Martial God of the Sun and Moon - Chapter 206

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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 206
Dokgo Un-hak gathered all the senior figures of the Outer Hall.
He sat in the seat of honor with his eyes closed, and slowly opened them at the sound of Dokgo Gun’s voice calling out, “Hall Master.”
“You all have some sense of what’s happening, so I won’t waste time with lengthy explanations.”
“….”
“Brace yourselves. Starting tomorrow, the Elder Council Leader and that bastard Myeong-i will begin rummaging through our coffers.”
Dokgo Un-hak was the type to maintain proper decorum in any gathering, unless it was among his closest confidants alone.
Yet he spoke in casual tones with such natural ease, his gaze sweeping across the followers gathered before him.
“What do you think will happen with tomorrow’s grand assembly? Military Affairs Director, you speak first.”
“The existing agenda will be withdrawn. It will almost certainly shift to discussing the details of war with the Moyong Family….”
“There is a possibility the proceedings will favor the Elder Council and the Dokgo Myeong faction’s near monopoly.”
“What is the Jaegyeon Director’s assessment?”
“The southern expansion initiative is also at risk. Because the Elder Council preserved funds and personnel targeting the Dokgo Myeong faction, they’ve left room for our headquarters to be targeted in the southern operations we’ve been conducting….”
“Then….”
Reports from each department head under the Outer Hall continued.
Dokgo Un-hak wrapped his hand around his forehead, pressing his thumb firmly against his temples before releasing it.
“In short, our voice grows weaker in the grand assembly, and the Elder Council may have held back their strength only to swallow our plans as well.”
The Outer Hall had been preparing to expand into the regions around Fujian, Jiangxi, and Guangdong.
They had planned that if the Dokgo Myeong faction fell this time, they would ride that momentum to raise the matter at the Hundred Clans Assembly and draw upon the household’s power.
After all, they couldn’t indefinitely push the southern expansion using only Dokgo Un-hak’s and the Outer Hall’s personal funds.
But now they couldn’t even broach the subject. All the money and manpower invested in conducting it in secret had become precarious as well.
“Still, we were preparing to some degree against the Elder Council’s attacks. Things will improve.”
“We can’t even participate in the Moyong matter, so I can’t just hand that over like some blind fool.”
Dokgo Un-hak laughed bitterly.
“No, when the Martial Alliance itself has been mentioned, what good is hegemony over the southern regions?”
It was like the neighbor slaughtering cattle for a grand feast while this household contented itself with barely harvested wild greens as a side dish. Worse still, even that was on the verge of collapse.
“How did things come to this? What are your thoughts, Vice Hall Master?”
“I, I apologize. It was I who suggested we take a defensive stance….”
Dokgo Un-hak clicked his tongue.
“And I was the one who approved it. I bear responsibility as well. For now, let’s simply speak the truth.”
He remained composed throughout.
Which made it all the more unsettling.
“We’ve noticed the Elder Council laid a trap. Moreover, we’ve realized that Myeong-i is scheming something as well.”
The Outer Hall had eyes only for Dokgo Myeong.
The Elder Council, pretending to aid the hunt, aimed at the Outer Hall’s back from one step behind.
The Outer Hall had already sensed that much.
“So, let me ask again. What was the real problem?”
“I, I beg your pardon.”
“Dokgo Yeon-sin. You speak.”
Dokgo Gun opened his mouth.
“It’s not because we were afraid.”
“Afraid?”
“We had momentum, yet we remained in place, constantly watching our flanks and rear.”
“…Yes, we were afraid.”
Dokgo Un-hak’s voice sank into a somber tone.
His thoughts aligned with mine.
I should have pressed forward from the beginning. Then the Dokgo Myeong faction would have been in peril, and the Elder Council would never have even considered joining hands with me.
Could all I could have done was discuss war and minimize my own losses?
‘What’s done is done. Pointless speculation.’
In the descending silence, Dokgo Un-hak’s expression shifted.
“Let’s extinguish the most urgent fire first. Jaegyeon Weonju.”
“Yes.”
“Go meet with the meritorious officials.”
Dokgo Un-hak issued his command with force in his voice.
“Find out what they’re thinking, and tell them to show some leniency.”
“Leniency, you say….”
“Cast aside your pride entirely and return with something—anything.”
“…Jeon Myeong.”
“Military Affairs Leader. Since external matters fall under our jurisdiction anyway, prepare the topics to be discussed at tomorrow’s grand council. Have the entire Military Affairs Bureau set aside current duties and focus on this.”
“Yes.”
“And….”
Dokgo Un-hak’s eyes gleamed.
“From now on, the Outer Hall targets the Dokgo Myeong faction again. This time, we proceed independently.”
Everyone’s eyes widened at his words.
“You mean to strike again?”
“If we’ve been hit, we must return the favor. Did you think I’d sit idle?”
“….”
The Sect Leaders under Myeong-i’s faction have certainly been shaken by this. At minimum, I must cripple a couple of their subordinate branches as a warning.”
