The Outcast Writer of a Martial Arts Visual Novel-Chapter 243: Bidding - 6

West River Escort Bureau.

The West River Escort Bureau, operated by the Sichuan Tang Clan, held considerable influence within Sichuan Province. However, in expanding territories such as Shaanxi and Hubei, it found itself overshadowed by other escort bureaus and did not wield the same level of authority.

Recently, the West River Escort Bureau had been investing heavily to expand its reach along the Yangtze River route that stretched from Sichuan to Hubei.

Purchasing the Baek Family Estate, a large mansion in the major city of Yichang, Hubei Province, was part of their plan to use it as a forward base for business expansion.

Of course, their sudden expansion into Yichang wasn’t entirely unrelated to the fact that the Tang Clan’s illegitimate child was known to reside there.

“I wish to sell the estate formerly used as the Yichang branch to Young Master Kang for a reasonable price.”

I remembered the estate the branch leader was referring to. It definitely wasn’t a small property. It was large enough to house a fully operational printing press and store a generous stockpile of books with room to spare.

And now they were offering such a valuable building at an absurdly low price?

“Are you really willing to sell it for that price?”

It was such a tempting offer that the alcohol-induced haze instantly cleared from my mind. Was there something wrong with the place? I asked with a suspicious tone.

“The branch building can only be sold to someone authorized by headquarters, and we’ve struggled to find a suitable buyer. But if we say we sold it to Young Master Kang, who possesses the West River Escort Bureau’s jade plaque, no one at headquarters would object.”

Was this the same kind of dilemma faced by the government printing press official? There’s not much personal gain, but the issue must be resolved, and constant interference from HQ makes it annoying.

In other words, they want to sell it to me to be rid of the hassle. I want to tell him to bring the paperwork so I can sign right away.

If not for one problem.

‘To buy that building, I’d have to empty out everything I have—and still find a way to borrow more.’

I’d need to scrape up the coins rolling around under the bed too.

Originally, I was planning to buy a small place and run the printshop without overextending myself.

But at the price they were offering, it was something worth stretching for.

I gulped down a cold glass of water to clear the buzz in my head and started thinking quickly.

Find a way. I have to buy that building. Is there no way to save money? This kind of opportunity doesn’t come often. I need a way to consume this deal without getting indigestion. I just need to digest it cleanly.

Just as I felt the cold water settle in my stomach, a good idea came to mind.

“If I repay the price monthly on a consistent basis—would you still be willing to sell?”

I offered to pay in installments, not a lump sum. With the alcohol gone, I spoke to the branch leader with a serious expression.

How could he trust someone to make long-term installment payments? Normally, this would be an unreasonable request. But if I played my connections right, it was a deal worth attempting.

“I was thinking of this as a lump sum payment, so this is a bit difficult.”

Saying it’s “a bit difficult” means he’d agree if I make it not difficult.

“In that case, I’ll add ten percent to the total price.”

I didn’t expect an immediate yes. In real estate transactions involving large sums, ten percent is still a big deal. I presented this as my first negotiation term.

“Hmm...”

The branch leader stroked his beard and let out a small sigh.

He’s considering it. I need to hook him so he doesn’t run.

“If you agree to the condition, Daseogak will exclusively use the West River Escort Bureau moving forward.”

I couldn’t offer more money. Then what? Cancel the deal?

No. I just need to put something heavier than money on the scale.

“You’ll exclusively use the West River Escort Bureau? What do you mean by that?”

“Daseogak plans to open new branches along the Yangtze River. But the printshop will remain solely in Yichang.”

“So all books would be transported exclusively through the West River Escort Bureau... hmm.”

It must’ve worked—his lips curled ever so slightly. Indeed, a promising partnership with Daseogak would be attractive.

I continued with confidence, adding more weight to the deal.

“Storm of the Tang Clan isn’t a novel that will end in Yichang. And if ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) other novels also gain popularity, how many books do you think will travel along the Yangtze? And all those shipments will bear the Yichang Branch Leader’s name.”

Not just profit for the West River Escort Bureau—but a major achievement for you personally. I added one more seductive weight to tip the scale in my favor.

Would it work? The Yichang branch leader kept stroking his beard, then suddenly burst into laughter.

“Hahaha! It feels like I’m dealing with a top-class merchant! I can’t win against this. Fine! With all this in mind, I’ll treat it as an investment and accept. But there’s one condition.”

