Hebei (7)

103. Hebei (7)

The women of Yeongsan Sect were perfect, but if I had one complaint, it was that they didn't enjoy drinking. They occasionally poured drinks for me, but since they didn't drink themselves, I inevitably ended up enjoying alcohol with guys like Byeok-geum, Ji-gyu, and now Peng Gang.

"If only my older brother Peng Jeon were still alive, those branch-line bastards, and that bastard Peng Il-su, wouldn't have dared to even meet his eyes. My brother once won the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering, and like my grand-uncle, his character was truly outstanding. On top of that, his face was really handsome, so he was a man close to perfection."

Whenever Peng Gang spoke about his older brother, I could feel his boundless reverence. I had never known Peng Jeon, but I had heard rumors about him when I was young. The neighboring Murong and Peng Clans had comparable clan heads. Murong Sang far surpassed the Peng juniors, but people said that when Peng Jeon's generation came to power, the balance would tilt toward the Peng Clan no matter which of the three Murong siblings succeeded. Like Murong Sang, Peng Jeon had possessed the complete package—martial arts, looks, and character. Unfortunately, he hadn't been blessed with a long life.

"So, have you completely given up on becoming the successor?"

"Of course not. The Peng Clan's swift surrender isn't meant to abandon the contest, but to plan for the future. Honestly, things are going badly for our main-line side. Peng Il-su's sisters have married into prestigious clans or high-ranking official families, and they're backing Peng Il-su. Seriously. Women married off to other families, meddling like this—I want to tell them to mind their in-laws' business now and stop interfering with the Peng Clan's affairs."

"The sisters probably can't ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠help it. If Peng Il-su becomes the successor, his mother's ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠position in the clan will grow stronger too."

"Once the clan lost power, all the branch-line bastards flocked to Peng Il-su. So for now, I've decided to rely on my uncle Peng Mu and build a foundation here on this side."

It was sound judgment, in its own way. Although Peng Mu was technically branch-line himself, he was undeniably a first-class master, and his father Peng Seok was the Clan Head's younger brother and one of the Top Hundred Masters.

"I heard that Brother Byeok from the White Tiger Sect has opened up the mountain paths and started doing some interesting business there. This area is now Yeongsan Sect territory, so if I can expand the business to here and personally handle the reception, I might just find a chance to turn the tables."

Peng Gang was calling Byeok-geum "Brother" even before ever meeting him. I couldn't quite put my finger on why, but those two, both willing to bow when they had to and both grounded in reality, might actually get along very well.

"To be honest, we'd like you to inherit the Peng Clan more than that person Peng Il-su. It sounds arrogant coming from me, but once I reach Henan and meet the Alliance Leader, my reputation will probably spread far and wide. When that happens, use my reputation and flaunt the fact that you're Baek Eun-hyeok's sworn younger brother. Sell my name for all it's worth."

"Truly?"

"Since it's mutually beneficial. I've never met Peng Il-su, but I know he's an arrogant bastard. Even if I could crush him with force, I doubt he'd come around as amicably as you have. And if that happens, eventually I might actually end up clashing with the Peng Clan, and that'd be a huge pain in the ass. If it were the Demonic Cult, I'd be better off sneaking in alone and causing ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠chaos. But if the Peng Clan right under our noses surrounds Yeongsan from all sides, even borrowing official power, I'd inevitably have to go begging to the Murong Clan."

The martial world and the government don't interfere with each other. That was just a nice-sounding facade. People could join hands the moment their interests aligned. As long as Yeongsan Sect is part of the Orthodox Faction, if I turned the government into an enemy, it'd become a headache in all sorts of ways, directly or indirectly.

"You're right, hyung. Peng Il-su is exactly that kind of man. Why else would the saying 'After Beautiful Madness comes Seom Do' have spread among the Five Great Clans?"

So my friend Murong Rin. Even in the power-tripping paradise of the Five Great Clans, she was considered top-tier.

"What sort of dreary conversation are two men having together?"

