Return of the God of War - Chapter 64

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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 64. What sort of business have you been conducting?
While sharing drinks with Muk Hyeonham, Muk Yeojin finally broached a question that had been nagging at him.
“Brother, at this present moment, who do you think stands closest to the position of Xiaotianzhu?”
At his question, Muk Hyeonham raised his cup, moistened his lips, and fell into contemplation for a moment.
After a brief span of serious consideration, he spoke.
“I would have to say the eldest brother remains the most likely candidate. Though that is hardly to say our second sister has fallen conspicuously behind. In truth, it is more a matter of paper-thin ice.”
Muk Yeojin nodded quietly and lowered his gaze to his cup.
He watched the wine within ripple gently and sank into silent thought.
His eldest brother—the Sadocheon Master’s firstborn son, Muk Jujin.
And their second sister, Muk Seoin.
Both were undoubtedly formidable individuals.
Yet for Muk Yeojin, who already knew the future, doubt was inescapable.
After a moment’s deliberation, he opened his mouth.
“You give no consideration at all to Brother Muk Geon?”
Muk Geon—the Cheonju’s fifth son.
At this, Muk Hyeonham tilted his head with a soft chuckle.
“Geon? There’s no need to concern yourself with him. He has no interest in the succession, nor in the martial world itself. His maternal clan has been physicians for generations, so it seems he lacks both the strength and ambition for such matters.”
At that, Muk Yeojin’s eyes dimmed slowly.
If Muk Hyeonham held such conviction, it could be taken as fact.
The information Buyeon had conveyed contained precious little regarding Muk Geon.
He had, after all, done nothing of particular note.
And yet.
‘Which is precisely what troubles me.’
Because in the near future.
In this fierce succession struggle to determine the next master of Sadocheon, there emerges one who surpasses all others and becomes Xiaotianzhu.
One who bides his strength in silence for a long time, then strikes like a tempest, seizing supreme power in his grasp.
That figure is none other than the Fifth Young Master—Muk Geon himself.
And.
In that process, both the Third Young Master Muk Hyeonham before him and the First Young Master Muk Jujin will be purged by his hand.
That is not to say it is wrong.
In struggles over power, it is rarer still that such contests end without a drop of blood being spilled.
But where could Muk Geon have gathered such formidable forces, and since when has he been accumulating such power in such secrecy?
That was the crux of Muk Yeojin’s true doubt.
Once he began to perceive it, various uneasinesses surged up within his chest.
There was reason for it.
Muk Yeojin harbored suspicion that Woneum Sect agents lay hidden within Sadocheon.
‘No… it is not mere suspicion. I am certain of it.’
Of course, in times to come, a decisive catastrophe would occur that would shatter Sadocheon into fragments and shake the entire Cheonha.
Yet even accounting for that ‘event,’ the collapse of Sadocheon bore an unnatural quality, full of contradictions that did not sit right.
‘Those damnable bastards could well be lurking around me even now.’
Was it the thought of those Woneum Sect wretches that brought this on?
Hiss, hiss, hiss, hiss, hiss, hiss.
Muk Yeojin, without quite realizing it, had begun to emit a pale killing intent.
The atmosphere of the room plummeted in an instant, cold as a cavern.
Muk Hyeonham’s face went deathly pale.
“Ye-Yeojin! What is the matter all of a sudden?”
Muk Yeojin, startled, quickly suppressed the killing intent.
“My apologies. Someone merely came to mind.”
“Huh… what manner of killing intent was that. You speak as though of a blood enemy?”
“Well, yes.”
Muk Yeojin offered an awkward smile.
‘In any case, I shall need to investigate Brother Muk Geon more carefully.’
He then hastily redirected the conversation with another question.
“But brother, what reason might you have for approaching me only now?”
From hearing Muk Hyeonham’s scheme, it was clear he had regarded Muk Yeojin not as a check to be countered, but as someone to be brought over.
If so, it would have been wiser to make his approach before Muk Yeojin grew in stature.
For instance, immediately after the Mangdam Pavilion ascension ceremony, or at least when rumors began to spread that he had become a disciple of Pi Yangcheon.
Had he done so, Muk Hyeonham could have secured clear advantage in their relationship.
Shortly after, Muk Hyeonham exhaled a long sigh and drained his cup.
“I too wished to do so long ago, but the Yohee Palace Master opposed your approach most strenuously. In truth, she remains displeased with the matter even now.”
Muk Yeojin’s eyes gleamed.
‘The Yohee Palace Master…….’
The Yohee Palace Master.
Like the Geomgung, one of the Six Palaces.
The most prominent woman among the factions supporting his third brother, Muk Hyeonham.
