Chapter 60
Chapter 60
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 60
Chapter Title: Heroic Woman Manju Jeokhwa
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Martial God (60)
Heroic Woman Manju Jeokhwa
“Do you know who we are, and you’re still pulling that out?”
Mok Woo said, jutting his chin toward the Fear Demon.
“Five might be tough, but I can take one with me. If I’m lucky, maybe even two.”
Ak Muyoo grinned.
“…….”
“If you don’t loosen up that killing intent, I’ll assume it’s do or die. My target’s the old man.”
Ak Muyoo placed both arms on the table.
‘Huh?’
Mok Woo’s eyes widened.
Ak Muyoo clearly had no internal energy. Yet an overwhelming aura poured out, suffocating the room.
‘What is this?’
He couldn’t hide his shock.
It was definitely an aura emanating from Ak Muyoo, but he couldn’t pinpoint exactly what kind it was.
Gulp!
Someone swallowed hard.
The room filled with tension thick enough to burst.
Luha and Ageukta circulated their qi.
—Stop him.
Gong Heo urgently sent a transmission.
—Our identities…
—He said the big boss told him. That means killing him won’t help.
“If you don’t come, I’ll come get you first.”
With those words, Ak Muyoo reached for the Fear Demon.
“Arrogant…”
Swish!
“Gasp!”
Mok Woo’s face drained of color.
He’d only seen Ak Muyoo grab for the Fear Demon, and suddenly it was at his throat. It was speed beyond speed—a peerless swiftness.
‘The legendary ultimate speed?’
“Patriarch!”
Gong Heo bellowed.
In an instant, the killing intent filling the room vanished.
Clang!
The Fear Demon stopped right at Mok Woo’s throat.
Drip, drip!
Blood trickled from Mok Woo’s neck.
Flick!
Ak Muyoo withdrew the Fear Demon.
“I hope we can avoid hurting each other.”
Gong Heo said.
“You don’t know?”
Ak Muyoo asked as he sat back down.
“What do you mean?”
“Why General Ara was stuttering—that’s what I’m asking.”
‘What the hell…?’
Gong Heo couldn’t hide his astonishment.
What shocked him was Mok Woo’s response—or lack thereof. A warrior like Mok Woo would react instinctively even to a surprise attack. It should have happened just now.
But Mok Woo hadn’t moved. It was like watching a herbivore frozen stiff before a ferocious beast radiating savage energy.
“Buddha Absolute!”
Ak Muyoo called Gong Heo again.
“Ah… Yes. Certain sects of esoteric Buddhism do not distinguish between men and women in pursuing physical ecstasy.”
“So General Ara knows that fact?”
“Monks study esoteric Buddhism.”
“Then this monk from Western Xia is someone both men and women need to watch out for?”
“But with that level of beauty, pretending to be crazy might just slide, right?”
Luha said as she brought teacups and placed one before Ak Muyoo and herself.
“I’m absolutely not.”
Ak Muyoo said, lifting his teacup.
“They say strong denials often mean the opposite…”
“Since Seo Haran’s stronger than me, if she forces it, I’ve got no choice.”
“Eek!”
Luha lightly pinched Ak Muyoo’s side.
“Ow!”
Ak Muyoo yelped.
“Oh, does it hurt?”
Luha looked at him in surprise.
“Just kidding.”
“You really…”
“Anyway, now that the mood’s lightened…”
Ak Muyoo looked at Mok Woo.
Their eyes met.
“Tell me.”
‘Just who the hell is this guy…?’
Mok Woo was dumbfounded.
Ak Muyoo seemed utterly nonchalant, as if the man he’d just tried to kill wasn’t the same person.
“You don’t know anything?”
“Ever heard of the Absolute Six Heavens?”
Mok Woo spoke bluntly.
“……I learned about them when the Sun God Temple opened in the desert.”
After staring at Mok Woo’s blunt speech for a moment, he spoke.
“There’s a persistent legend that their origin is Tian Shan.”
