Fist Demon of Mount Hua - Chapter 18

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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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Chapter 18. Beyond the World……-3
From dawn, Yun Manor bustled with activity. The elite forces of the Moudang Faction, Hwaesan Faction, and Jongnam Faction were preparing to depart.
Over a hundred people were on the move—there was far too much to prepare. Fortunately, the lord of Yun Manor had made meticulous arrangements for the company, and thanks to his care, the disciples of the three factions could set out without difficulty.
Perhaps because of the drinking bout the night before, the relationship between Mu Gyeong and Geum Han Soo did not appear outwardly tense. Yet it was only surface appearance; beneath it, they were subtly probing each other’s intentions.
The atmosphere among the Moudang disciples was much the same. They too seemed still awkward, keeping a slight distance from the martial artists of the Hwaesan and Jongnam factions.
Cheong Heo and Hyeon So believed time would heal the divide. Though friction between factions was natural at first, familiarity would grow as the days passed.
Indeed, as the journey unfolded, laughter began to ripple through their ranks.
After all, they were all denizens of the same Kangho, the same martial world. That meant they were bound to cross paths sooner or later in their travels.
There was no harm in forging personal bonds, regardless of factional ties.
When Mu Gyeong, Geum Han Soo, and Yeon So Ha began exchanging names, those who followed them did the same, learning one another in the familiar ritual.
Hyeon So approached Dam Ho, who stood watching from the periphery.
“What are you doing over here?”
“Master.”
“Why aren’t you mixing with the others……”
Hyeon So let his sentence trail away.
He had realized it was not that Dam Ho was unwilling to join them, but rather that they were not welcoming him into their circle.
“Sigh.”
Hyeon So exhaled softly.
Dam Ho, who was not held in high regard even within the Hwaesan Faction, could hardly expect to be honored by outsiders. There was simply no chance of it.
These people had eyes and ears. They possessed the acumen to read the currents moving around them.
In their eyes, Dam Ho was a useless existence—someone who had no place here unless he were serving his master, Hyeon So. Nothing more.
“It seems my ambition ran too far. I’ve brought you here only to subject you to this humiliation.”
“That’s not true, Master.”
“Have you……visited that place?”
“Yes.”
Hyeon So’s expression darkened. He asked carefully.
“Are you all right?”
“I am, Master.”
“Ho.”
“Truly. My heart is much lighter now. Thank you, Master.”
“Hmm.”
Hyeon So let out a quiet breath.
His disciple was truly strong. Had he himself endured what Dam Ho had endured, he would not have kept his wits about him by now.
To lose parents, siblings, everything—and yet his disciple remained unbending. That iron will and resolve sometimes frightened even him. But Dam Ho was his disciple.
Hyeon So patted Dam Ho’s shoulder.
“If you are well, that is enough. Now it is time to depart. Mount your horse.”
“Yes, Master.”
The moment their conversation ended, the servants of Yun Manor brought forth horses matched to the number of travelers.
Cheong Heo mounted his horse and spoke.
“Then let us depart. We ride at full speed from here to Jade Gate Pass.”
The martial artists mounted in unison.
Some had never ridden before, but as trained martial artists, they adapted quickly.
Dam Ho and Hyeon So mounted as well.
With Cheong Heo leading, the company departed from Yun Manor, raising clouds of dust as they rode.
Thump-thump-thump!
The sight of more than a hundred horses thundering across the earth was truly magnificent.
The preparations made by the Moudang Faction were exceedingly thorough.
When they encountered a river, boats awaited them. When the horses grew weary, fresh mounts stood ready. It seemed the faction’s influence extended to every corner of the realm.
The same held true even after entering Gansu Province.
Gansu was the domain of the Gongdong Faction. Yet somehow, arrangements had been made—whether through negotiation or agreement, the path through Gansu had been smoothed for their passage.
Thanks to this, they had only to ride.
They swiftly passed through Lanzhou, the provincial capital, and continued northward.
As they drew closer to Jade Gate Pass, their first destination, the landscape around them grew progressively more desolate.
All that met the eye was rust-colored earth and distant, towering mountains. Confronted with a bleakness none had witnessed before, the younger martial artists felt their shoulders draw in.
They came to rest at an inn near Jade Gate Pass.
It was not an inn of brick and timber, the kind common throughout the Central Plains, but one built of earth. Perhaps for that reason, it carried the feel less of an inn than of a small fortress.
The name of the earthen inn was Fengchen Inn.
