Fist Demon of Mount Hua - Chapter 174

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

Chapter 174. Even a howling wind cannot erase the scent of blood—2
Jong Ri Yeon’s pupils trembled.
Dam Ho lay before her, his body torn apart like a tattered rag, ravaged beyond recognition.
Most critical of all was the wound across his chest.
A broken blade was still lodged in his chest, having pierced through his lung and protruding from his back. If she pulled it out carelessly, the catastrophic hemorrhage that would follow would be unstoppable—he would bleed to death.
Even Jong Ri Yeon, known as the Divine Healer, trembled at the thought of touching such a grave wound. Yet she could not simply stand by and watch.
No matter how superhuman Dam Ho’s constitution was, no matter how his body had been trained beyond the limits of ordinary flesh, if left untreated, death was inevitable.
“Huff! There’s no other choice.”
Jong Ri Yeon steeled her resolve and drew a deep breath.
She and Dam Ho were now in a nameless cave deep in the remote hills of northern Anhui Province.
Fearing pursuit by the Namgoong Clan, she could not venture into towns or anywhere people gathered. Because of this, obtaining the medicinal herbs necessary to treat Dam Ho’s wounds was utterly impossible.
Jong Ri Yeon withdrew a wooden case containing silver needles from her robes. This was all she had at her disposal.
With a single silver needle, she had to save Dam Ho’s life. Even if she could not achieve complete healing, she had to at least keep him breathing.
“You must live. Come on, Jong Ri Yeon. You can do this!”
Jong Ri Yeon encouraged herself as she gazed down at Dam Ho.
His face was deathly pale, drained of all color. Even though he had lost consciousness, his lips remained firmly sealed.
“It will be all right. He’s strong.”
Murmuring this, Jong Ri Yeon grasped the broken blade lodged in Dam Ho’s chest with her small, pale hand. Then she pulled with all her strength.
Whoosh!
As the smooth blade came free, an enormous torrent of blood erupted like a fountain.
Jong Ri Yeon quickly discarded the blade and began applying pressure to Dam Ho’s open wound.
First, she located the blood acupuncture points. With most wounds, pressing these points alone would stop the bleeding. But Dam Ho’s wound was too large, too deep—the blood would not stem easily.
Jong Ri Yeon’s pale hands were soon soaked in blood.
Dam Ho’s already pallid face turned even whiter. If the bleeding continued much longer at this rate, there would be no saving his life.
“I have to stop the blood. Now.”
In desperate focus, Jong Ri Yeon suddenly tore off her outer robe.
Rip!
She shredded the fabric and stuffed it into Dam Ho’s wound. The blood that had been spraying out like a fountain finally slowed.
Without losing the moment, Jong Ri Yeon began stitching Dam Ho’s wound. First she sealed the punctured lung, then she stitched closed the wounds across his chest and back.
Jong Ri Yeon, without pause, began inserting silver needles across Dam Ho’s entire body.
The Life-Death Suspended Soul Needle.
The same acupuncture technique she had deployed to save Gwak Yeon, she now deployed upon Dam Ho.
Employing the Life-Death Suspended Soul Needle was itself a great gamble for Jong Ri Yeon. The technique had been created to save Gwak Yeon, not designed for someone like Dam Ho.
Yet she had no choice.
Ordinarily, she would have needed to administer pre-prepared medicinal herbs while performing the technique three times in succession. But she had neither the time nor the herbs.
Jong Ri Yeon carefully deployed the Life-Death Suspended Soul Needle.
Dam Ho’s entire body was now studded with silver needles, leaving not a single gap. Dead blood slowly seeped from each puncture point.
After studying Dam Ho for a long moment, Jong Ri Yeon stepped outside. When she returned, her hands were full of plantain herb.
Jong Ri Yeon crushed the plantain with a stone and extracted its essence.
“Phew!”
After wiping the perspiration from her brow with her sleeve, Jong Ri Yeon carefully withdrew each silver needle from Dam Ho’s body.
Throughout it all, Dam Ho remained perfectly still.
