Chronicles of the Martial God’s Return - Chapter 42

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Crack!
“Ugh!”
Dan Woo-hyeon’s palm came flying out of nowhere, striking Hong Won-chang squarely across the back of his head.
Hong Won-chang crumpled to the ground, cradling his skull in both hands, barely suppressing a groan.
Why was he the one being hit?
The bandit deserving a beating stood right there.
Hong Won-chang, who’d ridden hard since early morning to deliver this news, felt tears of indignation burning behind his eyes.
“What in the world is all this commotion?”
“Ugh, you see, that is…”
“Now listen here — you show up without warning babbling about some warrant, and you’ve just returned from Beijing, so I’m wondering if something’s addled that head of yours?”
Jang Sam-tae, apparently offended at being treated like a criminal without preamble, scowled in frustration.
His mind was already running through the possibility that his old thievery might have been discovered, so he forced his expression into brazen nonchalance to keep it hidden.
“Ahem!”
Hong Won-chang cleared his throat, then pulled a Yong-mo-pa-gi from his breast and unfolded it.
Everyone’s eyes fixed upon the document.
“This… this is…!”
“And you still deny it!”
“Jang Sam-tae? That’s my name!”
“Oh ho — so you’ve been smuggling opium as well?”
“Sir, what does it say on there?”
Jang Sam-tae’s face drained of all color as he stared through the Yong-mo-pa-gi, though the name written upon it certainly wouldn’t change.
He turned to Hong Won-chang with an expression of pure bewilderment.
“This is madness! It wasn’t me.”
“Wasn’t you? Your name’s right here, and the likeness is close enough.”
“I’m telling you it wasn’t! No matter how desperate I’ve been for money, I’ve never dealt in opium smuggling or human trafficking!”
He shook his head vigorously, denying it with vehemence.
He was not lying.
He’d stolen to survive, yes, but he’d never abandoned his basic principles.
But human trafficking and opium smuggling? And there it was in black and white — murder charges too — so severe that mere decapitation seemed insufficient punishment; they’d be quartering him.
“Look here. Where exactly do you see the resemblance between me and this portrait?”
Jang Sam-tae snatched the Yong-mo-pa-gi from Hong Won-chang’s grip and held it beside his face. Everyone’s eyes began moving back and forth, making comparisons.
The first to speak was.
“Wow, it’s exactly like you, sir! The drawing really is done well.”
“Now that I look at it closely, they are quite similar.”
“It’s the same person, isn’t it?”
Jang Sam-tae’s face went rigid.
‘This can’t be real!’
How could he possibly resemble such a vicious criminal?
He suppressed the rising irritation and examined the Yong-mo-pa-gi more carefully.
After staring at it for a long while without lifting his eyes, Jang Sam-tae muttered under his breath.
“…It does look a bit alike.”
Gwon Mu-jin let out a soft chuckle at the sight.
Jang Sam-tae’s deflection amused him.
He’d never have imagined the man capable of such crimes.
And opium smuggling, no less?
“No, look properly! This criminal here has a huge mole right next to his nose — I don’t have any such thing!”
Jang Sam-tae protested sharply.
He knew that proving his innocence was the only way to escape this absurd situation.
Granted, he acknowledged that the Yong-mo-pa-gi bore a resemblance, but he most certainly did not have a large mole beside his nose like this one.
That’s when Gwon Mu-jin smashed a nearby rock and pressed the dirt clinging to his hand onto the side of Jang Sam-tae’s nose.
In that instant, everyone’s eyes went wide as saucers.
Even Dan Woo-hyeon, who’d been watching silently the whole time, slowly placed a hand on Jang Sam-tae’s shoulder and spoke.
“So it was you. Confess now.”
“For heaven’s sake! I’m telling you it wasn’t! Why is this madman smearing dirt all over my face!”
The injustice of it all.
He felt he might burst from the sheer unfairness.
He stamped his feet and cursed as loudly as he could, but these people simply refused to believe him.
It really seemed like he believed Jang Sam-tae had committed every crime.
“No! Uncle Jang would never do such a thing!”
It was Tan So-mi who stepped forward to defend him.
Standing protectively in front of Jang Sam-tae among the crowd, the girl looked up at Hong Won-chang and clenched both her fists tight.
“But So-mi, if you look at this Yong-mo-pa-gi…….”
“The artist made a mistake! Uncle Jang would absolutely never do anything wrong!”
“The name too…….”
“Maybe it’s just someone who happens to have the same name as Uncle Jang!”
Tan So-mi’s words weren’t wrong either.
Joong-won was vast, and so was its population, and since Jang was a common surname, there would likely be no end to counting those who shared the same name.
Hong Won-chang scratched his head.
They looked nearly identical, and the names matched as well.
It seemed obvious without a doubt that this was the man, yet after hearing So-mi’s words, he felt confused again.
“Still, if the match is this perfect…….”
When Hong Won-chang hesitated and couldn’t find his words, Jang Sam-tae, boiling with rage, spat forcefully and raised his voice.
“Damn it! I’ll catch this bastard myself!”
“I’ll help too! Let’s work together and find the real culprit!”
“Of course only my So-mi would stand by me like this! Let’s go, So-mi!”
“Yes!”
Jang Sam-tae and Tan So-mi turned and hurried out of the Jang Estate.
‘Do they even have a plan for where or how to look? And they’re taking a child with them…….’
Dan Woo-hyeon shook his head slowly.
“With this many charges, it seems like he’s been active for quite a while, though apparently he wasn’t very famous.”
“Yes, the Yong-mo-pa-gi came to light recently only because a witness happened to appear. Until then, we had no idea such a vicious criminal existed.”
“Operating in Honam, then…….”
“Since I haven’t yet given the Yong-mo-pa-gi to the Po-jol, that man won’t be captured, but…… with such a striking resemblance, I can’t treat this lightly.”
“I understand. Don’t worry and go back.”
In fact, Dan Woo-hyeon didn’t believe Jang Sam-tae had done such things.
It had only been about half a year, but living together and witnessing his nature, he could say with certainty.
The man might steal, but he could never commit murder, human trafficking, or opium smuggling.
Dan Woo-hyeon smiled faintly and turned his head.
Where on earth had those two gotten to?

