Chapter 526: Side Story 26

Chapter side_26

The one drinking and enjoying a boat ride on Dongting Lake was a man named Kang Sang-chun. Living in Hunan, specifically the southern part adjacent to Guangdong Province, he occasionally came up to Dongting Lake for boat rides.

His family had power.

They ran a large sect and produced countless Imperial guards every year, so those wishing to become Imperial guards would bring large sums of money to them.

Thus, naturally, power accumulated and money rolled in.

Such a man was leisurely enjoying a boat ride while drinking.

On that large boat were several men and women, and the table full of snacks and food was enough to make anyone think that a bit of money had been spent.

Kang Sang-chun, who was laughing boisterously and downing his drinks, witnessed a bizarre scene.

There were two women.

They were women casting their fishing rods from a small boat, and their posture was so natural that it didn’t look like they had been fishing for just a day or two.

Even on a rocking boat, they were stable.

Even when fighting to reel in a fish, the boat didn’t rock much.

Moreover, their dimly visible beauty was no joke.

It was to the point where the women on this boat looked laughable.

Unknowingly, he fixed his posture and stared at the two women.

“Young Sect Leader! What are you looking at so intently?”

“Quiet! Be quiet. Do you see those women over there?”

“Ah, they are fishing. But why…?”

“Their beauty is extraordinary. I’ve seen many women in my life, but women like them are a first.”

Their beauty was so captivating that he couldn’t take his eyes off them, wondering if the peerless beauty Namgung So-hye he had only heard rumors of would look like that.

He couldn’t easily turn his averted gaze back.

“Is one of them around twenty? The other… stands out with her mature beauty. Kyaa-“

“Hehehe, would they be prettier than Namgung So-hye?”

“Ahem! Where do you compare the woman who will become my future bride!”

“Hahaha! Come to think of it, didn’t you say you would pursue an engagement with the Namgung family, Sect Leader? It must be nice, very!”

“Hahaha!”

It was something that had been mentioned a few years ago, but the two didn’t pay much attention to it. Perhaps it was because their heads were just full of flowers that nothing else could enter.

At that moment, the woman who was fishing stood up from her seat.

She swung the fishing rod in her hand back and forth and looked towards Kang Sang-chun.

“She’s looking this way! What are you doing, boatman! Isn’t that woman calling for me! Hurry up and steer the boat over there.”

“Ah… that, um… that, that person is…”

The boatman broke out in a cold sweat, as if he had noticed something. He wanted to say absolutely not, but seeing the man’s coercive expression, he felt words wouldn’t work.

The moment he let out a short sigh and slowly steered the boat towards where the women were.

The woman who had stood up swung her fishing rod.

Swish-!

Something flew in.

“Huh? What is that?”

“It’s flying towards us?”

Because he was drunk, he couldn’t clearly see what was flying towards them. Thinking, ‘Is that woman approaching in fairy clothes?’, at the moment he smiled broadly.

Crash-!

With a tremendous sound, the pleasure boat was split in half.

“Aaaargh!”

* * *

“What is it?”

“Huh? No, just a fly buzzing around.”

Looking at the completely sunken boat, Namgung So-hye only then nodded with a satisfied expression. There were a few bugs flailing in the water, but that in itself was quite an entertaining scene.

Having cleanly brushed off the lump in her chest, Namgung So-hye grabbed the oars and smiled at the woman in front of her.

“Shall we head back?”

“Yes! This should be enough for dinner tonight!”

Dan So-mi showed the fish she had caught to the fullest and smiled brightly. Even at a conservative estimate, there were more than thirty, and most were at a level where it wouldn’t be strange to call them big catches.

Namgung So-hye broke out in a cold sweat.

Because out of all those fish, she had only caught a mere two.

‘She hasn’t changed at all, really…’

Shaking her head, she moved the boat towards the shore.

It would soon be time for the sun to set.

It seemed they had to return quickly before Jang Sam-tae, who was busy preparing dinner, started nagging.

Chronicles of the Martial God’s Return Side Story

Over a period of ten years, the Murim repeatedly shook violently and then fell quiet. Because the Five Emperors who were at the very peak had all disappeared, there were that many more people raising their swords to gain power and fame.

But no one blamed them for it.

Because that was precisely what Murim was.

However, the Hunan Dan family, which had the deepest connection with Murim yet was also the furthest removed from it, felt as if time was flowing without any particular worries, same as always.

The once young Dan So-mi was no longer seen.

She had suddenly transformed into a young woman of twenty, making one feel the colorlessness of time. Also, Jang Sam-tae’s children, who weren’t there in the past, were seen, and it felt a bit more lively than before.

There were things that had changed a little and things that hadn’t changed.

Namgung Cheon still hadn’t returned to his family and had settled down, and Sado Hak as well seemed to have long forgotten about the Demonic Cult.

Besides them, excluding Gwon Mu-jin, everyone else stepped back into Murim and left the family.

They knew well what path they had to walk.

But conversely, there was someone who was the same as ever. It was Jang Sam-tae, who still woke up earlier than anyone else and started the Hunan Dan family’s day by sweeping the yard.

He let out a deep sigh.

‘How old am I now…’

He was now over forty.

