Episode 321

“Phew…”

Zhuge Yun wiped away his cold sweat and caught his breath.

For several days, he had been staying up all night researching the Blood Demon Cult, but he couldn’t hide his frustration as nothing substantial had emerged.

“Most of these stories are absurd.”

Zhuge Yun let out a small laugh.

Claims of resurrecting the dead, granting superhuman strength and turning people into madmen, only such nonsensical things were visible.

Other things could be accepted.

There exists the practice of accelerated internal qi, which grants superhuman strength but renders a man incapable of fulfilling his role.

But resurrecting the dead?

In some ways, it seemed like they were talking about Jiangshi.

However, when judging from other gathered information, it seemed to truly mean reviving a person, not just Jiangshi.

Even if it was absurd, it was astonishingly so.

‘However… Considering the revival of the Moyong family and everything that has happened until now, it’s not entirely baseless…’

Then it really means that the Blood Demon Cult did exist, and that Dan Woo-hyun single-handedly annihilated them.

Just how strong is Dan Woo-hyun?

Zhuge Yun broke out in a cold sweat and awkwardly laughed.

“This won’t be of any help.”

He sighed with a ‘hoo-’.

In reality, Dan Woo-hyun destroyed the hidden Blood Demon Cult. In the process, those who escaped attacked the Evil Sect, seized power, and then brought down the Murim Alliance, showcasing their might.

Blood Heaven.

Currently, in this Central Plains, there would be no one who doesn’t know that name. All the eyes and ears of the Murim world were turned towards them, and many were contemplating whether to join hands with them or not.

‘But it’s strange… Those who ran away leaving their leader behind are gathering again?’

According to Jang Sam-tae, there were quite a few of them. He said the number couldn’t be counted on fingers, so it might well exceed a hundred.

They are the ones who fled, engulfed in fear and terror.

Moreover, having abandoned their lord, there would be no loyalty left.

But for such people to gather and act together again, there must be a compelling reason or perhaps…

‘A new leader has emerged.’

Dan Woo-hyun must have killed the Blood Demon, the leader of the Blood Demon Sect. If it was Dan Woo-hyun himself who stepped forward, there would be no need to say more.

Who could it be?

A presence capable of leading masters strong enough to shatter the Murim Alliance.

No matter how much he thought about it, no one came to mind.

Zhuge Yun’s sighs grew deeper and deeper.

“There truly is no day without wind…”

That saying wasn’t wrong.

Reflecting on the events that have occurred so far, the Murim world has been rapidly flowing into a strange form.

The Blood Demon Cult, which had been hiding suddenly, was annihilated, and the Murim Alliance disappeared without a trace.

Even Shaolin, which was maintaining the legacy of the Nine Great Sects, closed its doors, leading to the thought that the Murim world might be plunging into unprecedented chaos.

And at the center of it all…

‘The Hunan Dan family is there.’

As always.

At the center of everything, is the Hunan Dan family. No, to be precise, Dan Woo-hyun is there. Or, it is common for a single action by Dan Woo-hyun to escalate or cause an incident.

‘Haha, perhaps the Hunan Dan family might be the most dangerous.’

Zhuge Yun shook his head while pondering those thoughts.

“Shall we go?”

Someone uttered.

Startled, Zhuge Yun quickly turned around to find Zhuge Yeon standing idly with a sword in hand, having been there for who knows how long.

If given permission, it seemed she would head towards Hunan immediately.

“No, it’s too dangerous.”

“How can you live worrying about every little thing like that?”

Zhuge Yeon frowned, displeased with the situation, but Zhuge Yun seemed unwilling to bend his will. It indicated just how perilous the current state of Hunan was.

Zhuge Yeon sighed and put her thoughts aside.

If even Zhuge Yun, of all people, was this concerned, then it was certainly worse than she imagined.

“Did you hear? Recently, several warriors have entered the Tons of Gold Inn.”

“Ah…there was that too, indeed…”

Zhuge Yun clutched his throbbing head and sighed.

The collapse of the Murim Alliance was already overwhelming, and now the movements of the Tons of Gold Merchant Union seemed unusual, making his mind even more chaotic.

“It seems the Tons of Gold Merchant Union’s movements have suddenly become active.”

The one who opened the door and entered was none other than Dan Woo-hyun.

He wore a gentle expression as if he knew all the answers. This only further scrambled Zhuge Yun’s mind.

‘It’s as if he’s giving me a problem to solve… Me, the great Zhuge Yun!’

He didn’t say it, but his expression conveyed it.

Thus, Zhuge Yun spoke with a somewhat dark expression.

“Do you happen to know? Who the leader of the Blood Heaven is…”

“I don’t know… I’m not sure.”

Dan Woo-hyun narrowed his eyes.

Should he guess, or should he be certain about it?

If the force of the wind he felt last time was true, he speculated that perhaps an old man was scheming from behind.

He didn’t like that at all.

‘But he leaves no trace.’

If only he could find the location, he could immediately break in and smash their head with one swing, but he couldn’t trace the whereabouts properly, leaving Dan Woo-hyun feeling frustrated.

“Think about it carefully.”

Dan Woo-hyun said as he turned his back.

Did he come to Zhuge Yun’s residence just to say this one thing?

Zhuge Yun quietly watched Dan Woo-hyun’s retreating figure and then let out a hollow laugh.

