Chapter 99: Chapter 99

Sado-hak stroked his chin.

It felt somewhat awkward now that the rough sensation he usually felt was gone. His appearance reflected in the bronze mirror was extremely unfamiliar, and even he could not adapt to it, as if he were looking at another person.

“My word… how did I end up…”

Already, three months of time had passed since he entered this Hunan. Before he knew it, the year had passed and the depths of winter had truly arrived.

During those three months, under the pretext of building a manor, he cut trees, trimmed them, erected the framework, and drove nails.

The great Sado-hak, and the great Namgung Cheon!

If anyone had heard of it, they would have snorted, calling it nonsense.

But in the end, they did it.

Swallowing his pride, he followed Dan Woo-hyun’s words, and finally succeeded in building a manor that resembled a palace, which was just absurd. That was precisely what happened a few days ago.

Creeeak…

Sado-hak opened the door of his room and went outside.

He saw a hallway so large that one would not think it belonged to a manor. Moving along it a little, he saw another door leading outside.

The moment he flung it open, the scenery of the manor was revealed.

“…”

Looking at that sight, Sado-hak felt very proud.

To think he had actually built something like this with his own hands.

And it was also quite fascinating that he was staying in such a place.

Although his residence within the Heavenly Mountain Heavenly Demon Cult was no less luxurious and grand than this place, it gave a different feeling.

The manor had become several times wider.

The wall they had built was also considerably high. Even an adult man could not see the scenery inside from the outside.

Furthermore, right in the center, the main building, which looked just like a palace, stood grandly. That was precisely where Dan Woo-hyun and Dan So-mi resided.

On both sides of it, there were two detached buildings. The one on the left was named Cheongun Pavilion. Namgung Cheon had even written the nameplate himself and hung it up.

Since it was the place where he was staying, it seemed he wanted to give it such a name.

The other one, namely the place where Sado-hak was staying, was named Macheon Pavilion. And Sado-hak himself had written that nameplate and hung it up.

The two of them seemed to be competing.

“He said it didn’t matter where we stayed… but this is a bit…”

Sado-hak scratched his head.

Thinking about it, he had done something absurd. Building such a grand manor was nonsensical enough, but to name them Cheongun Pavilion and Macheon Pavilion and stay there, as if they had formed some kind of organization.

Although it was something done without much thought, if others saw it, they would not think of it as a normal manor.

‘That fox-like old man… he probably aimed for that…’

They had even hung a nameplate right on the main gate.

Now, everyone who passed by this place would know.

That there was a grand clan in this land of Yueyang in Hunan.

Also, through this, the people of the Murim would realize.

That the hidden master they assumed was hiding in Yueyang lived right there, and had even established a grand clan.

‘Whatever happens, happens…’

Sado-hak scratched his head.

Anyway, it had nothing to do with him.

Sado-hak had to return to the Heavenly Demon Cult soon. Since he had been away for a considerably long time and had not even made contact, it was about time that a lot of talk would start to emerge both inside and outside.

“Argh?!”

At the sound that reached his ears, Sado-hak’s gaze turned.

He saw Jang Sam-tae, who was preparing breakfast. A somewhat surprised look filled his face, and then he stealthily backed away, took a stance, and shouted loudly.

“You scoundrel! Where do you think this is, sneaking in here!”

“What are you talking about?”

At Jang Sam-tae’s unexpected attitude, Sado-hak could not help but feel puzzled and tilted his head. However, Jang Sam-tae did not back down easily, and instead raised his energy and took a starting stance.

That appearance was very baffling to Sado-hak, but Jang Sam-tae began to shout even louder.

“This thief dares to!”

“Thief? Do I look like a thief to you?”

“I don’t recall receiving any guest, so you’re a thief!”

Sado-hak frowned with an absurd expression.

It did not seem like Jang Sam-tae was joking. Furthermore, his energy swelled even more.

Even though it was a force weaker than a passing ant, Sado-hak felt irritated by the way the fellow raised his energy with an attitude of wanting to have a go in front of him, the great Sado-hak.

“Stop joking around.”

“This bastard!”

Jang Sam-tae rushed forward. He approached while displaying his lightness art to the best of his ability.

It was quite fast. Even Sado-hak, who could be counted among the best in the Central Plains when it came to lightness art, stared wide-eyed.

Well, since everyone in this manor was extraordinary, it was not strange for even a servant to possess at least one specialty.

Sado-hak smirked and punched out.

Crack!

“Aigoo!”

Jang Sam-tae, who had suddenly revealed himself, rolled on the ground. Holding his struck right cheek in his hands, he screamed like crazy.

Although Sado-hak thought he had punched lightly, it was not a level that a low-rate martial artist like Jang Sam-tae could endure.

At that shriek, Sado-hak muttered.

“Quiet down. You’re going to burst my eardrums.”

Frowning, Sado-hak sighed.

He could not understand Jang Sam-tae’s behavior.

“What on earth is going on!”

Just then, a voice was heard again.

From far away, a familiar old man approached. In addition, even Gwon Mu-jin, startled by Jang Sam-tae’s scream, approached quickly using lightness art.

He saw Gwon Mu-jin and Namgung Cheon flinch in surprise.

Sado-hak frowned.

“Y-You…”

“I didn’t hit him because I wanted to. This fellow attacked me out of nowhere.”

Sado-hak claimed innocence for now.

Although he did not feel any guilt about using his hand, there was one person in this manor whom even Sado-hak and Namgung Cheon feared.

“Is… is that really you, Sado-hak?”

“Then who else would I be but myself? Why are you playing tricks on a person since morning?”

At Namgung Cheon’s trembling words, Sado-hak felt displeased. When he brushed off his hands and frowned with an annoyed expression, Namgung Cheon, who had been trembling, burst into a loud laugh.