Jong Ri Yeon smeared the crushed plantain herb thickly across Dam Ho’s wounds.
Since ancient times, plantain had been renowned for its effectiveness in stopping blood and cleansing wounds. Whether it would reach a man on the very edge of death, no one could say—but with nothing else at hand, this was her only recourse.
“Hah!”
At last, having applied the plantain to every wound, Jong Ri Yeon sighed and leaned her back against the cave wall. Her strength was entirely spent; she could barely sit upright.
Jong Ri Yeon remained leaning against the wall, her eyes fixed on Dam Ho.
“I’ve done all I can. The rest depends on his will and the will of Heaven.”
She closed her eyes, silently praying for Dam Ho to survive.
In her dream, she met Hwa No.
Hwa No was smiling at her.
“How are you?” Jong Ri Yeon asked.
But Hwa No answered only with a smile.
“You look well. Meanwhile, here I am, working myself to the bone.”
Jong Ri Yeon pouted without real complaint.
She knew.
That she was dreaming now.
That the vivid image of Hwa No before her was not real.
Since her master’s death, Hwa No had cared for her like a beloved daughter, left alone in the world. It was because of that kindness that Jong Ri Yeon could practice medicine without hesitation.
“I’m sorry. And thank you.”
Hwa No nodded, her expression showing complete understanding.
Jong Ri Yeon reached out to touch her, but like a phantom, Hwa No’s form scattered, and her hand swept through empty air.
“Hwa No!”
Jong Ri Yeon called out sharply and opened her eyes.
Her delicate face was streaked with tears.
A sob escaped her.
Even after waking from the dream, she continued weeping for a long time. Her emotions surged uncontrollably, and the thought that she was now alone made it all the more unbearable.
As she wept, a large hand suddenly appeared and brushed away her tears.
“Ah!”
Startled, she looked up to find Dam Ho watching her.
His face was so deathly pale it was almost grotesque, and it frightened her—yet she was glad to see him nonetheless.
She threw her arms around him.
Without thinking, Jong Ri Yeon pulled Dam Ho into a tight embrace. His face twisted in pain, but he uttered no sound.
He was barely conscious at all. It was a miracle born of a body tempered to its limits, the Dark Soul Heart Technique, and Jong Ri Yeon’s skillful treatment working in concert.
“I’m sorry.”
Only then did Jong Ri Yeon realize her mistake and quickly pulled away from him. Her face flushed deep red with embarrassment and shame.
“I owe you.”
“No, I’m the one who owes you. This is nothing compared to what you’ve done.”
Jong Ri Yeon shook her head urgently.
Dam Ho gazed steadily at her face. Though worn and battered, his eyes burned with fierce intensity. Jong Ri Yeon could not meet that gaze directly.
Dam Ho looked away from her then, turning his attention instead to surveying his own condition.
Beyond the external wounds, his blood meridians and heart meridians—the very pathways through which internal martial energy flowed—had been shattered. In this state, he could not properly channel his internal martial energy.
‘A complete disaster.’
No, the word “disaster” was insufficient. It was catastrophic. In all his years of martial practice, his body had never been in such ruin.
Without Jong Ri Yeon’s acupuncture, he would not even be able to breathe.
“What of them?”
“Them?”
“The Namgoong Clan. Their pursuit force will be coming after us.”
“I don’t know. I just let the horse carry me wherever it would go.”
“Is Black Ghost still outside?”
“Yes! It should still be out there.”
At her words, Dam Ho’s eyes brightened.
Dam Ho exerted force to rise. Pain crashed over him in a violent wave.
A sharp intake of breath.
Without thinking, Dam Ho bit down hard on his lip. With just that small pressure, it felt as though his entire body was being torn to shreds.
“You shouldn’t push yourself. You need to stay still.”
“If I don’t move, I’ll die.”
If he remained here, the Namgoong Clan’s warriors would arrive. In his current condition, he could never withstand them.
Dam Ho rose despite Jong Ri Yeon’s protests.
