Chronicles of the Martial God’s Return - Chapter 52

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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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“…….”
The Murim Alliance.
Inside the Cheon Un Pavilion, Alliance Lord Namgung Cheon listened to the report with a grave expression.
Not only the members of the Eight Great Families present, but also the high-ranking officials of the Nine Schools and One House were treating this matter with utmost seriousness.
“Is it truly the case?”
“Yes, sir. A man calling himself an Opportunity Hunter has undoubtedly discovered the Secret Cavern of the Martial God on Gunja Island. However, inside it…….”
“There were the remains of the Three Heavens?”
“Yes…….”
Gasps echoed from every corner of the pavilion.
The Three Heavens.
No martial artist who has ever wielded a blade is unfamiliar with that name. Jang Sam-bong of the Wudang Sect, Dharma of the Shaolin Sect, Cheon Ma of the Demonic Cult—these three were the figures who exerted the greatest influence on the martial world since ancient times.
Since the Three Heavens, not a single martial artist has earned a title bearing the character for “Heaven.”
The very fact that the current five masters of the martial world are merely called the Five Emperors shows how sacred the character for “Heaven” is to them.
Which is why this matter is no trivial affair.
All of the Central Plains would be thrown into turmoil, and every faction would rise to action. Not just the Orthodox Sects, but even those outside the Way.
Considering the weight that the name “Three Heavens” carries, it would be no exaggeration to say so.
“Our Wudang Sect must go to that place.”
Heo Gong, an elder of the Wudang Sect, closed his eyes tightly and drew a labored breath.
Tae Gong-jin.
What is the weight of that name?
If Jang Sam-bong founded the Wudang Sect and created the Taiji Quan to walk the Way of Martial Philosophy, then Tae Gong-jin was the one who granted Jang Sam-bong his enlightenment in the principles of martial learning.
When Jang Sam-bong chanced upon the Samjae Sword Technique, a fortuitous opportunity left by Tae Gong-jin, he grasped the principles of the Way within it and created the very foundation of the Wudang Sect’s martial techniques.
The Taiji Sword Technique, the Yangyi Sword Technique, the Taiji Wisdom Sword, the Taeqing Sword Technique.
The Hyun Heo Seven Stars Sword Technique, the Five Elements Sword Formation, the Ten Stage Prohibition, the Je Un School.
While it is undeniable that Jang Sam-bong was the one who founded the Wudang Sect and laid the groundwork for martial philosophy, the Daoist adepts of modern Wudang had no choice but to revere Tae Gong-jin even more highly.
Namgung Cheon stroked his long beard and released a subtle sigh.
He had foreseen this the moment Tae Gong-jin’s name was spoken.
In truth, it was best to stay out of such matters entirely, but if the Wudang Sect moved, the Murim Alliance could not remain idle.
The problem was…….
“The Demonic Cult will make their move.”
Cheon Mu-gwang.
The finest talent that emerged after Cheon Ma established himself on Tian Shan and founded the Tianma Divine Cult.
He organized the structure of the modern Demonic Cult and was the one who slew Hyul Ma, who had long stood as an adversary to the Tianma Divine Cult and swelled his forces accordingly.
Should the Demonic Cult learn that his remains had been discovered, they would not remain passive either.
Murmurs of distress rippled through the chamber.
An Orthodox-Demonic Great War could erupt at any moment.
“Given the gravity of this matter, the Murim Alliance shall dispatch two hundred of its finest masters. Your Wudang Sect shall command them to transport Tae Gong-jin’s remains to the Wudang Sect, and also undertake a thorough investigation of the interior of the Martial God’s Secret Cavern.”
“We are grateful, Alliance Lord.”
Watching Heo Gong bow deeply, Namgung Cheon nodded. If they did not act decisively now, the Wudang Sect would move independently—so they needed to seize the initiative first.
‘The remains of Tae Gong-jin and Cheon Mu-gwang will fall to the Orthodox Sects and the Demonic Cult to retrieve. But Nam Ju-ryeon…… Nam Ju-ryeon…… Who in heaven’s name…… could this be?’
Namgung Cheon groaned softly and lowered his head.
Nothing reliable was known of Nam Ju-ryeon. Though he bore the title of “Three Heavens,” he left no accomplishments whatsoever compared to the other two.
