Chapter 64

Chapter 64

Namgung Cheon quickly turned his horse's reins.

Anhyang was not very far from here. If he started chasing on horseback, he would arrive in no time.

After riding for a long while, signs of people had already vanished, and only a small canyon could be seen around him. If he rode a bit further inside, Anhyang, his destination, would appear.

However, something was strange.

If the Murim Alliance was indeed chasing them, there should have been traces left behind, but not a single trace could be seen around.

Just as he frowned and urged his horse to run even faster.

Slash!

Suddenly, a rope sprang up from the ground.

The moment the galloping horse stumbled and fell, Namgung Cheon flew into the air, regained his balance, and landed.

As soon as he touched the ground, as if they had been waiting, white powder began to flutter from all directions.

He hastily stopped breathing, but the toxicity of the powder that had already entered through his nose and mouth did not disappear.

Feeling his internal energy scatter in an instant, Namgung Cheon's hands trembled violently.

"Energy-dispersing poison?"

As much as its very peculiar effect of scattering a martial artist's internal energy, the energy-dispersing poison was an extremely difficult poison to obtain.

Even in the Tang Family, famous for poisons, they could barely obtain one every few decades, so what more was there to say.

However, even a master of the world could not shake off the effects of the energy-dispersing poison.

It was that deadly and threatening of a poison to a martial artist.

Yet, that was not the end.

Swish! Swish!

'Arrows!?'

Listening to the sound of tearing air, he threw his body to the side.

Even in a situation where his internal energy was scattering, his movements were not inferior to those of young men.

However, his struggle ended there.

Behind him as he staggered, he felt a chilling aura.

He tried to turn his body to defend, but because the energy-dispersing poison was spreading through his entire body at a fierce speed, even turning his body felt heavy.

Stab!

"Urgh!"

A groan burst from Namgung Cheon's mouth.

Feeling the blade that narrowly stabbed his flank, he thrust out a palm strike.

Boom!

Along with a loud sound, the one who had thrust the sword was seen flying back.

"As expected, even with scattered internal energy, the Sword Emperor is still the Sword Emperor."

Someone's voice was heard from afar.

A voice he seemed to have heard many times before.

However, in this situation where even his eyes were growing dim, he could not identify the owner of the voice.

The man's confident voice continued.

"But today, this place will become the Sword Emperor's grave."

"You bastards…!"

Namgung Cheon flared his dim eyes.

If they had prepared this meticulously, it meant they had targeted Namgung Cheon from the very beginning. And his death would soon mean the collapse of the Murim Alliance.

"I, Namgung Cheon… will not die easily."

"Of course… I thought you would say that."

He felt the man chuckle.

It was an obvious sneer.

Even if he was poisoned by the energy-dispersing poison, the fact that the person in front of him was the Sword Emperor did not change, so how could he show such composure?

However, the reason for his confidence was soon clearly revealed.

As the man waved his hand, a group of men stood holding bows.

The moment they loaded fire arrows onto their bows and were about to shoot at any second, Namgung Cheon realized something was wrong and began to run forward.

"Hahaha!"

Swish! Swish! Swish!

Once again, the sound of cutting through the wind was heard violently, and the moment the burning arrows pierced the ground, the smell of burning gunpowder spread thickly.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

Thunderbolts exploded.

* * *

Dan Woo-hyun, who came out of the manor, thought.

Around the large wall, there was a field.

It was a place that Gwon Mu-jin, Jang Sam-tae, and Dan So-mi had spent a considerably long time and effort to make.

Since they had already planted crops, in just a little more time, delicious crops would bear fruit one by one.

The house was fine.

Not a single place was broken, and there was no place to go wrong.

It was built that sturdily, but it was also thanks to Jang Sam-tae managing it well.

But there was one thing lacking.

Dan Woo-hyun quietly stared at Dongjeong Lake.

It was wide.

Incredibly.

The horizon was so vast that one could clearly feel nature that could never be embraced by human strength, to the point where its end could not be seen.

On a small boat floating on the water's surface, a man and a woman boarded, laughing merrily and exchanging cups of wine.

He had no particular desire to ride with a woman, but wouldn't it be quite tasteful to place a single lantern on a boat late in the evening and leisurely have a drink?

'That looks fun.'

It was a thought that suddenly popped into Dan Woo-hyun's head.

Come to think of it, he had tried all sorts of things in the past, but he had never gone boating.

Because there was a fellow who would flip over any boat as long as it came near.

"I need a boat."

Fishing by the water was also quite fun in its own way, but going out on a boat to catch fish in deeper waters would also be very enjoyable.

"I need a boat."

"Yes, shall I go buy one?"

Jang Sam-tae, who was beside him, broke into a cold sweat. Staring blankly at the boat while fishing, and then suddenly saying he needed a boat?

'Does he want it because it looks fun?'

He did not know how someone could have so many things they wanted, as if he were a three-year-old child.

Well, having a boat would be good.

