Chapter 170 – Marriage (2)

After Kang Yu-jin’s inauguration ceremony as the clan head concluded safely, people found a new topic to buzz about.

It was the matter of the new clan head, Kang Yu-jin’s, marriage. There were currently three women set to be joined with him.

The empire’s only princess, Ju Yun-hui; the sole daughter of the Namgung Clan, one of the foremost of the Five Great Clans, Namgung Hwa-rin; and Lee Hye-yeon of the Cheonsan Lee Clan, which boasted the most formidable power as a single family alongside the True Dragon Sword Clan.

All were women from powerful backgrounds that were in no way inferior to the True Dragon Sword Clan.

“You are now the head of a clan. As such, shouldn’t you be more careful with your actions?”

Ye Un-hyang said, looking at Yu-jin.

“Mother, please. I have always been careful with my actions.”

Knowing full well that Yu-jin had stronger womanizing tendencies than any previous head of the True Dragon Sword Clan, Ye Un-hyang wore a look of disbelief.

She was well aware that Yu-jin had started dallying with the maids of the house at the age of fifteen. Furthermore, she knew that from the age of sixteen, he had even brought a girl himself to raise as his personal maid.

She had also instinctively realized that all of his mysterious bodyguards, whose identities were unknown, were women.

“And you expect me to believe that?”

At Ye Un-hyang’s words, Yu-jin gave an awkward smile. In truth, even he thought it was a ridiculous thing to say.

There was no way such a lie would work on Ye Un-hyang, who knew his debauched behavior better than anyone. Seeing him like this, she sighed and spoke.

“Of course, I know that you have strong desires as a man. Since ancient times, powerful men have taken countless beauties. That will not change with the passage of time. But you are the clan head now. It would be problematic for children of the direct True Dragon bloodline to be born from women not officially recognized by the clan.”

Though they all seemed like philanderers, the previous heads of the True Dragon Sword Clan had all managed their bloodlines meticulously. They had been thorough in managing the direct lineage to ensure no one could challenge the clan head’s authority.

Although they didn’t go as far as purging them, they constantly worked to prevent those who inherited the true blood from becoming a threat to the position of clan head.

One might ask why they didn’t just purge them from the start, but because of the first clan head’s decree that the ability to suppress such things was part of a clan head’s capability, they were not culled in advance. This had somehow become a beautiful tradition of the True Dragon Sword Clan.

‘In truth, it was because of Father’s confidence.’

Kang Yu-hyeon, who had lived for hundreds of years by taking over his sons’ bodies, had been confident he could win against anyone who dared to bare their fangs at him, which was why he could afford to be so relaxed.

And it was the same for Yu-jin. Now the undisputed supreme master of the martial world, he could maintain a relaxed attitude no matter what his younger siblings might do.

‘Well, that aside, management is still necessary.’

The bearers of the True Dragon Sword Clan’s blood were not only those who were openly acknowledged. For a clan head of the True Dragon Sword Clan, it was not at all strange to have countless women like Yu-jin, far beyond the standard three wives and four concubines. Thus, the number of children born from such unions was also considerable.

Simply by inheriting the blood of the True Dragon Sword Clan, they were endowed with significant martial talent and could become a threat to the clan at any time if things went wrong.

In fact, one of the illegitimate children of the True Dragon Sword Clan had once entered a major sect and threatened the clan’s prestige, and another had coveted power, which further heightened the need to manage the illegitimate children.

‘I’ve touched so many, I doubt they can all be managed.’

By the time he turned twenty, he had lost count after fifty, so the number could well have surpassed a hundred by now.

Moreover, whenever Yu-jin had intercourse, he would torment the women until they fainted and release his seed, so there could certainly be women who had become pregnant.

‘Hmm, I should pay them a visit.’

A lot of time had passed, so there was bound to be someone among the women he had embraced who had given birth. Though he couldn’t accept them into the True Dragon Sword Clan, Yu-jin had anticipated this day and made secret preparations.

‘This is what this body wanted to create the most.’

Just imagining it brought a smile to Yu-jin’s face. Seeing her son like this, Ye Un-hyang let out another sigh.

“Don’t worry, Mother. I have it all figured out.”

At Yu-jin’s confident voice, Ye Un-hyang shook her head. To her eyes, he did not look trustworthy at all.

‘He hasn’t changed a bit, even after becoming the clan head.’

All the previous clan heads had shown remarkable change as if they had become different people upon ascending to the position, but her son seemed to be a mutation, showing no change at all.

Of course, in the eyes of others, he clearly displayed the demeanor of a clan head, but to her, Yu-jin was no different from a child playing by the water.

The only problem was that, unlike a child, he was severely lecherous and always seemed to be in heat.

“Your wedding is not far off. You will soon be the head of a family. How can you face your future wives acting so frivolously?”

‘I can face them just fine.’

