Martial God of the Sun and Moon - Chapter 90

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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 90
Son Tae-im didn’t make a fuss even when she saw Dokgo Myeong’s prediction come true once again.
There was only so much surprise one could muster, and thinking of him not as a young man in his prime but as an experienced veteran of Gangho, she simply grew accustomed to it.
Still, whenever she felt that weight of long experience, it sent shivers down her spine. Just like the situation she was facing right now.
‘I heard he might contact me, but I never thought he actually would.’
Son Tae-im let out a hollow laugh and opened the door.
Creak!
“Ah! You finally came! Why are you so late, you! I thought I’d been stood up!”
The highest floor of the finest pavilion.
Jang Yu, a Sect Leader belonging to the neutral faction of the Dokgo Family, sprang to his feet and greeted him warmly.
“You asked to meet so suddenly that it was difficult to make time.”
“Ah, I’m sorry about that. I was just in a bit of a hurry…”
“Never mind. Let’s sit for now.”
“Yes, come this way.”
Son Tae-im composed her expression and took a seat.
“So what is this about?”
“Hehe, why are you in such a rush? Let’s have a drink first…”
“I’ll decide whether to drink or not depending on what you’re about to tell me.”
Jang Yu furrowed his brow.
“You’ve changed, haven’t you?”
“If you keep spouting nonsense, I’m leaving.”
“Ah, alright. Alright.”
Jang Yu and Son Tae-im had known each other once.
The Geumsan Sect, which now fell under Dokgo Myeong’s command, had once been neutral as well, and since they were of the same generation, they were somewhat closer. Moreover, they shared the experience of rising from Deputy Sect Leader to Sect Leader.
Jang Yu hesitated before finally opening his mouth with a sigh.
“Ahem! Well, the truth is…… I called you because I needed a favor.”
“What kind of favor?”
“Don’t play dumb. You know everything, don’t you!”
Jang Yu continued with a clearing of his throat.
“Could you not put in a good word for me with the Young Master?”
…
Son Tae-im let out a deep sigh and clicked her tongue.
“It’s too late, my friend.”
“Too late?”
“The Young Master keeps his word like a blade. Since you didn’t accept his conditions, it’s over.”
“Let’s be honest with each other. The Young Master needs us too, doesn’t he? I’ll make many concessions…”
“That’s ridiculous. Why would the Young Master need you?”
Jang Yu furrowed his brow.
“How can you dodge like this between people who know better?”
Slam!
The moment Jang Yu furrowed his brow and raised his voice, Son Tae-im slammed down his wine cup with a harsh clatter.
“It seems you still haven’t grasped the situation.”
Son Tae-im’s eyes gleamed sharply.
“You keep deluding yourselves that you have options, but right now, you’re not in a position to choose anything at all. Do you not understand this?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Tsk, I hadn’t intended to speak of this.”
Son Tae-im clicked his tongue as he spoke.
“Jang Yu, you’ve tampered with the food supplies delivered to the Main Sect, haven’t you?”
“H-how did you know that!”
“I learned of it through my connections in the Outer Sect.”
“The Outer Sect? Why would they come up now?”
“Still not catching on? Surely it’s obvious that the Outer Hall Master would thoroughly inspect the bodies of anyone entering his fold for any suspicious traces, you fool.”
“No, but isn’t it natural to pick up some dust while working!”
“That’s possible. But is that truly all there is?”
In that instant, Jang Yu’s complexion turned deathly pale.
“The moment you enter the Outer Sect, where you’ll be taken is the Law Enforcement Bureau. You might even be sent directly to Naeok.”
“N-Naeok?! Surely the Outer Hall Master wouldn’t go that far? Jin I-chu said….”
Son Tae-im shook his head slowly.
“Do you believe that? Didn’t Jin I-chu come back with that story alone?”
Jang Yu’s expression twisted.
Countless calculations raced through his mind.
‘Is it true?’
Had the Outer Sect truly investigated his background?
Yes, it was possible. He himself had felt unease at Dokgo Un-hak accepting the neutral faction without conditions, which is why he’d arranged this gathering by calling in old favors.
‘Wasn’t it Jin I-chu who said that if he went with the existing factions, he’d become a puppet and lose his head?’
