The Outcast Writer of a Martial Arts Visual Novel-Chapter 130: Storm of the Tang Clan, Volume 2 - 3

The Main Wife War.

Of all the women, who would end up as the true heroine linked to the protagonist?

Countless fans hoped their favorite heroine would become his partner. They speculated about how it might happen, debating theories and scenarios.

The Main Wife War was, in a way, content that deepened reader immersion and enjoyment of the story.

‘I, too, once burned the midnight oil taking part in the Great Main Wife War.’

There’s nothing more pointless than fighting with people online. And yet, denying the heroine I support? That’s a different story.

That’s a battle worth fighting.

‘Still, you shouldn’t be brawling inside a business.’

Main Wife Wars should be waged in designated forums, not at the expense of others.

Hwa-rin and I divided the members of the Daseo Society who were about to come to blows and tried to listen to both sides.

“How could a mere courtesan become the qilin child of the great Sichuan Tang Clan’s main wife?!”

One member of the Daseo Society, looking like he was actually from the Tang Clan himself, shouted indignantly at the opposing side.

“Why not? The Top Courtesan of Hubei even gave him her first! Meanwhile, that woman who couldn’t do anything besides get high on an aphrodisiac—what kind of main wife is that? Du Eung-hyang supported Tang Jeong throughout Volume 2 and built up genuine affection. She’s the one who deserves to be his main wife!”

A supporter of Du Eung-hyang presented his argument with unshakable confidence.

Since Volume 1 had been about setting up the protagonist’s arc, and Volume 2 introduced the heroine from the start, Du Eung-hyang had certainly ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) had a chance to shine. But I didn’t expect people to switch their votes for the main wife so quickly.

As a writer, I was thrilled. As the shopkeeper, I was horrified.

“A-a courtesan, a virgin? That’s a lie! Du Eung-hyang must be lying!”

The man who had shouted earlier stammered in panic at the logic he couldn’t refute.

“All courtesans are virgins—by default.”

“How could the Top Courtesan of Hubei possibly be a virgin?!”

“Hah! Author Ho-pil clearly and definitively stated it in the novel. Are you now doubting not just the main wife choice but Author Ho-pil himself?”

“Where does it say that?!”

“Volume 2 of Storm of the Tang Clan, twentieth page from the back, eighteenth line—Ho-pil explicitly certifies her virginity from his narrative voice.”

The man supporting Du Eung-hyang didn’t hesitate even a second to cite the exact passage.

“He’s right! It really says that!”

“H-how many times has this guy read Volume 2 already?”

Some members of the Daseo Society pulled out their books to check and then gasped in shock. I wrote that passage myself, and even I don’t remember the line number. That’s... a little terrifying.

“Ugh...”

The original shouter grimaced in defeat, caught off guard by the truth.

“See? This is why we shouldn’t accept anyone into the Daseo Society who hasn’t read Storm of the Tang Clan at least ten times. How could someone who can’t even recognize the main wife be in our group?”

The victorious man smirked as he looked down at his defeated opponent.

“I was wrong—completely, utterly wrong to doubt Author Ho-pil. But Du Eung-hyang is still a courtesan. We’re talking about Gu Suk-jeong here—a highborn daughter from a prestigious Sichuan clan and the Most Beautiful Woman in Sichuan. How can someone with no family and no looks claim the title of main wife?”

The man launched his counterattack with a grounded argument. It’s true—claiming someone other than the Most Beautiful Woman in Sichuan is the main wife would be hard to defend on logic alone.

“Your entire premise is flawed. Are you suggesting that being Sichuan’s most beautiful woman automatically makes her more attractive than the Top Courtesan of Hubei?”

“What kind of question is that? Of course she’s prettier. She’s the Most Beautiful Woman in Sichuan—obviously better-looking than some Hubei courtesan.”

“To say that some random beauty from Sichuan is prettier than the Top Courtesan of Hubei?! That’s your obvious truth? Wait—don’t tell me. I thought you were from Hubei, but you’re actually from Sichuan, aren’t you?!”

Unbelievable. Using regional rivalry to take down the “Most Beautiful Woman in Sichuan” argument.

“What? He’s from Sichuan?”

“Are you saying the Daseo Society branch in Hubei has been tricked by a Sichuan scoundrel all along?!”

A few members stared in disbelief at the man now labeled a Sichuan native.

“No, no! My father and grandfather are both from Hubei! This is slander!”

“Woooo! Honorary Sichuanite! He’s an honorary member of the Gu Suk-jeong cult! Naturally, the Top Courtesan of Hubei is more beautiful than some Sichuan debutante!”

The man looked devastated, but the Du Eung-hyang supporters weren’t going to waste the opportunity.

