The God of Death and the God of War - Chapter 4

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Evil Hegemon Martial God

Chapter 4

“A wager…”

Jegal Mun muttered quietly.

“That means you’re quite confident.”

“That’s correct.”

“Then what will you stake?”

“If my words prove false, I will voluntarily enter Chamhoe-dong and practice wall-facing meditation until the day your anger subsides.”

“…!”

Jeok-un was boldly declaring he would voluntarily undergo indefinite secluded training.

Anyone else might wonder if he would really confine his own child like torture.

But wasn’t this the Divine Strategist, called the cold-blooded, iron-blooded military officer of the Martial Arts Alliance?

Jegal Mun was someone who would punish without mercy, even his own blood, if they were in the wrong.

“Conversely, if I prove my words true, I’ll only ask within the bounds of what you can do. Please grant me just one request.”

Jeok-un also voiced what he desired.

At this, Jegal Mun stared at him with stern eyes for a long while.

“Fine. Let’s do that.”

“Thank you.”

He accepted his child’s bold wager.

* * *

‘Remarkable.’

Shortly after, Jeok-un was looking at the Soseng Paljindo spread before him with considerable admiration.

However, they hadn’t moved to the Yeonmu-jang like before.

They were still inside the Gajujeon.

But…

Whoooosh…!

Jegal Mun had implemented a miniature Soseng Paljindo on an ordinary wooden Go board.

The characteristic mist and haze of the formation spread across the Go board.

He was truly worthy of being called the Chief Military Strategist of the Martial Arts Alliance and the Divine Strategist.

By merely placing white Go stones, he had activated a new formation.

However, there would be no problem breaking this formation.

Even if smaller in size, the essence would be the same.

Then the breaking method that ‘she’ had taught him before his regression would apply identically.

A conversation with a certain woman floated up in Jeok-un’s mind.

-Master’s biggest problem is always trying to solve everything with force!

-How is that my problem? It’s your problem.

-Huh?! What do you mean?

-When I stir things up like this first, you always finish it perfectly… Ow! Ah!

-Again! That mouth of yours!

Jeok-un’s knowledge of how to break the formation was all

thanks to the Blood Empress, who had been Sapyeonjeon’s Chief Military Strategist and greatest mind.

Since he had regressed, he would need to recruit her again.

…But where was it that he first met her?

“Do you need more time?”

“Ah, I apologize.”

At Jegal Mun’s question, Jeok-un emerged from his thoughts.

Reuniting with her was important, but solving the immediate task came first.

“Then I’ll begin.”

Jeok-un slowly looked down at the Go board again.

Clink.

As Jeok-un picked up a black stone, the atmosphere changed and a faint gleam began to swirl in his eyes.

The wager came into focus, and it was a sign that he was beginning to see through the essence of the formation.

Click-

Soon, Jeok-un placed a black stone and began calmly analyzing the formation.

“Ordinary people think the Eight Trigrams are the core of the composition because of the name ‘Paljindo’ and from roughly observing the structure of the deployed formation.”

Click-

Soon, another black stone was placed on the Go board.

“Well, it’s not unreasonable to think that way. In fact, you can solve it and find the Life Gate by interpreting it that way. However-“

…Clack!

Finally, the third.

When he placed the final stone, a total of three black stones.

Rumble…!

The black stones placed among the white stones constructing the Soseng Paljindo began to actively interfere with the flow of the Eight Trigrams.

“…!!”

Whoosh!

Holes appeared in the mist and haze everywhere.

In just three moves.

The formation’s weakness that Jeok-un had spoken of had truly appeared.

“The formation contains the Eight Trigrams, but they’re not the core. The main essence is the hidden Nine Palaces.”

Like the nine stars representing the Nine Palaces: White One, Black Two, Green Three, Green Four, Yellow Five, White Six, Red Seven, White Eight, and Purple Nine.

Nine holes had appeared in the formation.

“If you don’t know this fact and operate the formation using only the Eight Trigrams, side effects occur.”

Jeok-un said this while picking up another black stone.

Clack!

He placed one stone.

At the location where he had been trapped during the recent Waryong Examination.

“The longer the activation time, the more the status of the Central Palace, which should maintain the center, changes.”

