Chronicles of the Martial God’s Return - Chapter 16

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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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In the early morning stillness of the Training Ground, Dan Woohyun sat motionless, channeling his Qigong, when a sudden breeze stirred him to open his eyes slowly.
The wind came from the east.
It curled around him once, then faded away like smoke.
“A wind is coming,” he murmured.
Dan Woohyun rose to his feet, the cryptic words hanging in the air behind him.
He turned his gaze toward the far end of the Training Ground.
A familiar figure came into view.
Jang Sam-tae had been dripping with sweat for what must have been two hours now.
He was diligently practicing Tai Chi Fist—a form even Third-Rate martial artists rarely bothered to master. Yet his movements bore little resemblance to his earlier efforts.
They were nothing like conventional Tai Chi either.
Dan Woohyun watched in silence.
Jang Sam-tae seemed oblivious, but Internal Energy flickered at his fingertips. His lower dantian was naturally drawing energy upward of its own accord.
This was an auspicious sign.
“It’s time. Let me wake So-mi and we’ll have breakfast.”
“Huff… huff… Could… could I rest just a bit longer, sir?”
“Pining for the taste of earth, are you?”
“N-no, sir. I’ll go at once.”
Jang Sam-tae’s pallid face turned even more ashen as he bolted away.
Dan Woohyun’s last words had been a veiled threat to bury him alive if he persisted.
‘Here I am making threats, and yet it comes out so refined somehow.’
Jang Sam-tae grumbled inwardly to himself as he hurried toward the Kitchen.
Dan Woohyun strolled into the Courtyard and found Hwa So-mi sitting cross-legged on the wooden porch, looking disheveled and half-asleep, her vacant gaze fixed on nothing in particular.
“Are you awake?”
“Mm…”
She still wasn’t fully conscious.
The child rubbed her eyes and stretched both arms out straight.
Was she asking to be held?
Smiling warmly, Dan Woohyun scooped Hwa So-mi into his arms. The sensation of lifting her made her laugh—a soft, tinkling sound.
“Did you sleep well?”
“Yes, I slept well.”
“So-mi slept well too. Hehe.”
She nestled deeper into his embrace.
The way she buried her face and rubbed it against him was like a kitten.
A surge of paternal warmth bloomed in his chest. He stroked her hair with a gentle roughness before setting her down carefully.
“Go wash up. It’s time for breakfast.”
Hwa So-mi shook her head vigorously.
She didn’t want to eat, it seemed. Of course—she’d only just woken up, and hunger wouldn’t come so soon.
Dan Woohyun chuckled softly and opened his mouth with deliberation.
“If you don’t eat breakfast, you won’t grow tall.”
“But So-mi… doesn’t mind… staying small…”
“If you keep refusing, a ghost will come looking for children who won’t eat their meals.”
“Eek?!”
Hwa So-mi jolted upright.
The mention of a ghost struck her hard. She trembled, her eyes wavering as she looked up at Dan Woohyun, searching for confirmation.
It was as if she were asking if what he’d said was truly so.
“Hmm…”
Dan Woohyun hesitated.
Should he tell her the truth, or go on deceiving her? He always taught her not to lie, yet here he was, doing exactly that. The contradiction gnawed at him.
Such thoughts.
But then he nodded.
Sometimes a lie was necessary when raising a child rightly.
“It’s true.”
“I… I’ll eat breakfast! So-mi will eat her breakfast!”
“Good thinking. Ha ha.”
Dan Woohyun nodded with a bright smile.
He followed as So-mi scampered toward the Kitchen.
Then he suddenly stopped in his tracks and turned his head.
The wind swept in again.
It curled around Dan Woohyun’s body once more, then dissipated with perfect naturalness.
Dan Woohyun’s brow furrowed.
“What troubles you, sir?”
The moment they stepped into the kitchen, Jang Sam-tae caught sight of Dan Woohyun’s expression and asked. Whenever this man furrowed his brow, even if he’d done nothing wrong, Sam-tae’s heart would sink inexplicably.
“The wind is unusually strong today.”
Jang Sam-tae stood listening to this remark, his face gone somewhat blank.
‘What nonsense is this?’
Since Dan Woohyun occasionally spoke such absurdities, Jang Sam-tae didn’t bother answering and instead began filling the table with dishes.
Though it was an early morning meal, the quantity was substantial enough that emptying all the bowls would feel like bursting at the seams.
As Jang Sam-tae watched Dan Woohyun and Hwa So-mi alternating between bites, a satisfied smile crossed his face, and he settled into a seat as well.
He was hungry.
He’d nibbled as he cooked, but it hadn’t been nearly enough.
Then.
“There’s somewhere I need to go.”
“Pardon?”
At this abrupt statement, Jang Sam-tae stopped mid-bite.
Somewhere he needed to go, all of a sudden? Today, Dan Woohyun seemed unusually off.
“Ak-yang.”
“Is there something to bring back, sir?”
“No—just check if anything’s changed. That’s all I need.”
“Understood! I’ll finish this meal and be back in a flash!”
Jang Sam-tae laughed heartily and slapped his chest. Whatever else, his Lightness Skill was beyond reproach. He could make the journey and return in mere moments if he wished.
It wasn’t particularly difficult work.
But Dan Woohyun shook his head firmly, then tapped the table with his finger.
“Now.”
“Sir?”
“Now.”
“…But I haven’t finished eating yet….”
“Now.”
‘Damn it, at least let me eat!’
This was his way of saying: forget the meal, go at once.
The fact that he’d repeated himself three times made it clear—Dan Woohyun wanted Jang Sam-tae out of his sight this instant.
Jang Sam-tae grimaced and rose reluctantly from his seat.
In situations like this, you kept your mouth shut and obeyed. Any resistance would only earn you a fist.
“Heh… hehe, I’ll be back soon.”
“Mm.”
Dan Woohyun nodded, and Jang Sam-tae stood. He cast an envious glance at Hwa So-mi, who was still crunching away at her meal, then opened the door and left.
The moment the door shut with a soft click and Dan Woohyun’s vision was obscured.
“Ptooey!”
Jang Sam-tae spat into the courtyard, then turned to look back at the door. Slowly, he raised his fist toward the empty air.
Whoosh!
In that instant, a chopstick flew through and struck him across the head.
“Ow!”
Jang Sam-tae’s cry echoed out.

