Chapter 196 - The Outcast Writer of a Martial Arts Visual Novel

Chapter 196 - The Main Mountain - 5 The lover of the disciple. Kang Yoonho was dragged to the Sacheondang Clan. Dan Seowol, the Red Butcher, could not hide her dismay upon hears the news that had flown in from Uichang. Salsim, the den of assassins, wasn't an intelligence organization like the Beggar Sect that opened its doors to the lowlife or the Haomun where the lower dregs of life gathered. Even though Kang Yoonho was the lover of Number 5, Cheon Salseong, one of the top-class assassins, they did not keep constant watch over him. It's a waste of manpower to manage the love affairs of assassins. Nevertheless, they were supposed to be contacted for important matters. That’s the only arrangement Dan Seowol had made with the head of the Salsim branch in Uichang. "Dragged away because he wrote a novel involving the Sacheondang Clan. Why?" Seowol came to understand the cause and the result of her disciple's lover being taken, but the question "Why?" would not stop echoing in her mind. After all, a writer is a scholar, a respected entity regardless of the era. Since ancient times, if ruffians armed with swords caused trouble for those stained with ink, neither the people nor the officials would look upon it kindly. Troubling a scholar with such a low profile should warrant circumspection, yet to apprehend a popular writer in Uichang? Even if the Sacheondang Clan boasted tremendous influence, claiming to be the dominant power of Sacheon Province, this was strange. No, it was even more bizarre precisely because it was them. One of the martial families known as the pillars of the orthodox factions, alongside the Nine Great Factions – the Sacheondang Clan. Famous for valuing their reputation as a part of the orthodox faction, they had taken a writer? Seowol was well aware of how the Sacheondang Clan guarded against being pointed at with fingers of scorn, which made the whole affair even more perplexing. “This is serious.” It was expressed as being 'dragged away,' not 'taken in for a visit.' This implies that despite the risk of tarnishing their reputation and prestige, they still decided to take him away. “If the disciple finds out, she will not stand idly by.” Should she pass on the news? Seowol thought of her disciple, who, as a female assassin, had left the headquarters of Salsim and returned to being a woman. She unquestionably wouldn’t stay quiet upon hearing this news. “This could turn her into the true Cheon Salseong.” The child who grew up devoured by the intent to kill and feared losing herself. That very disciple had finally found a glimmer of hope to overcome her fate. How could she not fall in love with a man who knew her childhood self, a neighborhood brother to play with, a man with the destiny to be a villain - heaven-sent, one might say. What if the disciple's lover perished? Seowol imagined for a moment her disciple losing her perfect match and abandoning all hope, consumed by killing intent to set the world ablaze. Should I burn this report? If she burned the news and feigned ignorance, even if later blamed, she could perhaps enjoy a transient peace. “What’s this?” Seowol’s dilemma only ceased after she laid eyes on a single line of letter tucked inside the report envelope. It was the letter Kang Yoonho wrote to Cheon Sohee before he left Uichang. ------------ "Yukiko! I believe I've found a successor who can completely assimilate the art of seduction you've learned from Dongyeong!" Yukiko greeted Cheon Sohee with a satisfied smile, having finished her training. "It doesn't seem to have helped much." Sohee replied in an unenthusiastic voice. Although Yukiko's seduction techniques differed from the vulgar flirtations she had imagined, they also deviated from the conventional allure she had anticipated. She had cooperated due to Yukiko's pressure and mood, considering that perhaps training within Salsim might be better. That's what Sohee thought privately. "With what you've learned for the first time, how can you tell! Next time, even if a stunning woman shows up, I'll prepare something to ensure your childhood friend's eyes are on you—the renowned kunoichi garb of the Shiranui style from Dongyeong!" Yukiko, undeterred by Cheon Salseong's lukewarm reaction, excitedly suggested what outfit she should wear next time. Sohee let Yukiko's fussing enter one ear and out the other, heading towards Dan Seowol's personal training grounds. "Have you arrived?" Dan Seowol spoke, looking at the two who