Fist Demon of Mount Hua - Chapter 183

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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 182. The Age of Dragons and Tigers—Part One
“How’s your body feeling?”
“It’s perfect.”
Myeong Cheon answered Geom Yul Cheon’s question with those words.
Myeong Cheon wore a radiant smile, and seeing it, Geom Yul Cheon’s face broke into a broad grin as well.
Geom Yul Cheon reached out and ruffled Myeong Cheon’s hair roughly. Though his hair became disheveled, Myeong Cheon never wiped the smile from his face.
Looking at this large man before him, his heart could find no greater peace. More than a decade ago, in that hellish place, he had followed only this man’s gaze and footsteps. It was because of him that he’d managed to escape that inferno.
“Thank you, brother.”
“Why do you speak as though a brother looking after his younger brother is some great matter?”
“Still, if it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have survived until now.”
“Tch! Nonsense. Stop dwelling on such thoughts and focus all your strength on recovery. We were fortunate that luck favored us and you’ve escaped the grip of illness, but you’re not entirely well yet.”
“Yes!”
Myeong Cheon answered with vigor.
At that moment, the elderly attendant who had been caring for Myeong Cheon opened the door and entered. His eyes were rimmed red as he gazed at Myeong Cheon.
“Young master, you’ve truly recovered?”
“Indeed! I’m well now. So don’t worry. Ya No.”
“What a blessing it is. Truly…….”
The old man called Ya No finally could no longer hold back and tears streamed down his face. Seeing this, Geom Yul Cheon clicked his tongue.
“Tch!”
“My apologies, Crown Prince.”
“Enough! I’ve known for some time that Ya No has a tender heart.”
“You’ve labored greatly.”
“What labor? It’s simply what had to be done.”
Geom Yul Cheon scratched his head with an embarrassed expression. Ya No gazed at him with eyes full of reverence.
It had been twenty years since he first met Geom Yul Cheon. Then, Geom Yul Cheon had been no more than twelve years old.
At an age when ordinary children could barely grasp right from wrong, he’d been cast into that hellish place. Yet in that inferno where even survival was uncertain, Geom Yul Cheon had cared for the younger, weaker children.
Myeong Cheon had been one of those children. In particular, he had been sickly, the one with the highest chance of death.
Though he could scarcely manage his own survival, Geom Yul Cheon had protected Myeong Cheon till the end and escaped that hellish place. And today, he had finally brought Myeong Cheon to full recovery.
His bond with the previous Zhenren had been formed ultimately for this purpose—to heal Myeong Cheon. When the previous Zhenren died, he had extended the connection to his disciple, at last freeing Myeong Cheon from the grip of illness.
The persistence Geom Yul Cheon had displayed through it all, and the grand strategy born of deep foresight, had made even Ya No—who had watched over him for so long—tremble with awe.
‘Just where does this man’s limit truly lie…….’
Ya No felt goosebumps crawl across his skin and shuddered.
Even after twenty years of watching Geom Yul Cheon, he could not begin to fathom where his boundaries ended.
Then Myeong Cheon spoke.
“From now on, I’ll share some of the burden that weighs upon your shoulders.”
“There is much work that lies ahead for you.”
“I know.”
“You rascal!”
Geom Yul Cheon patted Myeong Cheon’s shoulder twice.
Myeong Cheon was, as people said, a true genius. He possessed a brilliant mind and never forgot anything he had seen even once.
Above all, his grasp of situations was swift, and his ability to foresee the future was exceptional. Thanks to this, there was no counting how many crises he had overcome.
Myeong Cheon’s greatest weakness had been his frail body due to chronic illness, which had prevented him from engaging in proper activity. But now that he had shaken off that illness, he would be able to take full action.
It was then.
“Ha ha! So our youngest has recovered, I hear?”
A man opened the door and strode in.
The man, wearing armor adorned with peacock feathers across his back, was none other than Sin Mu Wol. At his appearance, Myeong Cheon’s face lit up with a bright smile.
“Second brother!”
“Look at that—your color’s much improved. You really are fully healed.”
