LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 53
53rd Episode: The Fragrance-less Peony
“Didn’t you feel any feminine charm from the girl?”
Thud.
Suddenly, Jeoksawol grabbed my wrist, pleading with a voice that seemed to be on the verge of tears.
With her veil covering her face, I couldn’t see her expression.
If my martial arts were a bit stronger, I could have pierced through the veil like a protagonist from a wuxia novel and seen her expression, but as it stood, I was only at a second-rate level, so it was impossible.
Whether I could see her expression or not, didn’t matter.
Jeoksawol was a master of acting, reaching at least the caliber of a Cannes Film Festival Best Actress nominee, if not more.
Her expression alone couldn’t determine the truth. From the lessons learned during palace intrigue in the Beijing court, I concluded that no one’s expression or emotions were trustworthy. Many actors of a similar level were present, after all.
Jeoksawol was one of them.
It could very well be that she had utilized the Beauty Temptation Technique as a ploy to entice me with pure beauty and sympathy, rather than genuine interest.
Her exterior hid the fact that Jeoksawol had 60 years of experience and was the best of the rival sects and the leader of the Sado Family.
Every one of her actions was undoubtedly a thoroughly calculated political maneuver, just like mine during my time in the imperial palace.
Thus, this was a trap. She was trying to test me like before.
I must not fall for it.
First, I attempted to pull my wrist away, but her delicate hand held onto it tightly.
Her touch, soft as expected of the most beautiful in the world, felt pleasant around my wrist.
While I appreciated the sensation of her exquisite hand, I had no leisure to enjoy it.
It felt like being caught in a sticky spider web.
‘They say a female spider eats the male after mating…’
The same must apply to Jeoksawol, who had mastered the Absorbing Vitality Technique.
My mind sharpened, feeling my heart calm and my head cool down.
Just because I had energy, didn’t mean I had to fall for it. I couldn’t afford to lose it to a female spider in this second life I’ve worked hard to build.
If I couldn’t pull away, I had to turn this situation to my advantage.
If she was acting, then I had to respond with acting of my own.
With a soft smile, I gently wrapped my other hand around hers, still gripping my wrist, and said,
“Of course not! Lady Neung is a beauty known throughout the Nine Provinces and Eight Monarchs. If Lady Neung lacks charm, then all other women in the world would merely be unattractive as men! Lady Neung possesses a beauty that any man would envy, and I, as a man, also find your form beautiful.”
I praised her with the smooth tongue of a court eunuch, recalling my undertones of flattery.
It was true that her face and figure, resembling that of Neungwolhyang, were indeed stunning.
To be frank, when she slightly revealed her cleavage, I almost lost my rationality in the moment.
Unlike in my first life, when I was a eunuch, my vitality in this second life could sometimes lead my body to slip out of logic, and just now was one such dangerous moment.
Fortunately, my mental mastery had progressed to the level of ‘Purification,’ allowing me to maintain control of my body and avoid any unfortunate incidents.
Regardless, her allure was undeniable, so everything I said was true.
The flattery I had just uttered would surely register as truth in her lie-detection abilities.
“…”
Jeoksawol fell silent upon hearing my words.
It must have been confusing for her as my words proved true.
I could see her ears and neck turning red, betraying the veil.
“…Then why did you refuse the lady’s service?”
“Because… I hold no feelings for you.”
I gazed directly at Jeoksawol as I spoke.
She flinched at my words.
“F-feelings, you say, but I…”
“The Cloud and Rain Pleasure is the culmination of love shared between a man and a woman. As the phrase ‘connecting feelings’ suggests, a man and woman who share an emotional bond must intimately meet on the bed for a perfect harmony of Yin and Yang. Just like the teachings of the Taoist’s authentic training, it advises neither excessive desire nor strict abstinence but to maintain balance. Yet you, my lady, have used the Beauty Temptation Technique to test me without genuinely having feelings for me. How could I, as a man and practitioner of the Tao, fall for that? Engaging without mutual feelings is not true Cloud and Rain Pleasure but merely a hollow physical union.”
Jeoksawol fell silent again at my words.
The grip she had on my wrist weakened.
I naturally and smoothly withdrew my hand while finishing up the remaining tea.
“Your appearance indeed possesses captivating beauty, but your inner self is as ugly as an unattractive person. True beauty is found in a woman whose inner self is as beautiful as her exterior. The allure of an outer beauty lacking inner grace is for me no more than a fragrance-less peony, feeling utterly void.”
At my words, Jeoksawol’s body trembled.
