In the end, I did it.
Everyone seemed at a loss for words, looking at me with dazed expressions after my shocking confession.
“What? You’re going to reveal Ho Pil’s identity?”
How do I get permission to marry? If you’re not satisfied with the successor of Man Geum Battlefield, if you dislike my black hair… What must I do?
In the end, my thoughts spiraled around Ho Pil’s identity.
“Unlike other martial arts families, the Zhuge Family highly values literary talent. I plan to make the most of that.”
“Yes, it’s true that our family does not disregard talented individuals. But are you sure this is okay?”
“I know that as Ho Pil, simply asking for marital consent will not cut it. I need to prepare the situation first and guide public opinion from a prepared standpoint. So, I really need your help, Miss Zhuge.”
“Ah! Well… I’ll do my best!”
Miss Zhuge’s enthusiasm exceeded my expectations.
The fishing spot she created. What I must do now is spread the bait that it’s not bloodline but outstanding talent that matters.
Ultimately, when the Elders’ Council mentioned Ho Pil, I could finally lift the fishing rod.
“You are Ho Pil?”
The shark, who bit the hook, asked in surprise.
“Kang Yoon-ho’s friend. I’ve lived in obscurity until the black-haired discovered me, a writer. There is no such Ho Pil as the world knows. I am Ho Pil.”
Confidently! Answering as if I had never said anything incorrect.
“What nonsense are you spouting?!”
That was the expected reaction. It’s the same reaction you’d have when hearing about a second-generation chaebol disguised as a hero who beats up criminals at night.
‘Of course, they wouldn’t believe I said I’m Ho Pil.’
Why am I Ho Pil? To explain, I shrugged my shoulders and continued.
“It doesn’t make sense that a newly opened bookstore run by a black-haired person finds a writer who creates a novel that never existed, does it?”
“What?!”
“I opened a bookstore in Yichang last year, and the Rise of the Tang Family was released last year too. The timings are so close that when would a writer have been found?”
How could a wandering black-haired person suddenly discover a masterpiece overnight? Right?
“You claim you wrote it?!”
“I thought that to attract customers to the bookstore run by the black-haired, besides seductive books sold only at the Tea Bookstore, there was no answer. That’s how The Rise of the Tang Family was written.”
No matter how much the world changes, the popularity of adult novels remains constant.
“Hah! You created a fake author named Ho Pil? By your reasoning, that means you’ve written an outstanding novel worth bragging about! Do you really think hiding your identity makes sense?!”
That is a valid point. A bestselling novelist—the author of books that people in Yichang line up to buy. There wouldn’t be a reason to hide that from others.
“If there’s a story about the Martial Arts World written by a black-haired person, would you read it?”
If only I weren’t a barbarian.
“Hmm…”
Naturally, no straightforward answer came.
“If I am the successor of Man Geum Battlefield or have passed Hongcheonmirijin in seven days, just because I’m black-haired, this commotion would not arise. Would people from the Central Plains even pay attention to a book written by a black-haired person?”
Aren’t you all itching to devour me? Do you think others are any different? Pierced to the core, one of the elders shouted at me.
“Good writing is always recognized by someone!”
“Somebody gave me a little money.”
I responded with a snicker.
“What?”
“I’ve gone about selling stories while showing my face. A black-haired barbarian was praised for being able to speak well, and they tossed a few coins my way.”
I pulled out what I had prepared.
Even though my days back then were tough, they were joyful and happy. But what I am about to talk about is not a memory from those times.
“Look at this! Um? Why the fan?”
What I pulled out was the fan of the storyteller. It was the folding fan I had shared those times with.
Why couldn’t Kang Yoon-ho hide his identity? Now, I’ll show you the performance of the once-renowned storyteller, which is hard to see anywhere now.
With exaggerated movements and a voice that everyone could hear, I showcased the weary life of the black-haired storyteller.
“One day, the black-haired storyteller realized something amusing. When this fan is opened, a black-haired storyteller can only earn a few coins.”
Snap!
The cheerful sound that was pleasant even after a long time. Thinking frivolous thoughts, I wondered what exactly I was about to do. All eyes were drawn to the opened folding fan.
With a smile, I covered my entire face with the fan. My expression was unreadable, and my hair couldn’t be seen clearly. A solo act is a fundamental skill of a storyteller and something to avoid.
However…
What the storyteller ought not to do backed up the path chosen by the black-haired Kang Yoon-ho.
“By hiding my face with this fan, I’m saying that I can be the Ho Pil recognized by the Zhuge Family’s Elders’ Council.”
You don’t want to see my black hair, right? I concealed it because you wanted me to.
“Cough, cough…!”
The sound from the Elders’ Council felt pleasantly ticklish to my ears, as if they’d been hit.
———
“Why is everyone so surprised?”
“The Head of Family?”
“Father.”
When I turned my head, I saw my father-in-law looking at the Elders’ Council with a puzzled expression.
“I understand that this child is the author your daughter liked. However, isn’t The Rise of the Tang Family the book you seniors prohibited?”
“Y-Yes, that was the case!”
