Chronicles of the Martial God’s Return - Chapter 163

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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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“Sal-gak?”
“That’s right. Sal-gak, they call themselves.”
Sa Do-hak wiped the blood from his hands. He’d broken the assassin’s silence in less than half a Double Hour—a testament to how devastating the Demonic Cult’s Torture Technique truly was.
“I’ve heard they’re a den of the most ruthless assassins, the kind who congregate only with their own kind. Though they’re certainly known as the Central Plains’ premier assassination collective.”
“Interesting. Such killers set their sights on this place?”
“Information must have leaked, I’d wager.”
From the moment he’d set the operation in motion, he’d never harbored illusions about keeping it entirely hidden.
But the breach had come far too quickly, and now they faced assassins they hadn’t anticipated.
“They seem quite provoked, at any rate.”
“I have no proof the Chu Mun-sega was behind it, mind you…”
“What proof do you need? It’s written all over it.”
At Sa Do-hak’s jab, Namgung Cheon laughed awkwardly.
He’d spoken that way to avoid loose talk and unfounded accusations—but Dan Woo-hyun and Sa Do-hak had already settled on them as the culprits.
Though Namgung Cheon had phrased it cautiously, his own suspicions aligned with theirs.
The timing was far too perfect, and precious few powers in Honam had the reach to deploy so many Sal-gak assassins.
“At least Dan So-mi didn’t wake. But I’m uneasy—what if they try again?”
There was no law preventing a target from being struck twice.
Sa Do-hak and Namgung Cheon had kept constant vigil over Dan So-mi, but they couldn’t do so forever—and if disaster struck while they were absent, it would be catastrophic.
But what truly troubled him was something else.
Namgung Cheon glanced toward Dan Woo-hyun.
If anything happened to Dan So-mi, he would not remain idle.
If he broke, there was no one who could restrain him.
That was what terrified Namgung Cheon most.
Yet Dan Woo-hyun seemed utterly unconcerned.
‘What is he thinking…? Goodness…’
A sigh escaped Namgung Cheon’s lips.
“I’m troubled by this.”
“So am I.”
“More than anything, it galls me that information leaked from somewhere I don’t know. Where could they have obtained it?”
“Quite a few places. Merchants, primarily.”
“Anywhere else?”
“The Ha-o-mun and the Gae-bang. The Gae-bang wouldn’t normally share intelligence unless the Murim Alliance approved—but money loosens even ghosts’ tongues, doesn’t it?”
Sa Do-hak cast a sidelong glance at Namgung Cheon.
His expression turned mischievous, as if teasing him—for he was speaking of the Gae-bang, which belonged to the Orthodox Faction, one of the Nine Schools and One House, the same sect Namgung Cheon served.
Namgung Cheon coughed dryly.
“The Ha-o-mun and the Gae-bang… and Sal-gak, you say?”
“Yes. From what I know, they have a branch operation in Sichuan as well.”
The Demonic Cult, too, was an organization that cultivated assassins.
Sa Do-hak possessed considerable intelligence on Sal-gak, particularly because he and Geol Hwang harbored deep animosity—and Sa Do-hak, who would have destroyed them given half a chance, had accumulated a vast trove of information.
Today, he’d finally put some of it to use.
“With matters like this, swift action serves best. Why waste time giving them breathing room?”
Sa Do-hak rose from his seat with a wry smile, his face alight with satisfaction.
Whether he’d already made up his mind or had simply read Dan Woo-hyun’s thoughts, the decision was plain on his features.
“I’ll handle Sal-gak myself. I owe them debts that need repaying.”
Dan Woo-hyun nodded at this.
There was no need to dissuade him.
If they had to obliterate them anyway, it mattered little who did it.
“Then I shall attend to the Gae-bang. To send you…”
Would be asking for consequences neither could contain.
Such words rose to his lips, but Namgung Cheon swallowed them back.
Besides, he and Dan Woo-hyun belonged to the same Orthodox Faction and had once received his aid. With Geol Hwang, there existed a vague bond of companionship, and Namgung Cheon couldn’t help but worry whether Dan Woo-hyun might shed blood needlessly.
“But will you be all right? If you touch the Gae-bang, that beggar king won’t sit idle.”
Sa Do-hak’s expression darkened with irritation as he recalled a certain figure.
Geol Hwang, the refuge of a hundred thousand beggars and one of the Five Emperors, was notorious for demolishing anyone foolish enough to lay a hand on the Gae-bang—his temper a force of nature when word reached his ears.
Though he kept a low profile these days, the risk of conflict with him remained substantial.
“Don’t worry. A little gentle persuasion will settle him.”
Namgung Cheon smiled. He’d been managing beggars since childhood—it was simply a matter of keeping word from reaching Geol Hwang or the Gae-bang’s other ears, wasn’t it?
It was at precisely that moment that Dan Woo-hyun’s voice cut through the silence.
“Then all that remains is Ha-o-mun……?”
In truth, they were the weakest of the factions by rank.
Of course, to Dan Woo-hyun, they were merely contemptible wretches who had sold information.
Dan Woo-hyun tilted his head toward the sky.
The Chou Hour had not yet passed.
“We’ll finish this before the night is through.”
At those words, the two others nodded in agreement.
In such matters, swift action was paramount. The three of them knew better than anyone that giving an opponent time to prepare defenses was a mistake they could not afford.

