Chapter 195: Chapter 195

“……”

“Ahem……”

“……”

For the first time in a while, all the family members gathered. However, strangely, Dan Woo-hyun’s gaze was not very good.

First, Dan Woo-hyun cast his gaze toward Gwon Mu-jin, Ma Jang-gang, and Namgung So-hye.

“One group let the guy they were supposed to kill escape……”

His gaze shifted, this time toward Namgung Cheon and Sa Do-hak.

“And this side killed the guy they were supposed to capture…… You are all doing a wonderful job.”

“Ahem…… No, that bastard kept hitting my nerve.”

Sa Do-hak raised his voice and made an excuse, looking embarrassed. While chasing the Black Weird Demon Army, he had become quite angry at the fellow who was running around so craftily.

For someone who was merely running away, how could he be so fast? Defying his expectation of catching him quickly, he had tracked him for over fifteen minutes, and in the end, an enraged Sa Do-hak’s palm strike had struck the man’s heart.

“If you strike him like that from so close, of course he would die! Do you not even know how to control your strength?”

Namgung Cheon shouted, rebuking him.

“No, then you should have caught him a bit sooner!”

“Did I not almost capture him! The one who came over and delivered a palm strike the moment I grabbed him was you! Not me!”

“Dammit! Who knew he would die just like that!?”

“Of course he would die if you hit him so mindlessly, you man!”

“You man?! Oho! Your body is itching for a fight after a long time, is that it?”

“Hahaha, what is wrong with you today? It seems you have missed the taste of my blade?”

Guooooo.

The momentum of the two soared as if it knew no bounds. The others nearby held their breath, sweating profusely. It was the momentum exuded by none other than the beings who ranked within the top two in terms of martial prowess under the heavens of the Central Plains.

If one were to face it directly, even standing would be difficult.

Tong-tong-tong.

Just then, the sound of a wooden fish being tapped was heard from the side.

“Amitabha. Benefactors, why do you not calm down for a moment? Fighting is not good.”

“……”

“……”

Namgung Cheon and Sa Do-hak glanced at Jang Sam-tae.

Jang Sam-tae offered a gentle smile in response to their gaze.

An indescribable emotion rushed in like a tide. Goosebumps crept up from their toes to the tips of their heads, causing their bodies to tremble.

The two decided to pretend they had not seen it.

“Anyway, it is not my fault!”

“Hmph! I am not at fault either.”

Dan Woo-hyun sighed.

As he waved his hand dismissively, Namgung Cheon and Sa Do-hak closed their mouths and turned their gazes away.

It seemed the fight between the two thoroughly irritated old men was not yet over.

“Then what about you guys?”

“Well…… you see? We cornered him well until the very end, but……”

Namgung So-hye glanced at Jang Sam-tae. Furthermore, even the gazes of Ma Jang-gang and Gwon Mu-jin were fixed on Jang Sam-tae. Sensing that there was a reason, Dan Woo-hyun asked.

“What happened?”

“Killing is not a good thing.”

“What……?”

Even Dan Woo-hyun sounded bewildered, as if he found it somewhat absurd.

The same seemed to go for the others as well. Every single one of them looked elsewhere, trying to pretend they did not know Jang Sam-tae.

“Since breaking the precept of killing accumulates sinful karma, we must forgive that person and embrace them in our hearts.”

“……”

“Ahem……”

“Heh……”

Jang Sam-tae opened his hands, wearing an infinitely benevolent smile.

“That is indeed the mercy of the Buddha.”

Dan Woo-hyun pinched the bridge of his nose once again.

Where on earth did this ridiculous joke come from?

As they had been standing at the crossroads of life and death until just a moment ago, determining whether they would be killed by the opponent or kill them.

Dan Woo-hyun turned his head to look at Ma Jang-gang, as if asking for an explanation.

Looking embarrassed, he lowered his head and broke into a cold sweat.

“What on earth happened?”

“Well, it is a long story, but……”

“Keep it short, simple, and just the main points……”

Ma Jang-gang took a deep breath several times.

‘Are these not the words I thought of over and over again on the way here? I just need to spit them out exactly as they are.’

“Well…… when we…… escaped Mount Cheon, we were pursued, but we managed to escape by taking the waterway.”

Sa Do-hak was startled by those words. Glaring at Jang Sam-tae and Ma Jang-gang with wide eyes, he raised his voice loudly.

“What? Mount Cheon?! You guys went to Mount Cheon?”

He wanted to grab them by the collar immediately and urge them to speak quickly, but when Dan Woo-hyun’s fierce gaze pierced him, Sa Do-hak shut his mouth.

For now, Dan Woo-hyun seemed more curious about Jang Sam-tae’s state than Mount Cheon.

“However, the pursuers followed us to the end, and while fleeing, we were injured. The ones who saved us were the monks of the Potala Palace. We traveled with them as far as Gansu, and those bald monks were so impressed by Sam-tae’s food that……”

“And?”

Dan Woo-hyun’s expression gradually grew crooked.

The more he listened, the more he felt like he was falling into an absurd conclusion.

“At the promise of being taken in as a disciple if he became a monk, that guy fell head over heels……”

“Sigh……”

A sigh escaped him naturally.

“Hey, make some sense. What kind of people are the Potala Palace monks to take in someone as a disciple just because they were impressed by his food? On top of that, doesn’t he even have demonic energy in him?”

In the process of imparting the Heaven Returning Art, Sado Cheon had implanted demonic energy in Jang Sam-tae’s body.

The Potala Palace is a place that serves the Buddha. It is a place that can never mingle with the Demonic Cult, so why would they accept him as a disciple?

“So, that so-called master spent a month beating and training Jang Sam-tae like crazy…… and the result……”

“Is this.”

