Chronicles of the Martial God’s Return - Chapter 156

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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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“You mean this wine?”
Hong Won-chang, who had come to Jang Yuan after a long while, swallowed hard as he asked. He had heard rumors recently.
Talk of the Ho Yeon Family’s Fine Wine spreading through Honam.
Word had it the flavor was so extraordinary that the Ho Yeon Family, which had once fallen into ruin, would rise again.
He’d wanted to taste it once, but the price was steep, and it was nearly impossible to obtain.
Yet it turned out Dan Woo-hyun’s Jang Yuan had produced it?
Had he known, he would have come running to sample it long ago.
“Indeed.”
A single bottle sat atop the table.
The vessel, no larger than an adult man’s palm, seemed so meager in volume it might vanish in the blink of an eye.
‘So that is it…….’
The Fine Wine that had set Honam ablaze!
Hong Won-chang gulped audibly.
He wanted to taste it.
His eyes rolled hopefully toward Dan Woo-hyun.
In that gaze—’Wouldn’t I be allowed to drink it instead of Wang Ya?’—Dan Woo-hyun let slip a faint, amused smile.
A long sigh escaped Hong Won-chang’s lips in disappointment.
“Don’t worry. I’ve set aside your share.”
With a soft thunk, Dan Woo-hyun produced a large wine bottle from beside his seat—one noticeably bigger than the vessel on the table.
The liquid inside sloshed audibly, full to the brim, and the faint aroma that drifted from it carried a different character entirely.
The seal was even identical.
Then it must surely be the Ho Yeon Family’s wine.
“This……surely this contains more? Wouldn’t it be better to send this one to Wang Ya instead……?”
“No, this is a failed batch.”
‘Ah, you rascal…….’
Hong Won-chang turned his head away with a resigned look.
“Even though it failed, this is the genuine Ho Yeon Family wine.”
“Then what about this one?”
“This one is what Dan So-mi made.”
‘So the girl has learned something new again.’
The prospect of his future daughter-in-law allowing him to drink fine wine daily was already lifting Hong Won-chang’s spirits.
“So I should take this with me?”
“Yes, and the Geumhwan Trading Company’s director will accompany you. I’ll arrange the trade myself—just introduce that Wang Ya fellow to the director.”
“That shouldn’t be difficult…….”
But why the Geumhwan Trading Company?
In terms of scale, the Honam Trading Company was the largest operation in this region. With their director at his side, there would be no shame introducing Wang Ya, but the Geumhwan Trading Company seemed somewhat lacking.
Yet even as he thought this, Hong Won-chang snapped to attention. It was Dan Woo-hyun giving the order.
It was best to act without question or hesitation.
Nothing he’d done at the man’s behest had ever harmed him.
Who knew that better than he did?
“Understood! Leave it to me.”
“One more thing.”
“What is it?”
“The Geumhwan Trading Company doesn’t yet have the resources for proper escorts. So I’m sending you and Kwon Mu-jin. That should be sufficient, yes?”
Though it was only a brief moment, Hong Won-chang’s mind worked quickly.
Dan Woo-hyun had given him a task.
It was simple work at its core—sending wine to Wang Ya, no less, and merely introducing the Geumhwan Trading Company’s director.
Yet the fact that Kwon Mu-jin was being sent along meant something more was afoot.
Hong Won-chang looked up at Dan Woo-hyun with a sickly expression.
“I trust you haven’t neglected your training these days.”
“Well…… of course…….”
“Of course?”
“Of course, yes!”
“If you’re uneasy, I can send two more old men skilled in martial arts. But you’ll have to handle whatever comes of it.”
“Ugh…….”
Two skilled elders—he meant the pair who did nothing but eat at Jang Yuan.
Having them along would be the most dependable reinforcement, but if he had to accommodate their difficult temperaments one after another, he’d be the one who gave out first.
“I’ll come too.”
Just then, a soft sound came from beyond the door, and a woman entered the room. The moment Hong Won-chang saw her face, he felt as though the entire chamber had flooded with light.
A Countenance That Topples Nations, a Peerless Beauty.
Those words seemed made for her—Namgung So-hye, whose beauty justified them both.
“Eavesdropping isn’t a becoming habit, is it?”
“I knew you were out there.”
At Namgung So-hye’s retort, Dan Woo-hyun shrugged. He’d known she was listening, but he hadn’t expected her to say she’d join them.
“Let me come along on this expedition.”
“Why?”
“Because I don’t want to hear that I’m just another mouth to feed.”
Whether it was confidence gained from their recent fight, or something else, Namgung So-hye met Dan Woo-hyun’s gaze directly as she answered. Certainly, the depth in her eyes had changed noticeably since before.
Dan Woo-hyun smiled and nodded.
“Then do it.”
“Thank you.”
Namgung So-hye broke into a radiant smile.
She had recovered her strength and spent months under the tutelage of her grandfather, Namgung Cheon. She had not inherited all of the Sword Emperor’s profound insights, but steady experience was necessary to gauge how much her own abilities had improved.
That was why she was going.
There was also a desire to be useful in some way.
