121. Red Flower Pavilion (4)
Red Flower Pavilion (4)
121. Red Flower Pavilion (4)
Generally speaking, in any group of men, you could practically measure someone's social standing by whether he was invited along to a pleasure house or deliberately left out. Men unfamiliar with pleasure houses would often ruin the atmosphere with their overflowing lust, and a naive man like Hwangseong would waste the whole expensive evening barely exchanging a word with a courtesan, have some clumsy sex exactly once, and leave having spent his money for nothing. Sometimes they'd even be stupid enough to get into pride-fueled squabbles with the other men over the prettier courtesans. As a rule, you never brought a novice to a pleasure house.
But while ordinary women rarely had reason to visit a pleasure house, surprisingly, the atmosphere was quite good. There was no risk of lust boiling over toward a courtesan, no one would start a pathetic dick-measuring contest over a pretty girl, and since everyone was the same sex, you could simply enjoy relaxed conversation. Lee Eun-ha was entertaining herself in her own way, learning to play the pipa from the courtesan assigned to her. Master was chatting softly with her courtesan like a friend, enjoying the drinking without any pressure. Son Yeong's partner seemed a little exhausted because Son Yeong kept asking her to dance. Did she think every courtesan had stamina like her own just because they'd trained in martial arts?
"Indeed, this is no simple dance. Hidden within each motion is a subtle martial technique."
Son Yeong, who had observed the courtesan's dance about three times, spoke quietly.
"What? In this Water Moon Dance? No, that can't be! This isn't martial arts—it's merely a performance dance," the courtesan said, startled by Son Yeong's words.
"I'm certain. Watch."
Son Yeong rose from her seat, crossed over to the wide open space where the courtesans were, and began to dance in time with the courtesan's geomungo. Beautifully, her dancing lines drew soft curves, endlessly flowing on. The courtesans were struck speechless by the sight of Son Yeong perfectly reproducing the Water Moon Dance after only a few viewings. I understood exactly how they felt. I'd felt the same way when I showed her the Snow-White Sword, way back.
"This time, I will infuse it with internal energy and make it offensive."
Son Yeong's hands and feet moved softly. Yet the motion of her turning arms clearly contained the profound principles of Pear Blossom Grafting, and her light, delicate footwork concealed an advanced-grade footwork technique. The Moonlit Divine Sword was originally performed as beautifully as a dance. Son Yeong, who was deeply familiar with light and supple women's martial arts, had found the hidden martial principles within the courtesan's Water Moon Dance, and with an elegant yet fierce momentum, she revealed its true form to the world.
"I-Impossible!!!"
The most shocked of all was the Pavilion Mistress. A master of the poker face, she had been startled by Master a few times down on the first floor but had always quickly composed herself. But now, she had forgotten she was a courtesan at all, crying out loudly and unable to conceal her astonishment.
"Master and Grandmaster were just ordinary third-class martial artists! But that light shining from her hand now—! Are you saying the Water Moon Dance was actually an advanced martial art of the second class or beyond?!"
"You left out a few movements, didn't you? Senior Sister Son is a genius who finds gaps in the martial arts and fills them in on her own. And as for that Crimson Pearl Art you've supposedly trained? If you poured that internal energy into it, it would probably look a little different. If I assume equivalent skill levels, it would lose a touch of softness and become a slightly more domineering dance."
By now, even I was capable of putting on a decent act of being a master. I spoke smugly to the Pavilion Mistress while leisurely sipping my drink.
"Pavilion Mistress! In a pleasure house, how does one compliment a courtesan who has performed a lovely dance?"
At Jeong-hyang's question, the Pavilion Mistress collected herself, barely managing to compose her expression before answering.
"There are many ways, but usually, one bestows silver or gold taels. Or, to express that she has worked hard, one may permit her to sit beside you. Normally, one lightly kisses the cheek of the courtesan seated beside them."
At that, Jeong-hyang gave Son Yeong, who had returned to her seat, a peck on the cheek.
Ah. She's drunk, this woman.
"Junior Brother! What are you doing? Junior Sister Son just showed you such a beautiful dance and is sitting beside you. We came to a pleasure house, so we should follow its customs."
Having readily accepted and drunk the cups the courtesans had been offering her, Jeong-hyang seemed to have badly broken her pace and gotten quite drunk. When I discreetly touched her bottom, the Yin Blossom Art began to circulate its energy, starting to clear away her intoxication. This really was a genuinely convenient martial art in terms of practical applications. But even without the alcohol, Jeong-hyang was still Jeong-hyang. She looked at me and silently urged me on.
