Peng Yuwol
“Remember: this was an opportunity created by the Young Lady enduring disgrace at the hands of that filthy man. There must be no mistakes.”
The Peng Clan warriors steeled their resolve inside the pavilion. They could not allow the chance Peng Yuwol had earned through shame and humiliation to be wasted—it was their opportunity to return to their sect with honor.
“The Young Lady says, ‘What a fine day it is.’ What does that mean?”
“That the story of the elixir case is false, and you are to seize Chu Sogwang on the spot.”
“The Young Lady says, ‘Ah, there’s an insect.’ What does that mean?”
“That the elixir case once existed but was used to harm her, and if you know its location, be prepared to take it by force.”
Recalling the prearranged code words, the warriors gathered their inner strength. With the Peng Clan’s trademark bold step, they advanced to the main gate to meet Chu Sogwang and Peng Yuwol, who approached without their escort.
“You’ve—?”
The warriors rubbed their eyes to confirm the sight before them. On the way out they had walked several paces apart, yet now they clung together like newlywed lovers.
Peng Yuwol gripped Chu Sogwang’s sleeve, her head bowed low, and he strode forward deliberately as if to show her off.
“Why are you out here? Come inside at once. Don’t make an unsettling scene.”
“M-My Lord, welcome back. Did you fare well?”
“Yes. Now, which of you is the swiftest? …You two.”
With a dismissive wave, Chu Sogwang pointed to the closest man and woman. Though “swiftest” stung their pride, they indeed were the Peng warriors most skilled in the Path of Reform.
“I have a task for you.”
“A task? What…?”
“The elixir case—”
Peng Yuwol, her voice barely the sound of an ant, extended her hand. Without thinking, the warrior reached out and carefully caught the object she dropped.
“Gah?!”
Even at a glance it was clearly the elixir case. Though few had ever seen the genuine article, its taiji pattern suffused with a bluish aura—signs of divine inner strength—made it unmistakable.
“Put it in the box, then depart for Hebei. We must place it before the clan elder without delay to treat their ailment, mustn’t we?”
B-but… They had intended to use the elixir case as leverage until the wedding, had they not? The warriors could not fathom what had changed. And why did Peng Yuwol say nothing? No—had she really possessed the genuine elixir case all along, and presented it to Chu Sogwang even before their ceremony?
“Y-Young Lady, what on earth has happened?”
“A woman must obey her husband’s will.”
Peng Yuwol’s voice was mournful and shy, scarcely audible. The warriors watched dumbfounded as the two stepped back inside the pavilion.
“Y-you don’t mean that you two—”
“Of course not! However much the Young Lady…you can’t possibly!!”
The warriors were thrown into turmoil.
“Ugh.”
After returning to the pavilion with Peng Yuwol, I finished a hearty meal in the kitchen. It felt too awkward to go straight to my room.
“My Lord, the bedchamber is fully prepared.”
“Is it? Very well—thank you for the meal.”
I ordered them to ready the bedchamber first. All of Chu Sogwang’s belongings were disinfected in sunlight, windows thrown open to air the place. When the musty smell persisted, I burned incense to mask it, and replaced anything bearing his scent with new items.
‘It’s mine for the time being.’ Who could bear another man’s bedding, let alone a woman’s body?
Having given my orders, I asked for a light snack. They laid out a grand feast before me—enough to show how Chu Sogwang must have trained his external qi with flowing water techniques.
‘Damn. Eating all this will be a nightmare to digest as inner strength.’
I feigned struggle as I selected only the meat, and with each movement felt my inner strength ripple like a current between flesh and muscle.
“Phew…”
Chu family servants showed no respect for Chu Sogwang, which made it easier for me to act in his stead. From their furtive sighs, I learned enough about his usual conduct to proceed unchallenged.
“And Yewol? She seemed to go straight to her room.”
“Yewol…Milady?”
“Peng Yuwol.”
At my pet name for her, the servants grimaced as though choking. I chewed my meat boldly, waiting for an answer—until the eldest among them, a senior officer, bowed deeply.
“The Mistress is bathing.”
“I see.”
Peng Yuwol had gone to wash as soon as she returned. At the thought of her naked body, I worried her inner qi channels might unravel from the disrupt technique.
‘Calm yourself, Baek Seonggi. You are Chu Sogwang now.’
In the dark warehouse, I had not properly taken in her form. Bound in the stocks, spread open by force—that was erotic enough, yet the purest martial form is the unclothed body of the fairest woman.
—Truly, bigger is better than smaller. Some say a little covering is the most enticing, but the Blood Sect Patriarch did not say so.
I now fully sympathized with the Blood Sect Patriarch’s cryptic words. Though I did not grasp their precise meaning, I felt their truth. Just as martial arts require internalizing esoteric formulas—bigger rather than smaller: a fine resonance.
“I will retire to my chamber. Call a servant if anything is needed.”
“As you wish, My Lord.”
The servants’ faces relaxed at my departure. Merely leaving the room seemed to ease their breathing.
“And from now on, all meals are to be served in my room. Prepare fare for two each time: eel, dragon–phoenix broth, black garlic. No other food is to be brought in outside meal times.”
“Excuse me? Surely you don’t—”
Their jaws dropped in astonishment. They all seemed to think: how could you? How did Chu Sogwang make Peng Yuwol so compliant?
