Martial God of the Sun and Moon - Chapter 368

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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 368
“It has been truly an honor to meet the Golden King of All Under Heaven.”
“Haha, there is no need to see me off like this. People might say that a money-grubber is stealing the precious time of such a busy administrator.”
“Who would dare say such a thing? If anyone did, I would have them punished.”
Son Tae-im left the administrator’s estate, even receiving a personal escort to the gate.
He felt anew that money was supreme. In a world where status was everything, here he was—a beggar orphan who never knew his parents’ faces—receiving an escort from such a high-ranking official.
‘This Son Tae-im who once got beaten in an inn… now I’m a man who can buy dozens of inns with just a few words.’
That very day when Dokgo Myeong had destroyed the shabby inn.
The innkeeper who once lived in Tae-im’s heart had vanished, yet that mindset from those days remained, continuing to drive him forward.
“Sect Leader?”
“Ahem, let’s depart!”
The guards of Geum Mountain Pavilion roused Tae-im from his reverie.
As he climbed into the carriage with a clearing of his throat, the newly appointed Vice Sect Leader followed behind him.
“Did the discussion go well?”
“They won’t touch us for a while. Next time, I’ll hand over a golden toad or two and try to secure connections with the court as well.”
“I’ve heard the atmosphere at the center is unusual. If we approach too hastily…”
“Still, the Young Master instructed us to probe around here and there, so what can we do?”
“It would be better if the officials didn’t get involved. Why insist on crossing that line?”
“It must be because of the Martial Alliance that will soon be established.”
Tae-im answered indifferently.
“The officials are always fearful when ignorant masses gather, calling it rebellion or whatnot. But what happens when martial artists gather and form an organization, no matter how noble their intentions?”
“Ah, I see.”
“Hmm, but still. It is strange that they remain silent despite such fierce warfare. With this, the Martial Alliance might not be much of a problem.”
Tae-im smacked his lips.
“Anyway, what else is left on today’s schedule? I’d like to rest a bit.”
“In half an hour, you have a meeting with the General regarding supplies.”
“Mm, if that’s all, then it’s done…”
“After that, Jo-ryang’s Overseer has requested a consultation regarding Cheonma Sect supplies…”
“…Requested?”
“And after that, you have a dinner appointment with the Acting Sect Leader.”
“…”
“Oh, and the Cheonma Sect Leader also had a separate matter to convey…”
Still not finished?
Tae-im felt a sudden sense of bewilderment.
‘Haven’t I become a person of high status now?’
Why does it feel like I’m just a diligent workhorse?
Come to think of it, I’ve only been earning money—I don’t think I’ve ever actually spent it.
“Ugh…”
He wanted to tear his hair out, but he had no hair left to tear. His head had already become like a harvested field.
“So, what did the Young Master say?”
“That’s….”
“Just tell me exactly what was said.”
“He said to ask you to look after Captain Geum, and to work together with him in good faith.”
“Well… you really don’t need to repeat every single word so precisely.”
“I’m, I’m sorry.”
This Young Master of his certainly had consistently refined speech patterns.
“I can always make time for my brother Geum. When is he arriving?”
“He was sent at an appropriate time, so he should arrive on his own….”
“Alright, I understand.”
Not long after that.
Clatter!
The carriage that had been moving leisurely came to a halt.
Son Tae-im quietly lifted the curtain and asked.
“What is it?”
“That, that is… suddenly ahead….”
At that moment, someone’s voice suddenly rang out.
“Brother!”
Son Tae-im was called by many different titles.
Elder, Sir, Sect Leader, and so on.
Now he was also called the Golden King, but there was only one person who called him “brother” with such familiarity.
“Speak of the tiger and he appears—isn’t it our brother Geum?”
Son Tae-im greeted his sworn brother with a bright smile.
* * *
Son Tae-im postponed all his scheduled appointments.
Then in a shabby inn in a back alley that Geum Seok-du had brought him to, he sat down with grilled meat and cheap white liquor for a drink.
“Now that I think about it, you said creating a sect was your dream, right? But not in Hunan—here?”
“Yes. Actually, I have a sister in Zhejiang, and this back alley is like my hometown.”
Son Tae-im stroked his chin and murmured.
“A sect of the lowly and filthy? The name is a bit much.”
“It’s a sect to ensure those arrogant martial artists don’t look down on the lowly and common people. Like the Gae-bang, you see.”
“The intention is good, but what about martial techniques for a sect?”
“Actually, I think martial techniques will have to come later.”
“Just speak freely without reservation. What kind of sect are you trying to create anyway?”
Geum Seok-du poured liquor into Son Tae-im’s cup.
“Merchants, coachmen, gamblers, innkeepers, seamstresses, palanquin bearers, boatmen… I’m thinking of creating a sect of workers who each earn their living through their own skills.”
“Quite an ordinary sect, I must say.”
“That’s the essence of it.”
“Hmm?”
