Martial God of the Sun and Moon - Chapter 159

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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 159
Through the open carriage window, I watched the village boundary recede into the distance.
Ye-hwa, sitting quietly in the corner of the carriage, felt a sudden flutter of confusion. Her heart was racing far faster than usual.
As she puzzled over the reason, Namgung Sohwa, seated right beside her, spoke up.
“Nervous?”
“Pardon?”
“Leaving a place you’ve lived in for so long always makes you nervous. Especially when you’re following people you barely know.”
Namgung Sohwa, whose expression was usually rather cold, smiled as she spoke.
Ye-hwa’s eyes widened slightly.
“Nervous…”
That seemed right. Only then did Ye-hwa realize she truly was nervous.
At that moment, Dokgo Myeong spoke.
“Little one. How are you feeling?”
“It’s Ye-hwa. Not little one.”
“So how are you feeling?”
“I seem to be nervous, sir.”
“Is that all?”
“Pardon?”
Dokgo Myeong nodded as if he understood.
“Have you ever descended from the mountains before?”
“I’ve been to a larger village nearby on my father’s errands.”
By father, she meant Gwak Dae-ryong.
Dokgo Myeong shook his head.
“I’m asking if you’ve ever gone out alone, not that.”
“No, I haven’t.”
“Why not?”
When Dokgo Myeong pressed her as if interrogating, Ye-hwa asked back in confusion.
“Should I have?”
“Of course you should have.”
“I simply never did.”
“You couldn’t, or you didn’t?”
Ye-hwa’s expression stiffened slightly.
Dokgo Myeong chuckled and opened his mouth.
“Let me tell you a story. You all listen too. Seok-du, you as well.”
As Dokgo Myeong tapped the wall toward the coachman’s seat, a voice mixed with the sound of hoofbeats called out, “Yes, Master.”
Dokgo Myeong began his tale.
“Once I saw a foreign merchant from the Western Regions. That’s when I first laid eyes on an elephant—a beast so massive that even the slightest tantrum could reduce the merchant to jerky. Yet such a monster obeyed the merchant’s whip and commands without the slightest resistance, you see.”
Dokgo Ak tilted his head.
“A merchant from the Western Regions? When did you ever see something like that?”
Dokgo Myeong’s eyes widened sharply.
“Is that really what matters right now? You’re completely missing the mood. Ugh, what am I going to do with this guy?”
“I, is it really something to be said like that….”
It was from my previous life when I was a wanderer, so it was understandable to be puzzled. Dokgo Myeong felt a bit stung and deliberately criticized harshly before continuing the story.
“Anyway… I was just curious why it was so docile.”
“Isn’t an elephant itself just a gentle beast by nature?”
Namgung Sohwa asked.
Dokgo Myeong shook his head.
“Depending on how you raise it, it can apparently be used in place of a war horse.”
“I see.”
“So when I asked how, they said it was very simple. Apparently, when the elephant is young, they chain its hind legs and tie it to a stake. Then even after it grows large enough to break the chain, it won’t touch it. I heard that even if you later pull out the stake, it only moves back and forth within that range.”
Silence fell inside the carriage.
Cheolmu-baek muttered in a heavy voice.
“Though the body isn’t bound, the mind is shackled.”
“Right. Elephants are originally intelligent and can even distinguish human faces, but they recognize the person who brings them food as their master and live like slaves.”
Dokgo Myeong paused for a moment and imagined Ye-hwa’s life.
I recalled a young child who had been abused in a dark, enclosed room and had killed her emotions. She was fortunate enough to meet a kindhearted man and escape.
That could be called a prison break in one word. The problem was that only that man had escaped.
The girl had grown older and was able to live like a human being, but she would have wandered the mountains day and night like a prisoner, just as she had learned in Salgok. Despite having martial skills that could scale a mountain or two in a single bound.
“Gwak didn’t order you to patrol, did he? So why were you guarding the mountains around the village?”
“….”
Ye-hwa couldn’t answer.
Suddenly, she remembered when Gwak Dae-ryong had asked, “What if you didn’t?” She had replied, “Then what should I do?”
At that time, Gwak Dae-ryong had sighed with an exasperated expression.
After a moment of silence, Ye-hwa spoke.
“Are you saying I’m like that elephant?”
“This mountain was perhaps another Salgok for you. Gwak waited endlessly for you to step outside.”
“….”
Ye-hwa’s expression became blank.
She seemed to savor those words for a long time before opening her mouth.
“That may have been the case.”
Dokgo Myeong nodded.
“There’s no need to be ashamed. In fact, most martial artists are like elephants. Sects, clans, righteous societies, the greatest under heaven, this and that… Everyone thinks they live as they wish, but very few actually do.”
Ye-hwa asked.
“What about the people here?”
“We all had leashes put on us, but we broke free from them. In the world’s eyes, we’re rebels that make them wonder if such madmen exist, and precisely because of that, we’re the ones who will eventually take over the martial world.”
“Why are you lumping us together?”
“I am not a rebel.”
The group all bristled at once, but Dokgo Myeong snorted and continued.
