Chronicles of the Martial God’s Return - Chapter 155

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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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“The Ho Yeon Family’s wine is being distributed?”
The Chumun Family—renowned throughout Honam and the Central Plains for their fine wines—produced liquor known across the land.
Chu Mun-won, the head of the household, furrowed his brow at this unbelievable news.
“It’s certain, sir.”
“Say something that makes sense. That place is already——”
He waved the matter away as mere rumor, but Du Ak-chil, his steward, set two wine bottles on the table.
The seal covering the mouth of each bottle bore the name “Ho Yeon Family” written in large characters.
Chu Mun-won’s frown deepened.
“The one on the left is currently trading at ten silver coins—Ho Yeon Family wine. The one on the right trades at two silver coins.”
“What’s the difference?”
Chu Mun-won asked, unable to relax his rigid expression.
Both bottles were unmistakably Ho Yeon Family wine, yet one commanded an extravagant price of ten silver coins while the other fetched barely half that amount—it made no sense.
Something was wrong.
“The grades differ. In fact, the one on the left sells out—they say high officials secretly offer premium prices just to obtain it.”
“Hmm…… Is it the Ho Yeon name alone?”
“It appears so.”
Chu Mun-won felt a headache building and gripped his head. Long ago, the Ho Yeon Family had earned fame for producing fine wines.
Rumors circulated that the Emperor himself, upon tasting their liquor, was so captivated that he sought it out personally—proof enough of how extraordinary their wine had been.
The Chumun Family had also presented wine to the Emperor, but he had never personally sought theirs out.
That alone explained why so many still remembered the Ho Yeon name.
And now that family sought to rise again?
‘Damn that woman.’
He recalled the only member of the Ho Yeon Family he had spared—a girl.
She had been too young then, and seeing her submission, he had believed she would never resurface, so he had left her untouched. That mercy had become his error.
Until recently he had kept watch over her, but as she showed no real activity, he had ceased paying attention altogether.
Yet here she struck at him from behind.
Chu Mun-won let out a bitter laugh and picked up a wine bottle.
He poured a small cup from each, tasted them both, and shut his eyes tight.
“The one on the left—it tastes like the Ho Yeon wine of old. No, it’s even better than it was then. The right one is decent enough, but it doesn’t match what it used to be.”
……
He murmured this to himself, his mood turning hollow.
The right wine posed no problem whatsoever, but the left wine was unmistakably troublesome.
No matter how hard he drove the Chumun craftsmen, he doubted this taste could ever be replicated.
“Who is it?”
“Sir?”
Bang!
Chu Mun-won slammed the table roughly and shot to his feet, his gaze blazing as he fixed Du Ak-chil with a burning stare.
“Which bastard taught that woman to make wine! And what worm is distributing this!”
“It’s the Geum Hwan Trading Company, sir.”
“Geum Hwan Trading Company?”
He had never heard of it.
Or rather, he seemed to have heard it mentioned in passing somewhere.
Chu Mun-won dredged up a memory and asked.
“You mean that small outfit in Jang Yuan?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Ha…… Unbelievable.”
He shook his head slowly.
It was so small an operation that he couldn’t even recall its name properly. It bore no comparison to the Honam Trading Company, which did business with the Chumun Family.
And such a place had orchestrated this?
Even knowing the Chumun Family was watching?
The audacity left him laughing bitterly despite himself.
“Investigate thoroughly.”
“Understood.”

