The Valley of Forbidden Men
The sound of water splashed and rippled in my ears.
And the soothing heat of the hot spring water that lazily embraced my entire body.
Right now I was bathing in a secluded mountain open-air hot spring together with Yeon-jin and five other female disciples of Botamun.
A short while earlier, the final clash of our wooden swords during the spar with Yeon-jin had sent an immense collision of inner energy sweeping across the training ground. The aftermath left the entire area shrouded in thick clouds of flying dust.
Even the junior sisters who had been watching ended up coated in pale dirt. So the moment training ended, we all came here together to wash ourselves.
“Huaa…”
I sank my shoulders beneath the water and let out a long breath.
Everyone here, myself included, was completely naked, so naturally the thick steam carried glimpses of smooth, jade-white female bodies.
The slender nape of a neck visible between strands of wet hair. Clear droplets sliding down over perky breasts. The soft skin of the ladies, flushed faintly from the heat.
“Haaa… Just as I thought, nothing beats a hot spring after pushing your body to the limit!”
Yeon-jin let out a satisfied sigh, her expression content. She scooped up a handful of clear water with her porcelain-smooth white hands, poured it over her shoulders, and smiled brightly.
Hair damp and clinging gently to her cheeks. Her flushed red cheeks were as lovely as peach blossoms.
How wonderful…!
Even as I kept a deliberately dignified expression while soaking in the spring, inside I was cheering at this absolutely perfect situation.
Having lived as Wi Yeon-seol and embraced countless women, I had often enjoyed bathing with several of them at once. But the current scene was entirely different from those times.
These ladies were relaxing completely at ease, washing every part of their bodies without the slightest awareness of a man’s lustful gaze. The flavor of their innocent, pure beauty—not calculated coquetry—was truly special.
Ah, truly magnificent.
To drink in such a beautiful sight with both eyes—what greater luxury could there be?
I smiled contentedly and poured water over my own body, following Yeon-jin’s example.
Splash.
Yet even while savoring such a satisfying view, one thing stuck in my throat like a thorn, extremely irritating.
To any man this would be paradise without question. But the one enjoying these blessings was me—currently trapped in a woman’s body. That fact was utterly, deeply, unbearably vexing.
Damn it. No matter how pleasant to the eyes, it’s still just a painted cake I can’t taste…
I looked down at the voluptuous mounds floating before me and clicked my tongue bitterly.
What use were so many beautiful women around me? With this body I couldn’t embrace even one of them.
Slide.
As I let out a small sigh amid these contradictory feelings, Yeon-jin—who had been submerged up to her shoulders in the hot water—looked at me with a flushed face.
“Huaa! As expected, I can’t win against you, Sister! Especially that last technique… Even though you let go of your sword for a moment, you’re still you, Sister!”
“…It was just luck.”
I slightly avoided Yeon-jin’s genuinely admiring gaze and mumbled with an awkward smile.
Indeed, since both our wooden swords had shattered at the same time in the final exchange, the result appeared to be a draw on the surface. But I couldn’t simply rejoice.
In that last instant the memories latent in Seol-hye’s body had reacted on their own, executing a technique I didn’t know. If the outcome had been decided purely by the perfection of the form, it would have been my total defeat.
Judging from the reactions of Yeon-jin and the other senior sisters, the original owner of this body—Seol-hye—had overwhelmingly dominated Yeon-jin in every previous spar.
Even after inheriting her power and physical body intact, I had still been pushed into a disadvantage. In truth, the recent match could fairly be called my loss.
Haa… As expected, I need to become stronger.
But whether Yeon-jin sensed my complicated feelings or not, she turned her sparkling eyes toward me and asked.
“By the way, Sister, what was that martial art earlier? I was certain it was the Three Talents Sword, but the momentum felt completely different and it startled me. Did you create another new sword technique this time?”
“Ah, that?”
Unsure what to say, I pondered for a moment before lifting one corner of my mouth and giving Yeon-jin a confident smile.
“Heh. That’s right. Isn’t the Three Talents Sword the root of all sword arts? I simply refined a new method from that foundation.”
“As expected! It was a powerful sword—no, perhaps I should call it a domineering sword? It was so unlike your usual style, Sister. Seeing you press forward so fiercely was a first for me; I nearly got overwhelmed!”
At my words Yeon-jin stuck out her tongue and winked.
The sight was so cheeky yet adorable that I couldn’t help bursting into laughter.
“Khkh… Look who’s talking about acting pitiful. After calmly receiving everything I threw at you, hearing that doesn’t make me happy at all, you know?”
“Ah, I got caught! Ahaha…!”
Yeon-jin covered her mouth and laughed shyly, then gazed at me with deep, moist eyes.
What surfaced on her face was, for some reason, an expression of relief.
“Still, I’m glad.”
“Hm? About what?”
“Actually, after ‘that incident’ you seemed unable to regain your spirit at all, so I was secretly very worried.”
When I tilted my head, Yeon-jin splashed the water lightly and smiled brightly.
“But today you sparred with real swords after so long and showed the lively face of the old you. It puts my mind at ease. Though for some reason your way of speaking has become a little rougher… Ehehe.”
“……”
At Yeon-jin’s unexpectedly serious tone, I closed my mouth tightly and fell into thought.
That incident.
She had mentioned it the last time we met as well. Even Master Hyeon-wol had spoken of a “sickness of the heart” and worried about me—no, about Seol-hye.
Just what had this girl Seol-hye gone through that both her master and junior sisters were worrying about her so universally?
Could she have suffered something terrible at the hands of a lecherous man?
That was my first thought, but I quickly shook my head. The chance of such a thing happening to a high-level expert of this caliber—especially inside the men-forbidden Botamun—was extremely slim.
