Fist Demon of Mount Hua - Chapter 138

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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 137. As Much as It Empties, So It Fills—Part 3
Muk Il Gwang’s internal injuries had healed with startling speed; now he moved about with complete freedom. His recovery was terrifyingly fast.
A smile bloomed on Muk Il Gwang’s face as he swung both arms about experimentally.
Hwang Hye Ryeong watched him and spoke.
“That’s frightening!”
Muk Il Gwang’s shoulders sagged at her words, and seeing his reaction, Hwang Hye Ryeong smiled.
“Still, I’m glad you’re fully recovered.”
“Yes!”
Muk Il Gwang answered loudly, as if his shoulders had never drooped at all. Bang Jin Bo, watching him, muttered under his breath.
“He’s got it pretty bad too.”
He shook his head ruefully.
Muk Il Gwang looked fearsome enough to crush demons whole, yet he swung wildly between elation and despondence with every word Hwang Hye Ryeong uttered.
The sight was so at odds with his intimidating appearance that Bang Jin Bo felt an involuntary smirk threaten to escape. But he couldn’t laugh openly, so he had to turn away and suppress it.
They were now passing through Yueh Xi, at the edge of Anhui Province, having crossed through Hunan Province.
Anhui Province was thick with mountains, and even more abundant with lakes. Climb one ridge and suddenly an enormous lake blocked the path ahead; cross that lake and another towering mountain loomed ahead, oppressive and unyielding.
Naturally, even the same distance took far longer to traverse.
But the company did not hurry.
Hurrying wouldn’t make the lakes cross any faster, nor would it make the great mountains blocking their way simply vanish.
Once Muk Il Gwang’s internal injuries had fully healed, he dismounted and began walking, while Bang Jin Bo took his place in the saddle—news that was most welcome to Bang Jin Bo, who was already somewhat weary.
The Yueh Xi region they were passing through was famous for its tea.
The tea produced here was called Cuilan Tea, and its fragrance was deep and slightly astringent, making it popular throughout the land. Because of this, the moment they entered Yueh Xi, the air was saturated with the rich aroma of tea at every turn.
Even the Cheong Yeon Guest House, where Dam Ho had secured lodgings, was thoroughly infused with that fragrance. Upon entering, the rich tea aroma immediately lifted their spirits.
A smile crossed Hwang Hye Ryeong’s face.
They had endured quite a bit of sleeping under the stars on the journey here. Though living in the mountains made such nights less difficult, still her heart yearned to bathe in warm water.
Dam Ho had arranged for a separate building, set apart from the main inn.
“I’ll bathe first,” Hwang Hye Ryeong said.
She hurried quickly toward the bathhouse.
Muk Il Gwang said he would stay in the separate building to stand guard while she bathed.
Dam Ho and Bang Jin Bo left the two of them and headed to the dining hall first.
The dining hall held quite a number of patrons. A considerable portion of them appeared to be martial artists skilled in the martial arts.
Dam Ho and Bang Jin Bo chose a secluded corner to avoid the crowds. While Bang Jin Bo stepped up to order several dishes from a server, Dam Ho gazed out the window.
As Dam Ho understood it, there were no famous sects or martial clans in the region. Yet a good many of the people visible on the streets carried weapons.
The murmur of conversation from a nearby table drifted into his ears.
“The return of the Demon Cult, no less. This is terrible. The whole realm will soon be drenched in blood.”
“Who would say otherwise? Even I was frightened enough to purchase a sword.”
These men were not even skilled martial artists, yet they wore swords at their hips.
It was evidence of how thoroughly unsettled the common people had become by the Demon Cult’s emergence.
“Still, the Demon Cult is quite bold. To kill hundreds in Akyang, which could be called the Murim Alliance’s own stronghold—”
“Why do you think they’re called the Demon Cult in the first place? They earn that name precisely because they’re so ruthless and vicious.”
“True enough… which means the Namgoong Clan must be on high alert as well.”
The Namgoong Clan had settled in Anhui Province centuries ago. Throughout those long years, they had built their foundation steadily, and in recent times they were counted among the Five Great Clans and were renowned throughout the realm.
The Namgoong Clan was undisputed master of Anhui Province.
If the Namgoong Clan sneezed, all of Anhui Province caught a cold. Therefore, everyone living in Anhui Province kept their ears alert to any news of the Namgoong Clan’s movements.
With the Demon Cult taking center stage in history, the most furiously active place was the Namgoong Clan itself.
