Chapter 46

<Chronicles of the Martial God's Return – Chapter 46>

A man covered his nose as he walked through a dark place. It was because the strong, nauseating smell of medicine pricked his nose.

Soon, arriving at the place that could be considered the source, he cautiously opened the door and peered inside.

An old man was inside.

The old man, who looked somewhat haggard, as if he had not even been eating properly, was as emaciated as a mummy, and his wide-open eyes stared only at one spot, making him look rather bizarre.

“Is it going well?”

“……”

“I am asking if it is going well.”

“Hehehe, wait just a little longer. It will be soon.”

The old man chuckled with a gloomy smile and quickly moved his hands.

He put the medicinal ingredients into a small container filled with water, shook it to mix them, and then checked the contents.

“Huuup!”

Inhaling deeply to catch the scent, the old man grinned.

“This is it! This is exactly what I wanted!”

“Haha, as expected of the Old Monster Chu. I think I understand why the Black Dao Association did not let you go.”

“Hehehe, I do not care about such things. More importantly, have you found the bastard who overthrew the Black Dao Association?”

“No, not yet. One would think there would be some news by now, but even when walking around disguised with that guy's face, it remained quiet. He might be hiding deep, or perhaps he is already dead…”

“There is no way! For the bastard who overthrew the Black Dao Association to die!”

Old Monster Chu.

He was called by that name in the Black Dao Association.

He was a person tasked with manufacturing spiritual medicines or poisons, and enjoyed his own share of wealth and honor under the protection of the Black Dao Association.

However, as the Black Dao Association fell and splintered, the one who took in the displaced Old Monster Chu was this very man.

With a smile plastered across his face, the man began to soothe Old Monster Chu, telling him not to worry.

“Do not think about anything else and just make the medicine for now. We will surely find and kill that bastard. Was that not the cooperative relationship we established for this?”

“Indeed! What other reason would I have to cooperate with vermin like you guys? Hurry up and capture him and drag him before me!”

The man scowled.

He was the one who had taken in the old monster, who was already declared a public enemy by the Murim Alliance and had nowhere to go, with neither home nor temple, after the Black Dao Association collapsed.

And yet, a scoundrel?

He was filled with the urge to tear the old monster's limbs apart right then and there, but he suppressed it and endured. For now, there was still quite a lot to be gained by having that man here.

He nodded, putting on an awkward smile.

“More importantly, have you heard? It seems the magistrate found opium while subjugating bandits this time.”

“Subjugated the bandits? That damn magistrate?”

“Of course, it is not certain, but it seems he is trying to secretly take it to the Prince's Manor…”

“We must seize it! Even if it is a failure, our tails might get caught!”

“Is it that serious?”

“Just as your sword techniques contain your enlightenment, any medicine or poison contains the essence of the person who created it. If someone who knows even a little about medicine starts to investigate, it is only a matter of time before my existence is discovered.”

The man stroked his chin with a serious expression.

Listening to the old monster's words, it seemed he could not just let this pass. Old Monster Chu was someone whose presence must never be revealed to the world.

Because there were many pursuers not only from the Murim Alliance but also from other places, if he was taken by others or lost his life, the man would no longer be able to gain anything.

He nodded.

“Understood. Then I will deploy the underlings.”

“You must kill everyone who knows of the medicine's existence. It must be so thorough that not a single breathing soul remains in the county office, including the magistrate.”

“Do not worry, Old Monster Chu.”

The man grinned and turned his back.

That much was easy enough to do.

* * *

“We will go all the way to the Prince's Manor like this! Understood?”

“Yes!”

Hearing the echoing response, Hong Won-chang nodded with a satisfied expression.

After bringing down the Black Dao Association, the look in the guards' eyes as they gazed at Hong Won-chang had changed.

They were looking at him with eyes full of absolute trust and awe.

Hong Won-chang nodded in satisfaction and turned his gaze elsewhere.

There stood four people dressed in guard uniforms.

One was a woman; though she had disguised herself as a man to avoid detection, her natural beauty could not be hidden, causing the guards standing nearby to steal glances.

Beside her stood Dan Woo-hyun, along with Gwon Mu-jin and Jang Sam-tae.

With all of them wearing guard uniforms, he even had the illusion that he had become higher than them.

“Ahem! You bastard, do not ever leave my side.”

“……”

Dan Woo-hyun, who was pointed out, slightly raised his head and watched Hong Won-chang, who was mounted on a horse.

‘You bastard?’

As he temporarily lost his words and cast an incredulous look, Hong Won-chang cleared his throat softly and whispered.

“Gr… Great Hero, I am the highest ranking here. You must answer.”

“…I understand.”

“You must use honorifics. I am the magistrate, and you, Great Hero, are a mere guard.”

“……”

Dan Woo-hyun quietly thought.

Wondering if this fellow was actually enjoying this situation. Of course, they were the ones who had agreed to wear the guard uniforms, but that did not mean they had become Hong Won-chang's subordinates.

