Martial God of the Sun and Moon - Chapter 49

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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 49
I hid in the alley, watching the street before me.
At the end of my gaze stood a shop bearing the name Geum’s Fabric Shop—though calling it a fabric shop was generous; it was little more than a humble stall struggling to survive.
Before the shop sat a woman, her hands moving diligently with needle and thread. I had been watching for over an hour, yet not a single customer had appeared.
After hesitating for a long while, I steeled myself and stepped into the fabric shop.
“Ahem, well…”
“Oh, welcome! What brings you here today?”
At my sister Geum Yu-hwa’s words, I fell silent for a moment.
So she didn’t recognize me.
That made sense.
It had been over a decade, after all.
Since I left home as a child, this was our first meeting—she had every reason not to recognize me.
“Huh?”
But then Geum Yu-hwa’s eyes widened suddenly, and she pointed at me.
“Wait, you! No, could it be…!”
My lips trembled.
“Y-yes! It’s me, Sister!”
“Could it be Seok-du?”
“Yes! Seok-du is here! How long has it been, Sister!”
It was a reunion after more than a decade.
Tears welled in my eyes as I spread my arms wide. This was the touching reunion I had imagined countless times during all those years.
“You! Geum Seok-du, you bastard!”
Smack!
But what followed was not a touching reunion—it was a sharp, stinging slap across my back.
“Oof!”
“You crazy fool! Running off to become a martial artist! And why is your head shaved bald? Did you become a monk with that cursed fate of yours? You son of a—!”
Whack!
“Ow! Stop, Sister!”
“How could you not send word even once! Over ten years! Not even once!”
“But, that’s all complicated—”
Crack!
My jaw snapped to the side from the blow.
Thwack! Crack!
“S-Sister! I’m dying! No, seriously, I’m actually dying!”
“Then die! Just die!”
I trembled and collapsed to the ground.
Only then did the memories of childhood come flooding back.
With a sister so much older than me… I could only remember being beaten by her.
“U-ugh…”
Curled up like a bean sprout, trembling, tears welled in my eyes once more.
This time, it wasn’t the joy of reunion that brought tears to my eyes—it was the pain of her fists.
“Huff, huff….”
Geum Yu-hwa, breathing heavily, finally stopped her barrage of punches.
“You wretch! Where have you been all this time? Why are you only coming back now!”
“That is….”
Geum Seok-du cautiously lifted his head to observe his sister.
Seeing her eyes slightly reddened, I felt my breath catch in my throat.
“I apologize, Sister.”
“Good. That’s enough. Have you eaten?”
At my sister’s words, I let out a hollow laugh.
“After more than a decade, that’s the first thing you ask me?”
“You’re not starving yourself, are you? Come up here. Let’s eat!”
Having lost our parents long ago, my formidable sister had raised me on nothing but the wages from her needlework.
Even back then, after she’d beaten me, she would always say the same thing.
Go eat.
“I’ve already eaten. But how have you been, Sister?”
“Well, without a freeloader like you around, I’ve been eating and living quite well!”
“What about my brother-in-law? Where has he gone?”
“Never mind him—tell me about yourself! Where have you been all this time? Why haven’t you visited even once!”
“The truth is, I became a disciple of an old master and had no time to send word.”
“A disciple? Did you really become a martial artist?”
“I wrote it in the letter before I left. That I would become one.”
Only then could Geum Yu-hwa properly observe my appearance.
Fine silk adorned my frame, and my bearing was impressive. It was clear at a glance that I hadn’t simply wandered about recklessly before returning.
“You really….”
Smiling warmly at my sister’s gaze, I reached into my robes and pulled out several sheets of paper.
“Please accept these first, Sister.”
“What are these?”
As Geum Yu-hwa unfolded the papers, her eyes widened in shock.
The first one was a debt document bearing her own seal. Why would something that should be at the Black Bear Sect be here…?
The last one was even more shocking.
“Gasp!”
A promissory note from the Continental Exchange, the most trusted financial institution in all of Zhongyuan—and it was worth three thousand taels.
“How on earth did you obtain these….”
