Chronicles of the Martial God’s Return - Chapter 2

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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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“Hmm…….”
Late into the night, Dan Woo-hyeon stood beside the campfire where Hwa Somi slept soundly, swallowing a quiet groan. The thought of living together, of keeping her with him, meant he needed a place for them to settle first.
In other words, he had to build a house.
The moment that decision crystallized, he found himself at a loss for where to begin.
He already had a clear picture in his mind of what it should look like.
Since childhood, whenever he’d imagined settling down somewhere, this was the place he’d always envisioned.
A simple dream he’d carried with him from boyhood.
And now he would build it with his own hands.
The thought alone set his heart racing.
He surveyed the area around him.
Though it was meant for two—a man and a child—he’d need enough space for the child to run and play. Surely it should be somewhat spacious?
And deep in these mountains where few people ventured, there was no reason to build cramped quarters.
So the first thing to do was clear the foundation.
The surroundings were thick with brush, trees, and boulders. Clearing even one of these would be considerable work.
It would take dozens of laborers more than two weeks just to level the land.
Dan Woo-hyeon retrieved the sword he’d kept wrapped in tattered cloth all this time, never drawing it once.
He gripped it and made a sweeping horizontal cut.
Shhhhwing!
A strange, brilliant force tore through the air, and in a single instant, the ground around him flared with light.
Suddenly wind rushed forth, then fell silent just as quickly.
Crash-crack!
What unfolded before his eyes was extraordinary. The densely packed trees toppled over, their trunks severed clean through.
The boulders shattered into powder, and the rough earth settled smooth and level.
The brush vanished without a trace.
In a single moment, he had accomplished what would have taken dozens of laborers more than two weeks of labor—a Divine Technique executed in one breath.
Felling trees with a single stroke, crushing rock to dust, making brush disappear—this was no mere technique that Internal Force Control alone could produce.
“Ugh!”
A tremendous sound suddenly pierced the night, and Hwa Somi stirred, beginning to open her eyes. The roar of countless trees falling at once had been as loud as thunder and lightning.
But she sank back down and returned to sleep.
Dan Woo-hyeon had pressed an Acupoint.
“Better that she sleeps through this.”
If she saw such a sight, she’d surely go on about immortals and gods and raise a fuss.
And of all things, Dan Woo-hyeon hated the word “immortal” most.
“Next, I need to prepare timber for the pillars.”
The foundation of any house is wood. Since the structure would consist of pillars with walls built between them, crafting the lumber came first.
Whoosh-whoosh-whoosh-crack!
He swung his blade at the trees in the pattern his mind had conceived, and with each stroke, lumber suited to its purpose took shape.
Had a carpenter witnessed this spectacle, he would surely have fallen to his knees, begging to become an apprentice.
Before long, every last tree had been carved away.
The lumber for building was complete; all that remained was to assemble it piece by piece.
Dan Woo-hyeon moved methodically, considering the role of each cut beam. He drove pillars into the earth and gradually raised the structure skyward. The vast quantities of timber transformed into a house before his eyes.
“It works, but it’s quite large…….”
Once the pillars were up, he realized the scale was considerable.
It rivaled a respectable Manor in size. Considering the partitioned rooms, there were many chambers indeed.
Well, as a child he’d imagined a house that could shelter dozens, so naturally it turned out this way.
For two people, the structure itself was far too vast.
‘Should I trim some of it down?’
But he shook his head.
No matter how large, it wouldn’t compare to the Imperial Palace itself.
Next came the walls. Ordinarily, walls are built by fitting wood together. But he’d already used all his timber raising the frame.
Making more lumber would be simple enough, yet there was no joy in merely repeating the process.

“They say houses built with Yellow Earth are wonderfully warm!”

A memory surfaced—words spoken by a child from his days in a beggar gang long ago.
Using Yellow Earth for the walls would block wind well and keep the place warm through winter, the child had said.
Now that he thought of it, he recalled seeing some Yellow Earth on the path to Ak-yang.
There was no reason to hesitate any longer.

