Chapter 29
*Warning: [Yuri scene ahead]
Dokgo Ryeong opened her eyes when she felt someone’s hand touching her face.
She instinctively grabbed the hand, and its owner spoke.
“Ah…, you’re awake?”
“…Hao Sect?”
“It’s Gwan-yeong.”
“Same difference….”
“More importantly, could you let go of my hand? You’re making it hard to apply the medicine….”
“…”
Dokgo Ryeong abruptly let go, and Eun Gwan-yeong’s hand returned to her face.
“Tsk…, that hurts.”
“Did you think it wouldn’t hurt after I hit you? My fists pack quite a sting, you know?”
“…You can hit pretty hard.”
“Huh?”
Eun Gwan-yeong’s eyes widened at Dokgo Ryeong’s answer.
“Heheh, you’re being honest for once?”
“What, you little punk.”
“Miss Dokgo is really strong too. Did you learn from Senior Mad Demon?”
“…That’s right.”
‘I am the Mad Demon, you little brat,’ wasn’t something she could say, so Dokgo Ryeong vaguely pretended she had learned from him.
‘…More importantly, what’s with this girl?’
As Dokgo Ryeong wondered if the Lust Demon had scolded her, Eun Gwan-yeong spoke first.
“Did Big Sis Sohyeon tell you?”
“…Tell me what?”
“About my past.”
“More or less….”
“Then you know, right? I’m a courtesan’s daughter. I’ve never even seen the man who’s supposed to be my father.”
“…”
When Dokgo Ryeong fell silent, unsure how to respond, Eun Gwan-yeong gave a little laugh.
“Heheh, I guess even Miss Dokgo has some manners.”
“You’re getting cheeky again.”
“…Anyway, it was Big Brother Wi who helped me. Look at this.”
Eun Gwan-yeong’s hand moved strangely, and a moment later,
it had changed into a hand covered in hideous burn scars.
“The burns weren’t severe enough to damage my bones and sinews, but even so, I probably owe it to Big Brother Wi that they weren’t worse. From the day I got these scars, Big Brother Wi has been dearer to me than my own life.”
“…Is that so?”
“Yes. He gave a name to a nameless courtesan’s daughter, and thanks to the Sect Leader’s kindness, I live under the surname Eun despite having had no surname of my own. If I hadn’t met Big Brother Wi that day, I’d probably be a courtesan by now, selling my body to men.”
“…”
Thinking that Eun Gwan-yeong spoke so casually about such a heavy subject, Dokgo Ryeong frowned uneasily.
“Huh? Does it hurt somewhere?”
“…No. So what were you trying to say?”
“Oh, well, you see…”
Eun Gwan-yeong’s face drew closer to Dokgo Ryeong’s.
Her silver hair spilled down, tickling Dokgo Ryeong’s cheek.
“You can insult me all you want, you know? But… please show Big Brother Wi a little more respect.”
“…”
“Aren’t you going to answer?”
“You may not believe it, but I respect Wi Ilcheong in my own way.”
“Huh?”
“There are only two kinds of people I have anything to do with: those who’ve done me a kindness, and those who’ve wronged me.”
“…”
“And Wi Ilcheong is someone who’s done me a kindness.”
“But couldn’t you say it a little better than that?”
“Oh, what do you want from me? That’s the only way I know how to talk, you little punk.”
“…”
Dokgo Ryeong snapped, her temper flaring.
“Shit, manners are something only people with manners bother with. How the hell would I know how to behave toward my superiors? Should I pay my respects to the Lust Demon every morning and evening?”
“I’ll teach you.”
“What?”
“We made a bet, remember? I said I’d teach you all sorts of things. I’ll include manners too.”
“No, shit. Didn’t we tie? Then since I’m the weaker one, shouldn’t we count it as my win?”
“Come on, then we’d have to take into account the fact that you used inner energy first.”
“…”
Dokgo Ryeong frowned.
In truth, she knew better than anyone that Eun Gwan-yeong was stronger than she was now.
That was why she’d resorted to underhanded tricks to win.
She understood better than anyone that it hadn’t been a fair fight.
But some of the pride she’d held as the powerful martial artist ‘Mad Demon Dokgo Jin’ still remained within her.
She’d gone all out against a young girl who looked barely past twenty, even resorting to underhanded tricks, and only managed a draw?
‘I’d be too ashamed to show my face.’
There was no point in discussing it any further. It would only hurt Dokgo Ryeong’s pride.
“Haa…, shit.”
“Miss Dokgo, this isn’t bad news for you either, you know?”
“What isn’t?”
“Miss Dokgo, do you know why people wear clothes?”
“What kind of nonsense is that, out of nowhere…?”
“The Sect Leader once told me that people wear power.”
“Power?”
