Shanxi (6)

136. Shanxi (6)

In one sense, it was an utterly ordinary scene with nothing special about it: a senior sister and junior brother of the same sect walking side by side toward a village. Yet that simple act felt remarkably fresh. In my past life, I had vanished just before turning thirty without ever dating a woman, much less having sex. In this life, I had been born the son of a powerful man and had one-sidedly satisfied my desires with the courtesans of Snowflower Pavilion or with Gyeong Su-yeon. I had sex with Master, Jeong-hyang, and Son Yeong to an almost excessive degree, but that was more like living together after skipping the entire process of romance.

They had forced a sexual relationship on me the moment we confirmed our feelings—no, even before we had settled them. Our hearts had joined along with our bodies, and they were lovers more precious to me than anyone, but that very beginning left little room for the innocent thrill of a budding romance. Lee Eun-ha was different. From the moment I entered the sect, we had discussed Yeongsan Sect's household affairs, helped one another, shared our concerns about the sect and its disciples, and slowly grown closer. As she had said, she had liked me from the beginning, and that affection was now becoming romantic love. Walking to the village with her filled me with an unfamiliar, refreshing excitement.

Our shoulders drew closer. Walking across the white snowfield together, we might well have looked like an affectionate couple in someone else's eyes. The villagers who saw us actually gave us innocent smiles, after all. If this was a date, I wanted to give her a nice gift the proper way. Following Medicine Immortal's advice, I'd wanted to give her a proper answer if we spotted a pipa at the market, but musical instruments were extraordinarily expensive goods, both in the twenty-first century and in this era. Perhaps it was only natural, but in a small village like this right after New Year's, I couldn't meet a single eccentric merchant trying to sell a high-priced pipa.

Fortunately for us, the inn really had opened for business. Looking at the empty tables in the common room, it still felt a bit desolate, but seeing the waiter bustling about, that complicated feeling that everyone was returning to daily life after the biggest holiday, the Spring Festival, began to set in. The holiday break and the return to daily life. When you looked at it in broad strokes, this place wasn't so different from my past life either.

"Gungcho Wine? Does this one taste good?"

Lee Eun-ha asked the waiter, pointing at the menu written on the wall.

"It's a regional specialty liquor, so it might not quite suit the palate of guests from out of town. We also have ordinary baijiu or clear rice wine, so please order whatever you'd like."

The Central Plains was vast. Damnably vast. Because of that, regional specialty liquors could be jackpot winners or could unfold pure hell. Having presided over this village's New Year Rite and become something of a local celebrity as outsiders, the waiter gave us what was practically a warning ahead of time. As if finding his remark entertaining, Lee Eun-ha looked at me and asked.

"What will you do, Junior Brother? A new challenge? Or the safety of familiarity?"

"Now that we've come all this way, we may as well at least taste it. If we don't now, we might never know the taste for the rest of our lives. If it really doesn't suit us, we can simply order clear rice wine again."

At those words, Lee Eun-ha nodded and ordered two dishes and one bottle of Gungcho Wine.

"It's called Gungcho Wine, so I suppose it's a medicinal-style liquor made with herbs. It looks like it'd be good for ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the body, but it doesn't seem like it would taste very good."

She said that as she poured a tiny sip into her cup and smelled its fragrance. But contrary to her words, once we'd tipped back a cup each, the subtly pungent aroma was more agreeable than expected. Liquor truly was fascinating. Even liquor brewed from sweet fruit could turn out horribly thick and unpleasant, while liquor made from tree bark could become an astoundingly exquisite work of art. The old masters of the Wine Immortal Sect weren't pursuing the Dao in liquor for nothing.

"It's better than I thought. But Senior Sister, do you not care for liquor?"

Liquor was inherently something close to a luxury item, but wouldn't she, with her sensitive palate, be able to enjoy it?

"I don't particularly like it. Ah, don't worry. I do like brewing liquor. Actually, there is a kind of Joseon liquor I'd like to make for you, Junior ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Brother, but it's a little awkward to brew it at the main sect."

"What? What kind of liquor is it?"

"Liquor brewed in a Taoist sect should always be clean, clear rice wine. But the liquor I want to make is cloudy rice wine, with a turbid color, so it doesn't suit the Taoist sect."

Cloudy rice wine! Makgeolli, which I'd also loved in my past life. Right. Cloudy rice wine had probably been a commoner's liquor enjoyed on the Korean Peninsula since Goryeo, perhaps even since Silla or the Three Kingdoms era—not just Joseon. Why was I only thinking of it now?

