Chapter 97: Chapter 97

“…….”

“…….”

The two looked at each other, but neither opened their mouth first.

Dan Woo-hyun’s gaze as he stared intently was so cold and expressionless that it was driving Sa Do-hak, who was receiving the gaze, crazy.

However, a sinner is supposed to remain silent.

One way or another, he had destroyed Dan Woo-hyun’s manor.

Moreover, since he had failed to defeat Dan Woo-hyun in the process, Sa Do-hak had fallen into the abyss without even being able to properly protect his own dignity.

“Cough! Say something. What are you doing, leaving someone standing here for fifteen minutes?”

In the end, it was Sa Do-hak who raised his hands.

Such silence did not suit him.

For someone of his usually jovial and active personality, this silence was extremely embarrassing. Steeling his resolve that he would be fine with hearing any words, he looked straight at Dan Woo-hyun.

“It is fortunate that you are intact. I thought you would be bedridden for several months.”

These words were sincere.

Dan Woo-hyun had poured out his attacks with that intention.

Treating it as a punishment for destroying the manor, he had inflicted wounds severe enough that the man would not even be able to walk properly for several months.

However, he had opened his eyes and stood up in just a few days.

This was completely unexpected even for Dan Woo-hyun. He stroked his chin as he felt intrigued.

“Hmph, do not look down on my demonic art. The greatness of the Heavenly Demonic Divine Art is not merely to this extent.”

“It must be so. Since there would be no such bizarre art in this Central Plains.”

“Bi… Bizarre art?!”

Sa Do-hak trembled all over.

No one in this Central Plains could treat the Heavenly Demonic Divine Art as a bizarre art.

Only those who reached the peak of the Demonic Cult could learn it, and among the successive leaders, those who achieved great mastery were so few they could be counted on one’s fingers.

And one of them was Sa Do-hak.

It was such a difficult martial art and a great martial technique, yet he was angry that it was treated as a bizarre art.

Sa Do-hak glared at Dan Woo-hyun with a completely flushed face.

He looked as if he might start another fight at any moment.

But he soon calmed his anger.

Looking at Dan Woo-hyun’s eyes, it did not seem like he was mocking.

It was as if he uttered those words while thinking of and longing for something.

That feeling was somehow faint for some reason.

“Well, whatever. More than that, who are you? Where did a heaven beyond heaven like you suddenly appear from?”

“Where did I appear from, you say… I existed in the past and I exist in the present, so those words are a misnomer.”

“Are you trying to speak in Zen riddles?”

At the words that popped out of nowhere, Sa Do-hak clicked his tongue and glared. An young fellow was talking quite incomprehensibly to an elder.

Come to think of it, Sa Do-hak realized that this person had been speaking informally to him, who was older, all along.

However, the strange thing was that even though he recognized this, he did not feel that bad.

Sa Do-hak’s pride was high enough to pierce the sky.

It felt like a truly strange sensation.

At that moment, Dan Woo-hyun looked at the dagger placed beside Sa Do-hak.

“It is a good blade.”

“It is a dagger passed down to the leader from generation to generation. Naturally, it cannot help but be good.”

In that single sentence, there was full of pride for the Demonic Cult.

Even if one searched the orthodox sects, the unorthodox path, or the entire outer regions, there were only two places that had been maintained for over a thousand years.

One was the Demonic Cult, and the other was Shaolin.

However, in the case of Shaolin, the one who established and led its system was a monk named Dharma, but he did not make it into the Three Heavens. On the other hand, Cheon Mu-gwang, who led and commanded the Demonic Cult and established its system, was listed in the Three Heavens and is still respected by the people of the Central Plains.

The influence was quite significant.

“This dagger is…”

“It must belong to Cheon Mu-gwang.”

“…You know it well.”

Sa Do-hak was slightly surprised.

It was a sword that looked quite worn on the outside. It was not beautiful and had a crude appearance. If a black dragon had not been engraved on the hilt and scabbard, it might have fetched a lower price than a cheap sword sold nearby.

It lacked character to that extent.

However, Dan Woo-hyun recognized the value of this dagger at once.

Sa Do-hak was extremely surprised by that point.

He tilted his head in wonder and looked at Dan Woo-hyun, but he stood up from his seat without answering. He turned his back as if he had no lingering attachments without saying anything.

“That is enough now. Recover your body, as there is much work to do. If possible, I would like you to shave off all of that beard too.”

“…….”

Sa Do-hak quietly watched Dan Woo-hyun as he turned his back and left the room. He looked somewhat happy, and also bitter.

Sa Do-hak frowned slightly at that incomprehensible emotion.

“It is certain that he is incredibly strong…”

He was an opponent of a completely different level from simple strength. Feeling that was due to the memory of when the Heavenly Demonic Descending Step was broken.

He had performed it by exhaling all of his internal energy, and it was a move he believed could definitely kill the opponent even if they were one of the Five Emperors.

However, at the same time as the wind attack gathered in that fellow’s hand, it was miserably broken.

‘What on earth was that martial art?’

Sa Do-hak swallowed a groan and retraced the memory of that time several times. But no matter what memory he pulled out, he had never heard of the existence of such a martial art.

It was a martial art whose attribute could not even be identified as orthodox, unorthodox, or demonic.

“You look fine now.”

At that moment, the door opened quietly and a familiar person walked in.

It was the old man who had lost one arm, the Sword Emperor Namgung Cheon.

He laughed heartily with his white hair fluttering.

“Were you alive?”

“My, isn’t it natural that my life span is longer than yours? More than that, how was it?”

