Martial God of the Sun and Moon - Chapter 376

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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 376
The Gong Family lost their estate, and all those guilty—including Gong Ho-bang and Gong Cheon-tae—were thrown into prison.
Since you spoke so passionately about the sanctity of official authority, you should be satisfied facing execution.
After entrusting the aftermath to the government soldiers, Dokgo Myeong stepped into the streets with Geum Seok-du.
“But how in the world did you manage it? Even with your exceptional lightness skill, infiltrating the Inspection Bureau wouldn’t have been easy.”
“Why would I infiltrate directly? That would be suicide if discovered.”
“Then?”
“We recently took over a place called the Hundred Flower Pavilion. And the sister-in-law of the sixth cousin of the man who supplies alcohol there happens to be a guard serving the Inspection Commissioner.”
The sister-in-law of the sixth cousin of the alcohol supplier? That’s basically just a stranger.
“And?”
“The Inspection Commissioner apparently made advances toward this guard frequently. She wanted to avoid his attention while rejecting him, yet she couldn’t afford to lose her position as a guard.”
The powerful never understand.
How their petty desires and whims shake the lives of ordinary people.
“So Ha-o-mun stepped in then. Wasn’t it just luck?”
“Do you know? In most neighborhoods, you can find connections within just three or four degrees of separation. And ordinary commoners each carry their own complex problems and circumstances.”
“So that guard became a Ha-o-mun member too?”
“Yes, and every laborer in the world is a potential Ha-o-mun member.”
Dokgo Myeong felt genuine admiration.
This was something entirely different from Gae-bang’s methods.
“The Inspection Commissioner mentioned something to me about a black symbol.”
“Ah, I asked Deung-pyeong to draw something that looked impressive. What did he say?”
“He was terrified.”
“Hehehehe.”
“Hehehehe.”
The two men shared a remarkably similar laugh before continuing their walk.
After the Moyong Family, the Gong Family had fallen as well, but the filth they’d scattered still lingered throughout the streets.
Jianghu matters must be resolved through Jianghu methods. They had to act before news of the Gong Family spread.
“This way, Captain.”
“…If heaven has paradise, then earth has Hangzhou, they say. Am I really seeing Hangzhou’s scenery right now?”
“This is actually one of the better areas.”
Geum Seok-du smiled bitterly as he guided Dokgo Myeong into Hangzhou’s back alleys.
Even in the capital where the Emperor dwells, vagrants and beggars gather in the alleys, but this was excessive.
“P-please, save us.”
“G-great ones! Please, just some food….”
Cramped, dilapidated wooden shacks pressed together.
Between them, the sick, children, and elderly wrapped in straw mats stretched out their hands.
‘…Tsk.’
An unpleasant memory flickered through his mind.
During the height of the war with the Twin Horse Alliance, a city ravaged by endless plunder had looked exactly like this.
In Hangzhou’s back alleys, where security had collapsed under the Moyong Family’s tyranny, Dokgo Myeong recalled that day’s landscape.
“The Black Sect disciples have been running rampant, the Moyong Family has taken interest, and the Gong Family has begun to make their move. That’s the result of all these factors combined.”
Soon after, Dokgo Myeong slipped out onto a major street alongside Geum Seok-du.
We emerged from an alley into a street that blazed with splendor. Geum Seok-du pulled me toward a particularly ornate pleasure house.
“This establishment serves not only as the Gong Family’s financial lifeline, but also as a place where they conduct business entertaining their superiors and settling accounts. Shall we enter?”
“Yes, let’s go in.”
Whoosh!
As I swept aside the crimson curtain and stepped inside, the expansive and lavish interior of the pleasure house came into view.
So much expensive incense burned here that the air hung thick with hazy smoke in all directions.
Circular tables surrounded a broad stage in the center, and at each table sat figures wearing masks that covered only their eyes and nose, laughing and chattering away.
“Don’t we wear masks?”
“Shall I fetch one for you?”
“Not that it matters. This place will be shutting down business starting today anyway.”
