The Terminally-Ill Side-Character Inside of a Martial Arts Novel

In Hunan* province, there was the Yueyang Tower, from which one could see all of Dongting Lake at once. (tl/n: it’s not a typo – Henan, mentioned at the end of the previous chapter, and Hunan are not the same. They are two provinces with Hubei between them. I’ll add the map at the end of this chapter. Yueyang – a port city.)

It was such a scenic spot that it was said that even poets on their way would stop and have to drink at Yueyang Tower.

The lake brought quite cool winds, but snow was rare.

However, this winter was so harsh that the first snow announcing its arrival fell at the beginning of winter, and Dongting Lake had completely frozen over.

Due to the unseasonable heavy snow and cold, not only the local merchants but also people who came to enjoy the winter atmosphere had their footsteps cut off, and Yueyang was exuding only a gloomy atmosphere.

Whether it was inns or restaurants, there were few guests, so the owners were sitting idly, just killing time.

Choi Deokpal, the owner of a large inn, realized as soon as he saw the heavy snow that business this winter was hopeless.

Choi Deokpal clicked his tongue, realizing that today’s business was also over.

“Sangbok!”

The errand boy guarding the store peeked his head out to look into the kitchen. Choi Deokpal exhaled smoke and said gruffly.

“Let’s close up for today. It’s over.”

As he waved his hand signaling to finish up, the errand boy excitedly started tidying up the chairs inside the store.

However, just as if it had been waiting for this, the door opened. Choi Deokpal hurriedly rushed out at the welcome sound of the door sliding open.

“Welcome!”

In contrast to Choi Deokpal’s energetic greeting, the errand boy made a sad face as if he was about to die. He was about to get off work…

The errand boy muttered and approached the two people wearing bamboo hats to avoid the snow. They seemed to be a man and woman pair, with a noticeable height difference.

“Do you have a room?”

It was a calm, low voice. The face visible under the bamboo hat was that of a handsome man with a gentle impression. Choi Deokpal quickly answered instead of the errand boy to the scholarly-looking man’s question.

“Yes, we do! How many nights will you be staying?”

“One night. By the way, did it always snow this much in Yueyang? I heard it was famous for being warm, but it seems rumors can’t be trusted.”

“Ah, it’s not usually like this. Last year it was hard to even see snow, but this year there’s strangely a lot of snow and the cold is like a blade. But…”

His eyes rolled to the side. Choi Deokpal quietly said as he examined the person still wearing a bamboo hat and wrapped in a light brown coat.

“How about the room…?”

“One is fine. I’ll use it with my wife.”

“Ah! So you’re a married couple. No wonder, haha! I understand. Shall I show you to the room first, or would you like a meal…?”

The man glanced back and said quietly.

“Both.”

“Understood. Sangbok, go prepare the room. Please sit comfortably!”

Choi Deokpal sent the errand boy upstairs to prepare the room and was about to go inside to prepare the meal when he glanced back.

The man’s wife sat down and untied the bamboo hat at her chin. Choi Deokpal glanced back and opened his mouth in surprise at the beauty of the woman revealed as her hair flowed down from under the bamboo hat.

Skin so white and fair it was almost transparent, and as if to match that, mysterious white hair flowed down covering her back. It was a beauty like a flower blooming in the moonlight, exuding an exquisite and vivid feeling.

It seemed even Cha Yeonhwa of Mount Hua, called the First Beauty, would have to give up her seat before her.

He felt both envious and pitiful of the person who had formed a marital bond with such a woman.

If someone who looked like a poet or scholar had such a beauty by their side in the chaotic Central Plains, they would surely encounter trouble wherever they went. Moreover, white hair was hard to find anywhere in the Central Plains.

‘…Tsk tsk.’

Choi Deokpal shook his head and made food that would warm the body inside.

After some time passed, when he came out with the dishes, the errand boy who had gone up to prepare the room came down and was very busy receiving guests who had suddenly flocked in.

“…What’s going on?”

Guests at this weather, and in the middle of the night? Choi Deokpal tilted his head and put down the dishes for a moment before calling the errand boy.

“What is it?”

“Why are there suddenly so many guests?”

