Martial God of the Sun and Moon - Chapter 181

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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 181
Moryong Sohgyo took a deep breath, struggling to regain her composure.
Her lips parted with difficulty.
“Then… how do you explain killing my cousin Moyong Lim and Uncle Moyong Baek right here in this place?”
“Accidents happen in martial contests. It’s inevitable.”
Dokgo Myeong spoke with a contemptible smile—a hollow excuse worthy of villains.
Moryong Sohgyo’s brow furrowed.
“Do you truly believe that serves as an explanation?”
“Then shall I express my reasons in a more dignified manner, your way?”
Dokgo Myeong continued.
“I drew my blade to save a descendant of the Namgung Family and my cherished friend. I alone withstood the combined assault of two nephews, and claimed their heads as the price of victory. As a martial artist, what further explanation could possibly be required?”
Moryong Sohgyo’s expression twisted.
Her eyes darted frantically until she seized upon a flaw in his logic.
“Namgung… did you say the Namgung Family? That too is an absurd and baseless claim. Where is your evidence that this woman is a descendant of the Namgung clan, and where is your proof that the main family kidnapped her for her martial prowess?”
That was when it happened.
Boom!
“Evidence? I am the evidence itself!”
Azure vital energy billowed forth from Namgung Sohwa’s entire being.
“Does a tiger need to prove it is a tiger? Heaven and earth know that I am Namgung—so why should I need to prove I am her descendant?”
“Spare me such baseless assertions…”
“Tell me! Are you truly suggesting that I would deceive myself, falsify my very name and ancestors, and impersonate the Namgung line?”
“That is to say…!”
Moryong Sohgyo began to speak but stopped, glancing around the assembly.
The atmosphere felt strange. Not a single person present cast a suspicious gaze at this reckless declaration.
Rather, she sensed an unfounded belief that a woman possessed of such righteous conviction could never deceive herself.
‘If I press her further here… I’ll only give her cause.’
Then Namgung Sohwa would draw her blade, claiming she must avenge her humiliation.
The Martial Arts Alliance Leaders would not say it was wrong, and even Geongon-dan could not intervene. Such was the law of the martial world.
‘These ignorant and unreasonable fools!’
Moryong Sohgyo trembled with frustration, gripping her collar tightly.
Then came Dokgo Myeong’s smooth voice.
“Going so far as to attack someone’s bloodline? I’ve heard that when you’re losing a war of words, you attack your opponent’s family. So the Moyong Family has no logic to speak of?”
“What… what are you saying? You… how dare you speak such words?”
Who was the one spouting baseless claims without rhyme or reason?
Dokgo Myeong tilted his head.
“Hmm? I don’t understand what you mean.”
“You…!”
“Tsk, tsk! They say you’re the finest beauty in Zhejiang, yet Miss Moyong has only a pretty face and a heart that is…”
“Ha!”
Moryong Sohgyo stared at Dokgo Myeong in disbelief.
Dokgo Myeong’s expression grew meaningful as he continued.
“Then let me ask one more thing. If Sohwa didn’t think you were from the Namgung clan, why did you send assassins? Wasn’t it to silence her because you knew? You pursued her quite relentlessly, didn’t you?”
“Gal!”
Moyong Aejeon suddenly cried out.
“Assassins? Didn’t you say they were messengers? Junior, choose your words carefully!”
“Ah, that’s right. Wasn’t it?”
“…?”
“So the Moyong Family is such a magnanimous clan that it sends messengers instead of assassins to those who killed the family head’s wife and younger brother in a single stroke.”
To put this simply, it meant:
-Are you fools?
Again.
Dokgo Myeong had consistently cornered the Moyong Family into a dead end.
If they agreed, they’d look ridiculous; if they disagreed, they’d become a clan that raised assassins.
“The Moyong sword techniques are unparalleled under heaven. Why would there be any reason to raise assassins, and furthermore, why would we covet the martial arts of a clan already destroyed?”
“Well, even the main branch of the greatest clan under heaven raises assassins similar to dark swordsmen. What guarantee is there that Moyong wouldn’t?”
“…!”
Moyong Aejeon’s eyes widened.
It was an attack only the Dokgo clan, which openly operated the Black Dragon Corps, could make.
He had to muddy the waters. Moyong Aejeon ground his teeth and continued calmly.
