Martial God of the Sun and Moon - Chapter 383

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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 383
“It’s been so long!”
“What brings you two here?”
A man and woman with sun-darkened skin broke into broad smiles.
Hong Lu and Hong Ta—the siblings from the Daesan lineage I’d met at the Ten Thousand Great Mountains—had come to visit.
The two had grown considerably, and they’d brought villagers along with them.
“You haven’t forgotten us? We’ve changed quite a bit!”
“Your faces look the same to me. Wait, if you’re Hong Lu, then this one must be…”
Dokgo Myeong swallowed hard at the sight of the lanky youth standing beside Hong Lu.
The young man, Hong Ta, grinned widely and spoke.
“Yes, I’m Hong Ta. It’s an honor to meet you, brother.”
“You’re really Hong Ta? But what…”
“I trained hard to help you, brother. Hehehehe!”
No, don’t laugh like that.
The boy was still so young—what was with that laugh…
“Did you experience time twice as fast as everyone else? You didn’t eat anything strange up in the mountains, did you?”
“Hahaha! You’re still quite the jokester, brother!”
“I’m not joking—what is this… Hong Ta, do you never look in a mirror? Mmph! Ugh! No, Sohwa, what are you doing! Let go of me!”
“Really! You say things to children that you shouldn’t!”
Time changes people, but wasn’t this a bit much?
Looking closely, his face was still youthful, but his height had shot up dramatically, and his voice had deepened with the onset of puberty. It had been years since we’d last seen each other through only messages via Geumsan Pavilion, so I’d nearly failed to recognize him.
“But what brings you here?”
“We heard you were taking in new people. We came to help. You’ll accept us, won’t you?”
Hong Lu spoke with a bright smile.
But Dokgo Myeong’s expression hardened at her words.
“What audacity! Absolutely not, you two! Go get permission from the Village Chief first! You’re barely old enough to know what you’re asking!”
“We already got permission from the Village Chief!”
“Brother! It’s really fine! This is what we want!”
“What? The Village Chief approved this?”
Hong Lu and Hong Ta nodded rapidly.
“Well…”
Then one of the villagers who had come with them stepped forward.
“Young Master Myeong, have no worries. We will look after the siblings well from the side. And this was the Village Chief’s wish—that they see the wider world.”
“I see, if that’s the case…”
“And… this was also what the Elder desired.”
“The Elder?”
“He said you would undertake great deeds and would need assistance…”
“Hmm.”
Dokgo Myeong fell into thought for a moment.
‘True enough. I don’t know what will happen ahead. Having someone connected to that side wouldn’t be a bad thing.’
The realms of sorcery and witchcraft were not domains where I possessed extensive knowledge. Ye-hwa was somewhat more versed in such matters, yet even she merely understood them theoretically rather than through practical application.
Besides, hadn’t Ye-hwa herself declared that she would not employ her own knowledge?
‘I cannot predict what schemes the Twin Horse Alliance will attempt next. It’s true that we need to prepare defenses against such tactics now.’
Dokgo Myeong found himself nodding in agreement.
“Thank you, Myeong-i! I’m counting on you going forward!”
“I’ll do my best, brother! Hehehehe!”
The siblings embraced both of Dokgo Myeong’s arms and bounced excitedly.
Their behavior still seemed rather childish.
Thus, the personnel from the Daesan faction ultimately joined the Cheonma Sect.
“For now, you’ll operate as a separate organization under my direct command. Tell me if you need anything at all.”
Ten sorcerers in total, including the siblings Hong Lu and Hong Ta.
Those versed in sorcery, emanating that peculiar mystical aura unique to their craft, took their place in one corner of the Cheonma Sect headquarters. It was an unexpected reinforcement.
* * *
The Cheonma Sect headquarters, the base of operations for the Cheonma Sect under the Protection Bureau.
The world has always been filled with those who cannot bear to see others prosper, and no matter how diligently one works, gossip inevitably spreads.
It seemed the Cheonma Sect had recently become the subject of whispers—”those fortunate fellows who cause nothing but chaotic disturbances, blessed with a good commander.”
Of course, such words only came from the mouths of those who had never set foot near the Cheonma Sect headquarters.
“Ahhhhhhh!”
“Mother, Father…!”
“I’ll fry you in this filthy water… Ughhhh!”
“This is a scam… This can’t be real….”
The screams, curses, and groans of despair from the new recruits.
“Ughhhh! Why has our training become even more brutal!”
“But we just returned from all that hardship, so why hasn’t the training intensity decreased? Could it be… like this forever?”
“Aaaahhhhh!”
The screams of the existing disciples that echoed day after day.
No matter how envious and jealous one might be, hearing the anguished sounds that pierced through the walls of the Cheonma Sect headquarters would have silenced such nonsense.
The reason the Cheonma Sect, entering warfare for the first time, could achieve such remarkable accomplishments was precisely because they had already suffered through the hell that was Dokgo Myeong’s training beforehand. It was not merely a matter of luck.
Yet it was not only the ordinary disciples who endured hardship.
