110. Seungdeok Manor (5)
Seungdeok Manor (5)
110. Seungdeok Manor (5)
"I'll need to speak with the person in charge at Yeongsan Sect as well. Their permission must come first."
As the broad business discussions were winding down, Ban Ho-jeong brought it up.
"The Sect Leader? Or the Eldest Brother?"
"No, Junior Manor Head. The highest authority over this enterprise is the Medicine Immortal Hall Master."
"Medicine Immortal?"
"She is remarkably versatile, isn't she? She may seem uninterested in martial arts, but she excels in every field—enough to interpret the Heavenly Astral Internal Art for us."
She answered with a pretty smile. Peng Gang quietly turned to Byeok-geum and asked,
"Elder Brother. Is the Deputy Sect Leader my sister-in-law, by any chance?"
"Not my wife, but it's something like that."
Byeok-geum's reply was indifferent.
"Ever since Yeongsan Lodge was built, those bastards go looking for whores every single day, and the only one who comes to my room is Sect Leader Byeok. At this rate, I'm seriously going to end up becoming his wife."
"That's not it, Banmae. We didn't realize it back then, but after seeing the young ladies of Yeongsan Sect, I started thinking we'd been treating you too carelessly, like some bar girl. You're now a member of the orthodox faction, and you hold the position of Yeongsan Lodge Master, Banmae. The reason is that we want you to live comfortably from now on, just like the young ladies of Yeongsan Sect."
"Don't make me laugh. Does washing a filthy rag turn it into a dishcloth? I have a past and have lived accordingly. Besides, you have played with my body until you are sick of it, so you probably want to deal with the new, soft, obedient whores instead."
At the bandit-like talk, the expressions on Peng Gang and Hong Seon-hwa's faces hardened.
"I said that's not it. The new guys can't even go near you, Banmae. Honestly, you're a far prettier woman than any whore; they're just holding themselves back."
"Now you'll say anything to get on my good side. Fine. Let's just get married, then. We'll squeeze the Reverend and Yeongsan Sect for a pile of wedding presents."
"Elder Brother. A dagger is all I need. A sword is splendid, but when you're fighting in the mountains, a short one is best."
"You know all I need is money."
Instantly, the two synchronized their rhythm and started demanding presents from me.
"I'll prepare a gift for Second Brother as well."
Peng Gang, a man who knew how to read the room, had already ridden the flow of conversation and spoke naturally.
"Oh my. Then I should prepare a fine dress for you, Elder Brother?"
Now even Hong Seon-hwa jumped in and joined the cheerful rhythm. Anyone watching would think we were a single family who had been sworn brothers for decades.
"Wow. A daughter-in-law of the Peng Clan is calling me Elder Sister. This is why choosing the right side matters. May I be a little greedier? I'd like the Peng Clan Head's direct-line grandson to call me Sister-in-law."
Ban Ho-jeong spoke gently, mixing it with light jest. She probably did have some real ambition in that direction, but she was steering the conversation this way to solidify the position of sworn siblings right here and now, for the sake of the business ahead.
"Of course, Sister-in-law. Please, have a drink."
"Oh my, there's no need for that. I should be the one pouring for my brother-in-law."
They passed the cup back and forth affectionately, flipping a peculiar switch. Peng Gang was loyal and remarkably sharp, but he had one unfortunate flaw: he was a goddamn pervert. Worse, he was a composite pervert with three separate fetishes. The first and most representative was cuckoldry. The second was a slight masochistic streak that made a maid's feet excite him far more than sex. The last was a sister-in-law fetish. He had married his current wife, Madam Hong, precisely because she had embodied his ideal sister-in-law. Now that he had met a new sister-in-law, reason and courtesy kept him restrained, but the switch had plainly been flipped.
The problem was Ban Ho-jeong. An ordinary woman would have been horrified, but she possessed a special sexual outlook rooted in the notion of a sexual community where anyone within the group could mix bodies. Hong Seon-hwa, who knew Peng Gang as well as anyone, noticed the subtle undercurrent as quickly as I did and quietly rose from her seat.
"I'm sorry. I was so scatterbrained. Only two women at a table with three men drinking. Please wait just a moment."
With those words, Hong Seon-hwa swiftly left the room. Byeok-geum and Ban Ho-jeong looked puzzled for a moment, then assumed that was simply the etiquette of a prestigious clan and continued drinking.
"Wow. Brother-in-law, your hands are so fine. The Reverend's hands were fine too. I guess rich families are different."
Ban Ho-jeong remarked, looking at Peng Gang's hands. In truth, calluses had built up from wielding the blade countless times, but compared to the hands of the White Tiger Sect members, roughened by life in the mountains, they might as well have been a maiden's hands.
