“Is the second volume of Chronicles of the Wind and Cloud Heroes coming out this quickly?”
“I thought it would take at least half a year.”
“Is the reason The Rise of the Tang Family volume four not coming out really due to Tea Bookstore issues?”
“If they resolve the Tea Bookstore issue, the fourth volume of The Rise of the Tang Family will come out quickly.”
“I can’t believe we get to find out the identity of the ‘young lady’ from Chronicles of the Wind and Cloud Heroes so soon!”
With Chronicles of the Wind and Cloud Heroes being released one after another, if this pace continues, it might not be just a dream to see Ho Pil’s novels back-to-back.
The news about the release of the second volume of Chronicles of the Wind and Cloud Heroes excited the members of the Tea and Book Club.
The truth is, Kang Yoon-ho had already written volume one in advance, and volume two was timed thanks to the tireless support of two women, but this news was the best way to drown out the negative opinions about Ho Pil all at once.
—-
As the second volume of Chronicles of the Wind and Cloud Heroes, produced at an unprecedented speed with countless workers at the print house, filled Tea Bookstore, the release day for volume two had finally arrived.
“Seems like the line isn’t as long as I thought.”
One member of the Tea and Book Club muttered while standing in the middle of the stretched-out line.
“What? The entrance to Tea Bookstore looks like a dot! What are you talking about?”
A friend tilted their head, glancing between the first and last ends of the line.
“You didn’t see the release day for volume three of The Rise of the Tang Family, did you? It was a miracle to buy a book on the first day!”
“Wow. I thought this line was enormous, but how long was it for The Rise of the Tang Family?”
“I lined up before sunrise, bought the book, and came out just in time for dinner.”
A member, who preferred Chronicles of the Wind and Cloud Heroes over The Rise of the Tang Family, proudly stated that they were a reader who read it on the first day.
“Look at all the people, sis!”
“Let’s hurry and get in line! I want to see Un-hyeon quickly!”
“Even if the line is shorter than for The Rise of the Tang Family, there seem to be a lot more female readers this time.”
A martial artist initiated a conversation with a member of the Tea and Book Club who was bragging.
“Hey? Aren’t you Gong Postman? Did you just come back from your delivery?”
The martial artist turned out to be Gong Postman, a devoted reader of The Rise of the Tang Family, who was somewhat known in Yichang.
“I just returned two days ago. It’s nice to see a familiar face while waiting for the second volume of Chronicles of the Wind and Cloud Heroes. How has everyone been?”
Though Gong Postman wasn’t a member of the Tea and Book Club, he frequently visited Tea Bookstore and was on friendly terms with them.
“You must still be tired from your travels; why not let the younger postmen handle things…?”
“I completely forgot to get a present for my daughter from her delivery. She’s of marrying age, but she talks too much. Since I found Ho Pil’s new book on her desk, that’s why I’m here.”
Even a renowned postman was like putty when it came to his daughter.
“Haha. Lately, Ho Pil’s novels are quite popular among women. Have you read Chronicles of the Wind and Cloud Heroes?”
“Can you see my eyes?”
“What? Oh! You look tired.”
“I couldn’t sleep last night because I was so excited reading Chronicles of the Wind and Cloud Heroes after gaining some fatigue from my travels. I read it on a whim from my daughter’s desk.”
Though he said it was a slip of the tongue, Gong Postman’s face was full of smiles.
“I stayed up all night reading Chronicles of the Wind and Cloud Heroes as well.”
“I thought as you got older, you’d become indifferent. I expected to get used to joyful and sorrowful things. But this novel made it hard to calm my mind.”
“There seems to be something that stimulates martial artists.”
Nod, nod, Gong Postman opened his mouth.
“I’m thinking of recommending it to other postmen.”
With the color drained from Colored Heroic Stories, it wasn’t as stimulating as The Rise of the Tang Family. However, the absence of color filled it with another kind of fun, making it an enticing book that could keep you up all night.