“Haaahhh! I’m coming!”
“Come on!”
Namgung Sohwa and Cheolmu-baek.
Those two who had reached a higher realm in this war were frantically refining their martial techniques.
In particular, Namgung Sohwa studied various subjects for the restoration of her family under Jo-ryang and Son Tae-im every night, and devoted herself to training to perfect the Spear of Creation and the Emperor’s Sword.
Cheolmu-baek was no different. He was consumed with digesting the elixir he had been granted and thoroughly consolidating his enlightenment at the higher realm.
And among the managers, there was one who had achieved new growth.
Boom!
With a sharp explosive sound, a perfect circular hole was punched through the wooden post standing upright.
Through that hole, a woman could be seen lowering her bow.
“Phew! What do you think?”
Ye-hwa’s eyes gleamed with brilliance.
Gwak Dae-ryong clapped his hands with evident satisfaction.
“Excellent! That’s precisely how one should fire an inner force arrow. Truly remarkable!”
Without a physical arrow, using only inner force, she had pierced clean through the wood—not shattering it, but drilling a perfect hole.
“Father… it’s all thanks to you. I was struggling with the meridian techniques, yet you identified the problem instantly.”
Ever since the war’s conclusion, Ye-hwa had spent her time with Gwak Dae-ryong, her adoptive father, exchanging martial knowledge and refining her craft.
“No, I merely pointed out what you had momentarily overlooked. The traces of assassin techniques have vanished entirely from your form.”
Gwak Dae-ryong murmured the name of this new archery technique he had learned from Ye-hwa, his tone filled with admiration.
“The Bow Method of Eradicating Deception…”
An archery technique that purged all treachery.
It was a name that embodied Ye-hwa’s very convictions.
The traditional archery of the Assassin’s Guild had been specialized in concealment and lethal precision, as befitted their martial discipline. Yet now, Ye-hwa’s archery carried an almost ethereal subtlety.
“The more I see it, the more I marvel! Ah, my daughter is truly splendid, splendid indeed! Why don’t you become the sect leader of the Heavenly Bow Sect this very moment?”
“Father, I’m hardly worthy of such a position.”
“Nonsense! How many in the martial world today could truly withstand your arrows?”
The corners of Ye-hwa’s mouth twitched upward.
She was attempting to accept the praise with composure, yet her joy was plainly visible to anyone observing her.
“That Myeong-i fellow must have taken considerable care of you. I never expected you would grow to this extent.”
In that instant, Ye-hwa’s body went rigid.
A cold smile crossed her lips.
“Taken care of me…”
“Hmm? What troubles you?”
“Well, it’s not incorrect. He always spoke kind words to me.”
Ye-hwa nodded with an enigmatic expression.
“Kind words? Can you give me an example?”
“…Listen to me when I speak kindly.”
“Eh?”
“Train when I speak kindly. Since I only speak kindly, my words don’t sound like proper speech anymore…”
She trembled.
Ye-hwa’s body shook.
“…In any case, he only ever spoke kind words to me.”
Gwak Dae-ryong could not hastily inquire what had transpired between his daughter and that man.
“But the archery of my disciples… it seems somewhat different from that of the Assassin’s Guild.”
“Ah, I actually wanted to consult with you about that very matter.”
“Yes?”
Gwak Dae-ryong began to speak, releasing a heavy sigh.
“It’s an archery technique I’ve named the Heavenly Kings’ Arrow, but it still lacks much refinement. As an important martial art of the sect, it carries too much killing intent.”
Unlike Ye-hwa, Gwak Dae-ryong had only known the assassin’s techniques. Refining his inner force and archery from such a foundation naturally resulted in crude techniques, far removed from Ye-hwa’s refined methods.
“So I wanted to ask—could you explain how you managed to strip away the traces of assassin techniques? If there were any martial arts that influenced your development, I would very much like to examine their secret manuals.”
“That is…”
Ye-hwa wore an awkward expression.
“First, the foundation I based it on is a martial art called Jincheonmu.”
“Jincheonmu?”
“Yes, it’s a martial art created by the Captain. It’s also an exclusive secret technique of the Cheonma Sect.”
In my past life, Dokgo Myeong and the Cheonma Sect had laid its foundation, and I had perfected it through repeated refinement in this life.
It was a martial art that all Cheonma Sect members learned, but even Ye-hwa couldn’t teach it freely to outsiders.
“Why don’t you go visit the Captain once?”
“That one?”
“You two are quite close, aren’t you? I’m sure he’ll gladly accept.”
Gwak Dae-ryong nodded.
“Yes, let’s go visit him.”
* * *
“I don’t want to.”
….
“Why should I?”
Dokgo Myeong brushed off his hands as he spoke.
Around him lay a scene of absolute devastation.
“Uuugghhhhh….”
“I, I just… I just want to leave the Cheonma Sect….”
The new Cheonma Sect disciples who had sparred lightly with Dokgo Myeong were scattered about, groaning in pain.
‘No, wait. Right now these people aren’t the important thing….’
