Chapter 44

<Return of the Martial God Chapter 44>

“Ugh…”

Gok Jung, who had received a series of heavy impacts, collapsed futilely backward.

His figure falling down with a loud noise was somewhat comical.

“Pant, pant…!”

Jang Sam-tae breathed heavily as he looked at him.

This situation right now felt like a dream. The fact that he had won against the guy who looked the strongest, not some minor fry.

His violently beating heart felt like it would burst at any moment.

He could not believe at all that he had done it.

“The, the chief has been defeated!”

The remaining bandits yelled. It was because the fall of their chief was that shocking. The shock was even greater since he was a man who had boasted that he would absolutely never lose unless it was someone on the level of Jang Baek-san.

Pointing their swords, they rushed toward Jang Sam-tae.

At that moment.

Thud, thud-!

“Urgh!”

“Aaakh!”

They collapsed helplessly, struck by something that flew out of nowhere.

They did not see at all what had flown from where, nor could they even know who had attacked them.

Their consciousness, which had suddenly turned pitch black, was sucked into darkness.

“This much should be enough.”

Dan Woo-hyun, who had stood up from his spot before anyone knew it, brushed his hands as he threw away the arrows.

“I thought you said you were dead?”

“Haha, if you wanted to kill me with such arrows, you would need at least a million of them.”

Jang Sam-tae also knew very well that Dan Woo-hyun was a person who couldn't be harmed by things like arrows.

Jang Sam-tae plunked down, caught his breath, and grinned.

“I did it!”

“Yes, you did it.”

“Wow, I really almost died.”

“A fight involving life and death is originally like that. Unless you risk your life and fight in person, you cannot shake off fear and are bound to shrink back.”

Jang Sam-tae nodded and looked down at his hands. He clearly recognized that feeling from a moment ago.

It was a situation where it wouldn't have been strange if he died right away.

That was why he was even more afraid, and did his best because he did not want to die. Then, because something came to his mind, he turned his gaze and looked at Dan Woo-hyun.

“By any chance, Manor Lord.”

“What is it?”

“…Even if I couldn't win and almost died, you had no intention of helping, did you?”

“Of course. If you want to become strong, you must not lean on someone else. Depending on how you utilize the strength you possess, one is divided into a master and a novice. You did reasonably well in doing what you could do in an emergency.”

Looking at Dan Woo-hyun's eyes, he realized that he was by no means lying.

Even if he was in a situation where his head was about to fly off, Dan Woo-hyun would not have lent a hand.

Because he was a man who knew better than anyone that one could only become a true martial artist by standing alone.

Jang Sam-tae laughed awkwardly.

Though Dan Woo-hyun had said he wouldn't help, he survived because Dan sent a voice transmission at the end to tell him how to reverse the urgent situation.

That meant even if he didn't personally step in to help, he taught the method of survival.

If one couldn't do that, one died, and if one succeeded, one became strong.

‘Damn… it's absurd, but it's cool.’

Even though it was something that could make him angry, Jang Sam-tae found the imposing Dan Woo-hyun so incredibly cool.

He let out a long sigh and shook off his thoughts.

“Did you say he was Gok Jung? Wake him up.”

“Yes.”

Jang Sam-tae sprang up from his spot and approached Gok Jung.

Gok Jung gradually regained consciousness as he felt something touching his face.

Within his hazy mind, he slowly opened his mouth.

Trickle-

Something warm entered his mouth.

It was extremely fishy and tasted strange.

Gulp, gulp-

As he opened his eyes gradually without realizing it due to the bizarre feeling sliding down his throat, he saw a man with his pants down pointing his hideous thing right at him.

Between it, something yellow could be seen.

Instantly, his senses returned.

“Pfft!”

“Oh, you finally opened your eyes. Since you didn't wake up no matter how I tried, I resorted to the final method.”

The terrified Gok Jung scrambled backward in a hurry, but a disgusting smell permeated his nose.

“Cough, cough…! Blegh!”

He gagged repeatedly, so much that he wondered if the food he ate a couple of days ago would come out.

As time passed and Gok Jung gradually calmed down, he glared at Jang Sam-tae with eyes burning with rage and shrieked.

“What on earth is this!”

“Who told you not to wake up?”

Jang Sam-tae replied with a nonchalant expression.

“Y-You… you crazy bastard!”

“That's enough.”

At that moment.

The atmosphere suddenly sank.

Gok Jung turned his head at the heavy voice he heard.

Only then could he discover a figure. He could also see the subordinates sprawled around him.

No sooner did his eyes meet Dan Woo-hyun who was sitting blankly than he was seized by a dread as if he was being sucked into the flames of hell.

Gok Jung swallowed hard.

‘Wasn't he… the person who collapsed crying that he was dying after being hit by the first arrow shot?’

“W-Who are you…”

“Since there is no time, stop the small talk now. Rather, there is something I must ask you. Do you know this person?”

Dan Woo-hyun took out a wanted poster from his sleeve and showed it.

