404 - The Outcast Writer of a Martial Arts Visual Novel

Chapter 405: The Secret Garden - 7 In the secret garden of the Sichuan Dang family. Dok Muhu, standing at the center of the training ground, gestured with her palm towards her disciple. "Come here." Dang Hwarin did not hesitate at her beckoning. A poisonous aura emanated from her hands. Even though it was a deadly poison that could melt skin upon contact, Dok Muhu deflected it with one hand as if it wasn't even worth avoiding. If long-range attacks didn't work, then close combat it would have to be. Dang Hwarin didn't give up and pursued her. Dok Muhu had opportunities to evade but chose not to retreat. She handled her disciple's attacks as if toying with a child and kept even her disciple's poison under control. "Take this!" Dok Muhu engaged her student with a mere paper-thin margin, teasingly challenging her. A frustrated voice escaped from Dang Hwarin. If the gap was overwhelming, she would have resigned. It seemed possible, yet she was continually blocked. She noticed an opening, but it vanished instantly. Suddenly, a strange aura flowed from Dang Hwarin's body. "You're letting your poison leak! Control your emotions, quickly!" Dok Muhu's stern voice echoed throughout the secret garden. "Ah!" Dang Hwarin took a step back, struggling to control the poison emanating from her body. "If you leave your instincts unchecked, how are you any different from a beast!" Shamed by her teacher's anger, Dang Hwarin could only mutter a response. "I-I'll focus." "Come at me again." On the release day of the third volume of "The Chronicles of the Family Wind," the master and disciple continued their training in the secret garden. ----- "Ugh…" "Why are you sitting there looking so pitiful?" Dang Hwarin, clutching her head in distress, looked up at her master's voice. "I'm just so incompetent. Despite your excellent teaching, I still end up carelessly letting my poison leak." Even though it was hers to control, she struggled—much like a child wetting the bed at night. Dang Hwarin felt a strange sense of shame. "It's just the beginning, isn't it? At your age, I couldn't even dream of mastering a poison-infused space." Recognizing the need to praise her after a reprimand, Dok Muhu acknowledged her student's efforts. "If it weren't for Yunho, I wouldn't have even dreamed of it either." Instead of feeling boastful from her teacher's praise, Dang Hwarin's face gleamed with pride as she thought of Kang Yunho. "Dang Jeong also endured arduous times, dreaming of someone he loved. If you both wish for a century together, isn't it a waste to feel disappointed and sit idle?" "Huh…?" Dang Hwarin stared at her teacher in mild surprise. "What's the matter?" "Hehe, no, you're right. Absolutely." In recent days, Dok Muhu mentioned "The Chronicles of the Family Wind" more frequently—how Dang Jeong did this or how any martial artist should read it. She even brought up tales of Dang Jeong's beloved. Whether Dok Muhu was mentioning it to relate to her disciple or had genuinely become engrossed herself, Dang Hwarin couldn't be sure. Regardless, she liked that her teacher talked about her fiancé's book. "That rascal…" "Right, they released the third volume today. But you didn't go?" "Hmph. I have no intentions of making a spectacle like the Elder, waiting in line and such. I'll read it when the time is right." Dok Muhu shook her head resolutely. She had no intention of queuing in crowded places. As entertaining as "The Chronicles of the Family Wind" reportedly was, she wasn't going to act like the old fogies in the council. "It's incredibly engaging, though…" Dok Muhu flinched at her student's murmured words of lament. "D-did you read it all?" "Yes. It's even more enjoyable compared to the draft. Would you like me to lend it to you?" "No need." For the second time, Dok Muhu shook her head at her disciple's offer. As much as she wanted to peek, her curiosity about the next volume would have to wait. She couldn't possibly read the book Ho Pil had given her fiancé. Yet her face showed so much longing that Dang Hwarin easily noticed. "May I go out now that today's training is over?" "What are you saying? Are you planning to slack off just because I said something?" Perhaps she shouldn't have praised her when she appeared downcast, nor refrained from reprimanding her mistakes. How had she gotten so complacent? If the reason wasn't sound, she would give her a good scolding. Dok Muhu peered at her disciple. "I asked Dang Pae to get you the third volume of 'The Chronicles of the Family Wind.'" "...Today's session ends here." It was a most valid reason. --------- "Where is the master?" Dang Hwarin, holding the third volume of "The Chronicles of the Family Wind" in one hand, asked the steward of the secret garden. "Lady Dok Muhu mentioned having research to conduct in her quarters. She advised not to disturb her until she comes out." "Really? Alright, then." Dang Hwarin nodded and headed to her own room. "Yunho should have seen the scene at the Dang family today." It was hard to believe it was the usual Dang family with all the commotion happening. 一 How long is this line?! I want to read 'The Chronicles' already! 一 Glad I listened to my Uigak pals and brought snacks. Care for some mocha bread? 一 Sure, oh no! Why are there raisins in mocha bread? 一 As a member of the Dang family, one must grow accustomed to toxins, even in food. 一 Have it yourself! 一 The poison-infused space moves in the third volume! 一 Catch that guy! How dare he spill the beans! 一 Hey! Hand over 'The Chronicles'! 一 Ahh! 