Shanxi (7)

137. Shanxi (7)

"[Good heavens. You're telling me you poured that potent Shaoxing wine onto a man's penis?]"

"[Honestly, if I'd had the strength at that moment, I would've decked her one regardless of Murong Clan or woman. I truly thought my cock was on fire. But right after that, she knelt in front of me, took my member into her mouth, and gave me oral service.]"

"[O-oral service?! That... Beautiful Madness Murong Rin truly knelt before a man and performed oral service like a whore?]"

Shameless sexual talk. It was a scandalous story one would never dare utter aloud in a tavern in broad daylight, but speaking in Joseon language meant there was no need to worry about anyone overhearing. The topic was so risqué that her cheeks flushed slightly. Somehow, it conjured the image of her childhood, listening with rapt fascination to the married women's ribald gossip back in Joseon.

"[...An astonishing tale indeed. To seek you out even after marriage. That refusal to be tied down by a man is what I would expect from Beautiful Madness. And what about after Murong Rin?]"

"[The Red Flower Pavilion Mistress, of course. An experienced virgin. Honestly, that's just unfair. Besides, by then I wasn't alone—two other women violated her with me, so it left a rather distinct memory.]"

"[What? Junior Brother, you didn't misspeak in Joseon just now, did you? You don't mean that you violated the Red Flower Pavilion Mistress together with two women. You mean those two women joined you in violating the Pavilion Mistress?]"

"[You stepped out midway and didn't see it, but it was complete bedlam. While I penetrated Lee Yeon's Yin Gate, the courtesan handling Master used the Wooden Root Do-hwa had made to penetrate Lee Yeon's anus. Lee Yeon, meanwhile, was licking Senior Sister Jeong's Yin Gate.]"

"[In-insane! The courtesan who was handling Master did that? Then what about Master?]"

"[She was being penetrated by Senior Sister Son.]"

At the utterly preposterous story, Lee Eun-ha gulped down the Gungcho Wine she had found strange. I had heard from the Medicine Immortal once that the Shennong Art, fitting a furnace martial art, possessed exceptional detoxifying ability much like the Tang Clan's internal art. A hangover would likely be no trouble. I knew I shouldn't be doing this, but being the uncouth bastard I was, I began proudly recounting this sordid litany of women before her as though it were a tale of heroic exploits.

"[Young Lady Gyeong Su-yeon. She's from your hometown, isn't she, Junior Brother? Do-hwa unni knew of her too. That you made her spread her legs so you could touch her private parts, and forced her into oral service every time? I simply cannot picture the Junior Brother of your Baek Clan Estate days. While you do chase after women, I thought you were more the type to get led around by them and then obligingly play along.]"

Huh... As Master had discerned, I did possess a slight sadistic streak inherited from Father. But that aside, in my relations with women, had I not been led around every single time? Master, Jeong-hyang, Son Yeong, of course, and then Murong Rin, Do-hwa, Hong Seon-hwa, Ban Ho-jeong. Not once had I been the one to initiate. Come to think of it, Gyeong Su-yeon had also come to my room on the Gyeongse Sect Leader's orders, unilaterally, and stripped off her clothes without a word.

Ah... My inclinations notwithstanding, I was an exceedingly passive man. Lee Eun-ha was truly remarkable. She had accurately grasped an aspect of myself I hadn't even recognized.

"[Was it a matter of her position? If you had refused Young Lady Gyeong then, she would have been put in a difficult situation. Of course, since you like women, Junior Brother, you must have enjoyed yourself thoroughly under that pretext. I always envied the daughters of wealthy houses, but they had hardships of their own. To spread her legs for you while bearing her clan's survival on her shoulders—I cannot imagine how Young Lady Gyeong felt.]"

"[I found it quite easy to imagine, actually? It's not my place to say, but it must certainly have been dreadful. That's why I still carry a sense of debt toward Gyeong Su-yeon. You can imagine it easily yourself, can't you, Senior Sister? When I first joined the sect, you misunderstood, thinking I was after your bodies as the price for helping the Yeongsan Sect.]"

Our first meeting. The only one in the Yeongsan Sect who hadn't welcomed me. When I brought up the past, she gave an awkward laugh and, with an embarrassed face, poured my cup.

"[It was needless worry. In truth, the ones who made advances first were the female disciples aside from myself. Before long, I may end up just like the Senior Sisters. I couldn't imagine Young Lady Gyeong's feelings because I already like you, Junior Brother, so I don't think I would be particularly sad even in that situation. What about you, Junior Brother? If someone like me, not a refined young lady like Young Lady Gyeong, came to you and spread her legs, would you accept it gladly?]"

The best way to overcome embarrassment was to reveal it frankly instead. Lee Eun-ha confronted me with her honest feelings and tossed the baton over.

"[You say you would come to me, Senior Sister? That would never happen. Even if you were prepared to endure such shame to save the Yeongsan Sect, I could never permit it, even if I were the target rather than some other man.]"

A resolute answer. A resolve I had held long before. But it didn't seem to be the answer she wanted, for she smiled softly and continued.