Dan Woo-hyun let out a smirk.

He did not know who it was, but they had done something amusing. Modifying a person’s inherent personality was impossible through ordinary means.

Thus, the suffering Jang Sam-tae must have gone through was clear as day.

As it must have been a highly brainwashing-style education.

“Master said. Whether one walks the path of the Demonic Cult or the righteous path, as long as one does not forget the words of the Buddha……”

“Ah, that is enough.”

Dan Woo-hyun stood up slightly and stretched out his hand.

Not understanding the meaning, Jang Sam-tae wore a puzzled look along with his smile.

“Give me that wooden fish.”

“This?”

“Yes.”

Jang Sam-tae naturally handed over the wooden fish. The gesture of his outstretched hands was also extremely polite. His former self, which used to be full of complaints no matter what he was told to do, was nowhere to be seen.

“The Buddha is always merciful, right?”

“Of course. Under no circumstances must we forget those teachings…… and also……”

“Right, right.”

Dan Woo-hyun held the wooden fish in his hand and tapped it with his fingers. It seemed to have been made of quite good wood, as it did not look like it would break easily.

“Does it not make a fine sound? That wooden fish is a very precious object given to me by my master.”

Dan Woo-hyun nodded as if he understood. He looked casual, as if he had absolutely no interest in whether it was precious or not.

Then, he slammed the wooden fish in his hand hard against the floor.

Crack!

The precious wooden fish was absurdly smashed to pieces.

For a moment, Jang Sam-tae flinched and his eyes widened. He had clearly said it was precious, so why did he smash it? The corners of his mouth trembled.

“Do you not feel like cursing?”

“Amitabha. What does it matter whether a mere wooden fish exists or not? Besides, how could vulgar curses escape the mouth of a disciple of Buddha? Haha.”

Jang Sam-tae pulled a Buddhist rosary from his sleeve and fiddled with it. Although it pained him that the wooden fish was broken, he comforted himself, thinking it was merely a worldly possession.

The people who saw this gasped.

As they were people who knew Jang Sam-tae’s usual personality, their gazes showed that they could not adapt to this.

Namgung So-hye rubbed her arms and legs as if she got goosebumps and slowly stepped back.

As if she could not bear to watch any longer.

“He has completely lost it. Look at those eyes. Mercy is already overflowing, running over.”

Sa Do-hak clicked his tongue and shook his head.

It was a look that the usual Jang Sam-tae would never show.

“Hahaha, these eyes are the eyes of the Buddha. The Buddha is watching you all through my eyes.”

Tremble.

Dan Woo-hyun frowned as he watched Jang Sam-tae smiling gently. The same went for Namgung Cheon and Sa Do-hak. They say that if you do things you do not normally do, you die early, and they wondered if that fellow was trying to do just that.

In times like this, it was best to simply ignore him.

Perhaps Dan Woo-hyun thought the same, as he no longer cast his gaze toward Jang Sam-tae.

“So, what about the fellow who escaped?”

“Amitabha. Chasing someone who has lost the will to fight is……”

“We pursued him, but it was too late. His lightness art was faster than expected. However, since he suffered a severe injury, he will not have gone far.”

Gwon Mu-jin said, glancing at Jang Sam-tae. If only that fellow had set his mind to it and pursued, he would have surely caught him.

“Should we pursue?”

“Benefactor…… have mercy on the injured……”

“No, he is a guy with nowhere to go anyway. He will show up again in one way or another.”

Jang Sam-tae rolled his eyes and looked back and forth between the two. They seemed to be talking to each other, but it felt like they were not listening to his words in the slightest.

He frowned unconsciously at their ignoring behavior.

However, he soon brushed those thoughts aside, recalling the mercy of the Buddha.

“Anyway, this guy is the problem, this guy. I thought he would do well, but he caused trouble again!”

Sa Do-hak frowned as he looked at Jang Sam-tae. Even if he wanted to ignore him, he clearly did not like the fact that the fellow could not even do a simple task properly.

Jang Sam-tae smiled even more brightly at Sa Do-hak’s gaze directed at him.

“Look at you talking……”

“What?”

“Hahaha, it is nothing. If this humble monk has committed a sin, is that not also this humble monk’s karma?”

“……”

Sa Do-hak wore a somewhat uncomfortable expression.

‘I thought I heard something strange?’

Sa Do-hak ignored the strange feeling and let out a sigh.

“Anyway, even when you are taught good things, you cannot use them, and you bring back something strange? What kind of mixed stew are you? At this rate, you will end up learning all the martial arts of both the righteous and demonic paths. Sigh, you fool.”

Sa Do-hak grumbled and turned his back. Looking at that ridiculous sight continuously made his chest feel stuffy.

He did not even like that altered personality.

“It is much better than the Demonic Cult’s martial arts, yet he’s throwing a fit again, throwing a fit……”

Just then, a small voice was definitely heard.

It was a sound as faint as a passing mosquito, so some might not have heard it properly, but there was no way to deceive the ears of the three people whose hearing was superior to anyone else’s.

Jang Sam-tae, realizing something, quickly lowered his head.

“Th… this humble monk shall take his leave……”

“Halt.”

Sa Do-hak’s ominous voice echoed. When a startled Jang Sam-tae stealthily turned his head to look at him, he saw eyes of red flames flashing.

“Hic!”

Before he even had time to be surprised, Sa Do-hak’s outstretched hand firmly grabbed Jang Sam-tae’s bald head.

“Let us go together for a moment……”

“Th… this humble monk is a bit weary……”

“It is fine, it is fine. Seeing you babble such nonsense, it seems you have enough strength to hold a shovel and dig the ground.”

Sa Do-hak grinned, letting out a ferocious laugh.

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