But why had she opposed an alliance with him?
Throughout his past and present lives, he’d had no meaningful contact with the Yohee Palace, so he couldn’t easily deduce the reason.
“Might I inquire as to the reason?”
“Hmm…….”
At Muk Yeojin’s question, Muk Hyeonham fell silent for a moment.
He rubbed his forehead as if deep in thought before finally opening his mouth.
“It’s the Geomgung Master’s fault—that is, our stepmother’s.”
“……!”
Muk Yeojin’s shoulders flinched in an instant.
‘Because of Mother?’
Could there be some old grudge between Mother and the Yohee Palace Master?
This wasn’t something he could simply let pass.
“Please explain in detail.”
“Hmm, it seems our stepmother never told you about this. Well, that’s not the sort of thing she’d go about spreading……. Anyway, what’s done is done.”
Muk Hyeonham exhaled deeply once more.
After a brief pause to gather his thoughts, he finally spoke.
“Since we’re joining hands, you’ll learn of it eventually anyway. I’ll tell you. As you know, the foundation of the Yohee Palace’s martial arts lies in the Fangzhong Arts. How much do you know about the Fangzhong Arts?”
The Fangzhong Arts.
All techniques based on the union of yin and yang.
Methods such as absorbing yin to nourish yang and absorbing yang to nourish yin through the pleasures of man and woman—these fall under such practices.
Those occasionally appearing in the Central Plains known as “Color Demons,” most of them cultivate their martial arts through the Fangzhong Arts.
However.
“The Fangzhong Arts themselves, I believe, originated from orthodox Daoist health cultivation rather than from malevolent sorcery.”
At Muk Yeojin’s answer, Muk Hyeonham nodded.
“Correct. Originally, the Fangzhong Arts were a Daoist practice for the cultivation of ascetics. But thanks to certain Color Demons, that perception fell to the depths, and they became branded as lewd and despicable, losing any foothold in the righteous sects. Ultimately, it was the decisive reason why all sects based on the Fangzhong Arts had no choice but to move their ground toward the Huekdo and Mado.”
Muk Hyeonham took a sip of wine to wet his throat, then continued.
“The Yohee Palace carries on the legacy of the Daomun, its predecessor, the Cheonhwa Party. Though they train in the Fangzhong Arts, their bearing is even more righteous than the righteous sects themselves, and the Palace Master is one who can rightfully be called a Female Immortal. Frankly, she doesn’t belong with the Sadocheon.”
For a moment, a look of regret flickered in Muk Hyeonham’s eyes.
“Ahem, in any case.”
He cleared his throat with a cough.
“Among the righteous sects, the heroines of the great families in particular have always harbored a strong aversion to the Fangzhong Arts.”
At the mention of heroines from great families, Muk Yeojin’s mind naturally turned to his mother, Nangung Yeongryeong.
“Did Mother perhaps encounter the Yohee Palace Master in the past?”
Muk Hyeonham nodded slowly.
‘Then?’
By then, Muk Yeojin too began to sense dimly how the matter stood.
If his mother, once called the Guanglong Swordmaster, had ever faced the Yohee Palace Master, she would never have let her go unharmed.
“So Mother and the Palace Master crossed blades, and ultimately the Palace Master was defeated.”
“Mmm…… that’s right. But that’s not all. The real problem came after.”
After?
Muk Yeojin’s mind raced for a brief moment.
Perhaps Mother had inflicted an indelible injury upon the Yohee Palace Master.
If so, the Palace Master likely still harbored a great grudge against his mother.
Muk Yeojin’s eyes narrowed.
‘Perhaps I should reconsider the alliance with my third brother.’
But unfortunately.
Muk Yeojin’s speculation was half right and half wrong.
Muk Hyeonham tilted his wine cup and spoke quietly.
His expression was terribly troubled.
“She…… our stepmother…… shaved off the Yohee Palace Master’s hair…… all of it, completely.”
“……Pardon?”
Muk Yeojin, uncharacteristically, asked again in confusion.
Shaved off?
For a moment, he doubted his own ears.
Muk Hyeonham sighed softly and continued.
“For that matter, the Yohee Palace Master withdrew from the world for a full two years. Didn’t set foot outside her quarters once. Seems she still carries that business in her heart.”
“Ah…….”
Muk Yeojin’s eyes trembled as though the ground beneath him had shifted.
A heavy silence settled over the room.
Muk Yeojin, who had been staring into his cup with a grave expression, turned his head toward the window.
‘Mother. What in heaven’s name have you been doing all this time…….’
* * *
“Hmm?”
“Miss, what’s wrong?”
At Pyo Yeon’s question, Nangung Yeongryeong shook her head.
