683 - The Outcast Writer of a Martial Arts Visual Novel

The night in the mountains was so silent that even the sound of birds was absent. Si Wang and Un Woo Jin awoke to the sound of rustling. 'Is someone tossing and turning in their sleep?' Dawn was still far off. The desolate shrine was shrouded in quiet darkness. It was only natural. How did the black-haired man become the heir to the Mangum Battlefield? How was he acknowledged as the son-in-law by the Four Houses of Zegal? Even Si Wang didn’t know, but the shrine was an uncomfortable place for the Mangum Battlefield's heir to get a good night's sleep. *creak* The ill-fitting door groaned under sudden pressure. Someone seemed flustered, trying to open it quietly. 'Is he trying to escape?' Realizing the source of the commotion, Si Wang smirked internally. He was the heir to Mangum Battlefield. Could it be that his pride was hurt because he was used like a common laborer? Or was it simply too much for him? Could he really be trying to flee? Si Wang contemplated whether to stop him or not but soon decided against it. They weren’t bound by money or any contract. It was just a path shared for old time’s sake. There was no need to redden each other’s faces. Si Wang closed his eyes again. —— “The sun is up. Shall we get up now?” “……” Si Wang opened his eyes and couldn’t believe what he saw. Kang Yoon Ho, who had vanished during the night, reappeared, breathing heavily. Although Kang Yoon Ho quickly closed the door against the gust of cold wind, Si Wang’s bewilderment didn’t dissipate. “We haven’t had a meal since we got off the boat, have we? Let’s have breakfast together.” Kang Yoon Ho hurriedly placed something on the stove that had been lit the previous night. “Escape…” “What?” “Weren’t you trying to escape?” “Oh… So you heard the door last night! I woke up early and ran to the village we visited yesterday.” “……” So he went to get breakfast for both of them rather than flee? It was then that Si Wang realized that not only he, but Kang Yoon Ho as well, had not eaten and had been digging all day. It was no wonder they were restless. “Do you like chicken skewers? They’re grilled gently over the stove, so even the skin should taste good. If you don’t fancy meat for breakfast, there’s also delicious porridge.” “No breakfast for me.” “How about some tea then? It will warm you up on this cold morning.” Although Kang Yoon Ho’s offer for breakfast was declined, he didn’t mind and instead placed a kettle he’d brought from somewhere onto the stove. Since the kettle was small, the water boiled quickly. Kang Yoon Ho expertly poured the tea leaves into a cup and handed it to Si Wang. A warm tea to thaw out the body in the cold winter; even Si Wang found it hard to refuse. “That rascal, Geum Gui.” Si Wang had no choice but to accept the cup, watching Kang Yoon Ho bite into a chicken skewer. Reminded him of someone. “Yes?” Even after his refusal, Kang Yoon Ho seemed to find another way, as if he had expected it. Reject the breakfast offer, but there’s no immediate rush to depart. If you won't eat breakfast, you can still have tea and wait. One way or another, he’ll have his breakfast. Pretending to give other options while essentially ensuring things go his way. Si Wang was familiar with this approach. “It’s like he brought a spitting image of himself from his youth as his successor.” “… It would be better if you’d just scold me.” ** “This is the last village.” “Hwa Jeon Village? No, it’s the site of Hwa Jeon Village.” After breakfast, the place they hurried to was Hwa Jeon Village, which appeared abandoned and long deserted. “If there were any family to take care of, I wouldn’t have brought them here in the first place. This sunny spot seems good.” “Judging by the graves scattered around, something must have happened here.” There were no people, only unattended mounds scattered around, revealing past lives. “Running away to avoid taxes, wandering from starvation, and disappearing due to famine and epidemics—there's no shortage of such villages.” Quite right. Could it be that four people from my hometown all died in tragedy at once? It’s a sad truth, but it saved us some effort. “Si Wang Elder, may I ask for a favor?” “What do you mean?” “Could you cut some wood for me?” “I thought I made you a shovel yesterday.” “I’m planning to make a coffin.” “A coffin?” I nodded and showed Si Wang the items I had brought from the village at dawn. “While I was at the inn early this morning, I bought a hammer and nails as well. I’m not planning anything grand, just nailing planks together shouldn't be too hard.” “Didn’t you say it was enough to be buried in one’s homeland?” It’s true, but… ‘I should take this opportunity to make a favorable impression.’ This is a chance to forge a connection with the Unae Ten Immortals. It shouldn’t be squandered. Leaving a deeper impression than just being remembered as the guy who dug the ground would be preferable. ‘Heard that even in his youth, he traveled around the battlefield, burying the dead.’ There’s a way. He may seem annoyed, but he is currently burying corpses. It could be someone’s commission, but would someone commission a burial for those who couldn’t even afford a funeral? Would the Unae Ten Immortals act under someone else’s commission? It made sense to see it as a duty for a necromancer. ‘I’ll go with the theme of showing respect to the deceased.’ It’s all because I want to make a connection with the Unae Ten Immortals, not because I was shocked by being equated with Jang No-ya. “Haha! I’m afraid they’ll appear in my dreams. What if a zombie suddenly rises from the grave, asking why I didn’t put them in coffins and tries to devour me?” With a laughing face, I jested. “As long as they haven’t tasted human blood, it shouldn’t matter. Once they’re buried, their spirits will disperse.” “That’s a relief. Si Wang Elder…?” “Do as you wish.” Did I hit the mark perfectly? Before me, planks ideal for making a coffin were swiftly laid out. —— “It’s finished.” Perhaps thanks to my time wandering through the central plains doing manual labor, putting together a makeshift coffin wasn’t too difficult. Although digging the ground and placing the bodies in the coffins before burying them took time. “Let’s go.” “Could you wait a moment?” There was still one last surprise left. I pulled out a special item meant to earn favor with Si Wang from the bundle I'd brought from the inn. “A funeral litany?” This was a type of farewell address recited for the deceased during a burial. “I borrowed a brush and ink set from the inn at dawn to write it.” From breakfast to the hammer and nails to even the funeral litany. It was quite an effort since the early hours. “Reciting a funeral litany for someone who isn’t even family, what's the point?” A frown formed on Si Wang's forehead. Although I could have relented seeing his discomfort, I held my ground. “It doesn’t feel like someone else’s business to me.” Elder Si Wang. I've figured it all out. You helped with the cutting of the planks and paid attention while making the coffins. You pretend it’s bothersome, but I’ve noticed that you don’t dislike showing respect for the deceased. “Not someone else’s business?” Si Wang might think I’m just feigning empathy in front of him. He would be suspicious. So, let’s add some emotion to my gaze. “I was born and raised in the land of Joseon. Do you think I don’t know about yearning for one's origins? Yet, even if I return like those buried here, there would be no one to mourn for me.” “......” The idea of ‘yearning for one’s origins' from a foreign barbarian must be unfamiliar, right? I cannot return to being a teacher, a producer, a cult leader, a commander, or a master. Act out the yearning of one who cannot return. “Even if they’re not family, isn't there someone to send off the deceased? I thought I could at least pray for their peace.” Elder Si Wang, this is the sincerity with which I wrote this litany. Do you understand? “It’s a futile task.” “But didn’t you also burn paper money, Elder Si Wang?” “.....!” Would I have orchestrated this scene without reason? Though it took me a while to realize due to my surprise at your mastery of the exceptional flames yesterday, it was indeed paper money you burned for the deceased to use as fare in the afterlife. “Even in futility, there are tasks that someone must do. Since you brought a companion, consider it as doing a little more of the futile today.” Eventually, Elder Si Wang waited by my side while I recited the litany. —— Reciting the litany didn’t take long. Since they weren’t family, I kept it to a simple blessing for peace based on the current date. “Are you satisfied?” “I hope the deceased are satisfied.” “Hmm.” Elder Si Wang snorted as if dealing with a cheeky rascal. Nearly done, then. Is all that’s left just to finish a single task and head back? “Elder Si