Chapter 103
Translator: penny
Chapter: 103
Chapter Title: Unveiling My Past
At first, when Moyong Hui arrived, none of the situations I had feared came to pass.
She seemed quite satisfied with the fact that she had surpassed Somwol in the amount of internal energy she possessed.
'Or is that not it? Is it because she ascended to the Transcendent Realm?'
Either way, it was a good situation for me.
In that somewhat relaxed atmosphere, Moyong Hui posed a question to me.
"More than that, Young Lord, when did you learn the zither?"
Her gaze was fixed on the seven-string zither I had just been playing.
Even with that simple question, I had to think long and hard.
'Say I learned it as a child? But if she asks my family later... Would she really go that far? Even if she finds out, I could just say I self-taught it...'
I couldn't explain the regression, so there were too many things I had to hide.
Just as I carefully chose my words to respond, she casually changed the subject as if it were nothing.
"And how did you come to know the Shadow Gate Sect?"
This seemed to be the main point.
But this was an easy answer, comparatively.
"I possess a martial art called the Harmony Art, you see. Because of that, they approached me from the Shadow Gate Sect."
To be precise, I had approached Somwol first, but this much wasn't a big deal.
After connecting with Somwol, the Brothel Hall had even suggested we get close first.
But at my response, Moyong Hui tilted her head as if she didn't understand.
"How would the Shadow Gate Sect know that you possess the Harmony Art? More than that... um, I haven't asked until now, but how did you come to obtain this Harmony Art in the first place?"
"Harmony Art...?"
It was generally considered impolite to inquire about someone's unique martial art.
Of course, Moyong Hui wasn't just anyone, so it was something she could ask, but it was still quite a tricky question for me.
'How do I explain this?'
I absolutely could not mention anything about the regression.
My previous life wasn't something I could proudly reveal, and it was entangled with Cheon Suyeon, who had been her daughter.
So, excluding the regression, I had to craft a plausible lie...
'Wait. Do I really need to lie?'
I quickly reviewed this life's events in my mind.
The result.
It seemed fine to tell it as it was.
'There's no issue with the timeline, right?'
I had stumbled upon the Lecherous Blissful Creation Harmony Art—no, the Harmony Art—in an ancient shrine by chance.
Then, to experiment with this Harmony Art, I frequented pleasure houses.
'This even gives a reasonable explanation for why I suddenly started visiting brothels. I met Somwol and the Shadow Gate Sect by chance at a pleasure house.'
Through that, I built up my martial prowess, rising from third-rate to the Peak realm before leaving my clan.
The purpose for leaving the clan was to meet the Sword Phoenix.
'The goal is a bit morally questionable...'
But traveling from Taewon to Shenyang specifically to meet Moyong Hui was something she already knew about, so no need to worry much.
On the way to Shenyang, I happened to encounter Eun Garyeon and that Jang bastard, and out of righteous indignation for the orthodox sects, I helped save the Eun Merchant Group.
'And I met Cheon Woojin after that, also by chance.'
Even without mentioning the regression, it was a perfectly plausible story.
It overlapped with coincidences a bit much, but that matched my actual past actions.
The only potential issue was my martial realm progression, but I could chalk that up to genius talent and the Harmony Art.
Moyong Hui herself had reached the Transcendent Realm in just two months since meeting me, after all.
'It's perfect.'
I felt foolish for agonizing over the regression earlier.
From now on, whenever I had to talk about my past, I could just tell it straight.
Still, to avoid any slips, I cautiously opened my mouth.
"Well, first off, the Harmony Art was something hidden in an ancient shrine that I found by chance. You could call it a serendipitous encounter."
Instead of saying I'd been kicked out of the house in the past, I explained that I'd wandered into the shrine during a walk to clear my mind after getting upset about my youngest sister heading to the Mount Hua Sect.
I was about to lay out the prepared story from there, but her curious questions immediately put a stop to it.
"Hidden away? Where was it hidden? How did you find it, Young Lord?"
Moyong Hui's eyes sparkled like a child listening to an old tale.
But my words caught in my throat.
'How do I tell her I jerked off in front of a crude beauty portrait!'
Especially since I'd said I was wandering to soothe my troubled heart over Yeon-i leaving home—then suddenly masturbating?
That would make me sound like a lunatic.
I had no choice but to lie about this part.
