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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: TushChen
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Because of Tang Do-gyeong, favored by all the outcasts except me, a peculiar culture had developed in the Outcast Inn where roughly all the other outcasts would gather to eat together at Tang Do-gyeong’s meal times.
It would be more accurate to say that outcasts who wanted to eat with Tang Do-gyeong gathered at his meal times.
After learning this fact, Tang Do-gyeong set precise meal times.
“Haha, since Hero Tang came to the Outcast Inn… it’s become like a large family eating together.”
Yeo Jin-sang casually brought up the topic.
Tang Do-gyeong just smiled awkwardly.
He seemed embarrassed that he had caused changes in the Outcast Inn.
“Haha, yes, seeing all these dark-faced men gathered like this reminds me of my childhood.”
“Oh, Brother Jeong must have been from a large family. I lived simply with my parents in a fishing household.”
“We ended up living with relatives who lost their home in a landslide. Our house was already cramped for our family, so when the two families combined, it was very uncomfortable. The meal times were especially a sight to behold.”
“Hooh.”
“With the table size and space lacking, we had to take turns eating, and if you were in the later group, there would be no side dishes left, you know? The relatives who suddenly barged in had lost all their property in the landslide, and our family wasn’t very wealthy either, so a bountiful table was impossible.”
“With Brother Jeong’s temperament, you wouldn’t have just sat still, right?”
“You got it right. At the time, I told them to be more considerate since they were eating someone else’s food, and the enraged relatives charged at me, and we ended up fighting. I couldn’t avoid defeat against three-to-one odds, but I fought hard, and the family elders, furious at the children’s fight, stripped us all naked and kicked us out of the house.”
“Hahahaha! Kicking out of the house seems to be a common punishment in any family. I too would be kicked out when I caused trouble and would stare endlessly at the sea from the sandy beach.”
“Or get beaten with a rod until our calves were swollen!”
“Huhu.”
The atmosphere warmed up as the outcasts shared childhood memories in all directions.
Tang Do-gyeong was also influenced by the cheerful atmosphere and was smiling.
Jeong Sam carefully brought up a topic.
“Doesn’t Hero Tang have any childhood memories to share?”
“Well, yes. Do you all know about the Tang family’s bloodline system?”
The outcasts silently nodded.
“In the Tang family compound, there are schools where children gather by age group for education. Whether it’s education or play… everything revolves around the schools. Let’s see… as for memories…”
Tang Do-gyeong, who had been lost in thought for a moment, chuckled.
“Those with the Tang surname usually have good dexterity. Even those in the martial line are active in production fields, and there’s no need to mention the dexterity of those who throw assassination tools. So there were some peculiar incidents.”
“Tang family members all carry something called a Tang badge. It’s to distinguish them, as not everyone with the Tang surname belongs to the Sacheon Tang family. Stealing these Tang badges became popular in the schools. It was a way to show off how great one’s hand skills were… and I too ended up having my badge stolen. That guy who was sticking out his tongue with my badge in hand was so annoying…”
“Hahahaha. So Hero Tang wouldn’t have just sat still either, right?”
“Embarrassingly, you’re correct. I wanted to get revenge on that guy, but just paying him back in the same way didn’t feel satisfying at all. Then something caught my eye. It was called a throwing practice tool, a practice assassination tool with a rubber blade.”
As expected of the Sacheon Tang family.
Encouraging even young children to throw assassination tools, their early education was undoubtedly thorough.
“Wouldn’t it be a great revenge if I could hit the Tang badge inside his clothes accurately with the throwing practice tool? So I practiced throwing it day and night.”
It seemed that transcendent masters had different seeds from birth.
How could one extract a badge from inside someone’s clothes with an assassination tool?
If it had been me, I would have just punched him right there.
“After bloody practice, I was able to extract the badge from inside his clothes. At that time, I felt like I owned the world, but I had torn his clothes and thrown what was essentially an assassination tool at a person, even if it was a practice tool, so how could I have been alright? I was called by my father and got my calves beaten until they were on fire.”
“Hahahaha! It seems even Hero Tang couldn’t avoid getting his calves beaten!”
“Wahahahaha! To think Hero Tang was so good at throwing assassination tools from such a young age, I wonder what level he’s at now!”
A bitter smile appeared on Tang Do-gyeong’s face.
“Now, I’m probably worse than when I was a child. Because I haven’t picked up an assassination tool since then.”
The atmosphere cooled as if cold water had been poured on it.
I held my forehead as I watched this scene.
