Chapter 219: Chapter 219

“Pant… pant… pant…!”

Jang Sam-tae, who had slumped in place, looked as if he might pass out at any moment.

His entire body was drenched in blood, and his hands trembled so much that he could not even muster any strength.

Sitting there, he looked around.

About a hundred bandits from the Green Forest stronghold lay scattered on the ground.

Of course, Jang Sam-tae had not dealt with all of them.

Maybe two out of ten?

Dan Woo-hyun, unable to bear the boredom, had stepped in and taken care of the rest, which was how Jang Sam-tae managed to save his life like this.

After that, they had chased the fleeing bandits back to the Green Water stronghold.

Even though there were broken and shattered buildings here and there because Dan Woo-hyun had caused a ruckus here as well, most of the place was intact, and there was a considerable amount of money and treasure.

Dan Woo-hyun was walking around, gathering things that could be turned into money.

Since the Green Water stronghold was a place that earned a significant amount of money even within the Green Forest, the amount of wealth they possessed was substantial.

‘…’

Thinking that far, Jang Sam-tae recalled the hardships he had just endured.

Could it be that the training was a mere excuse and it was Dan Woo-hyun’s plan to rob the stronghold all along?

‘No way…’

Although he had his doubts, seeing that man collect money made the thought seem quite plausible.

Ultimately, unable to hold it in, Jang Sam-tae spoke up.

“You won’t be able to carry all of that!”

“Do not worry. I will only take as much as I can carry, and burn the rest.”

At the mention of burning, Jang Sam-tae looked at Dan Woo-hyun in horror. Burning money, of all things?

“Ah, what a waste…”

He wanted to ask for some himself, but strangely, the words would not come out.

Meanwhile, having gathered a decent amount of money, Dan Woo-hyun nodded with a satisfied expression and waved his hand.

Whoosh!

“W-What?!”

With just a simple wave of his hand, fire erupted all over the massive stronghold.

He knew that there was a technique called Samadhi True Fire.

Not to mention Sa Do-hak and Namgung Cheon, even Ma Jang-gang, though at a lower level, could perform it.

But he had never seen anyone set a fire without even touching it like Dan Woo-hyun did.

Moreover, in an instant, the massive stronghold was engulfed in a sea of flames.

Was such a thing possible with human strength?

“Th-Lord…”

“What is it?”

“By any chance… were you expelled from the heavenly realm… or are you a ghost or something like that… right?”

“Haha, do I look like that?”

“No, how does a person die when you swing your hand like this, and a fire starts when you swing it like that? I just cannot understand it at all.”

Seeing Jang Sam-tae ask so seriously, Dan Woo-hyun let out a short groan. It was somewhat difficult to explain how to answer this.

Because he had simply done it as he always did.

No specific method was needed; it happened simply because he willed it to.

Therefore, Dan Woo-hyun spoke nonchalantly.

“If you wish to do it, it is done. That is why I willed it. Do you understand?”

“I understand that it sounds like passing gas.”

Thwack! Instantly, Jang Sam-tae’s body wobbled.

Before he knew it, Dan Woo-hyun’s hand had smacked him on the head.

It was so painful that he clutched his head with both hands, unable to even groan properly.

“Argh…”

“If you do not understand, do not try to know. Nothing good comes from knowing.”

At that single remark, Jang Sam-tae nodded.

‘He should have just said so from the beginning… hitting me, damn it…’

Jang Sam-tae grumbled internally as he stroked his head.

Actually, having been hit continuously, he felt like he was adapting to it.

Perhaps because of that, his recovery felt faster than he thought. He realized once again that human adaptability was terrifying beyond imagination.

“But by the way…”

“What is it now?”

Dan Woo-hyun, who was walking ahead, frowned.

He seemed somewhat annoyed by the continuous questioning.

“I have been curious since earlier… that finger technique… what on earth is that finger technique? The one where you flick your finger and it goes thud, thud.”

Dan Woo-hyun swallowed a groan for a moment.

What Jang Sam-tae was asking about was undoubtedly the Flame Emperor Finger. A type of finger technique that was once Dan Woo-hyun’s specialty.

Since he had killed hundreds of experts with this single finger technique, it was a technique that was nothing short of terror to the martial artists of that time.

Dan Woo-hyun grinned, finding something amusing.

Jang Sam-tae watched him with an ominous look.

“Do you want to learn it?”

“Do I have to shave my head by any chance? Or roll around like crazy…?”

“There is no such thing. It will be difficult, but that depends on your talent.”

“How difficult is it?”

“It depends on your talent.”

“…”

“…”

Jang Sam-tae looked at Dan Woo-hyun with a somewhat uneasy gaze. Dan Woo-hyun, of all people, would not readily teach someone something.

Jang Sam-tae sighed and said.

“Sigh, never mind.”

“Learn it.”

“I do not want to.”

“Learn it. It is not like you are giving it to someone else once you learn it.”

“Haha, aren’t you trying to give it to someone else right now, Lord?”

At those words, Dan Woo-hyun quietly stared at Jang Sam-tae.

He seemed to have already made up his mind, his determination not to learn burning brightly.

Eventually, Jang Sam-tae turned his back as if he had no regrets and walked ahead.

Tramp, tramp.

Dan Woo-hyun mumbled softly while looking at his back.

“It is the martial arts of the Martial God.”

