Martial God of the Sun and Moon - Chapter 293

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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 293
The day news arrived that the war situation had changed.
Dokgo Myeong returned to the main estate, leading the Cheonma Sect Disciples.
“You’ve arrived?”
“Yes, I hope you’ve been well?”
“Do I look it?”
Dokgo Hwi-hwa emerged from the Overseer’s office, her aged frame moving slowly as she pressed her hand to her forehead.
Her face glistened with oil, and her complexion was haggard. It was obvious she’d been drowning in work managing the rear operations.
“Our esteemed Overseer seems to have forgotten how old I am. The amount of work you’re piling on me is ridiculous.”
“Where is the Overseer who’s been working the Alliance Leader so hard?”
“She stepped away to secure cooperation from the regional branch families.”
“Is the Alliance Leader managing alright?”
“That’s exactly what I just told you. Do I look alright or not?”
Dokgo Hwi-hwa replied with slight irritation.
In truth, her appearance clearly suggested otherwise, but I’d asked repeatedly just to needle her a bit.
‘I’d heard the rough details, but it seems far more chaotic than I expected.’
With exhaustion written across Dokgo Hwi-hwa’s face, I could only imagine the state of everyone else.
Papers, bamboo slips, and brushes were scattered everywhere, and in the corners lay members of the Overseer’s office sprawled out in positions suggesting they’d either fallen asleep or collapsed.
War doesn’t end just because you fight well.
While the Dokgo Household’s martial artists wallowed in the trenches, Wi Baek and Dokgo Hwi-hwa had apparently been bulldozing through an avalanche of administrative work.
Dokgo Hwi-hwa smoothed her disheveled white hair and spoke.
“Through some scheme or other, all the grain and water our people need, along with every medicinal herb and military supply, has become completely unusable.”
“Completely unusable, you say?”
“Rotted, spoiled, or causing illness when consumed.”
“…”
“I had to seek out the shrewd merchants of the Central Plains to procure replacements. At my age, having to grovel before these money-grubbers—I’ve been restraining myself from smashing heads left and right.”
“I’m sure some heads did get cracked.”
“Don’t worry. We paid fair price and got what we needed.”
“I see…”
What kind of sorcery did our serpentine Elder Council Leader employ?
It’s wartime, not peacetime, and the merchants surely knew our situation. How did she manage to get fair prices?
“I borrowed some of your subordinates.”
“Which ones, sir? Son Gang?”
“He was quite helpful too. His connections are impressive. But this time, your unit’s Overseer played the crucial role.”
“You mean Ryang’s friend, sir.”
“Yes, her abilities are quite remarkable. Would you consider transferring her to me?”
“Have you lost your mind? Then hand over Shin Gang in exchange.”
“Hmm.”
Wait, did she just hesitate for a moment?
…Was she really that impressive? Truly remarkable, our Overseer Jeo!
“Have you heard the news?”
Dokgo Hwi-hwa set aside her jest and broached the main topic.
“I’ve heard the gist of it.”
“Let me ask you one thing. You haven’t been seeing vengeful spirits or experiencing strange visions whenever you sleep, have you?”
Who does she take me for—a fortune teller?
Dokgo Myeong let out a soft chuckle upon seeing Dokgo Hwi-hwa’s suspicious gaze.
“If that were the case, I would have kicked the Moyong Family patriarch’s backside long ago. It seems the situation unfolded exactly as I wrote it in my book?”
“How on earth did you… no, how far ahead did you see?”
Dokgo Hwi-hwa clicked her tongue and set something down with a thud.
“A document organizing the intelligence that just arrived at Cheon I-gak through official channels.”
“What about it?”
“It’s a method so extraordinary I couldn’t have imagined it even in my wildest dreams. It’s horrifying. Even reading it on paper horrifies me—I can only wonder how terrifying it must have been for those who experienced it directly.”
A tactic that sacrifices human lives to ensure the certain death of enemies.
No, how could this even be called a tactic? This wasn’t a tactic at all.
Dokgo Hwi-hwa pressed her fingers between her eyes with a weary expression.
“You must be pleased, then? Everything unfolded exactly as you predicted.”
Dokgo Myeong’s expression turned cold.
“Did you take me for someone who would find joy in watching my people die?”
“…That was a slip of the tongue. Forget I said it. In any case, that’s how the situation developed.”