Dokgo Myeong and Geum Seok-du settled into seats and surveyed their surroundings.
The aroma of food wafted from the mountains of delicacies piled everywhere.
The forced laughter of boys and girls who barely looked old enough to work drifted through as they carried food and wine with strained smiles.
On the central stage, women and men with their eyes covered by silk gauze danced while wielding swords or fans. Their eyes crinkled with laughter, but beneath the gauze, their mouths remained firmly sealed.
‘Is this really the sight of a place where war raged not long ago?’
Even I, who had experienced countless trials, found the scene bewildering and difficult to comprehend.
Then suddenly, a name flashed across my mind.
“Could it be….”
“What is it?”
“Is this place called the Palace of Bliss?”
“How did you know? I don’t believe I mentioned it yet.”
Well, I knew of it in my previous life too.
And I thought it wouldn’t exist in this lifetime.
-If Zhongjing has the Ten Thousand Lantern House, then Zhejiang has the Palace of Bliss.
A street of indulgence and decadence comparable to the Ten Thousand Lantern House created by Paedobyeon.
The name “Palace of Bliss” didn’t actually refer to a single building, but to an entire district.
‘I thought it wouldn’t exist in this lifetime since I completely destroyed the Jeongheol Sect and the Moyong Family.’
In my previous life, after the alliance of three families led by the Moyong Family became puppets of the Jeongheol Sect,
chaos spread throughout the martial world, and all manner of atrocities were committed in their territories.
The Palace of Bliss was one of the most notorious examples.
“It seems even the local Black Sect thugs cannot approach this place unless they are major figures.”
“Everything they extorted from the Gong Family would have flowed here.”
“The Moyong Family was probably one hand… no, rather the biggest operator of this place.”
That was when it happened.
A man dressed in fine silk robes stepped onto the stage and shouted at the top of his voice.
“Welcome! If there is anything you desire, simply raise your token and speak. Now then….”
I suddenly raised my hand.
The man turned his gaze toward me and asked.
“Young Master, what piques your curiosity?”
“What did you just say?”
“Ah, a first-time visitor, I see.”
“That’s right.”
“Our establishment means you can purchase anything here except the guests themselves. Particularly rare items are auctioned separately on the upper floor, so feel free to head up if you’re interested.”
Dokgo Myeong let out an exclamation.
“Tch, now that’s what I call proper business.”
“That’s our establishment’s pride.”
The man smiled broadly.
The word “anything” surely included people as well.
Just then, a pretty young girl and boy approached Dokgo Myeong.
Both had powdered their faces white and rouged their lips red. But looking closer, their bodies were skeletal thin, and their necks and cheeks were covered in rashes.
“What is it?”
The two placed wine cups before Dokgo Myeong and Geum Seok-du.
“It is our establishment’s custom to serve our first guests with Hwa Wine.”
The words came out stiffly, like reciting the Thousand Character Classic.
Dokgo Myeong picked up the cup and snorted with laughter.
“Hwa Wine? That’s nonsense. It’s just regular wine laced with aphrodisiac.”
“…!”
“Go ahead. When my blood boils, even poisoned wine isn’t so bad.”
Dokgo Myeong sneered and drained the cup in one gulp.
Thunk!
As he set the cup down roughly, both children flinched.
“Little ones. What are your names?”
“Y-yes?”
“Your names.”
“H-Hwa, it’s Hwa.”
“I’m Chun, Chun.”
“Flower and spring? Look at how they name you. What’s your real name?”
“I… I don’t… know.”
“Captain. If you frighten them like that, how can they answer?”
Geum Seok-du asked with a gentle smile.
“Don’t worry, I won’t hurt you. Just speak freely. We came here to help you.”
“I’m s-sorry. Please, please don’t buy us.”
Geum Seok-du’s smile deepened.
At the same time, I could see his cheeks trembling slightly. He was barely holding back an expression of distortion.
“Alright, I understand. Don’t worry. Instead, tell me how you ended up here?”
“Mother said… she had no money. She said I had to work hard to survive…”
Crack!
Geum Seok-du shattered the wine cup he’d been gripping.