It was a fairly cold day. Not that I, having mastered the Flame Blossom Art, or Peng Gang, with his abundant internal energy, had any reason to shiver in the cold, but outside, drinks and food went cold fast. So we'd taken one of the many empty rooms and were drinking. That was when Hong Seon-hwa entered the room where we were drinking, her face captivating, and behind her followed, demurely, the youngest and most pleasantly featured of the maids. Her thin, fluttering clothes suited her well enough, but it was certainly an outfit that didn't suit a drinking party with unrelated men present. They each sat down on the sides of the table facing us.

"I accidentally overheard your conversation on my way in. Did I hear right, Brother-in-law, that you'll help our Peng Gang become the Young Clan Head?"

"I can't offer much help."

"A man's word is worth a thousand pieces of gold. A fine man like you wouldn't go back on his word, would you?"

She clasped my hand tightly with a bewitching smile. Just a moment before, she had called her husband by name, plain as day. No matter how much the ways of the martial world differ from ordinary society, husband and wife still clearly exist within a system of male superiority and female inferiority. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Even my master didn't use informal speech to me, and even Murong Rin, of all people, had politely called those living dildos "older brothers" without fail.

"Your hands are very large and warm, aren't they?"

"I've cultivated an extreme yang art. That aside, Sister-in-law, I'd appreciate it if you'd let go of my hand. I know you don't mean anything by it, but men can be surprisingly jealous."

"What does it matter? If it's you, Brother-in-law, you're hardly some stranger, are you? It's fine, isn't it, Peng Gang?"

"Of course."

Something felt off about this married couple's dynamic. Hong Seon-hwa let go of my hand and filled my cup to the brim.

Getting more and more interesting. Pouring drinks for another man right in front of her husband? Once upon a time, Murong Jin had been brought to tears by a command like this even when her husband wasn't watching.

"Hwa-ran, what are you doing? Our Peng Gang's cup is empty. What's a woman at the drinking table doing, forgetting something like that?"

At those words, the startled maid hastily filled Peng Gang's cup.

"It seems you have switched partners, have you not? Sister-in-law should pour for Little Brother Peng, and that maid should fill my cup."

"That simply won't do. What kind of man is our Brother-in-law? Serving you wine poured by a lowly hand would disgrace the face of the Peng Clan. Look. I'm far more pleasing to the eye than Hwa-ran, aren't I? You, Brother-in-law, deserve better things than your younger brother."

She spoke with utter confidence, a pride in her own beauty and some unfathomable logic. Well, to them, I truly was a precious lifeline, so this was probably their idea of the best hospitality they could offer. For now, I forced myself to understand this incomprehensible situation that way and stopped thinking too deeply about it.

"But Sister-in-law. Do you always use informal speech to Peng Gang?"

"Oh dear. How embarrassing. It's a habit that's stuck, and I just can't fix it. Darling, I'm sorry."

"No, what's the point of that now? My wife isn't ignorant of manners. She just spent over ten years as the woman set to become my sister-in-law, so it's a force of habit. I hope you'll understand, Hyung."

"Huh? Sister-in-law?"

"My late older brother. She was originally his fiancée. My wife has lived within the clan since she was thirteen to become the Peng Clan's daughter-in-law, so they were practically husband and wife. But when my brother passed away before the formal ceremony, my wife's position became difficult. As for me, well, she was my sister-in-law whom I'd secretly adored for ages. So I proposed to her, who had nowhere to go, and that's how we became a married couple now."

Hmm... Even if they were a couple with a story, this wasn't uncommon among prestigious families where political marriages were the norm. But he must have watched from closer than anyone for over ten years as she lived as his older brother's fiancée. How could Peng Gang bring himself to marry a woman who'd been in another man's arms, even if that man was his revered brother? At first glance, he seemed happy to finally have the sister-in-law he'd loved for over a decade as his wife, but these two had some kind of perverse notion flickering in their eyes. Was he truly happy? What's more, Hong Seon-hwa was increasingly, blatantly, starting to touch my body right before her husband's eyes. But Peng Gang, on the contrary, was wearing a cheerful face and casually fondling the maid's thigh under the table.

"This is delightful. Drinking in the company of a hero is truly a joyful thing. My first love was a hero too, so I suppose it's only natural."

