Martial God of the Sun and Moon - Chapter 258

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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 258
“It’s been a while. Rather than standing, why don’t you sit down.”
“Thank you.”
Moryong Sohgyo sat down quietly beside the drinking table.
Dokgo Myeong openly examined her from head to toe before opening his mouth.
“You survived?”
At his casual tone, as if he’d witnessed something curious, Moryong Sohgyo stiffened momentarily.
However, she soon fixed her unwavering gaze upon Dokgo Myeong.
“It was not the Moyong Family’s intention to spare my life.”
“That’s true. But once you’ve outlived your usefulness, I had no further interest in what became of you.”
Moryong Sohgyo was startled by his blunt words.
“You seemed clever enough to quickly grasp the situation, so you would have faced one of two choices: escape the protection of Gae-bang, or return to your family.”
“Whichever I chose, I would have been in the underworld by now.”
“Which is precisely why I find it curious that you’re alive.”
Moryong Sohgyo’s words caught in her throat again, her eyes widening as she froze.
Dokgo Myeong turned his head to look at Ju Won-gwang.
“Why did you bring her?”
“I didn’t bring her. She followed on her own.”
Dokgo Myeong’s brow furrowed.
“Did you save her? I didn’t think you were that kind of person. Don’t tell me you fell for her beauty?”
Ju Won-gwang was taken aback.
“What are you talking about?”
“If you had any conscience, you’d know your place. How could you possibly covet the most beautiful woman in Zhejiang?”
“I’m telling you that’s not it! Wait, setting that aside—what are you implying about me?”
Ju Won-gwang, who had been fuming, clicked his tongue.
“Tsk! In any case, I truly left her alone. It wasn’t my intention.”
“So she simply understood her position and stayed quiet on her own?”
“You always have to spell everything out, don’t you…”
At that moment, Moryong Sohgyo answered in Ju Won-gwang’s stead.
“Yes, is there anything one wouldn’t do to preserve their life? I held my breath to avoid death.”
In Moryong Sohgyo’s voice, there was not the slightest tremor. Her eyes, gleaming like polished obsidian, revealed not shame or resignation, but rather the cunning inherent to someone with purpose.
‘I tested her slightly, and this is her response… not bad at all.’
Dokgo Myeong’s eyes met Ju Won-gwang’s.
Ju Won-gwang exhaled softly and shook his head, while Dokgo Myeong nodded once before looking at Moryong Sohgyo.
“Do you drink?”
“I would be grateful to accept if you offer.”
With those words, Dokgo Myeong suddenly raised his hand into the empty air.
In that instant.
Whoosh! Clack!
A wine cup flew from somewhere and was caught in Dokgo Myeong’s hand as if drawn to it.
“…!”
A void-grasping technique so seamless it felt entirely natural.
Ju Won-gwang, who had been gauging Dokgo Myeong’s level, flinched slightly, and Moryong Sohgyo’s already large eyes widened even further.
“Let’s continue this conversation after we’ve had a drink.”
Moryong Sohgyo, who had been staring at the liquor in her cup for a moment, squeezed her eyes shut and downed it in one gulp.
“Cough! Cough! Ugh….”
Dokgo Myeong’s brow furrowed.
“What’s wrong? You’re acting like you’ve never had a drink before.”
“That’s because I haven’t.”
“What?”
Moryong Sohgyo silently extended her empty cup.
Despite her scowling expression, her beauty shone through, giving her an air of elegance. Dokgo Myeong let out a hollow laugh and refilled her cup.
“Now then, let’s hear what happened. How did this come about?”
Ju Won-gwang spoke.
“It was the Sect Leader’s will.”
“Bang’s doing?”
“He said that no matter how freely a beggar lives with nothing to lose, one must never turn away someone in dire straits. Instead, he said she should work to earn her keep, so I had her assist with Hu-gu Hall’s operations for a time.”
“Hm.”
Dokgo Myeong let out a small exclamation.
He was well aware of Bang Jong-san’s generosity, but he hadn’t expected him to have her work at Hu-gu Hall, a major organization within Gae-bang.
“She proved quite capable—more than quite capable, actually. I thought she’d grown up like a hothouse flower, but she knew a considerable amount about her family’s affairs.”
“You’re saying she revealed the Moyong Family’s weaknesses?”
“Yes, and thanks to that, it was a great help in extracting internal information.”
“So that’s how it was. The fact that Ju Hyeong speaks of it that way means it must have been useful.”
Dokgo Myeong nodded and looked at Moryong Sohgyo.
“Then you’ll excuse yourself now?”
“…!”
“You’ve had your drink and heard the explanation, so it seems our young lady of the Moyong Family has no reason to remain. Or do you have something else to discuss?”
Moryong Sohgyo swallowed dryly.
Whether it was the courage the alcohol gave her, or simply her true nature emerging—
Moryong Sohgyo met Dokgo Myeong’s gaze directly and opened her mouth.