Not only that, but the man known as Yu-jin was reckless enough to embrace other women in front of his wives. But he couldn’t reveal that openly, so he maintained a smiling face and spoke again.

“I know well, so please do not worry, Mother.”

“Haa, you are now the head of the True Dragon Sword Clan, so it is not right for me to say such things. I just hope you will learn the meaning of dignity.”

Deciding that saying more would be futile, Ye Un-hyang sighed one last time and replied to Yu-jin.

The child she had given birth to was a child she could never understand. And she had no way of knowing what Yu-jin was thinking now.

***

The most important thing to the man named Kang Yu-jin was not martial arts, nor clan, nor wealth. It was women. Therefore, Ye Un-hyang’s words about not taking other women were impossible to keep from the start.

“Ah, of course, this is a bachelor party before the wedding.”

Although there were no other men present, Yu-jin didn’t mind. No, having other men around would have been the problem. He had no intention of sharing his women with other men.

“A pilgrimage of women, so to speak?”

The purpose of this bachelor party was to check on the condition of the women he had embraced before and to hold them again after a long time.

The thought of how the women he had held might have changed brought a smile to his lips.

The first target was Mae-wol, the maid he had first embraced at the age of fifteen. She was thirty-three at the time he held her and had been with him since he was a baby.

She stayed with him until he turned sixteen, then left the True Dragon Sword Clan. People thought she had left because her duties were done, but the reality was different.

“Hmm, I hadn’t even had my first experience, but I strangely had this fantasy about women in their thirties.”

Yu-jin had truly aimed for a wide range. Of course, he was still crazy about charming women in their thirties.

Yu-jin chuckled and headed to the house where Mae-wol lived, using information obtained from his personal intelligence organization.

According to the information, she was living with a boy presumed to be his son.

Thanks to her beauty, pests from the neighborhood swarmed around her, but having been conquered by Yu-jin, she had been brainwashed to be unable to accept any man other than him, thus preserving her chastity(?).

“This must be the place.”

When she left the True Dragon Sword Clan, Mae-wol had received a considerable sum for her retirement, and thanks to that, she was living comfortably without needing to work.

It might not have been enough, but Ye Un-hyang had been taking special care of her. It was a token of her gratitude for Mae-wol having looked after Yu-jin since he was very young.

“Haat!”

The powerful voice of a young boy echoed. Yu-jin glanced over and saw a boy who looked to be about ten years old, swinging a clumsy wooden sword. Mae-wol was watching him with a smile on her face as she weaved.

“Is that my first child?”

Though he was a child who could not be officially acknowledged and must remain hidden forever, looking at his first child made Yu-jin’s heart waver for some reason.

But he quickly shook his head. To be recognized as a direct descendant of the True Dragon Sword Clan, one needed more than just his blood.

Only those who also inherited an excellent bloodline from their mother’s side could be acknowledged as direct descendants of the True Dragon Sword Clan. While open-minded about martial arts, the clan was surprisingly closed-off in this regard.

“Is anyone home?”

After watching the child for a while, Yu-jin walked to the gate and called out. Soon, the gate opened, and a boy drenched in sweat appeared before him. His handsome features made it seem likely he would make many women cry in the future.

‘He inherited my blood, so he’ll probably do quite well for himself.’

With this idle thought, Yu-jin looked at the child. The boy looked back at him with wary eyes and spoke.

It was a wariness born from seeing the men who constantly bothered his mother. Though still young, the child did not hesitate to step forward to protect his mother.

“Who are you?”

“I am a guest of your mother. She will know if you tell her Jin-ah has arrived.”

Jin-ah was the name Yu-jin had been called in his childhood, a name Mae-wol had often used.

“Okay.”

The boy looked at Yu-jin with wary eyes, then went back inside the house. A moment later, he returned and spoke.

“My mother said to come in.”

At the boy’s words, Yu-jin gave a slight nod and followed him.

“What is your name?”

“It’s Yu-wol.”

Was it because he was a guest approved by his mother? Yu-wol answered in a fairly polite tone. Yu-jin instinctively sensed that the ‘Yu’ in Yu-wol’s name was taken from the middle character of his own name.

Pleased by her thoughtfulness, Yu-jin smiled as he stepped inside. And soon, he could see Mae-wol looking at him with trembling eyes.

Now in her forties, she boasted a different, mature beauty than before. As she was not a martial artist, the wrinkles around her eyes were inevitable, but even they felt like a strange kind of beauty.

“Young… Young Master.”

“It’s been a while, Mae-wol.”

Yu-jin smiled brightly and pressed an acupoint on Yu-wol, and the boy instantly fell asleep.

Startled, Mae-wol was about to rush toward Yu-wol, but she stopped in her tracks when Yu-jin picked him up.

“You’ve worked hard, raising the child alone.”

“N-No, Young Master.”

Mae-wol hastily shook her head as she spoke.