Dokgo Un-hak finished his detailed instructions and spoke once more.
“We’ve suffered enough. Everyone return and prepare to give them what they deserve.”
It was a dismissal. With those words, all the senior members of the Outer Hall faction rose from their seats.
Dokgo Gun was about to rise as well.
“Gun, you sit for a moment.”
At Dokgo Un-hak’s words, Dokgo Gun sat back down.
He personally brewed tea and set it before his son, then spoke.
“Have you met with your aunt?”
“Yes, Father.”
“And you left without saying goodbye?”
“No. She said she would stay for a brief time before departing.”
“I see.”
Dokgo Gun realized that Un-hak wasn’t trying to discuss this right now.
Clink.
Un-hak set down his teacup.
“You.”
A cold, piercing gleam flashed across Un-hak’s eyes.
“What have you been thinking about lately?”
“….”
A vast silence descended.
Dokgo Gun’s lips were slowly parting when—
“This is the Outer Hall of the main branch! Right now… and…!”
Loud voices crashed through the door from outside, accompanied by the sounds of a scuffle.
Un-hak’s brow furrowed.
“Why is it so chaotic?”
“That is… ah, this cannot be! Do you know where you are…!”
Crash!
The door burst open roughly, and a group of people entered the room.
The Outer Hall Master’s expression hardened as he recognized their affiliation.
“We’ve been properly ambushed. A counterattack and all… ahahaha!”
* * *
Dokgo Myeong and Dokgo Hwi-hwa walked side by side.
The Baek Tournament had begun around midday, and now the sun was beginning to set.
“Let’s take a walk for a moment.”
“Do you have time for such things?”
“Hmm?”
“You were planning to target the Outer Hall’s external operations.”
“Isn’t that already been set aside?”
“Are you abandoning your attack on the Outer Hall?”
“Of course not. Whether we fail or succeed, we’ve gained an opportunity to strike—we must press forward.”
Dokgo Hwi-hwa chuckled softly.
“But such matters are best left to those with sharp minds. An old, stubborn codger like me would only get in the way. Tsk tsk!”
Silence settled between them for a while after that.
It was Dokgo Hwi-hwa who spoke first.
“The proposal I made at the beginning still stands.”
A proposal? What proposal was she referring to?
“Join the Elder Council.”
“…?”
“I know. You’re not the type to serve under anyone. If you did, you’d only cause chaos anyway, so I don’t expect your loyalty either. Simply receive the Elder Council’s support and in the future….”
Dokgo Hwi-hwa looked directly at Dokgo Myeong.
“Challenge for the position of Household Head in my stead.”
She spoke as casually as if discussing tomorrow’s weather.
However, this was something even I hadn’t anticipated. I found myself hesitating for a moment without realizing it.
“…Why are you making such a proposal all of a sudden?”
“The Elder Council has a grave problem. What do you think it is?”
“They’re rather sluggish, I’d say. Those old geezers are just brimming with greed.”
Dokgo Hwi-hwa’s expression turned sour.
It was the look of someone thinking, ‘What kind of bastard is this?’
“Well… yes. Those old geezers have accumulated so much that they’re weighed down by their own possessions.”
The Elder Council represents entrenched power.
The elders of the sect, masters from previous generations, household heads of branch families and vassal clans, sect leaders of various allied factions, and so forth.
They are those who forged their authority as the price of the fierce struggles they endured in their day. Having already built much, they possess much, but precisely because of this, they are passive.
“Eventually, they will fall behind the Outer Hall, even if they don’t realize it now. Perhaps the Household Head backed me precisely because he foresaw this….”
Dokgo Hwi-hwa suddenly murmured as if grasping something, then shook her head vigorously.
“The members of the Elder faction are each cultivating their own successors anyway, aren’t they?”
“That’s true. But there’s no one to become the leader.”
“Didn’t the Alliance Leader cultivate someone called Shin Heum or something?”
“Nonsense. He’s an orphan from outside, not even of the Dokgo bloodline. How could such a man be the successor to the Elder Council?”
Dokgo Hwi-hwa spoke firmly.
“I have the justification of being a great contributor to the family, but after me, there will be no such thing. In the end, the Elder Council needs one thing.”
Dokgo Hwi-hwa’s eyes gleamed.
“Pure blood. The direct lineage of the Dokgo Household is necessary.”
“….”
“As long as I remain vigorous, it doesn’t matter. But since there’s no one to challenge for supreme authority, my position will inevitably weaken. Eventually, Un-hak will become the Household Head. Everyone knows this. However….”
“If I exist, things change.”
“Become my successor and inherit the Elder Council. I will hasten the end of Un-hak’s era and bring forth your time.”
These were not idle words. She meant it sincerely—to make me her successor.
I nodded lightly.
“I appreciate the offer. You think highly of me.”
“Tsk tsk, setting position aside, I don’t dislike you. You’re somewhat righteous, appropriately dark-hearted, and remarkably bold. The Household Head was like that in the old days.”
