The RoFan Novel Fan Has Reincarnated Into A Martial Arts Novel-Chapter 12

"I wanted to see you before I left."

"Me?"

"Yes."

Asking ‘Why?’ felt like it might hurt her feelings.

"Did you have something to say?"

As soon as the words left Yeon's mouth, she realized how blunt they sounded and felt awkward.

Once again, Tang Soso hesitated. But fortunately, Yeon was used to dealing with people like her, so she patiently waited without pressing.

After enough time had passed, Tang Soso finally spoke.

"When I saw you for the first time yesterday."

"When you saw me?"

"You greeted me... so warmly."

"So warmly?"

The more she spoke, the more her voice trembled. It felt like she was teetering on the edge.

"You greeted me first..."

That’s it? Yeon tilted her head inwardly. Did I really greet her that warmly?

Still, she tried to reassure Tang Soso.

"Come on, that’s nothing. It’s only natural between us."

"U-Us?"

"Yeah."

"What... what are we?"

"What else? We’re friends."

As she spoke, Yeon lightly tapped Tang Soso’s shoulder. She had no idea that simple action would trigger something buried deep inside her.

“...Hhic, hic... sob."

A hiccup-like sound escaped as Tang Soso began to cry.

"What? Why all of a sudden—"

Yeon instinctively wanted to ask but stopped herself. The way Tang Soso’s tears fell, like something had been holding them back for too long, made it clear there was a deeper reason. Even as she cried, she pressed her lips together, as if trying to suppress it.

After a brief moment of thought, Yeon spoke softly.

"You can cry."

"Hic... What?"

"Cry as much as you want."

"R-Really?"

"Of course. Let it all out."

As she said that, Yeon placed a hand on Tang Soso’s back.

"There’s no one here but us."

It was like pressing a switch. Tang Soso’s face crumpled as if she had reached her breaking point. And then—

"Waaaaaaah!"

The sound that burst out was much louder than Yeon had expected. She was surprised but kept her expression steady.

"Hic, hic, waaaah!"

Once Tang Soso started crying, there was no stopping her. It was like someone had completely turned on a faucet.

Just what the hell happened to her?

Yeon didn’t know, but there was only one thing to do in times like this. She leaned back against the bench, stretched out her legs, and prepared to wait.

"Take your time, Soso," she murmured.

This timid girl, who usually couldn’t even raise her voice, should at least be able to scream her heart out now. If doing so made her feel even a little better, then it was worth it.

Yeon resumed patting Tang Soso’s back, gently but steadily, until her tears finally ran dry.

It was a while before she finally stopped crying.

"Are you done?"

"Yes."

Tang Soso wiped her tear-streaked face with a floral handkerchief, dabbing away both tears and snot before fixing her disheveled appearance.

"Ahem... ahem!"

After clearing her throat, she reached into her pocket and pulled out a small paper pouch. It was tightly sealed to prevent anything from spilling, but inside was a small amount of yellow-brown powder.

Then, without even drinking water, Tang Soso tossed the powder into her mouth and started chewing.

Yeon, watching the strange sight, asked,

"What is that?"

"Oh, this? It’s powdered sweet flag root. It helps regulate breathing and improves circulation. It’s also good for indigestion and stomachaches. And if you mix it with oil, you can apply it to bruises or boils..."

It was probably some kind of medicinal herb.

As Tang Soso explained, her expression looked brighter than Yeon had ever seen.

"You really know a lot about herbs, huh? Is it because of your family?"

Tang Soso blushed slightly at Yeon’s question.

"N-No. Of course, we learn basic herbology, but the Tang Clan focuses much more on poisons. This is just something I’m personally interested in."

"Really?"

"Yes..."

Still looking a little embarrassed, Tang Soso hesitated before saying,

"Unnie, thank you. I must have cried too much, right?"

"No, you did great."

A slightly awkward silence followed.

"Do Namgung Jihyeon and her attendants... I mean, the other girls usually bother you a lot?"

"No, it’s not usually that bad..."

"Then what happened today?"

"For some reason, she was in a really bad mood. And my brothers weren’t around, so..."

Was Namgung Jihyeon taking out her frustration from yesterday’s fight at Jigak Hall?

The thought of it reignited Yeon’s irritation.

I should’ve just finished her off yesterday. I got too soft for no reason...

Tang Soso continued hesitantly.

"Honestly, I was really scared. I kept thinking I should’ve just gone with my brothers instead. But... I don’t know when I’ll get to see you again."

She had a point. Outside of this gathering, they had no real reason to meet. The Tang Clan was in Sichuan, far from Shandong.

"And then you suddenly appeared and saved me, and then..."

"And then?"

"When you called me a friend... I suddenly started crying. I don’t even know why."

A friend... Was that such a special word? The original Hwang Bo Yeon must have thought so.

"You probably know this already, but I don’t have any friends. Not here, not even back home. I can’t do anything properly, and I always burden my brothers."

"I don’t have any friends either. So don’t think too much about it. Besides, Soso... you know a lot about herbs, right?"

Yeon quickly added that last part when she noticed Tang Soso’s face darkening again, but it didn’t seem to help.

"That’s exactly why I get scolded all the time. They say someone from the Tang Clan shouldn’t be so interested in herbs."

