Chronicles of the Martial God’s Return - Chapter 147

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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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“Is this truly the place?”
—There is no doubt, sir.
Jeok Mu-seong, the lord of Demonic Emperor Castle, frowned as he surveyed the streets of Ak-yang. Ma Dok-jin, the eldest son of the Ma clan—one of the Seven Houses of Sado—and heir to the family’s future, had recklessly absconded from the battlefield with his martial artists under his command.
Jeok Mu-seong had left Demonic Emperor Castle to settle affairs in Shaanxi, and it was this same matter that had now drawn his steps to Honam.
‘If not for Ma Chul-gwon’s request…….’
Jeok Mu-seong’s expression darkened.
Had it not been for his old friend’s plea, he would have abandoned that wretch without a second thought. Whatever Ma Dok-jin did in Honam, whatever chaos might result—he would have cared nothing for it.
But it was a request from an intimate companion, and the Ma clan’s strength was necessary in these times. So the lord of Demonic Emperor Castle had moved his own legs to seek out Ak-yang personally.
“How unsettled everything is.”
Jeok Mu-seong surveyed his surroundings.
He could see several people weeping. On one side, what appeared to be corpses were being carried away by constables.
People had died.
Even from the faint traces of sword wounds visible on the bodies, he could not believe their deaths were the work of simple murder.
These bore the mark of martial artists.
The way a single strike carried its force—the feel of it was entirely different.
Jeok Mu-seong stroked his chin and murmured to himself.
“Find out in detail what has transpired here.”
—As you command!
Sensing the presence of a shadow fade away, Jeok Mu-seong walked with measured steps, observing the atmosphere within the village. Corpses were emerging from every direction, and the sound of people’s anguished cries never ceased.
Moreover, the looks directed at martial artists were far from kind.
Because he carried no sword, the glances thrown at Jeok Mu-seong mattered little. But the eyes the people of Ak-yang cast upon the drifters passing by were as if gazing upon filth itself.
‘So it was Ma Dok-jin’s doing.’
Jeok Mu-seong released a small sigh.
He had long known that wretch’s nature was utterly depraved. That madman had been betrayed by his own subordinates and lost his eyes. Even if his limbs were torn from his body and he were slain, it would scarcely suffice—yet when he failed to even recover the corpse and had to return, how deep must his resentment have run? And when he learned that the man lived, when he discovered that creature was in Ak-yang, he would have sharpened the blade of vengeance.
And this was the result that had come to pass.
“Hmm.”
With a quiet sound, Jeok Mu-seong made his way toward the tavern.
The three-story tavern building, being taller than any other structure nearby, offered no better vantage point for observing the landscape below.
He ordered a cup of tea and gazed out through the window.
He could see constables moving about busily.
‘Are they searching for Ma Dok-jin?’
If a martial artist had slaughtered commoners—those not even of his own rank—it would hardly be strange for the government office to take action. Yet judging by their movements, were they not merely collecting corpses and offering condolences to the families, nothing more?
A faint sense of doubt crept in.
“Your tea is here, sir.”
Jeom So-i appeared and set down the cup with a respectful bow. Now of age, having worked in this establishment for some time, Jeom So-i smiled brightly and observed Jeok Mu-seong’s expression, wondering if anything might be missing.
Her eyes traveled across him—assessing, weighing, measuring.
Jeok Mu-seong smiled faintly and placed a silver coin upon the table.
“Tell me what has happened outside.”
“I’m afraid I don’t know the full details…….”
Jeom So-i’s eyes darted about, gauging the situation.
With a gaze that seemed to appraise him thoroughly and naturally, without offense, she examined him from head to toe. His garments were far from ordinary, and the money pouch she had glimpsed earlier appeared quite full.
If that were the case, might she not receive more than a single silver coin as information payment?
Crunch!
In that very moment, as such thoughts crossed her mind—
Jeok Mu-seong’s hand moved, grasping the silver coin and crushing it in a single motion. What had been a perfect coin crumpled as though it had been melted, and Jeom So-i’s face drained of color as she trembled violently.
She realized her opponent was no ordinary master.
“I-it was like this……!”

Kwon Mu-jin lay on his sickbed, hacking violently. The force of the coughing shook his entire frame, and he grimaced, stifling groans of pain.
Startled by the sight, Dan So-mi rushed over and brought him a cloth.
“Thank you.”
“No, it’s because I like doing it for you. Hehe.”
At that innocent laugh, Kwon Mu-jin gently stroked her head. Without this child, he might well have died alone and forgotten. Though he had received treatment, even now, after several days had passed, not only Dan Woo-hyun but also Sa Do-hak and Namgung Cheon had not come to visit.