At this first revealed secret, Jegal Mun showed genuine surprise.

But whether Jegal Mun was surprised or not, Jeok-un continued placing stones without concern.

“But this probably wasn’t a major issue in the true formation. Since the scale is large, the status doesn’t change easily. You could call it a kind of ‘too big to fail.'”

“Yes, but the Soseng Paljindo…”

“Yes, that’s right. The forcibly reduced Soseng Paljindo has extreme changes in the Central Palace’s status. And.”

Instead of placing an additional black stone, Jeok-un gathered his fingers as if to flick.

“Like this, the moment the Green Three Star invades the position of the Green Four Star and the status changes.”

Snap-!

Jeok-un gathered energy in his fingers and struck the air mercilessly.

Just like when he had directly escaped the Soseng Paljindo and extended his fist wrapped in Paecheon Energy.

Bang!

Clatter!

With a light explosion, white stones scattered in all directions.

“…!”

Jegal Mun was shocked.

The Soseng Paljindo on the Go board was completely destroyed.

“Quite easy, isn’t it?”

Jeok-un smiled gently.

* * *

“The wager…”

It was after quite some time had passed that Jegal Mun opened his mouth and broke the silence.

It couldn’t be helped.

Even though he had seen it with his own eyes, it was such a shocking sight that he was left speechless.

“You won.”

“Thank you.”

Though he had ultimately won the bet, Jeok-un smiled bitterly inwardly.

In fact, before his regression, it was because Jegal Wiyeon had devoted himself to Magyo and even offered up the Eight Formation Diagram that Sapyeonjeon had struggled to find a countermeasure.

‘But such a thing won’t happen now.’

Because he would definitely kill Jegal Wiyeon.

When Jeok-un conveyed his unspeakable resolve to his father, Jegal Mun spoke.

“Well then, what do you want?”

Jegal Mun spoke readily with a gentle voice.

His previous furious appearance had completely disappeared without a trace.

Of course, recovering a mistake he himself didn’t know about, or perhaps the ancestral secret techniques that had been omitted during the transmission process, was something to be greatly pleased about.

But.

In reality, he probably had never been angry in the first place.

‘It was acting after all.’

Jeok-un confirmed from Jegal Mun’s expression that his earlier excited appearance while talking about the family’s destruction was indeed acting.

Probably creating this situation, his excited appearance, and even the recent bet.

Everything must have been Jegal Mun’s scheme to evaluate his true nature.

Even testing his own child, he didn’t feel bad about it at all.

No, it could be said that he was emotionless from the beginning.

‘Because that’s the kind of person he originally is.’

Though Jeok-un was his father, he harbored deep feelings of love and hate toward Jegal Mun.

Having lived as the leader of Sapyeonjeon himself, he knew how heavy and busy the duties of being the chief strategist of a massive organization like the Martial Arts Alliance were.

But that couldn’t justify neglecting his family.

If he had cared for his family even half as much as he cared about work, before his regression, his mother wouldn’t have died from the schemes of Lady Oh and Jegal Wiyeon.

But even so.

The look in Jegal Mun’s eyes as he gazed at him with pride and satisfaction for the first time in his life made Jeok-un’s heart turbulent.

‘This is giving me a headache. Let me just take what I can get.’

Jeok-un finally told Jegal Mun, who was waiting for an answer, what he wanted as compensation for the bet.

It was precisely.

“I want the White Feather Fan.”

“-!!”

The White Feather Fan.

A fan said to be made from the feathers of a divine creature, it was a divine artifact that controlled wind and waves.

A treasure coveted by everyone in the martial world, truly of immeasurable value.

But more important than that was.

“…Don’t tell me you want help in becoming the young family head?”

The family head’s treasure.

In other words, the White Feather Fan was a divine object that only the family head could use.

Jegal Mun thought Jeok-un was taking this opportunity to reveal his hidden ambitions.

But…

“What do you mean by that?”

“Huh?”

Jeok-un was looking at Jegal Mun with his head tilted.

With an expression that said what kind of nonsense was that.

“I really just want to borrow the White Feather Fan for exactly one day.”

“?”

“I’ll use it well and bring it back.”

“??”