“That’s different from this. I hear you have many enemies, junior. Even if assassins had visited you, couldn’t they have been sent by someone else? In any case, the main branch does not raise assassins.”
“Then who did Moyong send?”
“Messengers, as I said! You’re a murderer who slaughtered them!”
Though he shouted, Moyong Aejeon felt himself sinking deeper into a quagmire. It was as if a master of superior skill was conducting a teaching match, and he was speaking exactly in the direction his opponent intended.
Then Dokgo Myeong asked with a hint of laughter in his tone.
“Really? Are you one hundred percent certain, senior?”
“Certain… Yes, I’m certain.”
“Is that your personal opinion, or your opinion as an Elder?”
“…!”
A trap. Definitely another trap.
But if he backed down now, everything would be lost.
“The main branch… stands firm.”
At those words, both corners of Dokgo Myeong’s mouth rose sharply.
“Martial Arts Alliance Leaders, did you hear? The Moyong Family is a clan that doesn’t raise assassins.”
What?
What is this bastard trying to do now?
“Earlier, didn’t the Moyong Family say it would reveal its true nature? Then this time, let me do the opposite.”
Something told him this shouldn’t be left alone, whatever it was.
Just as Moyong Aejeon was about to speak urgently.
Dokgo Myeong suddenly turned his head, his eyes gleaming brightly.
“Finally arrived. I thought my neck would break from waiting.”
Dokgo Myeong let out a snort of laughter.
“Where are you looking at…”
Moyong Aejeon, who had been furrowing his brow, suddenly whipped his head around.
“Surely not?”
BOOM!
A man who had come rushing across the rooftops landed on the martial arts platform in a tumbling roll.
“Huff, gasp!”
The man remained on the ground for a moment, his palms and knees pressed against the floor as he caught his breath.
While the spectators stared at the platform in bewilderment, the man suddenly sprang to his feet.
“Greetings, Martial Arts Alliance Leaders! My name is Ju Won-gwang! I am the leader of the Gae-bang’s Hu-gu faction and a disciple of the esteemed Master Choe Gwi!”
He was none other than Ju Won-gwang.
Behind him, several beggars who appeared to be in equally poor condition came pouring out.
A new development had arrived.
No, it was time to bring this to a close.
* * *
“Now that I think about it, we haven’t seen the Gae-bang in a while, have we?”
“The Hu-gu faction? Isn’t that the place run by Hu Gae?”
“Ju Won-gwang! I remember now. Isn’t he the youngest faction leader?”
The spectators erupted into commotion once more.
As Moryong Sohgyo and Moyong Aejeon’s expressions hardened, Dokgo Myeong’s face grew stern as he examined Ju Won-gwang’s condition.
“Why are you so late? What happened to you?”
He was already a shabby fellow by nature, but now he was covered head to toe in dust and bore sword wounds across his entire body.
His condition revealed that he had fought his way through a fierce battle. Yet Ju Won-gwang merely grinned.
“Hehe! It’s been ages since I nearly got robbed on the road. But I managed to escape with my tail between my legs.”
“Was it the Geon-gon Faction?”
Ju Won-gwang smiled silently.
“They only had one battalion here, but we had two. Were you just sitting here sucking honey while flapping your jaws?”
Dokgo Myeong let out a hollow laugh.
“Hardship is something to boast about, you rascal.”
“Hehe!”
“Are you alright?”
“More or less!”
“Thank you, Brother Ju.”
“With just words? Not a chance. I’ll strip you bare, so prepare yourself.”
“Anytime.”
“Now it’s my turn. Step back.”
After their brief reunion, Ju Won-gwang took his place before the spectators.
Once Ju Won-gwang steadied his breathing and gave a signal, the beggars brought a large chest onto the martial arts platform.
“Behold! These are the findings our faction has compiled regarding the Moyong Family’s misdeeds!”
“What? What is this?”
“What in the world is happening here?”
The crowd stirred with unease.
The name Gae-bang carried immense weight in the martial world.
Though they called themselves mere beggars, Gae-bang was among the rare few in the current martial realm who walked no path of tyranny.
Ju Won-gwang drew a deep breath and fixed his gaze upon the Moyong Family, his voice thundering.
“Moyong Family! If you possess any shame, you cannot deny this! How dare you oppress the rising talents of the martial world with lies and fabrications!”
