Chapter 545: Side Story 45

Chapter side_45

Countless people were bound in arrest ropes and escorted. The number was likely a hundred even at a conservative estimate, and besides that, on carts covered with cloth, things looking like corpses were piled in full.

“What is all that?”

“Did you not hear? They say Lord Hong caught those devil fellows.”

“Ah… Devil? You mean those fellows who were running wild in full swing?”

“I tell you it is so. But the funny thing is… those fellows were the Heavenly Earth Cult fellows.”

“Th-The Heavenly Earth Cult!”

At the words heard snugly, people leaked low groans.

They were surprised at the fact that what committed numerous crimes such as numerous murders and disappearances that had broken out near Yichang until now was not a devil but humans, and they had no choice but to be shocked once again that the Heavenly Earth Cult was at the center.

“Ptui! Dog-like bastards! I thought it would be their doing long ago, myself.”

“Just how on earth can the humans of the Heavenly Earth Cult wear a human mask and commit such deeds…”

“They say the Holy Maiden of the Heavenly Earth Cult received heaven’s choice… my foot.”

Here and there, they spat saliva, frowned, and spat curses. As much as the people living in Yichang had seen and experienced many things in the meantime, they could not help but shudder at their cruelty.

“Despite this, believers are increasing, good grief… tsk tsk.”

Long ago, even when first hearing the name of the Heavenly Earth Cult, it merely did not exceed a meaningless organization. However, as time passed, it accepted immense believers and gradually expanded its influence, and currently it is in a position equivalent to the Demonic Cult.

The problem is that, unlike the Demonic Cult which is revealed on the outside, there is no one who knows where the main cult of the Heavenly Earth Cult is.

“Anyway, this time Lord Hong really did a great work!”

“As expected, he is the best, hahaha!”

Although it was surely a gloomy situation, people raised their thumbs looking at Hong Won-chang who moved riding a horse. Since he pulled off what no one could resolve for a long time, he wondered how great the yearning and awe toward him would be.

Due to this incident, the value of Hong Won-chang’s name will leap up even more.

* * *

“It’s noisy.”

Namgung So-hye smiled at the voices of people coming from outside. Since it was the glad voices of people who cast off worries, the one listening to it also had no choice but to feel good naturally.

Although Hong Won-chang did not do a single thing and Dan Woo-hyun and the two grandfathers did everything, at any rate they wiped out the Yichang branch of the Heavenly Earth Cult.

Her inside was entirely cleared.

“Why does that fellow always receive nothing but praise without doing anything? Unpleasantly.”

At that sight, Sa Do-hak clicked his tongue and frowned. Like the saying that the bear does the tricks and the human gets the money, the ones who surely resolved the work were themselves, but people’s awe and attention were on Hong Won-chang.

He did not like that at all.

“Do not care. Since Hong Won-chang must have made efforts in his own way…”

“No, it catches my attention, dude. And just how much did you receive?”

Sa Do-hak glanced at Dan Woo-hyun continuously.

He was sitting at the desk counting money, and the amount is so large as to be excessive. Banknotes worth tens of liang were piled up in heaps, and gold and silver coins fell onto the floor because there was insufficient room.

“It is a hundred and fifty liang. In addition, I received a bit more for travel expenses.”

Even if a hundred and fifty liang was the amount originally promised, for receiving a bit more added for travel expenses, the sum is considerably excessive.

There was a reason why Hong Won-chang wore a crying face leaving this place.

He seemed to have been ripped off much more than he thought.

“Gathering money like that, where do you plan to use it?”

Namgung Cheon asked, looking at Dan Woo-hyun who was counting money. The money he already possessed alone is to the extent of overflowing even if he plays and eats for his entire life.

Even more, as immense sums enter from the inn and the merchant group monthly, it would be sufficient even without ripping off and earning like this tenaciously.

Therefore, he could not know Dan Woo-hyun’s thoughts at all.

“Is it not better than not having it?”

“Well… that is so, but…”

“To feed and raise them affluently, it costs a lot of money. Having raised children yourself, do you not know such things?”

“Ggeung…….”

Namgung Cheon closed his mouth, swallowing a groan.

He too, not to mention children, had raised grandsons and granddaughters, so he knows well enough that having money is better than not having it.

Thus, a word to counter Dan Woo-hyun’s remark did not come to mind.

At that moment, the room door opened wide, and Jang Sam-tae, wearing a bright smile, stepped inside. He, who looked in a good mood since morning for some reason, began to pack the bundles of the three people while humming.

“You look in a good mood?”

“Ah, Manor Lord! Of course I am in a good mood! Is it not cracking weather!”

At Jang Sam-tae’s word, the three people glanced outside the window.

Contrary to his words, the weather was gloomy to the limit. It felt as if it wouldn’t be strange whenever rain poured down, and because even the wind blew strongly, dust was flying around thickly.

No matter where or how they looked, it did not look like good weather.

“…Was the work you went for yesterday resolved well?”

“The work… I went for?”

For a moment, Jang Sam-tae tilted his head, as if nothing came to mind. As he wore an expression of ‘was there something?’, Sa Do-hak gripped his glabella.

“You fool! You said you were going to catch the Demon Star or whatever!”

“…Ah- Ahhhh! I forgot!”

Only then did Jang Sam-tae shout and jump up and down as if he recalled it.

Because he met unlucky fellows last night, he forgot the other thing cleanly. Even though it was not a road he set out on to beat up such fellows.

“Ah- damn it! Blast it! Just what did I do?”

“Hoho, yes, just what have you been doing running around?”

“No, well… when I went out, some strange fellows attacked…”

“Strange fellows?”