“The pro-Gu faction is on the verge of collapse—let’s go help!”

“How dare you deny the true main wife!”

Just when it looked like the Gu Suk-jeong camp was cornered, their reinforcements stepped up.

“Tang Jeong’s heart has always belonged to Gu Suk-jeong—not just in Volume 1, but throughout Volume 2. How can you say Du Eung-hyang is the main wife when he never let go of Gu Suk-jeong?”

“Silence, you honorary Sichuanite!”

Naturally, the opposing camp rallied in turn.

“W-what did you say?!”

“Love moves! Du Eung-hyang spent a whole volume building a bond with Tang Jeong—she’s the one who deserves to be the main wife!”

“Is it all just about looks to you?!”

“Of course it is! If a woman’s pretty, that’s everything! You can live off her face alone for a lifetime!”

“Brother... such words strike straight to the heart. As a man, you know who the main wife is, don’t you?”

“He’s only saying that because he doesn’t have a younger sister.”

“Shut it!”

“Enough!”

“If this ruckus continues, we’ll be forced to evict you. Keep this up, and you’ll be banned from Daseogak altogether.”

Hwa-rin and I raised our voices to restore order. Dear Daseo Society members—fangirling is great, but please remember you’re not alone in the world.

“Ugh... We can’t lose the birthplace of Storm of the Tang Clan...”

The members of the Daseo Society returned to their seats—but now firmly divided into two camps.

“From this day on, I won’t drink tea with those people!”

“They can’t even recognize the main wife! Eyes that see not, ears that hear not—there’s no point talking to them!”

The Daseo Society had officially split into two factions who refused to sit at the same table.

--------

“Are you going to just leave them like that?”

After a few days of watching this play out, Hwa-rin finally asked me.

“Well, what do you want me to do? Here’s your coffee.”

I handed off an order to another customer while answering.

“You’re the author. Shouldn’t you say something like ‘stop fighting over who the main wife is’?”

“And what, tell people not to like who they like? I’d be crucified for even hinting at a personal favorite in a heroine poll. Just because I’m the author doesn’t mean I get to dictate personal preferences.”

“Still... you are the author...”

Hwa-rin trailed off, glancing sadly at the two rival camps of the Daseo Society, now glaring at each other in silence.

“Hwa-rin.”

“Yeah?”

“If you liked someone, but someone else showed up who looked like they’d suit him better... would you just give up?”

I had a feeling she didn’t fully understand, so I gave her a metaphor she couldn’t ignore.

“Uh... um...”

Hwa-rin’s eyes widened as the meaning hit her, and she looked stunned.

Well? Makes perfect sense now, right?

But to my surprise, Hwa-rin didn’t answer right away. She lowered her head slightly, casting shy glances at me, clearly torn about whether to speak.

“Hwa-rin?”

Was that really such a tough question?

“If... if someone better suited came along... shouldn’t I give up?”

“...What?”

“I mean... someone like me, I’m not in a position to fight for someone. There’s no reason for him to choose someone like me...”

Hwa-rin hung her head, her voice small and unsure.

Damn. That was my mistake. I’d gotten too used to seeing Hwa-rin as just “normal.” I forgot all about her insecurities.

“Hwa-rin.”

I reached out and gently took her wrist, pulling her toward me. With one hand, I lifted her chin so our eyes met.

“Hmm?”

“Don’t get discouraged over something like that. You’re plenty attractive. And your skin—it will heal.”

Even now, the storyteller’s fame stat had already dulled her pain. And with the ongoing success of Storm of the Tang Clan, that fame would only grow.

Without a doubt, she would be healed soon.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

“Me?”

Was she asking if she was attractive? Or if she would really be healed someday? There was no need to ask which one she meant. I could just affirm both without having to choose.

“Yes. Absolutely. So if something like that ever happens, don’t give up—have confidence. I’ll be cheering for you from your side, always.”

Hwa-rin’s self-esteem wasn’t something that could be healed overnight. There would probably be days when she wanted to collapse and give up.

If that happened, I’d just have to counter it with relentless encouragement.

Sometimes, just having someone nearby who believes in you is enough to keep going.

I looked at her with unwavering certainty.

“Hmph. You. You really said that, didn’t you? You meant it, right?”

Her expression changed instantly. She let out a mischievous little snort and slightly curled her lips into a smile.

“Huh? Y-yeah.”

“Good. Then I won’t give up.”

She replied with a determined look, as if she had made some sort of decision. That shift in mood was fast. Maybe she hadn’t been that discouraged after all.

It was a bit strange—but if she was feeling better, that’s all that mattered.

“I’m going to head over to the Daseo Society folks for a bit.”

