Episode 331

“Phew… It’s tough.”

Jang Sam-tae sighed and sat down after finishing the final cleanup. His expression wasn’t very good, and the reason was that he didn’t enjoy the act of cooking itself.

Looking at Zhuge Yun, who was smiling while counting money, it was no illusion that Dan Woo-hyun came to mind for some reason.

Sweat trickled down Jang Sam-tae’s forehead.

“Ha ha ha! Today is the most we’ve earned!”

“Are you that happy?”

“Of course! If it continues like this, we can sweep all the inns in the vicinity.”

Zhuge Yun was excited.

It was Zhuge Yun who created the street stalls.

As the leader of this street stall alliance, he manages everything, and he takes a share of the monthly profits.

Even the nearby shops rubbed their palms together and slipped bribes to Zhuge Yun to sell the things needed for this stall, granting him an almost omnipotent power.

Initially, it started simply to destroy Tons of Gold Inn, but before he knew it, the purpose had changed, and he was raking in money and profits.

‘Crazy bastard….’

Jang Sam-tae clicked his tongue as he looked at Zhuge Yun.

Only Zhuge Yun could pull off such a big scheme without batting an eye. Who else would manage this and think of ways to bring in even more customers?

However, Jang Sam-tae couldn’t quite see it as a good thing.

“Here’s your share for today.”

“Thank you.”

Jang Sam-tae pocketed the money.

What he held in his grasp was five coins of silver.

Certainly, for just a day’s work, it was indeed a lot of money. If he continued to earn money like this for a few years, living in luxury would be no trouble at all.

However, the hand receiving the money trembled.

Whether he knew this or not, Zhuge Yun patted Jang Sam-tae’s shoulder and grinned widely.

“I look forward to working with you tomorrow as well.”

“……”

Jang Sam-tae was at a loss for words.

Every morning, he woke up at the hour of dawn. After preparing and starting his business, the work ended at the hour of drinking.

After working like this for about a month, Jang Sam-tae was neither truly dead nor truly alive. The dark circles under his eyes seldom disappeared, and his body and mind were already exhausted, no longer the Jang Sam-tae of the past.

Drooping, he clung to the money, gasping for breath.

Every time Zhuge Yun patted his shoulder, his body shuddered with a flinch.

‘I… I must escape.’

At first, he thought it was a relief not to have followed Dan Woo-hyun.

If he had journeyed with that man, he would have endured all sorts of hardships and only accumulated unpleasant memories.

Thinking such thoughts, he was excited, yet being with Zhuge Yun was even more painful.

Zhuge Yun was giving money to Namgung Chun and Sa Dohak, controlling Jang Sam-tae and ensuring he couldn’t escape. What a hopeless situation this was.

“Are…are you alright?”

Namgung Sohye approached and asked with an awkward expression.

Though it was amusing to express concern given her role as a watcher, Jang Sam-tae, who couldn’t even manage to tuck away the pouch in his trembling hand, looked pitiful.

“Yeah… I’m okay…”

Jang Sam-tae nodded as if his soul had left him. It seems he had already surpassed such a level, appearing like someone with no thoughts in his head.

Namgung Sohye was at a loss for words, breaking into a cold sweat.

“I’ll…have a drink and then leave, so you go ahead.”

“Aren’t…are you really okay? It seems like…it might be better to just go in.”

“Ha, haha, no way…”

With a soulless laugh, Jang Sam-tae shook his head.

Glancing around, he saw Namgung Chun and Sa Dohak turning their backs and heading toward the family manor. The matter was settled, so they felt no need to keep watch any longer.

Jang Sam-tae stalled, waiting for them to move as far away as possible.

“…Aren’t you leaving?”

“Let’s go together.”

However, there was one person who wouldn’t leave.

Namgung Sohye.

She hovered around Jang Sam-tae, who was tidying up the remaining mess. Though all she did was stand there blankly, even that was quite bothersome for Jang Sam-tae.

‘Why not help out?’

Wouldn’t it be much easier if she helped, since she was standing there anyway?

Of course, the task at hand was merely the remaining cleanup, something Jang Sam-tae could easily handle alone, but if Namgung Sohye lent a hand, it seemed the work would be finished much quicker.

However, Namgung Sohye acted as if she truly knew nothing, merely observing.

Time passed as if an hour had gone by.

Jang Sam-tae suddenly started running without even glancing back.

“Ahhh!? W-wait! I’ll get in trouble!”

Namgung Sohye hurriedly chased after him.

It was already anticipated that it would be somewhat challenging.

Holding the sword, Zhuge Yeon panted and forced an awkward smile. Breaking the joint attack with Kwon Mujin was no easy task.

Individually, each person’s ability was not that impressive. However, by combining their attacks, they seemed to amplify their powers several times over, making it incredibly challenging to face them.

Perhaps the only consolation was that Muho, who could be considered a hostage, was still safe. Although she felt Muho’s breath weakening, it seemed he could hold on a little longer.

“Phew… This is troublesome.”

“Haha, indeed it is.”

At Zhuge Yeon’s remark, Kwon Mujin broke into a cold sweat.

