126. Gongsun Clan (2)
Gongsun Clan (2)
126. Gongsun Clan (2)
"Unni, are you still in Liaoning?"
Jang Ga-yang chattered away excitedly as she showed us around the garden. Unlike Son Yeong, who seemed subtly uncomfortable, this one apparently liked her unni quite a bit.
"Yeah. I'm on my way to Henan now."
"Lucky. Our Young Lady aged out of this year's Dragon-Phoenix Gathering, so I didn't get to tag along either. Unni! Over there's the training ground. Outsiders don't get to see it, but it's no joke in person. Everyone rides horses that huge and swings swords that big."
If the Gongsun Clan had a defining feature, it was mounted warriors. Cavalry typically boasted several times the strength of infantry. But in the martial world, people grew infinitely stronger through martial arts, while horses couldn't learn martial arts. So a sect that trained mounted warriors was an extraordinarily unique one. Humans could eventually outrun horses once they learned Light-Body Art, but that required being at least second-class. Even at a place like the Jilin Baek Clan Estate, only three martial artists had reached second-class, so the advantage of mounted warriors was immense.
But the reason so many sects gave up on mounted warriors was that horses were far too expensive, and mounted training was never truly a martial-world discipline to begin with—it was a military art developed in armies. The Gongsun Clan had originated from descendants of Gongsun Yuan, whose clan Sima Yi had destroyed, which was probably what made such a half-military sect possible. Gongsun Zan's White Horse Cavalry had been a famously formidable cavalry force, after all.
Smaller than the Peng Clan, the Gongsun Clan had specialized in these mounted warriors and survived for a full seven hundred years in the Central Plains' capital, Beijing. Maybe because of that, the Gongsun Clan was even more like a military unit than the Peng Clan. Naturally, the imperial court would never easily permit such a mounted armed force in Beijing where the emperor resided, but the Gongsun Clan had taken on the role of Beijing's self-appointed security force and received imperial authorization for their mounted warriors. Thanks to that, the unorthodox factions in Beijing couldn't even dream of directly plundering commoners. Instead, they operated loan-sharking outfits like Jeonchu Finance House or pleasure houses like Red Flower Pavilion, skimming commoners' money while teetering between legal and illegal.
This was both a strength and a weakness: the Gongsun Clan had received imperial sanction and could maintain their clan for centuries in the capital of Beijing, but as long as they were responsible for public order, these formidable mounted warriors could not leave Beijing. That was why the Gongsun Clan was such an unusual clan—despite their centuries in Beijing, their history and tradition, and their power, they had almost never been counted among the Five Great Clans.
"Unni, your sect's people are seriously pretty. Way prettier than the Red Flower Pavilion girls. Hey, did your sect come to buy Red Flower Pavilion too? Want me to put in a word with the Young Lady?"
Jang Ga-yang whispered furtively to Son Yeong. As I thought. To an outsider's eyes, was our Yeongsan Sect mistaken for a Red Flower Pavilion-type sect?
"With the Young Lady? For what?"
"Come on. You know exactly what. Red Flower Pavilion's building got sold to us, didn't it? It's a really prime spot, so people who want to move in there keep coming to the Gongsun Clan to ask the Young Lady for favors. Isn't your sect here for the same thing?"
Jang Ga-yang poked Son Yeong in the ribs and spoke with an I-know-everything look on her face.
"No. We're Yeongsan Sect. We're not a pleasure house, we're a Daoist sect. We didn't come to buy the Red Flower Pavilion building."
"Huh? Then why are martial-world people lined up in front of the Gongsun Clan? Unni, you guys aren't commoners. You didn't come to see the Young Lady?"
Jang Ga-yang asked, sounding bewildered. It was such an obvious assumption that it became awkward to answer that we'd simply come as tourists, like commoners.
"No. We just..."
"It was I who wanted to meet you, Ga-yang. I'd been agonizing for a long time over how to invite the Yeongsan Sect, and you solved it so simply."
A woman emerged from the other side and spoke in a gentle tone.
"Young Lady!"
"You've worked hard, Ga-yang. I'll take over the receiving duties now, so go inside and rest. Tell the steward I'll be granting a sizable reward, so look forward to it."
Jang Ga-yang was startled by the Young Lady's sudden appearance, but she immediately bowed her head at her words and said to Son Yeong,
"Unni, I'll head in first. You have to come find me again later, okay?"
"Sure. Let's take our time and chat later."
As Jang Ga-yang hurried off, the woman before us offered a cupped-fist salute and greeted us.
"I am Gongsun Ji. I am serving as temporary Young Clan Head in my younger brother's stead while he is bound for Henan."
"I'm Chae Yeong-ok of Yeongsan Sect."
"So you are the Yeongsan Sect Leader I've heard so much about. I was quite astonished by how young and beautiful you are. I sincerely thank you for visiting the Gongsun Clan."
