Chronicles of the Martial God’s Return - Chapter 119

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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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Murmur, murmur.
Countless people had gathered around the inn.
All of them were martial artists with swords drawn, and since they operated in Hanan, most were reasonably skilled.
They encircled the inn as if to lay siege to it, and ordinary folk could no longer pass through.
“What on earth is the Murim Alliance doing? They should capture Kwon Mu-jin at once!”
“Well, that’s true… but there are only a few who bear him any grudge… From the Alliance’s perspective, publicly apprehending a Heterodox Sect martial artist without official proclamation is rather….”
Some voiced their displeasure with the Murim Alliance’s conduct, while others nodded in agreement.
Though the Orthodox and Heterodox factions are said to harbor ill will toward one another, these three powers keep watch to avoid direct confrontation as much as possible.
Since Kwon Mu-jin had not been proclaimed a Martial World Public Enemy, having the Murim Alliance—an official body—execute him could reasonably be seen as provocation against the Heterodox Sect.
Thus, those gathered around the inn were mostly either those seeking to establish a name for themselves under the banner of chivalry, or those who bore a personal grudge against Kwon Mu-jin.
Moreover.
“Wasn’t he already known to be dead?”
“That’s what I heard as well….”
“But I’ve often heard rumors… There were some who claimed to have seen him in Honam.”
The huddled crowd spoke in turn. He had been the right hand of Ma Do-jin himself, and since he had left no word for nearly a year and had not appeared publicly, such rumors naturally circulated.
People gazed at the inn with puzzlement.
How could this situation possibly be resolved?
It was fascinating.

“Quite the crowd.”
From a guest room on the inn’s upper floor, Dan Woo-hyun gazed out at the scene below through the window and laughed at the absurdity of it all.
He had simply let Kwon Mu-jin go because he could not commit murder before the Murim Alliance’s very door, but he had never imagined the man would return leading such numbers.
“I apologize….”
Kwon Mu-jin bowed deeply.
In truth, from the moment he heard they were heading to Hanan, he had sensed this might happen. He was a member of the Heterodox Sect, and whether Orthodox or Heterodox, enemies sought him in abundance.
“No, it’s fine. A little noise makes life worth living.”
At his slight smile, Sa Do-hak shot him a look of exasperation. How could such a man build a house in a secluded place far removed from Ak-yang?
Words rose to his throat, then retreated.
“Isn’t the attention a bit excessive? We were hoping to stay quiet and leave quietly, weren’t we?”
Jang Sam-tae grumbled with a sharp look.
It was a pity about Kwon Mu-jin, but the plan to tour Hanan with Dan So-mi had completely fallen apart. Since word had already spread that they traveled with Kwon Mu-jin’s party, wandering about freely would invite trouble.
Look at them.
Listen to the sound of the swords being drawn by the countless martial artists surrounding the inn.
If someone was known to be Kwon Mu-jin’s companion, these men would slash indiscriminately—age and gender be damned. How could such people call themselves members of respectable Orthodox sects?
Tsk, tsk.
Jang Sam-tae clicked his tongue and turned away.
Fortunately, Dan So-mi paid no mind to the adults’ conversation, occupied instead with a doll that had been brought from the city days before. She fiddled with it diligently, and the sight of her at play was truly lovely.
“Setting that aside, what’s your plan now? You insisted on coming to Hanan, after all….”
Dan Woo-hyun’s question penetrated Namgung Cheon’s mind.
He snapped to attention and spoke.
“One reason we came to Hanan was to verify the truth of the rumors. But if this is the story circulating, there’s no real need to investigate further.”
Namgung Cheon gazed bitterly toward the distant Murim Alliance.
“No smoke without fire, as they say. Even without confirmation, if matters have reached this point, I can see the truth clearly enough.”
Without fire in the furnace, no smoke rises.
In other words, rumors would not spread of their own accord, and if most people—not just one or two voices—knew of it, then the truth of such rumors is bound to be seventy to eighty percent accurate.
