Martial God of the Sun and Moon - Chapter 460

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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 460
“Let’s discuss the details once we meet with our people. I should have Tae-im come over here.”
“Which side is ‘our people’?”
“…The Dharma Protectors Division, obviously.”
“Ah, so the Dharma Protectors Division is our side?”
Namgung Sohwa spoke with a bright smile, and Dokgo Myeong averted his eyes slightly.
“Well, well, that’s how it turned out anyway….”
Dokgo Myeong, trudging down the corridor, noticed Namgung Hun following behind him.
“You’ll need to learn many things starting with the handover of duties.”
“I understand.”
“Prepare yourself mentally. Both our Tae-im and U-sa are quite particular. They’ll push you quite hard.”
“D-don’t worry. I’ll truly do my best.”
“Not effort—you need to do well. It’s my responsibility now too.”
If this man said they were harsh, just how harsh could they be?
Namgung Hun, tensing up, swallowed dryly, and Namgung Sohwa spoke to him from beside with a gentle voice.
“Don’t worry. Uncle has experience leading a merchant house. I’m sure you’ll do well.”
“Thank you for your confidence.”
“Besides, they’re only harsh to the Captain. They’ll actually treat you kindly and considerately, so don’t be too concerned.”
Huh? But Dokgo Myeong is the superior, so shouldn’t it be the opposite?
Dokgo Myeong seemed to find that point strange as well.
“That doesn’t sound right.”
“Jo the Overseer and Son the Sect Leader are such dignified people. Except toward the Captain.”
“I’m their commander, though?”
“And?”
Dokgo Myeong flinched.
“…Our Captain’s tone has seemed a bit sharp since earlier. Am I imagining things?”
“Don’t worry.”
Namgung Sohwa smiled.
“You’re not imagining it.”
Silence fell.
Namgung Sohwa was still smiling.
“Sohwa.”
“Yes?”
“Are you upset?”
“Do you really want to die?”
Namgung Sohwa’s eyes flashed.
“You’re such a persistently difficult person.”
“There were deep reasons for all of it.”
“Ah, so that’s why you deliberately gave me that rebuke? I understand completely now.”
….
Dokgo Myeong, who had finally closed his mouth, swallowed hard.
As I noticed him glancing sideways nervously, I couldn’t help but let out a soft laugh.
“If you’re going to help anyway, why do you always do this?”
“You don’t know why?”
“Please, be gentler about it! Give me some warning beforehand! My heart feels like it’s about to stop!”
“That’s how you learn.”
“You never give an inch.”
“Has your mood improved now?”
“Not even close.”
Namgung Hun watched the two bickering ahead with a peculiar gaze.
‘Truly a special relationship.’
They seemed like a close-knit commander and subordinate at times, yet at other moments like intimate friends or master and disciple.
As much as the cold precision of martial artists, there was a clear trust and goodwill between them. There was a boundary of sorts, but they seemed to cross it naturally.
“Ahem.”
Namgung Hun gave a brief, artificial cough.
The two people walking ahead glanced back slightly.
“Would it be alright if I asked just one thing?”
“There’s no need to be so cautious. You can just ask. You’re the Overseer now, after all.”
“Thank you.”
“So what did you want to ask?”
“It may be a somewhat foolish question, but the two of you don’t seem like merely an ordinary commander and subordinate. Perhaps….”
It was just as Namgung Hun was about to continue.
“Wait.”
Dokgo Myeong, who had been walking ahead, suddenly stopped.
“What is it?”
“Just a moment.”
A step behind, Namgung Sohwa also placed a hand on the Imperial Divine Sword with a serious expression.
Boom! Rumble!
Soon, heavy thuds began echoing from the direction of the exit.
After a brief moment.
“What… is this?”
“…! Often coming through here….”
“Found it!”
Click. Creak. Rumble!
The sound of machinery turning and a door opening rang out.
Soon, a voice echoing through the narrow space was heard.
“Huh, there was a place like this?”
“Wasn’t I right? All those things that official gathered back in the day must be stored somewhere!”
Namgung Hun muttered in a trembling voice.
“Ah, surely that voice isn’t….”
* * *
“No, Captain! Isn’t that Yakmyeong-ju!?”
“It’s Captain, not brother! You bastard!”
Jo Tae-bang, the recovery team captain of the Dragon Gate, strode into the chamber with four subordinates in tow.
‘So a place like this existed?’
Rumors had circulated from time to time.
That the Parrakho official was actually connected to the Namgung Household.
Most dismissed it as impossible given that shallow-minded fool, but now it seemed it might actually be true.
‘And he’s been deceiving us all this time, saying he had no money?’
