Fist Demon of Mount Hua - Chapter 147

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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 146. Laying Out the Mat and Waiting—3
The Murim Alliance was a colossal federation created to uphold justice throughout the Jianghu. Yet the truth was that without an Alliance Leader at its helm, it struggled to wield its full strength in unified purpose.
One could not become Alliance Leader merely by possessing formidable martial prowess. Character and powerful leadership were absolute necessities.
There were many strong martial artists with the capacity to lead, but most of them served as Sect Leaders of their own schools.
A Sect Leader could not simultaneously serve as Alliance Leader. The Alliance Leader had to remain unbound to any sect. Otherwise, he might prioritize his own sect’s interests over the greater cause.
Given these circumstances, selecting an Alliance Leader proved fraught with difficulty.
To find a figure of formidable martial skill unaffiliated with the great sects like the Nine Great Sects or Five Great Clans—while simultaneously possessing the capacity for powerful leadership—was no simple task.
Hundreds of candidates were nominated and rejected.
After eliminating roughly hundreds of individuals, only one remained at last.
Nam Cheon San, the Divine Spear.
Nam Cheon San was the sole master and contemporary Sect Leader of the Divine Spear Sect, a school of single transmission.
Having no disciples, he bore no entanglement in sectarian interests. And his martial skill was formidable enough to warrant the title Divine Spear.
Nam Cheon San ranked among the top ten supreme masters in the Jianghu—a man with every qualification to lead the Murim Alliance.
The elders of the Murim Alliance sought him out and beseeched him to become their Alliance Leader. At first, Nam Cheon San refused their offer.
He argued that he was a martial artist devoted to the Way of Martial Arts, not a man of sufficient caliber to lead an organization as transcendent as the Murim Alliance.
Yet despite his refusal, the elders returned a third time, a fourth time, imploring him to protect the justice of the Jianghu. At last, he had no choice but to accept the position of Alliance Leader.
Thus Nam Cheon San became Alliance Leader of the Murim Alliance.
Through a similar process, Vice Alliance Leader fell to Jo Ui Myeong, a master of the Point Spear Sect, known as the Violent Wind Divine Fist.
The reasoning was that someone from the Nine Great Sects should occupy a position of authority.
For the same reason, Namgoong Chang of the Namgoong Clan was appointed Military Strategist.
They had taken on the grave responsibility of defending Jungyeon against the invasion of the Demonic Cult.
The Alliance Leader’s residence was the largest and most magnificent among all the halls of the Murim Alliance. Nam Cheon San sat upon its main seat.
Nam Cheon San was over fifty years of age, yet his powerful Internal Energy made his appearance seem no older than the late thirties.
Had someone unfamiliar with him seen Nam Cheon San, they might have mistaken him for a scholar, so refined were his features and so impressively groomed his beard.
On Nam Cheon San’s left sat a broad-shouldered man in his late forties, a large sabre at his hip. This was Jo Ui Myeong, the Vice Alliance Leader.
Opposite Jo Ui Myeong sat Namgoong Chang.
Deep into the night, the three leaders of the Murim Alliance gathered in conference.
Nam Cheon San smiled as he regarded Jo Ui Myeong and Namgoong Chang.
“I am far from adequate to this heavy responsibility. I ask for your considerable assistance going forward.”
“Assistance? Hardly necessary. Of course we must support the Alliance Leader and drive the Demonic Cult from these lands.”
Jo Ui Myeong struck his chest with a loud thump and bellowed.
A faint smile played at Nam Cheon San’s lips.
Jo Ui Myeong was a natural martial man who preferred action to deliberation.
From Nam Cheon San’s perspective, he was certainly easy to manage. Namgoong Chang, seated opposite, was a more troublesome counterpart.
Namgoong Chang’s alias was Eyes That Perceive a Thousand Miles.
His intellect and insight were correspondingly sharp.
A man of keen mind is more difficult to handle than a man of keen blade. By that measure, Namgoong Chang was an exceedingly thorny opponent.
