Chapter 253: Chapter 253

“Stone milk… You consumed something good.”

Placing his hand on the back of Dan So-mi, who was sitting cross-legged, Dan Woo-hyun muttered softly.

Even though speaking while channeling one’s internal energy into another’s Qi passages was by no means an easy feat, Dan Woo-hyun did so with utter ease.

Namgung Cheon and Sa Do-hak were shocked and astounded.

“Is… is it really alright? Even while speaking like that?”

“There is no problem. If a mere few words cause an issue, then one must blame their weak mental fortitude.”

“Ahem!”

“Hrrm!”

Namgung Cheon and Sa Do-hak coughed dryly and looked up at the ceiling.

Excluding anomalous beings like Dan Woo-hyun, the two were martial artists who had reached the highest realms in the Central Plains, yet when they touched another’s Qi passages, they still required such intense concentration that they dared not breathe carelessly, let alone utter a single word, for fear of qi deviation.

Yet Dan Woo-hyun had dismissed it as a matter of mental strength.

With a sullen expression, Sa Do-hak muttered.

“By the way, I heard you went to Jang Baeksan?”

“I did.”

“I do not know what happened, but did it end well?”

“There was no well or otherwise. I simply acted as my heart guided me.”

“Acting like a Taoist immortal, are we?”

Dan Woo-hyun formed a small smile.

The grumbling voice of Sa Do-hak and the serious gaze of Namgung Cheon fixed upon him were both part of a familiar daily routine.

Perhaps this was what he had truly desired all along.

“It is done.”

Having stabilized the energy of the Heavenly Creation Art inside Dan So-mi, Dan Woo-hyun carefully pulled his hand away.

Dan So-mi, who had been sitting cross-legged, slid downward as she collapsed; she had cried so much during the day that she had grown exhausted without realizing it and had fallen fast asleep.

Dan Woo-hyun picked Dan So-mi up in his arms and laid her down on the bed.

She would probably not wake up for a while.

After stroking the head of Dan So-mi as she slept soundly, he quietly stepped outside and took a seat.

It was the wooden veranda where he always sat.

Night slowly descended, and the moon rose. As the moonlight enveloped the entire residence, a feeling quite different from the usual scenery washed over him, yet he engraved the sight, unchanged from the memories in his mind, into his eyes.

“It is nice.”

Letting out a long sigh, he exhaled.

It felt as though he had finally found peace.

The fatigue from his past travels rushed over him all at once. If asked whether he had been unable to rest comfortably during that time, he could not say yes, but there was no doubt that this place was the space where Dan Woo-hyun could rest the most comfortably.

Tap!

Looking to his side, he saw Namgung Cheon sitting there.

He pulled out a bottle of liquor that he had brought along at some point.

“This is a liquor brewed by Hoyeon Ji. That child has also matured a lot during this time. Would you like a drink?”

“Sure.”

As Dan Woo-hyun nodded with a smile, Sa Do-hak squeezed in and sat down with them before anyone realized it.

Whether she had read the atmosphere or had anticipated this from the beginning, Namgung So-hye brought over some light refreshments.

“Here! Please eat.”

“Oh? Did you make this?”

“Do not look at me with such disbelief. My skills have improved quite a lot too.”

Namgung So-hye spoke with a bright smile.

The dishes looked decent enough at first glance. Although they probably did not reach the level of Jang Sam-tae’s skills, they did not seem bad enough to kill someone.

Dan Woo-hyun nodded and moved his chopsticks.

He put a piece of well-stir-fried meat into his mouth.

“It is not bad.”

“Right? I, Namgung So-hye, always deliver when I put my mind to it.”

“Indeed… you do.”

People were bound to change as time flowed. Just as Hoyeon Ji’s liquor had developed a deeper flavor, and Namgung So-hye had learned to cook dishes she previously could not make.

And just as the aura of Sa Do-hak and Namgung Cheon had shifted.