Since it had many uses in various ways.

If he went into Agyang, there would be many people selling boats.

'How much could a mere boat cost?'

"Sam-tae."

"Yes, Master."

"Bring an axe, a saw, a hammer, and nails."

"Are you planning to make it!?"

Startled, Jang Sam-tae shouted loudly.

The words he just spoke carried the determination to make a boat.

Though he wondered how long it would take to make just one small boat, since Dan Woo-hyun was taking this seriously, he felt anxious for no reason.

"Everything around us is trees. So there is no need to buy one, is there?"

"Still, wouldn't it be convenient to buy one?"

"So-mi might set sail, and it might sink. Can you trust what others made?"

"…I will bring them right away."

Jang Sam-tae ran off hurriedly. In truth, even as he ran, he did not like it.

He thought it would be much more convenient to find a skilled artisan and commission it instead.

Where on earth did he spend all that money?

Except for occasionally buying necessary items at the market, he had never seen him spend money.

* * *

Jang Sam-tae grumbled as he packed the tools and approached Dan Woo-hyun.

Beside him, Gwon Mu-jin was already there.

The fellow who had been training until a moment ago was already here; calling someone like him a ghost was definitely fitting.

"A boat… you say?"

Gwon Mu-jin, who stood carefully beside Dan Woo-hyun, broke into a cold sweat. He had come to catch his breath for a moment while training, but it seemed it would have been better not to come.

'A boat all of a sudden?'

"Look over there."

Dan Woo-hyun pointed at the boat far away.

From there, coquettish laughter was heard, and the sight of people leisurely drinking wine entered their eyes.

Gwon Mu-jin clenched his fists.

'Those fellows are the culprits.'

He felt like sinking them right away.

"Don't you want to have one? A boat."

"That… indeed. It is a very wonderful idea."

At first, he wondered if Jang Sam-tae had put him up to this, but seeing him shake his head with a fed-up expression, it did not seem to be the case.

Just then, Jang Sam-tae placed the tools on the ground with a thud.

"Then let us go gather wood first."

"Y… Yes…"

"Hmph! Understood."

They did not like it, but the two of them could not even dream of rebelling.

In any case, the three men, carrying their tools, headed to a place quite far from the manor.

If they cut down trees near the manor, it would ruin the view, so they looked for a place where people did not come and where it would not show even if they cut them.

It was not an easy task, but in about an hour, they found a plausible place and stopped.

As Jang Sam-tae was about to grab the axe to chop the tree, Dan Woo-hyun reached out faster and grabbed the axe.

"I will show you how to chop firewood easily."

In an instant, the eyes of the two men flashed.

Although Dan Woo-hyun was usually no different from a loafer, when he made up his mind to move, he often showed divine skills that could not even be imagined by human strength.

The two stared at Dan Woo-hyun and swallowed their saliva.

What would he show them this time?

"Listen well. Whether it is an axe or anything else, there is a trick to chopping or cutting things when you hold them in your hand. And depending on how naturally you let your internal energy flow along with that trick, you can easily do difficult tasks."

Dan Woo-hyun stood in front of a large tree.

Because its thickness was very wide, even if a skilled woodcutter chopped it, it would likely take several hours.

Dan Woo-hyun's axe rose slightly and then struck down lightly.

Thud!

At the same time the small sound was heard, the eyes of the two widened.

Crack!

It was not chopping several times.

Just once.

However, with that single chop, the large tree was seen falling over.

As a truly unbelievable thing happened before their eyes, the two watched with their mouths wide open.

Even if a bug flew in, they would not be able to close their mouths.

Thud!

As the tree completely collapsed, Dan Woo-hyun threw the axe down.

"This is how you use internal energy."

The two swallowed their saliva and directed blank stares at Dan Woo-hyun.

Their gazes were the same, but the thoughts of the two were different.

'How on earth do you do it to make it like that!'

'If he does it, it is easy, but he unnecessarily uses people and acts like a jerk.'

Dan Woo-hyun smirked as he looked at the two of them.

They probably could not understand easily.

"Rather than explanation, it is practical experience. Try it."

"I do not think it will work even if I try it for a hundred days…"

At Jang Sam-tae's complaint, Dan Woo-hyun handed him the axe and spoke briefly.

"Didn't I tell you before?"

"Yes?"

"That everything is a difference in thought. If you think it is impossible, it is impossible no matter what you do. How have you survived until now?"

Jang Sam-tae groaned softly.

As past memories flashed through his head, goosebumps rose naturally.

He stroked his neck and swallowed a sigh.

'I really survived by luck.'

It was that difficult of a journey.

"Now, begin. The later you are, the later you will go home."

"To feed So-mi…"

"I will go."

Dan Woo-hyun completely blocked the retreat of the two.

Since they could no longer make any excuses, they had no choice but to gather wood.

In the end, it was a moment where the two were sacrificed once again for Dan Woo-hyun's fun.