Martial God of the Sun and Moon - Chapter 274

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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 274
“Where did this guest say they came from?”
“I heard they’re a physician?”
“But they seemed too young for that, didn’t they? And their attire…”
“Shh! Keep your voice down. Are there only one or two eccentrics in Gangho?”
“I hope they recover well this time.”
Various voices reached the ears of Namgung Sohwa, who sat in lotus position with her eyes closed.
She adjusted her senses and slowly opened her eyes.
“Phew. There’s no suspicious aura or sign of doubt. It seems the family head has made a convincing cover story about us being physicians.”
Before her sat Dokgo Myeong, also in lotus position.
Dokgo Myeong kept his eyes closed, moving only his lips.
“That’s fortunate. We didn’t even disguise ourselves, yet no one suspects anything?”
“We arrived in such a frantic rush that even the family head looked disheveled. Who would suspect anything?”
“True, that’s a fair point.”
“But that aside…”
Namgung Sohwa glanced at Dokgo Myeong.
“What exactly are you doing right now?”
“Preparing to locate traces of the Goruheol Technique.”
Namgung Sohwa lowered her gaze to Dokgo Myeong’s knees.
There, curled up, was a golden-furred mass—Hoa.
“What does injecting inner energy into that creature and Hoa have to do with anything?”
Just as she said, Dokgo Myeong had his hand on Hoa’s back, infusing inner energy into the creature. It was the location where a human would have the Qihai acupoint.
“I’m stimulating this creature’s inner core to create a flow similar to human cultivation. Hoa is more adept at sensing unusual auras than I am, so I thought I’d try using that ability.”
“Yes, yes?”
Namgung Sohwa’s eyes widened.
“Cultivation on a beast? Is that even possible?”
“I don’t know either.”
“…?”
“But I’ve recently realized something, so I’m testing it. It’s not just an ordinary beast—it’s a mystical being, so what difference would there be?”
“No, that doesn’t make…”
“Wait. Don’t talk to me now. I need to concentrate.”
At that moment, the true energy drifting like smoke surged violently.
Whooooom!
Hoa’s golden fur stood on end. The vertically slit pupils expanded and widened.
Flinch!
Namgung Sohwa trembled for a moment as her eyes met Hoa’s.
Hoa had always emanated an aura similar to Dokgo Myeong’s, but now it seemed even more alike.
Dokgo Myeong chuckled and opened his eyes.
“It actually works.”
Namgung Sohwa couldn’t believe it.
“Hmph, no matter how mystical a beast is, everything differs from humans. How could they possibly—ah!”
Only then did Namgung Sohwa realize that Dokgo Myeong was someone who had also forged a spirit core within his body. Teaching martial arts was out of the question, but perhaps basic operation methods might be possible.
Still, even so…
“It’s just basic operation, but you should be able to figure out the details yourself now, right?”
“Yelp!”
Hoa leaped onto Dokgo Myeong’s body and began licking his face.
“Ptooey! Stop it, you beast! Ugh, you’re heavy! How does this creature not realize it’s still the same size as when it was young?”
“Growl!”
As Dokgo Myeong rose to his feet, Hoa nimbly landed on the floor.
In that moment, Hoa tilted its head curiously and began bouncing around the guest room.
Namgung Sohwa, who had been watching Hoa, turned her gaze away.
“…Even if you share the same type of energy, does it make sense to teach cultivation techniques?”
“I didn’t teach it—I merely guided it. The beast will comprehend it on its own.”
“Pardon?”
“It’s similar to the principle of manipulating external energy. I simply created pathways for the energy to flow. You might say I dug irrigation channels. It seems to be getting the hang of it gradually.”
I had no idea what he was talking about.
Dokgo Myeong, muttering incomprehensible words, let out a smirk.
Namgung Sohwa shook her head vigorously and looked at Hoa again.
“Anyway, you said you’d use Hoa to find traces of the Skull Blood Technique, didn’t you? What kind of bizarre martial art is that?”
“It’s peculiar and vicious. Difficult to execute, and even harder to detect within the body.”
Goru—skull.
The word literally meant skeleton, and the technique lived up to its name. The Skull Blood Technique was a martial art that devoured the life force of its victims until they became mummified husks.
“This is a martial family’s residence, not some ordinary place. If they suspected an infiltrator, they would have conducted pulse diagnosis. How could they have missed such traces?”
“It’s not easy.”
“Why not?”
“Because it’s a blood technique of the Jeongheol Sect. We’ve encountered it many times before.”
“…!”
“Once it seeps in, detection becomes difficult. The Skull Blood Technique is especially so.”
It was around that time.
“The preparations you requested are complete. May I enter?”
It was Hwangbo Cheong’s voice. The end of his words trembled slightly.
Dokgo Myeong glanced at Hoa and nodded.