Wondering where the youthful Jang Sam-tae from ten years ago had gone, having passed his prime and become middle-aged, he shook his head as he looked at the yard that was dirty no matter how much he swept it every day.

Having devoted himself and been loyal for ten years, he now wanted to escape the life of a servant.

But who would come here to serve as a servant?

Even if they came, without exception…

“Hohoho- Your Baduk skills seem to be improving day by day.”

“What’s the big deal about playing with these stones! Haha! If you get caught by this Sado Hak, it’s instant!”

Old men whose only tasks, same as always, were wearing masks to maintain public order in Yueyang and playing around in their free time.

Clearly, they should have been servants since they came in later than Jang Sam-tae, but who could possibly make them serve as servants?

No matter how bold Jang Sam-tae might be, he could never do such a thing. Perhaps, if he had about ten necks, he could try it once.

“Shall I help you?”

“No, no! It’s fine. As expected! So-mi is the only one who worries about me.”

“Oh, really, mister. It’s only natural.”

“By the way, you caught quite a lot again. How are we going to cook all this…”

“There are many mouths to feed, so everyone should eat their fill.”

Dan So-mi put the bucket she held in her hand on the ground and smiled brightly. If there were fairies in heaven, her smile was beautiful enough to make one wonder if they looked like this child, and her actions were also pleasing.

“Keuk-! If only I had a son… I would have married him off to you.”

“Ha… haha. I… is that so?”

That’s quite a relief, Dan So-mi muttered under her breath. It wasn’t completely inaudible, but Jang Sam-tae, whose attention was elsewhere, didn’t seem to notice anything.

“But what about my father?”

“Ah-! You mean the Manor Lord? Over there…”

“Ah-“

Dan So-mi let out a small exclamation and lifted her head.

At the end of her gaze was a high cliff.

Did he go there again today?

She slowly moved her steps.

Sitting in front of three small burial mounds, Dan Woo-hyun remained silent. To begin with, it was partially due to his taciturn personality, but even when recalling them, he didn’t know what words to say.

From the moment they met long ago until the very end.

And from the time they met again until their final moments.

It felt as though he had never not received their help in every single matter. Of course, there was a mound for an unpleasant fellow, but that and his feelings were separate matters.

Thus, he let out a long sigh and brought his liquor cup to his lips.

He wanted to say something, anything, but because his mouth didn’t open easily, he just kept his mouth shut silently, staring at the burial mounds.

“You were here.”

At that moment, a quiet voice was heard.

Turning around, he saw the image of Dan So-mi, who had now grown up considerably.

The child who had been so extremely small just days ago had somehow lost that appearance and become a proper young lady.

Now, it wouldn’t seem strange even if she brought a man and got married.

Dan Woo-hyun unknowingly clenched his fists.

“Were you looking for me?”

“Yes! It’s almost mealtime, so I came to find you. But… what are you so lost in thought about?”

Tilting her head, Dan So-mi trotted over and took a seat next to him. This appearance hadn’t changed a bit from the past.

Dan Woo-hyun unknowingly broke into a smile.

“I was… just reminiscing for a moment.”

“Ah…”

At those deeply uttered words, Dan So-mi turned her head to look at Dan Woo-hyun. With a faint smile lingering on his lips, his eyes looked as if he was longing for someone.

She couldn’t hide her surprise at that sight, which she was seeing for the first time in her life.

Soon after, Dan Woo-hyun started pouring liquor over the burial mounds.

“Now it’s time to let them go.”

“Yes? Aren’t they already gone?”

Not understanding his meaning, Dan So-mi tilted her head. They were already dead, their bones turned to white skeletons inside the burial mounds. Did saying he was letting them go again mean he was going to shake off his feelings?

But it didn’t feel like it meant that.

Had he felt Dan So-mi’s thoughts?

Dan Woo-hyun smiled faintly and opened his mouth.

“Let’s go on a journey for the first time in a while.”

“Yes?! All of a sudden?”

“Haha, yes. We should visit the Heavenly Mountains again… and this time it would be good to see Wudang as well. The last stop would be Anhui?”

“Eh?”

It was a distance that would make anyone hearing it unable to hide their shock. If it were Hubei where Wudang was located and Anhui, it could be considered fine since it wouldn’t take long, but the Heavenly Mountains?

The path would become extremely convoluted.

“It… seems like it will be extremely difficult.”

Dan So-mi broke out in a cold sweat and shook her head side to side.

Excluding her childhood, she had never been on such a long journey. Though she was a naive child back then and didn’t know hardship, it was too different now from back then.

Just thinking about how tiring it would be made her feel hopeless.

But Dan Woo-hyun, as if he had no intention of taking back his words, just smiled and looked at the three burial mounds before his eyes.

“Now I should… let them go.”

Saying that, Dan Woo-hyun gave a bitter smile. There were ties he didn’t want to let go of and ill-fated relationships as well, but now he felt it was only right to send them to where they belonged.

For them, and for Dan Woo-hyun too, it seemed the time had come to stop living bound by the past.

Dan Woo-hyun looked at the sky.

“It feels like… it will be a long journey.”

A pleasant wind blew.

In the blowing wind, the sound of the three people’s laughter seemed to be heard. Therefore, a gentle smile unknowingly hung on Dan Woo-hyun’s lips.

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