“What does ‘origin’ mean?”
“It means this is where the Absolute Six Heavens began. According to the legend, thousands of years ago, people who called themselves the Celestial Clan lived here, naming their land the Paradise Kingdom. The mountain was named Tian Shan because the Celestial Clan dwelled there.”
“Paradise is where good people go after death, right?”
“Exactly.”
“You mentioned Western Pure Land Plain earlier?”
Ak Muyoo turned to Luha and asked.
“Yes.”
“If you swap ‘Plain’ for ‘Land,’ it becomes Western Pure Land, so this must be the legendary Peach Blossom Paradise. Buddhism just borrowed the name. Right?”
He turned to Mok Woo and asked.
“I wouldn’t know about that.”
“So all the Absolute Six Heavens hail from the Paradise Kingdom?”
“I know that the six clans that formed the Paradise Kingdom became the Absolute Six Heavens.”
“Why did they leave for the Central Plains?”
“That I don’t know. But they left Paradise Kingdom for the Central Plains, and after hundreds of years, they became Sun Heaven, Phoenix Heaven, Nine Dragon Heaven, Purple Jade Heaven, Fear Heaven, and Shadow Heaven, embedding themselves in Central Plains history. Those same people returned to Western Pure Land Plain to obtain the gold to build the Great Golden Citadel atop the Martial God Tower.”
“The ones who built the Martial God Tower were the Absolute Six Heavens?”
Luha, who had been listening, asked.
“Yes.”
Ak Muyoo nodded.
“Amazing.”
“But are the ones who came here descendants of the Absolute Six Heavens?”
Ak Muyoo asked Mok Woo.
“I don’t know. From the Ten Heavens’ perspective, they can’t allow a force like the Absolute Six Heavens to emerge again, so they’re here preventively. The other factions hope to discover something from the Absolute Six Heavens’ old grounds.”
“You’re a descendant of Phoenix Heaven, right?”
“Yes.”
Mok Woo nodded.
“Why come here?”
“To find our roots.”
“Phoenix Heaven fell?”
“…….”
“You don’t have to say it.”
“Yes. We fell. No— we were betrayed by those who handed over everything of Phoenix Heaven.”
“You want revenge?”
“It’s the three-hundred-year grudge of Phoenix Heaven.”
“It fell three hundred years ago?”
“Yes.”
“You’re quitting the ranch work?”
“…….”
Mok Woo looked at Ak Muyoo with puzzlement. It was such an out-of-left-field question.
“Saying you’re equals means going back to being unrelated strangers.”
“You know that, so why ask?”
“When firing or saving someone, you need to be clear. You said you’d quit out of anger, but if I actually fire you, it hurts both sides. And while the old site of the Absolute Six Heavens might matter to you elders, the ranch is more precious to me. Good ranch hands like you aren’t easy to find.”
“Help us, and I’ll keep working at the ranch.”
“A deal, then?”
“Yes.”
“What do you want?”
“I want to go to the Absolute Sacred Ground.”
“You call it the Absolute Sacred Ground?”
“Yes.”
“You haven’t been?”
“I have.”
“And?”
“Couldn’t get inside.”
“It’s heavily guarded?”
“Yes.”
Ak Muyoo glanced at Luha.
—There’s a passage through the cliffs.
Luha transmitted.
“There’s another route, but if that’s been found too, there’s no way in.”
“Let’s go check it out first.”
“So you’ll keep doing ranch work?”
“Of course.”
“You don’t seem mentally prepared yet.”
“Mentally prepared…?”
“Your speech.”
“Ah! Of course, sir. I’ll work until you fire me.”
Just then, Ara and Seo Haran entered after washing up. Ak Muyoo stared at them intently.
“Why?”
“I heard esoteric rites don’t discriminate based on gender.”
“Hey! You…”
Ara pointed at Ak Muyoo with wide eyes.
“Curious?”
Seo Haran asked with a beaming smile.
