Martial God of the Sun and Moon - Chapter 150

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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 150
Thud!
A man walked over with heavy footsteps and took a seat at the round table.
“I’m grateful that everyone has gathered here. Thank you for traveling such a distance.”
Muyong Tae, the patriarch of the Moyong Family, spoke thus while surveying those seated around the table.
The auras of those present were all formidable.
And for good reason—they were the representatives of the Four Great Families.
The Paeng and Jegal families had sent their most powerful masters, while the Hwangbo had sent their patriarch.
“It’s been a while, Patriarch Muyong.”
“So this gathering is to be held once more.”
The atmosphere was peculiar. A strange tension hung around the round table.
Such was the nature of relationships among martial families. The world might speak of the Four Great Families as one entity, sometimes even as a single clan, but fundamentally they were competitors who chose independent paths.
Of course, that had been true until now.
“It’s good to see you all again. Then, without further preamble, let us proceed directly to the matter at hand.”
Muyong Tae spoke in a flat, measured tone while sweeping his gaze across those assembled.
“I believe you have all completed your deliberation on the proposal we put forth. If possible, shall we conclude this matter here and now?”
At that moment, a short sigh escaped from one side.
It was Paeng Dae-seong, the Tiger of Hebei.
“So you intend to form an alliance regardless, is that it?”
“That is correct.”
“A new alliance will only plunge the martial world into greater chaos. This is not something to be done hastily.”
“What problem does that pose?”
Paeng Dae-seong’s face hardened.
“Patriarch Muyong. How can you say this is not a problem?”
“Surely the Tiger did not come to this gathering merely to discuss such concerns?”
“What did you just say?”
“If I recall correctly, I never contacted your family with such intentions.”
“….”
“We have all gathered for the prosperity of our families. If you wish to voice different opinions now, then do so. It is unfortunate, but unavoidable.”
Paeng Dae-seong clamped his mouth shut.
Then, Hwangbo Cheong, the patriarch of the Hwangbo Family, spoke.
“Our family will join. I trust we shall proceed as agreed.”
Weariness permeated his voice. Though this was a major matter for his family and a decision that would be recorded in martial history, his demeanor was passive.
Paeng Dae-seong’s expression twisted.
“No, Patriarch Hwangbo. How could you….”
“I have set aside my personal views and come here as patriarch. If you wish to continue discussing concerns, Tiger, then speak no more.”
Hwangbo Cheong closed his eyes after those words.
Muyong Tae smiled with a bitter edge, as if he had expected this.
‘The roots are being gnawed away by ants, so there is no helping it.’
The Hwangbo Family was the weakest of the great families present.
To be precise, it was the Hwangbo Family that had weakened.
The Moyong Family and the Blood Cult had secretly severed their limbs. They cut off their funding, sent assassins, and applied pressure from all sides.
By continuously pushing them into a corner, they made it impossible for them to refuse assistance, and this was the result of that effort.
“I am grateful for your decision.”
“…Sigh.”
Hwangbo Cheong exhaled deeply.
Muyong Tae turned to face the other two with an expressionless gaze.
“As you know, numerous smaller sects have already declared their intention to join us. The tide is turning in our favor.”
“….”
“Now you two must also make your decision. Unless you wish to remain among the Four Great Families until the end.”
* * *
As Muyong Tae left the assembly hall, Wi Jang-chun, the steward of the Moyong Family, approached him.
“How did it go?”
He was the patriarch of the Wi clan, who had served the Moyong Family for a long time, and was their strategist.
Muyong Tae glanced at him and spoke.
“Hwangbo agreed, the Paeng Family is withholding judgment, and Jeol says he needs time.”
“Jeol again.”
“It’s only a matter of time. Everything will be settled with this opportunity anyway. More importantly, Steward Wi, what news from Shaanxi?”
Wi Jang-chun swallowed hard.
He opened his mouth with a cautious expression.
“A letter arrived from the Am Seong-ju’s Hubei branch.”
“Hubei? Not the Shaanxi branch?”
“That is….”
“Hand it over.”
Muyong Tae snatched the letter and entered the room.
After a brief moment, Muyong Tae slowly lifted his head.
“Most of the infiltrators were captured alive, and Am Seong-ju’s fate is unknown?”
“….”
“We were defeated like this by a mere boy who hasn’t even dried the blood on his head? Is what I just read the truth?”
“It, it appears to be so.”
“It appears to be so….”
Muyong Tae chuckled and repeated Wi Jang-chun’s words.
And then.
Crack!
In that instant, Wi Jang-chun felt as though lightning had struck before his eyes.
When he staggered and regained his senses, he belatedly realized that the patriarch had slapped his cheek.
“Steward Wi.”
“Y-yes.”
