Chapter 213 - The Outcast Writer of a Martial Arts Visual Novel

Chapter 213 - Reopening - 5 I, too, am frustrated. I received the Black Scroll from Mr. Wang of the cloth store in Qigong County, Hubei Province. Having grown familiar with him while working as a broker, he gave it to me. I would like to clarify everything from the beginning if only it were that simple. If it weren't for one reason. "I've taught you how to use the Black Scroll, so make good use of it, but never reveal where you got it from." His insistence on keeping the source of the Black Scroll vague was due to a promise I made to Uncle Wang. "Excuse me?" "Life's a breeze when all you look forward to is brunch. Don't want to mess with weirdos again." "What if someone asks where it came from? Shouldn’t I answer them?" "If you're going to talk, then return it." "Why would you say that? I'll take it. Then what should I say about how I acquired this?" "Don't worry. Most won't even ask and will just help you out. And if by chance someone does ask, just fudge the details however you like." "Mu Yeong Sin Tu is my sworn brother." As you instructed, Uncle Wang, I bluffed my way through. "Sworn brothers with Mu Yeong Sin Tu?" "Yes, indeed. After all, as his sworn brother, it'd make sense I received Mu Yeong Sin Tu's Black Scroll." Telling people how I got the Black Scroll would involve a lengthy explanation. I would have to recount how I became friends with the shopkeeper while working as a broker, and how we gossiped, went to saunas, dined, and drank together. And what would happen then? If it's the Haomen, they would eventually track down where Mr. Wang lives. I cannot break the promise I made to Uncle Wang. So, how should I overcome this situation? Sworn brotherhood. By invoking this almost magical relationship, I can excuse the reason for receiving the Black Scroll without needing a detailed explanation. This way, I can handle the current situation. Uncle. From now on, we're not just best friends; we're best brothers. Since you didn't explain the details to me, don’t complain later out of injustice. "What nonsense are you speaking... Where is Mu Yeong Sin Tu now?" "A hardship from the past, borne by my sworn brother. As his junior sworn brother, I have no plans to disclose anything to the likes of you who I've never met." The Haomen rebellion that occurred over ten years ago. The hint had already been given. Although I'm not sure how Mr. Wang is related, if he went into hiding after the incident, there must be a reason. I'm not privy to the details, but it’s possible that people from the rebellion are still around, and I can't trust the relationship they may have with these newcomers. Additionally, Mr. Wang might be implicated in the rebellion. Right now, I am the junior sworn brother of Mu Yeong Sin Tu. I have no intention of putting Mu Yeong Sin Tu in danger. It will serve as a good excuse if I need to provide an answer. "You say you're complete strangers. How long have I known that man!" Was that the reason you recognized the Black Scroll? Curiously, you did say that most people wouldn't ask about it, and yet here we are. What a coincidence. "The sworn brother has withdrawn from the martial world’s affairs. Therefore, I cannot share." Even if the branch leader has a close relationship with Mu Yeong Sin Tu, I have no intention of revealing anything. 'In Wuxia, the first to die is the one who reveals the identity of a reclusive master.' I do not know why Mr. Wang conceals his identity and lives in seclusion. Recklessly disclosing it could bring harm even to myself. "Do you really have no intention of revealing it?" "As his junior sworn brother, absolutely not." Even if I wasn't his sworn brother, I still wouldn’t reveal it. It is only proper to repay kindness with kindness. Mr. Wang has shown me kindness. In the central plains, hostile towards the barbarians with black hair, he provided me with the means to live a dignified life despite being no different from a beggar. I promised Mr. Wang. If revealing Mr. Wang’s whereabouts in front of these people could potentially put him in danger, then I would keep my mouth shut. Even though I’m not a hero from a martial arts story, as someone who writes about heroes, I have no intention of betraying my integrity. It is better to divert all the arrows towards myself by claiming to be his junior sworn brother. "You said earlier that you have an acquaintance and now you say you're sworn brothers?" "Would you so readily claim to be the junior sworn brother of a rooftop prowler?" Me, the sworn brother of a thief? Who would openly admit that? "Seems you’re flustered by the mention of Mu Yeong Sin Tu, and now you want us to believe that?" "I was aware that my senior brother once engaged in nightly endeavors in his youth, but I didn't know he held such a grand nickname." "Even as sworn brothers?" No. Precisely because we're sworn brothers, more so. "We connected, became indebted, and grew close, thus becoming sworn brothers. So how could I, as the younger, dwell on minor flaws or past mistakes of my sworn brother?" It's unsavory to persistently dig into someone's faults. Even worse to do that to one's sworn brother. Mentioning the sworn brotherhood justifies all the actions I had taken. "Do you expect us to believe all this now?" Could you just trust me a bit? Well, it'd be strange for them to bow down to me, exclaiming, "Ooooh. We didn’t recognize you, the junior sworn brother of Mu Yeong Sin Tu." But that's okay. "If you don't believe it, what will you do?" I have my justification as a sworn brother. I sat proudly in the chair, glaring at the branch leader. "What?" "Prove that I am not Mu Yeong Sin Tu's junior sworn brother." "What do you mean?" "I brought the Black Scroll, and its authenticity has been verified. I've declared my relationship with the owner of the Black Scroll. If you still doubt it, then the burden of proof is yours." "You brat! How dare you speak so insolently to the branch leader!" Seeing my brazen attitude, one of the Haomen members behind shouted. "Hey. When the adults are speaking, where do you get off interjecting?" "You