At that moment, something clicked in Yeon’s memory.

Oh, right. She couldn’t bring herself to use poison on people.

Poisons and hidden weapons—the very identity of the Sichuan Tang Clan. And yet, Tang Soso couldn’t handle either. It wasn’t because she lacked talent, but because she found it horrifying.

She was more interested in saving lives than taking them. That must have been why she and the original Hwang Bo Yeon got along.

Soso should’ve been born into a family of healers instead.

She was simply too kind. Her very nature refused to harm others. That’s why she had always been an easy target for Namgung Jihyeon’s group.

And Yeon absolutely hated that.

No matter how much the world preached survival of the fittest, she couldn’t stand how good people were labeled "weak," while those who harmed others without a second thought strutted around as if they were "strong."

Honestly, they’re just a bunch of psychopathic morons with zero empathy.

Someone might have told Tang Soso:

"You should just get stronger. No one’s going to save you but yourself."

But Yeon had no intention of saying that.

If there was any reason this world still functioned, despite being filled with lunatics, it was because people like Tang Soso still existed.

And the hypocrites who benefited from their kindness had no right to lecture them.

Yeon had a different approach.

"Soso."

"Yes?"

"If your brothers aren’t around next time, come find me."

"W-What?"

"Come to me. I’ll crush them all for you, just like today."

If Tang Soso couldn’t fight, then Yeon would do it for her.

Back in Yeon’s old world, this approach didn’t always work. Sometimes, even when you were the victim, taking revenge on the perpetrator was impossible. The excuse was always self-defense laws.

But this was the martial world.

Here, strength was the law.

Self-defense had an extremely broad definition. If you were attacked, you hit back twice as hard. No—ten times, a hundred times harder. The stricter you were in enforcing that rule, the more respect you earned.

Yeon had already made up her mind.

She would be the true enforcer of self-defense in this world.

At the very least, she would protect the people who mattered to her.

"Got it, Soso?"

Yeon flashed a grin.

Tang Soso, still stunned, stared at her with an open mouth. Then, ever so slowly, she nodded.

Her tear-streaked eyes glistened beautifully.

On the morning of the martial gathering, Yeon stepped out of her lodging with an unusually cheerful face.

"An enforcer of self-defense."

She had to admit, it sounded pretty damn cool.

Since meeting Yi Cheon-gang, she had felt more certain than ever that coming to the martial world wasn’t such a bad thing.

Beating up Paeng Donghu? Self-defense. Knocking out that perverted monk? Self-defense. Beating Namgung Jihyeon to a pulp? Self-defense.

As she walked, Yeon suddenly smacked her arm.

Slap!

When she lifted her hand, the squashed remains of a mosquito were stuck to her palm, its body flattened. Beneath it, a tiny smear of blood glistened.

"This, too, is self-defense. Hehehe."

Wearing a sinister smile, Yeon turned to So Jin.

"So Jin, can I get a handkerchief?" fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓

"Yes, my lady."

After wiping her hand clean, Yeon spoke again.

"So Jin."

"Yes?"

"Would you mind introducing me again at today’s gathering?"

So Jin stiffened.

"A-Again? Like last time?"

"Yep."

Trembling slightly, So Jin hesitantly asked,

"A-And... what should I call you this time...?"

"It’s nothing fancy. Just say I’m the Enforcer of Self-Defense from the Hwang Bo Family."

"...What? The what?"

So Jin looked utterly lost, but Yeon was already lost in her own world.

"Or maybe Avatar of Self-Defense? No, no, Goddess of Self-Defense? Wait—Fairy of Self-Defense! That has a nice ring to it!"

She burst into laughter, completely delighted by her own idea.

So Jin, however, watched her with a look of deep concern.

At that moment, someone placed a hand on Yeon’s shoulder.

The sudden touch from behind made her spin around immediately, as if she had been waiting for it.

"Who dares—this is also self—"

"Uwaah! Yeon-ah!"

The desperate voice made Yeon’s fist stop just inches from its target.

Beads of sweat rolled down the face of the man staring at her knuckles.

It was Hwang Bo Jeonggun.

"I-I almost died! Why are you like this first thing in the morning, Yeon-ah?!"

Yeon, realizing she had almost committed patricide, let out an awkward laugh.

"Oh, ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) Father! I was just thinking about training first thing in the morning, that’s all."

"Ahem. Training is good, but... you’re too enthusiastic. You should pace yourself. Haha... ha..."

Hwang Bo Jeonggun tried to play it off like it was nothing.

But for a brief moment, he had been completely overwhelmed by his daughter.

Desperate to regain his dignity, he cleared his throat and changed the subject.

"All the clan leaders will be attending today’s gathering. You knew that, right?"

"Of course, Father."

"Don’t be too nervous. You might get a lot of attention since it’s been a while since you’ve attended one."

"Sure, sure."

Unlike her halfhearted response, Hwang Bo Jeonggun himself looked incredibly tense.

Considering how long it had been since he had brought his daughter to a gathering, it made sense.

To ease his nerves, Yeon reassured him.

"Don’t worry, Father. What’s the worst that could happen?"

"Y-Yes... Haha... ha... ha..."

His laughter was painfully stiff.

And with that, the father and daughter made their way toward the martial gathering.