"Mm... hmm. It'd be a bit awkward at the main sect, but wouldn't it be fine to brew some and keep it at the White Tiger Sect?"

"Pfft. Junior Brother, you must really want to drink cloudy rice wine. Even if we can't offer it in rites, if you'd like it, I'll prepare it in plenty. Seeing this side of you, you really are rather cute, Junior Brother. You're an incredible master, you know. A man who can hold gold and jewels, peerless beauties, everything, yet drooling over mere cloudy rice wine—it's a truly fascinating sight."

She smiled brightly, clasping her hands together.

"As for gold and jewels, for one thing, I've already got enough money as it is. Even if I had more money here, there'd be nowhere to spend it. And as for beauties, I already have them, don't I."

"Well, yes. You've already taken Senior Sister Jeong, so no other beauties even enter your eyes, right?"

"Quite the opposite, embarrassingly enough. You know how it is. Aside from Senior Sister Jeong, there's already Master and Senior Sister Son. And you as well, Senior Sister. Even if I have taken Senior Sister Jeong, my desire for you still remains."

It might sound like shameless dog's talk, but Master, Jeong-hyang, and Son Yeong—those three lovers had taught me how a man should conduct himself with the woman he loves. There must be no lies between lovers. If my base desires made them feel unpleasant, I ought to strive to correct that, but I must not lie. Of course, with those three lovers, the atmosphere was rather one of encouraging me to desire other women.

"Thank you. For desiring a woman like me. Thank you so much for liking a bothersome woman who says she likes you but hasn't come into your arms."

At her smile as she spoke with blushing cheeks, the empty inn warmed and brightened. Her smile was beautiful. In the past, her sense of inferiority had obscured that beauty, but now even that shadow was nowhere to be seen. A shy but not obsequious smile. I was grateful that every disciple, myself included, seemed to have truly undergone great change on this journey. I'd lived alongside peerless beauties, trying out every perverted act under the sun, yet my heart fluttered at each of her innocent expressions.

Our mutual affection was clear, but a possessive desire began to creep in at the thought that she wasn't yet my woman. I wanted her. She wasn't yet mine, but I wanted to make her mine. I'd expected it, but this really must be that phase of budding romance, the one that lovers find most electrifying.

A pleasant drinking session with a beautiful woman. The silence of the empty inn had felt a little uncomfortable at first, but once such a fine atmosphere like this developed, it felt as if we'd rented the entire inn, and even that became enjoyable. However, before we could fully savor that peculiar silence, eight martial artists in scarlet martial uniforms came into the empty inn and began sitting at free tables and ordering food.

Naturally, no one else was in the inn besides their party and us, so I felt their eyes on us and looked them over in turn. Three martial artists around our age had reached the late third-rate realm, roughly comparable to Master or Cho-ryeong. Four men in their thirties were at the early second-rate realm, perhaps around Son Yeong's level. Finally, a pretty woman in her early thirties sat in the seat of honor and appeared to hold the highest rank in the party. She was an accomplished second-rate martial artist.

Even in Jilin, there had been only three second-rate martial artists: Father, Chief Steward Jang, and the Great Leader of the White Horse Unit. Yet here were four second-rate experts in a tiny village. The Central Plains truly were ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the Central Plains. They were probably martial artists from a very large sect. This was Shanxi, the land of the unorthodox factions. Judging by their neat clothing, they didn't look unorthodox, but nothing good came from becoming entangled with other martial artists in foreign territory, so I ignored them and drank. Yet their gaze continued to press on me. Lee Eun-ha and I had carefully concealed our internal energy. They could not detect me, a first-rate master, but with a second-rate expert among them, they seemed to have sensed Lee Eun-ha's enormous internal energy and been badly startled.

The woman seated at the seat of honor seemed to be direct-line from some prestigious clan, so Lee Eun-ha, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠so much younger yet possessing comparable internal power, must have come as a tremendous shock to her. I could understand their astonishment, but the feeling of being spectators just as the mood was starting to turn nice—that gaze was irritating. Perhaps finding their gazes uncomfortable as well, Lee Eun-ha suddenly began speaking in Joseon and continued the conversation.

"[Quite impressive martial artists, aren't they? They look like martial artists from the Peng Clan.]"

"[I think they're probably similar. Judging by how they call each other older and younger brother, they seem to be a prestigious clan too. They don't look like the Unorthodox Faction at least, so let's ignore them and just eat.]"

