685 - The Outcast Writer of a Martial Arts Visual Novel

"What is lacking...?" In a room filled with a piercing chill and the scent of incense, a sigh escaped the lips of the elderly necromancer. Despite his youthful appearance, his eyes revealed the wear and tear of a lifetime's turbulent experiences, clearly showing his true age. "Answer me. What is it that you still lack?" With a breath turning to visible vapor, the old man looked straight ahead. An ice coffin. Neither wood nor stone comprised this coffin, but transparent ice with a bluish tint. The source of the room's overwhelming cold loomed before the elderly necromancer. "I've given my all. I've done everything I could! Why do you not respond?" There was no answer. Onaesipjon. To Si Wang and Eon Woo Jin's question, he received nothing but a bone-chilling frost. Si Wang recalled a recent conversation, filled with frustration. 一 Committing one's life to something futile is the same for us both. "Is it truly futile? Are you saying it’s merely my foolishness?" Futility and vanity. Words he often spoke. He knew. The endeavors he had dedicated himself to were futile. Yet. 一 That is the nature of an old man's greed. Even if it's futile, it's something he cannot abandon. Something that becomes even more precious as the end approaches. It was not something he could let go of. "Is it merely an old man's greed?" Call it an impossibility, stubbornness, or greed. It doesn't matter. It is a challenge to the impossible. The arrogance of a man named Si Wang. An achievement that can never be attained. Say what you will. It is something he will never give up on. 一 Si Wang. In the end, I found it. In Si Wang's mind, the face of the one who had truly achieved the unattainable surfaced. A gaze that only those who chased but hollowness and futility, could recognize. A smile achieved by one who did not give up. "I can't give up yet. I can't just sit down like this." Even if they call it foolish old greed. Si Wang, Eon Woo Jin, tightened his lips and turned away. "Wait for me. I will surely..." The ice coffin exuding a biting cold could not bid farewell to the old man whose resolve was set. *** "Huuu! I smell a lady's scent. And it's the scent of an unrivaled beauty!" "What are you talking about?" The city center of Hunan Province. Zhangsha. Having traveled upstream along the Yangtze River and then south along its tributary, the Xian River, we arrived at this land. After a journey that was neither too short nor too long, I stretched and shot a glare at Gil San. "This is Hunan Province! Dongting Lake! A scenic site known for over a thousand years! A land overflowing with beauties!" "Meaning there are many pleasure districts along Dongting Lake." Hunan Province is a renowned tourist destination boasting history and tradition. Known for the Zhangjiajie esteemed as a popular travel spot among the elderly, Hunan also boasts the praised Dongting Lake, acclaimed by the genius poet Du Fu, celebrated as the sage of poetry in central history. "They're the same. Having many pleasure districts means competition is fierce. If not filled with talented and beautiful women, it’d be tough to do business, right?" "No wonder you looked hopeful since we decided to head to Hunan." I wondered why he readily agreed to join me. "You're the one who told me to learn about the fieldwork, right? I'll go around the pleasure districts, leaving my mark and try to charm them quietly. Who knows? I might end up on a boat ride with a courtesan, watching the sky and suddenly feeling a connection that makes the boat sway. Don't you think?" Gil San, what kind of indecent movements are those for a place where people pass by? "You'll end up capsizing the boat." "Well, if you have three wives onboard, it might tip over." "..." This guy seems to only be improving in his sharpness lately. "Where are we headed now?" "Let's head to Mangum Exchange, Zhangsha Branch." We're here to expand business; seeing the work site should come first. —— Mangum Exchange has even expanded into Zhangsha, the capital of Hunan Province. Though the business scale is small compared to Hubei Province, it lends money to Si Wang, so they must have been operating for quite a while. "Welcome. Young Master Kang. We've been expecting you." Upon arriving at the Zhangsha branch, a familiar face greeted me warmly. "Woon Yeop. You arrived ahead of me." This was Jeon Woon Yeop, the deputy manager of Mangum Exchange, who swore loyalty to me during the Baekmyeonhori incident. Since we decided to expand, I filled Hunan Province with my people, from Woon Yeop and Gil San to talents recruited from the Korean Association, even those linked to Jang Noya. "Isn't it modest compared to Wuhan?" Smiling bitterly, I looked around in response to Woon Yeop's question. Indeed, compared to the expansive Mangum Exchange in Wuhan, the Zhangsha branch in Hunan Province resembles a countryside cooperative in scale. "I heard the stories but didn't expect it to be like this." "Even if Mangum Exchange does well, this is Hunan Province. Still, somehow we manage to pay the employees on time." "What about setting up the bookstore?” Fortunately, Mangum Bookstore had branched into Hunan Province as well. Of course, Mangum Bookstore's situation wasn’t much different from the Zhangsha branch. "Orders have been made for the renovations and expansions of Mangum Bookstores in Hunan. However, there's a small problem." "A small problem?" "Being a bookstore café, we're supposed to sell refreshments, but we haven't received permits from the authorities." "Why not? That’s not a particularly difficult matter." "It seems we're facing resistance from various quarters." "It's not easy from the start." One province here is larger than the entire Korean Peninsula. They're adjacent areas. The difficulty of doing business is akin to the automobile industry in neighboring countries. Just as domestic cars struggle abroad and foreign cars struggle