Ascension of the Heavenly Demon - Chapter 303

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

Chapter 303

Ok Hwan and Zhuge Munhyeon sat on Cheongga Plain and conversed for a long time.

They exchanged what each had gained, adding small depths to their own enlightenment.

From Jin Yalim’s silent perspective, it was nothing but nonsense.

What on earth were they talking about…?

When their conversation ended, Ok Hwan hurriedly returned to the palace quarters.

Because enlightenment is not the end.

Consolidation.

And preparation to advance on a new path.

Clench.

After Ok Hwan left, Zhuge Munhyeon suddenly clenched his fist.

The power he felt within his clenched hand.

It was different from before.

The spirit energy faintly mixed within his internal energy was leading him to a new realm.

‘Unity… In the end, does the culmination of yin and yang lead to the supreme ultimate, and then to primordial unity?’

The primordial stage.

The crystallization of power born most purely without separation.

Perhaps it meant entering nature’s primordial moment, he thought.

Humans can imitate lightning but cannot become lightning, can imitate wind but cannot become wind.

“Yalim.”

“Yes?”

“Thank you.”

“…”

At his smiling words, Jin Yalim wore a dazed expression for a while.

What was he thankful for?

Was it because he had watched over him without killing him while he was in meditation?

But Father had ordered it…

He felt strangely guilty for having briefly thought of harming him while he was defenseless.

“Ah, that… I actually didn’t intend to do that.”

Though he tried to make excuses belatedly, Zhuge Munhyeon lightly patted his shoulder and said,

“I’ll teach you later too.”

“…What?”

At Jin Yalim’s puzzled expression as he tilted his head and looked at him, Zhuge Munhyeon only smiled silently.

He wouldn’t know.

What he had gained.

It was also fate.

If he hadn’t met him, if he hadn’t learned the martial art called Mokmaekjamryu, he would have gained nothing even after seeing Ok Hwan’s plum blossoms.

So he would teach.

Him too.

Though what he gained would be different, if it was him who had unknowingly mixed his innate spirit energy and internal energy, it would surely be of great help.

‘Does this mean… I’m getting a disciple who’s a former bandit?’

He chuckled.

Somehow it felt like his disciples kept increasing.

“Let’s go. We have a long way to go.”

“…Where are we going?”

“Hm?”

“You said we have a long way to go.”

“Ah…”

Perhaps the meaning of the path he spoke of and the path Jin Yalim spoke of were different.

“Hahaha! You rascal.”

Zhuge Munhyeon laughed heartily and shook his head as he took the lead.

The path of cultivation.

He had already gotten permission from Ok Hwan.

Asking if there was a quiet place on Huashan where he could train.

Ok Hwan, who knew that Zhuge Munhyeon also needed a place to consolidate his enlightenment just as he did, pondered briefly then recommended the ‘retreat.’

A place to temporarily withdraw from daily life and train quietly.

Ok Hwan, who had already arrived at the palace quarters first, would have made contact.

“Hurry and follow. I told you we have a long way to go.”

“…”

At his urging words, Jin Yalim scowled.

Long my ass…

The constant smiling, and the incomprehensible muttering too.

After having that philosophical dialogue with the Taoist, he seemed to think he was a Taoist himself.

‘Ugh, if it weren’t for Father’s orders.’

Jin Yalim grumbled as he trudged after the ‘Taoist-ized’ Zhuge Munhyeon.

* * *

Huashan Mountain Retreat.

Retreat means staying in a quiet place away from the secular world.

It means leaving noisy places, but it also means finding the quietude within oneself.

It was exactly what Zhuge Munhyeon needed right now.

“Welcome. The Sect Leader personally contacted us and told us to serve you without any shortcomings. Infinite Life Buddha.”

Hyeonseong, the Taoist who managed the retreat, bowed his head respectfully.

“I am Zhuge Munhyeon. This is Jin Yalim.”

“I am aware.”

“This is a good place.”

After finishing greetings, Zhuge Munhyeon looked around with a smile.

It wasn’t a place that could be called a magnificent scenic view.

There was just a small cave with its mouth open on the mountain slope.