At Dan Woo-hyun’s question, Jang Sam-tae nodded his head.

He still does not know their names and cannot know who they are. However, it is certain he received an attack, and thanks to that, an opportunity to clear out the things piled up inside arose.

Thus, he vented that resentment on those fellows.

It was also the reason why he was in a good mood since morning.

“You know, that? Those who they say attacked when I was guarding the carriage alone last time…”

“Ah… Those you beat to a pulp?”

“Yes, yes, correct. Those fellows swarmed in droves… so we fought very fiercely. Hehehe.”

Jang Sam-tae moved like this, swinging his fists and kicking to reproduce the situation at that time. Since he fought and won against not one or two but as many as twenty fellows, it was natural that he would have pride.

“Those fellows are also truly pitiful ones. Of all things, getting beaten up by you… tsk tsk.”

“No, what did I do?!”

“Because I wonder how it feels to get beaten up by a servant.”

“How would that fellow know I am a servant.”

Jang Sam-tae frowned.

Servant, servant, he is sick of it.

Of course, he knows about as much as that they do not really think of him as a servant, but the bad-tempered old man’s cranky tone is bound to be grating on the nerves.

But soon he wore a smile again.

“That aside, I hear you caught all of that Heavenly Earth Cult or whatever? So what happened? Was that fellow there?”

“That… fellow?”

“Ah, the Demon Star! Since I couldn’t catch him, you old geezer must have caught him, right?! I hear you wiped out the Heavenly Earth Cult!”

Letting out a ‘Humm-’, Sa Do-hak turned back to Namgung Cheon.

But Namgung Cheon turned his head, deliberately pretending not to know.

Although it was true that they caught and beat the Yichang branch of the Heavenly Earth Cult, how would they know whether the Demon Star was there or not? They did not move while thinking of such things.

“There was indeed a fellow like a leader… but I didn’t know whether he was the Demon Star.”

“No, then did you just hand him over without even knowing who he was?”

“Look at this insolent fellow? Even so, do we have to check one by one?”

“Should you not resolve my grievance!”

“Did you not say you would resolve it yourself?”

At Sa Do-hak’s words, Jang Sam-tae frowned.

He did try to resolve it himself.

But what could he do about forgetting it because things got tangled up due to meeting a strange fellow. Of course, even if he had not met those fellows, he did not see that there was a possibility he would have found the Demon Star.

In the first place, he only knows the alias and does not even know the face.

He could not be caught easily.

“Ah, blast it! Where on earth must I catch this bastard, anyway!”

“Hoho- won’t he be in a place not far away? Do not be too hasty.”

“No, another fellow who uses his moniker appeared, and how can he not show his nose at all. Does he not even have pride?”

Namgung Cheon and Sa Do-hak nodded their heads.

If someone went around selling their moniker, would they stay still? No. They were two people who had confidence to chase right away and beat him to a pulp.

Thus, only this time, they agreed with Jang Sam-tae’s opinion.

They also wished to see the skill of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Heavenly Earth Cult.

At that moment, Dan Woo-hyun’s smirk of laughter was heard.

“You think of useless things. Just pack the bags. Wudang is right before our nose.”

“Useless thoughts… the Manor Lord says so because he doesn’t know how uncomfortable this is.”

Jang Sam-tae let out a sigh of ‘Haa-’.

Thinking of wearing the bamboo hat and driving the carriage once again, his front path was already bleak. It was not comfortable in the least, and his thought of throwing it off was earnest, but he could not even do so because of people’s eyes.

Do you know how annoying it is?

This is all because of that Demon Star fellow.

It was a desire to find him by any means and resolve his grievance.

“Then rather than that fellow called the Demon Star, is it not faster to catch the two fellows who shouted villain at you?”

“Yes?”

“Huh?”

“Ah…”

In an instant, the three people wore blank expressions as if they realized something, then looked at each other. Turning their heads while clearing their throats, whether it was awkward, this situation was quite uncomfortable.

“O-Of course I knew. Cough!”

“Hohoho- that goes without saying. Where would there be a human who doesn’t know that?”

Sa Do-hak and Namgung Cheon sweated cold sweat tricklingly.

Excluding Dan Woo-hyun, they were those who had the most age and rich experience to that extent, so they could not say they failed to think of such things.

“I… really did not know…”

Jang Sam-tae looked at the three people alternately with an expression unable to hide surprise. Whether it was Dan Woo-hyun who recalled what he himself had not thought of at all, or the two old geezers who were grasping it.

It was the same that they looked great.

“But… would they not have been crushed to death in that inn?”

“Ah, if it is that person, they are alive.”

At that moment, the door opened with a creak, and Dan So-mi and Namgung So-hye came inside. Both of them carrying bundles looked as if they had finished preparing to depart.

But to Jang Sam-tae, other things took priority over the bundles.

“A-Alive?!”

“Yes, I saw them once or twice. Currently… I do not know well, but…”

Dan So-mi looked at the ground, deliberately avoiding her gaze.

Although she thought he would probably be alive… she could not guarantee whether he would be intact.

Because when she saw him last, he was surely in a bad state.

“Did… Did you see him? That human?”

“Yes, following us tenaciously… what did he say? That I am being deceived by a villain… that he would save me, he was such a person.”

Dan So-mi spoke indifferently and shined an awkward smile. Thinking of that time, it was to the extent of getting goosebumps, but since it was already a past work, she suppressed it tightly and barely opened her mouth.

However, in an instant, Dan Woo-hyun’s expression distorted.

“I see… he was alive.”

Whether something was not to his liking, Dan Woo-hyun muttered in a small voice, and excluding Jang Sam-tae who did not hear it, everyone sweated cold sweat.

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