"Senior Sister Son isn't a courtesan, you know."
"I danced my hardest. I want to be seen as beautiful, too, just like the courtesans..."
This time, the outburst came from an unexpected quarter—Son Yeong. Lee Eun-ha, still caressing her pipa, spoke with an air of mild annoyance.
"This is a pleasure house, isn't it? We said anything that happens here, didn't happen. So I saw nothing and heard nothing. Please enjoy yourselves as one does in a pleasure house."
At Lee Eun-ha's words, I finally gave Son Yeong a kiss on the cheek, and she smiled beautifully, her face faintly flushed.
"The pride of a courtesan has been utterly shattered. Our looks have lost to the Yeongsan Sect, and a lifetime of trained dance has suffered complete defeat at the hands of Heroine Son. Even a courtesan's final pride, satisfying the male heart, has all crumbled."
Master was much the same, but the Pavilion Mistress, who held a peculiar pride in her profession, spoke with a dismal expression.
"I'm sorry, but I suspect our side is superior in the Bedchamber Arts as well."
"Jeong-hyang! This is a place for enjoyment, not a contest! What are you trying to achieve by defeating a courtesan?"
It was Master who scolded Jeong-hyang, yet somehow, her expression also bore the faint ease of a victor.
"Was that so? Mi-ok, was it? I apologize. It was a joke. Now, come over here."
Laughing playfully, Jeong-hyang now seated her partner beside her. The courtesan named Mi-ok sat down politely next to Jeong-hyang. When Jeong-hyang kissed her on the cheek, Mi-ok's face flushed bright red.
"Oh my? You're shy, aren't you? Doesn't that make working in a pleasure house uncomfortable?"
"W-Well... Elder, you're just so beautiful. I feel like my heart might burst."
A true beauty transcends age or gender. Even for a courtesan as seasoned as they come, that feeling was perfectly understandable.
"What are you talking about? You're pretty too. Here. You should kiss me, too—I'm the woman sitting beside you, after all."
"Huh? I-Is it really all right for me to?"
"You said it's the pleasure house rule."
Her hands trembling, she held onto Jeong-hyang and kissed her cheek. It was the face of a fan who'd been granted a handshake at an idol meet-and-greet.
"I'll have mine sit beside me now, as well. It's tiring to converse from a distance."
When Master seated her courtesan beside her, the courtesan, perhaps having seen Jeong-hyang's precedent, gave Master's cheek a peck. Master looked slightly surprised, but she, too, was a woman well-accustomed to lesbian play, enjoying a bit of cunnilingus with her disciple and even having packed a double-headed dildo for her workshop with Do-hwa. She kissed the courtesan's cheek in return and resumed her easy chatter with her.
"Please consider me as having been seated beside you, as well."
In Lee Eun-ha's case, it was rather the reverse: she had gone over to the other side and was learning an instrument from her partner.
"Medicine Immortal. Normally, a patron, once she has chosen a courtesan, is not supposed to cross over to this side. Of course, it matters not in the slightest now. Since you've taken such a liking to the instrument, I shall present you with a small gift. A large geomungo or daegeum might be slightly inconvenient for wandering the Martial World, so I will gift you a fine sogeum."
the Pavilion Mistress gave instructions to a young courtesan in charge of miscellaneous tasks and had her bring two short bamboo flutes. She gave one to the courtesan who was her partner, and the other to Lee Eun-ha, so the two of them could continue learning the instrument. Back in my past life, I'd tried playing the danso in music class and found it dreadfully hard to even make a sound, but Lee Eun-ha, a polymath in everything except martial arts, produced a clear tone on her very first try, startling the courtesan.
"Courtesan Sang-hong, please come sit beside me too."
Son Yeong, having learned that a courtesan normally put in considerable effort to be allowed over to the patron's side, seated her partner beside her as well and asked the Pavilion Mistress,
"Now that the courtesan is beside me, is it permissible to touch her body freely?"
"Yes. Provided you do not engage in overly rough behavior or cause discomfort to your companions."
"Discomfort?"
"Every patron's inclination is different. From patrons who strip the courtesans totally naked and have them perform intercourse, as was mentioned this morning, to patrons who have them perform oral sex the entire time they drink, to patrons who have them remove only their clothes and enjoy the drinking without once laying a hand on them, to patrons who wish to drink decorously until they each retire to a private room—the dispositions within a single party vary so widely that we have no choice but to accommodate the preferences of your companions."
