Chapter 234: Chapter 234

Bang Man-jung, who had gathered the dead in one place, examined their faces one by one.

The moment he confirmed their bare faces, he grimaced and stepped back without realizing it.

It was the same for Zhuge Un and Namgung Cheon.

“Rot… Rotting?”

They stared at the blood-robed men with eyes that truly could not believe it. Their faces were so hideous that they could not be considered human.

They were not wounds like cuts or burns, but rotting like corpses.

Yet, it was not that they were jiangshi.

Although similar to jiangshi, they clearly seemed to move with a living will.

Tremble.

The corners of Bang Man-jung’s mouth trembled.

“I am sorry, but you must transport their bodies to the Martial Alliance.”

This was by no means an ordinary matter.

He did not know who had made such things, but if there was someone using such sorcery, it meant they were a true threat to the martial world.

It was not just a problem for the Hunan Dan family alone.

Zhuge Un also nodded in agreement with Bang Man-jung’s opinion. With Dan Woo-hyun away, using the power of the Martial Alliance in this situation was not a bad idea.

It would provide a reliable shield to protect the Dan family.

“Then I will call the chief of the Golden Ring Merchant Group. We will send them to Henan as quickly as possible.”

At Zhuge Un’s words, Bang Man-jung nodded and turned around. Since something completely unexpected had occurred, it was time for the Beggars Sect to move.

Even if they had to search all of the Central Plains for information, they had to catch them.

* * *

“Sigh…”

Namgung So-hye, who was staying in Dan So-mi’s room instead of her own, let out a sigh. Although the situation had been settled somehow, their figures still would not leave her head.

‘If I do not become a little stronger…’

Namgung So-hye muttered with a bitter expression.

If she had been a little stronger, she would have been able to protect Dan So-mi well enough on her own. She could not help but think that the reason she failed was because she still possessed a weak mind.

Namgung So-hye sighed and stroked the face of Dan So-mi, who had still not woken up.

“Thanks to you, we survived. Otherwise, we would have really died.”

“…Consider yourself lucky.”

Namgung So-hye smiled.

Glancing to the side, she looked at Bi Cheon-ung, who was hiding his figure in the shadows.

“You know this child, don’t you?”

“…Why do you think so?”

“Because the Killer Emperor, famous for being cold-blooded and cruel, appeared here of all places as if to protect this child.”

Even if she usually appeared simple-minded, Namgung So-hye was still Namgung So-hye.

Through quick judgment of the situation, she deduced the relationship between the Killer Emperor and Dan So-mi.

Her eyes turned sharp.

“It was a past connection. I once stayed briefly in the village where that child lived.”

“…”

Namgung So-hye slightly gripped her sword.

“Then that means you might be related to how this child’s village ended up in that state?”

“…Do not bear your fangs at me. It happened when I was not there, and when I arrived, everyone was already dead and only that child remained.”

“Was it you who cleared the corpses?”

“…Yes.”

“Abandoning So-mi in Luoyang was also your doing?”

“Yes… because I could not take her with me.”

Revealing himself from the shadows, Bi Cheon-ung wore a bitter smile. If he had been there at that time, perhaps no one would have died.

But he was too late, and those kind-hearted villagers had all become corpses.

One by one, he had arranged and buried their bodies, and left So-mi, who was unconscious, in Luoyang.

He simply could not bring her along.

For Bi Cheon-ung, who walked a path of staining his hands with blood, she was too bright a child. He did not want to stain those hands with blood.

Therefore, he thought that leaving her behind was the best thing for the child.

Whether she died or lived, and whatever kind of life she would lead, it was So-mi’s fate.

“…She is a good child. Seeing her again like this brings back memories.”

“…”

“But it seems my role ends here. If fate allows, we shall meet again.”

Swoosh!

Bi Cheon-ung’s body vanished into the shadows.

Not even a trace of his presence could be felt anymore, giving the feeling that he had already left the residence and disappeared.

It was surprising enough that the world-famous Killer Emperor was moving alone, but the fact that he had a connection with Dan So-mi felt like a truly extraordinary twist of fate.

‘Perhaps this child was the one who drew them in…’

Looking out the window, Namgung So-hye thought.

What would have happened if Bang Man-jung or Bi Cheon-ung had not been there?

Since Namgung Cheon was present, he would have defended to some extent, but surely someone would have died, and someone would have been severely injured.

That was how outstanding the martial arts of the attackers were.

Namgung So-hye let out a small sigh.

‘Is it your luck… or is it your fate?’

* * *

Although it was late at night, Jang Sam-tae could not sleep.

He secretly slipped out of the manor and dashed toward the nearby mountain.

If it were Dan Woo-hyun, he probably knew that Jang Sam-tae had gone out, but seeing that he did not pursue, he did not seem to have much interest.

“Good grief, how can we catch those that even the Imperial Court failed to capture?”

Climbing up the mountain, Jang Sam-tae grumbled.

