Martial God of the Sun and Moon - Chapter 122

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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 122
The promised day arrived, and our group headed straight for the Martial Arts Arena.
The path to the arena required us to pass through the sprawling Black Market.
Namgung Sohwa and Dokgo Ak, who had only ever witnessed the splendor and beauty of Mandeung Street, were shocked by the landscape of the Black Market.
“Step right up! Slaves captured from the Frontier! Strong workers, perfect for labor or display!”
“…Be careful. This is what they call Demon Grass, and if you mix it into alcohol and feed it to someone, they’ll be dead within three days. Deadly poison.”
“Step right up! We’re selling salt by the sack!”
“This is merchandise from a merchant we relieved of his burden crossing the mountain pass not long ago. The tags are removed, so take it cheap.”
The law of the realm lay trampled on the ground.
Human trafficking, poison, smuggled salt, stolen goods—all the things the nation forbade were being conducted openly here and there.
Namgung Sohwa’s eyes widened.
“Silver coins? Why are they selling silver coins?”
“They’re counterfeits with something else inside instead of silver.”
“You mean forged silver coins?”
Dokgo Myeong nodded.
“They say turbulent times aren’t far off… and looking at this, it certainly seems that way.”
A world where what should be normal becomes abnormal, where what should never happen occurs openly.
Seeing this place, I could feel that turbulent times were right at our doorstep.
Then Geum Seok-du suddenly spoke up.
“In truth, other things might be overlooked, but the smuggled salt and counterfeit coins are genuinely problematic.”
Dokgo Ak furrowed his brow.
“With human trafficking happening right here, you’re saying those two things are the problem?”
“There have always been dark dealings in every era. Poison, stolen goods trafficking, buying Frontier people as slaves—these are common occurrences in the shadows.”
“Then what about the salt and coins?”
“They’re created in the shadows but will rot the very foundations of the legitimate world.”
“What?”
Geum Seok-du raised his hand and pointed to the salt piled high like mountains.
“Looking at the quality of this salt, it’s the lowest grade mixed with many impurities. And with this much volume… it means they’re not simply diverting salt. They’re producing it themselves.”
“…They’re operating salt fields and producing salt there?”
“Precisely observed. As for currency, needless to say. Counterfeit silver coins will become the root cause of commercial chaos and upheaval of the people’s livelihoods.”
“But… why?”
“Because the value of money decreases. When money circulates without control, all prices rise. Then… even the word ‘turbulent times’ would seem like a joke compared to what would actually happen.”
Dokgo Ak and Namgung Sohwa looked at Geum Seok-du with newfound respect. Though the concept was difficult for them to grasp, they could tell his insight was remarkable.
“Seok-du. Don’t count lives as mere numbers. Any problem is still a problem.”
“Yes, my apologies.”
Dokgo Myeong chuckled and looked at Namgung Sohwa and Dokgo Ak.
“Both of you should take this to heart. There’s a world that martial prowess alone cannot comprehend, and this is it. Therefore, among us, Seok-du sees the world most broadly and greatly.”
“Now, why do you have to go that far?”
Geum Seok-du scratched the back of his head.
That was when it happened.
“W-we’ve arrived.”
Hodal-saeng, who had been leading the group with his lips firmly sealed until now, finally opened his mouth.
He looked at Dokgo Myeong with an expression of utter reluctance.
“Do I… really have to go in as well?”
“What else were you planning to do?”
“Sir, everyone in there knows my face. If this becomes a problem, I won’t be able to operate in this world anymore.”
“Dalsan. That’s not my concern, is it?”
“…!”
Secret auction houses, secret gambling dens, secret fighting arenas…
Wherever the word “secret” was attached, identity verification became meticulous.
But this fighting arena in Mandeng House was different.
“…The invitation has been verified. You may enter.”
The moment the gatekeepers checked the single piece of paper, they simply let the group pass through.
It was possible they weren’t being thorough with identity checks, or perhaps the invitation Hodal-saeng had obtained was that impressive.
Of course.
“Hodal-saeng? What are you doing here?”
“I-I’m guiding this person here.”
“…Hmm.”
They briefly stopped Hodal-saeng because his face was uncovered, but ultimately they let Dokgo Myeong’s group through without much suspicion.
“Dalsan. You realize that since only your face is known here, if I cause trouble and flee, you’re as good as dead, right?”
“…!”
“Let’s do this well.”
Hodal-saeng’s pupils trembled wildly.
“From here on, I shall guide you. Please come this way.”
A handsome man and beautiful woman from inside began to lead them.