Whether he had walked the Righteous Path, the Heretical Path, or the Demonic Path remained a mystery, making it impossible to predict which faction might yet become entangled in this affair.
He gripped his throbbing temples and exhaled slowly.

***

“It’s…… so hot…….”
“Not thinking of bringing some water?”
“Why don’t you go fetch it?”
Namgung So-hye, seated on the ground in the plain clothes of a farm woman rather than her usual attire, wiped the sweat from her brow and shot a glare at Jang Sam-tae.
There was water just a few steps away, yet his habit of making others run his errands grated on her nerves.
“Ugh, weeding on such a scorching day is killing me, truly. I’d rather go splash in a stream or something.”
“They say the waters of Dongting Lake are quite refreshing.”
“That place is deep! You drown if you fall in!”
“Try it out. See if you drown or not. Who knows? You’re a rather unusual specimen—you might even be able to breathe underwater.”
“You, you wretch!”
“Want to give it a try?”
Jang Sam-tae shot to his feet, glaring at Namgung So-hye. For a moment, it looked as though he might reach for her—then he caught himself with a forced cough and sank back down.
Namgung So-hye, both fists clenched, looked far too dangerous to provoke.
“Stop squabbling and weed the field.”
“You do it yourself.”
“And you do the same!”
Gwon Mu-jin wiped away beads of cold sweat.
When they’d first started breaking rock, he’d at least felt like he was training, moving with some purpose. That much had been bearable.
But now that every stone was shattered and they were reduced to weeding rows and picking out pebbles, time dragged interminably, and the work had become utterly tedious.
He was going through the motions.
That was Gwon Mu-jin’s current state.
As he exhaled a shallow sigh, Namgung So-hye’s voice drifted over.
“I still don’t understand why Dan had us cultivate a field like this in the first place…”
She complained even as her hands worked steadily, turning soil with practiced efficiency. Truth be told, she had no desire to be here—but the Estate offered little else to do besides idle away the hours. Besides, everyone present was laboring to work the land.
Namgung So-hye found herself with nothing to do alone.
Boredom had eventually worn her down into lending a hand.
And since they fed her without complaint, she might as well earn her keep.
“Simple enough. Growing your own food costs far less than buying it in town.”
“You think that’s really his motive?”
“Ha. It’s entirely plausible for him.”
Even Gwon Mu-jin nodded in agreement without protest.
Dan Woo-hyun spared no expense when it came to Dan So-mi—silver, gold, whatever she wanted. Yet in other matters, he guarded his coin with almost miserly care.
“But what was he doing before all this? Where did he come from?”
At Namgung So-hye’s question, both Jang Sam-tae and Gwon Mu-jin let out a low, thoughtful hum.
It was true—they all knew something of each other’s pasts, but Dan Woo-hyun remained an enigma.
“With martial arts that formidable… he must have lived the life of a Sword Rice, right?”
Jang Sam-tae muttered as though stating the obvious.
Yet both Gwon Mu-jin and Namgung So-hye shook their heads. At his level of skill, if he’d truly wandered the Martial World as a sellsword, word of him would have reached at least one of the major powers by now.
But no faction seemed aware of his existence—which suggested he’d never been part of the Martial World at all.
Just then, Dan So-mi, who had been listening quietly, perked up and broke into a broad smile.
“Father was a carpenter.”
“Wh—what?”
……
“I… don’t follow.”
There was simply no comprehension to be had.
Dan Woo-hyun? A carpenter?
A stray dog passing by would’ve laughed at the absurdity. The man bore no resemblance to such a trade whatsoever.
He was far more suited to smashing things than building them.
“It’s true! I know it is. Father repaired this very house, built that storehouse over there. Almost everything inside belongs to his handiwork!”
“That’s… that’s impossible…”
“Preposterous.”
Namgung So-hye’s jaw dropped.
She’d already seen the work Dan So-mi described scattered throughout the Estate.
The storehouse alone was impressive—no ordinary person could have built something so grand and sturdy, let alone managed it single-handedly.
And Dan Woo-hyun had constructed it?
Namgung So-hye stared down at the hoe in her hand with dawning wonder.
Dan So-mi smiled sweetly.
“He made this too.”
