167

Chapter 167 - An Unexpected Encounter - 4

"Have you ever heard of it?"

As Cheong Woon showed a familiar reaction to Tanggapungun, one of the Righteous Faction members asked.

"I mistook it for a different novel for a moment. This is my first time hearing about Tanggapungun."

Cheong Woon slightly shook his head and looked at Tanggapungun. Though the word 'pungun' reminded him briefly of another novel with a similar title, Pungunhyeopgaekjeon, it was, indeed, a different book.

Pungunhyeopgaekjeon was a novel written by hand on coarse paper. In contrast, Tanggapungun was clearly printed with typeface on quality paper at first glance.

As Cheong Woon turned the first page of Tanggapungun, he saw the author's signature, Kang Yoon Ho's handwriting. The calligraphy seemed vigorous, as if expressing a man's longing for the life of a martial artist.

'It's not the handwriting from Pungunhyeopgaekjeon.'

Cheong Woon first compared it with the handwriting he knew from Pungunhyeopgaekjeon. However, it was different from the handwriting he had seen hundreds of times.

'I have never seen this handwriting before, but somehow it feels familiar.'

Though familiar, it was not the handwriting from Pungunhyeopgaekjeon.

A signature is just a signature. The hastily scribbled autographs he wrote for various people during his travels and the delicate calligraphy used in the novel while yearning for hope were bound to be different, but of course, Cheong Woon had no way of knowing that.

Feeling slightly disappointed with the thought that it might be something he knew, Cheong Woon contemplated. Where had he seen similar handwriting before? It was a novel and pen name he was seeing for the first time, he could only guess.

"If you read it, you will be thoroughly absorbed. It truly is a splendid story of martial artists."

One member of the Righteous Faction added a comment as the swordsman from the Wudang Clan keenly examined the novel like an avid reader.

"That's correct. It is a masterpiece that genuinely captures the essence of the Sichuan Tang Family. To think they were about to burn it."

"Did you really think I wanted to burn it?"

A novel praised by the people of the Sichuan Tang Family? Cheong Woon's curiosity was piqued. He wanted to read it right away. But if he went to the guest room, the lights would be out. Maybe he should read it for a bit by the fire and then go.

As the bookworm Cheong Woon was mulling over it, an unexpected conversation caught his ear.

"In particular, the final love scene with Sichuans' Foremost Beauty is a real masterpiece. It makes you exclaim that she truly is the Foremost Beauty of Sichuan."

"Man, what are you saying? Obviously, the rightful beauty is Hubeis' Foremost Singer, Dou Yingxiang."

"Ha! What did you say? That's why you have no eye for women!"

"What?! Are you done talking?"

Cheong Woon looked at the two men with a bewildered face. A love scene? That's something you'd expect in an erotic tale, not a martial artist's story.

"Tanggapungun, is it not a martial artist novel but rather an er...otic tale?"

It couldn't be. With a slight sense of foreboding, Cheong Woon asked the two men.

"Do you not know exactly what kind of novel this is?"

"Master Kang told me he wrote a novel about martial artists."

"That's right. The protagonist Tang Jeong of Tanggapungun is the greatest swordsman I've ever seen. However, this novel is indeed an erotic tale as well."

"What do you mean?"

A martial artist's story that is also an erotic tale? Cheong Woon could not understand what they were talking about.

"In Joseon, novels like Tanggapungun are called 'saekhyeopji'. It's a novel that includes lurid scenes among its stories of the martial world. Take a look for yourself."

The Righteous Faction member opened the latter part of Tanggapungun Volume 1, revealing the love scene between Tang Jeong and Sichuans' Foremost Beauty.

"What on earth is this…."

Descriptions such as 'juicy peach' and 'slender willow waist', along with sticky and dense portrayals unfolded before Cheong Woon's eyes.

"The best part is the scene involving her breasts. Let me see, where was it..."

"Ah, uh, that."

Feeling the heat rising to his face, which had cooled off in the chilly breeze, Cheong Woon's expression turned hot once again.

"Showing such things to a practicing Daoist, is that appropriate?!"

"Oh, my apologies."

One of the Righteous Faction members, seeing this, scolded his comrade, and the member who was flipping through the book hastily closed it.

"Tanggapungun is an erotic tale..."

A shadow fell across Cheong Woon's face.

"The erotic scenes are there, but it's really entertaining. If you're okay with it, I'll give it to you."

The Righteous Faction member again offered Tanggapungun to Cheong Woon. But this time, Cheong Woon was reluctant to accept the book.

