The Outcast Writer of a Martial Arts Visual Novel-Chapter 185: Poisoned One - 6

“Has something happened to Hwa-rin?”

The Clan Head was being summoned—did that mean something had gone wrong with Hwa-rin?

Seeing the shock on my face, the Chief Steward seemed to realize his mistake. He quickly adjusted his urgent expression and spoke more calmly to me.

“Ah... After checking on Lady Hwa-rin’s condition, the treatment for the Young Lord must proceed immediately. There’s no need for Master Yun-ho to be overly concerned.”

So it wasn’t about Hwa-rin, but the Young Lord? I understood, but the Chief Steward’s panicked reaction when he saw me still stuck in my mind.

“Must we go immediately?”

The Clan Head asked him.

“The Young Lord’s treatment is time-sensitive. If Lady Hwa-rin is stable, they plan to begin right away. Since we can start immediately, we ask that you come to oversee the procedure.”

So it wasn’t something to worry about after all. This was probably just the sort of moment where a guardian is summoned for their child’s major operation. Should I delay asking for permission to continue Storm of the Tang Clan?

As I was lamenting internally, the Clan Head didn’t follow after the Chief Steward. Instead, he simply looked at me.

“There is still something I’ve yet to hear from you.”

Even though your son’s about to undergo treatment, you're not going?

Maybe he realized the situation wasn't urgent. It seemed he still wanted an answer to what he’d asked earlier—his request to officially acknowledge me as his son.

I’d already decided how to answer, so there was no hesitation.

“My father raised me with love and discipline. Until the day he passed, not once did I think of myself as an adopted son. The one and only father I take pride in—there’s just one.”

Because, of course, I’m not actually adopted.

I firmly rejected the Clan Head’s offer.

“However...”

This man. Even after I answered that firmly, he’s not backing down? Fine, then there’s another way to shut this down.

“If you wish to atone, do it not for me—but for my mother. If possible, I would appreciate it if you could erect a small ancestral shrine to honor her.”

I understand the guilt he carries. I understand his desire to atone. But I cannot be the one he seeks forgiveness from.

The one he wronged was Hyang-ah—not the black-haired barbarian.

“...Would that be acceptable?”

The Clan Head looked at me with wide eyes, clearly surprised.

Of course he was.

Ancestral rites are the right and duty of her son—me. They’re not something a man who abandoned the woman he loved can just perform on a whim.

The abandoned son was granting permission for him to honor her memory. That permission, in itself, was an immense gesture of forgiveness.

“It’s just one more table for offerings. What’s the harm? Mother would like it too.”

“Then I’ll honor her every year.”

The Clan Head nodded with resolve, as if committing to the decision.

‘Perfect timing.’

From now on, every year on Hyang-ah’s memorial day, the Clan Head would offer rites, slowly easing the weight in his heart.

As the abandoned son, I’d offered the Clan Head a way to honor Hyang-ah. A concession always leads to negotiation.

Since I’ve given him what he wants, it’s his turn to give me what I want.

Ho-pil Kang Yun-ho wants only one thing.

“I also want to honor my mother’s will—through my novel. I want to keep writing the story of the chivalrous heroes she told me about.”

Storm of the Tang Clan is fiction. But it contains the image of the hero Hyang-ah longed for. I’ve emphasized that point repeatedly—he’ll understand now.

This adds a deeper meaning. Writing Storm of the Tang Clan is how Kang Yun-ho honors his mother. It’s a different kind of ancestral rite.

The Clan Head stared at me in silence for a while, pretending to ponder, and then finally spoke.

“If that is your will, then so be it. However, some people who know the Tang Clan’s past may say otherwise.”

“Say the Lecher wasn’t from the Tang Clan, and link him to the Demonic Sect instead. Then say a single word about the book, and who would dare argue?”

All I need is your approval. Once ‘Tang Baek-ho of the Sichuan Tang Clan’ gives the word, everyone else will fall in line like trained dogs.

The Clan Head gave a knowing nod—then asked something unexpected.

“...So is the ending Hyang-ah, then?”

Get out!! You’re asking a harem novel author if it’s going to end in a monogamous romance?! I screamed internally and then responded as if nothing had happened.

“I told you. Du Eung-hyang is Du Eung-hyang—she is not my mother. And besides, must there only be one choice?”

“What do you mean?”

I gave the Clan Head a sly smile, amused at his hesitant expression.

