Chapter 9

Chapter 9

He who does not work shall not eat.

Jang Sam-tae was a thief.

Stealing was his job, and only by doing that would he naturally make an income to eat. Lately, however, he was deeply engrossed in one thing.

Sizzle-!

Greasing an iron pot, he stir-fried all kinds of vegetables. Utilizing the strength of his wrist to toss them lightly, the vegetables inside mixed evenly, exuding a delicious aroma.

Meanwhile, he threw in the meat to add flavor.

After stir-frying a bit more like that.

Tada-!

Jang Sam-tae style stir-fried vegetables and meat was completed.

Scooping the rice he had prepared beforehand and setting the table, it was a moment where a meal worthy of being sold anywhere was completed.

Looking at the prepared dishes with a satisfied gaze, he smiled contentedly.

But soon…

Thud!

“This is not it!”

Shouting wildly, he slammed his head against a pillar.

For the first time in his life, he realized that he cooked so well and also liked it. However, that was not the problem.

Before he knew it, he had completely forgotten his greatest purpose.

It was already his third day entering this manor. Calculating the time he spent knocked down and collapsed, it must have been at least five days.

It was about time the black market merchant arrived and waited.

If he was late, he would die.

No, if he stayed in this manor, there was no way he would ever get caught, and even if the guy found him, Dan Woo-hyun was here, so there would be nothing to worry about.

But this was not right.

Jang Sam-tae was a thief by nature. He was a human whose dream was to steal other people's goods to sell them, and live in luxury with that money.

One might think his mindset was rotten from the core, but as a human being, wouldn't it naturally be a dream to live easily like that? Who on earth would want to live worrying about money, that was the point.

“Damn it… Hell!”

Spitting out all kinds of curses, he carefully stepped out of there. In a little while, it would be time for Dan Woo-hyun and Hwa So-mi to eat.

Since a servant and a master did not share a table, he returned to the kitchen alone and eagerly shoveled rice into his mouth with the remaining side dishes.

Perhaps having returned to his senses only then, the look in Jang Sam-tae's eyes was worlds apart from when he was cooking.

A resolve to escape this hell-like place at all costs could be felt.

Soon, when about two quarters of an hour had passed.

Dan Woo-hyun's voice was heard from outside.

“Are you there?”

“Oh, Manor Lord! Of course this servant is here.”

Anger and action were strictly different. Jang Sam-tae giggled and bowed before Dan Woo-hyun. Since showing displeasure to that damn human would only lead to a bad outcome.

At times like this, bowing down was the best.

“Today, I plan to go fishing with So-mi. Since we will go a bit far, guard the house well.”

Gleam-!

At those words, Jang Sam-tae doubted his ears. Wherever they went, he had to follow and run small errands by their side.

Yet, today he said he would not take him.

Perhaps due to the food he had prepared for the past few days, their guard seemed to have relaxed a lot. He thought this was surely an opportunity granted by heaven.

Jang Sam-tae could not bring himself to cheer aloud and managed his expression. Since this human was a persistent dog who could read a person's mind just by their eyes.

“Hehehe, understood. Do not worry, Manor Lord. This servant will definitely keep the manor clean and safe.”

“……I will tell you in advance, but do not forget. If you run away, you must pay double.”

“How could you say such words? There is no way this Jang Sam-tae would disobey the Manor Lord's words.”

Dan Woo-hyun quietly stared at Jang Sam-tae. Then, he slightly curled up the corners of his mouth.

At that moment, Jang Sam-tae felt as if his heart plummeted. It was such a chilly laugh.

“Then, I shall leave it to you. I warn you again, but…”

“Of course! Never! There is no way that will happen.”

“Haha, well, it does not matter even if you run away. Since you will realize that you are Sun Wukong in the palm of the Buddha.”

“Ha… Haha… Haha.”

Givng a smirk at Jang Sam-tae who avoided his eyes, Dan Woo-hyun went outside.

Watching him blankly, Jang Sam-tae clenched his fist tightly.

He had already figured out the location of the stolen goods.

Watching the figures of the two slowly disappear, he laughed triumphantly.

Now, it was goodbye to this manor forever.

* * *

“But why are we suddenly going fishing? I thought there was still plenty of food left?”

Walking along the shore of Dongting Lake, Hwa So-mi wore a puzzled expression as if she did not understand. In fact, there was still plenty of food in the storehouse.

Even without fishing, Jang Sam-tae would make sufficiently delicious food just with the stored ingredients.

Had he not served those delicious dishes this morning too, with just a few ingredients?

“Haha, it is nothing.”

Casting his fishing rod and sitting down, Dan Woo-hyun just smiled. Judging by his expression, he had no intention of resolving Hwa So-mi's query.

The moment Hwa So-mi tilted her head in wonder, Dan Woo-hyun's gaze turned.

It was a look as if he was staring at the manor.

Considering the considerable distance and the dense trees growing in between, it was logically impossible, though.

“He finally left.”

“Pardon?”

At the incomprehensible words, Hwa So-mi's curiosity grew even larger. However, Dan Woo-hyun still did not answer and just smiled, stroking the child's head.

Soon, he quietly stood up from his seat.

“Go ahead and fish for a moment. I shall return after attending to some business.”

“Will you return quickly?”

“Of course. It does not seem like it will be dangerous, but just in case…”

“Understood! You mean I should not budge from this spot, right?”

“Yes.”

Dan Woo-hyun nodded. Then, he cast his gaze as if drawing a large circle around the spot where Hwa So-mi sat. He was observing the positions of the surrounding bushes, boulders, and stones one by one.

Although this child did not know, the surroundings were composed of an array. It was structured so that not to mention wild beasts, even people could not see this place or draw near.

“Then, I shall be off.”