are infuriated? But what are you going to do about it? I'm the sworn brother of Mu Yeong Sin Tu. If you have a better sworn brother, you can come at me. You got that?" "Quiet! So now, Director Kang Yoon Ho, you’re saying I should prove it to you in reverse?" "I’ve divulged everything I could. I am Director Kang Yoon Ho of the Dashagak, a distinguished guest of the Sacheondang family, and the junior sworn brother of Mu Yeong Sin Tu. If not, then prove it." I spoke with the brazen attitude of a madman who storms into a gangster's office unarmed. I have the justification. I have the backing. Don't mess with me carelessly. "... Now you insinuate a threat subtly. Hey, do you think you can act tough because I have been nice? This is Haomen. Interrogating a person is no big deal for us. Are you aware?" With disbelief, the branch leader threatened me with a veiled hint of murderous intent. Brandishing knives at every turn, issuing threats—this is why you can't deal with these people from the pugilistic underworld. "Go ahead, if you wish. But remember, you'll bear all responsibility for what happens afterward." Do you think I'll cower after having gone head-to-head with tigers on numerous occasions? As I stood my ground, the complexion of the branch leader subtly twisted. Are you troubled? If I truly am Mu Yeong Sin Tu's junior sworn brother, you might have poked the wrong person. Even more so, since the branch leader knows that I am a guest of the Tang family. They must be dreading the possibility of bearing the full brunt in the worst-case scenario. Eventually, lacking further arguments, the branch leader just engaged in a futile staring contest with me. "…Secret code." The pink-haired woman, who I knew to be Mu Yeong Sin Tu, had quietly been observing the situation and spoke up. "Secret code? What do you mean by that?" The branch leader, having been silent, turned to her and asked. "If he truly received the Black Scroll from that person, he would have been given the secret code." Does she know the secret code of the Black Scroll? Mr. Wang said he didn't know anyone else. If that's the case, it makes things easier. "A secret code? There's nothing like that with the Black Scroll." The branch leader asked her, apparently clueless. "This Black Scroll has one." She looked at the black Black Scroll with a complicated expression and spoke. "Do you know the secret code?" "Yes. Do you, Director Kang?" She answered and then turned to me with the question. "Try asking." As she looked squarely at my blatant face, she let out a small sigh and began to speak. "On a night without a single shadow of the moon." She gave me the first part of the secret code, the rhythm of a riddle. Luckily, it's something I remember. "For a single flower, I will send a guest." I naturally replied with the answer I knew. Mr. Wang must have told me to remember it just in case, possibly in anticipation of meeting Mu Yeong Sin Tu. She gaped at me with trembling eyes, unable to respond to my immediate answer. What's wrong? Did I remember it incorrectly? "... Let it be. He's right. He received the Black Scroll from that person." ------------- "I shall take my leave." Eventually, I managed to extract an apology before leaving. It's truly difficult to get out of Haomen's clutches. "That settles a debt." As she walked out of Haomen with me, she spoke gruffly. "I'm truly grateful. But by any chance, are you his family?" I asked her, though I already knew the answer, just in case. "Do you know me?" Just as I thought. Mr. Wang. When you were doing well, was it Mu Yeong Sin Tu that was born to one of the courtesans? "Indeed. I have heard that he has a daughter. Considering the similarity in hair color and the fact that you recognized the Black Scroll, I suspected as much. Thank you, Miss Ha Yeon." I called her by her name and once again gave her a respectful greeting. "That man... seems like he hasn't forgotten. And you should not casually address a courtesan by her homeland name." Is their relationship not good? I can sense an unpleasant atmosphere from her, although I don't know the details of their relationship. "Then please share with me your given name." The name before becoming a courtesan is called the 'homeland name.' Since it's the name before she became a courtesan, perhaps it isn't to be casually used. "A runaway courtesan... Call me whatever you please." "Well then, I'll address you as Du Yingxiang." I joked with a smirk on my face. "... Just call me Im Ha Yeon." "Im Ha Yeon?" That's the real name I'm familiar with, but is 'Wang' an alias for Mr. Wang? "I have never used that man's surname." Im Ha Yeon seems to have caught on why I’m surprised, and she responded to me with a frown. Not having received the surname because she wasn’t a legitimate child of a married woman? Or perhaps it is deliberately not used. "Though it may be mere coincidence, to think I'd help the daughter of my sworn brother—it feels quite like fate." Truthfully, I helped her because I recognized that she was Mu Yeong Sin Tu. It’s like a Korean finding their countryman in the central plains of China, I remarked with an astonished expression. "The prospect of having a connection with that man doesn't thrill me." She’s rather hard to please. "I am delighted, though." "…" As I smiled and spoke, she looked at me, speechless. Wait a moment. Considering Mr. Wang as my sworn elder brother, Im Ha Yeon would then be his daughter. Suddenly, a bright idea flashed through my mind. "I'm aware that you are in a predicament." I prefaced my words carefully, hinting at the intention to speak. "And your point is?" "I owe a great debt to my sworn brother. As his junior, I simply cannot overlook the troubles of his daughter." Having fabricated a relationship, I might as well craft even better connections. Whether she needs help or not is uncertain, but the door to a potential main heroine should always be left open. Therefore. "If ever you need assistance, knock on the doors of Dashagak at any time. As the junior sworn brother of your father, I'll always be awaiting." For the time being, I'll cast this sweet bait.