All merchants bound for the Western Territory made their final stop here, steeling themselves for the journey ahead. Once they left Fengchen Inn, they could not return to the Central Plains for at least six months to a year. And those unlucky enough never returned at all.
Jade Gate Pass was the gateway connecting the Central Plains and the Western Regions. Through this passage, countless merchants of the Central Plains traveled westward, and just as many came back.
To cross Jade Gate Pass was to step into a different world, to breathe different air.
It’s what people commonly say. And Dam Ho had come to understand that it was true.
The moment they arrived at the Fengchen Inn, the smiles vanished from the young martial artists’ faces. Like Dam Ho, they too had felt the shift in the air.
They hadn’t yet crossed the Jade Gate Pass, but it made no difference—they might as well have. At least, that was what the desolate atmosphere around them seemed to suggest.
Cheong Heo spoke quietly to Hyeon So and Yeom Jung Hwa.
“I arranged to meet with Escort Master Im somewhere in this vicinity.”
“Is he still safe?”
“His correspondence cut off shortly after his initial letter, but he should be unharmed. He’ll guide us to where the clash with the Demonic Cult occurred.”
“Mm.”
“Let the disciples rest for now. I’ll make contact with Escort Master Im.”
“Understood.”
Hyeon So and Yeom Jung Hwa nodded, then ordered their disciples to rest at the inn.
The disciples, already exhausted from their long journey, cheered and rushed through the doors as one. Dam Ho followed in their wake.
As he stepped inside the Fengchen Inn, Mu Gyeong approached him.
“You’ve had a difficult road. Are you managing?”
“I’m fine.”
Mu Gyeong’s gaze flicked briefly past Dam Ho’s left leg. Just then, Un Gyeong called to him.
“Senior Brother! You’re needed.”
“Understood. I’ll be right there.”
Mu Gyeong looked at Dam Ho.
“You understand what lies ahead. From this point on, we enter the Western Regions. Your wellbeing may be beyond my reach now, so you must guard yourself. Do you understand?”
Dam Ho nodded silently. Mu Gyeong studied him for a moment, then tapped his shoulder twice before walking toward Un Gyeong.
It was then.
“Tsk! As if any village mutt will wag its tail when you stroke its head—though it seems some forget how.”
An unfamiliar voice pierced Dam Ho’s awareness. A figure approached him.
It was a man of striking pallor. His eyes were slightly lifted at the corners, his lips thin as a serpent’s. Appearing to be in his early twenties, he wore a faint smile.
When Dam Ho stared at him, the man offered a Fist Salute in greeting.
“Forgive my tardy introduction. I am Yeop Mun Cheon of the Jongnam Faction.”
Dam Ho showed no surprise at this introduction. He already knew who this man was.
Yeop Mun Cheon was among the few whom Dam Ho watched closely.
There was nothing obviously unusual about Yeop Mun Cheon—no glaring flaw in appearance, no withdrawn temperament.
Rather, he was the type who deliberately concealed himself while observing others.
That had been Dam Ho’s impression, and precisely why the man had caught his attention.
When Dam Ho continued to stare without speaking, Yeop Mun Cheon scratched his head with an awkward smile. Yet his eyes gleamed with unmistakable sharpness.
“I heard you called the Prodigy of Heavenly Enlightenment. Is that not so?”
“It is.”
“Then I’m delighted. I’ve simply come to deepen our friendship—no need to be so wary. Ha ha ha!”
“Friendship…….”
Thinking Dam Ho had relaxed his guard, Yeop Mun Cheon smiled.
“Indeed. Friendship. I’m told you’re a direct disciple of Hyeon So. That should make you a first-generation disciple, yet it seems the Hwaesan disciples don’t treat you with corresponding respect. Ha! Am I mistaken?”
“You are.”
……
The cutting edge of Dam Ho’s reply made Yeop Mun Cheon’s expression stiffen briefly. But only briefly—he soon recovered, his face softening as he continued.
“I see.”
“What are you thinking?”
“What do you mean?”
“Are you asking because you don’t know?”
……
A frown creased Yeop Mun Cheon’s brow.
He’d viewed Dam Ho as easy prey—a cripple, ostracized even within Hwaesan—and had prodded casually. Instead, the response came sharp and incisive.
Had it been mere edge, Yeop Mun Cheon might have brushed it aside. But the gaze locked on him was eerily penetrating, as though peeling back his very intentions.
‘This bastard!’
