The Outcast Writer of a Martial Arts Visual Chapter 208: Return - 6

I saved the Shadowless Phantom Thief twice now.

I don’t know if she’s already called the Shadowless Phantom Thief or if she’ll earn that title later, but still—twice. Even if that na’s reserved for legendary thieves, no way her conscience’s as slippery as her fingers.

There’s no way she’d just pretend not to know after I pulled her ass out of trouble twice, right?

Sure, I had so help from the Western Escort Bureau’s “Fated Encounter Engineering Squad” on that second one, but whatever. She would’ve gotten caught when they double-checked the cargo anyway.

I just added a bit of drama to sothing that was bound to happen.

I even saved a bunch of people from awkward face-offs in the process. So yeah, I think I’ve earned a little bit of karmic payback.

Now, I just have to wait.

I an, I’m no prince on a white horse, but I can pull off the “barbarian on a donkey” look. So, surely, she’ll co to thank .

— This humble thief owes you her life—twice over.

— A real man never turns away from a damsel in distress.

— Oh... you’re so cool.

Yep. Perfect.

Throw out so charming line, vanish like a badass, and she’ll rember fondly. And if she offers to show her treasure stash? Yeah, I won’t be saying no to that.

"Youthful Master."

Here we go. My ntal rehearsal’s perfect. Just a few words, then I’m back to my cabin.

Like a boy detective who fell for a female thief after too much chasing, I put on my coolest face and turned my head.

"...Whoa!"

"Ah!"

The mont I turned around, there she was—her nose practically touching mine.

Way too close! Instinctively, I leaned back to put so space between us.

"Ah—!"

Terrible timing. Of course, the boat chose now to rock with the current. With my weight off balance, leaning back, the deck jerked, and my feet lost contact.

Gravity vanished for a split second. I was about to land on my ass when the boat bounced again with a loud thunk.

What is this, a Viking ride? Or a damn disco spin?

"Aaaah!"

"Grab him!"

After tumbling across the deck a couple of tis, the Shadowless Phantom Thief grabbed my wrist.

"You okay?!"

No, I’m not okay. I almost got flung into the river!

"I’m fine. Now would you kindly let go of my hand?"

What’s with this girl? Holding onto another man’s hand like that when I’m taken.

"Ah! S-Sorry! I’m just... used to sneaking up on people without a sound."

What, do you knock out guards for a living? I almost said sothing snarky, but held back.

She let go of my hand like she’d just touched sothing gross—like so high school girl brushing against the stuffy desk of a weird classmate.

Familiar reaction. Not one I missed.

Well, this wasn’t part of the plan.

I was supposed to strike a cool pose, not faceplant like an idiot. What now? I didn’t plan for boat turbulence. Totally caught off guard.

"Ahem. The moon over the Yangtze looks especially beautiful tonight."

Let’s just pretend none of that happened. I gazed up at the sky, like a carefree noble enjoying a moonlit night.

"You might wanna dust off your clothes before you enjoy the view."

Co on, play along for once.

God, this is embarrassing. If I had a save/load button, I’d hit load in a heartbeat. Why doesn’t real life co with one?

"Fine, I’ll dust off."

Face burning, I fought to cool myself down with the river breeze and started brushing off my clothes.

"Here, I brought a duster. Use this."

How the hell did she find this so fast? She’s quick.

I took it from her, brushing off both the dirt and the sha.

"Thanks. So, what brings you out under the moonlight?"

After forcing my face into sothing calm, I asked in a serious tone.

"I ca to thank you. For saving . Twice."

She gave a respectful bow.

"No need for that. If you take in a stray dog, you take responsibility. I saved you, so I finished what I started. It was nothing."

I waved her off like it was no big deal.

But seriously, if you just walk away after this, you’re not the Shadowless Phantom Thief—you’re the Shaless Phantom Thief. One more thank-you, c’mon.

"I couldn’t possibly leave without saying sothing after you saved twice. Really, thank you."

Guess she’s not totally shaless after all. She bowed again.

"I just couldn’t turn away from a woman in distress."

I turned my head slightly, pretending to be shy, staring out at the river.

I could feel her eyes on .

After everything she’d been through, the only one who reached out a hand to help her on that ship was . And I didn’t even want thanks? Yeah, to her, I probably looked like so chivalrous hero.

Sure, I made it all up on the fly, but hey, I pulled it off, didn’t I? Burn this mont into your mory. If you turn out to be a true heroine, you better rember this.

"What’s your na, Young Master?"

Wow, that was fast.

"Shouldn’t you be telling sothing first?"

You want to know my na? Introduce yourself first.

"Ah... I’m... um... Ah! Du Eung-hyang."

She hesitated, then dropped a na I never expected. What the hell? That’s the na of a heroine from my novel.

"You’d be better off telling the real reason instead of lying."

That’s not your na. I shot her a disappointed look.

I’ve got your whole character file morized. I know your nickna, your title, and your real na. You’ve gotta do better than that.

"I’m sorry. It’s just... with my status as a runaway courtesan... But if you tell your na, I promise I’ll repay the favor."

Worried that if anyone knew her real na and she got caught, she’d be in deep trouble? Fair enough. Not like there are many pink-haired beauties out there anyway.