***

“But where are we going?”
Jang Sam-tae, who had been pulling Tan So-mi’s hand as they moved, came to an abrupt halt. The problem was that he’d rushed out in such blind fury without a single thought.
Either way, it was a matter of finding a criminal.
There was nowhere suitable to go with a child.
To gather information, he would need to head to Hao-mun in the pleasure quarter, and if even that didn’t work, he’d eventually have to move through shadowy places like gambling dens.
“What’s wrong, uncle?”
Having spoken so confidently before charging out, turning back felt embarrassing.
Since they’d only walked for about a quarter hour, it would have been simple enough to leave the child behind and return…….
But it was impossible to abandon Tan So-mi, whose face was so full of hope and determination.
“What exactly are you trying to do?”
Then a familiar voice rang out.
Looking up sharply, he found Dan Woo-hyeon and Gwon Mu-jin standing there before him.
“Ahem! Well, I thought we’d try a gambling den first…….”
“With So-mi?”
Under that stern gaze, Jang Sam-tae held his breath. Dan Woo-hyeon always wanted to show So-mi only good things and excluded anything bad beforehand.
If he determined that Jang Sam-tae might be a bad influence on her education, Dan Woo-hyeon would undoubtedly cast him out without hesitation.
“Can’t So-mi come along?”
“Let’s go together once she’s grown.”
Tan So-mi puffed out both her cheeks with a pouty sound.
She’d come with such high expectations, yet to be told she couldn’t go anywhere was frustrating.
Dan Woo-hyeon gently stroked her hair.
“Play with Mu-jin in Ak-yang, and I’ll come find you.”
“Really?”
“Of course.”
Tan So-mi’s face brightened, and she reached out her small hand toward Gwon Mu-jin, who had been standing about awkwardly, and he, though slightly flustered at first, soon smiled warmly and took her hand.
“Then I’ll be on my way.”
Gwon Mu-jin bowed and led Tan So-mi toward Ak-yang. Jang Sam-tae watched the two of them disappear into the distance for a long moment before turning hesitantly to Dan Woo-hyeon and opening his mouth.
“That wasn’t… it really wasn’t me.”
“I know.”
“Then why did you say I resembled him?”
“I was joking.”
‘Is this bastard serious?’
Jang Sam-tae barely managed to keep his face from flushing red. He had to suppress himself with all his might, afraid he might genuinely curse at Dan Woo-hyeon.
“Let’s start by finding that man. What’s the easiest way to locate criminals?”
“Go after those of similar ilk?”
“Exactly.”
Dan Woo-hyeon smiled faintly.
Of course, one couldn’t just beat up anyone. They had to be of reasonable standing, the kind whose name carried weight in certain circles—the sort who would possess some useful information.
“Shall we head to Jangsa?”
Jangsa was the provincial capital of Honam. It was a city of incomparable size compared to Ak-yang, and no less a place where countless kinds of people mingled together.
But Dan Woo-hyeon shook his head.
“No—Jangsa is large, but if we search the smaller places first, won’t we avoid drawing attention to ourselves?”
Since they didn’t know who their target was or who might stand behind him, rushing straight into Jangsa and targeting the big players risked letting word slip out entirely, making the man impossible to find.
So if they started by shaking down gambling dens and Pa-rak-ho in small villages, the news would spread more slowly, buying them precious time.
‘Small villages near Ak-yang with gambling dens, then?’
Jang Sam-tae fell into thought.
“Don’t overthink it. That’s not where we’re headed anyway.”
“Sir?”
“The man deals in opium smuggling. So who buys opium?”
There were quite a few opium buyers.
From street-level Pa-rak-ho to Hao-mun gangs, bandits, thieves, and ma-juk—all were equally complicit.
Criminals who didn’t use opium were exceedingly rare.
“Human trafficking and opium. Whoever’s involved with both and closest at hand.”
“Ah! Bandits!”
“Right. Ma-juk wander about—who knows where—but bandits have fixed lairs. Unless the authorities move against them, they stay put.”
Bandits do anything that turns a profit. If we squeeze them, we’ll come away with no small amount of information.
“Then… where would the bandits be holed up…?”
Dan Woo-hyeon murmured softly and turned his gaze westward.
There, a single large mountain loomed into view.
Ak-rok Mountain.
It wasn’t far from Ak-yang at all.
The terrain was treacherous, with plenty of places to hide. Had Hong Won-chang been present, he might well have applauded Dan Woo-hyeon’s decision to head for Ak-rok Mountain.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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