Almighty God of War - Chapter 158

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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158

 

The next morning.

 

Before dawn broke, Guyang Cheongang prepared to leave Dongryeong Salt Field together with Baek Muok.

 

The boy’s face, carrying only a small bundle on his back, was expressionless as always.

 

“Master.”

 

“Mm?”

 

“What kind of place is the Guyang Family Estate?”

 

Baek Muok’s voice was calm.

 

There was no excitement, no nervousness. Only pure curiosity was contained within it.

 

“It was a great family estate. Now… it has declined considerably.”

 

“A place that has declined…”

 

Baek Muok tilted his head slightly.

 

“Then Master will rebuild it, won’t you?”

 

“That’s what I intend to do.”

 

“That sounds interesting.”

 

A faint smile appeared on Baek Muok’s lips.

 

But it wasn’t the smile of an ordinary child—it was more like the smile of a researcher facing an intriguing experiment.

 

Guyang Cheongang looked at Baek Muok and inwardly swallowed a sigh.

 

‘This kid really never changes.’

 

A natural-born killer.

 

A child born lacking empathy from birth.

 

But still, Guyang Cheongang couldn’t abandon this child.

 

Perhaps because of that very reason, he wanted to protect him even more.

 

“Muok.”

 

“Yes, Master.”

 

“When we get to the family estate, act as you normally do. You don’t need to force yourself to act like other people.”

 

Baek Muok looked up at Guyang Cheongang.

 

His eyes were clear, but their depth was unknowable.

 

“…I understand.”

 

In front of the gate stood Shangguan Wana, Yeom Pung, Jupyo, and the core members of the Self-Strengthening Corps including Jang Cheol-un.

 

Shangguan Wana stepped forward.

 

She looked at Guyang Cheongang, then lowered her gaze slightly.

 

Her heart was beating strangely fast.

 

‘Calm down. Young Master is… just a business partner.’

 

She comforted herself inwardly.

 

But she couldn’t do anything about the unidentifiable emotion rising from deep within her heart.

 

She gave a cupped fist salute.

 

“Young Master, please… stay safe.”

 

Her voice trembled slightly.

 

‘Oh no. If he notices…’

 

“Shangguan Family Head, please stay healthy as well.”

 

Guyang Cheongang’s voice reached her.

 

Shangguan Wana raised her head.

 

Guyang Cheongang’s eyes looking straight at her were so warm.

 

Guyang Cheongang continued speaking.

 

“Please take good care of our business.”

 

‘Our… business.’

 

Those words touched her heart.

 

‘That’s right, we’re working together. In business.’

 

Shangguan Wana engraved those words in her heart and forced herself to smile.

 

“Leave it to me.”

 

But her hand hidden within her sleeve was trembling slightly as she answered.

 

‘When will I be able to see him again…’

 

That thought crossed her mind, but she didn’t voice it.

 

There were too many people around.

 

And more than anything… she was embarrassed.

 

She lowered her gaze again.

 

Did Guyang Cheongang notice her subtle changes?

 

Or did he pretend not to know?

 

He said nothing more.

 

He simply nodded lightly and turned his gaze to the next person.

 

Shangguan Wana looked at his profile and murmured inwardly.

 

‘Please… come back safely.’

 

That one sentence she couldn’t say remained deep in her heart.

 

After exchanging greetings with Yeom Pung and Jupyo, Jang Cheol-un stepped forward and placed his fist against his chest.

 

“Leader! Next time we meet, I will definitely have reached the upper level of first-rate!”

 

Guyang Cheongang nodded.

 

“I look forward to it.”

 

Mong Ji-hye and Jin Yu-han also gave cupped fist salutes side by side.

 

“We will certainly live up to Leader’s expectations!”

 

Baek Muok looked at them expressionlessly.

 

Unable to understand the emotions of people who felt sad about parting, he silently observed them.

 

‘People… become sad when they part.’

 

Knowing this might be useful information someday, he recorded it in his mind.

 

Guyang Cheongang looked at each one of them.

 

The time spent here flashed by like a panorama.

 

It had been short, but it was precious time.

 

“Well then…”

 

Guyang Cheongang gave a cupped fist salute and turned around.

 

Baek Muok followed behind him.

 

The two of them, bathed in the morning sunlight, left Dongryeong Salt Field and headed southwest toward the Guyang Family Estate.

