The Outcast Writer of a Martial Arts Visual Novel-Chapter 214: Grand Reopening - 6

“I don’t need it.”

Murong Shintu’s daughter, Im Ha-yeon, shut me down like a fish who already knew the bait was a trap.

“Don’t feel pressured. How could I turn away my sworn brother’s daughter in need?”

“No. Just turn away.”

She could probably cut a pumpkin with that level of coldness. You’ll regret that later. You think living in the Central Plains is easy?

Try getting your ass beat by strangers, sleeping in some roofless ruin while it rains and soaks you to the bone, stomach growling with hunger, feeling like the world’s abandoned you. Regret won’t save you then.

When you’ve got nowhere else to lean on, finding someone to depend on becomes everything.

If you randomly met your dad’s sworn brother, the least you could do is ask for a meal, maybe throw on a sad face. Who the hell would refuse a pretty girl in tears?

“Do you have anyone else you can rely on?”

I looked at her like I had no idea, even though I did. Might as well hear it from her directly.

“No. And don’t try to help me just because you’re that man’s sworn brother. I don’t want anything from him.”

“Is there a rift between you and your father?”

“I haven’t seen him in over ten years.”

I had to swallow my words at that.

I wondered if she really learned martial arts from her father like in the original, but I guess not.

“I’m sure he had his reasons...”

“What kind of reason keeps a man from his wife and daughter for ten whole years?”

Hell if I know.

She stared at me like she could burn a hole through me, but I knew that glare wasn’t really for me.

This isn’t just a strained relationship—they’re like enemies. Maybe playing the sworn brother card was a bad idea.

I thought I was building a deeper bond than just saving her life, but it’s like I stepped on a landmine.

Mr. Wang, whatever your reason for going into hiding, you could’ve at least visited your daughter during the holidays. For my heroine scouting, if nothing else.

I stared at Im Ha-yeon, silently hoping tomorrow’s brunch tastes like crap for Mr. Wang.

If I leave it at “You stay here in Hao Clan, I’m heading back to Daseogak,” she might never think of Daseogak again if she needs help.

Let’s just stick with the sworn brother bit.

“I don’t know the full story either. But when your father spoke of you, his face was filled with regret and longing. I’m sure he had deep reasons he couldn’t speak of.”

Honestly, I don’t even remember his face when he mentioned having a daughter with a courtesan. But hey, if this boosts my likability, I’ll give him a glowing review.

“He sure picked himself a fine sworn brother. A thief and a crooked merchant—what a lovely pair.”

Im Ha-yeon shot back with a sarcastic sneer, clearly annoyed I was defending Mr. Wang.

I mean, of course she’d feel that way. No one’s gonna be fond of the parents who abandoned them.

I gave a bitter smile, trying to look like I understood.

“I get where you’re coming from. But if I hadn’t gotten help from my sworn brother back then, I wouldn’t have been at Wusan Port that day.”

After standing up for Mr. Wang, I brought up Wusan—the one thing even she couldn’t ignore.

“And?”

As expected, her tone softened a bit at the mention of Wusan.

Whatever, I can’t fix their relationship. Not my job. All I need is a link between us.

“If you’re uncomfortable because of me and my sworn brother, you don’t have to think about it. But I won’t stand by if a woman I’ve saved twice ends up in trouble again. I also won’t stand by if someone who once helped me is in danger. So if you ever need anything, you know where to find Daseogak.”

Time to play the chivalrous hero. And hey, I really did save her twice, so it should work.

I gave her a serious look, full of concern, despite her thorny attitude.

A harsh wind makes you pull your coat tighter, but a warm breeze makes you open it.

Im Ha-yeon pouted, clearly annoyed, but then turned her head away like she couldn’t take it anymore.

“...I’m going.”

She didn’t outright refuse. That’s something.

“My sworn brother doesn’t want to be involved in the martial world anymore. So I’d appreciate it if you didn’t go digging around Hao Clan.”

I don’t want to get dragged into any mess either. I dropped that in last to make sure it’d get passed on.

“Hao Clan wouldn’t care if he really retired. I’ll let them know.”

“Good.”

“I’m leaving.”

“Lady Ha-yeon.”

I called out as she was about to disappear.

“What now?”

“Hao Clan’s that way.”

Why’s she going the wrong way? I pointed in the direction we came from.

“Oh... Th-there’s a shortcut.”

“......”

Seriously?

“I-I’m going.”

Face red, she hurried off.

She acts all put-together, but she’s got a screw or two loose.

*********

As Im Ha-yeon re-entered Hao Clan’s Yichang branch, the place was chaos.

“Branch Leader! This guy’s bleeding like crazy!”

One Hao Clan thug was holding another’s hand, yelling at the branch leader.

“Why the hell were you standing there like an idiot!”

The branch leader stomped over, clearly pissed.

“I couldn’t just act weak and let Hao Clan lose face!”

“The second you, a nobody, pulled your sword and acted up, that’s when we lost face.”

“Boss! That’s harsh!”

“Who the hell’s your boss? Let me see. Wow... Don’t pull that out.”

The branch leader looked at his hand, impressed, then warned him coldly.

“Can’t I pull it out? Am I screwed? I can’t feel ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) my hand.”

The thug, realizing this was serious, panicked.

“That damn bookstore manager nailed your pressure point perfectly. Pull that out wrong, and you’re done for. You need a doctor, now.”

A black-haired Joseon guy using Tang Clan martial arts? The branch leader was secretly impressed by his throwing skills.

“Please, boss! Help me! I gambled away all my money—I can’t even pay for treatment!”

“Call me Branch Leader. What kind of Hao Clan thug cries like a baby? If you go to the doctor and they do it right, you’ll be fine. Put the bill on my tab. Take this idiot out of here.”