Greed flickered in Jo Tae-bang’s eyes.
If the Namgung Household’s treasures were truly hidden here, couldn’t he simply kill that bastard and disappear with everything for himself?
As long as he dealt with the subordinates who came with him, there would be no witnesses.
That was when it happened.
“What are these things?”
At the sudden voice, one of the subordinates walking ahead leaped up with a start.
“Damn! You scared me!”
“What, what is it? Who are you bastards!?”
A man in a black robe suddenly appeared, letting out a hollow laugh.
“You’re the ones who snuck in, so you should be the ones revealing your identities.”
Jo Tae-bang stepped forward with a cold smile.
“So you’re the one who came from abroad to meet that official bastard?”
“Heh.”
The man, Dokgo Myeong, let out a hollow laugh.
Without detailed explanation, he could grasp the situation roughly.
These were Black Blade disciples of the Dragon Gate who dominated this region of Hapbi, and they were the ones to whom Namgung Hun owed a debt.
“By the way, where is that bastard… Ah! There he is!”
Namgung Hun’s complexion turned deathly pale.
“Y-you bastards, how did you find this place?”
The Dragon Gate disciples spewed fire from their mouths.
“You? You’re calling me ‘you bastard’? Is this crazy? Really!”
“We already suspected you’d hidden your wealth somewhere!”
“So this is your secret warehouse, huh? Are you ready to die? We’ll rip out your intestines and make them into—”
The disciples spewed crude curses and jeered.
Throughout this, Jo Tae-bang observed the two young people blocking Namgung Hun’s path.
The woman wore a sword, and the man carried what looked like an angular club.
‘Just inexperienced brats.’
Jo Tae-bang chuckled after his quick assessment.
They were young, barely any discernible cultivation visible, and they stood motionless as if frightened. Clearly novices.
“You two over there.”
Jo Tae-bang pointed with a sneer, his voice dripping with menace.
“Move aside. Unless you wish to die.”
Dokgo Myeong blinked and gazed at Namgung Sohwa.
“Wow, so he’s calling me that again. Did you hear?”
“…Yes, I did.”
“Isn’t that terrifying? He says he’ll kill me.”
“Ahem!”
Jo Tae-bang’s eyes narrowed.
“Have I ever seen such lunatics? Joking around right in front of this elder?”
Namgung Sohwa sighed.
“Walking into a tiger’s den with my own feet… Or should I say a dragon’s den would be more fitting?”
“What is this mad woman saying….”
Then, Dokgo Myeong approached with an unsteady gait.
“Let’s finish this quickly. I skipped lunch and I’m starving to death.”
“Ha, you really are mad. There are five of us—what can you possibly do alone?”
“You’re just one too.”
“What? Are your eyes crossed? How can five….”
Boom!
A sharp explosive sound.
One of the subordinates in front was sent flying like an arrow and crashed into the wall.
Silence descended.
Dokgo Myeong spoke calmly.
“One person is enough to explain the situation.”
* * *
Sowhui the Dragon Gate Leader’s eyes widened.
“What did you just say? Our men were taken down?”
“Yes, yes! That’s correct!”
Sowhui’s eyes twisted.
“Weren’t we investigating the officials’ movements?”
“That, but… Jo Tae-bang and his four associates were found on the streets of the slums.”
“What about Jo Tae-bang himself?”
“No word from him.”
A crimson light flashed in Sowhui’s eyes. The aura he emanated was far too formidable for someone merely leading a regional Black Blade faction.
In truth, it was hardly surprising. His bloodline was exceptional, and his background was equally uncommon.
He was originally the Grand Prince of a renowned merchant house in Anhui, and a master who inherited the legacy of Hyeolcheon Gwima, a legendary sect leader of the previous generation.
With natural talent and keen intellect, he had methodically dominated the region unlike other Black Blade members. He had never encountered significant obstacles nor suffered loss of face on his path to becoming the master of Hefei.
“First, contact the authorities and have them retrieve the bodies.”
“Yes.”
“Ah, before that, find that official whom Tae-bang and his men were pursuing. Jo Tae-bang told me recently he could pull off something big, but this sudden incident troubles me. And….”
Sowhui paused as if contemplating, then spoke abruptly.
“Also probe the Murim Alliance’s Bunta faction.”
“Are you referring to the Martial Alliance’s faction in Hefei?”
“Yes, we did nothing wrong, yet our people still died, didn’t they?”
“That said, the Martial Alliance is a righteous sect, is it not?”
“Then are we a dark sect?”
Strictly speaking, yes.
But the Dragon Gate was different. The fact that it still survived in this brutal era was proof of that.