“A younger brother who’s left home can’t return empty-handed, can he?”
Thwack!
Geum Yu-hwa swung her fist once more.
“Ow! Why again…!”
“Is this why you didn’t come back sooner? You fool!”
Geum Yu-hwa’s eyes had reddened with tears.
Now that my younger sister had grown up, it was painfully clear what sacrifices she must have made for this.
“That’s enough, that’s enough. Now that I understand, let’s eat first! We can talk about it later!”
Geum Seok-du let out a hollow laugh.
His tone suggested that money and debt documents could wait—feeding her was what mattered first.
Geum Seok-du smiled faintly and followed his sister into the shop.
* * *
It wasn’t until two days later that Geum Seok-du returned to Dokgo Myeong.
At a pavilion overlooking the beautiful scenery of West Lake, Geum Seok-du accepted the wine cup that Dokgo Myeong offered him.
The sun was setting.
Crimson ripples shimmered across the blue waters of the lake.
“It’s just an ordinary story, really.”
As the warmth of the wine began to rise, Geum Seok-du started to open up about his circumstances.
“My father was a gambler too. But unlike me, he had no real talent, so our family was buried in debt.”
“Then you should have stayed home and earned money. Why did you leave?”
“Have you ever been hounded by debt collectors? It’s horrifying. People need to survive. I suppose I’m a heartless man.”
Dokgo Myeong scoffed.
A heartless man thinking about joining the Black Bear Sect to pay off debts?
“You could have just used the money you won from gambling to settle it.”
“With all due respect, have you ever been hounded by debt collectors? Those bastards avoid you when you bring them money. That way they can keep squeezing interest from you.”
“Then bring them even more money. You have the ability for that, don’t you?”
“Then they’d stab me with a blade and take it. Or they’d send their disciples to extort table fees, harass my business, and demand I pay more. The methods are endless.”
Gulp!
Geum Seok-du drained his cup in one go.
“And you still love gambling that much?”
“I can’t live without gambling.”
“Impressive.”
“I’m somewhat—”
When Dokgo Myeong’s eyes gleamed, Geum Seok-du’s gaze shifted nervously.
Dokgo Myeong spoke.
“You’ve worked hard.”
Geum Seok-du’s eyes widened in surprise.
“You did all the hard work, sir. I did nothing.”
“What will you do from now on?”
“You asked me to join the Guard Corps, didn’t you?”
“That wasn’t a genuine request—you agreed to it anyway.”
….
Geum Seok-du hesitated.
By then, the wine was nearly finished.
Seo Ryun was about to call for more, but Dokgo Myeong stopped him.
“Let’s wrap this up now.”
“What? Already?”
“Yes.”
Dokgo Myeong lifted the wine bottle and poured the final cup for me.
I was about to drink it immediately, but Dokgo Myeong placed his hand on the cup and stopped me.
“Why are you doing that?”
“This is a cup you must drink with careful consideration.”
Dokgo Myeong’s eyes changed.
I understood.
This was no ordinary farewell drink.
“Seok-du.”
“….”
My face grew uncertain.
He had always called me by name casually, but this time felt different. It carried a deep emotion, as though he had known me for a long time.
“If you’re only coming because you have no choice, then don’t come at all. It means nothing unless you choose to come of your own will.”
“What?”
“You’ve found your family—stay with them. You have money and talent, so you can live a happy life.”
“Why are you suddenly saying this?”
“….”
Dokgo Myeong said nothing more.
This man had lived his life enslaved to money, and now that was over. I could not keep him at my side under the pretense of repaying a debt.
‘In truth, I was the one repaying a debt.’
At least to those Demon Slaying Unit bastards, I did not want to be that way with him.
“I cannot promise you anything. Not wealth or glory, and perhaps your life will only become harder. So if you wish to leave, I will not stop you.”
I gazed at Dokgo Myeong with an uneasy expression.
“Master.”
“What?”
“Why does a noble person like you concern yourself with someone like me?”
“What do you mean by ‘someone like you’?”
“I am merely a gambler who learned some lowly tricks by fortunately meeting a good teacher. Meanwhile, you are a great martial artist who has mastered the skill to fight a hundred men alone.”
