Episode 197

Jang Sam-tae, whose face was swollen due to the disciplining from Sa Dohak, was on his knees.

The way he politely put his hands on his knees and bowed his head looked like he was sad.

Ma Jang-kang sighed.

He had met the Podalap Palace monks and received guidance from them for around a month and a half.

Although the skills from that training cannot be considered as the best, it must have been like a nice dream for Jang Sam-tae, who had no proper master until then.

He was even full of confidence thanks to what Sa Dohak had taught him and it seemed like his way of things had gone in a bit of a different direction.

All was well until now.

What could he even say when he was all alone with Jang Sam-tae? He could only sigh.

But the story changed from the moment he came back to the manor.

Because…

‘So many scary things lie around here….’

Ma Jang-kang lowered his head and glanced around. Sa Dohak raised his gaze. Next to him, Namgung Chun was sighing and looking up at the sky.

Dan Woo-hyun looked unbothered, but that was also equally scary.

“You jerk, did you think the world was yours after just wandering around the land as you pleased for a couple of months?”

Namgung Chun smiled and said.

Although his words were stern, his expression wasn’t. It was because the empty feeling of not being able to see Jang Sam-tae for long had vanished.

As expected, the Hunan Dan family is like this.

“No, well… it could be so…”

Jang Sam-tae said and turned his head. He couldn’t even bear to look at either Sa Dohak or Namgung Chun.

Especially when Sa Dohak’s eyes were glaring at him furiously.

“Forget it. It is good to be confident with your level of talent. It seems like a lot has happened till now.”

Jang Sam-tae, who was swollen in sadness, lifted his face and looked at Dan Woo-hyun with tears in eyes.

“Ugh, now… Lord Dan!”

Jang Sam-tae suddenly stood up.

The more he thought about the journey to the Thousand Mountains the past few months and the hardships he had to endure to come back, the more uncontrollable his emotions were.

Just how much did he suffer to complete the mission? The generous amount he had received turned to dust in moments, and thanks to that, he had to capture bandits to make money.

At times, he was chased and almost died; he teetered on the brink of life and death countless times. Later, he received grueling training from the monks of the Podalap Palace and they forced him to shave his head.

It was nice to be able to learn martial arts, but he never expected the part where he had to shave his head.

Jang Sam-tae, who was thinking up till then, was moved to tears. Although they hit, talked, and pulled pranks, their behavior and the atmosphere was the same as usual, and it made him realize that he had come back to his comfortable home.

The tension which had been building up was finally relieved.

“Ugh!”

It isn’t a nice sight when a grown man cries. However, Dan Woo-hyun accepted all this without saying anything. Although he didn’t comfort him, he just stared at the crying Jang Sam-tae.

“Right, you went through some tough times.”

Everyone present was shocked by the words that were soon heard. Dan Woo-hyun’s expression changed. As his normally blank face cleared, he let out an exclamation without realizing.

A smile with the power to blind the eyes of everyone present.

“You worked so hard!”

“Yes, yes.”

Jang Sam-tae who was sobbing and wiping his tears, burst into laughter! He even blew his nose on Dan Woo-hyun’s clothes in happiness.

At that moment,

“Kuak!”

Puak!

With a crisp sound, Jang Sam-tae’s head hit the floor. It hit so hard that his entire body trembled.

“Oh my…!”

He was rolling on the ground, screaming and holding his head. Actually, the hit was very light on the back of his head, but since it was Dan Woo-hyun that did it, it felt like a stone had struck him.

Dan Woo-hyun frowned as he wiped off the stain left by Jang Sam-tae’s nose-wiping.

And eventually, he stretched his hand out and wiped it onto Jang Sam-tae, who was on the ground.

“You haven’t changed one bit.”

“Ugh… isn’t it true that as soon as a person changes, they die?”

“Is that what a guy with a short temper says?”

He thought that this man would grow on his journey to see the world, but in the end, not a single bit has changed.

“So, why did you miss?”

Dan Woo-hyun’s gaze returned sharply. Once something is done, its roots must be removed to prevent it from growing again.

But the most important was Jumun Won.

And this was a painful mistake.

Jang Sam-tae scratched his head.

“Well, it was possible to give chase, but…”

“But?”

“I got scared when I saw him running…”

Thinking of that time, Jang Sam-tae shivered.

Jumun Won was bleeding all over and yet he didn’t even groan at all and still exuded killing intent.

Even though it was just the sight of him running away, it felt so unnerving. Another reason was that everyone else except him was slow.

Even if Jang Sam-tae had improved, how could he hold his own against Jumun Won? How many seconds could he last? And this was the guy who was hit by the most skilled warriors in the world and yet could still pick himself up.

Seeing Jang Sam-tae turning his head away and looking awkward, he heard the clicks of tongues from around. In particular, Dan Woo-hyun’s gaze turned sharper, but he held himself back.

