Chronicles of the Martial God’s Return - Chapter 104

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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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“I see… it’s worse than I thought……”
Namgung Cheon’s brow furrowed.
With the Saryeol Dan’s emergence, Anhui trembled under the weight of it.
But the Orthodox Faction of the Martial World itself had not escaped the shock.
The Namgung Clan carried more weight than any of the Eight Great Families. As the force that had guided the Orthodox Faction alongside the Thousand Year Shaolin, the Namgung Clan held a place in the hearts of the righteous that commanded even greater trust and reverence than the Murim Alliance itself.
People were already reeling from the mere absence of the Sword Emperor, but the collapse of the Namgung Clan on top of that was more than enough to shake the hearts of countless warriors.
Namgung Cheon squeezed his eyes shut.
All of it felt like his fault alone.
“Tell me—is there no way to learn where the Saryeol Dan is hiding?”
The Innkeeper shook his head.
He had no means of obtaining such intelligence. He ran an inn, not an information network.
“I’m sorry.”
“No, no. There’s nothing to apologize for. If anything, it was thoughtless of me to ask.”
“On the contrary, I am the one who should apologize.”
The Innkeeper waved his hand dismissively.
If anyone owed gratitude, it was he who owed it to Namgung Cheon. It pained him that he could offer so little.
Moreover, the helplessness of watching the Namgung Clan crumble weighed heavily on his heart.
“The rest I’ll handle myself. You should go—no sense in you getting caught in the crossfire.”
At Namgung Cheon’s words, the Innkeeper bowed deeply.
A mere innkeeper—no warrior, just a tradesman—understood well that there was nothing more he could do. Anything he attempted would only become a shackle around their ankles.
All he could offer now was a comfortable bed and good food.
“Please rest well.”
The Innkeeper withdrew, bowing low as he left.
Sa Do-hak, who had been watching in silence, spoke.
“A remarkable loyalty. It’s a burden to carry such things……”
Sa Do-hak’s gaze turned wistful.
There were many around him as well. If he counted only those who had sworn absolute loyalty, they would number in the hundreds. Yet if one knew their hearts, this man’s unwavering devotion without expectation of reward would seem nothing short of miraculous.
The Demonic Faction was always a world of the strong preying on the weak.
It was only natural that one would suppress those stronger than oneself and seize their position, so even as these men bent their heads in submission, they sharpened blades in the shadowed corners of their hearts.
Just thinking of those who came to mind now, there were four or five at least.
Sa Do-hak clicked his tongue.
Then Dan Woo-hyun rose from his seat.
“Rest yourselves. I’m going to take So-mi out for a look around.”
“Yes!”
At his words, Dan So-mi leaped into his arms with joy.
For a child of her age, this oppressive atmosphere was unbearable. She understood nothing of what had happened, only heard difficult words and solemn tones.
Playing alone outside seemed far more entertaining.
And this was Anhui’s capital city, not Honam.
There would be much to see, and anticipation bubbled within her.
“We shall accompany you.”
Kwon Mu-jin and Jang Sam-tae also rose to their feet.
They were both eager to follow along.
Jang Sam-tae, too, would rather follow Dan Woo-hyun than remain with the two elders. Sa Do-hak’s harassment had grown daily more intense, and he wished to stay as far from his presence as possible.
“Where do you think you’re going? Stay here.”
“But—!”
“But? But nothing! Be silent and sit.”
Jang Sam-tae turned to Dan Woo-hyun with pleading eyes, but Dan Woo-hyun simply turned away, dismissing the hope in his gaze. He knew that Sa Do-hak’s harassment would do Jang Sam-tae more good than harm.
“Let’s be off then.”

Dan Woo-hyun led Kwon Mu-jin and Dan So-mi out of the inn, walking unhurried through the streets, drinking in each detail of the landscape before them.
Would they need to walk further to reach Market Street?
Market Street was their destination.
