Martial God of the Sun and Moon - Chapter 40

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

Chapter 40
Dokgo Cheon remained silent with his lips firmly pressed together until Dokgo Ak finished his account.
“…So what you’re saying is that Ak-i’s story…”
Dokgo Cheon narrowed his brow and looked down at Dokgo Ak, who was prostrated before him.
“…is that you acted out of indignation at the Paedo Sect Leader’s insulting remarks toward the Main Sect. Is that correct?”
“Yes, that is correct.”
“And afterward, Myeong-i handled this matter, and in the process, obtained exclusive distribution rights?”
“Yes.”
Dokgo Ak swallowed hard and opened his mouth with difficulty.
“…I have brought shame upon the family. If you wish to punish me, I will accept it willingly. I wish to take responsibility for my wrongdoing.”
“…”
Dokgo Cheon rested his chin on his hand and looked down at Dokgo Ak with an expression of interest.
He found the situation unfolding in an amusing manner.
‘Responsibility, he says.’
When had his grandson ever been the type to speak such words?
A subtle smile played at the corners of Dokgo Cheon’s mouth.
“It seems you’ve learned to speak like a proper man.”
“…!”
At Dokgo Cheon’s words, Dokgo Ak suddenly lifted his head.
“You will receive contact from the Law Enforcement Bureau within a few days, so remain in confinement until then.”
“…Yes, Patriarch.”
“You may withdraw now.”
“Yes!”
Despite expecting punishment, Dokgo Ak cried out with unexpected enthusiasm and hurried from the patriarch’s chamber.
Creak! Slam!
In the space Dokgo Ak had occupied.
After regarding Dokgo Myeong with an inscrutable gaze for some time, Dokgo Cheon finally spoke.
“Now tell me the truth.”
“Pardon?”
Whoosh!
Dokgo Cheon leaned forward.
“What actually happened.”
* * *
Dokgo Cheon’s gaze remained fixed upon Dokgo Myeong without wavering.
Dokgo Myeong met that gaze without flinching, and then a knowing smile spread across his face.
“The truth? I’m not certain what you mean.”
Dokgo Cheon clicked his tongue and spoke.
“I ask not as the patriarch of the Dokgo Family, but as the landowner who lent you the land. Answer honestly.”
At Dokgo Cheon’s words, Dokgo Myeong finally nodded his head.
“Then I suppose I must tell you.”
“Heh, how did that dull boy transform into such a cunning fox?”
“If I simply complied here and let everything I’ve worked so hard to obtain be stripped away, what would become of me?”
“Surely your grandfather wouldn’t go that far.”
“My grandfather is no ordinary man.”
“….”
“….”
Good heavens, why does he have to stare like that?
I’ve said enough to cover my tracks.
Dokgo Myeong shrugged his shoulders and continued speaking.
“In any case….”
Of course, I hadn’t told him everything. For instance, I didn’t mention how I’d personally developed a connection with Kang Yeop-cheong, what I’d discussed with the Paedo Sect Leader, or how I’d managed to anticipate all of this.
Dokgo Cheon listened silently to my account before letting out a hollow laugh.
“In other words, you anticipated the internal strife beforehand and prevented it, while you used Ak-i to thwart the Paedo Sect Leader’s schemes.”
“That is correct.”
“….”
Dokgo Cheon regarded me with the gaze of someone who had discovered something incomprehensible.
It was unbelievable.
No matter how exceptional one’s talent, I was barely past my coming of age. Moreover, this was my first venture into the Gangho.
It was a crude, tightrope-walking approach to handling matters, yet I’d pulled it off flawlessly.
This wasn’t a matter of effort or talent—it transcended into the realm of the impossible.
No, in truth, what mattered far more was something else entirely.
‘Why did you handle it that way?’
The purpose remained obscured.
I’d gained both reputation and profit, yet it didn’t appear I’d been aiming for them from the start.
Dokgo Cheon’s expression gradually hardened.
“Myeong.”
“Yes.”
In that instant, Dokgo Cheon’s eyes flashed with intensity.
“You’re hiding something from me, aren’t you?”
A sharp gaze poured down like a blade.
I simply received that gaze with unflappable composure.
“I believe I’ve said all that needs to be said.”
“….”
In the depths of Dokgo Cheon’s eyes, a strange whirlpool of complex emotions flickered.
It was a mixture of astonishment and exhilaration rather than anger.
Dokgo Cheon nodded his head.
“Good. I won’t press further.”
The emotions that had surfaced for a fleeting moment were swiftly concealed.
Dokgo Cheon smiled and opened his mouth once more.
“Now then, let us settle our accounts.”
“A settlement? What settlement are you referring to?”
“Now that the harvest is complete, I must pay my dues. Surely you’re not suggesting I’ll simply wipe my hands clean?”