“Right, it cannot be helped… then you have something more to tell me, right?”

Dan Woo-hyun’s gaze turned to Ma Jang-kang as he gently nudged Jang Sam-tae who was on the floor with his foot. There was a mountain of things to be told.

Ma Jang-kang noticed it and lowered his head.

The moment he decided to speak slowly,

“I will say it in advance, keep it concise, and to the point.”

And this confused Ma Jang-kang.

How does he summarize so many things in a short and straightforward manner? Even if given a day or two, it would be difficult to do so, but the unexpected situation made him break out into a cold sweat.

He looked ahead, sorting out the confusion in his mind. And the gazes of the three people were focused on him.

His mouth went dry.

Why did it feel like it would be more comfortable staring down the tip of a sword?

“Ah, that?”

That was when Jang Sam-tae touched his sore head and prayed.

Ma Jang-Kang exhaled.

Recently, Dan Somi has been able to walk further distances and from Dan Woo-hyun’s perspective, it was a relief because he had reliable people on the side and the surroundings of the manor was one she was quite used to, so he didn’t have to worry about her getting lost.

And today, for some reason, the adults were all gathered and this meant that Dan Somi is probably out there stepping out further than usual.

And,

“Kyaaak!”

On the back of the White Tiger, there was Ho Yeon-ji, clenching and holding on to its fur.

They went up along the shore of Dongting Lake for a while.

Riding on the back of this huge White Tiger, they were able to move a lot faster. And in Dan Somi’s hands was the little white Tomb Cat with its head sticking out.

The pace of the White Tiger was so fast that its fur was fluttering wildly.

“Where are we going?”

It had been around a good thirty minutes. And the Tiger was running at its fastest; surely it had reached the limit as to how fast they could move.

Considering the distance and geography, they might now have arrived in the vicinity of Hubei along the shore of Dongting Lake.

“Wouldn’t it be nice if it was around here?”

Dan Somi looked around and tapped Baekho on its back. Baekho, which had been running for a while, slowed down and then eventually stopped in a secluded forest.

Ho Yeon-ji sighed.

“Ha, I am the one who asked to go to a place full of medicinal herbs, but… this is too much.”

“It looks like there are ghosts, right?”

“Don’t speak so cheerfully…”

Seeing Dan Somi smile brightly, Ho Yeon-ji broke into a cold sweat.

She knew Dan Somi was harmless, but was that really true? There were times when she really was a bit too naughty that she didn’t think so.

Ho Yeon-ji shook her clothes off and picked up the basket.

Although they came a long way, it seemed like she would be able to get the herbs she wanted from here.

“Then do you want to hang out around here? Or follow me?”

“Somi will be here. I cannot go too far.”

“Hmm? Really?”

“Really! Somi will always listen well. Hehe.”

Ho Yeon-ji groaned with worry. This forest was too secluded to leave a child alone and if some dangerous animal did appear…

Ho Yeon-ji, who had been thinking about that, groaned and turned to Dan Somi.

One White Cat.

Although it was small, there was assurance from both Namgung Chun and Sa Dohak that this Cat was equal to peak-level warriors. She didn’t know what that meant but it should clearly defeat animals and wild beasts then.

And furthermore…

Grrrr…

A large white tiger was roaming around Dan Somi. It was as big as three adult men, and the thick soles of its feet looked like they were capable of crushing rocks.

Its golden eyes were looking at Ho Yeon-ji as it licked its lips.

‘Creepy!’

Ho Yeon-ji felt goosebumps rise.

‘W-will I get eaten…?’

If it wanted to, it could have devoured her right away. Even though a good amount of time has passed since the Tiger joined the family, not a single mishap has happened.

The only thing that reassured her was that Somi was the one who played with Baekho and Baek Myo, and they’ve never hurt her.

“Is it really alright?”

“Yes yes! Somi will be here! I will play here!”

Seeing Dan Somi smile so brightly, Ho Yeon-ji nodded. It wasn’t that she wasn’t concerned, but there was nothing she could do.

Therefore, she agreed.

“Right. But if something happens, shout out loudly.”

“Yes!”

Dan Somi smiled as she nodded.

After stroking her head, Ho Yeon-ji set offto work with Dan Somi looking at her.

Ho Yeon-ji, who was wandering around, slowly disappeared from her sight and after confirming that she was indeed gone,

“Shall we play?”

She turned her back, smiled brightly at Baekho and nodded, and along with Baek Myo they ran into the mountains. They climbed trees here and there and sniffed around, and ate delicious-looking raspberries.

Dan Somi followed them everywhere.

She ran around with both of them.

Its gaze never left Dan Somi, but unlike how it looked at Ho Yeon-ji, Baekho’s gaze was soft on her.

Soon, it opened its jaws wide and yawned.

Spring season was arriving.

The day was warm and good for napping.

Snore…

Slowly, Baekho fell asleep.