Chronicles of the Martial God’s Return - Chapter 71

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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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“Doesn’t look like he’s going back.”
Dan Woo-hyun, having walked Dan So-mi home to the School, murmured this while watching Namgung Cheon swing a real sword through the air.
The moment he’d heard that Mo Yong Hyeok-mun had become the leader of the Murim Alliance, the man’s expression had shifted—and Dan Woo-hyun had thought it wouldn’t be strange if he’d rushed off at once.
Namgung Cheon lowered the blade.
“What good would it do to go back now?”
With the position of Murim Alliance leader changed hands, Namgung Cheon had lost his footing. Even if he returned to confront the situation, no one would listen to a man stripped of power.
The position itself had been won by strength, not by character.
Worse, he might provoke Mo Yong Hyeok-mun and trigger something far worse. If Mo Yong Hyeok-mun had truly betrayed him, things wouldn’t end simply.
“This Mo Yong Hyeok-mun must be quite formidable.”
“Even at full strength, he’d be a challenging opponent, no doubt about it.” Namgung Cheon let out a short, awkward laugh. The title of Second-Generation Prodigy didn’t circulate for nothing. He was a man who trained relentlessly and possessed talent to match.
As one of the two men who had pushed aside the Nine Schools and One House, which had protected this lineage for ages, and ushered in the era of the Eight Great Families, he was undoubtedly formidable.

“Mo Yong may have a poor disposition—I know that well—but the Murim Alliance chose him. I can’t interfere, nor do I wish to. I’m setting that matter aside now.”
Dan Woo-hyun saw sincerity in Namgung Cheon’s eyes.
Not the gaze of someone harboring hatred or deception toward another. Moreover, there was no evidence anywhere that Mo Yong Hyeok-mun had orchestrated Namgung Cheon’s removal to become the leader.
It could simply be that circumstances unfolded that way.
He didn’t want to suspect a friend of long standing based on uncertain grounds.
“I see. Everything flows as it will……”
“The man has an odd temperament, true enough—but he leads a great household. In that sense, it’s reassuring, even welcome.” Namgung Cheon chuckled again.
Dan Woo-hyun nodded at his words.
Being able to trust someone is rather interesting, after all.
Yet bitterness lurked behind his eyes.
Even recognizing that, Dan Woo-hyun smiled and turned his gaze away.
This was Namgung Cheon’s affair.
He had no desire to offer counsel or interfere.
Because the man had decided.
“By the way, do you know of someone called Geum Wang-su?”
“Never heard the name.”
Namgung Cheon nodded, as if he’d expected as much.
From what he’d observed, Dan Woo-hyun was a master of considerable skill. Yet because he had no ties to the Murim world, he seemed to know nothing of it.
You might say he showed no interest in it.
Quite unusual, really.
With his level of prowess, Dan Woo-hyun could easily have made a name for himself in the Central Plains.
“Geum Wang-su was the finest thief in the Central Plains.”
“Was?”
Namgung Cheon nodded slightly.
Past tense.
Until a few years ago, he was a thief who stirred the Central Plains—said to have no place he couldn’t enter and no lock he couldn’t pick.
His Lightness Skill was so swift that none in the Central Plains could match it, and his Concealment was so masterful that once he vanished, pursuit was futile. They say that even tracking his traces, he was already gone.
No trace remained to follow.
“So he excelled at Concealment and Lightness Skill?”
“His Concealment was rather average, actually. He was often spotted during infiltrations. The real reason he pulled off thefts perfectly was his Lightness Skill.”
Dan Woo-hyun nodded in understanding.
He felt no great interest in thieves. Most who stole things ended badly. Just look at Jang Sam-tae—hadn’t he lost all that wealth?
“I myself once tracked him for amusement. During that pursuit, I obtained this.”
Namgung Cheon withdrew a small cylindrical container from within his robes, hidden so deep that despite the ambush he’d endured, it remained on his person.
Furthermore, though he’d fallen into Dongting Lake, the contents inside the container hadn’t gotten wet. It was made with such precision.
“A map?”
“A treasure map. Geum Wang-su’s treasure.”
For a moment, Dan Woo-hyun’s eyes gleamed.
Thieves held no interest for him, but wealth and riches did. With the number of idle dependents growing, money was slipping away in every direction.
He’d been pondering how to fill that gap when suddenly a treasure map appeared before his eyes.
Dan Woo-hyun gazed at it with keen interest.
“You remain at this estate, yet I know you’re not truly helping with its affairs. So I thought to give this to you instead.”
“You want me to find it? What if he’s already taken it?”
“Well, that’s possible—or it may not be. Besides, rumors of Geum Wang-su ended three years ago, and most say he’s dead. Because the last place he robbed was quite famous. More importantly, when he did, there was no commotion. It was silent.”
“You’re certain?”
“Of course.”
Namgung Cheon let out a soft chuckle.
The treasure might exist, or it might not—the odds were even. And searching for it could prove arduous. But if the treasure did exist, it represented a chance to lay hands on vast riches beyond measure.
Dan Woo-hyun was the sort who couldn’t resist the lure of money.
There was no way he’d pass this up.
He studied the map in silence for a long moment, then nodded.
“I’ll take it.”
He examined the map carefully once it was in his hands.
It appeared to depict a region and a village, pointing to something—though what it indicated wasn’t clearly marked, and without so much as a single character of text, he’d need to wrack his brains considerably to decipher it.
“I myself have possessed this for a long time without solving it. If you could unravel its secrets, wouldn’t this old man find great joy in that? Heh heh heh.”
“It’s harder than I expected. With only the terrain shown, there’s no way to tell where it is exactly…….”
Namgung Cheon nodded in agreement with Dan Woo-hyun’s assessment.
He too found it difficult to discern, given how crudely the location had been drawn. That was why he’d given up searching and simply kept it carefully hidden away.
Perhaps, he’d thought, he might stumble upon a similar place while traveling through the Central Plains.
“……Isn’t that Hubei?”
Just then, a quiet murmur reached their ears.
It was Kwon Mu-jin, who had drawn close without anyone noticing.
“Hubei?”
“Yes, sir. If you follow the waterway west from Wuhan, the provincial capital of Hubei, there is a large village called Han Cheon. That appears to be what is drawn here…….”
Dan Woo-hyun and Namgung Cheon listened intently to Kwon Mu-jin’s words. Though they couldn’t be certain whether he was right or wrong, hearing him speak with such conviction somehow made it feel plausible.
“Hubei…… Hubei, you say…….”
“I’m quite certain of it. I lived there for roughly a year before, so I’m familiar with the place.”
Not that he’d chosen to live there.
Kwon Mu-jin had once been stationed in Hubei, concealed there while gathering intelligence to relay to Muwang Fortress. Han Cheon was close to Wuhan and was a sizable town, making it ideal for obtaining information.
“I see.”
Dan Woo-hyun looked back and forth between the map and Kwon Mu-jin, nodding. His expression revealed nothing of what he was thinking, but shortly afterward he tucked the map away and voiced his conclusion.
“I’ll need to take a tour of Hubei.”

