Chapter 43

<Return of the Martial God Chapter 43>

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Mount Yuelu was also famous by its nickname, the Evil Mountain.

Because of its steep terrain, climbing the mountain was difficult, but it was said that one had to risk their life even to descend.

Furthermore, to get to Xiangtan in the south from Yueyang, one had no choice but to pass through the narrow path next to Mount Yuelu, making it easy to become prey for bandits if one was unlucky.

Two people were walking along such a path.

Jang Sam-tae's face was full of a somewhat awkward expression, while Dan Woo-hyun, who was following behind him, was looking at the scenery with a more peaceful expression than ever.

“This is a better place than I thought. It would have been better if we had built a house near here.”

“Along with bandits swarming all over the place. That would have been wonderful.”

“Hmm? Your tone sounds somewhat sarcastic.”

“No, seriously! I told you several times it wasn't me, but you didn't even believe me. And what's more, the place we are heading to clear my name is a bandit stronghold? Why are you really doing this?”

Jang Sam-tae had many complaints.

His desire to prove his innocence was as earnest as a chimney.

Although he could do anything for that, he was only anxious since they were heading to a bandit stronghold rather than a gambling house or a Haomin branch.

“Are you afraid?”

“Of course! I am afraid! Forget about innocence or whatever, I am afraid my head will fly off.”

“Hmm… If So-mi were captured by bandits, what would you do?”

“That, of course…”

He would rush in.

Since he had resolved to protect that child by any means even if he died, he would run to save her without sparing his life.

But that and this were strictly different, weren't they?

‘Since this man is here, there's no way I will die.’

Since a man worse than bandits was right before his eyes, he wouldn't lose his life, but that did not mean his fear of facing such fellows disappeared.

“And haven't you been training continuously?”

“With a mere third-rate martial art, what… you teach So-mi this and that, and you even give instructions to that guy named Gwon Mu-jin or whatever, while I am the only one getting the cold shoulder, aren't I?”

“Are you jealous?”

Jang Sam-tae, who was walking ahead, stopped abruptly.

Was he jealous?

It went without saying.

“Think about it! Thanks to whom does the Manor Lord eat his fill? It's me! Don't I cook delicious meals in the kitchen all day long! Who is the one who washes the clothes you and So-mi wear? It is me! Furthermore, in my spare time, I sweep the yard, watch So-mi! I do all the chores! Without me, the manor won't run!”

“Hahaha.”

When Dan Woo-hyun laughed loudly, Jang Sam-tae grew even angrier.

With a completely flushed face, he raised his voice.

“Yet, I am treated worse than a neighborhood dog… so of course I would be jealous and feel aggrieved.”

“I see. Then is there anything you want?”

Jang Sam-tae, who had been lamenting his lot, shined his eyes.

Did he have something he wanted?

Of course he did.

Why would he remain here and not run away even after receiving such treatment? Although Dan So-mi's influence was significant, it was more because a yearning still remained.

He wanted to become strong.

He wanted to cultivate the strength to protect those precious to him.

If he stayed by Dan Woo-hyun's side, it felt like it would be possible.

He could not escape from such thoughts.

In truth, even if he had run away, he would have been caught by Dan Woo-hyun because of his debt.

“I want to become strong!”

“I see. Then try to become strong.”

“Yes?”

He tilted his head at the mysterious words and sent a puzzled look.

A person couldn't suddenly become strong, could they?

At that moment.

Swish, swish, swish-!

A sharp sound cutting through the wind was heard from somewhere.

Thud!

Soon after, Dan Woo-hyun lightly tapped Jang Sam-tae's back. Reeling heavily from it, Jang Sam-tae was pushed to the side and fell down, unable to keep his balance.

Thump, thump, thump!

Several arrows were embedded in the place where he had been standing until just now.

“What is this?”

It was clear someone had shot targeting Dan Woo-hyun and Jang Sam-tae. As Jang Sam-tae hurriedly raised his head, a group of men revealed themselves from one side along with a clicking of tongue.

“Ah, damn it! It would have been better if you just got hit by the arrows and died.”

Watching the men who appeared while parting the bushes, Jang Sam-tae realized why the arrows had suddenly flown.

The bandits had finally revealed themselves.

What should he do? The moment he turned his head with that thought.

Jang Sam-tae looked at Dan Woo-hyun with an absurd expression.

“What… are you doing?”

“I was hit, by arrows.”

He was sitting down while holding three arrows in his hand. Not a single drop of blood came from the man who said he was hit by arrows, nor was there even an expression distorted in pain.

‘What crazy thoughts is this man having again?’

At that moment, Dan Woo-hyun, who caught Jang Sam-tae's eye, let out a short groan and rolled on the ground.

“Ouch. It hurts. I'm dying.”

“…”

Hearing the words spat out without a single change in expression, Jang Sam-tae pressed his forehead.

It was because he had absolutely no idea why this man was behaving like that.

Meanwhile, the bandits gradually closed the distance.

They surrounded Dan Woo-hyun and Jang Sam-tae as if forming a perimeter, and soon pointed their swords, wearing triumphant smiles.

“Hand over everything you have!”

Jang Sam-tae stared at the bandits with blank eyes, then gasped for breath as he came to his senses when the sword blade approached close enough to touch his neck.

“What do we do now?”

“Cough! What do you mean what do we do?”

“Stop that ridiculous acting and tell me what you plan to do!”

Dan Woo-hyun shrugged at Jang Sam-tae's irritability.

Perhaps due to the behavior of the two who seemed to ignore them, the bandits' eyes narrowed.