"To be honest, we only came in without paying the entry fee because the young lady Jang from earlier is our Yeong's younger sister. It's become rather embarrassing."
"How could we possibly charge an entry fee when the Sect Leader herself has come to visit? Instead, Ga-yang did splendidly to prevent us from committing a grave discourtesy. I must prepare an even greater reward."
Gongsun Ji spoke courteously. To us, who were slightly uneasy about the Red Flower Pavilion matter, she was offering precisely the right degree of courtesy—neither excessive nor insufficient.
"This is Daoist Jeong-hyang, and this is Heroine Son Yeong. This is the Medicine Immortal. And that is Young Lady Cho-ryeong, and the gentleman must be Reverend Yeongmok? You are as impressive a figure as the rumors say."
With only six members, our Yeongsan Sect was easy to distinguish by reputation alone. Jeong-hyang, a peerless beauty. Lee Eun-ha, with her huge breasts. Cho-ryeong, the runt. Eliminate those three, and the last one had to be Son Yeong.
"Thank you for the warm welcome. But Lady Gongsun, you are a direct descendant of the Gongsun Clan and currently the temporary Young Clan Head—why have you personally received us like this?"
"As you suspect, it is because of the Red Flower Pavilion matter. Originally, it was merely a small issue between Red Flower Pavilion and our clan, but now that Red Flower Pavilion has entered Yeongsan's embrace, Yeongsan Sect is no longer unrelated to our Gongsun Clan.
"I should say in advance that matters with the Red Flower Pavilion Mistress have already been settled. We even purchased the pleasure-house building they were struggling to dispose of in order to help them liquidate funds and relocate quickly."
"Ah... Thank you, Lady Gongsun. But why? Weren't Red Flower Pavilion and the Gongsun Clan on uncomfortable terms with each other?"
"Red Flower Pavilion had been weighing between Black Heaven Association and Gongsun from the very beginning, so there were never good feelings. Moreover, they helped our deputy steward flee, which deepened that rift considerably. But in truth, those women were merely victims who were used. We know that, yet simply letting them go would stain the Gongsun name with the shame of having suffered an insult and done nothing. Harming those pitiable women was not something we wished for either. Having them leave Beijing was the most moderate resolution. So I merely exerted a little influence to help them leave Beijing as swiftly as possible."
As expected, the Gongsun Clan hadn't truly intended to hold Red Flower Pavilion accountable either. They had only sought to preserve their pride to avoid becoming a laughingstock as the leader of the Beijing martial world.
"I do not wish to leave any unnecessary awkwardness with Yeongsan Sect over this matter. Does the Sect Leader feel the same?"
"I do feel the same. Red Flower Pavilion has already paid the price, and the Gongsun Clan has forgiven them. There is nothing left for me to step in about."
Gongsun Ji smiled quietly at my master's words.
"Thank you. Ga-yang is a child I care deeply for. I can't tell you how happy I was to hear that she and Heroine Son were as close as sisters."
"Certainly, if our two sects grew uncomfortable, both our Yeong and Young Lady Jang would end up in an awkward relationship. As Yeong's master, I thank you for your thoughtful consideration."
The two women smiled at each other. This felt like a first. A peaceful conversation with another sect like this. The Seven Fingers Sect had been an uncomfortable relationship, and I had smashed the Heavenly Wolf Sect to pieces. We'd killed Black Heaven Association's leader and female disciple too, and the Blacksmith Gang had been wiped out entirely. Murong Hyeok-jung had shown up out of nowhere demanding to know if we'd be his enemy, and the Peng Clan had ended up with five elders and eighty martial artists turned into patients. Jeonchu Finance House hadn't required force, but I'd stripped their steward naked. Most of that was my doing, but honestly, Yeongsan Sect had racked up quite a string of achievements too.
The gentle and wise Gongsun Ji personally guided us, showing us even the clan's inner areas that ordinary people couldn't enter, walking and laughing with my master the entire time. Even a wise and excellent woman like her had yielded the Young Clan Head position to her younger brother. In that sense, Murong Rin truly was attempting something remarkable.
Murong Rin. What would she be doing in Henan right about now?
We finished our intended sightseeing in Beijing and spent our last night at Do-hwa's house. The women, who'd grown deeply attached to Do-hwa and the two babies, talked through the night, but morning still came.
"Unni. This is medicine to help your milk come in well. It has no harmful effects on the babies even while nursing, so you have to take it properly without skipping."
Do-hwa accepted the medicine Lee Eun-ha had prepared, her eyes welling with tears.
"Thank you. Eun-ha, thank you. Eun-hyeok. I've lived so bitterly, with no husband and no family. I'm truly, truly so grateful."
"What do you mean no family? Isn't your son family? Take good care of yourself with your son now, and live comfortably enjoying hobbies. If you get really lonely, remarry or something. Pick one with the mindset that you'll be the provider, and there'll be plenty of handsome, decent guys."
