Martial God of the Sun and Moon - Chapter 17

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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 17
“…And so, rumors about the Geumsan Sect have been spreading throughout the Family recently.”
Lee Seong-cheon, the Black Dragon Sect Leader, bowed respectfully to Dokgo Cheon and reported on the peculiar rumors circulating within the Family.
“Rumors, you say?”
*Snip! Snap!*
Dokgo Cheon, who had been trimming a bonsai without turning his head, looked toward Lee Seong-cheon.
“Yes, rumors concerning the Geumsan Sect and Saheon-gak.”
The content of the rumors was as follows.
That the Geumsan Sect had inflated Saheon-gak’s debts through improper means, and that Saheon-gak had obtained the Geumsan Sect’s double ledgers and was preparing a counterattack…such was the talk.
“How remarkably convenient timing for such talk to spread.”
“Indeed.”
“The source?”
“It appears a man named Jang Sam from Saheon-gak is renowned among the servants as a well-connected figure.”
Dokgo Cheon wore a mysterious smile.
“He’s escalated the game. The reckless fellow.”
*Snap! Crackle!*
With the resumed, unrestrained cutting, several branches fell away one after another.
“How long has it been since the martial competition?”
“Barely two months have passed.”
“Already in just two months? How amusing.”
From a single martial competition, Dokgo Cheon had turned a spark into kindling for the previously quiet Family.
That small spark had turned toward Saheon-gak, yet Dokgo Myeong showed no intention of extinguishing it—instead, he poured oil upon the flames.
“It seems that whenever Young Master Myeong becomes involved, matters always grow turbulent.”
“Indeed. It has become quite entertaining.”
“….”
Lee Seong-cheon’s eyes lowered slightly.
This matter was not a full-scale attack against Saheon-gak.
To be precise, one faction within the main branch had merely orchestrated this as a minor check, or perhaps to gauge Saheon-gak’s true capabilities.
‘It was an incident that could be extinguished even if the fire grew considerably—until Young Master Myeong spread the rumors.’
He had already confirmed that Dokgo Myeong had obtained the actual ledgers.
With that alone, the debts could have been settled. It should have ended there.
“What is your assessment?”
Dokgo Cheon asked abruptly.
“The Elder Council and external branches—all those who were observing—will find it awkward to intervene now.”
“Indeed.”
“…Surely Saheon-gak lacks the power to control the situation at this very moment, does it not?”
Dokgo Cheon chuckled.
“They likely never intended to control it in the first place. The fire will spread of its own accord.”
As Dokgo Cheon spoke thus, he grasped one section of the tree.
Unlike the main branches extending along the path he had opened, one small branch was growing crooked and wild of its own accord.
Ordinarily, one would need to prune away such branches.
Yet Dokgo Cheon chuckled softly, gave the branch a light tap, and set down his scissors.
* * *
Four days remained until the payment deadline that the Geumsan Sect had announced to the Saheon-gak.
A furious roar erupted in the Geumsan Sect Leader’s study.
Crash!
Dokgo Maek glared at Son Tae-im and slammed his fist against the desk.
“What in blazes is this ridiculous rumor spreading about?”
“I-I’m not certain, sir. My servants heard it from the servants of the outer quarters.”
“Infuriating! How exactly are you handling your duties?”
That’s what I’d like to know!
The words surged to the tip of his tongue, but Son Tae-im merely bowed his head low.
‘How could rumors not spread when we met so openly?’
His lowered face betrayed a thousand frustrations.
Who was it that spoke of caution while openly inviting Yu Baek-cheon to the Geumsan Sect and meeting him at the pleasure house?
And even if that weren’t the case, couldn’t the Saheon-gak have orchestrated this gossip for public opinion?
So why was he being blamed?
“Don’t you know that human tongues are more fearsome than a hundred blades? What will the higher-ups think if rumors spread?”
Dokgo Maek’s face flushed crimson as he bellowed, seething with rage.
This matter had to be handled cleanly, without a single misstep. One wrong move could invite a counterattack.
“So… what of the Baekcheon Trading Company? What did Director Yu say?”
“That is…”
At Son Tae-im’s words, Dokgo Maek let out a hollow laugh.
“He refused the meeting?”
“According to the Trading Company’s chief manager, he is currently ill.”
“That’s what you call an excuse…”
Dokgo Maek’s face twisted like a wrung-out rag.
The man who had eagerly accepted drinks at their meeting days ago—how could he possibly be ill?