had reached her private training ground. "Master Seowol! What's happened?" Yukiko asked, puzzled by the somber look on Seowol's face. "A letter has come from Uichang." Seowol gazed at her disciple with a concerned expression before speaking. "Oh! Could it be from the man of Number 5?" "Yes, it’s an urgent letter from the disciple's husband." With practiced ease, Seowol retrieved a small communication from between her generous bosoms. "Give it here." Cheon Salseong moved towards her master to reach for the letter, with such swiftness that no expert could have noticed her approach. Missing Seowol's motions would have been enough even once. She swiftly hid the letter back between her cleavage to evade her disciple's hand. "Why?" Salseong asked, her eyes filled with bewilderment. "If you promise not to act rashly upon reading this letter, then I will show it to you." Worry was apparent in the solemn look Seowol gave to her student. A dilemma had reached its end, and she had decided to inform her pupil. Yet the matter was too grave. The disciple could be shaken by the news. She needed to prepare her disciple's heart first. "Alright." As the disciple nodded slightly, Seowol handed her the letter. Sohee suppressed the turmoil within as she carefully opened the letter from her brother. 一 I've been taken to the Sacheondang Clan due to a novel I wrote. If you lose track of me, seek my whereabouts at the clan. "According to reports, he was dragged away for writing a novel related to the Sacheondang Clan." Seowol soberly relayed the information she had received to her disciple. "I will go." There was no moment of hesitation. Sohee immediately turned around. "That’s not possible." "No, it’s not!" Yukiko blocked Sohee's path, and Seowol restrained her shoulder with a stern voice. "Let go." "No! Do you realize what the Sacheondang Clan is capable of!" The Sacheondang Clan. Even the Amitabha and Blue Dragon factions, heavyweights of the martial community, when counting deep martial arts knowledge, would willingly concede in terms of influence within Sacheon Province. The master of Sacheon Province. Sacheondang Clan. Even if Salsim as a whole were to contend with them, they would be called foolish, and yet she intends to go there. Yukiko spread her arms to block Cheon Sohee's way. "I am not susceptible to the Sacheondang Clan's poison." Sohee declared confidently. Certainly, there was merit to her words. She was Cheon Salseong, endowed with a talent from the heavens. She possessed a natural resistance to poison, resistance from her training as an assassin, and the skill to expel deadly toxins with her Suratalmyeonggong. Although she might not have reached the realm of Mandokbulchim, invulnerable to all poisons, there was no denying she was the martial artist best equipped in Salsim to face the masters of the clan. "What about hidden weapons! If the clan just throws one at Number 5, he'll be turned into a pincushion!" "I'll just dodge them. Move aside. Or I'll cut my way through." "Ugh! Then cut if you must! Yukiko! It wouldn’t be a bad experience for a master to be sliced by their disciple!" Dan Seowol knew this would happen; her disciple's determination to head towards Uichang was palpable. Even she, the master, couldn’t dissuade her disciple. There was only one person who could. Seowol decided to speak the words she had prepared in advance. "Your brother might die." "That's why I'm going." Sohee didn’t even turn her head to her master when responding. "It could be because of you that he dies." Only then did Sohee turn her head and look at her master. "If you go to your beloved, it will certainly trigger your madness again. Even if you managed to save him, you would incur the clan's wrath, turning him into a fugitive for life." The Sacheondang Clan does not forget. The grudge of the Sacheondang Clan will find Cheon Sohee and Kang Yoonho wherever they run. "I’ll hide him in the Salsim." "Hide him in the Salsim for life? No, that won’t be necessary forever. If your husband does nothing for a few years, the outcome of your fate is as clear as daylight." Cheon Salseong, thanks to being a villain, had a reprieve from losing her sanity in her moments of killing intent. But that day would come eventually. For that day never to come, the villain must shine brightly. If she left now, all hope could be dashed. Seowol boldly touched upon the very thing her disciple feared most. As much as her disciple wanted to leave for Uichang, surely she wouldn’t easily dismiss her life-long