Martial God of the Sun and Moon - Chapter 157

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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 157
Dokgo Myeong’s expression turned cold.
“Gwak, what are you doing?”
“You stay quiet.”
“You’re crossing the line without hesitation, and you expect me to just sit back as your younger brother? That’s not something I can do.”
These two had struggled to break free from their chains and find the lives they desired.
Ye-hwa had been ‘made’ into an assassin, but now she had finally gained a human life. I had no intention of placing a new leash around her neck.
“Even if I said I needed someone to protect me from assassins, that path ultimately requires bloodshed. That’s because I live in the Gangho.”
“Who said anything about that?”
“Right now, you’re asking this girl who’s finally found a human life to walk the path of suffering again.”
Dokgo Myeong unleashed his words like a volley of arrows.
Perhaps it was the alcohol, but a thought suddenly occurred to me.
‘Ah, could this man have been afflicted with some illness during this period? Should I cure him?’
Dokgo Myeong unconsciously clenched and unclenched his fists.
Gwak Dae-ryong seemed to notice. With an exasperated expression, he quietly observed Dokgo Myeong before shaking his head and opening his mouth.
“Dokgo Myeong.”
“What.”
“This girl would have had to step into the world eventually anyway. After watching you these past few days, I thought it wouldn’t be a bad idea to entrust her to you, so I brought it up.”
“What do you mean?”
“Ye-hwa is like a blank slate as a person.”
Gwak Dae-ryong looked at Ye-hwa.
Ye-hwa simply stood there blankly.
She was a girl with little humanity. Though her body contained unparalleled assassin techniques, she had not even become half a person.
“All I taught this girl was assassin techniques and archery. That’s all I knew. I couldn’t teach her anything about being human. I belatedly taught her the teachings of the sages, but the words of the dead cannot create the life of the living.”
“….”
“This girl has lived as ordered and grown up swept along by circumstances. To live as a human now, she must paint color onto this blank slate. By her own hand.”
“So you’re arbitrarily sending her to me?”
“Who said I was arbitrarily sending her? I said if this girl Ye-hwa wishes it, then so be it. So close your mouth and stay quiet. You’ve lived long enough to be called an adult, yet you keep interrupting when your elders speak… Did your mouth catch some disease?”
“….”
Being scolded with words sobered me up instantly. Having always been the one doing the criticizing, being criticized myself made my head spin a little.
Dokgo Myeong gathered himself and opened his mouth.
“Gwak, that’s something you should do. Have the person who raised her do it, not someone you’ve known for only a few days.”
Gwak Dae-ryong chuckled.
“Brother, there are three reasons why I want to entrust Ye-hwa to you.”
“Tell me.”
“First, because you’re the kind of person who can say such things. You’re not someone who would do anything reckless. If you were, I would simply come find you without a sound.”
“….”
“Furthermore, with your martial prowess and the prestige of the Cheonha Jeil Sega, you would be a sufficient barrier to block the shadow of Salgok. And finally….”
Gwak Dae-ryong shook his head slowly.
“I too am an assassin.”
Dokgo Myeong hesitated.
He continued speaking.
“To Ye-hwa, I am nothing but a shadow she cannot easily cast off. After all, I too was once an assassin of Salgok.”
“No, that’s not——”
Dokgo Myeong tried to protest, but when Gwak Dae-ryong’s eyes widened in a sharp glare, he could only close his mouth.
He looked at Ye-hwa again.
“Ye-hwa. The reason I’m sending you away is exactly as I just said. Are you willing to leave with this old man?”
“….”
Ye-hwa stared at Gwak Dae-ryong with an expression that revealed nothing of her thoughts, then opened her mouth.
“Are you abandoning me?”
“What?”
Gwak Dae-ryong’s eyes filled with bewilderment.
“What are you saying? Why would I abandon you?”
“Isn’t it because I’m a burden to you?”
“You brat. What nonsense is that? Why would you be a burden to me?”
“Because I’m a living target of Salgok.”
“…!”
Gwak Dae-ryong’s expression hardened, as if he never expected to hear such words.
Only then could Dokgo Myeong recall memories from his past life that he had forgotten.
-I wonder if I should have spoken with that child more.
-Brother Gwak, what do you mean?
-No matter how close a parent and child are, if you don’t speak, you won’t understand. I only realized that after losing that child.
In his past life, Gwak Dae-ryong lost Ye-hwa to the survivors of Salgok while he was away for a moment.
He launched another massacre to rescue Ye-hwa, but by then it was already too late, and this cost him the rest of his life, bound to the Demon Slaying Unit.
Dokgo Myeong knew only that much. When he enlisted, Gwak Dae-ryong was already a member of the Demon Slaying Unit.
