Chapter 140: Chapter 140
“Aaaaaaargh!”
Crash!
Ma Dok-jin, whose face was wrapped tightly in bandages, screamed and smashed the furniture. Perhaps it was because controlling his anger was too difficult, he ground his teeth and destroyed everything in sight.
“Pant… pant… pant… Damn it! Shit! Shit! Shit!”
He panted heavily, trying to suppress his rage.
He was out of luck.
To think that while wandering the streets of Yueyang to find Gwon Mu-jin, he had to see that guy of all people. Recalling being beaten in front of so many people, his resentment had not subsided yet.
“Are you alright?”
A man opened the door and entered.
Although he looked to be over fifty years old, he had a sturdy build and an unusual spirit. He was one of the proud figures from Ma Dok-jin’s family, who had actually been sent to fight against Shaolin, but was an unfortunate man dragged down to this distant Hunan Province because of Ma Dok-jin.
The man looked at Ma Dok-jin with an unpleasant expression.
Abandoning the mission was one thing, but getting beaten up by someone on a crowded street; what would the family members say if they heard this?
“Did you find him?”
“He is quite a famous person in this area. He is said to live near Lake Dongting, which is about two hours away from Yueyang, but no one knows the exact details.”
“Is that all?!”
“Yes, they say a young daughter and strange old men are sometimes seen, but…”
The man, Yuk Gyeom-sa, muttered with an unwilling expression.
Who did he think he was to order him to do this now? Where did his direct subordinates go that not a single trace of them could be seen, and he was ordering this simple collection of information?
Although he answered obediently and spoke of the information he had gathered, his tone of voice was not very polite.
Bam!
Once again, Ma Dok-jin kicked the table and fumed.
Watching him like that, Yuk Gyeom-sa smiled.
He had not yet spoken of the more interesting part.
“Gwon Mu-jin… it seems he is also there…?”
“What…?”
“Did you not hear me?”
“No, I heard you. But that guy is there?”
“There is no mistake after asking around. The description matches perfectly.”
Ma Dok-jin bit his fingernails.
He did not like it.
Not only was Gwon Mu-jin alive, but the very fact that Dan Woo-hyun was by his side. Why did he take in such a guy?
Whatever the case, they were people who had to be killed.
Both of them!
No, he intended to kill everyone they knew.
He would leave none behind, leaving not even a single speck of their ashes in this world.
Only then did it feel like his anger would be slightly appeased.
“Do you… have the confidence to defeat him?”
Yuk Gyeom-sa let out an absurd laugh.
Whom was he talking to right now?
Yuk Gyeom-sa was a master counted among the top ten within the Martial Emperor Castle, possessing power comparable to Ma Dok-jin’s father.
If he had not followed Ma Dok-jin’s father and had established another family, his reputation might have already echoed throughout the entire unorthodox path.
“Is he strong?”
“He is strong. Especially the guy who made me like this.”
“Hahaha! That is quite interesting. I have not been able to warm up properly lately, so it would be nice if I can have some fun.”
Seeing Yuk Gyeom-sa laugh sincerely, Ma Dok-jin felt reassured. Although he was a disagreeable fellow, his skill was something that had to be fully acknowledged.
He was a force that was somewhat excessive just to capture a single person like Gwon Mu-jin.
Ma Dok-jin grinned.
Once they found those guys, this teeth-grinding revenge would be over.
“Ma Dok-jin?”
“Was that his name?”
“…Yes.”
Hearing the story from Dan Woo-hyun who had returned to the manor, Gwon Mu-jin looked at him with a somewhat surprised gaze. However, from the moment he showed himself in Henan, he had thought that such a thing might happen, so it was merely a matter of time before what was bound to happen finally came.
“He must have come targeting me.”
Poor guy.
Gwon Mu-jin shook his head.
His movement was certainly aimed at Gwon Mu-jin, but it was unfortunate that the one he happened to see by chance was Dan Woo-hyun.
Thinking of Ma Dok-jin getting beaten up on that crowded street, it was both satisfying and, in a way, pitiful.
Clicking his tongue, he opened his mouth.
“Did you not see anyone else?”
“He was alone.”
If so, it meant Ma Dok-jin’s subordinates were thoroughly searching the vicinity of Yueyang to find him. Since Ma Dok-jin was originally confident in his own skills, he might have thought it would be fine to wander around alone.
‘Or, even if there are no subordinates, there might be someone even greater by his side…’
Having thought that far, Gwon Mu-jin brushed the thought aside.
It was unknown how great of a person was by his side, but since he had run into Dan Woo-hyun, the result would be the same even if that opponent were the Lord of the Martial Emperor Castle.
“Did you not kill him?”
“Taking life must also have value.”
Does such a person beat people up every day?
Gwon Mu-jin broke into a cold sweat.
He knew very well how much Dan Woo-hyun had beaten Jang Sam-tae and the others. Since even Gwon Mu-jin was getting beaten occasionally, those words just now did not resonate with him at all.
‘Then that means we were guys worth beating…’
Thinking about it, that was true.
Breaking into a cold sweat, he took two steps back without realizing it.
“So I thought about it after coming home… and I regretted not killing him.”
“…”
Given Ma Dok-jin’s personality, he would not just give up and let it go. Since he would try to kill Dan Woo-hyun and Gwon Mu-jin by any means necessary, he was an opponent who would definitely leave future trouble.