"Well... there was a crude portrait of a beauty enshrined in the shrine, and it seemed so odd. So I examined it closely and found the paper was layered. When I peeled it back a little, the Harmony Art was written there."
"So you found it with your keen observation skills, Young Lord!"
"Y-yeah?"
It was a pretty flimsy lie, but fortunately, she bought it.
"Anyway, once I obtained the Harmony Art, as a martial artist, I wanted to try using it. But I didn't have a regular partner or anything. So that's how I ended up going to a pleasure house for the first time..."
After that, there wasn't much need for outright lies.
Just a few more things to hide.
'Like the side effects of the First Cycle Technique.'
The First Cycle Technique of the Lecherous Blissful Creation Harmony Art involved sucking in a woman's internal energy.
In fact, that's how I had killed a courtesan named Aeng-i before.
But there was no need to mention that.
'It's a technique that only exists in my head anyway.'
I'd burned the manual, and I had no intention of teaching it to anyone.
I could just explain the Harmony Art as a technique that boosted internal energy for both men and women.
So, hiding what needed hiding and revealing what could be revealed, I told her my story up until we met.
It was quite a long tale, but Moyong Hui nodded in satisfaction.
"So that's how it was."
She had responded here and there along the way, but I'd been talking mostly alone, so my throat was parched.
As I reached for the wine cup in front of me to wet it, Moyong Hui belatedly tilted her head.
"Huh? Wait a minute. Does that mean you were only third-rate at the start of this year, Young Lord?"
"...Yeah?"
This was hard to hide.
Moyong Hui would meet my family eventually, and it would come out then.
At my affirmation, she gasped in surprise, covering her mouth with her hand as her eyes widened.
"Does that even make sense? Even with the Harmony Art, having a lot of internal energy doesn't automatically raise your realm..."
Indeed, sheer internal energy alone didn't elevate one's realm.
If it did, the one who consumed the most spirit elixirs would be the World's Greatest Martial Artist.
'Of course, the energy of harmony is different from ordinary internal energy— it advances the realm just by accumulating—but...'
I'd raised my realm that way in my past life, but even now, the amount I had was woefully insufficient.
In the end, talent had to back it up...
'But staying third-rate until twenty doesn't make sense for that.'
Still, there was a plausible excuse for this too.
"Truth is, I hated practicing martial arts when I was young. Or rather, I deliberately avoided forced training."
"Pardon?"
Having grown up in one of the Five Great Families, she couldn't comprehend it and tilted her head.
I added some more explanation.
"It's a bit embarrassing, but... first, our Mok Family Clan's internal energy cultivation method isn't particularly outstanding. Even if you diligently cultivate every day, Peak realm would be the limit, I suppose?"
In fact, looking at our family history, the strongest cultivates from the clan had only reached Peak.
My second sister's later attainment of Transcendent Realm was due to her exceptional talent, but also because becoming the Sword Queen's disciple allowed her to learn a superior internal art.
"And our clan isn't wealthy enough to buy spirit elixirs."
We could stretch to afford them, sure.
But even then, they'd go to the patriarch or the eldest son, not the third son like me.
"Still... you could've reached Peak with effort, right?"
In truth, even that was impossible.
That was why I'd lingered as third-rate nearly until forty in my past life.
But now, I had to play the genius.
"Sure, probably. But becoming that kind of middling expert is an even bigger problem. With my eldest brother as the heir, what if my martial skill surpassed his? If someone like me, without the capacity to lead the clan, just got strong in martial arts, it would shake the position of successor."
I also pretended a bit to care deeply for family and clan.
This was easier since I'd tried it on my brother before.
"I see... there was that issue."
"Yeah. So usually, I'd pretend to practice martial arts, but when alone, I'd hide away and practice the seven-string zither."
This even gave a reasonable basis for my zither skills.
It was a lie woven so perfectly that even I was amazed.
Hiding my smug satisfaction, I spoke to her nonchalantly.
"Hui-ya, is there anything else you're curious about?"
Fortunately, she shook her head.
Then she smiled brightly and pulled me into an embrace.
"It must've been hard to open up, but thank you for telling me everything honestly."
I tightly hugged her back as well.
"No. Sorry for hiding it all this time."
And I'm even sorrier for all the things I still can't say.
Of course, the rest would remain secret until death.