You should have listened to me in the first place.
I didn’t voice this thought. It would only sound like a challenge to fight.
“Is the Cheonma Sect prepared?”
“Yes, sufficiently so.”
“Then…”
That was when it happened.
Boom!
Someone kicked open the door to the Overseer’s office and burst inside.
“Jeon Seo-gu has arrived!”
“If it’s not urgent, report back later.”
“It is urgent!”
“Has something gone wrong at the front lines?”
“That is not it, rather… it is…”
The man’s face had turned ashen.
Sensing something grave, Dokgo Hwi-hwa barked out sharply.
“You said it was urgent—why are you dragging this out!”
“D-Dokgo Yeon, who commands the independent strike force, has fallen in battle! The Beontcheon Extermination Squad has also suffered severe casualties…!”
In that instant, Dokgo Myeong felt the blood drain from his entire body.
It couldn’t be.
He tried to ask for clarification, but something caught in his throat and his voice wouldn’t come.
Dokgo Hwi-hwa asked urgently.
“What happened? No, what’s the situation now? The cleanup?”
“All surviving forces are returning to the main estate, or so I’ve heard. They should arrive soon….”
“The main estate? Why the main estate… Wait! Myeong-i, you bastard! Where are you going!”
Slam!
Dokgo Hwi-hwa cried out urgently, but Dokgo Myeong had already kicked through the door and bolted away.
* * *
Dokgo Yeon.
Troublesome and demanding, certainly, but her martial prowess was never to be underestimated.
It was hard to believe she was dead.
And I should have trusted that disbelief.
“Hahaha! Ugh! Did I really think those Jeongheol bastards could take me down? Cough!”
“….”
“I just smashed their skulls in with this magnificent spear! That’s all!”
“….”
“Some commander or other, a high-ranking one at that, acting all high and mighty—I sent him straight to the afterlife so he’d never strut again! Haha! Ugh!”
Dokgo Yeon bellowed from her sickbed, though her face twisted in pain between outbursts, revealing her true condition.
Dokgo Myeong ground his teeth before exhaling a long sigh.
“But you were supposed to be dead….”
“Huh? Who? Me?”
“Forget it. You’re unbelievable.”
My heart nearly stopped.
Jeon Seo-gu must have sent false information.
I’d remember that messenger’s face and bring him to the Cheonma Sect later. I’d make his heart skip for the rest of his life.
‘Then again, even if others might fall, there’s no way she could die.’
My sister, who appeared like the legendary Zhang Fei of Changban reborn as a woman—what threat could Jeongheol disciples pose? She could return unscathed even from facing the Shinheol Sect.
Thump.
I concealed how my legs nearly gave out beneath me as I sat down beside her sickbed.
“Are you alright?”
“No, I think I’m dying.”
“Should I tend to your injuries?”
“No need.”
“Stop pretending to be tough. Let me check your pulse.”
I seized her wrist firmly.
Whoooosh!
As the Cheonwae Spiritual Force flowed into her body, Dokgo Yeon’s breathing became labored and wheezing.
Though bandages covered her entire body, one area was wrapped far more thickly—directly above her right breast.
Had the blade struck just slightly to the left, it would have pierced her heart.
As I slowly withdrew my hand, her complexion visibly improved.
I smiled faintly and spoke.
“I told you to be more careful with yourself.”
“I’ve bled enough. Injuries don’t count as casualties in war, do they? Ugh!”
“Then it seems you’re fine. I’ll take my leave now.”
“Little brother.”
I was about to rise, knowing she hadn’t died, when she suddenly spoke.
“What is it?”
“Do you remember my manager?”
“Of course I do. Jang Mu-ak, your unit commander. He came asking me to look after you well, and we even drank together. Now that I think about it, where is that gentleman?”
He was the kind of man whose round, gentle demeanor made it easy to understand how he had served Dokgo Yeon all these years.
“That one is dead.”
“….”
“The commander took him along as a companion to the underworld.”
Dokgo Yeon’s voice was unnaturally flat.
She stared blankly at the ceiling with bloodshot eyes, muttering.
“I clearly pierced that commander’s heart, but he feigned death and suddenly unleashed his latent power, lunging at Mu-ak.”
Whether her meridians had been torn or from internal injuries, a blood-tinged liquid streamed from Dokgo Yeon’s eyes.
