Chapter 121: Publication (3)
by Afuhfuihgs
“Just how entertaining is this book for my friend to make such a scene over it?”
Scholar Hwang left his panting friend in the next room to calm down and stared at The Rising Tempest of Tang Clan.
A friend who never showed any interest in books—no matter how much they were recommended—had come knocking in the middle of the night demanding the next volume.
Just what kind of story is this?
The store manager had called it Saucy Murim.
Could it really be true that in Joseon, bookstores would be flooded with customers as soon as novels like this were released?
With his heart pounding in anticipation, Scholar Hwang opened to the first page of The Rising Tempest of Tang Clan.
“Huh. The protagonist really is from the Tang Clan of Sichuan.”
It wasn’t unheard of for novels to be set in real martial sects or families.
But they had all failed to capture his interest—they were just plain dull.
But a Tang Clan protagonist in an erotic Murim novel?
Scholar Hwang eagerly dove into the story, his curiosity flaring.
The protagonist’s name was Tang Jeong.
A young man skilled in the Tang Clan’s Poison Arts and Hidden Weapon Arts—upright, righteous, and brimming with chivalry.
“A protagonist like this is usually boring.”
Scholar Hwang frowned slightly.
He could already predict the entire arc—doing good deeds, facing hardships, struggling, and still stubbornly repeating the same cycle, like some naive, self-sacrificing fool.
He never understood why such protagonists insisted on making life so difficult for themselves. The more he read, the more suffocating it felt.
If not for his friend’s frantic reaction, he would have closed the book right then and there.
But, setting aside his apprehension, he continued reading.
“Oh? The greatest beauty in Sichuan?!”
So they ranked women’s beauty in Sichuan like this?
He had never heard of such a thing before—perhaps it was a term the author had made up.
A rather novel concept.
After an overly righteous protagonist, the story quickly introduced the most stunning woman in Sichuan.
Even if the main character seemed frustratingly noble, it would still be enjoyable if he ended up with such a beauty.
Scholar Hwang leaned in, fully absorbed in the story.
Sichuan’s Greatest Beauty, Gu Sukjeong.
She was like a single delicate blossom.
Countless young martial artists had tried to court her, their hearts pounding before her radiance, throwing flirtatious glances and attempts at seduction her way.
Yet, she rejected every single one of them.
“Here. You dropped your handkerchief.”
“Thank you.”
One day, the protagonist, Tang Jeong, picked up Gu Sukjeong’s fallen handkerchief and received a polite word of thanks.
“Ha! The nerve! You come from a family of poisoners and assassins—how dare you?!”
“How dare he be the one to make her smile?”
Though Tang Jeong fell for her at first sight, he knew his place.
His face was plain-looking.
Despite coming from the most prestigious family in Sichuan, his clan’s martial arts were scorned and ridiculed behind his back.
Even men who were far more handsome and powerful had failed to catch her eye.
He couldn’t even dream of approaching such a woman, let alone harbor feelings for her.
Tang Jeong suffered in silence.
“Damn. He’s just like me.”
With a shameless level of self-identification, Scholar Hwang found himself completely immersed in the story, rooting for the protagonist.
Tang Jeong wanted to be with her.
And with that longing in his heart, the protagonist rapidly advanced in his martial arts.
Eventually, he gained the approval of his clan elders and was allowed to venture out into Murim.
“A Lust Demon has appeared in Sichuan!?”
Many women had fallen victim to this fiend.
Tang Jeong, enraged by the whole situation, took up the pursuit.
At the end of his chase, he found the Lust Demon just moments away from ravaging a young woman.
And that woman was—
“That bastard! He dares to lay a hand on Sichuan’s Greatest Beauty?!”
Gu Sukjeong.
“You scum! Do you even realize who you’re touching?!”
“Young Expert, please run!”
Tang Jeong barely managed to stop the assault in time, but the Lust Demon wasn’t about to let her go.
“Kehaha! You dare interfere? Seems like you’re too green to understand your place.”
This was a man who had slaughtered countless martial artists just to satiate his depraved desires.
Against such an opponent, Tang Jeong’s skills were simply not enough.
“My strength is lacking—I cannot guarantee victory. But if you wish to touch her, you will first have to take my head.”
“Damn. That’s badass. That’s what a real man should be like!”
While his righteousness had felt stifling before, in this moment, it was utterly exhilarating.
For the sake of protecting Gu Sukjeong, the protagonist entered a battle he had no hope of winning.
She could do nothing but stare at his broad back as he willingly risked his life for her.
“All you can do is throw hidden weapons? How cowardly!”
“Oh please. Like you drugging a defenseless woman to assault her isn’t cowardly?”
