Martial God of the Sun and Moon - Chapter 377

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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 377
Dokgo Wi-hak wielded his sword in the courtyard behind the Saheon Sect.
Whoosh!
Though he hadn’t deliberately summoned his inner energy, the fallen leaves scattered across the ground were swept upward.
Dokgo Wi-hak spun his blade lightly once before thrusting it forward.
Crash!
The swirling autumn leaves shot toward the direction of his sword, then shattered into fine fragments that scattered in all directions.
The evening glow touched the leaf pieces, making them shimmer.
Dokgo Wi-hak slowly straightened his stance and gently sheathed his sword.
‘It has changed.’
The martial arts I had once deliberately suppressed and stagnated were beginning to transform.
‘And it’s growing.’
My inner energy, once rough and unrefined, was becoming more polished with each passing day, and my killing intent-laden swordplay was gaining gentleness.
The years I had spent without martial training were truly long. I had thought it would take considerable time to recover my previous level, yet instead I was changing and growing faster than ever before.
All of this was probably….
‘Because of that boy.’
My one and only son, reckless and wild.
I had begun this martial training to become an umbrella for my son as he ventured into the world, yet it had become something for myself instead.
A faint smile curved Dokgo Wi-hak’s lips.
That was when it happened.
“Sect Leader!”
Jang Sam entered the training ground with an excited expression.
“What is it?”
“It appears he will arrive tomorrow morning!”
“Surely not?”
“Yes! It seems he’s arrived two days earlier than expected.”
Dokgo Wi-hak suddenly fell silent and became lost in thought.
Jang Sam, watching him, tilted his head in confusion.
“What is the matter?”
“Now that I think about it, didn’t Myeong-i send a silk robe as a birthday gift back then?”
Jang Sam’s expression showed slight surprise.
“We’ve kept it in storage, but you said it looked too extravagant and never wore it once.”
“My son has returned from accomplishing great deeds. I should greet him looking somewhat impressive myself.”
Jang Sam bowed with a smile that put people at ease.
“I will prepare it at once.”
“I’m counting on you.”
* * *
The main gates of the Dokgo Household swung wide open.
Those who had remained at the main branch, the provincial government of Honam, and local dignitaries all actively cooperated with the triumphant return ceremony.
The household members had traveled mountains and fields gathering flowers, and dressed in formal robes and even ceremonial swords, they waited for the family’s heroes to return.
And finally, the moment arrived.
Flap!
The black dragon banner billowed in the wind.
Flower petals scattered down upon the slowly advancing procession, while cheers and acclamations thundered from all directions.
“Draw swords!”
Shing!
The Main Sect guards standing in formation before the Black Dragon Gate unsheathed their blades.
“Salute!”
Boom!
As their feet struck the ground, a thunderous vibration shook the earth, and ceremonial swords gleaming with ornaments soared skyward.
“Roaaaaaaar!”
Heroes who had crushed the Moyong Family—villains of legendary infamy—and thwarted the Jeongheol Sect’s machinations lurking in the martial world.
Returning victorious from war, they felt their chests swell with magnificent accomplishment.
All except one person.
“But we didn’t even save the nation, so why are we dragging the commoners into this spectacle?”
“….”
“Look at all these flower petals. The mountains and fields of Honam will be completely stripped of flowers for quite some time. What a waste.”
“….”
“And our Family Head’s deputy is quite the actor too. I’m getting goosebumps just watching… Since we’re on the subject, couldn’t I just move to the back of the procession like a proper Sect Leader?”
“Dokgo Myeong.”
Dokgo Un-hak, who had been waving his hands left and right with a smile plastered across his face, suddenly sharpened his gaze.
His face wore a smile, but from between his tightly clenched teeth flowed a voice dripping with murderous intent.
“If you keep flapping your mouth like that, I will certainly assign you every single chore that comes up from now on.”
Dokgo Un-hak was gradually learning how to handle Dokgo Myeong.
Dokgo Myeong trembled slightly.
“Anyone watching would think you’re still the Chairman. Now that factional disputes are about to resume, do you think such things are possible without the Elder faction’s consent?”
“Why? Do you think I can’t do it?”
“….”
“Should I try right now? Hmm?”
“….”
“If you understand, shut up and just wave your hand.”
“Yes, sir.”
Dokgo Myeong was forced to obediently wave his hand from atop the glossy black horse.
Naturally, familiar faces appeared among the crowd.
“Sect Leader! Brother Jang!”
“Welcome back.”
“G-good sir. Brother Jang? With so many people watching….”
The Saheon Sect Leader and Brother Jang, dressed in splendid silk robes instead of their usual plain white garments, were waiting for me.
“Are you well? I heard you had quite the fierce battle with that Muyong Tae….”
“I’m fine. By the way, Myeong-i, you….”
Dokgo Wi-hak immediately noticed the change in Dokgo Myeong.
Dokgo Myeong broke into a grin.
“You’ve changed quite a bit yourself, Sect Leader.”
The two locked eyes with each other.
