Who Are You, Munhyuk?
Gong Yubaek’s hand trembled violently.
It was nothing like a sudden illness or health issue. Even someone who had devoted his entire life to scholarship had never encountered writing like this before.
It was a book received from Hyeongju Seowon.
At first, the word “novel” had made him dismiss it outright. After all, novels were nothing more than the idle scribblings of street performers—fleeting, sensational tales meant to entertain the masses.
But the moment he opened the book, the words on the page struck him like a thunderbolt.
The Great Trend of the World Divides and Reunites, Reunites and Divides.
Across thousands of years of Chinese history, the truth was distilled into a single sentence.
Even a man who called himself a scholar had never truly pondered such a thought. He had only brushed against it vaguely, half-consciously.
Yet the author of this book had taken the very idea he had only half-remembered and turned it into a single, crystalline line right from the preface.
“Who… who is this person… to say something like this…?”
Gong Yubaek could not hide his admiration as he murmured the words.
He had never imagined that his own stunned exclamation would echo through the pages one after another.
And as he turned each successive leaf, his expression grew increasingly grave.
China before the Sui Dynasty had lost countless books to the ravages of time and endless warfare. Even those transmitted orally had long since faded from memory.
As a result, those who truly understood the past were few and far between. Even a man like Gong Yubaek, a Hanlin Academician, could not claim to know everything.
Yet this book.
This book was different.
It read like a living witness to the age, recounting events in meticulous detail as if he had been there himself.
“The Yellow Turbans… is this real?”
Just as Gong Yubaek knew, the people had risen in rebellion. But the account here was far too detailed.
It explained that they had come from the Taiping Dao religious cult, wearing yellow turbans as they took up arms.
He had known about the yellow-turban rebellion, of course. But he had never suspected that it had originated from a religious group.
And then came the line:
Heavenly Mandate Divides, Earthly Mandate Reunites—Five Virtues of the Yellow, the Great Way of the World.
What did that even mean?
“Heavenly Mandate Divides… Earthly Mandate Reunites… Surely not?”
Gong Yubaek had been lost in thought while reading the passage when something clicked. His eyes widened in realization as he spoke.
Ancient philosophers had believed that all things in the world moved according to the principles of the five elements.
And this applied even to dynasties.
Just as wood gave birth to fire, and fire gave birth to earth, a dynasty exhausted its heavenly mandate and passed the throne to the next ruler blessed with virtue.
This was known as the Five Virtues Succession.
And the line he had just read was rooted in that very theory.
The Yellow Turbans called themselves yellow, the color of earth in the five elements.
By contrast, the Han Dynasty followed the virtue of fire.
In other words, the passage was not simply describing the color of the sky.
When interpreted, it declared: “The heavenly mandate of the Han Dynasty, which followed the virtue of fire, has ended. We will take up the mantle in their place!”
Gong Yubaek felt a profound sense of admiration as he read the sentence.
From the very first line to this one, the author of this book was no ordinary man.
His grasp of both the content and the Daoist enlightenment was extraordinary.
And the fact that he could so vividly convey events from a forgotten past without any historical records was astonishing.
Yet he did not stop there.
Through the story, he naturally wove in the philosophies that had spread during the era.
Even a scholar reading what was, in name, a novel could easily understand which ideas had shaped the world and how deeply the author had comprehended them.
How many books must one read and study to write something so naturally infused with life?
Even if Gong Yubaek himself had written it, he would have been incapable of such a feat.
“Munhyuk…”
After reading the entire book, Gong Yubaek murmured the author’s name at the very end.
“Who are you, exactly?”
***
The morning was spent training martial arts with Zhuge Hualian.
Lunch was a performance.
Evening was spent writing the biography of Zhuge Liang.
The schedule was so packed that there was barely enough time in a day.
The one saving grace was that the performance had helped him organize his thoughts, allowing him to refine any gaps while writing.
