Chapter 10. That Woman (3)
Jang Hwa-young was growing more and more immersed in Kang-jun's talent the longer she spent with him each day. She had seen it herself: within the wild, careless swings of his sword lay a certain subtle principle that ordinary people could never grasp. That was the very thing that only geniuses could understand. Jang Hye-yeon, of course, and even Jang Chul-min had come to believe that Kang-jun's swordsmanship had no rules at all.
'It isn't that.'
What Kang-jun possessed was formlessness—something untethered, not bound by any mold. She knew full well that this was the very essence of martial arts. …Yet knowing and doing were two different things. The path she had wandered for decades, Kang-jun was now showing her.
Every time their blades met, she felt a surge of pure joy. From the stagnation that had crept into her years ago, he had become the ultimate stimulant. The more she indulged in that joy, the tighter her grip on him grew.
In truth, the genius she perceived in Kang-jun came less from his innate talent and more from the influence of the Tai Chi Divine Sword. Since it was the strongest sword technique in this world, it was only natural that anyone who used it would seem like a genius. Because it was built on the foundation of *mu-joe* (no posture), such a misconception was even easier to fall into.
Even a genius like Jang Hwa-young had felt it from Kang-jun's sword, but because she did not know it was the Tai Chi Divine Sword of the Murim world, she could only mistake it for his true talent.
Of course, he was not the type of person who would correct such a misconception out of conscience. On the contrary, he was already calculating exactly how to exploit it. …He knew Jang Hwa-young had certain extreme tendencies. Sacrificing one for the sake of a hundred was not something she would blink at. After all, geniuses always had a few such rough edges.
"Hye-yeon is a good girl. She'll take good care of you too."
At some point, Jang Hwa-young began dropping hints about Jang Hye-yeon to Kang-jun from time to time. She was probably trying to sound casual about it, but she had zero talent for subtlety. Combined with his sharp eye, it came out as nothing short of blunt statements.
'You're going to spread your legs for my nephew, right?'
Her intentions were obvious. The intent was clear—she wanted to put a leash on him. But Kang-jun had no interest in the opposite hobby: wearing a collar and crawling around on all fours like a dog. It was one thing to support Jang Hwa-young's strength, but he refused to let it become a chain. …He sat there pondering how to handle this particular problem.
While he was lost in that deliberation, Jang Hye-yeon was struggling with no small amount of inner conflict. It was all because of what her aunt had told her.
— I want to make Lee Kang-jun your matchmaker. Is that alright?
Jang Hye-yeon could barely believe her ears. Lately Jang Hwa-young had been distant, but she had always treated her niece with the warmth of a mother. To say something like that now…
The jealousy she had already been feeling toward Kang-jun suddenly felt like a knife to the heart. What on earth did her aunt see in that man that she would go to such lengths to trap him?
Of course, Jang Hye-yeon could not disobey her beloved aunt's words. Naturally, the arrows of her rage flew straight toward Kang-jun. Everything she had done to temper herself up until now had been useless. From that moment, the subtle tension that had gone unseen now surfaced openly.
Kang-jun had long been aware of the overt displeasure flickering in Jang Hye-ye's eyes. Awkward talent, awkward pride. He knew her endless affection for her aunt, but he had never imagined her fixation would run so deep.
Some might call it emotional instability, a warped expression of high expectations, but to Kang-jun it was nothing more than the tantrum of a petty bitch who knew nothing of the stakes.
— If you say you'll do it on your own, then go ahead and eat it lol
— Eat it already, I'm starving
— But who's going to taste it first, huh?
— Look at this, the news is reaching us lol lol lol lol lol lol lol
— It sounds like a incurable disease lol lol lol lol lol lol
Ah, these clueless fools.
— Guys! If you don't know it's going to be a stomachache lol It's obvious you have to let it marinate lol
— Your stomach can dissolve parasites lol
— Just stuff it down and make her submit lol
— Dickhead lol
— Dickhead oot lol lol lol lol lol
Of course, whether Kang-jun got in trouble or not, the gods were shouting for him to just shove it in and see. Hmph. They talk big without giving any coupons.