“There’s no need for you to enter. Let’s go see the patient first.”
* * *
Namgung Sohwa and Dokgo Myeong had somehow changed into neat attire. They had shed their martial robes, covered in dust and grime, and donned the characteristic pale white robes of physicians.
Namgung Sohwa sighed and shook her head slowly.
“Do we really need to go through with this disguise?”
“The culprit’s eyes must see us as physicians. Our Namgung leader, you look quite fitting in physician’s robes.”
Around that time, Hwangbo Cheong, who had been leading the way, changed direction.
“It’s this way. Wi-gwan is staying in the separate quarters.”
With the family head personally guiding us, Hwangbo family retainers came forth with proper courtesy from every direction.
Dokgo Myeong examined them with a piercing gaze before asking.
“The gates are properly secured, are they not?”
“They are. All close associates who had contact with Wi-gwan have completed their return to the family.”
“You must have conducted background investigations long ago?”
“Of course.”
“And the results?”
“Clean.”
Hwangbo Cheong furrowed his brow.
“Do you believe there exists a culprit among the main family’s retainers who harmed Wi-gwan?”
“Rather, I would ask the family head in return. Do you truly believe there isn’t?”
….
Hwangbo Cheong closed his mouth.
Traitors certainly existed.
The Hwangbo family’s decline was surely their doing. I had purged many, yet I could not eliminate them all.
‘But those retainers and servants entangled with Wi-gwan are at minimum those who have served for over a decade. How could they possibly….’
Dokgo Myeong observed the confusion flickering in Hwangbo Cheong’s eyes.
A rare benevolent man.
One who trusted people readily, cherished them, and cared for family.
In a peaceful world, he would be praised as a good family head.
‘But now is an age of chaos.’
A world of blood demons wearing human masks. Good people struggled to survive in such times.
Dokgo Myeong shook his head and spoke.
“The main family has also suffered through such trials.”
“The Dokgo family?”
“The commander of our elite warrior corps was a traitor. I cannot speak of the details, but a man who spent his entire life in the main family turned out to be an enemy officer of the highest rank.”
“That is….”
“And those very individuals consumed the Moyong family. In fact, I….”
Dokgo Myeong’s eyes gleamed.
“I am certain there are one or two more Jeongheol Sect traitors among the main family’s upper echelon.”
….
Hwangbo Cheong’s expression twisted.
Soon he exhaled a sigh and opened his mouth.
“If your suspicion is truly correct….”
….
“I may have to abandon the way of life I have maintained until now.”
Silence descended.
But it was brief. As if to shift the heavy atmosphere, Hwangbo Cheong tilted his chin lightly and asked.
“But why did you bring that mystical beast along?”
“Kyaeng!”
Hoa let out a loud bark.
Dokgo Myeong smiled crookedly.
“I thought this creature would need to play the role of a hunting hound.”
“…A hunting hound?”
Isn’t it more of a tiger than a dog?
“First, let’s finish the treatment. If this illness is what I think it is, I’ll need this creature.”
“Indeed. It’s right over there.”
Hwangbo Cheong led the group to a separate pavilion outside that received plenty of sunlight.
Dokgo Myeong pushed the door open without hesitation and stepped inside.
Whoosh!
“Hmm….”
A foul stench wafted through the air. The acrid smell that emanated from a patient who had been bedridden for a long time filled the entire room.
Heading straight toward the window, Dokgo Myeong soon discovered a man whose skin clung tightly to his bones.
“Hee-uh, hee-uh….”
His breathing sounded as though straw were being rubbed together.
Moreover, despite lying on the bed, his limbs were rigid and stiff as if he were standing at attention.
‘Just from this, it does seem to bear the marks of the Goruheol technique….’
Dokgo Myeong furrowed his brow.
“Hmm.”
Then Hwangbo Cheong spoke in an urgent voice.
“Well? Can you treat him?”
Goodness, his eyes were blazing with such intensity.
I couldn’t tell whether that gaze revealed a father’s desperation or the determination to kill me if I couldn’t cure him.
“Ahem! I haven’t even examined him properly yet. Please wait a moment.”
Dokgo Myeong dragged over a chair, sat down, and placed his hand on Hwangbo Wi-gwan’s Mingmen acupoint.
Whooooom!
“Ahh….”
The moment Dokgo Myeong’s vital energy was injected, Hwangbo Wi-gwan’s breathing became noticeably easier.
Hwangbo Cheong’s eyes widened.
“Could it be?”
“Don’t get your hopes up. It’s just that his breathing became easier for a moment once vital energy was infused.”
“But that’s….”
“Sheesh, I told you to wait without rushing, didn’t I?”
Despite the impertinent tone, Hwangbo Cheong clamped his mouth shut.
‘The Yintang acupoint, then checking the Qihai in sequence….’