‘Perhaps.’
Through his own actions, had he erased the regret that Gwak Dae-ryong carried in his past life?
Then Gwak Dae-ryong let out a hollow laugh. The scent of alcohol clung to it.
“Come here, Ye-hwa.”
“Yes.”
Ye-hwa approached obediently.
And in that instant, Gwak Dae-ryong raised his hand and flicked her forehead with a sharp tap.
Thwack!
“Ow?”
Ye-hwa stared at Gwak Dae-ryong with wide, bewildered eyes.
Gwak Dae-ryong’s eyes blazed with fury.
“This girl really knows no bounds, does she? I barely managed to pull you out of that hellscape alive, and this is what you say?”
“No, that’s not what I meant——”
“I’m absolutely dumbfounded. When have I ever made you feel like a burden? I fed you despite my meager means, clothed you, and raised you without want, so what’s this about?!”
Slap! Smack!
“Ugh, argh!”
Gwak Dae-ryong’s hand began striking Ye-hwa’s back repeatedly.
Though not particularly forceful, it was painful enough that Ye-hwa retreated a few steps.
Gwak Dae-ryong’s eyes flashed with intensity.
“Oh, you’re using footwork techniques? So you’re resisting, are you? Fine then. Shall we practice some movement cultivation?”
Boom!
The two assassins began a chase, one pursuing and one fleeing.
Left alone, I could only blink in bewilderment.
‘What is this? The atmosphere was so moving just moments ago.’
The touching moment vanished, replaced by this sudden chase.
I sipped my drink while watching the spectacle unfold.
Surprisingly, Ye-hwa was winning the chase. Gwak Dae-ryong, intoxicated from the alcohol, couldn’t close the distance easily.
However, Gwak Dae-ryong won the actual fight. When he stumbled, Ye-hwa rushed toward him, but it was a trap. After giving her another flick on the head, Gwak Dae-ryong walked alongside her.
“I was wondering what nonsense you were spouting, but you were thinking such things?”
Ye-hwa rubbed her head and stared blankly at Gwak Dae-ryong.
“You brat. Why do you speak as though you’ll never see me again? You should visit during holidays and send messages from time to time, shouldn’t you?”
“Ah, well…”
“This girl really has no warmth in her heart. Honestly, I’m quite taken aback, little sister.”
“Here, brother. Have a drink.”
“Thank you.”
Ye-hwa’s expression changed slightly.
By then, even I could tell that Ye-hwa wasn’t emotionless. She was feeling wronged.
Gwak Dae-ryong crossed his arms and exhaled sharply through his nose before speaking.
“Hwa. Listen to me.”
“…Yes.”
“You’re seventeen now. The world considers one an adult only after coming of age, but in the martial world, fifteen is already considered adulthood. You’re two years past that, so you’re well into adulthood.”
“Yes.”
“Now you must see the world. No matter how much I teach you here, you’ll remain the same forever.”
“…”
“At the same time, your body contains all of Salgok’s supreme techniques. As you said, your very existence is Salgok’s target. Until you grow strong enough, you need someone to protect you and show you the world correctly. I believe this young man is sufficient for that role.”
As Gwak Dae-ryong pointed to me, I nodded calmly.
“Ah, I am indeed quite the remarkable person.”
“…”
“…”
Gwak Dae-ryong’s face suddenly filled with worry, then he let out a deep sigh and continued.
“Ahem! Regardless… why would I abandon you? You’re supposed to take care of me in my old age, aren’t you?”
Gwak Dae-ryong laughed loudly on purpose, his expression becoming gentle.
“And you, boy. Didn’t I tell you? Do as you wish. If she doesn’t want to, she can say so and that’s the end of it.”
“As I wish?”
“Yes.”
“I don’t really mind either way.”
“There’s no such thing. You either come or you don’t. You decide.”
Ye-hwa’s eyes trembled slightly at Gwak Dae-ryong’s firm demeanor, which she was experiencing for the first time.
She remained silent for a long while, her mouth opening and closing without words.
After the prolonged silence, it was not she who spoke, but Dokgo Myeong.
“Wait, these people are just deciding things on their own without even asking what I want.”
“What?”
“Hey, kid. Come here.”
Dokgo Myeong beckoned with his hand.
Ye-hwa looked toward Dokgo Myeong.
“Tsk, an adult is speaking to you. Aren’t you coming?”
“…An adult?”
As Ye-hwa murmured softly and approached, Dokgo Myeong stared directly into her eyes.
The moment her clear eyes wavered once more, Dokgo Myeong posed an unexpected question.
“Can you kill a person?”
“…Pardon?”
