Martial God of the Sun and Moon - Chapter 271

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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 271
Peng Jin-cheol left without offering a response.
Dokgo Un-hak let out a quiet chuckle.
“What qualifications do you have to speak of war?”
“But you’re the one who started this, Outer Hall Master.”
“Your words contain the answer. I can do it because I am the Outer Hall Master.”
….
Perhaps I should throw myself into factional disputes just to vent this frustration.
“I set the stage for you, and now you’re flying about quite freely. Your skill at sowing discord with honeyed words is rather impressive. When our sect suffered it, my blood boiled, but watching it firsthand… it’s quite entertaining.”
Was that praise or insult?
Dokgo Myeong smacked his lips.
“Still, it’s curious how the great Paeng Sect Leader came to such a state.”
“The Jegal Family Head must have frightened him half to death. Before that, he suffered greatly at the hands of the Moyong Family.”
Dokgo Un-hak changed the subject.
“So, how do you think this will unfold?”
“With your arrival here, it’s already more than halfway decided. As for the future, I cannot say.”
Dokgo Un-hak nodded.
“Then only two remain.”
“We might even reduce it to one. Hwangbo Gaju—allow me to handle that. In exchange, please take charge of the negotiations, Outer Hall Master.”
“What strange scheme are you plotting now?”
Dokgo Myeong grinned wickedly.
“When you’re fishing for someone, you either hold a blade to their throat or pull them from the water, right? One or the other.”
“So? Which will you do?”
“Both at once.”
Dokgo Myeong broke into delighted laughter.
* * *
Morning had broken.
Jegal Mun stood by the window, having spent the entire night awake, yet his face bore no trace of fatigue.
Though the Jegal Family was one that emphasized the literary arts over martial prowess, he too was a master of the highest caliber in the martial realm. A single night or two without sleep was hardly enough to exhaust him.
Then, a voice called from outside the room.
“Both Hwangbo Gaju and Paeng Sect Leader are waiting for you.”
…I understand.
Jegal Mun promptly left the room and headed elsewhere.
Creak!
The moment he opened the door and entered, Hwangbo Cheong asked without preamble.
“What are you planning?”
Not Peng Jin-cheol, but Hwangbo Cheong. He glared at Jegal Mun with naked displeasure.
“What do you mean, sir?”
Jegal Mun sat calmly and countered the question.
“It’s fine to stand against the Dokgo Household. But why make them outright enemies?”
Jegal Mun tilted his head with a puzzled expression.
“Is that a problem?”
“Listen here. I didn’t join your cause to make enemies. Didn’t the Dokgo Household already overturn the table yesterday?”
Jegal Mun’s eyes gleamed.
“Exactly as you say. It was they who broke the talks with their crude conduct. And it is they who should feel regret, not us.”
“….”
“This incident was clearly their blunder. Either way, they must draw us in, sway us, or strike a bargain with us. Nothing has fundamentally changed. Is that not so?”
“….”
“Compose yourself. It’s merely a common test of wills. If you’re going to waver at this, how did you ever think to extract treasures from the bosom of the greatest household under heaven?”
Jegal Mun’s eyes flashed with even sharper intensity.
“Look far and wide. Do not forget that in times like these, we must unite our purposes all the more firmly.”
“….”
Meanwhile, Peng Jin-cheol watched in silence, observing the entire exchange.
Merely three people.
Yet how could their intentions not align as one?
‘Only the Jegal Family Head’s resolve remains unwavering.’
A bitter laugh escaped him.
Swayed by the Moyong, swayed by mysterious religious sects, swayed by the family’s declining fortunes, swayed by both the Dokgo and Jegal households.
They had said his words lacked strength.
It was true. How had this once-proud man become so spineless?
But now that he understood, he could change.
Peng Jin-cheol opened his mouth.
“Jegal Family Head.”
Jegal Mun’s eyes sharpened.
“You have something to say, I see.”
“What is our greater purpose?”
“What are you suddenly saying?”
“No—what exactly is your objective?”
Jegal Mun regarded him with a calm gaze.
Peng Jin-cheol met that stare directly and spoke.
“I met with someone from the Dokgo side yesterday.”
“…?!”
Hwangbo Cheong turned to Peng Jin-cheol in surprise, but Jegal Mun remained utterly composed.
At that reaction, Peng Jin-cheol let out a scoff.
“From your response, you already knew. Did you have me watched?”
“I merely observed our guest’s movements.”
“Well, let’s call it that then. But here’s the thing.”
Peng Jin-cheol’s cheeks twitched slightly.
“That arrogant fellow asked me a question I couldn’t answer. Can you guess what it was?”
