In the room where the dead were put, Bang No-baek looked at each one of them.
The moment they saw the bare faces, he frowned, stepping back.
As did Namgung Chun and Zhuge Yun.
“Ugh… they’re rotten?”
They looked at the bloody-eyed people in disbelief. The dead ones had such ugly faces to even be considered human.
They were rotten corpses, but not from stabs or wounds or burns.
But they were not jiangshi either.
Although similar, they were alive and moving with their own instinct.
Drrr!
Bang No-baek’s lips trembled.
“I’m sorry, but we have to move the bodies to the Murim Alliance.”
This wasn’t a normal means.
He didn’t know who made them like this, but if there was someone doing such things, this was a threat to Murim.
And this isn’t just a matter for the Hunan Dan family.
Zhuge Yun also nodded in agreement with those words. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to use the power of the Murim Alliance in this situation where Dan Woo-hyun wasn’t present.
There will be something reliable that can protect people here.
“I will call for the Golden Ring Merchant Leader. And send them to Hunan as quickly as possible.”
At Zhuge Yun’s words, Bang No-baek turned and nodded his head. The unthinkable has happened, so it was time for the Beggars Union to move.
They had to catch those who were responsible for this by sorting through information in the entire Central Plains.
“Sigh…”
Namgung Sohye sighed as she stayed in Dan Somi’s room. Although the matter had been resolved now, the images in her mind didn’t disappear.
‘If I don’t get even a little stronger…’
Namgung Sohye had a bitter look.
If she had been a little stronger, she would have been able to protect Dan Somi on her own. She thought that the reason she couldn’t do that was because she still had a weak heart.
Namgung Sohye sighed and stroked Dan Somi’s face, who was still unable to wake up.
“Thanks to you, I live. If it wasn’t for you, I would have died.”
“…Consider yourself lucky then.”
Namgung Sohye smiled.
She glanced around and looked at Bi Chun-woong hiding in the shadows.
“Do you know this child?”
“…Why would you think so?”
“Because the Assassin Emperor who is famous for being cold-hearted and cruel. Has shown intent to protect this child.”
Even though she looked out of sorts, Namgung Sohye was still Namgung Sohye.
With a quick judgment of the situation, she inferred the ties between the two.
His eyes turned sharp.
“It was a relationship at a point of time. I stayed in the village where the child lived for a while.”
Namgung Sohye gently grabbed her sword.
“So you’re saying it might have something to do with the child’s village ending up as a grave?”
“…Do not make assumptions. It happened while I was away and by the time I arrived back at the place, everyone was dead and only the child was left.”
“So you removed the bodies?”
“…Yes.”
“Did you abandon her in Yueyang?”
“I did… because I couldn’t take her with me.”
Bi Chun-woong appeared through the shadows and had a bitter smile on his face. If he had been there, he could have prevented the people from dying.
And as he was late, all the kind-hearted villagers were dead.
He organized the dead bodies, buried them, and then placed the unconscious Somi into Yueyang city.
He couldn’t bear taking her with him.
The child was too bright for Bi Chun-woong, who was walking down a path with blood on his hands, to take along. He didn’t want her life to turn into a bloody one.
So he thought it was for the child’s own good to leave her alone.
Whether it was to die or to live, it was Somi’s fate no matter what life she would lead.
“…She is a good kid. It is a new feeling to see her again like this. But it seems my role ends here; if we are meant to be, we shall meet again.”
Shhh!
Bi Chun-woong vanished into the shadows.
She couldn’t feel his presence anymore, so it felt like he had already vanished.
It was surprising that the world’s Assassin Emperor was moving alone, but she thought that the ties between him and Dan Somi were amazing.
‘Maybe this child was dragged into this life…’
Namgung Sohye thought as she looked out the window.
What would have happened if Bang No-baek and Bi Chun-woong weren’t here?
Since Namgung Chun was there, they could prevent the intruders to an extent, but someone would most likely have died and someone else would have been injured.
The people who attacked were too skilled.
Namgung Sohye let out a small sigh.
‘Is this luck..? Or is it coincidence?’
It was late at night and Jang Sam-tae couldn’t sleep.
He secretly left the manor and ran to the nearby mountains.
Dan Woo-hyun probably knew that Jang Sam-tae had left, but seeing as to how he didn’t follow, he didn’t seem to be interested.
“Well, how can we locate those that the Imperial family itself couldn’t?”
Jang Sam-tae, who was climbing the mountain, complained.
He was desperately hungry to finish this arduous journey, even if just for a moment, but for some reason he wasn’t happy with the fact that he was wasting his time here.