***

Hwa Somi opened her eyes, her hair disheveled.
It wasn’t the hour when roosters crowed loudly at dawn. She’d simply woken naturally when the warm sunlight streamed down on her. Having slept rough the night before, it made perfect sense that the sun would warm her awake.
“Huh?”
The moment she sat up and looked around, Hwa Somi found herself questioning her own eyes. Just a day ago, this place had been nothing but thick brush and tangled trees.
Yet now, scanning the surrounds, a vast clearing had appeared—and standing in it was a large house.
She could see Dan Woo-hyeon hanging a door.
The child rubbed her eyes.
Young as she was, she still possessed the capacity for thought, and couldn’t fathom how to accept such an impossible situation.
Stifling a small groan, she gazed up at the sky.
A gift from heaven?
“You’re awake, then.”
“Uncle, something’s wrong. There’s a house here.”
“Yes, there is.”
“But yesterday there definitely wasn’t——”
“It was here yesterday too. It was just somewhat worn, so I repaired it.”
“No, uncle, yesterday there definitely——”
“It was here yesterday.”
“…….”
“…….”
Hwa Somi pressed her lips together firmly.
In her memory, this place had held neither such a fine house nor even a modest cottage.
But the way he stated it with such certainty made her wonder if perhaps her own recollection was mistaken.
No, surely Dan Woo-hyeon must be right.
Why would he lie about such a thing?
In any case, she was pleased that a house had appeared—especially since it stood right at the edge of Dongjeong Lake, meaning she could reach the water’s edge in just a few steps.
Catching fish would be far easier now.
Pitter-patter.
Hwa Somi hurried over to Dan Woo-hyeon’s side. He was just finishing the last window.
Now it truly felt as though the house were complete, though something still seemed odd to her.
The old house he’d claimed existed yesterday looked remarkably clean.
The walls were made of Yellow Earth, no less.
How could a house built with such rare and precious material have been abandoned?
Yet if Dan Woo-hyeon said so, then it must be so.
Accepting this, she nodded.
“Wow…… it’s wonderful. The house is so huge! It’s almost like a manor!”
“I’m glad it pleases you. I took considerable care in constructing it.”
“Constructing?”
“……Rather, restoring it.”
“Ah…….”
Seeing Hwa Somi nod in acceptance, Dan Woo-hyeon released a breath of relief.
‘Thank goodness she’s still young.’
Then came a remark that vexed him.
“Hehe, it really is splendid. But there’s no outer wall? Is that why it was abandoned?”
“…….”
Dan Woo-hyeon’s eyes flashed.

***

About four li north of the house stood a great cliff. Its precipitous, towering face was so imposing that no one could doubt it lay beyond the reach of human strength.
Late at night.
Dan Woo-hyeon stood there alone.

“What if thieves come?”

He’d never truly worried about such things before. After all, the moment anyone came with such intent, they would cease to draw breath. Yet Hwa Somi’s concern was not without merit.
A house must be perfect.
It was a manor built with considerable craftsmanship, and therefore had to be all the more perfect. Had he ever seen an estate without a wall?
No, he hadn’t.
An estate must have a wall.
Especially when Dan Woo-hyeon had built it himself. It couldn’t be anything less than perfect.
Who was he, after all? Wasn’t he the one revered as a Martial God?
Whatever he did had to be flawless, or his temperament found no peace.
Dan Woo-hyeon, who had been gazing at the cliff, swung his sword through the air in one fluid motion.
Crash-boom-boom-crash!
A colossal sound thundered across heaven and earth.

***

“…….”
“…….”
Hwa Somi stood motionless, her expression utterly vacant. A wall now surrounded the estate—something that hadn’t existed just a day before. It encircled the entire property with considerable height.
From the outside, the interior was completely hidden from view.
When on earth had this appeared?
“The wall…….”
“It was always there.”
“Pardon?”
“It was always there.”
“But sir, you never mentioned it before…….”
Hwa Somi laughed awkwardly. Whether she’d actually accepted the explanation or not was unclear, but she seemed inclined to let it pass. Yet a moment later, as she surveyed the grounds, she released a small, troubled sigh.
“What troubles you?”
“Well, sir, it’s just… doesn’t it feel rather bare?”
“…….”

***

Some distance from Dongjeong Lake stood a small village. The villagers there held a memorial rite each year, one not for any deity but for the ancient old pine tree that had long watched over their homes—a prayer that the tree might continue to protect them well through the year ahead.
Legend held that this old pine had been planted centuries ago by one of the Eight Immortals, and it was said to ward off misfortune and grant the village prosperity and growth.
The pine was massive.
Having stood sentinel in that spot for over a thousand years, its grandeur spoke for itself. The tree stretched its enormous branches in all directions, as though shielding the village, its majesty on full display.
Early one morning, an elderly villager set out toward the pine tree, a leisurely walk that was part of his daily habit—a ritual he had maintained since childhood, offering prayer each dawn for another good day ahead.
But.
“Gasp?!”
It was gone.
The old pine that should have been standing sentinel in that place had vanished. Around the spot were unmistakable traces of excavation, and not a single trunk remained in the dug earth.
The old man’s mouth fell open in shock.

***

“It… it wasn’t here yesterday…….”
“It was.”
“……Yes.”
Dan Woo-hyeon cut short Hwa Somi’s words, surveying the surroundings with a look of satisfaction.
An impressive manor now stood before him. Compared to the estates of Ak-yang, it would not pale in the slightest.
Across the open grounds stretched the thousand-year-old pine, its trunk extended in stately splendor, while ornate stones of brilliant hue and mysterious origin lay scattered in places throughout.
A pond, carved deep into one section, completed the vision—and now, at last, he felt truly satisfied.
“Ha ha.”
Laughter spilled from his lips unbidden.
In truth, he still had much work ahead. Beds to craft, furnishings to fashion—everything would need his hand. And the child could not go hungry, so there was fishing to attend to as well.
With tasks at hand, the hollowness in his heart began to fill.
Busy days lay ahead.
How long had it been since he’d felt this pleasant kind of busyness?
It seemed there could be purpose even without pursuing martial arts.
“However…….”
“Shh. Don’t say another word.”
Dan Woo-hyeon silenced Hwa Somi before she could speak further.
Whenever a sound issued from that girl’s mouth, he was certain a cry of anguish would erupt from somewhere in response.

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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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