Chronicles of the Martial God’s Return - Chapter 5

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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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Hong Won-chang had not been in a good mood of late.
Bandits operating out of Honam had been raiding village after village, leaving his nerves perpetually frayed.
The Royal Administration was breathing down his neck, demanding swift action, yet the cursed outlaws moved like ghosts—impossible to catch no matter how careful his plans.
In desperation, he’d posted a bounty on the bandit leader’s head, offering substantial reward.
He’d hoped that martial artists and wanderers might take up the cause, but no one had stepped forward.
‘It’s because of Jang Baek-san.’
Jang Baek-san was the bandit leader.
With first-rate martial skill that kept ordinary wanderers at bay, and a mastery of horsemanship so supreme that he could flee even against superior opponents, the man was a nightmare.
Most had simply given up trying to catch them.
Faced with mounting pressure from the Royal Administration and endless complaints from the suffering people, Hong Won-chang had finally launched a desperate assault on the bandits’ lair.
Though Jang Baek-san and most of his men escaped, Hong Won-chang had managed to capture the bandit leader’s family—and had them all executed, their heads displayed publicly as a warning.
It was his way of sending a message to Jang Baek-san.
A warning not to cause further trouble.
But the act had kindled such hatred in Jang Baek-san that he’d grown beyond the control of local authority—wild, vengeful, unstoppable. Now the Imperial Court would have to send troops.
“Soon the Court will dispatch forces to sweep them out entirely. One fewer headache for you, at least.”
“I pray that’s true. I haven’t had a moment’s rest in over a year.”
The constables nodded, observing the County Magistrate’s furrowed brow. Wherever he went, they followed—a detail, a guard detail.
Because he had killed Jang Baek-san’s family, retaliation was inevitable; the constables had become his shadow, never permitted to let him out of sight.
Half a year passed this way.
Though the tension had eased somewhat by now, there was no escaping the wariness that seized them each time they left the Government Office. The constables walked casually enough, yet their eyes moved constantly, alert to every shadow and corner.
Then it happened.
“Mm?”
As they made their way down a rough path, something impossible caught his eye. A grand manor stood before them—one that most certainly had not existed a fortnight before.
The constables blinked in disbelief. Hong Won-chang found himself speechless.
“Tell me… am I truly seeing this with my own eyes?”
“Y-yes, sir. There is… there is indeed a manor.”
A splendid, refined manor rose up before them.
To raise a structure of such scale in this land would normally require dozens of workers and half a year, even at minimum.
Yet barely two weeks had passed.
And when one considered how recently word of it had begun to spread, the timeline became even more impossibly short.
How could such a thing be explained?
A hard swallow.
His throat went dry.
“Amitabha Buddha… Amitabha Buddha…”
“A-Avalokitesvara…”
The constables chanted, bowing their heads low. Even they could barely believe what their eyes were showing them.
“Could it really be… a ghost?”
“Nonsense! Come on—let’s investigate!”
Hong Won-chang forced down his unease and steadied his breathing. He didn’t believe in spirits; this had to be human work. Possibly a martial artist—such people could accomplish what ordinary folk never imagined.
He’d heard tales of them achieving seemingly impossible feats.
As they approached the manor, a rustling came from one side. They turned in unison, every face tense. Brush parted with a whisper, and a man stepped into view.
“I don’t recall extending any invitations.”
Dan Woo-hyeon, rabbit in hand, fixed them with a steady gaze. He did not care for the sight of them crowding before his door, and his eyes narrowed accordingly.
Yet Hong Won-chang showed no sign of intimidation.
He was a County Magistrate, after all.
“Are you the master of this manor?”
“I am. And you?”
“I am Hong Won-chang, County Magistrate of Akyang.”
“Dan Woo-hyeon.”
Despite hearing the title, Dan Woo-hyeon’s reply was indifferent—as though a magistrate held no weight in his eyes. Hong Won-chang’s face flushed crimson.
“Did you construct this manor?”
“I repaired an old ruin.”
It was an absurd claim.
