Chapter 256
“From now on, shouldn’t we be doing something even more incredible together?”
Tang Sowol licked her lips as she spoke.
Her gaze was like that of a snake staring at its prey. Anyone on the receiving end of that gaze would inevitably flinch.
Tang Sowol herself, however, only sipped the liquor she had brought with a perfectly calm expression.
The fragrant scent of the liquor wafted up—not from the still-full cup in front of me that I hadn’t touched yet.
No, it was the aroma mixed in with the breath of admiration she exhaled after taking a sip.
“I brought this because it’s one of Father’s cherished liquors... I can see why he treasures it.”
“I see.”
Satisfied, Tang Sowol took another sip.
If it’s a drink treasured by none other than the head of the Sichuan Tang Clan, it must not be ordinary liquor. Still, what held my gaze was not the liquor, but Tang Sowol herself.
In my experience, liquor is like swallowing flowing fire. A properly measured fire filling your stomach can bring a pleasant warmth, even making you smile,
But get swallowed by those flames, and you’ll fall into disgrace and ruin yourself.
So then, exhaling unnecessary heat each time one drinks is only natural.
Likewise, inhaling the heat Tang Sowol exhaled would naturally make me intoxicated.
Tang Sowol’s cheeks were slightly flushed from the unfamiliar liquor.
Her crescent-shaped eyes curved as she spoke again in a gentle voice.
“So? What will you do?”
“What do you mean?”
“You know what I mean. I’m saying, why don’t we try something far more incredible than what you did with Sister Hwarin?”
With that, Tang Sowol emptied the remaining liquor in her cup in one gulp.
“Phew. Whatever we do, I can’t do it alone. So, if you desire it too... won’t you empty the cup you'
re holding?”
“Hmph.”
Is she giving me the choice? No. Look at that confident face, as if she already knows what I’ll say.
Tang Sowol simply wanted to hear me confirm it with my own mouth. And the truth was, my answer had always been predetermined.
“Tang Sowol. I always think this, but sometimes, you can be a little devious.”
“Oh? So, does that mean you dislike devious women like me?”
“Of course not. That’s why I like you.”
By nature, Tang Sowol is the one who first expresses affection toward me. When she speaks in this roundabout way, there’s only one reason.
It’s when she wants to hear me say I like her with my own mouth.
Perhaps that was the correct answer, because Tang Sowol subtly turned her gaze away. Right in front of her, I boldly emptied my full cup in one go.
A rather strong liquor—its heat trailed down my throat. Now that I’ve tasted it myself, I can tell. This is truly fine liquor.
As the blazing scent lingered inside me, my mouth opened naturally.
“Hoo...”
Like Tang Sowol earlier, I let out a faint sigh laced with the heat.
And then, for a brief moment, Tang Sowol and I exchanged each other’s warmth in silence.
Then, Tang Sowol slid the bottle and cup aside and leaned her body toward me.
Starting from her head, she leaned her upper body forward without getting up. Naturally, she used both hands to support herself on the floor.
The slight distance between us created by the drink setup narrowed as Tang Sowol slowly crawled closer on all fours.
Her green hair flowed down as she approached, giving off a strange air of taboo. She placed her hands on my thighs and lifted herself up, resting her hands on my shoulders, then clasped her fingers behind my neck.
Clinging to me as if hanging on, our breaths grazed each other’s faces, and I could see my reflection in her deep green eyes—she was that close.
The scent of Tang Sowol’s skin, mixed with the liquor’s aroma, made my heart pound uncontrollably, even though I had remained calm while facing formidable enemies.
“To do something greater than with Sister Hwarin, don’t you think you should know exactly what you did with her?”
“Is that so?”
“That’s right. So, will you please tell me in detail what you did with Sister Hwarin?”
I thought she already knew from Seo Mun-Hwarin herself.
“Of course I know roughly what happened. I heard she kissed you all over. So deeply that it left marks, no less.”
Seeing me fall silent, Tang Sowol chuckled and wore a feigned benevolent expression.
“As I said before, it’s not like you broke our promise. So it’s fine. I’m only asking again because... I want to know exactly where she kissed you.”
“If I tell you...?”
“Then, naturally, I’ll overwrite it. Ah, and don’t forget to kiss again afterward.”
With a casual shrug, Tang Sowol acted as if she needed to outdo Seo Mun-Hwarin just slightly.
I stared at her liquor-dampened, glistening lips for a moment before I spoke.
“Well... we kissed, normally.”
“Like this?”
Without a moment’s hesitation, Tang Sowol lowered her head.
The soft sensation of her lips, and the warmth—slightly hot—transferred.
But that wasn’t the end. While I hesitated for a moment and carefully placed my hand on her waist,
Tang Sowol’s tongue slipped between my lips. With forceful movements, she wrapped around my tongue and teased my palate, only pulling away after thoroughly playing with it.
“Pffha!”
A long, silver thread trailed between our mouths.
“What the...?”
I was momentarily stunned by the intensity of Tang Sowol’s tongue.
Lick.
Now openly licking her lips, her eyes sparkled.
“What was next?”
“The nape of the neck.”