The Namgoong Clan divided its forces in two, dispatching one part to the Murim Alliance while tightening security around the clan headquarters. They recalled branch disciples who had been away from the family and recruited martial artists who could strengthen their ranks.
The Namgoong Clan’s influence in Anhui Province was absolute, and many flocked beneath their banner.
Because of this, Anhui Province was in considerable turmoil, and that atmosphere had seeped entirely into the guest house where Dam Ho was staying.
Bang Jin Bo spoke quietly.
“The Demon Cult must be quite formidable. Everywhere under heaven, it’s nothing but Demon Cult talk. I wonder—is there anywhere in the realm that’s safe from them?”
“Who knows?”
Dam Ho murmured, his voice hollow.
Though the realm was in an uproar over the Demon Cult’s emergence, it was not a matter of great concern to Dam Ho.
What consumed his attention most was Hwang Hye Ryeong.
His sole purpose was to deliver her safely to Hua Shan. What happened to the realm beyond that was not his concern.
Countless souls—as numerous as grains of sand on a beach—had already stepped forward to defend the Central Plain from the Demon Cult’s invasion, and many of them possessed the ability to do so.
It was precisely such people who had founded the Murim Alliance. As long as the Murim Alliance existed, there was no need for him to act.
While Dam Ho remained lost in his thoughts, the food arrived. Bang Jin Bo was the first to perk up, quickly dividing the dishes into serving bowls.
“Wow! The aroma is incredible! Please, eat, sir.”
“Mm.”
The food was indeed quite delicious, living up to Bang Jin Bo’s enthusiasm.
Dam Ho savored his food slowly, while Bang Jin Bo ate with an easy smile.
As they dined, Muk Il Gwang and Hwang Hye Ryeong entered the dining hall. Bang Jin Bo greeted them warmly.
“Welcome. The food is excellent.”
“The smell alone is wonderful.”
Hwang Hye Ryeong smiled.
After bathing, her beauty shone with an almost blinding radiance.
Her damp skin and wet hair were enough to quicken the pulse of many patrons in the inn.
A few men’s eyes glimmered with desire, but the moment Muk Il Gwang entered and they glimpsed his forbidding appearance, such thoughts vanished without a trace.
“Gasp! What a face!”
“Gulp! I thought my heart would stop.”
No matter how beautiful Hwang Hye Ryeong was, no man had the nerve to press forward past someone as fearsome as Muk Il Gwang. They only had one life to live, after all.
Hwang Hye Ryeong chewed thoughtfully as she murmured.
“It’s tasty, but it’s not quite as good as when Bang Jin Bo makes it.”
“Hehe!”
“How does Bang Jin Bo cook so well?”
Hwang Hye Ryeong asked with surprising earnestness. Bang Jin Bo’s expression grew bashful.
“I simply put care into it each time.”
“So anyone can cook well if they just work hard?”
“Are you interested in cooking?”
Hwang Hye Ryeong nodded. At that, Bang Jin Bo broke into a broad grin.
“With interest, learning isn’t so difficult. Would you like me to teach you?”
“Really?”
“We’ll be traveling together to Hua Shan anyway, and cooking isn’t really that hard.”
“Then I’m delighted. You promised?”
“Yes!”
At Bang Jin Bo’s reply, Hwang Hye Ryeong’s face brightened with delight. A smile appeared on Muk Il Gwang’s lips as well as he watched her.
“Thank you, Bang Jin Bo!”
“Think nothing of it.”
Hwang Hye Ryeong asked hesitantly.
“Is there anything you need?”
“No, but we could go to the market tonight together.”
“The market?”
“To cook well, you must first learn how to choose good ingredients. Selecting quality materials is what matters most.”
“Really?”
Hwang Hye Ryeong’s eyes sparkled with excitement.
She had visited markets many times before, but never for the purpose of selecting cooking ingredients.
Her gaze turned toward Dam Ho.
“Is it all right if we go to the market and come back? Older brother?”
“Very well.”
At Dam Ho’s permission, Hwang Hye Ryeong’s face bloomed with a brilliant smile.
“Wonderful. Let’s go shopping.”
“Hehe!”
Hwang Hye Ryeong raised her voice with excitement, and Bang Jin Bo let out his characteristic laugh.
Muk Il Gwang smiled watching the two of them.
They had invited Dam Ho to come along as well, but he quietly declined.
After finishing their meal, the three set out for the market, and Dam Ho returned to the Separate Building.
In the Courtyard of the Separate Building stood a venerable old tree, one that had grown there long before the Cheong Yeon Guest House was established.
Dam Ho settled himself beneath the tree.