His legs trembled like aspen leaves, and cold sweat poured from every inch of his body. Still, he gritted his teeth and pushed himself upright.
“Seriously?”
Jong Ri Yeon watched him with exasperation.
It defied all logic—a recovery so inexplicable, a will so superhuman.
Dam Ho shuffled forward, supporting himself against the cave wall.
A whinny.
As they emerged from the cave, Black Ghost greeted Dam Ho with an affectionate nuzzle against his face.
Dam Ho gave the beast’s neck a silent pat.
“Go.”
“Where to?”
“Somewhere we can lose their pursuit.”
Dam Ho managed to pull himself up onto Black Ghost’s back. The exertion tore his wounds open, and blood seeped through once more.
At the sight of him, Jong Ri Yeon sighed heavily.
“I’m coming with you.”
“It will be dangerous.”
“I know.”
But she could not abandon a patient as injured as Dam Ho. She climbed onto Black Ghost’s back as well.
Jong Ri Yeon wrapped her arms around Dam Ho’s waist from behind and spoke.
“Let’s go.”
Dam Ho nodded and gave Black Ghost’s flank a light tap. The beast surged forward with terrifying speed, as if it had been waiting for just this command.
Dam Ho’s eyes gleamed with sinister purpose.
‘I will grow stronger.’
Perhaps, ever since he’d emerged into the world, he’d been feeling a strange emptiness—never having met a true match worthy of his skill.
But now he knew for certain. The world was vast, and the truly powerful had not yet revealed themselves.
He’d found reason to grow stronger. So he would.
Nearly two hours had passed since Dam Ho and Jong Ri Yeon departed when a band of figures appeared at the cave entrance.
“Here. Their traces lead to this place.”
A sharp-eyed man at the head of the group pointed toward the cave and spoke. At his words, a martial artist who appeared to be their leader drew the sword from his belt.
“Everyone be careful. Our opponent is the Demon of Authority.”
“Yes, sir!”
They were a pursuit squad sent from the Namgoong Clan. They had tracked the faint traces left behind all the way to this place.
The pursuit squad entered the cave cautiously.
They knew that Dam Ho bore mortal wounds that made movement impossible, yet their tension was unavoidable.
The extreme stress left their mouths bone dry. But when they actually entered the cave, it was completely empty.
The sharp-eyed man examined the traces left on the ground.
“It hasn’t been long since they left. The warmth still lingers.”
“Is this definitely their trail?”
“Yes. The footprints and torn fabric match.”
“Damn it!”
The leader struck the innocent wall with a violent blow.
Crack!
His fist sank into the stone up to his wrist.
The leader’s eyes were bloodshot with rage.
After relentless pursuit without rest, learning that Dam Ho had already abandoned this place left him hollow with frustration.
“We must not give him time to recover. Not a moment.”
The Namgoong Clan had entered maximum alert status.
The Sword King Brigade, called the Namgoong Clan’s final bulwark, had been annihilated. The clan head, Namgoong Cheon, had returned in a super crippled state.
Namgoong Cheon’s condition was so dire that even a complete recovery seemed uncertain. For now, merely being alive was a miracle.
The Namgoong Clan had lost more than half its fighting strength.
All of it had been wrought by Dam Ho alone. It was an unprecedented catastrophe.
If they allowed Dam Ho to escape now, not only would the Namgoong Clan’s prestige crumble, but the consequences would be endless.
For this reason, before losing consciousness, Namgoong Cheon had issued a strict order: Dam Ho must be hunted down and eliminated.
The leader turned urgently to another martial artist.
“We cannot let him slip away. Contact the Gae Bang and Ha O Moon for cooperation and have them track his movements.”
“Understood.”
“The rest of us will pursue him.”
“As you command!”
Both those giving orders and those receiving them bore desperation written across their faces.
They were afraid.
If they let Dam Ho escape like this, if he recovered completely, the Namgoong Clan would face nothing short of their worst nightmare made flesh.
This outcome had to be prevented at all costs.
“He must be killed. There is no other choice.”
The leader’s voice trembled with anxiety.

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