The Outcast Writer of a Martial Arts Visual Novel-Chapter 169: An Unexpected Encounter - 6

“Woke up because of an unexpected sound, huh?”

The tone of his voice... it was like catching a friend who swore off snacks for a diet sneakily making bibimbap in the middle of the night, raiding your fridge while visiting your apartment.

“I thought maybe an intruder was bathing, so I woke up.”

“W-What... ahem. I see. So the sound of the water woke you up.”

Cheong-un had started to squawk indignantly at the absurdity of what I’d said, but then composed himself, cleared his throat, and answered as though he understood.

Well, at least I confirmed it wasn’t some intruder wasting the water bill. Maybe I should just go back to sleep. As I rubbed my drowsy eyes and glanced toward the washroom, something white shimmered in the moonlight.

A bandage?

“Young Hero Cheong-un. Were you injured?”

I asked in a concerned tone.

“No, why do you ask?”

“I saw a bandage near the washroom door.”

“...Ah! I must’ve gotten some small scratches during the battle.”

So “minor scratches” don’t even count as injuries for martial artists? I’d probably scream “Medic! Is there a medic in the house?!” just from a paper cut.

Now that I think about it, Cheong-un did have his arm bandaged after saving us. The fact that he cut down that many black-clad assassins and walked away with only scratches is honestly impressive.

I avoided being killed by a stray blade thanks to the Jade Face Body Protection Technique, but I wouldn’t even dream of trying something like “catching a sword with my bare hands.”

“Kang Master, are you asleep?”

Creak. I was still lost in thought when the washroom door opened slightly, and I heard Cheong-un’s careful voice as if worried about waking me.

“I’m not sleeping.”

“Ah!”

Thud! The washroom door slammed shut in a panic.

“Do you need a towel?”

I glanced at the towel I had lazily tossed on the nightstand. I’d been so distracted eating the dumplings he gave me that I forgot to lay out a fresh one.

“I-I have a towel!”

Then what does he need?

In the dark and quiet room, the water sounds stopped, and I could hear the patter of bare feet shifting on the damp floor.

“Young Hero Cheong-un?”

I called to ask if there was something else he needed besides a towel.

“Ah, uh, would you mind going to the room at the far left and asking the innkeeper’s daughter if she could turn the hot water back on?”

...Really? So that’s what this was about? Must’ve been colder than he expected.

“Haha. Of course—warm water’s always better than a cold bath. But it’s late. Will she even be awake?”

“She told me to come by late if I needed to. So she’s probably still awake.”

“Aha.”

...That’s probably not what she meant. But, well—guess I have to go anyway.

“It’s harder than I thought, with this cold. I’m sorry.”

I could hear a mix of embarrassment and desperation in Cheong-un’s voice.

“No need to apologize. I’ll go.”

Even if it’s a little awkward, he saved my life—I can’t just refuse a favor like this.

I mentally noted: even a Taoist priest can't endure a cold shower in this weather. With that, I stepped out into the hallway.

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“Oh my. You’re not the Taoist.”

When the door opened, I was met with the sight of a woman dressed like she was about to engage in the battle of her life.

I quickly scanned her barely clothed, ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) curvaceous figure—just fast enough to memorize the details in my head—and then, as if I’d seen nothing, I looked her straight in the face.

The innkeeper’s daughter looked visibly disappointed upon realizing I wasn’t Cheong-un, but since there was no way I could become him, I simply delivered my message.

“Hmph. It’s not a problem. But since you’re here, want to come in and see something interesting?”

She gave me a long once-over, then gestured to some sort of contraption inside her room.

“I have to leave early tomorrow. I’m sorry for the late visit, but I’d appreciate it if you could just turn the hot water on.”

What’s there to see about a boiler control? I turned to leave, leaving behind the innkeeper’s daughter who nodded with obvious disappointment.

Late-night show. What a sight.

That woman... actually tried to seduce someone for a one-night stand. If Young Hero Cheong-un hadn’t been a chaste Taoist with no clue about women, he would’ve been devoured the moment he walked into her room.

With how good-looking he is, this kind of thing will probably keep happening. As someone experienced in matters of love and lust, I should probably offer him some advice when the time comes.

“Kang Master?”

As I turned back toward my room, pushing aside my envy for flower-boy lives, I bumped into a member of the Medical Pavilion who was coming out of the room holding a water jug.

“You’re still awake?”

What was he doing out here?

“We’re rotating guards to protect Lady Hwa-rin.”

Ah, so he’s on watch duty. Even at an inn, they weren’t letting their guard down—makes sense, considering enemies could ambush us anytime.

“If you were heading somewhere, you could’ve asked me.”

“It’s alright.”

“Well, it’s not alright for me.”

I intercepted the jug from his hands.

“...Then could I ask you to fetch the spring water from the wagon?”

I wanted to help, even just a little, those comrades who were suffering for the sake of my friend. I nodded, went to the wagon parked near the stables, filled the jug with spring water, and headed back to the room.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

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“How is Hwa-rin doing?”

I placed the water jug down in the room where Hwa-rin lay and asked the Medical Pavilion member who had been looking after her.

“She’s unconscious, but fortunately, the poison inside her hasn’t spread further into her body.”

