Chapter 533: Side Story 33

Chapter side_33

“Haa… seriously, how long do we have to be like this?”

The group traveling towards Hubei all clearly showed signs of exhaustion. Since they couldn’t take the fastest main road, they were moving by carriage through small paths, and because it was an unpaved road, the fatigue and pain were no joke.

They had been moving like this for a fortnight.

Furthermore, traveling through such paths often led to unwanted encounters.

“Haa…”

For a moment, Jang Sam-tae, who was driving the carriage, sighed.

Nothing could be seen around them, but he frowned as if he had seen something, and briefly looked back at Namgung So-hye.

She was also seen furrowing her brow.

They had probably seen the same thing.

How many times had this been?

“I think it’s been over ten times.”

“I’m sick and tired of it, really…”

The two let out small sighs.

And in an instant, a dozen shadows were suddenly cast from a distance. They looked as if they were trying to stop the carriage that was going on its way.

“Stop right there-! This road is our domain, keok?!”

A bandit holding a large scimitar made a spectacular appearance and shouted heartily. It was so loud that the whole mountain seemed to ring.

But before he could even finish his words, Jang Sam-tae threw himself from the coachman’s seat and smashed his face, and the struck bandit fell straight down and crashed into the ground.

The fallen bandit trembled on the ground.

“Why are there so many bandits these days?”

“Since the martial arts world has been in turmoil recently, isn’t it natural that public order is bad?”

Then Namgung So-hye stealthily pulled out her hand and opened her mouth.

Around her, a dozen bandits could be seen collapsed in a ridiculous manner. The moment Jang Sam-tae smashed the boss’s face, Namgung So-hye, who had thrown herself with him, subdued the surroundings.

Although they subdued relatively weak ones, considering the movement of Jang Sam-tae, whose lightness art was the fastest, one could feel that Namgung So-hye’s skills had surpassed the ordinary.

“Haha, we really see a lot. Don’t you feel like we’re seeing all the bandits and robbers we’d see in our lifetimes?”

Then Namgung Cheon let out a small sigh.

The public order in the martial arts world was not good.

Since the Murim Alliance and the Heavenly Path Society were paying attention to the rampaging Heaven and Earth Cult, taking advantage of that gap, bandits appeared and swarms of robbers boiled over in various places.

The government office, which was only one per county, could not control them, so high-spirited bandits and robbers ran wild, and those who were attacked and robbed picked up swords to make a living and committed the same acts.

This phenomenon was repeating.

“Truly a beautiful sight, this is. With the Orthodox faction split in two, it’s such a complete mess, tsk tsk.”

“Hahaha- The Demonic Cult wouldn’t have been any worse than this.”

“What did you say?! Where is there a place as quiet as ours?!”

“From what I hear… is the Demonic Cult as it used to be? They say it’s shaking from the roots since you’re not there.”

For a moment, Sado Hak’s cheek fat trembled.

Turning his gaze quickly, he glared at Namgung So-hye, who knew the most about the information in the martial arts world, and she turned her gaze and stealthily nodded.

“Hmph… hmph! Still, these kinds of trash don’t run wild. How powerless must they be for bandits to swarm? Isn’t that right, Sam-tae?”

“Eh? Is… that so? I don’t really…”

For a moment, Jang Sam-tae was flustered and turned his gaze.

At times like this, it’s better to speak as little as possible.

Because he knew that the moment he took someone’s side, he would be smashed by either one anyway. Thus, he naturally turned his head, looked at Dan So-mi, and changed the subject.

“What… are you doing?”

“Over there… I see something?”

Dan So-mi slightly cast her gaze upwards and looked at something. It was faint, but something like a building could be seen slightly.

It was probably a mountain stronghold.

Confirming that, Dan So-mi briefly looked at Dan Woo-hyun.

He wasn’t unaware of the meaning in her eyes.

Since she was a very kind-hearted child, she probably wanted to check if there was anyone to save. Thus, Dan Woo-hyun smirked and nodded.

“Go, check it out.”

“Yes! I’ll be back.”

As Dan So-mi smiled and moved, Namgung So-hye, who was next to her, also naturally followed behind her. In a way, it felt like looking at a nanny, but from another perspective, it felt like they were sisters.

However, watching her stroke Dan So-mi’s head and care for her, one couldn’t erase the feeling of a mother-daughter relationship.

Dan Woo-hyun watched that with a smile and reached out to the fallen bandits. Searching their bosoms, the money pouches were thick.

It seemed they had earned quite a lot of money.

“Anyway, with this… our travel expenses have increased. That’s a good thing.”

“What’s the point of it increasing? We can’t even spend it…”

At Jang Sam-tae’s words, Dan Woo-hyun shook his head side to side.

They were all full of complaints.