Jegal Mun was genuinely bewildered.

However, Jeok-un really needed the White Feather Fan itself.

‘I absolutely need the White Feather Fan to reclaim that.’

What made him called Heukcheon Paegyeon wasn’t just the Heaven-Defying Energy.

Before his regression, he had wallowed in despair for a long time before miraculously realizing it.

To recover that power inherited from his mother’s bloodline, he needed the White Feather Fan.

But Jeok-un thought Jegal Mun might not allow his proposal.

The White Feather Fan was the family’s priceless treasure.

Even with the limitation of one day, it wasn’t something that would be easily permitted.

‘Well, if he says no, I’ll have no choice but to use the backup plan…’

“I’ll allow it.”

“!!”

Jeok-un was startled.

Permission had been granted much more easily than he thought.

“However, it’s really only for one day. And you must bring it back in perfect condition.”

“Of course!”

“Understood. Then let’s move on to the next matter.”

Next?

As Jeok-un listened attentively, Jegal Mun slowly continued.

“The weakness in the Eight Formation Diagram you mentioned. Can you fix it?”

The one who found the flaw would be best able to create the.

Before his regression, he had used the Eight Formation Diagram that Blood Marquis had reconstructed in reverse.

Jeok-un readily nodded.

“Yes, I’ve already prepared it.”

“Ho. Then let’s hear that as well.”

“Hmm, but that…”

“…?”

When Jegal Mun showed a puzzled expression for the first time.

Jeok-un grinned as if he had caught him and said.

“Shouldn’t there be another reward for my efforts?”

“!!”

Oh my. You’ll get indigestion if you try to get everything for free, Father.

* * *

Right after Jeok-un left, in Gajujeon.

Jegal Mun was having a private meeting with someone else where Jeok-un had been.

“Elder brother.”

The one who called Jegal Mun elder brother.

It was precisely Cheongang Daeju, Jegal Tan.

“Why did you so easily give the family’s priceless treasure to Woon-a?”

Though the guards had been dismissed from Gajujeon, there couldn’t be no one around.

Jegal Tan had been hiding in the rafters as a guard, so he could hear everything.

“Were you that curious about it?”

“Wouldn’t anyone be?”

Jegal Tan had a very worried expression, but Jegal Mun’s expression was incredibly relaxed.

“Isn’t it interesting?”

“Pardon?”

“As you know, Woon-a was born with a cursed body.”

“…”

Everyone in the family knew that Jeok-un’s body wasn’t normal.

Because of that, he often received contemptuous looks.

“But not only has he overcome that curse on his own, now he’s trying to take the White Feather Fan to do something else. It’s too interesting.”

“Y-you mean Woon-a has overcome his curse?!”

Jegal Tan was so shocked by this story he was hearing for the first time that he couldn’t close his mouth.

And rightfully so.

Even after inviting all the renowned physicians from across the Central Plains to cure Jeok-un’s illness, hadn’t they all given up without even daring to try?

Yet he had cured that heavenly affliction by himself overnight.

It was hard to believe, but since it was none other than Jegal Mun who said it, it must certainly be true.

But his surprise was only momentary.

Jegal Tan soon returned to his position as Cheongang Daeju rather than Jeok-un’s uncle and raised his concerns.

“That is certainly admirable, but even so, I think lending him the White Feather Fan is excessive.”

“Why is that?”

“If the White Feather Fan were to be lost, the damage to the family would be immense…”

“Do not worry.”

“Pardon?”

Leaving Jegal Tan’s question behind.

Jegal Mun walked to the window and gazed at a figure moving away in the distance.

“That child will surely bring back something far greater that cannot be compared to a mere White Feather Fan.”

“Pardon??”

Under the moonlight streaming down, Jegal Mun murmured quietly while watching Jeok-un’s retreating figure as he returned to his quarters.

“Have I been too negligent in looking after the family?”

“…”

“Haha, I was so absorbed in observing the storms of the martial world that I only now realize the greatest tempest had arisen within my own home.”

“-!!”

While Jegal Tan couldn’t help but be astounded by the family head’s tremendous praise.

‘…Perhaps blood truly cannot be deceived after all.’

Jegal Mun kept only his final words to himself.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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