138. Duanmu Clan (1)
Duanmu Clan (1)
138. Duanmu Clan (1)
"Call me Gahong. My surname is a secret." Whatever she found so amusing, I was pulled along by an excited Lee Eun-ha and seated with the Duanmu Clan. The woman in the seat of honor had smiled and introduced herself—or rather, had barely introduced herself at all. Her surname was a secret? As if she wasn't obviously Duanmu Gahong.
"I am Yeongmok of Yeongsan Sect."
"I'm Lee Eun-ha of Yeongsan Sect."
Hearing our greetings, she laughed as brightly as a child. The coexistence of a maturity befitting an older woman and an innocent, endearing charm reminded me a little of our master, which strangely captured my attention. Her face was pretty and neat, fit for a daughter of a prestigious clan. More cute than beautiful. She looked somewhat older, but perhaps thanks to excellent upkeep, if my qi sense had been a little duller I might have taken her for a woman in her late twenties.
"You two may rise now. Having young ones like you around makes these people uncomfortable. Go play nearby and return before nightfall. And don't go picking fights with the unorthodox faction."
The dishes we'd ordered for our table hadn't even arrived yet, but the moment we sat down, she issued an expulsion order to the martial artists. Wait—hadn't this seat been arranged by that Duanmu Jeong fellow to seduce Lee Eun-ha? But Duanmu Jeong rose with a satisfied expression, as if he'd completed his orders.
It was a little novel, anyway. She gave commands in a motherly tone, coaxing them like children, just like our master, yet at the same time displayed the power-tripping manner of a prestigious clan's daughter.
"Yes, Jeongju. I hope you have a pleasant time."
Jeongju? Was she a woman entrusted with a fairly important office in the Duanmu Clan? The Duanmu Clan was based in Jiangsu, so honestly I knew nothing about them. Among the Five Great Clans, the Nangong, Tang, and Murong Clans were the “sacred-bone” clans that always occupied three places. The other “true-bone” prestigious clans competed fiercely for the remaining two, most often the Hebei Peng and Zhuge Clans, followed by the Huangfu Clan and Jinju Eon Clan, with the Duanmu Clan last.
They were unquestionably a prestigious clan, but occupied an ambiguous second-tier position and only entered the Five Great Clans occasionally. Even so, by the standards of the world they were naturally a first-rate sect.
The moment the martial artists rose from their seats, a mountain of dishes came out. She had ordered so much that the eight-person table wasn't enough.
"Gahong... Miss? Why did you wish to share a table with us?"
When I finally opened my mouth to ask her the reason for this incomprehensible situation, she burst out laughing.
"Pff... pfft. Young... young lady? I'm not that young, you know. My age is a secret too, so please just call me Gahong."
Our master always secretly liked it when people called her young lady.
"Then why did you summon us, Heroine Gahong?"
"I was simply bored. I've been on a journey for a clan event for over a year now, you see? Just as I was beginning to get irritable, I spotted an utterly adorable young lady and a handsome young hero and wanted to have a conversation."
Young hero. The new year had dawned and I'd turned twenty-four, so it was a slightly awkward form of address, but it was a title I genuinely hadn't heard in a long time. Perhaps this woman was even older than I thought.
"Over a year? Is something the matter with the Duanmu Clan?"
No matter how I looked at her, this woman Gahong seemed to be of high status even within the Duanmu Clan. Surprised that such a woman would be away from her clan for a whole year, Lee Eun-ha asked her.
"No. I stayed long in Henan because of the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering. But the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering was postponed, which prolonged my journey, and in the meantime a matter came up requiring a visit to the Murong Clan in Liaoning, so I'm now on my way to Liaoning."
Gahong spoke with a graceful smile.
"I know I'm imposing. But please, for my sake, having been unable to return home for over a year, do share a conversation with me."
So in the end she'd summoned us simply because she was bored. How very like a daughter of a prestigious clan.
"And this heroine, despite her youth, is an amazing master. During my stay in Henan I saw Heroine Seo-ok of the Emei Sect, but you, Heroine, would surely put up a fine match even against Heroine Seo-ok. I may not be able to see the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering, but I'll cheer for you from afar."