“Where are you going?”
That evening.
His casual remark dropped during their quiet dinner sent Jang Sam-tae and Dan So-mi wide-eyed with shock. It came out of nowhere, with no warning whatsoever.
“Hubei.”
“I know about it too! That’s where the Wudang Sect is!”
Dan So-mi grinned brightly, her face alight with anticipation. Wudang Mountain’s scenic beauty was quite famous. The fact that young Dan So-mi knew of it spoke volumes—Hubei was nearly as well-known as Honam.
“But why Hubei of all places? I understand it has many famous sites and sights worth seeing, but…….”
Jang Sam-tae mumbled with some unease. Unlike Honam, Hubei was controlled by major martial families and sects.
To the west lay the Wudang Sect.
To the east, the Jegal Clan.
Worse, the Wudang Sect was more volatile than ever these days. Ever since they’d failed to find the three thousand bodies at Gunja Island, their eyes burned with fury.
If trouble broke out in such a place,
swords would be drawn immediately.
The mere thought made Jang Sam-tae shudder.
Dan Woo-hyun, observing this, let out a soft laugh.
“You and So-mi cannot go.”
“Pardon?”
“What?”
Both of them let out puzzled sounds at once. He was talking about going to Hubei, yet now he was saying they couldn’t—their eyes were filled with confusion.
Dan So-mi, who had been looking forward to it most of all, was hit hardest.
On the verge of tears, she barely managed to speak.
“Why……?”
“First, it’s too far. Taking young So-mi there would be unreasonable. Besides, don’t you have school to attend?”
“But…… but So-mi wants to go too.”
“Second, I cannot leave the manor unguarded.”
At that, Jang Sam-tae flinched.
Dan Woo-hyun was right.
Recently, two Murim sects had arrived in Ak-yang. Though they were smaller factions without much renown, they were expanding their influence and taking control of the surrounding area.
If the manor were left empty in such circumstances, there was no telling what might happen. With no one living there, people could simply take whatever they wished.
Someone was needed who could keep watch over Ak-yang’s situation.
And while it was unfortunate, if Dan So-mi couldn’t go, there was no one better suited than Jang Sam-tae to care for the child.
He could have entrusted the matter to Hong Won-chang as he had before, but Dan Woo-hyun seemed to have no desire to do so. There was the matter of being busy as the Ak-yang sects had been moving in recently, but Dan So-mi would hardly prefer someone else’s home to her own.
“Third, if everyone leaves the estate…the crops will die.”
‘Ah, that’s it.’
‘Of course…that makes sense.’
Jang Sam-tae and Dan So-mi found themselves convinced.
The fields laid out beside the estate house contained a considerable quantity of crops. Since this was a critical period for proper harvesting, someone capable of managing them properly was essential.
But if everyone left, there would be no one to do it.
To Dan Woo-hyun, while Dan So-mi mattered, the real problem seemed to be the lack of someone to manage the crops. Even as both men were convinced by the logic, something about it sat poorly with them.
“Heh-heh, then this old man shall stay behind and keep So-mi company.”
“Are you certain?”
“Of course. Truth be told, I’ve little interest in such matters anymore.”
Namgung Cheon chuckled warmly, lifted Dan So-mi from beside him, and set her on his lap. He had been curious about what treasure Geum Wang-su had been guarding all these years, but now—being here with this child satisfied him far more.
“Come, play with your grandfather while your father is away.”
“Hehe, thank you, Grandfather!”
Dan So-mi broke into a bright smile and nestled into Namgung Cheon’s embrace. The two of them were so familiar with each other that anyone watching would surely have mistaken them for true grandfather and granddaughter.
Dan Woo-hyun’s expression showed some displeasure at the sight, but there was no need to quibble over a decision Namgung Cheon had already made.
He gave a small nod and spoke.
“Then I entrust the estate to you.”

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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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