Episode 333

Hong Won-chang was sweating coldly.

He had stretched out to enjoy the fresh morning air and stepped outside, only to find Dan Somi sitting on the porch, swinging her legs.

Someone must have brought it to her, as she had a snack in her mouth, munching away, creating a picturesque scene.

However, in front of that small child, a gigantic white tiger lay dozing, and the sight was so eerie that it made him sweat unknowingly.

Who wouldn’t feel the same?

If a tiger, several times larger than an adult man, was lounging in their front yard.

Dan Somi with the white tiger looked like one of the southern Murim people, known for taming beasts.

Of course, the beast that Dan Somi was handling seemed several times more dangerous than the southern land warriors because it was not an ordinary beast.

“Um… Somi?”

Hong Won-chang, who had been quietly observing, finally spoke with difficulty. His face was drenched in cold sweat, a testament to his fear of the tiger.

At that moment, Dan Somi, who had been nibbling on a snack, turned her head.

She looked at Hong Won-chang and gave a bright smile, so beautiful that it felt like his heart might drop unknowingly. But Hong Won-chang quickly regained his composure and asked.

“Aren’t you scared?”

“Of what?”

Tap, tap-

She lightly tapped the White Tiger beneath her feet several times. Each time, a short growl could be heard, but it didn’t leap at her or show any signs of anger.

However, feeling quite dissatisfied, he opened his eyes and glared at Hong Won-chang. The golden eyes of the beast pierced sharply.

Flinch!

Hong Won-chang involuntarily shrank back.

“Ah… No, nothing.”

“Hmm?”

Dan Somi seemed genuinely unaware of what Hong Won-chang was worried about. To this little child, a white tiger or a white cat was just a cute animal.

Hong Won-chang let out a small, involuntary laugh and slowly approached, taking a seat next to Dan Somi.

He kept a bit of distance from the White Tiger, as he had no desire to be face-to-face with a tiger, no matter how tame it might be.

“More importantly, are you feeling better now? You used to be anxious even when staying at our house.”

“Hehe, I’ve gotten used to it now.”

Dan Somi smiled shyly.

Hong Won-chang was the one who reacted to the comment about getting used to that smile. If she truly thought of it as her own home, then that was something to celebrate in itself. Dan Somi increasingly appeared to be a daughter-in-law.

“Hahaha, so now this house is your home…”

“Anyway, Dad is doing something that Somi shouldn’t see again.”

“……”

Dan Somi mumbled, shaking her small legs.

It was as if she understood the implications of being entrusted to this house.

Sweat trickled down Hong Won-chang’s forehead.

“Th-that can’t be…right?”

“Hehe, right? But I know.”

Dan Somi stretched and looked at the sweating Hong Won-chang with a grin.

The smile on this little child’s face seemed to unconsciously pressure Hong Won-chang, as if knowing everything but choosing to keep silent, conveying such a meaning.

Hong Won-chang unknowingly held his breath.

Perhaps this child is much smarter and more cunning than she appears to be.

A moment where Hong Jin-rang’s future seemed to unfold.

“What did you say?!”

Zhuge Yeon, in a disheveled state, shouted loudly. Blood was splattered all over her body, and there were cuts everywhere.

It must have been a situation where even standing was difficult, yet Zhuge Yeon, who raised her voice, frowned as she looked at Muho, who was smiling weakly.

“So…you mean that the Great Abbot Seon Jin was captured.”

Muho spoke with a trembling voice.

He was barely sustaining his life through qi cultivation. Although basic treatment had been administered, the numerous fatal wounds he sustained made it unsurprising if he were to collapse at any moment.

In such a situation, when Zhuge Yeon’s voice echoed in his ears, it made him feel as if he might cough up blood.

“To where?”

Zhuge Yeon, who seemed ready to grab Muho by the collar at any moment, suppressed her impatience and asked.

The revered Abbot Seon Jin had been captured, yet Shaolin had closed its gates, doing nothing. The absurdity of it was beyond words.

It never crossed their minds that Abbot Seon Jin would be captured. They simply believed he had heroically perished while defending the Murim Alliance.

“How on earth did it come to this? Wasn’t the Murim Alliance the pillar of the Justice sects? Is it okay for it to collapse so easily?”

Zhuge Yeon’s expression, filled with anger, was worse than ever.

The Murim Alliance was a place that had never once fallen before, even amidst countless crises in the Murim world, and it was also the place that always succeeded, no matter what happened.

The fact that such a place had collapsed was unbelievable, and even more so was the fact that its leader, Seon Jin, had been captured. This was an incomprehensible situation for her.

Her sharp gaze turned towards Muho.

It felt as if the pride of being a righteous person and part of a sect that once led the Murim Alliance had crumbled in an instant.

“Where is he?”

At that moment, Kwon Mujin quietly approached and gently asked Zhuge Yeon, soothing her. He maintained courtesy towards Muho because he had once received help from him.

Whether Muho knew this or not, he gave a bitter smile.

“Wu…to Wudang Mountain…”

Muho let out a low groan and tightly closed his eyes.

He knew why Abbot Seon Jin was taken to Wudang Mountain. It was to behead Abbot Seon Jin, a pillar of the current Justice sects, in front of them, against Mount Wudang, who still hadn’t knelt before the name of Blood Heaven.