Dokgo Wi-hak couldn’t fully comprehend the extent of his son’s achievements. Now he had truly risen to stand at his own level.
Dokgo Wi-hak spoke with a rare, radiant smile.
“Well done. You’ve worked hard.”
A lump caught in my throat.
Dokgo Myeong was momentarily speechless, hesitating before breaking into a grin.
“Those words are the greatest gift I could have received.”
“Young Master! You must have endured so much!”
“You’ve worked hard too, Jang. Seok-du has been missing you.”
“Now that I think about it, where is Geum?”
“Ah, our Geum has been swamped lately establishing his own sect.”
“What?”
Dokgo Wi-hak brushed down my forearm and gave it a light tap.
“Go on now. Many are waiting for you.”
I had only just returned to the main house, yet a mountain of schedules awaited me.
* * *
No matter what anyone said, I was the one who had achieved the greatest merit in this war.
Naturally, I couldn’t escape anywhere and was completely captured by Dokgo Un-hak to serve as a backdrop.
‘Damn it.’
My head was spinning.
After the triumphant procession, one schedule after another followed endlessly.
Paying respects at the memorial tablets of past household leaders, reporting my return to the Elders who were the family’s senior members, observing a moment of silence for the fallen martial artists, a welcome ceremony at the grand martial arena, a speech from the acting household leader who was the victor….
And at every single event, I had to say a few words and listen to more than ten in return.
“Indeed! There was good reason why the Divine Sword of True Heaven and the Undefeated Divine Sword were called such! Impressive, Young Master Dokgo Myeong! Perhaps later we could arrange….”
“Truly talented! The greatest talent under heaven has been born in our main house!”
“Now then, Young Master Dokgo Myeong, the Cheonma Sect Leader who has achieved such great merit, please say a few words….”
Argh! Enough!
I felt like breaking out in hives! Please, stop!
“Commander, surely you understand this is all an important process,” Jo Ryang-ui whispered from beside me as I twisted my entire body behind the platform where Dokgo Un-hak was giving his speech.
Since Moryong Sohgyo and Geum Seok-du had remained in Zhejiang, he had taken on the role of assistant.
“I’m not saying anything against it, but did we really have to make such a grand fuss about it?” I muttered.
“Such ceremonies are necessary for the common people’s morale, and they inspire pride among the main house’s martial artists,” Jo Ryang-ui explained.
“Does pride put food on the table?”
“Doesn’t it, at least a little?”
“….”
“Besides, the Dokgo Family always rewards effort and achievement without fail. You should receive those benefits too so that everyone…—or rather, even I know this fact. Why doesn’t the Commander, who is a member of this household, understand it?”
“And doesn’t Dokgo always reward effort and achievement without fail? The lord should also receive those benefits so that everyone… No, why doesn’t the lord, who is of this house, know what even I know?”
“Ah, Overseer Jo. I understand. I understand.”
Dokgo Myeong finally released a deep sigh and gazed at the Main Sect Guards arrayed before the platform. The Cheonma Sect members were interspersed among them.
In that moment, I realized that some of those standing in formation were looking at me rather than at Dokgo Un-hak, who was delivering the speech.
Their eyes gleamed with an unmistakable, burning emotion that could not be concealed.
Gratitude, anticipation, admiration—and more.
Whatever else might be said, the gaze of those who had fought alongside me on the battlefield stirred something peculiar within me.
“That’s not so bad, actually.”
“What did you say, sir?”
“Nothing at all.”
Dokgo Myeong chuckled softly.
In my past life, I was a pitiful man cast out from the family as a criminal….
Today, I had returned as a hero.
* * *
It bears repeating, but the Dokgo Family’s estate was vast—impossibly vast.
Moreover, though the walls did not form a continuous barrier, a low mountain occupied the northern edge of the grounds.
Those unfamiliar with the internal affairs of the main family often assumed that this well-situated, sun-drenched mountain was a place for cultivation.
But that was utterly absurd. No one from the Dokgo Family ever trained on this mountain.
“It’s been a while.”
“Indeed it has. I heard the Alliance Leader took quite a blow from Muyong Tae as well. Are you recovering well?”
“Tsk, I owe my life to your father. But I hear you cut off that bastard’s head?”
“It wasn’t me—it was my captain who did it.”
“Ah, so it was you then? It’s been far too long.”
“This young girl greets the Elder Council Leader.”
Dokgo Myeong exchanged greetings with Dokgo Hwi-hwa for the first time in ages. Wi Baek also offered his respects at her side.
Both of them appeared gaunt and worn.
Their faces bore the unmistakable marks of the exhaustion they had endured—transporting people and supplies to the front lines amid the interference of the Jeongheol Sect, conducting endless negotiations with countless individuals.
“You should rest more.”
“No matter how old I grow, I still have vigor left in me. How dare you worry for me?”
Dokgo Hwi-hwa let out a hearty laugh.
Yet I could feel her qi wavering. This war had clearly consumed a considerable portion of her remaining lifespan.
