Chronicles of the Martial God’s Return - Chapter 134

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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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“Why is the head of the Zhuge Family here?”
Namgung So-hye lowered her voice to a whisper as she gazed out the window. How was she supposed to make sense of this absurd situation, especially with Je Gal Yeon—even her own friend—sitting there cradling Dan So-mi?
“And drinking wine, no less.”
Namgung Cheon chuckled softly.
Beyond the window, people had gathered together.
Inside the large pavilion sat Dan Woo-hyun along with Je Gal Yeon and Zhuge Yun, and Sa Do-hak—the four of them chatting quietly as they drank.
Thanks to Jang Sam-tae’s culinary skill, Zhuge Yun’s expression had grown noticeably bright.
But Namgung Cheon’s mood was far from cheerful.
There was fine wine, but he couldn’t drink it. If he revealed himself down there, he’d be caught by his voice just as quickly as Namgung So-hye had been—that much was certain.
Yet why, of all people,
‘was that wretch the one drinking?’
His hands trembled with irritation as he scowled.
When it came to wine, Namgung Cheon held his own well. Perhaps not quite at Zhuge Yun’s level, but given good company and fine food, he could certainly indulge considerably.
There was Jang Sam-tae’s cooking and quality wine.
If people as dear as family were gathered there, wouldn’t that wine taste like honey?
Namgung Cheon steadied his breathing.
“Grandfather! Please, compose yourself.”
“I… of course. I am composed.”
He was not pleased.
And because of those wretches’ arrival, he’d gone without a meal—so his hunger was all the more acute. When you grow old, the only joys left are good food and wine, yet…
Namgung Cheon resolved then and there that he would have words with Jang Sam-tae later.
If you’ve prepared food, surely you ought to bring some here as well? But there they were, laughing and chattering among themselves, and his irritation would not settle easily.
“It seems the head of the Zhuge Family was indeed looking for Dan Gongja.”
“He was looking for him?”
“He said he’d received help before. That he’d seen a supreme master and swore he’d bring him into the Murim Alliance.”
“Ha! As if that wretch would ever agree to join the Murim Alliance.”
Namgung So-hye nodded in agreement.
She knew Dan Woo-hyun’s nature well.
He gave orders to others; he did not take them from anyone.
No matter how brilliant the mind of the Zhuge Family, attempting such a thing without understanding Dan Woo-hyun’s nature would be foolish.
In the end, Zhuge Yun would gain nothing.
He’d only wasted expensive wine.
Namgung Cheon clicked his tongue disapprovingly.