“Try it, Great Hero. Answer with, ‘Yes. Understood.’”

In Dan Woo-hyun's eyes, Hong Won-chang was grinning widely like a child playing a mischievous prank.

Just as he was about to speak with a hollow laugh, Jang Sam-tae approached his side.

“Bullshit has its limits. Go play king somewhere else.”

“Wh… What?!”

“What? Did I say anything wrong? You cannot even bring up such words normally, so what honorifics are you talking about?”

Hong Won-chang glared fiercely at Jang Sam-tae, widening his eyes. However, Jang Sam-tae, who had already been accused as a suspect by Hong Won-chang before, did not back down and held his gaze.

Clap, clap!

Just then, the sound of someone clapping was heard.

Slightly turning his head, he saw Dan Woo-hyun clapping.

“You are useful after all.”

“Yes?”

“Nothing. It is just that I felt refreshed thanks to you, so do not pay it any mind.”

Jang Sam-tae, unable to understand the reason, could not help but feel puzzled. Hong Won-chang was the same, but in the end, he had no choice but to look away.

Because numerous guards were watching Hong Won-chang.

“Depart!”

Looking at the guards leading the way, Namgung So-hye fell into thought. They had leaked the rumor that they were moving the opium obtained from capturing the bandits to the Prince's Manor.

And only a very small group of ten people in total moved.

The number of actual guards traveling with them did not exceed five at most, and excluding Hong Won-chang, the remaining ones were Dan Woo-hyun, Jang Sam-tae, Gwon Mu-jin, and Namgung So-hye.

Since they had even thoroughly disguised themselves, they had shown enough vulnerability to be ambushed.

‘Would they really come for something like this?’

It was merely opium.

From the perspective of the ones who made it, they would certainly dislike evidence entering the Imperial Court, but she worried whether it was a valuable enough item to retrieve at the risk of ambushing a magistrate.

Of course, Dan Woo-hyun believed they would definitely come.

“When making something, the characteristics of the creator tend to be revealed. If they take this to the Prince's Manor to investigate, won't his identity be exposed immediately?”

‘So that was why Chief Strategist Zhuge was so desperate to find the opium.’

Namgung So-hye nodded, agreeing with Dan Woo-hyun's sound transmission. Chief Strategist Zhuge had also been frantic to find the opium from the beginning.

Though they had ended up with nothing in the end.

Namgung So-hye stole a glance at Dan Woo-hyun.

‘What on earth does he do?’

He is extremely skilled at looking ahead and taking action.

Should she say he is highly intelligent? Yet, his martial arts were not weak either.

For the ability of his that she had seen last time was of a level of martial prowess so high that she could not even imagine it.

Just looking at how he handled Ma Dok-jin like a child was proof of that.

‘But his personality is a bit…’

A somehow cold and clearly drawing-the-line attitude.

Even his way of speaking had reached the peak of arrogance, acting as if there was nothing above him.

And yet, he looked after his own people remarkably well.

While acting nonchalantly, he looked after Jang Sam-tae or Gwon Mu-jin without their knowing, and it was no exaggeration to say he was completely wrapped around Dan So-mi's finger.

Looking at those aspects, he did not seem entirely arrogant.

‘I really cannot understand his inner thoughts.’

Namgung So-hye shook her head.

No matter how much she thought about it, she did not know what that man was thinking.

Letting out a brief sigh, she shifted her gaze elsewhere.

Rustle-!

Just then, a strange sound was heard.

Dan Woo-hyun, who was leading the way, smiled leisurely, and Gwon Mu-jin brought the horses to a halt.

At the same time.

Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh-!

Arrows filled the sky as they flew.

“It's an enemy!”

One of the guards shouted loudly.

Whoosh!

Thud, thud, thud, thud!

Everyone wore a bleak expression at the dreadful sound of arrows striking, wondering how many would die.

However, no one died, and everyone was standing perfectly fine in their spots.

Although the arrows made a mess of the surroundings, a sudden gust of wind blew, and not a single person was actually hit.

But they all only felt relieved; no one seemed to find it strange.

It was that natural of a wind.

Shhh-!

At the same time, masked individuals began to reveal themselves one by one.

Their number seemed to exceed about thirty, and every single one of them appeared to be trained in martial arts.

“You bastards! Do you dare commit such an outrageous act knowing who I am!”

“No need for questions and answers.”

Hong Won-chang glanced at Dan Woo-hyun.

The bastards had revealed themselves just as Dan Woo-hyun had anticipated. And they immediately drew their swords.

“Kill!”

Swoosh-!

As soon as the command was given, the enemies moved without hesitation and rushed forward. As if they had no intention of leaving a single person alive, the murderous intent radiating from their bodies was extraordinary.

“Then, capture them alive.”

Dan Woo-hyun's gaze directed toward Gwon Mu-jin and Jang Sam-tae.

Since the two of them knew all too well what that meant, they roughly kicked off the ground and rushed toward the masked men.

The chaotic battle began.