“A condition?”

“I’ll transfer ownership the moment the contract is stamped. But for the time being, I’d like to use part of the mansion as a West River Escort Bureau unloading warehouse.”

He added that there would still be plenty of space left, even if used both as a warehouse and a printshop.

“Sharing a building with the West River Escort Bureau, huh...”

“As we’ll be storing goods, the bureau will also assign escorts to guard the building at all times.”

They’ll even provide guards to protect Storm of the Tang Clan? Then there’s no reason to refuse.

“Agreed.”

I accepted immediately.

*********

“You’ve done well.”

Late that night, after the West River Escort Bureau’s drinking party had ended, Dang-Pae quietly summoned the Yichang branch leader to commend him.

“It wasn’t anything. Rather, I wonder if I made things more troublesome—surely the Tang Clan could have resolved this with a single word.”

The branch leader smiled as he spoke, already having been informed of Kang Yun-ho’s true identity.

“He’s someone who hides things even when his life is in danger. If the Tang Clan had helped him directly, he would’ve clearly refused. That’s why we assisted from a step away.”

Since he’d purchased a printing press, a printshop would naturally follow. Today’s events were orchestrated by the Tang Clan.

“Young Master Kang is quite remarkable. I expected he’d just scrape together what little money he had and accept whatever we offered, but instead he negotiated, yielded, and made it into an even more surprising deal.”

“Whose son do you think he is...”

A quiet pride resonated in Dang-Pae’s voice.

“Truly astounding. He’s barely over twenty. Yet his writing shakes Yichang, and he runs a business that everyone in the city knows. You heard our conversation at the table—there was a moment I thought I was face-to-face with a seasoned merchant with several snakes coiled inside.”

The branch leader widened his eyes on purpose, feigning surprise at what had just taken place.

“He even has the courage to risk his life for love.”

And he carries the spirit of chivalry, like the Tang Clan Head. Dang-Pae smiled, thinking of his experiences at Kang Yun-ho’s side.

“The blood of a tiger must truly run strong.”

“The only regret is that he rejected the Tang surname...”

Dang-Pae looked toward the room where Kang Yun-ho was sleeping, his voice tinged with sorrow.

“A rift between father and son that’s lasted over twenty years can’t be mended so easily. And there’s also the matter of the Young Clan Head. From what I can see, Young Master Kang acted rightly.”

“Even after we leave, I hope you’ll continue to support him. The Clan Head is deeply concerned.”

Dang-Pae nodded at the branch leader’s words and asked him to continue his efforts.

“No need to worry. I plan to smooth things over by framing the warehouse usage as rental compensation during the property sale.”

“The Clan Head will remember your name.”

The West River Escort Bureau belonged to the Tang Clan. Even the smallest favor from the Clan Head would return to the Yichang branch leader as a great blessing.

The Yichang Branch Leader of the West River Escort Bureau bowed deeply, his face glowing.

“I will serve with all my loyalty!”

The Yichang Branch Leader. A man still parched with thirst for promotion.

*********

“Ha-yeon unni, wasn’t the manager so cool today?”

It was the evening when Kang Yun-ho had successfully won the bid for the printing press and was sharing drinks with the Tang Clan people.

On her way home from work, Ha So-so, with her usual bright face, brought up the day’s events involving Jeon Gil-san and Kang Yun-ho to Im Ha-yeon.

“Well...”

Foreigners who act out violently are never treated well anywhere.

To drive off a thug of a young master who came from another city to intimidate merchants—and win the bid on top of that? Im Ha-yeon couldn’t exactly say it wasn’t cool.

She pressed her lips together and lowered her gaze, thinking back to how Kang Yun-ho had looked today.

“Hehe. Are things going well with you and Manager Kang?”

Ha So-so didn’t miss the slight change in Im Ha-yeon’s expression.

“It’s nothing like that! Good night!”

Startled like a cat caught just before being nabbed, Im Ha-yeon bolted into the cheap inn she was staying at.

“You’re two days late on your room fee!”

As she entered, the innkeeper, arms crossed, called out to her with a deep frown.

“I’ll pay soon!”

“I trust you because you work at Daseogak! But don’t forget what I offered last time!”

Im Ha-yeon let the innkeeper’s words go in one ear and out the other as she stepped into her shabby room.