The walls and visible structures told a different story—no ruin had been merely restored to this condition.
Everything was far too immaculate.
Moreover, there had never been any structure here at all—not a single ruin, let alone a proper dwelling.
“Are you joking? This is the realm’s land. You cannot establish a manor or inhabit it without authorization—and you’re telling me you didn’t know that?”
“If you grant permission, wouldn’t that solve the matter?”
“Hah!”
“Hmm…….”
“What kind of madman talks like that…….”
At Dan Woo-hyeon’s words, the constables exchanged expressions of pure bewilderment. It was, by any measure, a thoroughly absurd proposition.
“Hmm.”
Dan Woo-hyeon stroked his chin thoughtfully.
It seemed he truly ought not to have erected the manor so carelessly in this place. Had he known discovery would come so swiftly, he would have built it somewhere deeper in the wilderness—or so he thought now.
Yet having come this far with the structure already complete, the prospect of abandoning it and moving elsewhere held no appeal.
Dan Woo-hyeon’s eyes gleamed with sudden inspiration. He began rummaging through his garments.
Then he promptly extended something toward Hong Won-chang.
“Perhaps this will satisfy you?”
“…….”
“…….”
Clink.
Hong Won-chang found himself at a loss for words once more.
He was not, by any account, a man of spotless integrity. He accepted bribes freely enough—just enough to avoid suspicion—and had pocketed his share of illicit gains from various quarters while evading the eyes of the Royal Administration and the Imperial Court.
Therefore, he harbored no particular resistance to receiving a favor or request. This was a trivial matter, one that any amount of money could smooth over.
But there was a problem with what Dan Woo-hyeon had offered.
Five Iron Coins.
Not five Gold Coins—five Iron Coins. With such a sum, one could barely purchase a bowl of thin noodles at an inn.
Any observer would have recognized it as a deliberate insult to the County Magistrate himself.
“Seize that man at once!”
“Yes, sir!”
The constables surged forward to bind him.
Dan Woo-hyeon raised his hand to resist, then hesitated. His captor was none other than the County Magistrate. If trouble followed from resistance, the consequences could be severe.
He was accustomed to a life of flight and pursuit, but he was not reckless. He harbored no desire to drag So-mi down the same bitter road.
‘I’ll see how this plays out. At least she’s asleep—a mercy for that.’
Dan Woo-hyeon submitted quietly to arrest.

***

The road leading to the Government Office.
It was a walk of just over an hour—a considerable distance, certainly, yet Hong Won-chang made use of every shortcut he knew to make good time.
It would have been far better to ride, but some stubborn impulse had driven him to come on foot instead, and now that pride had become a hindrance.
‘Then again, had I ridden, things would likely have gone far worse.’
Hong Won-chang glanced back at Dan Woo-hyeon. Throughout the entire procession, the man had spoken not a word.
One might have expected some small reaction, yet he merely surveyed his surroundings, his expression remaining perfectly composed and untroubled.
Hong Won-chang found this profoundly strange.
“Most men wear grim faces when they’re caught and facing judgment. Yet you seem entirely unmoved. Do you harbor no sense of guilt at all?”
“I don’t feel anything in particular.”
Dan Woo-hyeon let out a quiet laugh.
If merely building a manor constituted a crime worthy of punishment, the Dan Woo-hyeon of years past would have been displayed in Public Execution dozens of times over.
Yet even then, he had never once felt a whisper of genuine remorse.
So he saw nothing criminal in any of this.
‘What sort of eyes shine with such menace?’
Hong Won-chang felt an involuntary shudder run through him. Dan Woo-hyeon’s mouth curved upward in what was clearly a mockery, yet he found himself unable to muster any anger at it.
Those eyes held such a savage glint that merely meeting them made his knees feel weak. Before he could help himself, he turned his head away.
‘Is he a martial artist?’
Even if he were, Hong Won-chang harbored no thought of releasing him—but an undeniable unease had taken root. Besides, had Dan Woo-hyeon truly possessed martial training, he would hardly have submitted so meekly to capture. Best to dismiss the notion.