Eun Gwan-yeong straightened up and spoke with a notably serious expression.
“Martial artists sometimes think they prove themselves through their bodies alone, but that’s not really true, is it? Everything they wear helps define them.”
“That’s nonsense.”
“Why do you think so?”
“If that were true, why is Muk Seon a beggar?”
“But Muk Seon carries the Beggar Sect’s sacred treasure, the ‘Dog-Beating Staff (打狗棒).’”
“That’s a weapon.”
“A weapon is clothing too, as long as you don’t draw it.”
“…”
Come to think of it, she had a point.
“And why do those prestigious clans feed their children all kinds of rare medicines, give them marrow cleansing, pass down the famous martial arts of their houses, and then wear clothes with their affiliations plastered all over them? ‘I’m from a prestigious clan! You’d better know your place!’ Isn’t that what it means?”
“…Now that you mention it, you’re right. That makes sense.”
“See?”
“But what does that have to do with clothes?”
“Miss Dokgo has no idea how to wear them.”
“I don’t?”
“Not at all.”
“…”
After all, she’d spent her whole life as a man. Of course she wouldn’t know.
“If clothing is power, then the way a person carries herself tells you about her life. I’m not perceptive enough to see through everything, but I can tell that your life was like a horse let loose in an open field.”
“What?”
“Your legs are always positioned to bolt at a moment’s notice. Whenever you enter a new place, your eyes immediately survey your surroundings. You can’t stand feeling constrained, so you always dress in clothes that are easy to move in.”
“…”
“You seem like someone who’s spent her whole life being chased. Well… if you grew up with Senior Mad Demon, I suppose that makes sense.”
Dokgo Ryeong was secretly surprised.
Eun Gwan-yeong was impossible to pin down.
Despite her slurred, ditzy way of speaking, her eyes were sharper than they seemed.
“So?”
“You need to change.”
“What?”
“When the people around you change, you’re supposed to change your behavior too. But you haven’t changed at all, so I figured you probably didn’t know how.”
“Do I have to?”
“If even I can tell from your behavior, do you think the Martial Alliance and the Murong Clan won’t notice?”
“Ah….”
Only then did Dokgo Ryeong remember why she had come to this little fishing village called Cheongniwa.
“From now on, you’ll have to become a completely different person. Otherwise, Big Brother Wi will keep clashing with the Martial Alliance, and one day, when he meets an enemy he can’t handle… he’ll die.”
“If his life is in danger, he can just run…”
“No.”
Eun Gwan-yeong replied with unwavering certainty.
“Big Brother Wi will hold them off until he dies right there. He promised to keep you safe.”
“…”
“That’s how Wi Ilcheong has lived his life.”
Only then did Dokgo Ryeong understand why Eun Gwan-yeong had offered to teach her all sorts of things.
She wasn’t concerned about Dokgo Ryeong herself. She was concerned about Wi Ilcheong, who had made a ‘promise’ to Dokgo Ryeong.
She was worried about Wi Ilcheong, who treasured promises as dearly as his own life.
In the end, Dokgo Ryeong nodded.
“…All right. I understand. I’ll try to change how I act.”
“Really? Just like that?”
“…I know what a promise is too, you know?”
“…”
Eun Gwan-yeong eyed Dokgo Ryeong with some suspicion, but soon her usual dazed gaze returned, and she grinned.
“Hehe, all right. Then starting today, stop calling Big Sis Sohyeon ‘blockhead,’ okay?”
“Oh, shit.”
“No cursing either!”
“No, shit. Why not?!”
“Cursing makes you sound vulgar. People expect pretty words from a lovely young lady like you, not that kind of language!”
“Damn it, shit.”
“…Are you not going to keep your promise?”
“Aw, shit. I’ve lived like this my whole life, shit. Can I change overnight, shit!”
“Haa…. We’ve got a long way to go….”
Eun Gwan-yeong sighed as she began opening Dokgo Ryeong’s top.
“…What are you doing?”
“I’m applying medicine for you, aren’t I?”
“Ah…, right.”
“Hehe, were you thinking something naughty?”
“N-no, I wasn’t. You lewd woman!”
“Hehehe.”
Eun Gwan-yeong dabbed ointment onto her hand and began applying it between Dokgo Ryeong’s breasts.
“Nngh…!”
When the cold ointment touched her chest, Dokgo Ryeong’s body trembled slightly.
“Miss Dokgo, your breasts are so pretty.”
“Ugh… Are you going to keep saying lewd things?!”
“How is that lewd? We’re both women. We can talk about things like this.”
“W-what?”
“You even bathed with Big Sis Sohyeon, so why are you acting like this now? Honestly.”
“Ahh…!”
Eun Gwan-yeong suddenly grabbed Dokgo Ryeong’s breast.
