Scoring Support (3)

"With foreign enemies pressing our borders, withdrawing troops is exceedingly difficult. The yaoguai are running rampant besides. Pulling a great army for the sake of a single Mount Hua Sect is simply not a realistic option."

My face froze at the Emperor's words.

"Instead, I shall help the Mount Hua Sect relocate elsewhere. Upon the honor of the Imperial House, you will suffer no losses of any kind. All you need do is swallow your pride. I have no wish to see a great and storied sect vanish from the world."

Truth be told, it was a decent offer.

No — it was an extraordinary one.

A prestigious sect like the Mount Hua Sect abandoning its nest and carrying everything it owned? There was no chance the jackals wouldn't come circling. Secret manuals and spiritual elixirs packed into every bundle — would the unorthodox sects simply sit still and watch?

Not just the Demonic Cult. Even fellow orthodox sects would take an interest. Who needed a fortuitous encounter? The warehouses and armories of the Mount Hua Sect were a fortuitous encounter in and of themselves.

When the Zhongnan Sect fell, the martial artists who risked their lives infiltrating Mount Zhongnan had numbered in the tens of thousands. Among them, more than a few made their names by mastering Zhongnan's arts, or by walking away with treasured swords and spiritual medicines.

And now they were offering to prepare a new home. With the Imperial House lending its aid, what entrenched local power would dare drive out a goldmine like the Mount Hua Sect? If anything, this rolling stone would be free to uproot every settled stone already planted there, and the authorities would look the other way. They'd quietly offer support, even.

I let out a long, heavy breath.

Anyone watching that sigh would naturally assume I was about to fold. The problem was Ryu Su-gyeong.

The Mount Hua Sect was the vessel of her memories. I had to protect that place if I wanted to pull her heart free of Pontus's malign influence. I hadn't come here to drive a stake into the murim world. What I wanted was to protect the Ryu Su-gyeong of the world I actually lived in.

"Without Mount Hua, we would be as good as dead."

"So you refuse to give it up."

"If I die this way or that way, it makes no difference. I will die at the Mount Hua Sect."

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"Is that so?"

A flicker of genuine bewilderment crossed the Emperor's face. He had almost never seen a man refuse his command.

"You insolent cur! Whose command do you think you're refusing?"

"This body is already as good as dead."

I bowed at the waist, offered my respects, and walked out.

"They say the swords of Mount Hua are proud and lofty," the Emperor murmured at my retreating back. "True enough. You do not bow your head."

Outside, the banquet was in full swing. I went looking for the place where the brides were waiting.

The two brides sat quietly on a couch, sharing snacks in a spot from which the outside was nearly impossible to see. Screened by lavish awnings, the chamber would remain sealed off for the entire day. Only friends who had received the groom's and the brides' permission were allowed inside.

Squish.

I sank my hand into what I thought was Namgung Ryeo's soft ass and let my mind wander for a moment.

"Hyeet!"

Huh. That voice was different.

"Who are you?! Who do you think you are, grabbing someone's ass like that?"

A sharp, bristling voice snapped at me from the side. It did not belong to the owner of the ass in my hand.

"And who are you? This is the bridal seat."

I looked at the owner of that bristling voice.

"I'm a childhood friend of the bride. Do you even know whose ass you just grabbed?"

"Come on, it's one little squeeze. You're making too much of it. Here — grab mine too."

I stuck my hip out toward her.

"W-what did you just say? I cannot believe what I'm hearing."

"I'm a little speechless myself. It's not like this girl's ass belongs to the Emperor. Give me a break."

"The sheer nerve of this man! Turning it around on me!"

The sharp-tongued woman huffed out one disbelieving sigh after another.

"What's going on?"

Peng Ha-yun and Namgung Ryeo stepped into the bridal chamber.

"Oh? The groom's back. I heard you'd gone to see His Majesty."

At Namgung Ryeo's words, the sickly-looking woman whose ass I had accidentally groped rose from her seat.

"What? With Father?"

Shit.

No. Don't tell me.

"Father?"

Goosebumps raced down my back. Had somebody cranked the air conditioning? Why had the room gone so cold all of a sudden?

