Martial God of the Sun and Moon - Chapter 14

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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 14
Son Tae-im kept his mouth firmly shut as he observed Dokgo Wi-hak pouring tea and Dokgo Myeong lounging about with casual indifference.
‘Tsk!’
Neither of them sat well with him.
Once the heat that had rushed to his head cooled, Son Tae-im regained his composure swiftly.
After all, the justification lay with him, and ultimately, he held the position of advantage.
“Ahem. It has been quite some time since we last met, Sect Leader.”
“What brings the Deputy Sect Leader here in person?”
“The Sect Leader himself gave the order.”
“So it was the Geumsan Sect Leader’s intention to come to the Main Sect and cause such a disturbance?”
A stiff smile played at Son Tae-im’s lips.
“Ahem! I apologize for the excessive conduct just now.”
Son Tae-im took a sip of tea.
“The truth is, the Main Sect is currently undertaking a business venture and finds itself in dire need of funds. I acted hastily due to the urgency. I hope you will forgive my overreach.”
“I understand.”
The terse, noncommittal reply made Son Tae-im’s eyes narrow.
“So then, what brings you here today?”
“Well, what else could it be?”
….
“There is no need for further words. Seven thousand silver taels—surely it is time you repaid the debt?”
Dokgo Wi-hak closed his mouth once more.
Son Tae-im inwardly sneered.
‘The moment money is mentioned, he clams up. How amusing.’
This was precisely why Son Tae-im loved money.
No matter how noble or powerful a person was, they could not survive without it.
Money transcended justification, status, and strength alike.
“You purchased several of the Main Sect’s business enterprises at a pittance, yet now you demand immediate repayment?”
“I have shown patience precisely because of those circumstances. Now it is time to settle this matter.”
Dokgo Wi-hak regarded Son Tae-im for a moment before slowly opening his mouth.
“Wait.”
“Until when?”
“If necessary, I will liquidate the remaining assets to repay the debt.”
In that instant, Son Tae-im’s round eyes gleamed with predatory sharpness.
“I am well aware of Saheongang’s circumstances. Even if you liquidate your assets, could such a sum be produced? You must make a decision soon.”
“A decision?”
“…The Sect Tablet.”
Son Tae-im smiled wickedly.
The Sect Tablet.
A palm-sized ivory tablet that every Sect Leader of the Dokgo Clan possessed.
When the Dokgo Clan faced important decisions or serious internal conflicts, they convened the Sect Leaders for the White Sect Assembly. There, the Sect Leaders would voice their opinions based on their tablets or present their tablets to resolve matters.
“I have no intention of putting on a leash for a few coins.”
Dokgo Wi-hak’s voice grew even colder.
A sect badge symbolized the authority, power, prestige, and strength of that sect.
Handing over such a badge was essentially no different from telling them to submit beneath his rule.
“Heh, a leash, you say? Surely we have no intention of wielding the Saheon-gak?”
Son Tae-im chuckled softly.
“We merely ask for the legitimacy that the sect badge carries. We will preserve the Saheon-gak’s authority.”
“….”
“After all, you haven’t even used the sect badge all this time… so there’s no harm in it, is there?”
Son Tae-im coaxed Dokgo Wi-hak with a subtle tone.
“Sub-Master.”
“Yes, Master?”
“It seems you regard me far too lightly.”
Dokgo Wi-hak’s eyes gleamed with crystalline clarity.
“I, what do you mean all of a sudden….”
“You said you needed money urgently for business, yet suddenly you demand the sect badge?”
Son Tae-im’s eyes wavered.
“Does the sect badge turn into money for you?”
“That, that’s not——!”
“Or perhaps there’s a reason it would.”
Dokgo Wi-hak’s eyes flashed with insight.
Son Tae-im hastily raised his voice.
“Ahem! You speak in strange riddles! If it displeases you, simply settle it with money, no?”
“….”
Dokgo Wi-hak regarded Son Tae-im with a frigid gaze.
“I have no intention of handing over the sect badge. You may leave.”
A blunt dismissal, delivered without pretense.
Son Tae-im realized he could conduct no further negotiations here.
“…Yes, well, if your resolve is that firm, I suppose there’s nothing to be done.”
Scrape!
Son Tae-im rose from his chair with a sound.
Though discourteous, his expression remained utterly composed.
“A week should suffice. I trust repayment will be made promptly. Otherwise, we shall meet again at the Enforcement Bureau.”
Son Tae-im continued with a mocking edge to his words.
Dokgo Wi-hak’s response was succinct.
“I won’t be far.”
“…I wish the Saheon-gak prosperity.”
Son Tae-im spun around and departed from the Reception Room.
Dokgo Wi-hak remained expressionless, his gaze fixed upon the space where the man had stood.