“Yes! So-mi will catch a lot.”

“Haha, I shall look forward to it.”

* * *

Dan Woo-hyun moved quickly. Since his speed was swifter than a flying arrow, he closed the distance in the blink of an eye.

Entering Yueyang in less than half a quarter of an hour, Dan Woo-hyun crossed the marketplace as he was.

Considering that it took about half a double hour by an adult male's pace from the manor to here, he had arrived at a truly staggering speed.

The moment he arrived there, he saw Hong Won-chang just coming out of the government office. He was considerably thinner than when they first met.

It seemed to be because he had been living such a busy life after capturing all of Jang Baek-san and his subordinates recently.

Like that, he took a step toward Hong Won-chang.

The guards who had been escorting around flinched and thrust their spears. Since they knew that their colleagues had recently been killed by Jang Baek-san's subordinates and that even Hong Won-chang had been in danger, they were on alert.

“Who goes there!”

At the same time as a guard shouted loudly, Hong Won-chang, who turned his gaze, spotted Dan Woo-hyun and gaped his mouth. So widely, indeed, that one might wonder if his jaw would dislocate.

“Hieek?!”

Hong Won-chang was flustered.

Why did that human appear here?

Their business with each other was already finished. Since he had no intention of touching the manor ever again, they were in a relationship where they had no need to cross paths.

At that moment, seeing Dan Woo-hyun's gaze turn toward the guards holding spears, Hong Won-chang roared.

“Y-You fools! Lower them! Lower them, you bastards!”

Hearing that shout, the guards were bewildered.

Because the county magistrate, who had claimed he had nothing to fear in the world after capturing Jang Baek-san, was looking at the man with a deathly pale complexion.

The guards sneakily withdrew their spears in awkward postures.

‘Just who on earth is that man?’

Soon, Hong Won-chang bowed his head and cringed.

The moment they saw that, the guards also gaped in astonishment.

“He… Hehe, what brings you here?”

Dan Woo-hyun smirked.

To handle a person perfectly, it was best either to imprint extreme terror or to give them trust.

The swifter one was the former, and its effect was showing now.

Dan Woo-hyun smiled as he stroked his chin.

“There is a case… Would you like to try it once more?”

“Pardon?”

At the incomprehensible remark, Hong Won-chang was flustered.

Yet, for some reason, he felt inclined to trust him.

* * *

Stolen goods must not be disposed of carelessly.

That was the iron rule of thieves. Because an ambiguous fence would create trouble later, and ultimately that disaster would return to oneself.

That was why he had come to Yueyang.

He had intentionally hidden the stolen goods in an uninhabited spot near Dongting Lake and entered Yueyang.

He also knew that the county magistrate here was crazy about money.

It was an important variable to create a situation capable of handling any unforeseen incident.

Jang Sam-tae looked at the old man before him with a tense expression. This person's name was So Chu-yeom; although there were countless black market merchants in the Central Plains, few handled things as reliably as this old man.

Furthermore, there was no trouble afterward at all.

Therefore, Jang Sam-tae had intentionally come down to Yueyang to meet So Chu-yeom and waited a long time.

“Two million taels, no more than that. This is too difficult to dispose of.”

“That is fine. You only need to give me that much.”

He had not expected a large amount anyway. Since he knew it was that dangerous of a stolen item.

In particular, the Buddha statue stolen from the Prince's Residence was a precious treasure that would not end with just Jang Sam-tae's single head falling.

“You managed to survive even after stealing such a thing.”

Jang Sam-tae smirked without answering. Stealing it was hard enough, but retrieving it from the manor was several times harder than that.

In fact, he was still a little anxious.

Because even now, he felt a chilling sensation as if Dan Woo-hyun was watching him.

However, since he would have been caught already if that were truly the case, Jang Sam-tae felt a bit relieved.

“Anyway, I have received it well. The money is here. I have put in the exchange bills of the Cheong-un Merchant Guild and gold.”

“Thank you.”

Jang Sam-tae checked the exchange bills and gold inside the large cloth bundle. Fortunately, it did not seem to be forged. Indeed, since he was a person of high credit in this regard, he could be trusted.

“Be careful. Recently, with Jang Baek-san captured, the security of the government office is strict. A major trouble could arise if you are not careful.”

“…That Jang Baek-san?”

“That is why it was turned upside down. Was he not the best bandit who ruled over Hunan? Thanks to that, there are even rumors that the county magistrate here might soon ascend to the central government.”

“I understand. Do not worry. Even if I am captured, I will not talk about you.”

“Hahaha, I do not worry about such things.”

“Then, I shall be going now.”

The old man readily nodded.

In fact, the old man had been busy checking the golden Buddha statue among the items Jang Sam-tae brought from earlier, so he did not even pay attention to him attempting to leave.

The moment Jang Sam-tae smirked and turned his back.

Crash-!

Suddenly, a loud noise was heard.

“Huh?

“Wh-what is it?”

The sound was coming from below. It was light at first, but was growing louder.

Bizarre human screams and the sounds of all kinds of furniture breaking were even echoing.

Crash-!

“W-We have a huge trouble!”

A tough-looking man hurriedly opened the door and entered. Looking at him sweating profusely, one could guess that something unusual had occurred.

“What is going on!”

The old man sprang up from his seat.

“Th-the guards!”

“Guards?! How could they…!”

“Those bastards are spread out in all directions. It seems someone informed on us!”

The expressions of the two changed. Jang Sam-tae rapidly tore his collar to cover his face. If his identity were to be discovered, it would not end well.

Soon, he bolted straight out through the window.

“Good luck!”

“Damn it!”

The black market merchant's curses could be heard, but Jang Sam-tae did not care. Right now, his own safety was more important than anything else.