Chapter 22
As I went about my work each morning, being serviced by Seol-hee and Jang Seo-yeong became routine. Since that day, Jang Seo-yeong had slowly opened her heart to me, and the resistance she had shown at first was gone.
Addicted to the taste of semen, she now grew restless if she went even a single day without sucking my cock.
‘On top of that, she had seemed even more restless lately.’
Lately, Jang Seo-yeong had been acting differently from usual. Even while swallowing semen every morning, her eyes looked as though her thirst remained unquenched.
I could sense desire in her wavering eyes and trembling hands. By now, she must have known exactly what she wanted.
'There was no need for me to make the first move.'
The sexual desire that had built up within her was gradually eating away at her reason. All I had to do now was wait until she spread her legs of her own accord.
She was addicted to the taste of semen, so in the end, she would have no choice but to come to me.
But not everything went according to my plan.
"Young Master! Something terrible has happened!"
The chief steward hurriedly opened the door and entered. His usual calm demeanor was nowhere to be seen, and his expression was grave.
“What is it?”
“Bang Dae-ju…. He's collapsed at the main gate, bleeding.”
At his words, I hurriedly rose from my seat. When I followed the chief steward there, I found a man with one arm cut off lying on a bed in the room, bleeding profusely.
“Why is Bang Dae-ju in this condition when he should be with Father?”
“I don't know either. He was already like that when he came galloping to the main gate on horseback a short while ago.”
At that moment, Bang Dae-ju, who had lost consciousness, opened his eyes.
“Bang Dae-ju… Are you awake?”
"Young Master… The Black Dragon Sect… attacked…"
“The Black Dragon Sect?! What happened to Father and my siblings?”
“Urgh…. The Family Head and… Miss So-hee… escaped, but… Young Master Myeong-woo… urgh.”
“Pull yourself together, Bang Dae-ju!”
The strength gradually left Bang Dae-ju's hand. In the end, he died from excessive blood loss.
"Chief Steward."
"Yes, Young Master."
"Send messengers to the martial arts sects of Jilin at once. Tell them that the Black Dragon Sect attacked the Changbaek Sect, summon all the family's retainers, and gather as many of the family's martial artists as possible."
Despite the sudden turn of events, I tried to remain calm. In my head, I sorted through how events had diverged from the original story.
'Why did the Black Dragon Sect move so quickly? This was supposed to happen a year later in the original… Did I change something?'
Even as I tried to understand the situation, I couldn't find a clue.
At least in the original story, the Black Dragon Sect didn't invade Jilin until a year after the story began.
And yet there had been this sudden attack… On top of that, we hadn't even confirmed whether Jin Myeong-woo was alive or dead.
'He couldn't possibly be dead… could he?'
I still needed him. It would be troublesome if he died now.
'I never expected the original story to diverge this drastically from the very beginning…'
My thoughts grew increasingly complicated.
My steps toward the meeting room felt heavy. All of the Jin family's retainers should have gathered there.
'First, I need to assess the situation.'
When I entered the meeting room, the retainers' expressions were grave, as though they had already heard the news.
“Young Master! Is it true? That the Black Dragon Sect attacked the Changbaek Sect?”
"Bang Dae-ju said so before he passed away."
The atmosphere in the meeting room grew heavy. Anxiety was plain on the retainers' faces.
"But isn't this strange? For the Black Dragon Sect to attack the Changbaek Sect so suddenly…"
At one retainer's words, everyone nodded. There was no way the unorthodox Black Dragon Sect would move so suddenly.
"Silence. Why the Black Dragon Sect attacked isn't important right now. We need to find Father and So-hee immediately. Elder Gu."
"Speak, Young Family Head."
When Elder Gu addressed me as 'Young Family Head,' all the surrounding retainers looked surprised, but no one objected.
"Please form a search party and take charge of finding Father and So-hee, Elder Gu."
"Understood."
"Move at once."
Once Elder Gu left, a strange tension filled the meeting room. The significance of being called 'Young Family Head' rather than acting family head was considerable.
Elder Gu had formally expressed his support for me as the next head of the family.
I slowly rose from my seat and looked at the retainers.
"The rest of you, reorganize the family's martial artists and prepare for battle."
"Yes, Young Family Head!"
The retainers answered in unison and filed out, leaving me alone in the meeting room to sink into deep thought.
'The Jin family can't stop the Black Dragon Sect on its own… Even in the original, they barely defeated them with the Murong Family's help.'
Leaning deeply back in my chair, I organized my thoughts. Finding the Jin Family Head and Jin So-hee was the immediate priority, but there was something that worried me.
It was the elixir that Black Dragon Sect Master Man Chu-sam was supposed to consume in the original. In the original, he ate a red elixir that raised his realm, but the price was terrible.
'The elixir raises his realm while destroying his reason… In the end, it makes him fight until he dies after falling into qi deviation.'
Moonlight shone dimly through the window. As time passed, the situation only grew more complicated.