Initially, since the outcasts couldn’t know about Tang Do-gyeong’s personal history, they would have naturally thought that Tang Do-gyeong, being from the Tang family, would have learned assassination techniques.
“Tsk.”
I smacked my lips as I watched the outcasts and Tang Do-gyeong eating in an awkward atmosphere.
It wasn’t so much that the outcasts had done wrong but that they inevitably didn’t know the story’s core.
Anyway, the trees were being planted.
The numerous actions of the outcasts would become the forest to hide the trees, so it was time for me to step forward.
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When the outcasts gathered at mealtime, I appeared before them, holding a bundle of papers and boldly declaring.
“Well, Literature Day has come again!”
The outcasts looked at me with eyes that said, ‘What nonsense is this guy talking about?’
“Oh my, you people have been so distracted by Hero Tang that you don’t even know how the dates are passing! Have you forgotten Literature Day? The day we share our learning by posting phrases all over the inn to remind people not to neglect literature!”
“Ah, so today is that day!”
Black Cat chimed in smoothly.
She would make an S+ tier wing woman.
“The day we write and share proverbs, words of wisdom, or phrases we’ve thought of ourselves! Literature is food for the soul. The day to soothe our minds weary from outcast work! It’s so [familial] that every Sacheon outcast [participates] without exception!”
Only then did the outcasts realize that what I was doing now was part of the operation to stimulate family love.
Although they couldn’t openly curse in front of Tang Do-gyeong, their gazes were quite fierce.
“Th-that guy is causing trouble again..”
“Couldn’t he just go crazy quietly…”
“Hey! Again, there’s strong resistance from those with short learning! What’s the reason Literature Day was designated! It’s to hone our learning and fatten our minds, so what you should truly be ashamed of is not your lack of learning, but your attitude of neglecting learning!”
“Hooh, this Tang too would like to write a character, is it possible to participate?”
“Of course! Hero Tang is welcome anytime!”
As Tang Do-gyeong took the lead in accepting a paper, the outcasts had no choice but to get up with sullen faces.
Although their faces were filled with bewilderment and resentment towards me for suddenly receiving a writing assignment, it wasn’t my business.
Anyway, the likable Ho Cheon-an had died at Tang Do-gyeong’s hands.
Since Tang Do-gyeong was the type to actively participate in such positive events, even if the outcasts rebelled, the outcome was already determined.
This is the Tang Do-gyeong you chose, so endure it with all your might.
The outcasts’ cries of anguish continued as they held their brushes, faced with this sudden surprise pop quiz, the Noble School Qualification Exam.
In contrast, Tang Do-gyeong, quietly organizing his thoughts, wrote his sentence without hesitation and approached me.
“Should I submit the paper?”
“Hmm, originally it’s customary to mix them so that no one knows who wrote which phrase, but… well, everyone will be curious about Hero Tang’s phrase, so if it’s alright with you, we can reveal it?”
“Haha, of course.”
I handed that phrase to Black Cat. Black Cat, who had applied adhesive to the back, used her palm technique to stick Tang Do-gyeong’s phrase on the wall of the Outcast Inn.
不患人之不己知 患不知人也 (Bu huan ren zhi bu ji zhi huan bu zhi ren ye).
Do not worry that others do not know you; worry that you do not know others.
Where have I heard this phrase before?
“Is it a verse from the Analects?”
Black Cat resolved my doubt.
“That’s right. Do not worry that others do not know you; worry that you do not know others. I know it’s originally a phrase emphasizing that people should be humble, but..”
“It’s just that when I hastily visited this place, fearing my reputation might fall because I lost the Blood Jade Plaque to a mere outcast, I saw you outcasts silently dedicating yourselves to martial arts in an even harsher environment than mine… the impression I felt… the shame towards myself and the joy of getting to know all of you… I felt there was no better phrase to express these things.”
“Hero…”
Stimulated by Tang Do-gyeong’s phrase, the outcasts glared at their papers and started writing one or two characters at a time.
Although they needed to know characters to read martial arts manuals, was writing poems or phrases difficult because they didn’t know the characters?
Outcasts occasionally roll their eyes, wondering if they could steal a phrase. Outcasts are lying down to write to protect their phrases from other outcasts.
Outcasts getting new papers because they wrote characters wrong, someone whose brush wasn’t getting appropriately inked.
Outcasts who finished writing turned their papers over, and it felt like people were the same everywhere.
“Alright, everyone submit!”
The outcasts hurriedly handed over their turned-over papers, afraid someone might see.
Black Cat and I also wrote phrases and mixed them in.
With a pounding heart, I handed the bundle of papers to Black Cat.