Training every day and doing nothing else made her feel like a burden.
“Please, wait a moment.”
Then another woman’s voice rang out.
She hurried into the room, her breathing ragged as though she had run.
‘Is this woman from the Ho Yeon Family?’
She resembled a child Hong Won-chang had seen when the Ho Yeon Family was destroyed.
He had wondered how this child would grow, and now she had become a proper young lady.
‘Though I could do nothing to help……’
Hong Won-chang, who had only recently taken his post at that time, had come to know his own powerlessness keenly.
The attackers were undoubtedly Martial Artists. Yet he could not discover who they were or what purpose had driven them to such an act.
The strongest suspicion had fallen on the Chu Mun Family, but even that led nowhere, and with all related parties vanishing, the matter had ultimately remained unsolved.
Perhaps meeting like this was also a matter of fate.
“We have many guests today. What is this about?”
“Is it true that wine is being sent to Wang Ya?”
“It is.”
“Then please evaluate this wine as well.”
She held out a bottle she had been clutching tightly to her chest.
Her hands trembled slightly—anxiety, surely, about what assessment Dan Woo-hyun might offer.
“So that’s why you’ve been shuttered away. You were making this.”
“Yes! Though it won’t be as good as what So-mi made…… still……”
She bit her lip hard as she spoke.
It clearly stung her pride to still be outmatched by a child. What’s more, Dan So-mi’s wine—made by someone not of the Ho Yeon Family—was being sold under the Ho Yeon name itself.
And hadn’t Dan Woo-hyun even called her wine a failed attempt?
She meant to overturn that judgment with this new batch.
“The fragrance is excellent.”
“……Not that kind of praise.”
“Ha. Very well. Bring a cup.”
As if she had prepared in advance, Ho Yeon-ji set a wine cup before Dan Woo-hyun. From the bottle whose seal had already been broken, a sweetness that made one’s mouth water wafted through the air.
Namgung So-hye, watching from beside him, and even Hong Won-chang, both swallowed hard.
When had they ever encountered a sweetness quite like this?
Ho Yeon-ji filled Dan Woo-hyun’s cup.
The crystalline ring of it, the luminous hue, the fragrance that spread—all stirred the five senses of those present.
Every eye in the room fixed upon Dan Woo-hyun’s lips.
Dan Woo-hyun, about to drink, paused.
“This is rather daunting.”
“Oh! I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to stare on purpose.”
She laughed softly.
Namgung So-hye found something amusing in the exchange and let out a quiet chuckle.
Soon her gaze from a slight distance away burned with an intensity that was hard to ignore.
Then, at last, Dan Woo-hyun raised the cup to his lips.
He did not swallow at once, but held it in his mouth.
After a moment came the sound of a swallow, and the wine descended his throat.
Ho Yeon-ji watched it quietly, her breath catching.
‘Go on, tell me! Hurry up and tell me!’
Her gaze pressed with urgency upon Dan Woo-hyun, but he remained silent for a long moment, staring only at the bottle. Then he reached out again, seized it firmly, and tilted it back in a long pull.
The ones most startled by this were none other than Namgung So-hye and Hong Won-chang.
Until now, Dan Woo-hyun had been the most particular of all, and yet he had never once drunk straight from a bottle in front of others.
He had always carried himself with grace, and it was precisely that which drew people to him—but now, before their very eyes, he was drinking straight from the bottle.
‘Is it really that good?’
After swallowing a deep draught, Dan Woo-hyun finally lowered the bottle.
Thunk!
“A decent wine. Is it Honey Wine? Pleasantly sweet and fine-tasting. Different from So-mi’s blend.”
“Really…… truly?”
“Yes. With this, you can rightly call it the Ho Yeon Family’s new wine.”
Dan Woo-hyun smiled faintly.
It had been ages since he’d drunk Honey Wine.
The flavor was rich enough to evoke old memories. That was why he’d found himself drinking straight from the bottle without thinking, losing his composure for a moment.
“May I… might I receive a cup as well?”
“Me too!”
“Go ahead and drink.”
The moment Dan Woo-hyun finished speaking, the two of them rushed outside and returned with cups.
Soon, cries of delight echoed from here and there.
Certainly, compared to So-mi’s creation, this fell slightly short.
But that was only because So-mi’s was exceptional—this wine lacked nothing in its own right.
Rather, it possessed something that could not be found in Dan So-mi’s brew.
‘Was it mastery?’
Dan Woo-hyun laughed.
Wine imbued with mastery—as if such a thing were possible?
It would be absurd to anyone who heard it, yet it was no lie.
Dan Woo-hyun was in excellent spirits.
Not only was he able to drink the Honey Wine he had once loved so dearly again, but unlike those days when he had been alone, now—
“Oh, wait just a moment! Let me go first—!”
“Miss! Whoever pours first gets to claim it.”
He had companions to share it with.
Dan Woo-hyun smiled gently and looked toward Ho Yeon-ji.
She sat there, her strength seeming to drain away under the praise of the others.
Dan Woo-hyun regarded her and opened his mouth.
“You pass.”

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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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