Chapter 106

“Of course not!!”

At the gate of the Jiegal Family estate, Jiegal Yeon stood with her hands on her hips, blocking Mantian.

“…Why?”

Guhae, who couldn’t understand why Mantian couldn’t be brought into the house, tilted her head in confusion.

“You, you pervert who lusts after your own sister! I can’t let a pervert like you into the house!”

Jiegal Yeon was firm. Her face turned red as she guarded against me.

It was a reaction befitting a well-educated young lady from a prestigious family.

…Well, even though Yeonghwa is an adopted daughter, she’s still the daughter of my uncle, so there’s some blood relation.

And since I declared I’d take three wives and four concubines, including my sister…

I have no excuse not to be despised.

But if you think about it, our wise ancestors didn’t allow incest for the sake of their descendants.

So, wouldn’t it be okay to do it with just one person? Or not.

Anyway, facing Jiegal Yeon, who was blocking the way, Guhae didn’t back down either.

As if showing off or preventing escape, like a dragon coiling its tail around treasure.

“From today on, Mantian’s home is my room. I’m taking him.”

She pulled one of Mantian’s arms into her embrace and pressed her body close. Her blue eyes sparkled.

“Y-you’re going to share a room?!”

At that bold and shameless statement, Jiegal Yeon’s eyes spun, and her body shrank.

Just as she was too stunned to speak, someone appeared out of nowhere.

“I came earlier. There’s no reason not to let him stay. Let him in.”

From behind Jiegal Yeon, Jiegal Yang, the de facto highest authority here, casually nodded to let him in.

“Grandfather!!”

Ignoring the startled voice of his granddaughter, he smiled greedily at his long-lost Go friend.

Having an excellent Go opponent walk in on his own. It would be foolish to chase him away.

·

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The granddaughter of the Jiegal Family head, the young lady of the main house.

If Guhae were to marry Mantian, Mantian would also gain authority close to the main house within the Jiegal Family.

So, the servants, sensing the situation, treated the future son-in-law of the Jiegal Family with the utmost hospitality.

“De-de-ro-ge~ De-de-ro-ge~ Bang-bang~ Po-song-po-song~ The ultimate happiness, Rehu~!”

Enjoying a delicious meal, a warm bath, and boundless happiness, Mantian hummed a tune as he walked to the bedroom guided by a servant.

Of course, it wasn’t Guhae’s room.

Now, neither of them is just a child anymore.

The good scent of Guhae, her soft thighs, and the touch of her chest against my arm flashed through my mind.

“…….”

Frankly, I’m not sure I can hold back.

If Guhae were my only lover, it wouldn’t matter, but there’s also Yeonghwa. The first experience should be handled carefully.

Honestly, it’s embarrassing to say, but…

If the two of them were to fight, I wouldn’t be able to handle it with my current skills.

‘I need to train harder in martial arts…’

A tired sigh escaped.

I don’t dislike training in martial arts. It’s fun. But it’s still hard.

Meditation is boring, and the more you train, the more you have to do.

Especially when training external techniques with a limping leg.

Sweat pours down like a waterfall, and nausea rises. I start to wonder why I’m putting myself through this for the sake of wealth and glory.

…But still, martial arts training is fun.

The smiling faces of Guhae, Yeonghwa, and Sososo slowly pass through my mind.

I move my leg while leaning on a cane.

The number of people I want to protect keeps growing. I need to become stronger than I am now.

Ah… Motto- motto- tsuyokuda.

Walking along, amusing myself like this, I soon arrived at the bedroom.

I lightly opened the door.

“You’re late. Didn’t you take too long in the bath?”

The eccentric old man, Jiegal Yang, was waiting for me in his pajamas, so I roughly closed the door again.

Bang-!

…And it immediately opened again. Not from my side, but from inside.

“I’ve waited long enough.”

Jiegal Yang’s gaze, filled with anticipation, looked at Mantian across the threshold.

“Once you’re here, we can start. Come on in.”

“What… are we starting?”

I frowned, already having a rough idea, but asked to confirm. My guess wasn’t wrong.

“Of course, a game of Go!”

As Jiegal Yang slightly moved aside, a Go board boldly revealed itself between the prepared blankets inside the room.

No wonder they treated me so well and took such good care of me.

‘Teeeng… There’s no such thing as free happiness…’

This old man really loves Go too much.

Still, he kept his promise to take care of Guhae, and he’s helped me in many ways, so I sat down without complaint.

Without hesitation, I took the black stones and seized the first move.

“Old man, let me tell you something in advance.”

That’s it. I didn’t place the stone. It’s a handicap game.

“I’ve improved a lot. You better bring your A-game.”

And honestly, I also wanted to give him a good beating after so long.

“Arrogant brat… I’ll give you credit for that confidence.”

Even as he said that, a pleased smile formed on Jiegal Yang’s lips.

No further conversation was necessary.

Jiegal Yang’s white stone landed on the Go board.

Duel standby! Let the game begin!!

