Chapter 223: Chapter 223

Although the public security of Xi’an seemed perfect on the surface, the reality was not so. People’s eyes were filled with anxiety, and avoiding strangers on the street seemed to have become a daily routine.

Even the way they looked at others had changed.

Since the name of the Cult of the Martial God was notorious in this Shaanxi region, and the culprit responsible could not be caught, the eyes looking at the government office, as well as the prince’s estate and the Martial Alliance, were not favorable.

Dan Woo-hyun and Jang Sam-tae were walking along the street, their faces concealed by bamboo hats.

Glance after glance, the people’s gazes did not easily fade.

Under such circumstances, it was only natural to be wary of those who covered their faces.

“Where are you planning to go?”

Jang Sam-tae asked, tilting his head.

A man who had not even stepped out of the inn for several days suddenly came outside saying he would look around. Looking at him, it seemed he had not even decided on a specific destination.

Although they left the marketplace and moved to a secluded place, Dan Woo-hyun did not say a single word and just walked silently. It was as if he was listening to the stories of the people.

After walking for a long time like that, Dan Woo-hyun finally opened his mouth.

“What do you think is needed to dig into a person’s gaps?”

“That would be…… money? Something like that, wouldn’t it?”

Tramp, tramp.

As he continued to walk toward a quiet place, Dan Woo-hyun smiled. To humans, money was a very important thing.

Considering that there was no one who did not work to earn money from the moment they were born, it was only natural.

Dan Woo-hyun nodded.

“That is true, but it works even more powerfully on those who do not have it.”

He stopped.

Only then did Jang Sam-tae realize where this place was. No matter how large a town or provincial capital was, there was bound to be a secluded place.

A place where those who had fallen to the very bottom, including beggars, lived together.

Those who would do anything for money.

It was an abandoned village on the outskirts of Xi’an.

“What does that have to do with us coming here?”

“They are the ones whose mental gaps can be dug into most easily, and who can be manipulated effortlessly.”

Jang Sam-tae let out a short groan.

A religion comes into existence through belief. There must be blind faith and following toward a single person.

Only then is there a foothold to draw others in. To do that, one must dig into the gaps that people have.

Among them, the humans who could be enticed most easily with money.

Those were precisely the people gathered in this outlying area.

“It seems the activities of the Cult of the Martial God have not yet spread to the entirety of Shaanxi…… and if it is the provincial capital and its vicinity, the place where it first started is probably here.”

Dan Woo-hyun’s assumption was quite plausible.

It was a logic that even Jang Sam-tae could agree with. Furthermore, he recalled that the face of the cult leader he had caught a glimpse of last time did not have the same feeling as Sa Do-hak or Namgung Cheon.

He even looked haggard, like a man who had lived through hardships for a long time.

“So you think those bastards are here?”

“Who knows?”

Dan Woo-hyun glanced around.

He saw a few people quickly bowing their heads as their eyes met. A martial artist carrying a sword, and no one else, had visited.

From the perspective of those living in a place like this, it was fully understandable that they would feel fear. Even without this, the Mount Hua Sect and the constables were poking around here and there, and this outlying area was no exception.

Many were dragged away, and died.

To them, those who lived in such a place were no different from bugs.

“Then what are you going to do……?”

Unable to hide his wonder, Jang Sam-tae looked at Dan Woo-hyun and asked. Even if it was as Dan Woo-hyun thought, the fact that they would not easily reveal themselves remained unchanged.

Even if they beat them up, it did not seem like they would open their mouths.

If they would have, they would have caught those bastards already.

At that moment, Dan Woo-hyun took out a money pouch from his bosom.

As the clinking sound was heard, the people watched Dan Woo-hyun.

Rattle!

Soon, he poured it onto the ground.

Watching that, Jang Sam-tae was horrified.

It was because he threw away money, of all things.

Not to mention iron coins, even the remaining silver coins tumbled onto the ground.

“Mo…… Money!”

“It’s money!”

“P-Pick it up! Pick it up!”

From here and there, people revealed themselves. Having already lost their minds, they did not seem to see anything else.

“M…… Master?!”

It was an unbelievable situation, to the point of wondering if he had gone mad.

Since Dan Woo-hyun, who practiced his love for money to the extent that it would not be an exaggeration to call him a money ghost, poured out all his money.

Jang Sam-tae tried to reach out to pick up even a single coin right away, but Dan Woo-hyun stopped him.

Eventually, all the money disappeared from the street, and perhaps fearing it would be taken away, the people also began to flee in groups.

In an instant, money that would easily amount to hundreds of liang disappeared. Since the money earned from capturing the bandits also vanished in a flash, Jang Sam-tae was truly driven to the brink of madness.

“What are you doing?!”

The startled Jang Sam-tae shouted, but Dan Woo-hyun did not even answer. He turned his back as if he had come with this intention from the very beginning.

“M…… Master!”

Jang Sam-tae hurriedly followed behind Dan Woo-hyun.

Unable to understand Dan Woo-hyun’s actions, Jang Sam-tae could only wear a crying face.

“Even so, how could you give away all the money, even the money for us to stay at the inn?!”

They did not even have the money to stay for tonight.

* * *

A place not that far from the outlying area.

Dilapidated houses were lined up in the surroundings, a place where people did not even set foot.

It was so dreary that a ghost might appear at any moment, and what further fueled that atmosphere were two people who had settled down in front of a dilapidated house and lit a campfire.