He desperately wanted to end this exhausting journey at any moment, but wasting time in vain like this naturally made him displeased.

Jang Sam-tae chose a spot where people rarely frequented and stopped.

Then, taking a starting stance, he raised his internal energy.

Bang, bang, bang!

Starting with lightness art, he was reviewing the things he had learned so far.

He was also grasping the method of using internal energy to complete the finger technique he had learned from Dan Woo-hyun.

Recently, the closer they got to Mount Changbai, the more his anxiety grew.

Therefore, he had to spur himself to train even a little harder.

Even so, the fact that he was a third-rate martial artist would not change, but Jang Sam-tae immersed himself in training for quite a while.

His level of concentration was different from when he used to learn half-heartedly, making him look like a completely different person.

Perhaps due to the intense training that lasted for two shichen, his entire body was soon drenched in sweat. Only then did Jang Sam-tae stop his practice and begin to descend the mountain with an exhausted expression.

“I don’t know what the hell I’m doing.”

He let out a long sigh.

At first, he simply wanted to stick close to Dan Woo-hyun and Dan So-mi to live a comfortable life, but after getting involved in the affairs of the martial world, he ended up learning martial arts just to survive.

Did the real start begin when they went to the Demonic Cult?

Even now, when he thought of that time, it was a journey so grueling that it made him shudder.

Thinking such thoughts, he began to trudge down the mountain. Since it would soon be dawn, if he did not get even a little sleep, the day would be difficult.

Rustle!

Just then, he heard the sound of grass brushing.

Jang Sam-tae, who had kept his sensory perception active as advised by Dan Woo-hyun, stopped his steps and turned his head to the right. It was a very late hour, and this was a remote place where even people rarely came.

Yet, to hear something brushing against the grass?

‘A wild beast?’

He initially thought so, but soon shook his head.

It was too loud for the sound of a wild beast.

With a puzzled expression, he crept toward the source. The sound began to grow louder, and Jang Sam-tae’s heart also pounded like crazy.

He even wondered if there was a ghost, or if not, a wild beast he could not handle was hiding there.

Swallowing his dry saliva, he advanced while sensing the sound.

Soon, as he pushed aside the tall grass.

There was a man.

Beside him, three children could be seen unconscious, their entire bodies bound.

Jang Sam-tae’s gaze naturally drifted toward the man, and suddenly, the corners of Jang Sam-tae’s mouth trembled.

The man, who was crouching down, had his pants pulled down.

Plop, plop!

The violent sound that heard intensely stimulated his ears.

He could see the disgusting smell and waste spilling out.

At that shocking sight, a pale-faced Jang Sam-tae stepped back slightly, and crack! A fallen branch broke with a sound.

The man who was doing his business quickly turned his head.

Jang Sam-tae and the man’s eyes locked onto each other.

“…”

“…”

The two said nothing to each other for a while.

They just stared and watched each other in silence.

Soon, Jang Sam-tae took a step back. Then, while still crouching, the man slowly grabbed the sword placed beside him.

Watching this, Jang Sam-tae sighed.

“Just keep taking a shit, you bastard.”

The moment those words were heard, the man lunged. The fiercely drawn blade flew as if to hack Jang Sam-tae’s entire body to pieces.

“Argh!”

Startled, Jang Sam-tae dodged it and began to run.

However, the man’s movements were unusual, and he was faster than expected, narrowing the distance in an instant.

Seeing that, he realized the man was a considerable expert.

“I told you to take a shit! Why the hell are you chasing me without even wiping?!”

“Kugh!”

At Jang Sam-tae’s shout, the man’s face flushed red.

As if determined to kill Jang Sam-tae, a strong killing intent filled the man’s sword.

However, since he dodged and ran around quickly, there was nothing more annoying than this from the man’s perspective.

Swish, swish, swish!

Jang Sam-tae dodged the pouring blades once again and executed a kick technique. Although he did not hit the opponent, it was enough to threaten him.

The man quickly blocked it and faltered backward.

Having widened the distance, Jang Sam-tae finally let out a sigh of relief.

“Hey, just because I saw you taking a shit, you’re trying to kill a person? You son of a bitch!”

“…Die.”

“You crazy bastard!”

The opponent could not be reasoned with.

It seemed it was not just because his state had been discovered. Jang Sam-tae narrowed his eyes and caught his breath.

Then, he glanced behind the man.

Even in this commotion, he saw the children lying as quiet as dead mice.

The moment he saw that, as if realizing something, he sighed and fanned the air with his hand.

“Oh boy, the smell… is your intestine rotten?”

Saying so, he glanced at the opponent’s appearance. Although the man still wore an expressionless face, his fully flushed face showed that his mind was clearly shaken.

Jang Sam-tae slowly took his starting stance.

“It doesn’t seem like you’ll let me go… and it doesn’t seem right to just leave either… Since there’s no choice, let’s have a fight.”

If he returned like this, it was certain that he would be scolded severely by Dan Woo-hyun, so he had to at least try to fight.

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