The moment she passed the test of the Hwa Myeon-ho-gyeom, it was true that she held some fondness for me.
But whether that fondness remained or had transformed into an obsession, I could not know.
Yet her demeanor of testing me suggested a high probability that it had indeed morphed into something more clingy.
Above all, I didn’t appreciate that she had used the Beauty Temptation Technique on me.
Trying to manipulate me with her charm…
If I hadn’t reached the level of ‘Purification,’ a disaster might have unfolded right here.
The Cloud and Rain Pleasure against my will was not something I could accept.
That wasn’t true color spectrum.
Real love stems from mutual willingness, where both hearts are in sync during physical intimacy.
To be honest, I felt disappointed.
“…That is…”
“Let’s end this conversation here. My request, will you comply?”
I didn’t want to hear any more excuses.
I interrupted Jeoksawol, sliding the letter on the desk aside as I spoke.
A silence fell between us.
She nodded her head heavily.
“Yes. If you could forgive my rudeness, then…”
“I will forgive. But next time… such things must not happen.”
“Understood.”
Upon hearing Jeoksawol’s answer, I placed the now-cold teacup down and stood up.
“It was a good meeting. Now, I must hurry along.”
“…Please take care, young hero.”
As I heard Jeoksawol’s reluctant farewell, I stepped out of the special room, chuckling inwardly.
Hehe, now the game is about to get bigger.
The Tang Sect, the A-Mi, and Qingcheng would surely join as notary witnesses.
Plus, using Hao Mun’s intelligence network, I had made this upcoming duel appear as a battle between the entire Orthodox Faction and the Heretical Faction.
For face-saving reasons alone, the other six great families of the Gu Pai would have no choice but to gather in Gansu Province. The same went for the Eight Palaces of Sado.
If the stakes are raised like this…
Even if the Seomun Family wanted to scheme otherwise, they wouldn’t be able to. Moreover, I could form connections with the Tang Sect, Qingcheng, and A-Mi to dodge any future plots from the Seomun Family after the martial arts contest.
Lanzhou, where the Seomun Family is located, is the heart of Gansu and a vital point on the Silk Road.
Sichuan, on the other hand, is renowned for its silk production. The special silk from Chengdu, known as Chengdu Shu Jin, crosses into Gansu’s Lanzhou, and subsequently gets exported to the Middle East and Europe through trade points like Dunhuang, along the Silk Road.
The economy of Gansu, a Silk Road hub, and Sichuan, the source of silk, are inseparable, and naturally, the Seomun Family, which has seized Gansu’s interests, couldn’t overlook the three major sects of Sichuan, the Qingcheng, A-Mi, and Tang Sect.
Moreover, the three sects have been enmeshed in long-standing grudges with the Heukryongbang, and any attempts by the Heukryongbang to penetrate Gansu would be the cornerstone of their grand strategy to conquer Sichuan.
Thus, if we achieve victory in this duel, the Gongdong Sect will have thwarted the Heukryongbang’s conquest of Sichuan instead of the three sects, and they will become allies of the Gongdong Sect. From then on, the Seomun Family would no longer be able to scheme against the Gongdong Sect.
The reconstruction of the Gongdong Sect would become faster than in history, thanks to the support of the Qingcheng, Tang Sect, and A-Mi.
Of course, such political outcomes are only fringe benefits.
Hehe, a rookie’s debut showcase is all the more splendid the more brilliant it is. Winning a local amateur soccer tournament is utterly different from winning the World Cup; similarly, triumphing over the Heukryongbang in martial arts is on a completely different level than defeating the entire Orthodox and Heretical factions.
Throughout the Central Plains, praises for this Lee Cheol-soo’s righteousness would echo, as renowned beauties of the Orthodox Faction would wake through the night, unable to soothe their hearts with visions of his handsome visage as a chivalrous figure.
I chuckled as I imagined countless fan letters from infatuated beauties fluttering toward the main base of the Gongdong Sect.
Now all that remained was to go and teabag Jeongcheonggeomwang, who was blissfully unaware of my schemes, by visiting the Seomun Family and taking advantage of the two innocent Gongdong Sect disciples.
*
Once Lee Cheol-soo left with Yujinhwi.
On the second floor of Gonhwa Pavilion, Jeoksawol bit her lip.
Thump, thump, thump.
The heart inside Jeoksawol’s ample chest beat violently.
The words spoken by Lee Cheol-soo still swirled in her mind.
“Fragrance-less peony…”
Beautiful on the outside but ugly within.
Like a fragrance-less peony.