“I, Jang Sam-tae, will try my best to learn it! Isn’t life originally about hardship? Hahaha!”

In an instant, Dan Woo-hyun grinned.

Jang Sam-tae, whose eyes had been shining brightly, spotted that expression and, without realizing it, covered his mouth with a pale face.

Only then did it occur to him that he had spoken nonsense, distracted by the name of the Martial God.

“A wise decision. As long as you master it, you will not die anywhere you go. As long as you master it, anywhere you go, that is.”

“…”

Jang Sam-tae hiccuped with a gasp.

‘Why is he saying it twice?’

Anxiety rushed over him twofold.

* * *

“Grandfather… is this fun?”

“Hohoho.”

Dan So-mi was looking at Namgung Cheon with a somewhat bored expression.

Beside him, Namgung So-hye and Gwon Mu-jin clicked their tongues.

However, the reason they could not stop him until the end was because they were obtaining more money than they had expected.

“Y-Yes…”

Drip.

The man running the gambling table on the street broke out in a cold sweat. He had given away so much money that he could no longer calculate how much he had lost.

Usually, when things turned out like this, one would use the thugs nearby to intimidate them, but…

“…”

The man glanced sideways at the ground.

He saw about a dozen thugs sprawled out.

In the center of them stood Ma Jang-gang, standing still.

“What are you doing? Why not continue?”

“I… I will stop now…”

“Ahem, gambling is originally supposed to end only after one side loses everything. Since you caught us, shouldn’t we decide who loses, whether it is you or us?”

“Ugh…”

Namgung Cheon pointed at the man’s pouch placed on the stall. It was thick enough that one could guess a considerable amount of silver remained inside.

Since he had swindled the people in the neighborhood right before Namgung Cheon and Dan So-mi arrived here, it was natural that a lot of money had accumulated.

“B-But…”

“Then how about this? This old man will not step forward this time. Our granddaughter will do it instead.”

“Grandfather?!”

Namgung So-hye’s eyes widened.

At first, she was startled, thinking he was talking about her, but she breathed a sigh of relief when he placed Dan So-mi in front.

“W-With this child? Really?”

“Indeed.”

Namgung Cheon nodded readily.

Then, looking at Dan So-mi, who was blankly watching the situation as if bored, he smiled. Although it could not be seen due to the mask, one could tell he was smiling just by looking at his eyes.

“So-mi is doing it?”

“Can you do it?”

“Hmm… I have never done it before, but I will try! Hehe.”

“Yes, yes, a wise decision. Sometimes, this kind of experience is necessary.”

Namgung Cheon laughed out loud.

“Let’s see. This time, we will bet all the money we have. How about you?”

The man’s eyes widened.

Not only did a young child step forward, but she also said she would bet all the money. He could regain the lost money with a single round and even gain a larger profit.

Moreover, the opponent was a child.

Although tricks did not work on the masked old man, tricking a child’s eyes was easier than eating cold porridge.

“A-All right. I will bet everything too.”

In the end, the man rolled the dice once again, doing so reluctantly. With the determination to win this time for sure, he showcased his quick hand movements.

His hand movements, which had reached the peak, were enough to make even the surrounding people gasp in admiration.

In accordance with his rapidly moving hands, the five cups moved here and there, and the dice had disappeared to the point where it was impossible to distinguish where it went.

Soon, his hands stopped completely.

“Needless to say, you, elder, must not choose. Also, you must not advise her.”

“Of course. Did I not already promise? That this child would do it. Now, So-mi. Try choosing as you wish.”

“Hmm…”

Dan So-mi let out a short groan and stared at the five cups. Actually, because they had moved here and there, she did not know which cup the dice was in.

“Choose, kid.”

Predicting his victory, the man grinned.

There were five cups and one dice.

But since the dice was already inside the man’s sleeve, it could not be found no matter how hard she tried.

No matter which cup she bet on, she was bound to lose.

The watching spectators clenched their fists, casting tense glances.

Their expressions showed worry about whether that young child would be able to make a good choice.

At that moment, Dan So-mi pointed to the cup in the middle.

“This one! So-mi likes this one.”

“Why that one?”

“The cup looks pretty. Hehe.”

The man let out an absurd chuckle.

They were all identical-looking cups, so how could one look prettier? They were common items that could be bought for a few copper coins in the marketplace.

With a sneer, the man lifted the cup.

“…”

“Wow! So-mi did it! Grandfather!”

“Wowowoah-!”

Simultaneously, people raised their thumbs and gasped in admiration here and there.

The dice revealed itself clearly under the cup in the middle that Dan So-mi had pointed to.

The man froze.

Something that could never happen had occurred.

“W-What is this?!”

“Is there a problem?”

“C-Clearly…”

“Clearly?”

“…”

The man shut his mouth at Namgung Cheon’s sharp gaze.

Then, he stealthily felt his sleeve, but there was no sensation of the dice. The moment he realized this, his face turned pale.

Even he, who had been playing tricks using his quick hand movements once in a few years, made mistakes sometimes.

Today happened to be that day.

“No way-!”

The man screamed and collapsed.

Meanwhile, Namgung Cheon took the pouch, put it in his robe, and burst into a deep chuckle.

“You were out of luck. Hohoho.”

Even today, money accumulated like this at the Hunan Dan Family.

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