Fist Demon of Mount Hua - Chapter 180

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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 180. The Wind of Chaos Blows from the North—Part 1
Dam Ho stepped out of the carriage.
Even now, the conversation between the two women continued inside, and there was no place for Dam Ho to insert himself.
Having emerged, Dam Ho settled onto a nearby rock and observed the people of the Shinhua Commercial House. Though he’d been here for some time, they showed no sign of disorder whatsoever. Certainly, the kind of rigorous discipline and restraint visible among them was rarely seen in ordinary merchant guilds or escort houses.
Then someone approached Dam Ho. It was Yun Sa Il, the outer hall master of the Shinhua Commercial House.
“The lady has been weary from her long journey. As you can see, surrounded only by dark-faced men, there was scarcely anyone fit to serve as a conversational partner. Fortunately, your company has been kind enough to provide her some companionship for a time.”
“A long journey?”
“To Shaolin Temple. We still have five more days of travel ahead.”
At Yun Sa Il’s words, Dam Ho’s eyes flickered with interest. The name Shaolin Temple had captured his attention.
The foremost of the Nine Great Sects and the eternal spiritual pillar of Jianghu and the Murim.
When speaking of Jianghu, three characters—Shaolin Temple—were indispensable.
A place that held as many legends and myths as it did ancient history.
Shaolin Temple was a name that anyone immersed in the Jianghu yearned for without fail.
The word Shaolin was more than enough to capture Dam Ho’s interest.
“Why are you going to Shaolin Temple?”
“Merchants move only when there is profit. Shaolin Temple has requested a transaction—quite a substantial one, which is why the lady herself has undertaken the journey. Given the nature of the counterparty, we cannot afford to be careless.”
Shaolin Temple was universally acknowledged as the leader of Jianghu. Even if the Shinhua Commercial House possessed the wealth of the realm, Shaolin Temple remained a daunting business partner. Thus, caution was unavoidable.
That was also why Won Seol Hwa had taken to the road herself. She had not been entrusted with this task simply because she was Won Hoe Sang’s daughter.
She possessed a keen intellect befitting her beauty, and to date had orchestrated numerous transactions that yielded substantial profits. Thus, she oversaw all major dealings of the Shinhua Commercial House.
“And where are you headed, Master?”
“Shaanxi Province.”
“The realm is in turmoil, yet you travel such a distance. Isn’t that dangerous? Wouldn’t it be safer to journey with us part of the way?”
Yun Sa Il made an unexpected proposal.
Dam Ho regarded him with a dubious gaze, and Yun Sa Il smiled.
“You could travel comfortably with us for part of the journey, and the lady would gain a companion. Wouldn’t that be mutually advantageous?”
……
“I’m not asking for an immediate decision. You have time—think it over thoroughly.”
Yun Sa Il withdrew after leaving these words.
Dam Ho watched in silence as Yun Sa Il receded into the distance.
An hour later, Jong Ri Yeon emerged from the carriage.
“I’m sorry for keeping you waiting so long. I didn’t realize how much time had passed talking with Miss Won.”
Jong Ri Yeon apologized first.
Won Seol Hwa, seasoned by years in the merchant trade, possessed remarkably broad knowledge. With her expansive understanding and engaging manner of speech, one could hardly help but be captivated.
Dam Ho asked.
“Do you wish to travel with her?”
“No.”
To Dam Ho’s surprise, Jong Ri Yeon shook her head.
As if to dispel his confusion, she continued.
“I’ve had sufficient conversation with her. Any talk left unfinished can be resumed after fate brings us together again. I believe that’s enough.”
……
“She is certainly beautiful and wise. Conversing with her makes time slip away unnoticed. I nearly forgot that patients were waiting for me. It’s the first time that’s happened, and I was quite flustered. But I am a physician. The patients must come before her. For the journey ahead, I want to devote myself to thinking through their treatment one more time.”
Jong Ri Yeon’s mind was occupied day and night with nothing but the Medical Arts and her patients.