Black Cat skillfully applied adhesive and scattered them everywhere.
The numerous phrases stuck all over the inn had a unique charm, and the outcasts admired them with exclamations.
“Now then, let’s take some time to appreciate them.”
The reason my heart was pounding wasn’t because I wanted to show my masterpiece to the outcasts.
It was because I had written down enlightenment among those papers.
Although there was a 7-day period until Tang Do-gyeong’s severance cancellation, that was uncertain.
Tang Do-gi seemed willing to wait a week, but 7 days were enough time for rumors to reach the Tang family compound and more.
Rumors could reach the Tang family compound even if Tang Do-gi didn’t report it.
Then, it was unknown how the people of the Tang family’s main house who heard those rumors would react.
Time was also needed to digest the enlightenment, so conveying the enlightenment as quickly as possible was the way for Tang Do-gyeong’s sake.
Given Tang Do-gyeong’s upright nature, he would probably read all the phrases, so the transmission should be possible.
“Hmm.”
Considering the direction of Tang Do-gyeong’s gaze, it seemed like he would read my phrase almost last, so I followed the writing on the ceiling.
Honey in the mouth, sword in the belly (口蜜腹劍), Rise from the ashes (捲土重來), Reward good and punish evil (勸善懲惡)… and so on, primarily idioms and four-character phrases that anyone would know, roughly showing the educational level of the outcasts.
Among them, a round handwriting caught my eye.
Love beasts love cats (愛獸愛猫). Make rice delicious (作米美味)
Only one person in this Outcast Inn advocates for cat love and likes popped rice.
Still, considering anonymity, I won’t mention who it is.
I should find where that popped rice basket is hidden and smash it.
Another paper caught my eye.
Ho Cheon-an is ten years old (虎天眼十世)
An unexpected solar plexus strike made me chuckle.
It seems they really disliked the forced writing assignment.
Since that insult doesn’t exist in the Central Plains, they probably wanted to mock my behavior like a ten-year-old, and whoever it was, they succeeded.
I’ll find out who it was and get revenge after this ends.
“That one… who is it…”
“Huh.. even so..”
Hearing the outcasts’ whispers, I, too, turned my gaze in that direction.
One two three four (一二三四).
No, who on earth wrote that, really?
Even though it was free writing and just creating disguise papers, isn’t that too rebellious an expression of intention?
“That one over there is no joke either…”
“Huh…”
Heaven and Earth, Black and Yellow (天地玄黃).
Perhaps they only knew four characters due to limited learning?
I became intensely curious about who had written the first four characters of the Thousand Character Classic, but what mattered was Tang Do-gyeong.
Tang Do-gyeong read each phrase stuck all over the inn as if savoring them.
“Excess is as bad as deficiency… good words… clear as a mirror… the mindset a martial artist should have… one two three four… hmm… it seems this Tang’s studies are still lacking.”
Please don’t think about it seriously, I’m embarrassed.
As I was twisting my body from the shame coming over me, Tang Do-gyeong raised his head.
“All good writings.”
….Huh?
“Hero Tang, have you read them all?”
“That’s right. They’re all good phrases. Although some were difficult to understand… this Tang will have to think about them in his own way.”
No, don’t think about one, two, three, four, or heaven or earth; look at what you should see.
You’re not seeing your own enlightenment; what are you doing?
“I wonder if you might have missed something, how about looking again?”
“Hmm. That could be possible.”
I watched all of Tang Do-gyeong’s actions, which I had missed due to the sentences that had stolen my gaze and attention.
Tang Do-gyeong’s gaze stopped at my phrase.
And he nodded and moved on to the next one.
Why?
My writing is extensive and neatly written.
I paid particular attention to that part in case any typos caught Tang Do-gyeong’s eye, which could distort the meaning.
Yet Tang Do-gyeong just calmly nodded while looking at my writing.
“Haha, thanks to Ya brother, looking at the writings again, there’s something new.”
With Yeo Il-ye, I had directly explained the meaning and then delivered the topic, but that was just doing the same action twice.
Explaining the meaning and delivering the topic were ultimately the same in meaning.
The quiz was also done that way because it’s longer and more enjoyable to say both the explanation and the topic.
In the actual game, it’s fine to type just one of the two in chat.
Chinese characters need to be written to convey the topic, so it’s divided into two parts.
But in the end, the explanation and the topic were the same.
Why isn’t he gaining enlightenment?
What’s the problem?
Without realizing it, I looked towards Tang Do-gyeong.
Unaware of my inner turmoil, Tang Do-gyeong laughed and talked with the outcasts.
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