Chapter 244: Chapter 244

Several hours later.

Namgung Cheon, who had guided the true qi to form the dantian and flowed internal energy back into it, sighed while breaking out in a cold sweat, looking extremely exhausted.

He had somehow managed to control the true qi generated by the public green oil, but the energy Dan Woo-hyun had inserted was so strong that it could not be easily controlled.

Thanks to that, it took much longer than expected, and Namgung Cheon also had to waste a considerable amount of mental energy.

“Phew…”

Namgung Cheon gathered his true qi and caught his breath.

It was merely guiding the true qi of a young child, but energy was consumed as if correcting the true qi of a master who had suffered from qi deviation.

He turned his head with a mixed smile of sigh.

He saw Namgung So-hye asleep. Although she was breathing softly with her head resting on the bed, he could see a single tear rolling down the corner of her eye.

Namgung Cheon shook his head and wiped away her tears.

“Are you all right?”

“Hmm? You are already here?”

Only then did Namgung Cheon realize that Zhuge Un was present.

He had been so focused that he could not pay attention to anything else.

“Yes, what happened to the place you went to?”

“Just as the children said, there was an entrance going down to the basement. I will have to investigate slowly one by one again, but… for now, it is certain that it appears to have been built hundreds of years ago.”

“Who made it…?”

“I could not find out.”

Zhuge Un shook his head.

An organization or master capable of creating such a space would naturally leave traces behind.

However, no matter how much they searched the inside, the question of who installed the mechanism formation for what purpose and brought the Martial God Scripture there still remained.

“Did you confirm that it was the Martial God Scripture?”

“It was completely soaked, so I could not grasp the contents. The characters were all smudged by water…”

“Hmm…”

Namgung Cheon looked at Dan So-mi.

Although it was said to be done by children, they had done quite a grand thing. If it was the Martial God Scripture, it was no exaggeration to say it was a treasure of the Martial World, but they threw it into the water?

“Then what about those two men?”

“They were found as corpses.”

“Corpses? Who…?”

“Probably… I think it was the work of Baekmyo. There were traces of a small beast.”

“I see…”

Namgung Cheon shook his head again.

It had become completely impossible to know how those men obtained the map of that place or for what purpose they intruded.

Since it might be a very important place for Dan Woo-hyun, the descendant of the Martial God, he felt needlessly concerned.

“What will you do? To the Martial Alliance or… the Cheondo Association…?”

“No, after investigating the inside as much as possible, block all the entrances. You may use thunder bombs, so it is right to take measures so that that place is no longer revealed.”

Zhuge Un nodded. Just the story that it was the place where the Martial God Scripture was could potentially attract many martial artists.

Since it could lead to a major accident, it was better to thoroughly investigate and close it so that it would no longer be talked about by people.

The more dangerous the object, the more flies would gather.

“That aside, is So-mi all right? The children are very worried.”

“She is fine now. However… she will have to learn how to use internal energy.”

Namgung Cheon gave an awkward smile.

Over sixty years of internal energy lay asleep in Dan So-mi’s body. If she carelessly moved and drew it out, she would not be able to control the power and would cause an accident.

To prevent that, she had to learn how to manage internal energy.

Namgung Cheon became happy just thinking about it.

* * *

“We have finally arrived!”

“Yes, we are all here.”

Jang Sam-tae let out a cheer and looked around.

At the same time as entering Jilin Province, they put a period to this long journey.

Although it seemed there was still work to be done, he felt like flying just by finishing half of the long journey.

“The scenery here is truly different from the Central Plains.”

“Crossing this place leads to Joseon, so isn’t it natural? Because it is a place frequented by many people of that country.”

Jang Sam-tae looked around.

He saw the Jurchen people who had come down from the north, and there were also those wearing white clothes presumed to be Joseon people. It was by no means an illusion that there seemed to be more foreign tribes than Han people.

Dan Woo-hyun nodded.

Indeed, many people were gathered.

He thought the reason the number of martial artists was smaller than expected was because this place was too far from the Central Plains.

“But it is really a majestic mountain. Is that Changbai Mountain visible in the far distance?”

“Yes.”

Mae-hyang stuck out her tongue, pointing at Changbai Mountain which was clearly visible even from a long distance. She had seen many things while coming here, but there was no mountain as majestic as that.

She could feel once again that a sacred mountain was exactly like that, as her gaze was naturally stolen.

“It is also called the homeland of immortals.”

“C-Changbai Mountain, you mean?”

“Yes.”

Changbai Mountain touched the sky.

It was also the place where many legends began. Nine-tailed foxes, Taoist immortals, mountain spirits, heavenly fairies… the starting point of such folktales and myths was Changbai Mountain.

Of course, that was in the past when Dan Woo-hyun existed, and now many legends were passed down to other Five Great Mountains of the Central Plains, so there was nothing special to think about.

But looking at the thick mist hanging over the top of Changbai Mountain, he wondered if it was really a place where immortals lived.

“Are we going there?”

“Yes.”

“It… looks extremely rugged, doesn’t it?”

“Haha, a mountain originally has to be rugged to have the taste of climbing.”

