Martial God of the Sun and Moon - Chapter 104

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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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Chapter 104
Dokgo Myeong’s eyes sharpened as he studied the Hooded Man.
‘Peculiar.’
Most martial artists gauge their opponent’s level by observing posture, footwork, and the aura they emanate.
Dokgo Myeong added sensory perception to that assessment—something difficult to explain, closer to intuition or a feeling.
‘The aura and posture are first-rate. Yet… why does he seem so weak?’
Both his stance and momentum were perfectly composed, yet it appeared as though he were deliberately suppressing his own martial power.
And that wasn’t all.
‘…This energy?’
Though remarkably well-concealed with precision, the aura felt familiar.
‘Could it be?’
That’s when it happened.
“Why stare so intently? You won’t see my face anyway since I’m wearing this hood.”
The man chuckled and spoke.
Dokgo Myeong narrowed his eyes and replied.
“I didn’t quite catch what you said. What were you saying to me?”
“Just making conversation. I suddenly heard someone beside me thinking the same thing, so I chimed in.”
The Hooded Man gestured toward the stone monument.
“Isn’t it amusing that a dead stone receives praise from living people? Beobjon didn’t create it for that purpose.”
Any martial artist should feel competitive pride at such words.
Having said that, he adjusted his hood and turned on his heel.
“My apologies for the intrusion. I’ll take my leave now.”
In an instant, Dokgo Myeong subtly shifted his shoulder forward.
“This is fate—let us exchange names.”
“Pardon?”
“I am Myeong of the Dokgo Family from Honam. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Dokgo Myeong bowed slightly and assumed the martial salute, revealing his identity with deference.
Geum Seok-du’s jaw dropped.
‘A greeting? The Young Master is greeting someone?’
Moreover, he was bowing and using respectful language first?
No way.
Geum Seok-du squeezed his eyes shut, then opened them again.
It was the same.
The tone, the posture of the martial salute, the gentle demeanor—everything.
It was etiquette befitting a prestigious martial family’s name.
‘My eyes must be deceiving me. Or perhaps my ears…’
Geum Seok-du couldn’t believe what he was witnessing. He felt as though the sky itself were collapsing.
Meanwhile, the Hooded Man’s eyes widened slightly behind his hood.
“Are you truly Myeong Sohyeop of the Four Dragons and Five Phoenixes?”
“Four Dragons and Five Phoenixes? I’m not sure what that is, but I am indeed Dokgo Myeong.”
“How remarkable. I heard you were someone quite extraordinary, and here I am meeting such a distinguished person.”
The Hooded Man spoke with the corners of his mouth curling upward.
Despite his words, there was no trace of genuine surprise in his expression—only a faint air of arrogance.
Dokgo Myeong asked.
“And you are?”
“I hadn’t intended to introduce myself, to be honest.”
“Then you’re free to leave.”
“That would be discourteous. I am… Namso.”
Namso removed his wide-brimmed hat and offered a respectful bow.
“Unlike you, I have no particular affiliation to declare. I’m simply an unknown martial artist who came to the Denglong Arena to participate in this martial tournament.”
Geum Seok-du’s eyes widened.
He was a rare beauty—fair-skinned with distinct, sharp features. His large eyes and clear pupils conveyed an impression of unwavering resolve.
A glimmer of intrigue flickered in Dokgo Myeong’s gaze as he studied Namso’s face.
“Is that your real name?”
Namso hesitated.
“Even if it weren’t, that’s hardly your concern, is it?”
A brief silence fell between them.
Suddenly, Dokgo Myeong chuckled and nodded.
“Fair enough. Now that we know each other’s names, how about we share a drink?”
“You’re suggesting we drink together as strangers meeting for the first time?”
“Once we’ve exchanged names, we’re no longer strangers.”
“I don’t usually refuse drinking, but…”
Namso smiled enigmatically and tapped the sword hanging at his waist.
“I need to sharpen my blade for the tournament.”
His tone had shifted, carrying an edge that hadn’t been there before.
Dokgo Myeong’s expression flickered subtly as he listened.
“Sharp indeed.”
“Pardon?”
“Are you planning to cut someone down?”