“You’re making a recruitment offer while insulting me?”
“That was praise.”
“Saying I resemble the Household Head?”
I let out a quiet laugh and fell silent with an enigmatic expression.
“…?”
In that instant, Dokgo Hwi-hwa’s brow furrowed.
“What are you doing?”
“What do you mean?”
“Why do you keep deflecting and dragging out time?”
“Ah, it’s not so much dragging out time as….”
I closed my mouth with a soft sound.
“I was afraid you would misunderstand me soon, Alliance Leader.”
“What?”
“Your proposal just now seems like it would fit right in too.”
At that moment, a group approached them.
“Elder Council Leader.”
Dokgo Hwi-hwa hesitated and looked at me.
“You… surely not?”
“It wasn’t me.”
“Then what in the world is this situation?”
“I told you. I thought there might be a misunderstanding.”
Those who approached them.
They were none other than Enforcement Bureau Members.
The one standing at the front opened his mouth.
“Elder Council Leader. We’ve detected suspicious activity targeting the Outer Hall. A considerable sum of funds has been moved…”
“You bastards… do you know who I am, blocking my path over such a matter?”
“Was that sum of money reported to the Inner Hall?”
Dokgo Hwi-hwa’s expression hardened.
Of course it wasn’t.
If the money had been reported to the Inner Hall, would she be able to use it freely? Besides, how could she possibly target the Outer Hall with funds they would inevitably discover?
Dokgo Hwi-hwa ground her teeth.
“Dokgo Yeon-sin. Unless this man has truly lost his mind…”
Certainly it wasn’t a clean matter, but it was something the Enforcement Bureau had also turned a blind eye to. If this were investigated, both factions wouldn’t leave the Enforcement Bureau alone.
The Enforcement Bureau Member spoke.
“From this moment forward, I will conduct an interrogation. Elder Council Leader Dokgo Hwi-hwa. You are currently under suspicion of multiple violations and embezzlement of funds. Come quietly.”
Dokgo Hwi-hwa let out a hollow breath, then burst into laughter as if the world were spinning away.
She spun around to face me.
“It was you, wasn’t it?”
I shrugged as if I knew nothing of it.
“You’ve been deceived. I’m telling you it really wasn’t me.”
“Instead, you guided the Jipbeop-bu Leader to dance with his sword. Either you informed him that the Outer Hall and Elder Council would be weakened, or you provided information about the violations.”
“Rather than that…”
I spoke in an emotionless voice.
“Wasn’t it simply a matter of what was bound to burst?”
“What?”
“It’s the price the Outer Hall and Elder Council paid for disrespecting the Enforcement Bureau’s authority for so long.”
I continued.
“The Enforcement Bureau are those who enforce the law. Such people live by their pride rather than money or honor. So how could they not be angry when treated like mere tools?”
“Tools? Speak properly. After all, the Enforcement Bureau still stands below the Grand Council. When we order them to unite, that’s what they should do.”
“Do you still not understand the Jipbeop-bu Leader? Isn’t it precisely because of such an attitude that he drew his sword?”
“…!”
I waved my hand dismissively as if tired of it all.
“In any case, I truly did nothing.”
“Playing innocent, are we?”
“I’m serious. I merely offered a single remark. That both factions would soon be too occupied to breathe, and if it seemed appropriate, our faction would also respect the Enforcement Bureau.”
Dokgo Hwi-hwa’s face, which had been flushing red and purple, suddenly went slack as though all the air had left her shoulders.
“Surely you didn’t only touch the Elder Council?”
“I don’t know either.”
Dokgo Hwi-hwa’s expression became peculiar.
“You truly don’t know?”
“Yes. But would that person have only touched the Elder Council?”
Dokgo Hwi-hwa, who had been pondering for a moment, let out a hollow laugh.
“Whether it’s me or that fool Un-hak, we’ve lost as much as we’ve gained. How absurd this is.”
Dokgo Hwi-hwa glared at me.
“Both Un-hak and I will emerge soon enough. Our household has far too many tails. If you strut about as though this were your own world, you’ll come to regret it dearly.”
“On the contrary, I would be troubled if you didn’t. We have a great war to conduct, and we need both of you present.”
“Fine. …Let’s go.”
Dokgo Hwi-hwa turned her body.
The Enforcement Bureau Members escorted her toward the Enforcement Bureau.
‘I wonder if it reached the Outer Hall as well?’
Well, that would be the Jipbeop-bu Leader’s decision.
I brushed my chest clean.
‘Ah, peace descends upon my heart….’
Peace gained through forgiveness is false peace.
Isn’t this the true inner tranquility?
“Ah, truly, one must repay what one has suffered and live on. This is cultivation, this is enlightenment. Kekekeke!”
I wore a villainous smile.
This was the meager harvest of a plan conceived while gazing upon Son Tae-im’s hair.
Now then, I should head off to eat something.
I thought I would starve to death!

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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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