'I need the Murong Family's help…'
But right now, I had no idea how to obtain their help.
"Is anyone outside?"
"Yes. Did you call for me?"
"Go and call the chief steward."
After the servant left, I slowly closed my eyes. I had to think about why Man Chu-sam had moved so quickly and where things had gone awry.
'Where did things go wrong? Was it because I seized the secret manual first? Or was making a move on Seol-hee the problem?'
It was while I was thinking about where the story had gone awry.
"Young Master, did you call for me?"
"Chief Steward. Send a swift messenger to the Murong Family right now to request reinforcements, and inform the Martial Alliance of what happened."
"Understood."
The chief steward hurriedly withdrew. But I couldn't put my mind at ease.
'There's too little time. With my current abilities, I can't stop the Black Dragon Sect'
-BANG!
The meeting room door burst open, and Jang Seo-yeong entered. Her usual calm demeanor was nowhere to be seen.
“Is that true…! That the Black Dragon Sect attacked?”
“Bang Dae-ju reported that before he died.”
Jang Seo-yeong's face turned pale. Her hand clenched the hem of her clothes.
“Myeong-woo and So-hee… my children?”
“Father and So-hee managed to escape, fortunately… We don't know whether Myeong-woo is alive.”
A flash of despair crossed her eyes.
“Ah… no… I have to… go save Myeong-woo right now…”
I rose and grasped her by the shoulders. Jang Seo-yeong, her face pale, trembled as though she were about to collapse.
"Calm down, Mother."
“How can I calm down! My children are in danger….”
“Myeong-woo's fate is still unknown. Besides, Elder Gu has already gone out leading a search party.”
I mixed a small lie into my words to calm her. Her trembling eased slightly, but her eyes were still filled with anxiety and fear.
"The urgent matter now is stopping the Black Dragon Sect."
"How can we stop them…?"
I looked down at Jang Seo-yeong, who was trembling with anxiety. She was unable to make a proper judgment because she was so worried about her children.
She looked strangely wretched. While calming her, I also thought about the Daoist Yin-Yang Manual.
'I could gain internal energy through Jang Seo-yeong… but the question was how much stronger I could become…‘
I looked down at Jang Seo-yeong with a serious expression and opened my mouth.
"There is one way."
Her eyes wavered at my words. She listened intently, as though desperately clinging to even the thinnest straw of hope.
"With this method, we may be able to stop the Black Dragon Sect… and perhaps even save Myeong-woo.“
"What is it?"
"Then share a bed with me."
Her face was momentarily filled with shock at my words. It seemed she thought that the sexual humiliation she had endured until now was not enough, and that I intended to disgrace her even in a situation like this.
"How can you say something like that at a time like this…"
"Hear me out. I happened upon a fortuitous opportunity. It is a secret manual that can increase internal energy through sexual intercourse."
"Don't tell me you've learned a sexual cultivation technique…?"
Her gaze sharpened. The mention of a sexual cultivation technique twisted her expression even further. In the martial world, such techniques were regarded as evil arts.
"It isn't an ordinary sexual cultivation technique. We can become stronger by sharing our vital essence. It's a technique that benefits both of us."
Jang Seo-yeong's face turned pale, and her hand trembled. It seemed the thought had crossed her mind that, if it meant saving her son… such a choice might be possible.
Hesitation showed in her eyes. Her maternal instinct, which told her she could do anything for her children, was battling against her reason.
”If we… share a bed, can we defeat the Black Dragon Sect…?“
”I honestly… don't know either. But in this situation, shouldn't we try anything we can?“
"If you're lying, I will never forgive you."
Her eyes wavered. Faced with the reality that she might have to sacrifice her body to save her child, she seemed desperate to determine whether this truly was the only way.
"If my internal energy doesn't increase… I'll accept any punishment."
Jang Seo-yeong's hands trembled even more, and her eyes were unsteady.
“Promise me you will save my children…“
Her voice trembled. It was the voice of a mother prepared to sacrifice everything for her children.
"I promise."
At my answer, her shoulders slumped. It seemed she had even abandoned the last of her pride.
"Then… what do I need to do now…?"
"Now isn't the time. I'll come to you tonight."
Jang Seo-yeong nodded without a word. She staggered out of the meeting room.
I opened my trait window for the first time in a while. Then I checked Delicious Semen and Highly Addictive again.
[Delicious Semen]
-Effect 1: Grants the other party intense pleasure (base satisfaction 300%)
-Effect 2: Stamina recovery effect (1% recovery per second)
-Special Effect: Increases all stats by 10%
[Highly Addictive]
-Effect 1: Permanently increases the favorability of the partner (up to 100%)
-Effect 2: Increases the target's stats by 20%
’The overall stat increase and the target's stat increase. I need to find out whether they're permanent.‘
Since Seol-hee was an ordinary person, it was impossible to tell how much the stat increase had affected her. Her physical condition, at least, had clearly improved.
If the stat increase was permanent, that would be ideal, but for now I needed to verify it properly through Jang Seo-yeong.