 

Those remaining in front of the gate watched their retreating figures in silence for a while.

 

Jang Cheol-un muttered.

 

“…Leader.”

 

Mong Ji-hye wiped her eyes and said.

 

“Why do I feel so sad…”

 

“And Muok too…”

 

Jin Yu-han continued.

 

“That child is really peculiar. Even at the moment of parting, he didn’t show even a speck of regret.”

 

Jang Cheol-un nodded.

 

“Still… since Leader cherishes that child, we should treat him well too.”

 

“Right.”

 

Mong Ji-hye clenched her fist.

 

“We need to work hard too. So we won’t be ashamed when Leader returns.”

 

“Yeah. If we don’t meet his expectations, we’ll get beaten several times more than before.”

 

At those words, the warriors shuddered.

 

Jang Cheol-un chuckled and shouted.

 

“Everyone, from today we’re doubling the training regimen.”

 

“Yes!”

 

Shangguan Wana looked up at the sky.

 

The figures of Guyang Cheongang and Baek Muok were no longer visible.

 

‘Farewell, Young Master. And….’

 

She smiled.

 

‘Let’s definitely meet again.’

 

The morning sunlight was warmly illuminating the Dongryeong Salt Field.

 

It was the beginning of a new day.

 

On the second day after leaving the Dongryeong Salt Field, Guyang Cheongang and Baek Muok arrived at Dongping in Shandong Province.

 

With his bamboo hat pulled down low, he had recovered his original appearance.

 

Since he had left the Dongryeong Salt Field, there was no reason to continue disguising himself as Jang Woomyeong.

 

There were several routes from Shandong to the Guyang Family Estate in Nanchang, Jiangxi Province.

 

Using lightness skills would take only a few days, but he couldn’t travel that way with Baek Muok.

 

‘I want to show this fellow the world.’

 

Guyang Cheongang decided to travel by boat along the canal to Jinling in Jiangsu Province, then take the overland route from Jinling to Nanchang.

 

At the canal dock in Dongping where he arrived, large and small boats were moored in rows.

 

Cargo ships, fishing boats, and even passenger ships that carried people.

 

“Master.”

 

Baek Muok said, looking at the dock.

 

“There are so many boats.”

 

“That’s right. The canal is an important waterway connecting north and south.”

 

Guyang Cheongang chose the largest passenger ship among them.

 

It was a two-story vessel that looked like it could easily carry over a hundred people.

 

“Two passengers.”

 

“First class or second class?”

 

“One first class room, please.”

 

When he handed over a few silver coins, the crew member skillfully issued the tickets.

 

“It’s the innermost room on the second floor. It takes about five days to reach Jinling.”

 

“Understood.”

 

Guyang Cheongang and Baek Muok boarded the ship and went up to the second floor.

 

Rooms lined both sides of the corridor. When they opened the door to the innermost room, a small but clean space appeared.

 

Through the window, they could see the canal and deck at a glance.

 

Baek Muok approached the window and looked outside.

 

Large and small boats were coming and going on the wide canal.

 

The boatmen’s calls and the sound of waves mixed together to create a unique rhythm.

 

Baek Muok muttered with an expressionless face.

 

“It’s fascinating. Even with so many boats traveling, they don’t collide.”

 

“They’re all used to it.”

 

Guyang Cheongang stood beside him.

 

The canal was wider than expected, with waterways so refreshing you could believe it was a river.

 

Willow trees lined both banks, and villages could be seen between them.

 

‘For the people here, the canal must be their livelihood.’

 

Guyang Cheongang thought as he looked out the window.

 

Goods traveled along the canal, people traveled, and information traveled.

 

This massive waterway was no different from the empire’s bloodstream.

 

The ship departed at noon.

 

Clang-

 

With a heavy sound, the anchor was raised, and the ship slowly began to move.

 

Guyang Cheongang left the room and looked around the deck.

 

‘There are more passengers than I thought.’

 

Combining the first and second floors, there seemed to be about eighty or ninety people.

 

Most appeared to be ordinary people who looked like merchants or travelers, but there were quite a few Murim people as well.

 

They sat keeping their distance from each other, as if conscious of one another.

 

‘Is something going on?’

 

Guyang Cheongang thought for a moment, then shook his head.

 

‘It doesn’t matter. I’m just passing through.’