Then I turned to Dokgo Myeong with a serious expression.
“Captain, would you permit me to make a request?”
“So today I must become a temporary member of the Hao Sect?”
Screech!
Dokgo Myeong roughly pushed his chair back and rose to his feet.
A heavy sword of mysterious iron was already gripped in his hand.
* * *
Whoosh!
The collapsed Paradise Hall was engulfed in flames.
A cluster of people gathered together stared at the inferno with vacant eyes.
“You go immediately to the Gong Family and deliver this to the Inspector, then return.”
“Yes!”
“You find a space where these people can rest comfortably. Also find a warehouse to store the items we’ve set aside here.”
“Yes!”
Geum Seok-du issued various orders to the rough-looking men.
Looking closer, they weren’t Cheonma Sect members. It seemed that despite the sect being founded only a few months ago, he had already recruited capable subordinates.
“So what’s your plan now?”
“The wicked ones will be stripped of everything, and the wronged ones will be taken in.”
After finishing his words, Geum Seok-du gazed at the roaring flames with complicated eyes.
That was when it happened.
The two children who had brought the medicinal powder approached Dokgo Myeong and Geum Seok-du.
“G-great hero.”
“…?”
“My name is Jang So-myeong.”
“My name is Jang So-so.”
When Geum Seok-du asked if they were siblings, it turned out their parents had no surname, so they had created one for themselves.
“Bright and radiant… your names carry good meaning. Live by those names now, and for now follow these older brothers and eat first. You’ve endured much hardship.”
“We will repay this kindness for certain!”
They were spirited children.
Geum Seok-du entrusted the two children to his subordinates as well.
“Would you like a drink?”
“I shall guide you to a fine establishment.”
“Ha, already acting like a big shot of the Black Blade?”
“It’s not an inaccurate assessment, is it? After this incident, there won’t be a soul in Hangzhou who doesn’t know the name of the Hao Sect.”
“Good. Let’s go.”
Soon Dokgo Myeong and Geum Seok-du settled into an ordinary inn.
The wine was merely adequate, but the food was surprisingly delicious.
After silently finishing one bottle and opening a second, Geum Seok-du finally spoke.
“Captain.”
“Yes.”
“Is it the times that are like this, or is the world itself wrong? Or perhaps I’m the one who’s strange?”
“I don’t know either.”
“There are things even you don’t know, Captain?”
Dokgo Myeong took a long drink of wine.
“So I’ve decided to simply believe the world is wrong.”
“Why is that?”
“Conforming to the times wounds my pride, and accepting that I’m the strange one infuriates me. So the world must be wrong.”
Geum Seok-du let out a soft laugh.
Then he drained his cup in one go and released a long sigh.
“Young Master.”
It was the first time in ages I’d heard that title. It suddenly felt like I’d been transported back to that first meeting.
“Yes?”
“Doesn’t it trouble you, Young Master?”
Dokgo Myeong answered with a soft chuckle.
“Of course it troubles me.”
“As I thought….”
“But it’s also entertaining.”
Geum Seok-du’s eyes widened.
“Even winning money at a small gambling table is fun, but look at me. A few words from me and the entire realm moves. The great sects, the prestigious families… they’re all playing in a game I’ve orchestrated.”
“….”
“Of course it’s grueling. Sometimes I just want to abandon it all… but it’s entertaining. I don’t understand why the realm is the way it is, yet watching it gradually conform to my standards is quite enjoyable.”
“Brother Son said something similar.”
“Did he? But listen here. You mustn’t become intoxicated by this enjoyment.”
“You tell me not to become intoxicated while ordering more wine?”
“I consumed the inner core of a water dragon, so this much doesn’t even touch my liver, you fool.”
Dokgo Myeong called for the Innkeeper and ordered more wine before continuing.
“Changing the world. In other words, power. Power ultimately means coloring others’ thoughts. Sometimes by force, and sometimes… without them even realizing they’ve been colored.”
“….”
“There are countless thoughts among a hundred people of a hundred different colors, and my task is to dye them all with my color. Is there anything more entertaining in this world?”
