Chapter 65

Chapter 65

Led by Namgung So-hye and Zhuge Woon, the experts of the Murim Alliance were moving in a rush. Their expressions were extremely urgent as they rode their horses so fast that they kicked up a cloud of dust.

The place they were heading to was Agyang.

As they rode like mad without resting, the long distance narrowed in an instant.

“Th… This is…!”

Stopping at a certain spot, Zhuge Woon trembled. In the small canyon entering Agyang, countless arrows were scattered all around.

There were also many corpses.

Approaching slowly and pulling off a mask, he found that the hideously distorted face was completely unrecognizable. Judging by the wounds on the face, it seemed they had been inflicted after death.

Someone had done it to hide their identity.

“Find the Alliance Leader! Right now!”

Zhuge Woon bit his lip hard.

It was a situation where the Alliance Leader, Namgung Cheon, appeared to have been attacked.

Although he did not think for a moment that anything could have happened to the world-renowned Sword Emperor, anxiety fluctuated violently in a corner of his mind, tightening around his heart.

‘Who on earth did it?’

The sword marks left around were of no help at all. Most of them belonged to the Sword Emperor, and the traces of the attackers had been erased so thoroughly that they did not show at all.

‘The smell of gunpowder…’

Moreover, the smell of gunpowder hung heavily near the canyon. The collapsed and hollowed-out ground was a sight that could not be achieved by human strength alone, so it was clear that thunderbolt bombs had been used.

“Chief Planner! This is…”

“I know. So do not say anything.”

Namgung So-hye also seemed to have noticed the traces of the thunderbolt bombs. However, she did not believe for a second that the world-renowned Sword Emperor would have fallen to thunderbolt bombs.

But how on earth did they obtain thunderbolt bombs?

In this world, it was difficult to even get one's hands on gunpowder unless one belonged to the imperial court. Just possessing it was enough to be branded as treasonous, an offense that would cost one's head.

That was why the two searched the surroundings even more fiercely. They were struggling to find any trace of Namgung Cheon by any means.

Just then, something caught Zhuge Woon's eye.

He saw pure white powder scattered between small rocks. Because it was not a large amount, it would have been impossible to identify if he had not looked closely.

The moment he approached slowly and took a sniff, Zhuge Woon jerked his head back in surprise and covered his nose.

“Internal energy dispersing poison?!”

“N… No way!”

At the mention of the internal energy dispersing poison, Namgung So-hye's face turned pale. There was no way a martial artist would not know about it.

It was a poison that could only be described as particularly fatal to martial artists.

It was a poison so rare that there were rumors saying obtaining it was harder than getting one's hands on thunderbolt bombs.

But what if this really was the internal energy dispersing poison?

“Grandfather!”

With a deathly pale complexion, Namgung So-hye ran like mad, searching for Namgung Cheon.

* * *

Dan So-mi was staring intently at the two moving people. She had been watching them for over two hours without even moving from her spot, and she did not seem bored at all, as her eyes did not waver in the slightest.

Fidgeting.

She played with her fingers, unable to sit still.

In the end, the moment Dan So-mi, unable to endure any longer, jumped up.

“Sit down!”

“Sit!”

The sharp voices of the two men rang out.

Especially Jang Sam-tae's sharp voice was quite a shock to Dan So-mi.

Placing her buttocks meekly on the ground, she let out a small whimper.

“Why! So-mi can do it too!”

“I know you can! But you shouldn't break it, should you?”

“So-mi… never broke anything…”

“Look at that!”

Dan So-mi awkwardly turned her gaze away.

At the place Jang Sam-tae pointed to, a pile of broken, unusable wooden planks was stacked high.

Starting from the holes she made saying she wanted to try hammering, to the wood she smashed to pieces when she tripped while trying to lift it to help.

Even without that, chopping wood was already exhausting, so Dan So-mi's actions were nothing more and nothing less than a nuisance.

Sitting still was the best way to help.

Moreover, the boat was about to be completed soon. The reason why it took two days to build just a tiny rowboat was all thanks to Dan So-mi over there.

“You seem to be doing well. It has almost taken shape.”

Just then, Dan Woo-hyun's voice was heard.

The startled two turned their gazes with pale complexions. They seemed filled with anxiety that he might have heard them shouting at Dan So-mi.

However, Dan Woo-hyun did not pay attention and looked around. After checking the fallen trees one by one, he nodded with a satisfied expression.

“This is excellent for two days.”

“T-Thank you, Lord!”

Gwon Mu-jin bowed his head sincerely.

For the past two days, he had practiced how to chop wood without even sleeping properly.

Although he could not fell a massive tree in a single strike like Dan Woo-hyun, he had reached a level where he could bring down even the largest tree in about twenty strikes.

It was the result of blood-sweating effort.

Compared to him, Jang Sam-tae still had a long way to go.

Whether he knew that or not, Dan Woo-hyun did not offer any advice.

He just watched silently or sat down next to So-mi and chatted warmly.

Without caring what the two men were doing, he was engrossed only in the conversation.

Gwon Mu-jin and Jang Sam-tae, who had stopped working briefly due to Dan Woo-hyun's appearance, began working again with awkward expressions. With just a little more effort, it would be completed soon.

It would be goodbye to this dreadful boat.