"It's embarrassing for a martial artist. Your hands are a little rough, Sister-in-law, but your face is so lovely one would never believe you lived in the mountains."
She laughed, pleased by Peng Gang's flattery. Ban Ho-jeong was a beauty, but among the ignorant and rough members of the White Tiger Sect, she had hardly ever heard such sweet compliments. That was why she had made a habit of enjoying flattery from guests at the Yeongsan Lodge drinking table, even personally pouring their drinks.
"The past is the past, but in this area, there isn't a martial artist who doesn't know the charms of White Tiger Fortress's Ban Ho-jeong. You may not know this, Sister-in-law, but I've seen you a few times before. Even from a distance, you were breathtakingly beautiful."
"If you mean the Peng Clan's raid, all I could have shown you was my fleeing backside. Brother-in-law. I appreciate your kind eyes, but you should remember this well. Unlike you, we are people from the underworld who've lived dirty, ignorant lives. If you're too kind to me, I might make a mistake."
"Ah... What kind of mistake?"
"Something like this?"
With a bewitching smile, Ban Ho-jeong approached and casually brushed her hand over my cock through my pants. I hadn't had sex with Ban Ho-jeong before, but I'd occasionally enjoyed her mouth at drinking sessions with Byeok-geum. It was Ban Ho-jeong's way of teasing the rich young master Peng Gang, but now Peng Gang's second switch clicked on as well.
"Was I too late? The maid I meant to bring was called away to the Medicine Immortal, so I brought another girl. Here, Seong-ji. Have a seat over there."
Hong Seon-hwa smoothly seated another pretty maid, not Hwa-ran, beside me. This woman was no ordinary person either. She had grasped the inclinations of everyone present faster than anyone, and at a glance, it seemed she had simply arranged the seating in neat pairs: maid—me, Hong Seon-hwa—Peng Gang, Ban Ho-jeong—Byeok-geum. But due to the round table, this arrangement was one where partners could instantly change: me—Hong Seon-hwa, Peng Gang—Ban Ho-jeong, Byeok-geum—maid.
"Elder brother-in-law. Please have a drink."
Madam Hong poured my drink in a clinging voice. There was no way Ban Ho-jeong would miss the foxlike behavior that even our Yeongsan Sect members had noticed. By the common sense of the Central Plains, it was unthinkable for a married woman to pour a drink for a man outside her husband's family, even an elder brother-in-law. With growing suspicion, Ban Ho-jeong watched Madam Hong's reaction as she filled Peng Gang's cup.
"Brother-in-law, your cup is empty too."
"Thank you, Sister-in-law."
Peng Gang was delighted, blushing to his cheeks.
"But, Elder Sister. The men are sworn brothers, not real brothers, are they not? It isn't the husband's family, so isn't 'brother-in-law' a slightly inappropriate title?"
Hong Seon-hwa spoke to Ban Ho-jeong. At that, Ban Ho-jeong answered testily.
"Madam Hong. To speak plainly, I'm a truly ignorant bitch. Honestly, I don't know much about etiquette, so if it bothers you, just say so."
Ban Ho-jeong was cautious. She had noticed Peng Gang's gaze, but as she carefully watched to see if his wife, Hong Seon-hwa, might be angered by it, Hong Seon-hwa abruptly stood up, bowed her head, and apologized.
"I'm sorry, Elder Sister. It is I who, steeped in arrogance, dared to speak rudely to my superior."
Flustered by Hong Seon-hwa's sudden gesture, Ban Ho-jeong raised her up and said,
"That's not what I meant. It was just an inferiority complex from a lowborn upbringing, so please get up."
"Do you forgive me?"
"What is there to forgive or not? It looks bad for the mistress of the house to bow her head like this, so please get up."
"If you address me casually, I'll take it as forgiveness and return to my seat."
At Hong Seon-hwa's somewhat stubborn-sounding words, Ban Ho-jeong's face clouded for a moment, and then she said what the other woman wanted.
"Alright, sister-in-law. Go back to your seat."
At Ban Ho-jeong's lowered speech, Hong Seon-hwa finally returned to her seat. This was why educated people were terrifying. They could make others move to their will even while bowing their head.
"So, if you do not want to call him brother-in-law, would you prefer Junior Manor Head?"
"No. Even though Peng Gang is a man, he is clearly your junior, Elder Sister, and Junior Manor Head sounds too distant. Please call him something more familial."
"Something familial? Young Master?"
"'Young Master' is for an unmarried younger brother of one's husband."
"Then should I call him my dear husband?"
Ban Ho-jeong's irritable reply scored a direct hit on Peng Gang's heart. Watching Peng Gang's face, Hong Seon-hwa was more than satisfied.
"Seriously, I can't understand the way rich people think at all. Dear husband, does that make you so happy?"