“Yet you get angry and cry every time, if it’s so enjoyable?”
Dokgo Myeong’s brow furrowed sharply.
“Hey! When did I ever cry!”
“You simply haven’t shed tears, that’s all.”
“What are you talking about?”
Dokgo Myeong grumbled before continuing.
“Well, the reason I get angry is probably because I haven’t become intoxicated yet.”
“Pardon?”
“It’s enjoyable, but I mustn’t become intoxicated. If I do… I’ll become like them.”
Dokgo Myeong’s voice grew quiet.
Geum Seok-du watched him with eyes that betrayed his inner astonishment.
‘He’s afraid.’
Dokgo Myeong, who had never hesitated even before death, was now on guard.
Suddenly, Geum Seok-du recalled the times when Dokgo Myeong had chosen not to see things through to their end.
“Now that I think about it, you used to tell me things like that from time to time. I’m only beginning to understand now. And I think I’ve figured something out.”
“What?”
“What I need to do.”
“You’re not burning with some sense of justice like those wandering heroes, are you?”
“Why would you say that? I’ll run gambling dens, sell alcohol, extort people, gather blackmail material, and use force when it suits me. I need to rise in the world too. Let the wandering heroes freeze to death.”
“So?”
“But I do want to make it a place where people can actually live.”
“I’ve tried that myself, and it’s damn difficult.”
The two men faced each other and grinned widely.
At the same time, they emptied their cups, and Dokgo Myeong asked.
“What will you do going forward?”
“For those who have places to return to, I’ll give them adequate wealth and send them back. For those who don’t, I’m thinking of raising them separately.”
“Raising them?”
“As disciples, I mean. As I mentioned, I’m planning to take them in.”
Dokgo Myeong fell silent for a moment before speaking.
“It won’t be easy.”
“It’s not a sect that can be built in a day or two, so I’ll have to endure some hardship.”
Dokgo Myeong’s voice grew even quieter.
“Everyone’s beginning was probably brilliant. The Jeongheol Sect was originally just practitioners, after all.”
“But I… have the Captain, don’t I?”
“…?”
“There’s someone who’ll come set me straight if I go off the rails.”
The two men looked at each other for a moment before breaking into quiet laughter.
“So it starts in Hangzhou?”
“Yes. For now, I’m thinking of running the sect using Cheon I-gak, Gae-bang, and… the Jeongheol Disciples as examples.”
“Damn. Why the Jeongheol Sect?”
“Because I need to learn from the best.”
Gleam!
Geum Seok-du’s eyes shone brighter than ever before.
How could I tell him not to do it when that timid, fearful man spoke with such eyes?
“Fine, I’ll support you. Still, come and go from the Cheonma Sect appropriately.”
“Of course. The Cheonma Sect won’t function without the Fifth Group, after all.”
“It’s not quite that dire.”
“…”
Soon, most of the Dokgo Family would return to their main residence in Hunan.
But Geum Seok-du still had work to do here.
“I’ll build a strong sect to support the Cheonma Sect.”
“The Cheonma Sect is my responsibility. You focus on your own duties.”
For the first time across both my past and present lives, I found myself separated from Captain Geum Seok-du.
A soft rustling sound.
Dokgo Myeong extended his cup toward me.
“Let’s not get drunk, Seok-du.”
Geum Seok-du also raised his cup.
“Yes, I’ll stay sharp.”
A crisp clink rang out.
The cups collided, producing a clear, bright sound.
* * *
“Phew! That was long!”
“Everyone, please return safely.”
“Captain Geum… you’re really staying here?”
“Yes.”
“I’m going to miss you… sniff.”
“…Why are you seeing me off like I’m a dead man? This is making me uncomfortable. Stop it.”
The surroundings were filled with cheerful chatter.
And for good reason—it wasn’t just the Cheonma Sect gathered here. The Left Army, Right Army, and the main force were all assembled and preparing to depart.
Dokgo Myeong shouted.
“Come on, let’s head home!”
At last, it was time to return.

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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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