“I wish to join as well.”
“Join? Where?”
“Please accept me as a member of the Assassin Corps.”
Caught off guard by her unexpected words, Dokgo Myeong’s eyes widened before he burst into laughter.
“Listen here.”
“Yes.”
“Haven’t you come to know me well enough by now?”
“What do you mean….”
“You should be grateful I’m not killing you right now. What kind of reckless request is this?”
I displayed no outward force, nor did any emotion leak through. I simply took a measured sip of wine and spoke in a flat tone, yet Moryong Sohgyo felt a dizzying sensation as if she were falling from a cliff.
Dokgo Myeong asked with an indifferent smile.
“Fine. Let’s hear it then. What benefit would I gain from accepting you?”
“I would… prove more useful than you might expect.”
“Useful? You certainly have an interesting way with words.”
Thud!
Dokgo Myeong leaned back against the chair.
At first glance, his posture appeared discourteous and careless, yet no one dared to point it out.
“You understand what we’re about to do from here on, don’t you?”
“It must be a plan to annihilate my family clan.
“Exactly. And you’ve just said you want to sell out your own family.”
“…”
“At the same time, you’re asking me to take in such an unfilial wretch.”
“I…”
Moryong Sohgyo’s face turned cold. She closed her mouth for a moment, then continued speaking with composure.
“I have never considered myself part of a family that kidnaps children to raise them as assassins and conducts experiments that violate human decency by inviting foreign powers.”
“Blood is thicker than water, though.”
“Must I belong to a clan that places prohibitions on the bloodline and loyal servants of the family, enslaving them?”
Dokgo Myeong nodded.
“Of course. That’s how it should be.”
“…!”
“When a family walks down a wrong path, it must be corrected from within. Isn’t that what loyalty and propriety mean?”
“You’re telling me to uphold propriety toward a family trying to kill me?”
“That’s your problem. The world will certainly condemn you for it.”
Moryong Sohgyo bit her lip hard.
Her eyes, which had consistently hidden emotion and maintained courtesy, now blazed like flames.
“My family that sacrificed not just my parents but even me… I could sell them out a hundred times, a thousand times over.”
Raw, unfiltered emotion poured from Moryong Sohgyo, all pretense abandoned.
“Just once… I want to live a life where I decide my own path.”
Dokgo Myeong gazed into Moryong Sohgyo’s eyes for a moment.
He thought of carefully cultivated bonsai trees, ornamental plants, birds in cages.
If such things could feel emotion, would they experience happiness or anger?
“Tsk.”
Dokgo Myeong suddenly clicked his tongue and sighed.
Moryong Sohgyo’s eyes wavered.
‘It didn’t work.’
She could understand. Dokgo Myeong had no reason to accept her.
Just as Moryong Sohgyo was about to lower her head in defeat.
“Alright! You’re hired! Start working tomorrow.”
“Huh? Yes?”
“Which unit would you like to join? Or were you thinking of helping with the strategic side? In that case, you’d probably need to go to the Moyong military staff… Hmm, it seems our Gun’s official position as Overseer will finally be solidified.”
“Ah, no…”
Moryong Sohgyo, flustered, asked hesitantly.
“You’re accepting me?”
“Why are you like this? Weren’t you the one asking to be accepted?”
“But just a moment ago, you clearly…”
Ju Won-gwang, who had been silently observing from the side, shook his head vigorously.
“This stubborn younger brother of mine is always like that. He was just testing you with insincere words. Young lady, don’t take it too much to heart.”
“Ju Hyeong, what are you talking about?”
“Never mind, never mind. Hehe, well, everything worked out well, didn’t it?”
At that moment, moisture welled up in Moryong Sohgyo’s large eyes before streaming down her cheeks.
For her, it was the first time she had chosen something of her own, and the first time it had been accepted, so her emotions suddenly overwhelmed her.
“I’m… I’m sorry.”
Moryong Sohgyo hastily wiped away her tears and shook her head.
Dokgo Myeong and Ju Won-gwang exchanged surprised glances before letting out a soft laugh.
“Then, our beautiful military strategist, could we perhaps hear some news about the Moyong Family?”
“…Yes.”
Moryong Sohgyo began speaking, her voice still slightly trembling with moisture.
The warm atmosphere that had been building from her tears suddenly froze over.
The rampage of the Moyong Family.
It was a blood-soaked tale that could not be ignored.
* * *
Whoosh!
The candlelight flickered in the rushing wind.
The darkness swayed as if dancing along with it.
Then, the form of a massive crimson Maitreya Buddha statue, which had been shrouded in darkness, was revealed.
The Maitreya’s eyes, forming the Mudra of Subduing Demons with Touching Earth, gazed downward as if observing the lower realms.
Where the Maitreya’s hand seal and both eyes were directed.
There, a basin holding something dark as a beast’s maw was placed.
Drip! Drip drip!