“Fine wine indeed.”
Dan Woo-hyun meant it sincerely.
The aroma unfolded across his palate; the swallow was smooth, and even the finish left no harsh aftertaste—a clean, refined taste.
Even if it were the same XiaoHong Wine, produced in a similar period, poor storage could make it worse than cheap rotgut, but this wine truly deserved its premium price.
He savored the wine without even touching the appetizers.
As though this were the most natural thing in the world.
“Ha ha ha! I’m grateful you see it that way. It was worth bringing, then.”
“It couldn’t have been easy to procure wine like this. Thank you.”
“Indeed, even this old man can tell—this is truly premium wine.”
Sa Do-hak poured and then turned his head away from Zhuge Yun’s line of sight before drinking. Most people of such high rank as Zhuge Yun would remember Sa Do-hak’s face, and being recognized would create a most awkward situation.
Knowing this, Sa Do-hak was careful.
“May I ask the reason you’re giving me this wine?”
“It’s simple. I wish to form a bond with you.”
“A bond…?”
Dan Woo-hyun trailed off slightly.
A bond wasn’t something you formed simply because you wanted to.
It emerged naturally, flowing with time.
Yet with such fine wine at his side, he found himself thinking—what did it matter? The wine suited his palate perfectly.
“As you know, the Martial World is in quite a difficult position these days.”
“Self-inflicted, one might say.”
“Mm… true enough, though it pains me. In any case, with the Sword Emperor absent and the Sword Saint still in seclusion, we find ourselves needing talented masters like you. Even one more.”
“I have no interest.”
At his blunt refusal, Zhuge Yun’s eyes widened. Before Dan Woo-hyun sat one of the principal figures of the Eight Great Families—the head of the Zhuge Family itself.
A family head has no interest in such a matter?
Do you harbor no thoughts about the Martial World?
“Tell me—do you truly hold no regard for the Martial World?”
“Well… whether I hold regard for it or not, what moves me is my own will. That goes for lending a hand to someone, as much as anything else.”
Dan Woo-hyun let out a soft laugh.
Everything stemmed from his will alone.
Whether he extended a hand to help someone, or ended another’s life—such things could only happen if they first took root in Dan Woo-hyun’s mind.
“That may be true, but…”
“Besides, does aiding the Orthodox Martial World bring me any benefit?”
“Well… fame and…”
“I have no interest in such things.”
Sa Do-hak nodded at his side.
This man coveted no fame.
Had he been such a person, he would never have found himself confined to a place like this. Long ago, they would have brought him into the Demonic Cult and let him bask in wealth and glory.
Nothing worked.
Not a single card that Zhuge Yun held in his hand.
Perhaps they had been rash from the start.
Failing to understand who their opponent was, what manner of person he proved to be.
To have approached him so thoughtlessly without grasping such things—that was the error.
‘Though if you offered him a fortune, he’d surely come running.’
Sa Do-hak shrugged his shoulders, letting out a bewildered laugh.
A man indifferent to fame, status, or power.
Yet money—he showed keen interest in money.
Or perhaps “keen interest” was the wrong phrase? His true aim was merely to gather great wealth for Dan So-mi’s future. Had she not existed, money would have failed to sway him as well.
Sa Do-hak gazed upon the Shaolin Temple Sculpture in the room and wore a satisfied expression.
“Might we consider this from a different angle?”
At that moment, Je Gal Yeon stepped forward.
She drained her cup in one swift motion and set it down roughly. She seemed a woman of bolder temperament than Namgung So-hye.
Though her capacity for drink appeared rather limited.
Her face had already flushed a deep crimson.
“A different angle?”
“If you leave the Martial World as it stands now, your family too will one day face threats from the Demonic Cult or Heterodox Sects. Would you accept such a thing?”
“An intriguing argument.”
“Indeed! It is rather compelling. But such a thing could truly come to pass.”
“So neither the Murim Alliance nor the Heavenly Path Society, but you people—you come now to join hands with me and do what, exactly?”
“Ugh…”
Cough!
Dan Woo-hyun set down his cup and gazed calmly at the two of them.
Of course, they were not wrong in what they said.
Yet there were always things they did not comprehend.
“Whether the Demonic Cult, Heterodox Sects, or anywhere else—if anyone so much as lays a hand on my Estate or my daughter, I will slaughter them all.”
Boom!
The very air shifted in an instant.
Sa Do-hak quickly covered Dan So-mi’s ears and pushed back against Dan Woo-hyun’s aura with his own power. Cold sweat poured from his body in a torrent, and even resisting consumed every ounce of his strength.
Zhuge Yun, needless to say, was rendered speechless, as was Je Gal Yeon.
Neither knew what words to speak.
What was this atmosphere?
What was this aura?
The presence flowing from Dan Woo-hyun’s body was unlike anything they had ever felt before. It was something that suppressed not merely a person’s body and spirit, but their very soul.
Moreover, that masked elderly man at his side…
‘M… Magical Energy…?’
What Zhuge Yun sensed pouring forth to resist Dan Woo-hyun’s aura was unmistakably Magical Energy. If so, were these people truly from the Demonic Cult?
Zhuge Yun’s trembling hands came barely under control.
He maintained his composure and gazed upon Dan Woo-hyun.
“Are you… of the Demonic Cult?”
“The Demonic Cult? Ha, you jest rather boldly.”
“But that elder uses Magical Energy, does he not…?”
“That is simply his Martial Arts.”
Zhuge Yun’s expression resembled that of a man struck on the back of the head as understanding dawned.
Yes—one who wielded Magical Energy was not necessarily of the Demonic Cult. There were those who wandered outside all factions, and others who had come to study Demonic Martial Arts by mere chance.
But there were also those who paid no heed to such factions.
Whether it was Demonic Martial Arts, Orthodox Martial Arts, or Heretical Martial Arts.
Those who remained forever neutral—encompassing even the Orthodox-Heterodox Divide and Outside Sects.
Dan Woo-hyun, standing before them now, seemed to be precisely such a person.
Zhuge Yun exhaled heavily, collecting himself.
“You’re quite a fascinating individual. Usually, when one learns Martial Arts, one must form convictions and choose one’s path from the very beginning….”
“Martial Arts are fundamentally a tool for protecting the body. What belief could possibly reside in that?”
In that instant, Sa Do-hak’s face registered shock as he looked at Dan Woo-hyun. He harbored the same thoughts as Zhuge Yun—because his master belonged to the Demonic Cult, or because he himself had been born in the Demonic Cult’s lands.
Others grasped their blades for revenge, and some pursued Martial Arts to gain power and renown. This was why so many divided themselves along the Orthodox-Heterodox lines, and why only an infinitesimal few walked the path of Neutrality.
Most who walked in Neutrality belonged to sects so weak they could scarcely be called minor schools.
Without the strength to raise their voices boldly, they could survive only by reading the winds and moods of every corner—and those were the ones who walked in Neutrality.
And yet….
‘No belief in Martial Arts?’
He cleared his throat softly.
But upon reflection, Dan Woo-hyun’s words held truth.
It wasn’t that Martial Arts themselves possessed conviction; rather, the conviction of the person wielding them infused the Martial Arts with meaning. And that meant, from the beginning, Martial Arts could not be divided along Orthodox-Heterodox lines at all.
Sa Do-hak regarded Dan Woo-hyun with an odd expression.
‘Said to be the Martial God’s descendant, yet his thoughts run differently.’
He let out a soft chuckle.
Had he received the same question, he doubted he could have answered in kind. The same held true for Namgung Cheon or Kwon Mu-jin. And so he came to understand once more just how profound and expansive Dan Woo-hyun’s being was.
‘There must be reasons why he cannot leave.’
Sa Do-hak turned his head away with a rueful smile.
With Dong Bang Gu present, the Demonic Cult would manage well enough on its own, though leaving that seat vacant for so long did breed a certain unease.
Yet he could not leave.
How could one part from such a person?
How could one possibly bear to walk away?
Simply by being at his side, one learned things one never knew existed. Having long believed there was nothing left to learn, the shock of discovery deepened with each passing day.
“If that is your conviction, I won’t press you further. But do consider this—that it is easier to protect something with many hands than with few. Whether it be the Murim Alliance or the Heavenly Path Society matters not; the Zhuge Family wishes to stand at your side.”
“I see.”
Zhuge Yun rose from his seat.
It seemed difficult to forge a deeper bond with Dan Woo-hyun at this gathering. In that case, he would simply reorganize and return another time.
This Estate was not going anywhere.
“Until we meet again. Next time, I’ll bring an even finer wine.”
“I look forward to it.”
Dan Woo-hyun smiled and saw Zhuge Yun off.

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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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