“Spare me such awkward words and go on. I have one final farewell to pay myself.”
“Very well.”
Dokgo Myeong approached Dokgo Un-hak’s side.
Dokgo Un-hak glanced at me and clicked his tongue.
“I trust you won’t cause any disturbances here, no matter how thick-skinned you are.”
“No matter how resilient my nerves may be, I have no such intentions here.”
The gazes of Dokgo Myeong and Dokgo Un-hak turned forward.
What their eyes beheld was a cemetery.
Across the broad, sun-drenched mountainside, countless tombstones and shallow burial mounds were clustered densely together. Each stone bore weapons that the deceased had wielded in life.
It was called the Sword Tomb—the burial ground of martial artists who had devoted themselves to the main family.
“Pay special attention to the graves of the Cheonma Sect martial artists.”
“I’ve already had Son Gang handle the arrangements.”
“I hear it was nine?”
“Yes.”
“We were fortunate.”
“We were unlucky.”
“After wandering through that battlefield, losing only nine out of eighty-seven is nothing short of divine providence.”
The Cheonma Sect, which had numbered eighty-seven, was now seventy-eight. Among them were those who might never serve in the Cheonma Sect again due to their injuries.
Divine providence, he said.
Yes, perhaps this qualified as divine providence.
“It’s quite crowded.”
“More filled than I expected.”
“Have you sufficiently compensated their families?”
“The main house does not stint when it comes to rewarding achievement and sacrifice.”
Those who had died in this war filled the cemetery densely.
So many had fallen.
The world sang praises for the Dokgo Family’s triumph and glory, yet that splendor was drenched entirely in blood.
“Ah, here it is. Hmm, the location is absolutely perfect.”
“…The allocation should have been decided by our faction. How on earth did you manage to secure it?”
“Because I have a master of bribery among my subordinates.”
Dokgo Myeong, who had been grinning slyly, discovered one particular grave and pulled out several bottles of liquor he had brought beforehand.
“Damn. If only I’d died a bit later. I could have been treated as a hero and lived comfortably.”
Glug, glug, glug, glug.
Dokgo Myeong took a sip from one bottle and poured the rest onto the grave.
He then proceeded to pour liquor onto the graves of the other disciples in turn.
‘Since you’re lying with your comrades, you won’t be lonely.’
With so many companions sent ahead, the path to the afterlife would not be solitary.
Pat, pat!
Dokgo Myeong emptied the bottles and rose to his feet.
Looking around, I saw many who had lost their loved ones. In the heavy atmosphere, I occasionally heard suppressed sobs and forced laughter.
“Do you know what they say in military circles? ‘Soldiers do not start wars.'”
Dokgo Myeong exhaled a long breath.
“So all these graves—I filled them.”
I was the one who caused the war, the one who strongly advocated for it, and the one who conducted it.
Countless graves stretched down the mountainside. These were only those who had died in this war. Moreover, those with separate family plots were buried elsewhere, so this was far from the complete number.
“How presumptuous.”
Then Dokgo Un-hak spoke with derision.
“Presumptuous?”
“Don’t whine pathetically. How dare you cry before me….”
Dokgo Un-hak, hands clasped behind his back, swept his gaze across the surroundings.
“You were merely one of many martial artists in the main sect. You never even rose to a position where you could be held accountable. It was I, Dokgo Un-hak, who served as acting family head.”
“Are you offering me consolation?”
Dokgo Un-hak didn’t even snort in response, simply turning away.
“Whether it’s you or me, we’ll both continue filling this place with our lives going forward, won’t we? So don’t spout such nonsense over something so trivial.”
At those words, Dokgo Myeong found himself at a loss for words.
That was true.
There was no point in indulging in sentimentality.
Blood would flow regardless. Perhaps it was self-righteous, but both Dokgo Un-hak and I believed we could shed the least of that blood.
“We must hold the memorial rite, so hurry and come.”
“Yes, I understand.”
Dokgo Un-hak and I moved forward with composed expressions toward the final ceremony of the day.
Suddenly, I glanced back.
There were still many empty spaces in the sword tomb.
There was still much blood that needed to stain my hands.
* * *
The work was endless.
Three days since returning to the family.
I was dragged about here and there, spending my time in utter chaos.
“Goodness, this is exhausting, truly exhausting.”
I collapsed into a chair with a heavy sigh.
“You’ve worked hard. This is a fruit tea. Please have some.”
Namgung Sohwa brought over a chilled beverage with a bitter smile.
“Isn’t this what Seok-du used to make?”
“The Captain told me how to make it, saying you’d want it.”
“If that’s the case, tell him to come make it himself.”
“How long would it take to come all the way here from Zhejiang?”
Only after the night had deepened did all the schedules finally end. Having been dragged about all day, my head was completely spinning.
“If it’s that difficult, why not rest tomorrow?”
“That’s not an option. I must attend tomorrow no matter what.”
“I thought as much.”
Tomorrow, the White Sect Council would convene.
And the awarding of merit was scheduled.

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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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