Martial God of the Sun and Moon - Chapter 381

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 381
The sound came from the back garden of the Law Enforcement Division.
Was it deliberately brought here because so many people frequented this area?
The moment Dokgo Myeong and Namgung Sohwa rushed toward the back garden.
Crack!
A sharp, stinging sound echoed through the air.
The Cheonma Sect disciple who had been struck across the face was none other than Yang Un-rang, one of the Five Pillars of Cheonma.
“I overlooked it when you ran away from the family without a word and joined the Cheonma Sect. How dare you ignore your father, who traveled such a distance to find you?”
“It’s not that I’m ignoring you….”
“Be quiet!”
“….”
“This boy won’t listen to reason. Have I asked anything so unreasonable of you?”
A stubborn-looking middle-aged man breathed heavily, his chest heaving with agitation.
From that alone, it was clear.
This man was Yang Gwan-cheon, the sect leader of the Yang family and Yang Un-rang’s father.
But it wasn’t just him.
“Brother, why won’t you listen to Father? Just because you’ve succeeded outside the family, you’ve forgotten your own blood?”
A young man of similar age to Yang Un-rang clicked his tongue and rebuked him.
“Ha.”
Yang Un-rang, whose head had been bowed, let out a sound that could have been a sigh or a bitter laugh.
“Ha ha. Father, Father….”
“What’s wrong with this boy?”
“Since when did you consider me your son? Since when did the Grand Prince consider me family?”
Yang Un-rang glared at Yang Gwan-cheon and his half-brother Yang Un-il.
Drip.
Blood trickled from his lips as he spoke.
His lips had split from the force of the blow. Even the neat bangs he usually wore were now disheveled and matted.
“What are you saying right now…?”
“If I ever called the Sect Leader ‘Father,’ wouldn’t you have beaten me wrapped in a mat?”
“Ha ha, look at this boy.”
“Whenever guests came to the family, you locked me away in the storehouse, didn’t you? Until the guests left….”
This was not the usual Yang Un-rang—the one who was gentle and lighthearted. His handsome face was rigid, and his trembling voice came out strained and forced.
“Hey! I was beaten plenty by Father too! Everyone gets hit like that when they’re young. Are you still holding a grudge over something that happened so long ago?”
Yang Un-il raised his voice, even pointing at Yang Un-rang as if he found the whole thing absurd.
Yang Un-rang clenched his fists tightly.
“Are you talking about being hit with that thin reed switch? Do you know what I was beaten with?”
“What?”
“How many times were my bones broken? You wouldn’t know, of course. What grave mistake could a child not even ten years old have possibly made to deserve such cruel beatings?”
“Listen to the way this boy speaks! You’re only alive because you were beaten—you grew up because of it! You don’t even think about the grace of your father feeding and sheltering you, and yet you dare to talk back like this?!”
“….”
“Honestly, old habits die hard. For a man to hold a grudge over something so trivial… tsk.”
At his openly contemptuous tone, Yang Un-rang couldn’t muster a response and lowered his gaze.
Then Yang Gwan-cheon spoke.
“No need for lengthy words. Un-rang, you go tell Dokgo Myeong right away.”
“I… I cannot grant that request.”
“You still refuse? All I’m asking is for you to make one request to Dokgo Myeong! To secure a position for your elder brother who will carry on the family line—is that truly so difficult….”
“Please….”
Yang Un-rang spoke with a trembling voice.
“Please, Sect Leader. Please don’t do this here!”
“Are you raising your voice before me right now?!”
“The Cheonma Sect is my family now! Since you abandoned me all this time, just treat me as if I don’t exist from now on!”
The expressions of Yang Gwan-cheon and Yang Un-il hardened.
A brief silence descended.
Soon Yang Gwan-cheon opened his mouth with a rigid face.
“As expected of a rootless wretch—shameless beyond measure.”
“Sect Leader! No, Father!”
“Enough. I’ll speak directly with Dokgo Myeong….”
That was when it happened.
“What in the world are you doing!”
Thump, thump, thump!
A young man with murderous intent radiating from his face approached, stamping the ground with each step.
Yang Un-rang was startled.
“C-Captain?”
“Captain? Then could that be….”
Dokgo Myeong, who had burst out unable to contain himself, had eyes blazing with fury.
* * *
A bastard of the Yang family, a dissolute young master fond of wine and women, a notorious scoundrel and libertine in the region.
But that was all in the past.
Now Yang Un-rang was an indispensable member of the Cheonma Sect’s First Unit and one of the Five Pillars of Cheonma, a supreme master whose name resounded throughout the martial world as the Rising Dragon.
‘You wanted to return to a family like that?’
My past life comes to mind.
In that final moment, he had smiled while contemplating whether he could return to his family.
‘Calling those things family….’
Dokgo Myeong stared at Yang Un-rang with his face contorted.
Yang Un-rang stammered with a vacant expression.
“C-Captain? W-When did you….”
“From the moment you got slapped, you fool!”
As Dokgo Myeong shouted, Yang Un-rang shrank back.