It was a place where one could see nearly everything the city had to offer. Since they had come all the way to Anhui, there would surely be local specialties worth purchasing, and if opportunity allowed, it wouldn’t be amiss to bring back a few trinkets.
“It’s quiet, isn’t it?”
“It would be. Their place of trust has crumbled.”
People moved busily through the streets. Voices echoed here and there, the atmosphere alive with activity, yet somehow it felt more subdued than Ak-yang had been.
The Namgung Clan—whom they had trusted for so long—had fallen.
The shock of it all lingered, refusing to fade.
“Wow! There are so many people with swords.”
“Ha, martial artists are everywhere you go. Didn’t you see them in Ak-yang?”
“But… it wasn’t quite this menacing back then, was it?”
Dan So-mi furrowed her delicate brow and let out a soft sound of unease.
The atmosphere was different.
The martial artists carrying blades exuded something vaguely threatening. It wasn’t that they seemed intent on causing harm, but their sharp, piercing gazes made it nearly impossible to look at them directly.
“Are they vagrant warriors?”
“They could be, or they might not be. With the Namgung Clan in ruins, they could be a group eyeing opportunity.”
Dan Woo-hyun thought practically.
When a family as powerful as this crumbled, simply seizing the void they left behind could place immense wealth and prestige in one’s hands. The Saryeol Dan had vanished without a trace, but if someone were to eliminate them, the chance would arise to control all the power in Anhui. Such an opportunity could reshape everything.
There were always those unwilling to let such chances slip away.
Dan Woo-hyun smiled quietly to himself as he walked on.
Leaving behind that menacing atmosphere, they entered Market Street, which teemed with far more goods and variety than he’d expected.
The voices of merchants soliciting customers rang out shrilly, and the traders hawking their wares from every corner brimmed with energy.
The feeling here was entirely different.
Dan So-mi gazed at the unfamiliar goods before her with curiosity.
“The mood is so different here too.”
“People need to survive, so it makes sense. Their livelihood hangs on every dumpling, every trinket—doesn’t it?”
“Ah… yes, I suppose it does.”
Kwon Mu-jin wiped cold sweat from his brow.
The atmosphere was so starkly different from moments before that he couldn’t quite adjust to it. But reflecting on it, Dan Woo-hyun’s words rang true. The collapse of the Namgung Clan had indeed worsened the security.
Yet what choice did anyone have but to keep going?
Sell or starve. Hope or despair.
This too shall pass someday.
That seemed to be how people lived through each day here.
“Look, look! Look at this!”
Dan So-mi held up a doll in her hand. It looked familiar somehow… and then it struck him—it was a doll fashioned in the likeness of Ma Cheon-gun.
Both Dan Woo-hyun and Kwon Mu-jin’s faces went rigid.
In truth, they had no desire to see anything like that anymore.
“W-well, that’s quite amusing.”
“Hehe, I think grandfather would be happy if we brought this home for him.”
She looked up at Dan Woo-hyun earnestly as she spoke.
His gaze shifted toward the doll almost of its own accord. Looking closer, the material was decidedly cheap. While the exterior was crafted well enough, even the gentlest tug would likely tear it apart—it was that fragile.
Dan Woo-hyun turned to the merchant and asked.
“How much is this?”
“Three copper coins.”
“…That much?”
“Yes.”
The merchant answered with surprising confidence. Three copper coins was certainly within reach, but considering the doll’s shoddy quality, Dan Woo-hyun couldn’t help but feel it was a waste.
On top of that, she’d tire of playing with it soon enough.
But he couldn’t very well refuse to buy it either.
Dan Woo-hyun scratched his head awkwardly and handed over the coins.
“Thank you!”
The merchant’s face lit up with a broad grin.
He quickly pocketed the coins and handed over the doll.
His gaze made clear: no returns.
In truth, dolls of the Sword Emperor sold well enough, but Ma Cheon-gun dolls were among the slowest-moving stock, so he needed to unload this one as soon as possible.
When someone stepped up to buy, he wasn’t about to hesitate.
