Chronicles of the Martial God’s Return - Chapter 72

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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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Clatter, clatter—
Dan Woo-hyun sat in the carriage bound for Houbei, his eyes firmly closed, silent for several double hours.
Whether he slept or meditated was impossible to tell.
Yet he didn’t seem to be cultivating inner energy either. To practice Inner Energy Cultivation in a place shaking this violently would be something other than human.
‘But why suddenly head to Houbei?’
That was what puzzled Kwon Mu-jin most.
He’d caught fragments of a conversation between Dan Woo-hyun and Namgung Cheon, but he hadn’t fully understood the situation, and the map had drawn his attention away from catching everything properly.
Kwon Mu-jin ventured carefully to speak.
“Sir… my lord…”
“Go ahead.”
So he wasn’t asleep after all.
Dan Woo-hyun slowly opened his eyes that had been shut.
Those luminous eyes flashed once with light before fading, yet Kwon Mu-jin merely offered an awkward smile.
“What exactly is our purpose in heading to Houbei, my lord? It’s such a distance, and…”
He had never ventured this far before.
Dan Woo-hyun had always clung to the Manor and its surroundings like a man bound by chains.
Of course, there had been a few occasions when business took him further afield, but he’d always returned within days, never straying beyond Honam.
But this was different.
From Honam to Houbei.
A considerably distant journey.
Even at minimum, it would take a month and a half, and naturally, depending on what they accomplished there, it could consume far more time than that.
Kwon Mu-jin wondered if this was truly a matter grave enough to warrant such an absence from Dan So-mi.
“Do you know of someone called Geumwangsu?”
“I’ve… heard the name.”
Kwon Mu-jin turned the name over in his mind. Among those in the Central Plain who had any reputation whatsoever, there were few who hadn’t heard it.
“Isn’t that an epithet passed down through generations?”
“Mm?”
“…You weren’t aware of that?”
Kwon Mu-jin exhaled quietly.
The epithet Geumwangsu had endured for a very long time.
It first appeared roughly two hundred years ago, the name claimed by the greatest thief in the Central Plain of that era.
And as time passed, his disciples inherited the epithet Geumwangsu, and it has continued to this day.
Most who took an interest in tales of old would know at least that much.
“I see. So it passes from master to disciple?”
“Yes, my lord. By rumor, they say the thieving arts are transmitted in direct succession and then passed down. Because of this, while the epithet never ceases to circulate in men’s mouths, his appearance grows ever more different as time flows on.”
That’s why Appearance Tracking itself becomes useless.
Geumwangsu—an enormous bounty hangs over his head. It has been so for a very long time, yet he has never been captured.
His possession of the finest Lightness Technique in the Central Plain plays a role, but whenever he comes close to being caught, his appearance changes, and the man who bore that former face vanishes, leaving no trace.
Dan Woo-hyun nodded.
There were so many exceptional individuals in the Central Plain that the existence of such a person was hardly remarkable.
“This journey to Houbei… could it possibly be connected to Geumwangsu?”
“It is.”
“Ah… I hadn’t considered this. But there’s a rumor he died several years ago…”
“That and this are unrelated. If he exists, all the better. If not, I’ll simply treat it as a leisurely excursion.”
Dan Woo-hyun casually produced the map and showed it.
As Kwon Mu-jin gazed at it, something seemed to dawn on him—his eyes widened. A map connected to Geumwangsu. Moreover, if someone like Dan Woo-hyun himself is moved to act…
‘Treasure…’
Could this be the famed treasure map depicting where Geumwangsu had concealed his wealth? Kwon Mu-jin swallowed hard, his eyes growing wide.
“Could this be the one I’ve only heard rumored about…?”
“I’m not sure what rumors you’ve heard, but Namgung Cheon assures me this is the map showing where Geumwangsu hid his treasure.”
Exactly!
With Namgung Cheon’s guarantee, it had to be the truth.
That map, sought by so many for ages past.
A map said to contain wealth enough to purchase an entire city—no wonder Dan Woo-hyun would take to the field personally.
Kwon Mu-jin swallowed once more.
Dan Woo-hyun smiled faintly as he watched his reaction.
“If you find the treasure… you’ll share in the reward. I’ll buy you whatever you desire.”
“I… thank you so much, my lord! I shall never forget this kindness as long as I live.”
“Ha, but we haven’t found it yet, have we?”
“I swear I will search with every ounce of strength I possess.”
The two men locked eyes and nodded at each other.
There was a fierce determination between them—to find this treasure and live out their days in comfort, or perhaps to lay hands on wealth that all the Central Plain would envy.
In this way, they were oddly well-matched.
“Still, I wonder if So-mi is managing all right back at the Manor.”
“Indeed. With that vast place and the two of us gone, it must feel terribly empty……”
Treasure is treasure, but worry is worry.
Dan Woo-hyun, arms folded, swallowed a small groan. The only souls left in that sprawling Manor were one useless servant and one pointless old man.
Of the two, at least Dan So-mi was coming into her own, but she was still so young—he fretted over whether she might grow tearful and lose heart, or whether beneath her bright smiles she nursed an aching loneliness.
They had been apart for days before, but never for such a stretch as this.
Dan Woo-hyun let out a quiet sigh, turned his head, and muttered toward the driver.
“I wish we could go a bit faster.”
Crack!
The carriage lurched forward with sudden speed.