Once he had finished a section that no longer needed revision, he gathered it all and sent it to the Zhuge Clan.
Finally, the day arrived when the first edition was ready.
“Ta-da! Pay attention, everyone!”
He pulled a handcart piled high with books and appeared at the venue where he had performed.
“Unfortunately, there will be no performance today. But I’ve rushed here with such haste to bring you joyous news!”
With those words, he lifted one of the books from the cart.
“What is this?!”
Like a traveling medicine peddler.
“This is the book I’ve been telling you about—the complete biography of Zhuge Liang!”
He turned the book’s cover left and right so everyone could see it clearly.
“Right here! Romance of the Three Kingdoms: The Biography of Zhuge Liang!”
The crowd instantly stirred.
Anyone who had come to watch his performances would recognize the name at once.
“You mean the story has actually been published as a book?”
“It’s all written down?”
People’s eyes locked onto the book in an instant.
He smiled and held the book high.
“Exactly! The stories I had to leave out due to time constraints in the performances! Why Zhuge Liang was called the Sleeping Dragon! The full details of the Three Kingdoms’ division of power! All of it is contained in this book!”
The crowd’s expressions changed.
Listening to a story and reading it in a book were two entirely different things.
He quickly delivered his final blow.
“And this is the first edition! Sold only at this venue today! The price is two taels of silver!”
The moment he named the price, the crowd’s gazes turned icy.
“Two taels of silver?”
“For one book?”
“Even so, that’s far too expensive.”
A murmur rippled through the crowd at the mention of two taels.
Some scowled openly at him.
One book cost one tael of silver.
But he was asking for twice that amount.
Of course their reactions were lukewarm.
But wasn’t there a saying that the best things come in pairs?
He watched their reactions for a moment before speaking.
“However!”
At those words, every eye turned back to him.
“There is a special benefit for those who purchase this book at this venue today!”
At the word “benefit,” the crowd’s attention intensified.
“As the author of this book, I will personally seal the final page for you!”
“Hmm…”
“A seal… still, two taels is a bit steep, isn’t it?”
Even the promise of a seal did not elicit much enthusiasm.
But he remained unfazed.
No matter how much they wanted it, it was twice the market price.
A price that made them hesitate.
“You may not feel it’s worth it right now…”
The crowd’s gazes returned to him.
“But this book will continue to sell. No, it will sell in great numbers. It won’t end in Hyeongju. Before long, it will be on bookshelves across the Central Plains.”
He shook the book lightly.
“Will you still be able to obtain a first edition with my seal when that time comes?”
Despite his words, the price of two taels of silver seemed too high, and the crowd remained indifferent.
But!
“I’ll buy one!”
A wind-tamer shouted loudly.
“Aigoo! Come over here!”
He quickly summoned the wind-tamer and sold him a book.
“Aigoo! Finally I’ll be able to read about Lord Zhuge’s story from the comfort of my own home! How long I’ve wanted to read it!”
The wind-tamer spoke with slightly awkward phrasing and manner, but thanks to his words, others began clamoring to buy as well.
“No money at home! If I’d known we were selling books today, I would have brought some! So I can’t just take the book without paying!”
Among them were those who asked for credit because they lacked silver on hand.
They were no different from troublemakers, but he did not bother dealing with them.
He left that to others.
With a whoosh, a man stepped forward beside the troublemaker who was demanding credit and refusing to leave.
A sword hung at his waist, and he wore the attire of someone who could be recognized anywhere in the vicinity.
And what truly drew the eye was the embroidery on his chest and sleeves—the emblem of the Zhuge Clan.
“You’re demanding credit for a book sponsored by the Zhuge Clan?”
“Hiiik! I’m sorry! I’ll fetch the money right away!”
One word from the warrior who had come to support the book was enough to settle the troublemaker.
After that incident, some troublemakers still appeared, unaware that the Zhuge Clan was backing him.
