Chronicles of the Martial God’s Return - Chapter 36

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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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Crack—!
“Ugh!”
Gwon Mujin’s eyes snapped open at the shock of cold sensation. Through his blurred vision, several figures came into focus, some of them disturbingly familiar.
Where was he?
What had happened while he was unconscious?
Bewildered by the inexplicable scene, he surveyed his surroundings and soon realized he was bound with rope. Then a voice reached him on the wind.
“Awake at last.”
“What—?”
Ma Dokjin.
He stood directly before Gwon Mujin, his clothes tattered and soaked with blood.
The state of him—a man who had suffered grave Internal Injury—was deeply disturbing.
His face had turned ashen, revealing that much of his Qi Meridians were blocked. For some time, even practicing Internal Cultivation seemed beyond him.
Yet his gaze was sharp, intentional.
“What is the meaning of—”
“You worm!”
Ma Dokjin spat curses and advanced. He waved his subordinates aside and lunged forward, hurling a savage punch.
Thud—!
“Gah!”
It hurt.
The knuckles that raked across his face carried strength that belied a man crippled by Internal Injury. Internal Injury did not render one incapable of channeling inner power—merely weakened it.
Still, Ma Dokjin was visibly less formidable than usual.
“I nursed a dying dog back to health, and this is how you repay me? How dare you!”
Gwon Mujin grasped everything now.
Ma Dokjin knew all about the attempted betrayal.
Gwon Mujin had regained consciousness from his own stupor—there was no reason Ma Dokjin couldn’t have done the same.
That murderous glint in his eyes made it certain he’d heard everything.
“Nursed? You threw me aside like spoiled meat and left me to rot.”
“You bastard—!”
There was no point in denying it now. He had no stomach for cowering to save his life.
If this was the end, he’d spit whatever venom he could.
Crack—!
“Hngh!”
A fist materialized from nowhere and slammed into him.
For a moment the wind seemed to leave his body as the blow landed in his abdomen. He gritted his teeth and fixed his gaze on the one who’d thrown it.
Ak Gyun.
Once his right hand, but that savage hunger in the man’s eyes told him otherwise now.
In Sa Pa, one had to aim for those above to survive.
Sa Pa forbade Subordinate Rebellion in principle, yet the reality was that anyone who didn’t claw their way upward would only perish.
A law absurd beyond measure.
‘Damn you…’
Gwon Mujin ground his teeth.
He understood Ak Gyun’s logic. This Jianghu was structured so that power could never be seized without toppling someone above.
Gwon Mujin swallowed and looked around. Killing Intent hung in the air.
Gwon Mujin had betrayed his lord.
That single fact churned in the minds of every subordinate present.
‘I have to escape.’
Gwon Mujin surveyed his surroundings again.
His two favorite blades lay before Ma Dokjin. Distance alone was a barrier, but Ma Dokjin was no trivial opponent—not someone who’d hesitate to ignore lesser weapons and seize his own.
Yet there was no time for careful thought. Gwon Mujin smiled mockingly and taunted Ma Dokjin.
“I gave my life to serving you, yet I always knew I might die any day in your presence. Truthfully, you harbored jealousy toward me.”
“You… you cursed wretch!”
Ma Dokjin’s teeth clenched.
He’d already lost to Dan Ushyeon—a bitterness that wouldn’t fade. Now Gwon Mujin, who’d groveled his entire life, was mouthing off. The insult burned him alive.
He seized the Large Sword.
He would end this man with a single stroke.
“You dare defy your lord!”
“A lord who kills his servants is no lord at all—you’re nothing but vermin.”
“This bastard won’t give up!”
The force pouring into Ma Dokjin’s grip was so fierce it seemed it would shatter the hilt itself.
The killing intent radiating from Ma Dokjin at his peak rolled outward in waves.
“Die!”
He swung the Large Sword down.
Though he’d suffered an Internal Injury, the name Overwhelming Force Blade had not vanished. The great blade carried a force that seemed as though it could rend Gwon Mujin’s body in a single stroke.
Hiss-!
Gwon Mujin stared straight at the Large Sword and twisted his body urgently. In that razor’s edge of a moment, if his movement had been even slightly slower, his neck would have been severed.
Crack-!
“Hnn!?”
Fortunately, the blade of the injured Ma Dokjin was not so quick. Seizing that gap, Gwon Mujin cut through the rope and rolled across the ground.
In one breath he closed the distance, seized the two blades that had fallen to the earth, and drove them toward Ak Gyun’s abdomen.
Thud-!
“Gack!”
Even as he felt the blades sink deep into his opponent’s flesh, he remained alert.
He wrenched the blades free with force and rolled to the side once more.
Screech!
Ma Dokjin’s Overwhelming Force Blade whistled past.
Unable to dodge entirely, blood sprayed from his flank. But there was no time to feel the pain. He twisted his body and swung both blades outward.
Clang-!
“You!”
Gwon Mujin blocked Ma Dokjin’s strike.
Having served under him for so long, he had learned what he needed to know. As long as Ma Dokjin was not in perfect condition, Gwon Mujin was wholly capable of handling him.
Gwon Mujin moved his Dual Blade with blinding speed.
The distance was short, but for that very reason, the variations were infinite.
Ma Dokjin’s swordwork—the weight of the massive Large Sword, the brute force behind it, and the pursuit of seamless flow—was, on the surface, formidable. But if an opponent gave him no time to unfold such technique, then this fight was far from favorable to Ma Dokjin.
Clang-clang-clang-!
Screech-!
“Aaaaagh!”
The two blades, dancing in infinite variation, opened gashes across Ma Dokjin’s eyes.
In the same instant he saw blood spray forth, Gwon Mujin hurled his body in the opposite direction.
All of it unfolded in the blink of an eye. The lesser subordinates had no chance to mount any proper response.
“Grrgh! Chase him! What are you dogs doing! Kill him!”
Ma Dokjin clapped one hand over his eyes and bellowed savagely. Unable to stem the torrential flow of blood, he could not pursue with his own body, and rage poured from him at this helplessness.
“Aaaaaaah! That son of a bitch!”

