Chapter 25 …
The Ju River was connected to the sea. It was a river where freshwater met saltwater, and around it, many pleasure houses had been built, thriving with business.
Among the many establishments, the most outstanding was undoubtedly Myeonghwa Pavilion.
The Myeonghwa Pavilion consisted of five three-story buildings arranged in the five cardinal directions according to the Five Elements, with a seven-story central building connected to them by bridges.
Such a massive pavilion floated atop the river.
“Hahaha! Hohoho!”
Laughter from men and women filled the air above the Ju River where Myeonghwa Pavilion stood.
At night, the entire pavilion would shine brightly without rest, but even during the day, Myeonghwa and the other pleasure houses along the Ju River were bustling with visitors.
Most of the people were out enjoying boat rides—
Martial artists, scholars, government officials, merchants…
The guests were of all kinds, but once they arrived here, everyone became poets and painters, using the sky as their paper and the river water as their ink, creating beautiful imaginary paintings with their words.
“Hey, a sword should be held as carefully as you would hold your husband’s thing.”
“Oh my, but I like to grip tightly…”
“What will you do if it breaks?”
“Then I’ll just coax it gently with my hands and soothe it with my mouth, and won’t it stand again?”
“Hahaha! Well then, why don’t you try soothing mine the same way?”
“Oh my goodness…”
“Hahaha, hohoho!”
Some guests joked lewdly with the courtesans, but such banter was part of the pleasure of the river outing, and laughter echoed everywhere.
Among the many boats floating on the Ju River, there was one unusually small boat.
On it were three people: a boy who looked about seventeen, a woman who seemed to be in her early twenties, and an old man rowing.
“Oh my, look at that young master.”
Every time the small boat passed, courtesans on other boats commented.
They were instantly taken by the boy’s delicate, almost feminine beauty.
“You fools! The one who’s going to give you money today isn’t that girlish-looking brat—it’s me!”
Men, jealous of the youth’s looks, tried to win the courtesans’ attention with their money, but they couldn’t fully turn their hearts.
“With your beautiful face, Young Master, I fear you might become the public enemy of all the men enjoying the Ju River today,”
the courtesan said with a smile at her lips.
“Is that so? But there’s nothing I can do about that.”
It was Geomryeong (Sword Spirit).
He had left Shinchang and come to Gwangju’s famous floating pavilion, Myeonghwa, to enjoy a boat ride.
“Last night in my dream, a golden dragon came into my arms. I believe it was a sign that I would meet you today, Young Master.”
Geomryeong smiled.
He’d heard that courtesans often said pleasing things like this. Whether it was true or not didn’t matter to him.
All that mattered was to enjoy the moment; a simple response was enough.
“Then I must be the golden dragon. But they say dragons never play alone… there must be a phoenix beside them. So, you must be the phoenix, Sister.”
He called her “sister” simply because she was older.
But to the courtesan, the word carried a slightly different weight.
“To call me a phoenix… Young Master flatters me too much!”
“Not at all. I’m not doing it to flatter you. I say it because I want to become a dragon myself.”
The courtesan decided to play along and become the phoenix.
“They say when the phoenix sings, the dragon dances. How about it? Will you sing for me?”
“Of course, Young Master. But the boat is small—there might not be much space for you to dance.”
“Don’t worry about that.”
She took out a musical instrument she had prepared: a seven-string zither (칠현금).
Ddiririring… ddiririring…
The gentle sound of the strings spread softly across the water.
Judging from her finger movements, it was clear she was no amateur—she had years of practice.
As her hands played, a refined singing voice flowed from her lips.
Geomryeong rose to his feet.
Even as he moved, the boat didn’t rock at all.
The courtesan was startled to see him stand, but she hid her surprise and continued singing.
Geomryeong began to move gracefully atop the small boat.
“Boy, if you go out into the Central Plains, you must at least know how to dance. Not just dancing—also the tricks of the Left Path Rooms (좌도방문)!”
The Ghost Demon Emperor Gu Yeong-cheol had taught Geomryeong both esoteric arts and dance. Whenever he danced, Yakbing would smile.
“Look there.”
All eyes on the river turned toward Geomryeong.
He was dancing on the small boat—and yet the boat remained steady.
It was an impossible feat.
No one believed this delicate-looking youth could possibly be a martial artist of the Hua or Hyun realm, both of which might allow such control.
“He must have been a performer in some traveling troupe.”
Jealous onlookers dismissed him as a circus performer.
But even if he was, his current dance was enough to steal the hearts of all the courtesans watching from their boats.
His dance lasted for the time it took to burn one stick of incense. When it ended:
“Truly splendid, Young Master!”
“No, it’s just that your singing was so beautiful, Sister—I got carried away.”
