Chapter 440: Chapter 440

“As expected…”

A woman dug up a grave and looked at the corpse inside. It was obvious there were traces of someone having touched it here and there, as if someone had already investigated it.

Also, the corpse itself was different from what she had seen, so the woman frowned.

“Tae Gong-jin is… alive?”

In fact, she hadn’t suspected it from the beginning.

Because the one who brought his corpse from that dangerous situation was the woman, and the one who buried it was also her. However, no matter how much she thought about it, it was a bizarre situation.

She thought about it while recovering her body at the Hunan Dan Family, but every single situation was far too strange.

It seemed Tae Gong-jin hadn’t shown all the skills he originally possessed, and his movements also looked as if he were trying to get hit by the sword on purpose.

Also, when he was killed and she collected his corpse, even though it certainly hadn’t been long, the corpse was as cold as ice.

As if it had already died somewhere else.

Because she was so out of it at the time, she couldn’t think of anything else, but looking back, it was unmistakably a bizarre occurrence.

Lastly was the fact that Tae Gong-jin was an Immortal.

He was someone who had already shed his mortal body and ascended to immortality.

Those who discarded their past bodies and obtained new bodies.

Thus, the bodies they bore were created through immortal power.

Therefore, they could not rot.

Their flesh would slowly collapse as the immortal power it harbored disappeared, leaving not even a trace behind.

Meaning his corpse couldn’t possibly remain for such a long time.

“I’ve been had.”

The woman frowned.

Tae Gong-jin had always been an unknowable person. His energy was definitely pure, but there were somewhat heterogeneous things mixed in.

If those things were because of the Heavenly Martial Emperor, it was presumed that he had betrayed the Eight Immortals and followed the Heavenly Martial Emperor since a long time ago.

“Following Cheon Moo-gwang, even Tae Gong-jin…”

The woman shook her head as if she didn’t want to think about it.

It was the worst situation.

The Heavenly Martial Emperor and Cheon Moo-gwang were already overwhelming with just the two of them.

However, if even Tae Gong-jin was included among them, no matter how much of a Martial God he was, this fight wouldn’t be easy.

“To think the Eight Immortals have fallen this far… there would be an uproar if the Heavenly Emperor knew of this fact… or is he staying quiet even though he knows?”

The woman let out a sigh, ‘Haa-‘.

All those situations, whose reasons she couldn’t understand, confusingly tangled up her mind.

* * *

“Heok, heok…”

Muho gasped for breath and stood in front of the Hunan Dan Family.

Unlike the others who had already arrived much earlier and were taking sufficient rest, even though they had departed together, he arrived at a considerably late time.

That was because Namgung Cheon had not waited for Muho who was falling behind.

Walking was also training.

Building up physical strength was also training.

Although Muho took pride in having undergone rough training in his own way at Shaolin, Namgung So-hye and the others were at a different level entirely.

For the first few days, he followed behind well, but eventually he gradually fell behind and a gap opened up even in the schedule.

In the end, he chased after them alone and came all the way to the Hunan Dan Family.

His body was already exhausted to the limit.

Since he had followed them without eating or sleeping properly, it seemed the phrase ‘a person becoming devastated’ was talking about Muho’s current state.

He dragged his exhausted body and tried to peek inside the Hunan Dan Family.

However, due to the wall being considerably high, he couldn’t look inside with his height.

He had to knock on the door and confidently go inside, but whether he didn’t have the courage or he didn’t like the awkwardness, he needed someone who could recognize him.

In the end, he paced around before walking towards the front gate.

He looked inside through the gap in the large front gate.

But there was no one in the space visible through that small gap, and even if there were someone, it seemed it would be difficult for them to notice Muho.

The moment he swallowed a groan and mustered his courage to knock on the door.

Creak-, the large front gate opened.

“…”

“…”

Shortly after, his eyes met with a man.

He held a broom in one hand, as if he were someone playing the role of a servant. He looked somewhat old, but he felt somewhat familiar, and also, the moment they made eye contact, he got goosebumps without realizing it.

Under that gaze, Muho flinched and stepped back without realizing it.

“E-excuse me…!”

“…”

Jeok Mu-seong quietly looked at Muho, who swallowed dry saliva and spoke with a nervous expression. He had left him alone thinking he might have died after suddenly disappearing while following along well for a long time, but it seemed he had managed to follow up.

But looking like this, how could he be called a person of Shaolin?

Having such thoughts, Jeok Mu-seong sneakily handed the broom in his hand to Muho.

“Yes?”

Muho unexpectedly received the broom and made a puzzled expression. He couldn’t understand what on earth he was telling him to do with this.

“Sweep.”

“…Yes?”

“I said sweep.”

Spitting out his words once again, Jeok Mu-seong scowled.

Making him say the same thing twice?

For a famous rising star, he seemed to be quite slow to catch on.

When he glared with a sharp gaze, Muho shrank his body without realizing it and slowly began to sweep.

“Can’t you do it properly? Haven’t you swept before?”

“Eh… ah… yes.”

Muho broke out in a cold sweat.

In the first place, Muho had his aptitude recognized since childhood and lived receiving different treatment from others. Having monopolized Shaolin’s favor, where would he have gone to try doing something like this?

Did Jeok Mu-seong see through that?

He opened his mouth with an indifferent expression.

“You might have made a name for yourself in Shaolin, but not here. In terms of hierarchy, you’re probably at the very bottom.”

“…”

A sound of tongue clicking, ‘tsk tsk’, could be heard.

However, Jeok Mu-seong’s words weren’t wrong.

The one at the very bottom since the Hunan Dan Family was established would be none other than Jang Sam-tae, but if compared to the current Muho, it was no exaggeration to say that Jang Sam-tae was far ahead.

He would be far ahead in skill as well as experience.