A small diversion for the young Daoists might be acceptable. However, Cheong Woon was a Daoist of the Wudang Clan, who had come out into the martial world to pursue the life of a swordsman.

For a Daoist of the Wudang Clan to be seen with an erotic tale would be like showing a monk who has gone begging, reddening his face as he enters a courtesan's house.

"I do not read books that could hinder my practice. I'm sorry."

Cheong Woon bowed in refusal and returned to his room.

Betrayal filled the expression of Cheong Woon as he entered the room.

************

When I awoke and opened my eyes, I saw Cheong Woon Sohyeop staring intently at me.

"Did I oversleep?!"

In a rush, I sat up and asked Cheong Woon Sohyeop. Had I woken up too late? Cheong Woon Sohyeop already seemed to be neatly dressed in his Daoist robe, ready to leave at any moment.

Looking at the sunlight streaming through the window, it was still early morning.

"No, you haven't."

Cheong Woon Sohyeop's voice carried a sharpness as he denied. What now? Did I snore in my sleep? I don't snore, though.

"Then why?"

It's like suddenly waking up in the middle of a lecture to find the teacher staring at you angrily, wondering how much longer you plan to sleep during his lesson.

"You lied to me."

"Lied to you?"

What is he talking about? I am not some heroine for Cheong Woon Sohyeop to lie to. If it's nothing serious, I would like to sleep ten more minutes.

"Tanggapungun."

Cheong Woon Sohyeop's single remark made my lingering sleepiness crash down like a Dempsey roll.

"Ahahaha."

Ah, that? I didn't lie. Just omitted some truth. I laughed awkwardly.

"It's an erotic tale, isn't it."

"Have you read it?"

I glanced around Cheong Woon. Tanggapungun was nowhere to be seen; had he found out about it elsewhere?

"I happened to glance over while the Tang family members were burning unnecessary stuff in the middle of the night."

After evaluating the situation, I had to think hard right from the morning.

Did he only check and confirm the erotic scenes? He'd be upset to find out that it was an erotic story when he thought he was borrowing a martial artist's tale. But Tanggapungun isn't without its martial elements.

Better to speak up confidently rather than look down and out.

"It only has erotic scenes. It's still a tale of martial artists."

I spoke with a confident expression, to clear the misunderstanding.

"But looking at the latter half of the book, isn't it entirely filled with love scenes?"

You said you glanced through it. How far did you read?

"I included those for mass appeal. The real substance is in the earlier part of the book."

In truth, I think both parts are important. How can you have a 'saekhyeopji' without the color? Or rather, depending on the reader, some might even consider the martial artist part simply a prelude to the intimate scenes.

"People who read erotic stories say that without the racy scenes, it's still a masterpiece. But that doesn't change the fact that you wrote an erotic tale."

No. There are masterpieces that describe the flesh in the soup or whatever, and are not arousing, and classics often excluded its adult scenes.

The words I wanted to say leaped to the tip of my tongue, but I held back since it was an example not to be shared right now, and continued.

"I included a variety of entertaining elements. The spirit of wanting to follow the path of the swordsman is still there."

"A truly excellent martial artist's novel can be enjoyable even without intimate scenes."

"I like those kinds of novels, too. But they lack mass appeal, don't they?"

Do you know how much I've cried tears of blood writing wuxia in this world? The answer is 'saekhyeopji'.

"Even if they lack mass popularity, there will surely be someone who recognizes the book's true value. Isn't it the mark of a true author to cultivate a martial spirit in such readers?"

He's right. Even in this world, there are plenty who write without concern for money, focusing on academic achievement or their convictions.

"I'm more of a scribbler than an author. Even if I could write such a book, it's not worth spending an eternity waiting in a corner of a bookstore for someone to buy it. It's better to write novels that sell."

"But surely someone will pick up that book."

At my words, Cheong Woon Sohyeop showed a troubled expression as if reminded of something.

"A scribbler like me would starve in the meantime. And the reason I included love scenes in my novel is not only for mass appeal but also for a sense of reality."

"Reality?"

Cheong Woon Sohyeop tilted his head in confusion, wondering if there was something he didn't understand.

"The righteous appearance of a swordsman would make any woman fall for him, wouldn't you agree? Cheong Woon Sohyeop, haven't you experienced something similar during your own heroic endeavors?"

"Doesn't seem like it."

"You just haven't noticed it, but it surely happened. If I were a woman, I would've fallen for you at first sight when you rescued me."

"What are you talking about?"

Cheong Woon Sohyeop replied with an embarrassed voice, seemingly as inexperienced with women as I was.