At her sudden move, Dokgo Ryeong’s back arched off the bed, and a moan welled up from deep in her chest before she could stop it.
“Y-you crazy bitch!”
“Oh my, I’m sorry… I didn’t know you were so sensitive….”
“…”
When Eun Gwan-yeong lowered her eyes as if she really was sorry, Dokgo Ryeong swallowed her anger.
‘…Still, she means well, so I should bear with it. She’s applying medicine…. Women can talk about each other’s chests…’
Just then,
Eun Gwan-yeong lightly flicked Dokgo Ryeong’s nipple.
“Ahh!”
“Miss Dokgo, even your nipples are pretty. Your areolas are a lovely pale pink…”
“Stop it, you crazy bitch!”
“Oh my, I’m doing all this to help Miss Dokgo recover, you know?”
“Are you going to keep spouting bullshit?”
“I’m serious… You’ll recover faster once your inner energy starts flowing again.”
“…And what does that have to do with you touching my… that place?”
Dokgo Ryeong was too embarrassed to say the word ‘nipple.’
“It’ll make it easier for you to take Big Brother Wi’s member later, won’t it?”
Dokgo Ryeong gritted her teeth against the pain and swung her leg at Eun Gwan-yeong.
But Eun Gwan-yeong caught her leg and spread it wide to either side.
“Y-you lewd woman! Let go of me, right now!”
“Come on, why are you acting like that? Anyone watching would think you were a martial artist from the Emei Sect. It’s not like you’re going to stay chaste your whole life.”
“W-what are you… Ahh…!”
When Eun Gwan-yeong’s tongue touched the inside of Dokgo Ryeong’s thigh, her body trembled again.
Dokgo Ryeong felt another throb in her lower dantian.
“You said you were going to give Big Brother Wi your virginity later anyway, didn’t you?”
“W-what does that have to do with… Ah!”
“Big Brother Wi’s member is really big. I had a hard time on my first night with him too. It hurt so much I could’ve cried.”
“Hngh…. P-please, stop…!”
Eun Gwan-yeong curled her tongue as she licked farther along the inside of Dokgo Ryeong’s thigh.
At last, when she reached the space between Dokgo Ryeong’s legs, Eun Gwan-yeong blew a soft breath over her underwear.
“Ahh!”
“I regretted it so much afterward… If I’d practiced beforehand, it wouldn’t have hurt so much…. I could’ve made the memorable day I gave Big Brother Wi my virginity a much better memory…. That’s what I thought, you know?”
This time, Eun Gwan-yeong licked her way up the inside of Dokgo Ryeong’s other thigh.
“Hngh…! P-please… stop…! Ahh!”
Dokgo Ryeong trembled all over like she’d been struck by lightning.
Before she knew it, she’d forgotten the pain from her fight with Eun Gwan-yeong, and her whole body was growing hotter and hotter.
“Miss Dokgo, you’re amazing.”
“Hngh…! W-what?”
“This aphrodisiac would make most virgins grab a passerby by now and beg him to please fuck them, but you’re still holding out so well.”
“Y-you lewd woman… Hngh!”
Before Dokgo Ryeong could finish speaking, Eun Gwan-yeong pressed her lips against hers.
Dokgo Ryeong clenched her teeth to keep Eun Gwan-yeong’s soft, warm tongue out of her mouth.
Instead, Eun Gwan-yeong sucked on her lips and continued speaking.
“Mwah…. Ha… I’ll do this whenever you say something mean, okay?”
“Shit… Hngh….”
Eun Gwan-yeong went after Dokgo Ryeong’s lips again.
This time, she slipped her tongue in before Dokgo Ryeong could react, and Dokgo Ryeong’s tongue was completely at her mercy.
“Ahh…, mwah…. Ha.”
The feeling of their tongues mingling left Dokgo Ryeong’s head spinning.
She tried to dodge Eun Gwan-yeong’s tongue however she could, but it skillfully ensnared her own.
“Mwah…, mm….”
As Eun Gwan-yeong’s full lips sucked hard on Dokgo Ryeong’s trapped tongue, Dokgo Ryeong tried to pull away.
Then,
“Got you!”
“Ahh…!”
Eun Gwan-yeong pinched Dokgo Ryeong’s nipple between two fingers and tugged.
“If you keep trying to run away, I’ll make it feel even better, you know?”
“Hngh…!”
When Eun Gwan-yeong rolled Dokgo Ryeong’s nipple between her fingers, her back arched like a bow.
When Dokgo Ryeong still didn’t answer, Eun Gwan-yeong pinched her nipple hard once more.
“Aren’t you going to answer me?”
“Hyeeh…!”
“What’s your answer?”
At last, realizing there was nowhere to run, Dokgo Ryeong managed to speak.
“Y-yes… y-yes….”