Chapter 553: Side Story 53

Chapter side_53

“So that’s what happened….”

“Why? Did something go wrong?”

Looking at Mae-hyang’s crooked expression, Zhuge Un broke out in a cold sweat. He knew she was a strong-willed woman usually, but actually being on the receiving end made an unreasonable anger well up in him.

Even though his martial arts or status in the Central Plains were unmatched.

“N-No, thanks to that, that guy Sam-tae suffered a bit being misunderstood and framed as the guy called Demonic Star.”

“Ah-! That’s wonderful!”

Instantly, Mae-hyang clapped her two hands and smiled brightly.

As if there was no moment happier than this, Zhuge Un backed away hesitantly while breaking out in a cold sweat.

It was almost admirable that Jang Sam-tae lived with a wife like this.

“A-Anyway, I know what happened. I was wondering why the Patriarch made an appearance in the Central Plains.”

“What appearance in the Central Plains…. He just went on a sightseeing trip. And things peculiar to that person just happened to burst out….”

“Umm….”

Did he forget that he was the beginning of it?

Zhuge Un gradually lost his words even more.

“So what happened to the Lord? Should I not go?”

“Well…. He disappeared after beating up hundreds of Heaven and Earth cultists and Orthodox ronin at Wudang… Looking at it, he seems to have gone west.”

Gwon Mu-jin let out a sigh, haa-.

He could at least follow if the distance was short. There was a possibility they had already arrived in Sichuan or Qinghai. Even if he rode a horse without resting, it would be hard to catch up.

“But… did you catch that person called Demonic Star?”

“Elder Sa seems to have beaten him up very excitedly. I saw his appearance… it was to the point where I couldn’t bear to look with my two eyes open.”

The moment Zhuge Un saw the Heaven and Earth cultists being escorted to the Murim Alliance, he realized at once whose doing it was. The fact that the methods were cruel and showed no mercy meant that Sa Do-hak and Namgung Cheon had definitely struck.

Because if it had been Jang Sam-tae or Namgung So-hye, it would have only been a little rough and wouldn’t have been that severe.

Then what about Dan Wu-hyun?

There wouldn’t have been a single person left alive.

Just imagining the sight of hundreds of corpses spread out was appalling, and it was obvious that not a single one of them would be in an intact state.

Should he say it was a relief he didn’t see such a sight?

Zhuge Un let out a sigh of relief and soothed his mind.

By the way, where on earth did these people disappear to? Seeing as they rarely revealed themselves after hiding their appearance in Hubei, his mind was pointlessly anxious.

Thinking about where they might cause an accident next.

“Don’t worry. Whatever accident happens, they’ll take care of it themselves.”

“Ha, haha. I-I suppose so.”

However, Mae-hyang was thinking of everything as insignificant. No matter what happened, weren’t they people who would easily slip out?

Even if the entire Murim became their enemy, there was someone who wouldn’t even bat an eye.

The only concern was Jang Sam-tae, who was mixed in with those people. He would definitely roll and roll tremendously.

She felt like she knew even without looking.

A long sigh leaked from Mae-hyang’s mouth.

“Ah, right. By the way.”

At that moment, Zhuge Un fumbled in his embrace, took something out, and handed it over. Seeing how the letter was folded neatly, it seemed to be a quite important content.

Mae-hyang tilted her head, carefully unfolded the letter, and read the contents.

“…? Payment of fifty nyang of gold required?”

“P-Please deliver it… to the Patriarch.”

Instantly, Mae-hyang and Gwon Mu-jin’s complexions turned pale.

As they quickly stared at Zhuge Un, perhaps because he didn’t want to meet their gazes, he quickly turned his head and stared into the empty air.

“I-It’s the damage cost of the Fresh Immortal Guest House that the Patriarch destroyed. Definitely… I have delivered it.”

“No, take it away! I’m telling you to take it! You give it directly!”

“No, you two….”

“I’m telling you to take it!”

“Didn’t I say I don’t want to! Aren’t you people of this house!”

“Aren’t you the Chief Steward?!”

“How old of a story is that!”

No one had the desire to hand that letter over to Dan Wu-hyun. To Dan Wu-hyun, who loved money the most after Dan So-mi, the situation where he had to spend money on someone rather than earning money would be the absolute worst of the worst.

* * *

There are truly many things to see in the streets of Sichuan.

The market street is full of the smells of food unique to Sichuan, all of which give off a spicy scent that stimulates the appetite but gives the feeling that one shouldn’t rashly eat them.

Therefore, Dan So-mi didn’t easily put the foods in the market street into her mouth even while wandering around the surroundings.

“Are you not going to eat?”

“It… looks incredibly spicy.”

As if telling him she was in a situation where she wanted to eat but couldn’t, she swallowed her saliva with a troubled expression. She had eaten many foods thanks to Jang Sam-tae, but she hadn’t eaten anything spicy.

“Heoheo- Sichuan’s foods are famous for being potent. That’s why the Sichuan Tang Family is so terrible.”

“Ahaha. If it’s the Sichuan Tang Family… that?”

“Yes, right. It’s the most prominent family in this Sichuan.”

Sa Do-hak, who was next to her, took a bite of a spicy chicken skewer and frowned. In his youth, how many times had he suffered troubled times due to the Tang Family’s poison?

Because of that, to avoid suffering anymore, he ingested all kinds of poisons and raised his immunity, eventually acquiring a body close to the state of being completely immune to all poisons.

Thus, he now thought nothing of the likes of the Sichuan Tang Family, but he still couldn’t get used to this damn Sichuan food.

It felt like flames were soaring from his mouth.

“You’re weak.”

