Chapter 499: Chapter 499

“It’s quiet…”

“Say it’s nice because it’s peaceful, you brat.”

There was truly never a quiet day around the Hunan Dan Family. Before they knew it, the frozen winter had taken a step back, and even the firmly frozen ground was thawing, signaling the time to slowly start spring farming.

Most of the people of the Hunan Dan Family came out holding farming tools.

They dug the ground and planted seeds with what they held in their hands.

Person by person, not a single one was missing.

With Sado Hak and Namgung Cheon as the standard, Jeok Mu-seong and Bi Cheon-ung were plowing the field, and since such people started farming, no one could step out.

Thud, thud! Every time they hoed, the ground that hadn’t fully thawed yet was dug up.

Normally, they would have used oxen, but for them, doing it by hand was far more efficient.

Unlike those four, there were also those struggling to weed the field.

Because they had been tormented by those four since early morning, Gwon Mu-jin, Muho, and the others had all their energy drained from their bodies, and they had to hoe and plant seeds while sweating profusely.

At that time, someone suddenly approached and grabbed Gwon Mu-jin’s hand.

Startled, Gwon Mu-jin turned his gaze and looked to the side, and saw Dan So-mi, who still couldn’t speak, smiling and shaking her head.

Then she showed him a demonstration.

She planted a seed in the dug-up earth and covered it nicely.

Although the actions didn’t seem much different, it seemed like she was telling him to cover it a bit more meticulously and deeply.

“O-Okay.”

Gwon Mu-jin readily nodded and exactly followed Dan So-mi’s actions.

Muho, who was next to him, was also busy glancing and following along, as if he didn’t want to get scolded either.

Although it was an unbelievable situation for individuals counted among the strong in this Central Plains to be doing, the sight of them working hard in their own way was quite pleasant to see.

“Phew, by the way, where did that guy go?”

Just then, Jeok Mu-seong sprang up from his seat and frowned.

The guy who should be seen was nowhere in sight.

Even though he was the one who did the work best, he didn’t appear, wondering where he was slacking off.

The moment he was deeply furrowing his brows, thinking about whether to yell at him, the main gate suddenly opened and Jang Sam-tae revealed himself.

“Oh my, I’m sorry! I’m here now!”

Jang Sam-tae, who came running in a hurry, wiped his flowing sweat.

Where had he been and what had he been doing, his face was full of lip marks, and he looked disheveled all over.

Seeing that, Sado Hak frowned.

“You crazy bastard, do you like being taken advantage of by a woman like that every day?”

“T-Taken advantage of! I didn’t do anything! I just went and changed my son’s diaper.”

“For that, your appearance is a bit…”

Jang Sam-tae suddenly wiped his face with his hand.

He didn’t think anything was on it, but come to think of it, he only then realized that he had been kissed countless times. Realizing that he couldn’t hide it anymore now that it had come to this, he looked at Sado Hak and grinned.

“You should try getting married once too, elder. A person changes when they have a child.”

“You haven’t changed at all, have you?”

“Hey! I’ve grown a bit.”

Going ‘Hehe,’ Jang Sam-tae thumped his chest.

It had already been two years since they returned to the manor.

The child born at the time of their first night together had turned two years old, and everyone present had also aged two years. Even Dan So-mi had grown and slowly begun to take on the appearance of a young maiden, so it seemed the flow of time could not be stopped by anyone.

“You idiot… Just weed the field, you punk. I wonder what you’ll hear when he returns.”

“…”

Sado Hak grumbled and opened his mouth, recalling someone. But for a moment, it felt as if the air froze.

Only then realizing his mistake, he tightly shut his mouth.

Sweating nervously under the gazes piercing from all directions, Sado Hak lowered his head.

Two years had passed.

Nevertheless, Dan Woo-hyun had not returned.

There was no contact whatsoever, and it was unknown whether he was alive or dead. Yet, the reason why this many people were still gathered at the Hunan Dan Family was partly because of Dan So-mi, but also because they still harbored hope that he would return.

“More than that, I wonder if that human Mu Cheonpung will be okay.”

Mu Cheonpung had left.

It was to catch Jang Sam-tae’s master. He boldly declared it and left this place about a year ago, so there was no way of knowing whether he had caught him or lost him by now.

But one thing was clear: he would be living well.

It was Mu Cheonpung of all people.

He was a guy who would eat well and live even if he had to beg somewhere, so it didn’t seem necessary to worry about him.

“Whether he caught him or not, isn’t he a guy who will eat well and live well? Hahaha, he’s a human who will even beg if he starves, so you don’t need to worry.”

Namgung Cheon burst into a hearty laugh.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say Mu Cheonpung had a plate of iron on his face. If he’s hungry, he’s the type of guy who would even rob a beggar, so worrying about him was useless.

“By the way, why aren’t you guys leaving and staying stuck here?”

Sado Hak gave a sidelong glance and looked at Bi Cheon-ung and Jeok Mu-seong. While Namgung Cheon and Sado Hak were now thinking of burying their bones here, those two were a little different.

Despite being in a situation where they could leave whenever they wanted, he couldn’t figure out the reason why they were staying and suffering.

It was the same for Namgung Cheon.

Because those two were people who could make more choices, unlike Namgung Cheon and Sado Hak.

“No, well… Can’t we just stay?”

“…”

Jeok Mu-seong opened his mouth with an awkward expression.

On the contrary, Bi Cheon-ung shut his mouth like a mute who had eaten honey. He might have thought there was no need to say it, or he might have judged it wasn’t worth replying.

“You guys aren’t leaving in the first place either, are you?”

Conversely, Jeok Mu-seong made an uncharacteristically sullen remark.

