Plunder Fire Lotus: Wi Ha-young #4
"Wow! This is so much fun, dude! You've got some real storytelling chops!"
"Right?"
"How do you even know stories like that? I've never heard anything like it!"
I never imagined she'd love Cinderella this much. But then again, it's no wonder the tale swept the world. It's the kind of story anyone would fall for. A masterpiece never betrays its fans. So Avatar 2 won't betray us either. When James Cameron wakes up down there in that deep slumber, the whole world will cheer and welcome him back.
"Come on! Tell me another one!"
"What do you wanna hear?"
"Anything!"
Demanding omakase, huh? No problem. The night is long, and we've got miles to go. If I rack my brain, I could spin yarns till dawn. The modern world's stories are that vast.
"Heh heh heh, but Hayeong-ah."
"Yeah?"
"Honestly, stories like these aren't something you hear just anywhere. Feels like a loss giving them away for free, you know?"
"Aw, come on! We're buddies!"
Hayeong stomped her feet in a pout.
"Just tell me! Or what, you want something in return? Bet you just want my body, you perv! Pervert!"
"Hey, who said anything pervy! I didn't even hint at that! And what's this pervert crap!"
"Then hurry up and tell me. Pretty please?"
Just like that, her tantrum vanished, and she clung to my arm, demanding more stories. But my arm was wedged right between her breasts...!
"Come on, pretty please? Tell me a story?"
"H-Huh...!"
Not content with that, she rubbed my arm furiously with the soft flesh of her cleavage!
"Okay! Okay! I'll tell you!"
"Yay!"
Only then did I extract my arm from the breast prison, the bust dungeon. The poor thing was soaked after its ordeal, like Andy Dufresne escaping Shawshank on a stormy night.
"This is impossible to resist. Hey, Hayeong-ah, I've been doing all the talking. Let's take turns. You're a Taoist, right? You've gotta have tons of stories. I wanna hear some."
"Hmm? Me? I don't really know any."
"You've exorcised enough yokai to fill a book. Or stuff from your Taoist life."
"Oh! I've got plenty of those!"
Her lively response. Knew it. Field stories from a skilled female Taoist like her? Worth hearing. Might even help me out.
"Hmm, what to pick! But you have to tell me one more after mine!"
"Deal."
Can't blow through all the stories in one night, though. Even Scheherazade spun tales for a thousand and one. No way I'm burning them all in a day.
"Listen up. As a Taoist, I've taken down all sorts of evil spirits and yokai. Recently, I nearly died."
"Nearly died?!"
"Yeah! It was super dangerous!"
"What happened?!"
"Hear me out!"
True to her chatty nature, a little prompting spiked her energy.
"These cavalry suddenly showed up. Black cavalry!"
"Cavalry?"
Horse-mounted cavalry?
"You mean riders on horseback?"
"Yep!"
"Ming soldiers, then?"
"Nope!"
Hayeong denied it firmly, her face turning eerie as she whispered cautiously.
"They were skeletons."
"Skeletons?!"
Skeletons!
"Gol-gak-gwi?!"
"Yeah. I checked it out, and it was Gol-gak-gwi. Horses, riders—all skeletons. Beings of death."
I pictured those black skeleton cavalry in my head. Straight out of Dededeathssusnananait.
"No match for this peerless beauty of a Taoist, of course! But when I went to exorcise them, they were too strong! Turns out they were corpses of Yuan elite cavalry."
"Yuan elite cavalry?!"
"Yeah. The armor and all. You know, the stuff Yuan elites wore. Even dead, they were ridiculously strong. I just bolted!"
She cracked up like it was the funniest thing.
"Come on, you're a Taoist. How couldn't you take some undead?"
Just zombies on horses?
"Well, they were probably from Koke Temur's old Immortal Cavalry or Dragon Slayer Cavalry. Or maybe the Great Khan's Kesikteni. You gotta run from that level. Even alive, they were ten thousand to one, one against a thousand. Dead and weakened? Still packing serious power."
Immortal Cavalry and Dragon Slayer Cavalry—the names alone were terrifying. So strong in life, they retained insane strength as undead? What kind of empire was the Yuan?