“By the way, do you know where the Namgung Clan Estate is located?”
“The N-Namgung Estate? What do you need that for?”
Startled by the abrupt question, the merchant glanced nervously around and swallowed hard.
The Market Street’s buzzing energy might lead some to think careless talk was harmless, but speaking of the Namgung Clan was not the sort of thing one discussed openly.
There was no telling when the Saryeol Dan might appear.
“The Namgung Clan Estate is the most famous place in Anhui. Since we’ve come to visit, we thought we’d at least catch a glimpse of it. Nothing more to it than that.”
“Huh? What? Ha ha, you’re not thinking straight. If you go sniffing around that area, there won’t even be bones left to bury. The Saryeol Dan might not be visible, but they could emerge from anywhere.”
“That’s my concern. So which direction is the estate?”
“Sigh, follow the main road from here straight ahead and you’ll find it. But let me warn you beforehand—unless you’re looking to die, you shouldn’t go. A few people went to scout it out and…”
He drew his hand sharply across his throat.
It was the gesture of death—they never came back alive. More than a dozen had gone, and none could say at whose hands they’d fallen.
It was merely vague speculation on his part.
Which was precisely why so many people avoided going anywhere near the Namgung Clan Estate.
“You’re going there?”
Dan So-mi looked up at Dan Woo-hyun with evident anxiety.
She had caught the fear in the merchant’s expression and tone. For this young girl, the mere fact that someone had died was a shock too terrible to bear.
“Ha, don’t worry. We won’t be going.”
“Mm.”
Dan So-mi let out a soft sound of relief.
Then, almost at once, she broke into a smile.
If Dan Woo-hyun said they wouldn’t go, then they wouldn’t.
The anxiety that had been gnawing at her dissolved in an instant.
“Since you’ve just arrived in Anhui, there’s plenty to see. Skip places like the Namgung Estate and take the girl around to see this and that instead. It’ll be easier on your mind.”
“I’ll do as you suggest.”
Dan Woo-hyun took Dan So-mi’s hand and led her away from the inn.
There was certainly much to explore.
With far more to see than in Ak-yang, his gaze wandered in every direction. They ate delicious food, bought amusing trinkets, and the three of them passed the hours in a leisurely, carefree manner—as if they had come merely to sightsee.
Watching Dan So-mi smile brightly, Dan Woo-hyun found his own lips curving upward as well.
This was the life he had wanted.
They returned to the inn some two Double Hours later. Exhausted, Dan So-mi had fallen asleep clinging to Dan Woo-hyun’s back.
The fatigue from their long journey had not yet lifted, and wandering through Market Street for such an extended time had worn out the young girl completely.
After returning to the inn and entering the annex, Dan Woo-hyun settled Dan So-mi in a large room, then stepped into the chamber where the two elderly men waited.
“Is So-mi sleeping?”
“Yes. I’ve left her with Jang Sam-tae and Kwon Mu-jin, so she’ll be fine.”
“Mm. Though I imagine she’d rest easier with you nearby.”
Namgung Cheon looked at him with an apologetic gaze.
He was troubled by the thought that he was dragging Dan Woo-hyun into his own affairs without cause. After all, everything that had happened was ultimately a problem for him to resolve.
“It’s no trouble. I find it rather interesting, actually.”
Yet Dan Woo-hyun spoke lightly and smiled faintly. Considering his past, the notion of helping someone else was something he could scarcely have imagined.
He had always been solitary, always been alone.
The only connections he had were to the Three Heavens, and even they had their own factions to oversee, their own forces to command.
They could not keep their eyes fixed on Dan Woo-hyun forever.
So this present situation felt rather novel.
Moving alongside another person.
It was not without its appeal.
A wry smile crossed his face as he spoke.
“Let us pay a visit to the Namgung Clan Estate.”
“Heh heh heh, since you put it that way, I have no choice but to agree.”
Namgung Cheon rose from his seat with a pleased laugh.
Another wind began to stir across Anhui.

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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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