------------

Work, go home. Work, go home.

In a repetitive life, if something unusual happens, it sticks with you even after you clock out.

And even more so when it involves the man who buys your dinner every single night.

Im Ha-yeon sat at the table, recalling Kang Yun-ho’s actions that she had witnessed with the Daseogak staff.

“To subdue a thug young master like that so easily...”

For courtesans, dealing with bratty young masters was routine—and often an ordeal.

Even older sisters who were seasoned in the profession would still get burned by those bastards and come to vent to Im Ha-yeon.

From what she’d gathered, Jeon Gil-san was one of the worst—a thug that even courtesans didn’t want to deal with.

And yet, to turn such a wildly arrogant man into a frightened puppy—she couldn’t deny that it had been satisfying to watch.

“It was surprising he didn’t make a fool of himself at the drinking table.”

There was a note of surprise in her voice.

Even men who wear masks tend to show their true nature after some drinks. But Kang Yun-ho was different.

As the rumors about Jeon Gil-san’s disgraceful behavior kept growing, so too did the praise for Kang Yun-ho, who elegantly enjoyed his drinks and music.

There was even gossip that when the most beautiful courtesan at the pleasure house dolled herself up and asked to sit beside him, he firmly refused. The story had become the talk of both the pleasure house and the Hao Clan.

Im Ha-yeon recalled the story and let a small smile tug at her lips.

There was no need to be surprised—if you knew the truth.

He had no choice but to refuse.

That man—

“That man fell for me.”

Kang Yun-ho had fallen for her. What started as a little doubt from Ha So-so’s teasing had now grown into certainty in Im Ha-yeon’s heart.

Looking back, it had been strange. His startled reaction the first time they met. The way he’d saved her even though a ruthless merchant had no reason to. The way he continued helping her even when she refused.

“It was because he fell for me at first sight.”

Even how he subtly tried to go out with her whenever something came up. The way he kept saying she was the only one he could rely on.

And the rejection of the courtesan this time—it was so obvious.

When every ear of the Hao Clan was listening, there was no way he’d do something that could reach hers.

—You could just sit there and smile, and still land the Blue Flag.

Im Ha-yeon looked into the mirror, recalling something an older courtesan once said.

Right. So what if the most famous beauty courtesan in Yichang came forward? He wouldn’t be swayed. He had someone prettier beside him, even without the makeup and ornaments the others used.

Im Ha-yeon smiled, a strange sense of triumph blooming in her chest.

She didn’t realize it, but having grown up her whole life inside the courtesans’ garden, the Gyobang, this was the first time she was the object of a man’s sincere attention. Her heart fluttered.

“Ugh! No! No, no!”

Flustered, she cupped her face in her hands. Why on earth was she feeling good just because that man liked her?

It’s that wicked merchant Kang Yun-ho we’re talking about. I should be disgusted, not pleased!

“He’s completely unreadable.”

She wasn’t thinking of him bidding for the printing press anymore—what came to mind was the image of him playing with the homing pigeon.

Completely unreadable. Sometimes like a little boy. Sometimes like a ruthless merchant. Sometimes like the kindest man in all of Yichang.

Inside Im Ha-yeon’s heart—where no one else had ever entered before—thoughts of one man stirred everything up.

“You can sell your smile, but you must never give your heart.”

“Sell songs, not yourself.” A courtesan’s creed.

Kang Yun-ho might not be as wicked a merchant as she’d imagined. But just because he was kind, just because he had good sides—doesn’t mean she should let her heart be swayed.

“...In the end, he’s that man’s disciple.”

That man too—her mother fell for his good side. But in the end, he was just a thief who made others weep.

And when her mother and she were no longer needed, he threw them away like worn shoes and never came back.

She must not let her guard down. That man may have good traits—but he might be hiding something truly vicious too.

Because he’s that man’s disciple. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

Im Ha-yeon composed herself and opened the dinner Kang Yun-ho had bought for her that day.

It was a flavor even the top courtesans in Yichang hadn’t tasted. A flavor other female employees who fancied Kang Yun-ho hadn’t been able to enjoy either.

She didn’t even realize the corners of her mouth lifting slightly at that thought.

She simply thought that, for some reason, the food Kang Yun-ho had bought today tasted especially good.

***********

“From today on, there’s no more dinner.”

“Whaaaaaat?!”