* * *
Thud!
Silence settled over the Reception Room after Son Tae-im departed.
“Why did you do that?”
Dokgo Wi-hak turned to face Dokgo Myeong and asked.
“Do what, sir?”
“The escort’s arm.”
“He struck first, so I simply returned the favor.”
Dokgo Myeong answered indifferently, then glanced sideways at Jang Sam.
“Laying hands on someone without a shred of fear. Isn’t that right, Jang Sam?”
“Young master…”
Jang Sam, standing to the side, looked at Dokgo Myeong with glistening eyes.
“But you’re the one who strikes people most often, young master. Against Ak young master, against the Muhakbu instructors… and just now too…”
A brief silence fell.
“…Those were all justified.”
“That’s a weak excuse.”
“It’s no excuse.”
“Yes, yes.”
Jang Sam chuckled nervously.
Despite his words, Jang Sam was grateful that Dokgo Myeong had stepped in for him.
“…”
Dokgo Wi-hak gazed quietly at his son.
His words were blunt and aggressive, yet they carried affection for both Jang Sam and himself.
And the source of that aggression was not arrogance, but confidence.
Just a few months ago, this boy would have scrambled to hide in such situations.
To be honest, I was impressed.
“Well, you did fine this time.”
“Yes.”
“But the affairs of the world flow like water. If the current blocks your path and you swing your fist at it, the water only splashes back and soaks your clothes.”
“…”
“Henceforth, I hope you will be more careful with your words and actions.”
Perhaps sensing Dokgo Wi-hak’s sincerity.
Dokgo Myeong answered with a rather serious expression.
“Yes, I understand.”
“Mm.”
“But if the path ahead is clear, I will cross the water even if my clothes are soaked.”
“…”
Dokgo Wi-hak let out a hollow laugh.
I am helpless as a father, it seems. If someone else had spoken thus, it would have seemed arrogant, yet from him it merely appears as confidence.
“Speaking of which, what do you intend to do going forward?”
“Don’t concern yourself with the money matter. I will handle it.”
“Well, never mind about the money.”
“What?”
“You’re not just going to sit back and watch those pigs from the Geumsan Sect strut around like this, are you?”
Dokgo Wi-hak’s expression went blank for a moment.
Dokgo Myeong leaned back against his chair and spoke.
“You’re not going to let it end like this, are you?”
“What are you talking about?”
“If we were wronged, we should retaliate. Just because these fools have some money, they come all the way here and cause a scene? How arrogant.”
“You don’t need to concern yourself with such trivial matters. Don’t act recklessly—stay quiet.”
“….”
“I’m waiting for your answer.”
“…Yes.”
Dokgo Myeong answered with a grumble.
Dokgo Wi-hak exhaled sharply and picked up his teacup again.
“Now go on inside.”
“…Yes, understood.”
Dokgo Myeong slowly rose from his seat.
Dokgo Wi-hak, sitting alone at the table and sipping his tea, looked unusually grave.
‘What on earth is he thinking?’
Dokgo Myeong sighed.
It wasn’t just talk—Dokgo Wi-hak genuinely seemed unbothered by it all.
So he must be thinking of something…
‘How did I handle this in my past life?’
I couldn’t quite remember.
That made sense, since in my past life this had happened much later.
I recall we resolved it by repaying them step by step.
‘But what a strange coincidence… the moment I beat that bastard Dokgo Ak, this happens?’
No matter how I thought about it, it infuriated me.
Fine, I could tell them to repay the money.
But hand over the sect tablet?
Handing over the sect tablet was no different from letting them swallow the Saheon-gak whole.
‘I won’t stand for that with my eyes wide open.’
These people had crossed the line—crossed it completely.
* * *
“I don’t know.”
Jang Sam shook his head firmly.
Dokgo Myeong clicked his tongue.
“Don’t play dumb. Everyone who matters knows you’re well-connected, Jang Sam.”
“…I’m just worried the young master might do something strange again.”
“Jang Sam. Or rather, Brother Jang.”
“Not you too, calling me ‘Jang hyung’ again….”
Jang Sam edged away subtly.
Dokgo Myeong met his gaze directly and continued.
“Be honest with me. You don’t like these money-grubbers, do you?”
“Well, that’s true, but….”
“If they wronged you, you should repay them. Isn’t that right?”
Jang Sam exhaled a deep sigh.
“…I wish I could.”
“But?”
“I still have to endure it.”
“….”
“You may not understand, sir, but I’m just a servant. What can someone like me do? I simply have to bear it.”
Dokgo Myeong fell silent for a moment.
His bitter answer carried the weight of resignation that this man named Jang Sam had accumulated throughout his entire life.
And so I understood.
Because I was Dokgo Hyeon wearing Dokgo Myeong’s clothes, I knew better than anyone that this was wrong.
