A Harmonious Family
Jegal Hye returned to her assigned room. Pampered by the Jegal Clan's servants, she lay down on her bed. Having her shoulders thoroughly worked by Tang Hwi's massage, she was in the perfect state to sink into a heavenly slumber.
Today was another satisfying day.
If only she could spend such fulfilling days back at the Jegal Clan. Feeling her martial arts and formation skills visibly improve made all her efforts feel worthwhile. His grueling physical training was undeniably painful, but the results were so striking that she couldn't bring herself to stop.
And at the end of it all, Tang Hwi's massage would completely melt away the stiffness in her shoulders, leaving her body wonderfully relaxed. It was the perfect, refreshing end to her day. She felt a pang of regret knowing she wouldn't be able to taste this crisp, clean feeling once she returned home.
No. It's not just that.
To begin with, she could never truly rest at home. No matter what she did, the Patriarch's eyes were always on her, waiting for any excuse to strip away her chance of becoming the Young Patriarch. How could she ever put her mind at ease in a place like that?
Wearing that suggestive outfit that exposed her chest had been deeply embarrassing, but since the only one seeing her was her fiancé, Tang Hwi, it was fine...
"...No, it's not fine. Yes. I've just been conditioned by his massages. That's it."
It was absolutely not because she was okay with showing him. Desperately denying the thought, Jegal Hye closed her eyes, trying to sleep.
But...
Her eyes remained wide open.
Perhaps because the massage had completely banished her fatigue, she was left with nothing but overflowing energy. Her clear eyes stubbornly insisted that it was not yet time to sleep.
This has never happened before, she thought, tossing and turning.
...
......
.........
She was still wide awake, her mind completely lucid.
Realizing for the first time that a mind too clear could be its own kind of torture, Jegal Hye sat up in bed. No matter how she looked at it, the culprit behind her insomnia was Tang Hwi's massage.
"I can't sleep... Is a massage that even blows away Young Master Tang's fatigue really this potent?"
It was a shoulder massage that had made her let out sweet, embarrassing whimpers just listening to them. Before his reformation, there had been rumors of him being a profligate playboy who seduced women left and right. Now, Jegal Hye understood exactly how he had done it. With hand techniques like that, what woman wouldn't cling to him?
The courtesans of the brothels—especially the Honglu—had a grueling job dealing with countless men. Even if they made good money compared to ordinary citizens, it was never an easy life. Dealing with one man was manageable, but the more popular they were, the more men they had to entertain, piling up immense fatigue.
But even as a playboy, there was no way Tang Hwi hadn't massaged the courtesans he slept with. A single touch of his hands would have cleared the fatigue of even the most well-endowed women, leaving them feeling completely refreshed.
Should I go for a walk?
Since it was late at night, there was no need to wake the servants.
Come to think of it, the garden of the Patriarch's Pavilion looked like a nice place to walk.
She already knew how to get inside. Of course, as she was an outsider, Tang Hwi had never taught her the way. However, she had memorized his movements when he opened the formation, analyzed it on the spot, and cracked it.
To put it simply, she had looked at the shape of a key and instantly forged a perfect duplicate. It was a terrifying talent that would make other formation masters despair and question their entire life's work.
Tang Hwi had assumed she was simply good at formations because she was from the Jegal Clan and possessed the Five Elements Body, but her true talent lay in a genius for formations that bordered on the miraculous.
I'll just slip in, walk around a bit, and come back. It's fine as long as I don't get caught.
The young lady aiming for the head of the Jegal Clan was far more daring and mischievous than she let on.
While Jegal Hye was tossing and turning in her bed, only Tang Suryeon and Tang Hwi had retired to the bedchamber in the Patriarch's Pavilion.
Today was not a day for using her as a teaching aid, and Tang Ga-hui and Tang Ga-in had retired to other rooms.
After all, tonight was the night Tang Hwi would claim Tang Suryeon's backdoor virginity.
In a sense, it was taking Tang Suryeon's "first time" all over again. Out of consideration for their mother, the daughters had intentionally given them space.