Dokgo Myeong let out a scoff.
“What makes those tricks inferior to martial arts?”
“What?”
Dokgo Myeong raised his fist and spoke.
“Chivalry, the pursuit of the Way—fine words, but the essence of martial arts ultimately comes down to killing and destruction.”
“…!”
“But with your talent, what can you accomplish? I dare say you could do dozens, hundreds of things far more remarkable than breaking and killing.”
“….”
I opened and closed my lips before finally clamping my mouth shut.
I had always said my talent was nothing remarkable. My teacher said so, and I believed it too.
“Master, you can speak such things because you do not understand the world.”
Perhaps that was why.
Geum Seok-du’s voice, which had been smooth and slick throughout, suddenly took on an edge.
“This world does not think like Confucius.”
I myself was like that, and so was Manpaknoesa.
The world surrounding me was like that.
“Right. That’s exactly why I dislike the state of this wretched world.”
“Pardon?”
At the unexpected words, my eyes widened in surprise.
“So I’m trying to create a place that suits my tastes.”
Dokgo Myeong continued with a broad smile.
“But I cannot do it alone. I need strength, money, reputation. Above all, I need people. That’s why….”
Flash!
Dokgo Myeong’s eyes gleamed with light.
“You were my first choice.”
My eyes widened so much they nearly split.
“Now, decide. Will you drink, or won’t you?”
I hesitated.
Dokgo Myeong’s words were a story I had never heard before.
It felt as though someone were beating a drum in one corner of my chest. I could not easily raise the wine cup.
“If I follow you, what can I gain?”
I asked suddenly.
My expression had changed without my noticing. It was as if the glow of sunset reflected in my eyes, shimmering.
“You say I cannot enjoy wealth and glory, and it may be difficult—so what am I supposed to follow for?”
“You tell me.”
Dokgo Myeong laughed and spoke bluntly.
“Pardon?”
“What do you want to do?”
My eyes widened in astonishment.
This was the first time I had ever heard such a question.
‘What I want to do….’
There was exactly one thing.
But it was such an absurd dream that I had abandoned it.
“To be a sect leader.”
I had never told even my master this, yet somehow I sensed this man would not mock me, and the words spilled out easily.
“What?”
“Well… you know of sects like the Open Sect, don’t you?”
My eyes sparkled.
“When you see the beggars of the Open Sect, even if their martial skills are weak, the masters cannot disregard them. I want to create a sect like that too.”
“….”
“Whether gamblers, merchants, or stable hands… a sect composed of ordinary people like myself, where even the most skilled martial artists dare not act carelessly. I want to become the leader of such a sect.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I’m not entirely sure myself.”
“You’ll do it even though you don’t understand?”
“Yes.”
Dokgo Myeong let out a hollow laugh.
‘Right, those bastards all spoke of sects too.’
The Demon Slaying Unit had done the same.
But what they truly desired was not to become the sect master of some faction.
A place where they could live, cast out from the world—a fence surrounding it.
That was what everyone had yearned for.
And that was…
‘No different for me.’
Dokgo Myeong grinned.
“Fine then, I’ll let you do it.”
Geum Seok-du’s eyes widened.
“You said you wanted to, so go ahead. But do it with me.”
“…”
Geum Seok-du blinked blankly.
He wondered what kind of person spoke like this.
After a long silence, Geum Seok-du suddenly burst into quiet laughter.
Then he seized his cup.
“You won’t regret this?”
“That’s what I should be asking you. Will you truly have no regrets?”
“I’m already doubting myself. I don’t know if I’m making the right choice. I’m just this timid of a man.”
“What?”
Gulp!
Geum Seok-du drained his cup in one breath.
“I am Geum Seok-du, a man both callous and timid. From this day forward, I shall serve the Young Master of the Dokgo Clan as my lord for three lifetimes. I entrust my life and death to you, my lord.”
Dokgo Myeong smiled brightly.
It was the brightest smile since he had become Dokgo Myeong.
“I too shall share in your fate. I am Dokgo Myeong of the Dokgo Clan.”

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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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