“I’m asking if you can draw your bow and throw your blades of your own will, not because someone ordered you to.”
“What do you mean….”
Dokgo Myeong’s eyes flashed with intensity.
“What I need is someone like that. I need someone to strike enemies and protect allies. I won’t make you work as an assassin, but ultimately, what you’ll do won’t be much different from what assassins do.”
Dokgo Myeong spoke with firm conviction.
Ye-hwa hesitated.
Dokgo Myeong turned his head to look at Gwak Dae-ryong and spoke.
“That’s why I needed you, Gwak. That person is an assassin, but he’s human. He knows shame, he knows frustration, he knows the fulfillment of being human, he has emotions. An assassin who remains human is rare. Very rare indeed.”
Gwak Dae-ryong’s eyes widened slightly.
His mouth hung open slightly, as if he hadn’t expected to hear such words.
“I’m telling you plainly—I despise playing nursemaid. If you’re going to be difficult about this, just say you don’t want to. I came to see Gwak, not you anyway.”
Silence descended.
It was harsh enough to sound like abuse.
Ye-hwa glanced at Gwak Dae-ryong for a moment. But Gwak Dae-ryong said nothing and closed his eyes gently.
‘This moment is a turning point, Ye-hwa.’
Dokgo Myeong was deliberately speaking harshly now.
A mother bird pushes her chicks from the nest to teach them how to fly. Ye-hwa needed to learn how to fly.
“I…can’t do it.”
A look of regret flashed across Gwak Dae-ryong’s eyes.
It would have been better if she had simply said she didn’t want to. Saying she couldn’t was truly the worst.
“I see.”
Dokgo Myeong turned his gaze away as sharply as a blade cutting through cloth.
“Then this conversation ends here. Step back….”
“But please teach me. Then I will learn.”
“What?”
“Teach me. Show me how to live as a person while being an assassin. I will learn with all my effort.”
Their gazes locked.
I shook my head first.
“That’s something you must decide for yourself. Neither I nor Gwak can live your life for you, so I cannot teach you that.”
I smiled faintly.
“However, you can observe and learn from what you see.”
“Pardon?”
“First, decide what you want to do.”
“What I want to do, you say?”
“Your circumstances are more difficult than most, but truthfully, there are countless people like you in this world.”
Many live without knowing what they truly wish to do.
So how does one find it?
By trying first. Only through attempting do answers emerge. And that is where humanity is born.
“What I want to do…”
“Then begin now. You may refuse if you wish. That might even be better. I ask again: the path may be arduous, but will you follow me?”
A faint glimmer seemed to kindle in Ye-hwa’s eyes as she gazed at me.
It was the moment when my presence painted the faintest color upon her previously colorless world.
Soon, Ye-hwa’s lips parted softly.
“What if I tell you someday that I dislike being beneath you?”
“What have you been listening to? Those who follow me should stand beside me, not beneath me. Do those insolent fools over there look like they’re beneath me?”
I chuckled and gestured toward a direction.
Four figures were visible, their heads barely peeking out as they eavesdropped.
They approached slowly with awkward smiles.
Thump!
I struck the table sharply and spoke.
“So what? Stop dragging this out and give me an answer, kid.”
“First, stop calling me kid.”
“Huh? What?”
“My name is Ye-hwa. My family name is Gwak. I am Gwak Ye-hwa.”
Gwak Dae-ryong’s eyes widened.
The young assassin created in Salgok, Ye-hwa, had spread her wings beyond the nest.
I was slightly taken aback, while Gwak Dae-ryong laughed brightly.
“I look forward to working with you. From now on, I will observe and learn by your side.”
Ye-hwa bowed deeply.
I glanced at my companions.
“No one has any objections?”
They spoke in unison.
“Of course not.”
“Who would be tactless enough to refuse in this atmosphere?”
“Ye-hwa? I’m Sohwa. Our last characters are the same, aren’t they?”
“How fitting.”
It was the moment when all the pieces of my past life’s aspirations fell into place.
Amidst the cheerful atmosphere, I lifted my cup.
Gwak Dae-ryong raised his cup as well, and soon our cups clinked together.
The drinking gathering that had continued for some time eventually came to an end.
Deep into the night, after everyone had retired to their chambers.
I sat leaning against the window and picked up the bottle of wine I had set aside earlier.
A bright star hanging in the sky was reflected in my cup. I drained it in one gulp.
It was a farewell drink. A final remembrance of a man who had found no rest in his past life.
At the same time, I poured another cup and drank it.
It was a congratulatory drink. Sincerely celebrating that man who, after all the cycles, had finally found peace in this new life.
And in the final cup, I drank to my own resolve.

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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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