"[But I've been curious about something for a while, Junior Brother. Why does your Joseon speech sound so perfect? It truly feels like I'm talking to a Joseon person.]"

She truly shut out all interest in that group and began talking to me again.

"[I told you, didn't I? I lived in the land of Joseon in my past life.]"

"[There you go, dodging the question again. You lived in the land of Joseon, you say? Where in the land of Joseon did you live?]"

"[Hanyang.]"

Since a moment ago, my sincere answers had only made her smirk and laugh them off, as if she found them the cute mischief of a little boy.

"[Joseon is a new country, barely established. If you'd lived there in your past life, were you a person of Goryeo? Or perhaps Silla?]"

She asked, laughing merrily. Unable to answer "the Republic of Korea," I was at a loss for words, and seeing me like that, she began to giggle.

"[Jilin is a land facing Joseon, so, as the eldest son of the Baek Clan Estate, you studied Joseon diligently, didn't you? The words of the ancient sages are not wrong. Learning is always useful someday. Even though you've ended up leaving the Baek Clan Estate, you never imagined you'd learn the Joseon language and end up chatting away with a Joseon woman, did you, Junior Brother?]"

She said it with a bright laugh.

"[It really does feel comfortable talking in the Joseon language like this. No one knows what we're saying. There would hardly be any Joseon people coming all the way to Shanxi, Liaoning or Shandong maybe, but not here.]"

"[That's true. To converse by voice transmission, you have to focus your attention, so talking in Joseon is comfortable.]"

By using a foreign tongue, the inn once again felt like a space for just the two of us. It was a very lover-like thing, having secrets just for two, so Lee Eun-ha, too, began to broach her topics enjoyably, and a bit more boldly.

"[You slept with the three of them again yesterday, didn't you? Tell me honestly. You'd say they're all equally good as your wives, but whose body is the best?]"

"[I truthfully like all of them. It's not that I'm dodging the question, but we've all practiced the Yin-Yang Art, haven't we? Just as the body gradually changes to suit combat when you practice martial arts, once you begin practicing the Yin-Yang Art, your body transforms so that you can perform the ultimate act of intercourse. It's not a matter of whose body is better; all of them have become the absolute best.]"

"[Well, yes. That's true. A woman who's practiced the Yin Blossom Art would become the ultimate woman, wouldn't she? Then what about women outside our Yeongsan Sect? Who was the best? Older Sister Do-hwa, who even had marriage experience? Or the Mistress of Red Flower Pavilion, who had mastered the Bedchamber Arts? The noble daughter-in-law of a prestigious family, Gahong?]"

There was no reproach in her eyes as she inquired about my promiscuous history with women. Along with pure curiosity, something like strange yearning was visible.

"[It's a bit funny to put it this way, but this, too, is like martial arts. No matter how outstanding one's innate talent, learning and experience can't be dismissed. To be honest, Murong Rin, who'd learned a bit of bedchamber arts and had experience with many men, was the best.]"

"[What?! Miss Murong?! That person is an absolute princess! Junior Brother, you couldn't possibly mean you slept with that young lady?!]"

It wasn't exactly a secret, but I'd never told them about Murong Rin. While I'd been dallying in Shenyang, having sex with her all over the place, Yeongsan Sect had burned and they'd been dragged off to the Heavenly Wolf Sect. It was all water under the bridge now. But Lee Eun-ha was shocked by the story that I'd lain with Murong Rin—the princess of Liaoning, no less.

"[I didn't sleep with her, I got done in by her. 'Take off your trousers and get your penis out. Copulate with my older cousin Murong Jin. And then copulate with me as well.' She was tossing out lines like that; what strength did I have back then?]"

At the absurd story, Lee Eun-ha's expression became exactly the same as when she'd witnessed the orgy at Seungdeok Manor.

"[Good heavens! You're saying you shared a bed with another Murong lady besides Miss Murong Rin? Miss Murong Jin—no, Madam Murong, I mean? Wasn't she married?]"

Her surprise didn't last long. Lee Eun-ha, with a tremendous interest she'd never shown before, began to ask me about them.

In my past life, I was a lifelong single who had never dated, but because of that, I'd searched the internet for plenty of ways to get a girlfriend. What women liked was a handsome face, a touching gift, and an entertaining story. Being my father's son, I'd already given up on the face, and there was no pipa to give as a gift. It might not suit a date, but seeing how interested she was, maybe I'd casually spin a story or two?