‘What on earth is he doing in that place?’
Namgung Cheon’s brow furrowed.
This had to be investigated.
Doubting an old friend was disagreeable, yet allowing the Murim Alliance to continue unchecked was never a wise course.
“I’ll have to enter the Murim Alliance.”
“Is that even possible?”
“Of course… The Alliance Master’s chambers have a secret passage known only to the Alliance Master.”
“I see… Then the problem is… what do you intend to do about those outside?”
Dan Woo-hyun pointed a finger toward the window.
There were at least fifty of them gathered. All masters of first-rate skill, they were hardly an ordinary rabble.
“I….”
“I will take care of it!”
The moment Kwon Mu-jin was about to speak, Ma Jang-gang—who had followed Dan Woo-hyun all this way—stepped forward instead.
He laughed heartily, slapping his chest and gripping a massive blade in his hand.
Dan Woo-hyun watched him, then let his gaze drift to the other two. Ma Jang-gang, Jang Sam-tae, and Kwon Mu-jin stood in a line.
He pointed at each of them one by one and spoke.
“A fool, more or less… surprisingly useful in his way… and one who’s useless but solid, I suppose.”
“What—what kind of assessment is that?”
Cough!
…….
Watching them each blush or turn away, Dan Woo-hyun let out a soft chuckle. Then he tapped the window lightly with his finger and pursed his lips.
“Go on. Let’s see how much you’ve improved.”
At those words, Jang Sam-tae’s expression hardened like stone as he stared at Dan Woo-hyun. That was clearly an order to test himself against the men waiting outside.
His eyes said: Ma Jang-gang and Kwon Mu-jin, perhaps, but me?
“You’ve learned something from this old man. You ought to put it to use, shouldn’t you?”
“Well, that may be so, but… won’t I die? If I make a mistake.”
“A martial artist stands upon a blade’s edge. If you fear death, how can you wield a sword?”
“Ha, ha-ha. I’m content to remain the steward of the manor…”
“Hmm…”
Dan Woo-hyun simply stared at Jang Sam-tae in silence.
That wordless gaze was unbearably sharp. He would have preferred a shout or some other reply, but he offered neither.
What’s more, Sa Do-hak’s eyes had changed.
His eyes had opened wide with unmistakable intent.
If he didn’t leave now and give in to this pressure, the consequences would be fearsome.
“I’m, I’m going! I’ll go!”
Soon after, Jang Sam-tae, Kwon Mu-jin, and Ma Jang-gang turned their backs and left the room.
The skills of two of them didn’t seem troublesome, but the third one made him somewhat uneasy.
“Will it be all right? If we start fighting in a place like this, the Murim Alliance will find a reason to punish us.”
“Martial artists quarrel everywhere. Any man who would use that as an excuse is no martial artist at all.”
Kha-ha-ha! That’s the truth. Those Orthodox Faction fools stuff their heads with nonsense and think they’re the law of the Central Plains martial world.”
Sa Do-hak burst into hearty laughter, slapping his knee.
He seemed not to notice Namgung Cheon’s furrowed brow.
“We don’t care if we fight in a palace in broad daylight! That’s what it means to be a martial artist!”
Sa Do-hak spoke with pride swelling in his voice. It seemed he was overjoyed to have found common ground with Dan Woo-hyun, for his laughter did not fade.
Yet Namgung Cheon let out a sigh of disapproval.
“That’s why the Demonic Cult is called barbaric! What age do we live in that you draw blades so recklessly?”
“Barbaric?”
“You’re worse than a colony of ants!”
Sa Do-hak’s lips trembled with rage.
He seized the blade he had set down carefully, his intention to fight clear as day. Had he simply drawn it and swung, Namgung Cheon’s body would have been cut in two.
But it was Dan Woo-hyun who blocked his path.
With a light tap of his index finger on the table, the moment broke.
“Enough. Have you no shame, arguing like this in front of a child?”
Cough!