I quietly lifted my hand off the Imperial Princess's ass and arranged an awkward smile on my face. The sharp-tongued woman snorted and puffed out her chest.

"That's right. The person whose ass you just grabbed is Her Highness Ju Yeon-ryeong, the youngest daughter of the Imperial House. And I am Dang Ga-hui of the Sichuan Tang Clan."

Holy shit.

"What? Finally grasping the situation, are we?"

At Dang Ga-hui's words, Ju Yeon-ryeong laid a hand on her shoulder.

"Please don't be so hard on him. He was startled. I'm quite all right."

Fortunately, unlike Dang Ga-hui, she was a woman of proper manners. If their personalities had been swapped, this would have been a nightmare.

"Please, treat me at your ease. Cough! Cough!"

"Yeon-ryeong! Are you all right? Is it flaring up again?"

The frail-looking princess coughed and eased herself back down onto the couch.

"I'll be fine if I rest a little."

"Want me to put in some needles?"

Dang Ga-hui drew an acupuncture case from her robes. Ju Yeon-ryeong shook her head and looked at me.

"But why are the two of you here?"

"The truth is, Yeon-ryeong said she wanted to meet Young Hero Cheong-song."

Namgung Ryeo regarded Ju Yeon-ryeong with a worried expression.

"We've been as close as sisters since we were little. Yeon-ryeong fell seriously ill as a child — a condition called Juhwa Samsimgyeong. At first there are no symptoms to speak of. Then the first chest pain strikes, and the body begins to fail with terrible speed. After the second, she lives with the illness every day. And after the third… she doesn't have long."

"A heart condition, then?"

"You could call it that. Yeon-ryeong came because she wanted to see you at least once — you're famous as a man of extraordinary virility. She said she wanted to lay eyes, even once, on someone who was her complete opposite."

"I see. Your Highness, which bout of chest pain have you reached?"

I looked at Ju Yeon-ryeong.

"The third."

She answered with a shadowed gaze.

"As it happens, I know a little medicine."

"Pardon? Young Hero Cheong-song? That's the first I've heard of it."

I'm the director of the Golden Cock Clinic in Gangnam, thank you very much.

"If ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I were to cure Her Highness's illness, what then? Would His Majesty help the Mount Hua Sect?"

"Of course he would!"

I clapped my hands together in delight.

"Then I need to see His Majesty at once."

Support isn't something you apply for. It's something you take.

I went before the Emperor and told him I could cure Ju Yeon-ryeong's illness.

"Can you truly heal my daughter's disease?"

"I can."

"Then heal her at once."

"I have a request."

"Nngh."

The Emperor's brow furrowed. He didn't need to hear the request to know what it was.

"A method for cultivating virility, and the extension of Her Highness's life. Surely that is worth at least this much?"

The Emperor looked from me to his daughter and back again.

"Very well. I will lend you troops. However — I cannot hurl tens of thousands of soldiers into the jaws of death for the Mount Hua Sect alone. I have a condition of my own. It is not, in truth, a particularly difficult one."

"Speak, Your Majesty."

"Bring at least five of the Nine Great Sects or the Five Great Clans over to your side."

"I beg your pardon?"

That was the minimum force required for an all-out war with the Black Jade Valley. And he was ordering me — a mere disciple of the Mount Hua Sect — to assemble that minimum force myself.

"I cannot commit an army to a war with no prospect of victory. However precious my daughter and the Imperial House's virility may be, I will not gamble the fate of the nation. The Demon King of the Black Jade Valley is the sort of creature who would march on Beijing itself if he only had the strength. If I expend my armies, his next target may not be the murim of the Central Plains — it may be the capital, where the Emperor sits."

I bowed my head.

The Eye of Truth was already speaking to me.

The Zhuge Clan?

Shaolin Temple and the Namgung Clan had already pledged their support. Tonight I would share a bed with the daughter of the Hebei Peng Clan, together with Namgung Ryeo. I was more than confident I could win her over. My nighttime technique was the strongest in this entire worldview, after all.

The Sichuan Tang Clan had a connection to the Imperial Princess, so I could seduce them with a pretty-boy routine one way or another.