"Men are so complicated."
"Isn't that what makes them endearing?"
"I don't like complicated men who are 'endearing.'"
"Do you prefer a strong, simple man?"
"Yes."
"Then, is there nothing dissatisfying about Reverend Yeongmok as a lover?"
"Nothing at all."
Prompted by the Pavilion Mistress, Son Yeong had forgotten her guard and was answering frankly. Damn it. I couldn't use Killing Intent, but I glared at the Pavilion Mistress with eyes full of fury.
"Your professional dedication is quite something, isn't it? Leading a patron into questions to extract information—it feels pretty shitty from the receiving end."
I had hidden information about my lovers as much as possible. Byeok-geum and Peng Gang still didn't know who my lovers were. The only exceptions were that I had once told Murong Rin that Master and Jeong-hyang were my lovers, and I had told Ji-gyu only about Jeong-hyang. Do-hwa had also jumped to the conclusion on her own that Jeong-hyang was my lover. the Pavilion Mistress hadn't asked Son Yeong if she was my lover. She had instinctively framed it with the premise that she was my lover and inquired about any dissatisfaction—a leading statement designed to confirm our relationship.
"Please, quell your anger, Reverend. Just as a master of your level could recognize our Water Moon Dance at a single glance, having worked in this business, we naturally develop a sharp eye for these relationships. It was not an attempt to gather information."
"You. You're a pretty twisted one, aren't you? Is this revenge for your wounded pride earlier?"
"Reverend, it's a misunderstanding. In my current position, I cannot afford to provoke the people of Yeongsan Sect; I need to remain in their good graces. You have all seated your courtesans beside you, and I was the only one you didn't call over, so I simply spoke up so that you might all enjoy yourselves without reservation. Every person from Yeongsan Sect at this table is in love with you, Reverend, are you not? And you all accept one another without jealousy—you've even enjoyed one another together, haven't you? Ah, perhaps only Medicine Immortal hasn't joined physically yet, but even Medicine Immortal tacitly accepts the other relationships, doesn't she?"
Sh-Shit. This crazy bitch. Did she install secret CCTV in Yeongsan Sect or something? Or does she actually possess some Taoist art that reads minds? No matter how sharp she was, she'd grasped all of this in this short amount of time?
"Really? Junior Sister Lee? You liked Junior Brother too?"
Jeong-hyang spoke with a delighted face.
"A maiden's love has been laid bare in the worst possible way. Pavilion Mistress, you've made a mistake. I am the one who distributes Spirit Pills to the forces subordinate to Yeongsan Sect. I gave them to the White Tiger Sect and Seungdeok Manor, but I won't give any to you, Pavilion Mistress."
Lee Eun-ha spoke in a tone free of particular anger, yet distinctly displeased.
"I'm sorry, Medicine Immortal. But I'm rather like you, Medicine Immortal. Money over martial arts. I can be of help to you in that regard, so I will work hard to make amends. We are of the same Lee clan, after all."
"I'm a Joseon person, though?"
Though she spoke curtly, Lee Eun-ha would eventually join the ranks of my brides too. The Pavilion Mistress had spoken lightly, thinking that by then her current words would carry little weight.
"Junior Sister! Really! This is wonderful! Let's sleep together starting tonight! We'll leave Junior Sister Cho in Lady Tang's care!"
Jeong-hyang's shoulders were practically dancing on their own. But Lee Eun-ha, as she did every time, coldly drew a line.
"My heart is not ready yet. It's true that I love Junior Brother, and I too wish to stay with Master and my Senior Sisters forever. But my life is my own to decide. Please wait a little while, until my heart is certain."
"Ah, and from the first wife down to the fourth, I wish for them to become ours, of Yeongsan Sect, in order. So, I'm sorry, but if someone else aspires to be the fourth wife, Master and Senior Sisters, please block them."
At Lee Eun-ha's declaration, overflowing happiness began to spread across Jeong-hyang's face, while a profound bewilderment began to draw itself across Master's. And Son Yeong had been somewhat restless for a while now. It didn't look like she disliked the idea of Lee Eun-ha joining as a wife, though. Had she discussed something with her?
"Y-Yeongmok! Please leave Ryeong alone! She's a child I raised like my own daughter. Please consider my position, having to serve the same man as her."
"Ahem, Master. That is how it goes: the master becomes unni, and unni becomes hyung. Did you not know?"
Jeong-hyang's cheerful reply. I didn't know about Master, but as far as I was concerned, that was some bullshit I'd never heard in my past life or this one.