Twenty years ago, Tang Baek-ho made one decision and lost the woman he loved most. He never found his child, and it left a permanent scar.

I am Kang Yun-ho, bastard son of Tang Baek-ho.

But Tang Jeong, the protagonist of Storm of the Tang Clan, is not Tang Baek-ho. And Ho-pil Kang Yun-ho won’t let Tang Jeong go down the wrong path.

So what will Kang Yun-ho, the bastard, say he wants to do?

“I want a happy ending for everyone. The protagonist, the fiancée, the courtesan, every woman he’s shared love with. If he’s not the Young Lord but a true chivalrous hero, who would fault him for having more than one wife?”

Tang Jeong will make a different choice than Tang Baek-ho—and bring smiles to everyone.

That’s why Storm of the Tang Clan is fiction, not truth. And it’s the best decision that the bastard Kang Yun-ho could make.

“...Yes. Tang Jeong isn’t me. He’s a better man than I ever was. Do as you wish.”

The Clan Head let out a cool smile, as if admitting defeat.

“Good. Hwa-rin has awakened, and the Young Lord will recover. Let’s end our meeting here. I’ll be leaving soon myself.”

Good. I got everything I wanted.

Now it’s time to part ways. Time to walk out of here with a smug ‘it's been gross working with you—let's never meet again.’

“To think °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° that the one who cut out the Tang Clan’s rotten flesh, perfected the Poisoned One, and played the biggest role in saving the Young Lord would say he’s leaving. Don’t say that.”

The Clan Head looked genuinely surprised, like he hadn’t expected me to declare my departure so decisively. But I’d already planned my escape.

“The Tang Clan can’t have someone like me in it. Just from a short conversation with me, your heart wavered. If I stay, the Young Lord’s heart will never find peace.”

“I’ll make sure I don’t waver.”

Ah, so you think saying that will make me stay?

I’ll shake you to your core in one sentence.

“What if I said I wanted the Young Lord’s seat?”

“You... want it?”

The Clan Head stumbled over his words in shock. Even the Chief Steward watching nearby looked stunned.

“See? I don’t even want that, and you’re already shaken.”

I laughed lightly to show it was a joke.

“As long as it’s not the Young Lord’s seat, I can give you anything.”

“No. That kind of attention from you will only bring trouble—for both of us.”

Favoritism from a parent always breeds instability in the heir—east or west, it’s the same. I’ve already risked death once because of succession. It’s time to get out at the peak, like cashing out after a kiss from the greatest beauty in the martial world.

“You make me feel so small...”

The Clan Head muttered in anguish. But he shouldn’t feel too bad—I'm cashing out, and it feels great. Let me leave you with something nice.

“Sons grow up, and fathers shrink. That’s how it goes.” freewebnoveℓ.com

“...What did you just say?”

When I subtly referred to him as “father,” color returned to the Clan Head’s face.

Ignoring his reaction, I walked toward the door and continued.

“Hwa-rin has awakened. The Tang Clan’s rotting parts are gone. The Young Lord will recover. Not all of it is thanks to me, but... it feels like I’ve become the chivalrous hero my mother dreamed of. That’s why it’s time for me to go.”

“You played a tremendous role.”

Maybe he finally realized he couldn’t stop me. The Clan Head offered me that final compliment as I turned to leave.

“Then that’s enough. Chivalrous heroes usually leave without a word, but I’ve said mine—how lucky is that.”

I smiled brightly, truly satisfied.

“...So this is really goodbye?”

The Clan Head’s voice dripped with regret.

Midlife crisis? Why is our Clan Head so sentimental? But being too cold here won’t do. Let’s give him something emotional to hang onto.

I looked out the window at the sky and spoke just loud enough for him to hear:

“The seed you cast away has grown and can now stand on its own. But still... when I feel like I’m all alone in this world, I’ll look west from Yichang in Hubei. That’s enough for us, isn’t it?”

That was the best possible line I could offer as a bastard son who wasn’t yet ready to fully accept his father.

“I’ll look east from time to time as well.”

Tang Baek-ho, stunned by my words, slightly lowered his chin—then smiled in satisfaction.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

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“Thank you, Young Master Yun-ho.”

The Chief Steward came out with me to see me off and offered his thanks.

“‘Master Kang’ is enough.”

I said I had no intention of becoming the Tang Clan’s Young Master.

