Chapter 173: Chapter 173

Namgung So-hye, who had returned home after finishing some business in Changsha, quietly stared at her hands.

Although it was grabbed several hours ago, his warmth still seemed to remain.

A blush spread over her face from embarrassment.

It was the first time in her life that she walked holding a man’s hand.

Excluding her family, of course.

‘But…’

Namgung So-hye suddenly thought of something.

Being held by the hand was one thing, but there was something even stranger than that.

“Didn’t I… have no need to go to Changsha in the first place?”

Thinking about it quietly, it was true.

The two of them went to Changsha while chatting together. However, all they did was meet a person from the Lower Gate, and during the remaining time, they walked around the marketplace, bought some food to eat, and returned.

They returned in less than an hour after taking several hours to travel there.

She tilted her head and fell into an unsolved mystery.

Meanwhile, Dan Woo-hyun was sitting on the wooden veranda.

Gwon Mu-jin entered and bowed his head to him. As if about to report what he had investigated, Gwon Mu-jin’s expression was quite serious.

Namgung So-hye stealthily approached and listened closely.

“Recently, there was no information that the Chu Gate Family and the Hunan Merchant Group made contact. However, I followed their past movements, and it is said that Du Ak-chil, the chief manager of the Chu Gate Family, secretly visited the Hunan Merchant Group. After that…”

“Mak Chung-heon visited the Gold Ring Merchant Group.”

“That is correct.”

Namgung So-hye was startled.

The Chu Gate Family and the Hunan Merchant Group were both prestigious and well-known families.

‘The Chu Gate Family is a family that brews liquor… and the Hunan Merchant Group is a merchant group…?’

She tilted her head in confusion.

Of course, it was not that there was no connection between the two.

Since the Chu Gate Family’s liquor was distributed through the Hunan Merchant Group, the relationship between the two would be very deep.

However, to her knowledge, the Chu Gate Family was not a family with such great martial power.

Even if one grabbed ten passing people and asked them, they would praise the Hunan Merchant Group as being far more great than the Chu Gate Family.

Yet, did the Hunan Merchant Group actively grant the Chu Gate Family’s request like this?

Of course, considering their friendship, it could be so, but if that were the case, the Chu Gate Family should have shown some movement as well.

However, the Chu Gate Family did not move at all, and only the Hunan Merchant Group was working diligently.

Even the leader of the Hunan Merchant Group, and no one else, rolled up his sleeves and stepped forward personally.

This was a very unusual thing.

Considering the power and reputation of the Hunan Merchant Group, it could never happen.

‘It’s almost as if they are in a superior-subordinate relationship.’

Naturally, the Chu Gate Family was on top.

Was it really so?

“Also, it seems the Hunan Merchant Group is preparing a large-scale merchant trip recently.”

“A merchant trip…”

“Since it is a fairly large transaction, the preparation time is quite long. Perhaps it is to sell off the stolen goods.”

“That could be the case.”

Dan Woo-hyun let out a small breath, saying “Hm-“.

In any case, what was lost had to be recovered.

He wanted to clash head-on according to his personality, but since that was impossible, he had to grasp the situation well.

Then, he suddenly thought of something.

Was it not said, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth?

Having thought up to that point, Dan Woo-hyun smiled broadly.

“Since they stole, let’s take it back by force.”

“…Yes?”

“What?”

Leaving those words behind, Dan Woo-hyun stood up and disappeared somewhere.

The expressions of the two people quietly watching his relaxed back were filled with doubt.

‘What did he just say?’

‘Take what back by force?’

‘No way?’

They turned their gazes while smiling awkwardly.

In less than fifteen minutes, Dan Woo-hyun was seen returning. In his hands, three masks that looked hastily made were held.

Namgung So-hye held her forehead and let out a groan.

“What is that for…?”

“Can’t you tell by looking?”

“I know they are masks! I’m asking why you brought them!”

“Why do you ask such an obvious thing.”

“Are you really… going to commit robbery?”

Even after uttering it with her own mouth, she could not believe it, showing a blank expression.

The Namgung clan was famous for being fair and honorable as a prestigious orthodox sect.

But what did he want her to do?

She looked at Dan Woo-hyun with a disgusted expression.

“We are taking back what was stolen from us.”

“Wouldn’t it be better to look for evidence more diligently instead?”

“If it exists, that is.”

It was a meticulously planned theft.

Just seeing that they took that large quantity in a single night, and also that they left no traces, made them feel that it was carried out under a meticulous plan.

No evidence came out either.

It might be possible if they suppressed them with force and made them open their mouths, but Dan Woo-hyun had no desire to do such a thing.

If things went wrong, they could suffer a great loss.

The opponent was the largest merchant group in Hunan, and they probably had many connections with high-ranking officials, so threatening them with force might ruin the matter.

Since Dan So-mi was here, he did not want to create an incident that she might get caught up in.

“But…”

When Namgung So-hye hesitated, Dan Woo-hyun sighed.

He looked at her with an expression that asked why she couldn’t do such a simple thing.

“We wear masks and hijack the Hunan Merchant Group’s carriage. It is a simple matter. It won’t even take fifteen minutes, so do not worry.”