A simple difference in talent only lasted until childhood.

The efforts exerted after that and the quality of the life lived were different.

“I… is that so?”

Muho swallowed dry saliva and nodded.

Indeed, it was the Hunan Dan Family of the world.

Since he had come thinking there would be none but those stronger than him, it wasn’t a particularly shocking story either.

Because the reason Seon-jin sent him here must be for that as well.

Creak-!

Then, the door opened and someone came outside.

The face picking his nose was filled with annoyance to the brim. The man who came out glanced at Jeok Mu-seong. Then he once again gave his gaze to Muho.

“What is this?”

“I picked it up from Henan.”

“Who?”

“Us, I mean.”

“…The Manor Lord doesn’t know about this, right?”

Muho broke out in a cold sweat at the conversation he heard. It was as if they were treating him like he wasn’t human with a person right in front of them.

Was the Hunan Dan Family originally such a place?

Moreover, who was this man?

It seemed like he had seen him before, but also like he hadn’t. The feeling was somewhat bizarre.

Then, once again, Jang Sam-tae’s gaze headed towards Muho.

His spirit wasn’t felt as much as Jeok Mu-seong’s, but he felt nervous without realizing it at the feeling as if he were trying to examine and confirm the person’s entirety.

“The decision will be made by the Manor Lord, but… are you trying to bring this to our side?”

“Wouldn’t it be convenient?”

“Hmm…”

Jang Sam-tae and Jeok Mu-seong looked at each other and nodded. Even without this, the workload had greatly increased due to the recent increase in people.

Naturally, the number of times they had to carry the dung carrier had also increased, but someone who would resolve that had appeared.

As the two nodded as if they were conspiring, Muho, who was watching, had to break out in a cold sweat out of a vague sense of anxiety.

* * *

“Shaolin?”

“T-that’s right.”

Namgung Cheon broke out in a cold sweat.

In fact, he too had completely forgotten about Muho’s existence. It was fine up to the point of confirming that he had fallen off halfway and just leaving him alone at Jeok Mu-seong’s dissuasion, but as various situations arose after returning to the Dan Family, the things about Muho had been erased from his mind.

“You’re only saying that now?”

“I-I forgot. Ahem…!”

Dan Woo-hyun looked at Namgung Cheon with a dumbfounded expression. Shortly after, when he turned his gaze and looked around, not to mention Namgung So-hye, even Zhuge Yeon, Ma Jang-gang, and Gwon Mu-jin wouldn’t meet his eyes.

It seemed even they had forgotten about Muho.

Muho, who had been quietly listening to the story from one side, made an expression as if he had been struck by a bolt from the blue.

Even so, to forget a person?

He felt an unnecessary bitterness.

But what made Muho even more nervous than that was the line-up of people present here.

‘D-didn’t they say he was dead?’

The former Murim Alliance Leader, Sword Emperor Namgung Cheon.

To think he was alive and well at the Hunan Dan Family, and was also active under the name of the Gentleman Sword? It was truly unbelievable, so it felt like he was dreaming.

Thinking like that, he now finally realized Jeok Mu-seong’s identity.

The Leader of the Demonic Faction.

The one known to the world to be already dead was acting as a servant at the Hunan Dan Family, so indescribable feelings and complex emotions mixed together and tormented Muho.

Moreover, the one sitting blankly over there was unmistakably the Demonic Emperor Sa Do-hak, and the one carving wood with a dagger on one side and making something with the children was speculated to be Bi Cheon-woong.

Because the outfit he was wearing and the sword hilt he was holding were very similar to the Murder Emperor Bi Cheon-woong commonly rumored in the Central Plains.

‘Wh… what on earth is this place?’

Muho could not relax.

It was a difficult seat to that extent.

His usually confident appearance couldn’t be found even a little bit, and he was just busy looking around while trembling like a small child.

Then, a snickering sound was heard and Dan Woo-hyun, with a somewhat dumbfounded expression, looked at Muho.

“Is there anything you can do?”

“I-if it’s martial arts, a little…”

Intimidated by Dan Woo-hyun’s piercing gaze, Muho mentioned what he was at least confident in and bowed his head.

Simultaneously with that, snorts burst out from everywhere.

Namgung So-hye tried hard to pretend not to know, and Zhuge Yeon shook his head. Gwon Mu-jin snorted, and Ma Jang-gang made a dumbfounded expression.

He seemed to have no idea at all that to be able to say you’re confident in martial arts in this Hunan Dan Family, you had to be at least at the level of the Five Emperors.

“I see…”

Then, Dan Woo-hyun nodded.

Knowing how to do martial arts a little wasn’t the problem, but the fact that he didn’t know how to do anything other than that was somewhat a problem. Because it was natural for humans to weigh out the necessity when looking at another person.

The moment he made a somewhat indifferent expression and was just about to open his mouth.

“B-by the way, this is something Shaolin gives in the meaning of asking you to take good care of me.”

Unexpectedly, Muho took out a banknote from his arms and handed it over.

It wasn’t just a penny or two. It was money that seemed to be at least several thousand taels. Shaolin must be lacking in financial power right now too, but seeing that they had prepared this much, one could tell they had pushed themselves considerably.

Namgung Cheon looked at that whole situation with satisfaction.

“…Okay, there’s a room in the annex, so use it. It’ll be better than playing around with nothing to do, so Sam-tae, you take responsibility for a while.”

“Understood! I’ll make him into the best servant in the Central Plains!”

Jang Sam-tae shouted in a booming loud voice and clenched his fists. One could even feel a firm resolve, like a person who had made up his mind to definitely keep the words he spat out.

Looking at that, Muho broke out in a cold sweat.

He didn’t come here to become a servant, though.

But his lips wouldn’t part, so he could only make a tearful face.

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