Lee Eun-ha's face flushed at this sudden remark. Naturally, in sheer internal energy alone Lee Eun-ha wouldn't be that outmatched, but if it came to a martial bout she'd be defeated within three seconds. I had briefly crossed hands with Jo Bok, one of the leading candidates for the Four Phoenixes, in Shijiazhuang. If Seo-ok was of similar skill to Jo Bok, then even Son Yeong would struggle. No matter how great the Moonlit Divine Sword was, no matter that the Medicine Immortal's pills were legendary spirit pills, no matter that she was a heaven-sent talent, Yeongsan Sect had only begun proper training less than a single year ago.
"I won't be appearing at the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering. Yeongsan Sect is orthodox, but we haven't joined the Martial Alliance."
"Oh my, I was rude. Then that's a terrible shame. If you ever have a mind to, do come find the Duanmu Clan staying at the Martial Alliance. If you wish to join the Alliance, Duanmu will offer assistance."
Gahong spoke with a kind face. The Martial Alliance wasn't a place that accepted just anyone. Normally, a small sect with only six disciples would have its membership application rejected, but if the Duanmu Clan stepped forward, they might consider the membership. Well, that was the story of her kindness, but we, on our end, had been sending Byeok-geum every time because the persistent membership inquiries from the Liaoning Branch Head were a nuisance.
"By the way, you said this gentleman is your junior brother, did you not? Did he enter the sect at a late age?"
Now Gahong glanced at me and asked with a seductive face. Her arms were lightly folded in a pose that emphasized her chest. Not that it was particularly large anyway.
"Yes. He entered last year."
"Oh dear. He began quite late for a martial artist."
"Yeongsan Sect is a Taoist sect, you see. Our junior brother is someone who values Taoist studies over martial arts."
I was currently a first-rate master. Naturally, at her second-rate level, she couldn't sense my internal energy. Unable to imagine that someone my age might be first-rate, she apparently thought I was a Daoist priest who knew no martial arts at all. Lee Eun-ha, too, was enjoying herself, playing along with nothing but facts.
"Then that's a relief. The rituals he presides over must surely be magnificent. He is the first such handsome Daoist I've ever seen, you know?"
Gahong looked at me with enchanted eyes. Rather than feeling flattered by this stranger's excessive praise, I was simply dumbfounded.
—Senior Sister. This woman's head is strange. Or her eyes are.—
So absurd I sent a voice transmission to Lee Eun-ha, but I'd mistaken my target.
—What do you mean? Junior Brother, you are handsomely manly, aren't you?—
Damn. Lee Eun-ha was a woman who harbored fondness for me. The love-blind filter seemed to apply to her too.
I was handsome? If I truly had a handsome face, I'd have been much happier than I was now. I'd teased Byeok-geum that his yellow martial uniform made him look like a Yellow Turban, but honestly, if I wore it I'd have looked the same. The crazy aunt I'd met at Baek Clan Estate was at least a woman of outstanding beauty, and she resembled my mother so closely she'd startled my father. But why had I inherited none of my mother's looks and only taken after my bandit-like father? Without inheriting a single shred of his martial talent.
"You jest too much. No one knows better than I that my face is not handsome."
"It's no jest. Mm... Ah, young maidens of your age, young hero, might not grasp your charm. But a woman who knows a real man will truly find your appearance captivating."
Gahong spoke in earnest. Virgins couldn't understand, but women who knew men could feel it? A shiver ran down my spine.
Yang Blossom Art. The Yin-Yang Art, that bizarre art which even made a little brat like Cho-ryeong exude a strange allure, was perhaps causing me, too, to waft an incomprehensible, subtle sexual appeal like a fragrance.
"I'm envious. I've been unable to go home for a year now, while you two adorable people will freely share your love from this moment on."
Gahong suddenly looked at Lee Eun-ha and made a playful, tearful face.
"It seems Heroine Gahong has been carrying out a weighty responsibility for the Duanmu Clan. Did you wish to converse with us as a senior of the martial world?"
My date had been interrupted, and this woman Gahong of the Duanmu Clan seemed utterly suspicious to me, but Lee Eun-ha had been conversing in a subtly favorable manner for a while now.
"No. Simply, my lustful intent flared up and I wish to share a bed with the young hero, so I wanted to ask this young lady's permission."
With a joyful smile, Gahong set down one tael of gold in front of Lee Eun-ha with a clack.
Huh?