Moreover, unlike Nam Cheon San—who came from obscurity—Namgoong Chang had the formidable backing of the Namgoong Clan, one of the Five Great Clans.
Nam Cheon San could not afford to treat him with careless ease. Yet he concealed his true thoughts carefully and continued.
“First, I would hear the Military Strategist’s counsel. How might we make most efficient use of the Murim Alliance’s strength?”
“First, we must establish an organization to oversee intelligence.”
“Intelligence?”
“Indeed. To understand the movements of the Demonic Cult, we must first possess superior intelligence. Only then can we respond with speed.”
“Do continue.”
Nam Cheon San’s expression showed genuine interest.
Namgoong Chang’s face remained composed as he laid out his thoughts.
“Throughout Jungyeon there are sects that deal in intelligence—buying and selling information. Each sect has its strengths and weaknesses. The Open Faction, for instance, possesses the most abundant intelligence. Yet without capable analysts, much of it goes to waste. The Ha-O Sect, conversely, gathers accurate information but lacks the breadth of the Open Faction, their intelligence often fragmentary.”
Namgoong Chang explained in detail the strengths and weaknesses of the intelligence sects he knew to Nam Cheon San.
Nam Cheon San listened intently and found himself convinced.
“You speak truly, Military Strategist. But how should we create an organization to consolidate such intelligence? As you know, building such a structure in a short time would be no trivial feat.”
“Indeed. Building an intelligence apparatus from nothing would be nearly impossible.”
A smile crossed Namgoong Chang’s lips—the sort of smile that sent a chill down one’s spine.
“Therefore, I propose that we absorb an existing sect.”
“Absorb an existing sect?”
A deep furrow appeared between Nam Cheon San’s brows.
“Is such a thing feasible?”
“It is possible—in times of crisis such as these.”
“Does the Military Strategist have a particular sect in mind?”
“I recommend the Ha-O Sect.”
“The Ha-O Sect? Not the Open Faction?”
“The Open Faction is far too vast and sprawling for us to absorb carelessly. Moreover, the Open Faction’s Sect Leader wields influence comparable to the Nine Great Sects themselves. We might request their cooperation, but absorbing them entirely is nothing but a fool’s dream. The Ha-O Sect, however, is different.”
“Different? In what way?”
“For one, they lack the exceptional martial prowess that the Open Faction possesses. They’re a naturally formed organization born from the common people’s need to protect themselves.”
“Hmm.”
“We needn’t absorb the entire Ha-O Sect. We need only recruit a few of their leaders.”
“And the advantage?”
“We can gather intelligence without sacrificing our own forces. Since they’re essentially living wretched lives in the lower rungs anyway, we can expend them without hesitation.”
“I see…….”
Nam Cheon San’s face darkened at Namgoong Chang’s blunt words.
No matter the cause they served, the casual way he spoke of human lives as disposable struck a chord of revulsion in him.
It was then that Jo Ui Myeong interjected into their conversation.
“I concur with the Military Strategist’s assessment. War with the Demonic Cult is imminent. Even if we unite the full strength of the entire Murim, I cannot guarantee victory. In such circumstances, to allow personal sentiment to cloud our judgment and jeopardize the Greater Cause would be foolish. We must exploit every resource at our disposal.”
“Hmm.”
Nam Cheon San exhaled slowly.
His values could not accept what they were expressing so casually.
“To preserve the greater, one must be willing to sacrifice the lesser. The Alliance Leader is not merely an individual—you hold the fate of the entire Murim in your hands. The future of Jianghu will shift according to whatever choice you make.”
“Hmm.”
“Walk the path of a hero. If sacrificing ten, a hundred, or even a thousand lives saves ten thousand, then that person is a hero. You have been chosen to be the hero who will deliver Jianghu from the brink of destruction. I urge you to make a wise decision.”
With those words, Namgoong Chang fell silent. Jo Ui Myeong did the same.
Their silence bore down like a tremendous weight.
Only then did Nam Cheon San understand.
‘They wanted a scapegoat to bury in blood.’
Nam Cheon San closed his eyes.
For the first time, he regretted becoming the Alliance Leader of the Murim.