That was precisely what it meant to change as time passed.

Tilting his cup, Dan Woo-hyun looked up at the sky.

‘Have I changed as well?’

Those who had known Dan Woo-hyun a thousand years ago would undoubtedly say that the current Dan Woo-hyun had changed.

It felt bittersweet, yet rather amusing.

“By the way.”

“What is it?”

“Who was that woman who came with that fellow Sam-tae earlier?”

It was very strange to see a fairly pretty woman sticking close to that guy Sam-tae.

“She is Sam-tae’s lover. Although he denies it himself…”

“Eh?!”

“What?!”

“Huh?”

The expressions of the three shifted rapidly as if they had just heard something unbelievable. They could not believe that Jang Sam-tae, of all people, had found a partner.

Namgung So-hye wore a look of utter despair.

“This… this cannot be…”

“…”

Even Namgung Cheon fell silent.

Since his granddaughter still had no good news while Jang Sam-tae had found a partner first, he appeared to be quite shocked.

And there was one more person.

Sa Do-hak, who had known no women other than his subordinates or courtesans his entire life, scowled fiercely and crushed the cup in his hand.

Shatter!

Watching it turn to powder and scatter, he muttered.

“Bring him here.”

“Yes!”

Namgung So-hye dashed off to Jang Sam-tae’s quarters.

* * *

“Groan…”

Why did this happen?

Jang Sam-tae, who was planting his head against the floor, groaned. He had been kidnapped out of nowhere while sleeping comfortably to relieve the fatigue accumulated from his long journey.

As soon as he was dragged in with a bewildered expression, he met the sharp eyes of Sa Do-hak and found himself pressing his head to the ground without even realizing it.

“Is it nice?”

The question sounded like that of a swaggering ruffian.

From Sa Do-hak, who stood tense and rigid, even a faint hint of killing intent could be felt.

“What… what do you mean?”

“You still have not snapped out of it, have you?”

“Pardon?”

Jang Sam-tae trembled as he asked back.

No matter how much he thought about it, he had done absolutely nothing wrong. In fact, receiving punishment like this felt like he was being targeted for no reason at all.

Thus, when he asked back with a somewhat disgruntled expression.

“The woman, I say, the woman! How dare you find a woman while leaving me behind?”

“No, damn it! Then get one yourself! And she is not my woman!”

“Look at this fellow? A woman has to follow me for me to get one!”

“Then what do you expect me to do about it!”

“Introduce one to me too!”

At Sa Do-hak’s shout, Jang Sam-tae fell silent for a moment.

Not only that, but Dan Woo-hyun pinched the bridge of his nose, while Namgung Cheon and So-hye quietly distanced themselves, staring at Sa Do-hak as if he were trash.

Soon, Jang Sam-tae wore a dumbfounded expression.

“No, you old man! You should think about the age difference!”

“What! What is wrong with my age? What is wrong with my age?!”

“Have you look at this senile old man?”

Seeing Jang Sam-tae suddenly jump to his feet, Sa Do-hak wore an exasperated look.

Only then did Jang Sam-tae realize his mistake.

Because he had been with Dan Woo-hyun all this time, he only knew to be careful around Dan Woo-hyun, completely forgetting about the other old men.

In that brief moment as his eyes widened in fright.

Sa Do-hak’s fist flew forward.

Thud!

“Ouch!”

As the beaten-up Jang Sam-tae collapsed, Namgung Cheon stopped Sa Do-hak.

Honestly, it was still an incomprehensible situation, but it was not something to take out on Jang Sam-tae by beating him up.

“Stop it. Shouldn’t we hear what the boy has to say?”

“Elder…”

Seeming deeply moved by Namgung Cheon stopping Sa Do-hak, Jang Sam-tae looked at Namgung Cheon with sparkling eyes. He calmed his mind, thinking that the great heroes of the orthodox sect and the villains of the demonic cult were indeed cut from different cloths.