It had even left him feeling rather lonely.
“But why are you hurt like this? Father said you rolled down a hill…….”
Dan So-mi regarded Kwon Mu-jin’s body with suspicious eyes.
No matter how she looked at it, he didn’t resemble someone who had tumbled down a mountainside. Yet when Sa Do-hak and even Namgung Cheon were saying the same thing, she couldn’t help but believe it.
“Ugh…… Yes, that’s right. I was scraped by a rather sharp stone.”
“Really?”
Dan So-mi nodded slightly.
But still unable to reconcile the explanation, she took the bloodstained cloth and began rinsing it in the water she’d brought, muttering softly to herself.
“I thought you’d been hurt fighting.”
“Ugh……!”
“Hehe, but it’s lucky, isn’t it? It’d be funny if grown men went around fighting all the time!”
“Y-yes, that would be.”
“Father always said that. When you get older, fighting means you lack discipline. So I thought you lacked discipline too. Hehehe.”
“…….”
This child.
Was she truly speaking in ignorance?
Kwon Mu-jin found himself wondering if something else lurked behind that innocent expression. The way she kept striking at the heart of the matter made him all the more suspicious.
Then again…….
The best fighter in this entire estate, and here she was spouting nonsense. Of course, if you compared martial arts to fighting, it might sound ridiculous, but the fundamentals weren’t so different.
Striking and receiving blows—wasn’t it all the same?
Kwon Mu-jin turned his head away with a disgruntled expression.
At that moment, the door opened and Dan Woo-hyun appeared for the first time.
Kwon Mu-jin, startled, moved to rise from his seat, but Dan So-mi grabbed both his arms and pressed down firmly. It was clear—she wanted him to stay lying down.
“Remain as you are.”
“Hehe.”
Dan Woo-hyun understood at once and nodded. As he approached slowly, the herbal fragrance permeating the room softened his expression noticeably.
“A pleasant aroma. The medicine is good.”
“It is thanks to you, my lord. Such fine medicinal herbs…….”
“I did nothing. The child gathered them all.”
Dan Woo-hyun had done nothing at all.
Sa Do-hak had applied hemostasis; Namgung Cheon had sutured and treated the blade wound. As it was somewhat far to procure the necessary herbs, Dan So-mi had set out from early morning and painstakingly searched the nearby hills, collecting each item one by one.
Kwon Mu-jin broke into a cold sweat at the rebuke.
He should have simply nodded as he normally did—not invited such criticism.
“That I live at all…… it is entirely due to your grace, my lord.”
“I did not come to hear flattery.”
“…….”
“Your body seems well enough.”
He gave a small nod.
Whatever he said, it felt as though it might be seized upon as fault. Why did he look so displeased today?
“Well then, I’ll be going! I’ll return in a little while, so just rest as you are.”
Dan So-mi sensed the strange atmosphere and, waving her hand, departed. She seemed to think the adults might have something important to discuss.
Appreciating her thoughtfulness, Dan Woo-hyun smiled and seated himself before Kwon Mu-jin.
“It is fortunate you survived. I thought you were done for.”
“I…… I beg your pardon.”
“There is nothing to apologize for. It is your life, not mine, is it not?”
There was nothing to say to that.
Every word of it was true. Yet hearing such words spoken directly before him now, a vague melancholy descended upon him.
“So tell me—you died, after a fashion. What was it like?”
“……I nearly died.”
“You did not nearly die. You died once.”
It was no shallow wound.
Had Sa Do-hak’s hemostasis been delayed even slightly, he might have lost his life to bleeding. And had he lacked the stubborn force of will he possessed, when the blade struck his chest, he would have done nothing but wait for his neck to be severed the moment consciousness slipped away.
All of it—whether it was Kwon Mu-jin’s skill or fortune—Dan Woo-hyun seemed to regard it as mere luck, judging by his expression.
“You have far to go. To fail to even read your opponent’s techniques…… are you not inferior to Namgung So-hye?”
“……!”
Kwon Mu-jin’s eyes widened in shock.
He knew Namgung So-hye’s skill well. The gap between the two of them was as profound as the difference once seen between Ma Dok-jin and himself—heaven and earth.
Yet inferior to Namgung So-hye?
He looked at Dan Woo-hyun with an expression of disbelief.
“That child was already attempting to reach the Gaean Realm.”
“…Is that truly the case?”
“It is. If anything, it would’ve been more interesting if Namgung So-hye had faced Ma Dok-jin instead.”
Kwon Mu-jin’s eyes trembled faintly.
This was the difference talent made.
Just as it had with Ma Dok-jin and Kwon Mu-jin.
Ma Dok-jin had the backing of his clan and raw power, but no talent; Kwon Mu-jin had nothing but talent—not quite genius-level, yet among the foremost in the Ma clan. And that gap cut deep.
That was why Ma Dok-jin hated him.
He couldn’t bear that Kwon Mu-jin possessed the very talent he lacked.
And today.
Kwon Mu-jin felt the weight of that talent gap—a truly staggering one.
‘The Gaean Realm…’
For someone like him, who hadn’t even stepped foot on that threshold, it was shocking news. All the more so because he had watched Namgung So-hye from his side all this time.
He’d thought himself superior.
But what if—
That had overturned?
In mere days?
A hollow laugh escaped him.
“You must have gained much from your fight with Ma Dok-jin.”
“…Yes.”
“Then use it as a stepping stone to soar even higher. From this moment, if you linger at the bottom, it would be no wonder if death took you.”
Kwon Mu-jin clenched his fists and nodded.
Dan Woo-hyun’s words sank deep into his chest. Sending Ma Dok-jin’s corpse to Demonic Emperor Castle meant they were prepared to go to war with them.
If it came to that, someone had to protect Dan So-mi. And the certainty that it had to be him kindled his resolve all the more.
“Don’t worry. I have no intention of entrusting So-mi to you.”
“What?”
“Remember that and rest easy.”
“…What?”
For a moment, a vacant sound slipped from his lips.
Kwon Mu-jin’s expression, which had been steeled with resolve, crumbled in an instant.
At the sight of it, Dan Woo-hyun smiled faintly and rose from his seat.
“There’s someone perfectly suited to protecting that girl.”
Dan Woo-hyun thought of a certain man who by now had likely left Honam behind.
He hoped this journey had been a good stepping stone for him.

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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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