The Outcast Writer of a Martial Arts Visual Novel

I needed time.

If we followed the Changryongdae of the Moyong Family and left now, we couldn’t complete the plan.

I had to find a way to delay it further.

To do that, I had to become the rogue, Kang Yun-ho.

“What, what is it?”

As I stood in front of the young Changryongdae warrior with an angry look, he opened his mouth in confusion.

“What is it? So, what do I look like to you?”

“I know you as Master Kang Yun-ho.”

“No, no. You think I look like a barbarian.”

“No, that’s not it.”

“What do you mean, no!”

“Master Kang, one of our warriors made a small mistake…”

The troop leader tried to intervene, but I raised my hand to stop him.

“Troop leader. Should I delve into your use of ‘small mistake’? Or should I let this guy continue? Huh?”

I finished strongly and informally.

“…… Please continue.”

“Hey, swordsman.”

I glared at the young warrior of the Moyong Family.

“Yes.”

“What does your father do?”

Starting a quarrel always began with investigating the opponent. I needed to know if I was dealing with someone beyond my level.

“Excuse me?”

The warrior looked puzzled, wondering why I was asking about his father.

“What does your father do!”

I yelled loud enough to shake the inn. I wanted to find out if his father was a thug. People started looking over as I shouted.

“He runs a pharmacy in Liaodong.”

Good. He wasn’t a thug.

“A pharmacy? Hey. Every pharmacy owner in the Central Plains grovels to the Koreans to get their hands on Korean ginseng. If I’m a barbarian, then what’s your father, a barbarian’s lackey?”

“Please don’t talk about my father.”

The warrior’s face hardened at the mention of his parents. What would he do now?

“Right. What fault does your father have? He worked to the bone to raise such a son. Worked hard to teach you, but you, wielding a sword, put all your strength into your shoulders and behaved poorly.”

This racist brat. Acting uncultured!

“Stop it.”

The warrior barely let out a voice, trying to contain his anger. But I didn’t care.

No matter what I said, he couldn’t touch me. Who would dare to mess with the eldest son of the Kang family?

“Oh, scary. So scary. Hey, you’re a barbarian for not following the laws of the Central Plains, and ignorant of the rites, you’re a true barbarian. Even Mencius said that a barbarian can become a sage through study. But you, a Central Plains man, don’t know the rites and manners, so you’re nothing but a barbarian. Right?”

I hadn’t even learned this, but it was in my head. Kang Yun-ho’s father had beaten him, saying he wouldn’t be treated like a barbarian if he studied.

Suddenly, everyone in the inn’s dining room was looking our way.

“Hmph!”

“You uncultured brat. Ill-educated. Ah! Maybe you don’t even know the Thousand Character Classic? Do you know how to write ‘heaven’ and ‘emperor’? No, no. Maybe you can’t even write a single character. Shall I teach you?”

The young warrior’s nostrils flared.

“Upset, aren’t you? Angry, right? Why provoke anger then?”

“I’m not angry. I’m not upset by a child who only nags like a little girl.”

The warrior glanced at the sword at my side.

Was he provoking me? Asking me to draw my sword?

I didn’t want to, damn it.

I couldn’t handle a sword.

Why should I fight in a situation that was advantageous for him?

“Right, I’m a child. That’s why I’m marrying Miss Sang-ah of your family to become an adult. Haha.”

I made a gesture with my hands in front of my waist and shook it.

I was planning to do this with your idol, Sang-ah.

The problem was, I was fated to die stabbed by a sword before climbing the stairs to adulthood.

“Gasp!”

The warrior suddenly put his hand on the hilt of his sword with a clenched mouth. Oh. Damn, was I screwed?

Wasn’t I supposed to mention the Moyong Family’s idol, Sang-ah?

Fortunately, he had enough sense left not to draw the sword. Lucky. Damn. That was close.

No, no, now I had to turn the tables.

“Hey! Where did your hand just go?”

“That was… There was no other meaning.”

“Ha. Troop leader. This guy just tried to stab me, right?”

“It’s a terrifying thought, but yes. I sensed murderous intent.”

That was a close call. These guys really were the door to my afterlife.

“Apologize quickly!”

The troop leader urged the warrior hastily.

“I’m sorry.”

“Sorry? Sorrrrrry?”

I brought my face close to the warrior’s. Our noses touched. The warrior’s eyes trembled helplessly.

“Hey.”

I spoke in a low voice, up close.

“Yes.”

“If you’re sorry, keep your hands still from now on. Got it? If you move, you’re screwed, and so are we all.”

“Yes? Yes.”

Slap!

I immediately slapped him.

“Gasp!”

“Gasp? It’s not over yet! You brat!”

I continued slapping him relentlessly.

In this tense atmosphere, no one in the inn could eat; all eyes were on us.

The inn was quiet, with only the sound of slaps echoing like drumbeats.

“Pant, pant.”

I grew tired from slapping him repeatedly. Kang Yun-ho, you have terrible stamina. If I survive, I need to build my strength.

“Master. Let’s stop here.”

The troop leader quietly tried to stop me, hearing me pant.

“It’s not over yet. Hey, take these chopsticks.”

I threw the chopsticks on the table at the warrior. The warrior caught them with his right hand.

“Right, you’re right-handed? Troop leader, cut this guy’s right hand off cleanly and wrap it up.”

I’ll say it again, I can’t use a sword. Just wrap it up.