In front of the cave spread a small clearing, and beyond that, with nothing to obstruct the view, the winding mountains could be seen at a glance.

It was quite far from Huashan’s main temple grounds, and with almost no human presence, no worldly traces could be felt.

What came on the wind was only the clear calls of mountain birds, and even that seemed to blend into the quietude, as if one step removed from the world.

“Shall I stay and assist you?”

At Hyeonseong’s words, Zhuge Munhyeon shook his head.

“No. For now, I’d like to stay alone and spend time.”

“Understood. Then I’ll tell the disciples to bring food supplies once every three days.”

“Thank you.”

“Please tell the disciples who come and go if you need anything more.”

“Thank you repeatedly for your consideration. To Master Hyeonseong and to the Sect Leader as well. Also, please tell my comrades staying on Huashan that I need personal time, so if other matters arise, they may leave first.”

“Not at all… May you regain quietude and achieve great enlightenment. Infinite Life Buddha.”

Hyeonseong smiled gently, bowed, and left the retreat.

Only Zhuge Munhyeon and Jin Yalim remained.

It seemed as if only they were left in the vast ocean that was Huashan.

“Um… what exactly are you planning to do here? You said we had a long way to go.”

At Jin Yalim’s casual question, Zhuge Munhyeon chuckled and said,

“Training.”

“What?”

“From now on, we’re going to train.”

“…”

Jin Yalim’s eyes, which had been staring blankly, gradually narrowed.

Do what?

Training?

Was that what he meant by a long journey?

‘Wait, so he’s telling me to guard the outside while he trains? This is what I get for being nice to him! Am I his bodyguard? That young bastard!’

Of course, Zhuge Munhyeon hadn’t said any such thing.

It was just that his inner fury had reached such heights that his thoughts naturally went there.

But he forced a smile and asked again.

“H-how long will it take?”

“I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?”

“A few days if it’s short? A year if it’s long? Or maybe much longer than that?”

“….”

“Anyway, that’s how it is. So if you get bored, feel free to visit the village or return to Green Forest. When my training is finished and I’ve established myself, I’ll come find you. I need to teach you too.”

Zhuge Munhyeon smiled brightly and without further delay stepped into the cave of the retreat.

There was much to do.

While sudden enlightenment was one thing, if he was going to train properly, he needed to set up barrier formations around the retreat.

It would be troublesome if yokai, gwi, or spirits drawn by the spiritual energy released during training came looking.

Jin Yalim could only stare blankly, speechless, as he disappeared into the cave.

That bastard!

He couldn’t grab him by the hair and argue with him.

Who asked to be taught?

Why is he deciding everything on his own and acting crazy?

And telling him to leave?

Leave?

If he left?

His father, the Nokrim Chongpyopalja, would be so pleased!

“Damn it….”

Anyway, those Zhuge Family bastards, why did they raise their child to be so brazen?

As befits a scholarly family, they should have him focus on learning, so why did they teach him martial arts and create such a monster?

Jin Yalim stood there dazed for a long while before finally sighing.

“Those bastards, if they’re going to lend out a place, they could at least chop some firewood.”

Left alone, he had nothing particular to do.

Crack! Crack!

Under his grumbling hands, the piled wood was split and organized in one place, and the clearing was swept clean of dust.

What choice did he have?

He had received orders to stay by Zhuge Munhyeon’s side and become close to him, so that’s what he had to do.

He would stay at the retreat and tend to him(?), and wait while doing the training he’d been lacking recently.

Thus he began his life in the small cottage built in the clearing outside the cave.

Cooking rice, doing laundry… Damn. How did life come to this?

I’m a Green Forest Heavenly Star….

How many days had passed like this?

It was around the time he was feeling bored because Zhuge Munhyeon, doing whatever training he was doing in the cave, wouldn’t come out at all.

“Damn, doesn’t he even eat?”

Jin Yalim had finished eating alone and was about to do the dishes when a guest arrived.

“Leader Jin.”

It was Mujin and Dan Yeonhwa.

“…Who’s a leader?”

“Weren’t you?”