“It’d be nice if she could at least open her eyes, though.”

I looked at Hwa-rin, who seemed to be peacefully asleep. It felt strange—me being awake, while she lay there with her eyes closed.

Back when I wrote late into the night, she’d stay up until I finished, and every morning, she was up before me. It was rare to catch a glimpse of her sleeping face, defenseless like this.

‘Hwa-rin... time to get up.’

I missed her voice, urging me to wake up so the bookstore wouldn’t open late. I wanted to see her get flustered and swear when I teased her. I wanted to hear her snickering giggles when something made her laugh.

Hwa-rin... you’re going to wake up, right?

That terrifying, unwelcome thought pressed like a stone against my chest.

“Lady Hwa-rin seems to be in a kind of winter slumber.”

The Medical Pavilion member spoke up after seeing the dark shadow cloud my face.

“Winter slumber?”

“Yes. Animals hibernate to conserve energy and survive the cold of winter. I believe Lady Hwa-rin is doing something similar—minimizing all unnecessary bodily functions to focus entirely on resisting the poison.”

“So for now, there’s no immediate danger?”

If she’s holding off the poison the way animals use hibernation to survive the cold, then maybe she really is safe for now.

“Yes. The concern is...”

“The concern?”

“If winter lasts too long, some animals never wake up from hibernation.”

“Then we need to get to the Tang Clan as soon as possible.”

I spoke as I gently held Hwa-rin’s hand.

“If she can be treated at the Sichuan Tang Clan, she should regain consciousness. We’ll first need to help her awaken and then have her absorb the Poison Pellet of the Flesh-Masked Lord to neutralize the Millennium Centipede Poison.”

So there is a way to bring her back once we reach the Tang Clan. That makes it all the more urgent.

“I’ve probably troubled you unnecessarily at this hour. I’ll excuse myself now.”

The night was deep. I didn’t want to cause more stress for the already exhausted Medical Pavilion members. freewёbnoνel.com

“How could concern for a dear companion be considered unnecessary? Please don’t worry too much, Master Kang. Try to get some proper rest.”

I nodded, imprinting Hwa-rin’s unconscious face in my heart, and returned to my room.

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As I stepped back into the room, I felt Cheong-un, lying on the bed, flinch ever so slightly.

He bathed quickly. Judging by the lingering steam near the washroom, it must’ve been warm water after all.

“Young Hero Cheong-un. Are you still awake?”

I called out to him quietly.

“Yes. I’m awake.”

“About the bandage...”

“B-Bandage? What about it?”

Cheong-un answered with a mix of confusion and suspicion in his voice.

“I got fresh bandages from the Medical Pavilion. If you’re still using the old ones, I can help rewrap the wound.”

I raised the bandages in my hand for him to see, only his eyes peeking out from under the blanket.

“I’m fine!”

“It would be better to replace it with fresh ones, though.”

“It’s not—no, I mean, I only have it wrapped to stop the bleeding, and it’s already stopped. So it’s alright.”

Considering the risk of infection, a fresh bandage would be better... but since it was late, I didn’t press. It would just feel like nagging at this point.

He’s a martial artist. With internal energy, healing is probably faster anyway.

“Then I’ll just leave the clean bandage here. Keep it nearby in case you need it later.”

“Thank you.”

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Now that I’d made peace with Young Hero Cheong-un and no attacks had occurred, our journey continued without major issues.

“Have you read any other novels besides the one about Hero Gu-gai?”

Of course, I had to keep him company the entire time—but if that’s the price to have a powerful bodyguard, I wasn’t about to complain.

“We’ll handle the room reservations and the medicinal shopping.”

After a few days of travel, we arrived in the next town.

“I’ll go buy food supplies.”

“I’ll write up a list for you.”

“I’ll come with you.”

And so, I went out with Cheong-un to replenish our food stock.

“Please help us!”

While browsing food stalls, three boys around the age where you just start growing facial hair came running toward us, clearly panicked.

“What’s wrong?”

Cheong-un gripped his sword’s scabbard, ready to act at a moment’s notice, and asked in a calm but sharp tone. The boys hesitated for a second, visibly nervous, then finally spoke.

“Our brother was taken away by people in black masks!”

Black masks? Black-robed figures?

My eyes met Cheong-un’s. Could they have been lying in wait here?

“Where? Take us there.”

“It’s in that alley—over there!”

One of the boys pointed to a nearby alleyway.

Isn’t this a bit too risky? If they really are black-robed assassins, we shouldn’t be following them—we should alert the Tang Clan people immediately.

I was about to stop Cheong-un from heading into the alley when I noticed something... highly amusing.

So that’s what this was.

“Young Hero Cheong-un. There’s no need to go.”

I swiftly grabbed one of the boys by the wrist and lifted him off the ground, stopping Cheong-un in his tracks.

“Ow! Let go!”

His feet flailed mid-air, and he scowled at me in panic.

“Kang Master, what are you doing?!”

Cheong-un still hadn’t caught on and looked at me, startled.

Ah, right. This must be his first time dealing with this sort of thing in the martial world. Then I’d better explain directly.

With an exasperated look, I turned to Cheong-un and said:

“It’s a trap.”

The boy I was holding?

In his hand was Cheong-un’s money pouch.