Chapter 18
Translator: penny
Chapter: 18
Chapter Title: The Brothel Madam's Proposition
A month had passed since I sparred with my second sister.
During that time, I threw myself wholeheartedly into training.
The extent of my dedication? I even slashed my brothel visits dramatically.
From every single day to once every two days.
'I cut it by a whopping half.'
Truth be told, at this point, embracing courtesans no longer did much for my internal energy.
It was all because the vital energy I'd absorbed from Somwol had been so immense.
Sure, it was still better than nothing, but if I was focusing purely on martial arts progress, dedicated training yielded far better results.
But people can't live their entire lives chasing pure efficiency.
You've got to vent your desires now and then and enjoy yourself along the way, right?
In any case, today was a rare visit day to Taewon.
Having taken yesterday off, my lust had piled up considerably.
'Hmm, where to go today.'
I'd already been with every girl at Blue Moon Pavilion who caught my fancy.
Lately, I'd been hopping between other brothels, but the quality was sorely lacking.
Sure enough, nothing in Taewon compared to Blue Moon Pavilion.
'Maybe Somwol after all this time.'
A major flaw in the Blissful Creation Art.
Or maybe just in my personality.
Either way, once I slept with a woman, my interest in her vanished completely.
Somwol had been fine up to the second time, but after that, I could barely build any internal energy from her.
Sure, if I abstained long enough, my desire might build back up, but it hadn't stirred significantly yet.
And the other courtesans held no appeal either.
I didn't earn the title Lecherous Demon for nothing.
After wandering Taewon for quite a while, the place I ended up at was Blue Moon Pavilion.
'Still, this is the best spot.'
If they're all much the same anyway, why not this place—practically the hometown of my heart?
The one who greeted me upon entering was Choyeonn, the very first woman I'd bedded after my regression.
"Oh my, young master. It's been ages."
"Yeah. Been pouring everything into martial arts training lately."
"Pfft, we all know you hit up Jihak Pavilion the day before yesterday."
Choyeonn snorted derisively.
Why were rumors in this damn Taewon always so lightning-fast?
I had no idea why my diligent training never made the rounds.
"Whatever. Any new courtesans come in?"
"Come on, it's only been days since your last visit. Oh, but the Madam said she wants a word with you when you arrive."
"Pass. Just set up a drinking table."
The Madam of Blue Moon Pavilion.
Or rather, the head of Shadow Gate Sect's Brothel Hall.
From some point on, she'd been clinging to me relentlessly.
All because Somwol's internal energy had skyrocketed after sleeping with me.
Somwol couldn't bring herself to hide the reason for her surge from the head she owed a favor to, so she'd spilled everything honestly. Ever since, the head had been hounding me to boost hers too.
'Impossible, I tell you.'
If she were just ten years younger, I might've considered it, but as things stood, she stirred nothing in me.
Yet she kept insisting on talks, and it was starting to grate on me.
"Ah, young master. The Madam said she'll comp the drinking table if you chat with her..."
"Oh?"
That changed everything.
My allowance was running thin anyway.
Even though I'd cut back compared to my Flowery Playboy days, my tastes had expanded during my Lecherous Demon phase, leaving me strapped for cash.
'Jeong Mutae ought to be footing drink bills with me.'
Unlike before, I was going solo these days too.
Still, if it saved money, I could spare a quick chat.
"Tell her I'll make a little time then."
"Got it. Wait in the wine room?"
"Yeah."
I'd hear what she had to say.
As I nursed my cup alone, the Madam arrived.
She scanned the table and frowned.
"You went all out on the expensive stuff."
"Naturally. When else would I get to indulge?"
Knowing it was on the house, I'd ordered heaps of liquors I'd never normally touch.
Stuff my allowance couldn't stretch to.
The Madam shook her head ruefully and took a seat across from me.
"Well, this much is fine. If you grant my one request, I can comp you anytime from here on out..."
"Hold it. If you're about to spout nonsense about sleeping with me again, I'm out."
It'd ruin the booze.
I bit back the rest.
No sense being rude to someone footing a free tab.
The Madam let out a deep sigh.
"Am I truly out of the question?"
