Martial God of the Sun and Moon - Chapter 398

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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 398
Crack! Snap!
The stacked firewood collapsed, sending sparks scattering into the air.
Whoosh!
Heo Un-jin poked at the campfire with a branch, stirring it once more.
Dinner was finished, and preparations for sleeping outdoors were complete.
With Dokgo Ak away training, Heo Un-jin continued speaking.
“The martial world back then… was terribly brutal.”
The flickering flames dancing in the mountain darkness at midnight evoked a peculiar atmosphere.
“Of course, it’s still that way now. When you think about it, the current martial world seems quite turbulent too. But back then… it was different from now. Everything was so very different.”
“Are you speaking of the dark age following the密教 Incident?”
Heo Un-jin nodded slowly.
“It was a time when the entire world was harsh and chaotic. Your younger generation might dismiss it as merely the grumbling of stubborn old men. Hehe!”
“How could I presume to speak of an era I never lived through?”
Heo Un-jin continued with a smile on his face.
“After the密教’s main headquarters burned and its subordinate factions scattered across the martial world, contrary to hopes that peace would arrive, the chaos of the realm reached its peak. In the early days, I was too young to remember much clearly.”
The firelight reflected in Heo Un-jin’s pupils.
Suddenly, the expression on Heo Un-jin’s face as he gazed at the campfire felt different from before.
“When I was in my twenties, the distinction between the righteous path and the unorthodox had already vanished. There were no allies or enemies. We simply sharpened our blades against one another to survive. It was an era where everything was permitted in the name of survival….”
Unlike the martial world, which upheld the principle of keeping teachings secret, the密教’s doctrine was to spread its teachings widely.
Immediately after the密教’s main headquarters fell.
The various factions and disciples who inherited their teachings began to bloom across the martial world like mold.
It was the beginning of a long dark age where more people died and suffered than during the密教 Incident itself.
“Come to think of it, they were similar to the Jeongheol Sect. Even among the Nine Great Sects, there were those who fell for the密教’s sweet temptations. Thinking about it again, they were truly alike.”
“….”
“Returning to the story… the aftermath of Namgung’s collapse was severe, conflicts arose between the Nine Great Sects, and the common people fell into hardship. There were countless places like the Shaolin Temple that simply locked their gates and remained silent.”
The fact that any faction of considerable size inevitably cultivated assassins was a remnant of that era.
They were called assassins in name, but in those days they were killers for hire. It was an age when even the Nine Great Sects and martial families were permitted to cultivate such assassins.
“It was true survival of the fittest. As the surveillance of the righteous sects weakened, those who revealed their greed plunged the realm even deeper into suffering.”
“….”
“Yet turbulent times birth extraordinary individuals. Those who answered the era’s questions appeared. Some through salvation via forbidden techniques, some through teachings and observation, and some… through the pursuit of hegemony via strength.”
“Are you referring to the Three Celestial Sovereigns?”
“Indeed.”
I had a rough understanding of this ancient history.
Yet hearing the story unfold from the lips of someone who lived through nearly that same era carried far greater weight than reading it from written records.
“Thus the Dokgo Family became the greatest clan under heaven. It was truly unstoppable. Many sought hegemony in the realm, but they lacked what the Dokgo Family possessed—Geom-jon.”
When the story reached this point.
I found myself wondering how this tale connected to Dokgo Wi-hak.
And that curiosity was soon answered.
“Yet hegemony cannot be achieved through righteousness alone. One needed someone to handle the dirty and messy affairs hidden from the light, to dispose of filth, and to wield the blade.”
“Wait, are you referring to the main family’s Assassin… the Black Dragon Squad?”
Heo Un-jin let out a bitter laugh.
“Assassin, you say. Now that I think about it, the very origin of that word came from that child.”
“…?”
“In the shadow of the Dokgo Family dwells a sword spirit.”
Heo Un-jin suddenly spoke in a drawn-out voice, as if reciting poetry.
‘A sword spirit… a Blade Demon?’
The moment Dokgo Myeong grasped something, Heo Un-jin’s eyes grew heavy and distant.