***

A group of men entered Ak-yang. They appeared to be nothing out of the ordinary—unremarkable people.
They didn’t carry swords like Martial World practitioners, nor did they cover their faces with masks or move about in secrecy.
They walked the streets openly and confidently.
Some haggled over candy at street stalls and chatted with vendors; others browsed silk at cloth merchants and blended seamlessly with the crowd.
Yet undeniably, they were different from ordinary folk.
One man glanced around and sat at a noodle stall.
“One bowl of thin noodles.”
He ordered curtly, then began scanning the area with darting eyes, studying each passerby as if trying to discern something.
Bang Chu-gok.
The man who led the Pyo-pung-dae of Heuk-do-hoe.
The Pyo-pung-dae specialized in assassination and intelligence gathering, and their track record of success in every mission they undertook was legendary.
The mere fact that Heuk-do-hoe had dispatched the Pyo-pung-dae spoke volumes about how seriously they were treating this matter.
—My lord, they say Hyun-ryeong will escort Jang Baek-san and the members to the Imperial Palace tomorrow.
The man chuckled softly as he drew the fresh noodles toward him.
In truth, keeping them locked away in Ak-yang for the past three months had been strange in itself. Hyun-ryeong wanted to extract information by applying pressure, but most members of the Heuk-do-hoe had undergone training to resist torture.
They wouldn’t bend to someone like Hyun-ryeong.
But the real problem was what would happen if they were dragged to the Imperial Palace.
There, the Dong-chang and the Geum-ui-wi waited—people capable of cruelty that made Hyun-ryeong look merciful by comparison.
So there were only two options.
Extract them, or kill them.
Bang Chu-gok stirred the noodles with his chopsticks and sent a Sound Transmission across the distance.
—What are the odds of getting them out?
—Given the number of constables stationed at the Government Office and the surrounding conditions, it’s not even a forty percent chance.
Just as the man exchanging Sound Transmissions had said, it wasn’t a simple matter. The Government Office’s security was formidable. Slipping in undetected posed no problem, but extracting the prisoners and getting out alive was nearly impossible.
There would inevitably be heavy casualties.
From a Strategic Assessment standpoint, rescuing only Jang Baek-san would be ideal, but it wasn’t worth the cost if it meant sacrificing the Pyo-pung-dae in the process.
—Kill.
—Understood.
Bang Chu-gok drained the rest of his noodles and turned the decision over in his mind.
All the captured men would die.
Dealing with those kinds of people was easier than flipping your hand over. What remained now was to identify the man called Jang Sam-tae, Hyun-ryeong, and the identity of the Reclusive Eccentric who had orchestrated this entire mess.
‘What times are these, hiding away like a Reclusive Eccentric?’
Bang Chu-gok laughed—a sound of genuine disbelief.
The Martial World harbored countless eccentric masters. Among them, the strong were truly formidable, but most were mediocre at best.
They lived quietly, armed with a handful of half-learned techniques and skills barely above Third-Rate level.
He suspected this case fell into that category. Though the eccentric seemed to possess some ability, Bang Chu-gok was certain that if he himself took action, the man would die.
As he turned his head, thinking such thoughts, he caught sight of someone.
‘There he is!’
He leaped from his seat without thinking. The face he saw matched exactly the one he had identified through Facial Recognition.
Jang Sam-tae—the man who had made the final deal with the Secret Merchant and who most likely knew the identity of the Reclusive Eccentric.
Bang Chu-gok moved swiftly in pursuit.
He watched as Jang Sam-tae, glancing about and checking something, abruptly vanished into the crowd. Bang Chu-gok’s pace quickened with urgency.
‘Damn! How is he this fast?’
He was far quicker than anticipated.
The man wove through the throng with remarkable ease.
Soon they had exited the main street, moving westward before Jang Sam-tae ducked sharply into a narrow alley. The moment Bang Chu-gok followed him in.
“Wait—what?”
He was gone.
No matter how fast a man moved, he couldn’t vanish so completely. Bang Chu-gok examined every trace around him, but found nothing—not even a footprint or disturbance.
Bang Chu-gok gnashed his teeth.
“Damn it…….”
Whether Jang Sam-tae had sensed pursuit and fled, or whether there was some hiding place in this area, he didn’t know. But the sting of having let his quarry slip away was undeniable.
He retraced Jang Sam-tae’s path once more, hoping to find some small clue.
Then a thought struck him.
‘The Government Office…….’
Jang Sam-tae had definitely been circling around that area.
Bang Chu-gok’s cold gaze remained fixed on the Government Office.

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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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