Cough!
Feeling the awkward coughs of the two men, Dan Woo-hyun’s gaze naturally shifted toward the window. The martial artists who had gathered in great numbers suddenly hesitated as they watched the three men emerge.
Even the lesser swordsmen would know Kwon Mu-jin’s name well.
The Orthodox Faction members would certainly have heard it. But just as he was thinking only this, not one but three men appeared.
And more than that, one of them was—
A master known as the Wanderer King.
Ma Jang-gang.
A man not to be underestimated lightly.
They did not dare rush forward, only drawing their blades.
“The Wanderer King Ma Jang-gang—even these fools cannot act rashly. Look there, how the rogue-born ones are quietly slipping away.”
“I see… then if we eliminate the ones who remain, things should be quiet for a while.”
Dan Woo-hyun gazed out the window, nodding slowly. Yet his eyes were full of doubt.
These men before him were clearly first-rate masters, and what they wanted was Kwon Mu-jin’s head and his reputation.
What was strange, however, was that he saw no trace of those called the Eight Great Families or the Nine Schools and One House.
If things had gone this far, shouldn’t they have emerged, if only to test Kwon Mu-jin’s skill?
Kwon Mu-jin was said to be a master even the Heterodox Sects acknowledged.
He would be the perfect opponent to measure their own abilities against, yet there was no sign of them at all. It was a curious situation indeed.
“Hmm? What’s that?”
At that moment, a group of people surged toward the inn in a flood.
They wore monastic robes and gripped staffs in one hand—all of them broad-shouldered, radiating formidable presence.
“Shaolin monks?”
“……Yes, it appears so. And the one standing in the center—that’s the man said to lead Shaolin in the days to come. The master of the Eighteen Arhats Formation, Mu-ho.”
Dan Woo-hyun’s gaze fixed on Mu-ho.
The man certainly carried a stronger aura than the others around him. Though Dan Woo-hyun didn’t know what the Eighteen Arhats Formation was, he sensed this was someone of considerable skill.
They parted the crowd gathered before the inn.
Kwon Mu-jin stepped forward to block their path, driving his staff into the ground.
“What is this commotion? Have you forgotten this is Murim Alliance territory?”
Clang!
His voice rang out loudly across the air.
It carried so deeply that even those at a distance heard it clearly—there was no one who had missed that sound.
Those with weaker Inner Energy had to cover their ears.
Shaolin’s Inner Energy.
It was far from something to be taken lightly.
“This man—he is a member of the Heterodox Sect! We have a grievance against him……”
At those words, Mu-ho glanced back at Kwon Mu-jin.
A fierce fighting spirit burned in his eyes. Facing the man before him, he felt a competitive surge—if this were truly Kwon Mu-jin of the Dual Sword school, he might prove a fitting opponent for Mu-ho.
But that was not why he had come here.
“If you would raise your blade against this young monk merely to gain reputation through empty rivalry, I, Mu-ho, shall not permit it!”
Clang.
His voice rang out again, and people shuddered. This was no ordinary man—it was Mu-ho of Shaolin. The weight of that name alone meant one could not draw a blade carelessly.
“Let those with a genuine grievance step forward! I, Mu-ho, shall serve as witness!”
Not a soul came forward.
Even the man who had shouted about his grievance hesitated. Anyone who knew the true skill of the Dual Sword school could not easily step into such a duel.
All their commotion surrounding the inn had been based on the calculation that with Orthodox Faction warriors gathered here and overwhelming numbers, they could simply crush their opposition.
“Bah! Is this truly all you have to offer? Seeking through another’s hand what your own cannot accomplish—such hollow pride! If this is what you possess, you should not speak of grievances at all!”
Boom!
Mu-ho grasped his staff once more and struck the ground.
The tremendous force of his Inner Energy gouged deep into the earth around him.
Then, sweeping his cold gaze across the crowd, he bellowed:
“All of you—disperse!”
Clang!
His command rang out with unmistakable force.

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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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