Chapter 25

Chapter 25

“Waaah!”

The cheers of the people rang out loudly.

The moment hundreds of officers dragged the members of the Black Road Association into Yueyang, all the commoners of Yueyang let out a shout toward Hong Won-chang.

Even the wanderers and martial artists who had come to confirm the captured Black Road Association members could not hide their excitement at that moment.

‘Heh, a total hero has arrived.’

Hong Won-chang waved his hand, wearing a proud expression.

Indeed, since he had accomplished what even the Murim Alliance of the world could not do, it was only natural for this level of cheering to break out. Perhaps it was no different from grabbing the opportunity to advance to the center, which he had wanted so much.

This was all thanks to Dan Woo-hyun.

Ever since he met him, everything had been resolved smoothly without any trouble.

The position of Yueyang’s magistrate was already running sufficiently on a track to success, but now, he was truly advancing rapidly, and it felt as if no one could block Hong Won-chang’s path ahead.

The total bounty for these people was about a hundred gold taels.

It was truly an enormous amount of money.

‘Considering the reward coming down from the imperial family, it is not even that wasteful of an amount.’

It was none other than the case of wiping out the Black Road Association.

Since it was such a major incident that the prince's palace and the imperial court were already stirred up, it was certain that immense wealth and honor awaited him.

For a long time, the imperial court and the Murim had been watching each other while trying to wipe them out, but he had accomplished what no one else could succeed in doing.

It was indeed the first time in a very long while that the imperial court had overwhelmed the Murim.

Considering that, the money he handed over to Dan Woo-hyun was a great contribution, enough that it was not wasteful at all.

‘Even a million gold taels would not be wasteful for that senior.’

Hong Won-chang grinned.

Even if Dan Woo-hyun asked him to hand over his entire fortune, he would give it. He trusted him that much, and to make matters worse, recently, his feelings toward Dan Woo-hyun seemed to have grown even larger than his loyalty to the imperial court.

‘I will climb higher. Solely for him!’

What he could do for Dan Woo-hyun with the position of a magistrate was limited. It would only be about looking after simple conveniences, but if he climbed to a higher government office, he would be able to do more things.

Hong Won-chang steeled his heart and entered the government office.

Meanwhile, there was a woman quietly watching his figure. Perhaps to avoid showing her face to others, she, who was wearing a bamboo hat with a veil, did not take her eyes off Hong Won-chang as he entered the government office.

‘A hero has truly arrived.’

Namgung Sohye snorted, wearing an absurd expression. It probably was not something accomplished by his own strength, yet look at that fellow’s behavior.

Did he not look like he possessed the whole world?

‘Among those guarding the surroundings, there are no ones who look like masters either… and yet I don’t get the feeling at all that that guy is a master…’

It was because he was at a third-rate level, unable to even manage his own energy.

If such a person really wiped out the Black Road Association, even a passing dog would laugh.

‘It is clear that someone is behind him… Who could it be?’

Namgung Sohye tilted her head.

The question would not easily be resolved. Since she could not capture and torture Hong Won-chang either, only her frustrated feelings kept accumulating.

‘Hmm-! There isn't much money left either, so if I don't resolve this quickly and return…’

Namgung Sohye let out a deep sigh.

At first, her mission was simply to patrol the village of Tianzi Mountain and return. So she had only brought about fifty silver taels received from the Murim Alliance, but as the mission became longer than expected, she spent quite a lot of money.

Because of that, the money remaining in her possession was only five silver taels.

While it would be possible to stay at a cheap inn, before long, resolving food, clothing, and shelter itself would become impossible.

But there was one way.

It was to visit the Murim Alliance branch located about seven days away from here and receive money, but if she did that, during that time, someone else might make contact with the master hidden behind Hong Won-chang.

Therefore, her worries were no small matter.

‘I must finish the work as quickly as possible, visit the alliance branch, and get the money.’

Namgung Sohye repeatedly nodded her head while having such thoughts.

* * *

Namgung Sohye was able to realize within a few days that thoughts remained only thoughts.

On a afternoon when the scorching sun beat down, Namgung Sohye was sitting slumped in an alley where people rarely passed by. She was not thinking about anything, nor was she trying to do something.

Growl-!

She was just hungry and getting exhausted.

“Damn it…”

She looked up at the sky with tears in her eyes.

The day was exceptionally hot, causing her annoyance to soar.

It had already been five days since she entered Yueyang. Since she spent money on eating, sleeping, and moving around, the five silver taels vanished in an instant.

Though she spared it as much as she could, on the fourth day, after eating a bowl of plain noodles, her purse became completely empty. She had been like this for a day and a half now, unable to eat anything.

‘If grandfather knew about my current state, he would try to kill me…’

Slumped, she had to pray that this fact would not be discovered by other people, rather than worrying about her hungry stomach.

The moment it entered the ears of Namgung Cheon, the leader of the Murim Alliance, grueling training to a degree that others could not even imagine would torment Namgung Sohye.

‘Hing… What should I do?’

Even if she had genius talent for martial arts and held the high position of the Phoenix Unit Leader, in the end, there was no change in the fact that Namgung Sohye was a weak-hearted woman.

She was even a woman who had never experienced hunger even once.

She was a direct descendant of the Namgung Clan, which was at the peak of the Eight Great Families, and since she had shown outstanding prominence from a young age, she had nothing to fear even within the clan.

Namgung Sohye lightly tapped her head.

‘Stupidly! I should have bought only one sweet a day and divided it to eat multiple times…!’

Although she did not know how long she could have held out with that, the fact that she spent all five silver taels in just three days was proof that her spending was quite lavish.

It was at that moment.