Dam Ho and Jong Ri Yeon took their leave from the Shinhua Commercial House. With no reason to stay, there was no point lingering.
After Dam Ho and Jong Ri Yeon departed, Yun Sa Il entered the carriage.
Yun Sa Il knelt with utmost reverence.
“My lady!”
“That man—who is he?”
“He departed with the Divine Physician.”
A slight hum escaped Won Seol Hwa’s lips.
With merely a flicker of expression, the air itself seemed to shimmer with heat—her presence was that mesmerizing.
“A pity. He would have been a considerable asset had he joined us.”
“Do you know who he is?”
“He was favoring his left leg slightly.”
“Ah!”
In that instant, Yun Sa Il let out an involuntary gasp.
Now he understood what he had overlooked.
“He is Gwon Ma.”
“Exactly. Though countless martial artists walk the earth, only one bears so distinctive a mark.”
“Yet I believed he disappeared from sight last autumn.”
“It appears he has returned to the world.”
Won Seol Hwa continued as though the matter were of little consequence. Yet beneath her composed exterior, her mind churned with considerable complexity.
The weight of the epithet “Demon of Authority” was far from trivial. Wherever he went, blood-wind swept in his wake, and many fell dead.
The martial artists who had perished by his hand numbered in the hundreds, and among them were masters whose names rang loudly through the Jianghu.
“He’s truly a vexing presence. It troubles me to keep him as an ally, yet it would be equally costly to make him an enemy.”
“Regardless, he is but one man. He cannot weather the tempests of the Jianghu alone.”
“True enough. That would be the natural order. And yet—I feel unsettled. There’s something about him that doesn’t sit right. Like a thorn pricking the inside of my mouth.”
“Miss?”
“For now, we focus on the dealings with Shaolin. That is what matters most.”
“Understood.”
“This opportunity doesn’t come easily. We must be fully prepared before we reach Shaolin.”
“Of course.”
“I wish to be alone.”
“As you wish. Please, rest.”
Yun Sa Il withdrew, leaving Won Seol Hwa alone in the carriage.
“Demon of Authority… I wonder if he truly lives up to the rumors.”
Her voice drifted away, trailing an enigmatic resonance behind it.
＊＊＊
Jong Ri Yeon, riding alongside, spoke up unexpectedly.
“You seem quite remarkable as well, Won Seol Hwa.”
“In what way?”
“That the young proprietor of the Shinhua Commercial House—the greatest merchant house under heaven—would personally accompany a trading mission. Certainly, you possess the skill to do so, but you could just as easily enjoy wealth and comfort in leisure.”
“The same could be said of you, couldn’t it?”
“Me?”
“You possess the finest Medical Arts under heaven. You could open a practice, and people would come of their own accord. Yet here you are, walking a difficult path instead.”
“My situation is different. I made a vow to live this way.”
“There’s no difference at all.”
“That pleases me.”
“What does?”
“Your praise.”
“I wasn’t praising you, particularly.”
Heh heh!
Despite Dam Ho’s cool retort, Jong Ri Yeon laughed softly. The woman’s response gave him a moment’s pause, but he soon sank into other thoughts.
‘Won Seol Hwa.’
The young proprietor of the Shinhua Commercial House—the greatest merchant house under heaven.
Her commercial acumen was formidable, and her command over her subordinates was equally impressive. She was, as Jong Ri Yeon had said, a remarkable woman—one rarely seen. Yet such external qualities were of little consequence to him.
For when one searched the realm, it was hardly impossible to find women who surpassed her in ability.
The woman before him now, Jong Ri Yeon herself, could not be deemed inferior to Won Seol Hwa. The finest Medical Arts she possessed could, wielded wisely, exercise influence greater than the Shinhua Commercial House itself.
What had truly unsettled Dam Ho was the light in Won Seol Hwa’s eyes—a beguiling gaze that concealed a cold, serpentine gleam beneath, and behind it, a vast hunger.
It was a look no ordinary woman could wear.
‘She, too, harbors ambition.’