Like that, four hours passed.

Finally, something that could be called a boat was completed. Gwon Mu-jin, who had been working without proper sleep, slumped down and smiled.

He felt like he had focused more on making this than when he practiced martial arts.

“You built it well. It looks sturdier than expected.”

Dan Woo-hyun also wore a satisfied smile.

Given their dexterity, he had expected an extremely crude boat to be made, but although it was not incredibly fancy, a boat of considerable quality had been created.

“Can we ride it now?”

“Haha, it seems so. But So-mi should wait a little longer before riding it. We haven't confirmed if it is safe yet.”

“Yes! So-mi can hold back and wait.”

Thump, thump!

Dan So-mi said, watching the boat with the gaze of a child looking at an interesting toy.

Although she wanted to ride it right away, if Dan Woo-hyun said no, then it was a no.

* * *

Dan Woo-hyun floated the boat on Lake Dongting.

“Ho. Not bad.”

Contrary to his concern that it might sink instantly, it floated properly.

If it were unbalanced or poorly hammered, water would have leaked in.

In that sense, he could tell how much effort those two had put into making the boat.

Looking at Jang Sam-tae and Gwon Mu-jin, who lay exhausted, Dan Woo-hyun soon got onto the boat.

“Although the cut surfaces are somewhat rough and the grip on the oars doesn't feel very good… this is good for a first attempt. You two seem to have the talent to become excellent carpenters.”

“…….”

“Hmph! I have no intention of becoming a carpenter!”

Unlike Gwon Mu-jin, who turned his head without a word, Jang Sam-tae muttered softly.

A carpenter? Nonsense. He had not stayed here doing this silly stuff just to become something like that.

“Then I will be back shortly.”

“Please come back quickly! So-mi wants to ride it too.”

“Haha, I get it, I get it.”

Dan Woo-hyun rowed lightly.

With a single stroke of the oar, the boat glided across the surface of the lake.

The sight of him moving a considerable distance in one go was so fast that the eyes of the three onlookers widened.

“His rowing is not that of a human either, not at all. Sheesh!”

Jang Sam-tae turned his back as he watched that sight. Since he could not rest properly while making the boat, he felt he should lie down for a short rest while Dan Woo-hyun was away.

He moved forward while rowing.

This tiny rowboat gliding across the lake surface seemed to have nowhere it couldn't go.

Dan Woo-hyun, who was rowing while standing still, felt the wind and wore a bright smile as if he were in a good mood.

Since breaking out of the ice and meeting Dan So-mi, he had been living a relaxed life, but today felt different from any other time.

He turned his head and looked around.

The horizon of Lake Dongting, which seemed to stretch endlessly.

The manor, now so far away that he had to focus to see it.

Fish leaping between the boats floating here and there.

As the gentle breeze awakened his mind and heart, if this place was not a peach blossom spring, where else could be?

Dan Woo-hyun sat down on the boat and searched his robes.

Then he pulled out a bottle of liquor he had prepared in advance.

Leaning his back against one side of the boat, he took a sip of the extremely strong liquor.

“Good.”

Was this not what living a human life was about?

In the past, he had seen too much blood.

Although he did not think raising a sword as a martial artist was a bad thing, if only blood was visible on that path, then there was a problem.

‘It was a time when he acted up, not knowing how high the sky was…’

Recalling his past self, Dan Woo-hyun chuckled and turned his head.

Thinking of those times, embarrassing memories came to mind one by one.

He moistened his throat with another light drink and turned his head.

“…….”

He saw something approaching along the currents of Lake Dongting. Riding the faint wind, even from a distance, it was a person.

Fortunately, they were facing upward, but they did not move at all, and judging by the fact that one of their arms was severed, there was a high possibility they were dead.

Dan Woo-hyun frowned.

Who on earth was ruining such a beautiful scenery?

Pushed by the waves, the corpse soon bumped against Dan Woo-hyun's boat.

“Well, now…”

And he saw the person's face.

Though the figure was somewhat haggard and left with sword wounds and scorch marks all over his body, it was not to the extent that he could not recognize a familiar face.

“Namgung Cheon…”

The Sword Emperor, Namgung Cheon, met Dan Woo-hyun again.

Dan Woo-hyun reached out and placed his hand near the man's nose.

Although it was faint, he could feel him breathing. Not dying in this kind of situation must mean that heaven's luck had truly reached him, right?

“I told you to meet again if you didn't die, yet we meet in this state.”

Dan Woo-hyun chuckled.

As he slowly reached out and moved his internal energy, Namgung Cheon's body floated up into the air and landed in the boat.

Moving small objects using telekinesis was a technique that any expert who reached a certain level could perform, but lifting a person was a realm that was impossible even for the Sword Emperor.

“He has been poisoned… Is it the energy-dispersing poison?”

After checking the pulse, Dan Woo-hyun immediately identified the poison inside his body.

Since only the energy-dispersing poison possessed the property of rapidly scattering Dan Woo-hyun's internal energy that had flowed in the moment he checked the pulse.

It was a quite potent thing.

“Hmm…”

Groaning briefly, Dan Woo-hyun rowed.

Returning to the manor was the priority for now.

If Namgung Cheon did not die in the meantime, that too would be heaven's luck, and it would mean his life thread was not meant to be cut yet.