“Though it may not be entirely false, the chief manager claims that Director Yu suffered grave wounds from bandits and now hovers between life and death.”
“Do you believe that?”
“I merely report what I heard…”
“And you simply returned without pressing further? Your mind is… tsk!”
Until recently, Yu Baek-cheon had regularly sent people to the Geumsan Sect. But contact had ceased two days ago.
He had sent someone to investigate, only to be turned away, and even when Son Tae-im went himself, it proved futile.
‘Useless wretch.’
He had thought the man possessed both responsibility and propriety, yet now he behaved this way.
Dokgo Maek’s eyes turned cold.
‘Could it be?’
Had Yu Baek-cheon harbored different intentions or laid a trap?
‘No, that cannot be.’
Yu Baek-cheon was far too deeply involved to simply withdraw or shift to another pocket.
What if Yu Baek-cheon had handed over the double ledgers?
Then my own neck would be in danger as well.
So he truly is bedridden?
That’s strange too. If he were suddenly so ill he couldn’t even speak, wouldn’t he have given some hint beforehand?
“First, find out where this rumor originated and whether it’s real or fabricated.”
“Yes.”
“Also, carefully observe the atmosphere within the Law Enforcement Bureau and Saheon-gak.”
“Yes, understood.”
Thud!
Dokgo Maek slammed his desk once more.
“That’s your problem! You say you understand, yet you can’t do a single thing right… Tsk tsk!”
Dokgo Maek scrunched his face again and glared at Son Tae-im.
“What are you still doing here?”
“Yes?”
“Go handle it now!”
“…Yes.”
Son Tae-im clenched his teeth and spun around sharply.
His face had flushed crimson.
* * *
“Damn it. I only did what I was ordered to do…”
Thump! Thump!
Son Tae-im stomped loudly toward his study as if staging a protest.
‘It can’t possibly be real.’
Even if Yu Baek-cheon had fabricated the ledgers, he wasn’t a fool—there was no way he’d hand them over or let them be stolen.
Yet suddenly there’s this rumor, and why must such talk circulate and cause me trouble?
‘The work is nearly finished anyway. What harm could a few rumors do?’
Son Tae-im clicked his tongue and deliberately walked with exaggerated noise as he opened the study door.
Creak! Slam!
And there, he discovered someone sitting in his own chair, causing him to furrow his brow.
“You bastard! Who gave you permission to enter my study…!”
For a moment, Son Tae-im flinched in surprise, blinking his eyes open and closed.
That familiar back of a head.
Why was this bastard here?
As he stood bewildered, the owner of that back of the head turned in the chair and waved his hand.
“Oh, you’re here?”
“Young Master Myeong-i? Why are you here…?”
“I was thinking there might be something I need to discuss with you, Deputy Sect Leader Son.”
“With me?”
Son Tae-im furrowed his brow.
‘Did his tongue get cut in half? Why is he speaking in such fragments?’
Son Tae-im, already in a foul mood, found every crooked posture and curt word from Dokgo Myeong utterly grating.
Then, suddenly.
‘Ahem! I must be magnanimous and understanding.’
The humiliation he’d suffered when raiding Saheon-gak not long ago flashed through his mind, and Son Tae-im’s eyes shifted away.
“I have little to discuss with you, Young Master Myeong. Leave. I am occupied with pressing matters today….”
“Indeed, given the rumors circulating through the family lately, I can see why you’d be busy.”
Son Tae-im fell silent for a moment.
Then he fixed Dokgo Myeong with a desolate glare.
“Surely… those ridiculous rumors spreading through the family recently—you didn’t start them, did you?”
Dokgo Myeong crossed his legs with arrogant nonchalance.
“Why? Struck a nerve?”
“….”
Son Tae-im stared at Dokgo Myeong quietly.
Then he chuckled softly.
“Impossible. I have always been confident. That is precisely why I became a merchant.”
“A fair point.”
Dokgo Myeong smirked.
Son Tae-im’s expression turned serious once more.
“State your business.”
“Since you’re a merchant, this should be simple. I propose a transaction.”
Son Tae-im watched as Dokgo Myeong withdrew several ledgers from his robes.
Dokgo Myeong waved the ledgers before Son Tae-im’s eyes with a grin.
“Care to guess what these are?”
As the ledgers fluttered and swayed, the corners of Son Tae-im’s eyes—buried in flesh—trembled violently.
* * *
Son Tae-im first verified the authenticity of the ledgers.
