The Outcast Writer of a Martial Arts Visual Novel-Chapter 126: Merchant’s Way - 3

Merchant’s Way.

To uphold mutual ethics and build trust among merchants—this is called the Merchant’s Way.

An unspoken code of conduct and morality, shared so that merchants can conduct their business smoothly, without suspicion.

And what is the reason someone would break that code?

‘In the end, it’s all about the money.’

When the profit gained by breaking the Merchant’s Way exceeds the profit earned by upholding it, human nature naturally leans in that direction.

“Is there anything we even need to do at that bookstore?”

Hwa-rin asked, eyeing me curiously.

It’s surprisingly easy to make someone who betrayed the Merchant’s Way abide by it again. You just have to show them what it looks like when they go bankrupt chasing money.

One bookstore had already met a grim fate for breaking the code. I’d used Ho-pil’s letter to incite attacks against it.

Now there was just one left, stubbornly holding out to the end.

“We have to make them honor the Merchant’s Way.”

“How?”

“Just follow me. You’ll see.”

There’s no need to deal with the last one using the same method. I’ll just use a different approach.

-------

When we arrived at the bookstore, I could see stacks of Storm of the Tang Clan piled up at the entrance.

[Sold at a 20% discount compared to Daseogak.]

[The much-talked-about Storm of the Tang Clan. Selling out daily.]

[A new genre. Colorful Chivalry. Come and get swept away.]

What a disappointingly bland set of marketing lines. It should’ve been something like: A Joseon man’s Colorful Chivalry shakes the Central Plains! The literary elite of Jungwon tremble! Scholars weep! That’s the kind of flair I expected.

“Are you looking for Storm of the Tang Clan? Please step insi—wait a damn minute! Aren’t you that barbarian bastard from Daseogak?!”

The bookstore owner, spotting me loitering at the entrance, dropped his customer-friendly mask in an instant.

“Ha ha. Business going well, I hope.”

I offered a courteous smile out of politeness.

“Thanks to you, it’s going very well. Storm of the Tang Clan is selling like hotcakes.”

He pointed smugly to the stack behind him. Even as we spoke, customers were picking up copies and heading for the register.

How much is all that worth?

“To think that our Daseogak’s Storm of the Tang Clan is still selling so well at this place. Truly heartwarming.”

I made sure to say it in the most sarcastic tone I could muster.

“You’re here to pull some more dogshit stunt, huh? Well, I’ve hired escorts this time. You won’t pull one over on me again, so get lost, you damn barbarian bastard!”

“Ha ha. That’s harsh. Some people are doing things even a dog wouldn’t do—and yet we’re here debating who’s full of dogshit?”

“Oh, so you came looking for a fight this morning? Hey! Bring the salt!”

The bookstore owner shouted toward the back, calling for one of his staff.

This bookstore was the real problem.

Second only to Daseogak in size within Yichang, they had enough capital to shrug off most damage. The owner himself was leading the charge in this whole affair.

Apparently, he’d paid a hefty sum to hire martial escorts, making him immune to most sabotage attempts. Even aside from the scholars, he had a loyal customer base, so boycotts barely touched him.

Other bookstores had backed down once they realized that breaking the Merchant’s Way would ruin them, giving up on selling Storm of the Tang Clan. But this guy? He could still afford to sell it with a grin.

“Get lost before I salt you!”

The man emerged with a handful of salt, standing menacingly in front of us.

An arrogant bookstore owner, backed by a large operation. You can’t get someone like that to honor the Merchant’s Way through normal means.

“You there! What do you think you’re doing!”

Exactly. Not through normal means.

******

In front of the very bookstore at the center of the recent controversy in Yichang, a carriage came to a stop.

It was built from luxurious materials, lavishly decorated in an old-fashioned way. Even the horses pulling it had glossy, well-groomed manes.

Anyone, even a complete idiot, could tell this was a carriage meant for someone important.

“You there! What is the meaning of this behavior?”

An elderly man with silvery hair stepped down from the carriage and immediately rebuked the bookstore owner still holding the salt.

“Isn’t that the Chairman, sir? Wh-what brings you here?”

The bookstore owner was stunned at the sight of the old man and bowed in a fluster.

“Isn’t that the Chairman of the Yichang Merchants’ Association?”

“It’s been a while—he looks as spry as ever.”

“Hardly someone you run into on a normal day. What’s he doing here?”

The old man was the Chairman of the Yichang Merchants’ Association, the alliance of merchant groups and shops in the region.

If a merchant group is a company, then the association is like a trade union. The Chairman leads the association. In some places, the chairman holds executive power, but that wasn’t the case in Yichang.

Still, that didn’t change the fact that the Chairman remained the most influential person in Yichang’s commercial scene.

Hearing the murmurs around him, the old man walked up to the bookstore owner with his attendants in tow.

