Chapter 530: Side Story 30

Chapter side_30

On the way to Hubei, there is a large village. If you pass through here and head northwest, there lies Zhangjiajie, famous just by its name, or if you turn a bit more north, there lies Mount Tianzi, one of the famous mountains of Hubei.

Therefore, there would be no better village nearby for people heading to Zhangjiajie or Hubei to stop by and stay for a while.

Stopping there, Kang Sang-chun quickly looked around and frowned.

“Haha, we arrived quite early.”

“Young Sect Leader! Are you really thinking of chasing that guy? You sent all the other disciples back… Is it okay to do this?”

“Isn’t it obvious? Isn’t catching that villainous bastard the true duty of a martial artist?”

“T-true duty of a martial artist…”

Since when was the Iron Fist Sect a sect that considered the duties of martial arts? To begin with, they had no connection to Murim and had never set foot in it.

But Kang Sang-chun now had the eyes of a young boy dreaming of becoming a hero. Hoping for things like defeating a villain with his own strength and being revered by people…

He glanced at Kang Sang-chun’s face.

Seeing his eyes faint as if swollen with dreams, and a broad smile hanging on his lips, it seemed his thoughts weren’t just about becoming a hero.

‘Are those women his goal?’

Geum Dae-gil, who could be called Kang Sang-chun’s right-hand man, shook his head as he recalled the image of the two women who were boating.

Honestly, in a situation where they had no idea for what reason the boat was overturned, he felt he could somewhat understand the reason they concluded it was the Hunan Dan Family and barged in there.

“If we go just a little further, Zhangjiajie will appear. At this speed, it seems we’ve slowly caught up…”

“No… are you really asserting… that he would have gone towards Zhangjiajie?”

“Of course. He’s a guy carrying such beautiful women. Would he choose a rough path?”

They said they were heading to Hubei.

Among them, there were only two or three comfortable paths that people used the most and where carriages could move, and among those, the path towards Zhangjiajie was the best and had the nicest scenery, making it the best place to be with a woman.

Therefore, Kang Sang-chun chose this path without hesitation.

Kang Sang-chun took out a wanted poster from his embrace and looked at it.

The face of the man that the woman named Mae-hyang had drawn.

Was his name Jang Sam-tae?

Actually, no matter how he looked at it, it was a face that didn’t seem capable of seducing women, but in any case, it seemed certain that those beautiful women had fallen for his temptation.

A guy uglier than me.

Kang Sang-chun frowned deeply, as if something displeased him greatly. But soon, thinking of getting the women back, he put a broad smile on his lips.

“Villain Jang Sam-tae! I will never let you be. Uhahaha-!”

Rescuing the women from the villain’s hands and building a relationship using that favor as an excuse. Doesn’t it feel like a heroic tale passed down through generations?

If he succeeds, not only will it be an opportunity to raise the reputation of the Iron Fist Sect, but he will also be able to leave a definite mark on his father.

Therefore, the smile didn’t fade from his lips.

“Villain? Didn’t he just say villain?”

“If it’s a villain… Maseongja?”

“That guy is in Zhangjiajie?”

At that time, a brief commotion arose here and there.

The gazes of the people glancing towards Kang Sang-chun sparkled. Several people, despite not even verifying the truth of the words, quickly took the road and headed to Zhangjiajie.

Moreover, not long after, carrier pigeons took flight from all over the village.

-Maseongja is heading to Zhangjiajie.

The rumor that unexpectedly leaked out quickly began to spread throughout the Central Plains.

* * *

“Zhangjiajie… it’s been a while.”

A landscape that wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call a peach blossom utopia unfolded before their eyes. High and large rocks soared up jaggedly, and the forests and trees filling the surroundings created an indescribably spectacular view.

Also, with the low-lying fog spreading out as if encroaching, what would this be if not a peach blossom utopia?

A place that captivates you just by looking at its scenery.

That place is Zhangjiajie.

Seeing such a landscape for the first time in her life, Dan So-mi also couldn’t close her open mouth.

Although she had gone on a journey once or twice when she was young, she was so young that not much remained in her memory.

Therefore, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say this journey was her first real trip.

Dan So-mi rolled her round eyes this way and that.

Looking here, looking there, seeing scenery she couldn’t take her eyes off, her emotions were on the verge of overwhelming her.

“It’s… amazing…”

“Hoho, is this your first time here? I felt the same when I first came.”

Namgung So-hye, beside her, nodded as if she fully understood Dan So-mi’s feelings. Because the scenery here was more than enough to steal a person’s heart.

Moreover, for Dan So-mi who only knew Yueyang and Changsha, having her eyes wander at such scenery was perhaps natural.

“If we go just a little further, there will be a village. Do we stop there today?”

At that time, Jang Sam-tae, who was driving the carriage, looked back and asked. Since the sun was still up, they could go a bit further if they set their minds to it, but he had expectations that they might stop and rest for a day.

Because they had already been sleeping outdoors for days.

“Yes, let’s rest there today before we go.”

As Dan Woo-hyun’s permission soon dropped, everyone smiled brightly. Even if they didn’t show it, it was because they were all exhausted from living outdoors.

“Hoho, there’s a place called the Immortal Inn in this village that is famous. The food is decent and the beds are nice.”

