Chapter 578: Side Story 78

Chapter side_78

“Sigh……. Somehow, I managed to survive and live.”

Geum Jiran, who stepped out of the inn, let out a long sigh and drooped her shoulders. Since she had come all the way here from Sichuan for several months walking on eggshells, she would have been mentally shaken if not for even this brief rest.

Even though Jang Sam-tae had a tendency to drive them hard, since he gave them solid rests when it was time to rest, she could have the leeway to catch her breath during those times.

“Who knows? We might be able to run away right now……”

Jin Tae-gong glanced at Geum Jiran.

Only Jang Sam-tae was in the inn, and the others were nowhere to be seen. A tiny hope of whether they could escape right now welled up.

But Geum Jiran shook her head.

Run away?

Evading the eyes of the Demonic Emperor and the Sword Emperor?

No matter how little Geum Jiran knew about the Murim, she knew very well that it was impossible. Perhaps Jin Tae-gong shared the same thoughts, but he couldn’t seem to abandon a faint hope.

But in the end, if they did not let them go, it was meaningless.

And furthermore, Geum Jiran glared at Jin Tae-gong with a sharp look.

“For you…… isn’t it enough just to have Namgung So-hye?”

“Hahaha! Of course, So-hye Sojeo is like a celestial maiden, but even so, I cannot abandon the Divine Maiden, can I?”

Jin Tae-gong burst into a short laugh.

But considering his actions so far, one had to doubt whether his words were indeed true. Hadn’t Geum Jiran always been pushed to the background while he chased after Namgung So-hye’s coattails?

Perhaps because of Geum Jiran’s gaze, which was colder than the biting winter wind, Jin Tae-gong couldn’t meet her eyes and turned his head awkwardly.

At that sight, Geum Jiran let out a small sigh.

“By the way, it is strange that there is no movement from the cult.”

“Indeed……. They should surely be trying to find the Divine Maiden.”

Geum Jiran was an existence in an absolute position that split the Heaven and Earth Cult in half. Although the Cult Leader’s faction was larger and stronger, the difference was not so vast that she could be ignored.

Such a Divine Maiden had been attacked by the Tang Family and went missing, but strangely, there was no movement from the cult. It was as silent as if nothing had happened at all.

Geum Jiran could not understand that part.

“Perhaps……”

“Is there something you suspect?”

“What if the Tang Family’s attack…… was the Cult Leader’s doing?”

“……?!”

Pondering deeply, Geum Jiran opened her eyes wide. Why had she not thought of this until now? No matter how outstanding the Sichuan Tang Family was, it would be difficult to easily pinpoint the location of the branch.

It was because they had hidden themselves more perfectly than anywhere else due to the nature of the Sichuan region.

However, right after she entered, the Tang Family’s attack followed as if they had been waiting, and the subsequent chase was so persistent it made her sick.

If the target had been the Divine Maiden from the beginning, the situation made sense.

“This…… damn bastard……!”

Geum Jiran ground her teeth, recalling Yuk Cheol-wan’s face. She had thought such a thing would happen someday, and that was why she had tried to expand her influence to oppose it.

But to stab her in the back so suddenly?

She knew he was a bastard from the start, but she hadn’t thought he would hit such a rock bottom.

“If…… the Divine Maiden’s thoughts are correct……. Isn’t this a serious matter!?”

“A serious matter? It just means a situation where we have to die.”

Geum Jiran forced a smile.

The Cult Leader must be absorbing all of her influence right now. In this situation, if the fact that they were alive were revealed, it was obvious that something far from funny would unfold.

There was also a possibility that the Cult Leader’s assassination squad would move.

Thus, if they wanted to live, they should hide as much as possible……?

“Hmm?”

“Why…… what is the matter?”

“Wait, if we stay with them like this, don’t we not need to hide and run around?”

“Come to think of it……”

Geum Jiran chuckled despite herself.

Although the Heaven and Earth Cult’s power was strong, it was not as much as the Demonic Cult. And since the martial arts skills of the Four Heavenly Kings or the elders could not compare to the Five Emperors, there was no place safer than this.

Although she didn’t like having to do work like a slave, after all, wasn’t surviving and not dying the most important thing?

“Haha! This misfortune has turned into a blessing!”

“Indeed it has, hoho.”

Geum Jiran and Jin Tae-gong burst into pleasant laughter.

At first, they were only full of thoughts of escaping, but now, staying put as long as possible and using their power to prolong their lives was the best option.

No matter how hard it was, isn’t the most important thing for a person to be able to sleep with legs stretched out without worrying about death? That was why there could be no better hiding place.

“You seem to be…… in a very good mood, Divine Maiden. Hoho.”

Just then, a chilling voice was heard from behind.

The laughter of the two stopped abruptly, and both broke into a cold sweat and swallowed a small groan.

Soon, turning around slowly to look in the direction of the voice, sure enough, a figure appeared who was more than familiar and whom they never wanted to encounter.

“Elder…… Hyeong……”

“Hohoho. It has been a long time.”

Hyeong Un-gak began to approach slowly with a deep smile.

* * *

“Oh dear, you all arrive so late.”

Jang Sam-tae, who was drinking alone on the first floor of the inn, looked with bleary eyes at the people who were finally entering and gave a hollow laugh.

The three or four wine bottles rolling around Jang Sam-tae made it clear that he had drunk a fair amount.