“Look at that. Talking back when your lord is speaking. Put your hand on your conscience and tell me. Are you all the type to live as the world tells you to?”
“….”
“….”
Dokgo Myeong grinned widely as he gazed at Ye-hwa.
A light flickered in her eyes that hadn’t been there before.
“I want to become like that too.”
Dokgo Myeong tilted his head curiously.
“You already have.”
“Pardon?”
“You chose to follow us out into the world of your own accord. No one forced you to board this carriage.”
“…!”
“So if you just relax, there’s nothing to regret, right? You should feel joy and anticipation too. Let’s get along well.”
At those words, Ye-hwa’s eyes sparkled brightly.
Perhaps.
Following this stranger had truly been the right choice after all.
“Yes, I look forward to your guidance.”
Ye-hwa’s facial muscles relaxed slightly.
A warm atmosphere settled over them.
Dokgo Myeong grinned.
“Good. Then shall we begin the welcoming ceremony?”
“Pardon?”
“What?”
Thud!
Suddenly, as if the coachman had mishandled the reins, the carriage lurched slightly.
Everyone inside went pale.
“It’s not an ambush, is it?”
“Surely not….”
“So suddenly?”
Dokgo Myeong spoke with a gentle smile.
“When have I ever let something slide? Why are you acting like amateurs?”
“…?”
Ye-hwa tilted her head in confusion, unable to comprehend.
As everyone panicked, only Dokgo Myeong’s chuckling laughter continued.
Dokgo Myeong looked at Ye-hwa.
“Welcome. Is this your first martial bout?”
* * *
It took only one hour to understand exactly what regret meant.
“Ughhhh.”
“Oh no… I’m dying.”
“Hnnnngh….”
Cough! Gasp!”
Those who followed Dokgo Myeong were writhing pitifully across the ground.
A hellish pandemonium of groans and screams intermingled.
For those who traveled with Dokgo Myeong, it was an inescapable daily routine.
A dog fight masquerading as martial training.
Now Ye-hwa had become one of its victims.
“…Ugh.”
Ye-hwa rubbed her forehead vigorously with her palm, wiping away the tears that leaked out.
-Well, since it’s your first day, I’ll go easy on you.
Dokgo Myeong, who had pressed close before her, grinned like a demon, then flicked his middle finger—which he’d held fixed with his thick thumb—as he spoke those words.
Light erupted from his fingertip along with a deafening boom. Whether he truly meant to go easy on her was beside the point….
She couldn’t fathom how a person could endure arrows in flight through sheer physical fortitude. Even if armor as solid as steel plate could stop an arrow’s penetration, it couldn’t block the shock and impact.
“A monster….”
They were going to do this every day from now on?
Was he insane?
Five people lay sprawled on the ground, and Dokgo Myeong himself sat gasping for breath on the dirt.
“Ugh… these bastards are getting hungrier just because one little brat joined. Huff, wheeze…!”
Dokgo Myeong rose to his feet and bent at the waist, taking a long moment to catch his breath.
Then he trudged toward Ye-hwa.
“You fought pretty well, though?”
“…Thank you.”
“Of course, you’re still faaaaar from ready. You’ve got a long way to go, a long way indeed. Phew!”
“….”
Ye-hwa felt something surge up from deep within her.
She’d often seen the others choke up at Dokgo Myeong’s words, and she wondered if this was that feeling.
“Am I really that useless?”
Dokgo Myeong was taken aback.
“What? Useless? That’s the kind of thing that makes people misunderstand!”
“There’s no one to misunderstand—they’re all passed out.”
“Well… that’s true, but.”
This girl was quite peculiar.
Ye-hwa spoke in a flat voice.
“I thought I was helpful enough.”
“No, that’s not it at all.”
“….”
“Of course, your level is impressive. By the standards of the martial world, I’d say you’ve reached the pinnacle. Though there’s some forcing involved.”
Ye-hwa’s inner cultivation and martial prowess could indeed be called pinnacle-level.
It was due to the many forbidden techniques performed at Salgok and her forcibly opened lower dantian. Her body was essentially the result of heterodox cultivation.
Moreover, given her nature as an archer, if conditions were right, she could give opponents several levels above her a hard time.
The only problem was her lack of drive.
“You’d lose a hundred times even against Geum Seok-du, the weakest among us. Do you know why?”
“I’m not sure.”
“Your physical foundation is weak—that’s the first issue, but since you’re still growing, we’ll set that aside. The real reason is your mindset.”
“That is….”
“You don’t have the resolve to strike your target with an arrow. Instead, you’re afraid, aren’t you? Afraid of actually hitting someone?”
Ye-hwa nodded.
It was a direct hit.
“And why aren’t you using the Crimson Bow and White Arrows?”
Ye-hwa’s eyes widened.
“That quiver, I mean. I already know it’s the White Arrow Quiver that produces white arrows. But why were you only shooting ordinary arrows? The true power of the Crimson Bow and White Arrows lies in the white arrows themselves.”
“…!”
Ye-hwa’s mouth fell open.