“They say the mountain road to Hubei is blocked by an avalanche and people can’t move. Most stores are closed so they have nowhere to go, so they seem to have flocked here looking for a place to stay.”

“Is that so?”

Choi Deokpal’s eyes curved nicely. Indeed, heaven helps those who help themselves.

While all the neighboring stores in front and back were taking a break, Choi Deokpal, who had kept his doors open modestly, had become the winner of winter.

He gave the dishes to the errand boy to deliver to the couple, then approached the other guests.

“Oh my, you must have had a hard time in this cold weather!”

His eyes rolled down as he rubbed his hands together with a pleased smile.

Most of the people who came in seemed to be martial artists, each carrying weapons like swords and sabers. Well, who else but martial artists would choose to hike in this cold weather?

A middle-aged man wearing green clothes nodded at Choi Deokpal’s words and rubbed his neck as if tired.

“We came from Mount Heng without any problems, but suddenly it started snowing heavily and our feet were completely bound. Heavy snow in Yueyang? How long has it been?”

From the mention of Mount Heng, he could instinctively tell that these six people were from the Mount Heng Sect.

Not just an ordinary small sect, but a member of the Nine Renowned Sects, Mount Heng.

Choi Deokpal lowered his posture as much as possible.

“That’s right. I’ve been doing business here for thirty years, but this is the first time I’ve seen so much snow. By the way, where are you heroes hurrying to in this weather?”

“Where else? Henan.”

“Henan?”

At Choi Deokpal’s question, the middle-aged man chuckled and continued.

“Don’t you know? The martial arts competition held by the Murim Alliance every early spring.”

“Ah, I know. Many people pass by around this time every year, but I forgot because of the snow this year.”

“Well, anyway, it’s fortunate that this inn is open like this. All other places were closed and we had a hard time, but it’s a thousand blessings that we can sleep in such a warm place like this. Right?”

He smiled and threw words at the young people in front. The middle-aged man turned his head back to Choi Deokpal.

“By the way, may I ask you one thing?”

“What is it?”

“Have you seen any suspicious people while doing business here recently?”

“Suspicious people?”

Choi Deokpal narrowed his brows. By his standards, anyone trying to cross a snowy mountain in this weather was suspicious.

But that’s probably not what he meant. After pondering for a moment, at his question asking what he meant, the middle-aged man quietly opened his mouth.

“You know, those Demon Cult bastards.”

“…What?”

“This time, for some reason, the Murim Alliance Leader invited the Demon Cult to the prestigious martial arts competition. Now, to go from Guangxi to Hunan, you have to either cross the lake or climb the mountains, but as you can see, the lake is frozen, so they’ll have to climb the mountains, right?”

At his explanation, Choi Deokpal’s eyes sparkled, thinking it was quite high-level information.

The stories of martial artists were helpful in many ways. From a business perspective, such information was a treasure that couldn’t be easily bought.

“I haven’t seen them. It’s not like they go around with ‘I’m from the Demon Cult’ written on their foreheads, is it?”

“Haha, is that so? Anyway, be careful if you see them. As you know, those Demon Cult bastards are famous for being cruel and ignorant, right? If you happen to exchange even a few wrong words, they’re the kind who will chop off your neck right away, so be sure to avoid them if you see them. They’re like vermin.”

Choi Deokpal responded with a laugh to the man chuckling. In fact, from the perspective of someone who wasn’t a martial artist, talk of the Demon Cult or Murim Alliance was like a story from another world.

From his point of view, even a demonic martial artist who quietly ate their meal and left was a good customer.

As Choi Deokpal was smiling and about to step back, the door opened again. Men who looked ferocious and seemed to be about six feet tall entered, shaking off the snow.

Cha Jinmok of the Mount Heng Sect, who had been speaking to Choi Deokpal, rolled his eyes to glance at the men’s hands, then chuckled.

He turned away from the men and faced the young disciples sitting in front, speaking loudly as if for everyone to hear.

“Since the Demon Cult is also participating this time, you should know this well. Demon Cult bastards usually learn the Black Hand Technique first, which is the most basic fist technique, and when they learn it, their fingertips become blackish. Those guys are nothing special, so if they come out as opponents, give them a good thrashing.”