As I said this like a psychopath and turned around.

“Master, please forgive him now.”

The Changryongdae troop leader, with a hint of intimidation, spoke in a low voice.

“Forgive? Troop leader, what did this guy say to me?”

Somehow, the barbarian comment was now directed at me, but it was not the time to correct that.

“He said something unspeakable. We will lock him in the punishment chamber for a hundred days once we return to the main house. Please calm your anger.”

“Troop leader. His name was Moyong… what was it?”

You’re not worth remembering. That was the nuance of my words.

“Moyong Jinsu.”

“Yes, Moyong Jinsu. You’re also from the Moyong family, right?”

“I am, though from a distant branch.”

“But here’s the thing. I’m the direct descendant of our family, the one destined to marry Miss Moyong Sang-ah. And you call such a person a barbarian? Huh? A barbarian? Is this just about me being insulted? No. This insults the honor of both our Kang family and the Moyong family, into which I am marrying. Do you understand?”

“…….”

How could words spoken to another group be twisted into insulting two families? The troop leader’s face showed disbelief, but if I said it was so, then it was.

“So. I’ll forgive you for one arm. Does that sound expensive?”

Is the honor of your Moyong family so cheap? That might have been the implication.

“…….”

The troop leader was at a loss for words.

“Understood. Troop leader, bring that guy’s arm wrapped up.”

“Yes, I understand.”

The troop leader smiled weakly and immediately drew his sword.

“Troop Leader! Troop Leader!”

The warrior called out tearfully for the Changryongdae troop leader.

“Master Kang.”

“Hm?”

Thud!!!

The Changryongdae troop leader knelt down with enough force to shake the ground. Oh… Then he bowed his head.

“I’m sorry! The responsibility of the Changryongdae is mine. The crime of insulting the Kang and Moyong families—it’s all my fault! I’ll enter the punishment chamber along with the warrior who spoke those words! Please forgive our mistake!”

Wow, look at that spirit. The troop leader was apologizing as if he were willing to prostrate himself on hot coals.

“Just you are sorry?”

I glanced over at the other Changryongdae members who were watching.

Thud!

Thud!

Thud!

[[[[[We are sorry!!]]]]]

All the Changryongdae members knelt and bowed their heads.

“Fine. I’ll let it go this time. We’ll rest at the inn today and see you tomorrow.”

With that, I went to my room, observing the apologies from Changryongdae and the smiles of our group.

Ah, making time for planning is hard.

“Master, it’s Dolsoe.”

Dolsoe came to my room in the inn soon after I had settled in.

“Come in.”

“Hey! Our Master!”

Dolsoe, beaming from ear to ear, entered with a bottle of alcohol in one hand.

“What’s up, man?”

“Do you know how satisfied everyone is? People who were harassed on the way here said they could drink without any side dishes after seeing what just happened.”

“That’s good to hear.”

Even though my actions were intended to buy time, they had the added benefits of winning people’s favor.

“I came to offer you a drink on behalf of everyone. Would you like some?”

As Dolsoe shook the bottle, I could hear the sound of the liquor sloshing inside.

“Forget it. Tomorrow we’ll be at the Moyong Family.”

“Oh… You were drunk at the engagement, but this time it’s different.”

“If you keep spouting nonsense, you can leave.”

“Ah! Please take this.”

Just as I was about to dismiss Dolsoe, he rummaged in his sleeve and produced a small pouch.

“What’s that?”

“What do you mean? It’s the ring you ordered. When I told the craftsmen we were visiting the Moyong Family, several of them came together and finished it in one day.”

I accepted the pouch, opened it, and saw a beautifully crafted silver ring.

Good. I’m not too late.

With this, I can maintain plausibility.

But the book I wrote and this ring alone won’t suffice.

“Dolsoe.”

“Yes, Master.”

“When we get to the Moyong Family tomorrow, do not come inside.”

“Excuse me? What do you mean?”

“Don’t attend my wedding.”

“No, Master! What grave mistake have I made to deserve this?”

In Dolsoe’s eyes, I saw confusion and concern.

“I can’t reveal the details, but it’s critical. Do not enter. Instead, procure the items on this list by tomorrow night.”

“But we’ve traveled so far…”

I’m doing this to protect you.

Before inhabiting Kang Yun-ho’s body, Dolsoe was one of his few friends.

If my plan succeeds, excellent. However, if it fails, the Kang family’s entourage might perish.

“Here are some gold coins I had set aside for travel expenses. Additionally, this note specifies what else you need to acquire, including where and when to prepare it.”

I extracted a pouch and handed him a substantial sum of gold coins. One gold coin could sustain a family of four for a month. In a world dominated by martial arts, the use of gold coins over copper or silver struck me as peculiar.

“Are you certain I should not be present, Master?”

With a troubled expression, as if he genuinely believed he had erred, Dolsoe appeared concerned.

“Keep any remaining funds from the gold coins.”

“…What does my absence at the wedding matter? Haha. I’ll do my utmost!”

It was my wedding, yet Dolsoe merely chuckled. Right, kid. You understand what’s at stake.

“Leave before I reconsider. Should you require additional help, hire them. If the gold coins fall short, utilize the Kang family’s promissory notes.”

“Could there be any issues? Rest well!”

Dolsoe meticulously secured the gold coins and departed the room.

All right, preparations are complete.

Tomorrow, we journey to the site of the ultimate confrontation.