The Crimson Bow and White Arrow Quiver were divine artifacts of the Assassin’s path—together they were called the Crimson Bow and White Arrows, named after the legendary weapons said to have been bestowed upon the Archer Yi by the Jade Emperor himself.
‘This is something almost no one knows about….’
Ye-hwa swallowed dryly.
The Crimson Bow could certainly fire arrows imbued with inner force, but the truly crucial component of the Crimson Bow and White Arrows was the White Arrow Quiver. It absorbed the wearer’s martial power to generate the special white arrows.
The Crimson Bow was merely a vessel for firing these white arrows.
“Did Father tell you this?”
“Let’s say he did. Surely you know how to create them?”
“Yes, I do.”
“Then why aren’t you using them and just taking the hits?”
“Because…it’s dangerous.”
Dokgo Myeong let out a scoff.
“There it is. What assassin holds back their full strength for fear of hurting their opponent?”
Ye-hwa’s expression hardened slightly.
“I’m not an assassin.”
“You are an assassin. What I needed was an assassin. The only difference now is that you’ve become one who chooses whom to kill by your own will, rather than by someone else’s command.”
Ye-hwa’s eyes wavered.
Dokgo Myeong asked.
“You’re not forcing yourself to become a martial artist for my sake, are you?”
“Truthfully, I’m not sure.”
Dokgo Myeong nodded.
“That’s fair. But as I said, you’re now an elephant that’s broken free from its chains. You don’t need to fear yourself.”
“Are you saying I may use Assassin’s Technique?”
“There’s no reason not to use it. Why hold back power you’ve worked so hard to master?”
Ye-hwa’s eyes trembled slightly.
Watching her, Dokgo Myeong swallowed a sigh.
Thinking coldly about it, she was still a child—not quite ready to be a true force.
However.
‘The potential is truly extraordinary.’
Already at the pinnacle master level at this age.
The finest assassin technique and archery in the Central Plains.
If I could only obtain the proper martial technique to control the sensations and premonitions of the lower dantian….
‘She would surpass even Gwak Dae-ryong.’
Perhaps Ye-hwa would become a walking cannon.
I found myself anticipating it.
If this child established a clear purpose, she would become a strong pillar supporting our group, just as Gwak Dae-ryong once had.
* * *
Dokgo Myeong, who had arrived in the city by carriage, left a message at the Gaebangs’ branch office.
And soon he was able to meet the person he had been waiting for.
It was Ju Won-gwang, the master of the Gaebang’s rear pavilion.
“My goodness, what a bright-eyed little one you are. Quite adorable indeed. My name is Ju Won-gwang.”
“I am Gwak Ye-hwa.”
“Gwak Ye-hwa?”
Dokgo Myeong stood blankly in a corner of the inn, observing the scene.
Ju Won-gwang glanced around cautiously before whispering his question.
“You weren’t kidnapped by my younger brother, were you?”
“Pardon?”
“Lured away with food, dragged here by force, or threatened….”
Dokgo Myeong’s brow furrowed.
“What does this ragged beggar think I am?”
After conversing with Ye-hwa for some time, Ju Won-gwang cleared his throat and approached Dokgo Myeong.
“It’s been a while. Was that child the person you were looking for?”
“She’s that person’s daughter. I promised to send him back.”
“Send him back?”
“There’s a long story behind it, so don’t ask.”
“Ah yes, of course.”
Dokgo Myeong quickly changed the subject.
“How does the atmosphere seem these days?”
“Ah… that matter.”
Ju Won-gwang clicked his tongue.
“Your family’s atmosphere is quite unusual. They might be targeting you.”
Dokgo Myeong clicked his tongue.
“It’s about time for that. The serpent and the bear must have grown bored. How troublesome. What about Moyong’s side?”
Ju Won-gwang’s expression grew slightly colder.
“For now, only public opinion is being swayed, but their methods are crossing the line.”
“It will still take some time to prepare?”
“Moyong’s shadow organization is beginning to probe the Gaebang. You’ll need to make some moves yourself….”
“Perfect timing. How did that request I made turn out?”
Ju Won-gwang spoke with a slightly uncomfortable expression.
“Why did you suddenly request such a thing? Is this also part of your plan?”
“It’s a personal matter of settling old debts, but it seemed like a good way to fill idle time and give the children some experience.”
“Sigh…”
Ju Won-gwang exhaled heavily and withdrew a map from his robes, handing it over.
“I’ve marked all the locations where groups matching your conditions exist. What kind of organization are you actually looking for?”
“The survivors of Salgok.”
“What?”
“I’m searching for the survivors of Salgok.”
Ju Won-gwang’s eyes widened in shock.
Dokgo Myeong examined the map and nodded.
“Five locations. All nearby. I’ll have everything organized within a week or so.”
“But what does that even—?”
“Once my preparations are complete, let’s post this first before we begin.”
Dokgo Myeong handed Ju Won-gwang a proclamation bearing certain contents, then rose from his seat.
As Ju Won-gwang read through it, a hollow laugh escaped him.
“Wow, this bastard really is insane.”
It was a declaration of war.

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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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