Chapter 318: Chapter 318

Bang No-baek took a deep breath and looked at those in front of him. He thought he had barely escaped the Martial Alliance and found a safe place, but who on earth was the person who suddenly appeared?

“Haha, your move was quite impressive.”

Even while receiving the attack containing all of Bang No-baek’s power, the old man did not budge from his spot, let alone strike back.

All of the energy scattered as if kneeling and collapsing before the old man, failing to inflict any blow.

“Who… who are you?”

Bang No-baek asked.

The Martial Alliance.

It was possible to capture and kill two of those who raided the place. However, because they were pushed back during the process of subjugating the remaining forces, Seon-jin died, and they lost most of the Martial Alliance’s leadership.

Now, there was only one path left for Bang No-baek.

To hide here.

Although there was nothing he could do right now, if he borrowed the strength of the Hunan Dan Family, it might be possible to reclaim the Martial Alliance once again.

But his dream collapsed in vain.

A person who suddenly appeared before his eyes.

An old man who appeared in the empty air along with the fog.

He was just standing there blankly, but his presence was like the sky.

If he had to choose the strongest person he had met so far, it would naturally be Dan Woo-hyun, but a doubt arose whether this old man was equal to Dan Woo-hyun, or perhaps even stronger.

“I am merely an old man who lives according to the wind and the clouds.”

“Ha… Hahaha, for someone who claims to be that, aren’t you quite strong?”

“That is the nature of martial arts. No matter how strong someone is, someone stronger is bound to appear, is it not?”

“…”

Bang No-baek gasped.

A person who transcended simple strength. He suspected that this was someone who had reached a realm even higher than the Three Heavens who had made a name for themselves a thousand years ago.

“It would be troublesome if you remained alive. I do not think we should give you any more power.”

“What are you talking about…”

“Hohoho, you do not need to know. More importantly, why don’t you leave now?”

Bang No-baek furrowed his brows at the incomprehensible words.

He knew it meant to die. However, since he had no intention of dying easily, he stood his ground.

The moment Bang No-baek smirked and raised his internal energy.

Gush!

“Cough…”

Blood suddenly burst from his mouth.

Soon, blood began to stream from his eyes and ears.

It looked as if his internal organs had all ruptured, causing internal bleeding.

The sight of blood repeatedly gushing from his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth was too gruesome to look at with both eyes open.

How could someone cause such a thing without even attacking?

Unable to even speak, Bang No-baek just stared at the old man with a look full of doubt.

The old man noticed his gaze and smiled.

“Do you know of mind-killing? Killing an opponent with the mind… But even without using such a method, I can kill a person at any time.”

The old man gently raised his hand.

A small wind spun fiercely in his hand.

If something like that entered the body, no one would survive. All the internal organs would be shattered to pieces.

The old man walked over with heavy steps and patted Bang No-baek’s shoulder.

“This is why the wind is terrifying.”

Splaash!

Soon, Bang No-baek’s body shattered into pieces and scattered.

His body, which had vanished after being torn apart, poured a rain of blood in the air, and only the pieces of flesh remained where Bang No-baek had stood, indicating that a person had died here.

The old man looked at it and slowly turned around.

Before long, the fog rolled in heavily again, and his figure disappeared.

* * *

Dan So-mi was excited for the first time in a while.

Jang Sam-tae had returned, but more than that, she was in a very good mood because of the usual scenery of the house.

On one side, Zhuge Un was talking about something to Namgung Cheon, Sa Do-hak, and Dan Woo-hyun, and on the other side, Jang Sam-tae and Jeok Mu-seong were sweeping the yard.

The others, who had nothing to do, were busy refining their skills in the training ground.

This kind of life itself was the home scenery that this little child usually saw.

Furthermore, she was in an even better mood because today was the day she would go to Yueyang to meet Zhu Zhi-ruo and Hong Jin-rang.

The more she thought about what to do here and what to do there, the smile on her face did not fade.

“Then I will be back!”

Dan So-mi waved her hand vigorously.

At the same time, the White Tiger showed itself, and the moment people saw it, exclamations burst out from here and there.

In particular, Jang Sam-tae’s surprise was even greater.

‘They say it is a divine beast among divine beasts, but it is completely a palanquin, a palanquin.’

Jang Sam-tae clicked his tongue and shook his head. It felt as if that White Tiger was ruining the reputation of divine beasts.

“I will take you there.”

“It is fine. It will be quick if I go with White Tiger.”

When Dan Woo-hyun spoke with a worried expression, Dan So-mi shook her head. Going with Dan Woo-hyun was also good, but occasionally, riding on the back of White Tiger, feeling the wind, and running was not bad either.

After contemplating for a moment, Dan Woo-hyun nodded his head.

If the White Tiger and the White Cat were there, most things could be resolved. Also, since the White Cat was a rather clever fellow, if there was something it could not handle, it would run to call Dan Woo-hyun.

Once Dan Woo-hyun’s permission was granted, Dan So-mi did not hesitate. When she patted the back of White Tiger, it moved its large body nimbly and leaped over the wall.

In an instant, it moved a distance so far that even its presence could not be felt, a speed that would make even Jang Sam-tae, who possessed lightness arts that were counted among the best in the Central Plains, shake his head.

“It is incredibly fast, that runaway palanquin.”

“R-runaway palanquin?”

Jang Sam-tae whistled.

He thought that if it was such a fast palanquin, it might be worth riding at least once. However, Mae-hyang, who was beside him, had a somewhat dazed expression.

Even Namgung So-hye, who was passing by, had an absurd look on her face.