‘I said that because I thought it would be hellishly hard, not that…’

Jang Sam-tae stuck out his tongue and grumbled inwardly.

Even looking from a distance, the majesty of the mountain terrain was beyond words.

It was a place where one might see an immortal because it was truly too hard the moment one climbed it.

Therefore, he did not want to climb it if possible, and even approaching it felt somewhat unpleasant.

“Find an inn, we will have to stay for a day or two anyway.”

“Understood.”

Jang Sam-tae nodded and began to look for an inn. Although he saw some shabby places, since they were staying anyway and the money was not coming out of his own pocket, he was desperate to get a good place.

The place Jang Sam-tae chose was a rather expensive-looking inn, but perhaps because it was somewhat away from the Central Plains, the price was cheaper than he thought.

They took three rooms, went inside, and briefly unpacked their luggage. Since it was not yet time for dinner, Jang Sam-tae planned to rest for a bit.

“It is good, but…”

Jang Sam-tae muttered, checking the scenery visible outside the window. Thanks to having a separate room, he looked very happy to have time to himself.

However, he could not easily relax his expression as if there was something bothersome.

“Thinking about going back already makes me feel at a loss… damn it.”

From Tianshan to Jilin.

They had traveled from end to end of the Central Plains.

The time spent on that distance alone was several months, and the distance returning from here to Hunan would also not be easy.

Considering everything, he would not be able to see Dan So-mi’s face for over a year, so Jang Sam-tae sat down on the bed to soothe his bitter heart.

It felt like a journey where he had gained some things but lost more.

At that moment, the door creaked open.

Jang Sam-tae, who was about to yell at the person entering without even knocking, swallowed his words unconsciously the moment he confirmed the figure.

“Hehe, what brings you here?”

“I came to talk for a moment.”

Startled, Jang Sam-tae hurriedly stood up and offered Dan Woo-hyun a chair.

“Hehe, shall I bring some tea?”

“No, that is fine.”

Dan Woo-hyun had a small smile on his lips, but not knowing what it meant, Jang Sam-tae was already anxious.

He wondered if he was going to ask him to do a difficult task.

The moment he sat down, thinking he would run away immediately if so.

As if waiting, Dan Woo-hyun’s voice was heard.

“You have worked hard to get here.”

“Hehe, what do you mean hard work! Isn’t serving the Manor Lord the job of this Jang Sam-tae? That is indeed the joy and life of this Sam-tae.”

“Do not say things you do not mean. It is ridiculous.”

“…”

‘How do you know if it is something I do not mean or not, you bastard?’

Jang Sam-tae wanted to argue like that, but he tightly swallowed his words.

Of course, about half of it was true that he did not mean it.

But how would he know that?

Jang Sam-tae rubbed his hands and looked at Dan Woo-hyun.

“That aside, what is the matter?”

At the question he threw out, Dan Woo-hyun smirked.

As if he had penetrated Jang Sam-tae’s inner thoughts. He pulled out a large money pouch from his robe and threw it onto the table.

“If I do not return, take this and go back.”

“Eh?”

“Destroy the manor, and leave this land of the Central Plains with So-mi.”

“Yes…? What do you mean by that?”

“You just need to answer.”

Jang Sam-tae was extremely flustered.

It was a word coming from none other than Dan Woo-hyun’s mouth. Since it was a matter that could never be heard as a falsehood, he stared at Dan Woo-hyun with a blank face.

“Do not forget to distribute it a little to the other family members as well… go as far away as possible. Live in a place where no one knows. You will easily raise So-mi alone.”

“No… Manor Lord, what are you saying now…?”

“I told you to just listen and answer.”

A tremendous pressure washed over his entire body.

Jang Sam-tae glanced at the money pouch placed on the table. The money collected from Tianshan until now.

It was an amount that would remain even if he did not work for a lifetime and only chased women.

Entrusting such money and telling him to leave the Central Plains with So-mi?

“I… I might run away with it.”

“There is no way.”

“This servant is a thief, though…”

“I know you are not the type to do that.”

“…”

“Have you decided?”

“No! Think about it, Manor Lord! It is not like leaving a will, why are you suddenly saying such nonsense!”

Jang Sam-tae, who lost his temper, jumped up from his seat and shouted. He stared directly into Dan Woo-hyun’s eyes, as if he was not even afraid.

That was how difficult it was to accept Dan Woo-hyun’s story.

At that moment.

Thud!

Jang Sam-tae’s body fell backward. Unlike the light hits before, he was sprawled out absurdly, foaming at the mouth.

Only then did Dan Woo-hyun slowly rise from his seat, showing a satisfied expression.

“It might be a will, or it might not, but… right now, you are the only one I can ask.”

Saying those words, he leisurely left the room.

His figure turning back and moving away somehow showed a sense of solemnity.

Soon, Dan Woo-hyun, who stepped out of the inn, raised his gaze.

He saw Changbai Mountain in the far distance.

“Now… let us finish it.”

He smirked.

That smile was full of ferociousness, as if awakening his true self from a long time ago.

Even the moonlight in the sky burned red, as if walking on a path stained with blood.

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