Martial Artist Lee Gwak Episode 31
Episode 31(Returning Home to No One’s Greeting (2))
Novel- Martial Artist Lee Gwak
The leader of the seventh squad guided them to a sizable brothel just outside the outer hall of the Jade Heaven Alliance. Red lanterns dangled from the eaves, and joyful laughter from courtesans mingled with the sounds of merriment and drinking floated through the open windows.
Even Lee Gwak, who had lived in the Jade Heaven Alliance for a long time, had never seen such a lavish Brothel. It was a place too grand to consider entering on his meagre salary.
Maeng Hee Cheon and the leader of the Seventh Squad entered the Brothel without hesitation.
“Welcome, Hall Leader Maeng!”
The manager rushed out, barefoot, to greet Maeng Hee Cheon.
“Do you know me?”
“Who in the world does not know the Outer Hall Leader of the Jade Heaven Alliance? We are sincerely grateful that a hero like you has graced our humble establishment.”
“Haha! A hero, you say? You flatter me too much, manager.”
“How could I speak falsely? As proof of my sincerity, we have prepared the best of our girls for you. Please, come inside.”
A smile crept onto Maeng Hee Cheon’s lips.
He couldn’t help but feel flattered, even though he knew that half of the manager’s words were flattery.
Maeng Hee Cheon led the way, blushing, followed by the squad leaders who surrounded him like a screen.
“Here we are.”
The door swung open, revealing a luxurious banquet room adorned with red lanterns and silk. The room was arrayed with large tables, heaped with the region’s finest delicacies. Scented candles scattered throughout the room enhanced the ambiance.
Maeng Hee Cheon took the seat of honour while the squad leaders took their places
according to their age and rank. Naturally, Lee Gwak sat at the very end.
Lee Gwak felt quite intimidated by this position, but he didn’t let it show. The other squad leaders, on the other hand, seemed to be used to such gatherings, laughing and chatting to liven up the atmosphere.
Maeng Hee Cheon sat at the head of the table, looking at them and smirking to himself. The manager clapped his palms next to Maeng Hee Cheon’s. Then an entire wall opened up, revealing the waiting maidens.
The moment the courtesans appeared, the pupils of Maeng Hee Cheon and the squad leaders wavered. The beauty of the girls exceeded their expectations.
“Wow!”
An exclamation burst from Maeng Hee Cheon’s mouth.
The manager beckoned the most beautiful courtesan with a gesture.
“You shall sit by Lord Maeng’s side. He is a hero of the heavens, so we must treat him well.”
“Of course.”
The courtesan fluttered like a butterfly and sat down beside Maeng Hee Cheon. Her body exuded a sweet fragrance like honey, which made Maeng Hee Cheon’s mind spin.
“I am called Wol Ah. It’s a pleasure to serve you.”
“Ah, good! Hahaha!”
The manager gestured to the rest of the courtesans.
“The rest of you, take your places too.”
“Yes!”
The lavishly dressed courtesans each found their places beside the chiefs.
“My name is Cho ha.”
The courtesan who sat next to Lee Gwak greeted him with a sly smile. Her thick makeup made it difficult to guess her age, but her youthful voice suggested she was much younger than Lee Gwak.
Despite the heavy makeup, Choha was as beautiful as a rose.
The mature scent of a woman’s body that he hadn’t smelled in a long time made him feel momentarily dizzy.
It wasn’t just him. Everyone present had their senses momentarily stolen by the courtesans’ alluring aura. The flirtatious poise and smiles of the courtesans melted the rough men in an instant, with ease to spare.
He wasn’t the only one; everyone in the room was instantly swept away by the courtesan’s seductive aura. Their refined demeanour and smile could melt the hardest of men in an instant.
“Please, accept a drink from me.”
“Alright! Fill it up to the brim.”
“Ho ho ho!”
The atmosphere in the room instantly heated up.
Maeng Hee Cheon drank the liquor poured by the courtesan Wol Ah in one go. The other squad leaders did the same.
