421 - The Outcast Writer of a Martial Arts Visual Novel

"Return the gift to Tursan." The situation grew dire. Mo Yong Sang Ah swiftly synthesized her information and reached a decision. "Are you suggesting we send back the Jurchen assassin?" The captain tilted his head in confusion at the unexpected order. "Tell them to come and retrieve it." "I'd like to know the reason." The captain, kneeling on one knee to ensure precise execution of her command, looked up at Mo Yong Sang Ah. "We're going to observe Tursan's reaction. Commence a show of force around Seongmu Library's investigation team. If they catch wind of the assassin's news, there will likely be a response." "Did you not wish to avoid unnecessary bloodshed?" A show of force meant intimidating the Jurchens with an armed presence. The captain was taken aback by this directive, which ran contrary to their usual strategy of avoiding conflicts. "It is likely a ploy to instigate discord between us and the Jurchens. Yet, we cannot be certain. If we reveal the assassin's news and still leave the Jurchens unchecked, they might preemptively fear and make contact with the Mago sect." Mo Yong Sang Ah elaborated, ensuring the captain clearly understood her intentions. Was this merely bait for a war of attrition, or were they forming alliances beneath the surface? The exact details remained elusive. However, there was no need to idly wait. 'Even if the situation is unclear, the intent is evident.' She understood her brother's machinations—he wanted her to squander her resources in the Seongmu Library investigation. Having the Jurchens act up would be a perfect stepping stone. Moreover, an enemy's enemy is a friend. If they allowed time to pass, the two forces might eventually unite in some form. "You imply the situation may differ, but the outcome remains constant." Mo Yong Sang Ah nodded in response to the captain who finally comprehended her explanation. "However, there's an advantage to this situation." "An advantage, you say?" Mo Yong Sang Ah articulated the edge she had identified. "We now have a justification to strike against Tursan's tribe." "Are you suggesting we dismantle them piecemeal before they can unite? I'll prepare at once." The captain, confident in his combat prowess, eagerly moved to act. "No. That's precisely what they want. I refuse to be manipulated." Once a war of attrition unfolds, rumors will spread, and clashes with the Jurchens in the Seongmu Library investigations will become unavoidable. Mo Yong Sang Ah shook her head at the captain’s suggestion. "I would like to hear more about your intentions, Master." Following the master's profound motives proved challenging. The captain, poised as his master's weapon, resolved to hear more. "Justification can serve both as a reason to wield the sword and as leverage on the scales of negotiation." "Leverage?" Mo Yong Sang Ah clenched her fist with a cold smile, as if grasping victory itself. "With justification in hand, we must make them move according to my will. I won’t grant them time to think. Once we initiate the show of force, Tursan will scramble for survival. He will surely send a messenger." "And what should I relay if a messenger is sent?" Mo Yong Sang Ah organized her thoughts before responding to the captain's query. The circumstances were chaotic. Much like swordplay, waiting too long for the opponent to finish their preparations only leads to defeat. Strike swiftly. When the enemy's preparations are incomplete. When vulnerabilities are most apparent. Deliver a swift blow. "Tell them to crawl to me. If they fail to justify themselves in time, it won't just end as a mere show of force." The initiative belonged to her. She wouldn’t allow time for alliances to form. The situation resembled a path on thin ice, yet the woman standing here was not someone who despaired at circumstances, hoping for luck. She was the leader of one of the largest factions in Liaodong Fortress. Mo Yong Sang Ah knew how to move forward before the ice could break. --------- The Jurchens reacted swiftly. The lord of Changbong Hall had been attacked by an assassin, one of whom hailed from their own tribe. Mo Yong Se’s warriors rampaged through the Jurchen encampment. While it was merely a confrontation for now, it was uncertain when bloodshed might commence. "Chief Tursan awaits in the tent." Chief Tursan had urgently requested a meeting with Mo Yong Sang Ah. "Lead the way." At the heart of Tursan's tribal region, Mo Yong Sang