Namso’s eyes twitched slightly at those words.
“What do you mean by that?”
“Exactly what I said.”
“Who comes to a martial tournament intending to kill someone? That’s a dangerous thing to suggest.”
“Someone might.”
Namso regarded Dokgo Myeong silently for a moment.
“It seems you’re even more interesting than the rumors suggest.”
“What rumors have you heard?”
“Oh, you know—the usual gossip that circulates through the Gangho.”
“…”
“In any case, I must repeat myself: that’s hardly your concern, is it?”
Namso chuckled lightly and gave a small bow.
“That was an enjoyable conversation. Well then, I’ll take my leave.”
Namso placed the hooded mask back on his head, tied the strings, and departed.
Dokgo Myeong stared intently at his retreating figure.
At that moment, Geum Seok-du trembled and cast a sidelong glance at Dokgo Myeong.
“How despicable… what on earth were you trying to accomplish with that act…?”
“What are you going on about now?”
“Is it this person? You didn’t like something about them, so you were acting out revenge, weren’t you? This Geum Seok-du has finally seen through your methods, Young Master.”
“Seok-du.”
“Yes?”
“If you grow tired of life in this world, just say so. I may not be able to do much else, but I can at least escort you to the gates of the afterlife.”
“…”
Geum Seok-du clamped his mouth shut.
Dokgo Myeong let out a scoff.
In any case, this fellow was the only one who could take a beating and still dare to sass him back.
“I found him faster than expected.”
“Yes?”
“That person. He’s the one I came to bring this time.”
Dokgo Myeong gazed for a long while at Namso’s figure as he pushed through the crowd and moved away.
“…?”
Geum Seok-du blinked his eyes.
‘That Sohyeop from just now is a martial artist more true to the way than anyone else?’
Geum Seok-du’s expression grew troubled.
He understood that the man possessed an upright and resolute character, but he hadn’t given off such an impressive aura.
Rather, his slender frame and pale complexion even made him appear sickly.
“Really? Then why didn’t you capture him and just let him go?”
“The person is certainly correct, but the situation seems somewhat different from what I knew.”
Dokgo Myeong crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes.
“The situation?”
“Yes. Someone with such dangerous toxic energy visible in their eyes wouldn’t be like that. And that strange aura as well…”
“Toxic energy? I didn’t see anything like that.”
“Because he concealed it.”
“…?”
“There’s definitely something. I should probably look into it more carefully. It seems difficult to interfere rashly.”
Dokgo Myeong shook his head repeatedly.
“Anyway, what’s this about the Four Dragons or something?”
“It’s the Four Dragons and Five Peaks. You don’t know, even though you belong to it?”
“Probably just another name those who love dividing people by rank came up with.”
“Well, that’s… true enough.”
Some people were so desperate to be called by such names, but that was a bit…
“The Four Dragons and Five Phoenixes. It refers to nine promising successors expected to support the realm.”
Geum Seok-du smacked his lips and continued his explanation.
“Until a few years ago, it was the Four Dragons and Six Phoenixes. They called it the Ten Pillars, as in ten columns supporting the heavens.”
“If I joined, why did the number decrease?”
“Your cousins, the Twin Dragons of the Dokgo Family, occupied two positions, but they’ve grown beyond what we’d call promising successors in terms of age and caliber. With them stepping back and you taking your place, the count shifted.”
Dokgo Myeong’s expression crumpled.
“So I’m being ranked on the same level as these wet-behind-the-ears brats? What do these fools take me for!”
Watching Dokgo Myeong flare up, Geum Seok-du’s face turned bewildered.
‘He just barely passed twenty, yet he speaks like… whatever.’
Then again, thinking about it, Dokgo Myeong’s standing wasn’t really on par with the promising successors.
‘Setting aside power and influence, his martial prowess alone is exceptional.’
Even reaching the peak at thirty, one earned the title of prodigy across centuries. Even among the Nine Great Sects, which were typically excluded from rankings, only those with considerable seniority among first-generation disciples could reach the pinnacle.
‘First-generation disciples of the Nine Great Sects and Eight Families—surely they’re all past thirty at minimum.’