Moyong Aejeon’s expression twisted beyond description, and Ju Won-gwang released his qi with spirited force, raising his voice even higher before the assembled leaders.
“Those who targeted Dokgo Myeong were messengers? How absurd! Here lies information regarding Moyong’s covert assassins and Am Seong-ju’s guards!”
“…!”
“That is not all! Evidence of collusion with local authorities, testimony from commoners, precise dates and numbers, even identities are documented here….”
“You wretch! Spouting nonsense!”
“Nonsense? Let’s see if you can say that after witnessing this. Hu-gudang! Distribute the materials now!”
Whoosh!
The Gae-bang members extracted thin papers from wooden crates and scattered them in all directions, complete with detailed records.
The contents were far longer and more thorough than what Moyong had prepared.
‘How long did it take to write all of this?’
It was difficult to even fathom the effort these beggars had invested in assembling such a volume of material.
“The materials distributed by the Moyong Family are false! Here—these are the proof!”
Ju Won-gwang shouted.
“The murder in Zhejiang’s Hangzhou district! Collusion with black gangs in back alleys! Human trafficking! The Flame King’s Debt! The great fire in Jiangxi Province! The assassination incident in Hubei! And more…!”
“This, this! You’ve fallen far, Gae-bang! How dare you pass off such fabrications as truth!”
Moyong Aejeon cried out.
Yet how could an elder who had spent his days in the back chambers hope to match the voice of a young beggar?
Ju Won-gwang’s voice easily drowned out Moyong Aejeon’s shout.
“Look closely, all of you! Most of the suspicions cast upon Dokgo Myeong are in fact crimes committed by the Moyong Family itself! All perpetrated by the covert assassins and Am Seong-ju’s…!”
The assembly fell into chaos.
Whose words should they believe?
Whose words were true?
The followers had each formed their own judgments, yet now they could no longer trust those judgments.
Moryong Sohgyo felt a chill run through her and swayed.
‘This won’t do. This cannot continue. If I’m not careful, this becomes irreversible.’
She needed to choose her target carefully.
In terms of strategy, Ju Won-gwang was merely a pawn. The true king of this gathering lay elsewhere.
Moryong Sohgyo turned her crumpled expression toward Dokgo Myeong.
“Fallen Dragon.”
“Do you have something to say?”
“…You and Gae-bang were in league. From the very beginning, the creation of this gathering and our invitation cannot be trusted. How will you prove this is not a fabrication designed to protect you?”
“Hahahaha!”
Dokgo Myeong suddenly burst into laughter.
“A good attempt.”
“What….”
Dokgo Myeong snorted derisively.
“Then how do you intend to prove that the evidence and accusations you leveled against me are truthful? Aren’t those all materials fabricated by the Moyong Family anyway?”
“…!”
“Why are we doing this when we already know the truth and circumstances? You fought with schemes from start to finish, and now you dare bring forth righteous arguments? That’s cowardly, isn’t it?”
Moryong Sohgyo’s eyes trembled violently.
Even so, Ju Won-gwang continued without pause.
“…However, this is not all! Upon interrogating Amseongeui Seongju, the head of the Moyong intelligence network, we discovered that the Moyong Family has engaged in criminal activities for many years.”
A grave revelation erupted.
Since this was information even Moryong Sohgyo was unaware of, her expression hardened like stone.
“The same applies to Guhwahyeolsa! While tracing the financial flows of the traps installed in Bidong, our faction confirmed the existence of a peculiar group within the Moyong Family! They…!”
Yet Ju Won-gwang’s words could proceed no further.
“How dare you! Attempting to smear the name of our main family with false propaganda!”
Kwaaaang!
Moyong Aejeon finally could restrain himself no longer and drew his blade.
‘That mouth must be silenced! Even if suspicions emerge, not now! This atmosphere—regardless of the truth, it will become a grave obstacle to the main family’s grand design!’
Even if it erupted eventually, it must not reach the ears of the Martial Arts Alliance Leaders until the main family could devise a countermeasure.
Perhaps the Moyong Family would have to answer with blood to the Gae-bang for severing that neck, but Moyong Aejeon was prepared to offer his own in its stead.
For the grand design.
For the family.
A swift, unhesitating blade strike aimed for Ju Won-gwang’s throat.
“…!”
Ju Won-gwang’s eyes widened as if they would split open.

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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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