But the Zhuge Clan?

I bowed to the Emperor.

"If you wish to save Her Highness, there is one difficulty."

"What difficulty?"

"My treatment is bound up with the bedroom arts. I will have to spend the night with her."

"What? The Imperial Princess is a maiden. Do you have any idea how heavy the words you have just spoken are?"

Oh, I knew exactly how heavy they were.

Fuck, that was hot.

"My treatment is not an ordinary treatment."

"I understand. The mere fact that you can heal a disease even the imperial physicians could not touch is enough for me. Mobilize every method at your disposal. Just save my child."

"I will begin treatment the moment preparations are complete."

"Very well. I am counting on you."

The Emperor took my hand, his face lined with genuine worry.

"Do not be concerned."

"Thank you. Truly, thank you."

I went straight back out and headed for the bridal chamber. Ryu Su-gyeong was waiting for me alone in front of it, shifting from foot to foot.

"Cheong-song! To be granted two audiences with His Majesty in a single day! What happened? Did he promise us support?"

She caught my hands as she spoke.

"I think we'll be able to get it."

She threw her arms around me.

"Kh-hhk… thank you. If it hadn't been for you… I… I am truly the worst head disciple."

"That's not true. If it weren't for you, Noona, I never would have been able to push myself this hard."

"Cheong-song."

Tears slipped down Ryu Su-gyeong's face as she held me tight. Between us, a pair of breasts the size of watermelons mashed flat against my chest. I couldn't feel a compression bandage — I couldn't even feel underclothes. Nothing but bare, yielding flesh.

"It's not over yet. There's still work to do."

"Is there anything I can help with?"

When it came to the treatment itself, there was nothing anyone else could do for me.

"Could you go to the experts and get me support contracts? Collect as many pussy stamps as you possibly can. I'm planning to gather support again soon. If they're truly outstanding experts, even increasing the number ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of couplings is fine. I don't think I'll be needing the small fry anymore."

Pussy impressions were a matter of critical importance. I had to collect as many pussy stamps as I could for as long as I remained in this world. They were already the oasis of my soul.

"Mm! I'll bring back as many stamps as I can!"

"Thank you."

"I'm the one who should be thanking you. Cheong-song…"

Was I imagining it, or was she rubbing herself against me as she held on? Her skirt seemed shorter than before, too. She'd even come to find me in clothes so thin I could see her areolae pushing through the fabric. That tomboyish hair of hers had been neatly arranged at some point, turned suddenly feminine.

"Cheong-song… when this is over. If… if the Mount Hua Sect is restored… would you and I…"

Ryu Su-gyeong hesitated, something leaving her lips in a voice as small as a mosquito's hum.

"What? I couldn't hear you."

"It's nothing."

She turned away, her face burning red.

"Hurry and find the experts! Secure their support!"

"Yes!"

At her command, the Plum Blossom Swordswomen scattered in every direction.

"I suppose I should put my back into it as well."

I stepped into the bridal chamber.

The two brides were there, along with Dang Ga-hui and Ju Yeon-ryeong. The latter pair were wrapped in each other's arms in a room they believed was empty.

"Mmh… Ga-hui."

"Haa… Yeon-ryeong."

The two women, stripped bare, were licking at each other's lips.

"Haa… nnh!"

Dang Ga-hui caught Ju Yeon-ryeong's nipple between her fingers and rolled it.

Ohh. So that's the kind of 'childhood friends' they are. Not just friends — the kind who suck each other's pussies.

I hid my presence and settled in to watch their secret tryst.

"Mmmm…"

"Hah!"

Dang Ga-hui sucked Ju Yeon-ryeong's clit into her mouth, and the princess clutched a pillow in both fists, trembling from head to toe.

"Ga-hui, I'm ready."

"Mm."

They slid off what little remained of their underclothes and crossed their legs over each other. The folds of their sexes pressed together, clinging with a thick, sticky heat, and they began to grind.

"Nnh! Hah! Ga-hui! It feels so good!"

"Me too, Yeon-ryeong…"

The two women rubbed their sexes together and drowned in the sensation.

