Chapter 241: Chapter 241

Descending beneath the secret passage, a large cave appeared. It felt like an artificially constructed space rather than a naturally formed one.

It was spacious enough for over a hundred people to enter at once, and torches were hung on the walls, allowing them to clearly gauge what lay ahead.

“Wow… it is huge…”

Dan So-mi exclaimed in admiration as she looked at it.

The same went for Hong Jin-rang and Ju Ji-yak, who were busy looking around with wide-open eyes.

Then, she stared intently at one spot and tilted her head.

It felt as though something had just passed by.

The moment she was about to step toward it, wondering if it was just her imagination.

“Yes, this is exactly the kind of place…!”

Hong Jin-rang trembled as he muttered.

Clenching his fists tightly, Hong Jin-rang spoke.

“A miraculous encounter lies in a place like this!”

“Huh?”

“What?”

Ju Ji-yak and Dan So-mi looked at Hong Jin-rang with expressions of disbelief. At first, he had shuddered, talking about ghosts and crimes, and now suddenly he was talking about a miraculous encounter?

Ju Ji-yak clutched her throbbing forehead.

Dan So-mi, who was beside her, could be seen smiling and letting out a soft sigh. Though she did not speak, that sigh seemed to convey how pathetic she found him.

“What are you talking about?”

“Ah… no, I mean… a legendary martial arts manual is usually asleep in a secret place like this…”

“Could you dream only when you sleep?”

The dejected Hong Jin-rang slumped his shoulders.

‘They dreamed about it too, yet they only complain to me.’

Although Hong Jin-rang possessed a level of power that would not back down anywhere, he could not bring himself to talk back and had to remain silent.

Because they were girls he would only lose to if he argued back.

“Ahem! So… where did those people from earlier go?”

“There is only one path, so of course they would be ahead, right?”

“…”

‘Who doesn’t know they’re ahead?’

He had spoken to try to change the atmosphere, but they did not help.

“Ahaha, let’s just go! There might be something interesting.”

Dan So-mi stepped in to mediate between the two and walked ahead slowly.

The moment they arrived at a bend in the path.

The three children gasped in horror at the sight before them and covered their mouths.

A single corpse lay abandoned in the slightly narrowed passage. Although the smell was not strong as if they had died recently, it was unmistakable that the person had been alive until not long ago.

Several holes were visible in the chest.

This undoubtedly meant that something had shot out from the wall.

“Ugh…! What is this? Why in a place like this…”

“That is how it always is! Wherever martial arts manuals are hidden, traps are always installed!”

Hong Jin-rang nodded, completely convinced this time.

When Dan So-mi giggled at that, Ju Ji-yak gently pushed Hong Jin-rang forward. Losing his balance for a moment, his large body stumbled forward before he shrank back in terror.

“What do you think you’re doing?!”

“Didn’t you say we have to go?”

Hong Jin-rang broke out in a cold sweat.

Going was correct, but judging by the corpse lying there, it was obvious that some kind of trap was set ahead.

If they took a step without taking any precautions, they would be sent to the underworld in an instant.

Just then, Dan So-mi, who should have been visible, was nowhere to be seen.

The moment they turned their heads with puzzled looks.

“There’s nothing here.”

Trudge, trudge. Dan So-mi was walking past the corpse and down the narrow alley without any trouble. She was strolling along casually, having completely ignored the trap formations that could trigger at any moment.

Just then.

“Oh, this stone is pretty.”

Appreciating a stone dropped on the floor, Dan So-mi bent down and picked it up.

Thud!

At that moment, an iron spear fiercely brushed past her head and embedded itself into the wall. Watching the scene from a distance, Hong Jin-rang and Ju Ji-yak looked at Dan So-mi with pale faces.

“Huh?”

But Dan So-mi lifted her head with a perfectly fine expression.

Thud! She bumped her head against the iron spear that had lodged itself deep in the wall.

“Ouch… why is something like this here?”

She made a crying face while holding the iron spear.

She tilted her head, saying there was definitely nothing just a moment ago.

“Are… are you okay?”

Ju Ji-yak asked with a deathly pale face.

The thought that she would have been skewered alive if she had bent her head just a moment later sent a chill down her spine. Therefore, she was too afraid to even approach.

“Hmm? I’m fine. Come quickly.”

Dan So-mi slowly walked back to where Ju Ji-yak was standing.

Even though she did not know when an iron spear might fly at her, she walked back casually, took Ju Ji-yak’s hand, and pulled her.

“Let’s go!”

“Wa… wait…”

Despite Ju Ji-yak trying to stop her, Dan So-mi did not listen. Perhaps thinking that since they had already entered they might as well go all the way, she took steps forward without hesitation.