Ah arrived and, with a commanding presence, headed toward the tent with her Changbong forces. "A woman as chief…" "Be careful. A clan that raided a frontier village was annihilated." Even amidst enemy territory. Mo Yong Sang Ah appeared utterly composed. As she stepped toward the tent, the Jurchen warriors anxiously parted, clearing her path. Though it was only a brief show of force, her command was a sufficient demonstration of power to instill fear among the Jurchens. "The grand Mo Yong family! Changbong Hall's lord, Lady Mo Yong Sang Ah, approaches!" Not everyone was trembling with fear, however. "Aren't we a bit grand in our introductions? This was just supposed to be a friendly meeting." Mo Yong Sang Ah found herself facing a sardonic voice as soon as she entered the tent. A massive man stood there. His broad shoulders were lined with muscle, towering over the other Jurchens inside. Chief Tursan. Beneath his unkempt beard, his provocative gaze made it unmistakably clear who led this tribe. "You seem to have quite a retinue." Jurchen warriors stood ready inside the tent, their demeanor tense. Unfazed by Tursan's sharp intent, Mo Yong Sang Ah responded with equal sarcasm. "Ha! With rumors of Mo Yong family members coming, of course many of my men would worry. I am Tursan, chief of the clans in this area." Tursan extended his large, lid-like palm towards her. "Mo Yong family. Lord of Changbong Hall. I am Mo Yong Sang Ah." She had no intention of taking his hand. Nodding lightly as a form of acknowledgment, she met his gaze firmly. "Tsk. Do those from the Central Plains greet with covered faces?" To think he would try to land a blow from the start. Tursan scowled at Mo Yong Sang Ah, who wore the veiled hat characteristic of her role. "You dare speak to the master like that!" One of the Changbong warriors raised his voice. "Well, even if those from the Central Plains are said to wear smiling masks while having different expressions underneath, shouldn’t one at least speak face-to-face?" "You fool! She's not someone whose face you can just see—" "Enough. I’ll reveal it." Good. He managed to land a strike as well. Tursan watched as Mo Yong Sang Ah nonchalantly reached up to her hat, a faint smile curling on his lips. The opponent was from the Mo Yong family. Yet, he had the stature for her to come in person. He had earned his position as chief through cunning, and he was determined to maintain his dignity. "Alright, not like it's some precious face—what?" Tursan's mouth fell open. His head emptied as he contemplated using even a cheap trick in their power struggle. "Ah!" "Uh!" "Gasp!" The once noisy tent suddenly quieted, as if enveloped by a serene night. In the night sky, a brilliantly beautiful moon appeared. "Allow me to reintroduce myself. I am Mo Yong Sang Ah." His thoughts faltered. What was he going to say? His emotions evaporated. He felt breathless. The assembled Jurchens found themselves in awe, their thoughts halted by the sight of a woman they had never seen before. "Le-let us start the conversation." Struggling to regain composure, one finally managed to speak, everyone else still gazing blankly at her. — "It was an independent action. A clansman died to the Mo Yong family’s blade and, driven by rage, they lost their reason." Tursan's excuses mirrored those regarding the frontier village attack. He wasn't responsible. He couldn't control every clan member. He tried to evade apologies and prevent complications. "My men, too, might act independently out of fury." Predicting Tursan's excuses, Mo Yong Sang Ah replied with a cold stare. "Do you mean to wage war...!" "War?" To confirm she'd heard correctly, Mo Yong Sang Ah widened her eyes and stared at Tursan. "N-no, it's just an expression!" "In this very moment." Her movements became a blur. "Master!" "Are you seriously discussing war with the Mo Yong family?" Everyone realized Mo Yong Sang Ah was already right in front of Tursan. How? A sharp killing intent aimed squarely at Tursan. Her presence threatened his very life. "Ugh!" What nonsense. He couldn't move. Tursan groaned under the oppressive aura pinning him down. "Do you think mercy granted once will be offered again?" 