“No, that’s not the kind of worry I’m having…”

Seeing Dan Woo-hyun plan a crime so easily, Namgung So-hye pressed between her eyebrows.

Knowing Dan Woo-hyun’s martial art, she knew it would be easy.

However, making a person of a prestigious family commit robbery was really going too far.

“If you are scared, you can pull out. I won’t stop you.”

At the sight of him smirk, Namgung So-hye’s face crumpled.

‘Scared? This Namgung So-hye?’

She was a person who had lived without fearing anything. The guards accompanying the merchant group would only be second or third-rate at best, so there was no reason to be scared of such people, was there?

Frowning, Namgung So-hye twitched her lips.

“There’s no way that’s the case.”

“Then what are you worried about?”

“It’s because I don’t want to defile the name of Namgung.”

“A place where even the signboard was taken down, what is there left to defile?”

“Ugh…!”

At the remark that stabbed her wound deeply, Namgung So-hye lost her spirit.

Staring at the ground with drooping shoulders, her body trembled.

He didn’t have to go so far as to say that.

In her heart, she wanted to scream, ‘Yes, it’s ruined! What of it?’.

Although she was angry, because Dan Woo-hyun was too strong to do anything about, she slumped in a corner and whimpered.

“Mujin, find out the departure time of the merchant group and the detailed route.”

“Understood.”

“And these are the things you need to prepare.”

Dan Woo-hyun handed over a small piece of paper.

Receiving it, Gwon Mu-jin nodded and tucked it into his robe.

“I will be back.”

Bowing his head, Gwon Mu-jin disappeared from the spot in an instant.

Staring at the empty spot where Gwon Mu-jin had vanished, Dan Woo-hyun turned his gaze toward the sky.

What was received would be returned twofold.

That was Dan Woo-hyun’s way.

‘Since they fearlessly took my things, they should have prepared themselves for this much. Isn’t that so?’

* * *

Three days later, the Hunan Merchant Group’s caravan departed from Changsha County and headed toward Jiangxi Province.

As if to show it was a large-scale caravan, the guards alone reached fifty, and there seemed to be dozens of porters.

The carriages loaded with goods were also so numerous that they formed a line.

As if there was so much, the dozen or so carts were piled high with luggage, and perhaps to prevent others from seeing, the entire carts were wrapped in black cloth.

It was a caravan so grand that bandits would lose their minds upon seeing it, but perhaps because of the flag held by those leading at the front, no one dared to approach.

After entering the main road and traveling for a long time, they took a mountain path.

It was a shortcut to Jiangxi, and it was a path the Hunan Merchant Group had used since before the main road was created.

The path was rough enough to make the carts rattle, but it was a fast path worth enduring that.

“Why on earth are we going by this kind of road?”

As if he did not like it, a guard who appeared to be a rookie grimaced and grumbled.

Although he was riding a horse, he could fully feel the bad condition of the road even on horseback.

Was there a need to choose this kind of road?

If they went by the main road, even if they went around a bit, it would have been more comfortable.

“Be quiet. Just focus on staying alert. Even if we are the Hunan Merchant Group, it doesn’t mean we don’t get attacked.”

“No, what crazy bastard would touch the Hunan Merchant Group? That too, in this land of Hunan!”

The rookie guard muttered with an expression that said it made no sense. As they were the richest in Hunan, the Hunan Merchant Group was a place with considerable authority and power.

Therefore, even the Green Forest did not touch them carelessly.

Of course, they couldn’t ignore them completely, so they showed some sincerity.

“It happens occasionally. Crazy bastards who don’t know their place, that is.”

The guard captain smirked.

Bastards who just started banditry, or bastards driven mad by money.

Those out-of-their-mind bastards were bound to be somewhere. Furthermore, if it was a large-scale caravan of this level, even ordinary people would lose their minds.

“Huh?”

The guard captain, who was having such thoughts, discovered something in front just in time.

A large log was lying down, blocking the road.

He raised his hand and gave a signal.

At the same time the carriages stopped in their tracks, the guards drew their swords.

Clang- clang-

The metallic sound echoed sharply around them.

“You go and check it.”

“Yes!”

One of the subordinates hurriedly ran toward the fallen tree. It was to check whether someone had artificially felled it or if it had fallen naturally.

After examining the tree for a moment, the subordinate turned his head and looked at the guard captain.

The moment he was about to say something.

“It’s the enemy!”

“Everyone, stay alert!”

No sooner was the shout heard than the guard captain ordered alertness.

Everyone participating in the caravan scanned the surroundings.

As if it was not their first or second time, the guards’ actions were orderly, and at the same time, cold killing intent like a sword blade overflowed.

It contained the determination to slaughter anyone who dared to rush in.

At that moment, suddenly, dozens of shadows flew out from the bushes.

As if they had been waiting for them to form a formation, the guards, startled by what was pouring in, swung their swords.

“Stop!”

The guard captain, who realized what had suddenly flown in, hurriedly shouted.

However, it was late.

Because the guards’ swords had already cut through it.

Pop, pop, pop, pop!

Pure white smoke enveloped the surroundings in an instant.

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