Fist Demon of Mount Hua - Chapter 142

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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 142. Those Who Forget the Past, Those Who Cannot—Part One
Cho Yeon Woon had gone rigid.
His face, which ordinarily never lost its smile, now wore only a stiff, forced grin.
“Ha-ha!”
An awkward laugh squeezed past his lips. At this, the middle-aged man standing before him—his hair disheveled as a magpie’s nest and his clothes tattered beyond counting—narrowed his brows slightly and spoke.
“You find this amusing?”
“No, sir.”
With his answer, Cho Yeon Woon lowered his head.
Though Cho Yeon Woon feared nothing in all the world, there was one exception—the man standing before him.
Everything about him defied convention: the wild tangle of his hair, the rags wound around his body a hundred times over, and the great dao blade hanging at his waist. Not a single element seemed ordinary.
What was most striking, however, were the eyes hidden beneath that unkempt hair.
Despite his middle years, those eyes burned with vigor and confidence. Perhaps because of this, he appeared far younger than his age suggested.
The man’s name was Jang Il San.
He was the man who had once shaken the Jianghu with the great title “Demon Slaying Divine Blade”—a legend of his own making.
He was the Sect Leader of the Baekjeon Sect, the master of the Baekjeon Undefeated Record, and Cho Yeon Woon’s own teacher.
For all his fearlessness elsewhere, Cho Yeon Woon could not straighten his spine in the presence of his master, Jang Il San.
Jang Il San regarded Cho Yeon Woon with an expression of utter dismay. The weight of that gaze made Cho Yeon Woon bow his head in retreat.
“Tsk! So. Let me hear it then. You’re telling me this Kwon Ma is your friend?”
“Yes, Master.”
“The very man the Murim Alliance has publicly marked as an enemy?”
“Yes, Master.”
“Good heavens.”
At Cho Yeon Woon’s brazen reply, Jang Il San clicked his tongue and shook his head in disbelief.
“I ordered you to track the Demonic Cult, and instead you’ve befriended an Evil Martial Artist.”
“It… simply happened that way, Master.”
“Damn fool!”
“My apologies.”
“Never mind. If the bond is already made, there’s little point in further words. But hear this and remember it well: once you’ve given your heart, commit yourself wholly to that friendship. Never, ever allow yourself to regret it.”
“I shall remember, Master.”
A smile bloomed at the corner of Cho Yeon Woon’s mouth. At once, Jang Il San’s massive fist came down and rapped him soundly on the head.
Thunk!
“Ow! Master, if you keep that up, you’ll make me stupid!”
“As if there’s room for further decline?”
A helpless laugh escaped him.
Cho Yeon Woon’s face crumpled like paper.
Jang Il San let out a dry chuckle at the sight—but it faded just as quickly, and his expression grew serious once more.
Only then did Cho Yeon Woon shed his playfulness and regard his master with proper attention.
Until now, they had indulged in the warmth of reunion between master and disciple. From this moment forward, they would speak of weightier matters.
“Your days ahead will grow busy.”
“I understand.”
“There is much work that awaits you.”
“I am prepared.”
Jang Il San’s eyes sharpened to a keen edge.
“The Demonic Cult is formidable.”
“Yes, Master.”
“More formidable than anything you can imagine. Thirty years ago, we were fortunate enough to drive them back, but do not expect such fortune to favor us again.”
In Jang Il San’s voice lay an undercurrent of cold dread.
Though he had become the Sect Leader and might have rested on his laurels, Jang Il San had not squandered a single day, pouring himself into cultivation without cease.
It stemmed from his conviction that the Demonic Cult would one day return.
“When the Demonic Cult emerges once more, chaos will sweep through the realm. Many will die. Many will suffer.”
“But didn’t we vanquish them thirty years ago? We can do so again.”
“That victory was born of fortune alone.”
“Master?”
Doubt flickered across Cho Yeon Woon’s face.
Jang Il San had stood at the forefront of that war against the Demonic Cult thirty years past. He had shed more blood than any other, and slaughtered countless Evil Martial Artists.
His blade never went a day without blood upon it; he had fought without respite, day after day.
From those trials had come his legendary title: Demon Slaying Divine Blade.
The martial sect that arose from those who followed him had become the Baekjeon Sect of the present day.
That such a man would now speak of the Demonic Cult with such dread seemed impossible to comprehend.
Yet, when he thought about it, Jang Il San had always been this way.
He had always lived in fear of the Demonic Cult, forever trying to keep them in check. At times, his vigilance bordered on excess. Cho Yeon Woon would watch him and wonder.
The master he knew was a man who had reason to fear no one.
Jang Il San gripped Cho Yeon Woon’s shoulders with both hands.
“Yeon Woon.”
“Yes, Master.”
“You must grow stronger.”
“Sir?”
“Stronger still—so that you can protect the Baekjeon Undefeated Record at all costs.”
“I understand.”
Cho Yeon Woon nodded vigorously.
Jang Il San turned and muttered to himself.
“If only the Divine Sect would lend their aid once more…….”
“The Divine Sect?”
Cho Yeon Woon tilted his head at words he’d never heard before. But Jang Il San had already stepped out through the door.
Cho Yeon Woon tilted his head.
“Who are the Divine Sect?”
＊＊＊
Slice! Slice!