One impossible revelation after another tumbled out. How could anyone believe that a man possessing such formidable martial skill had merely been a carpenter?
Namgung So-hye pressed her temples, head throbbing.
Gwon Mu-jin felt the same vertigo.
If carpenters were truly that strong, they’d have trampled every martial artist in the Central Plains beneath their feet.
“Stop prying into another’s past.”
“Dan? When did you…”
“Just now.”
None of them had sensed his arrival.
And yet here stood a man who claimed to have been nothing but a carpenter. How could one accept such a thing?
“You were truly a carpenter?”
“Ha. Does it seem so?”
“Absolutely not.”
The three of them shook their heads uncertainly. The carpenter and Dan Woo-hyun, no matter how hard they thought, couldn’t make any connection.
Knowing that this was someone who wouldn’t answer even if they asked, the three could only rack their brains in frustration.
“Aside from that—have you noticed things have been restless around Ak-yang lately? Do you know what’s happening?”
Twice a day.
Dan Woo-hyun made trips to Ak-yang to escort Dan So-mi there or bring her back. But over the past half-month, the number of martial artists had been growing at a rapid pace.
The scale was incomparable to when they’d arrested the Hukdo Society last time.
It felt as though something had erupted.
Even the wind seemed to be trembling faintly.
“I’m not sure. I haven’t left the estate since arriving here……”
Namgung So-hye murmured, her expression uncertain.
Since living at the estate, she’d grown indolent.
With delicious meals appearing three times a day and such pleasant scenery, she found herself growing lazy without realizing it.
Precisely because she felt this, she’d been helping with the fieldwork.
There was no way the three confined within the estate could know something that Dan Woo-hyun, who traveled to Ak-yang twice daily, didn’t know himself.
“The number of martial artists has grown considerably.”
“Isn’t it because of what happened before?”
Gwon Mu-jin’s eyes gleamed with a fierce intensity. If there were those who might bring harm to the estate, his conviction made clear he would not tolerate it.
“No, it doesn’t seem to be that sort of thing…… It’s as though they’re waiting for something……”
Dan Woo-hyun let out a thoughtful hum.
But he didn’t think too deeply about it. The movements of martial artists were generally alike wherever you went.
He speculated that perhaps a Martial Arts Tournament or something of the sort was being held somewhere near Dongting Lake, Ak-yang, or Jang Sa.
If it had been something more important than that, Hong Won-chang would have noticed and rushed here at once.
“So-mi knows.”
“Hmm? Knows what?”
Dan So-mi laughed softly, her gaze fixed on Dan Woo-hyun. There was something so mischievous in her expression that Dan Woo-hyun couldn’t help but smile.
“The School’s buzzing about it! They say they found something!”
“Something? What is it?”
“Hehe! You guess!”
Dan Woo-hyun broke into a cold sweat. How could he possibly guess without being able to read people’s minds?
But looking at her face, Dan So-mi seemed to know something tremendous.
He opened his mouth to speak, amused, when—
Flap-flutter!
A carrier pigeon suddenly descended from somewhere.
It appeared without warning and circled about as if searching for its owner, before finally alighting on Namgung So-hye’s shoulder.
A small pigeon message tube was fastened to its leg.
By the crimson color of the tube, it seemed to be some kind of mark.
“Special grade……?”
Namgung So-hye stared at the pigeon with trembling hands. A crimson tube was only sent when the Murim Alliance issued an emergency or when a crisis of comparable magnitude occurred.
And it had arrived now, of all times.
She swallowed hard, reaching out to retrieve the pigeon.
As she unfolded the small paper, her expression turned rigid, and she couldn’t utter a single word.
“What is it?”
Finally, Dan Woo-hyun asked.
From her demeanor, he could sense it was no ordinary matter.
Namgung So-hye’s eyes rippled like waves before settling on Dan Woo-hyun.
“I…… I need to go.”
Namgung So-hye moved without saying anything more. This very silence proved how grave the situation was.
Dan Woo-hyun, Gwon Mu-jin, and Jang Sam-tae watched her figure vanish rapidly into the distance.
Once she had completely disappeared from sight, Dan Woo-hyun, who had been silent for a moment, furrowed his brow and spoke quietly.
“Sam-tae.”
“Yes?”
“Find out what this is about…… and return.”
“Yes!”

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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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