Had this been an ordinary duel, the fight would have ended in mere exchanges.
But Tang Jeong was from the Tang Clan.
“The fight scenes… They’re so well done, it’s like an actual Tang Clan member wrote this.”
Maintaining his distance, Tang Jeong calmly targeted the Lust Demon’s paralysis acupoints with his hidden weapons.
Whenever an opening presented itself, he immediately aimed for a fatal strike, aiming at the Lust Demon’s death acupoints.
“Kahahaha! You think a child’s tricks can defeat me?!”
The Lust Demon deflected the incoming projectiles effortlessly, advancing toward the protagonist.
“No! He’s going to lose!”
Scholar Hwang found himself yelling before he even realized it.
“Child’s tricks? You dare mock the Tang Clan’s martial arts?”
Despite Scholar Hwang’s fears, Tang Jeong remained composed, even smiling coldly.
“Tsk! Caltrops on the ground?! Argh—my body—! You poisoned me!”
“Poison Arts solely belong to the Tang Clan. Did you think learning a few petty tricks made you untouchable?”
“Damn you—!”
“Welcome, to my Poison-Killing Domain.”
Just how composed can this protagonist be?
The Lust Demon was utterly bewildered.
The battlefield was covered with caltrops, hidden weapons flying at uncanny angles as if they had eyes of their own.
And then there was that ominous phrase—Poison-Killing Domain. There was no doubt the Tang Clan’s Young M had a final trick up his sleeve.
Worst of all, the Lust Demon couldn’t even tell what kind of poison was coursing through his veins.
Should he take the risk and claim Sichuan’s Greatest Beauty for himself?
The decision had to be made quickly—but he hesitated. There were plenty of women in the world.
In an instant, he chose to retreat.
“Haa… I had exhausted all my options. Thankfully, my bluff worked.”
“This protagonist… his nerve is extraordinary!”
Poison Arts and hidden weapons had never looked this incredible before.
And combined with the protagonist’s cleverness…
Scholar Hwang suddenly realized he had clenched his fists in excitement.
The novel was already deeply satisfying, but The Rising Tempest of Tang Clan had even more in store.
“My lady, you have been drugged with Spring Tonic! If left untreated, it will stoke your lust, sending heat coursing through your body until it melts your bones and internal organs. The only cures are an antidote or… intercourse. And the antidote is in the Lust Demon’s possession.”
Spring Tonic?
Is there truly such a poison?
Scholar Hwang, utterly intrigued, turned the page.
“If you have a lover nearby, tell me. I will carry you to him.”
“Until now… I have never held a man in my heart.”
“Then… what do we do?”
“This idiot. The answer is simple—just strip her already!”
Earlier, his righteousness had been admirable.
But now?
It’s utterly frustrating!
Isn’t this the part where you’re supposed to do what any erotic novel protagonist would do? Come on, Tang Jeong!
Surely, he isn’t going to just walk away like a fool, is he?
Gritting his teeth, Scholar Hwang pressed on, eyes scanning the next lines.
“But… just now, I have found my lover.”
“What do you mean?”
– Gulp.
Scholar Hwang swallowed dryly.
“Gaga… Please, I entrust my first time to you.”
And then, the deed began.
“Oooooooh! Is this madness? Is this genius? Instead of the man taking the lead, the woman is the one undressing? This development—this is insane! Ahaha!”
A bizarre, unprecedented poison.
A scenario where Sichuan’s Greatest Beauty herself longed for the protagonist.
It was thrilling—absolutely electrifying.
“Though we have become one tonight, this was no different from assault. You only desired me because of the Spring Tonic, not because you love me. I will capture the Lust Demon and come back to beg for your forgiveness.”
A satisfying night.
Yet, burdened by guilt, the protagonist left before she awoke, setting off on his journey.
“Gaga… where have you gone? Gaga!”
“You fool! Why are you running away?!”
Scholar Hwang trembled with rage.
Assault?
“Even after she was cured… She even used her chest, no less!”*
She was Sichuan’s Greatest Beauty!
Yet he still called it assault?!
Scholar Hwang was ready to cry—from both frustration and admiration.
But then, he noticed something.
“There’s still one more page left!”
Whether he wept in anguish or ecstasy would depend on this final page.
“A preview for the next volume?”
And upon reading it, he could only echo his friend’s earlier cry.
The protagonist enters Hubei’s most renowned pleasure house. Inside, a courtesan who has never accepted a single patron—a woman whose mere summoning costs an unimaginable fortune—has been drugged with Spring Tonic…
“THE NEXT VOLUMEEEEEEEEEE!!!”
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