Martial God of the Sun and Moon - Chapter 263

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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 263
After the attendees for the conference with the household heads were decided, only minor details were communicated.
Surprisingly, the leaders of both factions neither took confrontational stances nor engaged in displays of power.
The meeting ended in less than an hour.
As Dokgo Un-hak and Wi Baek exited the Overseer’s office speaking in hushed tones, Dokgo Hwi-hwa issued instructions to Shin Heum, who had come to greet her.
“Hmm.”
Dokgo Jo-hak approached Dokgo Myeong, who was observing the scene with newfound curiosity, clicking his tongue.
“Why do you have that expression on your face again?”
“If something bothers you, you could simply ask what’s wrong. Must you always pick a fight when you speak?”
“Because I am picking a fight.”
….
“I have no reason to concern myself with you. I’m merely asking beforehand because I worry you might cause trouble again.”
At those words, I let out a hollow laugh.
He’s embarrassed, that’s for certain. If he truly felt that way, he would have left long ago.
I turned my gaze forward and spoke.
“It’s a strange and complicated feeling I can’t quite explain. It’s like watching a bear and a snake amicably sharing prey.”
“What an absurd thing to say… Ah.”
Dokgo Jo-hak followed my line of sight and soon nodded.
“Those two were so eager to devour each other, yet they didn’t seize on a single word and resolved things easily. There was even an agenda requiring mutual cooperation.”
“What’s so strange about that?”
“Pardon?”
“The atmosphere was like this even before you had your faction. There were no explicit words, but it was nearly an alliance or truce. They’d clash occasionally, but whenever something arose, they’d cooperate fully as if they’d never fought at all.”
My eyes brightened.
“So you understand how to distinguish the time and circumstances.”
“Did they seem otherwise to you?”
“It was simply unfamiliar. I’ve never seen them like this before.”
When I think about it, it would be stranger if those who’ve risen to such heights couldn’t distinguish situations and timing.
Footsteps approached.
Dokgo Un-hak drew near. Dokgo Myeong and Dokgo Jo-hak offered brief bows.
“A conference mediated by the Gae-bang, no less. Truly impressive resourcefulness. Had it not been for this, I would have considered other methods.”
Other methods?
I asked carefully.
“Thank you for the praise. But what other methods do you speak of?”
“There would have been several.”
“Several, you say…?”
“Excluding the obvious ones, we could have mobilized force or used one of the few leverage points the main house holds over them.”
Dokgo Un-hak finished speaking and glanced at Dokgo Jo-hak.
“Would you step aside for a moment?”
Dokgo Jo-hak nodded and bowed respectfully.
“Of course, Elder Brother. I had matters to discuss with the Overseer anyway. Please speak freely.”
After Dokgo Jo-hak departed, Dokgo Un-hak opened his mouth.
“Are you planning to head straight to the Cheonma Sect once this is finished?”
“Yes.”
“Good timing. Let’s walk together for a bit.”
Dokgo Myeong and Dokgo Un-hak walked in silence for a moment, their pace leisurely.
It was a peculiar feeling.
No matter how I thought about it, I couldn’t call my relationship with Dokgo Un-hak a good one.
Then was he an enemy?
He had been an enemy more often than not, but when war came, he became an ally, and now we walked side by side like this.
Then Dokgo Un-hak spoke.
“Myeong-a.”
“Yes.”
“Do you dream of becoming the household head?”
Dokgo Un-hak took a few more steps before turning around.
Dokgo Myeong chuckled and replied.
“How could such a thing happen just because I wish for it? I doubt any of the main house’s retainers think that way.”
“Everyone makes such assumptions. I’m the one who doesn’t understand them. You possess both the qualifications and the strength in abundance—so why would I think you wouldn’t dream of the household head’s position?”
….
“That’s why I wanted to hear it directly. Whether as a competitor or as your uncle.”
I nearly gasped without meaning to.
No matter what anyone said, the next household head would be Dokgo Un-hak.
He was the eldest son of Dokgo Cheon, one of the Five Generals, and possessed the capability to match.
Of course, whether his authority would equal Dokgo Cheon’s was another matter, but his ascension to the household head’s position was a predetermined future.
‘Yet such a person views this green young brat as a competitor so naturally.’
Regardless of what lay beneath, on the surface alone, wasn’t he a young master who hadn’t even lived half my years?
Even those without prejudice had their limits. This man’s vision reached that level.
‘How did such a person ever become household head, only to fail to last more than a few years?’
Was his vision that clouded?
Or was he that cunning?
“There’s no point in beating around the bush. No, I have no such intentions.”
Just as Dokgo Un-hak had cut straight to the point, I gave him an equally direct answer.
Dokgo Un-hak’s eyes narrowed.
