Episode 227

Skk. Shh.

Jinmu continued to exclaim as he watched the shape of a tree branch change every time he moved the tree.

“…Woah!”

“Ohh!”

“Hooo…!”

What was this guy called Hwang Shin doing?

When he saw him cutting the tree bark down and making a table and chairs with ease, he wondered if he was a skilled carpenter.

Puak!

He moves suddenly, catches the rabbit, picks up tree branches, and starts a bonfire.

The rabbit skin peeled off at a single touch from him.

Wonderful.

People might not know this, but among all animals, the rabbit is the hardest to skin.

No matter how well they peel it, the fur is always there, which directly leads to a decrease in the taste of the meat.

But this guy didn’t do anything like that. No, how can rabbit skin be peeled off in an instant?

And rabbit dishes were also made.

The pieces of meat are usually made into a stew, while the thick hind legs are grilled till golden brown.

When I look at him, I wonder if he isn’t a carpenter but an owner of a restaurant.

Shhh.

“……”

Hwang Shin finished preparing the meal in the blink of an eye and presented grilled rabbit leg and stew to Jinmu.

“Would you like to eat it?”

Nod.

When he took the hind leg in one hand and a soup bowl in the other, he quickly returned to his place.

Just one day.

A day after leaving the guest house, I deeply realized that taking Hwang Shin along was indeed the right decision.

Only.

“……”

Jinmu looked at Hwang Shin.

And then he looked at Jinmu, blinked, and gestured with his chin.

“Why am I looking?”

Nod nod.

No matter how similar the appearance was, they are of the same age, but he was speaking as an adult and yet this child was nodding his head, uncaring.

Yah, I am the Heavenly Lord, have you heard of it?

As Jinmu widened his eyes, Hwang Shin tilted his head.

Since he didn’t do anything wrong, he cannot be beaten, right? But how can people be this quiet?

He didn’t say a word during the entire day together. At that point, one might feel dry and want to exclaim something…

“Perhaps you cannot speak…?”

Jinmu, who thought it might be a problem, cautiously asked, not wanting to offend him, but Hwang Shin suddenly opened his eyes and perked his ears up.

“……”

What are you? A cat? Dog?

It seems like he heard something, but no matter how much Jinmu tried, he couldn’t hear anything but the burning bonfire and the wind…

Pak!

Regardless of his thoughts, Hwang Shin stepped on a tree and reached up in an instant.

He was fast, but it wasn’t like some flying squirrel.

Hwang Shin, who quickly disappeared between the branches of the tree, held a pigeon in his hand.

No, I didn’t hear any wings flapping!

Wonderful. What kind of hearing does he have? Isn’t this extrasensory?

Actually, I know one human with an amazing sense of smell. Tang Se-ryeong…

When Jinmu looked surprised, Hwang Shin smiled brightly and pointed to the sky.

“…Flap?”

Nod.

“So you caught something flying in the sky?”

Nod.

“So, you heard the sound of the wings flapping?”

Nod.

“……”

Ah, maybe I should learn mind reading.

And now, stop nodding your head. I keep following you around. You bastard, I said you should start speaking.

Considering that he has better hearing than I, who is the strongest, I don’t think he is deaf.

In most cases, hearing loss occurs when one overuses their qi.

Then why isn’t he talking if he can still hear fine?

Damn Heo Sam-su, that bastard. If he wanted to send someone, at least send the right guy!

Anyway, Hwang Shin took out this small note in the container attached to the pigeon’s feet, read it, and handed it to Jinmu.

Haha, no talk.

Jinmu shook his head and read the contents.

The long letter began with ‘Heavenly Lord’ and stated that he had conveyed the story of Jinmu to the Lower District Sect’s Leader.

“Se-chan must be surprised.”

Probably so.

The theory of the appearance of the Shadow Dragon user cannot be easily overlooked by anyone.

Jinmu continued to read the content below.

When the spy was caught in Xi’an and the Alliance moved, each sect began to take action.

It didn’t really matter whether it was true or not, but Jinmu was relieved that his plan had worked out well.

But the last part is troubling.

“Unidentified people are heading to the Heavenly Strong Clan?”

What nonsense is this? Does this mean someone is targeting them without fear?

Jinmu frowned.

And the content ended there.

The fact that detailed explanations are omitted indicates that they are still investigating.

“Hwang Shin.”

“…?”

“You can send a pigeon, right?”

At Jinmu’s question, Hwang Shin nodded.

“Tell them to find out about the ones approaching the Heavenly Strong Clan.”

“……”

At Jinmu’s command, Hwang Jin produced a small piece of paper and a portable brush from his sleeve and wrote something down.

He was ready to send this messenger pigeon back. As expected of the Lower District Sect, they are always prepared.

Shhh.

“……”

Hwang Shin confirmed what was written.

Ah, if only this guy could talk!

I want to hit him just to hear him scream, but his smile is so bright that I can’t bring myself to do it!

He is supposedly 20 years old, so why does he look like a girl?

You are lucky. Because I don’t touch women or children.

Except for Tang Se-ryeong… except for that one who looks like a female.

When Jinmu nodded, Hwang Shin rolled the note up, stuck it in the container on the pigeon’s legs, and threw the pigeon into the air.

Flutter.

As Jinmu watched the pigeon fly far, he felt the need to hurry to the Heavenly Strong Clan.