"Anyway, since I couldn't take 'em, that skeleton cavalry's probably still roaming the Central Plains somewhere. Howling every night...! Raaargh!"
"Hey, who asked for scary bedtime stories?!"
"Scared now? Kyahaha! You're such a wuss! All brawn and no guts! C'mere, I'll hold you!"
"No thanks!"
I refused, but she just teased me with fake hugs. Impossible to handle this woman.
Her Death Knight tale was pretty spooky, though. Was that undead cavalry really still haunting the nights? God, I hope I never run into them.
"But why'd they show up out of nowhere?"
"Dunno. Yuan soldiers rising again is pretty common around here."
Common?!
"There must be a reason."
"Hell's power, maybe? That's my guess."
Hell's power.
"Hey, speaking of... Hayeong-ah, you know anything about Saseon-nyeo, the Blue-Haired Witch?"
"What? Saseon-nyeo? Why bring up that Central Plains scourge?"
She frowned sharply.
"Well, last time I took down that Mad Demon Nachal..."
I explained the incident. The sorcerer there was a top-tier hwanghon gangsi, and Serin figured only Saseon-nyeo could make something that advanced.
"Gangsi are just a branch of resurrecting the dead, right? So maybe she could raise undead like those—not just gangsi, but sagwi."
"Hmm... Yeah, that tracks. If it's that witch, possible. I'll ask around back at Maosan Sect."
Good, relief.
"Anyway, you heard mine! Your turn!"
"Fine, you little rascal. Promise is a promise. This one's from the West. Called A Little Princess."
"Hurry! I'm so excited...! Heart's pounding!"
And so I spun more tales for Hayeong.
* * *
We walked through the night, and dawn began to break. Dim light seeped in from beyond the darkness.
"Ah, dawn's almost here."
"Huuu!"
Hayeong stretched with a yawn.
"Wow, first time I've had this much fun at night!"
"Really?"
Makes me happy.
"I like you!"
Oh! Thanks!
As I opened my mouth, she pounced.
"So say you like me too!"
"I like you too!"
"Great!"
What was that razor-sharp aura I just felt?
"Ah. We're almost there. Little further. Rest up, then keep moving."
"What? Already at Maosan Sect?"
"Maosan Sect? Nah, this is my usual rest spot."
"There's a spot like that?"
"Gotta make stops when you pass through often, right?"
True.
"Over there. Follow close."
I trailed Hayeong up the mountain path. Uphill, her ahead... her ass kept catching my eye. That cheongsam was so revealing—every sway flashed pale, firm cheeks. But seriously, panties? No sign whenever I peeked. Just bare ass. No way she's going commando?
"..."
I fought rising urges, nodding to her chatter while stealing glances. She won't notice, right?
"We're here!"
"Hm? What's that sound?"
Hayeong stopped. Peering aside...
"Whoa! A valley!"
A refreshingly cool stream!
—Splash!
If I were Kang Ho-dong, I'd dive right in! Hell, I'd toss Lee Seung-gi in too!
"Valley here's nice, and there's a small cave over there. We've walked all night—rest, then go. Cool?"
"Perfect! My legs were killing me!"
"Hee hee. Massage 'em good. I'll bathe in the stream—wanna stand watch over there?"
"What?"
Hold up. Bathe?
"Bathing in the stream. Scoot so I can undress."
"..."
"Oh, peep and you die? I love baring my chest, but full nude's different. So no peeking, even if you wanna."
"I won't. Not a perv—why peep on a lady bathing? This is unfair..."
"Yeah, yeah. Just go. Gotta strip."
Hayeong shooed me away and turned.
"Hey, Hayeong-ah. You loved my stories, now kicking me out? Not cool."
I teased playfully.
"Kyahahaha! What? You wanna watch me bathe that bad?"
"Not like that..."
"Think I'd flash my virgin skin to some guy? Go stand watch!"
"Eek!"
She even shook her hips to chase me off. I settled a bit away for lookout duty. But how to watch without knowing where she is? Fact: I desperately wanted to peep.
