Chapter 61

Chapter 61

A brief silence fell.

Not only Gwon Mu-jin, who watched the situation from afar, but also Namgung So-hye, who saw and heard with her own eyes and ears such incredibly bold words spoken to the Sword Emperor, could not easily open her mouth.

Although she thought she knew Dan Woo-hyun's personality well, she had never dreamed he would act so boldly even against the Sword Emperor.

She laughed awkwardly.

'At this rate, they're going to fight.'

She had not brought him here hoping for such a thing.

In the first place, even if they fought, the winner was already determined.

The whole world knew that the name of the Sword Emperor was not earned in vain.

Against his sword, Dan Woo-hyun would not be able to withstand even a single stance.

Namgung So-hye, who possessed such pride, intervened between the two.

“Grandfather! We are guests.”

“Haha, I did not say anything.”

“And Young Master Dan, it is only right to show some respect to your elders!”

“Elders…”

Dan Woo-hyun stroked his chin.

Namgung Cheon, who stood before his eyes, certainly looked old. With his snow-white hair, flowing long beard, and bright robe, he indeed gave off the feeling of a prominent figure of Murim.

Even that Gwon Mu-jin was unable to come close because of Namgung Cheon's momentum.

But an elder?

Was he truly an elder?

Dan Woo-hyun's age just before he was sealed was over fifty. It was a problem that he looked only to be in his early thirties due to his youthful face, but in reality, he was dozens of times older than Namgung Cheon.

“Arguing is just tiresome. What brings you here?”

“That is…”

“I wanted to sightsee Lake Dongting with my granddaughter after a long time. Things ended badly, so my heart is not at ease.”

Namgung So-hye pinched the bridge of her nose.

Did he really have to say that out loud so embarrassingly? Even without that, rumors would soon spread that the Murim Alliance had failed to retrieve anything from the Martial God's Secret Cave.

The public eye looking at the Murim Alliance was already unfavorable due to the two recent incidents in Hunan, and she did not want such embarrassing matters to be talked about.

“The room rate is expensive.”

“I will pay three silver taels each.”

Seeing Namgung Cheon burst into a hearty laugh as he spoke, Dan Woo-hyun's eyes flashed for a moment. Three silver taels was a considerably expensive price to pay for a room.

“Then… I will provide meals for free.”

Dan Woo-hyun led them and guided them to their lodging.

While Namgung So-hye could just use the room she usually stayed in, Namgung Cheon was here for the first time and paying a significant amount, so it felt right to give him a good room.

“Use this place.”

“Haha, is it really alright for this old man to use this room? It looks no different from the residence of the manor lord.”

“It is an empty room. You do not need to mind.”

Having said those words, Dan Woo-hyun turned his back without hesitation. Although he could be said to have formed a connection with Namgung So-hye, he was acting like someone who had absolutely nothing to say.

Namgung So-hye watched this with a displeased expression.

“Haha, he is an interesting fellow.”

“We are not friends.”

Thoroughly vexed, Namgung So-hye took a seat at the table. Why did she feel even more irritated when she had come here to soothe her mind?

This was why she had not wanted to come to Yueyang.

While having such thoughts, she suddenly raised her head and looked at Namgung Cheon.

“Grandfather.”

“Yes, what is it?”

“Why… are you staying still?”

“Hmm?”

“He does not use respectful language and is extremely rude… Normally, you would have lectured him already.”

Namgung So-hye recalled an event that occurred recently.

If the Namgung Family was considered the best among the Eight Great Families, there was a family that was called the perpetual second place.

It was the Murong Family located in Liaoning.

The eldest son of that family was two years older than Namgung So-hye, and at the time of his birth, he was widely renowned for his outstanding talent, expected to become the future hope of the orthodox path.

There were also rumors that he was a talent who could raise the Murong Family to become the greatest family.

At any rate, she had recently seen the eldest son of the Murong Family, and she remembered Namgung Cheon harshly lecturing him for acting like an immature child.

Because he had behaved as if he were a king.

That did not seem very different from the current situation.

This was because Dan Woo-hyun's behavior was also quite rude.

“Indeed. However… strangely, I did not feel offended.”

Namgung Cheon stroked his beard and thought of Dan Woo-hyun. When the gate first opened and he saw him standing there, he had felt a sense of dizzyness.

It was quite a unique feeling for Namgung Cheon, who had never experienced such an emotion once in his entire life.

“Did that man destroy the Black Way Society…”

“Yes, he does not speak of it, but it is certain.”

A sigh escaped from the mouth of Namgung So-hye, who rested her chin on her hand. Although she had thought about it many times, she simply did not like the fact that such a person's martial arts were so high.

If it were not for that, she would have given him a good beating.

Clench!

Clenching her fists, she swallowed her anger.

“By the way, is it really alright? The Alliance must be in a complete uproar… yet only the two of us are here…”

“Haha! It is fine, it is fine. I am just an old man who will retire soon anyway, so everyone will understand if I slack off a bit.”

“Chief Strategist Zhuge would not think so.”