"[The question wasn't about Lee Eun-ha of the Yeongsan Sect. It was whether, as a man, you would have felt pleased if the woman sent from the Gyeongse Sect as tribute had been me instead of Young Lady Gyeong.]"

"[If that's what you mean, then honestly, I would have been delighted. Gyeong Su-yeon is fair, but you are far more attractive, Senior Sister.]"

It hadn't been a question about resolve. She already knew well enough about my resolve. The answer she wanted now was whether she was more attractive as a woman than Gyeong Su-yeon. Thanks to my time spent in a group overflowing with women, I had now become, to some extent, familiar with the ways women speak.

"[Then, would you strip off my undergarments and put your fingers inside my yin gate? Would you make me put that famously enormous penis of yours into my mouth?]"

Little by little, she asked, growing increasingly sensual and bewitching.

"[Things like that would be nice too, but honestly, I'd start by undressing your top first, Senior Sister. Those huge breasts of yours are truly unfair to any man.]"

"[Does such a large chest really seem attractive? Isn't a slender figure like Senior Sister Son's, or a well-balanced body like Senior Sister Jeong's far prettier?]"

She looked down at her large breasts and asked as if it made no sense. If Jeong-hyang had been here, she would have grabbed those breasts tight with a mischievous look on her face. As our erotic conversation gradually escalated in intensity, I too honestly asked her a question.

"[I'm not trying to rush you, but you did say you still needed me to wait, didn't you, Senior Sister? May I ask what the reason is?]"

I posed the question as calmly as I could, but she showed a slight reluctance, shrugging her shoulders as she regarded me.

"[I'm sorry. It's really nothing much. I know you like worthless little me, Junior Brother, but there is still a shameful side of me I haven't been able to show you. I heard from Senior Sister Son. Master has a submission fetish, and Senior Sister Jeong has an orgy fetish, yes? Every one of you has embarrassing fetishes. I have a fetish of that sort too, but mine, unlike the others, seems like something you might dislike, Junior Brother.]"

Lee Eun-ha spoke with reddened cheeks. A fetish? She must mean a sexual inclination. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I understood a maiden's shy feelings, but I had smoothly accommodated Master and my Senior Sisters' eccentric fetishes, the Byeok-geum couple's sexual-commune inclinations, the Peng Gang couple's netorare inclinations, and even Red Flower Pavilion's unisex orgy inclinations. Whatever her preference was, I had absolutely no reason to be put off.

Provided, of course, it wasn't NTR.

"[Everyone has their own preferences. If that's the issue, you need not worry. A married couple is meant to adjust to one another, after all.]"

I'd experienced all manner of things. I could accommodate most ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠any fetish.

Provided, of course, it wasn't an NTR fetish.

She gazed at me silently in response to my reassuring words. Just as she seemed about to say something, the waiter brought the second dish.

"Steamed carp. A carp in the first month of the year summons good fortune. Ah, it's useless showing off before a Taoist, isn't it?"

The waiter spoke with a cheerful smile. Come to think of it, was this the man whose fortune I had read after the New Year's Rite?

"As the Taoist said, after I performed the rite to the mountain god, that uncanny dream stopped completely. So please, accept this bottle of Bamboo-Pine Wine as a token of my sincerity."

Truth be told, Hwangseong had been on auto-pilot and just prattled it all out, so I had no idea what the content had been. I could not tell whether the rite had truly worked or whether easing his mind had resolved a dream born from the unconscious.

"Thank you. A carp in the first month really does bring good luck—I've received a fine gift indeed, haven't I?"

Lee Eun-ha, ever sensitive about money, didn't even like alcohol, yet she beamed brightly at the sight of free liquor and spoke kindly to the waiter.

"By the way, Taoists. You were speaking a strange tongue earlier—was that some kind of Taoist spell chant, by any chance?"

"Not at all. It was the language of Joseon."

"Ah... I see. Then please, enjoy your meal!"

It was an attitude befitting a waiter who, though mildly curious, did not pry deeply into martial artists' affairs. Guessing that we, fluent in the Central Plains tongue, must have some reason for deliberately using Joseon language, he quickly took his leave and returned to the kitchen. I was slightly curious about the taste of this Bamboo-Pine Wine presented in a bamboo container, but I was far more curious about the rest of Lee Eun-ha's story that had been cut off earlier. Just as I ate a piece of carp and was about to resume the conversation, a man from the other table I'd forgotten about approached and offered us a cupped-fist salute.

Damn. Seeing that we were fluent in the Central Plains tongue, he must have decided to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠strike up a conversation.

"I am Duanmu Jeong of the Duanmu Clan."

A handsome face. A sturdy build. A hero's bandana on his head and a neat crimson martial uniform. Ah... So these people were from the Duanmu Clan. The Duanmu Clan was based in Jiangsu, but they too could well be traveling the martial world anywhere under heaven. At least it was a relief they weren't from an unorthodox faction like the Gunjo Sect, Sangjo Sect, or Great Sun Association. The problem was that this man was offering his cupped-fist salute in greeting not to me, but to Lee Eun-ha.