fear. That’s what Seowol thought. But she, Cheon Sohee, Was no longer the Cheon Salseong of the past. "It is better for me to lose my mind than to witness my brother's death." Her voice was resolute. A momentary silence loomed over the training ground following her shocking statement, especially Seowol, who was unable to readily speak from the unexpected shock. What kind of man was Kang Yoonho, that he could change the priorities of Cheon Salseong? She wanted to see his face. A common thought passed through the minds of the stunned pair. "I'm going." Seowol could only regain her composure as her disciple moved to take a step. This was her last disciple. She couldn't let her go like this. "Then do you intend to betray your brother?" Seowol decided to play upon her disciple's beloved once more. "Betray?" "Read the letter again. Did your brother ask for help? No. He left the letter just in case he lost contact, so you wouldn't worry." It was true. Kang Yoonho did not wish for Cheon Sohee to come and rescue him. The reason he had sent the letter was to prevent Sohee from worrying if a crisis occurred. "……." Cheon Sohee could not counter her master’s words. "Your beloved promised to do his best for your sake. He left a letter so that you wouldn’t worry. But now, by going to him, do you intend to trust him so little that you'll turn all his efforts to naught?" "He might die." "My disciple. A promise is not something that is kept by one side alone. It requires trust from both sides. Do you not trust your brother?" "I trust him. But." "Then trust him until the very end." Cheon Sohee gazed into the eyes of her master who was firmly dissuading her. They weren’t the eyes of a master stringent in teaching her but those of a parent looking at their naïve daughter. Seowol read Sohee's hesitation and continued in a tender voice. "A good wife's virtue is to support her husband until the end." Seowol never dreamed she'd say such things to her, but she kept those thoughts to herself. Sohee’s eyes wavered. 'I want to go to my brother. But I shouldn't.' He might die. I want to save him. But would everything be resolved by going? Am I, perhaps, exacerbating the situation? I cannot discern the right choice. But if my brother dies, I’ll carry regret for life. Brother would look at me tenderly if I turned up. He wouldn't scold me but embrace me. Yet, from there, our fates would be sealed. Brother Yoonho will never regain fame, and I am headed towards a predetermined tragedy. "Although you may have more than enough skill to kill someone, you're still lacking when it comes to protecting them. So now it’s your turn to trust your beloved." When Seowol's gentle counsel resonated in Sohee’s ear, she bowed her head. I am weak and insufficient. I can't go to my brother although he’s in peril. I've received so much from my brother; yet I can offer him nothing in return. Trust is all I can give. Whether to protect brother or to handle the killing intent of Cheon Salseong, my abilities are far too lacking. "……I'm going to enter the training cave for closed-door cultivation for a while." Facing the direction of the Salsim, Sohee addressed her master. Closed-door cultivation. Closing and locking the door, cutting off all external contact, and focusing solely on training implied she was not leaving. "You've made a wise decision. Number 5!" Yukiko exclaimed with joy. "If…… after the closed-door cultivation, I haven’t heard from my brother." "Let's go to Sacheon together." "……I'll go to the training cave right away." If she delayed even for a moment, she felt as if she would head straight to Uichang. Sohee made her way to the training cave. --------------------------- "Wait for me." "I'll stay strong!" Sohee watched the two people close the door to the training cave. The closing gap of the door allowed starlight to shimmer through. Yet, Cheon Sohee soon shifted her gaze from the sky to her own hands. 一 Fate is not in the hands of heaven, but in your own. Her brother was, even now, this very moment, pressing forward to save both his fate and the fate of Cheon Salseong. The only things she could do at present were to trust her brother and to elevate her realm so as not to succumb to killing intent. "Brother Yoonho, stay strong." Cheon Salseong quietly murmured, hoping her voice would reach her distant brother. She would give her all. To trust her brother. To go into closed-door cultivation. If the door opens and news of her brother's misfortune is heard... then the Sacheondang Clan will face Cheon Salseong.