At Cha Jinmok’s voice, the disciples carefully rolled their eyes. The men who were about to sit down slowly stood up as the voice echoed loudly in the inn. Three men approached Cha Jinmok and frowned.

“Hey. Say that again.”

Instead of answering, Cha Jinmok slowly got up from his seat. He turned his body with his back to his disciples, looked at the men, and chuckled.

“Innkeeper. Look closely. There are bastards who go around with ‘I’m a Demon Cult bastard’ written on their skulls like this.”

“Um… I understand, so please don’t fight…”

“Huh. Skull? Demon Cult bastard? Is the Righteous Sect bastard who stinks of filth muttering because he wants to die?”

“Tsk tsk, ignorant fools. Are you so uneducated that all you can do is move your mouths?”

Cha Jinmok grinned, poked the man’s shoulder, and jerked his chin.

“It’s unfortunate for you bastards to have met this elder, but it might actually be a good thing. Rather than losing disgracefully at the martial arts competition, it might be better to have your legs broken by this elder here.”

“You bastard, are you trying to die now?!”

The man at the front swung his sword at Cha Jinmok. Cha Jinmok blocked his sword with his chair, then immediately drew his own sword and rushed in.

Soon, the inside of the inn turned into chaos.

* * *

I stared blankly at Hyuk Dojin, who was still calmly eating noodles while all sorts of crashing sounds were heard from behind.

How many times has this been now? At first it was surprising, but now it was tiresome to the point of being pathetic.

Wherever we went, Demon Cult members and Righteous Sect people would pick fights and wreck the place until someone was about to die.

It was the same here. Contrary to the thought that it would be quiet since there were no people in the snowy inn, suddenly people came in as if possessed and soon turned it into chaos.

“You don’t need to pay attention. They’re all just overflowing with youthful energy, so what can we do? Let’s quickly eat and go upstairs.”

“But it’s really amazing. Do they always fight like this when they meet?”

“It wasn’t to this extent, but it seems to be a backlash against the Murim Alliance showing a friendly attitude towards the Demon Cult after my marriage to you. It’s probably a demonstration saying they condemn the Murim Alliance for joining hands with the Demon Cult.”

“That…”

“Aaaaargh!!”

While we were talking, one man flew over and rolled on the table.

I hurriedly picked up the noodle bowl so the food was safe, but the table we had been sitting at met its end.

After glancing at the man groaning on the floor, I turned my gaze to Hyuk Dojin.

He placed the noodle bowl on the next table, looked around briefly, then called the errand boy and handed him money.

“You’re not going to stop them today?”

“I’m tired, so is there any need to bother? They’ll fight on their own and end when they get tired.”

“Shall we go up then?”

Hyuk Dojin nodded and turned his body. He went up the stairs first and I followed behind him.

But before I could even step on two stairs, one man flew straight towards me.

I opened my palm and lightly deflected the huge man’s body falling towards me. The man who was flying towards me due to the force suddenly had his momentum reversed by a single palm and fell face-first onto the floor. And in the direction he fell, men in similar clothes widened their eyes.

“How dare you knock down Stone Demon! Unforgivable!”

“…”

What did I do that’s unforgivable? I turned my head to look at Hyuk Dojin.

He shrugged at my gaze, then came down and approached the two men.

“Now, now, calm down…”

“Who the hell are you? Get lost!”

Hyuk Dojin, who was trying to resolve things gently with words because he was tired, reflexively avoided the fist the man swung and immediately stabbed a palm strike into his stomach.

With just one hit, the huge man crumpled forward unable to even breathe properly. And everyone in the inn was watching this scene.

“…”

“…”

This is trouble.

“Kill that bastard too!”

In the end, it became a case of stepping right into dung while trying to avoid it. The same would go for the people rushing at the Young Cult Leader of the Demon Cult.

Tl/note: Brief info. From the c2: the Moyong clan is located in Liaoning (mint northeast), Demon Cult is located in Guangxi (blue south), from where they had to pass through 2 provinces – Hunan and Hubei – to reach the Murim Alliance in Henan.