Before Bang Jin Bo’s eyes, the massive carcass of a freshly butchered ox was being methodically broken down. He watched intently as the meat was carved into convenient portions piece by piece.
Witnessing the slaughter of living cattle and pigs had been shocking. But nothing could dampen Bang Jin Bo’s curiosity about cooking.
As Bang Jin Bo observed the meat being sectioned, he nodded to himself.
“So that’s how you break down the joints. Yes! You turn it like that, sever the tendons, and the bone comes right free.”
At the sight of Bang Jin Bo exclaiming and murmuring to himself, the Green Forest Bandits nearby burst into laughter.
“Ha! Is butchering a cow really so fascinating?”
“Heh! I just love cooking, you see.”
“Then you cook well?”
“A little.”
“Is that so?”
The bandit who’d spoken glanced over, his eyes bright with interest.
Bang Jin Bo still had the bundle of pastries strapped to his back. The sight of him was somewhat comical, yet there was something oddly earnest about it as well.
“Hey!”
The bandit suddenly called over to his companion who was holding the ox.
“What?”
“Give this fellow a knife.”
“What do you mean?”
“This chubby lad seems eager to learn how to break down joints and trim meat.”
“What’s the use of learning such things?”
“Don’t argue—just give him the knife and teach him. It’s not exactly difficult.”
“Fine.”
The middle-aged man holding the meat nodded at his friend’s insistence.
“Come here, fatty.”
“Yes!”
Bang Jin Bo rushed forward with excitement.
“Tsk! What’s he so pleased about? What’s so good about cutting meat.”
The bandits watching shook their heads. But Bang Jin Bo paid them no mind and asked eagerly.
“How should I start?”
“First, we’ll work on breaking down the torso. Take this large blade.”
“Yes!”
Bang Jin Bo hefted the broad ladle.
It was sharpened so well that its edge gleamed with an icy blue light.
“Be careful. If you handle it carelessly, you could slice off your own fingers.”
“Understood!”
“Insert the blade between the ribs here. Then turn it gently like this…….”
Bang Jin Bo moved the ladle exactly as the butcher instructed.
Scrape! Scrape!
The sound of meat being carved rang out crisply.
“Good! Now sever the tendons there.”
“Like this?”
“Exactly! Then turn it the other way and work it between the bones. Once you apply pressure…….”
Pop!
One of the ribs supporting the ox’s chest cavity snapped free.
“That’s it! You’ve got the touch.”
Bang Jin Bo smiled at the man’s praise.
Slice, slice!
Each movement of the ladle broke down the meat into choice cuts, ready to eat.
“That’s the tenderloin—it runs along the inside of the ribs, tender meat with excellent flavor. Commit it to memory.”
“Yes!”
“Next comes the neck. The meat’s thick there, so the blade won’t penetrate easily—you’ll need to be especially careful.”
“Don’t worry about me.”
“Right, just like that—push the blade in and work along the spine, nice and steady…….”
Bang Jin Bo nodded, all his focus narrowing to the blade in his hands.
Slice! Slice!
Sweat drenched his entire body within moments.
Breaking down a massive ox was far from easy. His hands trembled, his breath came fast and labored.
But Bang Jin Bo never paused.
A bright smile had spread across his face, and the Green Forest Bandits erupted in chatter at the sight.
“Look at him. He’s having that much fun cutting raw meat?”
“I know! He’s actually smiling!”
Whatever they said, Bang Jin Bo kept his concentration fixed at his fingertips, slicing with precision.
Thunk!
When he finally set down the ladle, the massive ox lay before him in perfectly portioned sections.
He had dismantled the entire creature with his own strength alone.
“Phew!”
Bang Jin Bo wiped the sweat from his brow with his sleeve.
His whole body was spent, barely able to keep standing, yet his chest swelled with the satisfaction of having accomplished something great.
“Well done. You worked hard.”
The man who had taught Bang Jin Bo the art of butchering gave his shoulder a pat.
“Hehe!”
“What a character you are.”
“Do you all cook the meals too?”
“The women handle the cooking.”
Before he’d finished speaking, the women who had been waiting nearby began loading the finely cut meat into baskets.
“So you want to learn cooking too?”
“Yes!”
“I had a feeling. Follow those women over there.”
“I’m allowed to?”
“Wouldn’t you have tagged along anyway, whether I said yes or no?”
“Hehe!”
“Go on then! Those women saw how well you handled the meat—they won’t object.”
“Thank you.”
“What’s there to thank me for?”
“I learned a valuable skill from you. I won’t forget it, and I’ll put it to good use.”
“Nothing so grand about it, really. Now get going.”
“Yes!”
Bang Jin Bo bowed respectfully to the man, then followed after the women.
His heart was racing.
‘Hehe! I wonder what kind of dishes they make at the stronghold?’
The mere prospect of learning new cooking methods filled Bang Jin Bo with joy.
“Come along with us.”
“Hehe!”
The women surrounded Bang Jin Bo and burst into laughter.
Watching them, the Green Forest Bandits murmured among themselves.
“Can he really be that happy?”
“Who would’ve thought it?”
“All the same, I’m looking forward to dinner. Wonder what kind of cooking we’ll see tonight.”
As the people laughed and chattered, it happened.
Suddenly a messenger bird flew down over the stronghold.
“Oh, a carrier bird.”
It had flown in from the village below Hua Shan.
The bird flew straight toward Hwang Kyung Moon’s quarters.

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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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