“Do you also look down on me because I am a patriarch born of a concubine?”
“H-how could that be? How could you say such a thing?”
“Yes, I hope you truly believe that.”
“Pardon?”
“Recently, one of Am Seong-ju’s martial artists tried to mock me with false reports, so I crushed his skull and killed him. Since you are a true loyalist, I would prefer you not meet such a fate.”
Flash!
A sinister bloodlust flickered in Muyong Tae’s cold gaze.
Wi Jang-chun trembled.
‘How has he changed so much?’
Muyong Tae was a ruthless ruler, but he was not a tyrant who struck his subordinates or treated their lives lightly.
Yet recently, he had begun displaying his violent and murderous temperament without restraint.
According to the Elder Council Leader, it was a problem that arose during his research into Namgung’s martial arts. He said it was a temporary side effect that occurred during a critical period of martial advancement, but….
‘How can this be a temporary side effect? Day by day, he cannot control his emotions.’
It was as if he were achieving growth in martial arts at the cost of his humanity. With each passing day, his martial prowess rose higher, but in inverse proportion, the original Muyong Tae was disappearing.
‘Ever since mysterious personnel began frequenting the family in recent days, it has only grown worse. And those hands of his….’
Wi Jang-chun stole a glance at Muyong Tae’s fingertips.
Those fingertips, often stained a dark crimson, felt far too ominous.
“You have nothing to say, Administrator Wi?”
“I-I apologize.”
Wi Jang-chun quickly averted his gaze.
Muyong Tae regarded Wi Jang-chun with a cold expression, as if asking him to propose a method.
He hurriedly continued speaking.
“Information control has reached its limits, and we are beginning to gather intelligence on Dokgo Myeong. I will ascertain as much as possible and handle it quietly.”
“No, the time for quiet handling has passed. Are you still spouting such useless schemes?”
“I-I apologize. I shall follow the Family Head’s wise judgment.”
“That rat has swallowed our shadow. Now we must eliminate him decisively, even if it becomes messy.”
“Then how should we…?”
“I shall show you why the Moyong Family is called a great family. Hold nothing back—whether it be manpower or wealth. We shall catch and kill that little rat.”
Muyong Tae’s eyes gradually became stained with blood-red light.
Wi Jang-chun was now certain he could no longer stop the Family Head.
* * *
“I have grown quite attached in this time, and it pains me to leave this estate.”
Geum Seok-du gazed around the manor and closed his mouth.
Since escaping from the Mandeung Family, I had spent considerable time here, and now the day had come to depart this estate.
Dokgo Myeong and Ju Won-gwang stood facing each other in conversation.
“Well then, I’ll hand over the estate, so clean up the aftermath properly.”
“Ah, really now. I understand. But must we do it here? There are estates owned by the Yugmu Sect and the Black Tiger Sect as well….”
“New wine must be poured into new wineskins. Pick out the decent disciples from the sect and roughly blend them here. Tell them to establish a Sect Leader on their own.”
“But still, the disciples of the Yugmu Sect followed the righteous path, so will they really mix with the Black Tiger Sect?”
“If they don’t mix, what can they do about it? From the start, what they did was no different from the dark path anyway. Ah, if they don’t like it, let them rebel as they please. That’s their freedom too.”
“Huh? Really?”
“Yes, really. But tell them that whenever I come to Shaanxi, I’ll visit and inspect once.”
Just hearing those words alone, the two organizations seemed as though they would unite wholeheartedly and bond well together. It was the principle of “five months, one master”—before natural disasters, even enemies became allies.
“Don’t forget to establish a branch office either. Tell them to keep a close watch on these bastards.”
“I got it already. You really are something.”
Ju Won-gwang let out a hollow laugh before asking.
“You said you were meeting a friend—where are you headed?”
“North. It’s a rural village, so I don’t know it well myself.”
“Hmm? You call them a friend but don’t even know where they live?”
“This is my first time going there in this lifetime.”
“What are you talking about?”
Ju Won-gwang shook his head back and forth.
“Travel carefully. Who knows what the Blood Cult and the Moyong Family might do. Be sure to stay vigilant on your way.”
“I know. Well then, I’m off. Everyone! Let’s get going!”
Dokgo Myeong gave a casual reply and was about to leave with his companions when—
“Oh, that’s right.”
Ju Won-gwang grabbed Dokgo Myeong.
“When you go, head toward the village entrance. Don’t go through the mountain path just because you feel like training.”
“Huh? Why?”
“Just do as I say.”
Ju Won-gwang smiled knowingly.
It was around the time Dokgo Myeong’s group left the estate and entered the village.
Dokgo Myeong noticed people gathered closely together at the village entrance.
“What’s that?”
“Why are people…”
“Another fight?”