His bright smile made the courtesan blush.
Just then, a massive ship approached, casting its shadow over their small boat.
It stopped in front of Geomryeong’s boat.
“I am Gon Honggi of the Myeonghwa Trading Company. If it’s not too much trouble, why not come aboard and join us?”
Myeonghwa Trading Company (明火商團)!
Based in Guangdong, they specialized in seafood and had built immense wealth, growing into one of the ten greatest trading companies in the Central Plains.
Geomryeong glanced at the courtesan.
She didn’t want to share him with anyone else. If he boarded that ship, there would be many others, and she feared he’d be taken away.
But courtesans could rarely voice their dislikes openly.
Geomryeong read her expression and understood.
“I’m sorry. I’d prefer to enjoy a quiet boat ride.”
His polite refusal caused Gon Honggi’s expression to change slightly.
“Brother Gon! You can’t even recruit one lousy street performer?”
a man on the ship called out, followed by laughter from men and women.
On that ship were the sons and daughters of the Ten Great Trading Companies of the Central Plains.
Gon Honggi’s face turned red.
It wasn’t just the public embarrassment—it was that he hadn’t expected to be refused by a mere “performer.”
How dare this little clown…
“Well then.”
Geomryeong bowed politely, signaled the old boatman, and they began rowing toward the shore.
He hadn’t met many people yet, but he understood well enough how scenes like this usually unfolded.
Gon Honggi glared at the departing Geomryeong. His eyes glowed red like the sunset.
“Brother Gon! Forget the clown. Come drink with us.”
When he turned back, his eyes had returned to normal.
“Hah! I didn’t think I’d be humiliated like this today,”
he said, feigning boldness.
“You little vixen. Because of you, I was embarrassed today. You’ll have to make up for it tonight.”
He sat beside a courtesan, who coyly pressed closer to him.
“Then… will you ‘kill’ me all night long?”
“Hahaha! Why only tonight? If you want, I’ll ‘kill’ you tomorrow night too.”
“Brother Gon! Why not do it right here and now?”
The man who spoke was Na Min-cheol, second son of the Muryung Trading Company, a fabulously wealthy firm based in Fujian.
Gon Honggi’s expression flickered, but he casually reached into the courtesan’s skirt.
“Oh my!”
“Well, well! You really came without underwear today. Hahaha!”
Everyone burst into loud laughter at his vulgar joke.
Gon Honggi laughed too, but his eyes were fixed on Na Min-cheol, who had humiliated him.
Meanwhile, Geomryeong’s boat reached the shore.
He disembarked first, offering his hand to help the courtesan off safely.
His small gestures of consideration made her heart flutter even more.
“Sister, are you hungry?”
“It’s still early… are you feeling peckish?”
“A little.”
“Then let’s go to my place. I’ll prepare something delicious for you.”
Geomryeong nodded, took out a silver tael, and handed it to the old boatman.
“You’re giving me this much?”
“I had such a pleasant boat ride thanks to you, Grandfather. I hope you’ll help me again next time.”
He turned back, and the courtesan shyly held his arm as they walked.
Geomryeong found it a bit awkward but didn’t dislike it. Everyone else did the same, so he didn’t resist.
The place they headed to was not the grand Myeonghwa Pavilion but a smaller pleasure house called Hyanghak Pavilion.
Like other establishments, Hyanghak was three stories tall.
The first floor was a restaurant for passing guests.
The second floor had open views of the Ju River, where drinks and snacks were served.
The third floor had guest rooms, where courtesans entertained guests more privately—these upper rooms were the main source of income for the house.
Geomryeong booked a room on the third floor but chose to dine on the second floor, where he could enjoy the river view.
He picked a spot with the best view and ordered the tastiest dishes Hyanghak had to offer—not by name, but by asking the courtesan to recommend the best food.
“Young Master, you truly are a pure soul,”
she said as they sat across from each other.
“Rather than pure, it’s more like I don’t know much about the world.”
“You don’t know about the world?”
“There’s more I don’t know than I do. The elders who raised me told me many stories, but they’re old tales and not much use nowadays…”
He laughed sheepishly. His smile was so beautiful that the courtesan stared, entranced.
“At this rate, I might have to wear a veil to stop myself from staring.”
Realizing her lapse, she apologized.
“No need. It’s not the first time I’ve heard that.”
“Among all the men I’ve met, none has skin as flawless as yours, Young Master. Even I, as a woman, can’t compare…”
“It wasn’t always this smooth.”
Her eyes sparkled.
“Then is there some secret method?”
Throughout history, beauty has always been a matter of deep interest to women.
“I wouldn’t call it a secret… but after going through three rounds of bone transformation while training martial arts, my skin became like this. I tried a few more times after that, but it didn’t really make any difference.”