As I slightly tilted my head to expose the left side of my neck, Tang Sowol buried her face there. A soft, slightly damp sensation followed.
But oddly, she furrowed her brow as if something was wrong, tilting her head.
“It’s not leaving a mark.”
“Well, my body’s pretty tough.”
“Hmm. Flowering Stage is cheating. But I have my ways too.”
Tang Sowol grinned, then brought her lips once again to where she had just kissed.
And then—
Suck.
A distinct sensation from the nape of my neck. A feeling somewhere between pain and ticklishness.
But the clarity of that sensation told me immediately what had happened.
“Isn’t biting against the rules?”
“I can’t help it. It’s hard for me to leave a mark otherwise.”
“I guess that’s true...”
As I named each place Seo Mun-Hwarin had kissed, Tang Sowol left her own bite marks.
She kissed and bit me all over for quite a while, but everything must come to an end.
Once Tang Sowol had finally left bite marks equal to those of Seo Mun-Hwarin, she kept her word and bit my lips one more time.
A drop of blood seeped out from the slightly torn lip. It wouldn’t leave an obvious mark because of the spot, but...
I would never forget this moment. Nor the taste of blood lingering in my mouth.
In that sense, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that Tang Sowol had carved her mark not on my body, but on my heart.
It had definitely been evening when this started, but by the time we finished—long past the time even the insects had stopped chirping—it was the deep of night.
Tang Sowol, sounding a bit tired but proud, spoke.
“This was more exhausting than I thought.”
“I just sat still, so I can’t really say.”
“Ah. Would you like to leave a mark on me too? If so, I’m fine with it.”
Tang Sowol spread her arms wide and beckoned with her fingers.
“A kiss, a bite, or maybe a light scratch with your nails. Where would you like to start? Anywhere’s fine...”
As she spoke, she gave me a meaningful look, glancing between me and her chest.
I quietly adjusted my collar to hide the clear bite marks on my muscles and shook my head.
“No. But I do have one question.”
“A question?”
“You said we’d do something greater... but it feels like all we did was bite a little harder and in a few more places.”
“Oh my, I didn’t know you were looking forward to spending time with me that much. Though your words say otherwise, your actions have always been rather passive.”
“That’s because, if I messed up, I might get beaten half to death by your father.”
“And now that we’re both in the Flowering Stage?”
After running a quick calculation in my head, I spoke.
“I don’t think I’d go down easily, at least.”
“Then the answer is clear.”
Tang Sowol smiled sweetly and reached out to gently stroke the back of my head. Her gaze, as if she were admiring something precious, was an added bonus.
“What are you hesitating for? Just go for it.”
“Go for what, exactly?”
“Whatever you want, of course.”
Still completely defenseless, Tang Sowol offered herself to me. Her posture said she was ready to accept whatever I did.
Feeling a rising impulse, I reached out and gently cupped one side of her face.
Her right cheek—burned before my regression. But now, all I felt was smooth skin.
“Ah...”
As if doused in cold water, the heat that had built up suddenly cooled.
I love Tang Sowol. That’s an unquestionable truth, an absolute standard unaffected by time.
But I’ve never once thought that the Tang Sowol before my regression and the one now were the same person. I simply couldn’t.
As her head rested quietly in my hand, memories of the past overlapped.
The night before I died at the hands of the Heavenly Demon—Cheonma. Tang Sowol shook her head when I asked her to run away with me.
Instead, she invited me to her room, promising we’d watch the moon together once the Tang Clan was rebuilt.
And even then, I had cradled her face just like this.
Whichever version of Tang Sowol it is, she’s still Tang Sowol. That’s natural.
No matter how precious, the memories that can never return must be let go.
Just as I was about to do so and continue what I’d started—
“That expression again.”
Tang Sowol furrowed her brow deeply, as if displeased.
Then, she opened her mouth wide and bit down on my nearby thumb.
She teased it a few times with her tongue, then bit down hard.
“Guh!”
This wasn’t like before, where she bit gently to leave a mark. She did it to hurt.
Startled, I withdrew my hand, and Tang Sowol stood up.
“Sorry, Brother Cheon.”
“W-wait a minute!”
“I thought I could understand, even if I didn’t know the full story... I guess I was wrong.”
“That’s not it!”
I jumped up and grabbed her, shaking my head, but she only stepped back with a sorrowful expression.
“I’ll be fine soon, so don’t worry.”
“I... I mean...”
“There will be other days. No matter what, we’re still betrothed, aren’t we?”
Saying that, Tang Sowol gave me a faint smile, kissed me briefly, and left the room.
I stood frozen for a long while, unable to stop her or follow, then finally slumped my shoulders.
I have to do something about the mental restriction.
Otherwise, I might keep seeing that expression on Tang Sowol’s face for the rest of my life.
Fortunately, the Heavenly Demon said he knew the method.
***
A few days later.
Whether I lay sprawled on the floor like the most depressed man in the world or not, the world continued on just fine.
To put it simply, the Green Forest subjugation case had become a model example, leading the Murim Alliance and the Black Lotus Sect to agree on holding a peace summit.
And of course, I, caught between the two, was expected to attend.
“I don’t want to do anything.”
Even though I was already doing nothing, I wanted to do even less.