Jilin (5)

71. Jilin (5)

The sun was setting, and a new sun was rising. That was why the investiture ceremony for the Young Clan Head had been scheduled for sunset. I had heard they chose that time because they were appointing the master of the next generation, but in that case, shouldn't it have been held at sunrise rather than sunset?

Well, I supposed if they had done that, both the guests who had come from afar and the people of the Baek Clan Estate ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠would have been terribly inconvenienced, so they had conveniently settled on sunset.

Normally, no one should drink heavily before such a major event. However, disciples of prestigious families important enough to be invited to the reception room could use their internal energy to dispel their intoxication in an instant once the drinking ended and attend the ceremony perfectly sober. I could manage that trick now too, but it was naturally beyond Gyeong Su-yeon, so she did not drink and just poured for me in silence. Just as Murong Rin had taught me how to act as the one in power, Gyeong Su-yeon had spent years learning from me how to act as the subordinate. Quick-witted as she was, after briefly denying that we were friends, she soon read the room and behaved like a genuine friend before the other guests—just as I had played along whenever Murong Rin called me her friend. Watching her, I felt the distance that still remained between us.

The pleasant drinking party ended, time passed, and the investiture ceremony began. Upon a handsomely constructed dais, Reverend Hwa-il of the Mount Hua Sect began the rite in splendid Daoist robes.

—Splendid. But far too frivolous.—

A voice suddenly resounded from the White Feather Fan. To my eyes, it was merely impressive, but in his eyes, it apparently fell short.

—That is the Mount Hua way. That is why Mount Hua is preferred for celebratory occasions, and Wudang for memorial rites.—

The Hwa-il who was performing the rite possessed martial arts of a considerable level as well, and the Plum Blossom Sword Art itself was considered the most splendid sword art in the martial world. Every refined movement he made upon the dais, as if embroidering, seemed to bloom like a flower.

—What is a Wudang rite like?—

This time, Heosan asked a question.

—A Wudang rite is solemn. In return, many say it is less splendid than Mount Hua's.—

—That Daoist's rite looks solemn enough to me. As expected, Reverend Hwangseong, you are different.

—Hwangseong, I am currently teaching the martial arts of my sect to your Yeongsan Sect. If you ever ascend Wudang, would you be willing to teach your Daoist learning to Wudang's children?—

—Countless fellow disciples of the Maoshan Sect moved to Wudang and Mount Hua. The Daoist learning I know should already be sufficiently preserved at Wudang.—

—I already know what happened after the Blood Sect Rebellion. But how long could that knowledge last? Wudang's sword is far too alluring to martial artists. The disciples who gather beneath Wudang ultimately become more absorbed in the sword than in Daoist learning. Your fellow disciples have already passed their teachings on to Wudang, so you should teach them as well.—

—I have no heart, yet it is pounding. In our era, even Wudang, negligent as it was in Daoist learning, was still sacred ground to Daoists.—

The two Daoists had been getting along strangely well of late. I wished Moon Immortal would watch them and learn something. Whenever I put Moon Immortal and Medicine Immortal together, Moon Immortal made far too much noise, and I could hardly carry a rice paddle around on my back, so I had left Medicine Immortal in my room.

As if it were some Western coronation, the Baek Clan Estate's ceremony to invest the Young Clan Head concluded at the end when Dan-yeong received a sword bestowed not by Father but by Reverend Hwa-il. Thereafter, as befitted a martial family, when Father raised his sword, Dan-yeong and all the house retainers raised their swords as well, but compared to the Murong Clan, where a basic display of Sword Qi was a given and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠even twelve people had manifested Sword Aura, it naturally looked utterly shabby. I had now left the Baek Clan Estate, and though I was the eldest son and the Eldest Young Master, I did not raise my sword.

I had only just returned to my room after dealing with guests until late. It had been nearly three months. Somehow, the room where I had spent my entire life felt terribly unfamiliar. This luxurious chamber, furnished with splendid silk bedding, held no trace of human warmth. With the memories of my past life, I had quickly formed an adult sense of self and immersed myself in this affluent life, but perhaps I had actually been terribly lonely.

"Young Master. It is Young Lady Gyeong Su-yeon."

While I was briefly lost in sentimentality, a servant's voice reached me.

"Tell her to come in."

"Yes, Young Master."

The door opened, and she entered with a complicated expression, just as expected. When she began undoing the ties of her formal martial dress and moved to sit beside me as she had in the past, I stopped her.