Dan Woo-hyun shook his head as he looked at him.

“Did you drink here instead of going out all dressed up?”

“Haha…… hahah! Go out? Where would I go? For this Jang Sam-tae! There is only Mae-hyang!”

Instantly, Namgung Cheon and Sa Do-hak showed dumbfounded expressions. It was obvious to anyone that he had dressed up to go out. Since he wore clothes completely different from usual and had even oiled his hair, he had likely intended to go somewhere nice.

But the reason he couldn’t go was probably.

“It seems he was caught off guard.”

“Hohoho. Mae-hyang, because that girl is exceptionally clever.”

They could tell without even needing to hear the story.

Seeing that a fellow who loved to go out and play sat alone drinking even when he was finally by himself for the first time in a while, Mae-hyang had surely prepared a trump card to block his movements.

“It seems she is standing right on top of your head.”

“Hahaha! Have a cup, Master! Since it is a drink poured by me dressed up like this, you must accept it!”

Since he had guzzled alcohol without using internal energy to disperse the drunkenness, it was natural that his eyes were spinning. Jang Sam-tae wiped the cup he drank from clean with his sleeve, and then filled the cup to the brim.

In an instant, Dan Woo-hyun’s expression darkened.

He seemed to ponder for a moment whether to drink or not, but then, receiving the gazes of the two old men, he let out a small sigh.

“Fine.”

“Kyah! This is indeed our Master! Isn’t he the greatest man of all time? Even though he has lived for a thousand years, unlike those two bony old men, his physique is perfectly fine!”

Instantly, Dan Woo-hyun, who accepted the cup and was putting it to his lips, froze.

In addition, the two old men watching from the side stared at Jang Sam-tae with dumbfounded expressions, but because he was already dead drunk, he didn’t seem to realize anything.

“Damn it! I cannot even go out to drink alcohol as I please, seriously!”

“Ho…… hoho, this fellow has truly gone mad.”

“Hey! Elder…… hic! This Jang Sam-tae is perfectly fine! I drank a little, but I am perfectly fine, I say!”

Jang Sam-tae was confident.

He admitted to drinking a lot, but he hadn’t lost his mind. He remembered exactly who was in front of him, so how was that drunk?

It was nothing more than his surroundings spinning a bit.

“By the way, where did those two go?”

Just then, Dan Woo-hyun looked around, searching for Jin Tae-gong and Geum Jiran. Since the three of them had clearly gone together, he thought they would be together, but it seemed he had drunk alone until he was dead drunk.

“Hic! I…… I gave them some money and told them to go out for a bit. Hehehe, if they suffer from hard labor every single day, hic! They should at least be given some time to rest. Isn’t that right, Master?”

“……Is that so?”

“Yes! That is right! So please give this Jang Sam-tae some rest time too! Why are you always so eager to chew me up?”

The drunk Jang Sam-tae still didn’t seem to know at all who he was standing in front of or what he was blurting out. As if everything that came out of his mouth was just words, it poured out directly without passing through his brain.

The ones flustered by that situation were rather Dan Woo-hyun and the two old men.

Although they had thought he had a lot bottled up, they hadn’t expected him to spit out his words so intensely.

“Then…… those two might have run away.”

“Eh? Th-those guys ran…… away?”

“Yes, they are not seen.”

At that, Dan Woo-hyun chuckled and looked at Jang Sam-tae. The fact that they hadn’t returned by the time wine bottles were rolling around like this meant they had likely already fled.

Since a significant amount of time had passed.

“Hic……!”

And the moment he heard those words, Jang Sam-tae froze as if time had stopped. He just stared blankly at Dan Woo-hyun’s face, and then widened his eyes.

Run away……?

“Th-they ran away!?”

Shaaaa-

Instantly, white steam began to rise from Jang Sam-tae’s face. This was a common occurrence for those who quickly dispersed their drunkenness using internal energy.

Jang Sam-tae, whose consciousness was gradually returning, stared straight at Dan Woo-hyun, and then slowly rolled his eyes to meet those of the two old men beside him.

“Heek?!”

“Hoho……. Are you finally snapping out of it?”

“Seeing you drink so much alone, you must really like alcohol. Now, sit here. I will let you drink to your heart’s content.”

Sa Do-hak and Namgung Cheon grabbed the springing Jang Sam-tae and forced him down. Soon, they called the innkeeper and had him bring a whole large jar of alcohol.

Before long, the large jar of alcohol appeared, and Sa Do-hak, who discarded the tiny cups, scooped up the alcohol with a ladle into a large bowl.

“You cannot go anywhere until you drink all of it.”

“E-elders, p-please wait. No, my subordinates have r-run…….”

“Hohoho. Right now, alcohol is more important than that. Come, take a long draft. If even a single drop remains, your fingers will turn to dust.”

“Hic?!”

“Isn’t it great that these two bones are keeping you company for drinks?”

Sa Do-hak, wrapping his arm around Jang Sam-tae’s shoulder, applied pressure.

He seemed to imply that no matter what, he could not stand up until he finished the alcohol. Surely, that included going to relieve himself.

Jang Sam-tae looked at Dan Woo-hyun with a pale face.

Despite his desperate gaze pleading for rescue, Dan Woo-hyun calmly turned his eyes away and sighed.

“Drink, drink! Take a long draft this time too.”

“Ack? S-spare……?!”

The voice of the suffering Jang Sam-tae did not even enter their ears.

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