“Yes, sir!”

“Waaah! Thank you, boss!”

The thug was dragged out by the others.

“That moron gone? Hey, dock half his salary for the next six months.”

“Got it.”

The branch leader was nothing if not thorough.

“So, did you give him a nice send-off?”

He turned to Im Ha-yeon, who’d been quietly watching.

“Yes.”

“Didn’t think that Murong Shintu guy would still be alive. I was sure he died ten years ago.”

The branch leader collapsed into his chair, sighing as he looked at the daughter of Murong Shintu.

“Dead or alive, I don’t care.”

“Well, still... he is your father. ...Ahem.”

The branch leader cut himself off with an awkward cough when he saw Im Ha-yeon’s angry stare.

He knew their father-daughter relationship well. Now that he knew Murong Shintu was still alive, bringing him up carelessly might just piss off the girl destined to become the next Murong Shintu.

“Kang Yun-ho. You don’t have any information about that man?”

The suddenly-appeared sworn brother of Murong Shintu. Im Ha-yeon figured that if Hao Clan in Yichang couldn’t dig something up, no one could, so she asked the branch leader.

“You probably know as much as we do. Owner of Daseogak Bookstore. Found the author Ho-pil and got him to write Storm of the Tang Clan. A guy whose bizarre business tactics leave people speechless. Oh, right! Add this—he’s the kind of loyal friend who’d risk his life for a buddy. And a proper merchant who knows the Merchant’s Way and protects his authors to the end.”

The branch leader, as expected of someone from Hao Clan, could revise information on the fly like a pro.

“That’s all?”

“He hasn’t even been in Yichang for a year. Of course, there’s not much.”

“He’s famous for pulling off stunts no one’s ever seen before.”

“Just because a fishmonger sells fish well doesn’t mean you need to know his life story. He’s not even a martial artist. For a bookstore owner, that’s more than enough info.”

“You never looked into where he came from? What he did before?”

“You think this is some powerhouse Hao Clan branch in the South? This is Hubei Province, Wudang Sect and the Jegal Family’s turf. The Sichuan Tang Clan’s even got their claws in here now, trying to stake a claim in Yichang. We’re lucky we’ve got this much.”

The branch leader got a little annoyed at her tone, even if they were close. Some lines shouldn’t be crossed.

“Sorry. Then what about the author Ho-pil?”

She pulled back a little, her voice softer.

“No clue. Unlike Kang Yun-ho, we’ve had a few people ask about Ho-pil’s identity, but he never shows his face.”

“Really?”

She let out a small sigh, clearly disappointed.

“It’s hard to get any info on Daseogak, to begin with.” 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

“Why’s that?”

Im Ha-yeon tilted her head and asked.

“Come on. When have you ever seen a Hao Clan thug into books?”

“Oh...”

It’s called Hao Clan because it’s made up of the lowest of the low. No surprise they weren’t exactly literary types.

“No one from Hao Clan works at Daseogak, no one from Hao Clan really goes there. Hell, we avoid it more than the authorities do. And Kang, that guy barely leaves the place, so getting info on him is a pain.”

Hao Clan didn’t get its info from professionals.

It’s gossip picked up by tavern workers, chatter from coachmen overhearing passengers, courtesans catching whispers over drinks.

In places where Hao Clan had real power, they might know more. But usually, it was shallow gossip, not deep intel.

“Yeah, guess that makes sense.”

“There are theories about Ho-pil, but nothing solid. Feels like chasing a ghost. Honestly, when Kang showed up with the Black Coin, I wondered if Murong Shintu himself was Ho-pil.”

“No way. That man’s way more into money than ink.”

He was the type to teach martial arts by beating it into you, not by reading. Of course, her tone was sharp.

“Yeah, I know he hated bookworms. Still, he liked people who could tell a good story. I figured maybe he changed when he got older.”

“People don’t just change overnight. There’s no way he’s Ho-pil.”

There was no way the author she respected could be him. She almost looked disgusted.

“So it was a wild guess. Kang Yun-ho, claiming to be Murong Shintu’s sworn brother—imagine if people heard that. Who the hell came up with that Black Coin code phrase anyway?”

“...Just me and him.”

“He told his daughter the code phrase, huh. Then yeah, I guess he really is your sworn brother.”

“If he’d been part of the rebellion, he wouldn’t have shared the code. So yeah, it’s real.”

Too bad he gave it to that infamous Kang Yun-ho. She bit her tongue on that thought.

“I see. Here, take this!”

The branch leader pulled a pouch from his robe and tossed it to Im Ha-yeon.

“For just confirming a Black Coin, this is pretty generous, don’t you think?”

She peeked inside at the bronze coins, unimpressed.

“You’re still complaining? Give it back then.”

“N-no, I’m good.”

“How’s that plan to become a writer going?”

He grinned at her, switching to a more casual tone.

“I bought some paper and ink yesterday... It’s really expensive.”

“I’m not paying more than that for a job.”

“Tch.”

“But seriously, what’s your plan as a writer? Even if you write something amazing, someone’s got to read it. You can’t just write one book and be done.”

“True.”

“You’ve got no money, no plans to make money with what you’ve learned, and if you want to be a writer, you need a bookstore to back you. But you don’t know anyone who’d do that, being a stranger around here.”

Sure, you can write a book, but if you want to actually make money, you’ve got to publish it, and for that, you need a bookstore behind you. No way some rookie like Im Ha-yeon could find that kind of support.

“Yeah.”

Her face darkened a little as the branch leader laid out reality.

“I’ve got a suggestion. What do you think?”

“A suggestion? What kind?”

Maybe he had a real solution? She leaned forward, hopeful.

“Daseogak.”

The last thing she expected to hear.

“...What?”

“How about working at Daseogak?”