I picked up a large tray carrying two different items and stepped away from the counter.

“Why? They should come pick it up themselves.”

“Miss Hwa-rin instructed me to resolve the Daseo Society’s conflict, so I shall now deploy my specially devised solution.”

I deliberately responded in an exaggerated historical drama tone.

“Oh, what nonsense are you planning now... Pfft. Fine, go ahead.”

---------

“Your tea and snacks have arrived.”

I set down two different items in front of the two factions—one known as the Gu Suk-jeong Camp (a.k.a. the Most Beautiful Woman in Sichuan faction) and the other as the Du Eung-hyang Camp (a.k.a. the Top Courtesan of Hubei faction).

“Shopkeeper. We didn’t order any of this.”

“I thought it might be a good chance to introduce some new menu items to our dear Daseo Society members.”

“New menu? Isn’t this just tea and snacks?”

“Looks like coffee on this side... but we got tea.”

Before speaking, I looked back and forth between the Suk-jeong Camp and the Hyang-ah Camp.

As Author Ho-pil, I couldn’t interfere in the Main Wife War.

Declaring who the true main wife is in a harem story—that’s not the role of an author. How can one person dictate everyone’s likes and dislikes? From the author’s position, I could only observe the chaos.

But as the shopkeeper... things were different.

As Kang Yun-ho, shopkeeper of Daseogak, I could make use of this situation.

“This isn’t just any tea or coffee. These are the Suk-jeong Tea Set and the Hyang-ah Coffee Set.”

“Suk-jeong Tea?”

“Hyang-ah Coffee?”

The members of the Daseo Society all focused their attention on the items in front of them.

“When I informed Author Ho-pil about the division among the Daseo Society members, he expressed curiosity about which of the two ladies was truly more popular. After much consideration, Daseogak decided to introduce these special items.”

“What do popularity and menu items have to do with each other?”

“Please take a look at the prices.”

“Gasp! The Suk-jeong Tea and Hyang-ah Coffee are twice as expensive as our usual menu items!”

“Exactly. Only people who truly love Gu Suk-jeong or Du Eung-hyang would pay that price. Each time one of these sets is ordered, I will mark a stroke of the character for ‘true’ and send the results to Author Ho-pil.”

A Main Wife War, you say?

Then of course, we must have a popularity vote. A good, old-fashioned pay-to-win one.

A war of factions is just a spiral of emotion. But what if I offered a solution?

If one more set sold meant an advantage in the war, then the endless bickering might just cool down a bit.

“Why use the character ‘true’ for tallying?”

“Because we are determining who the true main wife is.”

Dear readers, the more special sets you buy, the stronger your faction becomes.

“You mean Author Ho-pil will get the sales numbers?”

“Then he’ll know exactly which lady is more popular!”

“Yes, that’s correct. Rather than listening to the loudest few, he’ll have concrete numbers on how many people like which lady. And... though it’s just a rumor... it may even influence the ending.”

Truthfully, I have no intention of altering the ending. A writer shouldn’t betray the resolution they’ve chosen just for money. But I might consider giving the winning heroine more screen time.

“Wait, are you saying Gu Suk-jeong might not be the main wife?”

“You mean I could make Du Eung-hyang the main wife with my own hands?”

“Truly... we could make her the main wife?”

“But Shopkeeper... isn’t this kind of a ruthless marketing tactic?”

“Oh no, that’s a misunderstanding. I would never exploit Author Ho-pil for such a thing. This is simply a fun way to gauge popularity. And of course, all profits go to the author—not Daseogak.”

Well... it’s just a matter of whether it ends up in the left pocket or the right.

“Very well! I won’t let the Top Courtesan of Hubei steal the main wife title. Three Suk-jeong Tea Sets, please!”

“I won’t lose! Five Hyang-ah Coffee Sets for me!”

“Two Suk-jeong Tea Sets here!”

“We’re falling behind! I’ll buy two Hyang-ah Coffees per person!”

From that moment, the noise on the second floor of Daseogak gradually began to die down.

And, naturally, sales on the second floor hit an all-time record.

******

Shaanxi Province.

At a grand estate, a man arrived. A middle-aged woman met him with a startled expression.

“D-Daehyup Tang? What brings you here?”

Tang Geo-ho—that was the name of the man who had arrived.

Tang Geo-ho radiated a quiet, simmering fury. No one—neither the guards nor the servants standing near Tang Hwa-rin’s mother—dared to speak.

“I heard you fled from Yichang over debts.”

“Oh, well... that’s...”

“That has nothing to do with me. I did not travel all this way from Yichang to lecture you.”

“Then why...?”

“Hwa-rin. Where is she?”