“How could you just take those hits without fighting back? Ugh, this is driving me crazy!”
“I-I apologize!”
“That’s enough. Are you prepared?”
At Dokgo Myeong’s words, Yang Un-rang trembled slightly.
Then, Yang Un-il, who had been quietly observing, interjected.
“Haha! The renowned Dokgo Myeong, what an honor to meet you. That fellow has always been rather insolent….”
“Listen. Step aside.”
Flash!
As Dokgo Myeong’s eyes gleamed sharply, Yang Un-il flinched in surprise.
“I’m speaking to my subordinate right now.”
At that menacing tone, Yang Un-rang stepped forward as if to restrain Dokgo Myeong.
“I-I apologize! For causing a disturbance on such an important day, I shall accept any punishment.”
On the first day of the Law Enforcement Division’s establishment, with so many outsiders present, he had caused a commotion. He naturally deserved punishment.
Yet Dokgo Myeong’s response was quite different from what he expected.
“What nonsense are you spouting? When did I ever punish you for that? Of course the punishment is for just standing there and taking those blows! You’ll prepare yourself to do sensory training at double intensity after today ends.”
Sensory training? Double that grueling regimen?
Yang Un-rang’s face turned ashen in an instant.
“I-I didn’t dodge because I couldn’t dodge, I didn’t dodge because I chose not to….”
He was so flustered that his words tumbled out incoherently.
As a result, Dokgo Myeong’s anger only intensified.
“Hey! Have you lost your mind? Why did you just take those blows?!”
“W-well….”
“It’s obvious, isn’t it? You didn’t dodge because they’re family, right? Can’t you see it plainly? You’ve been doing well lately, so you’re trying to curry favor and suddenly show up now!”
“…!”
“I was trying to hold back because I thought it was a family matter, but the more I see, the more my anger boils over… Damn it! Why are you just standing there listening to that nonsense!”
“My apologies, Captain. I’ve caused you concern because of my family….”
“That’s not the point!”
Dokgo Myeong pounded his own chest in frustration, and Yang Un-rang blinked with a vacant expression.
Dokgo Myeong shouted.
“Someone dared to insult the name of Yang Un-rang of the Cheonma Sect, and you just stood there and took it!”
“…!”
“Are you in a position now where you should be pushed around by such lowly trash? Huh? Answer me right now!”
Yang Un-rang cried out urgently.
“N-no, I’m not!”
“Then what should you do!”
“T-that is….”
It was at that moment.
“Dokgo Myeong! What did you just say!”
Yang Gwan-cheon, who had been standing beside them like a sack of barley, bristled and interjected.
Dokgo Myeong’s eyes flashed.
“Didn’t I tell you not to interfere?”
“Dokgo Myeong! No matter what, there is such a thing as propriety in the martial world… what kind of manner of speech is this!”
At those words, Dokgo Myeong’s eyes rolled sharply.
“Wait, this bastard?”
“…What, what bastard?”
“You.”
Dokgo Myeong’s eyes blazed a fierce blue.
“Does your mouth have a disease?”
The moment those words left his lips, Yang Un-rang and Namgung Sohwa, who had been watching from behind, went deathly pale.
“Your, your mouth? You dare speak like that before me, the Sect Leader of the Yang family!?”
“Captain! Please calm down…!”
Namgung Sohwa rushed forward urgently, and Yang Un-rang also hastily reached out.
But a black arc had already been traced through the air.
It was the shadow of the Dragon Scale Fist, and Dokgo Myeong’s knuckles drove straight into Yang Gwan-cheon’s jaw.
Craaaaaash!
A thunderous explosion erupted.
Namgung Sohwa stopped mid-stride and let out a sigh.
‘It’s over.’
Yang Gwan-cheon, spinning like a top around his face, bounced away like a ball.
Boom!
Yang Gwan-cheon crashed through the courtyard floor, which had been carefully laid with premium stone, and embedded himself in it.
“What, what….”
Yang Un-il, Yang Un-rang’s older brother, trembled like a gasping fish, his face drained of color.
Dokgo Myeong’s head snapped around.
“Ah. You were here too?”
Yang Un-il’s complexion turned a sickly blue.
* * *
The Cheonma Sect disciples, who had belatedly noticed the commotion, came rushing into the courtyard.
“Hey! Hey! Grab his legs! His legs!”
“Someone’s going to die! Stop him quick! Hurry! Pile on!”
“Get out of the way, you bastards! This sickness has already reached his marrow, so I’m going to have to suck out his very core!”
Boom!
“Ugh! Captain! Please calm down!”
“People are watching! People are watching!”
Several Cheonma Sect disciples clung to Dokgo Myeong and tried to tear him away. Dokgo Myeong snarled, his eyes blazing like fire itself.
“Yang disciple! Say something yourself! What are you doing!”
Yang Un-rang finally snapped to his senses and rushed toward Dokgo Myeong.
“C-Captain! I’m fine now! Stop! You can stop!”
“…Really?”
Dokgo Myeong, who had been seething with rage, barely managed to calm himself.