— Ah fuck, this is so annoying lol Eat that nephew girl by this week and I'll give you 150 coupons
— Master is angry lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol
— Oi oi I believed you lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol
— The bastards are gathering lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol
— You said this place was the best restaurant lol
— Snack Lord, put some value on it lol
— Mcheesh, if you give all the snacks you hit, I might have to sell my planet lol lol lol lol lol lol lol lol
— Ahhh Master! This younger brother cannot stop crying from your deep affection, Master! Uuuu
— Ah I suddenly can't stand seeing you split anything lol lol
Kang-jun pressed the all-out button for Master Mode to show his loyalty. Thanks to the fresh 150-coupon power, the machine hummed smoothly.
'Well, pushing in is fine anyway. …The real question is how to do the cuckolding part.'
For someone who had already mastered the art of cuckolding, this was hardly a difficult problem. It was nothing compared to poking the princess of the kingdom in the first dungeon. Still, these girls had promised to spread themselves.
First and foremost, it wasn't Jang Hye-yeon he had to worry about. When Aunt gave the order, the nephew would handle it on her own. The real challenge was how to roast Jang Hwa-young.
'She doesn't seem to care much about morality or virginity. She's more like a skill-obsessed type.'
Someone who had only walked the sword path would naturally place little value on other things. The curse of the single-minded walker, perhaps.
As long as it wasn't excessive, she had a very wide margin for tolerance. Of course, that assumption only held if the other party possessed sufficient skill. If it were some low-quality nobody, even the smallest thing would be unforgivable.
Of course, Kang-jun had already won Jang Hwa-young's full favor. As long as she didn't go so far as to turn her nephew into her stepping stone, she would accept almost anything.
'He can't poke the nose out of place here.'
He decided that from now on, talk was the most important factor. Fortunately, Jang Hwa-young was quite dull in that department. Jang Hye-yeon, on the other hand, was sharp but still died of fear whenever her aunt was involved.
…So Kang-jun continued to wrestle with the best way to bed Jang Hye-yeon.
And far away, two pairs of eyes watched the seemingly meditating Kang-jun. One pair was the elegantly curved gaze of Jang Hwa-young. The other was the displeased, narrowed eyes of Jang Hye-yeon.
'Steadfast and earnest. Excellent.'
That was Jang Hwa-young's conclusion after watching him for days. A man who lacked nothing for achieving great things.
Jang Hye-yeon, however, was tormented by inexplicable anxiety.
· · ·
Late Friday afternoon.
Jang Hwa-young had just finished a rough sparring session with Kang-jun and was sitting down to cool off. She felt something strange about him today. No matter how unaware she usually was, she could not ignore the exhausted state of his energy. It worried her.
Even in real combat, where he swung the training sword, it was unforgivable for his mind to wander elsewhere. No matter how skilled Kang-jun was.
"Are you not paying attention? If there's a problem, tell me!"
Yet Kang-jun hesitated to speak. Having handled a big thing alone, now he was acting so timid? She shouted again.
"Tell me quickly."
"It's… a personal matter."
"My business is your business. Hurry up!"
In the end, he spilled everything.
"It has to do with sex."
"What? Uh?"
Jang Hwa-young was so shocked by the unexpected answer that she was quite startled.
"You know as well as anyone, senior, that my fertile period is upon me right now."
"…True."
"Truthfully, my sexual desire flares up several times a day to the point where I can't control it."
"Sex drive is one of the things to temper through cultivation."
"I think of it as a natural instinct. If I hold it in too tightly, it always ends up exploding, doesn't it?"
Hah… It was embarrassing to talk about, but she listened seriously. She knew from experience that males in this season had strong libidos. It was more than enough reason to worry about.
"So, what exactly are you trying to say?"
"It's embarrassing to say this to you, senior, but I'll speak honestly."
"Go on."
"When I was outside, I slept with a woman every day. Because my sex drive is quite strong, I needed to do that to focus on other things."
Every day? Jang Hwa-young, who knew almost nothing about this side of things, could not immediately empathize with what he said. But she tried to understand. Because the body was different, the range of understanding had limits.
"So?"
"However, I can't do that here, so now I can't hold it in anymore."