“I’m simply suggesting you probe them—the Alliance may be scheming something.”
“Indeed, you are thorough.”
“Ah, now that I think of it, doesn’t that official have a wife and children?”
“You remember such details?”
“Business must always be handled meticulously.”
Sowhui said nothing more and gave no further instructions.
Yet his subordinate bowed slightly.
“Yes, I shall prepare for that as well.”
* * *
The next day, in the Dharma Protector Division’s Hefei branch.
Jo Ryang-ui, who had received the summons, spoke calmly.
“The Financial Director departed immediately. Fortunately, he had come out on business for the Martial Alliance anyway. He should arrive in a day and a half.”
“Good, that’s excellent.”
“And… you must be Namgung Hun. I look forward to working with you. I am Jo Ryang-ui, Overseer of the Dharma Protector Division. My courtesy name is Myeong-won.”
“A pleasure to meet you. I am Hun of the Namgung Household.”
After brief pleasantries, the serious conversation began in earnest.
Having heard of Namgung Hun’s circumstances and the situation in Hefei, Namgung Sohwa exhaled heavily.
“The Dragon Gate… Uncle’s debt is one thing, but to rebuild the household, we must uproot those who control Hefei, it seems.”
“Yet it will not be so simple.”
“Why is that?”
Jo Ryang-ui answered.
“Controlling Hefei is no idle boast. Not only the local officials but even the newly established Martial Alliance branch there dare not touch them easily.”
Dokgo Myeong snorted derisively.
“They’re just dark sect villains—what difficulty could there be?”
Namgung Hun sighed deeply and shook his head.
“We lack justification to resolve this through force.”
“Justification be damned. We can fabricate one.”
“That’s precisely the difficulty.”
“Does the Overseer share this view?”
Jo Ryang-ui pondered briefly, then nodded.
“It is not impossible, but time is required.”
“Why?”
“They are dark sect in name, but more accurately, they exist in the gray area between righteous and dark. Even closer to that would be the merchant class.”
“The merchant class, you say?”
“They dominated the region through financial power rather than martial force. They’ve completely seized control of the area’s monetary flows by straddling the line between legality and illegality.”
The explanation that followed was so absurd it wasn’t even funny.
Unlike other Black Blade sects that indulged in wickedness without restraint, the Dragon Gate conducted their crimes while maintaining a veneer of justification and propriety.
Even when they beat someone, they had a pretext—unpaid debts, for instance. And when their atrocities like human trafficking or murder came to light, they would manipulate the evidence beforehand to cover their tracks.
Yet they distributed relief funds when the time came and frequently scattered money for the region’s benefit, winning the hearts of the commoners. They had become so deeply connected with local powers and government offices that they formed the backbone of Hapbi’s administration.
“Most critically, the moment we carelessly touch them, they’ll raise the interest rates on the Yeomwang Debt and squeeze the lifeblood from the commoners.”
“So they control the financial lifeline of Hapbi?”
“More precisely, they control the lifeline of the commoners themselves.”
Jo Ryang-ui didn’t bother softening his words.
Namgung Sohwa let out a silent breath.
‘They’ve crossed the line, so the Alliance could theoretically move against them, but….’
The problem was that even if the Alliance acted, these were the type to cut off their tails and escape.
I wished we could simply ignore them and crush them with force….
‘But that’s impossible now, unlike before.’
Both Dokgo Myeong and I, and even the Dokgo Household itself, bore the banner of the Martial Alliance.
As the Blue Plan progressed, public sentiment toward the Martial Alliance’s oppression wavered. If we were to touch the Dragon Gate, which had deep roots in the region without any clear justification?
The situation could spiral out of control.
That was when it happened.
“Ha.”
A hearty chuckle came from Dokgo Myeong beside me.
“What’s the problem? Just smash down their gate and break their necks. Done.”
Watching Dokgo Myeong pound his chest, I let out a hollow laugh.
“That’s precisely what’s difficult right now.”
Dokgo Myeong grinned wickedly.
“Who said anything about martial force? They’re just small-time operators controlling a tiny region. We handle it the same way they do.”
“Pardon?”
“Did you forget who I called?”
“…Ah!”
“The Financial Director Son Tae-im may seem manageable among us, but looking at the wider world, he’s far from an easy opponent.”
Money is power. There’s a reason the term “financial force” exists.
And Son Tae-im was the man standing at the very pinnacle of that financial force.
Two days later.
Having already heard the news, Son Tae-im shrugged his shoulders casually.
“A matter of this scale?”
“How long will it take?”
“Right now, if you wish.”
Dokgo Myeong and Son Tae-im grinned wickedly at each other.
We now possessed financial force as well.

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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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