There were many tiger troubles in Joseon.
Just how bad was it? There’s a saying: “Joseon people spend half the year mourning those killed by tigers, and the other half hunting them.”
In neighboring countries, if someone goes missing while traveling, they say it must be ghosts or they’ve been reincarnated in another world. But not in Joseon.
They think, “Ah, he must have been killed by a tiger.”
There are countless proverbs and folk tales related to tigers. One you might have heard is: “Even if you’re bitten by a tiger, if you hold onto your sanity, you’ll survive.”
But that’s a completely wrong saying. While it might be a metaphor for a crisis, if you actually get bitten by a tiger, the situation is already over.
To survive a tiger, you shouldn’t wait until you’ve been bitten to regain your wits.
You need to trick the tiger before it bites you.
I recall a tale I heard as a child about a tiger brother.
One day, a man found himself in a situation where he was about to be bitten by a tiger.
“Brother! Brother!”
The man cried out, desperately calling the tiger his brother.
“What do you mean by brother?”
The tiger asked, intrigued, and the man started to share his story.
“My mother once told me I had a brother who died and was reincarnated as a tiger. Now that I see you, you are indeed my brother!”
The tiger, fooled by the man’s splendid act, mistook him for its true brother and let him go home.
Moreover, the tiger even voluntarily brought expensive game to support the man and his parents.
The man ended up not getting bitten by the tiger and instead became wealthy.
How wonderful is that?
He got rich without even getting bitten by a tiger!
That’s how I need to outsmart the Murong family.
I don’t desire to be rich.
Let them keep their money; I just need to survive.
And now, it’s time to start my life-threatening act.
“Sir, at the end of this road is the Murong family estate.”
And here I am.
The path leading to the Murong estate was neatly organized and beautifully decorated.
People in the village were lined up on both sides of the street, seemingly eager to catch a glimpse of Murong Sang-a’s husband.
If this were modern times, there’d probably be banners saying things like:
“Congratulations on the marriage of Murong Sang-a!”
“Sang-a, you’re finally going!”
“Congratulations on the marriage of the lady Murong – Representative Whatever.”
The atmosphere was electric, with the lined-up people chattering. Naturally, the center of attention was me.
To avoid getting nervous, I kept my gaze fixed on the Murong estate, but I couldn’t help but overhear the comments.
“He looks better than I expected.”
“He’s just a hollow shell. Doesn’t suit the lady.”
“They say he’s rich. Look at all that treasure piled on that cart!”
“Yeah, he suddenly looks handsome.”
“Who cares if he’s empty inside? If he’s got money, he’s good husband material.”
Lady, have you seen inside my head?
It’s packed with solid items and intellect! Where’s the emptiness you speak of?
As I listened to the villagers’ comments, I soon reached the main gate of the Murong estate.
The Murong estate resembled a small royal fortress rather than a typical manor.
Built to defend against enemies and showcase the might of the Murong family to guests, the gate seemed to say it would swallow you whole if you were an enemy.
“Can I survive this?”
Standing in front of the imposing gate showcasing the Murong family’s power, I felt a wave of anxiety.
I must not die on my wedding night.
I must not be executed for treason.
I need to escape from the Murong estate safely and flee to the Central Plains.
I must survive.
If I can just hand over the book I’ve written…
I can make Murong Sang-a my tiger brother.
Kang Yoon-ho, don’t be scared! You can do this!
Just as I was thinking that, the gate opened.
“Welcome!”
The first to greet me at the entrance was a tall man in fine clothing with slightly slanted eyes that looked serpent-like.
A member of the Demonic Cult. Deputy Head of Family Murong Bi.
[[[[[[Welcome! Please come in!!]]]]]]
The people of the Murong family stood lined up, welcoming our party.
“Nice to meet you, Deputy Head of Family.”
I approached the Deputy Head of Family and smiled as I greeted him.
“Ah, soon to be my brother-in-law, why would I call you Deputy Head of Family? Let’s drop the titles and just call me brother.”
“Haha, how could I address someone who will lead the great Murong family so casually?”
“This guy… still has a father around, so watch your words. Ahem.”
Though he said that, I could see a smile struggling to rise on Murong Bi’s face.