Liquid gathered at the tips of the Buddha’s fingers fell into the basin below.
Something too viscous and dark to be mere water.
Perhaps because the surroundings were dim, it appeared as though darkness itself had congealed and was falling.
Whoosh!
At that moment, a candle was extinguished by wind blowing from somewhere.
“…It is late.”
A voice echoed through the space.
It was a voice that flowed from the lips of the middle-aged man sitting before the Buddha statue.
Slowly!
The middle-aged man rose to his feet gradually.
Soon his face was revealed in the firelight.
A pallid complexion, eyes darkened with exhaustion. It was Muyong Tae, the patriarch of the Moyong Family.
“Some matters arose at the sect, I’m afraid. I’ve caused considerable rudeness.”
“I abandoned any expectation of courtesy from you long ago, so it matters not.”
“A bitter sentiment indeed. In place of a comrade who suffered greatly while aiding the Moyong Family’s affairs, another collaborator has come to us.”
Clang!
A man emerged from the darkness with a metallic resonance—none other than Jimeol Magoon.
“What became of Heuk-hyeol?”
“With the disciples’ aid, he has begun his recovery. Fear not. It will not take long.”
“Fear? Quite the opposite. I had intended to hold him accountable and extract his blood as payment.”
“…Heh heh.”
Muyong Tae regarded Jimeol Magoon with an expressionless face.
“How far along is the preparation?”
“It proceeds without hindrance. The sect’s main forces are gradually taking their positions. As promised, our sect shall fill whatever gaps remain in your family’s strength. How fare your family’s main forces?”
“They have already been… organized. Thanks to you lot.”
“Should we not say ‘thanks to your grace’?”
Muyong Tae let out a scoff.
“They have begun accepting the divine arts. There were some sacrifices, naturally.”
“Then how much of ‘that’ have you gathered?”
“….”
The patriarch of the Moyong Family silently stepped aside.
Then a basin placed beneath the Buddha statue came into Jimeol Magoon’s view.
“To have accumulated so much already!”
“….”
“Truly, the patriarch’s devotion is remarkable. The Bloodless Mother shall regard your offerings with favor and bestow appropriate blessings upon you.”
“I have no interest in such things.”
A flash of ambition like a ghost-fire flickered across Muyong Tae’s hollow eyes.
“The perfection and transcendence of martial arts. That is all I require—the power to guide me to the Heavens Above.”
“…Of course, that too shall be possible. With our sect’s Divine Blood Tears, the patriarch shall be granted infinite vitality and strength.”
Thud! Clang!
Jimeol Magoon lightly struck his stone staff against the ground.
In that instant, all the extinguished candles ignited at once, illuminating the darkness-shrouded space with brilliant clarity.
Corpses, corpses, and yet more corpses.
A veritable mountain of the dead, indiscriminate of age or gender. Countless human remains lay withered and twisted across the vast chamber.
Only then was the color of the liquid in the basin revealed.
A deep, vivid crimson.
“Should the patriarch complete the spirit-essence through the Divine Blood Tears, perfecting the divine arts shall be no difficult feat. Our sect shall devote all our efforts to assisting you….”
Suddenly Muyong Tae’s lips curled upward as he spoke.
“Do you truly believe I would be swayed by such honeyed words, no matter how far I have fallen?”
“What do you mean, patriarch?”
“You and I are nothing more than business partners in the end. Don’t waste time with idle prattle.”
A deep resonance rumbled forth.
A torrential aura erupted from Muyong Tae’s entire body.
Despite his pallid complexion, his eyes blazed with an intensity unlike any before.
“Do you truly believe I would be swayed by such sorcery? Absurd. Both that and the blood technique are nothing more than tools in my hands.”
“….”
“No matter how blind I have become, I have never forgotten that perfecting my martial arts is the sole path to reaching the pinnacle of all under heaven.”
A smile tinged with madness deepened at the corners of Muyong Tae’s lips.
Jimeol Magoon inwardly marveled.
Blood essence had long since infiltrated the upper and middle dantians, yet Muyong Tae had burned it away through his obsession with strength, maintaining his clarity of mind.
‘He knew. The side effects of the blood technique I granted him.’
He swallowed the poison knowingly.
Truly, a remarkable man was a remarkable man. To transform the poison he consumed into a stepping stone for his own growth.
Suddenly, curiosity stirred within me.
If this man, already formidable without the blood technique, were to perfect it—what realm would he attain?
Then, Muyong Tae murmured.
“I will give anything. Masters of the sect, position, status….”
Muyong Tae’s eyes snapped open.
“In return, you must deliver as promised—the stage upon which the Central Plains lies beneath my feet, and the power to achieve it. As our original agreement stipulated.”
Jimeol Magoon regarded Muyong Tae in silence.
Muyong Tae turned his body once more and settled into a cross-legged meditation.
A deep, resonant hum filled the air.
Soon, three-colored energy began to pour forth from his entire being.

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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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