in Korea, similarly, when encroaching on a well-set business area, no one hesitates to engage in fierce struggles to protect their turf. I didn't expect they'd pick on even the café bookstore transformation. "Perhaps rumors about the café have spread. We thought bribing the officials would suffice, but the pressure from higher-ups seems intense." "We need someone who can pull strings high up." "We're at a loss about where to begin." Even with Woon Yeop being a capable talent, seeing him in such a predicament was unexpected. Despite trying every angle, was there truly no solution? Fine. In situations like these, the boss has to step up. "I might as well proceed with the introductions, so it's time to take action." "Are you planning to go somewhere specific?" "I'll visit the Eon family in Jinju." While Jang Noya's core business was Mangum Exchange, for me, Dasogak was key. I can't stand by idly and not make a move as soon as I arrive. The Eon family of Jinju is a martial arts household in Hunan Province. Surely, they can help resolve this issue. "What...?" "You're not thinking of asking Siwang Eorishin for a favor, are you?" Gil San asked, aghast. "Since Siwang has stepped back from frontline duties, I should make connections with the head of the family instead." An appeal to a retired former leader would go something like this: “Dear retired chairman, would you trouble yourself with a seventh-grade bureaucrat who’s blocking our bookstore permit?” Surely, that wouldn't fly. "Kang Gongja! This is a martial arts household. The head of the Jinju Eon family isn't someone you can meet so easily." "I'm aware that martial artists are not simple folks." "The head of the Eon family is renowned in Hunan for his unbending character. He is not one to entertain requests like these." "Which makes it all the more worthwhile if he decides to support me in setting up a business in Hunan." "That is true, but..." "Are you really going recklessly?" I nodded as I put on the black straw hat I've favored since my days as a merchant. I checked the reassuring stack of documents in my possession. Difficult to get an appointment? No matter. I have my methods. "I've got a way that only I can employ right now." Grinning confidently, I turned around. — Jinju Eon family. A prestigious martial arts household representing Hunan Province. Although it fell slightly short compared to the vast diaspora of the Zhegal family, who boasted over a millennium of history, it undeniably flaunted the might befitting a martial arts family. A man in ragged appearance arrived at the gate of the Eon family estate. "Halt." "Is this the Eon family of Jinju?" A man wearing a unique, black straw hat not typically seen in Zhongyuan was, of course, me, Kang Yunho. "Who are you?" "I've come from Hunan to seek an audience with Siwang Eorishin. Could you relay this message?" I removed my black straw hat, revealing my face to the guards. "A foreigner?" Just as expected, the guard's face contorted with displeasure. "My name is Kang Yunho from Wuhan. Is Siwang Eorishin inside?" "Get lost. He doesn't have time to meet the likes of a foreigner." A predictable response. Imagine a black-haired foreigner seeking an audience with Hanaesipjon. What's more, Siwang Eorishin was the former head of the Eon family. They must be feeling as if some random outsider showed up uninvited to request a meeting with a retired honorary chairman. "If you say I'm the black-haired man from Wuhan, he'll know. Won't you please convey my message?" Of course, I had no intention of backing down. I calmly repeated my request to the guard. "Hah! And what connection do you suppose this black-haired fellow, like you, has to Siwang?" "What is going on here?" "Some black-haired guy says he wants to meet Siwang Eorishin." "Sigh... why do we keep getting these kinds of people every single day." The other guard, seemingly used to this routine, sighed deeply with a hand on his forehead. "Indeed, why is that." The Mangum Exchange advised me to forge connections here for a reason. Onaesipjon—whether martial artists could merely exchange words with them or obtain just a smidgen of guidance; doing even those constituted a tremendous stroke of fortune. It seemed like others in my situation had been frequent visitors too. Good. I shamelessly smiled and elbowed my way through the guards. “I’ve come from far, so I'll wait inside. Just pass on the message, please." Please stop me. Deliberately, I mean. "Oh! This dirty foreigner! Where do you think you're going?" Naturally, a long journey by ship meant I hadn't bathed properly. A dirty, ill-smelling black-haired foreigner. A lowly vagabond no less wearied. Wouldn't they feel obligated to stop me? “Ugh!” Right on cue, I rolled to the ground. Felt lacking, so let’s add two more rolls. "Kang Gongja!" "What’s with him? A gongja?" Just as prepared, both Woon Yeop and Gil San hurried over from a distance. "The world’s truly going downhill. A black-haired person calling themselves a gongja." "They’ll regret it.” Gil San took a glance at my state and sneered at the guards. “What are you blabbering about! Do you think you have a choice but to leave?" "If you’re managing entry, you should’ve noticed something by now. Go and tell them. That we came from Mangum Exchange." "What? Where? Ma-Mangum Exchange?!" With a slight nudge from Gil San’s toe, I dusted off the dirt and looked at the guards, astonishment clearly adorning their faces. Don’t judge by appearance alone, as I deserve some attention. ‘I wouldn’t have claimed an acquaintance without reason.’ Though the head of the Eon family may not plushly entertain requests, Siwang Eon Woo Jin and Mangum Junju Jang Se-gwang shared a longstanding relationship. "If Siwang Eorishin isn't there, could you at least tell your head that the heir from Mangum Exchange of Hubei Province is here?" If your warriors have been discourteous to said heir, shouldn't someone be out here to apologize?