Return of the God of War - Chapter 91

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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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Episode 91. Justification, Not Reason.
“Pavilion Lord. I am Hwang Chung, first captain of the Six Palaces, reporting to you.”
“Proceed.”
“To date, among the Six Palaces, we have completed our investigation of Geomgung, Yoheungung, and the Divine Combat Palace. Within the Five Squads, the Red Wolf Squad and Blue Wolf Squad have been cleared, and among the Three Pavilions, all three organizations—including our Yeonghungak—have concluded their inquiries with no evidence of wrongdoing.”
In other words, they had discovered nothing at all.
Muk Hyeonam, the lord of Yeonghungak and the third son, exhaled deeply.
“Well done. And do get some rest yourself, Hwang. I’ve heard you’ve been burning the midnight oil in your office lately.”
“I shall remember your words, Pavilion Lord.”
No doubt by tonight he would be pulling another all-nighter at his desk.
That was simply who Hwang Chung was.
Muk Hyeonam wished he could force the man to take leave, but he himself was drowning in troubles.
A single word of concern was the best he could offer as a superior.
“Then I shall take my leave.”
“Very well.”
The door slid shut with a soft thud.
Once Hwang Chung had withdrawn, Muk Hyeonam sank back into his chair.
Yeonghungak was the investigative bureau within Sadocheon charged with monitoring and preventing unseemly internal movements.
And at this very moment, Yeonghungak was in a state of maximum alert.
How could it be otherwise?
Days ago.
Within Sadocheon itself, an unthinkable crime had nearly unfolded—an attempt on the Cheonju’s own wife.
Had it not been for Nangung Yeongryeong, the lord of Geomgung, and Pi Yangcheon stopping those assassins—
Had Hye Rangyeong or Muk Byeongho been sacrificed in the chaos, the pavilion lord himself would have faced a storm of blame.
From Muk Hyeonam’s perspective, it was a narrow escape—but.
It was equally his duty to expose the mastermind behind those hired killers.
This was why Muk Hyeonam had gone without sleep for four days straight, obsessing over the case.
‘This is no ordinary opponent.’
Despite Yeonghungak’s full complement throwing themselves at the investigation, they had uncovered scarcely a thread of evidence.
Yet one thing was certain.
‘This was the work of someone inside, not outside.’
That much was clear.
And that was what made the situation so grave.
‘What kind of madman could this be?’
That was when it happened.
“Your face looks rather drawn. You must be under considerable strain.”
“……!”
Muk Hyeonam looked up with a start.
The figure that came into his view—
Was his youngest brother, Muk Yeojin.
Before any thought of gladness could form, what struck him first was bewilderment.
‘How did that bastard slip in here without a sound? There were sentries posted outside by the investigators….’
And then Muk Hyeonam looked at Muk Yeojin, studying him quietly.
In the next instant, Muk Hyeonam gasped in alarm.
“Yeojin—what in heaven’s name has happened to you?!”
“I’ve been fortunate of late. There’s been some modest progress in my cultivation.”
“Ha!”
Even seeing it with his own eyes, the shock was so great he could scarcely accept the reality before him.
‘I had already surpassed him. Are you telling me this wretch has already drawn level with the other pavilion lords and elder brother?’
A prodigy. A monster.
No other word adequately captured how extraordinary he was.
‘Perhaps joining hands with Yeojin was truly a move blessed by fortune itself.’
Here stood a brother who was, quite literally, a divine sword and precious blade incarnate.
‘If ever that blade turns toward me, would I be able to withstand it?’
The thought made his palms grow damp.
In this alliance they had forged, this was the moment when superior and subordinate were unmistakably defined.
The tension that had gripped Muk Hyeonam’s expression eased, and he smiled.
“My congratulations, brother.”
“I am grateful.”
“Ha! The sun is still high, true enough, but one cannot simply sip tea while witnessing such an auspicious occasion. Will you not join me in a drink?”
“I would be delighted.”
“Yes, yes. Make yourself comfortable there.”
Muk Hyeonam had one of Yeonghungak’s inspectors fetch wine.
Given its nature, Yeonghungak operated with extreme secrecy, which meant it had no servants or attendants like other places.
“Before the wine arrives, there’s something I need to say.”
“What’s the rush, boy? Out with it then—what is it?”
“I’m going to kill Muk Geon.”
Snap.
Muk Hyeonam’s hand froze.
……
Frost settled into his eyes.
Presently, the gaze of an iron man betrayed no emotion whatsoever as it fixed on Muk Yeojin.
“You know Geon and I are close, don’t you?”
“I do.”
“Then you come to me saying you’ll kill him—is that right? If you’re joking, that’s in poor taste. If you’re serious…….”
Muk Hyeonam’s pupils flashed suddenly.
“How fascinating.”
At his reaction, Muk Yeojin inwardly nodded in approval.
‘Just as I thought.’
He wasn’t called one of the Twelve Disciples who formed the very foundation of Sadocheon without reason, even if he sometimes appeared frivolous.
He was not a man careless enough to sacrifice the greater game for something as trivial as personal affection—not as someone who coveted power.
“What reason do you have for taking Geon’s head?”
“Does the reason matter?”
“What?”
“Between you and me, what’s needed isn’t a reason—it’s justification, isn’t it?”
……Ha.
Muk Hyeonam recoiled inwardly.
He had already placed Muk Yeojin at the very top of his mental rankings.
But.
‘It seems I’ll need to add another shelf above that one.’
That single short phrase Muk Yeojin had uttered cut through Muk Hyeonam’s psychology, his circumstances, his very worldview like a hidden blade.