Yet suddenly, he’d suggested joining the Outer Sect.
Suspicion bloomed in Jang Yu’s mind—could there be some sort of deal between Jin I-chu and the Outer Hall Master?
‘Wait.’
Suddenly, Jang Yu’s eyes flashed with light.
“You’re not scheming to benefit the young master you serve, are you?”
Indeed, even corrupted as he was, he remained one of the power-holders of the greatest family under heaven. His mind still functioned.
Yet Son Tae-im chuckled softly.
“You’re saying strange things. Of course I’m scheming.”
“W-what?”
“But what can you do about it?”
“…!”
Jang Yu’s eyes widened in shock.
“You seem to think you’re something, but I’ll say it again—you don’t even have the right to choose anything right now.”
The Elder Council had rejected him.
The Outer Sect was dangerous.
If you stay silent and hold your breath?
You’ll end up holding that breath forever.
In the end, there was only one way out.
“I’m offering this advice out of respect for our old connection—just hand over your faction and bow your head. The Young Master won’t be quick to draw his blade, at least.”
“H-how am I supposed to believe that? The Outer Hall Master would have said the same thing!”
“Because the Young Master has no power base yet. Do you really think that clever Young Master would set a precedent of drawing his blade from the very beginning?”
It was a coldly pragmatic argument that appealed to logic rather than sentiment or character. It was impossible not to find it convincing.
“Do you understand? From the start, what you’ve been holding wasn’t the hilt—it was the blade itself. Waving a blade around only makes your own hands bleed.”
Son Tae-im finished speaking and leisurely poured himself another drink.
“Th-that’s…”
As Jang Yu drained his cup, his expression had twisted completely.
Son Tae-im smiled bitterly watching him.
‘This story will spread throughout the neutral faction now.’
Would Dokgo Myeong have seen this far ahead?
Surely he would have.
Dokgo Myeong’s stance throughout this crisis had been to remain still.
The only thing he’d done was order me to investigate and casually mention that if contact came, I should go meet with him.
‘He was already a remarkable man, but now even his perspective seems to have changed.’
A chill ran down my spine.
Perspective, insight—or whatever you wanted to call it.
These days, I sensed in Dokgo Myeong the gravitas of a giant leading this vast household and the entire Gangho forward.
‘Either way, my work here is done.’
Son Tae-im let out a long sigh.
* * *
Jin I-chu visited Sa Heon-gak again after several days.
“Young Master, have you been well?”
His lips were full of a triumphant smile.
With the agreement with the Outer Sect nearly complete, the situation had reversed.
He wanted to deliver this news to Dokgo Myeong and watch that arrogant Yong Hyeol’s face crumble pathetically.
“I’ve been managing well enough.”
“You have some backbone, I see. I was half-worried you might refuse my visit, haha!”
“If anyone should avoid it, it should be you, not me. What reason would I have to avoid you?”
Jin I-chu chuckled.
Not long ago, that arrogance had irritated him so much, but now it merely seemed endearing.
“I’ve come today because I have news to share. Can you guess what it might be?”
“News?”
“The Outer Hall Master has decided to embrace our neutral faction with the magnanimity of the sea itself. I thought you should know, so I’ve come personally.”
“….”
“Didn’t I warn you that you’d regret this? So, how does it feel?”
The moment he finished speaking, the smile that had been playing on Jin I-chu’s lips vanished.
Pfft!
Dokgo Myeong was laughing as if it were pathetic.
At that laughter, Jin I-chu exhaled in disbelief.
“Quite the nerve you have. You’re laughing now?”
“You worm.”
“What? What did you just say?”
Dokgo Myeong spoke in a voice stripped of all amusement.
“A faction leader who bows his head and enters beneath another—what is there to be so proud of?”
“What?”
“Well, you’ve lived that way your whole life, haven’t you?”
Dokgo Myeong clicked his tongue.
“You built a faction of that caliber, yet you’ve never accomplished anything, never schemed for anything—just flitting about like a bat from place to place, scavenging scraps.”
“Insolence!”
“Do you know what?”
Dokgo Myeong cut off Jin I-chu’s words without mercy, thrusting his head forward.