Gok Jung looked at it for a moment, then opened his eyes wide, and soon pointed a finger while secretly looking sideways.

“Isn't it this person here?”

“It isn't, you bastard!”

Gok Jung flinched seeing Jang Sam-tae who shouted angrily. However, no matter how he looked at it, nine times out of ten, it was indeed a drawing of the person in front of him.

At that moment, Dan Woo-hyun, who let out a small sigh, muttered.

“Opium was found on the bodies of your subordinates. Where did you get it?”

“A-As for opium, of course… in the back alleys…”

Chuckle-

Dan Woo-hyun chuckled, showing a sneer.

Staring with trembling eyes, Gok Jung turned his head upon hearing that sound.

“Do you think I came all the way here to make jokes?”

“No…”

The momentum was no joke.

It felt as if a tiger was roaring right before his nose. Therefore, no harsh words or expressions came out of his mouth at all.

‘A m-master!’

And an incredibly formidable master at that.

“B-But if I open my mouth, I will die!”

Dan Woo-hyun smiled as he lightly reached his hand out.

Although it was a simple action, to Gok Jung it was like a hand reached out by the Grim Reaper.

“If you do not speak, I will make you feel pain worse than death.”

Upon hearing those words, Gok Jung replied quickly without even thinking.

“It is the Three Sabers Association!”

“Three Sabers Association?”

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

However, he also shook his head as if he did not know either.

“Continue explaining.”

“After the Black Dao Association fell, didn't those who had been holding their breath begin to run wild in all directions?”

When the massive organization called the Black Dao Association fell, those who had been holding their breath began to flap their wings.

Although on the surface it appeared that peace had been restored with the disappearance of the Black Dao Association, in the background, the forces acting in secret were actually continuing to increase.

Dan Woo-hyun narrowed his brows.

However, it was also something that had been predicted to some extent.

“Among those fellows, the ones called the Three Sabers Association operate in Hunan… and they supply girls as well as opium.”

“What kind of fellows are they?”

“They are strong. Since even a single low-ranking soldier practices martial arts, we cannot do anything to them either. Furthermore, because they wear masks every time they trade, we do not even know their faces. In fact, I did not want to touch opium either, but those fellows beat up all our boys by force and made us buy it… There are more than one or two strongholds that disappeared because they did not listen to those guys.”

Gok Jung felt aggrieved.

He also knew very well how much opium ruined people. That was why he had deliberately avoided touching it until now, but the fellows who came suddenly one day forced them to buy it.

To survive, they had no choice but to pay money and buy opium, and while trying to procure the expensive opium price, they committed robbery more frequently, only to be thoroughly beaten up by Dan Woo-hyun.

“Their location?”

“I do not know either. Although they visit once a month, as for when they will come, I have absolutely no…”

Dan Woo-hyun stroked his chin.

He did not seem to be particularly lying. There was no way that loyalty to keep secrets existed among fellow thieves.

If so, they were an organization like the Black Dao Association operating in Hunan, and it meant they practiced martial arts of a reasonably high level that bandits who even shot arrows couldn't do anything about.

“Ultimately, this bastard doesn't know anything, does he?”

“It doesn't seem to be a lie.”

“Sigh! Then how on earth are we supposed to catch them!”

Dan Woo-hyun turned his head and looked at Gok Jung, who was trembling.

“Hand over all the opium you possess. The girls too.”

“Yes?”

“Did you not hear me?”

Swish-!

With a light wave of his hand, the front of Gok Jung's clothes was sharply sliced away. Seeing that, Gok Jung's face turned deathly pale and he nodded his head vehemently.

“I… I understand! I will give you everything!”

* * *

If one entered quite deep into Yueyang, there was a place where shabby houses were gathered closely together.

A woman wearing a bamboo hat and covering her face with a veil frowned her beautiful eyebrows as she looked around the place.

While some people were moving energetically, occasionally there were also those who stared blankly at the sky or crouched in corners, letting out groans.

Like people addicted to drugs.

“More… more… give me more… I need more…”

“Ugh… ugh.”

At a glance, there seemed to be more people out of their minds than normal people.

This was not something that applied only within Yueyang. In many villages of Hunan that she had seen on her way here, the same phenomenon was occurring.

The woman walked, leaving them behind.

Biting her lip tightly, she expressed her displeasure at her dislike of it. However, she knew very well that there was nothing she could do for now.

After a short while, the place the woman arrived at was the marketplace of Yueyang.

Beyond the countless people, she could see men standing blankly in various corners of the alleys, watching the surroundings.

Then, perhaps having discovered the woman, they quickly vanished toward the back of the alley.

The woman walked hurriedly toward them.

At that moment, not having examined her surroundings in time, she ended up bumping into someone.

“Ouch!”

“Are… are you alright?”

Startled, the woman looked down.

A small young girl was touching her nose, letting out a small groan. However, she soon raised her head and smiled brightly.

“So-mi is fine. Are you fine, elder sister?”

Confirming the child's cute face, the woman widened her eyes.