Chapter 8

Chapter 8

“Keugh…!”

Jang Sam-tae forced open his eyes, which barely wanted to open.

Excruciating pain surged all the way to his bone marrow, making his mind hazy. He could not remember well what had happened.

It seemed half his memories had been blown away due to the shock of being struck hard by something.

It was then.

Suddenly, a voice was heard.

“Are you awake?”

“Hieek?!”

Without even having time to compose his startled heart, he quickly turned his head. He saw a single black silhouette standing blankly, unsure of how long it had been there.

‘Come to think of it, where is this?’

Jang Sam-tae swallowed hard and opened his mouth.

“Y-You are…!”

“Dan Woo-hyun.”

“Hieek…!”

At Dan Woo-hyun's chilly voice, Jang Sam-tae felt his spine grow cold. He had met quite a few martial artists and had escaped from them before, but the person before him now seemed like someone living in a completely different world.

Thief was a profession where one had to be quick-witted to survive long. Thus, even in a brief moment, Jang Sam-tae observed everything from Dan Woo-hyun's manner of speech to his breathing.

However, everything was far too detached from ordinary martial artists. He had never felt such a dangerous, and even ominous, feeling and momentum from anyone else.

As the terrified Jang Sam-tae did nothing but swallow hard, Dan Woo-hyun slowly spoke.

“Actually, I intended to kill you.”

Chill-.

At the words casually spat out as if having a cup of tea, Jang Sam-tae genuinely felt goosebumps.

Because he felt it was not a lie, and because the killing intent mixed into that single word was real.

Unconsciously bowing his head, he trembled. He did not dare to even make eye contact. It felt as if he would lose his breath if they faced each other.

“But I changed my mind. Why do you think I did that?”

His terror-stricken mind could not accurately grasp the intent of the question. Just staring at the ground with a trembling gaze and holding his breath was all Jang Sam-tae could do.

“I… I do not know…”

“'Know'?”

“I-I do not know.”

Dan Woo-hyun chuckled.

“Every person has a price on their life.”

“…”

“How much do you think your life is worth?”

He had nothing to say.

Because living until now, he had no leisure to ponder such things. He had only been busy stealing and running away.

But now, he had to think it over carefully.

“I think… it should be worth a million taels.”

“A million? Quite high value.”

“I think… it should have at least that much value.”

Dan Woo-hyun let out a dry laugh.

By his standards, the value of a guy who did nothing but steal was worth less than a single silver tael.

Yet, for him to claim it was worth a million taels meant he had that much confidence in his own skills.

Though he did not know where that confidence came from.

“A million taels for your life, and another million taels to forgive the crime of trying to kill So-mi. That is two million taels in total.”

“…?”

“It is the money you must hand over if you want to live.”

…!?

Jang Sam-tae gaped in shock.

Two million taels was by no means an amount that could be gathered easily.

Although Jang Sam-tae had stolen countless times and sold stolen goods, he had never once held a huge sum like a million taels in his hands.

‘Yet he tells me to hand that over? What kind of absurd…’

Just as he was about to argue that it made no sense, he met Dan Woo-hyun's blade-sharp gaze.

“I… I do not have money right now. I will definitely bring the money, so please.”

“Hmm…”

Dan Woo-hyun swallowed a brief groan. His gaze was extremely sharp, making it hard to tell what he was thinking.

‘He is not joking.’

Though only for a moment, Jang Sam-tae felt a threat to his life.

The expert before him was serious.

Furthermore, he was an expert who could kill someone like him without a second thought.

The moment he felt that in his mind and heart, he slammed his head to the ground unconsciously.

Thump-!

His forehead split and blood splattered from how hard he slammed it, yet Jang Sam-tae's trembling voice rang out.

“Please spare my life! I-I will do whatever you order.”

“…”

However, Dan Woo-hyun did not answer.

It was because he did not feel very inclined to.

What else could a thief do besides stealing something?

Dan Woo-hyun reached out and placed his hand on Jang Sam-tae's head.

The moment the chilly sensation touched him, Jang Sam-tae shouted.

“I… I can do anything! Cleaning, laundry, e-even cooking! If only you order me to!”

At that moment, Dan Woo-hyun's eyes gleamed at the last words.

Dan Woo-hyun was someone who could handle cleaning and laundry with a single gesture.

Therefore, whether he had a servant or not did not matter. He had no great inconvenience in living.

However, the last part was different.

Food.

To Dan Woo-hyun, who could not make any dish even if there were ingredients, it was a word of tremendous significance.

Dan Woo-hyun readily nodded.

“Then I shall keep your item until you pay off the price with your body.”

Jang Sam-tae nodded silently.

There was no helping it. This man must have already seen what was inside the pouch.

Although he might not have precisely calculated its value, he seemed to have the confidence that Jang Sam-tae would not run away leaving this behind.

Bowing his head, Jang Sam-tae sneered inwardly.

‘Dog-like bastard! Things won't go as you want.’

He was a thief.

And a great thief who had robbed the Prince's Residence, which no one else could ever rob.

He was an existence that should not be compared with mediocre petty thieves.

Because he was a thief called the best even within this Central Plains.

‘Let's just get past this crisis. As long as there is an opportunity, I can take it back anytime.’