"A hero is never alone. There is always someone who is moved, who falls in love, or who harbors resentment by his side. I've simply written the swordsman's life in an entertaining way. And I hoped that many people who see his heroic actions would think more about the path of righteousness."

I just wrote about why heroes are cool. Think of it as a recommended book for aspiring heroes.

"Following the path of righteousness with such intentions does not make it true righteousness."

What a pure swordsman's mentality.

"I've done my best as a writer. I hope you're not too upset, whatever you might think."

After asserting that I've given my best as an author, I got up to wash.

Cheong Woon Sohyeop just stared at me with a dissatisfied expression, neither acknowledging nor denying my words.

--------------

The uncomfortable silence with Cheong Woon Sohyeop lasted all day.

We were on a journey where it wasn't possible to request a change in our rooming arrangements.

'I'd like to maintain a good relationship with the swordsman.'

I don't need to excuse myself for writing Tanggapungun improperly nor do I have to take a submissive stance. But in a situation where I need to protect Hwarin, there's no need to maintain an awkward relationship either.

I'll have to make the first move then.

"I heard that you burned the belongings of those who have passed."

I made a small opening for conversation with Cheong Woon Sohyeop and the Righteous Faction's members I met last night.

"Not belongings per se, but we burned things that took up space."

"And my book was one of those things."

"About that... Ha ha."

The Righteous Faction member made an embarrassed face as if caught in a mishap.

"You did well. When I publish my third volume, I will offer it to their tombs before burning it."

There wasn't a thought of scolding them. After all, there are places where things loved by the departed or their belongings are burned. It's actually something to praise.

"They liked the path of swordsman Tang Jeong. The deceased would have appreciated it."

"Yes, I should hope so. By the way, have you two spoken ill of my novel?"

I hurriedly addressed the main point.

"Eh?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Cheong Woon Sohyeop seemed to harbor bad feelings about my novel after hearing your stories."

I spoke as if a superior had discovered their subordinates gossiping about them.

"No, that's not..."

"It's only a concern that he has bad feelings because I wrote Tanggapungun."

They believe I'm the illegitimate child of the Tang family's head. They surely wouldn't want to be on bad terms with someone like me.

"No! How could that be?"

Just as expected, the two men panicked and waved their hands in denial.

"Then it would be good if you could subtly speak highly of it. Wouldn't it be better to maintain a good relationship with a hero from the Wudang Clan like Cheong Woon Sohyeop?"

"Yes."

"Leave it to us."

And so, I made it possible for Cheong Woon Sohyeop to overhear the Righteous Faction members praising Tanggapungun from a distance.

---------------

After a day's travel, we arrived at a guesthouse in another village.

When my ordered food arrived, I stared at it blankly for a while.

"Does the combination pizza not suit your taste? Should I bring some hot sauce?"

"It's not that."

"Since you're from Joseon, would you like me to order a bulgogi pizza instead?"

That's somewhat tempting.

"It's not that either."

I shook my head with a sad expression.

"Then, why?"

"Just thinking about how I almost ended up on the streets with Hwarin because of debt. With no money, we had to share even a single piece of bread."

Precisely speaking, we were saving on food expenses because we had invested in remodeling costs. With a melancholic expression, I looked at the pizza while observing Cheong Woon's complexion.

A somewhat somber expression. Clearly, my difficult life experience had made an impression.

"Did you go through such hardship?"

"Yes. Thanks to the success of Tanggapungun, I can afford to eat delicious food. But now that Hwarin is unconscious, I suddenly feel downcast."

The thought of Hwarin took away my appetite in an instant. Though she has only lost consciousness and there's no serious issue yet, I couldn't help but feel heavy-hearted.

I should go see her face once more later.

"Lady Hwarin will wake up."

"Yes, she has to. I've eaten my fill, so I'll go ahead and excuse myself."

I got up and entered the guest room.

---------------

Neither of us wants the discomfort to continue. In a situation where I must protect Hwarin, I want to maintain a good relationship with Cheong Woon Sohyeop.

I've already laid the groundwork.

It was a truly hard choice that I had to make. I also wanted to write a swordsman novel. However, I compromised with the world. I made that appeal already.

Plus, the members of the Righteous Faction must have praised Tanggapungun quite a bit. If he still dislikes it after this, there's nothing I can do. Either we continue as we are, or I'll have to request a change of room.

After washing up, I sat on the bed waiting for Cheong Woon to enter the guest room.

What's he going to do? Without showing my thoughts, I waited until Cheong Woon sat down on the bed.

Cheong Woon sat on the bed and watched me for a while before finally speaking.

"Could we talk for a moment?"