Chapter 41

<Return of the Martial God Chapter 41>

* * *

“How troublesome…”

Hong Won-chang, who had returned to Hunan from Beijing, was sitting in his office for the first time in a long while, looking over his backlog of work.

The first thing that caught his eye was the wanted posters of criminals who were notorious throughout the Hunan region.

“Murder, rape, smuggling… Sigh, why are there so many thieves swarming about?”

Hong Won-chang scratched his head vigorously.

With the disappearance of the massive power of Jang Baek-san, the Hunan region was truly turning into a chaotic mess.

The criminals and bandits who had been holding their breath under Jang Baek-san's watchful eyes were beginning to raise their heads.

He had thought security would improve after resolving so many incidents, but seeing scoundrels like these show up one by one made him worry that the Hunan region might soon become a lawless land.

“Huh?”

At that moment, Hong Won-chang stared intently at one of the wanted posters.

The criminal's crimes were exceptionally severe.

Murder, opium smuggling, human trafficking.

Murder alone was enough to warrant a heavy punishment, but this man had even laid hands on human trafficking and opium smuggling, which should never be committed.

It was a wonder he had not been caught yet.

Moreover, his main area of activity was the Hunan region.

“I suppose this fellow was also hidden because of Jang Baek-san.”

Hong Won-chang let out a long sigh. Since such big shots always had someone backing them, they probably had not been revealed until now.

Catching him was one problem, but what came after catching him was also a problem.

He wanted to avoid troublesome matters as much as possible.

“Where is this guy's name… Jang Sam-tae?”

Hong Won-chang rubbed his eyes and looked down at the wanted poster again. However, the name remained clearly written, not disappearing.

“Jang Sam-tae?!”

He had not misread it.

The name Jang Sam-tae was indeed written on the wanted poster.

Hong Won-chang stared blankly at the wanted poster with a dazed expression, as if he had been struck with a hammer.

* * *

“Are, are we really doing this?”

“Yes.”

Gwon Mu-jin and Jang Sam-tae stood side by side and scanned their surroundings.

The place, located not far from the manor, was densely packed with unkempt trees, bushes, and rocks.

Four people stood looking at the place.

Dan Woo-hyun, Dan So-mi, Gwon Mu-jin, and Jang Sam-tae.

Around them, farming tools, including axes, and a huge hammer to break rocks were also prepared.

“We will clear a field.”

Gwon Mu-jin's and Jang Sam-tae's faces turned pale. He was not saying this as a joke.

It seemed Dan Woo-hyun truly intended to clear a field here.

‘Are you kidding me?’

Trees were dense in all directions, and rocks were deeply embedded here and there.

Chopping trees, breaking rocks, and leveling the ground would require immense labor. In that case, it would be better to hire workers.

It was not as if they lacked the money, yet Dan Woo-hyun grinned and spoke.

“You two will do it.”

Gwon Mu-jin and Jang Sam-tae stared blankly at each other.

‘Should we run away?’

The two came up with the same thought at the same time.

“What about So-mi?”

“Hmm… You hold this.”

Dan Woo-hyun handed over a small sickle lying on the ground. Since it was the perfect size for her small hands, it felt as though it had been made for Dan So-mi from the very beginning.

“This?”

“Yes. And come over here.”

Dan Woo-hyun headed toward a small patch of bushes nearby. The fully grown weeds were quite tough.

Because they were thick, it seemed impossible to even cut them unless one knew the knack of using a sickle.

“The trick is very simple. Do not tense your wrists, but apply force only to your fingertips. If you blindly force it just because it doesn't cut, you won't be able to cut anything.”

“Eh? So, the force…”

Dan So-mi held the sickle and thought deeply.

She pondered, chewing over the words she had just heard several times. However, no matter how much she thought about it, the words were incredibly difficult for Dan So-mi to grasp.

In that case, she would just try it first.

Dan So-mi squatted down and began to cut the weeds.

However, no matter how many times she swung, they were not cut properly.

Honestly, it was far too difficult a task for a seven-year-old child to do.

“Like this? Huff!”

“Yes, you will get the hang of it as you keep doing it.”

Watching Dan So-mi strive diligently to cut the weeds that wouldn't even be cut, Dan Woo-hyun smiled. It would be difficult at first, but once she got used to it, cutting small weeds would not be hard at all.

“Jang Sam-tae will chop the trees, and Gwon Mu-jin will break the rocks.”

Gwon Mu-jin picked up a large hammer. If he used internal energy, breaking a rock was no task at all.

He walked up to a large rock with high spirits, channeled his internal energy, and struck it down forcefully.

But?

Tap!

Just before the hammer reached the rock, Dan Woo-hyun's hand moved and struck his acupoint.

At that moment, Gwon Mu-jin felt all his internal energy drain completely from his body and widened his eyes.

Boom!

“Argh!”

Gwon Mu-jin's entire body trembled.

He felt the stinging sensation transmitted from his palms spread through his entire body.

His hands trembled uncontrollably.

“What… what are you doing?”

“I did not tell you to use internal energy.”