一 I want to see Dang Jeong soon! Give us 'The Chronicles'! "Hehe, I'll have to write to him soon." Even at a glance, it was full of delightful banter. Kang Yunho would surely enjoy it too. Thinking of him, Dang Hwarin opened the third volume in her hands. The passage she opened to was a love scene from "The Chronicles of the Family Wind." "Really, I just adore this to death." Recalling a past conversation she had shared while living with Yunho in the reading chamber, Dang Hwarin's face turned a bright red as she timidly asked him: 一 Yunho. 一 Hmm? 一 Are the bedroom scenes in 'The Chronicles' to your…liking? --- Yunho: Hwarin, my intention is purely to inspire the dreams of men. Hwarin: I don't think that's true. You seem to really like big breasts. It matches your taste, doesn't it? When Kang Yunho answered with a completely innocent expression and no sign of ulterior motive, Dang Hwarin regarded him with a highly skeptical look. Yunho: Hwarin, you're misunderstanding. While a man might be attracted to a woman with small breasts, he never likes her because of it. Some people accuse men who like big breasts of being perverts, but liking big breasts makes a man an ordinary pervert, while liking small ones makes him an extraordinary one. Hwarin: Pfft. Look at you talking so much. It is your taste. Yunho: ...Don't ask if you already know. In the end, Kang Yunho found himself utterly defeated. Hwarin: Hehe, you sulking? The conversation was thoroughly amusing. "I like it, though. Hehe." When it comes to breasts, there's Dang Hwarin. And when it comes to Dang Hwarin, it's her breasts. What she often found cumbersome suddenly felt like a point of pride, knowing it matched a man's preference. Some might find the love scenes in "The Chronicles of the Family Wind" provocative, but to Dang Hwarin, they were insights into her fiancé's tastes. "Yunho, do you want to try being with three?" Dang Hwarin mumbled bashfully, considering if Yunho might have such preferences buried in the scenes of volume three. "Another woman... Well, I've permitted it." The thought of another woman beside Yunho immediately caused a pang in her chest, but she forced herself to nod in acceptance. "One other is fine. Yes, fine." Yunho had said he'd wait, but she had no intention of being a selfish woman. A man like Yunho, single past thirty, might be pointed at as if something were wrong with him. Despite how much Yunho cared for her, there might still be a woman trying to win his attention in his moments of difficulty and sorrow. She would have to grab that woman's hair and shake some sense into her, but one other was acceptable. Dang Hwarin nodded again, resigning herself to the situation. "So, during the deed, should I be on top first? Or underneath?" What would Yunho prefer? Dang Hwarin’s thoughts about Kang Yunho made her cheeks flush. "Hwarin, miss." "Huh, w-what is it?" Startled by the servant's voice, Dang Hwarin hurriedly closed her book and jumped up from her seat. Was it time for a meal already? Was her master calling? With a red face, Dang Hwarin fanned herself and opened the door to an unexpected message from the servant. "You are summoned to the master's hall." --- "The Moyong family?" Dang Hwarin listened to the news brought by the guests from afar in the master's hall. "It seems that Dang Geoho's poison has leaked to the demon cult." "The poison from that bastard that once intoxicated the young master?" "Even Moyongcheon, the leader of the Moyong family, seems affected by the same poison." The Uigakju relayed the situation of the Moyong family to Dang Hwarin on behalf of the silent Dang Gaju. "Dang Geoho, that bastard, scatters his filth everywhere." Though she acted politely in the presence of elders, Dang Hwarin's temper hadn't completely faded. At hearing news of an old enemy, she showed her teeth in frustration. "Ahem. About that matter..." The Uigakju called to Dang Hwarin with a very apologetic expression. "What is it?" When Dang Hwarin inquired, the Uigakju hesitated, looking toward Dang Gaju. Did he have something else to say? When Dang Hwarin turned her attention to Dang Gaju, he addressed her with a stern expression. "Dang Hwarin, we wish for you to visit the Moyong family." It was an entirely unexpected proposition. "...Is this an order as the head of the family?" Dang Hwarin replied with a reluctant face. She had been acknowledged as a member of the Dang family, not just the illegitimate child of a seducer. In fact, she was treated almost as if she were a direct descendant, with the warriors of the Dang family routinely bowing in respect to her. As a member, she enjoyed the honor of being Dok Muhu's disciple. But as a family member, responsibilities naturally followed. A directive from the head of the family. As a member of the family, she had no choice but to comply, no matter how much she wished otherwise. Seeing her reluctance, Dang Gaju hesitated momentarily. "Of course, I would listen to your opinion thoroughly..." "What on earth do you mean!!!" With a loud bang, someone burst through the door of the master's hall. Who would dare to storm into the master's quarters, where the head of the Dang family resides, so recklessly? Normally deserving severe reprimand, both the guards and the person barging in did not face it this time. For the figure standing before them had every right to do so. "Lady Dok Muhu?!" "What is the meaning of this! How dare you tell my disciple where she must go!" Dang Hwarin's teacher and former elite of the Dang family, as well as Dang Gaju's aunt, shouted fiercely with a twisted expression.