It wasn’t like they wanted it to be like that, and even if it did, things didn’t necessarily have to flow in a bad direction. Isn’t not knowing the future at all exactly what human life is?

“Don’t worry. There will be a place to spend it soon.”

“Haha. Yes, the Patriarch’s words are correct. There is a large village if we go just a little further, so we can just go there. Isn’t that right, Patriarch?”

At the sudden remark, Jang Sam-tae opened his eyes wide. Only these humans could boldly say they would enter a village after causing such an incident.

Come to think of it, it was natural since they had that level of skill, right?

Then could he also eat something delicious?

He thought he should go to the market and buy high-quality salt and spices just in case. Also, he would stop by an inn and order all the most delicious dishes they had.

Jang Sam-tae tightly clenched his fists and resolved himself like that.

“Still, that guy can’t go, right?”

“Yes?”

“No, won’t your wanted poster be the most distinct? Because there was a guy who attacked you calling you a villain or whatever.”

“…? S… so?”

“So you have to guard the carriage. If you go with us, we’ll get dragged into it too.”

“Hahaha- I’m sorry to hear that. I’ll buy good alcohol and food and come back, so wait a moment.”

Jang Sam-tae lost his words for a moment.

He looked at Dan Woo-hyun with a dumbfounded expression. Sending a look that asked, ‘Are all the words spoken just now true?’, he calmly nodded without a word.

“Damn it! Are you kidding me, really!?”

At the same time as Jang Sam-tae’s shout stretched far into the mountains, Smack! A sound of a watermelon breaking rang out fiercely.

“Thank you! Thank you, really!”

“I don’t know how to thank you…”

Countless people shed tears and knelt in front of Dan So-mi. They all seemed to have not eaten properly and suffered hard labor, as they were full of scars here and there.

Just when they thought they would never be able to escape from this hellish place, it was no different from getting a new life as Dan So-mi appeared and opened the door of the prison they were locked in.

Thus, their joy would be indescribable.

“No, no! There is no need to thank me… The others did everything. I just…”

But perhaps uncomfortable with the sight of people bowing their heads, Dan So-mi smiled awkwardly and waved her hands.

Jang Sam-tae and Namgung So-hye did everything.

Since it was those two who subdued the most dangerous bandits, it would be right for all the credit to go to them.

However, the people did not pay any attention.

From the very beginning when they rescued people from the mountain stronghold under Dan Woo-hyun’s orders until now, the two did the work, and Dan So-mi received the words of gratitude.

Unable to overcome the awkwardness, she briefly looked at Namgung So-hye, but she also just shrugged her shoulders and didn’t even say a word.

At times like this, she wished they would add a word, but Dan Woo-hyun and Namgung So-hye were just watching as if they had made a promise.

“A… anyway, I’m glad you’re safe. You can do whatever you want with the money and food in the stronghold. Don’t worry about us… And also…”

“No… to give us even such things… We are thankful enough just for you saving us…”

“That’s right. If it weren’t for the young lady, we really would have… sob… And yet, to give us even wealth and food…”

Dan So-mi was at a loss for what more to say.

Ji-yak was good at these things, but since he wasn’t here, the words didn’t come out easily. She was clearly being thanked, but why was she so uncomfortable?

Could she see the eyes of those people?

They were full of respect and awe, and their eyes and expressions looked as if they were looking at an existence they couldn’t reach even if they reached out.

It was very burdensome.

It was awkward.

Dan So-mi slowly backed away.

She felt like she had already seen people with such eyes and expressions more times than she could count on two hands.

She unknowingly averted her gaze quietly.

“T-then we will be taking our leave…”

“Ah…! A… at least your esteemed name!”

“E… esteemed name? I am not such a great person. Hohoho.”

Dan So-mi hurriedly led Namgung So-hye and left the place. Even while urgently leaving the stronghold, the people’s words of gratitude dug into their ears resoundingly from behind.

The more she heard the voices of the people, the faster Dan So-mi’s footsteps became, and in an instant, their sounds were heard from afar like an echo.

Only then did Dan So-mi let out a sigh of relief.

“Hoho, there will soon be rumors that you are a martial arts hero.”

“Sister, really! I’m saying it’s not like that. Moreover, Uncle and you did everything… I didn’t do anything.”

Looking at the smiling Namgung So-hye, Dan So-mi let out a small sigh. It felt like they were lifting her up too much, when all she did was simply save people.

Even though it wasn’t something she did hoping for that.

“Everyone must have thought they were standing in front of death. But you came and reached out a hand. Of course they would feel grateful.”

“I know that, but… it’s still burdensome.”

“Hahaha- You’ll get used to it someday. But you shouldn’t take all those things for granted.”

“Ha, haha… is there anyone who could take this for granted?”

With her shoulders slumped, Dan So-mi smiled weakly and shook her head side to side. A person who could take this for granted?

If there was one, she would want to meet them.

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