What kind of gateway is this next one?
I had five gateways prepared. With a nervous heart, I opened the door.
“A bed?”
What I saw upon opening the door was a giant bed in the room. Suddenly, a bed? What kind of test is this?
“No way! Is it lust?!”
The first room was about appetite. If it’s a test to assess human nature, then surely lust would be part of it.
Kang Yoon-ho. Get a grip. I can’t lose consciousness again.
Suddenly, voluptuous bunny girls, big-bottomed office ladies, cheongsams, maids, naked aprons, underboob hanboks, bikini swimsuits, cat-eared beauties, succubi, Santa outfits, and other similar beauties appeared, but I had to keep my cool.
Wait a second.
‘Considering the generosity of the Jeongal family, isn’t losing my senses worth it?’
They said that on average, you can lose consciousness for about two days per test.
So, if I lost consciousness for just two days, that should be fine. They put in a lot of effort for me.
‘Okay. For now, let me decide by looking at the beauty of the first woman to appear.’
After a dramatic internal compromise, I decided to wait with a pounding heart.
How effective is the formation that the Jeongal family boasts about?
Hello! I’m the fairy of lust. Should we start with the bunny girl or the underboob hanbok? Just don’t give me questions that are too difficult!
I sat on the bed, waiting for whatever luck—or rather, whatever trial would come.
“Uh…?”
No matter how long I waited, no one appeared.
What’s going on? It was then that my father-in-law’s words came to mind.
“Right. He said there’s a lounge between the gateways.”
I was worried for no reason. I thought the bed was for multiple people since it was so big. Letting out a small sigh, I got up from the bed.
“I’m feeling a bit hungry. Let’s see… Is there anything like a wall rice cake?”
Is it the influence of the appetite room? Holding my grumbling belly, I surveyed my surroundings. My father-in-law definitely mentioned there would be food in the lounge…
Before long, I found a food storage room with a door and opened it.
[Prosciutto.]
“Ha….”
A delicious-looking pig’s hind leg was hanging inside the storage. Along with a prominently written notice.
[Please slice it with the knife next to it. It’s not rotten. Just scrape off the mold and you can eat it.]
“This is how a martial arts visual novel should be!”
Right. What kind of wall rice cake is this?
[There are crackers in the jar. Place the prosciutto on it and enjoy it as canapés. Water will flow if you turn on the faucet.]
Calm down, Kang Yoon-ho. It’s tastier than a wall rice cake. It’s a blessing that even the plumbing is well-maintained in a place like this.
For some reason, I calmed the trembling knife and sliced enough meat to shove into my mouth with the crackers.
“Ugh… Salty! If they’re going to take care of the deputy head of the family candidates, at least they could have thrown in some melons.”
If this is the place to take the deputy head exam, can’t they pay a bit more attention to the food? It tastes good enough, except for the lack of vegetables, of course.
As I filled my hungry belly, I noticed a large bell in the room.
“Is this the bell they said to ring if I want to quit the exam…? Huh?”
[Please don’t ring the bell asking for melons. You will be disqualified even if you ring it as a joke.]
“……”
It seems someone had the same thought as I did.
Quickly filling my hunger, I crossed my legs. I wasn’t tired. Since I didn’t know what might happen, I focused on “Qi Breakfast,” which was just as important as my hunger to fill my dantian.
“Shall we go right away?”
What kind of test will the next gateway hold?
Having filled my hunger, my body was at its best. I steeled my resolve again and opened the next gateway.
“……What is this?!!!”
The Elders’ Council of the Jeongal family.
The Elders had been furious about the news of the head of the family’s black-haired son-in-law, but that was just for a moment. Now, within the Elders’ Council, another ruckus was unfolding.
“Have you still not read it all?!”
“Wait! This part is really exciting!”
“What’s happening? Is it when he fights the brothers? Or when he fights the demons?”
“Demons? Is Un-hyeon fighting demons in the final part?”
“……Oh no!”
“This old man has to stir something up a few times! Bring out the weapons! I must have a round today!”
“Then can I read it first?”
“Ugh. Just wait and see later!”
Chronicles of the Wind and Cloud Heroes.