“Of course, may your father-in-law get well soon. However, when your father-in-law steps down, isn’t it obvious who will lead the great Murong family?”
“Haha, that may be so. By the way, I don’t see your father-in-law.”
Murong Bi briefly looked around for Kang Yoon-ho’s father.
“He’s been in poor health recently and can’t move about these days.”
I replied with a dark expression. To be exact, he collapsed suffering from high blood pressure after seeing his son drunk before the wedding.
“It’s unfortunate that both families’ parents are unwell. Your father-in-law must regret not being able to attend the wedding.”
“When we go to Joseon, we plan to hold a light ceremony with our family elders and my father again. After the ceremony and a feast for the guests, wouldn’t the heavens bless the elders with recovery?”
As I spoke, I scanned around.
Is she not here? She better not be.
As I looked closer, I couldn’t see Murong Sang-a anywhere.
“Ah, I see. But it’s not polite to keep our guests standing here. They must be tired; let’s let everyone in!”
Not yet. I took a deep breath and began to speak.
“Hey, Deputy Head of Family.”
In the lowest tone I could muster, laced with a hint of anger.
“Huh?”
“Where is Murong So-ja?”
“Well, um…”
Murong Bi scratched his cheek awkwardly.
“Is it true that the man who is to be her husband has arrived, but she hasn’t come out to greet him?”
I pressed him, my face growing serious.
“The girl said she would just show her face at the wedding…”
I thought so. Murong Sang-a must be engaged in her final rebellion.
While breaking off the engagement is out of the question, I figured she wouldn’t come out to greet me either.
“Is that how things are done in the Central Plains? In Joseon, when the man arrives from afar, the future wife would dress up to welcome him!”
I was truly furious. I shouted loudly for everyone to hear.
As my voice rose, the smiles of the welcoming crowd began to fade, while the members of my party remained silent.
Before arriving, I had warned my party to stay quiet if they didn’t want to be treated like barbarians.
“Ah, the voice is quite high! Is this how someone should act during a joyous occasion?”
Murong Bi attempted to calm me down by reaching for my shoulder, but I swiftly turned to look at my party.
“The Azure Dragon Terrace Guard treating us like barbarians!! And my fiancée doesn’t come to greet me!! How can this marriage proceed when our families look down on us and disregard Joseon? Everyone, turn the procession around!!”
“What?!”
Murong Bi was startled and turned me back. That hurt. Yep, martial artists really do have strong grips.
“Let go of me, Deputy Head of Family! I can’t stand a future wife that treats her husband in such a manner!”
“Brother-in-law! What is the meaning of this?”
“Ask the Azure Dragon Terrace Guard or the racial discrimination squad!”
Where the hell did those racist bastards go? In this fantasy martial arts game of the 2020s, we’re doing nationality discrimination!
I scanned around, looking for the Azure Dragon Terrace guard, who was keeping their head down.
“Treating me like a barbarian? Is that true, Lieutenant General?”
Murong Bi questioned the Azure Dragon Terrace Lieutenant General incredulously.
“Th-that is…”
What’s left to say when it’s the truth?
“Yes!! Did she tell you to do that?!”
“N-no! It wasn’t like that!”
“Not like that? Ugh… Brother-in-law, misunderstandings must be cleared!”
As soon as Murong Bi realized what I said was true, he sighed deeply and spoke in an apologetic tone.
“….”
Hmph! I’m upset! No, Kang Yoon-ho is upset.
I averted my gaze from Murong Bi’s.
“If you wait in the office, I will call for her. I’ll deal with those guys too. So don’t say you’ll leave.”
“Ugh… How could I defy the future head of the great Murong family? Let’s go in together.”
“Alright. Let’s go!”
Passing through the first hurdle without incident, we headed towards Murong Bi’s office.
*
What I saw in Murong Bi’s office was the hallmark of great parental affection.
“Did that girl ask her husband to threaten him!”
“No, Deputy Head of Family! How could Miss Sang-a do such a thing?”
The Lieutenant General protested passionately, as if feeling wronged. Do you understand how scared my party was because of you guys? At this moment, you should’ve acted like a supportive sister instead of the groom.