Ye-hwa spoke urgently.
“C, Captain? Why?”
“Why? I don’t understand why you’re asking. You want me to teach an outsider martial techniques that could become a weakness for the sect?”
“That’s….”
“No matter how much Gwak and I are sworn brothers, he’s still an outsider. Isn’t that right?”
What? Why is he suddenly saying nothing but reasonable things today?
As Ye-hwa stood speechless in confusion, Gwak Dae-ryong nodded.
“Hmm, you’re right. It seems I made a mistake. I apologize.”
He nodded calmly, though a slight sense of disappointment lingered in his heart.
After all, the Cheonkung Sect was ultimately built from the people Dokgo Myeong had abandoned, and Ye-hwa would inevitably become its next Sect Leader, wouldn’t she?
Yet he was rejecting the request without even considering it once….
‘This heartless fellow… No, that’s not it. I was the one making an unreasonable request.’
Gwak Dae-ryong tried to shake off his disappointment and spoke.
“I was trying to take the easy path….”
“Ah, but!”
Just then, Dokgo Myeong suddenly interrupted him.
“It’s not like there’s absolutely no way between you and me, you know?”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“I can’t give you the secret manual, but I can offer instruction. So it would be like… how the Nine Sects do with lay disciples. How about that?”
Gwak Dae-ryong furrowed his brow, unable to grasp what was being said.
But Ye-hwa, who had witnessed Dokgo Myeong’s schemes far too often, grasped his meaning instantly.
“Surely you’re not thinking of bringing the Heavenly Palace Sect disciples into the Cheonma Sect?”
“As expected, our little one catches on quick.”
“Wait. Bringing the Heavenly Palace Sect into the Cheonma Sect? What are you talking about?”
“Just look.”
Dokgo Myeong gestured with his chin toward the Cheonma Sect disciples still writhing on the ground.
“The Cheonma Sect is excellent in every way, but there’s one small problem. The disciples under Ye-hwa’s command are far too few in number.”
“That’s….”
“No matter how indiscriminately I accept people, talented individuals suited for work similar to that of assassins are naturally scarce.”
Until now, the Fifth Division had been filling the gaps, but Ye-hwa’s unit also needed to grow in numbers.
“If the Heavenly Palace Sect disciples, who are practically disciples to Ye-hwa, were to join, it would be perfect. What do you think?”
“That would mean….”
“Who would stop the Heavenly Palace Sect disciples who learned the Heavenly Sword Technique from later returning to their sect and spreading the teachings?”
“Hah!”
“And while we’re at it, let’s join hands with the Dharma Protectors and formally introduce the Heavenly Palace Sect’s name to the martial world.”
“So what you’re saying is….”
Gwak Dae-ryong continued with a peculiar expression.
“You’ll teach martial arts in exchange for borrowing some people, right?”
“Exactly. That’s it.”
“Oho….”
Gwak Dae-ryong’s eyes suddenly gleamed as he pondered for a moment.
“Then this is a negotiation that requires proper discussion, isn’t it?”
“Huh?”
“Good, brother. You say we’re sworn siblings, but these things still need to be handled thoroughly, don’t they?”
“…?”
“How far have you thought this through?”
“What do you mean how far? You said you’d give martial arts as compensation? And you think that’s all I’d provide? I’d feed them, house them….”
“Hold on! If you’re going to use people, there are proper procedures. From my perspective, aren’t you making my disciples beg?”
“What do you mean beg….”
“So, are we negotiating or not? If you don’t like it, forget it. I can find martial arts instruction elsewhere anyway.”
“…Sigh, this fellow really is something.”
Ye-hwa stared blankly at Gwak Dae-ryong, who was smiling cunningly, and Dokgo Myeong, who was losing ground in the argument despite his confusion.
‘It feels like there are two captains here.’
What was more surprising was that Gwak Dae-ryong was winning.
But beyond that.
‘Wait, what about my opinion?’
She was still uncomfortable conversing with the disciples, and now they wanted her to treat them as subordinates?
Moreover, wouldn’t she be the one teaching them martial arts?
Ye-hwa’s expression began to harden.
“Kekeke! That was an excellent deal.”
“So from now on, the Cheonggung Sect is an external cooperative faction of the Dokgo Family’s Dharma Protector Division?”
“That’s right.”
“Hehe, I look forward to our future cooperation.”
The two men exchanged documents with satisfied expressions, chuckling contentedly.
Thus, following Hong Lu and Hong Ta, even the Cheonggung Sect disciples joined the Cheonma Sect.
Dokgo Myeong carefully folded the contract and tucked it into his robes, a subtle smile playing across his lips.
‘After the Dharma Protector Division, now the Cheonma Sect as well… things are finally taking shape.’
In truth, I hadn’t expected either the Cheonma Sect or the Dharma Protector Division to fall into place so smoothly. Gwak Dae-ryong’s Cheonggung Sect joining was unexpected, and the Daesan faction was beyond my wildest imagination.
‘I hope things continue to unfold this favorably.’

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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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