Jang Hwa-young pressed her lips tightly shut. Suddenly hearing such a thing left her at a loss.
"…Then talk to Chul-min about it. He'd understand better than me."
"No!"
Kang-jun stopped her. Why not, she asked.
"Things like this can only be said to you, senior. It's a personal matter…."
"…I understand. Then what would you have me do?"
"Is there perhaps a woman I can sleep with…."
"A woman?"
There was no woman among his disciples. Of course, Kang-jun had already calculated that. But he wouldn't expect her to buy a prostitute, would he?
"As long as I can keep my secret."
At that moment, Jang Hwa-young's mind flashed to her nephew, Jang Hye-yeon.
'Yes. Let's bring up Hye-yeon's name.'
The timing was perfect. After all, Jang Hwa-young wanted to marry the two of them. That way she could keep Kang-jun bound here.
"I have a good idea."
"I await your command."
"What do you think of Hye-yeon?"
…There it was. Finally the girl's name had come up. Why had it taken so long.
"Why ask about my nephew all of a sudden…?"
"Tell me honestly. I want the two of you to marry."
"Marriage?!"
Kang-jun jumped as if he hadn't heard her at all. Jang Hwa-young tried to calm him.
"No, think about it carefully. You'll have a wonderful wife. Hye-yeon is more than capable of that. I swear. …Then your sexual desire will be naturally satisfied. Everything will be solved."
Of course, it wasn't solved. The real test would begin now. The timing for word tricks was here.
"That sounds difficult."
"What? Why? Why is it difficult!"
After getting her hopes up, the spoon didn't even turn. Her temper was showing again.
"You know yourself best, right?"
"How is that related to this!"
"I have a strong preference for women. As I said earlier, my sex drive is strong. It's hard to control the impulse when I see women."
"That's something you overcome through cultivation!"
"I've put in a lot of effort, senior. That's why it's still this bad. …To be honest, I have a wandering heart. If I connect with Hye-yeon, there will definitely be discord in the household."
"No! You should overcome it with cultivation!"
This bitch was saying cultivate everything!
"I barely manage to walk my own path. I don't have the luxury to temper my heart over such problems."
Jang Hwa-young's face flushed with anger. One more push and the swearing would explode. But because the opponent was Kang-jun, she held back.
She shifted the conversation slightly. Now was the time to shake her emotions.
"My dream is to reach the pinnacle of martial arts with this sword—the very sword! The realm every warrior dreams of!"
Someone who had walked this path for decades with nothing else in sight would not be able to ignore that fervent heart.
The effect was immediate. Her expression relaxed. And her eyes grew distant. It was as if the loneliness of her old days flowed out.
"Senior. I understand your aspirations and your efforts. …Who understands our lonely path? At the very least, you and I—we must understand each other…! This lonely path!"
She had poured out a lot of nonsense. Honestly, it had nothing to do with sex.
"I don't want to worry about things like marriage now. …Of course, I might marry someone someday. But right now, I want to focus only on the path of this sword. The path you walked, senior! The very path you walked!"
Jang Hwa-young closed her eyes and lifted her head slightly. Her face was as if she was seeing the decades she had walked flash before her. This younger one was also walking that path now.
"…Yes, I was too hasty. I know your feelings better than anyone."
How cruelly she must have suffered along that lonely path of a genius! Now that she had finally found a comrade who could understand it, she had only wanted to exploit him. Ah, I'm still lacking. It's not a path you can tie down…! Cultivation is even more necessary.
"Good. Then I won't bring up marriage yet. …But I don't want to take your nephew's virginity. She's still my blood."
Kang-jun delivered the final blow.
"I will follow behind you, senior. …That is the best promise I can give you right now."
Jang Hwa-young was hit and knocked flat. In truth, she had wanted to fuse her bloodline with the Jang family no matter what. Since she had proposed it, she could not refuse.
Once a child was born, they would have no choice but to stay together anyway. That was her true intention. Even if he had a strong preference for women, it didn't matter to her. Her only concern was the child that would come between them.
How talented that child would be.
"Tell Hye-yeon."
"Thank you."
The corners of Kang-jun's mouth lifted into a long smile as he bowed his head.