Chapter 47

<Chronicles of the Martial God's Return – Chapter 47>

“Oops!”

Hong Won-chang could not gather his senses at all. Hidden weapons and blades flying from all directions were grazing past him by a hair's breadth.

If he were hit by even a single one, he would be a goner.

For now, he had to flee to a safe place.

It was because he thought that doing so was a better way to preserve his life than recklessly drawing his sword to attack them.

And if there was a safest place!

“Great Hero!”

Dodging the flying blades again and again, he barely managed to arrive at Dan Woo-hyun's side.

He was even peaceful, looking completely unrelated to this fight.

As he approached his side with a silly grin.

“You should fight.”

“Yes?”

“You should fight. Aren't those guards your subordinates?”

“Of course they are! But naturally, I must protect the Great Hero's life, so I will escort you by your side!”

Dan Woo-hyun smirked, looking at Hong Won-chang who was spouting nonsense.

In the end, he had come to his side because he wanted to live.

“Do you want to live that badly?”

“Well, of course…”

“Bow your head, show polite manners, and say, ‘I am sorry.’”

“……Pardon?”

“Did you not hear me?”

Swish!

Thud!

Just then, with a sharp sound, a blade flew in, aiming for Hong Won-chang's neck.

If Dan Woo-hyun had not stretched out his hand at that moment to block it, his head would have been cut off.

Dan Woo-hyun lightly caught the blade and twisted it.

The tip of the blade bent like a whirlpool, and the aftermath traveled up the blade, twisting even the entire body of the man who wielded the sword.

Crack-!

“Keugh!”

The man, who let out a short groan, collapsed in a bizarre shape. Hong Won-chang, turned pale, covered his mouth and trembled in fear.

Although he thought he had become used to this kind of life in his own way, seeing a dead corpse in this manner made his stomach churn.

“You owe me your life once again.”

“Um… Great Hero?”

“Shouldn't you say, ‘Thank you for saving my life’?”

Hong Won-chang thought.

Though he was bold, calm, and in some sense had great tolerance, he sometimes wondered if he was narrow-minded.

This was likely caused by his slip of the tongue a moment ago.

Hong Won-chang broke into a cold sweat as he spoke.

“Th… Thank you for saving my life, Great Hero…”

“Haha, yes, yes. It is not just once or twice, so live with gratitude for the rest of your life.”

Hong Won-chang smiled awkwardly in response.

* * *

Clang-!

Namgung So-hye's swordplay was fast and heavy.

Her swordplay, which was loaded with strength, knew how to utilize that strength, and sometimes even possessed softness, indeed drew admiration that the Namgung Family deserved to be called the head of the Eight Great Families.

‘There are too many of them.’

However, Namgung So-hye bit her lip tightly.

In this battle, Gwon Mu-jin was the only one who was of any practical help.

For whatever reason, Dan Woo-hyun did not step forward, and Jang Sam-tae's level was low, so it was a relief if he did not hold them back rather than helping.

In the end, Namgung So-hye and Gwon Mu-jin, the two of them, had to deal with everyone.

Moreover, Dan Woo-hyun had told them to capture them alive.

Capturing people alive in such a chaotic battle was an extremely difficult task. It might have been easier if they could just cut them down and kill them.

In a word, following Dan Woo-hyun's words in a situation like this was ridiculous, but the moment she stole a glance and looked at Gwon Mu-jin beside her, she changed her mind.

Gwon Mu-jin was definitely capturing the enemies alive.

Using twin sabers, he blocked all of the opponent's blades, and moving leisurely, he struck their pressure points.

Or he broke their legs or knocked them unconscious so they could not move.

‘At least against that man!’

Namgung So-hye, gritted her teeth, burning with fighting spirit.

She was a member of the Orthodox Faction, and even though Gwon Mu-jin had left the Unorthodox Faction, his origin did not change.

Since he had even been Ma Dok-jin's subordinate, her competitive desire against him boiled over.

That she was using only her scabbard without drawing her sword was also for that reason.

Thud, thud-!

“Argh!”

“Keugh!”

The groans that sounded crisp and the heavy impact transmitted to her made her feel certain that she had knocked the opponents unconscious.

However, because their numbers were greater than expected and they were trained in their own way, they had no choice but to be slowly pushed back.

Just then, she felt a sharp energy from the right.

The moment she quickly turned her head, she saw a man thrusting his sword toward her.

Because his entry was extremely fast and the distance had definitely closed, even dodging was not easy at all.

The moment her eyes widened in surprise.

Slice-!

All of a sudden, the man's body was cut in half.

“You…”

The one who solved that matter was none other than Gwon Mu-jin.

Holding blood-stained twin sabers in both hands, he wore a strange sneer on his lips.

“We only need someone to open their mouth. Why are you stupidly trying to catch everyone when you do not even have the skill?”

“Why you!”

It was not that his words were particularly wrong.

There was indeed no need to capture every single one of them. No, in the first place, wasn't it enough as long as they were alive?

Namgung So-hye's eyes flared as she drew her sword.

For a moment, her gaze turned toward Dan Woo-hyun, and she saw him wearing a strange smile.

This guy, and that guy too, none of them were to her liking.

Slice-!

“Arghhh!”