Fortunately, no more iron spears flew at them.

Hong Jin-rang let out a long sigh of relief. Just then, Dan So-mi approached and pulled his sleeve.

“I told you to come quickly.”

Thud!

“…”

“…”

Hong Jin-rang held his breath as he felt an iron spear brush past his cheek. What would have happened if Dan So-mi had not pulled him?

Just thinking about it sent a shiver through his entire body.

Hong Jin-rang stealthily grabbed the hem of Dan So-mi’s clothes and clung tightly to her side.

“Yeah… I won’t leave, don’t worry.”

“Huh?”

“I-I won’t leave either.”

Hong Jin-rang and Ju Ji-yak stuck close to her.

As if they would never separate no matter what.

“I… I can’t breathe…”

Dan So-mi groaned in discomfort.

* * *

Gwon Mu-jin frowned as he looked around.

Dan So-mi was nowhere to be seen. Since she had left early in the morning, it was about time for her to return, but because she was still not showing up, he felt anxious.

Of course, since the White Tiger and the White Cat were with her, nothing terrible could have happened, but he felt a sense of duty to take good care of the child when Dan Woo-hyun was away.

Before he knew it, the day was gradually growing dark, and the fact that the time she should have returned had long since passed was also a reason for Gwon Mu-jin’s irritation.

“Has So-mi not returned yet?”

Gwon Mu-jin, who was pacing the courtyard, turned his gaze to look at Namgung So-hye. She also shook her head with an anxious expression.

He was even more worried because she had a habit of returning before mealtime no matter where she went.

“It is strange… should we head to Yueyang?”

Unlike the two who were stomping their feet in anxiety, Namgung Cheon sat leisurely on the veranda, drinking alcohol and laughing.

“Do not worry. She is the child of none other than that fellow. She is likely just a little late.”

“Grandfather! How can you say that? What if something really happened to her?”

“Hahaha.”

Namgung Cheon shook his head as he looked at Namgung So-hye. The way she stomped her feet and shouted made her look exactly like a mother.

“If anyone were to lay a hand on that child, do you think even their traces would remain?”

To begin with, the White Tiger and the White Cat were always near Dan So-mi.

While that alone was as good as having the ultimate escorts, those backing the child were all terrifying figures.

Namgung Cheon, who was here, was an incredible figure just by the title of Sword Emperor, and he was someone who could move the Namgung Clan, which was one of the pillars of the Eight Great Families, even if it was currently weakened.

Furthermore, Sa Do-hak was the peak of the Demonic Cult and one of the Five Emperors, of whom it was no exaggeration to call the absolute evil.

She had even built a connection with the Slaughter Emperor without realizing it, and Ma Jang-gang, known as the Wolf King, as well as Gwon Mu-jin, were also among them.

If one did not wish to draw the wrath of such people, the one person they must absolutely never touch was Dan So-mi.

‘No, wait, isn’t that child the most dangerous one of all?’

Such a thought suddenly occurred to her.

Considering her connection to the Slaughter Emperor as well, the life Dan So-mi lived was no different from a continuous stream of miraculous encounters. While some would call it a great fortune just to exchange words with one of the Five Emperors, she possessed deep connections with all of them except for Martial Sovereign Castle.

And even if it were not for them, if someone dared to lay a finger on Dan So-mi, no one would be able to handle the aftermath.

Dan Woo-hyun.

He was a man who, in reality, was no exaggeration to call the strongest in the Central Plains.

Of course, since he did not reveal his power recklessly and did not active in the Central Plains, most people would not know, but seeing that even Namgung Cheon and Sa Do-hak yielded to him, it was safe to say he was virtually the best under heaven.

‘He is the Martial God, after all…’

Thinking up to that point, Namgung So-hye trembled.

What would happen if that man went on a rampage because of Dan So-mi? It felt as though the stories passed down as legends would become reality, turning the Central Plains into a sea of blood or fire.

The mere thought sent goosebumps all over her body.

“…I will head to Yueyang for a bit.”

“Haha, I told you there is no need to worry.”

“It is the other side I am worried about!”

“Sigh…”

Namgung Cheon looked at Namgung So-hye’s retreating back with a bewildered expression.

He did not know if it was because her weak personality was slowly changing, or because she cherished Dan So-mi like her own daughter, but seeing his granddaughter gradually change filled him with a storm of emotions.

“Is it that a child grows…”

Watching his granddaughter grow was extremely joyful, but thinking that she would soon leave his embrace made his heart ache as if it were tearing apart.

‘It is a relief So-mi is here. Hahaha.’

Zhuge Un clicked his tongue inwardly as he watched Namgung Cheon behave in such a manner.

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