“But how can I break that rock with just a hammer without using internal energy?”

Rubbing both of his hands, he grimaced.

He could not understand at all why they had to take the long way around when there was a way to do it quickly.

Seeing him complain, Dan Woo-hyun chuckled and took the hammer.

Then, holding it with one hand, he swung it widely toward the rock.

Crash!

Crack!

“Huh?!”

“Eek!”

“Wow…”

The large rock was shattered in an instant.

It was an immense strength, so incredible that it was hard to believe it was the power of someone who had not used any internal energy at all.

“Ex… external strength?”

“These days, there seems to be a tendency to prioritize internal energy, and many people seem to look down on external strength… but only when a proper harmony between external strength and internal energy is achieved can one truly survive in a fight.”

“…”

“Your flaw is that when you swing your twin sabers, the proportion of internal energy you use is too high. Although the speed is fast, proper power is not laden in the sabers.”

Gwon Mu-jin swallowed hard.

Just as Dan Woo-hyun said, the majority of martial artists tended to neglect external strength.

However, if he could achieve what he had just seen, he would be acquiring another weapon.

‘This is… training!’

Gwon Mu-jin glanced at Dan So-mi.

The way she grunted and moved the sickle was similar to how Dan Woo-hyun had shown when dealing with Ma Dok-jin and his subordinates last time.

Right now, Dan Woo-hyun was not simply trying to clear a field.

It was a training disguised as clearing a field.

Gwon Mu-jin's eyes burned with determination.

“I will do my best!”

“…Sure.”

Watching Gwon Mu-jin shout passionately, Dan Woo-hyun broke into a cold sweat.

Turning his head away from Gwon Mu-jin, he saw Jang Sam-tae. He saw him holding an axe, his eyes sparkling brightly.

“How should I do it?”

“Huh?”

“How should I chop the trees?”

“…Just chop.”

“Yes?”

“Chop the trees.”

“Are… aren't you going to teach me any method?”

“What kind of method is there for chopping a mere tree? You just have to swing.”

Jang Sam-tae grimaced deeply.

The man who taught So-mi to do this and that, and even demonstrated immense power to Gwon Mu-jin, told him to just chop.

“I mean a trick like what you taught that guy earlier. Is there no method to chop trees without getting tired, or a breathing technique to do it faster?”

"Just chop it quickly."

“…Yes.”

Ignoring Jang Sam-tae who grumbled in a voice too low to be heard, Dan Woo-hyun stepped back.

Seeing Dan So-mi on one side, Gwon Mu-jin on the other, and even Jang Sam-tae working hard truly put his mind at ease.

‘We can grow corn over there, and watermelon over here.’

In truth, there was no need for them to clear the field themselves.

After all, Dan Woo-hyun possessed the ability to easily clear several fields in less than a single cup of tea's time if he set his mind to it.

However, making them do this troublesome work had a purpose.

By saving Namgung So-hye and saving Gwon Mu-jin, it was no exaggeration to say that Dan Woo-hyun was now enemies with the Unorthodox Faction.

Though things were quiet now, there was no telling when their blades would point here.

To prepare for that, it was necessary to train them.

For Gwon Mu-jin, it was to add weight to his speed-oriented sword along with external strength as explained earlier, and for Dan So-mi, it was to lay the foundation of the martial arts she would begin to learn in the future.

As for Jang Sam-tae…

‘Hmm.’

Dan Woo-hyun scratched his head and looked at Jang Sam-tae.

Being fast on his feet and quick-handed was quite useful. After all, since he was a fellow who had lived by stealing, wouldn't that much be basic?

But other than that?

‘He's completely useless.’

Although he was learning the Tai Chi Chuan modified by Dan Woo-hyun, perhaps because his training time was too short and he lacked talent too much, his achievements were far too lagging.

If So-mi were five or six years older and he made them spar, Jang Sam-tae would surely not last even a brief moment.

Therefore, the extreme measure he had come up with was this.

Chopping a large tree was by no means an easy task.

Naturally, stamina and strength would build.

Then, the time spent practicing martial arts would increase, and executing the forms would also become a bit easier.

At the moment he was smiling with satisfaction with those thoughts.

“Great Hero Dan! Great Hero Dan!”

A familiar voice was heard from somewhere.

Turning his gaze toward the sound, he saw Hong Won-chang, whom he hadn't seen in a long time, gradually drawing closer.

“Isn't that Magistrate Hong?”

Jang Sam-tae brightened as he watched Hong Won-chang approaching from afar. Since Hong had said he was visiting Beijing, Jang expected he would have brought at least one nice gift.

However, his urgent appearance was puzzling. His face was even pale as if something terrible had happened.

Arriving in front of them in no time, he gasped for breath several times, then glared at Jang Sam-tae and yelled loudly.

“You scoundrel! You have been committing all sorts of evil deeds hiding behind Great Hero Dan's back!”

“…Yes?”

Shring!

With a hardened face, Hong Won-chang drew his sword, pointed it at Jang Sam-tae, and shouted.

“Sinner, receive your arrest immediately!”