"Stop that. I told you I'm not doing it anymore."

"Is my body of no use to you now?"

"I'm the one with no use for that. I'm no longer a Young Master of the Baek Clan Estate, so doing it for me has no meaning now."

"Even though you have left the estate, Young Master, you are still the Estate Lord's son—and the Young Clan Head's older brother."

She spoke calmly.

"I said I don't need it. I only came back after three months because I had business in Jilin, but I won't be able to come often from now on, so do that sort of thing for a man you actually like. You couldn't drink earlier, right? Let's have a drink."

I seated her on a chair and told a servant to bring wine. Come to think of it, we had always drunk tea like this after each round of sexual exploitation, but this was the first time I had shared wine with her.

"Indeed. You have changed, Young Master. Calling me your friend, and wanting me as a drinking companion instead of my body. It feels as if I am meeting a different person."

"Honestly, this is better. You really hated that sort of thing, didn't you?"

She quietly met my eyes.

"Honestly, I do not know whether I truly hated it."

"What do you mean? Don't tell me you liked me?"

"It does not seem to be romantic affection. Because it would never come to be. It is simply that... from the very beginning, I thought of myself as yours, Young Master."

The words struck me like a blow to the back of the head. Murong Rin had said the same thing: she had thought of me as hers. Unlike me, whose adult identity had already been complete, they had grown accustomed to the roles of dominant and subordinate before they were old enough to understand them. To them, this horrible relationship must have felt entirely natural.

"Young Master, did you find the prospective brides you said you would before you left?"

"Yeah. Two, even. You should meet a nice man too, you know? We've both passed marriageable age, but it's more urgent for the woman's side."

"I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠do not know what to do. I simply thought I would live forever beneath you, Young Master, for the rest of my life, but since you left, I have no idea how to live."

I had been a subordinate too, so I knew. This was not just some line she was casually giving out to suit my mood.

"Live however you wish. If you want, go see Huangfu Gun from earlier, or even Daoist Song Ok. You were worried about how the Baek Clan Estate would view you, right? You don't need to worry about that anymore. It may be hard to believe, but you'll understand soon enough. I've really grown much stronger. You're one of only two friends I have under heaven. Helping you live as you wish is well within my power now."

"Only two, you say. Me, and that Young Lady Murong Rin?"

"Yeah."

"Do you like her, Young Master?"

"It was an ill-fated relationship, but she's my friend."

"I have heard of Young Lady Murong's ill repute. That, unlike you who are gentle, Young Master, she is a vicious bully. Even so, do you truly like her?"

"Gentle my ass. I only had to see her a couple of times a year. I can't compare to you, who had to suffer under me every month. I know how it feels. My calling you a friend now must feel like I'm rubbing it in. Because of the things I did in the past, I won't ask you to consider me a friend. I've just decided to think of you as a friend I've known the longest."

"A friend... That is complicated, Young Master. Were intimate acts ever forced upon you by Young Lady Murong as well?"

"I'm only telling you because we're friends, so don't spread it around. You saw Huangfu Gun earlier, right? Back then, I pulled down my pants and showed my cock in front of hyung, who was her lover at the time, and her married older cousin, Murong Jin. Then I had sex with Murong Jin, and later with Murong Rin too. Once it happened to me, I realized how humiliating it was. I was really sorry for what I did to you."

Gyeong Su-yeon visibly started at those words. Just then, a servant brought the wine and set it on the table. When I filled her cup, she drained it in small sips and asked me a question. She had drunk it all by herself. She really had no idea about the basics of sharing a drink.

"And after suffering such a thing, you still consider her a friend?"

"Well, I'm a man. To be honest, Murong Rin is beautiful. On top of that, she sucked me off just as you did. I'm still a man in the end, so after that, most of my resentment disappeared. Of course, it wasn't romantic affection, so don't misunderstand."

"I understand. To be honest, even though I was ashamed, it felt good too. Because whenever I came to relieve Young Master Baek's lust, you, Young Master, always relieved mine in turn."

Her face had reddened after a single drink. Did she truly have a weak tolerance for alcohol?

"Did you know? After you left, Young Master, when the Young Clan Head grew distant from Yeon-hwa, it was Yeon-hwa who became anxious first. It was a little ridiculous to watch that child, who had hated it so much, now come looking for the Young Clan Head, but now that I look at it, I am precisely that same pitiful sight."