‘These are genuine.’
They were unmistakably authentic.
Everything from deliberately weakening the Baekcheon Trading Company’s finances, to inflating debts owed to the Geumsan Sect, to manufacturing false trade routes that forced him to pay penalties.
Every date, amount, letter exchanged, and scheme aligned perfectly.
In short….
This was his lifeline.
Son Tae-im’s hands trembled as he examined the ledgers.
‘Why, why does this bastard have these?’
Had Yu Baek-cheon planned his betrayal from the beginning?
But then his own neck would be on the line too—what could he possibly be thinking?
No matter how hard Son Tae-im racked his brain, he could not make sense of this situation.
‘Did he send assassins? Was he blackmailed? Did he surrender them under torture? No! How did this bastard get his hands on these in the first place?!’
Wait. Hold on.
Blackmail? Torture…?
Son Tae-im glanced sideways at Dokgo Myeong.
“Aren’t you going to show me quickly?”
Dokgo Myeong yawned with a languid posture.
No matter what, a young master from a Noble Family wouldn’t resort to blackmail and torture… it couldn’t be.
‘More importantly… the rumors were true.’
If this became a problem?
Son Tae-im stopped his thoughts.
‘He clearly said he came to make a deal just now….’
Son Tae-im’s mind spun rapidly.
Soon after, he gazed at Dokgo Myeong with gleaming eyes.
“….”
“….”
Silence stretched on for a while.
At its end, Son Tae-im saw a palm flying toward him.
Crack!
“Ugh!”
Knocked from his chair, Son Tae-im looked up at Dokgo Myeong with aggrieved eyes.
“Why, why suddenly…!”
“Just, I didn’t like the look in your eyes.”
Dokgo Myeong replied casually and took the ledger from him.
“Our Tae-im. Ah, is it alright to call you that?”
“…Please, go ahead.”
Either way, his lifeline lay in Dokgo Myeong’s hands.
Son Tae-im suppressed his anger and spoke.
“Right, our Tae-im. Let’s speak frankly with each other.”
“Ahem! I’m listening.”
“If this gets out, it’s only your neck on the line. Do you understand?”
Son Tae-im’s eyes gleamed ominously.
“Do you think the Sect Leader would cast me aside? I am his right arm.”
Dokgo Myeong let out a scoff.
“Do you still not understand this household?”
“What?”
“In this family, calling someone a right arm or limb is merely a fancy way of referring to a hunting dog on a leash.”
“…!”
“Not every hunting dog is discarded once the hunt ends. But a dog that has fallen ill?”
Son Tae-im’s eyes changed.
Whether from shock or bewilderment, it was unclear, but he was visibly shaken.
Son Tae-im swallowed dryly and spoke.
“…Didn’t you say you came to make a deal?”
“I’ll open a path for you to survive.”
“That’s all?”
“The rest depends on what you do. Think carefully. What will happen to the vacant Sect Leader position?”
The Sect Leader position was vacant, and I had survived.
When a position emptied, it had to be filled.
Son Tae-im’s eyes gleamed with sudden brilliance.
“That is to say….”
“It means you just need to do well.”
Son Tae-im swallowed hard, his throat dry.
Deliberation took only a moment.
“What do you ask of me?”
In Son Tae-im’s eyes as he spoke, a deep hunger rippled across them.
“Our Tae-im.”
Dokgo Myeong laughed with a sneer, waving the ledger back and forth.
“How deep is your loyalty to that Sect Leader?”
“Loyalty? Hehe….”
Son Tae-im continued slowly, his tone subtle.
“A merchant, after all, is someone who sells anything—be it money, goods… or loyalty.”
Son Tae-im was simply repeating what Dokgo Maek had said before.
“Hahaha!”
“Hehehe!”
Son Tae-im and Dokgo Myeong burst into laughter simultaneously.
And then Son Tae-im saw another palm flying toward him.
Crack!
“Ugh!”
Son Tae-im touched his swollen, reddened cheek and stared at Dokgo Myeong.
“Why, why again….”
“I didn’t like the look of your smile.”
“…!”
Screech!
Dokgo Myeong dragged his chair and rose from his seat.
“Now go and do well.”
Before Dokgo Myeong left the study, Son Tae-im suddenly asked.
“Can I trust you?”
“Didn’t I say? It all depends on what you do?”
Son Tae-im nodded.
And he gazed at Dokgo Myeong with burning eyes.

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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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