Moreover, Gong Postman wanted to tell martial artists to read Chronicles of the Wind and Cloud Heroes instead of The Rise of the Tang Family, as it was a thought-provoking story.
“Oh! The door to Tea Bookstore has opened!”
Gong Postman slowly made his way toward Tea Bookstore, one step at a time for his daughter and himself.
—–
“Enjoy reading.”
After the long wait, Gong Postman handed one of the two copies of Chronicles of the Wind and Cloud Heroes he had obtained to his daughter.
“Yay! Daddy’s the best!”
Could it be that she wouldn’t feel pain even if he put her in his eye? Even though she was about to be of marrying age in a couple of days, seeing his daughter so joyfully bouncing filled Gong Postman’s heart with delight.
“Do let me know your thoughts after reading.”
“Yes!”
Seeing his daughter scurry into her room, Gong Postman also headed into his study with the second volume in hand.
The Taoist Master of Mount Wu, Un-hyeon.
On the path to becoming a hero after completing training in Eight Trigrams Swordplay, he meets a woman along the way.
What might the identity of the ‘young lady’ being attacked by bad guys be?
Gong Postman forgot his age and flipped the pages with a fluttering heart.
[You bastards! Do you think I would hand over my father’s sword even if it costs me my life?!]
A beautiful lady with long hair shouted at the villains while holding her sword.
“A martial artist? So the ‘young lady’ was a martial artist?”
She was not simply a woman being attacked by robbers. Gong Postman sensed that a significant incident was about to unfold as he continued reading.
[You woman! If you hand over the sword obediently, I’ll spare your life!]
[Old man. What a rare beauty. Brother, you will just spare my life, right?]
[Heh heh heh. Would I be nagging if I told you twice?]
[Old man. I bet it feels great to resist.]
“A woman traveling alone… How foolish.”
Gong Postman murmured with a bitter expression.
There’s a saying in the martial arts world to beware of the elderly, children, and women. If those easily targeted individuals were roaming the martial world, it meant they were warnings to be cautious of.
There’s a reason why there are postmen in the martial arts. Gong Postman knew better than anyone what kind of fate awaited the woman in the book, in ordinary circumstances.
If it were ordinary circumstances, that is.
[Who the hell are you?!]
[I’m just a passerby who can’t overlook injustice.]
Five villainous-looking thugs and one woman. For an ordinary person, or even a typical martial artist, this would be a situation worth turning away from.
Un-hyeon appeared, drawing a line between the woman and the villains.
“Just like Un-hyeon.”
[That outfit with the hero’s sword… Could it be from Mount Wu?]
[Of all people, it’s Mount Wu’s dog! Stay back and slowly wear her down!]
Having assessed the situation, the five thugs surrounded Un-hyeon.
Gathering Strength, Delivering the Blow. The Sword of Wu was a defensive sword technique. If you’re not a high-level martial artist, if you don’t give your opponent room, there’s no way to avoid fatal strikes and win.
It was clearly their strategy.
[Young hero! Please, get back! They’re not ordinary villains!]
[It’s fine.]
[Huh?]
[I’m not an ordinary villain either.]
At last, the Eight Trigrams Swordplay, which Un-hyeon had mastered after long training, began to unfold from his hands.
“Yay! Un-hyeon! What a hero!”
In a room nearby, the daughter’s voice could be heard. It seemed that his daughter was also cheering after seeing the same scene.
When no one was expecting it, thinking it was a difficult situation, to take down all five at once… Gong Postman flipped the pages with a pounding heart.
[Urgh?! H-How?!]
“Of course, the Eight Trigrams Swordplay. It’s a sword technique worthy of a good deed.”
Gong Postman recalled the majestic Mount Wu.
While on the defensive rather than the offensive. With that grand mountain stance, looking as though it wouldn’t budge no matter who came, but also somewhat reclusive.