Affection could grow even within a twisted relationship. But could Dan-yeong and Gyeong Yeon-hwa truly end up together? The Baek Clan Heads had traditionally strengthened the estate through the power of an influential wife's family. Still, Lady Tang and the Tang Clan stood behind Dan-yeong, so if he wished it, he could at least take Yeon-hwa as a concubine, but...

"Young Master Baek. You called me a friend, yes? May I ask just one favor?"

"Of course."

"Would it be alright if I slept here tonight?"

"I said I'm not doing that sort of thing."

"That is not what I meant...

"My head is spinning. If I fall asleep drunk at the Baek Clan Estate, Father will scold me... But if it is the Young Master's bedchamber... Father would... probably... allow..."

With those words, her head dropped. Just how weak was she to alcohol? Yet for all that, she was a martial artist. When I laid her, unconscious, upon my bed, she even snored slightly as she slept. Come to think of it, for a young lady, she had helped out like a servant girl today. The alcohol aside, it was no wonder she was tired. After covering her with a blanket, I sat at the table and tried drinking the remaining liquor alone.

The Changhwa Wine that Lady Tang had brewed was an exceedingly fine liquor. The moment I swallowed a sip, a cool, refreshing taste spread out. This was not something to be drunk alone. When I summoned Hwangseong and Heosan into my body and let them take turns savoring the taste of the wine, they, connoisseurs that they were, acknowledged its flavor.

—Ah! This is the Tang Clan's Changhwa Wine! Those people of the Sichuan Tang Clan. They handle poisonous herbs and venomous insects every day, and yet their culinary skill is absolutely incredible, I tell you!—

Come to think of it, Lady Tang's culinary skill was outstanding, wasn't it? It somehow didn't match with the Sichuan Tang Clan of poisons and hidden weapons.

—[Of course. Making poison is much like decocting medicine, and both are remarkably similar to cooking: adding exact quantities of ingredients, stirring with care, and patiently controlling the flame. It is all kitchen work. That is why neither the Tang Clan nor our Shennong Sect can reach great heights without skill in cooking.]—

Medicine Immortal, who had kept silent until now, answered Heosan's and my question. Truly, Medicine Immortal's martial arts seemed to suit Senior Sister Lee well. Come to think of it, there was that present from the crazy aunt earlier, wasn't there? Recalling that book, I untied the wrapping cloth, and inside was a newly transcribed, clean secret manual.

—Ice Soul Divine Art—

Whaaaaaat? Ice Soul Divine Art? Th-this is the Ice Palace's secret legacy, literally a peerless martial art!

—Hm. Ice Soul Divine Art. Now that I think about it, you inherited the Ice ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Palace's blood. A member of the Ice Palace who possesses yang energy—very interesting.—

The Flame Emperor's sword rose smoothly into the air.

—Is this not the Ice Palace's secret art? Even if my mother came from the Ice Palace, why would they give a peerless martial art like this to me?—

—Did you not witness it during the day as well? The common sense of the Ice Palace differs from that of the Central Plains. The Ice Palace is entirely one family. Not only the house retainers, but they are a single family without even a distinction between direct line and branch line. And so all of them learn the Ice Soul Divine Art. The one among them with the highest achievement becomes the next Palace Lord. Due to the nature of my Flame Aura, I was constantly compared to this Ice Soul Divine Art during my lifetime.—

Th-that made no sense! Why bring this to me only now? I had spent decades thirsting after peerless martial arts and had only just managed to learn one. Worse, now that I had learned Flame Qi, I couldn't even cultivate an extreme-yin art. Why did a peerless art like this have to appear only now?

No. It felt horribly unfair, but this was just sour grapes. With my dull aptitude, even if someone had handed me the secret manual, a supreme art like this would still have been impossible. Giving me a top academic paper would accomplish nothing if there were no professor beside me to explain a single word.

—So. That Ice Soul Divine Art. Do you intend to try mastering it?—

—What? Is such a thing possible?—

—I have a few experiments I would like to try, but cultivating an extreme-yin art while possessing only yang energy would normally be impossible. However, our Flame Blossom Sect originally branched from the Five Elements Sect. Its founder, the Five Elements Immortal, certainly mastered both extreme-yang and extreme-yin martial arts. You said you had no attachment to your original internal energy anyway, so may I study the matter?—

—No. If that goes wrong, couldn't I die from Qi Deviation?—

—Worry not. Do we not now have Medicine Immortal?—

I could not see his face while he resided in the sword, but he was undoubtedly smiling with intense fascination.