They weren’t leaving because it was enjoyable being together.

Of course, there were some things they didn’t like, but they couldn’t just account for all of this with only that.

They cultivate the fields, cook and eat, and live ordinarily.

Of course, because the name of the Hunan Dan Family had grown so big, there were times when it got boring since no one even dared to recklessly mess with them now, but they felt that gathering like this, laughing, and chatting together was the joy of life.

They hated blood-splattering battlefields and they hated killing people.

Rather than having everyone kneel and bow their heads, they liked having people come at them like Jang Sam-tae and receive equal gazes and expressions.

Was it because they had aged?

Or maybe it was a simple whim, but Jeok Mu-seong had never experienced a situation as comfortable as this even once.

Furthermore.

‘Even if I return to the Evil Faction in the first place… I wouldn’t be able to do anything because of you guys.’

The ultimate goal of the Evil Faction was to swallow up the Righteous Faction.

Moreover, the timing was the best right now. The guys called the Five Emperors had all gone into hiding, and although Tang Sa-hwi was throwing his weight around in the Heavenly Dao Association, he was no match for Jeok Mu-seong.

If Jeok Mu-seong were to announce his survival in this situation and enter the Martial Emperor Castle again, the Evil Faction would gain absolute power and show it off to the whole world.

Then what would happen in the end?

He wouldn’t be able to sleep properly at night because of Bi Cheon-ung, and he would have to live a life trembling in fear every day worrying about Sado Hak and Namgung Cheon.

Rather than living like that, his current life was more comfortable.

Did they read such thoughts of Jeok Mu-seong?

The three men smirked.

As if his thoughts had been read, Jeok Mu-seong unconsciously blushed as if embarrassed.

“We’re back.”

Just then, a voice was heard.

Turning their gazes, familiar faces were seen.

It was Namgung So-hye and Zhuge Yeon. The two women who had returned on horseback greeted the four people and brushed the dirt off their clothes.

“Are you here?”

The first to react was none other than Namgung Cheon. But the one who ran towards the two women faster than him was none other than Dan So-mi.

As if desperately hoping for something, Dan So-mi grabbed Namgung So-hye’s collar and tugged at it firmly.

“Y-Yeah, about that…”

Namgung So-hye let out a long sigh, going ‘Haa-‘.

Although they were thoroughly searching the Central Plains to find Dan Woo-hyun, they couldn’t even find a trace of him, so their frustration was beyond words.

She began to feel burdened by Dan So-mi’s gaze every time she returned like this.

And in that moment, perhaps catching onto what kind of words would come out of Namgung So-hye’s mouth since she was quick-witted now, Dan So-mi lowered her head with a dejected expression.

Since they hadn’t been able to find his traces for two years, how frustrating must it be from this child’s perspective?

Namgung So-hye and Zhuge Yeon only felt sorry as well.

Dan So-mi lowered her head with a dejected expression, but soon responded with a bright smile. After all, it wasn’t entirely Namgung So-hye and Zhuge Yeon’s fault that they couldn’t find Dan Woo-hyun, was it?

Dan So-mi hugged Namgung So-hye as if to say it was okay, expressing her gratitude, and soon scampered away and disappeared into the manor.

Everyone’s eyes followed the child.

Why did the back of the child running alone look so lonely?

“Just where and what is that human doing?”

Jang Sam-tae grumbled as he watched the scene.

If he was alive he should say he was alive, and if he was dead he should say he was dead. Shouldn’t he at least send a message? He did not like Dan Woo-hyun’s behavior of making everyone here worry.

‘As expected, I should have stayed back then…’

He felt a belated regret, but it was absolutely not something he could do anything about now.

Even if he had stayed, he wondered if the situation would have allowed him to do anything, and conversely, he might have been the worst move that held Dan Woo-hyun back.

Jang Sam-tae frowned with a reluctant expression.

“It would be good to at least know whether he is alive or dead…”

Namgung Cheon shook his head side to side.

They were blindly waiting for Dan Woo-hyun.

But there was no way of knowing how long this situation would last.

If he was someone whose whereabouts couldn’t even be known despite gathering all sorts of information and checking, they would eventually have to hold a funeral for him.

Thinking of explaining that to the child, Namgung Cheon already felt his future was bleak.

“It shouldn’t be anything serious. Since it’s him, he’s probably slacking off somewhere.”

At that moment, Sado Hak snorted, going ‘Hmph!’, and laughed.

As if such a thing had actually happened, or like someone who knew everything, in a sense, it also looked like he just infinitely trusted Dan Woo-hyun.

Most people nodded at his words, the reason being that they perhaps thought it might be like that if it was Dan Woo-hyun.

“I agree that he’s not a guy to die…”

Even Bi Cheon-ung agreed, replied, and then smiled.

As a soft smile spread across his usually blunt face, that too was quite an unexpected occurrence. It hadn’t been long, but having known the existence of the Martial God and seen him with his own eyes, it seemed he was sending infinite trust towards him.

Most of the people of the Hunan Dan Family thought so and harbored hope.

Looking at that, Namgung Cheon also put on a smile.

Gazes unanimously sending belief and trust.

And from those expressions, the thought arose of how well the existence called Dan Woo-hyun had performed his role as a pillar.

‘To think the day would come when the Five Emperors of the World rely on one person, hahaha.’

Having such thoughts, Namgung Cheon looked at the sky.

The sun floating under the blue sky.

Many people think of the Martial God as an object of fear or someone to revere, but to the people gathered here right now, he was probably just an existence like the sun.

‘Just where are you?’

With that thought, Namgung Cheon gently closed his eyes.

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