After a little drink, her face flushed, she spoke. The maid, nestled in Peng Gang's arms, looked at her and asked,

"Isn't our Third Young Master enough of a hero too?"

"Peng Gang? Hah. Peng Gang's a good man, but he's not the sort to be called a hero. A good man is different from a heroic champion. It's not just about martial arts or power; it's like their very species is different, I suppose?"

"What's specifically different?"

"For example, his cock? My late fiancé was truly magnificent. Whenever we coupled, he struck all the way to my womb. Peng Gang is long too, but he can never reach that deep."

Hong Seon-hwa launched outright into mortifyingly indecent talk and vicious comments unthinkable for a wife. But Peng Gang just laughed out loud.

"I keep telling you, it's not that I'm small. I just can't get a proper erection when I'm dealing with you; the size itself is average."

"That's right, Young Master. Perhaps because my Yin Gate is so small, your member always makes me happy."

First Hong Seon-hwa, and now Peng Gang was openly fondling the maid Hwa-ran's chest while chatting happily. Just from seeing Murong Rin and Murong Jin, it was clear: people from prestigious families with normal sexual concepts were truly a rarity.

"That's because Hwa-ran is a lowly maid. To a woman like me, Peng Gang is just a good man, not an attractive male. I'd gladly stake my life on it: like my late fiancé, you, Brother-in-law, possess a splendid member capable of turning a woman into a needy female."

She spoke, casting subtle, seductive glances at me with every word. It was true that I was unusually well-endowed, but if I hadn't cured my premature ejaculation through the Yang Blossom Art, I'd be dying of humiliation right about now. A master who'd astonished the world, yet unable to satisfy even one woman. It was the kind of inferiority complex that would drive a man to become a demonic fiend of the Unorthodox Faction.

Master. Once again, thank you.

"My Lady, you're too much. Telling a lowly thing that she's lowly truly hurts my feelings."

As Hwa-ran made a cute pouting face and spoke as if joking, Hong Seon-hwa smiled and said,

"If you feel wronged, try harder. If you bear Peng Gang a son, I'll recognize you as his concubine."

"Oh! Truly? So I should now deliberately throw myself at him?"

"You'll have to work hard at it. I'll only permit one concubine. The situation has changed thanks to Brother-in-law. Peng Gang has now gained a weapon to confront Peng Il-su on equal footing. Amidst all that, it must not happen that he foolishly gets eliminated from the succession for failing to produce an heir. The moment Peng Gang sees me, he can't even get hard, and even if I force one of you to arouse him, he goes limp as soon as he enters me. So you'll have to see to the succession."

Where did the dirty jokes end and the political planning begin? Hong Seon-hwa was speaking to the maid with a dead-serious face. The more power you gained, the closer you got to the lives of those in power. Whether I wanted to or not, witnessing their ugly sides and gradually growing accustomed to it sometimes frightened me. Even now, the sight of this crazy couple was only faintly surprising.

"Hey, didn't you like your wife? You said you adored her for ten years, so why does it end up like that as soon as you sleep with her?"

"Hmm... How should I put it. Seon-hwa is certainly the wife I love most, but the thought that she's my sister-in-law tends to hit me first. Since she's my revered brother's woman, to think I'd dare lay hands on her, it's a bit..."

Peng Gang spoke as if bashful. But Hong Seon-hwa gave a scornful laugh at his words.

"Nonsense, Brother-in-law. We normally live as an affectionate couple. The problem is that the moment he sees me naked, he thinks of me as his sister-in-law. I know why, too. Back when I was still his late brother's fiancée, whenever that man and I shared the pleasure of clouds and rain, Peng Gang hid behind the door and jerked off while watching us. The person he loves most is me, but the moment he feels greatest pleasure isn't when we have sex—it's when he watches me being fucked. Do you know how far I went just to arouse him? I had the maids put on a show for him by penetrating me with a large wooden dildo. I can still remember how happy Peng Gang looked then."

Whoa... Master might have been ahead of her time with her masochistic tastes, but I never imagined a man with a cuckold fetish could exist so openly in this era. Then again, perversions like that had probably existed since prehistory; only the concepts and names came later. Still, someone I had known only from pornography was now a personal acquaintance. The world truly was vast.