“Why?”
It was a peculiar question.
It seemed to ask why someone with such capability wouldn’t dream of it, or perhaps why I had revealed my talents at all.
Dokgo Myeong chuckled and glanced around.
“This household is quite large, but it’s also incredibly suffocating, you see.”
“Suffocating?”
“Dragons, serpents, bears… it’s not even the wild. I’m too frightened to even stretch my legs.”
…?
Dokgo Un-hak tilted his head slightly, as if he didn’t quite understand.
“And once one comes of age, it’s only natural to establish independence, is it not?”
“A man who speaks of independence—why then did he establish a faction?”
“In this harsh world, to eat well and live well, one must extract some marrow from the family coffers before achieving self-reliance, would you not agree?”
Dokgo Myeong lowered his voice.
“I have no interest in becoming the master of the field. I merely covet the fruits that ripen within it.”
“Yet to pluck those fruits, one must eventually become the master of the orchard.”
“Perhaps. But there is also the method of stealing, is there not?”
At Dokgo Myeong’s jest, Dokgo Un-hak’s eyes gleamed.
“Coveting the fruits will eventually lead you to desire the field itself.”
“The human heart is something one only truly understands when the moment arrives, after all.”
“I understand well enough what you mean.”
Dokgo Un-hak nodded with a faint smile playing at his lips.
“A clever answer. Or should I say cautious? In any case, I regret it now. I should have paid you more attention when you were young and cultivated you properly.”
“It likely would have been futile regardless, would it not?”
The shell remains the same, but the contents have changed entirely.
“True enough.”
Whether Dokgo Un-hak interpreted it differently or not, he laughed heartily and resumed walking.
Soon a fork in the path appeared in the distance. The Chammaewon lay to the right, while the Outer Hall lay to the left.
Dokgo Un-hak spoke.
“Have everything prepared so we can depart immediately once word arrives from Gae-bang. How long do you estimate it will take?”
“Since I requested urgent delivery, we should receive word within three days. The location will likely be Hubei.”
“Reasonable enough. If it’s Hubei, it would be either Wuhan or Yichang.”
Dokgo Un-hak nodded.
“Then departure would be no sooner than five days from now. Understood. I’ll keep that timeframe in mind. How many will you take with you?”
“As for me, truthfully, going alone would be sufficient.”
“Then I shall make preparations on this end.”
“What do you intend to do when we meet?”
Dokgo Un-hak chuckled softly.
“That will depend on how they make their move.”
Dokgo Myeong smirked.
When his uncle was an enemy, he was troublesome indeed, but now that he considered him an ally, surprisingly, his heart felt at ease.
“Then I entrust this negotiation to you.”
“Very well.”
It seemed there would be much to do in the coming days.
Now that the decision to depart had been made, Dokgo Myeong also had preparations to make and postponed matters to attend to.
* * *
Moryong Sohgyo, the military strategist of the Chammaedae, gazed out the window with a gloomy expression.
Though she had been assigned a room directly across from the Grand Master’s office itself, and received courteous treatment not only from the disciples but from the managers as well, her expression showed no sign of brightening.
She was thinking of one person.
Dokgo Myeong.
The man who had turned my life upside down.
The heretic of the Dokgo Household, the greatest prodigy of the martial realm.
A legendary martial artist who had seized for himself all manner of brilliant titles—Undefeated Fist, Tyrant of War, Black Dragon Master, Reincarnation of the Calamity.
‘I knew he was extraordinary, but not to this extent.’
Moryong Sohgyo glanced at the various books and documents scattered across the desk.
It was the current state of the Cheonma Corps, summarized and delivered by Jo Ryang-ui and Geum Seok-du. The scattered gaps suggested it hadn’t yet earned complete trust.
But even this much revealed plenty.
‘The Cheonma Corps. Everything connects back to the Cheonma Corps.’
He had steadily accumulated wealth, reputation, and power, establishing his position within the family through a martial force.
Anticipating the possibility of being constrained and manipulated, he had cultivated factions to construct an independent safety net.
He had created the formula for spirit elixirs and filled the Cheonma Corps with precious artifacts that would serve as their equipment.
But that wasn’t all.
“Strengthen your lower body! All martial arts flow from the lower body!”
“Strike the position your enemy hates most! You fools! Target the joints and you’ll break their defenses!”
“Kill them! Just kill them! Rush in as if you mean to slaughter!”
Moryong Sohgyo looked down at the Cheonma Corps training in the courtyard below.
At first glance, it appeared to be a chaotic scene impossible to comprehend, but upon closer inspection, it was far from mindless disorder.
‘There are no shortcomings. Each manager cultivates disciples suited to their own unique specialties.’
Such a martial force was rare in the martial realm.