The Chief Steward gave a small smile at my answer, then looked toward the direction the Clan Head had gone and continued.

“The Clan Head is originally an incredibly strong man. He only showed weakness because he thinks of himself as a sinner who can’t utter a single word in front of you. In truth, if the matter of succession hadn’t been entangled on the day you two first met, he would’ve resolved everything with a single rebuke.”

“I’ve heard the story too.”

Even Yi Seong-gye, that legendary founder and strongest general in Korean history, was still a weak father when it came to matters of succession.

Tang Baek-ho’s moment of weakness only had to do with love.

They say that once Tang Baek-ho returned, the Tang Clan’s festering rot was completely cut away. Even the Elder Council reportedly trembled, afraid of opposing the Clan Head’s will.

“The Clan Head has been tormented his entire life by the wound of lost love. The forgiveness you gave him today will be of great help as he leads the Tang Clan forward.”

The Chief Steward bowed at a 90-degree angle to express his gratitude. There was no need to go that far.

“My mother passed away, and I’ve grown up. It’s not good for one person to be the only one stuck in the past.”

A bastard son of the Tang Clan shouldn’t be flustered by the bow of an old man. I just tossed out the reply nonchalantly.

“Thank you. The Sichuan Tang Clan will never forget Master Kang.”

Please. I beg you. Forget me.

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“Why can’t I see Hwa-rin?”

Three days had passed, and I still hadn’t been able to meet her. I spoke sharply to the warrior guarding the residence where she was staying.

“Ah... she still needs more rest.”

“Then at least let me see her. If Hwa-rin’s going to recover, she needs to see me.”

“She expended too much energy forming the Poisoned Will. She still requires additional rest.”

No matter what I said, the warrior was like a woman sending only ‘k’ in response—completely unyielding.

“Physician?”

Just as I was about to say more, the Head Physician burst out from inside. He seemed startled to see me and quickly tried to pass by.

“Physiciaaaaan! Why are you trying to run away?!”

Where do you think you’re going? You treated her, you should be proud. Why act like some dark knight slinking into the shadows?

“I have nothing to say! Nothing to tell you!”

Doctor D! If you won’t talk, who the hell am I supposed to ask?! If the one who inherited D’s will won’t speak, I’ll just have to try something else.

“You don’t have to say anything. Just let me see her face. Please.”

I blocked his path and looked at him with desperate eyes.

He stared at me for a moment, then sent me a glance full of sympathy—one I’d seen before—and finally gave a small nod.

“Wait a little. I’ll think of something.”

-----------

This is why you can’t trust verbal agreements.

Even after several days, there was no word. Next time the Physician makes a promise, I’m getting an official seal ready.

I couldn’t understand why. Why was I so uneasy?

That look of pity the Physician gave me kept popping up in my mind. Even before Hwa-rin took the Poisoned Will, his attitude had been strange.

What was going on? Was there a reason he was deliberately keeping me away?

In the end, without answers, and without a single update about Hwa-rin, I fell into bed, exhausted from martial arts training.

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“Wake up. It’s morning.”

Swish. I heard the sound of the blackout curtain opening and a voice along with it.

“Ugh...”

Sunlight hit my eyes. Who dares awaken the child of darkness?

“Yun-ho. It’s morning.”

“Just five more minutes...”

Just five more minutes. The subway schedule changed with the new year. I can squeeze out about five more minutes.

“Yun. Ho. Our dear writer.”

Who is that? Why are they so sweet? That voice is on the level of a doting little sister from a romcom’s Volume 1. This isn’t a genre I’m destined for. I must still be dreaming.

My mind’s hazy. No matter what’s happening... I must protect my sleep.

“Hey! Yun-ho! It’s already the middle of the day! Get up!”

Finally, the voice yanked the blanket off me.

“Wh-what the—?!”

“You really don’t get up unless I do this.”

“Hwa-rin?”

The voice belonged to Hwa-rin—the one I’d been waiting so desperately to hear news of.

“There’s no time. Hurry and get up.”

“...Is it really you?”

What is this? A dream? But her movements are so vivid. The cold breeze coming through the open window she touched jolts my senses awake.

“Yun-ho. Let’s go outside and play today.”

Between dream and reality, between dawn and morning—

Hwa-rin smiled at me with a smile like morning dew that might vanish when the sunlight grows stronger. Something about it felt... fragile.