Had I been my former self, discovering traces of a martial technique would have been difficult. And if it were the Goruheol technique, even more so.
But since the incident at Seonsan, my vital energy had gained the ability to sense opposition to blood qi.
‘Found it.’
In an instant, Dokgo Myeong’s eyes snapped open.
Whiiiing!
I didn’t need to look far. As expected, it was the location of the Renzhong acupoint, the upper dantian.
The aura of Goru Blood Technique—that plague-like blood art that had claimed countless Gangho members’ lives in my past life without rhyme or reason—was….
‘Hm?’
I blinked my eyes.
‘What, what is this? Something feels off? For Goru Blood Technique, the reaction seems a bit….’
My expression hardened rigidly.
‘Could it be?’
Wow, this seems like a real problem.
* * *
The infiltration method of Goru Blood Technique doesn’t affect the opponent immediately like Huitian Technique from the Heavenly Outer Realm.
At first, it acts as a merely irritating turbid aura, like simple murk. In fact, traces disappear after just a few days.
“Symptoms only manifest after the seeping Goru blood aura reaches the Renzhong acupoint—the upper dantian. From that point onward, it deteriorates rapidly.”
I continued my explanation calmly.
Hwangbo Cheong spoke again, urging me on.
“And?”
“…Initially, it gnaws away at vitality, gradually causing fever-like symptoms such as chills, heat, and body aches. As the condition worsens, turbid aura naturally accumulates in the blood vessels, making traces increasingly indistinguishable.”
“Surely not…!”
“Just as intense heat causes paralysis, blood vessel paralysis occurs as true qi becomes depleted. That’s why they temporarily revive when given spiritual medicine or assisted with qi cultivation.”
“Exactly! That’s how it progressed! So your words were truly correct!”
Thud!
Hwangbo Cheong pushed his chair back and stood up.
He grasped my shoulder with an expression brimming with joy. He seemed to have no time to consider the rudeness of it.
“So what’s the treatment method? You do know the treatment method, correct?”
“Ahem! Well, that….”
“I’m not doubting you! Of course you know! We received reports that the breaking technique you provided back then showed effectiveness!”
“Well, so about this….”
I trailed off and scratched my cheek.
“About this? What do you mean by this?”
“This… doesn’t seem to be that.”
“This isn’t that? What on earth are you talking about?”
“Well, it is Goru Blood Technique, but I’m not sure how to say it’s not? Sigh, this is rather awkward for me too….”
That was the moment.
Slowly.
Hwangbo Cheong’s hands, which had been resting on both my shoulders, gradually fell away.
I cautiously observed Hwangbo Cheong’s face.
Flash!
My, why are his eyes opened so fiercely like that?
Hwangbo Cheong slowly opened his mouth.
“What? Say that again.”
His tone was gentle, as if admonishing me.
Dokgo Myeong felt the threat of death in that instant.
“Why do you keep frightening me like this? That….”
“So you misunderstood? In the end, you were just pretending to know? You can’t treat it?”
Hwangbo Cheong’s body trembled violently. A chilling murderous aura seeped from his entire being.
Dokgo Myeong cried out in startled panic.
“W-wait!”
“…?”
“I can treat it! I can definitely treat it!”
Hwangbo Cheong’s expression softened once more.
“Truly?”
“Yes, treatment is no problem at all.”
A glimmer of suspicion flickered in Hwangbo Cheong’s eyes.
“Then tell me. What exactly is this treatment method?”
“Drive a single acupuncture needle properly into the solar plexus and it’s resolved.”
Dokgo Myeong spoke while swinging his fist back and forth.
Hwangbo Cheong’s expression vanished from his face once again.
“An acupuncture needle?”
“Yes.”
“Into the solar plexus?”
“The mingmen point works fine too. Really, any vital point will do.”
“How hard?”
“Hard enough to flip the meridians inside out, more or less?”
In other words, drive an acupuncture needle into the vital point of a patient on death’s door—and at a force nearly lethal in itself?
“It’s surprisingly simple, isn’t it?”
Dokgo Myeong grinned widely as he spoke, and Hwangbo Cheong let out a laugh.
“Heh heh.”
“Come now, there’s no need to be so deflated about it.”
“Heh heh heh heh heh.”
“Who would think to injure a patient? It’s simply because I didn’t know, isn’t it?”
“Yes, that’s right. Who would speak of injuring a patient?”
A piercing murderous intent blazed in Hwangbo Cheong’s eyes.
“Then by my hand, I shall strike you dead and exact the price for this insult!”
“No, no! Just listen to what I’m saying until the end! There’s a reason for all this! Ah, really!”
Boom!
A surge of energy erupted between Dokgo Myeong and Hwangbo Cheong.
“Sigh….”
Namgung Sohwa, watching from the side, pressed her forehead with her palm and shook her head repeatedly.

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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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