As those pitch-black eyes drew close, Jin I-chu found himself swallowing involuntarily.
“When times are peaceful, perhaps such methods work. But when lives hang in the balance, superiors like you are always the first to be abandoned.”
“Nonsense! Even in death, your tongue would still wag!”
Thud!
Dokgo Myeong suddenly placed a wooden tablet on the table.
“…What is this?”
“A covenant tablet. Read it.”
“A covenant tablet? What does this have to do with anything all of a sudden…”
A covenant tablet was an object bearing the seals of multiple people signifying their unified intent or agreement.
In that moment, Jin I-chu felt a chill run down his spine.
“…!”
Jin I-chu hastily lifted the wooden tablet.
Crack!
Strength flooded into both of Jin I-chu’s hands as he gripped the covenant tablet.
Names that should never have been there were written upon it.
“Your neutral faction no longer exists. Beneath my name alone stand ten sect seals.”
“…!”
“Don’t you remember what I told you? That when you returned here, you would have to surrender much.”
The color drained from Jin I-chu’s face.
“W-what scheme is this! This… this can’t be real…!”
“…”
“Why! Or did they betray me? These foolish bastards…!”
Jin I-chu’s eyes trembled violently.
Since when, and how, had this board been set?
Only then did Jin I-chu grasp the true nature of his situation.
I had gotten off on the wrong foot from the very beginning.
“Do you still not understand the situation?”
“….”
In that fleeting moment, Jin I-chu’s entire body was drenched in cold sweat.
Jin I-chu, who had been repeatedly opening and closing his mouth in gasps, looked toward Dokgo Myeong.
“P-please spare me! I beg you!”
Thud!
Jin I-chu’s knees buckled beneath him.
“The Outer Hall Master won’t leave me be, saying I toyed with him. I’ll surrender my faction seal or anything else—please just….”
Dokgo Myeong gazed down at Jin I-chu quietly.
It was the final settlement.
* * *
“Well done.”
Without any prior notice, when I visited the Gajubu, Dokgo Cheon smiled contentedly and spoke thus.
“How did you already hear about it? It’s terrifying—I can’t get anything done at home with you watching like this.”
“Quiet. Come in.”
Dokgo Cheon was painting orchids again.
The brush strokes flowed effortlessly across the paper. I wondered what reason he had for painting this today.
“What did you feel?”
“Feel about what?”
“Looking from a different perspective for the first time in your life—what did you feel?”
In this matter, I had truly done nothing.
If there was anything I had done, it was perhaps having Son Tae-im scatter a single bait.
‘If it were the old days… I would have gone around meeting each Sect Leader of the neutral factions one by one. Or perhaps I would have sought out the Star Image Hall Master first?’
But that was no longer the case.
Yet I had achieved the best possible outcome.
I smiled wryly.
“It was simply troublesome, that’s all.”
“Hahahaha! Troublesome? Yes, that’s not wrong. Power has always been troublesome.”
Dokgo Cheon turned his head.
“So, will you spare them?”
“Spare whom?”
“The Sect Leaders.”
Now I held eleven faction seals in my hands.
How to dispose of the original owners of those seals was entirely a matter of my discretion.
“I will handle it as promised.”
“Promised?”
“I intend to spare their lives and allow them to return to their hometowns with reasonable provisions—everything except the wealth they accumulated through overstepping boundaries.”
“Hmm, quite right. A good choice.”
I tilted my head slightly.
You’re not usually someone with such sentiment, are you?
“Even a cornered rat will bite a cat. If they thrash about desperately, it will become quite troublesome.”
I should have known it would come to this.
“Steel yourself. The moment cheap sentiments like cooperation, greater good, or punishment cloud your judgment, the work becomes messy and inefficient.”
There was no benefit in punishing the Sect Leaders. It was also telling me to be satisfied with simply cleaning up the trash.
Dokgo Cheon spun his body around sharply.
“So you’ve finally become a true power holder of the Main Sect. As another faction, how do you intend to move? Will you fight?”
“I will fight, but I won’t be the one doing it.”
“Hm? You don’t mean to say…?”
Dokgo Cheon’s eyes widened.

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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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