“Ugh… It’s all my fault! I didn’t know that Deputy Head of Family’s Azure Dragon Terrace Guard would call us barbarians. I couldn’t tell if I was here for a wedding or being dragged to the slaughterhouse.”
“My Azure Dragon Terrace Guard?! Those guys originally hail from the Spear Peak Band!”
Murong Bi jumped up as if he’d heard something terrible.
If those guys are now part of your guard, then it’s your responsibility.
Is this dude really the Deputy Head of Family?
Murong family’s future is looking bright for sure.
“I’ve heard that in the Joseon Peninsula, just the mention of the Murong family’s Azure Dragon Terrace Guard makes bandits pee their pants. But now, our party ended up being terrified by these Azure Dragon Terrace guys and had to wet ourselves last night.”
In truth, I got too happy seeing them get pestered by Azure Dragon Terrace, overindulged, and ended up wetting myself.
“Hahaha.”
Murong Bi placed his palm on his forehead, evidently troubled by the situation.
“Those from the Azure Dragon Terrace who made a mistake will be punished for a hundred days in the punishment department. Please forgive us once again.”
The Lieutenant General, kneeling as he did yesterday, apologized.
“We cannot let this slide, given the gravity of the situation. All Azure Dragon Terrace members who were guarding will be under probation for six months.”
“Deputy Head of Family!!”
Probation means no king for six months.
Can you believe it? Just a month of unpaid leave makes people want to resign, and now they’re being ordered to work without pay for six months?
Oh, how cruel.
“Deputy Head of Family, I mean brother.”
“Ah, so you’re finally calling me brother?”
Did he think I was satisfied with his punishment? A smile appeared on Murong Bi’s face.
“My party is scared of the Azure Dragon Terrace. Please keep them on probation and make sure no other Azure Dragon Terrace members can be seen while the wedding is happening.”
“….. Fine. Those from the Azure Dragon Terrace who weren’t on duty will get a few days off. Lieutenant, go out and pass on what you’ve heard.”
The Lieutenant, realizing his words wouldn’t carry any weight anymore, slipped out of the office.
Good.
If the plan fails and I need to escape, I can dodge the Azure Dragon Terrace’s pursuit this way.
“Thank you. And will Murong So-ja be coming?”
“We’ve sent for her. She’ll be here soon.”
Finally, I’m going to meet the final boss! Swallowing my nervousness, I took a deep breath and spoke.
“While coming here, I thought about cooling my anger and the reasons why Murong So-ja didn’t come to greet me.”
“Hmm?”
“I believe the cultural differences between Joseon and the Central Plains likely led to this misunderstanding. I can understand that you may not know why I’m upset.”
“That’s true. In our Central Plains, it’s not uncommon for the groom and bride not to meet until the wedding day.”
In fact, it was the same in Joseon. It’s all fabricated customs.
“So when Murong So-ja arrives, I want her to read these books containing the customs of Joseon and our stories.”
I carefully took out the books from my clothes.
Not the customs of Joseon, but the writings of Kang Yoon-ho.
“Wow, are there such books?”
“In our family, we often marry those from foreign lands. When that happens, we make them read these books and have them take an exam the night before the wedding.”
“An exam?”
“It’s a test to see if they can adapt to our family. While I didn’t intend to give that test to the Murong family’s daughter, my father said that if there appears to be serious issues, then the test should be administered first.”
“Your father? He didn’t tell me that.”
“He fainted and was worried about the bride. He said if he was healthy, he’d cover up any mistakes, but now that he’s unwell, he couldn’t do that. So it seems best to take this exam.”
“……. I see. It may come off as rude, but we’ve crossed a line that I cannot argue against. Since my sister is marrying into your family, if it’s necessary for you and your father, then we should comply.”
Murong Bi nodded convincingly.
“I apologize for putting forth a possibly rude request.”
“It’s alright. Then neither of us has to feel sorry.”
Thank goodness. I passed the second hurdle.
Suddenly, there was a thud thud thud
I heard bustling sounds coming from outside the office.
“Gasp!”
I also heard a gasp from somewhere among the Azure Dragon Terrace members waiting outside.
If it’s this noisy, it surely means someone is coming who can stir things up just by walking by.
“Miss is here!”
That’s it.
The final boss has arrived.