'Am I being overwhelmed by a mere woman?' Tursan's eyes quivered uncontrollably. "How dare you threaten the chief!" An anxious guard reached for his weapon. "Draw your sword, if you want to test my patience." Mo Yong Sang Ah's ominous aura spread through the tent. The Jurchens in the tent realized they were not surrounding her, but rather, she was encircling them. "Didn't you come to negotiate...?" As the overwhelming pressure eased, Tursan, panting, inquired of Mo Yong Sang Ah, stripped of any earlier bravado. "It seems you have forgotten what legacy my family holds, simply because there was a momentary lapse in Mo Yong family's history. Fine. If you insist, I will remind you of my family’s name." "S-such…." One Jurchen tried to curse, but as Mo Yong Sang Ah's energy swept over him, his teeth chattered instead. Though the tent bristled with armed warriors, the only one with the authority to brandish a weapon was Mo Yong Sang Ah. "If you lack the courage to reveal your teeth, don't even think of barking." Her voice, sharp as an ice blade, cut through the Jurchens. They were left speechless, simply staring at her. Her appearance wasn't of this world. Yet, the notion of losing their lives to her crossed their minds. ‘Danghui.’ Her beautiful face veiled a hidden, ruthless sword. The Jurchens suddenly understood why she had earned such a nickname among the public. "Even with the Mo Yong family’s name, this dishonor–" Backing down wasn't an option. Tursan braced himself to resist. "If you're not willing to bark, wag your tail. Then I'll give you what you want." Mo Yong Sang Ah’s intentions weren’t simply intimidation. "What you want?" What she desired was unobstructed access to Seongmu Library. She wished the Jurchens wouldn't interfere. They wouldn't ally with the Mago sect. They would follow her lead. Mo Yong Sang Ah softened her oppressive aura slightly and proposed her terms to the startled Jurchens. "I’ll open a horse market for you." "A-a horse market?!" "Did you just say horse market?!" Her words left the Jurchens looking at her with bewildered expressions. "I can make possible a horse market that hasn't opened for decades." She nodded, emphasizing her offer. Their surprise was warranted. A horse market. Though it sounded like a mere marketplace, it effectively signified trade between Jurchens and the Central Plains. The Jurchens lived in one of the most barren regions of Liaodong. With scarce arable land, they struggled to procure even basic necessities, let alone grains. If a market, closed for decades, were to open, it would vastly improve their impoverished conditions. "Our number of horses is no small matter." Tursan skeptically questioned Mo Yong Sang Ah. "Do I appear to you as an ordinary person?" "……." Even the Jurchens knew that the woman before them wielded the greatest wealth in Liaodong Fortress. "Make your choice." Will you bare your teeth? Or wag your tail? Before Mo Yong Sang Ah entered the tent, some Jurchens had called for war. Faced with the promise of sweet profit, no one could resist bowing their head to Mo Yong Sang Ah. ---- "My lady, you truly endured a lot." On their way back from negotiations with the Jurchens, one of the Changbong captains spoke with a cheerful expression. "I've only just managed to grab the reins of a wild horse. It's too early to be complacent." "As you predicted, during the confusion, we scouted the enemy's main camp and found evidence of contact with Mo Yong Bi." "We were a step ahead." Thank goodness. We weren't too late. Mo Yong Sang Ah inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. "You are truly remarkable. To think you found a solution through a horse market that has stayed closed for so long. It was beyond what any of us imagined." "I simply didn't want to give a free handout to those who raid innocent people." The wealth that the merchants left behind was not something she could squander. Mo Yong Sang Ah spoke calmly. "By opening the horse market under our management, not only can we control the Jurchens, but we'll be able to augment our forces and profit from selling horses to the Central Plains." As long as they enjoyed the benefits of the horse market, the Jurchens wouldn’t dare attack the Mo Yong family recklessly. In fact, they’d be cautious. And there, the horses from other tribes fetched a high price in the Central Plains. To manipulate the Jurchens at will while profiting—what a masterstroke. The captain couldn't help but admire her strategy. "It will also be advantageous when we explore Seongmu Library in other regions." "I will instruct the merchants and their apprentices under our command. And also…" The captain looked at her with a slightly uneasy expression. "Is there something else you need to say?" "A message has come from Joseon."