“What is a guy who isn’t even eating anything saying? At least eat some before you speak.”

Sa Do-hak handed a bright red chicken skewer to Dan Wu-hyun. Just looking at it, the spicy scent that seemed like it would melt the tongue stung the tip of the nose painfully.

“I don’t want to eat.”

However, Dan Wu-hyun shook his head and turned his gaze.

Frowning as if he didn’t even want to look at it, he didn’t seem to like Sichuan food very much. Unlike Jang Sam-tae who ate it nonchalantly, or Sa Do-hak who ate while sweating cold bullets despite knowing it was spicy.

At that moment, looking at them only talking about eating, Namgung So-hye let out a small sigh. Wasn’t a place to rest their tired bodies more important right now than eating?

“Then shall we split up here? I’ll find a guest house and get rooms. We have to bring the carriage… You’ll go together too, right?”

“What? I don’t have even a booger’s worth of desire to go with you, you know?”

“A-A booger…?”

“Then should I say maggot poop?”

Namgung So-hye trembled uncontrollably.

Even for the same meaning, there were definitely other expressions, but the words coming out of Jang Sam-tae’s mouth were all vulgar and displeasing.

She unconsciously brought her hand to her sword hilt.

Should I cut him down?

Should I kill him?

Instantly, murderous intent drifted in her eyes.

It was so sharp that Jang Sam-tae flinched and flew his body to Dan Wu-hyun’s side.

Swish-!

And instantly, a sharp sword wind blew where Jang Sam-tae had been.

“What are you doing?!”

“What do you think? I was going to kill you.”

“Such a wicked bitch!”

“What did you say!?”

The two glared at each other with sharp eyes.

Did the saying ‘itching to eat each other’ come about because of these kinds of people? Their appearances of grinding their teeth while looking at each other were truly a sight to behold.

“Be quiet. Sam-tae, go to the guest house.”

“Heoheo- Then this guy and I will go for a walk for a bit. It’s a place with many memories anyway.”

“Good! Let’s have a hearty drink, euhaha!”

Looking at Sa Do-hak laughing loudly, Namgung Cheon also hung a gentle smile on his lips. Although not as much as Qinghai, Sichuan was a place where the two had exchanged blows countless times.

Then in the evenings, they would meet secretly and have a drink.

If other Orthodox martial artists had seen that situation, they would have been surprised enough to faint. They exchanged blows to kill each other, but when evening came, they gathered around and drank alcohol, so where else could there be a more bizarre relationship?

Thus, Sichuan held more memories for them than expected.

“Then we will….”

“Look around a bit more!”

Dan So-mi grabbed Dan Wu-hyun’s hand and led him.

Although they had wandered around here and there for quite a long time, there were still quite a lot of places they hadn’t seen. Since they only had exactly one day, they planned to see and enjoy as many places as possible.

Did he understand that feeling?

Dan Wu-hyun smiled gently.

“That’s a good idea.”

“Then this time that way. Because we haven’t been there yet.”

At the sight of Dan Wu-hyun being dragged along as Dan So-mi led him, people shook their heads. Who else could lead that human along?

The saying that no parent could win against their child came across most realistically.

“Ah! The guest house is Pungryeong Guest House! You mustn’t forget!”

“Yes! I’ll remember.”

At Namgung So-hye’s words, Dan So-mi answered loudly and moved. Perhaps she was already anticipating what she would see and enjoy next, her face was full of a beaming smile.

Did she think it was a bit like a sightseeing trip now?

Dan Wu-hyun smirked.

“You must like it.”

“This… is the sightseeing trip I thought of!”

“Haha- So it wasn’t a sightseeing trip all this time.”

“No… well, it’s not like that, but…. Still, there was too much work.”

Dan So-mi, having turned her head, stared into the empty air with a sunken gaze. She definitely remembered there being a lot of big incidents in her childhood, but it felt like they passed by in an instant because she was too young.

Therefore, it was a world of difference from experiencing it after growing up.

The Central Plains sightseeing trip that Ju Ji-yak or Hong Jin-rang told her about wasn’t like this, so she also had thoughts of why it became like this.

At that moment, she saw something that caught her eye.

A woman was sitting with a street stall open, not revealing her face with a hood pulled deeply over her head. Seeing strange plaques placed on the stall as if reading fortunes, it was enough to catch the young Dan So-mi’s gaze.

Also, a large dog-like thing was sitting next to her, and the strange thing was that its color consisted of white and black. That appearance gave off a somewhat heterogeneous feeling.

Was it like a dog that failed to be made into a tiger?

But its size was truly overwhelming, so at first glance, it seemed like looking at Baek-ho.

She glanced at Dan So-mi, and perhaps thinking of her as prey, her eyes sparkled as she gave a peculiar smile.

“Hoho- Young Lady there. I can feel a truly brilliant energy from you.”

“Eh?! Is there such a thing?”

“Hoho, of course. Do you perhaps… believe in the Tao?”

“Tao?”

“Yes, people who realize the principles of all things in the world are called so. Seeing the brilliance dwelling on Young Lady’s face… your ancestors must have walked a good… path. Surely, they must have been highly praised as good people in the village too.”

The woman glanced at Dan So-mi.

The fact that she was studying her while talking seemed like she was making an effort to read people’s expressions.

“Ah… that’s right! My grandfather too, and everyone else, I heard a lot that they were incredibly good people in the village!”

Dan So-mi opened her mouth, unable to hide her surprise.

How did she know such a thing?

All the village people were dead, and now there was no one who knew.

Dan So-mi opened her eyes wide and looked at Dan Wu-hyun.

And instantly, Dan Wu-hyun let out a smirk and smiled.

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