Sa Do-hak instantly saw through what Namgung Cheon’s question was. He was definitely referring to Dan Woo-hyun.

Sa Do-hak only gave an awkward smile. It was because there was no particular answer to give. Regarding Dan Woo-hyun, only the vague thought of ‘he is strong’ came to mind.

If asked, ‘Could you reach him?’, he had to fall silent again.

“Tsk, tsk, it seems it was to the extent that you cannot even speak.”

“It was not a matter of surpassing or not surpassing. I could see nothing from that man. Since he was already out of my sight, I could not even see his walking figure.”

“Hahaha, was it to that extent?”

He did not like it, but it was the truth.

Sa Do-hak felt it once again upon meeting Dan Woo-hyun just now.

Nothing could be seen.

When meeting a martial artist, one could usually measure their realm, and see how far ahead or behind they were.

However, he could not even tell whether Dan Woo-hyun was in front of him or behind him, or whether this man was running or walking.

Even looking up at the sky, he could not see him, so measurement was impossible.

“Where on earth did such a monster pop out from?”

“Well… I know one thing for sure.”

Sa Do-hak snapped his head around and looked at Namgung Cheon.

He could see him wearing a sly smile. As if he were teasing Sa Do-hak.

Sa Do-hak asked back with a slightly annoyed expression.

“If you know something, tell me.”

“He…”

“He?”

Namgung Cheon’s mouth opened and a single word leaked out. Then, after pausing for a moment, he looked up at the ceiling. A long sigh was heard, and his head turned back toward Sa Do-hak.

His gaze was extremely sorrowful.

It was an expression of looking at a pitiful person.

“……He.”

“What! Speak up, you rotten old man!”

“Cough! Hold on a moment. The impact is greater if I build up a little suspense.”

Looking at Namgung Cheon’s expression, he was clearly in a teasing tone.

Sa Do-hak, who felt a surge of annoyance for no reason, waved his hand and lay down on the bed, turning his back. Although he was curious deep down, it contained his resolve not to play along with Namgung Cheon’s games anymore.

“No need, no need. Even so, there’s no way he is the descendant of the Martial God…”

“…….”

‘Huh?’

No answer came.

He thought he would hear an absurd laugh or some other words. But because the back was too quiet, an anxious feeling arose.

Sa Do-hak slowly turned around and looked at Namgung Cheon.

“…….”

“…….”

He saw him turn his head without saying anything.

The lack of words saying whether it was true or not was even more suspicious.

Gulp.

Sa Do-hak swallowed his saliva.

The figure of the Martial God was a legendary existence to all martial artists.

No way, no way…

“Y-You are lying, right?”

Namgung Cheon shook his head.

Sa Do-hak, who realized everything from that gesture, turned pale and suddenly got up from the bed, hurriedly grabbing Namgung Cheon’s shoulders.

His hands trembled violently.

“No way…!”

“Sometimes, things that make no sense do happen.”

“……!”

That was enough.

With that single sentence, Sa Do-hak realized it.

Namgung Cheon’s eyes held the truth. His behavior was by no means intended to tease Sa Do-hak.

Sa Do-hak felt the trembling sensation, starting from his shoulders, transmit to his entire body.

His lips twitched and he felt a thrill throughout his body.

“Ha… Haha!”

A short laugh.

A laugh uttered while accepting a reality that made no sense.

That laugh began to grow louder little by little.

“Puhahaha! Yes! Indeed! It must be so! Of course!”

Sa Do-hak’s laughter did not stop.

“I see all kinds of crazy old men.”

At the sound of laughter coming from inside, Jang Sam-tae spat and frowned. Jang Sam-tae displeased Sa Do-hak in every matter.

“That’s that, but what do we do about the manor?”

Jang Sam-tae asked toward Dan Woo-hyun.

“We must build it again.”

“Yes?”

“Did you not hear? I said we build it again.”

At those words, Jang Sam-tae and Gwon Mu-jin quietly looked at each other. After thinking for a long time with a pause, they smiled awkwardly.

“Who will do it?”

“You guys.”

Jang Sam-tae and Gwon Mu-jin turned pale and could not answer.

It was that shocking of a statement.

The two recalled the time they farmed last time.

After that, they recalled the time when he said he would build a boat.

Recalling the past events one by one in their minds, they let out a long sigh.

‘A house is several times harder than that!’

‘The Lord has truly gone mad.’

A house is not something that can be built quickly just because one wants to make it. One has to think about and arrange this and that, and if they made a mistake and missed even one wooden frame, they might face a disaster while sleeping.

Yet he was telling them to do that?

“……Well, aren’t there people who build houses?”

“It takes long. Furthermore, where would we get that money?”

“…….”

Gwon Mu-jin could not open his mouth, like a mute who ate honey.

Of course it takes long since it is building a house!

Does it make sense to build a house in a day or two?

Furthermore, listening to the story now, it seemed Dan Woo-hyun intended to work them ruthlessly. That must be why he said it would take long if they hired workers.

Just thinking about it made him dizzy.

“We will start from tomorrow, so keep that in mind.”

“A… As expected, are we the ones doing it?”

“Why do you ask something so obvious?”

Dan Woo-hyun smirked as he looked at the two people who had turned pale. He had an expression that seemed to know what those two were thinking.

But he was just joyful.

Whenever starting something new, there is always that much joy accompanying it.

Now, let’s start anew.

A blueprint of a new manor was drawn in his mind.

“It might be harder than I thought.”

At that single sentence, the two slumped down.

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