Martial God of the Sun and Moon - Chapter 283

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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 283
“…You mistook Baek for an enemy?”
“I did. He was as fierce as a wild beast.”
“He’s certainly savage, but did you really exchange such desperate blows that the mountain path collapsed?”
“I’ve caused you considerable trouble, Innkeeper.”
Baek Mu-heun smiled faintly and grasped his teacup with his left hand.
He had temporarily taken lodging at a nearby inn to settle matters concerning Baekheolgwi and the hostages. Dokgo Myeong, bearing injuries from consecutive battles, had been left with a physician and was absent.
“Ha, you’re a junior who never fails to shock me, but did you really press Baek that hard?”
“It had been a long time.”
“What do you mean?”
“Since my spine went cold. I even thought I might suffer a beating.”
“Are you serious?”
“I have no reason to deceive you, Innkeeper. I actually sustained some injuries.”
“Hm.”
Bang Jong-san let out a short exclamation and regarded Baek Mu-heun.
Baek Mu-heun still held his teacup with his left hand. And as Bang Jong-san knew, he was right-handed.
“What on earth did you do to cause such a misunderstanding? Didn’t you introduce yourself?”
“I didn’t reveal my name at first, and that’s where the misunderstanding arose.”
Baek Mu-heun gave a bitter smile and shook his head.
“By the time I tried to reveal it later, the fight had already begun.”
“No, if you saw his face, you should have introduced yourself first. How could you not?”
“True enough. Seeing such a promising young man stirred something strange in me. But perhaps….”
“Perhaps?”
“No, it’s nothing.”
Baek Mu-heun smiled meaningfully.
Even if he had revealed his name, the fight would likely have happened anyway. There was no basis for it, but he felt strangely certain of this.
‘Did he intend to fight from the beginning?’
It was something he would only know by having a calm conversation.
What was certain was that such a shocking first meeting had left an extraordinarily vivid impression.
Bang Jong-san exhaled sharply and leaned back against his chair.
“It’s strange regardless. He has keen discernment, yet he scattered killing intent despite seeing Baek’s technique.”
“You flatter me too much.”
“I speak in earnest.”
Baek Mu-heun’s technique possessed an aspect that was difficult to approach.
His martial arts were the Profound and Luminous Orthodox Way—literally radiating profundity and impartial justice.
There was an aspect to it that made one abandon thoughts of drawing a sword the moment they faced it. This was especially true for those who had learned orthodox martial arts.
“By the way, that young man wasn’t seriously injured, was he?”
It was Bang Jong-san who had attended to Dokgo Myeong immediately after the fight.
“Since it was right after the fight, internal injuries seem to have accumulated. I hear he was also caught in a thunderbolt pellet….”
“A thunderbolt pellet?”
“Still, his body is remarkably resilient, so don’t worry. He’ll be back on his feet within a day.”
“Mm.”
“For now, let him rest today. When he wakes tomorrow, we can meet then. First, why don’t you have dinner.”
“Where are you going?”
“Since we’re on the subject, I might as well go see my talented junior’s face.”
That was when it happened.
“That won’t be necessary, Senior.”
Bang Jong-san started to rise but froze in an awkward posture.
“Huh.”
Baek Mu-heun let out a laugh tinged with admiration. Bang Jong-san also released a hollow chuckle, seemingly astounded.
A voice came from beyond the door once more.
“It’s Dokgo Myeong. May I enter?”
“Come in.”
Creak!
The door opened, and Dokgo Myeong stepped inside with Namgung Sohwa.
Despite having left his weapons behind, the aura he radiated remained formidable.
Contrary to the claim that he’d be back on his feet in a day, he had sought them out barely two hours after the battle ended and being placed with the physician.
* * *
“Let me introduce first. We wouldn’t want any unnecessary misunderstandings, after all.”
Baek Mu-heun spoke with a light jest.
“I am Baek Mu-heun, successor to the previous generation. You may call me Sect Leader, or Senior, as you prefer.”
“I am Dokgo Myeong. This humble martial artist greets the Sect Leader.”
“And what should I call you?”
“Call me as you see fit. I was quite discourteous this afternoon.”