“What business brings such a busy man like you to this humble bookstore?”

The bookstore owner bowed low with a nervous smile. The Chairman rarely left his seat. What could bring him here?

“I heard you’ve been up to something amusing. Thought I’d come see for myself. And sure enough, it’s exactly what I heard.”

The Chairman stared disapprovingly at the salt clutched in the owner’s hand.

“Ha ha. Sir, I’ve just been living life in my own... colorful way lately.”

The owner hastily dropped the salt to the ground, laughing awkwardly.

“Do you think I came all this way just to crack jokes?”

Ruined. The moment the Chairman’s tone hardened, the bookstore owner sensed just how badly this was going.

“Chairman sir, if this is about Storm of the Tang Clan, I assure you—it’s nothing more than fair competition between bookstores.”

“Well I’ll be. I’ve lived a long life, but this is the first I’ve heard someone call violating the Merchant’s Way and playing dirty tricks ‘fair competition.’”

“Ha ha, Chairman sir, I believe you may have misunderstood something.”

“Misunderstood? Are you saying this is fair competition? Does one need to hire assassins these days just to be told they’ve broken the Merchant’s Way?”

“Sir, you go too far.”

“Ha ha ha. And isn’t that rich—coming from someone repaying grace with betrayal?”

Cold sweat ran down the bookstore owner's back as the Chairman laughed in disbelief.

“Chairman...”

“Decades ago, back when you were still suckling at your mother’s breast, the Baekga Bookstore was one of the pillars of Yichang. Even during hard times, they supported talented and passionate people. Wasn’t it Baekga that helped you when you first opened your own bookstore?”

“That was thirty years ago.”

“Does gratitude expire after thirty years?! The older the favor, the greater the debt! When you were in financial trouble and desperate for money, who # Nоvеlight # gave you a loan? Who gave you permission to print books that only Baekga had rights to publish? Wasn’t it that very friend from Baekga?”

“It’s not Baekga anymore—it’s Daseogak now. And that barbarian bastard is the one running it, sir.”

“And yet you pretend not to know that the owner of Daseogak is Baekga’s granddaughter? She entrusted the shop to a trusted friend because she couldn’t appear in public.”

“I know, sir. But that barbarian’s Daseogak is costing us immense losses.”

“And did that young man break the Merchant’s Way to cause you those losses?”

“...No, sir.”

“Then you’ve repaid decades of kindness with betrayal, broken the Merchant’s Way, and sullied the Yichang Merchants’ Association’s name?”

“Chairman, please...”

“Those who do not honor the Merchant’s Way have no place in the Yichang Merchants’ Association.”

Expulsion from the Yichang Merchants’ Association.

The declaration stunned the bookstore owner into silence.

To be expelled from the association—a group uniting all local merchants with headquarters in Yichang—was no trivial matter.

It meant losing all protection and benefits, suffering discrimination in all commercial affairs, and having no recourse even if someone inflicted great harm upon you.

It was, in effect, an official proclamation that “this bookstore need not follow the Merchant’s Way.”

“Sir! I—I was blinded by money and forgot myself. I’m sorry. I truly am sorry.”

The bookstore owner trembled in fear and dropped to his knees before the Chairman.

“I’m not the one you should apologize to.”

The Chairman turned his gaze to the young black-haired man and the veiled woman watching from the side. Seeing this, the bookstore owner shuffled over on his knees and bowed low before the people from Daseogak.

“I’m sorry. Truly sorry. I’ve committed an unforgivable crime. I’ll make sure this never happens again. I’ll repay the losses—no, I’ll repay two or three times over. Please, I beg you, forgive me.”

Declaration of defeat.

The bookstore owner who’d rallied a coalition to attack Daseogak now tucked his tail and surrendered the moment a greater power stepped in.

And with that apology, the counterfeit Storm of the Tang Clan scandal came to an end.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

*********

‘Just as planned.’

What do you do with someone who refuses to honor the Merchant’s Way to the bitter end?

In the end, it comes down to force.

Without any copyright law, the only way to make someone uphold the Merchant’s Way is to apply external pressure. The real question is—whose power do you borrow?

I could’ve relied on Hwa-rin’s strength, but that would’ve only created grudges. In situations like this, it’s better to use the influence of a third party. Someone with authority in Yichang. Someone who can restore the Merchant’s Way when it’s been violated.

But the kind of power that comes with authority isn’t something you can borrow lightly. Especially for someone like me—a foreigner, a so-called barbarian.

So, how do you get it?

‘You use Hwa-rin’s bloodline and the Chief Steward’s connections.’

Have a meal with Tang Hwa-rin, the only granddaughter of the Baekga Family, and the Chief Steward.

Open up about the situation. Lean on Hwa-rin’s lineage, the Chief Steward’s network, and the cause of the Merchant’s Way. Then, politely ask them to introduce you to someone even more influential. It wasn’t hard to get that connection to reach the Merchants’ Association.