At that moment, the inspector arrived with the wine table.
“Care to wet your whistle?”
“I shall.”
Muk Hyeonam poured first, filling a cup.
Glug-glug-glug.
The tangy aroma of wine drifted past their nostrils.
“Pour one for me as well.”
Muk Hyeonam looked at the filled cup, then set it down without drinking from it.
“Though we’re allies, you wouldn’t place me first in your mind with fine wine right before your eyes.”
This was to say that Muk Hyeonam did not rank high in Muk Yeojin’s priorities—and he was right.
“If you had good reason and solid justification for taking Geon’s head, you wouldn’t have come to me like this.”
A glimmer crossed Muk Hyeonam’s eyes.
“In other words, it seems your intention is to have me create that justification for you.”
Muk Yeojin marveled at his insight.
‘Third brother is no ordinary man either, after all.’
“Precisely.”
Muk Hyeonam pressed his temples gently as if they ached, then spoke.
“You’re not the type to simply brandish force and extort me for gain. You must have judged that such an action would profit me as well.”
Unfortunately, that part was slightly off the mark.
When it came to those outside his circle, Muk Yeojin was someone who would employ any means—coercion, stratagem, whatever—to use and discard them.
Yet today, he had sought out Muk Hyeonam for reasons that matched the portrait he had just painted.
So it couldn’t be said to be entirely wrong.
“Third brother, the blood of the Sima clan flows through you as well, it seems. Why not consider transferring to the post of Military Advisor?”
“I escaped from under our mother’s roof precisely so I wouldn’t hear such things, and that’s why I’m here.”
Well, Muk Yeojin had no concern with such private matters.
Muk Hyeonam, lost in thought, exhaled a heavy sigh that seemed to shake the very earth.
“To speak plainly: I cannot accept your request. It’s not a matter of preference or dislike. It’s a matter of possibility and impossibility. It lies beyond my capability.”
“I see.”
Muk Yeojin replied matter-of-factly.
Watching that expressionless face, Muk Hyeonam felt an unexpected unease stir within him.
‘There might be a way if I use it…….’
But that ‘way’ was Muk Hyeonam’s strongest card and, in truth, his last one—nearly everything he had left.
Was this truly the moment to stake everything?
Even he, cold-blooded in all things, could not suppress his hesitation.
But the carriage that bore the name Muk Yeojin, drawn by a red stallion that galloped across Cheonha, would not wait for its passenger to climb aboard.
“There’s no point clinging to the impossible. I’ll have my drink another time.”
Muk Yeojin rose from his seat without a trace of regret, turning sharply on his heel.
Tap. Tap.
He walked with unhesitating steps, his hand reaching for the door handle.
In Muk Hyeonam’s mind, reason and instinct waged what seemed like a thousand-year blood feud.
But the victor of that war was already decided.
“Wait!”
Stop.
At his cry, Muk Yeojin’s footsteps halted.
“There is a way.”
Muk Hyeonam had made his choice.
In this moment, he would stake everything he had.
‘A man who’s never gambled in his life, and my first real wager is one that costs me everything.’
But his instinct—having severed reason’s throat—was speaking now.
With Muk Yeojin, this gamble would be worth taking.
“But there’s something you’ll need to do in return.”
Muk Yeojin, now seated once more, lifted his head.
“What would that be?”
“The truth is, my ‘card’ is mine, but not mine alone. So you’ll need to convince someone—to allow me to use it.”
Muk Yeojin understood instinctively who he meant.
And sure enough.
The name that left Muk Hyeonam’s lips was exactly who he’d expected.
“The Gungju of Yoheungung. You must persuade her.”
* * *
A double hour later, Muk Yeojin set out for Yoheungung alone.
The Outer Palace of Sadocheon.
Geomgung stands at the northern extreme, Yoheungung at the southern.
Which meant they rarely crossed paths by any natural route.
For this reason, Muk Yeojin knew little of Yoheungung.
Thanks to Muk Hyeonam’s advance notice, someone was waiting to receive him at the palace entrance.
“Welcome, Young Master. I am Soyeon.”
Soyeon wore garments of excessive looseness that revealed nothing of her form, and bore a face veil that concealed the lower half of her face entirely.
This was not peculiar to her alone—it was the standard dress of all the Jade Maidens who served Yoheungung.
“It’s a pleasure.”
“The Gungju awaits. If you’ll follow me.”
Muk Yeojin nodded and entered Yoheungung in her wake.
As he walked, his eyes moved freely across their surroundings.
Sensing his gaze, Soyeon ventured softly.
“The atmosphere is rather mundane, wouldn’t you say?”
“Indeed. I expected something more sinister—but it’s surprisingly serene.”
In that instant, Soyeon’s eyes narrowed.
Such a thought might cross one’s mind, but it was not the sort of impression to voice so freely at a first meeting.
‘Clearly not an ordinary figure, whatever the rumors suggested.’
Yet his martial prowess did not seem as exceptional as reported.
His inner force was abundant enough, but lacked sharpness—only crude and dull.
But such thoughts did not last long.
When the Gungju’s chamber door opened, Soyeon was struck silent.
The leader of the Jade Maidens, the Gungju of Yoheungung, sat bare-faced before them.
A Gungju removed her veil to receive a visitor only once.
Only when one of equal standing—or greater—stood before her.
Yu So, Gungju of Yoheungung, gazed at Muk Yeojin with a gentle smile.
“How delightful. I heard a young tiger was coming, and I meant to humor him—but I’ve ended up admitting a full-grown tiger into my home.”

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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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