“So, what did you do?”

“Eh? I did not do anything, though?”

“Did you perhaps sneak into her room at night… or hold some leverage over her? Or did you kidnap her?”

“…”

Jang Sam-tae stared at Namgung Cheon with a dumbfounded expression.

He saw Sa Do-hak nodding in agreement. No matter how he looked at it, something was off.

“I… I really did not do anyth… Argh!”

Namgung Cheon stealthily reached out and pinched Jang Sam-tae’s chest. Since it was the hand of the Sword Emperor and not some ordinary person, the pain pierced straight to his marrow.

“You rascal, no matter how desperate you are for a woman, you should not do such things.”

“Ah, I am telling you, I… Gaaah!”

“Hahaha, you still do not know how to reflect. Confess what you did to that cute child.”

Jang Sam-tae could not even speak properly because his entire body was being pinched. Despite rolling on the ground in pain and crying out for him to stop, this fiend of a man had absolutely no intention of listening.

“He really did not do anything.”

Just then, a cold voice rang out.

Mae Hyang was seen standing there blankly before anyone realized it. She helped the fallen Jang Sam-tae to his feet and carefully brushed off the dirt on his clothes.

Everyone watched in sheer shock at her every action.

Soon, Mae Hyang smiled brightly and scanned the people in front of her one by one.

Her smile was more beautiful than expected, causing everyone to stare blankly.

“He really did not do anything. I am following him because I like him.”

“Are you truly alright? You are not being threatened?”

“Yes, nothing like that has happened. So please do not jump to your own conclusions… and I would appreciate it if you did not torment him.”

Sa Do-hak could not hide his embarrassment at her sharp retort.

He had felt that she might be a bold woman, but she seemed even more remarkable than that.

In truth, it was only because she did not know who the people here were, but in the way she stared directly at them, one could feel a warning mixed with a threat not to touch her man.

“Let us go.”

Mae Hyang forcibly dragged Jang Sam-tae by the arm. Seeing her walk away with long strides, Sa Do-hak slumped in despair.

“Who on earth are those people? What are they doing at their age?”

Grumble, grumble.

Mae Hyang muttered with a dissatisfied expression.

At first, she had thought they were simply catching up, but it turned out they were bullying Jang Sam-tae.

A surge of anger had welled up within her, causing her to intervene before she knew it.

‘How dare they touch him?’

With her eyebrows raised in anger, Mae Hyang’s eyes glinted with venom.

“Ah, you did not know?”

Just then, there was a woman who stopped Mae Hyang in her tracks as she was walking past. It was Zhuge Yeon, who was standing still in one spot, chewing on dried sweet potatoes.

“Know what?”

“Who those gentlemen are.”

Zhuge Yeon asked, flashing a grin.

“I do not know. Do I have to know?”

“I asked because I thought you might know. You see… they are the Five Emperors of the World.”

Shrugging her shoulders, Zhuge Yeon chuckled and headed to where Namgung So-hye was.

“Hey, are you alright?”

“What did she just…”

Jang Sam-tae quietly looked at Mae Hyang’s face. It was completely frozen, without a trace of color.

“Th-The Five Emperors of the World…?”

“Yeah, you did not know? That old man is the Demon Emperor.”

“Who… is?”

“The old man you glared at and threw a fit to. Puhaha, you are seriously amazing.”

Jang Sam-tae laughed heartily and patted her shoulder.

At that moment, Mae Hyang looked up at the sky and then let out a sigh.

Wiping the stiffness from her face, she put on a bright smile and pushed Jang Sam-tae back toward the veranda.

“I am not quite sure what is going on. But it seems Young Hero Jang has made a serious mistake. Go quickly and beg for forgiveness.”

“Huh?”

“Go quickly and beg on my behalf too, you bastard!”

Kick!

She raised her voice, delivering a kick to Jang Sam-tae’s buttocks.

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