Chapter 32: The Crisis Of The Man With Black Hair (1)

Chapter 32: The Crisis Of The Man With Black Hair (1)

Mr. Owner, what are you going to do if you just sell off my book?

I stood in front of the Chilgok County bookstore, arms crossed, confronting the owner.

It was true I felt anxious because no one was reading my book. However, it certainly wasnt destined to fail.

My book only needed one person to get hooked. Then, word of mouth would spread. Thats what I waited for.

I never imagined the owner would sell it to a peddler.

What should I do with a book that no one even borrows?

You agreed to put it on sale at a low price.

So I did, for ten whole days. Then a peddler brought in new books, and I ran out of space. Who would buy a book no one borrows? I had to sell it while I could.

Even rental shops set books aside after their new release period, but selling them off?

It reminded me of a rental shop novel that only I found interesting.

Madam Owner, when is volume 2 coming?

That? I just returned it.

How did it feel to have your own diligently written work returned from a rental shop? I wasnt a writer during my rental shop days, so I didnt know that feeling.

I never thought Id experience it here. My book returned? Id rather have it back than feel this injustice.

Where exactly had it been sold?

Where was the book sold to?

To a peddler heading to Wuhan.

Wuhan is too far

I had written my pseudonym in tiny letters on the corner of The Tale of Martial Heroes cover.

Kang Mo ().

Kang Someone. The most famous Kang Someone in Chilgok County was me, the black-haired man from Joseon.

Once my book became famous, they would come looking for me. Theyd offer money for handwritten copies, and Id start producing them. I didnt care about illegal reproductions.

Theyd be too curious about the contents of volume 2.

Who really was the identity of the woman being chased by the villain? She was said to be pretty, but would she actually have a romance with the protagonist? Can the Wudang Sect protagonist truly escape the villains pursuit?

Please give us volume 2!!

I really want to see volume 2!!Updated from novelbIn.(c)om

Ha-ha, I dont have money to write volume 2.

I rubbed my nose, indicating that if they gave me money, I would write volume 2. It was a perfect plan for my novelist debut in Chilgok County.

Now, even if my book became famous somewhere, they would look for the most famous Kang Someone in Wuhan.

Eventually, it was a huge failure.

I argued briefly with the bookstore owner and then left. There was no point in getting worked up over a book that had already gone far away. Besides, I was too hungry to be angry.

I sighed deeply, looking at the blue sky.

I had anticipated this, actually.

I had expectations because the novel turned out well. But I knew that writing a famous book with just one volume was unrealistic. Maybe I was too caught up in wishful thinking.

That was the problem with being a writer.

Once you started writing, you got caught up in wishful thinking. In reality, even if you rewrote the prologue dozens of times, few books became hits.

I didnt analyze market tastes and couldnt mass-produce the book. It was foolish to think my book would become a hit.

My first writing attempt in the martial arts visual novel world was a colossal failure.

But instead of feeling despair about the failure, I felt a sense of relief. With the deep sigh I had just exhaled towards the sky, I blew away all negative thoughts.

I had failed, but I hadnt lost my goal to escape this world. I was just a bit too hasty.

The light in the darkness, the ending condition, still shone. If I progressed without rushing, I would reach my destination. Thats what I believed and how I would live.

Now, what do I do to make a living?

Goals were goals. The future was the future. The destruction of Han-ta, who gathered souls, didnt change that. Now, it was time to deal with the aftermath.

It had been over two weeks since Cheon Gija had met the Defier of Heaven).

He had come here because he was destined to meet both a noble guest and a ghostly visitor. He had easily met the noble one, but the ghostly visitor still hadnt appeared.

Others said it was good to do fortune-telling for others, even if it was just a side job. But these days, the problem was the appearance of the hooligans here, clouding the waters.

They could be from the Cheongsa Sect or the Worm Sect.

Thanks to them, even the few customers who used to come here every day had stopped coming.

Father, who is doing business here?

A bunch of nobodies, not even worth calling them thugs, had even approached Cheon Gija. Cheon Gija looked at one of the approaching black market guys and spoke.

Your father passed away early, and your mother worked hard to raise you.

How could you know that, or how would Lady Younggam know?

One of the leaders among the Cheongsapa seemed to threaten Cheon Gija but stopped.

When there was a gang of ruffians, there were usually one or two of them with unfortunate family backgrounds. Finding such a person didnt require fortune-telling.

Go see your mother right now. You should see her before she passes away.

When Cheon Gija spoke seriously, the Cheongsapa thug hesitated for a moment.

Old man, if this is a lie, Ill kill you!! Lets go!

Realizing that something was wrong, the martial artist from the Cheongsapa led the others and disappeared.

As the martial artist from the Cheongsapa disappeared from sight, Cheon Gija spoke.

The Sha () has gone to your mother. Youve accumulated too much bad karma by tormenting those weaker than you. Will you be able to bear the consequences when the arrow comes back to you soon after your mothers death?

Cheon Gija looked at the alley where the Cheongsapa martial artists had vanished with a bitter expression.

The alley, where the sun had just set, was slowly filling up with beggars. The village of wooden planks would soon echo with the cries of the sick and hungry and be dotted with people sleeping on empty stomachs.

In the end, he hadnt encountered a single paying customer that day.

Just as Cheon Gija was about to put away his tools and leave, a woman appeared before him.

Where had she come from? Just a moment before, there had been no one.

A woman who appears at twilight. Quite unusual.

Cheon Gija, right?

Without responding to Cheon Gijas remark, the expressionless woman asked about his identity.

Thats right. And who are you, the guest who comes at this hour?

If youre Cheon Gija, guess.

Even when presented with gold and silver, it was difficult to coax a word out of Cheon Gija. The womans attitude actually made him nervous.

Hmm. A woman who appears at a time when its hard to distinguish between a dog and a wolf. Its not uncommon to struggle with distinguishing between a dog and a wolf at this time, but its especially challenging now.

Do I not appear clearly?

The woman stepped toward Cheon Gija, one foot at a time.

No, its a way of saying that its difficult to tell if youre a human guest or a ghost guest () at this hour.

At the mention of a ghost, the woman halted.

Even concealing your original energy. I suppose I must greet you properly, if only for my own sake.

Cheon Gija sat down and gave the woman a slight bow.

Do you know who I am?

Cheon Gijas expression stiffened in response to the womans question.

He was about to meet a guest from the other world

A ghostly guest. Did that mean a deceased person?

No, it was not a deceased person.

This was someone capable of turning a living person into a vengeful spirit.

Why cant you recognize this generations Heavenly Death Star ()?

This was the person Cheon Gija had been waiting for, for so long.