Geum Seok-du raised his cup.
After sharing a toast and drinking, Geum Seok-du continued speaking.
“There are sects that protect beggars in this world. There are sects that protect Daoists and monks as well. Yet the truth is, the largest group by numbers are ordinary people who work and earn their living—and no one stands for them.”
“Isn’t the White Blade Orthodox Sect one that protects such ordinary commoners?”
“They are not protecting commoners for their sake, but rather obsessed with fighting the Black Blade Heterodox Sects, are they not?”
“….”
“Meanwhile, the commoners suffer under various pretexts—tribute payments, taxes, displays of sincerity. You know this as well, don’t you?”
I know. Far too well.
Only the powerless truly understand the sorrow of the powerless.
But knowing and taking action were two different matters.
“So you’re saying you’ll create a sect that fights for them?”
“No. It will simply be a sect where each person protects themselves. I will merely provide the foundation. Yes, much like the fence you speak of, Captain.”
The ideal sounds good, but can it truly be done?
The Gae-bang consisted of beggars with nowhere else to go who banded together for survival, but the workers Seok-du spoke of already had their own lives, did they not?
“Let me hear it then. What assistance do you need from me?”
“While I bring the Black Blade of Zhejiang under control, I ask for financial support.”
“Bring under control. And after that?”
“As I mentioned, I must establish the sect.”
“Is that all?”
“Pardon?”
Son Tae-im shook his head firmly.
“Then I cannot help you.”
“Captain, you….”
“The Commander only told me to get along with you, not to help you.”
“Ah, no, brother.”
As Geum Seok-du faltered, Son Tae-im spoke in a deeper, more measured tone.
“Let me tell you an interesting story.”
“Yes?”
Son Tae-im suddenly produced a money pouch from his breast. Several silver coins tumbled across the table.
“Brother, I truly love this money. Money is the very meaning of my life. Merely thinking of it makes me leap from my bed in the night.”
“Ah, yes….”
“Yet at the same time, ‘this sort of money’ holds little value for me.”
Son Tae-im gestured to the Innkeeper. He ordered several more bottles of wine and handed over a silver coin.
“I believe money has different kinds. Others may think me a money-mad ghost obsessed with wealth, but truth be told, I have little interest in treasures merely piling up in warehouses.”
Son Tae-im filled his cup to the brim with the fresh wine and drained it in one gulp.
“Money has different kinds?”
“There seem to be three types. Perhaps more exist that I have yet to discover.”
“What are they?”
“The first is money for buying and selling goods, as you see here. In my youth, I thought this was all there was. But I came to understand it was the smallest kind of money.”
“What is the second?”
“Money that breeds money. Everyone works to spend it, and saves to spend it greater still. But money is a strange thing—you can use money to purchase even greater money.”
“Then what is the third?”
“Power.”
Son Tae-im’s eyes gleamed with intensity.
“Money is power itself—the means to move the world according to my will in this harsh realm. Just as you possess talent and our Commander possesses martial prowess, money is my domain.”
There was a time when Son Tae-im had told Dokgo Myeong that merchants, like martial artists, possessed their own realm of mastery. Now he felt himself standing at a far greater height than he had then.
“Brother.”
“Yes, Elder Brother.”
“I find it exhilarating to spend that final coin. Just as our Commander gambles with hegemony itself and races across the realm, I manipulate the merchant world by wagering money itself.”
“….”
“Tens of thousands move at my command through my wealth. Can you imagine anything more thrilling than this? To me, money is a metric—a direct, tangible number representing how much I have transformed the world through my power.”
Geum Seok-du detected greed in Son Tae-im’s gleaming gaze.
Yet it was a different breed of greed than what common nouveaux riches possessed.
“It’s no different from gambling, really. You of all people should understand how intoxicating this game is.”
“I believe I’m beginning to understand.”
Son Tae-im nodded.
“Had you simply asked because you needed something, I would give you a fortune without hesitation. But I have no intention of investing my wealth in ventures with no future or promise. That’s a separate matter entirely. With that money, I could accomplish far greater things.”
“What must I do then?”
“Convince me. I am a merchant, after all. Make me want to buy your dream. Do you understand?”
Just as our Commander had done long ago. Just as Dokgo Myeong had done.
After deliberating for some time, Geum Seok-du drained his cup in one satisfying gulp.
‘That’s right. I only considered what sect to establish and how to build it, never what I truly wished to accomplish through it.’
No, truthfully, I had thought about it.
I simply held my tongue because I doubted whether someone like me could ever achieve such a thing.
My confidence was still lacking. But now, like Elder Brother Son here, or like our Commander, I too needed to speak boldly.
Geum Seok-du broke into a grin.
“Elder Brother, when did you become so impressive?”
“Ahem! I do have a certain charm that only those close to me appreciate.”
Seeing him clear his throat awkwardly, he seemed like the original Son Tae-im again.
Geum Seok-du’s eyes brightened.