Jang Sam-tae chose a place which didn’t seem to be frequented by people and stopped.
Then, he took a stance with his nose down and increased his qi.
Papapang!
He was doing what he heard, starting with footwork.
He was also learning how to use qi to complete the technique that Dan Woo-hyun taught.
Recently, the closer they got to Mount Changbai, the more anxious he felt.
Which was why he was pushing himself harder.
Although it might not change the fact that it was a waste, Jang Sam-tae devoted himself to training for a long time.
The level of concentration was different from when he learned it in a leisurely way until now, and it felt like being a different person now.
Perhaps because of the intense training which continued during the two sessions, his entire body was drenched in sweat. Only then did Jang Sam-tae stop training and begin to go down the mountain with a tired expression.
“I don’t know why I’m doing this.”
Sigh-
He let out a long sigh.
At first he simply wanted to live a comfortable life by sticking to Dan Woo-hyun and Dan Somi, but as he got involved in Murim affairs, he ended up learning martial arts in order to survive.
Did it start when they went to the Demonic Cult?
It was such an arduous journey that he still felt dizzy when he thought about that time.
With that in mind, he trudged down the mountain. Dawn will soon arrive, so if he doesn’t get some sleep, the day will end up difficult.
Srk!
At that time, he heard the sound of grass rustling.
Jang Sam-tae, who had been circulating his qi around his body at Dan Woo-hyun’s advice, stopped walking and turned his head to the right. It was very late now, and this place was remote enough to not have any people visit.
But now he was hearing a rustling sound?
‘Is it a wild animal?’
He thought so at first, but then he shook his head.
It was too loud for a wild animal.
He slowly approached the spot with a puzzled look. The sound started to get louder which made his heart beat insanely.
He even wondered if there was a ghost or some wild beast around.
He gulped dryly and moved ahead, sensing the sound.
Finally, clearing the tall bushes. Was a man.
Next to him, three children were unconscious, their bodies tied up. Jang Sam-tae’s gaze naturally turned to the company, and his lips trembled.
The man, squatting down, was taking his pants off.
Crackle! The intense sound was irritating his ears.
He could also smell this disgusting odor and odd matter leaking out of the man.
The moment Jang Sam-tae, who was disgusted by the shocking sight, took a slight step back.
*Snap! *
A fallen branch snapped.
The man, who was doing his business, quickly turned his head.
And their eyes met.
Neither of them said anything for a while.
They just stared and watched quietly.
Finally, Jang Sam-tae stepped back. Then, the man sat down and secretly grabbed the sword which had been left by the side.
Jang Sam-tae, who was looking, sighed.
“Continue pooping you bastard!”
The moment he heard those words, the man rushed towards him. The fiercely drawn blade flew toward Jang Sam-tae with such force that it seemed as if it intended to cut his body to pieces.
“ACKK!”
Jang Sam-tae, who was startled, started running to avoid him.
However, the man’s movements were unusual, and he seemed to be moving faster than expected and closed the distance in an instant.
After seeing that, he realized that the man was quite an expert.
“Continue to poop! Why come after me without even cleaning your ass, damn it, damn it!?”
“Kuak!”
The man’s face went red at Jang Sam-tae’s shout.
It was like he made up his mind that he would definitely kill Jang Sam-tae, and there was such force in his sword.
But, as he quickly ran away from here and there, there was nothing more frustrating than that from the man’s side.
Papang!
Jang Sam-tae tried his best to avoid the shower of blades. Although he didn’t hit his opponent, it was enough to threaten him.
The man blocked and stepped back.
Jang Sam-tae, who managed to put some distance between them, breathed a sigh of relief.
“No, are you trying to kill someone because they saw you pooping? You damned brat!”
“…Die.”
“This guy is insane!”
The other party couldn’t be communicated with.
It seemed like he wasn’t just running after him because he saw him taking a dump. Jang Sam-tae opened his eyes and took a deep breath.
And then he glanced behind the man.
Despite all the commotion, he saw the kids lying quietly, as if they were dead.
The moment he thought about it, he seemed to notice something and sighed, waving his hand.
“Ugh, the smell… is your body rotting?”
While saying that, he glanced at the other person. Although he was still expressionless, it was clear that he was agitated as his face was red.
Jang Sam-tae slowly entered a stance.
“I don’t think you will just let me go… nor can I…. there is nothing we can do, so let’s fight.”
He was certain that Dan Woo-hyun would scold him if he returned without doing anything after glimpsing those kids, so he had to at least fight.