“Not really.”
Ak Muyoo shook his head and looked at Mok Woo’s group.
“When do we depart?”
Mok Woo asked.
“We’ve got preparations, so three days from now.”
“Understood.”
“Ah’s coming no matter what, and you guys too, right?”
He asked, looking at Mok Bu-seong and Seo Haran.
“Give me half the treasure you find, and I’ll follow.”
Seo Haran said.
“Half?”
“Yeah.”
“If I find treasure, I’ll give it all to you.”
“No. Forget the treasure. Just grant me one favor.”
“What kind of favor?”
“Promise you will, and I’ll come.”
“You’re not planning some sexual rite with me, are you?”
“Didn’t I tell you before?”
“What?”
“My standards are sky-high.”
“……Fine, I promise.”
“Then I’ll go.”
“You?”
“I follow the Supreme One.”
Mok Bu-seong said, glancing at Ageukta.
“……Good attitude. You’ll definitely succeed. I’d bet on it.”
Ak Muyoo said with a broad smile.
“Heading down today?”
Ara asked.
“Yeah. Let’s go now.”
Ak Muyoo stood up.
The group went outside and mounted their horses.
From the ranch to Hyun Woo Pokpung Manju-ga north of Cha Cha Kingdom was about an hour’s ride. They’d left during the day on the way out without issue, but now it was late night, and the north gate was closed.
“Who goes there!”
As the group arrived at the north gate, a sharp shout came from the guard post atop the gate.
“The patriarch of Cheonjung High Citadel Merchant House.”
Ak Muyoo shouted upward.
“Huh?”
The guard’s eyes widened.
“Contact the patriarch.”
He quickly told his subordinate.
“What about the gate?”
“Open it.”
“Yes, sir.”
Soon, the gate swung open.
“Welcome.”
The guard captain bowed before Ak Muyoo’s group at the gate.
“You knew too?”
Ak Muyoo asked the guard captain.
“Knew what?”
“That the New Wind Thousand Li Revolution Clan elder colluded with the Wind Killer Clan warrior to kill me and Luha.”
“Th-that… No way.”
“It happened at my ranch. And Cha Jiwoong confessed everything before dying. Of course, he’s dead, so no proof. But listen—if anything like that happens again, I’ll burn the whole place down. Heads will roll. What’s your name?”
“I’m Omuiji.”
“Omuiji, listen well. If you meet that New Wind Thousand Li Revolution Clan elder, relay exactly what I said. And we’ll head out again in five days—keep the gate wide open. Got it?”
“Understood.”
Omuiji stood rigidly and replied.
“I like you.”
“But will I even meet that man?”
“You might not meet the elder, but you’ll see his friend tomorrow morning. I’m off.”
Ak Muyoo whipped his reins.
He and Luha’s group soon vanished into the darkness.
“Cha Jiwoong’s dead…”
The next morning at dawn, Omuiji was summoned by the patriarch of Hyun Woo Pokpung Manju-ga.
The patriarch, Manju Jeokhwa, was a heroic woman. Her hair was white, but her skin was taut, and her eyes gleamed with a fiercer light than any youth’s.
“You met the patriarch of Cheonjung High Citadel Merchant House?”
Manju Jeokhwa asked.
“Yes.”
“What did he say?”
“Well…”
“Tell me exactly as he said.”
“He claimed the New Wind Thousand Li Revolution Clan instructed a Wind Killer Clan warrior to attack him and his wife. Said Cha Jiwoong confessed it all. And…”
“What else?”
“He said he’d burn down the entire New Wind Thousand Li Revolution Clan and chop off heads. He asked me to relay that.”
“To whom?”
“He said he might not meet the elder, but he’d see the elder’s friend in the morning.”
“Ha! Hahaha! What a piece of work.”
Manju Jeokhwa burst into laughter.
“He said they’re leaving in five days?”
“Yes.”
“Bolt the gates tight.”
“…….”
“Do as I say.”
“Understood.”