＊＊＊
Dam Ho stared down at his own hands. The callused knuckles, worn and hardened, resembled nails driven into wood. They were rough hands, unmarked by any grace or nobility.
His fists were deadlier than any weapon forged in the world. Countless lives had already vanished beneath them like morning dew.
In merely a few months since entering Jianghu, the number of people who had died by his hand exceeded several hundred. And he could not begin to imagine how many more he would kill in the days to come.
His life was threaded through with struggle.
Fighting to survive, fighting to master martial arts, fighting to live…….
Perhaps he would spend his entire life fighting.
Yet Dam Ho harbored no regret.
This too was his life.
‘I will fight until my last breath.’
As Dam Ho’s gaze sank into that dark contemplation, a familiar voice reached his ears.
“Brother!”
It was Bang Jin Bo’s voice.
Bang Jin Bo appeared beyond the iron bars, a bundle in his hands. Hwang Hye Ryeong followed close behind him.
Bang Jin Bo, who was as near as a blood brother. And Hwang Hye Ryeong, his own flesh and blood.
Their arrival traced a fine crack across Dam Ho’s otherwise impassive face.
“What brings you here?”
“Hehe!”
Rather than answering, Bang Jin Bo laughed and thrust the bundle toward him.
“What is it?”
“Meal for you, brother.”
“…….”
“A proper meal won’t come from the prison kitchen. Please, eat.”
“Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it. It’s only natural—I’m your brother, after all.”
“Right.”
Dam Ho nodded and accepted the bundle.
As he unwrapped it, a Wooden Food Container emerged. Inside lay food that Bang Jin Bo had prepared with care.
“Please eat, brother.”
“Right.”
Dam Ho nodded and picked up chopsticks.
Hwang Hye Ryeong gazed at the two of them in a daze.
Watching Dam Ho and Bang Jin Bo together stirred something strange in her chest—a heavy, wordless ache.
Pitter-patter.
Tears streamed down her cheeks.
‘Why am I like this?’
She hastily wiped her tears away with her sleeve.
Her eyes reddened almost instantly, veins blooming crimson. But fortunately, she stood in the shadow behind Bang Jin Bo, and the darkness concealed her tears.
‘Why? Why at all?’
It was as though fog had settled over her mind.
Something hovered at the edge of memory, yet the veil obscured everything, leaving only blur.
Then Jo Yoon San’s words returned to her.
—Ah, you weren’t born into the Green Forest, so it shouldn’t matter to you, should it?
In an instant, her thoughts tangled like a knot of thread pulled in all directions.
Hwang Hye Ryeong shook her head.
A hazy image flickered across her mind.
A small girl, a boy tending to her, and a strange middle-aged couple….
“Ah!”
Too faint to make out their faces. Yet her chest tightened.
‘What is this?’
Her legs trembled; she couldn’t stand.
Without a word, she turned and walked outside.
Dam Ho, still eating, watched Hwang Hye Ryeong suddenly leave. He didn’t know why she’d gone out, but something about it troubled him.
Dam Ho set down his chopsticks.
“Is something wrong? Is the food not to your taste?”
“No, it’s quite delicious.”
“Then why—?”
Bang Jin Bo’s expression fell. He wondered if the dish he’d prepared lacked flavor.
“There’s something I must tell you.”
“Yes?”
Bang Jin Bo answered quickly, sensing gravity in Dam Ho’s tone.
“A crisis will come.”
“A crisis?”
“A great battle will break out.”
Bang Jin Bo’s eyes widened. He didn’t waste time with foolish questions like “How do you know?” Dam Ho never spoke in idle words.
“When the fighting comes, take Hye Ryeong and flee to the safest place you can find.”
“Yes.”
“Trust no one. Only Hye Ryeong and Il-gwang.”
“I will.”
“Tell the same to Il-gwang.”
“Understood.”
Bang Jin Bo nodded firmly as he spoke.
Dam Ho closed his eyes.
The air in the mountain lodge shimmered with heat. He knew all too well what that meant.
‘Blood Chaos is beginning.’

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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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