If even one of them had fallen, they might have found a gap, but their joint attack was like an impenetrable spear and shield, and their ferocious assault brought them to the brink of crisis multiple times.

The opponent’s expression turned triumphant.

Having realized they were in a superior position, the only thing left was to toy with their prey before cutting off its breath.

“Now just die already!”

Their tone was unrestrained, fueled by their rising momentum.

Even their gazes and expressions were arrogant, as if they were already predicting their victory.

Displeased, Kwon Mujin squinted his eyes slightly.

If not for the formation, this situation would have ended long ago. Individually, their abilities were much lower, but the way they compensated for each other’s weaknesses in battle seemed as if they would not be lacking even against the Ten Masters.

Crunch-

At that moment, a sound came from behind.

Hearing it, Zhuge Yeon and Kwon Mujin turned their heads with expressions of horror. Dan Woo-hyun, who had been silently observing the situation until now, revealed himself.

“Lo… Lord…”

“What are you doing?”

Dan Woo-hyun’s face was full of discontent.

Not expecting the situation to drag on for so long, his expression hardly changed.

“I’m… I’m sorry.”

Kwon Mujin bowed his head in guilt.

However, Dan Woo-hyun didn’t care at all and strode forward. Too lazy to even draw his sword, he picked up a long wooden stick that had fallen on the ground.

Two people stared intently at Dan Woo-hyun as he approached the opponent without hesitation. They kept their eyes on him, not wanting to miss a single move.

“A formation is simple and clear.”

Dan Woo-hyun walked toward the men.

The ones who had been so full of spirit at his bold steps now watched Dan Woo-hyun with tense gazes, despite him exuding no aura at all.

“Whoever you are, you must have a death wish!”

One of the men shouted, overcoming his fear.

Dan Woo-hyun, who was approaching, was just one person. Although he seemed to have some skill, they believed he would not be a match for them, who were falling into a formation.

Dan Woo-hyun, holding a wooden stick, had somehow stepped into their midst.

The men immediately formed a formation, seemingly trying to bind Dan Woo-hyun, and attempted to turn him into a piece of meat by thrusting their swords from all directions.

One.

Thwack-!

Crash!

Dan Woo-hyun dodged one of the incoming blades and swung his stick before the other swords could touch his body.

A rod flew at an invisible speed and struck the man’s face directly. With a tremendous sound, the body of the one who was hit flew off like a bolt and disappeared from sight.

No one knows where he fell and rolled away.

“There’s one. If you catch just the one who is the center, a formation becomes no more than child’s play.”

“……”

“……”

Kwon Mujin and Zhuge Yeon were at a loss for words.

The figure of the one who flew away was still nowhere to be seen, and the momentum of that formidable formation had now vanished, no longer could be felt. The formation that had given the two such a hard time was broken with surprising simplicity.

Feeling the unbelievable power of Dan Woo-hyun firsthand, Zhuge Yeon and Kwon Mujin broke out in a cold sweat.

“Hey, you guys.”

“Ugh?! A, an incredibly strong warrior…!”

Dan Woo-hyun calmly called out to them, looking their way.

Their bodies froze like statues under the gaze fixed upon them.

Though they tried not to lose heart, Dan Woo-hyun’s power was entirely different from what they had imagined.

Just meeting his gaze for a moment made their mouths dry and parched.

“Stop fooling around and rearrange your formation.”

Dan Woo-hyun casually tossed out those words and took a seat at one corner. Sitting leisurely next to the fallen Muho, he seemed utterly indifferent to the entire situation.

“Hurry up.”

He urged, stretching out his hand slightly. Something shot out like a flash of light, grazing past the men’s bodies. If it had hit, it would have been a fatal strike to vital areas.

A move that heralds death.

Everyone present realized this.

Dan Woo-hyun could sweep away the men in front of him with just one move if he wanted to.

The men wore blank expressions, then hesitated under the fierce gaze as they took their places. It seemed they, too, could not defy Dan Woo-hyun’s command.

“…What on earth is this?”

Zhuge Yeon watched the whole situation in disbelief.

They were enemies who should be killing each other, yet they were afraid of Dan Woo-hyun and obeying his words. No matter how one looked at it, it was absurd, yet they didn’t hesitate to take their stances even as they trembled without pride.

“What are you doing?”

“Can’t you see? It’s tactical formation study.”

“…..”

Zhuge Yeon let out a breath of disbelief. It even crossed her mind that perhaps everyone who had gone on a tour with Dan Woo-hyun had experienced the same thing.

Teaching someone in this manner…

It was somewhat absurd.

“What are you doing? Start. If you don’t do it properly, you’ll find yourself losing a limb.”

Dan Woo-hyun’s gaze turned towards the men.

At his words, the men’s faces paled. The desperation of those who did not wish to die and wanted to return with their bodies intact surged fiercely.

Soon, with a satisfied expression, Dan Woo-hyun nodded and looked towards Zhuge Yeon and Kwon Mujin.

“You too.”

At another word, Kwon Mujin’s face turned pale. Knowing he wasn’t someone who casually threw out words, his qi also surged fiercely.

Watching all those scenes unfolding, Dan Woo-hyun smiled contentedly and produced some jerky from his bosom and started chewing.

“What are you doing? Begin.”