“You are probably the only person who would call a divine beast a runaway palanquin.”

“It is a runaway palanquin. So-mi’s exclusive palanquin.”

“…That is not wrong, but…”

Jang Sam-tae shrugged his shoulders.

No matter how one explained and looked around, the reality was that the divine beast named White Tiger could not escape from being Dan So-mi’s exclusive palanquin. Some might call it an escort, but no matter how one looked at it, it was a palanquin rather than an escort.

As if unable to dispute those words, Namgung So-hye shrugged her shoulders and walked away with quick steps. She decided that thinking about it further would only give her a headache.

“By the way, what have you been looking at since earlier?”

Jang Sam-tae had a curious look as he passed by Dan Woo-hyun. Dan Woo-hyun had been reading a thick book for nearly two hours, frowning and sighing as if something was not to his liking.

From Jang Sam-tae’s perspective, he could not help but be curious.

“It is a ledger.”

“A ledger?”

Jang Sam-tae looked at Dan Woo-hyun blankly and tilted his head.

He naturally opened his mouth to ask what was bothering him so much.

“Do you read things like that too?”

Thack!

With an ‘Argh!’ sound, Jang Sam-tae clutched his head and sat down.

He was hit so hard that tears welled up in his eyes. His eyes were filled with a bit of resentment.

“Why did you hit me?”

“I read things like this too.”

“If you read it, you read it, why did you hit me!”

“…”

Looking at Jang Sam-tae raising his voice, Namgung Cheon and Sa Do-hak had surprised expressions. It seemed his courage had grown even bigger after returning from running away.

Jang Sam-tae glared as if he was going to eat Dan Woo-hyun. Of course, he also tucked his tail and turned his gaze away not long after.

“Hehehe, no, I just thought the master would read difficult books like the Thousand-Character Classic.”

“…”

Dan Woo-hyun looked lost for words.

This was the same for the others.

Just because words came out of his mouth did not mean they made sense. The Thousand-Character Classic was something learned by young children attending primary school, but Jang Sam-tae was talking about it as if it were some grand text.

Namgung Cheon and Sa Do-hak furrowed their brows.

It might have been better if he had said the Four Books and Five Classics.

Dan Woo-hyun clenched his fists but soon took a breath and calmed down. It was because there did not seem to be any malice in Jang Sam-tae’s bright eyes.

He could not help but feel even more annoyed because of that.

“Sigh… Fine, so go to Yueyang.”

“Eh? Yueyang?”

“Yes.”

“Where should I go?”

“Bring Geum Eun-hak of the Golden Ring Merchant Group.”

“Understood!”

Jang Sam-tae answered energetically and turned around.

Watching him look as if he would run to Yueyang immediately, Dan Woo-hyun muttered.

“And go to the marketplace and buy a copy of the Thousand-Character Classic.”

“I will go right away!”

Jang Sam-tae, who was excited, leaped lightly.

* * *

“Argh… Sky… Heaven… Earth… Ground…”

Jang Sam-tae, who was face down on the floor, put on a crying face as he read the Thousand-Character Classic spread beneath him.

Only then did he precisely learn what the Thousand-Character Classic was, but the situation was so terrible that nothing entered his head. His head was throbbing, and reading the text was pure torture.

“Read it properly.”

“I am doing it!”

“Ahem!”

Ma Jang-gang, who was watching from the side, brought out a large club. Every time Jang Sam-tae failed to read properly, Ma Jang-gang struck him once, and because it was so painful, Jang Sam-tae could not endure it any longer. Therefore, he had to read the Thousand-Character Classic with tears in his eyes.

On the contrary, Geum Eun-hak was sitting in front of Dan Woo-hyun, breaking out in a cold sweat. In particular, looking at the ledger held in Dan Woo-hyun’s hand, he felt a sudden chill, and even his stomach felt upset. It was a relief he did not throw up.

“Profits have decreased a lot recently.”

“T-that is…”

Geum Eun-hak caught his breath several times. In fact, he should have reported this truth earlier, but he was afraid it would reveal his incompetence, so he could not bring himself to speak.

However, since things had turned out this way, there was nothing he could do.

Geum Eun-hak hardened his heart and opened his mouth.

“Since the liquor is our monopoly, there is no worry about that, but… we are taking hits in other areas.”

“Other areas?”

“Things like silk or goods from the Western Regions.”

“Why?”

Dan Woo-hyun asked with a somewhat puzzled expression. It was no exaggeration to say that Geum Eun-hak no longer had any competitors.

Having taken over Hunan entirely, it was impossible for profits to decrease.

Unless there was a newly emerging merchant group.

“T-that is… the Myriad Gold Merchant Group has moved.”

Zhuge Un narrowed his eyes at the mention of the Myriad Gold Merchant Group. Indeed, unless it was a merchant group of that size, there would be no one capable of troubling Geum Eun-hak now.

“Have they finally moved?”

Even Namgung Cheon spoke as if he had already predicted it. From the moment they devoured Hunan, he believed that the Myriad Gold Merchant Group, which was called the world’s greatest merchant group and exerted its influence, would never stay quiet.

Until now, they had remained quiet due to internal division, but once the internal affairs were settled, it was only natural for them to move to solidify their power again.

In a sense, Hunan was their first victim.

Therefore, most of the people present could understand why profits had decreased.

However, Dan Woo-hyun was not one of them.

“So, what does their movement have to do with the decrease in profits?”

He glared at Geum Eun-hak with a somewhat incomprehensible expression.

Cold sweat dripped from Geum Eun-hak’s forehead.

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