It was a place guarded by outstanding men called Cheon Woo-myung and Won Gong-hu, but he couldn’t shake off this uneasiness.

“I wanted to take it slow, but I can’t. We need to hurry there.”

Hwang Shin nodded at Jinmu’s words and began to organize the traces of their stay so far.

That too, swiftly.

Dig, bury, and cover.

The traces were erased in an instant.

“Well, he really is easy to bring along as long as he talks a little.”

How is it that people who follow me always lack one thing or another?

Stupid Chung Woo and Cheon Woo-myung, Chung Sang who looks like a do-gooder but goes insane at the sight of bandits, Baek Pyo who sucks people’s qi, Jeok Saeng who is amazing in military strategies, and Un Am who babbles and stutters at excitement.

And Tang Se-ryeong… just plain insane.

Jinmu smiles bitterly and shakes his head, but Hwang Shin’s expression suddenly turns cold, his previous brightness vanishing.

A surprisingly cold expression.

Wheik.

He turns his head and writes something with his finger… is it possible to just speak?

Jinmu sighed and nodded, not knowing what he meant, and Hwang Shin suddenly lowered his head, turned around, and darted out.

“Ah, so I guess you meant where we are going. Right, we go.”

Still, seeing how good his footwork is, it seems like Heo Sam-su didn’t recommend him for nothing.

Jinmu’s eyes, which had been staring blankly at the place where Hwang Shin had disappeared from in an instant, were now turned to the place that hasn’t yet been cleaned up.

“Organize it… damn it, maybe I should do it.”

No matter how life changes one way or another, this new change is no different.

The presence of the body’s soul restricted the mind in the form of memories. I thought I was finally able to get out of that damn situation where I felt like I would have to do chores forever… a scam, it is all a scam. I’d rather just die.

He continued to complain and dig, burying and covering over and over again.

Srng!

“…?”

Jinmu stopped moving at the sound of metal piercing his ears.

Chang!

As he strengthened his hearing with qi, the sharp echoing sound became clearer.

This is coming from the direction Hwang Shin ran to. Could it be an enemy?

Well, it doesn’t matter whether he dies or not. I am not the one who sent him… I am constantly digging up what I buried because I was worried. Haha, shit.

“Ehh, really!”

Jinmu roughly threw away what he was holding in his hand and turned in the direction of the sound.

I don’t know if it was an enemy or something, but it is all his fault. If that bastard hadn’t shown up, there was no reason for me to clean up after him. Hwang Shin had already done it all, and we have to head to the Heavenly Strong Clan.

Pang!

As the ground was dug up, piles of dirt came up, and Jinmu was no longer visible in the place where the air was torn away.

Kaang!

What he heard was clearly the sound of metal.

And following the sound, what came was the sparks of collision between the blades.

Kakang!

The sound of metal rang out again, but the parties holding the blades were nowhere to be seen.

Wherever the sharp blade passed by, a trace was left behind.

The kicked stone breaks and bounces, and the hidden person who appeared disappears in an instant, avoiding the aimed attack.

Flutter!

As they moved quickly to find an opponent between each other and launched attacks, their weapons didn’t contain a single presence of qi.

Hide, attack, and hide again.

This is a life or death battle for the warriors and not the hiding people. As a result of their fight, the forest was losing its form, but the fight never showed signs of ending.

Flutter.

At one point, a sound came between them and everything stopped.

Jinmu followed the sound of metal.

He had just arrived, stood on a tree branch, and looked down.

There was nothing there.

Leaving aside the sound of breathing, not even the sound of heartbeat could be heard, and this was something humans couldn’t hide.

An artificially created sense of silence.

All that is visible is the broken forest.

However, Jinmu could clearly feel the qi of the two within them.

One was near a rock, and the other was at the base of the beautiful tree where Jinmu was standing.

The familiar qi probably belonged to Hwang Shin.

He is quite good, Jinmu thought. I initially thought he had good hearing, but his stealth is even better. Definitely superior to Heo Sam-su whom I encountered in Xi’an.

Jinmu only sensed their presence after discovering the other two.

How did Hwang Shin detect someone hiding so far away?

It’s incredible. He couldn’t have pinpointed them just by sound.

Observing this, Jinmu had a strong hunch that Hwang Shin’s qi level was enhanced, which was remarkable given his age.

Considering the skill of the adept hider, Hwang Shin might be even better.

“Why are there so many talented individuals in Murim these days?”

Enhanced qi isn’t common; everyone Jinmu encounters seems to possess it!

However, warriors of such caliber aren’t solely defined by their qi level. Skill and martial arts application determine victory or defeat.

In a life-and-death struggle, these factors become even more crucial.

Jinmu suddenly felt the urge to test Hwang Shin’s abilities.

But… wouldn’t he need to make a move to assess them?

Both remained hidden, waiting for an opportunity.

“Guys, the sun is setting.”

Jinmu offered advice politely, but there was no response or attempt to move.

There was no choice but to engage in combat.

Pat!

The wind sliced through the air, heading towards the distant rock.

Crack!

The rock shattered under the impact.

It wasn’t aimed at the hidden individuals.

The speed and force were sufficient to anticipate and evade a crisis.

Pat!

As Jinmu directed his attention towards the hider in the rock, Hwang Shin reacted swiftly.

Kang!

The clash resumed with a sharp, metallic sound.

Isn’t it the funniest thing about watching a fight from across?

I plan to enjoy and watch it leisurely.

Ah, should I at least cheer?