As she let out a sigh, Namgung Cheon wore an awkward expression. While others might let it go, Chief Strategist Zhuge would certainly never tolerate it.

Just thinking about him already made it troublesome.

* * *

“Is that man not the Sword Emperor?”

“The Sword Emperor?”

“He is also the current leader of the Murim Alliance.”

“I see.”

Dan Woo-hyun thought.

So the person named the Sword Emperor who was frequently mentioned by Namgung So-hye was indeed that man. As expected, he was on a completely different level compared to the martial artists he had met so far.

The energy felt from the first moment seeing him was also extraordinary.

‘But that is all.’

The momentum flowing from his entire body was certainly grand, but the sharpness hidden within that momentum could not be found. This meant he did not properly understand the martial arts he possessed.

‘If that child knew this, he would beat the ground in regret.’

Dan Woo-hyun briefly recalled someone in his mind. However, he soon snapped out of it at the warmth of a touch drawing near and turned his head.

Before he knew it, So-mi had approached his side.

“Sister is here, right?”

“Haha, yes. She came.”

“Wow! I want to go see her.”

“Leave her be for a moment. She did not come alone.”

“Yes? Who did she come with?”

“Indeed.”

So-mi looked toward the room with a curious expression.

It seemed she was very curious about whom that pretty Namgung So-hye had come with. However, no matter how much she stared, she could not see inside the room.

She stealthily moved her feet and headed toward Namgung So-hye's room.

Looking at the child's retreating figure, Gwon Mu-jin and Dan Woo-hyun smiled. However, Gwon Mu-jin soon corrected his expression and spoke in a voice so quiet that it could not be heard by anyone else.

“Did they come because of the matter of Gunja Island?”

“I wonder. For that, it is far too quiet.”

It made no sense for only the two of them to come.

Furthermore, Dan Woo-hyun had secretly moved the remains of the Three Heavens, and he was confident that he had not been caught by anyone in the process.

Even if Namgung Cheon had been nearby.

“I am worried. Of all things, that man is here.”

Gwon Mu-jin was a man of the unorthodox path.

Naturally, his fear of Namgung Cheon would not disappear. The one called the Sword Emperor was truly undefeated on the battlefield, and to his enemies, he was no different from a grim reaper.

The Five Emperors were such beings.

No matter how old they grew or how much their temperament softened, their true nature did not disappear.

“Are you afraid?”

“The moment I saw his face, my mind went blank.”

Gwon Mu-jin burst into a hollow laugh.

It was not his first time seeing those called the Five Emperors.

Because the Emperor of the Unorthodox Path, Jeok Mu-seong, was also one of those called the Five Emperors.

However, Jeok Mu-seong seen from a distance and the Sword Emperor seen right in front of him were far too different.

The moment that momentum was felt, his mind became dizzy.

Since his legs lost strength just by looking, he struggled to force strength into both legs to remain standing. He did not want to bring disgrace to Dan Woo-hyun.

At that moment, Dan Woo-hyun let out a small smirk.

It was the same smile he always showed.

In that instant, Gwon Mu-jin felt strength slowly returning to his body.

“Only when a person looks at something high do they finally realize their own weakness. The moment they realize that, a stepping stone to rise one step further is laid.”

“I understand what you mean.”

Do not feel frustrated just because you are lacking now.

Do not shudder at the vastness while looking at a mountain you cannot even hope to climb.

If you climb slowly, you will reach the summit someday.

It felt as if Gwon Mu-jin was hearing such words right now.

Of course, it was completely different from what Dan Woo-hyun actually said.

“But where on earth did that fellow Sam-tae go?”

Dan Woo-hyun frowned.

Guests had arrived, but the fellow who should be serving tea or preparing food had vanished.

‘If he has work, he should say so, or if he is going somewhere, he should say so before disappearing.’

Dan Woo-hyun clicked his tongue.

“This fellow has grown lazy.”

It was the moment he resolved to work Jang Sam-tae a bit harder in the future.

* * *

At that time, Jang Sam-tae, who had gone to the back of the manor, wiped his flowing sweat and repeatedly looked around. He soon frowned and climbed up the mountain path again.

“Damn it, where on earth is this ball?”

It was merely a ball thrown by a child.

It could not have flown very far, but strangely, it was nowhere to be seen.

Since it was not there even after searching the surroundings thoroughly, there was simply no way to know whether an eagle had snatched it away or the wind had blown it off.

He had already been wandering for over two quarters of an hour searching for a ball that was not there.

The sun had passed its zenith, and he was also hungry.

Even though the time to return to the manor and prepare meals had already passed, the reason he could not give up on the ball was that he had seen the child's tearful expression.

Jang Sam-tae clenched his fists.

He did not know about anything else, but his determination to find the ball for sure was overflowing.

He looked up at the sky and shouted loudly.

“I will definitely find your ball, So-mi!”

He went on for a long time, carefully checking the surroundings once again. Just how strong of a wind had blown for a single tiny ball to disappear completely?

After half a double-hour had passed like that, Jang Sam-tae shouted.

“Damn it! Is it really even here!?”