Maeng Hee Cheon put his arm around Wol Ah’s shoulders and said to the leaders.
“We’re seeing this through to the end today. Anyone who leaves now won’t set foot in our outer hall again, understand?”
“Indeed, our hall leader is the best. Ha ha ha!”
“We will follow the hall leader unconditionally.”
The squad leaders praised Maeng Hee Cheon, lifting their cups high. Their blind zeal under Maeng Hee Cheon’s lead was almost like that of military officials.
“Ha ha ha!”
Maeng Hee Cheon laughed out loud in a good mood, while Wol Ah continued to liven up the atmosphere.
The cups were passed around ceaselessly, and the atmosphere reached a passionate climax. Some people were already burying their faces in the courtesan’s bosoms.
Lee Gwak watched the scene, drinking moderately. Choha was there, pouring drinks and shovelling snacks into his mouth. Lee Gwak did not refuse her service. But his eyes were calmer than ever.
The initial excitement and nervousness he felt when Choha first sat next to him was long gone. Lee Gwak could hardly believe the change in himself.
After some thought he realised that it was the Eight Snake Art. The basic principle of the Eight Snake Art, the Secret Manual of Yoga, was a study passed down from Tianzhu. Among the techniques was the study of enhancing one’s achievements through intercourse with women.
That’s why Lee Gwak was not swept away by Choha. Those who mastered the Yoga Secret Manual developed themselves through the balance of yin and yang, never allowing themselves to be swayed by one side
His body reacted to Choha’s scent, but his mind was cool. Lee Gwak thought his reaction was strange, but he didn’t express it. But the intuition of a woman was something to be feared.
Choha whispered in a soft voice.
“You are the most intriguing man, sir.”
“Pardon?”
“I’ve never seen anyone remain so composed here as you are.”
“It’s just my nature.”
“Is that so?”
Choha smiled faintly at Lee Gwak’s answer. Her beauty was enough to dazzle the mind, but Lee Gwak kept his composure.
Choha poured him another drink, pressing close enough that he could feel her breasts against his arm, perhaps intentionally.
When Lee Gwak looked at her, Choha looked up and their eyes met. Her eyes were filled with a suggestive allure.
Choha felt a strange fluttering in her chest.
Though young, she was a courtesan who had seen all walks of life. She was used to enchanting men, not being enchanted by them. She should not have been feeling this fluttering in her chest.
It was alien to her. This reaction. The involuntary fluttering of her heart.
‘Why am I feeling like this?’
Choha’s face flushed red.
She fanned herself as if she were hot.
The temperature in the room was indeed stifling. Maeng Hee Cheon had already gone to another room with Wol Ah, and the leaders each had a courtesan by their side, indulging their baser instincts. The courtesans captivated them with teasing laughter.
At the moment, there were no normal people here. There were only lustful males and the courtesans who took in such beasts.
Lee Gwak found the scene hard to comprehend. Regardless of how starved for women Maeng Hee Cheon and the others were, he couldn’t believe they’d succumb to their desires so swiftly.
While taking another sip, Lee Gwak’s hand paused.
The scent of the liquor was unexpectedly sweet. No matter how fine the alcohol, such an aroma was incomprehensible.
‘Could it be?’
His gaze shifted to the incense candles that illuminated the room. At first, he thought they were merely to enhance the ambiance, but upon closer inspection, he realised that the scent mixed with the scent of the liquor was stimulating his mind and body.
It was an electrifying realisation. Silently, he activated his Eight Snakes Art to heighten his senses. That’s when he felt a stealthy gaze.
It was not from the courtesans.
Lee Gwak glanced subtly toward the wall to his side, sensing the scrutiny from that direction. Someone was secretly watching from the adjacent room.
Lee Gwak glanced at the wall next to him without Cho Ha noticing because he felt the gaze there. Someone was secretly watching this place from the next room.
“Does this mean it’s not an ordinary brothel?”