No—it simply didn’t exist. It resembled a government army’s organization far more than a typical martial faction.
‘It seems designed with battlefields in mind rather than martial realm conflicts. Extreme, yet practical. Had he prepared the organization, missions, and training all along?’
Everything that had appeared scattered and disconnected gradually converged, all leading back to the Cheonma Corps.
And so she felt melancholy.
There was no helping it.
‘Do I even need to be here?’
What is a military strategist? Literally, a teacher to soldiers. One who oversees strategy, tactics, and all manner of military affairs.
Yet all of that was already being handled well.
The thought struck her that even here, where she had committed herself with resolve, there might be no place for her.
“Sigh.”
Just as she exhaled and turned to leave.
“Military Strategist Moryong!”
Crash!
Dokgo Myeong—the very subject of her thoughts—burst through the door.
She flinched in surprise.
“Oh, you’ve arrived?”
“What’s this? You look like someone caught slacking off.”
Dokgo Myeong approached with heavy steps and naturally took the seat of honor.
“I went through all the trouble of accepting you, and you’re not wasting time playing dumb, are you?”
“How could that possibly be the case?”
“Then what were you doing?”
“I was reviewing the materials and current information you provided earlier.”
“Reviewing?”
Dokgo Myeong’s eyes widened in surprise.
“There must be quite a lot of it?”
“It was well-organized, so it wasn’t difficult to grasp.”
Moryong Sohgyo spoke matter-of-factly.
But Dokgo Myeong let out a hollow laugh and glanced away.
I could see the bookshelves on the wall packed densely with all sorts of materials.
‘So she’s gone through all of that?’
These were materials that even included personal information about the disciples. The quantity was enormous.
She wasn’t the type to speak falsehoods, so if she said she was reviewing them again, it meant she’d truly examined everything.
“But why does your expression look like that?”
“That is….”
Moryong Sohgyo trailed off for a moment.
“It’s nothing. I simply had something to think about for a moment.”
Dokgo Myeong, who had been observing her briefly, chuckled softly.
“It seems I was being considerate for nothing.”
“Pardon?”
“I left you alone so you could take your time organizing your thoughts and adapting first, but it seems I’ve only given you unnecessary worries.”
“…!”
“Wasn’t the reason you came here in the first place to carve out your own place?”
Moryong Sohgyo’s expression changed as she nodded.
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“Then do it that way. I’ll prepare paper and brush for you, so try drawing it yourself.”
As she fumbled for a response, Dokgo Myeong suddenly produced two books from his robes and handed them to her.
“What is this?”
Moryong Sohgyo carefully received the books.
[Record of Territorial Conflicts]
[Illustrated Discourse on Blood Preparation]
A record of observed warfare.
A treatise collecting illustrations and writings on blood preparation.
‘Blood… perhaps it refers to the Blood Sect?’
The books appeared to be both military treatises and historical records. Even she, who prided herself on having read quite extensively, had never seen these titles before.
“Forgive me. My knowledge is insufficient—I’ve never seen books like these before. Could it be….”
“That’s right. I wrote them. Don’t expect much from the prose, so just skim through them.”
“You personally authored them?”
As I carefully opened and examined them, the prose and calligraphy were excellent, contrary to my concerns. It seemed unlikely that Dokgo Myeong would have had the opportunity to practice writing or copying anywhere.
“But why are you giving these to me….”
“Just read more for now. Then you’ll understand.”
“Ah, yes.”
Page after page turned in the books.
Soon, bloodshot veins appeared in Moryong Sohgyo’s eyes, and her already pale skin drained of all color, turning ashen.
After reading roughly ten pages from each of the two volumes.
She lifted her trembling gaze to meet Dokgo Myeong’s eyes.
“What… what is this?”
“A record of my predictions.”
“If this were released to the public, it might be condemned as a forbidden text.”
“Is it that severe?”
“No matter how fanatical the Blood Sect devotees are, surely you don’t mean to this extent? This is far too…”
“Whether you believe it or not, that’s for you to judge, Moyong.”
She swallowed hard, her eyes fixed on Dokgo Myeong’s gaze.
His eyes were far too lucid to belong to a madman. He genuinely believed every word written in these books.
‘Dokgo Myeong, this man…’
Had he lived all these years envisioning such a hell?
Moryong Sohgyo nodded heavily.
“No. I will believe you.”
“Good. In fact, the Managers have already experienced some of these things. This is the reality that will soon arrive.”
Thud.
Her fingertips trembled faintly as she set down the books.
“Is the reason you’ve given me these to prepare?”
“Yes. From now on, use this as your foundation for consideration. If such events occur, think about what the Demonic Suppression Force will need, how to train, and how to respond.”
“…”
“That will be your first and only duty as our strategist.”

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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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