"Yep. No dice."
Just like when I'd asked her to keep my secret before—why was she so desperate to throw herself at me? Tsk tsk.
"Plenty of men would heap gold at my feet for one night..."
I didn't doubt it for a second.
The Madam was a beauty in her own right.
Some might pay top coin for her, but that someone wasn't me.
And intimacy with me cost more than gold.
The effects rivaled all but the finest spirit pills.
"That what you came to say?"
She shook her head at my flat tone.
"No. The 'Harmony Art' you possess is surely a technique tied to desire. Even if I begged, I figured it wouldn't work much on me."
Hoo, Shadow Gate Sect lived up to its name.
She'd pinpointed the secret of my art right away.
'Not plain Harmony Art, but Blissful Creation Art.'
She must've grilled Somwol for details.
"Then why are you here?"
"If that's the case, would you consider the other girls in Brothel Hall instead?"
She was straight-up treating me like a walking elixir.
This wasn't my first such offer, truth be told.
Countless women had come to me for exactly this during my Lecherous Demon days.
If they'd kept supplying fresh faces, I might've been game,
"Can't do that."
but I had to turn it down.
"Why ever not...?"
Surprised by my refusal, her eyes went wide.
How to put this?
A woman seeking my energy and offering herself up?
Zero appeal.
No matter how stunning her looks or figure.
In my eyes, she was no different from any courtesan.
Courtesans peddled flesh for coin; these women peddled it for internal energy.
Once they knew that, my desire ebbed, and they got far less than they craved.
'Inevitably breeding hatred toward me.'
The poster child for that was the Heavenly Demon's daughter down the line.
Ma Haryeong, the Demonic Cult's forbidden jade leaf.
She'd sought me out back then on rumor alone.
"Lecherous Demon Mok Jimyeong. They say bedding you boosts internal energy?"
A virgin untouched by men, driven purely by hunger for power.
I never turned away a willing woman, so it happened...
"Why did my energy rise so pathetically little!"
Dissatisfied even after yielding her purity, she flew into a fury.
But it was unavoidable.
My passion couldn't ignite for what amounted to a delivered courtesan.
A misunderstanding born of ignorance about the Blissful Creation Art.
To dispel it, I explained in full,
"Y-You... dare compare me to a whore?!"
And that was how Lecherous Demon Mok Jimyeong earned the Demonic Cult's enmity.
I could've refused outright, of course.
But Ma Haryeong was a real knockout at the time, and with my lust at fever pitch, there'd been no reason to.
Her energy would grow regardless.
'Wonder how old Ma Haryeong is now.'
The Heavenly Demon had been about five years my senior back then, so she was likely not even born.
Maybe in four or five years?
Moments like these, reminiscing the past, really drove home how much time I'd looped through.
Not that it mattered.
Point was, I had zero interest in bedding women who came solely for the energy boost.
"My Harmony Art runs on desire, like you said. Women chasing internal energy don't move me."
"Mm..."
The Brothel Hall head grasped my meaning at once and groaned softly.
Then she pressed on.
"Even so, wouldn't a true beauty stir you at least a little?"
Of course she would.
For female experts, it was just that the yield fell short of satisfaction.
But if they dragged in martial novices,
"In that case, you've got girls I've already bedded here? Like Choyeonn. Train them up."
better to cultivate the courtesans right here into Shadow Gate disciples.
"Ah! Of course, that's an option!"
Her eyes widened—it clearly hadn't occurred to her.
This ought to square us for the free booze.
As I geared up to bow out politely, she lobbed another question.
"By the way, young master, how long do you plan to stay in this region?"
"This region?"
"Shanxi lands. From what I gather, your Harmony Art seems to require fresh women continually... Haven't you maxed out your gains here already?"
She flicked a glance at my dantian.
I'd concealed my energy as best I could, but with my internal foundation still forming, she'd read me like a book.
'Shadow Gate's no joke.'
Piecing together scraps to this degree?
Impressive information mastery.
No point hiding now that she'd clocked it.
"I'm prepping to head out soon anyway."
The time had come to spread Mok Jimyeong's name across the entire martial world.