Troublesome. Ordinary folk naturally dared not even address martial artists like her, and among other martial artists, the usual situation so far had been for people to sense Lee Eun-ha's absurdly profound internal strength and lose their nerve preemptively. But although they had now been pushed out of the Five Great Clans, a power like the Duanmu Clan, overlords of Jiangsu Province, could well strike up flirtatious talk without the slightest compunction. Moreover, contrary to the common assessment that their martial arts were the weakest among the prestigious clans compared to their number-one wealth under heaven, it seemed that while first-rate masters might be something else, they certainly produced second-rate martial artists in numbers like this. Once again, the wall of the Central Plains' prestigious families truly seemed towering.

I'd known ever since we decided to head for Henan, which was teeming with prestigious clans and great sects, that we would face something like this someday. But why, of all times, did it have to happen during a date between just the two of us?

"You appear to be a martial artist of profound skill. If it is not an imposition, might I ask your name?"

"I am Lee Eun-ha, of the Yeongsan Sect. Pleased to meet you, Hero Duanmu."

Lee Eun-ha rose politely from her seat and returned the salute. Seeing her, who in the Yeongsan Sect had seemed even further removed from martial arts than Cho-ryeong, properly offer a martial greeting like this felt somehow novel.

"My knowledge is limited, and I confess this is the first time I have heard the name Yeongsan. Ah, please do not misunderstand. I know well enough that the inner strength I sense from you, Heroine, rivals that of this year's leading candidates for the Four Phoenixes. The Yeongsan Sect must surely be an outstanding sect."

The man spoke with an awkward smile. I disliked him. He was handsome and courteous, and had reached the second-rate realm at barely thirty. With the face I inherited from Father, strangers took me for Byeok-geum's older brother; from my perspective, this man was infuriatingly hard to like. The Duanmu Clan party watching his behavior from afar with obvious amusement annoyed me just as much. In this respect, prestigious clans were far worse than great sects. Wudang and Shaolin possessed greater prestige than any of the Five Great Clans, yet unlike their disciples, scions of the great families were born into power and often behaved with genuine arrogance.

Even though we'd been speaking in Joseon language, we were unmistakably radiating the sweet, affectionate atmosphere of lovers. Just how much of a fool had I looked for him to approach her like that?

"Our Yeongsan Sect is truly a small sect, and we are newcomers to the Martial World. Master, our two Senior Sisters, me, our Junior Sister, and the Junior Brother here are the whole sect, so it's not at all strange that Hero Duanmu has never heard of us."

We had become famous in Hebei due to the duel with the Peng Clan at Seungdeok Manor, but the moment we crossed into Shanxi, this was what it came to. Naturally, the Peng Clan would have blocked that shameful information. Organizations like the Gongsun Clan of Beijing right next door, and intelligence networks like the Beggars' Sect or Red Flower Pavilion, might have grasped our information, but ultimately, in this era without the Information Age, we were still, at best, local rookies nowhere near national scale. While I stewed inwardly, Duanmu Jeong continued smoothly with a polished smile.

"If I may be so bold, do the two of you come from Beyond the Wall?"

"No. We are not people of the Central Plains, but Yeongsan Sect is based in Liaoning."

Come to think of it, thanks to her being of Joseon stock I had briefly been made to forget, but I, too, was not a man of the Central Plains but someone from Beyond the Wall, was I not? And half my bloodline was from the distant Northern Sea Ice Palace, at that.

"Ah! We are currently on our way to Liaoning ourselves. By any chance, Heroine, are you headed for Henan?"

A man who smoothly opened channels of conversation while gathering information about the person before him. I couldn't quite say, but he looked exceedingly practiced in dealing with women, and my mood soured further.

"Yes. We are on our way to the Martial Alliance. You said you are bound for Liaoning, Hero Duanmu? Are you perhaps going to the Murong Clan?"

"Yes. You have hit it precisely. Your insight is truly remarkable."

The bastard smiled a refreshing smile and flattered her with a show of being impressed. Was he joking? Insight, my ass. Why else would men of the Duanmu Clan caliber be traveling all the way to Liaoning, if not to visit the Murong Clan? Especially at a time right before the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering was to open.

"We have come from Henan. Since you say the Yeongsan Sect has come from Liaoning, would it be acceptable for us to share tables and converse with one another?"

There it was. The classic pickup line of this era. Lee Eun-ha was no fool. The clever woman could not fail to recognize that the reason this man deliberately addressed her and not me, asking to share a table, was not merely a martial artist's curiosity about a skilled peer, but an approach aimed at her. While a troubled expression crossed her face, she suddenly gave a start and turned to look at the Duanmu Clan's table. Voice Transmissions must have been exchanged; for some reason, Lee Eun-ha, her cheeks flushed as though listening to intense erotic gossip, nodded.

In that instant, an inexplicable sense of foreboding brushed the back of my skull. I could use the Spirit-Binding Art, but I was no ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠true Taoist like Hwangseong. For a moment, the very face of NTR, Peng Gang, flickered through my mind, but a premonition of mine, no Taoist, could never possibly be right.

Absolutely never.