In the quiet room, only the sound of the two players tapping the Go board echoed.

Historically, the Sima and Jiegal families weren’t always on bad terms.

After the deaths of Jiegal Liang and Sima Yi.

When Sima Yi’s son, Sima Zhao, ascended to the throne of Jin, Jiegal Tan, a distant relative of Jiegal Liang who was a general of Wei, rebelled and fought again.

Ironically, Sima Zhao’s son, Sima Yan, and Jiegal Tan’s son, Jiegal Zheng, were childhood friends.

Due to his father’s rebellion, Jiegal Zheng fled to Wu and became a general.

Though separated by their parents’ and countries’ conflicts.

When Sima Yan, who became the emperor of Jin, conquered Wu, he searched for Jiegal Zheng, unable to forget their old friendship.

“I don’t care about the rebellion. Let’s be friends like before.”

He offered Jiegal Zheng a position as a close advisor to the emperor.

“I’m tired now. I’ll live in seclusion.”

When Jiegal Zheng refused, claiming to be a minister of a fallen country, regret, exhaustion, and obsession took hold.

Ultimately, the distance between people depends on their hearts, not their families.

…And as the moon tilted and the night grew darker.

Two cute sparrows, Cheokbong and Cheakhwang, nestled together in a nest on a cushion, sleeping soundly.

In Guhae’s room, beautifully decorated with a scroll reading “Mantian Guohai.”

“Kyaoo… I’m the main wife…”

The beautiful blue-eyed dragon enjoyed the joy of reunion, dreaming a happy dream.

Though it’s a pity we’re in separate rooms, it’s only a matter of time.

Mantian is mine. Later, we’ll just hold each other tighter to make up for the time apart.

***

Near the Martial Alliance, at the Sima Family estate.

Sima Bu, leaning back in his chair, spoke to Poong Baek, who was gauging his mood.

“Poong Baek, you’re a good person.”

“…Huh?”

Completely unexpected praise made Poong Baek’s eyebrows furrow, forming a comical expression.

“Giving up everything you’ve achieved for your family and living in a foreign country isn’t something just anyone can do.”

“It’s thanks to the family head’s help.”

Wondering what this was about, Poong Baek sipped his lukewarm tea.

“As I mentioned before… your daughter, Ran, seems to have feelings for Cheon. Have you thought about letting them meet?”

The following proposition made Poong Baek spit out his tea.

“Cough-! Cough-! …What? What are you talking about?”

“I’m not forcing you. I’m just asking for your opinion.”

Poong Baek’s brow furrowed in a headache-inducing situation.

Last time, I thought it was just a joke. But now, I’m sure.

Sima Bu was thinking of pairing Ran with Mantian.

…And the reason was more about his own power than any fondness for Ran.

Just as smaller righteous factions align with larger ones.

Evil factions also have smaller groups joining larger organizations.

That’s how they maintain their power and protect themselves.

Anyway, the Sima Family also has numerous organizations under its command.

Among them, the most prominent direct subordinates of the Sima Family are the Red Wolf Faction and the Blue Snake Faction.

And Poong Baek’s Wind Mountain Faction.

Though now it’s mainly handling trade as the Wind Trade Group.

Sima Bu’s low voice, filled with fatigue and concern for his child, echoed in the room.

“I hope you’ll help my son, just as you helped me.”

“Of course, I’ll help. And there are many loyalists like Blue Snake and Red Wolf who will assist the young master, right?”

“Ha! They’re my loyalists, not my son’s.”

A self-deprecating smile formed on Sima Bu’s lips.

“…Blue Snake only follows me out of fear.”

“Red Wolf has a strong martial artist temperament. If they deem Cheon an unworthy master, they’ll bare their fangs immediately.”

“……”

Poong Baek couldn’t say anything. Thinking about it, it was true.

Currently, Sima Bu’s plan was to link Ran with Mantian.

So that when Mantian inherits the Sima Family, he can absorb the Wind Mountain Faction and suppress any opposition with force.

Well, the best scenario would be to eliminate potential threats to Mantian in advance…

But it’s still too early.

It was important to make Poong Baek an ally of Mantian in case of unforeseen events.

Poong Baek, who cherishes his daughter.

If Ran falls for Mantian and joins his side, Poong Baek would have no choice but to actively support Mantian.

…But he had no intention of forcing it.

Pushing things too hard could backfire.

“That was a lot of unnecessary talk. Just know that I don’t oppose your daughter and my son getting closer.”

After all, children’s marriages aren’t decided by their parents.

‘My woman is mine to decide.’

Once again, the image of Mantian running off hand in hand with that Jiegal Family girl flashed through his mind.

…Come to think of it, the first king of Goryeo, Poong Baek’s homeland, married dozens of women to form alliances and build a nation.

A foolish thought passed through his mind.

‘Sigh… It wouldn’t be so bad if Cheon really took three wives and four concubines, including the Jiegal Family.’

It’s a really foolish thought.