I still had absolutely no idea what sort of woman she was, but now I finally understood what was going through her head. Considering Lee Eun-ha's age, her internal energy was truly remarkable, but the Duanmu Clan, hegemon of Jiangsu, was naturally one of the foremost first-rate sects of the martial world. Even if they were rumored to be the weakest in martial arts among the prestigious clans, they had second-rate experts like Lee Eun-ha piled up like mountains.
Putting this woman's insane lust aside, she hadn't spoken that bullshit to me. Unable to sense my internal energy, she had seen me as, at best, little more than Lee Eun-ha's kept man. My head spun. Throughout this journey in the martial world, the women of Yeongsan Sect had gone to great pains to protect themselves from the filthy schemes of men, but I'd never imagined I would become the target of such a scheme.
No, actually, in the past I'd also been sexually harassed by Murong Rin, a typical specimen of a prestigious clan, who'd ordered me to show my cock in front of guests. I knew that people from the prestigious clans, men and women alike, were uniformly accustomed to power-tripping, but I'd never even dreamed that even now, after defeating the Black Heaven Association leader and becoming first-rate before my mid-twenties, I would be told to my face to become a male prostitute for one tael of gold.
In an instant, an immense internal energy erupted from Lee Eun-ha at my side. This was the first time she had opened her internal energy at full power like this.
"That is an incredibly rude thing to say. Are you telling me that my junior brother should take one tael of gold and sleep with you, Heroine Gahong?"
Had I ever seen Lee Eun-ha this furious? It was a relief. That she was Lee Eun-ha. If the woman who'd received the offer had been Jeong-hyang, she might have gladly handed me over.
"Similar, but a little different. It is not the young hero whom I'm asking for permission, but you, young lady. That man is yours, after all."
Even in the face of Lee Eun-ha's withering fury, Gahong answered with composure. Right. This was the basic mindset of those prestigious-clan bitches. That people were someone's property?
"The rich must have it nice. One tael of gold? Does money look that ridiculous to you?"
Putting strength into her large eyes, Lee Eun-ha spoke forcefully.
Huh? I was grateful she was angry on my behalf, but this felt a little different.
"But money is all I have. I possess neither this young lady's dazzling youth nor breasts large enough to draw men in. Though I was born into a martial clan and lived my entire life as a martial artist, I do not have martial arts strong enough to oppress you. And if I ordered our youngsters to kidnap that young hero, someone would be badly hurt. Is gold not the most peaceful way to conduct a transaction?"
Gahong spoke artlessly, as if asking why she'd even ask such a thing. Concealed behind those words was the insane implication that if Lee Eun-ha wasn't the possessor of immense internal energy, she might have resorted to kidnapping me.
"My junior brother is neither an object nor my person. A transaction is impossible."
At Lee Eun-ha's firm answer, Gahong stole a glance at me and sent a sticky gaze.
"This young lady is a virgin, I see. The male scent that young hero exudes could not possibly belong to a virgin. But soon enough, you two adorable people will love each other sweetly and crave each other's bodies passionately, will you not?
"Then, young lady, I'll give you another tael of gold. Would you like your unni to teach you how to handle a man? You're truly beautiful, but facing such a dangerous man for your first time will bring more than one difficulty."
Gahong casually took another tael of gold from her bosom and set it on the table.
She was insane. This woman was completely batshit. Right now, she was additionally proposing Lee Eun-ha herself for one tael of gold.
"I am indeed a virgin, but I am a Taoist practitioner. Our sect possesses outstanding bedchamber arts, so I have no need of instruction. But does the heroine who speaks so have any confidence that she can truly satisfy a man?"
Though still a virgin, Lee Eun-ha, who was training in the Yin Blossom Art and had secretly caught on to the perverse antics of her master and senior sisters, asked Gahong as if she found her ridiculous. Taking Lee Eun-ha's answer as an affirmation, Gahong grasped Lee Eun-ha's hand tightly with a delighted face and spoke.
"Of course. In truth, it's a secret, but I am a widow. Though I've had only one husband, who departed before me, embracing a man is something I'm truly accustomed to."
Lee Eun-ha, her hand held by Gahong, looked at me wordlessly. The atmosphere was growing strange. Huh? No way?
Flushed red cheeks. Excitement mixed with anticipation. The girl who had been innocently nurturing her love until just moments ago was now, with a quiet sense of expectation, offering another woman to me. Within her large eyes dwelled pure anticipation and, befitting a female disciple of our Yeongsan Sect, a dense, lewd lust.