And yet, he did not take action?
Knowing Dan Woo-hyun’s personality, he would not have been unaware of this.
He turned his gaze to look at Gwon Mu-jin.
As their eyes met, he gulped without realizing it.
“Can you do it?”
“…Of course.”
Answering briefly, he nodded.
In the past, a fight with Ma Dok-jin would have been absolutely impossible. That was how different their levels were, and their internal energy also showed a significant difference.
But it was different now.
Although it had only been a little over a year, he had put in a lot of effort and achieved growth during that time. Moreover, Dan Woo-hyun was always by his side, and now Namgung Cheon and Sa Do-hak were here.
What he had learned from them was definitely not something that could be taken lightly.
If one received ten teachings and realized even one of them, it would not be an exaggeration to say that he had already succeeded as a martial artist.
Gwon Mu-jin clenched his fist tightly.
“You do not have to worry about anything.”
“I will trust you.”
Dan Woo-hyun nodded without any doubt.
That seemed to give Gwon Mu-jin even more strength.
Answering energetically, he turned around confidently. Although it was unknown how much time was left, it was time to pick up the sword once more to aim for a higher place.
Gwon Mu-jin moved toward the training ground.
“Will it be alright? If it is Ma Dok-jin, he is a reasonably famous expert even within the Martial Emperor Castle.”
“Were you eavesdropping?”
Dan Woo-hyun slightly turned his head and looked at the two.
Sa Do-hak and Namgung Cheon were approaching, with a single wall between them, though it was unclear since when they had been there. The faces of the two were somewhat serious.
“If he cannot overcome it, then that is as far as he goes.”
“Puhaha, that’s right! If you’re a man, you should make your own path.”
Sa Do-hak laughed loudly and clapped his hands.
Dan Woo-hyun’s actions pleased him greatly. From what he heard, had that guy named Ma Dok-jin not been Gwon Mu-jin’s lord at one time? Betraying such a person and now being in a position to cut him down.
He could not hide his excitement at a situation that seemed right out of a play.
“In any case, it is not a good thing that the bastards of the Martial Emperor Castle have come all the way down here. Whether Mujin wins or loses, the Martial Emperor Castle will not sit still.”
Namgung Cheon frowned with a serious expression.
It was not a matter of someone like Ma Dok-jin. Although he was said to possess quite formidable skills, compared to the three people in this manor, it would be nothing more than a drop in the bucket.
But what came after was the problem.
The repercussion that would arise from killing Ma Dok-jin.
The Seven Unorthodox Families will certainly not sit still, and naturally, the Martial Emperor Castle will also become hostile toward Hunan. They will send their elites to extract the price in blood by any means.
A bloodwind will sweep through Hunan.
“Will you be alright? This is a different matter from before.”
At the worried expression, Dan Woo-hyun merely nodded. He already knew Namgung Cheon’s heart, but once he made up his mind to move, there was nothing that could stop Dan Woo-hyun.
“The name of the family will rise only when we handle tasks of this scale.”
“…You?”
Dan Woo-hyun’s words, which had previously referred to it as a manor, had changed.
Realizing the meaning, Namgung Cheon showed a surprised expression.
At first, he had resolved to somehow send Dan Woo-hyun out into the Martial World, but he gradually came to think that living quietly in a place like this was not bad either.
Yet, now that Dan Woo-hyun, in whom that thought had been most firmly established, was trying to move, Namgung Cheon could not help but feel tense without realizing it.
‘It is like releasing a tiger into a pack of children…’
He knew.
Namgung Cheon knew that better than anyone.
Dan Woo-hyun stepping out into the Central Plains was like a hungry predator cutting off the breath of a beast that could not even move.
Namgung Cheon closed his eyes tightly.
What kind of wind had suddenly blown for him to make such a decision?
He was curious about his intention.
“Something really must have happened. For you to think of stepping out into the Martial World.”
“It finds me even if I stay still. I cannot escape it even if I cut them down and chase them away. Also…”
Dan Woo-hyun recalled one person.
The red-haired man.
Although it was only by half a step, his mood was heightened by the fact that he had been pushed back. An existence that had risen to the highest peak, to the point where the words strongest and invincible were colorless.
The existence whom no one could block and no one could match was none other than Dan Woo-hyun, who was once called the Martial God.
Someone who could block his path for the first time had appeared. No, to be more precise, he must have ground his teeth and risen up to defeat Dan Woo-hyun.
That was extremely interesting, and his excitement did not subside.
Without revealing that emotion as much as possible, Dan Woo-hyun smiled.
“I thought it would be fun. Once again… spreading my name…”
At the softly muttered words, the two stood with stunned expressions. If they quietly thought about the meaning of those words now, did it not mean he had already spread his name across the Central Plains once before?
Although the two had met and fought against many masters, they had never heard of even the title, let alone the name, of a master assumed to be Dan Woo-hyun.
The moment they were about to speak with doubt, Dan Woo-hyun’s voice cut them off first.
“To make sure no one can touch you, you must prove that you are stronger than anyone else. Put on your mask. We have work to do, don’t we?”
The words spoken with a smile sounded playful.
However, his eyes were serious.
Enjoyed the chapter?
If you like our work, consider supporting us on Ko-fi. This site solely runs on donations. Every donation helps us keep translating!
Support on Ko-fi