“Elder Brother, I have received profound instruction from you. May I explain in detail?”
“I’m intrigued.”
“Laborers exist everywhere in this world and can appear anywhere without suspicion. Yet we cannot eliminate them, for every task in this world requires workers to execute it.”
“That’s what you said before.”
“I will make them into eyes and ears.”
“Like the Gae-bang?”
“Yes, like the Gae-bang. But this organization will obtain information that even the Gae-bang cannot.”
Son Tae-im’s eyes brightened before he shook his head.
“A proper intelligence sect must spread its influence across all of the Central Plains.”
“I will make it happen naturally, even without deliberate effort.”
“What do you mean?”
“First, I will make the name Hao-mun known throughout the realm so that no one remains ignorant of it. Servants, coachmen, innkeepers—any of them could be members of Hao-mun.”
Son Tae-im pondered for a moment before his eyes widened in surprise.
“Some might not even realize they’re members of Hao-mun. Some will openly declare it, while others will keep it hidden.”
“Rumors breed rumors. They’ll become a mysterious sect shrouded in the martial world’s legends—existing yet not existing.”
There was no place in the martial world where baseless rumors spread more readily than here. I would manipulate those rumors to my advantage.
I now possessed the capability to do so. Had I not seen and learned much over these years?
“One day, some martial artist wielding a sword at a roadside inn might think, ‘Wait, could this innkeeper possibly be a member of Hao-mun?'”
“Without even trying, I could turn countless people into members of Hao-mun.”
“Hao-mun would become a shelter for countless ordinary workers and those at the bottom of society. We wouldn’t need many disciples. Since they’re just workers, they can infiltrate anywhere, and gathering and organizing information heard through hearsay into intelligence isn’t particularly difficult. What do you think?”
Geum Seok-du smiled with confidence.
Only then did Son Tae-im laugh with genuine amusement.
“Not bad.”
“Will you invest in advance then?”
His voice was bold, as if demanding the money he’d entrusted.
Son Tae-im chuckled, mimicking Dokgo Myeong’s manner.
“How much would you need?”
* * *
Geum Seok-du began earnestly establishing the sect.
‘Naturally, I must start here.’
Following Cheon I-gak-won’s guidance, I saw a sign reading “Wang’s Fabric Shop.”
I had heard that while evading the Moyong Family’s pursuit by repeatedly concealing his whereabouts, he had opened a fabric shop using his brother-in-law’s surname.
Geum Seok-du grinned and entered the fabric shop.
“Sister! Brother-in-law! I’m here!”
“This voice… Seok-du? Could it really be Seok-du?”
From inside, my sister Geum Yu-hwa rushed out in shock.
“Yes! I’m here!”
“You’ve finally come!”
Geum Yu-hwa’s eyes flashed with intensity.
‘Hmm? Her reaction is strange.’
Rather than surprise, she seemed like someone who had been waiting for this moment.
No, I should greet her first.
“I apologize, Sister. I heard you’ve had to flee because of me. Now you can finally set your worries aside…”
At that moment.
“Yes, that’s right! You rascal!”
What Geum Seok-du saw was Geum Yu-hwa’s palm strike descending as sharply as a master’s killing blow.
Crack!
“Ugh! No, why are you doing this again!”
“Is this settled just by sending a few letters? Where have you been gallivanting around while your sister has to flee and hide because of you!”
Slap! Crack!
“Argh! No, I have my reasons…!”
Boom!
“And what, leaving the battlefield? You’re some wanderer or something, right? I heard everything! You’ve gone absolutely mad wanting to die! And if the war ended, you should’ve come straight back, but now you’re only just showing up?”
Whack! Whack! Crack!
“Ow! Ow! Owww! Sister! Wait! You hit my bones! My bones! Brother-in-law, brother-in-law! Help me!”
A man with an honest expression came rushing out at the commotion, his eyes widening in shock.
“Huh? Brother-in-law? What brings you here…? No, wait! Wife! Why are you holding that broom! Calm down! You’re going to kill someone!”
“You stay out of this! Unless you want to die with him!”
“Y-yes, yes, okay…”
“Since this fool went to the battlefield, a little beating won’t kill him! Come here!”
Geum Yu-hwa rolled up her sleeves and wielded the broom fiercely.
Geum Seok-du screamed and twisted his entire body.
Whoooosh!
“Ugh.”
Finally, Geum Seok-du collapsed with a groan.
Geum Yu-hwa huffed and threw the broom aside, then shouted.
“Food!”
“Ah, it’s not ready yet…”
“You can’t eat while traveling? Look at how skinny you’ve become. Hurry inside. Our whole family has finally gathered after years—we should eat together.”
Though I now possessed a physique more robust than most martial artists, to my sister I still appeared gaunt.
I smiled bitterly and headed inside.
‘This is where I begin.’
There would be trials and errors ahead, but I felt no worry.
I was Geum Seok-du of the Cheonma Sect.

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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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