“What do you mean ‘don’t’? She will soon be your Lady. What’s the problem?”
“I-it’s not that…but how…?”
“Because it’s me.”
I pointed the surprised servants toward Peng Yuwol’s room.
“Tell Yewol that when she finishes her bath, she is to come to my chamber. It’s about time…for bed.”
The sun dipped below the mountains, and the moon rose high.
“Officer, see that no one disturbs us while we…spend time together.”
“Yes, sir.”
The officer’s eyes glistened. I strolled leisurely toward Chu Sogwang’s room, humming as I went.
“My Lord, please hurry—Young Master is…wahhh!”
That young master is buried in the ground now. I made my way at a relaxed pace to “our room.”
“Is this truly the elixir case?”
The warriors looked at the gilded vessel in the center, their expressions conflicted. Peng Yuwol had promised to fetch the genuine case, and indeed she had returned with it.
“I thought he’d never give it up until the ceremony.”
“I thought, at least until she conceived.”
“How strange. He’s not one to show such generosity.”
Chu Sogwang had handed over the case before the wedding. The warriors wondered if their prejudices had misled them.
“Young Lady, what exactly transpired between you and Chu Sogwang?”
“Ugh.”
Peng Yuwol, holding the key to their questions, said nothing specific—only that she had asked him about the case’s existence and he had given it to her.
“T-then?”
“Tell us the truth. What did he do to you?!!”
“You idiot, you’re distressing the Young Lady!”
The only female warrior jabbed the man’s side with her fist. Having helped Peng Yuwol bathe, she guessed what had occurred; the perceptive warriors blushed and shifted uncomfortably.
“Well. However one may think of it…”
“…we were to be husband and wife anyway. No matter before or after the ceremony, it makes no difference.”
Peng Yuwol spoke instead with bold composure. The Peng Clan warriors’ hesitation was unbecoming; she straightened her chest and pointed to the elixir case.
“He surrendered the elixir case. He said you may depart for Hebei at once. Leave immediately.”
“Y-Young Lady…!”
This was the very case Peng Yuwol had claimed by her body. To save the clan head she had been forced into marriage—and before the ceremony—she had yielded to Chu Sogwang’s advances.
“Ready?”
“Who is it?”
“It’s the Officer. …The Mistress requests your presence.”
The warriors drew blades and bristled with intent, but Peng Yuwol rose demurely.
“I understand. I will go at once.”
“Lady…”
Yet who among the Peng Clan could call her defiled? Only grief, apology, and gratitude remained for the woman who had sacrificed herself to save her clan chief.
‘So this bastard was the Dark Cult’s financier?’
In Chu Sogwang’s room I found evidence I could not believe. Examining the cashflows revealed large sums siphoned off—and the final destination was Tianshan.
‘This is fucked.’
I had managed to cover up the use of martial power, but the entire Chu pavilion was apparently a Dark Cult front. Chu Sogwang must have financed the cult, acquired the elixir case, and learned martial power from them.
‘Perhaps this plot aimed to bring down the Peng Clan.’
Draw up the big picture. The Blood Sect Patriarch had lectured me at length as if I were his third disciple. To unmask a grand conspiracy, imagine the worst-case plot and compare it to reality.
In schemes, none rival the Blood Sect Patriarch. I considered: if I were the Dark Cult, how would I topple the Peng Clan?
One: Target the Peng clan head with sorcery
Two: Create a false elixir case to lure the clan’s interest.
Three: Entice the clan’s heir to learn or become tainted by martial power. Better if their heir were male.
Four: [Reject—this is Blood Sect style, not Dark Cult.]
Instead, make the heir steal the clan’s secret martial art.
“That fits.”
By marrying and using martial power to bind them, then on the first return home, have them steal or copy the clan’s manuals. If all truth emerged, the pavilion would fall, but the Dark Cult would gain the Peng Clan’s martial arts, including Five Tigers Sever the Gate Saber.
‘A most Dark Cult tactic.’
I felt a chill at the cult’s secret reach. Time had passed.
“…My Lord.”
Peng Yuwol’s voice called from outside. The title on her lips made my mouth twist, but I ushered her in.
“Enter.”
Peng Yuwol opened the door silently, her head bowed in shame. She must have come at my summons, unable to control her body’s heat.
‘She even put on makeup.’
A woman who answers a man’s call with makeup—that battle was effectively won.
“The night is long. Sit here.”
“The chair—”
“Where else but here?”
I tapped beside me on the bed. Peng Yuwol’s cheeks flamed deeper, and she glanced at me awkwardly.
“You seem to want rougher treatment.”
“Ugh…?!”
I rose and wrapped my arm around her waist. Unresisting, she collapsed onto the bed as though throwing herself down.
‘She must be confused.’
No being more transparent than a warrior awakened to pleasure. As a cultivator intoxicated by a breakthrough, she craved more of that delight.
I caught the eager light in her sideways glance and rejoiced inwardly.
The Art of Indulgence.
A sorcery to bend a woman’s mind with one manhood.
‘This is true martial power.’
Though not a martial art, it is a sorcery to bind a woman to a man. As in the warehouse, I sat beneath her poised form.
“You will not leave this room until I am satisfied, Wife.”
“……Ugh!”
Her lower body began to moisten.