His chest lurched in that instant.
Sharp eyes alone wouldn’t have provoked such a reaction. There was a formidable Qi Force radiating from Dam Ho’s gaze—a force that bore down on him.
‘Is he truly Hwaesan’s first-generation disciple?’
Yeop Mun Cheon found himself forced to reassess. He released a hearty, unforced laugh.
“Ha ha! There seems to be a misunderstanding. I meant no harm. I only came to have a conversation.”
……
“But it appears the Prodigy of Heavenly Enlightenment has no interest in talking. Perhaps today isn’t the right time. Let’s meet again. Well then…….”
Yeop Mun Cheon offered a Fist Salute and turned away.
Where his face had been filled with laughter moments before, only coldness remained.
‘How arrogant!’
Yeop Mun Cheon’s teeth ground together before he vanished.
Dam Ho watched him disappear, then turned. He caught sight of his master, Hyeon So, approaching.
“Master.”
“Is something troubling you?”
“Nothing troubles me.”
“Is that so?”
……
“If you say nothing troubles you, then nothing troubles you. Come now, let us retire to the room.”
“Yes.”
Dam Ho followed Hyeon So into the chamber.
While the other disciples had been assigned rooms four or five to a space, he alone would share quarters with Hyeon So—a courtesy afforded because his master was an elder of the Hwaesan Faction.
The room they had been given was not spacious, but it was neat and orderly. It would serve well enough for a single night.
Hyeon So spoke.
“Tell me—did you make many friends on the journey here?”
“I regret to say I did not.”
“As I suspected.”
Hyeon So’s smile was bitter.
During the journey, Hyeon So had deliberately left Dam Ho to fend for himself, hoping he would find his place among the others. That had been the very reason for bringing him along at all.
Yet not a single soul had come forward to welcome him. And this despite being the disciple of Hyeon So, an elder of the Hwaesan Faction.
At this moment, only Hyeon So knew the true measure of Dam Ho’s talents and potential. Not one of the Hwaesan disciples harbored any expectations for him.
One need only observe how they had treated him throughout the journey to see the truth.
They regarded him as though he did not exist. Only Mu Gyeong, the eldest disciple, occasionally paid him any mind; the rest would not so much as speak to him.
It was as though the entire Hwaesan Faction had conspired to exclude him. And as the Hwaesan disciples shunned him, the martial artists of the Jongnam and Moudang Factions followed suit, treating him like a phantom.
His disciple was neither insignificant enough to deserve such treatment, nor—even if he were—should anyone be subjected to such contempt.
Countless thoughts swirled through Hyeon So’s mind before dissolving away.
A sigh escaped him.
Still no easy answer came, and Hyeon So could only exhale his helplessness.
“How terrifying are the hearts of men. They form prejudices based on nothing but outward appearance.”
“It is my own shortcoming, Master. I apologize.”
“What shortcoming do you possess? To me, you are my finest disciple. I am proud of you.”
What of a limp? What of a dark aura?
In all his years, Hyeon So had never encountered another with such formidable resolve and strength of spirit as Dam Ho possessed.
It grieved him only that the world failed to recognize Dam Ho’s true worth. Yet Dam Ho himself paid no heed to such worldly judgments or gazes, and gazed instead out the window.
A world beyond this world lay spread before his eyes.
In Dam Ho’s gaze, Hyeon So perceived a yearning for freedom.
A hawk soaring through the sky, not a bound hound.
Now it was time for him to make his own decision. And Hyeon So steeled his resolve.
“Ho.”
……
“Forgive me. Your master has proven inadequate—I could not carve out a proper place for you within Hwaesan. Because of this, you are denied even basic courtesy here.”
“I am content.”
“I am not. Hwaesan may rise high enough to pierce the heavens, but it is not wide enough to embrace you. Whether I like it or not, I am bound to leave my bones on that mountain. But you—you are different. Hwaesan has rejected you, so you have no reason to cling to it.”
“Master, what are you saying?”
“When this matter is resolved, you must venture into the world.”
“What do you mean?”
“Live freely.”
“But Hwaesan——”
“Pay it no mind. Hwaesan is Hwaesan, and you are you. When you have grown tall enough that not even Hwaesan’s harsh winds could shake you—when you stand with such confidence that even a violent storm could not move you—then return to me. At that time, let us share a cup of wine together.”
“Master!”
Hyeon So smiled. But Dam Ho’s shoulders trembled with small convulsions.

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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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