With his back against the massive trunk and his eyes closed, a torrent of idle thoughts came rushing in like a flood. Dam Ho pruned away the useless musings and left only one subject in his mind.
The Dark Form Fist.
By now it was his own art, known as the way of the Solitary Practitioner.
The Dark Form Fist had demonstrated nearly flawless power in battle. Its execution of moves and destructive force were perfect in a way that few other martial arts could match.
The only weakness was that it showed limited effectiveness in one-against-many combat.
Yet even that could be overcome by varying the execution of the moves, so it was not a grave concern.
The true problem lay with the Dark Soul Heart Technique.
There had been a time before when he nearly fell into its trap, drawn by the very word “solitary practitioner,” but that had happened in an empty used bookstore where no harm came of it. If such a thing occurred during intense combat, it would be a grave crisis.
Dam Ho contemplated himself and the Dark Form Fist with deliberate care.
His body was in itself a perfect weapon. The slight limp from an old wound to his left leg’s muscles no longer posed a problem.
Through countless fights, Dam Ho had discovered how to transform the weakness of his left leg into a strength. That insight had then been woven back into the Dark Form Fist.
At least physically, there were no issues left to overcome.
The problem was the mind.
Dam Ho knew well that he was not normal.
His spirit was fundamentally broken.
The abandonment of childhood, the isolation he’d endured on Hua Shan, the tangle of broken relationships—all of it had twisted him, warping his sense of the world into a severe, one-sided imbalance.
Because of it, he thought only of himself, indifferent to the suffering of others.
Beyond the few things he held dear, he felt nothing for anything else.
A life of absolute solitude. An existence of isolation.
‘Is that why I was drawn so strongly to the word solitary practitioner?’
After the village was slaughtered, darkness had flooded his heart. It lingered even when he was with his master, even in this moment with his brother—the darkness would not lift.
The darkness was part of him, or rather, it was him.
It was impossible to purge the darkness from his heart. Above all else, Dam Ho himself had no intention of doing so.
‘What am I to do?’
Dam Ho thought, and thought again.
It was mere rumination, but he was desperate.
He had lived desperately since childhood, and even now he was thinking with that same desperation.
For him, ease meant carelessness, and carelessness meant death.
Because he knew this truth so well, he maintained constant vigilance and gave his trust to no one.
There was only one person he had ever opened his heart to: Hyun So, the Zhenren.
The moment his thoughts turned to Hyun So, a sudden, almost maddening longing seized him.
He wanted to see him smile. He wanted to hear that gentle voice.
Such feelings were new to him, and Dam Ho was bewildered.
Boom!
The Dark Soul Heart Technique suddenly surged violently.
The energy that had been rigidly controlled until now was spreading wildly, escaping all restraint.
‘Why?’
Dam Ho panicked.
At first he tried to contain it, but suppressing the runaway Dark Soul Heart Technique in one breath was beyond him.
“Ugh!”
Dam Ho’s face contorted.
Thump-thump!
Veins bulged visibly beneath his skin. His whole body convulsed, muscles seizing uncontrollably.
The sensation of his entire body being torn apart forced his mouth open in a silent scream. He had thought himself numb to pain. But this sudden onslaught revealed how wrong that belief was, stabbing through his entire being with merciless clarity.
It was as though molten lava rushed through every vein. The fierce heat seemed ready to incinerate everything within him.
Blood appeared at the corner of Dam Ho’s mouth—crimson, vivid.
It was a grave sign.
If left unchecked, he would suffer severe internal damage, or worse, he could die.
He had to suppress the runaway energy that ravaged his body.
Shudder-shudder!
But that was only Dam Ho’s wish.
The lava-like energy coursing through him invaded his mind. In an instant, consciousness began to slip away.
If he lost his senses now, his body would be consumed entirely by the Dark Soul Heart Technique.
‘Should I let go?’
It was at that moment the thought arose.
Hold the image of heaven in your heart—
Carry the weight of heaven in your mind.
When the heart moves, it commands heaven.
When a heavy heart stirs, it moves the heavens.
Suddenly a line from the Middle Heart Scripture returned to him.
A passage he had long since forgotten after mastering the Dark Soul Heart Technique.
‘When a heavy heart stirs, it moves the heavens?’
It was a line that had never made sense to him before. But in this moment, somehow, it began to crystallize.
In that instant, the voice of Hyun So came again.
—All you need is a firm heart. That alone is enough.
It was an echo born from his own mind, and Dam Ho knew this. Yet a smile bloomed on his face.
—Is it not so, Ho?
‘It is, Master.’
The master asked, and the disciple answered.

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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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