“Heavenly Star! Green Forest Heavenly Star!”

“Ah… It seems to be something different.”

“Obviously different! What do you take a Green Forest Heavenly Star for!”

Did he need someone to vent his anger on?

Or was it because he’d had no one to talk to all this time?

It was probably the latter.

The only person around was one Huashan disciple who came once every three days to bring food supplies.

Meanwhile, it was hard to become close with him.

Somehow Taoists felt off-putting.

But Mujin felt a bit different.

Should he say that despite being a Wudang Taoist, he had an atmosphere like a vicious evil master from the unorthodox faction?

Uncharacteristically, his eyes were pitch black too….

Meanwhile, Dan Yeonhwa’s beauty shone brighter with each passing day, making the retreat, where he’d been living practically alone, feel bright in an instant.

“Don’t scold me for nothing. Then I’ll call you Young Master Jin.”

“For nothing?”

“Isn’t that right? Now we’re in a position of staying under the same master….”

“Who has the same master, you bastard!”

“Huh? Wasn’t that the case? From what I could see, it was only called kidnapping in words, but Young Master Munhyeon seemed quite pleased.”

“What?”

“It seems Young Master Jin is also material that could become a close friend and disciple.”

“C-close friend and disciple?”

“That’s right. We who were chosen as both friends and disciples have that kind of relationship with Young Master Munhyeon.”

Even though he was a bandit, his learning wasn’t lacking, so he understood the meaning, but somehow it sounded even more unpleasant.

This kind of close friend and disciple thing, who was he calling a close friend and disciple?

“But Young Master Munhyeon is… in the cave? I heard from the Sect Leader that he would be training.”

“That’s right.”

“Hmm, then we’ll have to wait.”

“What a pain. You two have been holding hands and wandering around together, so what are you waiting for?”

“….”

At Jin Yalim’s scornful rebuke, Mujin seemed inwardly stung and subtly averted his gaze while changing the subject.

“Ahem! Anyway, having become disciples, we can’t leave our master behind. From now on, we’ll live together.”

“Together?”

“That’s right.”

When he nodded, Jin Yalim laughed loudly.

“Forget it, get lost. I’m enough to tend to(?) Young Master Zhuge alone.”

“What?”

“Don’t you see that cottage over there? It’s cramped even for one person. It’s too much for you two lovebirds to stay as well.”

“That may be so… but it wouldn’t be right to leave our master only to Young Master Jin.”

“I said it’s fine, didn’t I?”

“Oh no, that won’t do. We can just build another cottage. Trees are everywhere around here.”

“Why are you being so unnecessarily stubborn? I’m telling you one person is enough here.”

“Let’s not do this. Young Master Munhyeon would want us to get along well too.”

“Getting along well….”

Jin Yalim kept grumbling.

Since it seemed like their conversation wouldn’t end, Dan Yeonhwa intervened.

From the way he was talking, Jin Yalim seemed to have been bored too.

He seemed to be somewhat enjoying the conversation… it was a woman’s intuition.

“Brother Jin.”

“Yes?”

Jin Yalim, who had been grumbling, unconsciously spoke respectfully.

“Brother. From what I can see, Master seems to want to keep Brother Jin by his side too. Why don’t we live together this time, train, and become close? It would be nice.”

“….”

“It’s fine, right?”

Since ancient times, no one can resist a beauty’s smile.

And she called him older brother…

He knew there was no chance of a connection with her, but since ancient times, birds of a feather flock together, and she might have sisters… ah, but she was an only daughter.

Jin Yalim nodded with a reluctant expression.

At least she was smiling, wasn’t she?

He didn’t want to be the shameless type who spits in a smiling face.

“Dan Mae, calling me older brother is a bit…”

Of course, Mujin, feeling jealous, subtly tried to intervene.

And so the three of them, bickering yet staying together at the retreat, came to the day when a new small cottage was built.

“Hmm, I’m really so curious about what you’re doing that I can’t stand it.”

“…?”

An old man had appeared at the retreat.

His face was full of mischief.

But in front of the clearing was a cliff.

Could someone really shoot up from that sheer precipice where no end was visible…?

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