Chronicles of the Martial God’s Return - Chapter 112

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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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In an instant, the atmosphere of the inn sank like a stone.
The raucous voices fell silent, and nothing remained but stagnant air and the stillness that accompanied it. Those wielding chopsticks froze mid-motion, those chewing their food turned to statues—not a soul moved.
Every eye in the room fixed on the man who had shouted. A cluster of figures surrounded him, his face flushed red, his breath coming in heavy snorts.
He was almost certainly the one who’d cried out.
But that wasn’t what mattered.
What mattered was the man leaning against the wall with measured calm, watching it all unfold. Hair bristling upright, a frame massive and crude, a Great Broadsword strapped across his back.
Someone in the gathered crowd spoke the name aloud.
“That’s… that’s Ma Jang-gang?”
“With a blade like that, it has to be him.”
The sound of a throat tightening rippled through the room.
Ma Jang-gang.
A Rogue Wanderer turned sword merchant who had built his own faction—not in shadow like the Hukdo Society, but openly, in the light of day.
This set him apart entirely from the Hukdo Society’s reputation. He didn’t deal in shadowy work; he operated in plain sight. And rather than gathering followers into a rigid sect, he was more like a broker—introducing work to masterless wanderers and taking his cut. It was simple commerce, not empire-building.
In the old days, wanderers had flocked to the Hukdo Society in droves. Now that it was gone, Ma Jang-gang’s patronage was the only refuge left for the rootless and desperate.
And his own martial ability was formidable.
Before the Hukdo Society fell, they said he’d matched the society master himself in skill. It wasn’t hard to imagine he’d rank among the Top 100 Masters Under Heaven.
And now that the old society master was dead.
Only one title clung to his name.
The Rogue King, Ma Jang-gang.
That was what he was called now.
“I… I beg your pardon, sir, but this child is from the private quarters. She’s not with the others who are waiting.”
“What do you mean, there’s no such thing, you bastards?”
One of Ma Jang-gang’s underlings bellowed.
A person was a person—what was the difference between waiting and already eating? More to the point, they’d been waiting nearly half a Double Hour by now, and the impatient wanderers were ready to tear the place apart.
“What do you take us for? Huh? You’re treating us the same as those other nobodies? Look what you’ve done—just had to keep us waiting!”
The man who’d stepped forward snorted and drew his sword.
As killing intent seeped thick into the room, the air itself grew taut and crackling.
In moments like these, everyone present thought the same thought: if the Namgung Clan had still been here, these ruffians wouldn’t dare act so brazenly.
They all felt the weight of what that clan’s absence meant to everyone living in Anwhui.
“Enough noise. Be quiet.”
Then Ma Jang-gang stepped forward, his gaze crooked and sharp as it swept the room. His words came measured and calm, but his expression was harsh and grim—it was clear he’d been holding himself back.
And he moved ahead.
Thump-thump.
His footsteps echoed through the entire inn.
Step by step, he drew closer, until he came to a halt before Dan So-mi. He was so tall he had to look down a considerable distance just to see the small child’s face.
Ma Jang-gang reached out slowly.
“Eek?!”
The Innkeeper jumped, instinctively moving to block. This wasn’t just anyone—this was the Sword Emperor’s guest. One wrong move and this could spiral into something he couldn’t control.
But whether Ma Jang-gang knew or didn’t know, Dan So-mi simply looked up at his descending hand, watching it approach with clear, unafraid eyes.
His rough hand brushed past her cheek.
“You had something on your face there, little one.”
“Oh! Really? Hehe, thank you.”
At the sight of her beaming smile, Ma Jang-gang’s face flushed red for a moment. Unable to bear that clear, innocent expression, he quickly looked away.
Watching this, the Innkeeper’s mind raced.
Could it be? Could it actually be?
The great Ma Jang-gang?
‘Does he… like children?’
On one hand, it was a relief that he wasn’t causing a scene in the inn. But seeing that flushed face, the Innkeeper felt a chill of anxiety—what if this was leading to something far worse?
“Ma Jang-gang, is it? Are these dumplings good?”
“Oh! I’m Dan So-mi, by the way! And these dumplings here are really delicious.”
“Mm… yes, I see.”
Ma Jang-gang reached out again and stroked her head.
Dan So-mi closed her eyes without thinking, surrendering to the coarse, weathered touch.
The small girl’s face moved this way and that, following the motion of his hand.
The Innkeeper thought to himself:
This is very dangerous.
Should I stop it? But the other man is Ma Jang-gang, and if I interrupt, chaos might break loose—I can’t control it. Never mind the inn being destroyed; these guests could get hurt….
As he fell into this anxious reverie, the moment stretched taut.
A click—the door swung open, and familiar figures stepped inside.
Two figures in white and black masks led the way, flanked by a man whose Sword Aura cut the air like a blade, and another whose shabby appearance belied an uncanny Martial Presence.
A shudder ran through the inn.
When the last of them crossed the threshold, everyone inside the Roadside Inn flinched in unison. Though he carried neither Aura nor Momentum, the moment his gaze swept the room, an inexplicable chill seeped into their bones.
“Father!”
Dan So-mi’s eyes found him, and she sprang to her feet, rushing into his arms. As though starved for affection, she buried her face in his embrace and rubbed her cheek against him again and again.
Her smile never wavered.
“You’ve… you’ve come?”
“Hmm? The air feels off. Has something happened?”
Namgung Cheon tilted his head, sensing something amiss in the Innkeeper’s manner.
He’d caught the faint rigidity in the man’s face.
But the Innkeeper shook his head.
He couldn’t afford to stir up trouble.
Not in front of this man.
“It’s nothing, really. How did your business go? I’m told people will be arriving soon with the goods. I’ll see to it personally.”
“Heh, splendid. It’s all thanks to you. When they arrive, treat them well.”
“You can count on me.”
The moment the Innkeeper bowed deeply, the patrons fell silent. Everyone here knew he wasn’t one to lower his head carelessly.
No matter how exalted a guest might be, he served with impeccable courtesy—yet he’d never once bowed. For him to do so now was profoundly unsettling.
Namgung Cheon clapped him on the shoulder and headed toward the adjoining rooms. Dan Woo-hyun and Dan So-mi followed, and as they vanished, a stunned quiet settled over the inn.
“Who… who in heaven are these people? The Innkeeper, of all…”
“They’re no ordinary folk, that much is certain. Those two in masks, especially.”
“And the last one who arrived—didn’t he give off a sinister air?”
Whispers rippled through the room.
Ma Jang-gang, who’d been listening, stroked his jaw thoughtfully.
‘Strange company indeed.’
It wasn’t the child’s beauty that had drawn his eye. It was the Innkeeper’s demeanor, and the fact that despite sensing his men’s Momentum upon arrival, he’d shown not a shred of concern.
“Commander, who do you suppose they are?”
“No idea. Let’s go. My appetite’s gone. Better we tail that man instead.”
“Understood.”