“You’ve chosen your opponent poorly today. I will show you no mercy, so steel yourself.”
The constables nodded grimly in agreement.
To mock the County Magistrate himself was no trivial offense; the punishment would be far harsher than mere beating. It was not impossible that the prisoner would not leave the Government Office alive.
Then it happened.
Dan Woo-hyeon stepped back two paces from the constable ahead of him.
“What—where do you think you’re— Ack!”
Thud!
It was a sight that defied belief. A spear that had materialized from nowhere pierced cleanly through the constable’s chest. Had Dan Woo-hyeon not stepped back, he too would surely have been struck down.
“What… what’s happening?!”
Thwack-thwack-thwack!
Arrows descended in a torrent, each one finding its mark with the precision of a predator striking. The constables’ chests and necks were pierced before they could cry out.
A dozen officers collapsed in moments.
“This… what is…?”
Hong Won-chang trembled violently.
He couldn’t make sense of what was unfolding. Spears and arrows falling from nowhere—but from where? From whom?
Yet soon he could see the culprits.
Figures emerged from the undergrowth on all sides, parting the brush as they came. When Hong Won-chang recognized one of them, he cried out in shock.
“J… Jang Baek-san?!”
“Ha-ha-ha-ha! Hong Won-chang! Wandering the countryside so freely, are we?”
The man charging toward him was unmistakably Jang Baek-san.
He glared at Hong Won-chang. Though his laughter was loud, his eyes burned with lethal intent—he looked ready to strike at any moment.
Hong Won-chang was deeply alarmed.
His only weapon was a single sword.
He could never stand against dozens of masters of that caliber.
As he swallowed hard, seeing no escape route, Jang Baek-san and his men surrounded him.
“Today your life ends, Hong Won-chang!”
“Ugh…!”
A mistake.
He had never truly believed these men would target him—a county magistrate.
Besides, more than half a year had passed since they killed his family, and he had grown careless.
“Chief! Let us cut him down! This is our chance to avenge our elder sister’s death!”
“Yes, Chief! I’ll carve this dog into pieces to feed the animals.”
The bandits gnashed their teeth from every direction.
Hong Won-chang had slaughtered the family of the man they served; their rage burned hotter than heaven itself.
Teeth grinding, they drew their blades.
They meant to shred him where he stood.
The mere sight of this was enough to break Hong Won-chang’s spirit.
His face drained of color, and his body shook uncontrollably.
“P… please spare me.”
“Ha! I wondered when I’d hear you beg. But today—today will be the day your memorial feast is held, make no mistake!”
Jang Baek-san’s declaration cut through the air.
The bandits dismounted and crept closer.
They seized Hong Won-chang forcefully and drove him to his knees.
“N… no!”
“Take him away! Let him taste hell itself.”
“Yes!”
The men dragged Hong Won-chang off.
Meanwhile, Dan Woo-hyeon stood rooted in place, bewildered by what had just unfolded.
The men were clearly bandits, and they plainly had a grievance with the magistrate.
Dan Woo-hyeon’s brow furrowed.
The grievance itself was one thing, but the reek of blood pooling around the corpses scattered about assaulted his nostrils.
“Chief, what should we do with this one?”
A man pointed at Dan Woo-hyeon and posed the question.
Seeing his bound hands, he assumed Dan Woo-hyeon was a criminal the magistrate had captured.
Regarding him as a fellow offender, the man showed no particular malice.
“You’re fortunate. Had we not come along, you’d have been in serious trouble.”
At Jang Baek-san’s words, one of the men approached and cut Dan Woo-hyeon’s bonds.
It was a sign to leave.
Dan Woo-hyeon stifled a groan, clearly wrestling with something.
He glanced back at Hong Won-chang being dragged away by the bandits. If the magistrate truly disappeared into their hands, the manor would have nothing more to worry about.
“Hmm…”
Yet something gnawed at Dan Woo-hyeon. He scratched his head in frustration.

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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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