"Hey. I do have some shame. The only way I can repay you is spreading my legs, so how am I supposed to remarry? My hole is yours, so come find me whenever you get horny. If I get lonely, I'll just be playing with Seungju unni and the Wooden Root."
Do-hwa laughed cheerfully. It was a completely different smile from when we'd first reunited.
"The kids can hear you. Keep it classy."
"Don't worry about me and just take care of yourself. I'm not lonely now—I've got my son and daughter-in-law, and unni too. Still, I'll probably miss you and Eun-ha a lot every now and then, so stop by once in a while.
"Our kids are horny little bastards just like their parents, so they'll hit it off in an instant, you know. If you come too late, I might already be a grandma."
"Please raise them so that doesn't happen."
After bidding farewell to Do-hwa and Seungju, Yeongsan Sect once again set out on the journey toward Henan. From Gyeonggi Province, if you go east, you hit Seoul; but if you keep going east from Seoul, you end up back in Gyeonggi. Beijing was likewise surrounded by Hebei. After passing through the splendid Beijing streets and exiting the city gates, we had now returned to Hebei.
Forgetting the glamorous life in Beijing, our Yeongsan Sect members diligently returned to camping and training. For those few idle days, we'd neglected our training, but now we resumed it and returned to our old routines. There was no tremendous breakthrough, but as the Medicine Immortal Pill was gradually absorbed, Jeong-hyang had finally reached the second-class martial realm. Honestly, I'd thought the prodigy Cho-ryeong would reach it faster than Jeong-hyang, but unexpectedly, Jeong-hyang got there first.
"Junior Brother! See? It's the Ice Soul Divine Art."
Jeong-hyang brought her faintly glowing blue hand close to my face. She had only just begun learning to gather qi in her hand, so it merely felt cool.
"That's good. If we ever travel the martial world in summer, Senior Sister Jeong can carry the ingredients. Food doesn't spoil as easily in winter, so her Ice Soul Divine Art should have a similar effect."
Lee Eun-ha spoke leisurely. During training hours, she had nothing particular to do, so she just played her flute and occasionally practiced singing. She seemed like the person in Yeongsan Sect who had it the hardest, yet at the same time looked like the one with the easiest lot in life.
"I want to try something. Junior Brother, you channel Flame Qi into your penis, and I'll channel the Ice Soul Divine Art into my mouth, Yin Gate, and rear passage. Since we can each withstand cold and heat, the sensation would be incredibly thrilling, wouldn't it?"
It was an application that would make even the founders of the Flame Blossom Art and Ice Soul Divine Art weep, but honestly, I'd been waiting for this since forever. Temperature differences during sex produced tremendous pleasure. I'd heard that in my past life, some establishments offered oral services with ice or mouthwash in their mouths. I'd never had the means to visit such places, so it had been a secret bucket-list dream. To think I'd fulfill it in the fifteenth century.
The taiji symbol drawn by the three of us—my master, Jeong-hyang, and me—had now taken on completely different appearances. A flame taiji wreathed in fire. An ice taiji wreathed in cold. And the plainest one, but the purest and most correct taiji, leaning toward neither yin nor yang. My master steadfastly continued refining the taiji's completeness even today.
"Yeongmok. Soon we will head to Shijiazhuang. I have a task to entrust to you there."
After training ended, my master spoke with a worried expression.
"A task?"
"Do you remember? The story that even after Yeongsan Sect fell, a few sects still maintained their ties with us?"
"Ah... Yes. I remember."
"In Shijiazhuang, there is a sect called the Wine Immortal Sect that was very close to us. Despite their own difficult circumstances, they are a sect we are indebted to—they helped us several times whenever we were in trouble. Yeongmok, when you go to Shanxi, visit the Wine Immortal Sect and pay your respects."
"We're not all going together? I don't even know their faces."
"The Wine Immortal Sect is a sect that forbids women. That is why I haven't been able to visit them for years."
"Then I'll go and return."
"It will be a somewhat difficult mission. If it becomes too hard even for you to endure, just use your internal energy."
My master warned me with a worried expression.
"Internal energy? Don't tell me it's a dangerous place? Are they at war right now or something?"
"No. The Wine Immortal Sect, as its name suggests, is a sect that brews wine and conducts rituals. The problem is that when guests arrive, they reportedly make them drink three whole jars of wine that have been aging for years. In the past, even my Senior Martial Uncles, Senior Brothers, and Martial Nephews returned from there practically wrecked. Every year, when it was time to visit Wine Immortal Sect, huge arguments broke out, with everyone insisting they would never go again."
Huh... Such a place existed in this world? My master was looking at me with a worried face, but anticipation swelled in my chest.
I did know. Bragging about strength, bragging about drinking, bragging about women—they were the marks of an idiot. But my master's story and that worried expression had provoked my pride as a drink lover, and as a man.