All the council members were enthusiastic about a novel they had never heard of or seen before.
“Chronicles of the Wind and Cloud Heroes…… Where on earth did this kind of novel come from?”
“This martial arts story is told so engagingly. Watching Un-hyeon’s tale felt like returning to my youth!”
“Elder Oh, in your youth, you were hardly like Un-hyeon.”
“That’s just a figure of speech! Just words!”
“I kept thinking of our grandchild.”
“Grandchild? Who? The one who snuck out to skip training and got scolded by his wife after coming back?”
“Y-You’re training really hard these days!”
“No way! But comparing our grandchild to Un-hyeon and the seventh elder’s grandchild is out of the question!”
“What?! Are you saying our grandchild is worse than yours?!”
An orphan who lost his parents but didn’t lose his sense of chivalry and grew up right. A child who worked harder than anyone and grew stronger as much as he put in effort.
For the Elders’ Council, who were also grandfathers and upright martial artists, Un-hyeon’s growth was inevitably enjoyable as if they were looking at their own grandchildren.
“Can you please be quiet! I’m savoring every word of this book! It’s so distracting!”
“What?! Didn’t you ask to borrow it without having read it once before?!”
“Th-that…!”
“Nextgoeeereeeu!”
“Tch tch. That guy is like that too!”
“Chronicles of the Wind and Cloud Heroes! I never thought I’d live to see the day a book like this would come out!”
Of course, Chronicles of the Wind and Cloud Heroes was a novel different from the existing martial arts stories. It was indeed fun to the point where they couldn’t collect themselves.
“Why on earth didn’t they tell us about such an enjoyable book?!”
As one of the Elders expressed disappointment, another elder next to him chuckled.
“It can’t be helped. Didn’t we tell them to never let that licentious author’s work pass our doorstep?”
No way! The same person wrote both Chronicles of the Wind and Cloud Heroes and The Rise of the Tang Family? The Elders couldn’t help but be surprised.
“The so-called author with no background, didn’t we all ridicule those kids in front of them? Who would have the courage to recommend Chronicles of the Wind and Cloud Heroes?”
“The youth these days lack the spirit of someone like Un-hyeon! Just because they faced some ridicule, tsk tsk!”
“For the time being, don’t spit out that you’re reading Chronicles of the Wind and Cloud Heroes either. Since the head of the family is bringing in a black-haired son-in-law, it would be a big trouble if the Elders’ Council gets bashed for changing their position!”
“Ugh… Understood! Let’s at least find vol. 2!”
“Miss! It seems the plan has worked. The entire Elders’ Council is ecstatic about Chronicles of the Wind and Cloud Heroes!”
“I was worried. What a relief.”
Jeongal Hyang let out a sigh of relief, clutching her chest, as the head of the inspection unit brought good news.
“In Wuhan, the book has caused quite a stir, so it’s only natural. Moreover, it’s not a story that features the Sichuan Tang Family as the main character or a vulgar novel. The content would definitely receive a passing score, so the Elders wouldn’t have a reason to nitpick.”
Jeon Gil-san casually mentioned this but couldn’t hide his happiness and clenched his fist.
“That’s right. Our Jeongal family maintains a good relationship with Mount Wu. We even donate every year.”
“The Elders are looking for vol. 2. We need to visit the Elders’ Council immediately and provide them with vol. 2!”
The operation to win over the Elders’ Council with Chronicles of the Wind and Cloud Heroes. The head of the inspection unit couldn’t hide his joy that Kang Yoon-ho’s scheme was working.
“No, we absolutely must not do that.”
Jeongal Hyang fiercely shook her hands and head, stopping the inspection chief’s actions.
“What?”
“Why? Is it because Yoon-ho entered the Hongcheonmirijin? If the reaction is good, aren’t we supposed to release vol. 2?”
Jeongal Hyang nodded and took a deep breath.
Things had deviated slightly from what was planned. There was a need for some adjustments in Kang Yoon-ho’s plan. However, there was no one present who could make those modifications.
“I have a new, idea. Please follow my plan from here.”