***

Several days had passed since Dan Woo-hyun departed the Manor.
Though only two people had vanished, the air that settled over the Manor felt different from before.
The voices from within were few, but those laughter rang out quite loud.
“Hehehehe! I won!”
“No, you didn’t!”
“Hehehehe! This old fellow hasn’t kicked the bucket yet, I’ll have you know.”
“You’re both wrong! It was I, So-mi, who won!”
The three of them sat clustered in the courtyard, playing with small stones. Lines were drawn here and there across the ground, and within a large circle sat their names written in chalk.
So-mi’s circle was the largest; Jang Sam-tae’s the smallest.
At that moment, So-mi flicked another stone and swept away the circles of both Jang Sam-tae and Namgung Cheon entirely.
Jang Sam-tae’s face went pale in an instant. How many rounds had he lost now?
“There’s no beating So-mi at the Land-Taking Game.”
“At the School too, So-mi wins plenty of snacks with this game.”
Dan So-mi grinned.
It was a game they played at the School whenever boredom struck.
At first, Jiwak had waved her hands in protest—dirt on the hands, and all that—but So-mi had bulldozed her way into starting it anyway, and before long it had become something of an addiction.
Gradually it spread among the children until it became the fashion, and now many of them played the Land-Taking Game during their breaks.
“B-but how do you… obtain these snacks?”
“Oh! If we just play for fun it’s boring, so the children wager things—all sorts of things. Sometimes I even earn pocket money from it.”
Namgung Cheon broke into a cold sweat.
It was only a game, after all.
Gulp.
But listening to So-mi describe it, it didn’t sound like something that could be written off as simple anymore. There were apparently children staking snacks, and every so often some foolish ones who wagered actual money.
So-mi sat there smiling brightly, innocent as spring water.
Promoting gambling with that angelic face and profiting from it, no less.
Namgung Cheon felt as though he’d glimpsed another side of So-mi entirely.
She wore that brilliant smile, but what if beneath it she harbored a cunning expression, watching them with cold calculation?
‘Surely not…’
Namgung Cheon shook his head, forcing the thought away.
“Never mind that, So-mi—what if this old grandfather taught you something worthwhile instead?”
“……Worthwhile?”
Dan So-mi tilted her head curiously.
Worthwhile? What could be more worthwhile?
The Land-Taking Game was quite pleasant and entertaining.
She’d never lost to anyone, and with snacks and the occasional pocket money, was there anything more worthwhile than that?
As her puzzled gaze met his, Namgung Cheon cleared his throat.
“Martial Arts.”
“I don’t want to.”
Dan So-mi whipped her head around and shook it firmly.
She had tried learning Martial Arts before.
The Three Tribulations Sword Technique or whatever it was called—it had been fun at first, but as time wore on her body grew weary and the strain became considerable.
With that small, delicate frame already sore from exertion, any ordinary child would have no choice but to refuse.
Namgung Cheon, however, was taken aback.
The Sword Emperor himself was offering to teach her.
Any child would flinch and nod eagerly, and their parents wouldn’t be out of place bowing to Namgung Cheon a hundred times over.
To learn anything from the Sword Emperor was, for martial artists, the same as grasping an opportunity that might never come again in a lifetime.
“But… why on earth don’t you want to? You haven’t even given it thought…….”
“I don’t like fighting.”
Bright and shimmering—
Dan So-mi, who had turned her head away, looked back at him with luminous eyes. Her pretty features shone all the brighter, and her voice was softer than ever before; his heart sank with a heavy thud.
Namgung Cheon felt a sudden vertigo and turned his head away.
The light she gave off was too much to face directly.
But would the Sword Emperor himself bow to such cuteness?
Don’t underestimate the master of all blades.
Namgung Cheon steadied his breathing and collected himself.
“So-mi, dear. Learning martial arts doesn’t mean you must fight. Some pursue it for spiritual cultivation, others simply to strengthen their body.”
“But I’m already strong.”
“No… stronger than you are now…….”
Dan So-mi thought for a moment.
Stronger than I am now?
A face came to mind.
Hong Jin-rang.
She’d heard that boy had begun his martial training even younger than she was now.
Since Namgung Cheon promised she would certainly grow stronger, it was only natural that an image formed in her mind—of herself with bulging muscles and broad shoulders.
In that instant, Dan So-mi’s face went ashen.
“N-no. Absolutely not.”
At that moment, Namgung Cheon realized he’d misspoken. Looking at the child’s expression, she seemed to have recalled something she didn’t want to think about.
Then a better idea suddenly occurred to him.
“That’s it! So-hye! You know So-hye well, don’t you?”
“Yes, of course I know my sister.”
“She’s incredibly beautiful, isn’t she?”
“Well…… yes, I suppose.”
Dan So-mi nodded.
Indeed, Namgung So-hye was strikingly beautiful. Whenever they walked together down Ak-yang Street, she could feel how the men’s eyes turned toward her.
There was a part of her that envied it. Even if she was young, Dan So-mi was still a girl after all.
“If you learn martial arts, you can become just like that, hehehehe!”
“Really?!”
Dan So-mi’s eyes widened in surprise as she stared at Namgung Cheon.
If she could truly become that beautiful, she’d want for nothing. Surely Dan Woo-hyun would care for her even more then.
As Dan So-mi’s eyes sparkled with hope while asking the question, Namgung Cheon readily nodded.
“Of course!”
“Hehehehe.”
Dan So-mi broke into a shy, pleased smile.
Feeling that he’d won her over, Namgung Cheon couldn’t suppress his delight.
He’d been stern with Namgung So-hye during her lessons, but he resolved that with this child, he would teach with the warmth of a grandfather like never before.
“That settles it, then.”
“What……?”
With a wide grin, Dan So-mi drove a dagger straight into Namgung Cheon’s heart.
“When I grow up, I’ll be even prettier than my sister.”
At that radiant smile, Namgung Cheon felt his spirits plummet.
But Dan So-mi, watching his face, chuckled to herself and spoke softly.
“Still, since Grandfather is teaching me, I’ll do my best!”

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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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