Only then did I understand why her eyes were completely swollen and why her voice had grown so hoarse.
“All I needed to do was swing my spear one more time. But because I didn’t, Mu-ak died.”
“That itself is a casualty of war.”
“No, it’s my incompetence.”
“Sister.”
“This wasn’t the martial world I knew. This was the battlefield you warned me about.”
Dokgo Yeon’s lips twisted upward.
“Cannons, thunderbolt projectiles, all manner of poisons and traps… they even used people as bait. Only they could afford to be so unscrupulous.”
“….”
“Do you know what his last words were?”
Dokgo Yeon giggled for a moment, then abruptly wiped away all trace of laughter and spoke.
“Dodge! That’s all it was. Thanks to that, I barely twisted my body and my heart didn’t get pierced.”
So that was it.
The death of the unit commander and Dokgo Yeon bearing a piercing wound to her chest.
So that’s why the report came in like this.
“He served me his entire life, yet I couldn’t even recover his body. I couldn’t even recover his body….”
“….”
“It looks like I won’t even be able to pour a cup of liquor at Mu-ak’s grave.”
Is there anything more painful than realizing the value of something only after losing it?
Knowing this well, there was nothing I could do.
“Rest now, sister.”
I patted Dokgo Yeon’s shoulder and rose from my seat.
“You’re leaving?”
“Yes, it’s already late.”
“It must have been necessary. You always do what’s necessary.”
No, that’s not it.
I’m simply struggling to recover.
Dokgo Yeon spoke.
“The moment I’m healed, I’ll return to the battlefield.”
“As you should. It would be a tremendous loss for the main family to have one of our greatest masters laid up.”
“I’ll skewer those Jeongheol disciples’ heads on my spear and make kebabs of them.”
Fire blazed fiercely in Dokgo Yeon’s eyes.
Vengeance makes for excellent motivation. It will burn just as intensely, but for now, that’s acceptable.
Before leaving her side, I asked.
“Do you remember roughly where the battle took place?”
“Sinyeo, Sinyeo territory. There was a shrine temple inside a rather dense bamboo grove. But why do you ask?”
I brushed off my clothes and spoke as I left the room.
“At the very least, I can ensure you have wine to drink.”
“…!”
Thud!
I closed the door and left the room.
I know.
Yes, this is what the battlefield was like.
The faces of those who would haunt my dreams had multiplied. How many more would join them?
“Does she seem alright?”
Dokgo Hwi-hwa approached and spoke to me.
I nodded.
“Yes, she seemed fine.”
“Then you should head out soon.”
Dokgo Hwi-hwa’s voice grew heavier.
“The leadership has summoned you.”
I nodded gravely and took my leave.
* * *
“I entrust the family to your care.”
“Worry about yourself first.”
“I’ll return unharmed, so there’s no need to worry.”
“Yes, it is your father’s command—you must protect it no matter what happens.”
As I left after greeting not only the Sect Leader but also Elder Jang.
I received farewells from many people.
“Are you departing, Young Master?”
“Manager Baek.”
“It feels like only yesterday I was assisting with your training, yet now you’ve risen to a position my eyes can scarcely comprehend.”
“Please continue the training. Focusing on the books I provided.”
“Leave it to me.”
And among those who came to see me off was Son Tae-im.
“Commander. Or rather, Young Master.”
“Ah, our Tae-im.”
With his lips pressed tightly together, he squirmed before speaking carefully.
“Do you remember our promise?”
“What promise?”
“I swore I would become the greatest merchant under heaven. And you said you would take control of all the lands.”
“And?”
“Nothing profits like war. In this conflict, I intend to amass considerable wealth without concern for propriety or merchant ethics.”
“….”
“Return alive. By then, I will have drawn several steps closer to becoming the greatest merchant under heaven.”
Son Tae-im bowed deeply, offering his respects with utmost formality.
“I humbly pray for your fortune in battle, my lord.”
“Yes, earn yourself plenty of wealth.”
Escorted by all these individuals, I arrived at the Cheonma Headquarters to find the Cheonma Sect already prepared.
The five managers, the strategist Moryong Sohgyo, and all eighty-seven Cheonma Sect disciples gathered, their eyes fixed upon me.
There was no need for lengthy words.
I uttered but a single command.
“Let us depart.”
At last, finally.
The Cheonma Sect’s march to war had begun.

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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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