***

Dan Woo-hyun stood before the Red Light District.
The heavy perfume drifting through the air was enough to cloud the mind. Drunk men, stumbling on unsteady feet, leaned into women’s arms as they disappeared deeper into the pleasure quarter.
A complete carnival of excess.
Yet Dan Woo-hyun walked the street in silence.
He felt eyes upon him from every direction.
The gazes of women especially were numerous.
His striking appearance drew flushed faces and lingering stares from women scattered throughout the street.
But not a soul in that district captured his attention.
After walking for some time, he came to a halt before one establishment.
The largest brothel in Ak-yang.
Three stories tall, it towered higher than any other pleasure house in the vicinity.
Red lanterns adorned the walls in brilliant display, and the flirtatious voices of women drifting from within were designed to stir the hearts of men.
Dan Woo-hyun slowly pushed open the door and stepped inside.
There was a doorkeeper, but he made no move to stop him.
He had taken Dan Woo-hyun for an ordinary patron.
Scanning the first floor where patrons were drinking, Dan Woo-hyun spotted a staircase at the far right that led upward.
He moved toward it slowly.
But before he could ascend, several men stationed nearby stepped forward and blocked his path. The muscular build of the guard was intimidating enough to make anyone shrink back.
The men looked down at Dan Woo-hyun and spoke.
“You cannot go up there.”
“Why not?”
“That place is reserved for special guests.”
“I see.”
Even after replying, he did not step back but remained standing in place. At this, observers scattered throughout the establishment rose from their seats one by one.
Dan Woo-hyun allowed himself a faint smile as he watched them.
“Then I suppose I’ll have to become a special guest starting today.”
He finished speaking and drove his fist straight into the man’s throat.
Thud!
The man crumpled without so much as a gasp. At the sight of this, everyone froze in shock.
“You bastard!”
“You crazy son of a bitch!”
Criminals scattered throughout the establishment shouted and leaped to their feet. Patrons scattered in panic. While brawls were common enough in brothels, what was unfolding now was different.
Crash!
The criminals came at him with considerable force.
Some brandished swords as they charged.
Dan Woo-hyun watched them for a moment, then drove his fist forward again. A harsh cracking sound accompanied the man as he went flying.
He crashed into his companion mid-air and toppled across a table.
Crack!
The table shattered in an instant with a violent noise.
The men advancing on him faltered at the sight, and in that moment of hesitation, Dan Woo-hyun’s hands fell upon them without mercy.
Thump-thump-thump-thump-thump!
Dull sounds rang out in rapid succession.
The fight was so one-sided it resembled a child being beaten by an adult. The subduing of every man on the first floor happened in the blink of an eye.
The patrons watching in stunned silence could barely comprehend what had transpired.
Not one of them could properly follow the dazzling motion of Dan Woo-hyun’s hands.
Step-step-step!
Dan Woo-hyun ascended to the next floor with ease.
There he saw the men waiting for him from above.
They suspected Dan Woo-hyun was a Murim Master, but they couldn’t simply let him do as he pleased.
What sort of place was this? Though it bore the reputation of a third-rate establishment, it was still a branch of the Ha-o-mun, which had held sway over a corner of the Central Plains for a long time.
No matter how skilled a Murim Master might be, they could not tolerate rampaging through their halls.
“Hyaaaaaah!”
A cry—whether battle shout or animal shriek—tore from the men’s throats as they rushed forward.
Murder gleamed in their eyes; they meant to kill Dan Woo-hyun and claim credit for it.
Crack!
The first attacker’s jaw snapped sideways with the harsh report.
His strike had been so swift no one saw his hand move, and everyone held their breath.
“The master is usually at the very top…….”
Dan Woo-hyun murmured this to himself and moved on, not bothering to check the rooms one by one. He simply walked forward, throwing fists and kicks at anyone who dared block his way.
Thud! Thud!
Those who fell didn’t even cry out—they just collapsed face-down.
Considering there were supposedly fifty men guarding the brothel, more than half had already been dealt with.
As Dan Woo-hyun slowly climbed the stairs to the third floor, the men began backing away, trembling.
They had glimpsed their own helplessness against such overwhelming skill.
Pride might demand they charge forward, but watching their fallen comrades, fear seized them—they couldn’t bring themselves to do it.
Besides, only four or five remained.
It seemed impossible they could overcome this monster.
Dan Woo-hyun kept his eyes on the retreating men as he reached the door at the far end of the third floor. He felt a presence within, and a whimper leaked out beneath the frame.
He flicked his foot lightly against the door.
Bang!
The door exploded into splinters, which became a volley of projectiles that punched through the wall and lodged there.
“Urrgh……!”
A man sat rigid at the head of the room, his face a sickly pallor as he stared at Dan Woo-hyun.
His eyes trembled violently—the mark of terror.
Dan Woo-hyun took a single step into the room.
Whistle-whistle-whistle!
Hidden projectiles rained down from all sides. They poured forth so densely—as if the man had been waiting—that they recalled the Ten Thousand Heaven Flowers Rain of the Sichuan Dang Family.
Yet.
……
Not a single projectile lodged in Dan Woo-hyun’s body as he stood motionless.
It was as though every projectile naturally parted around him.
The man’s mouth corner twitched violently.
The shadows who had hurled the projectiles quickly revealed themselves, but seeing their opponent’s ability, they didn’t dare step forward recklessly.
Watching this, Dan Woo-hyun brushed off his clothes and took another step forward. With that single, natural stride, all the sharp projectiles embedded in the floor turned to dust and vanished.
Every eye widened in shock.
But what truly crushed their hearts was Dan Woo-hyun’s next words.
“So it’s you. The one who peddles others’ secrets all over the place.”

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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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