Since the path led that way, the group advanced cautiously. Soon, the people who spotted them came rushing toward them.
“Oh my! Are you leaving, sir?”
“Thank you so much for everything, Benefactor!”
“We will never forget this kindness!”
Not just Dokgo Myeong but everyone’s eyes widened in astonishment.
There were quite a number of people gathered, and they were all villagers who had come to see off Dokgo Myeong and his group.
Among them were Yu Deok-bae and Yu Aeng-ran, the innkeeper and his daughter who had been beaten by the Black Tiger Sect.
“Please take this with you, Benefactor. It’s quite a distance to the nearest city. Please have some provisions.”
“Here! Take this too!”
Rice balls piled on lotus leaves, dried meat, various spices, dumplings…
It wasn’t just provisions—it was practically a whole new bundle of supplies.
“Uh, um, why are you doing this? This is too much…”
Dokgo Ak, having never received such treatment before, didn’t know what to do with himself.
“This is all we have to give. Please travel safely.”
Yu Deok-bae, Yu Aeng-ran, and the other villagers who felt grateful to Dokgo Myeong and his group bowed their heads deeply.
Dokgo Myeong found himself smiling and approached Yu Deok-bae, the innkeeper.
Yu Deok-bae bowed deeply once more.
“I truly cannot thank you enough. The villagers will be grateful as well. You’ve done something truly remarkable.”
“I just threw some punches. The real remarkable one is you.”
“Pardon?”
“As a head of household, raising your daughter alone, waking before dawn to prepare for business, sleeping late, taking beatings, serving customers—and yet doing the same thing all over again the next day. Isn’t that what you’re doing?”
“That’s something everyone does, isn’t it?”
“That’s exactly why it’s remarkable. Beating someone because you can’t endure it versus enduring and persevering while still trying to live well. The latter is far more admirable.”
Most martial artists spend that time itching to put a noose around someone’s neck instead.
Just then, a grumbling voice came from somewhere.
“But we all suffered through this together—why does only Dokgo Myeong get to hear such things?”
The group sighed in unison and cast a look of exasperation at Dokgo Ak.
“What? Why? Did I say something wrong?”
“Young Master Ak, really.”
“Please be quiet.”
“You’re truly hopeless.”
“Ah, no….”
Dokgo Myeong nodded with satisfaction.
It seemed his companions were finally awakening to the pleasure of needling Dokgo Ak. For that fool, it would hasten the day he became a decent person, so it was a good thing.
“In any case.”
Dokgo Myeong turned to Yu Deok-bae and offered his final farewell.
“Raise your child well, tend to your inn well, and live diligently. I’ll enjoy this meal.”
“I look forward to seeing you again.”
“For an innkeeper, it would be better never to see me again. So let’s not see each other for a long, long time.”
Dokgo Myeong smiled as he glanced at Aeng-ran, who stood shyly behind Yu Baek-cheon.
“And you, Aeng-ran, take care of yourself. Everything is good, but just don’t become a martial artist.”
At those words, Aeng-ran hurried forward and stood before Dokgo Myeong, bowing her head deeply.
“I will repay your kindness someday.”
“Repay? I said it’s better not to see each other again.”
“Next time we meet, I’ll have grown enough to be worthy of marrying you, so you can look forward to it. Please go safely.”
Dokgo Myeong blinked his eyes.
“What is this girl saying right now?”
This little one isn’t normal either. She really shouldn’t become a martial artist.
While Dokgo Myeong stood bewildered, the gathering erupted into laughter.
Dokgo Myeong and his companions quickened their pace, sent off by the waves of laughter.
Even after leaving the village, no one spoke easily for quite some time. As if they had made a pact, they simply walked in silence, each lost in their own thoughts.
In the midst of this silent march, Namgung Sohwa suddenly approached Dokgo Myeong and whispered with a sly smile.
“Feels good, doesn’t it?”
“What?”
“You’re quite popular.”
“Ugh, seriously.”
Dokgo Myeong’s brow furrowed sharply.
Geum Seok-du chuckled softly before asking.
“So where are we headed, sir? Are we finally going to find the last person? What kind of person are they?”
“Didn’t I mention it briefly before?”
“You didn’t finish explaining, sir. Is this person also a martial artist?”
Around that time, Dokgo Ak, who had been listless in one corner, showed interest as well.
Even Cheolmu-baek, who remained indifferent to most matters, glanced at Dokgo Myeong with evident curiosity.
Dokgo Myeong spoke.
“A martial artist… well, I suppose you could call it that? Though the nature is somewhat different.”
“Is that so? Are they someone with many talents like me?”
“They do have many talents, but their field differs from yours.”
“Pardon?”
“That person is an assassin.”
Everyone exhaled a collective sigh at once.
Ah, this task won’t be easy either.

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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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