“Truly, there’s nothing this man doesn’t know. I give up.”

“Lord Dan has a subtly peculiar charm, you know.”

Zhuge Yun shuddered slightly, watching Zhuge Yeon shrug and respond. Then his hand trembled discreetly and he swallowed dryly.

“You… No way?”

“Could you stop joking?”

Faced with her sharp gaze, Zhuge Yun clamped his mouth shut.

Though she was his daughter, he couldn’t fathom her thoughts.

Four individuals were huddled together, conspiring over something. The first to speak was Sa Dohak, who was sitting arrogantly.

He wore a menacing expression.

Due to the recent reduction in income from two places, the four, whose allowances had been cut, gathered together in frustration to brainstorm.

“Why don’t we just go and smash everything? They’re dead men anyway, so why bother?”

“Right! You are absolutely right, Elder!”

Jang Sam-tae, who was beside him, chimed in in agreement and was pleased.

None of those who picked a fight with the Hunan Dan family survived properly. So wouldn’t it be the same for Tons of Gold Merchant Union or the inn?

In that case, it would be better to smash them before they pull any tricks.

Sa Dohak’s judgment was extremely simple, but it was full of intent to surely overthrow the opponent.

However, Namgung Chun shook his head.

He couldn’t help but lament the situation where he couldn’t buy his favorite liquor and food due to a reduction in pocket money because of those guys, but that didn’t mean he could touch those who hadn’t done anything.

“They haven’t done anything yet. They are certainly the enemy, but isn’t it a time to just watch for now? It’s not right to kill recklessly.”

Words befitting someone from the Justice Faction.

He was speaking with a hearty laugh, but unknowingly exuded a strong presence while expressing his opinion.

Of course, the only one who would be swayed by that was someone like Jang Sam-tae.

“Of course! Elder Namgung is right! Though they are enemies, sometimes you must show mercy to be a true hero, right?”

Jang Sam-tae nodded in agreement.

He, too, is a warrior dreaming of being a hero, and he knows that sometimes you have to show mercy to your enemies.

Thus, Namgung Chun’s words seemed a bit more impressive than Sa Dohak’s.

Sa Dohak and Namgung Chun glanced at Jang Sam-tae.

But the two turned their heads again without saying anything.

“When I see it, you know, these guys just need a little fixing. If we pretend it’s not us and break a few things, then extend a merciful hand, they’ll bite right away. Then, that’s when you make them kneel.”

Jeok Mu-seong said while picking his nose.

While showing mercy to the enemy, sometimes strike strongly to instill fear. Naturally, the opponent will realize that fear and bow their heads.

It’s a method commonly used by the Evil Sect, offering both the whip and the treat at the same time, killing two birds with one stone.

Where can you find a method as good as this?

At that moment, Jang Sam-tae clapped his hands.

“That’s a completely great method! Showing mercy and giving the whip! If they bow their heads on their own, isn’t that killing three birds with one stone? Wow-! As expected, our servants are really clever!”

The gazes of the three people turned toward Jang Sam-tae.

Jang Sam-tae, clapping his hands and smiling brightly, seemed not to care about the gazes pouring in. It seemed he wouldn’t listen no matter what was said.

“Hey…”

Sa Dohak slowly approached Jang Sam-tae.

Under the pressure of that unknown intent, Jang Sam-tae involuntarily stepped back. But in front of the Demon Emperor of this world, even distance is meaningless.

Puk-!

“Guwueek!”

Jang Sam-tae clutched his stomach and retched. Soon after, he sprawled on the floor, twitching.

“Tsk tsk, you’re asking for a beating, asking for it.”

“Hehehe.”

“Stop hitting him. He’ll run away again!”

Namgung Chun laughed while Jeok Mu-seong sighed.

Though Jang Sam-tae, who went around agreeing with everyone, was at fault too, seeing him get beaten every day was pitiful nonetheless.

“What kind of scheme are you plotting in a place like this?”

At that moment, Dan Woo-hyun appeared.

Suddenly, when he showed up, the four people were startled and widened their eyes. They hadn’t sensed any presence, so from their perspective, they couldn’t help but be taken aback.

“Ahem! Conspiring? We’re just having a conversation.”

Sa Dohak replied with an awkward expression.

As Jang Sam-tae, who was squirming and crawling on the floor, slowly lifted his head to say something to Dan Woo-hyun.

Thud-!

“Ugh!”

Namgung Chun’s kick suddenly lashed out and struck his face. Jang Sam-tae rolled on the ground and trembled with his eyes rolled back. It was clear at a glance that he was already knocked out.

Jeok Mu-seong watched this and broke into a cold sweat.

‘Poor guy…’

He had knocked him out preemptively, fearing he might blabber unnecessarily.

When you look closely, you might think Namgung Chun also has a cruel nature, not unlike Sa Dohak.

“So what kind of schemes are you plotting?”

Dan Woo-hyun looked at them with a peculiar expression.

It’s none other than the Dan Woo-hyun of this world. If he approached without making any presence felt, there’s no way he hadn’t heard what they were saying.

Seeing the slight smile at the corner of his mouth, he seemed to be quite interested in this situation as well.

It was because Dan Woo-hyun was none other than the one who was most troubled by the reduced income due to the Tons of Gold Merchants and the inn.

The three of them nodded to each other.

Then they began to whisper.

“So, you see….”