***

Most of the children attending Cheongsong Academy came from wealthy families—the kind of families from which one did not lightly snatch a child, lest one face severe punishment.
“Where are we going today?”
A girl with a bright, clear voice smiled prettily and looked at Dan Sommi.
As the academy’s hours ended, Dan Sommi had slipped out with this one girl.
There was still a little over an hour before Dan Ushyeon would arrive, so spending that time playing with this child had now become her daily habit.
The girl at Dan Sommi’s side was named Ji Yak. She appeared a year or two younger than Dan Sommi, but as it turned out, she was the elder by a year.
Ji Yak was the first friend Dan Sommi had made at the academy.
Like Dan Sommi herself, the girl had no other friends. How she had come to this academy was unclear, but somehow their hearts had aligned, and they often spent time wandering about together like this.
Dan Sommi found this deeply joyful.
“Hmm—the Night Market?”
“You want candied fruit?”
“Hehe.”
At Ji Yak’s question, Dan Sommi gave a small nod.
Candied fruit was delicious. Especially the candied fruit sold in Ak Yang—it was as sweet as if crafted by a master artisan, melting softly on the tongue. If even a single day passed without eating it, she felt as though her mouth would grow thorns.
“Then I want dumplings! I want dumplings!”
The two girls burst into bright laughter and scampered off, their eyes sparkling with excitement.
The Night Market, which they reached before long, was loud and crowded. With so many merchants and such heavy foot traffic, the likelihood of a child becoming separated was quite high.
The two girls clasped each other’s hands tightly.
They gripped each other firmly so as not to be parted, weaving through the throng. And the moment they arrived before the candied fruit vendor’s stall.
“Hong Jinrang?”
A familiar face appeared.
A large frame, a fierce countenance.
Hong Jinrang turned at the sound of his name, candied fruit still in his mouth, and his eyes widened in surprise. He’d caught sight of Ji Yak and Dan Sommi.
He swallowed the candied fruit hastily.
“What?”
“Heh, so you’re eating candied fruit here too?”
“Don’t worry about it. What I eat is none of your business.”
Hong Jinrang shot the words out roughly. He already disliked Dan Sommi, and the fact that she attended the same academy as him was genuinely irritating.
Running into her like this wasn’t particularly welcome either.
Then Ji Yak’s voice rang out.
“No! You can’t say it like that.”
“Ugh……”
At the sharp sound, Hong Jinrang flinched. The way he cautiously glanced sideways at Ji Yak was like a rabbit standing before a tiger.
Dan Sommi watched the two of them with a puzzled expression.
Now that she thought about it, Hong Jinrang never seemed to stand his ground whenever Ji Yak was around.
Was it because they were close?
“I’m… sorry.”
“That’s the way! That’s how a real man acts!”
Ji Yak beamed with delight, and Hong Jinrang’s face flushed crimson. He glanced away, pretending to ignore her, his strange bashfulness evident.
Dan Sommi observed him with some thought, but for now the candied fruit right before her eyes took priority.
She bought three pieces so the three of them could enjoy them together. As she pressed one into each of their hands, Hong Jinrang stared down at his candied fruit with a dazed expression.
But Dan Sommi and Ji Yak began laughing merrily with the fruit in their mouths and struck up their own conversation, leaving Hong Jinrang feeling like a sack of grain left out to dry.
Eventually, with a small sigh, he took a bite.
“Jinrang, next is over there! You’re buying the dumplings!”
“What? Why should I buy those?”
At Dan Sommi’s words, Hong Jinrang protested.
But when Ji Yak grabbed his wrist and pulled, he found himself unable to shake off her hand despite his bewilderment, and the large boy had no choice but to follow along.
“Dumplings are expensive.”
Candied fruit cost only an iron coin.
Dumplings, on the other hand, ran two to three iron coins. The expense was relatively greater, making it quite a burden for children.
But seeing Ji Yak grinning brightly, Hong Jinrang could only scratch his head helplessly.
“Will dumplings do?”
“Yes! Ji Yak said she wanted them more than I did.”
“Fine, eat till you’re stuffed.”
At Hong Jinrang’s words, both girls’ faces lit up.
When he pulled out half a silver coin from his breast pocket—his emergency funds—the merchant quickly produced the dumplings.
“Why am I even doing this……”
“Now that we’ve bought food, let’s go to the tea house!”
“Ugh…!”
Hong Jinrang frowned. He’d planned to eat the candied fruit and head home to practice, but it seemed unlikely he’d escape these girls’ grasp so easily.
If only Dan Sommi were alone, he wouldn’t have spared her a thought, but with Ji Yak beside her, there was no avoiding it.
Besides, he couldn’t very well leave the two of them to play by themselves……
Hong Jinrang let out a small sigh and nodded his head.
What choice did he have?
And so the three children walked along together, chatting softly.

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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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