"..."
Only her clothes hung on a tree. Wait, no underwear? Should be there. Nothing.
"Damn it."
Driving me insane. Right now, Wi Hayeong's naked in that stream, scrubbing those massive mountain breasts and that peeking ass.
Imagining it, blood rushed south. My qi surged to my lower dantian.
"Shit...!"
Ever since absorbing that Mad Demon Nachal's yodan, the lust hits harder. Unbearably intense.
"Huu!"
Circulated qi to calm the lower surge.
"Hey! I'm done washing!"
Hayeong's voice.
"Can I turn around?"
"What, think I called naked? Hee hee. No weird fantasies. Dressed now—safe!"
"Turning for real."
She was properly dressed... sorta. Still outrageously revealing.
"What? Disappointed?"
"No way...!"
"Your turn. Must be sticky from walking."
"Oh!"
So considerate!
"I'm washing up!"
"Cool. Come to the cave after. I'll have a fire going."
"Wait, Hayeong-ah, since when so sweet?"
"What? Where else you find a girl as sweet as me? Go wash."
"Yes ma'am!"
She headed up. I stripped and dove in.
—Splash!
"Kah!"
Bliss! Overheated body cooling fast. I splashed around happily.
"Heh, washing all happy, huh?"
"Mommy! Kyaaah!"
Startled, I spotted Hayeong squatting on a thick branch, chin in hand, peering down.
Why's she peeping!
"Quit peeping! Grown woman spying on a guy bathing!"
"Hee hee. You ain't no girl. Hilarious."
"Get lost!"
I covered my chest, splashed her—she giggled and fled.
Such teasing...! Just show me the bath then! Can't say that, though.
Finished up, dressed, headed to the cave.
"Here! Come on!"
Hayeong bounced, waving. Cave behind her—perfect size for sleeping.
"Whoa, neat spot. Cave looks cozy."
"Right? My secret hideout. Here, fire's ready—warm up."
"Nice!"
Crackling flames got me pumped.
—Crackle.
Squatted by the fire, basking. Fresh from cold water, the heat felt divine.
"So warm and nice. Feels great."
"Right?"
Perfect for BBQ sausage, or spicy beef noodle cup, kimchi—everything!
"..."
Mouth watering. Back in middle school, Aunt and I went to a valley. Quiet, just us. That spicy beef was killer. Slept in a tent too—memories. Splashing bikini-clad Aunt...
"Sleepy?"
"Yeah, the warmth. But how'd you light the fire?"
"Taoist spell, duh."
"Heh, figures."
"Eat first if sleeping. Better recovery."
Hayeong set up cookware like a pro. Branches perfect, pot steady.
"Got ingredients? Dump 'em here. Spices are mine."
"Spices?!"
"Hee hee, like spicy?"
"Love it!"
We cooked together. Simple—ingredients in pot, spices, boil. Still fun and tasty-looking.
—Bubble bubble.
Ah, red spice screams spicy stew.
"Shoulda caught fish."
"Smart thinking! Go get some!"
"Too late now—gutting and all. Next time."
"Yeah, true."
Ate our simple meal. Nothing fancy, but post-bath by fire? Mood hit right. Craving spicy beef bad.
"Hayeong-ah, you always travel solo, cook like this?"
"Mostly. No need for company."
No friends, huh.
"But eating with you's the best, dude!"
"Heh heh, no stories for flattery."
"Harsh!"
Meal done. Dishes, packed up, mats by fire. Then Hayeong stuck talismans around.
"What's that?"
"Rest means real rest. Warding array to keep bad stuff out."
"Ooh! True Taoist! Need help?!"
"Hee, sweet talk. Nah, lie down. Can't help with this."
"Aye."
I lay; she finished and plopped naturally beside me.
"Ahh, blanket feels so good!"
"Um, Hayeong-ssi?"
"Yeah?"
"Isn't lying so comfy next to a strange guy... like sharing a bed?"
"What? We're buddies already?"
Buddies mean that?
"Not strangers then? Buddies fine! Cuddle for warmth!"
To put it vulgarly, my tent pitched like crazy.