 

He wanted to keep as much distance as possible from Gangho incidents.

 

If he hadn’t awakened at the Guyang Family Estate, he wouldn’t have become so deeply entangled in worldly affairs.

 

He would have been traveling this strange world with Akasha, researching new civilizations.

 

But reality was different.

 

‘Because I have family.’

 

To protect them, Guyang Cheongang had no choice but to step into Gangho.

 

On the second day of the voyage.

 

The ship entered central Jiangsu Province.

 

Guyang Cheongang was guiding Baek Muok’s Heart Method training.

 

“Breathe deeply to your dantian. Feel the energy flowing along your meridians.”

 

“…Yes.”

 

Baek Muok closed his eyes and concentrated.

 

His breathing gradually became slower and deeper.

 

Guyang Cheongang watched Baek Muok and marveled inwardly.

 

‘His talent is… truly remarkable.’

 

Perhaps due to his unique constitution called the Heavenly Killing Star, Baek Muok’s martial arts learning speed was beyond imagination.

 

Perhaps because he had no emotions, his concentration was excellent, and having no fear, he boldly surpassed his limits.

 

‘At this rate, becoming a supreme master within ten years would be possible.’

 

Of course, whether that would be a good thing was unknown.

 

A supreme master without emotions.

 

Guyang Cheongang knew well how dangerous such an existence could be.

 

‘Still… if I can guide him.’

 

He placed his hand on Baek Muok’s shoulder.

 

Baek Muok, who had finished twelve cycles of energy circulation, opened his eyes.

 

“You’re doing well. That’s enough for today.”

 

“…Understood.”

 

That afternoon, Guyang Cheongang sat in the cabin chair and took out the bracelet he had received from Yeon Sahyeok.

 

A bracelet made of black jade.

 

At first glance, it was an ordinary accessory, but Guyang Cheongang knew this was no ordinary item.

 

‘It vibrates occasionally.’

 

A strange object that trembled slightly from time to time, even without injecting internal energy.

 

At first he thought it was his imagination, but after Akasha confirmed it, energy reactions were actually detected at specific intervals.

 

‘What could it be?’

 

Guyang Cheongang held the bracelet in his hand and observed it carefully.

 

That’s when it happened.

 

Buzz-

 

The bracelet vibrated again.

 

This time it was much stronger than before.

 

‘…!’

 

Guyang Cheongang’s eyes changed.

 

[Doctor, the energy reaction is increasing.]

 

‘What?’

 

[Something seems to be responding to this bracelet. The direction is….]

 

Akasha paused for a moment before continuing.

 

[Southeast. Similar to the ship’s direction of travel.]

 

Guyang Cheongang slowly raised his head and looked ahead.

 

The canal was still peaceful, but his intuition was telling him something.

 

‘Something’s there.’

 

On the third day.

 

The number of murim warriors on the ship had noticeably increased.

 

New warriors boarded at every intermediate stop.

 

They all wore tense expressions, clearly wary of each other.

 

Baek Muok, who had been observing them from the window, spoke.

 

“Master, those people… they’re strange.”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“Their eyes.”

 

Baek Muok tilted his head as he continued.

 

“They all have eyes that want something. Greed? Is that the right word?”

 

Guyang Cheongang chuckled softly.

 

‘No emotions, yet excellent observation skills.’

 

“You’re right. They’re after something.”

 

“What could it be?”

 

“Well. Probably… treasure or a secret manual, something like that.”

 

Guyang Cheongang fiddled with his bracelet as he muttered.

 

‘And it might be related to this bracelet. I have a bad feeling about this. I hope there won’t be any troublesome incidents until we reach home…’

 

Guyang Cheongang leaned against the railing and gazed at the canal.

 

The evening glow was spreading red across the water.

 

‘It’s already been almost three years.’

 

He had crossed over to this world when he was seventeen.

 

The confusion when he first opened his eyes, the unfamiliar name Guyang Cheongang, the declining family estate, and the memories of narrowly escaping death several times.

 

‘Back then… it was truly hopeless.’

 

But now it was different.

 

Nineteen.

 

Even by this world’s standards, it couldn’t be considered a great age, but he was already a peerless master who had reached the intermediate level of the Transformation Realm.

 

And he had secured funds to rebuild the Guyang Family Estate and gained trustworthy allies.

 

Guyang Cheongang’s eyes grew intense.

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