Following them through a dark passage, the view suddenly opened wide.
Namgung Sohwa’s eyes widened in amazement.
“Wow….”
It was a sight that would make any martial artist’s eyes sparkle.
* * *
The Blood Sect Leader cleared his throat once in front of a certain chamber.
“Are you inside?”
“….”
“It’s the Blood Sect Leader. Open the door.”
“….”
“I’ll just open it and enter.”
The Blood Sect Leader clicked his tongue and roughly pushed the door open.
Whoosh!
A musty smell of sweat burrowed into his nostrils.
The Blood Sect Leader pinched his nose with his own hand and furrowed his brow.
“He’s destroyed the chamber again.”
The word “empty” hardly did justice to the space.
The wide chamber, shrouded in thick darkness, looked like nothing more than a vacant storehouse.
There were no chairs, no tables, no furniture, not even a bed. Across the bare floor lay only shattered metal fragments and what appeared to be dishes that once held food, scattered about in disarray.
‘Could those metal scraps possibly be the blackened iron rod we obtained at such great cost—the one that required an entire chest of silver?’
The training rod I had painstakingly procured at his request.
Rather, it was an object closer to a pillar than a rod—something that required ten sturdy young men to barely manage carrying it.
Now it lay shattered beyond recognition, bent and torn to shreds.
At that moment, a halting voice emerged from the darkness.
“What is it?”
The Blood Sect Leader swallowed hard and spoke.
“The martial artist has been caught. I came to inform you.”
“The martial artist?”
“Ah, that is to say….”
The Blood Sect Leader clicked his tongue.
“In your words, it would be a fight.”
“A fight.”
Boom! Boom!
Something in the darkness shook the ground as it approached the door.
Flash!
What first became visible was a brilliant blue gleam—a pair of eyes as clear and transparent as the azure sky itself, holding the entire heavens within them.
Boom!
Then, dispelling the darkness, a colossal man emerged before the Blood Sect Leader’s lantern.
“I do not avoid fights. Never.”
“….”
The Blood Sect Leader lifted the flame in his hand slightly higher.
He stood half a head or more taller than even the tallest men of Zhongyuan, his muscles honed to their absolute limit—the kind that would make even a master of external martial arts concede superiority.
What was more remarkable was that despite this, he appeared neither dull nor excessively massive.
Towering height, blue eyes that seemed to hold ancient nobility, features with bold, striking lines.
He was no man of Zhongyuan. His appearance was like gazing upon a guardian king statue protecting a great temple, rather than a human being.
“Do you think this fight might be one worth enjoying?”
“I tell you again, this is not a festival. Do you understand how many interests are at stake here?”
“That is not my concern.”
From the man emanated a sense of weariness and ennui.
It was precisely the gaze of one who had lost interest in all things.
“Sigh….”
The Blood Sect Leader nearly clicked his tongue at such an indifferent response, but restrained himself.
If I lost him, I would have no confidence in controlling even this region.
“…This time is different from before. You must win. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
“….”
“And your answer?”
“I’ve never tasted defeat. Don’t worry about it.”
“Please show some spirit! His Eminence himself has come to witness your fight!”
“….”
A deep rumble echoed.
The man turned silently and disappeared back into the darkness.
His figure resembled a tiger prowling into its den, or perhaps a massive northern wolf.
‘This stupid barbarian….’
The Blood Sect Leader clicked his tongue and shook his head.
“Tell me if you need anything.”
No answer came from the darkness.
The Blood Sect Leader decided to stop bothering.
That creature wasn’t human—it was a monster.
Screech! Boom!
The Blood Sect Leader turned around.
Behind the door stood another door—one forged from iron.
The space looked less like a chamber and more like a prison or cage.
* * *
The arena was shaped like a volcanic crater.
The structure narrowed as it descended, with an enormous martial arts stage at the bottom illuminated by light pouring through the open ceiling and countless lanterns.
Surely every martial artist had once dreamed of fighting in a place like this?
Dokgo Ak, lost in admiration, suddenly tilted his head and murmured.
“Wait, what’s that sound? Metal instruments and… huh? Musicians?”
Dokgo Ak’s eyes wandered until he spotted a small platform beside the martial arts stage.
Musicians were performing there, while a dancer traced elegant lines with her movements.
Dokgo Ak let out a quiet scoff, inaudible to their guide, and grumbled.
“Tch, what nonsense. No matter how much they dress it up, it’s still an underground fighting pit. Yet there’s a guide, music, dancing… what’s all this?”