“Hahahaha! Y-You, what… what is wrong with your face?”

“What are you finding fault with my face for?”

Sado-hak clicked his tongue.

Only now did he realize the reason why Jang Sam-tae had acted that way.

Until now, they had only seen him with a shaggy beard. Not only Namgung Cheon, but everyone in this manor.

But since he had suddenly shaved off all his beard like a eunuch, they naturally could not adapt. In a sense, he could have looked like a stranger.

Sado-hak pinched the bridge of his nose, which was throbbing.

“Hahaha! Without that beard, you look quite manly! Why didn’t you go around like that sooner?”

“Shut up, old man! That beard was my pride!”

Sado-hak stomped his feet, unable to contain his anger.

The other day, right after So-mi cut his beard, he did not like it whenever he looked in the mirror. He thought it would be fine if the beard grew back naturally, but the more the beard grew, the stranger it became.

‘If not for what happened yesterday…’

Sado-hak let out a long sigh as he recalled yesterday.

He had gone to the market with So-mi. However, the people around were frightened by his appearance and did not want to come near. When he approached a street stall to buy something for So-mi, the merchants ran away in a hurry, and children who looked at his face burst into tears.

In that series of scenes, the face of So-mi, who was smiling awkwardly, would not leave his mind.

That was why he shaved it off. The beard that was no different from his symbol for decades.

“You have a decent face.”

“Wow, Grandpa Sa is cooler like that.”

Before they knew it, Dan Woo-hyun and So-mi had approached. Unlike Dan Woo-hyun, who was twitching his lips and laughing as if finding it very amusing, So-mi clapped her hands with her eyes genuinely sparkling.

She approached energetically with her two small legs, stopped in front of him, and looked up. It looked as if she was trying to deeply engrave Sado-hak’s clean-shaven face in her mind.

“C-Cough! Is… is that so? Is this better?”

“Yes! The beard was fine, but So-mi likes your current look more. Right?”

So-mi turned around and looked at them. She made eye contact with each person and smiled brightly. That innocent face and expression brought an indescribable sense of peace.

Namgung Cheon, who wanted to laugh, only nodded and turned his gaze away, while Gwon Mu-jin agreed reluctantly.

“Aw, damn it! I got hit for nothing! If you had just spoken properly from the start, I wouldn’t have attacked!”

“You rascal! You rushed at me, did I rush at you?”

“Aw, man! It hurts like hell! Pay for my treatment, treatment! Hitting a person with all your might!”

Sado-hak swallowed a dry laugh, going ‘ha’.

Putting aside things like treatment fees, this human really did not seem to know that he would no longer be a living person if he had truly delivered a proper blow.

He had felt it before, but the fellow really had great guts.

Sado-hak smiled while thinking that.

“Hey, Lord of the Manor. Do you mind leaving this fellow to me?”

“Hmm?”

“No matter how I look at him, his mental state is completely ruined. I’ll reform him from head to toe, so how about leaving him to me?”

“W-What are you talking about? What… what’s wrong with me…”

Jang Sam-tae shrank back.

He already knew very well who the person in front of him was. Even so, the reason he could shout like this was because he knew everyone in this manor had to watch Dan Woo-hyun’s reactions, and even Sado-hak or Namgung Cheon were no exception to that.

In the end, he had shouted loudly relying on Dan Woo-hyun, but if things went according to Sado-hak’s words, Jang Sam-tae would no longer be a living person.

His face turned pale.

‘That’s not it, right? Please don’t do that!’

Jang Sam-tae looked up at Dan Woo-hyun with a desperate gaze.

As if he had noticed his desperate heart, Dan Woo-hyun smirked.

“That’s a good idea. But he will require a lot of hands unexpectedly?”

“Haha, no need to worry about that. I happen to like fellows who require a lot of hands.”

Sado-hak smiled and looked at Jang Sam-tae.

The way he smiled while staring at Jang Sam-tae’s pale face was reminiscent of a grim reaper.

Doubtless, he would not be able to escape his hands until Sado-hak returned.

At that moment when he was groaning while clutching his head, the gazes of Dan Woo-hyun, Namgung Cheon, and Sado-hak turned toward the main gate.

Out of curiosity, Jang Sam-tae also turned his gaze.

“Huh?”

The tightly closed gate of the manor suddenly opened.

Looking to see who it was, he saw a person with a familiar face.

He was a man who had clearly lost weight compared to a few months ago. It was to the extent that one could see his body, which used to have only fat, gradually becoming firm.

Hong Won-chang.

He entered.

But for some reason, his complexion was somewhat stiff.

“What is the matter from early morning?”

The one who spoke first was none other than Dan Woo-hyun. Perhaps he had noticed that Hong Won-chang’s demeanor upon entering was unusual, as a somewhat ominous gaze dwelled in his eyes.

“I-I am sorry, my Lord. The… there was no time…”

Hong Won-chang caught his breath with a trembling gaze.

Then he glanced up at Namgung Cheon.

An ominous feeling carried in the gently blowing wind.

Namgung Cheon frowned.

“Isn’t it about what you mentioned last time…”

“Hmm, do you mean my request to look into the matters of Anhui?”

“Yes, that is correct.”

Namgung Cheon nodded readily.

He recalled ordering Hong Won-chang to run such an errand back when they were building the manor.

However, seeing Hong Won-chang’s expression, Namgung Cheon could not hide the ominous feeling and urged him.

“What is the matter for you to act like that? Speak quickly.”

“The… the Namgung Clan…”

“What about the Namgung Clan? Speak without hesitating.”

“…is said to have fallen.”

That single sentence spread coldly and sharply.

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