And if it had happened, that scoundrel would have already been sliced into jerky by these female disciples’ blades.
My mouth itched to ask what exactly had occurred, but the current atmosphere made it impossible to inquire directly…
“Hmmm…”
For now I could only press my lips together, trying hard to conceal my complicated feelings.
Throb.
At that moment a dull pain pulsed in my shoulder.
“Ugh…”
Perhaps because I had swung the sword so vigorously with this unfamiliar body, a heavy ache as if a stone had been placed on my shoulder spread through me.
…No, simply swinging a sword shouldn’t cause this much pain…
Suddenly my gaze fell on the perky breasts half-submerged in the spring water.
Of course my shoulders would hurt after moving at full strength while carrying these huge things…!
Crack!
Frowning, I rolled my stiff shoulder once. The sound of joints popping echoed unusually loud.
“Sister.”
“Yes…? What is it?”
Splash.
Then, without warning, Yeon-jin stealthily moved behind me and placed her soft, warm, water-slick hand on my shoulder.
“Eh, eh? Jin-ah? Why—”
Startled by the sudden action, I tried to turn around. At that moment she smiled sweetly and pressed firmly on my trapezius with skillful fingers.
“Stay still, Sister. Your shoulders are very tense.”
“Yeah, well, that’s true, but what are you—”
“Heave-ho.”
Her thumb accurately dug into the knotted acupoint on my shoulder.
Press!
It wasn’t simple massage. She was using a blood-release technique infused with inner energy to loosen the knotted muscles and points.
At first a stiff pain surged, but in an instant a tingling sensation raced down my spine, followed by a languid pleasure that wrapped around my entire body.
“U, ugh…! Hauk…!?”
An erotic, high-pitched moan slipped from my lips before I could stop it.
What, what is this!
It feels way too good…!
A woman’s body seemed several times more sensitive to stimulation than a man’s.
Every time Yeon-jin’s fingers pressed and twisted the knotted spots, I couldn’t hold back the moans that mixed with my breathing.
“U, ut, ah—there…?!”
“Ehehe, does it feel good?”
When I flushed bright red and let out pleasurable moans, Yeon-jin looked extremely satisfied and smiled radiantly.
“Ah, ah! W-wait! Hey, stop for a—”
“Stay still. You always complain that your shoulders get stiff after sparring, so I used to loosen them for you with acupressure every time. Since it’s been so long since you last held a sword, the points are even more blocked than usual!”
She ignored my protests and continued kneading every part of my body.
After pressing the Jianjing points on my shoulders, her hands slid down my sweat- and water-slick back.
The moment her fingers traced my spine and reached the Mingmen acupoint at my waist, pressing firmly—
“Hyaang…!”
A tingling sensation shot up my spine, and a dizzying pleasure like a white flash in my mind rang through my head.
I tried desperately to endure, biting my lip hard while my face burned scarlet, but the lewd moans leaking out showed no sign of stopping.
It feels good…! It feels good, but this is…!
This was practically torture. Incredibly sweet, and at the same time, extremely dangerous torture.
“Huk, haat, aang, th-that place, no…!”
After kneading my back like that for a long while, Yeon-jin finally stopped once I was half-melted.
“Hmm…”
She stared intently at my face as I struggled to regain my senses while panting, then spoke with a serious expression.
“But Sister.”
“Haa, huu, what…?”
“I’ve always wondered. With breasts this large, it must be a little inconvenient when you swing a sword, right?”
“Eh???”
At her question my tightly closed eyes flew open.
Wondering what kind of question that was, I looked at Yeon-jin, but there wasn’t the slightest trace of teasing mischief in her eyes.
Only an innocent expression that purely worried about the physical factor hindering her senior sister’s martial training. It left me completely speechless.
“Hmm, and it seems this acupoint here is also quite blocked. I’ll loosen it for you.”
“Eh? No, I think it’s fine—”
Squish.
Before I could even finish answering, she reached around from behind and gently grasped my two wet breasts, and—
“……!!!”
Something snapped inside my mind.
A strange sensation I had never felt during my days as a man—never even imagined—spread throughout my chest.
The intense stimulation, far beyond mere tingling, felt as if it pierced straight through my brain. My vision flashed white.
“Aaaht?!!!”
A cry close to a scream echoed through the mountain hot spring.
Several disciples soaking languidly in the water looked over in surprise.
Splash!
I reflexively kicked off the bottom, shot upright, and without thinking covered my chest with my arms as I quickly distanced myself from Yeon-jin.
“Huh, Sister?”
Yeon-jin looked at me—face bright red—with wet, puzzled eyes and tilted her head.
Her white hand still hovered in the air. She wore the expression of a doctor whose patient had fled mid-treatment.
“Huht, haaa…!”
Covering my burning face, I panted roughly and backed away.
My heart felt like it would burst.
If I stayed here any longer, my reason—my mind as a man—wouldn’t hold out…!
“I-I’m going first! I’m tired!”
“What? Sister, we’re not done…”
“I’m going first!”
Pitter-patter!
I snatched the clothes I had laid on a nearby rock and fled the hot spring as if running for my life.
Behind me I heard the junior sisters’ puzzled voices, but I had no time to look back.
---------------------
Bang!
The moment I slammed the door shut, I collapsed onto the bed without even properly adjusting my clothes.
“Haa, ut, hauk……”
My breathing was ragged.
My heart pounded wildly, sending heat racing through every part of my body.
Even without looking in a mirror, I knew my face must be flushed red like a ripe persimmon.
And above all else.
“Damn it… Ut!”
From deep in my lower abdomen, having reached its limit, a heavy, sticky heat surged upward.