“Do you truly mean that?”
Dokgo Myeong smiled broadly.
Baek Mu-heun smiled back.
“Heh, just as I thought.”
“If a stranger with unknown identity had intervened in a fight, naturally one must be cautious. It would be unreasonable to complain about being struck by a blade, would it not?”
Baek Mu-heun nodded.
“Well said.”
“If I have offended you in any way, I offer my apologies.”
“Not at all. When fighting those cunning fanatics, such boldness is essential. I harbor no ill will. The fault this afternoon was clearly my own mistake.”
“I am grateful for your understanding.”
A peculiar current flowed between them.
Bang Jong-san and Namgung Sohwa watched the two with curious eyes.
‘There’s something about the Commander and this person…’
‘They seem alike somehow. I wonder why.’
Though there was nothing obviously similar about them, they somehow complemented each other well. Perhaps this was what the saying meant—that opposites attract?
Baek Mu-heun continued speaking.
“Do you drink much?”
“I enjoy it in moderation.”
“Good.”
Baek Mu-heun called for a server and ordered alcohol to accompany the meal.
Bang Jong-san interjected with a smirk.
“Is the wealthy junior treating us?”
“Senior Bang, if anyone’s treating, it should be you. How could I, a mere junior, expect to mooch off you?”
“I’m a beggar, you fool. And I mean that literally—a real beggar.”
At that, Baek Mu-heun smiled broadly.
“Don’t worry. To celebrate meeting such a remarkable junior, I’ll cover this meal.”
Baek Mu-heun spoke to Dokgo Myeong with considerate concern.
“Don’t push yourself too hard. If your internal injuries are bothersome, just eating should be fine.”
“It’s fine. I’ve already recovered considerably.”
“Already?”
Baek Mu-heun’s eyes gleamed.
There was no significant wavering in Dokgo Myeong’s qi circulation, which meant he had indeed already managed to resolve much of the internal damage caused by the One Qi Transforms into Three Purities technique.
“This is truly remarkable.”
“I should drink some alcohol. It might help me regain my composure.”
“Why is that?”
“….”
Dokgo Myeong stared at Baek Mu-heun for a moment before speaking.
“It’s a meeting I’ve long anticipated.”
“Ah, so much so?”
“Yes, well.”
Dokgo Myeong laughed, but only his mouth smiled—his eyes remained cold.
‘There were things I wanted to ask.’
If he was going to abandon me anyway, why teach me rhetoric, politics, and discernment?
If power and strength were all that mattered, why did he wear that bitter expression at the last moment, as if he had no choice?
And….
‘Why did he fall so helplessly to my strike?’
Of course, even if I asked, I would receive no answers. So I could only ponder these things in silence.
Baek Mu-heun, who had been observing Dokgo Myeong intently, spoke.
“You do know me after all. That look in your eyes—you won’t deny it, will you?”
“….”
“Perhaps you were testing me during the day as well?”
Baek Mu-heun gazed at Dokgo Myeong with eyes as clear as a lake.
“What do you mean, sir?”
“Someone of your caliber wouldn’t have misread another’s qi circulation. And you clearly knew who I was.”
“Didn’t you say you wouldn’t dwell on what happened earlier?”
At Dokgo Myeong’s smooth deflection, all three people seated at the table widened their eyes in surprise.
By admitting he had taken action despite suspecting Baek Mu-heun’s true identity, it was as good as acknowledging he had made use of their intelligence.
“Haha. A worthy opponent indeed.”
Baek Mu-heun found himself increasingly drawn to Dokgo Myeong.
Whether this connection was forged by human design or arranged by fate itself, he felt a powerful pull that could not be easily dismissed.
“So, have you settled your calculations?”
Baek Mu-heun’s eyes gleamed with intensity.
They held a profound mystique closer to that of a sage than a mere swordsman.
“To some extent, yes.”
A competitive spirit flickered in Dokgo Myeong’s eyes. They were the eyes of one observing a swordsman rather than a sage.
“How do you foresee the outcome?”
“If I must speak plainly, my defeat. But I haven’t given it much thought, for if we truly fought, victory and defeat would cease to matter.”
“….”