“No, that’s not it.”
“Sir?”
“What matters isn’t your station. What matters is whether you want to do it or not.”
Endurance is like a rolling wheel. Everyone thinks it will stop if they just bear it long enough, but the truth is, if you simply endure without purpose, you’ll only have to keep enduring forever.
“You should endure only to achieve something you truly desire, never merely out of resignation.”
“….”
Jang Sam’s eyes widened in an instant.
After a brief silence, Jang Sam let out a long sigh and opened his mouth.
“Sigh, fine. I’ll tell you. It’s because of that….”
Jang Sam began his story.
The moment Dokgo Myeong heard it all, he let out an incredulous laugh.
“So after the sect leader withdrew from external affairs, you faced obstruction.”
“Yes.”
“And because of that, while losing various things, the businesses under the Saheon-gak name accumulated debt?”
“You’ve condensed it quite a bit, but… yes, that’s about right.”
Jang Sam set down a teacup before Dokgo Myeong and nodded.
“There are many others, but the biggest one is the Baekcheon Trading Company. For some reason, its operations suddenly became difficult.”
At the time, the Baekcheon Trading Company had borrowed operating capital from the Geumsan Sect. But afterward, each shipment that went out failed, and they fell into a pattern of paying penalties or suffering losses, unable to repay the debt.
“Wait, the Baekcheon Trading Company? Could it be Yu Baekcheon?”
“Yes? Ah, you remember?”
Yu Baekcheon….
How could I forget? He was a man of some renown.
‘These bastards….’
I could smell it. A very foul stench indeed.
Dokgo Myeong’s eyes gleamed with interest.
“So how much debt are we talking about?”
“It started at three thousand taels, I believe.”
Dokgo Myeong’s eyes widened in shock.
“Wait, how did three thousand taels become seven thousand? And you said we’ve already handed over several business ventures?”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying. They’re nothing but outright bandits.”
Jang Sam raised his voice in an uncharacteristic display of urgency.
‘The young master couldn’t possibly be unaware of this.’
Or perhaps he was aware but still fell victim to it.
Considering Dokgo Wi-hak’s temperament, it was entirely possible he knew but chose to find another way rather than resort to violence.
“Tsk, I suppose I’ll have to look into this myself.”
“Pardon? Look into what, sir?”
“The Geumsan Sect and the Baekcheon Trading Company. Something reeks here.”
Jang Sam jumped in alarm.
“Don’t you remember the young master told you not to do anything?”
“He said not to act recklessly, not to do nothing at all.”
“Pardon?!”
“If I move carefully and strategically, what’s the problem?”
That’s not what he meant at all!
Jang Sam nearly cried out in protest but swallowed his words.
Dokgo Myeong draped an arm across Jang Sam’s shoulders.
“And brother Jang, to be frank—as long as we don’t get caught, it’s fine.”
“Ah, no, I already know that, sir.”
“…This is truly a regrettable situation.”
Dokgo Myeong’s eyes flashed a chilling blue as an ominous smile crossed his face.
Meeting that gaze, Jang Sam felt ice run down his spine.
‘He’s lost it. The young master’s lost it.’
Jang Sam had seen that look three times now.
When he crushed Dokgo Ak, when he visited the Gajubu, when he overturned the Muhakbu.
Each time, he wore that same smile and his eyes gleamed with that same fervor.
“Y-yes, that’s true. As long as we don’t get caught, it should be fine.”
Dokgo Myeong smiled sweetly.
“Good to hear.”
Good to hear? What was good about this?
Jang Sam felt a chill of dread.
What had happened to that kind young master of old…?
No, this wasn’t the time for such thoughts.
Jang Sam mustered his courage.
“B-but young master, even if you investigate, what could you possibly uncover? The Geumsan Sect is meticulous about financial matters.”
He had to stop the young master now.
Jang Sam spoke with a sense of mission, offering a reason that even he found quite fitting.
“Thorough? Those bastards?”
“Of course!”
“Well, I suppose they might appear that way on the surface.”
At least on the surface they gleamed with polish, so it wasn’t entirely wrong.
“But from what I can see… heh heh.”
Yet as Dokgo Myeong, who remembered the Geumsan Sect from my past life, I could only laugh.
‘Why… why did he suddenly laugh?’
Jang Sam’s body trembled slightly.
It was because Dokgo Myeong had suddenly curled his lips upward and let out a low chuckle.
“M-Master?”
“Brother Jang. I can see through everything, you know?”
“Y-Yes?”
Dokgo Myeong clenched and unclenched his fists as he spoke with utmost gentleness.
“I can see through it all. I’ve come to see everything.”
Cold sweat trickled down the side of Jang Sam’s head.

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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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