“I couldn’t say.”
“He asked what I was doing. But I couldn’t give him an answer. I myself wasn’t certain what I was doing.”
“….”
“Not filling the family coffers with my eyes shut, nor dreaming of some noble cause… What exactly have we gathered for?”
“….”
“Haven’t you just been spouting words designed to coax us along all this time?”
Jegal Mun’s eyes hardened.
“Paeng Sect Leader. Your words overstep.”
“Changing the subject, are we?”
Peng Jin-cheol’s expression turned rigid as he spoke.
“I understand Hwangbo Gaju’s position here. It’s unavoidable—without action, his foundation crumbles. But you and I are different, aren’t we?”
“….”
“I should have asked this long ago… Answer me. Jegal Family Head, what is your true intention?”
“There is none.”
“Did you want to build a faction?”
Jegal Mun’s brow furrowed.
“Paeng Sect Leader. You appear to have fallen for the Dokgo Household’s sowing of discord.”
“Discord? Discord, you say… Ha ha! That’s right. Since I’m so simple-minded, such tactics work perfectly on me.”
Peng Jin-cheol burst into loud laughter.
“Paeng Sect Leader. What exactly are you trying to say? Be clear. Are you severing the alliance?”
“Alliance? When were we ever allied? I’m hearing that word for the first time.”
Jegal Mun had no response.
Peng Jin-cheol snorted and rose from his seat.
“They said this to me. That if we don’t accept, there will only be war.”
“….”
“Perhaps I found reassurance in those words. After all, I never opposed the establishment of the Martial Alliance from the start. Even if it reeks, it is, strictly speaking, a righteous cause.”
Thud!
Peng Jin-cheol pushed his chair back and headed toward the door.
Jegal Mun spoke as a warning.
“If you leave now, there will be no further cooperation.”
“I will lend my name to negotiations with the Dokgo Household. But only for the sake of my own family. After that, there is nothing.”
Peng Jin-cheol let out a quiet laugh.
“My heart feels lighter now. I’ve always been better at striking from the front than scheming from the shadows.”
Thump-thump.
He left through the door.
In the silence that followed, Jegal Mun stared endlessly at the closed door.
Something was going wrong.
Suddenly, Bang Jong-san’s warning flashed through his mind.
* * *
“Depart!”
The moment Peng Jin-cheol left his seat, he packed his belongings and departed the estate. From what could be gathered, he was securing lodgings nearby.
‘I envy you, Paeng Sect Leader.’
Hwangbo Gaju, Hwangbo Cheong, offered a bitter smile as he gazed out the window.
How could one be so resolute?
Come to think of it, I was once like that myself.
-You would do well to consider carefully. We all know the Jegal Family Head seeks to become the leader of our alliance, so there’s no need for you to become his pawn.
Those were the words Peng Jin-cheol had left with him before departing.
Hwangbo Cheong swallowed hard.
‘I am not so foolish as to be unaware. Either I must open my heart completely and cooperate, or I must leave. I understand that one of these two choices must be made.’
Yet he lacked the courage to attempt anything. Everything felt far too burdensome for him now.
“…Has Yeon arrived?”
At Hwangbo Cheong’s gloomy voice, his subordinate answered calmly.
“Yes, he has arrived, but….”
“Did these physicians discover anything? Were they not said to be experts in toxins?”
“That is….”
Hwangbo Cheong let out a hollow laugh.
“It seems we have failed again.”
“They said there could be no poison that acts with such a delayed effect.”
It had been years since the plague swept through the family, and countless people had perished. He had no idea how much silver he had spent in all this time.
Fortunately, his eldest son, the young Hwangbo Wi-gwan, had managed to survive thanks to the inner strength he had cultivated over the years, even as everyone else died.
But that survival had become a greater curse.
“Still, today he regained half a measure more of his clarity, they say.”
“Hope like that comes occasionally. Just enough to make it impossible to let go.”
“Family Head….”
“Thank you. Go rest now.”
Hwangbo Cheong’s complexion darkened.
‘How much longer must this continue….’
He had examined his son’s condition himself.
An unidentifiable qi that devoured inner strength while gradually hardening the meridians.
Thinking it was the aftermath of heart demon tribulation or poison, he had tried everything imaginable, but nothing worked.
‘Reinforcing the interior with inner strength is the only way to prevent deterioration.’
He had to squander the family fortune buying miraculous medicines, and even incur debts to summon physicians.
Though selfish, he had hoped only for his son’s recovery even as the family crumbled, yet even that proved difficult.
“Sigh.”
Hwangbo Cheong gazed out the window once more.