"Kang Yun-ho."

I turned and told her my na directly.

"Kang... Yun-ho? Do you live in Yichang?"

That reaction was... weird. Her brow furrowed in the oddest way.

"How did you know? I’m Kang Yun-ho of Daseogak in Yichang."

"You! Youuuuuu!"

Her eyes went wide as she pointed a finger right at .

"?"

What the hell is with this pointing?

I was about to ask what her deal was, when she blurted it out herself.

"You’re that infamous bookstore owner, Kang Yun-ho?!"

...What the hell?

------------

"The worst bookstore owner? What the hell do you an by that?"

"I know everything! You’re Kang Yun-ho, the crooked rchant of Yichang!"

She practically spat the words at .

Co on. Kindness, truth, justice, chivalry—those are the words that suit . The worst bookstore owner? A crooked rchant? That makes sound like so scam artist.

"A crooked bookstore owner? That’s not sothing I can just laugh off, not as an honest businessman. What exactly makes you call the worst bookstore owner? Let’s hear it."

"Is it true you sold a ridiculous number of Storm of the Tang Clan copies but can’t say how much you actually paid the author Ho-pil?"

"...That’s true."

I pocketed all of it.

"And is it also true that you held off printing Volu 2 even though you already had it, just to make sure Volu 1 sold as much as possible?"

"That’s true, too."

That’s just basic business sense.

"And whenever sothing goes wrong, you make Ho-pil write so sob story to win public sympathy! °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° That 'This is Ho-pil...' stuff is even famous in Wusan!"

"...That’s probably true."

Public relations is everything.

"And when you do those main wife popularity polls, you sell cheap drinks at insane prices, and no one even knows how much influence their vote actually has!"

"...That’s also... true."

How else am I supposed to sell main wife sets for the next heroines?

She fired off her accusations like a machine gun. Kinda hard to argue, honestly.

"See?! You are the worst bookstore owner!"

The Shadowless Phantom Thief pointed at like she’d just cracked the case, not as a thief, but as a top-class detective.

"I... I’m... the worst bookstore owner? I’m the worst bookstore owner?"

"I can’t believe I got help from Kang Yun-ho... I got help from you! The other girls at the brothel are going to tease about this forever!"

She clutched her head like her world had just ended.

"Wait, young lady..."

So Storm of the Tang Clan has reached all the cities near Yichang, huh? And yeah, maybe Kang Yun-ho the rchant is hard to defend right now.

But what about Kang Yun-ho, Ho-pil’s one true friend? The man of loyalty? She clearly doesn’t know about that part.

I handled all the chaos in Ho-pil’s place, even went to the Tang Clan myself. I’ve gotta clear this up.

But she didn’t give the chance.

"Just wait and see! I won’t forget this debt... or this humiliation!"

With eyes shimring in frustration, she shot one last glare before disappearing without giving ti to reply.

What the hell does that even an—won’t forget the debt and the humiliation?

----------

No matter how tangled the misunderstandings, the boat still headed for its destination.

"Yichang ahead!"

"We can see Yichang!"

"Prepare to dock!"

"Young lady."

I called out to the Shadowless Phantom Thief, who was sitting in the corner of the cabin, still glaring at like I owed her sothing.

"Hmph!"

What now? She snapped her head away from .

"Do you have a place to stay?"

"...I’m thinking of heading to the Hao Clan’s Yichang branch."

She answered calmly, probably because she saw the concern on my face.

Stubborn little thief. Part of wanted to just ignore her, but if we parted like this, I felt like my reputation might just even out at zero.

"Take this."

I pulled out my trump card from inside my robe and tossed it to her.

"What’s this?"

She caught the small pouch.

"You said you lost your coin purse, didn’t you? I put so travel money in there, take it."

Enough to last her a month at an inn if she’s careful with it.

"..."

She looked up at , eyes wide at the sound of coins jingling inside.

"This is probably where we part ways, but I hope you get through everything safely."

And don’t you dare co rob Daseogak, ho of the best damn bookstore owner.

"...Why are you being so kind to ?"

Because there’s a chance you’re a true heroine.

"You said your na was Du Eung-hyang, didn’t you? After hearing that, how could I stand by and do nothing?"

"What do you an...?"

"We’ve arrived in Yichang. Didn’t you say you needed to get the news to the Hao Clan quickly?"

I turned my back on her puzzled face and looked out the cabin window.

That familiar sight after months away—the city I knew so well. I watched as the boat approached the dock in Yichang.

This is where the goodwill ends. I opened the cabin door like I had nothing more to say.

Go on now.

"Hmph! Fine! Goodbye!"

Guess she got the ssage. She stood tall, like so noble lady being escorted, and strode out of the cabin.

That would probably be the end of our story.

I an, what reason would I have to stick with the Shadowless Phantom Thief?

It’s a sha she didn’t give the chance to clear up her misunderstanding, but now that she’s in Yichang and not Wusan, maybe she’ll find out the truth and fix that wrong impression herself.

"No way we’re going to keep running into each other, right?"

There’s only one reason a bookstore owner and a thief would cross paths. Just thinking about it makes want to avoid her for good.

I stepped into the familiar streets, hoping those words wouldn’t co back to haunt .

Back in Yichang, at last.