Wang, may I make one last request?” “What is it?” I smiled and held out a piece of paper. “Could you lend me some fire?” “......” “Traditionally, a litany must be burned, right? But there isn’t anything to— Oh!” The litany I had written was consumed by the exceptional flames. Elder Si Wang also withdrew more paper banknotes and incinerated them in kind. Fascinating. Indeed, it would have been regrettable to miss such a sight. “Once you’ve tidied up, come along.” “Pardon?” “I’ll go ahead.” Before I even had the chance to call out, Si Wang turned away. “Elder Si Wang? Elder Si Wang?! Are you leaving me behind in this mountain?” I should have known with that irritable demeanor. My cries only echoed back, and no response came forth. *** “You’re late.” The residence of the Mangum Battlefield Lord. A fortress, fortified with the magical barriers of the Jeagal family, not easily permitting any intruders. Jang Se Gwang, the Lord of the Mangum Battlefield, greeted the familiar visitor. “I came by, in case you had died, only to find you intact.” Si Wang, Un Woo Jin, concealed his disappointment as he spoke. “Heh-heh. If one has many desires, they learn how to live young. I’ve gained the greatest desire in my twilight years, so how could I cross the river of the underworld?” “Are you speaking of that person?” “What did you think?” Si Wang, Un Woo Jin, recalled the black-haired young man he traveled with for two days. Kang Yoon Ho, heir to the Mangum Battlefield. The evaluation didn’t take long. “He seems better than Geum Gui in his youth.” “Heh-heh.” It was an atypical compliment coming from Si Wang. The Lord of the Mangum Battlefield smiled satisfactorily, pleased with the generous assessment from an old acquaintance and part of the Unae Ten Immortals. “Are you asking me to take care of your successor after your demise? What kind of absurd request is that?” Si Wang raised his brow and broached the topic of his reason for coming to Mangum Battlefield. “I suppose the letter was mistakenly sent. Considering the original debt and interest, it didn't seem a bad request.” If something were to happen to him, how would he ensure the strength of his successor? One of the safeguard mechanisms he’d put in place was triggered by mistake, but the Lord of Mangum Battlefield seemed unconcerned. “If it was to eat and die, I wouldn’t have accepted it.” On the contrary, it was Si Wang who found himself caught off guard. “At our age now, whether we die from eating or not eating, it’s getting harder to guess what the actual cause would be, isn’t it?” “......” Si Wang was stunned into silence, feeling subtle irritation, but the old fox chuckled it off. “He wants to be remembered as someone who left behind people after they’re gone.” “Hmm?” “He may speak of dreams, but he expressed a desire to have his name remembered even after the passing of time, change in nations, and upheaval of worlds.” It wasn’t just talk; there was potential seen. The Mangum Battlefield Lord's lips curled upwards. “Your successor said that?” “If he has such ambition, I think it’s worth giving him everything.” “It’s all futile.” Such was the sentiment of someone standing at the edge of life’s end. “To stake one’s life on something so futile seems like what we both are doing, doesn't it?” “Geum Gui.” Was he trying to cross a boundary? Despite Si Wang’s warning, the Mangum Battlefield Lord remained unperturbed. “That’s what an old man's greed is. Even knowing how futile it is, one can’t give up. Things become more precious with the approaching end. Si Wang, I’ve finally found it.” “......” Si Wang looked into the eyes of the Mangum Battlefield Lord, which shone more brightly than ever. Despite the years etching wrinkles and gray hairs, those eyes were more radiant than ever. “By the way, I have no intention of altering the content of the letter.” “Geum Gui.” "I have prepared the prescription slips and medicinal herbs as before. Please take them with you on your way back. I hope you fulfill your desires in old age, Si Wang." Even after issuing a warning, he offers an option. Take it. There’s no intention of retracting the offer. If you wish to fulfill your desires, then continue associating with him to the end. How can his successor be so similar? "Tell that boy, if he ever finds himself in Hunan province, he should come by for a visit." In the end, Si Wang had to turn away, acknowledging that he couldn't win against such persistence.