“Ma Jang-gang? That boy?”
“Yes, there’s no mistaking that face.”
Kwon Mu-jin had glimpsed Ma Jang-gang once during his time at Sapa.
Though it had been only a brief encounter roughly a quarter of an hour, the man had left such an impression that Kwon Mu-jin remembered him still. That was three years ago, and now his Sword Aura had grown considerably sharper.
“The Rogue King, is it? A curious epithet. Does he seek to inherit the mantle of the Hukdo Society?”
Sa Do-hak exhaled with displeasure, his lips twisting into a grimace. The Hukdo Society had been a thorn in the Demonic Cult’s side.
They’d sabotaged countless operations.
Had their leader still drawn breath, Sa Do-hak would have rent him limb from limb.
“That doesn’t seem to be the case. He now makes his living introducing jobs to wandering rogue warriors. Though it is curious to find him in a place like this…”
Kwon Mu-jin muttered, his tone uncertain.
Ma Jang-gang typically remained in one place, his role in organizing the rogue wanderers far too vital for him to roam.
The fact that he’d come all the way to Anwhui suggested something was afoot.
They might yet collide with him.
“It doesn’t matter. Prepare yourself. The wind grows more turbulent by the hour.”
Dan Woo-hyun gazed out the window, his words barely audible.
His eyes traced figures moving through the streets below.
Merchants haggling, children playing. But what caught his attention were the ordinary-looking groups moving with fluid, practiced grace toward some destination.
‘Something’s wrong.’
Dan Woo-hyun turned the thought over in his mind again and again.
The Divine Possession Technique—it had appeared a thousand years ago and vanished into legend. That it would suddenly resurface in the Martial World defied belief. Someone had deliberately resurrected it for a purpose.
But who?
The lineage should have been extinct long ago. He’d heard that even the surviving members of that clan had been hunted down and slain.
They’d had no opportunity to pass their secrets to future generations.
Those who’d sought the Divine Possession Technique had scoured the Central Plains from end to end, demolishing and excavating every place the clan had touched. Yet no reports of success had surfaced. Even Namgung Cheon and Sa Do-hak knew nothing of it, so it was safe to assume it had been lost forever.
That it had now reappeared was deeply peculiar.
‘There’s something else that troubles me as well.’
The aura of those practicing the Divine Possession Technique.
It felt foreign somehow. As if their natural Inner Energy had been mixed with something else—something that felt both familiar and yet remained just beyond recall.
It was also the reason he had decided to head to Hanan now.
The threads leading to whoever had reduced Namgung Cheon to his current state undoubtedly traced back to the Murim Alliance. Naturally, that man would have ordered the assault on the Namgung Clan, and if he could recognize his aura, perhaps something would come to light.
‘One way or another, I’ll become inextricably bound to the Martial World.’
He smiled bitterly and steadied his breathing.
In the end, a martial master is a being bound by an inescapable fate—unable to escape this hellish Central Plains. Dan Woo-hyun felt it again and turned his head away.
Those who had finished preparing slung their bedroll packs across their shoulders.
“You carry your own pack.”
Sa Do-hak hurled Dan Woo-hyun’s bedroll pack at him with a swift motion.
His expression made clear that Dan Woo-hyun should be grateful just for the provisions he’d been given.
Dan Woo-hyun chuckled and shouldered it.
“Well then… let’s set out for Hanan.”
Dan Woo-hyun took Dan So-mi’s hand and moved forward.

Meanwhile, at that very moment.
Deep within some unknown place, a man listened to reports from his subordinates. Several figures gathered in small clusters gave off an unsettling, otherworldly air.
It was far more than simply concealing their faces with masks.
The very garments they wore enshrouded their entire bodies. Not only were their faces hidden, but even their forms were obscured—one could only call it grotesque.
“The masked group that came to the Roadside Inn?”
“Yes. They are the most suspicious among those who have arrived recently. Moreover, judging by the Innkeeper’s behavior, we suspect they have a deep connection… but as you well know……”
“That inn is a place with ties to the Sword Emperor.”
“Yes.”
“Hmm!”
One of the men let out a soft laugh.
The odds that the Sword Emperor was truly alive kept climbing. But a report is merely a report, and suspicion is nothing but suspicion.
Without confirmation, there is no knowing.
“Yi Sip-gwi is here, yes?”
“Yes! Ma Jang-gang is pursuing him.”
“Leave that dog be. Send Yi Sip-gwi to that group instead. I shall go there myself and verify the matter.”
“Understood!”

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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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