Even if she cut off an arm, they would not die.

Even if she severed the tendons in their legs, a person would not die.

In the end, wasn't it enough as long as they had a mouth that could open?

Namgung So-hye rushed forward with eyes blazing.

Her sword, which had held hesitation, began to penetrate a bit more sharply.

* * *

“Although there are some guys who are seriously injured… well, isn't this level rather good?”

Looking at the thirty or so men collapsed on the ground, Hong Won-chang spoke cheerfully.

“More of them are alive than I expected.”

“Pardon?”

“Because there are two guys who cannot even use their swords properly.”

Dan Woo-hyun smiled and looked back and forth between Jang Sam-tae and Namgung So-hye. He had thought it would be difficult for those two to suppress the enemies, but the number of dead men did not exceed seven at most.

Whether he found that extremely amusing, the smile lingering on his lips did not disappear.

“Pant… pant… Am I really alive?”

Just then, Jang Sam-tae sat down, breathing heavily. Although Gwon Mu-jin and Namgung So-hye had suppressed most of them, Jang Sam-tae had not been idling around either.

Since he had taken down about five of them.

“You are alive and well. Your neck is intact too.”

“Muhaha! This is all thanks to the Manor Lord.”

Jang Sam-tae seemed extremely surprised by the very fact that he was alive. Indeed, to have all his limbs intact and attached without a single one cut off against such masters, was it not truly a stroke of heavenly luck?

He stood up from his spot with a hearty laugh.

Namgung So-hye was standing with a exhausted expression, when she suddenly cast her gaze toward Jang Sam-tae.

Although he was clearly practicing Taiji Quan, which would not even amount to a third-rate martial art, it was very fascinating that he was perfectly fine without a single scratch.

“You… did you suppress them with that third-rate martial art?”

“A third-rate martial art? That is not a third-rate martial art!”

“If it is Taiji Quan, it does not even cost a single silver tael in the market…”

“Hey! Do not say such things. If you were not acquainted with the Manor Lord, you would have been in deep trouble! You do not know anything, but that Taiji Quan is!”

“Yes, what about that Taiji Quan?”

“It is a peerless divine art!”

At the sight of him babbling such nonsense, Namgung So-hye turned her head away.

If Jang Sam-tae's words were true, it would mean that the countless people in the Central Plains practicing Taiji Quan had all learned a peerless divine art, so peerless masters who could overturn Murim would have emerged one after another.

As Namgung So-hye wore an incredulous expression, Jang Sam-tae smirked.

‘You don't understand what this means, do you?’

In fact, Jang Sam-tae did not accurately know the value of the modified Taiji Quan he was practicing either.

A while ago, when capturing the bandits and returning to the manor with the opium, Dan Woo-hyun had said this.

“Does the martial art called Taiji Quan that you learned look like a mere gymnastic exercise for health?”

“Is it not?”

“Who was the one who made it?”

“It was Zhang Sanfeng.”

At that time, Dan Woo-hyun was looking up at the sky with an expression as if recalling a missed face.

Jang Sam-tae did not know the reason, but for some reason, he listened intently and watched.

“It was created by the person revered as the founder of Wudang, so how could it possibly be a mere exercise? Perhaps there is a secret inside that Taiji Quan that many have failed to notice. A secret that even Zhang Sanfeng could not solve.”

“Pardon?”

“It means he might have released it to the world, hoping someone would unravel its insights.”

At that time, he was so distracted that he could not think about it in detail.

However, returning to the manor and reflecting on it repeatedly until now to interpret its meaning, the answer was only one.

Dan Woo-hyun was never one to speak empty words.

Although he spoke in a roundabout way or rarely gave direct answers, according to his words, this Taiji Quan was indeed a peerless divine art that even Zhang Sanfeng could not solve.

And Jang Sam-tae had learned Taiji Quan directly from Dan Woo-hyun.

Of course, it was not that he took him by the hand and taught him properly. It was nothing more than speaking naturally like flowing water, but every time he did, Jang Sam-tae wrote it down so that he could reflect on the conversation later.

Since he was learning Taiji Quan like that, he might even uncover its secrets someday. Thinking about that, a smile already did not leave his lips.

“Why are you smiling so creepily?”

“Hehehe, don't worry about it!”

Jang Sam-tae, who turned around quickly, was seen running toward Dan Woo-hyun in no time. Namgung So-hye quietly watched his retreating back and touched her lips.

“Is it not amazing?”

“…Are you asking me?”

“Yes. There is no one but you in front of my eyes.”

“Ha!”

Gwon Mu-jin, who had approached before she knew it, murmured beside her. Although she did not want to agree, there was no doubt that it was amazing, just as he said.

“What the fellow learned is unmistakably Taiji Quan. However, he is growing day by day. Thanks to that man, Dan Woo-hyun.”

“Is that why you follow him?”

“Of course, since I want to climb to a higher place.”

Leaving those words, Gwon Mu-jin began to bind the fallen men, as if it was no longer worth saying anything more.

However, his single statement remained in Namgung So-hye's ears and would not disappear. Biting her lips once again, she stared intently at Jang Sam-tae and Dan Woo-hyun beside him.

‘This is nonsense… truly.’

No matter how much she thought about it, it was something she could not accept with her common sense.