It sounded like modesty at first glance. But Baek Mu-heun immediately grasped his true meaning.
‘Is he saying that even if I won, I would not emerge unscathed?’
If Dokgo Myeong were willing to court death, he could inflict irreversible internal injuries upon one of Baek Mu-heun’s limbs. In that case, Baek Mu-heun would have to abandon his ambitions and retire from the martial world—meaning victory would indeed be meaningless.
This was why the greatest masters of the martial realm avoided fighting to the death. Unless facing a clear inferior, one would suffer losses, and such losses would inevitably lead to a decline in skill.
‘But this young man does not concern himself with such matters.’
How fascinating.
Truly fascinating.
As the gazes of the two men intertwined in the empty space between them.
“The drinks have arrived?”
Bang Jong-san spoke with a wry smile.
“This seems like it will be a long story. Let us have a drink first.”
Soon the door opened and the innkeepers set down wine and food across the table.
Dokgo Myeong and Baek Mu-heun, having entered a momentary lull, refrained from broaching the main topic as if by mutual agreement. Instead, they continued with talk of martial arts, the state of the martial realm, various rumors, and matters concerning the Dokgo and Moyong families.
And after several rounds of drinking, Baek Mu-heun finally spoke.
“Tell me then. What is your reason for wanting to see me?”
Dokgo Myeong smiled broadly.
“You certainly get straight to the point.”
“There’s no need for roundabout words when we’ve already tested each other’s skills.”
Baek Mu-heun extended the wine bottle.
Dokgo Myeong offered his cup to receive the wine and asked.
“Do you not suspect me?”
“Hmm, truth be told, I do somewhat.”
“….”
“You have many inexplicable aspects. You know your enemies far too well.”
“Is that a problem?”
“It is.”
Baek Mu-heun gazed at Dokgo Myeong with penetrating eyes.
“All things follow the law of cause and effect. In your short life, there should be no causal connection that would allow you to know of them. Yet you know them as well as I do, and you have caught them perfectly.”
“Karma, Master. Is that not an odd thing for a Daoist cultivator to speak of?”
“The principles of the world are all interconnected, you see. So speak freely. What secret do you harbor?”
Dokgo Myeong took a long drink.
He swallowed the warmth rising pleasantly within him and opened his mouth.
“A secret holds value precisely because it remains hidden.”
“So you refuse to speak?”
“I have no reason to lay bare my cards before Master Baek.”
“Then this meeting will not last long, it seems.”
Dokgo Myeong chuckled softly.
Indeed, he was not a man easily swayed by words.
It was only natural—Dokgo Myeong’s eloquence and worldly wisdom were learned by observing Baek Mu-heun.
“Very well. Then how about this? If Master Baek reveals one secret of his own, I shall reveal mine as well.”
“Heh, not a bad proposal. I like it. What do you wish to know?”
“Master Baek, why did you oppose the Jeongheol Disciples?”
Baek Mu-heun answered without hesitation, his voice firm.
“They are a band of demagogues. When a hero possesses strength and the vision to see the world clearly, he must stand against such men.”
Baek Mu-heun’s lips curved upward.
“I too have such strength, so I simply fulfilled my duty as was fitting.”
“I see.”
Dokgo Myeong nodded and continued.
“Then why did you oppose them from the shadows?”
“Because they were there. A sharp blade is best positioned not before the eyes, but behind the back—so I acted accordingly.”
“Is that truly your conviction?”
“Heh, why would it not be?”
Baek Mu-heun smiled plainly and raised his cup.
Then Dokgo Myeong’s voice continued.
“I keep my allies at my back.”
“…?”
“Moreover, a true hero should stand beneath the bright sun of day, not lurk in darkness to oppose darkness. Why do you do so?”
Clink.
Baek Mu-heun, who had been bringing the cup to his lips, froze mid-motion.
His gaze slowly turned toward Dokgo Myeong.
“What are you trying to say?”
“A protruding awl is easily snapped off, yet an awl remains an awl. It will always pierce through the pouch and emerge once more.”
“….”
“You were merely dulling your blade for a time, were you not?”
Dokgo Myeong’s eyes gleamed.
“To seize the heavens?”

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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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