“Ah, that matter.”
Dokgo Myeong chuckled.
“I truly wish I could provide it, but….”
“What are you trying to say?”
“The thing is… I’m afraid I cannot.”
“What?”
Dokgo Myeong shrugged as he spoke.
“The monopoly rights were granted to me, not to the Main Sect, you see.”
“…?”
“If any transactions occur between Geumsan Sect and anyone other than me, I’ll immediately terminate the contract. Truly, I can do nothing about this… hehe.”
A brief silence settled over them.
And then, Dokgo Cheon suddenly burst into raucous laughter.
“Hahahaha!”
He had been holding it back until now, but the satisfaction bursting forth could not be contained.
“Have I ever seen such a brazen bandit! You dare to deceive your own grandfather?”
“Deceive? How could I possibly presume to do such a thing?”
Dokgo Myeong chuckled.
“Besides, haven’t I already given the family everything it deserves at this level?”
“How so?”
“Though Geumsan Sect is mine, it first and foremost exists under the shadow of the Dokgo Clan.”
It was a satisfying statement. Transparent in its intent, yet nonetheless pleasing.
Dokgo Cheon nodded.
“You understand that a certain portion of the sect’s profits must be contributed to our branch?”
“Yes, of course.”
“I acknowledge it. The fruits of this endeavor shall be entirely yours.”
Dokgo Myeong’s eyes gleamed.
Now that Dokgo Cheon had spoken thus, he need not concern himself with interference or criticism from rival factions regarding this matter.
“Since we’ve settled the past, what remains is merit. As the family head, I must surely bestow a reward upon one who has achieved such success.”
Dokgo Cheon smiled with satisfaction.
“Tell me what you desire.”
An unexpected reward.
Yet I had to think carefully. Wasn’t there the matter of the Dragon Pill back then?
Dokgo Cheon was not one who simply dispensed rewards. This could simultaneously be both a gift and a test.
‘Excessive requests would come with conditions, while trivial ones would be dismissed outright.’
A gift that would serve as a trial for myself.
After deliberating, Dokgo Myeong finally spoke.
“I wish to establish a unit. Please grant me permission.”
“So you seek a position of authority.”
Dokgo Myeong’s expression grew peculiar.
“I’m thinking of gathering some people. To do that, I’ll need an appropriate position, or so I thought.”
“Are you saying you’ll expand Saheon-gak?”
Dokgo Cheon’s eyes sharpened.
Dokgo Myeong shook his head.
“No, that’s not it.”
“Then what?”
“I’m thinking of forming a group that follows only me.”
A personal guard unit.
Not a bad reward at all. After a brief silence, Dokgo Cheon nodded.
“A direct warrior contingent, then. It’s acceptable, but can you even bring talented people from the Main Sect once you become the commander?”
“I’ll handle that myself.”
A satisfied smile crossed Dokgo Cheon’s lips.
“I grant you permission. Within days, the appointment will be issued from the outer hall.”
Dokgo Cheon examined Dokgo Myeong from head to toe, barely concealing his satisfaction.
“A warrior unit must produce results to be maintained. Are you confident?”
“I’ll handle that as well.”
“You have two years. Show me you can truly cultivate your own strength. You may withdraw now.”
“Yes, Patriarch.”
Dokgo Myeong bowed respectfully and left the patriarch’s chamber.
Then, from behind him, Dokgo Cheon’s voice reached his ears.
“One day, bring that young Jeongcheon Alliance Master you’re so taken with into our family.”
“….”
Dokgo Myeong froze.
And slowly turned his head.
Through the closing door, Dokgo Cheon’s profound eyes were visible.
Thud!
Staring at the closed door for a moment, Dokgo Myeong let out a hollow laugh.
‘What a monster of an old man.’
Dokgo Myeong released a hollow chuckle and turned his body again.
“Ah, finally time to rest for real.”
Dokgo Myeong stretched languidly and headed toward Saheon-gak.
* * *
But Dokgo Myeong could not rest.
The Training Hall of Saheon-gak.
Dokgo Wi-hak sat rigidly in a chair before the kneeling Dokgo Myeong.
“Let me hear your excuse first.”
Dokgo Wi-hak looked down at Dokgo Myeong, his hands clasped over the wooden sword’s hilt.
Dokgo Myeong broke into a cold sweat.
“Well, I’ve been so busy moving around that I….”
“You lie the moment you open your mouth.”
“….”
*Crack!*
Would you mind lowering that wooden sword?
Seriously.
“A lie? But truly….”
“You didn’t even have time to send a letter to your father—that’s what you’re telling me. Yet according to Jang Sam, after leaving the Jeongcheon Alliance, you’ve been gallivanting about like a tourist?”
“…!”
Dokgo Myeong’s head snapped around.