On the other hand, how was Un-hyeon’s sword?
He was going on the offensive rather than the defensive. Rather than being crouched, he was swinging his sword for goodwill.
Actively, more than anyone.
[Young hero. Thank you for your help. I am Jin So-yu, a mentor at the martial arts school of the Tang Family.]
Jin So-yu expressed her gratitude to Un-hyeon, who had eliminated the villains.
[Having villains running amok at the foot of Mount Wu, I feel nothing but shame as a person from Mount Wu.]
[It’s not the fault of Mount Wu. It’s due to martial artists’ greed.]
[What do you mean by that?]
[I’m being chased because of this sword.]
[Sword?]
[I was on my way back to Wuhan with ten swords left by my father, who was a renowned blacksmith before he passed away.]
Jin So-yu began to explain the circumstances that led her to the current situation.
A teacher at a martial arts school run by her grandfather. The school went bankrupt, and after receiving news of her father’s demise from afar, she was on her way to claim the inheritance.
But that sword turned out to be the problem.
[That’s an incredible weapon.]
Though it may not be an extraordinary legacy, it could mean the difference between life and death at critical moments. It was surely a treasure any martial artist would covet.
“It’s also a problem that you’re a beautiful woman, carrying a sword that any martial artist would covet. You’re basically walking into a fire with a haystack.”
Somehow rumors began to spread that Jin So-yu was heading back to Wuhan with a precious sword.
Gong Postman frowned, thinking this was no ordinary matter.
[Young hero. If I cannot return to the martial arts school with this sword, my entire family will end up on the street. I know it’s a perverse request, but please help me!]
“Tsk, tsk. A life-threatening situation. Even for a post office, this request should be paid in gold rather than silver. It’s too big a request for a rookie martial artist like Un-hyeon.”
[…….]
[I’m sorry. I thought you were my only hope, so I acted presumptuously. How could I make such a request when I owe you my life already?]
Perhaps feeling embarrassed after her plea, Jin So-yu was unable to lift her head.
“Seems like even Un-hyeon can’t grant any requests so easily.”
Even a hero can have requests that are reasonable and unreasonable.
Gong Postman turned the page, expecting a logical refusal.
[If you want to throw off the pursuers, you may have to take a rough path.]
[Huh?]
“What?!”
As he flipped the next page, he saw an unexpected reaction.
[While thinking about an escape route, I’m late with my answer. Let’s move quickly.]
“Was there never a choice not to help in the first place? Haha, of course! Un-hyeon, who came out into the world to be a hero!”
Although Gong Postman was surprised by this unexpected reaction, he was instead delighted. Isn’t it good to have such a crazy person in the world?
A madman who dedicates everything for the sake of the good.
[Thank you! I truly appreciate it! If you want, you can take one of the swords left by my father!]
“Alright. If I don’t get the chance to acquire this sword in my lifetime, it won’t be a losing deal to obtain it now… No, wait. One life is more precious; it could be a loss.”
Is obtaining an extraordinary sword a losing deal? A profitable deal?
As a postman, a martial artist, he busily calculated in his mind. But from the beginning, there was no reason for such calculations.
[When you reach out your hand, you only need to grab it with the hands of the weak.]
[Huh?]
Acting with the sword is not for self-interest.
[There’s no need for compensation. Let’s go.]
“……I feel embarrassed.”
Gong Postman felt a slight self-reproach as a martial artist.
When was it?
He surely said he would wield his sword for the sake of the weak when he was just a little kid with a sword. Yet now at this age, looking at a hero while counting the gains and losses.
“Did Ho Pil think of this when writing?”
An old hand that had aged and was flipping the pages concerned with profit and loss, unlike the hand of the hero in the book, who readily grasped the hands of the weak.
“Ugh. I can’t help but turn the page next!”
The second volume of Chronicles of the Wind and Cloud Heroes was igniting the heart of Gong Postman, who had somehow become middle-aged.