The Paeng Family’s retainers had already departed, and only silence settled over the estate.
‘What am I supposed to do?’
With no path forward visible, now even the Jegal Family was manipulating him.
If he made an enemy of the Dokgo Household in this state, the Hwangbo clan would….
‘Is it time to let go?’
Just as Peng Jin-cheol had done—was there a time when one needed to make a resolute decision?
But how could I let him go?
He is my son. My firstborn, whom I cherish more than life itself.
“Heaven is truly cruel. Why does it burden Hwangbo Cheong with such a heavy weight?”
It was the moment when Hwangbo Cheong, releasing a deep sigh, closed the window and turned to leave.
“I cannot speak for Heaven, but I believe I can help lighten that burden for you.”
Thud!
Someone appeared at the window without a sound.
“Who dares!”
The young man grinned wickedly.
“I am Dokgo Myeong. I pay my respects to the Hwangbo Family Head.”
Hwangbo Cheong’s eyes widened in shock.
* * *
Was this man’s mind truly addled?
‘A noble heir scaling walls in broad daylight?’
He was no unknown nobody—he was the very celebrity who had set the martial world ablaze in recent times.
Moreover, this was the Jegal Family’s estate.
The man had walked directly into enemy territory. When both sides were desperate to seize any justification, he had handed them one on a silver platter.
“He’s lost his mind.”
Hwangbo Cheong regarded Dokgo Myeong with a sharp, piercing gaze.
“Isn’t that equally true of you, Hwangbo Family Head? After all, you let me in.”
Dokgo Myeong smiled smoothly and lifted his teacup.
Indeed, Hwangbo Cheong now sat facing Dokgo Myeong inside the room.
“If the Jegal Family Head learns of this, your household will face grave consequences.”
“The same applies to you, does it not? You would face considerable suspicion.”
“….”
Hwangbo Cheong, who had fallen silent, spoke again.
“I let you in merely to hear what you have to say. If you speak falsehoods, it ends immediately.”
“I understand.”
“Then speak. Do you know the true nature of this illness?”
Dokgo Myeong nodded.
“Could it be that this sickness primarily afflicts those who have cultivated inner energy?”
Hwangbo Cheong’s brow furrowed.
“Wrong. It struck everyone—from the direct bloodline to the guards, without discrimination.”
He clicked his tongue.
Why had he let this man in? Had he only revealed weakness?
But then Dokgo Myeong continued.
“Then perhaps that is not it.”
“What?”
“I heard the blood vessels harden. Could the symptoms flow similarly to poison?”
“That is already known information I shared when seeking a physician. Do not speak as though it is remarkable.”
Dokgo Myeong nodded.
Fortunately, he still possessed that much discernment.
“Has the skin on your fingertips perhaps turned black?”
“No.”
“What about redness in the skin or prominent blood vessels across the brow?”
“None of that.”
Hwangbo Cheong’s face twisted in frustration.
“Are you truly knowledgeable about this? You haven’t gotten a single thing right.”
“Now I understand.”
Until now, I had merely been narrowing down the possibilities.
“When you regulate your inner energy to control the condition, does his state improve only very briefly? Does his lucidity come and go irregularly, and does it last longer when he consumes things like elixirs?”
“…!”
“And afterward, he would suffer from something resembling a fever again, wouldn’t he?”
“Surely you truly know what this is!”
Hwangbo Cheong shot to his feet.
Dokgo Myeong raised his index finger to his lips.
“Lower your voice, if you please. If my presence is discovered, I won’t be able to tell you anything.”
Hwangbo Cheong’s clenched fists trembled before he settled back into his seat.
Dokgo Myeong spoke calmly.
“First, it is not a disease. Nor is it poison.”
Hwangbo Cheong took a deep breath, attempting to regain his composure, then asked.
“Could it be internal injury caused by a secret technique?”
Dokgo Myeong’s eyes widened with surprise.
“You suspected this?”
“Do you know how many years my son has been bedridden? Yet I tried every conceivable method without success, so I simply assumed it was an illness or poison.”
Dokgo Myeong nodded.
“Those treatments were likely consuming his life force instead.”
“What?”
“Do you know of the Jeongheol Sect?”
“Isn’t that the heretical organization you publicly exposed in Munan?”
Dokgo Myeong’s eyes gleamed.
“It is their martial technique. They call it the Hollow Blood Art. It is a blood technique that consumes true energy over an extremely prolonged period.”
“If you know the name….”
Hwangbo Cheong’s arms trembled.
“Then you know the cure as well?”
“Of course.”
“Then…!”
Dokgo Myeong extended his palm to calm him.
“Before that, I need you to make me a promise.”

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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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