At the Jade Heaven Alliance, it was known as the Crimson Flower Brothel.
When the Jade Heaven Alliance moves, the situation in the world fluctuates, so many sects send people here to monitor the movement.
Though he had heard of such places being used for surveillance, experiencing it was new to him. The place was perfectly designed to seduce men.
Every element in the room, from the lamps to the scented candles, had been meticulously designed to captivate men. As for the women, skilled in the art of seduction, their allure was impossible for any rational man to resist.
Lee Gwak considered informing Maeng Hee Cheon and the other squad leaders, but decided against it.
To reveal being under surveillance, he would have to explain how he noticed, which meant revealing the level of his martial arts. He felt no need to expose his capabilities.
“Master!”
Cho Ha gripped Lee Gwak’s arm tightly, preventing him from taking another sip. Lee Gwak read a trace of desperation in her eyes.
It was the urgency of someone whose seduction had failed.
‘Hmph!’
Lee Gwak sighed inwardly.
He felt he had been swept into a troublesome affair.
If he shook off Cho ha’s arm and left, he would undoubtedly attract attention. That was not what Lee Gwak wanted.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes!”
As Lee Gwak rose, Cho Ha’s voice brightened excitedly. She clung tightly to his arm.
“This way.”
She led Lee Gwak to her room.
Thud!
The door closed behind them.
＊＊＊
“The last one has entered the room.”
“Is that so?”
“He held out for quite a while, his willpower seems to be strong.”
“Well, there are always a few like that.”
The man replied nonchalantly to the steward’s report. He closed the book he had been reading with a snap and looked up at the reporting steward.
The steward, who oversaw the brothel, stood before the man with utmost politeness.
The man’s appearance seemed completely out of place in the opulent setting of the Brothel.
His hair was unkempt, his clothes shabby. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t even be allowed entrance. Yet, through the strands of his dishevelled hair, his eyes gleamed with profound depth and brightness
It was a look that did not match his dirty appearance. The steward kept his head down, not daring to look the man in the eye
Carefully, the steward spoke up,
“But must we treat a bunch of outer hall warriors like this?”
“Steward!”
“Yes!”
“You’re not seriously questioning this, are you?”
The steward’s face suddenly turned pale.
“It’s just that…”
“What, being a steward and meeting high figures, you think less of everyone else?”
“No, not at all.”
“Steward!”
“Yes!”
“Remember this! Information knows no class. There are things you can learn from the high and mighty, but there are also things you can only learn from the lower echelons. This place exists to gather such information from below. Do you understand?”
“I will bear it in mind.”
The steward replied with a firm stance, his eyes twitching as he stood motionless.
The shabby man in front of him was no ordinary being. Unknown to the world, he possessed a brain more brilliant than anyone else in the world, as well as powerful martial arts and immense authority.
One word from him could result in the steward being thrown out into the streets overnight to return to a life of misery.
The man shifted his gaze away from the steward.
“Not far from now, the entire jianghu will be stained with blood, and many will perish. And yet, the Jade Heaven Alliance is cutting off information. We must gather as much intelligence as we can to survive. So, gather any information you can, without discrimination.”
“Yes!”
“Particularly, keep Meang Hee Cheon, Outer Hall leader, in good faith. If you establish a connection with him, it might link us to the Heavenly Intelligence Hall, which is in charge of external intelligence.”
“I understand.”
“Also, keep a close eye on the squad leaders who came with him today. They might come in handy later.”
“I will remember.”
As the steward affirmed, the man stood up.
“I’ll be leaving now. Report any unusual activity immediately. Ah, and send me the details of the squad leaders who were treated today, and keep tabs on them regularly.”
“Yes!”
The man knocked on the wall. A dull sound echoed, and the wall slid back, revealing a secret passageway.
The secret passage led to an alleyway behind the brothel, away from prying eyes. The man exited through this passage.
His destination, taking a casual stride, was the slums in the north. His figure disappeared into the darkness.