“A hidden blade that sweeps away obstacles and buried matters that lie upon the righteous path the family walks. The sword spirit of the Dokgo Family—that was none other than Dokgo Wi-hak, your father.”
Dokgo Myeong found himself unable to speak easily at these unexpected words.
With some sense of perception, he had gradually pieced together hints whenever stories about Dokgo Wi-hak came up.
But he had never imagined it would be to this extent.
“Are you shocked?”
“It was a story I had never heard from anyone.”
“It is not a tale to be proud of. Moreover, as the era entered an age of peace, it became history that had to be buried.”
“Can something be buried simply by burying it? There are no secrets in this world.”
“Both the one who wielded the blade and the one cut by it desired the truth to remain hidden. All the more so, the blade itself wished for everything to be forgotten, and so the secret was maintained through a delicate accord.”
The blade that was wielded was likely the Saheon Sect Leader.
The one who wielded the blade was the Sect Leader.
Then who was cut by the blade?
‘…The Nine Sects?’
Such a thought suddenly occurred to him.
Perhaps it was not merely the Nine Sects, but even the distinctions between minor sects, noble families, the Black Blade, the Upper Realm, and the government had all blurred.
“So that is why everyone simply cowered whenever the Sect Leader appeared?”
“Cowered?”
“Oh, forgive me, a slip of the tongue…”
Heo Un-jin let out a hollow laugh.
“It is not an inaccurate description. Your father in those days… was a truly fearsome man.”
He gazed intently at Dokgo Myeong.
“In some ways, looking at you reminds me of him. You, but without the levity and lightness.”
At those words, Dokgo Myeong recalled himself from the time before he had met Gwak Dae-ryong.
“That must have been someone whose very presence suffocated those around him.”
“Hah hah.”
“Did he not have to force himself to laugh and jest just to keep people from avoiding him?”
“Exactly. A most accurate observation. Hah hah!”
Heo Un-jin, who had been chuckling, gazed at Dokgo Myeong intently.
It was not the gaze of one observing a well-raised junior, but rather the look of one regarding a grandson or great-grandson.
“Yet it seems you still respect your father.”
Dokgo Myeong nodded without hesitation.
“Yes, I do.”
“In what way?”
Dokgo Myeong pondered for a moment before speaking.
“Because you were the first person to take my side.”
“Then why do you call me Sect Leader instead of Father?”
The question caught me off guard, leaving me momentarily speechless.
Dokgo Myeong shifted his gaze away and offered an excuse.
“Wouldn’t it look rather pathetic for a grown man to go around calling someone Father outside? It’s embarrassing too.”
“….”
Though Heo Un-jin recognized it as an excuse, he didn’t press further.
Dokgo Myeong smiled bitterly, gazing at the campfire.
‘I am Dokgo Myeong, yet I am not Dokgo Myeong.’
The reason I couldn’t call him Father.
Unlike the rest of the family, the word “Father” never came easily when speaking to the Sect Leader. I was already deceiving him, but I couldn’t go further than that.
‘Perhaps this time, I truly cannot escape it.’
If I were to learn the Sect Leader’s secret this time, I might have to reveal the story I had been hiding as well.
Dokgo Myeong’s gaze turned back to Heo Un-jin.
“May I ask you one thing?”
“Ask away. I’ll answer, as long as it’s not related to the Broken Sword Remedy.”
“…You’ve already told me everything, yet you’re holding back on that one thing.”
“Hehe.”
“Well, that wasn’t what I was going to ask anyway. You promised to tell me directly when the time comes.”
“Then?”
“I’m simply curious why you came to find me in person.”
A flicker of surprise crossed Heo Un-jin’s eyes.
After a moment of silence, he spoke.
“It’s not such a grand reason.”
“Pardon?”
“I simply heard news of you from time to time. Through that, I also heard news of Wi-hak.”
Heo Un-jin looked up at the sky.
The heavens above, where smoke from the campfire rose in long wisps, were filled with stars.
“I merely thought it was time enough.”
Silence fell between them.
Heo Un-jin lowered his head again and smiled wryly.