“Ah- I think I went there when I was young. Right?”

“Hohoho, yes. That’s right, it is. You remember well.”

Namgung So-hye put a broad smile on her lips.

Because the memory of visiting while holding Namgung Cheon’s hand came back to her freshly. As the events of her childhood flashed by like a kaleidoscope, she felt extremely strange.

“Has Father been here too?”

“Yes, a very long time ago.”

At the voice heard then, people perked up their ears.

Just how long ago was it when Dan Woo-hyun said a long time ago? It was probably a time when the people from then had already turned into white bones and dust.

Was it more beautiful then than now?

Namgung So-hye was extremely curious about that.

“Heh- how was it?”

Even the current scenery is so beautiful that no place in the Central Plains could match it. But what would it have been like if it was a thousand years ago?

Were those mountain peaks there?

Were the clouds more mysterious than now?

Various beautiful thoughts filled her head.

“There was nothing special. Every time I took a step, there was full of blood… and it was full of corpses with torn flesh and bones.”

“Yes?”

“Pardon?”

“Ahem…!”

Dan Woo-hyun paid no attention to their wide-eyed expressions and simply looked out the window, recalling the scenery of Zhangjiajie from the past.

Sure enough, wasn’t this the place where he first beat up the Blood Demon?

Since the number of his royal guards alone numbered in the hundreds, he remembered that he didn’t have the time or luxury to admire the surrounding scenery.

Because that was a time when even Dan Woo-hyun was inexperienced.

Unaware of what he was saying in front of Dan So-mi, Dan Woo-hyun slightly smiled as he recalled the past.

Chill-!

At that moment, those around him trembled faintly.

Only Dan So-mi was fine; everyone else felt death in Dan Woo-hyun’s smile.

“Heo… hoho, it seems a lot of things happened.”

“I don’t care about looking at the surroundings, so are we still far? This old man’s back is killing him, you punk!”

Sado Hak tried to change the atmosphere and shouted at Jang Sam-tae. Because he felt that if they didn’t break the flow like this, they would sense something they couldn’t even handle.

“We’re almost there. Ah, I can see it over there. Immortal Inn…”

At that time, Jang Sam-tae slowly brought the carriage to a halt.

As Namgung Cheon said, there was a place called the Immortal Inn. It seemed to be quite a famous place, as the noise from inside could be heard outside.

It also meant there were that many guests.

But…

“What’s with so many guys carrying swords here?”

Sado Hak frowned as he looked around the inn. Since the moment they entered the village until now, there were quite a lot of martial artists carrying swords.

While it might not be strange to have martial artists with swords in the Central Plains Murim, it was a problem if there were excessively many of them.

Moreover, they seemed to be looking around as if searching for someone.

“Nothing to worry about.”

However, Dan Woo-hyun didn’t seem to care particularly.

There was no need to consider martial artists carrying swords in the Central Plains Murim as strange. Whether their numbers were large or small was also not a big concern.

“Of course… you’d say that.”

Sado Hak clicked his tongue and shook his head.

Of course, he didn’t care much either.

But the fact that those guys were gathered meant some problem had occurred, and saying Dan Woo-hyun was in such a place meant that if they were unlucky, they would get involved.

Dan Woo-hyun seemed completely oblivious to such things.

As the people inside the carriage opened the doors and stepped out one by one, the gazes of passing ronin instantly turned towards them.

They were scanning the people getting out of the carriage this way and that, as if comparing them with someone they were looking for.

Sado Hak and Namgung Cheon found those gazes extremely unpleasant.

“Should I just flip everything over?”

“Hoho, be patient. They must have their circumstances.”

“Phew… Let’s go inside quickly.”

Namgung So-hye, sighing, led the two old men towards the inn. Dan Woo-hyun and Dan So-mi, who moved before them, weren’t seen, seemingly having already gone inside.

Anyway, he was a man fast on his feet in these matters.

At that time, Jang Sam-tae stretched widely and opened his mouth.

“Then I’ll put the carriage away and come in, so go ahead first.”

Jang Sam-tae pulled the carriage and headed to the stable.

Although there were no valuable items, there were precious people inside, so if unnecessary trouble arose, they wouldn’t be safe. Therefore, he carefully tied the horses and locked the carriage door with a latch.

Doing this, there was no worry of being robbed.

“Phew… why is my job the same whether I’m at home or outside?”

Jang Sam-tae, perhaps reluctant, shook his head and turned his back.

Even if he was at home, his fate of working remained unchanged, and even if he followed along, his fate remained the same. He wished there was one more guy to do chores, but Dan Woo-hyun seemed to have no intention of increasing the number of dependents.

Because it costs more money.

The moment he let out a long sigh and walked towards the inn.

Step, step-

Someone blocked his path.

“F… finally found you, you villain!”

“Villain?”

At the sudden words, he tilted his head and looked at the person in front of him. Two men were standing there; one of them had drawn his sword and was pointing it, while the other was checking something like a wanted poster.

What on earth is this?

The moment he couldn’t hide his bewilderment at the incomprehensible situation.

“Today I will subdue this villain and realize justice in the world!”

The man who suddenly shouted charged ignorantly.

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