The fortunate thing was that a woman capable of grasping Kang Yoon-ho’s intentions after living with him for nearly a year was right there.
“What are you trying to do?”
“Well… hehehe!”
The edges of Jeongal Hyang’s mouth rose mischievously.
“Hyang-i. You look familiar with that kind of smile. It’s like when that guy is scheming something.”
Jeongal Hyang didn’t bother to deny it.
‘Couples tend to resemble each other, right? Hehehe!’
Feeling a bit shy about her thoughts, she waved her hands in the air as if to avoid others hearing her, then gathered her mind again.
All in all, as a legitimate wife, it was her duty to do her work while her husband was absent.
“Hehe. I want to let the grandfathers know about the woes of loyal readers like me.”
This time it was Jeongal Hyang’s turn to step up.
“Third elder!”
“I’m here!”
When the person who went to fetch vol. 2 returned, the council members all rushed to the door.
“Did you bring vol. 2?!”
“Hurry up! Give us vol. 2!”
“What?! This is meant to be distributed in order!”
“What do you mean! You should be giving it out based on who read it first!”
“Are you trying to provoke a fight?”
It seemed that it might escalate to an actual knife fight. The man who went to get vol. 2 turned increasingly pale.
“What’s the matter?”
“Well…. I could not bring it.”
“What?!”
He didn’t get vol. 2? What kind of nonsense is this? The eyes of the Elders gathered at the entrance widened in shock.
“Why?! Didn’t you say they had it at the Man Geum Battlefield? Are you saying vol. 2 isn’t there?!”
“No. The martial artists at the Man Geum Battlefield were distributing vol. 1 near the pond. They said they also had vol. 2.”
If they had vol. 2, then why didn’t he bring it back? The Elders pressed for an answer.
“But why?”
“Vol. 2, compared to the distributed vol. 1, had a smaller quantity, and they only allow readers who have finished vol. 1 to take it.”
The man hung his head, feeling embarrassed.
“Tsk tsk! Did you come back just because of that? Can’t you just say you read it?!”
He should have just lied. It seems that the one they sent was quite inflexible. Disappointment swept through the faces of the Elders.
But the reason the man was unable to procure vol. 2 wasn’t merely due to inflexibility.
“It’s only given to those who answer the questions correctly.”
“What?”
“After distributing vol. 1 for free, if you want to see vol. 2, you have to answer questions about vol. 1’s content. If you don’t get them all right, you can’t take vol. 2.”
What was handed to the man who went to fetch vol. 2 was an examination paper.
Of course, it was impossible for someone sent to execute the Elders’ Council’s order, who had not even read Chronicles of the Wind and Cloud Heroes, to solve the problems.
“Even by mentioning the name of the Elders’ Council?”
“They might know if they are from the Jeongal family. However, guests who are giving out books for free cannot be forcibly asked for them.”
Hand over the book. No matter how you put it, even for the Elser’s Council, forcing commands towards a guest is contrary to both manners and etiquette.
“An examination paper? What on earth were they thinking…?”
They were trying to secretly have someone fetch vol. 2. A troubled expression passed over the faces of the Elders’ Council.
What should they do? While the Elders were stuck in thought, the man had another piece of news.
“Many members of the family seem to have heard of the rumors regarding Chronicles of the Wind and Cloud Heroes. By tomorrow, those who have read vol. 1 will likely hasten to get vol. 2.”
“Then what do you suggest we do?”
“Sending people to Wuhan… or rather, there’s only one method.”
A feeling of dread crossed the Elders’ Council.
If the number of people who read vol. 1 of Chronicles of the Wind and Cloud Heroes increases, naturally the number of people wanting vol. 2 will rise. It was only a matter of time before vol. 2 would be gone.
Even if they send people to Wuhan, it would take them more than two weeks. How can they expect to wait when they want to read vol. 2 right away?
Ultimately, the only way to read Chronicles of the Wind and Cloud Heroes right now was…
The Elders’ Council, which had instructed not to let the works of that licentious author into the Jeongal family’s doorstep.
“Are we going to have to go directly to the place with a lot of people and take vol. 2 ourselves…?”
They had no choice but to take the test themselves.