But it was already far too late.
The Sect Leader Yang Gwan-cheon had his head driven into the ground like a stake, while Yang Un-il’s upper body was embedded in the ceiling of the courtyard pavilion, swaying back and forth.
“Damn it, but those bastards really—!”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa! Captain!”
“Ah! I’m calm! I’m calm, I said! Let go! Release me!”
“You’re really letting go, sir?”
“Huff.”
I steadied my breathing with my hand on my waist before suddenly shouting.
“Yang Un-rang! At attention!”
“Yes, sir! At attention!”
Yang Un-rang stood rigid in a formal stance.
I stared at him for a long moment before speaking.
“Are those your family?”
“No… No, they’re not.”
“Then have they ever been your family? Did I go too far?”
“No. I… I wouldn’t have been able to.”
“Yang Un-rang.”
“Yes.”
“I’m not angry because those bastards tried to use you for favors. I’m angry because they dared to look down on Yang Un-rang.”
“That is…”
“Why were you losing your nerve to those kinds of people?”
Yang Un-rang’s shoulders sagged.
“I… I was just thinking…”
“…?”
“On such an important day, I was worried about becoming a burden to the Cheonma Sect and you, Captain. I apologize.”
My expression twisted as I looked at Yang Un-rang with his head bowed.
“You, you foolish bastard!”
As I tried to rage again, Namgung Sohwa and several other disciples grabbed both my arms.
“Please calm down, Captain!”
“That’s right. First, we should deal with those people over there…”
“Can’t you all just shut up?!”
When I didn’t let my anger subside, everyone flinched in alarm.
“All of you listen up!”
I glared at each of my Cheonma Sect disciples one by one.
“From now on, dirty flies like those will definitely swarm around the Cheonma Sect. We’ve reached that kind of position now!”
“…”
“How many of us don’t have a past? I’m telling you, they’ll definitely come crawling!”
“…”
“But if any of you try to endure and overlook it for the sake of the Cheonma Sect or whatever else, I won’t let it slide. Surely you haven’t forgotten what I hate most?”
Being led around by the nose.
“This is your Cheonma Sect, not Dokgo Myeong’s. Anyone who spouts nonsense about enduring for the Cheonma Sect or sacrificing for the Cheonma Sect…”
A resolute light flickered in my eyes.
“You lack the qualifications to be a disciple. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
“…!”
“So don’t hold back. Strike freely. Even if you cause trouble, I’ll handle it.”
“Yes!!”
Dokgo Myeong turned to look at Yang Un-rang.
“Yang, now do you understand what you did wrong?”
“Yes.”
Yang Un-rang nodded, his eyes reddened.
“Then get out of the way. I need to personally escort these bastards to meet the King of Hell!”
“Gasp! Hey! Stop him! Stop him!”
* * *
The father and son of the Yang family, having regained consciousness, staggered out through the Black Dragon Gate of the Dokgo household.
Of course, they didn’t leave quietly. Shamelessly thrashing about, they insisted on meeting Dokgo Un-hak, who was acting as the sect leader, to lodge a protest, but….
“Both of you.”
“…?”
“The kindness you showed me as blood relatives and the grace of teaching me even a half-measure of the Yang Family Spear will be repaid by letting you leave with your lives.”
Shing!
Yang Un-rang cut off the hair he had carefully cultivated all this time with a sharp stroke.
Since the body and hair are gifts from one’s parents, cutting his hair was tantamount to severing that bond.
“You… you unfilial wretch…!”
“So if you ever attempt to exploit this severed bond to gain something in return, I will personally visit the Yang family.”
Whoosh!
Yang Un-rang now revealed his transformed energy signature openly.
After countless fierce battles, that formidable aura was unmistakable. Overwhelmed by the crushing pressure, the father and son could say nothing and hastily retreated.
“Then that’s all.”
And that was the end of it.
The next day, the Yang family father and son requested a meeting with Dokgo Un-hak, the acting sect leader, to lodge their protest.
“Where? The Yang family?”
“Yes, the family of Yang Gwan-cheon. We wish to arrange a meeting to protest the matter regarding the Cheonma Sect….”
“Arrogant bastards. You dare summon Dokgo Un-hak?”
They incurred the wrath of Dokgo Un-hak, and as a result, all the merchant guilds that had dealings with the family severed their connections.
In any case.
Though many witnessed and heard of that day’s commotion, the reputation of the Cheonma Sect and the Law Enforcement Division did not suffer.
Only after that disturbance was settled did recruitment truly begin.
Regardless of left or right armies, countless individuals who had received favors from Dokgo Myeong and the Cheonma Sect flocked to the Law Enforcement Division.
And the Cheonma Sect also welcomed new faces.
“I, I am Neungmyeong of the Gab Unit! I’ve come to apply to the Cheonma Sect!”
“Huh? Haven’t we met somewhere before?”
“I was part of the Left Army! In the Seoho region….”
“Oh! You’re the guy with the same name as me! Right?”
New recruits had joined the Cheonma Sect, whose numbers had dwindled.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————