“Nothing. I just had the strangest feeling someone was talking about me…… must be my imagination. In any case, so the Third Master agreed to join hands with him?”
Gam Mo, newly freed from his confinement at Yeounghung-gak, was in the midst of explaining the sequence of events.
“Yes, madam. Moreover, the Young Master Yeojin agreed to accept a period of disciplinary inspection at Yeounghung-gak.”
Nangung Yeongryeong grasped the meaning at once.
“Saving face for Yeounghung-gak, I see.”
Gam Mo nodded.
“Though no blood was shed, it’s true that Geomgung was prepared to directly challenge Yeounghung-gak’s authority. The Young Master Yeojin reportedly proposed this to the Master of Yeounghung-gak precisely to prevent the matter from becoming public knowledge.”
“Even accounting for public opinion…….”
A smile played at the corners of Nangung Yeongryeong’s lips.
Pyo Yeon could not contain her admiration.
“So the Young Master saw all of this from the very beginning! Here I thought he was so furious he meant to tear Yeounghung-gak apart!”
Gam Mo laughed heartily.
“Even so, that would have been rather too much, wouldn’t it? Miss Pyo.”
“Quite right. Hehe.”
Their laughter filled the room.
Yet through it all, Nangung Yeongryeong wore a peculiar expression.
‘Was that truly all there was?’
She had the distinct feeling that her son’s plans must have included a Sect Extermination Scheme for Yeounghung-gak as well.
“……Well. Since the matter seems resolved satisfactorily, it’s no concern of mine. In any case, you’ve done well, Gam Mo.”
“Not at all. I feel as though I’ve done nothing but rest in some common inn’s guest room.”
At those words, Nangung Yeongryeong’s eyes narrowed with suspicion.
“Ho? Our Pyo Yeon couldn’t sit still for an instant worrying about you, yet you found yourself quite at ease, did you?”
Gam Mo started in surprise and looked toward Pyo Yeon.
“You were worried for me, Miss Pyo?”
“Goodness! What are you saying, madam? Who was worrying about whom…… This is too much! I’m leaving first!”
“No, Miss Pyo! Wait just a moment!”
“Don’t follow me!”
“Miss Pyo! Miss Pyo!”
Nangung Yeongryeong watched with a contented smile as the two of them bickered their way out of the room.
“Youth suits them well.”
She took a quiet sip of tea and turned her gaze toward the window.
“The second son of the Third Master Sama Hyang, then…….”
Sama Hyang.
The Cheonju’s first wife, the military strategist overseeing the intellect of Sadocheon, and the head of Hyeonkwon-gak.
In other words, the Chief Military Strategist.
She had two sons to her name.
First, the Eldest Young Master Muk Jujin.
Second, the Master of Yeounghung-gak, Muk Hyeonham.
And she stood firmly behind the eldest becoming the Xiaotianzhu.
In other words, joining hands with Muk Hyeonham would place her in direct opposition to Sama Hyang.
“Sama Hyang…… she is no woman to be taken lightly…….”
While Nangung Yeongryeong was turning various thoughts over regarding this alliance, a figure suddenly came to mind.
“The Yohee Palace Master…….”
She hesitated for a moment, then averted her gaze.
With a soft, deliberate cough, she brushed the name away from her thoughts.
Only the clear, bright moonlight illuminated the night around her.
* * *
At that same moment.
In the guest quarters of Yeounghung-gak.
“Endure the discomfort for just a few days.”
At the words of Yeounghung-gak’s master, Muk Yeojin shook his head with a smile.
“Not at all. It’s not uncomfortable—in fact, I prefer it here to my own quarters.”
“Is that so? Do you need anything?”
“Since things have come to this, I thought I might focus on my Cultivation Practice. Please see that no one enters this room.”
“Very well, I understand.”
“Thank you.”
Once Muk Hyeonham closed the door and withdrew, silence settled over the chamber.
Muk Yeojin collapsed onto the bed.
“Sigh……”
A deep breath escaped him naturally.
From his mother’s secret martial encounter, to his reunion with Cheonhwa Rin, to the incident at the Little Cheolheol Arena—events tumbling one after another.
In the midst of these cascading crises, he had accumulated considerable fatigue without even realizing it.
Now that the tension had released, a dull weight pressed at the back of his skull.
‘Right—forget about Cultivation Practice for now. I just need to rest for a while.’
Just as he was about to close his eyes with that thought.
“That was quite a bold move you pulled.”
“……!”
At the sudden voice, Muk Yeojin’s eyes snapped open in shock.
When he turned his head, an entirely unexpected presence stood before him.
“Father?”
It was Muk Umyeong, the Sado Master himself.

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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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