Jang Sam, standing beside him, was clearly avoiding his gaze.
‘Brother Jang…!’
I trusted you!
And you went and told him everything!
“You fool! Where are your eyes looking!”
At Dokgo Wi-hak’s thunderous rebuke, Dokgo Myeong’s neck shrank down like a turtle’s.
“F-Sect Leader. That is….”
“Sect Leader? So you call me Sect Leader.”
Dokgo Wi-hak’s eyes flashed.
“The Three Bonds and Five Relationships speak of three cardinal principles and five moral relationships that humans must uphold.”
“….”
“The bond between ruler and subject, the relationship between father and son—if there exists neither the bond nor the relationship between us, then perhaps you have no reason to call me father.”
*Shiver.*
A chill ran down my spine. I hadn’t cowered before the Paedo Sect Leader or Dokgo Cheon, yet my entire body trembled.
“…I apologize.”
“There’s no need to apologize. It is all my fault.”
“What? What do you mean by that?”
“I have never provided you with proper guidance as a father, so is it not natural that you would neglect the very duties between father and son?”
“What?”
“Stand up.”
In that instant, Dokgo Wi-hak rose from his seat.
“Take your stance.”
“…What?”
“I must correct your carelessness this very moment.”
Ah, so that’s why he summoned me to the Training Hall.
Dokgo Myeong realized there was no escaping what was to come.
* * *
Dokgo Myeong lay sprawled on the ground, gasping for breath.
“Huff, wheeze, cough….”
Dokgo Myeong was battered and bruised.
Though I had grown confident in my stamina from consistent external cultivation training, I had been forced into endless sparring with Dokgo Wi-hak until that confidence was completely depleted.
I’m going to die.
My entire body was drenched in sweat, yet my mouth had gone completely dry, tasting of blood.
Meanwhile, Dokgo Wi-hak narrowed his eyes as he gazed down at the martial robes.
Flutter!
The hem of the martial robes, bound tightly for ease of movement, fluttered and swayed in places. These were the marks left where Dokgo Myeong’s sudden punch had torn through the fabric.
Dokgo Wi-hak shifted his gaze to regard his son.
Remarkable qi.
Extraordinary.
Though he did not voice it aloud, he could not help but marvel throughout the entire match.
The true qi was strikingly turbulent. It was not the martial arts of a heterodox path, yet I had never witnessed qi so alien to convention.
Extreme agility in footwork combined with threatening fist and palm techniques. I knew he had learned unusual martial arts, but not to this degree.
Ordinary martial artists are typically described as light in their gait, or flowing like water.
Dokgo Myeong was the opposite.
Fierce and swift. It was as though watching raging flames or the charge of a wild bull.
Has he already reached the pinnacle?
Though still incomplete, it certainly appeared he had touched it.
Dokgo Wi-hak opened his mouth calmly.
“Get up now.”
“Ah, Father, that’s enough now…”
“I understand. Sit down.”
“What?”
Dokgo Myeong barely managed to raise his upper body and sat on the ground.
In that instant, Dokgo Wi-hak placed his hand on Dokgo Myeong’s back.
Whoosh!
Dokgo Myeong trembled slightly.
Dokgo Wi-hak’s concentrated true qi flowed through the parched meridians, releasing the tension from knotted muscles and dispelling blood stasis.
In a moment, a refreshing sensation spread throughout his entire body and his breathing became easier.
Dokgo Myeong chuckled and spoke.
“My apologies.”
“That’s enough.”
Dokgo Wi-hak brushed off his hands and stood up.
His expression was stern, yet beneath it lay a subtle warmth.
“So, how was your first venture into the Gangho?”
“It was quite enjoyable.”
“Tell me in detail.”
Dokgo Myeong chuckled and began recounting everything that had happened.
As he relayed the facts plainly, Dokgo Wi-hak’s expression shifted from time to time.
“…A friend.”
“Yes, is that not acceptable?”
“Was that what you wished to do?”
“I suppose you could call it one part of that process.”
Dokgo Wi-hak nodded in acknowledgment.
Dokgo Myeong asked carefully.
“You’re not angry with me?”
“Why would I be?”
“Because I made a deal with the Paedo Sect Leader and acted recklessly, causing trouble.”
Dokgo Wi-hak replied calmly.
“I trusted that you could take responsibility and handle it yourself. I have nothing more to say.”
A powerful sense of trust emanated from his words.
Dokgo Myeong laughed awkwardly.
“But I’m concerned about the matter of the sect leader position. Do you think there are any martial artists from the Main Sect who would serve under you?”
Dokgo Myeong’s influence wasn’t yet at that level.
Moreover, even if it were, the very idea of recruiting someone already belonging to another organization was a burden for me.
“I have a plan for everything.”
Dokgo Myeong smiled and spoke with confidence.

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