***

“Why…… why am I not allowed……”
Ho Yeon-ji slumped down, unable to hide her disappointment. She had brewed wine several times, yet each batch remained cruder than what Dan So-mi had produced.
The taste was improving gradually, but that was all there was to it.
The fact that she had lost to a child who had never made wine before struck her like a blow. What made it worse was that she had watched closely from beside Dan So-mi and found no particular secret technique—nothing that explained the difference.
Dan So-mi had simply followed Ho Yeon-ji’s methods well.
Yet the gap in flavor was so vast it drove her to madness.
“Why are you so defeated?”
“……Please make some noise as you walk.”
Ho Yeon-ji tried to suppress her startled expression.
A human moving without a trace—if she hadn’t experienced it before, she might have shrieked aloud. It was as if a ghost walked among them.
“It seems you can’t quite get it right.”
“Sigh…… No matter how hard I try, I can’t match that girl.”
At Dan Woo-hyun’s words, Ho Yeon-ji exhaled heavily, her expression hollow. That emptied look—as though her very soul had departed—revealed the state of her heart.
“So-mi is rather exceptional.”
“Pardon?”
“She takes good care of people, and she devotes herself just as deeply to those who favor her.”
“That’s hardly…… what does that matter now?”
What difference could that possibly make at a time like this?
Ho Yeon-ji already understood what Dan Woo-hyun was saying. Everyone who stayed at Jang Yuan adored Dan So-mi, and she delighted in repaying their affection—a beautiful child in that way.
Her heart would race every time she saw that radiant smile.
It was as if the girl had been born with an allure that drew people in.
“And she possesses rather remarkable luck.”
“What?”
“No—not just remarkable. She was born under Heavenly Fortune itself. That’s why everything she attempts yields excellent results.”
Born under Heavenly Fortune?
Could such a person truly exist in this world?
Of course, one couldn’t deny it outright. The Emperor, too, was born under Heavenly Fortune—wasn’t that why he stood at the apex, looking down upon all below?
Yet Dan Woo-hyun did not mean it in that sense.
“If Heaven favors that child, then you too must have Heaven’s favor to keep pace with her.”
“That should be obvious, but that’s not the problem right now……”
“If you cannot gain such gifts, shouldn’t you instead create something that is yours alone?”
“……!”
Ho Yeon-ji’s mouth fell open as if struck by revelation.
Since childhood, she had followed only what her parents taught her. She had believed that method to be the finest, and had passed it on to Dan So-mi in the same way.
Yet if that method could not match Dan So-mi—nor even her own parents—then didn’t she need something entirely her own?
Ho Yeon-ji stood motionless, her expression unchanged. She looked like a martial artist who had just attained enlightenment, which is why Dan Woo-hyun smiled quietly and turned to leave.
After walking a few steps from where Ho Yeon-ji stood, a figure materialized with a sharp whistle of wind-parting.
“Tsk tsk—I thought you were only going to watch?”
“I didn’t expect her to fail to grasp even such a simple principle. I merely offered guidance.”
“Haha! That’s true. It takes but a little thought to see it……”
Sa Do-hak broke into hearty laughter.
Ho Yeon-ji seemed less sharp-witted than expected. Most would try something different if one approach failed, yet she charged forward like a wild boar, fixed on a single path.
One cannot grow that way.
So Dan Woo-hyun had given her a gentle push to redirect her gaze.
“That aside, it appears your suspicion was right—there are those sniffing around our heels.”
“The Chumun Family, I’d wager.”
“Likely.”
Sa Do-hak grinned wickedly.
He had always welcomed such matters.
As a martial artist, an opportunity to raise hell stirred the blood; more so because this was merely the first move.
His heart thrummed at the thought of what would unfold. Like a man young again.
Remembering those days when he had swept through the Central Plains Murim, his smile turned decidedly cruel.
“So-mi’s wine seems to have proven quite effective. I didn’t expect them to act this swiftly.”
“They must be desperate. The more this rumor spreads, the tighter the noose around the Chumun Family’s neck.”
“What of Geum Eun-hak?”
“He’s managing well. He’s been releasing So-mi’s wine in small quantities while raising the price, yet it sells prodigiously.”
“I see.”
“He has rough edges still, but as a merchant he’s without flaw. I wonder why such a man was leading only a small trading company before.”
Sa Do-hak’s gaze turned toward Dan Woo-hyun.
He likely had his eye on him from the first moment they met—had recognized that if a trading company were to be built, there was no finer candidate than Geum Eun-hak.
The ability to read a person at a glance, to judge them instantly.
It was something that even Namgung Cheon or Sa Do-hak, who commanded entire factions, had never possessed.
‘Who in heaven’s name raised this monster……?’
No matter how much of a Martial God’s legacy he’d obtained, there was no way he could be proficient in so many different domains.
A legacy was only a legacy. The notion that he’d grasped all of it on his own simply didn’t make sense.
Even with a legacy, there were plenty of people who failed to master it properly and squandered it.
But this one was different.
‘Innate talent, overwhelming martial skill, encyclopedic knowledge across fields, veteran cunning and an aura of dominance—any one of these alone would let him rule the Central Plains. And this man possesses them all…….’
It was what Sa Do-hak had concluded from observing Dan Woo-hyun all this time.
This man had everything.
It would have been easy to believe he was the Martial God himself.
Yet Sa Do-hak shook his head.
No human lived for a thousand years.
Even a Martial God couldn’t achieve that.
“So what now?”
“We’ll probe him once more.”
“Probe him?”
“Yes.”
As Dan Woo-hyun answered with a smile, Sa Do-hak was certain it would spell trouble for the Chumun Family.
Sa Do-hak swallowed hard.
“How?”
“Bring Hong Won-chang here.”
“Him?”
“Yes. I’ll give him the wine that So-mi made.”
“……For free?”
Sa Do-hak’s eyes went wide.
He wouldn’t even let Sa Do-hak touch the merchandise—said it was for sale—yet he’d give it away free to that man? The thought sparked a wave of indignation that rose in his chest.
“Rather than give it to a wretch like him, I’d…….”
“I plan to send that wine to the Royal Residence.”
“Ah…….”
Now Sa Do-hak grasped Dan Woo-hyun’s thinking.
The volume of wine the Chumun Family sent to the palace of the Provincial Governor who ruled Honam was staggering. To broker a bigger deal and corner the Chumun Family into a dead end, winning over the Royal Residence’s favor was paramount.
Sa Do-hak nodded.
“I’ll be on my way.”
“Go.”
At the answer that came so naturally, Sa Do-hak’s expression grew uncertain.
He’d gathered intelligence in Ak-yang that morning, and now he was being sent on errands to the Government Office.
He understood that Kwon Mu-jin was busy with other matters, leaving no one else to run the errand, but this felt almost…….
“Say, one thing.”
“What is it?”
“You’re not treating me as the same rank as Jang Sam-tae, are you?”
“No—merely because your feet are faster.”
“They are?”
“Yes.”
“Truly?”
“Go on, get back quickly.”
……
Sa Do-hak’s expression flickered with doubt as he launched himself forward.

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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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