As expected, father-in-law is sharp. The Elders’ Council, under the weight of the Head of Family’s words, seemed to have many secrets as they avoided eye contact.
“Why are you all so flustered over a mere erotic novelist?”
“Watch your words. Head of Family!”
How could you say something so harsh? Instantly, all attention focused on my father-in-law.
“What? Watch my words?”
“Merely an erotic novelist! What do you mean by saying that to the author of The Chronicles of the Wind and Cloud Heroes!”
“A moment ago, I heard that child is definitely…”
“It’s not a matter of whether he is Ho Pil or not!”
“The Zhuge Family does not turn its back on starving literati! Are you belittling the author just because he had one slip up?!”
“Exactly! The literati are always those who are cold and hungry. Some break their pens due to poverty, while others bend their faith due to hunger.”
“Even though the Ho Pil author may have written novels that the perverted might favor, true intentions are overflowing in the novels that convey their purpose!”
“That’s right! The Chronicles of the Wind and Cloud Heroes contains a sharp critique of our current martial arts world!”
“The feelings of our young days that today’s youth have lost, Ho Pil has captured that spirit!”
The sharks didn’t spare any reckless prey.
“Yes, indeed…….”
Father seems to not have read The Chronicles of the Wind and Cloud Heroes yet. He responded with a hasty step back, as if something was wrong.
‘The Sichuan Tang Family might feel offended if they hear that.’
To treat The Rise of the Tang Family like the author’s slip-up! There are also people from the Sichuan Tang Family waiting for the next volume, you know.
“If you get it, hm…!”
“Oh, what a disgrace!”
Do some in the Elders’ Council believe I’m Ho Pil? I smiled subtly at the embarrassed Elders.
“I’m just thankful that you enjoyed reading.”
“Ho Pil……. Are you really the author of The Rise of the Tang Family and The Chronicles of the Wind and Cloud Heroes?”
“To be precise, it’s The Chronicles of the Wind and Cloud Heroes and The Rise of the Tang Family.”
“Huh?”
“The Chronicles of the Wind and Cloud Heroes came first, and The Rise of the Tang Family came later. When the black-haired person brought the book around, no one would accept it.”
“Oh, that’s why the titles sounded similar!”
I had expected that. A hum of realization rippled through the room.
“Don’t make hasty judgments!”
Of course, most still hadn’t shaken off their doubts about me.
“It’s still all mere speculation! Are you going to be fooled by the agile tongue of a kid?”
“You’re claiming you are Ho Pil! That’s absurd!”
“I told you, there was a reason I had to.”
“There can be countless excuses!”
“The novels contain matters that only a martial artist could depict! How could a black-haired person understand the martial arts so well?”
“Ho Pil must be a martial artist or at least a scholar of the martial arts. Someone like you with black hair couldn’t possibly write such things!”
“It’s only natural to seek marital consent! Are you planning to snatch your friend’s achievement too?!”
It’s understandable that they wouldn’t believe me.
Regardless of my writing, I had written a martial arts novel. How could a barbarian understand martial arts? It’s like a foreigner making kimchi from a noble family. Very infuriating.
The answer was simple.
“I haven’t written anything about this world’s martial arts.”
I hadn’t written about the martial arts of this world.
“What?”
“I’ve written about a martial artist who stands against injustice, does not ignore the weak, and would reach out to anyone—even a black-haired person. It is not about the martial arts of this current age.”
“What does that even mean…!”
“What I’ve written is about the martial arts as I imagine them. Just as the Zhuge Family I’ve imagined differs from the Zhuge family I stand before now.”
The martial arts I had seen since I was young. I had written about the martial arts I imagined. Not about you.
“This guy…!”
“Don’t deceive me with wordplay!”
Whether they believe it or not doesn’t matter. I had witnessed the martial arts of countless worlds, and I had written about the martial arts I had wished for while living intertwined with this world.
“Wordplay… You’re right. It started as a wordplay from the beginning, and it’s quite amusing that no one notices it.”
I had said enough.
I chuckled slightly and looked at the bewildered Elders.
“Why the sudden change in conversation?”
Why I had to hide my identity. Why I wrote novels. I’ve explained sufficiently.
All that remains is to show proof that I am Ho Pil.
“I thought at least one of you might catch on. I thought someone might come to the bookstore and recognize me since it’s such a pen name.”
“Pen name…?”
Someone in the Elders’ Council seemed to have realized something, their expression shifting.
That’s right.
“A pen name for an author often contains wordplay and reflects the author’s meaning.”
The novel that everyone from the Zhuge family had read intensely for days. Even while the Elders denied my identity, they didn’t let go of their compliments for the author’s pen name.
Ho Pil (胡筆).
The hidden meaning of my pen name is…
“……Barbarian Writer.”
Didn’t I say? With my laughter, astonishment swept through the room.
You are not the first, nor will you be the last.
“A black-haired person couldn’t possibly write about the martial arts! Everyone in the Central Plains has been blind to the truth, so no one suspects me. How amusing is that?”
I had never hidden myself from the start. You all had simply imposed a mask upon me.
A mask made of prejudice and disdain.