“…….”

Jang Sam-tae sighed as he looked at the snake being roasted to a golden brown. To think they had entered the provincial capital, of all places, and ended up sleeping in the open?

Even in a place where it would not be strange if the smell of a rotting corpse wafted out.

It was not that they had no money.

It was because he had distributed all the money they had to those strange fellows. Even if they wanted to rent a room at an inn, they had no such money, so they had no choice but to choose sleeping in the open in the end.

However, was it an illusion that Dan Woo-hyun seemed to be enjoying this situation instead?

Looking at the roasting snake, he was wearing a faint smile without realizing it.

Jang Sam-tae scratched his head.

“What is so amusing?”

“Haha, then is it not amusing?”

“I am scared that a ghost might take me away. Ugh…….”

Dan Woo-hyun let out a small laugh.

It was because of Jang Sam-tae’s gaze, which looked at him as if he was fed up.

“Being in a place like this brings back old memories.”

“Do you mean the old days?”

“Yes, I lived in a place like this when I was very young. And also when I opened my eyes again.”

Jang Sam-tae tilted his head as if he had heard something strange. Looking at the current Dan Woo-hyun, these were stories that could never be believed.

‘And what is “when I opened my eyes again”?’

He did not understand that part.

Did he mean he opened his eyes after sleeping?

“And I met So-mi.”

“Eh? In a place like this?”

It was the first time he had heard this story.

Only then did he realize once again. That Dan So-mi was not Dan Woo-hyun’s biological daughter. Since they originally felt like a real father and daughter, he had not thought about it at all.

“May I hear the details?”

“Do you want to hear it?”

“Yes!”

Jang Sam-tae nodded with a joyful expression.

The past of Dan Woo-hyun and Dan So-mi, who would not be curious about it?

“It was when I opened my eyes and all the scenery looked different. I did not know where I was, and I did not know why I was in such a place.”

“Eh?”

“It was just like that.”

At the gaze telling him not to ask deeply, Jang Sam-tae shut his mouth.

He felt that he would not see a good end if he dug into useless things.

“It was when I came out after spending time in that place that was cold as ice. More than a year has already passed.”

‘Did he live in the North Sea?’

Since he did not understand the meaning, he could only guess.

But he did not ask further, and nodded in agreement. The current expression of Dan Woo-hyun seemed to want him to not ask anything and just listen.

“At that time, I just wished to die. Originally I had nothing, but at that time it felt like I had lost everything. Then, what appeared before me was Dan So-mi.”

Nod, nod.

Jang Sam-tae nodded his head vigorously.

But he felt that the story was getting a bit long. It was long, to the point of contrasting with Dan Woo-hyun’s words to always state only the main points briefly.

Of course, Jang Sam-tae was not foolish enough to spit that out.

He just looked at the pleased expression of Dan Woo-hyun.

“I do not know well if it was because I treated her, but she came every single day without fail to give me something to eat before leaving.”

Dan Woo-hyun, who spoke while poking at the campfire, had a soft expression, perhaps recalling that time.

But when he talked about seeing Dan So-mi beaten up in the marketplace one day, Jang Sam-tae had to hold his breath because Dan Woo-hyun cast a gaze like a fierce demon.

“Now, that child is my life itself. To the point where her absence cannot be established……”

“O-Of course! So-mi must be by Master’s side.”

“That is why I chose this journey.”

“Eh?”

It was a remark that smelled of something quite dangerous.

Although he seemed to speak as if it were nothing, the thorn embedded in his tone felt like it could not be pulled out even if one tried to pull it out with hands.

“Be prepared. This time, I might not be able to protect you……”

“Gasp……!”

It was a sound that came from the mouth of Dan Woo-hyun, of all people. Therefore, Jang Sam-tae realized how great a danger lurked in this journey.

Only now did he seem to know why he had subjugated the bandits and taught him martial arts.

Trickle.

Cold sweat trickled down.

Then, a thought suddenly occurred to him.

Did the words that he could not protect him not mean that even Dan Woo-hyun himself was in danger?

“Master…… Surely, you are not trying to say something absurd like…… even you could die, right?”

“Haha.”

Dan Woo-hyun did not answer.

Although he seemed to try to brush it off with just a laugh, that laugh fueled Jang Sam-tae’s anxiety even more. He shook his head from side to side, trying hard to shake off what had settled in his mind.

It was Dan Woo-hyun, of all people.

‘Right, he is the strongest, this man!’

There was no way he would die.

Even Sa Do-hak and Namgung Cheon were those who yielded to Dan Woo-hyun.

To Jang Sam-tae, he was truly a being like a god.

The thought of such a person being defeated did not occur to him in the first place.

“A guest has arrived.”

At that moment, Dan Woo-hyun, who was poking at the campfire, muttered.

A guest under the circumstance where there was not even a person to visit.

While wearing a puzzled expression, a human presence was also caught by Jang Sam-tae’s senses.

Rustle!

The sound of someone approaching was heard, and soon they appeared in front. On the chests of those wearing white robes, the embroidery of the Martial God could be seen.

Jang Sam-tae’s eyes widened.

‘What? Why did these bastards appear?’

Those who were said to never reveal themselves had appeared before their eyes. Those whom neither the government office, the Mount Hua Sect, nor any other people could find.

“Is it you? The ones who bestowed upon the children of the Martial God?”

Dan Woo-hyun raised his head, and showing a hollow smile, looked at the man who had spoken.

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