Cultivating in a Cringey Erotic Novel – Chapter 2

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Chaos
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A week had passed since I’d fallen into this damned Deer Brand smut-fest.

“Ha…”

I sighed heavily in the courtyard.

A servant who was sweeping the ground looked up and asked, “Second Young Master, what is troubling you so much that you’re sighing like that?”

“Just… a tightness in my chest. Suffocating.”

“If you’re feeling suffocated, why not take a deep breath?”

“…”

I glared at the stable boy.

He flinched, then offered an awkward laugh.

“J-Just a joke. A joke.”

“…This is insane.”

I shook my head.

The reason he acted this way was simple.

He’d been quite close with the original owner of this body.

His name… was it Jang-sam?

Anyway, Jang-sam and I were supposed to be on friendly terms.

‘But what the hell does that have to do with me?’

I sighed deeply.

It wouldn’t be easy to suddenly treat him coldly, disregarding the pre-existing friendship.

Of course, since I hadn’t built that relationship, I could sever it without consequence, but the act itself felt burdensome.

Well, whatever.

‘This place is the Silver River Trading Company in Shaanxi. My name is Eun Ha-seong, the second young master of the Silver River Trading Company.’

…and a third-rate villain destined to be utterly crushed by the protagonist in the near future, losing everything: money, women, and reputation.

That was me.

‘Thinking about it just pisses me off.’

My head throbbed.

A headache was coming on.

Anyway, this Eun Ha-seong wasn’t a particularly prominent character in the book.

He’d appear midway through the smut-fest, act up against the protagonist, and promptly get his ass handed to him.

And by “ass handed to him,” I mean practically killed.

‘Broken nose, shattered back, spine bent like a hunchback, and even a crippled leg …’

Just the thought sent shivers down my spine.

Over the past week, I’d confirmed that I’d been reborn into the last murim novel I’d read, that Deer Brand smut-fest.

Once suspicion turned to certainty, figuring it out wasn’t difficult.

The problem was that this body’s owner was fated for a brutal beatdown.

‘I’d rather die.’

The thought of being unable to live a normal life, needing constant care, was horrifying.

So I thought about it.

‘Couldn’t I just avoid getting involved with the protagonist?’

That seemed like the right choice.

Even though the Silver River Trading Company wasn’t far from the Han Clan Estate, the protagonist’s family home, I could still stay away from him.

The whole mess started because the original Eun Ha-seong tried to steal the protagonist’s fiancée.

So, if I just kept my distance, couldn’t I avoid that disastrous fate?

‘Well, that’s all well and good, but…’

I chuckled bitterly.

The murim world was a jungle where the strong preyed on the weak.

Even if I tried to live quietly, some random martial arts master from a demonic sect could attack my family.

Or I could be traveling and get ambushed by Green Forest Bandits who’d take my head instead of a toll.

‘In the end, is there only one answer…?’

Learn martial arts.

Master the sword.

Become strong.

That was likely the correct solution.

Protecting myself from external threats was paramount.

‘Of course, there’s also my personal interest…’

I sighed bitterly.

As someone who enjoyed murim novels, the idea of learning martial arts was quite appealing.

But even so, it felt wrong to mix personal interest with a life-or-death situation.

“Anyway…”

I exhaled.

It seemed foolish not to learn martial arts just because I was the heir to a trading company.

In this world, power was everything.

Rejecting the means to become strong in a dog-eat-dog world was practically suicidal.

‘Screw being the trading company heir. What if some random martial arts master demands my life on the street?’

My mind was made up.

With my decision made, I set off towards a specific destination.

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“I want to learn martial arts.”

I blurted out.

My father, the head of the Silver River Trading Company, looked momentarily taken aback before responding,

“…Suddenly? Why?”

“I want to become strong.”

“…”

Hearing my serious tone, my father studied my face and said,

“…The prestige of being the Silver River Trading Company’s heir is not to be taken lightly. Even if it feels like a burden to you.”

“I’m not interested in running the company.”

“…!”

My unwavering response to his question about giving up the heir position to learn martial arts made him pause.

He hummed thoughtfully, then said,

“I thought you’d gone mad with this sudden change, but it seems you’re resolute.”

“…”

At my silence, he sighed briefly.

“Reconsider. Giving up the comfortable life of a merchant’s son for one of calloused hands isn’t desirable. At least, not in my opinion.”

“If you won’t allow it, I won’t leave this spot until I’m dragged out.”

“…”

My father fell silent.

My stubbornness made him realize just how serious I was.

I stared at him with a determined gaze.

After a moment of silence, he finally spoke.

“…We’ve been funding the Mount Hua Sect recently.”

“…!”

“If you wish, I can make an introduction.”

Mount Hua Sect!

I was stunned.

While the Silver River Trading Company was quite renowned in Shaanxi, I never imagined they were supporting the Mount Hua Sect.

The Daoist sect, Mount Hua frequently appeared as a major power in murim novels.

‘Not bad. Actually, it’s excellent.’

I’d expected to be sent to some local martial arts school or become a layman disciple, but my father, seeing how things were, seemed intent on sending me to a prestigious sect.

I cheered inwardly.

Then my father asked,

“…When do you plan to leave?”

“Five days from now, if possible.”

“That would be best.”

I nodded.

Soon after, my father dismissed me.

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I looked around in awe.

Mount Hua, just as described in the novels, was a colossal mountain with a rugged terrain.

“They say the Mount Hua Sect masters have honed their lightness skills to an incredible degree. I can see why…”

It was obvious what kind of accidents could happen without highly developed lightness skills in such treacherous terrain.

As if to confirm my father’s prior arrangements, I briefly exchanged greetings with an elder before being left alone with him at the entrance.

Turning back, the elder, clearly from the Mount Hua Sect, gave a wry smile and asked,

“What was your name again?”

“…Eun Ha-seong.”

“A resonant name.”

He nodded, then gestured for me to follow.

“Come. I must introduce you to the other disciples.”

The elder turned and started walking at a brisk pace.

His speed surprised me, but I quickly recovered and followed.

“From today onwards, you will begin your life as a third-generation disciple of the Mount Hua Sect.”

“…”

The boisterous atmosphere quieted as the elder arrived.

We finally reached a dormitory filled with a pungent odor.

Hearing the elder’s words, I had a realization.

“So that’s why…”

A sense of dread washed over me.

The room was full of boys around my age.

My expectation of receiving personalized instruction as a direct disciple from the start was shattered.

“Was this the reason…?”

“What did you say?”

“…Nothing. Farewell.”

After the elder left, I took a deep breath of the foul-smelling air in the dormitory and looked around.

“My father probably thought that experiencing hardship at a large sect like Mount Hua would make me come to my senses and return to the trading company. Is that why he didn’t mention me being the heir?”

I saw the other probationary disciples staring at me with wide-eyed curiosity.

Enduring their gazes, I couldn’t help but chuckle.

After brief introductions, I noticed dusk had fallen.

Shadows slowly lengthened.

“I should sleep.”

With that thought, I pulled a slightly dusty blanket over myself and drifted off to sleep.

It was a more comfortable bed than I’d anticipated.

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