"I'm deeply moved. Sister-in-law."
Peng Gang beamed. Just then, Byeok-geum, feeling left out on the other side, spoke up.
"By the way, little brother Peng. For a while now, this pretty girl's been subtly pushing her tits against me. Is it okay if I touch her?"
"No problem at all. You say that only because you don't know, Elder Brother, but the terror of the White Tiger Fortress Chief and the renown of the White Tiger Sect Leader have spread even to Hebei. Seong-ji serves a martial household, so she probably wanted to meet you."
As a fellow country bumpkin, Byeok-geum had been intimidated and restrained by this fine manor, but given Peng Gang's permission, he unreservedly slipped his hand inside the maid's clothes, kneaded her breasts, and laughed.
"Seong-ji. Isn't that good for you? Rough, manly men are your type, right?"
"Yes, Madam. Honestly, the Third Young Master is too pretty. Just look at these thick forearms. The downy hair. Exactly my type. A man should have thick, burly fingers like these and a magnificent, bristly beard. If he's slender and pale, how's he any different from a woman?"
It wasn't forced sexual service. Nestled in Byeok-geum's broad embrace, the maid spoke as though she genuinely enjoyed herself. Perhaps because of Peng Gang's tastes, every maid in this house seemed to have verbal abuse as a passive skill.
"Ugh? You like that sort of thing? What's the difference between that hairy brute and a wild boar? A man should, above all, exude noble grace like my husband. Look at these fingers. Don't these slender, long fingers seem like they'd feel really good?"
With a horrified face, Ban Ho-jeong opposed the maid's taste.
"Then, Deputy Sect Leader, do you prefer a child-like member?"
"No way. The tool's got to be big. But a penis and fingers are different. A woman's body is delicate."
The temperature was steadily rising. Hong Seon-hwa smiled, satisfied with the scene playing out as planned.
"But Sect Leader, isn't this a bit much? How long has it been since you proposed, and you're already holding another woman? You've manhandled my body too, so I won't say anything about you taking a woman, but don't you think this is too harsh?"
"You should play around with permission too, Banmae. You always liked the pretty young masters. Little brother Peng is a real young master in more ways than one, so give it your best shot."
Ban Ho-jeong fumed at his words. Watching her, Hong Seon-hwa picked up some food with her chopsticks, fed it into my mouth, and acted coquettishly.
"Elder brother-in-law. Is it good?"
"Yeah. It's good. Senior Sister Lee made it, after all."
"The Medicine Immortal's skills are amazing. But, compared to my body, which tastes better?"
"What am I, a cannibal? Obviously, Senior Sister Lee's cooking tastes better."
"Well, I suppose. It was me who ate eagerly with both my upper and lower mouths, wasn't it, Elder brother-in-law?"
At Hong Seon-hwa's coquetry, Ban Ho-jeong finally reached a firm conclusion. She spoke to Hong Seon-hwa in a suggestive tone.
"Sister-in-law. If you're only looking after the Reverend like that, what becomes of my husband's dignity?"
"I can't help it. Since Seong-ji is in the second elder brother-in-law's arms, I must at least look after the most esteemed person here, the eldest brother-in-law."
The maid's preferences were genuine, but there was no way a man matching those tastes would randomly show up at a drinking party. From the very start, Hong Seon-hwa had grasped the tendencies of the maid named Seong-ji and seated her beside Byeok-geum to create this situation.
"So you're telling me to take good care of my husband?"
"I'm sorry, Elder Sister. It'd be truly appreciated if you did."
"Sister-in-law, I'm Ban Ho-jeong—the woman who survived alone among a pack of bandit bastards. You know I'm an ignorant wench, do you not? I can't respect neat little boundaries the way sheltered women like you do."
An ultimatum.
Even in the face of Ban Ho-jeong's provocation, Hong Seon-hwa simply clung softly in my arms and replied cloyingly.
"Elder Sister seems to have some misunderstanding about prestigious families. We're the same people. Between brothers, sharing a wench or so is entirely possible. We're one family, after all."
Byeok-geum and Peng Gang nodded at those words. Come to think of it, Byeok-geum really was a strange man. He was sincere enough about Ban Ho-jeong to risk his life to save her, yet he felt no discomfort whatsoever about her sleeping with the sect members; on the contrary, he had even pushed her onto me. As long as Ban Ho-jeong wasn't violated by force, Byeok-geum was a man for whom everything was okay.
My little brothers were truly shameless bastards. Just in case, I made a preemptive declaration right then and there.
"I don't have those tastes, so if you harbor ill intentions toward my wife, I really will kill you.
"Especially you, Peng Gang. Be satisfied with Ban Ho-jeong as your sister-in-law."