“You didn’t mean you were drinking with the Chief Steward and the Chairman himself, did you?”

Hwa-rin seemed to realize what had happened and asked me with a sharp look.

“Yup. Honestly, I thought maybe a few executives would show up—but when the Chairman himself walked in, even I was surprised.”

I wasn’t all that worried, really. From the start, I knew that leveraging Baekga’s solid connections would solve everything. But even so, the extent of their influence had exceeded my expectations. For the Chairman to personally show up?

The Chairman of the Yichang Merchants’ Association might not be on the level of a corporate conglomerate CEO, but he’s definitely not your neighborhood committee leader, either.

I had explained everything—our situation, our hardships, our reasons—and because of Hwa-rin’s lineage and the Chief Steward’s pull, I managed to get a solid promise of help. Still, I couldn’t relax for a second throughout that entire drinking session.

“You’ve worked hard.”

The Chairman approached us with a satisfied smile after his thunderous scolding.

“I didn’t expect you to come in person. I’m sorry for troubling you with such a small matter.”

“Ha ha ha. You’re the one who arranged this meeting—and now you’re acting like you didn’t mean it?”

He laughed heartily, clearly not interested in taking credit.

“Thank you, truly.”

“You’re an interesting young man. You’re twenty-one, was it? Already thinking of using influence to shake the commercial world and calling in favors to expand your reach. Back when I was your age, all I knew was to charge ahead blindly or resort to petty tricks. You’re clearly someone that Elder Jang of the Ten-Thousand Gold Merchant Guild had his eye on for a reason.”

He looked at me with a proud gaze.

“You flatter me.”

“Do I look like someone who flatters people without reason? A bookstore like Daseogak, writing your own works—it’s all quite impressive. How about it? Forget writing and come learn the trade under me. I’d gladly give you a position.”

“...Yu... Yun-ho...”

Hwa-rin tugged at my sleeve in alarm at the sudden offer. Don’t worry. I’m not going anywhere. I have to get famous through writing.

“Ha ha. I’m honored by your words, but I’m just someone who enjoys writing in a bookstore, nothing more.”

“Well, I suppose if you turned down Elder Jang, you’d hardly jump at my offer. Very well then, Ho-pil the author—I’ll look forward to your next story.”

The Chairman waved a copy of Storm of the Tang Clan he’d brought from somewhere.

“I’ll make sure to send you Volume 2 as soon as it’s ready.”

“Yun-ho... you really...”

Hwa-rin looked like she was about to say something, then trailed off into stunned admiration as the Chairman left.

“What? Do I look more impressive now?”

Come on, praise me already. I stood tall, hands on my hips, chest puffed out, ready for a shower of compliments.

“What are you talking about? I’ve always thought you were impressive. You’ve never not been.”

Hwa-rin smiled at me, clearly proud.

“I’m not that great...”

Her look was too intense, and I had to glance away, suddenly shy.

“Ah! Ho-pil the author!”

The Chairman, who had just reached his carriage, suddenly turned back and walked toward me again. What now?

“Yes, sir?”

“That courtesan who sat beside you last night...”

“Yes?”

“She said if you make her the ‘Top Courtesan of Hubei’ in Storm of the Tang Clan, she’ll treat you like royalty even if you show up empty-handed. Think about it.”

“Ha ha. I already have someone picked out for that title.”

“She’s one of the most famous courtesans in Yichang, you know... Ah, never mind. I’m getting ahead of myself. I’ll take my leave now.”

Why did he stop mid-sentence and suddenly hurry off?

“Hey. Kang Yun-ho.”

Ah. That cold voice behind me.

“Uh... Yeah?”

“You said... you weren’t seeing any women.”

“I wasn’t seeing women! I mean, sometimes, a man’s got to... when work calls—Agh! Hwa-rin! Why are you kicking my shin?!”

“Spit out the honey water I gave you earlier!”

“Augh! Stop hitting me! Hwa-rin, I’ll take you with me next time, I swear!”

“You’re insane! Take me where?!”

“Aaack!”

--------

All illegal copies of Storm of the Tang Clan were retrieved.

The profits those bookstores had earned through betraying the Merchant’s Way were returned in full—complete with formal promissory notes. On top of that, we were introduced to a supplier offering high-quality printing type.

“So this is really the end?”

Hwa-rin asked as she sorted through a recovered copy of Volume 1.

“End? No way. This is just the beginning. Look at this.”

I pulled a thick manuscript out of my robes and held it out to her.

“What’s that?”

“The draft of Volume 2 of Storm of the Tang Clan. Once you and I finish editing it, we can publish right away.”

The war had ended in victory.

Now, it was time to publish Storm of the Tang Clan, Volume 2.