"Mother."
"..."
"Does it make you happy to think your son is going to claim your asshole's virginity?"
"I-I told you not to call it an asshole! Your mother doesn't poop out of...!"
Because she was so tense, Tang Hwi threw out a vulgar joke, eliciting a delicious reaction. Tang Suryeon's face flushed as red as a ripe apple.
No matter how mature she was, and even though she was a mother who had already given birth... indeed, because of those very facts, giving her backdoor virginity to Tang Hwi stirred up a complex storm of emotions.
She was deeply anxious. That was the only word to describe her state of mind.
She was happy to give her pure, untouched part to the man she loved, but realizing that man was her son made her feel as if she were going backward—from giving birth to returning inside him.
At the same time, she felt a strange sense of helplessness as she consciously realized she had allowed him to develop her anus.
Tang Hwi was well-accustomed to this reaction. In his past lives, the women who had yielded their back doors to him had all shown the exact same pattern of behavior. Unless they were sex-crazed succubi or possessed depraved tastes, no woman could easily overcome the shame of anal intercourse.
Knowing that the best approach was to shower her with affection and build up her confidence, Tang Hwi slid closer to her.
Tang Suryeon flinched, bracing herself for what was to come. Tang Hwi wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her close until his head rested gently against hers.
With his other hand, he softly took her delicate hand, which was resting on his thigh, and squeezed it gently.
"Son..."
"It's alright. Today is an important day. Even if we can't do it tonight, I have no intention of forcing you, Mother."
Tang Hwi's touch remained incredibly gentle.
"Take a deep breath. I'll wait until you're calm. If we have to, we can just stay like this all night."
As if to prove his words, Tang Hwi continued to stroke her shoulder soothingly.
He kept his head pressed against hers, maintaining a warm, affectionate embrace. There were no lewd caresses or suggestive advances—just pure, tender affection.
Experiencing this kind of sweet, innocent intimacy for the first time in a long while, Tang Suryeon felt her heart flutter with excitement.
She loved when Tang Hwi claimed her body like a beast, but these moments where he showed his genuine love for her as a person were just as intoxicating as any aphrodisiac.
Namgung Bu-ryun had only been like this at the very beginning; after she became the Patriarch, he had never shown her a single moment of sweet consideration.
"Or should we talk about the future of our children?"
"Our children's future, you say?"
"The child you give birth to can be disguised as father's child, but we can't do that for Sister or Ga-in. And we can't have the three of them living separately."
"That's... true. Indeed."
If they were wandering rogue cultivators, it wouldn't be an issue. With their strength, they could live in secret incestuous bliss and raise their children without anyone daring to criticize them. But they had the Tang Clan to lead.
They couldn't just scatter Tang Hwi's children and have them live separate lives.
"How about we remodel a part of the Taesang Pavilion?"
"Huh? A part of the Taesang Pavilion?"
"You can give birth there. And Sister and Ga-in can give birth there too. The timing might differ, but under the pretext of postpartum care, all three of you can stay there until you've given birth."
"Hmm. That is not a bad idea."
Since the clan already believed the Elders and the Grand Patriarch were dead, Tang Suryeon agreed that using the secluded Taesang Pavilion was a viable option.
"We'll raise them telling them they are all father's children. Once the three children are old enough to take over the clan, our family can quickly retire and move to a quiet mountain valley to spend our later years together."
"...You don't plan on telling the children the truth?"
"If we don't raise them knowing the true relationship from the start, they'll feel betrayed and hurt when they grow up. But if we teach them the truth from the beginning and they accidentally let it slip, the entire Jianghu will condemn us. Not just us, but the children will be insulted as bastards born of incest. For their sake, raising them without knowing the truth is the best choice."
In truth, abandoning the clan now and living in seclusion was entirely possible. However, Tang Hwi valued his and his wives' comfortable lives too much to sacrifice everything, so he deliberately avoided bringing up that possibility.
After planning their children's future for a long while...
"Son... Come in..."
Having steeled her resolve, Tang Suryeon offered her buttocks to Tang Hwi.