“This atmosphere has become rather mysterious. Conversations like this should be had with a cup of wine in hand, or perhaps while roasting some meat over a campfire. Wouldn’t you agree?”
Dokgo Myeong smiled wryly.
“You’re a Daoist, yet you speak of drinking and eating meat?”
“Wine and meat are natural things—what’s the problem?”
“When you speak so solemnly, people will be completely fooled.”
It was just as Dokgo Myeong was laughing while looking at Heo Un-jin.
Crackle! Thwack!
Dokgo Ak appeared with an awkward expression.
“Ah, I’m late. Um, but why is the atmosphere so…? Should I go back and train some more?”
Both men’s gazes turned toward Dokgo Ak. They could see something in his hand.
“What is that?”
“Huh? Oh, this?”
Dokgo Ak held up a chunk of meat with an embarrassed smile.
“A pheasant passed by while I was training. I caught it to have as a late-night snack.”
“Well, well. You even finished cleaning it?”
“Did it by the water. This much is child’s play now. Oh wait, you don’t eat meat, do you, Master?”
Remembering that he’d only eaten dried provisions and grain-substituting pills on the way, Dokgo Ak panicked and hid the pheasant.
Dokgo Myeong and Heo Un-jin exchanged glances and burst into hearty laughter.
“Hehehehe, perfect. Don’t you think?”
“Indeed it is.”
“Huh?”
Dokgo Ak blinked with a bewildered expression.
Heo Un-jin asked.
“Can you grill meat well?”
“He’s hopeless at it, but I’m fairly skilled.”
“Then I’d appreciate your help. As you can see, I’ve rarely grilled meat before.”
“Leave it to me.”
The time had come to use the cooking techniques I’d learned from Seok-du.
Wasn’t that why I’d packed various seasonings in my travel bag?
* * *
Even after finishing the grilled pheasant, the journey continued.
As they leisurely crossed Hubei and passed through Hunan, Dokgo Myeong finally couldn’t hold back and spoke to Dokgo Ak.
“Now that I think about it, little brother.”
“Hmm?”
“Why are you still stuck at the Peak Realm?”
“…”
It was true.
I was still unable to ascend to the Ascension Realm.
“How would I know? And wasn’t it you who said that realms are just something ignorant people divide up anyway?”
Dokgo Ak shot back.
“Tsk, why is that? Isn’t it like an unspoken rule that you gain enlightenment and break through realms at the finals of martial tournaments?”
“What are you talking about? Geez.”
Dokgo Myeong examined Dokgo Ak from head to toe.
‘Why hasn’t he broken through the wall yet?’
He thought the issue was with his mindset. But even after casting aside that mental demon, he remained the same.
Then, Heo Un-jin spoke up.
“It’s because his vessel is too large.”
“Pardon?”
Both Dokgo Myeong and Dokgo Ak turned their gazes in unison.
Heo Un-jin, who had been washing his hands at the stream, shook off the water droplets and spoke.
“Your vital energy is already overflowing. Haven’t you been gradually entering the realm of ascension through your own will during cultivation?”
“Gasp, how did you know that….”
“Your vessel is simply too vast, so it naturally takes time to fill. As you’ve mastered the Dokgo Family’s supreme martial arts, it will unfold as naturally as the changing seasons.”
“By naturally, you mean… I won’t experience the dramatic transformations others do? Like bone restructuring and rebirth, or levitation….”
I glanced sideways at Dokgo Myeong as I spoke.
“Haha, you already possess what matters—why seek more? Wait and see. One day you’ll awaken to find everything within your vessel mingling, and a new world will open before you.”
“Ah! Thank you for your guidance!”
“It’s merely a small repayment for the pheasant meat.”
I bowed repeatedly with a bright expression.
Dokgo Myeong clicked his tongue.
“Your reaction is completely different from when I teach you.”
I straightened my expression.
“Don’t you know why?”
“What?”
“Tsk, what use is a ghost.”
“Hey, you brat!”
That was when it happened.
“I’ve repaid the debt for bringing the pheasant meat, so I should repay the debt for cooking it deliciously as well.”
“Pardon?”
“Shall we have a match?”
Dokgo Myeong’s eyes gleamed.

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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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