi slipped into his sleeve, the shopkeeper’s heart changed.
"I will do my absolute best to keep them occupied!"
His disappointment vanished instantly. Even if it was a low-grade Night-Luminescent Pearl, it was a precious gem that could earn a commoner a fortune. This one item was worth a month’s worth of business—what did his personal feelings matter? Seeing the shopkeeper bowing like a loyal subject, Tang Hwi nodded.
Money really does know the answer.