At twenty, depending on the sect, one might be a third-generation disciple. Yet Dokgo Myeong had already reached the peak.
That wasn’t all.
At such a tender age, he was crushing masters of equal and superior standing left and right. The influence he wielded as a notable figure of the Central Plains Jianghu was merely a bonus.
‘Come to think of it, from the Young Master’s perspective, they really are all brats.’
I’d forgotten because of how close we were, but a monster was a monster.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“It’s nothing. Though it seems a bit dirty, I think I’ve grasped the rope quite well.”
“What are you talking about? Anyway, if you’re done sightseeing, let’s go eat.”
“As you wish.”
* * *
Dokgo Myeong entered the inn and fell into thought while picking at his food.
‘Did my actions somehow influence his situation?’
I’d expected to meet him at the martial tournament, but Namso’s appearance was far different from how I remembered him.
He was the descendant of an extinguished clan.
He trained endlessly in martial arts to restore lost techniques and rebuild his family.
His participation in the martial tournaments each time was to boldly prove his family’s name to the realm.
‘So why on earth…’
That was when it happened.
“Pardon the intrusion.”
A young martial artist approached my table and Geum Seok-du’s, speaking up.
The aura he gave off was murderous. He was no ordinary warrior.
“Are you perhaps Dokgo Myeong Sohyeop?”
“And who might you be?”
“I am called Yeon Seop-mong, in service to the Moyong Family.”
“The Moyong Family?”
My eyes shifted.
“What business does a Moyong warrior have with me?”
“At the Taepyeong Pavilion, there is a Young Master whom I serve. He has commanded me to bring Sohyeop to him, and so I have come seeking you. I shall guide you there.”
Dokgo Myeong let out a hollow laugh.
“First, you should tell me who this Young Master you serve actually is.”
“He is Young Master Lim of the Moyong Family.”
Dokgo Myeong tilted his head in confusion.
“Who is that?”
I recalled hearing the name somewhere before. Yet even as I remembered it, the memory felt as though it belonged to a past life, not this one.
“Ah! M-Master!”
Geum Seok-du whispered urgently into Dokgo Myeong’s ear.
“Mo Yong Lim is the Wind-Thunder Sword! The heir of the Moyong Family! The Five Dragons and Five Phoenixes you mentioned earlier…!”
“The Wind-Thunder Sword?”
At that moment, Yeon Seop-mong’s brow furrowed slightly as he spoke.
“It seems Sohyeop does not recall it.”
“What?”
“Did you not engage in a martial contest with Young Master Mo Yong Lim at the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering several years ago?”
The Dragon-Phoenix Gathering.
Merely hearing the name, it sounded like some gathering of late-stage realm masters.
Since becoming Dokgo Myeong, I had never attended it. That meant this event occurred before that.
“Well, if that’s the case, so be it… but what right does this arrogant fool have to summon me?”
In an instant, Yeon Seop-mong’s expression hardened.
“Dokgo Myeong Sohyeop. What did you just say?”
“Are your ears not working properly?”
“…Your words are somewhat excessive.”
Dokgo Myeong chuckled and draped one arm over the armrest of his chair, regarding Yeon Seop-mong.
“I shall overlook your arrogant demeanor up until now. I understand—you act this way out of pride in the person you serve. But this is where it ends.”
“…!”
“Go back quietly and relay this to your Young Master. If he has business with me, let him come himself.”
Yeon Seop-mong’s eyes widened.
His distorted lips were just beginning to open.
“Do not open that mouth.”
“…?”
“Unless you wish to spend the rest of your life as a mute because of that petty loyalty of yours.”
“…!”
* * *
“He refused?”
“Yes, that is correct.”
“So Seop-mong, you are saying he threatened you?”
“That is….”
The young man let out a hollow laugh.
While the surroundings buzzed with noise, the atmosphere around where the young man sat had frozen solid.
The young man, Moyong Lim, let out a soft chuckle.
“You’re right, I was being a bit discourteous. One shouldn’t order people around like that.”
Moyong Lim rose from his seat, a peculiar smile crossing his face.
“You really have changed. It’s rare to see a face like that.”

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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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