“Indeed. The music’s even out of tune, and the dance is from ages past. Looks like they just threw together some mediocre performers to pass the time.”
Geum Seok-du added his own harsh critique.
Yet even Hodal-saeng seemed puzzled as he observed it.
“Something does seem odd. I’ve never seen anything like this in a fighting pit before….”
“Really?”
“Yes, yes. These places are originally where life-and-death matches are held when conflicts arise between sect members or alliance executives. There’d be no need for such things.”
Dokgo Myeong’s eyes narrowed.
Now that he thought about it, that was true.
This looked almost….
‘Like someone hastily put it together just for show?’
That was when it happened.
The two guides bowed respectfully.
“This is your designated VIP chamber. Should you need anything at all, please call for us. When you wish to leave, a guide will escort you.”
The VIP chamber was positioned on slightly elevated ground that encircled the Martial Arts Arena.
It offered an excellent view of the matches below, and allowed the distinguished guests to look down arrogantly at the arena.
The moment we entered the VIP chamber, Hodal-saeng released a sigh of relief.
“I, I suppose my task is complete now, yes?”
“Yes, you’ve worked hard.”
“Then, then might I receive the antidote…?”
At Hodal-saeng’s words, Dokgo Myeong tilted his head.
“What antidote?”
“Why, why are you doing this? You kept putting it off, saying you’d give me the antidote once everything was resolved!”
“You still didn’t find out how to participate as a fighter.”
That was true.
Hodal-saeng had obtained an invitation to watch the matches, but he hadn’t managed to discover how to enter the arena as a competitor.
Hodal-saeng grabbed at Dokgo Myeong’s pant leg and burst into tears.
“Great Master! I am merely an information broker from the back alleys! How could I possibly devise a way to interfere with the Lian clan’s event?”
“That’s not my concern, is it?”
“G, great master! This Hodal-saeng is the sole heir of the Zhongqing Ho clan! If I die, my family line will be cut off, and the Ho clan’s….”
The Eleven-Day Needle was not actually a deadly poison. With an antidote, detoxification was simple, and a martial master could even overcome it to some degree through their own inner energy. That’s why I used it as a tool for threats and intimidation.
However, for Hodal-saeng, who had never learned any martial arts, it posed a real problem. If the antidote was delayed, true to its name, he would writhe in agony for eleven days as if his entire body were being pierced by awls.
Regardless of how the two of them argued, the rest of us surveyed the arena and conversed.
“Resolving things through combat… the methods of the heterodox and orthodox sects truly are this different.”
“Indeed.”
Geum Seok-du interjected into the conversation between Namgung Sohwa and Dokgo Ak.
“But I wonder what kind of person we’ll bring this time?”
“What do you mean?”
“The subordinate, I mean. You were the second after him, Miss Namgung, so I was wondering what kind of person the third might be.”
“Hmm, I wonder too.”
Interest flickered in Namgung Sohwa’s eyes.
Now that I thought about it, I hadn’t actually asked about something important.
“Excuse me, Dokgo Myeong….”
The moment I turned my head, I froze.
“…?”
Hodal-saeng lay collapsed with his jaw slack and foam at his mouth.
Before him, Dokgo Myeong was methodically changing his clothes.
Namgung Sohwa asked.
“…What are you doing right now?”
Dokgo Myeong was donning a night-travel robe stained pitch black on both top and bottom.
Having just pulled on one leg of the night-travel robe, Dokgo Myeong fastened a black sash tightly around his waist and spoke.
“Living in the martial world means frequently encountering someone like a regular customer—I’m becoming a Black-Robed Man.”
“What in the world does that mean?”
Even Geum Seok-du blinked in bewilderment as he stared at Dokgo Myeong.
But wait, where did he even carry that from in the first place?
While everyone else wore vacant expressions, only one person’s eyes widened.
It was Dokgo Ak.
“…Stop him.”
“Huh?”
“What?”
“Stop that bastard! Why would he put that on! That bastard is right now wearing that…!”
Dokgo Myeong chuckled and spoke.
“Finally, you’re beginning to understand your older brother’s heart, Ak.”
“Where are you going!”
“Since this fool couldn’t find the method to participate, I need to go resolve the matter myself.”
Dokgo Ak understood.
Dokgo Myeong’s solutions were always accompanied by brute force.
Boom!
Dokgo Myeong stomped the ground.
It was a terrifying display of lightness skill. A mere stomp unleashed a violent gust of wind.
“No, this can’t be!”
Dokgo Ak screamed, tearing at his own hair.

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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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