With such thoughts, Jang Sam-tae bowed his head even lower. As long as he could keep his life for now, creating an opportunity would be an easy task.

* * *

“…”

He looked at the sky.

It was truly clear.

He looked at the ground.

It was dirty as hell.

Sweep, sweep-

Sweeping the floor, Jang Sam-tae held back his tears as he recalled his plight. Upon writing down the words Dan Woo-hyun uttered on paper and stamping it with a bloody thumbprint, Jang Sam-tae turned from a thief into a servant.

Why did heaven bestow such hardships and trials?

Sweeping with a swollen face was by no means an easy task. Since Dan Woo-hyun worked him without giving him even a moment to rest, his entire body was stiff and weary.

Yet, he could not slack off either.

It was because of Hwa So-mi, who was playing in the yard.

Unsure what she was doing, she kept a distance and watched Jang Sam-tae intently. Occasionally, when their eyes met, she hid behind a pillar.

She seemed to have been considerably frightened because of the incident last time.

‘Damn girl! If not for that bitch.’

Seething.

There was no way his gaze looking at Hwa So-mi could be pleasant.

If not for that child, the location where he hid the stolen goods would not have been exposed, and he would not have fallen into the plight of having to pay back a huge sum of two million taels under useless threats.

Furthermore, Dan Woo-hyun had warned him like this.

That the moment he was caught running away, he would extract double that amount. Since he had already written a pledge, he had to work without any way out.

Of course.

‘I have no intention of getting caught after escaping, though.’

Even if he appeared to work hard, he had his own thoughts.

His lightness art was fast enough for him to boast of ranking within the top three in the Central Plains. He was confident that if he resolved to escape, no one could catch him.

He did not doubt that once he could secure the stolen goods in Dan Woo-hyun's possession, he would regain his freedom from then on.

‘There is not much time. I must retrieve it before the black market merchant arrives at the promised location.’

However, he did not rush his mind.

How could escaping from the hands of an expert of Dan Woo-hyun's level be easy? If he showed even a glimpse of his inner thoughts, everything would go up in smoke.

It was then. Speak of the devil, Dan Woo-hyun was seen slowly walking from the back of the manor.

“Have you returned, master?”

“Yeah, you are working hard. More importantly, it seems to be dinner time.”

“He… Hehe, do not worry. This servant will prepare it right away.”

Cursing inwardly, Jang Sam-tae rushed to the storehouse. Since Dan Woo-hyun was a person he must never displease until he retrieved the stolen goods and escaped, he had to shut up and obey.

He heading to the kitchen with the ingredients, he pictured in his mind what he could make. Since there were not many ingredients, simple dishes were all he could manage.

“I do not know if it will turn out well since it has been a long time.”

But he had to do it.

To gain an opportunity, Dan Woo-hyun's trust was absolutely necessary.

* * *

“Better than I thought.”

Dan Woo-hyun was considerably surprised.

It was the first time.

That is, eating a proper meal since establishing the manor. Nine side dishes were laid out in front of him.

The thought occurred to him that herbs picked from the mountains could be transformed like this.

Even the wild boar meat was not simply grilled, but seasoned with all kinds of spices, giving off a fragrant aroma.

The texture was so soft that the moment he put it in his mouth, it seemed to melt away.

“Your skills are decent.”

“Hehehe, are you satisfied?”

It was not just a matter of satisfaction.

He had thought of him as a useless fellow. He had intended to order him around as a servant for a few days and kick him out if he was unsatisfactory, but seeing how well he cooked, he changed his mind.

Dan Woo-hyun's gaze directed toward Jang Sam-tae.

His flashing eyes were unusual.

“Hieek!”

“This would have suited you better than being a thief.”

“A thief?”

“No, it is nothing.”

Hwa So-mi reacted instantly at the word 'thief' and raised her head. Perhaps because she was engrossed in the delicious food she was eating for the first time in her life, all kinds of food were smeared on her face.

Wiping it with a cloth, Dan Woo-hyun spoke.

“I will set your salary at three silver taels a month.”

“Haha, th-thank you.”

Watching Dan Woo-hyun keep talking nonsense when the other party was not even thinking of giving anything, Jang Sam-tae forced himself to endure his boiling anger.

In fact, seeing how huge the manor was, he had inwardly expected something. It could probably be said to be overwhelming even compared to the manors in Yueyang.

However, not even a few double hours after starting work, he realized it. Although they possessed such a large manor, let alone money, there was not even a common piece of jewelry.

The clothes were cheap, and most of the things in the storehouse were items collected from the mountains and fields.

Around the time he was thinking that, Dan Woo-hyun, who was picking up and eating a piece of meat, quietly stared at Jang Sam-tae. Sensing that gaze, Jang Sam-tae hurriedly changed his expression and bowed his head.

“Do you know this?”

“Eh?”

“That Sun Wukong, no matter what, remains in the palm of the Buddha.”

“Haha… Hahaha… Of course I know.”

Jang Sam-tae bowed his head and continuously lowered himself.

However, he did not feel that way inside.

Engraving Dan Woo-hyun's words in his head, he wore a sneer.

‘Do you know this? Sun Wukong can escape the Buddha's palm if he does not have the golden fillet.’

Jang Sam-tae's golden fillet was the stolen goods, not Dan Woo-hyun.

The Sun Wukong on the Buddha's palm believed so.