If that happens, many will be disturbed, and Blood Heaven’s name will once again be widely known in this world.

“How tragic.”

Dan Woo-hyun sneered as he looked at the three people.

Swallowing up Murim Emperor Castle, which led the Evil Sect, shattering the pillars of Justice like Shaolin and the Murim Alliance, and even beheading their leader?

Those who do not hesitate to commit such cruel acts were nothing short of demons, and for those who suffered, the situation was unbearably horrific.

No one could get angry at Dan Woo-hyun, who clicked his tongue.

Even Zhuge Yeon, who had a strong pride in being part of the Justice faction, remained silent, biting her lips.

Who would have thought that the Justice Faction of the Murim world would fall to such a state?

“Please…help us…”

Muho bowed his head deeply, pleading.

He felt that it could only be resolved by Dan Woo-hyun, and even if it was a sliver of hope, he wanted to cling to it.

“Wudang, huh…”

Dan Woo-hyun turned his head toward the northwest.

Originally, the destination was Longzhong Mountain. The goal of this journey was to retrieve the stolen items.

The distance from Longzhong Mountain to Wudang Mountain wasn’t that far, and perhaps because he wanted to see Wudang after a long time, he smiled.

“It’s been a while since I’ve gone.”

“Are you helping us?”

Zhuge Yeon’s gaze was fixed on Dan Woo-hyun.

Dan Woo-hyun, who usually doesn’t move unless it’s something significant, going to Wudang Mountain himself, indicated that he was taking this situation seriously as well.

“It wouldn’t be bad to see how much the three peaks of the Wudang Mountains have changed.”

“Do you really have to put it that way when you mean to help?”

Zhuge Yeon’s sharp gaze pierced through.

Anyone could see that Dan Woo-hyun had accepted Muho’s request. He could have just nodded and said he’d help, so was it necessary to speak in such a roundabout manner?

At that moment, Dan Woo-hyun smiled again and looked at the two people.

“Until then, you should improve your skills. To be in such a state just against a mere sword examination…”

Flinch!

The two of them shrank back.

Even though Dan Woo-hyun had already taken down one person, they were still struggling, unable to refute the situation.

Kwon Mujin simply bowed his head deeply.

“Ha… But, we won anyway. And their formation was something I’ve never seen in Central Plains.”

Zhuge Yeon grumbled with a discontented expression.

The Zhuge family is a sect that has long studied the martial arts of Central Plains diligently. Therefore, they had memorized many formations in their minds, but what they encountered was something they had never seen before.

Thinking about how to break the formation and how to deal with them, their body’s response naturally slowed.

At that moment, Dan Woo-hyun stood up from his seat.

Then he glanced at the corpses lying around.

Those wearing blood red garments.

The clothes and color were the same as those seen on Mount Changbai, but they felt somewhat different.

Dan Woo-hyun, who was quietly watching it, waved his hand. A gust of wind rushed out like a blade and sliced through the hem of the garment.

Everyone held their breath at the delicate and precise control of inner qi.

It was astonishing enough to manipulate the wind in such a manner, but to cut the thin hem with a blade-like wind was equally hard to believe.

“Wha…who on earth is that person…?”

“You don’t need to know.”

Zhuge Yeon shook her head with an incredulous expression.

‘Honestly, you wouldn’t believe it unless you saw it with your own eyes.’

Anyone would think the same. Dan Woo-hyun’s divine presence seemed beyond that of a mere human.

‘Is this what a legendary Martial God is like? Or is this the prowess of the Three Heavens?’

Comparing them with Dan Woo-hyun, there was even a ridiculous thought that perhaps Dan Woo-hyun might even be stronger.

Zhuge Yeon chuckled softly and shook her head.

“There’s no doubt.”

At that moment, Dan Woo-hyun muttered quietly.

The bloodstained clothes of the dead were different from those of the Blood Demon Cult. Except for being red, they had a completely different feel. However, something was revealed the moment the upper body was stripped.

Engraving.

The clear engraving etched above the chest was undoubtedly the symbol of the Blood Demon Cult.

“Do you know something, Manor Lord?”

Kwon Mujin approached and asked.

Judging by Dan Woo-hyun’s expression, it seems he recognized their identity. However, Dan Woo-hyun shook his head without answering and soon turned his gaze away.

“Don’t worry about it. Rather, are the ones who took that old man, Seon Jin, the same as these?”

“Y-yes, that’s right. But…their martial arts were truly otherworldly… Even Master Seon Jin couldn’t properly contend with them.”

With that one remark, Dan Woo-hyun nodded.

As he leisurely turned his back and walked away, Kwon Mujin naturally followed. Their indifference to the injured Muho was characteristic of them.

“Uh… So, um…”

Zhuge Yeon let out a short groan as she thought.

Is it alright to just leave Muho like this? Shouldn’t they at least take him to the village? She pondered briefly but abandoned the thought upon seeing how far Dan Woo-hyun had already gone.

“Take care of yourself!”

“Uh…?! M-Miss?”

The flustered Muho called out, but Zhuge Yeon didn’t even turn back.