Closing the distance even further, they began to exude a fierce killing intent as if they would swing their swords at any moment.

“You bastards! Can't you hear what I am saying! How dare you ignore Gok Jung!”

What this man named Gok Jung was holding was a broadsword.

Although his internal energy seemed to remain at the second-rate or third-rate level, his entire body was muscular and rugged, as if he had trained his external strength reasonably well.

As Jang Sam-tae hesitated and tried to step back, Dan Woo-hyun, who was sitting, spoke.

“Didn't you say you wanted to become strong? There is no way to increase one's skills as quickly as real combat. Do you remember?”

“Yes?”

“Everything you have learned, that is. Ruminate on them one by one. And the fact that your feet are fast will be a significant advantage.”

Having finished speaking, Dan Woo-hyun fell flat on his back. It meant he had absolutely no intention of helping.

Jang Sam-tae shed a cold sweat and grit his teeth.

“Oh, damn it!”

The number of bandits before his eyes was as many as ten or so.

For Jang Sam-tae, who was only great at lightness art but third-rate in other things, it was quite a large number.

However, since he realized he could not back down, he clenched his fists tightly and took the opening stance.

Seeing that, the man named Gok Jung burst into a hollow laugh.

“One guy seems to be dead, so why don't you just give up?”

“Damn it, does that look like he's actually dead to your eyes?”

“Look at this crazy bastard?!”

Gok Jung adjusted his grip on the broadsword. He did not know where this guy had come begging from, but his tone was highly annoying.

Gritting his teeth with a grinding sound, he approached in a single bound.

He swung the broadsword widely.

Whoosh-!

The sound of the broadsword swinging fiercely was heard violently.

‘Fast feet!’

On the contrary, Jang Sam-tae took Dan Woo-hyun's teaching to heart.

Just as Dan Woo-hyun said, he had won against a martial artist of a higher level than himself thanks to his lightness art.

The one before him now was merely a bandit!

‘If you want to become strong, do not run away.’

Making up his mind firmly, he stared straight ahead.

Although the broadsword was reasonably fast, it was slower than Gwon Mu-jin's or Dan Woo-hyun's fists.

Swish-!

Jang Sam-tae, who had regained his confidence to some extent, took a step and threw his body.

Bam-!

“Huh?!”

Gok Jung, who had struck the bare ground with his broadsword, was startled.

Because Jang Sam-tae, who had been right in front of him, suddenly vanished from his sight.

It seemed to be the same for the subordinates around him, as they all looked around with round eyes.

At that moment.

Thud!

“Argh!”

Jang Sam-tae, who had suddenly appeared from behind, thrust his fist forward.

His fist, which struck Gok Jung's back, penetrated deeply. However, because his fist inherently lacked power, it was not enough to subdue the opponent.

In any case, the moment Gok Jung, who had been ambushed, faltered.

“This bastard?!”

The other bandits rushed toward Jang Sam-tae.

‘A bandit is indeed a bandit.’

Jang Sam-tae felt a thrill at the fact that his strike had connected and looked around.

Did they say a dog at a writing academy recites a poem after three years?

The time he had stayed at the manor was already half a year.

He recalled one by one the advice and methods of subduing opponents he had heard from Dan Woo-hyun from time to time.

Swish!

‘Behind?!’

He felt an arrow flying from behind.

However, he had two legs.

Pushing off the ground to leap into the air, he twisted his body like a swallow, and no sooner did he land than he charged fiercely toward the one who had shot the arrow.

There was no bizarre and mysterious footwork in his movement.

He simply ran fast and threw a punch.

Thwack-!

“Urgh!”

Crash-!

Struck by the punch thrown with all his might, the man's body flew backward.

Seeing him roll on the ground a few times and then go limp after crashing into a tree, there was a high probability he was unconscious or dead.

“Ha, ha.”

Jang Sam-tae caught his breath.

Though he had merely disposed of a single measly bandit, he gained a bit more confidence from this.

But.

Whoosh!

Slash!

“Ugh!”

Gok Jung's broadsword, which had approached before he knew it, narrowly grazed his waist.

As he tried to step back and unfold his lightness art again, the guys who rushed from all directions did not give him even the time to move his feet.

“Did you act cocky relying merely on some footwork!”

Gok Jung wore a ferocious grin like a malevolent deity.

The reason he had established a stronghold on Mount Yuelu near Yueyang and survived until now was that he was highly experienced and possessed excellent skills among bandits.

He also had the eyes to quickly see through Jang Sam-tae's clumsy martial arts.

“This fellow is garbage who can only use lightness art! Give him no room to move!”

“Yes!”

A loud response rang in Jang Sam-tae's ears.

It was a crisis that had arrived in an instant, but he had absolutely no desire to give up his life.

At that moment, a familiar voice was heard.

-Two steps to the right.

It was Dan Woo-hyun's voice.

The moment Jang Sam-tae moved two steps to the right like a doll moving on command, not only Gok Jung, who was continuing his attack, but even Jang Sam-tae widened his eyes.

Due to the exquisite movement, he had not only avoided Gok Jung's blade but also penetrated his chest.

“Eeee-yah!”

Grasping the clue for counterattack, Jang Sam-tae delivered a headbutt just like that. Jang Sam-tae's hard head struck Gok Jung's face.

Crack!

“Argh!”

Gok Jung's nose bone was crushed, and for a moment his vision blurred.

The moment he lost strength in his entire body, lost his balance, and backed away, Jang Sam-tae did not lose the opportunity, followed up, and threw a punch fiercely.

Thwack!