Ohh! Scissoring! To think I'd get to see a sight this rare!

The tribbing filled my field of view with perfect clarity — the wet grind, the slick catch of flesh on flesh. Frail Ju Yeon-ryeong barely moved her body at all. At her request, Dang Ga-hui did all the work, rolling her hips to slake both their lust.

"Ga-hui!"

"Yeon-ryeong! Nnh! Hah!"

"Hyaaahn!"

They shuddered violently and squirted, a pair of ragged, pulsing sprays. Then they collapsed, panting. The sickly princess went limp on the couch as if she had fainted.

"Ga-hui."

"Mm."

With the ease of long practice, Dang Ga-hui lowered her head between Ju Yeon-ryeong's thighs and began to lick her clean, slow and thorough.

"Haa… haaahn. Ga-hui, I love this so much. I think I'm going to come again."

Their pleasant little tryst came to an end.

"Where is Her Highness? Is she in here?"

I made a point of speaking loudly enough for them to hear, and pushed the door open at a leisurely pace. They scrambled for their clothes. But frail Ju Yeon-ryeong could barely move, and Dang Ga-hui, trying to dress her first, never managed to dress herself.

"Well now."

"Kh!"

I took in the sight of Dang Ga-hui with her back to me, ass thrust out as she tried to get the princess into her clothes, and I could only admire it. Her pussy stared me dead in the face.

The pinkest of pink pussies.

Dang Ga-hui glared at me, her face twisted with fury.

"You've been standing there this whole time, haven't you."

"No. I only just came in."

"You think you can fool the sensory arts of someone trained in the Sichuan Tang Clan?"

The Sichuan Tang Clan was a house that specialized in hidden weapons. Acute, finely honed senses were everything to them.

"And how exactly am I supposed to prove I just walked in?"

I turned away at an angle and waited for them to finish changing.

"I have received His Majesty's request to treat the Imperial Princess."

"You? Hah! A treatment even the Sichuan Tang Clan couldn't manage?"

Dang Ga-hui's reply was all thorns.

"Dang Ga-hui."

"W-what?"

When I spoke her name in a serious voice, her answer came out a little smaller.

"I can truly heal Her Highness. If you seriously care about her, you will do as I say."

"…"

Faced with that seriousness, Dang Ga-hui couldn't quite manage another sharp retort.

"Her Highness's life is hanging by a thread. Today I am occupied playing seed husband to Young Lady Namgung Ryeo and Young Lady Peng Ha-yun. The treatment needs to happen as early as tomorrow. Crafting the medicine with proper care will take a few days, of course."

"…Fine."

"This time, I am the chief physician. You will serve as my assisting physician."

"I said fine."

"Address me with respect."

"…"

I turned around to look at her. She had one leg stretched out toward me, in the middle of pulling on her underclothes. No pubic hair.

"Tch! Pervert!"

"Ah, that wasn't my intention. You weren't answering, so I looked. I told you to address me with respect."

"Then turn around right now!"

"Respect."

"P-please turn around. Don't look at something so embarrassing."

Only then did I turn my back. From my inventory I drew the Black-Eyed Green Worm I had obtained on the road here with Namgung Min.

"Th-that's—!"

"You know it well, I take it. The Black-Eyed Green Worm. A spiritual elixir particularly effective on the heart."

"If you have that, you can heal Yeon-ryeong!"

"If she had only suffered the first or second chest pain, yes. Unfortunately, she has already endured the last. This alone is not enough."

"Then what do we have to do?"

Dang Ga-hui looked at me, her face tight with worry. I met her eyes with a gaze gone perfectly still. She seemed, just slightly, to be overwhelmed.

"Respect."

"You're joking? At a time like this?"

"Tsk. Respect."

"F-fine. What do I need to do now?"

I set a hand on Dang Ga-hui's shoulder.

"I need your help."

She nodded.

"If it's something I can do, I'll do anything."

"Anything?"

She nodded again.

"I truly will do anything. If it's for her."

I stared through those earnest eyes of hers. She meant it.

"I'll have to revise the plan a little."

While I was at it, I might as well take both of these scissoring beauties in one go.