A Chaotic Era.
An age when the Dormant Dragons—those who had held their breath until now—stirred restlessly, yearning to take flight. Won Seol Hwa was likely one such dragon.
Dam Ho had decided that Won Seol Hwa was a figure to be wary of. But there was no need to voice such thoughts to Jong Ri Yeon.
Jong Ri Yeon was a woman of exceptional intuition. Her refusal to accept Won Seol Hwa’s company likely stemmed from instinctive aversion.
A wry thought occurred to him.
What he did best was kill men.
Conversely, Jong Ri Yeon staked her life on saving them.
That two such people traveled together struck him as darkly comic.
“What weighs so heavily on your mind?”
Jong Ri Yeon’s voice pulled Dam Ho from his reverie.
“Nothing, really.”
“Yegang isn’t far now.”
“Is that so?”
“In another half day’s travel, we’ll reach it.”
“You mentioned there’s a patient in Yegang?”
“Yes.”
Jong Ri Yeon nodded.
“What sort of patient?”
“Someone born with a rare Severed Pulse Condition. They were born carrying an excess of yang energy so potent that without treatment, their heart meridian will burn out before they reach twenty, and they’ll die.”
“Such an affliction exists?”
“It’s a rare condition. The kind that appears once in nearly a hundred years, if at all. The patient is eighteen years old this year. Without treatment, he won’t make it past two years.”
“Are you confident you can treat it?”
“I’ll do my utmost. Even so, I believe that with effort, we can save him. No—I must save him. It’s my duty.”
Jong Ri Yeon’s eyes shone with conviction.
She had staked her own life on saving people. Such resolve was not something anyone could possess.
In a way, Jong Ri Yeon was just as singleminded as Dam Ho—a woman who never compromised or retreated before a patient.
Even now, her mind held nothing but thoughts of her patient.
We reached Yegang before the sun touched the horizon.
Jong Ri Yeon led Dam Ho toward a small mansion on the outskirts of Yegang. It was a typical courtyard-style residence with the central courtyard at its heart and buildings arranged on all four sides—the most suitable architectural style for enduring the harsh winters of the north.
Knock, knock!
Jong Ri Yeon rapped on the front gate.
After a moment, the door creaked open and an elderly man poked his head out.
“Who…?”
“It’s me.”
“Ah! The Divine Physician’s daughter?”
“I’m a bit late, aren’t I?”
“You’ve finally come.”
Light of profound emotion flickered across the old man’s face. He quickly pulled the door wide open and grasped Jong Ri Yeon’s hand.
“The young master has been waiting for nothing but your arrival.”
“I apologize for the delay. How is he?”
“He’s holding on well so far.”
“That’s a relief.”
Jong Ri Yeon smiled.
The old man looked at Dam Ho standing beside Jong Ri Yeon.
“And this person is…?”
“He’s part of my traveling party.”
“Ah, I see. Well, we shouldn’t linger out here—please, come inside.”
The old man ushered them both into the house.
“Sister!”
The moment they stepped into the courtyard, a boy who appeared to be in his early twenties greeted them.
Jong Ri Yeon broke into a broad smile.
“You’re still alive.”
“You told me to hang on with stubborn determination.”
“I did.”
“Do you feel confident about the treatment now?”
“I do!”
Jong Ri Yeon nodded, and the boy responded with a faint smile.
“That’s good.”
“I told you to trust only this sister of yours.”
“I’ve been trusting you all along.”
Jong Ri Yeon and the boy exchanged words as if they were true siblings.
The boy’s gaze turned toward Dam Ho standing beside Jong Ri Yeon.
“Who is this gentleman?”
“He’s part of my group.”
“Ah! My name is Myeong Cheon. It’s a pleasure to meet you like this.”
The boy, having introduced himself as Myeong Cheon, regarded Dam Ho with penetrating eyes.
“I’m Dam Ho.”
“Demon of Authority Dam, the great master.”
Unexpectedly, Myeong Cheon had recognized Dam Ho’s true identity at a glance.

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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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