The true joy of Yin and Yang comes from the shared feelings between men and women. A relationship without feelings is just a hollow physical union.
In her 60 years of life, it was the first time she had received such feedback.
Even Sinseung, the grumpy monk of the Orthodox Faction, recognized her beauty.
The most beautiful in the world. No one dared to discuss inner beauty when facing her, with an appearance so stunning it bordered on the irrational, like a combination of the Beauty Temptation Technique and Seduction Art.
Everyone was captivated by her appearance, eager to praise her as perfect both inside and out.
Even those from the Orthodox Faction who called her a seductress were no exception. Those who had hurled insults at her before meeting all praised her once they did, without a hint of the Beauty Temptation Technique.
To Jeoksawol, who possessed a beauty so unreasonable that it could charm any man with just a walk, Lee Cheol-soo’s words felt like a verbal assault.
But.
She didn’t dislike it.
On the contrary, she felt fluttering excitement.
Thump, thump.
With her heart uncontrollably racing, her breath became shallow, and her face flushed.
She cradled her right hand, which he had touched, with her left. It still felt like his warmth lingered, both in her hand and in her heart.
No!
Jeoksawol barely managed to cling to the wisp of her fading reason.
No, she couldn’t yield her heart like this.
Besides, he had just uttered such harsh words! A man who lacks consideration for women is undesirable, and especially one who isn’t even that exceptionally handsome.
Then there’s the significant age gap, and as the head of the rival sect, how could she have feelings for a young man from the Orthodox Faction?
It was unthinkable.
Yes, it was inconceivable.
There was no way she could easily give up her heart like this.
As she suppressed her feelings, Jeoksawol picked up the letter lying on the table with trembling hands.
Having promised to consider his request, she was prepared to comply.
“Disciple.”
Even before Jeoksawol finished speaking, a slender figure wearing a white mask and dark robes emerged from the shadows.
Baek Myeon-am-gun, Maejirang.
Her only disciple and the current head of Hao Mun, a master of Hwakyung and renowned for his preferences in men.
He was someone who wouldn’t succumb to her beauty; this was why Jeoksawol had taken a man like him as her disciple.
A man would surely fall for her the moment he saw her face, while women couldn’t help but envy and resent her beauty.
Ironically, only a man uninterested in women could become her disciple.
“Yes, Master.”
“Deliver this letter to the six great families of the Gu Pai, avoiding the Seomun Family’s attention. And as soon as it arrives, mobilize the Hao Mun’s intelligence network and contacts to spread the word about this martial arts contest so no one remains unaware.”
“Understood. Should I keep an eye on Lee Cheol-soo?”
Jeoksawol fell silent at Baek Myeon-am-gun’s question.
Seeing his master silent like that gave Baek Myeon-am-gun pause.
Although he had been loyal to her for a long time, it was the first time he saw such a side of her.
Like a girl in love for the first time.
And, unbelievable as it was, that master, who had scorned every man in the world, was now feeling bashful.
So, it fell to him as a disciple to shoulder that embarrassment for her.
Baek Myeon-am-gun spoke up.
“I will keep an eye on him. If you follow all your instructions, Lee Cheol-soo, the Gongdong Sect disciple, will naturally catch the attention of the world. It’s right to watch him from the main branch from before that.”
“…I don’t care much about a disciple from such an inferior Baekdo sect, but if you believe it’s wise, then let it be.”
“I’ll provide regular reports.”
“Do as you see fit. I won’t read those reports anyway. It’s just an additional task of throwing them away.”
“Understood, Master. Then this unworthy disciple will take his leave.”
“Alright.”
Baek Myeon-am-gun carefully tucked the letter into his robe and left the room.
Watching him go, Jeoksawol placed her hand over her heart.
A regular report on Lee Cheol-soo.
“That disciple of mine is showing too much independence…”
Yet she held little interest in such documents.
However, paper was a precious resource. So, it wouldn’t hurt to glance through it before throwing it away.
As she considered this, she bit her lip, denying the anticipation rising within her.
That night.
At Hwajeong-hyeon Gonhwa Pavilion, several letters dashed across the dark blue night sky.
Soon after, the notary entry letters, penned by Jeonyeong and delivered by Lee Cheol-soo, arrived at the various branches of the Hao Mun scattered throughout the world.
The letters, having been cleansed of their origins through the express mail request, were delivered to the six great families of the Gu Pai, excluding the Seomun Family.
This was the scene unfolding throughout the Central Plains as the Seomun Family and Lee Cheol-soo made their arrival.