Around the time she was sighing and blaming herself, a shadow suddenly fell in front of her eyes. Startled, she hurriedly lifted her head.

“Huh?”

“…”

At first, she thought she had seen wrongly. Since it was a mysterious thing in itself for a young child to be alone in such a dark alley.

Secondly, she harbored doubt at what the child was holding out.

It was a small dumpling. Although there was a trace of a small bite taken out of it, it felt warm, as if it had just been steamed.

“Th-What is this?”

“A dumpling.”

“Why are you giving this to me…?”

Whether the child recalled something at that moment, she giggled and laughed. With a highly happy expression, she reached out her hand again.

“So-mi is… full, so…”

It was a lie.

A trace of taking exactly one bite was visible, yet she was full?

Namgung Sohye looked up at the child with a blank expression. An exceptionally pure gaze and expression, and an action where sincerity could be seen.

The child placed the dumpling into Namgung Sohye’s hand.

“It’s delicious!”

Sparkle.

The child sparkled her two eyes and gathered her small hands to her chest. Her gaze did not leave Namgung Sohye, as if she wished for her to eat quickly.

Namgung Sohye gulped down her saliva and took a large bite.

“It… It’s delicious.”

“Right? Hehe.”

What kind of innocent child was this.

Namgung Sohye nibbled and chewed the dumpling while looking at the child. Feeling the child’s gaze, she felt her heart warming up for some reason.

“Sob…”

“Eh?”

Namgung Sohye shed tears at the emotion surging up inside her.

Shedding tears like chicken droppings, she continued to eat the dumpling.

Watching that, the child did not know what to do and fidgeted, but eventually approached cautiously and wiped her tears.

“It’s okay! Don’t cry! So-mi was like that too, but it’s okay now!”

She did not know what the child was talking about, but it seemed clear that the child was comforting her.

Perhaps because she gained a bit of strength without realizing it, Namgung Sohye wiped her flowing tears and chuckled.

“Little kid, what is your name?”

“So-mi, it’s Hwa So-mi.”

“That is a pretty name. This sister is called Namgung Sohye.”

“Heheh, it’s a pretty name!”

Looking at the bright expression of the child, her heart seemed to melt away without her realizing it. It was a comfortable feeling, as if all kinds of worries in her head disappeared cleanly.

“Where are your parents? I should at least say words of gratitude…”

“Eh?”

If one receives a favor, one repays it.

That was Namgung Sohye’s iron rule. Although she was in this state now, if she visited this place again someday, she intended to repay it several times over.

However, the child’s expression became somewhat gloomy.

Just as she was worrying if asking about the parents was a mistake.

“So-mi… doesn't have pa…”

“I am this child’s father.”

Right before Hwa So-mi’s mouth opened, the hand of a man who appeared from somewhere stroked the child’s head. Startled, Hwa So-mi looked up with wide, raised eyes.

Dan Woo-hyun was standing there.

“Ah… Are you this child’s father? Thank… you… very…?”

And for a moment, Namgung Sohye stared intently at the man. What was this exceptionally familiar face? She even felt like she had heard his voice.

However, just as she was tilting her head because she could not remember at all.

The man led Hwa So-mi’s hand.

“How does it feel to have starved?”

Words came along with a chuckle.

At first, without any thoughts, she tilted her head because she did not understand well what he was talking about.

‘How does it feel to have starved? It is indeed a crappy feeling, but…’

While she was having such thoughts, Hwa So-mi and the man were getting further and further away. Then, at some point, as if she recalled the memory, Namgung Sohye suddenly stood up from her seat.

‘That person?!’

There was no mistake.

It was that person.

The strange man who had suddenly disappeared before her eyes.

At first, he was a man of such elusive movements that she even wondered if it had been a dream. Did he not even steal the pockets of the mountain bandits right in front of her eyes?

“You! You are that person from that time, right?”

Looking at the gaze of Namgung Sohye, who blocked his front before he knew it, Dan Woo-hyun nodded his head. It was not a matter he needed to hide, nor did he want to conceal it.

“Th-Thank goodness…!”

“Thank goodness? What is thank goodness?”

Namgung Sohye tightly clenched her fists.

In fact, saying these kinds of words was a blow to her pride. Who was she? Was she not a direct descendant of the great Namgung Clan and a female martial artist who would lead the orthodox Murim in the future?

But right now, the situation was too bad.

As she did not know anyone in Yueyang and could not easily receive help either, she desperately wanted not to lose this single ray of light.

Moreover, had she not survived because of that child?

This was definitely fate.

“Well…”

“I refuse.”

“I haven't said anything yet.”

“I refuse anyway.”

“Don’t be like that and please help me!”

Namgung Sohye put on a crying face.

The man seemed to already grasp what she was trying to say.

Namgung Sohye asked someone for help for the first time in her life, and she forced herself to hold onto the man who was rejecting it.

If someone who knew her heard this fact, they would snort.

On the other hand, Hwa So-mi quietly watched the two arguing. Then, what was so good, she turned her gaze and looked at her right hand.

Dan Woo-hyun was holding her hand tightly, as if he would never let go.

The warmth transmitted from there felt so incredibly warm.

“I am this child’s father.”

She actually did not know with what thoughts he had uttered those words. Because she had lost her parents and did not think she would have parents again, her heart seemed to fluctuate even more wildly.

Hwa So-mi calmed her pounding heart and pulled the hand she was holding tightly.

“Hmm?”

“Let’s help her…”

Hwa So-mi mumbled softly. Although that sound became smaller and smaller until it could not be heard well, perhaps gaining courage, she tightly closed her eyes and shouted.

“Dad!”

“…!”

It was the day Dan Woo-hyun was surprised for the first time in his life.