But once they realized the Zhuge Clan stood behind him, they fled in panic into the crowd.
So that’s how it is. He’s walking around hiding his credentials like a top-class chef.
Looking at their retreating figures, he recalled the cooking manga from his childhood.
Back then, he had never understood why the protagonist hid his identity.
But now he understood the protagonist’s feelings completely.
The catharsis that came with revealing one’s true identity was an indescribably satisfying feeling—one that could only be experienced firsthand.
He continued selling books, wondering if more troublemakers would appear, but word had spread and no one else showed up.
And the last customer in line bought a book.
Sixty books had been prepared for the cart.
After selling to the final customer, fourteen remained.
Having sold forty-six, he had earned ninety-two taels of silver.
It was a double-price event created for the sake of the seal, but the result of a single day’s work was almost unbelievable.
He stared at the remaining books and money pouch, swallowing hard.
Of course, seventy percent of it would flow to the Zhuge Clan.
But the remaining thirty percent was his.
In other words, roughly thirty taels of silver belonged to him!
In just one day, nearly thirty taels of silver had entered his pocket.
It was proof that the effort of gathering people with free performances had not been in vain.
He looked at the money pouch and unconsciously curved his lips.
Heh heh…
“Thank you for your hard work.”
The warrior who had been guarding him spoke.
“Ah! Thank you for your hard work as well, sir.”
As he answered, he noticed the warrior’s gaze fixed on the cart.
Now that he thought about it, the Zhuge Clan members had become completely obsessed with the Zhuge Liang biography.
When he had suggested they come and buy the first edition themselves, they had even offered to pay for it.
As a result, almost no one at the Zhuge Clan printing house had properly read the book.
Of course, he had also insisted that “spreading it to the world comes first,” which was why the first edition had reached them.
“Warrior.”
“Yes!”
When he asked, the warrior snapped to attention.
“It seems everything is finished. Could you take out the remaining books before we clear them?”
At his words, the warrior retrieved the books left on the cart.
“My hands are dirty. Could you open the final page for me instead?”
“Huh?”
At his words, the warrior hesitated for a moment before obediently opening the final page of the book.
He sealed it, and when he had sealed about five, the curious warrior asked.
“Why are you sealing it when it won’t sell?”
“All sixty first editions have meaning. And one is a gift for the warrior who helped me.”
“What? Really?”
The warrior asked with disbelief.
“Take any one you like after it’s finished.”
“Thank you! Thank you very much!”
The warrior bowed repeatedly in gratitude.
After sealing the remaining books, he wiped his hands on the prepared paper.
Then he gathered the three remaining books and told the warrior.
“These are for people I’m giving as gifts, so I’ll take them separately. Give the remaining ten to your lord. He’ll know what to do with them.”
“Understood!”
With three books in hand, he arrived at the Cheonpung Merchant Group, where he found Zhuge Hualian waiting on the veranda.
Zhuge Hualian, perhaps bored, rested her chin on her hand and stared blankly at the sky.
Even though she sat silently, her gaze was impossible to ignore.
He approached without breaking eye contact and asked.
“Miss, why weren’t you at today’s performance?”
At his question, Zhuge Hualian looked at him for a moment.
“Why? I waited for you.”
“You always came, but since I didn’t see you today, I was worried something had happened.”
At his words, Zhuge Hualian stared blankly at him for a moment before smiling faintly and speaking.
“The young master said we had to let people know. But if I went there, I probably wouldn’t have been able to resist buying the book.”
“I see. Here, take this.”
With those words, he took the book from his bosom and handed it to Zhuge Hualian.
“I brought it for you, miss.”
“…”
Zhuge Hualian accepted the book without a word.
Giving a gift to a woman was her first time, and it made her feel strangely embarrassed. But when she gave no reaction, it only made the awkwardness worse.
Just as he was about to scratch his neck, trying to think of something to say.
“Thank you… really.”
Zhuge Hualian said in a soft voice.