Sin Mu Wol suddenly embraced Myeong Cheon.
Myeong Cheon made no move to resist and closed his eyes in Sin Mu Wol’s arms. Sin Mu Wol patted his back gently for a long while.
“Boy, you need to put on some weight. What’s this? You’re nothing but skin and bones.”
“I’ll eat more from now on and gain some weight.”
“That’s right, that’s what you should do.”
Sin Mu Wol’s eyes grew slightly red.
He suppressed his tears by force and looked toward Geom Yul Cheon. Geom Yul Cheon regarded Sin Mu Wol in silence. Sin Mu Wol lowered his head in respect.
“Elder brother.”
“Yes.”
“You’ve endured much hardship.”
“You have as well.”
“At last, we’re all gathered again. After fifteen long years…….”
“That’s right! It took long enough.”
“It’s a shame we don’t have the lady here. If she were present, we could throw quite a celebration.”
Sin Mu Wol’s expression turned wistful.
“She’s gone to Sak Province. And I will follow her there.”
“Sak Province? Why?”
“Deung Cheon So went there.”
“Deung Cheon So? You don’t mean the Blood Sea Judge?”
“I do.”
“Damn it!”
A curse burst from Sin Mu Wol’s lips. Geom Yul Cheon understood the weight behind it.
“Depending on circumstances, So Cheon Sang may head there as well.”
“The Deathless Killer himself? Hell! The Cult Master has truly lost his mind.”
Deung Cheon So and So Cheon Sang were both notorious within the Demonic Cult as the cruelest hands. Not a single soul who fell into their grasp had ever met a merciful end.
Above all, they possessed martial arts that allowed mass slaughter. When they moved, it meant carnage on an incomprehensible scale.
“The Cult Master has made his resolve. If we’re not careful, an irreversible catastrophe will unfold.”
“Damn.”
“Mu Wol, your mission is the most critical.”
“I understand. But their trail keeps slipping through my fingers. Just when I think I have them, they wriggle free like loaches.”
“Hmm.”
“I cannot do this alone.”
“Myeong Cheon!”
At Sin Mu Wol’s words, Geom Yul Cheon called out to Myeong Cheon.
“Yes, Elder Brother!”
“The moment you’ve fully recovered, move alongside Mu Wol. Find a way to ensnare them.”
“I’ve already given it some thought, actually.”
“Truly?”
Sin Mu Wol’s face brightened immediately.
This was what rain after a long drought felt like—Sin Mu Wol, who knew Myeong Cheon’s abilities better than anyone, could hardly contain his joy.
“I’ve felt useless all this time, so at least I can do this much.”
“Ah, you beautiful soul!”
Sin Mu Wol pulled Myeong Cheon into another tight embrace. The young man’s face flushed crimson.
“Gasp! Brother, I can’t breathe!”
“Good! Can’t have you suffocating. Anyway, thank you.”
Ya No smiled at the sight.
These people, bound so tightly around Geom Yul Cheon.
Twenty years ago… he could never have imagined such a thing. Had anyone told him back then that you would all become this unified, he would have been called a madman for saying it.
Then Sin Mu Wol spoke again.
“By the way, I heard you clashed with Gwon Ma.”
“Yes.”
“How was it?”
Sin Mu Wol’s eyes gleamed with curiosity.
“Strong.”
“How strong?”
“An opponent who demands my full strength.”
“To that degree?”
Alarm flickered across Sin Mu Wol’s face.
Geom Yul Cheon was the strongest person he knew. Not merely in martial arts, but in spirit, in will, in his very being as a man.
That was why Sin Mu Wol had acknowledged him and called him Elder Brother. No one else could stand above him in his eyes.
He knew Dam Ho was powerful—he’d suspected it since the man troubled Eum Yoo Gyeong. But he never imagined that his Elder Brother would regard him as an equal.
“I don’t know how he obtained such strength within the Heavenly Gilded Pavilion, but he is formidable. Excepting the Four Divine Envoys, the Cult Master, and the Four Great Warlords, few exist who could face him directly and prevail.”
“Impossible!”
“Yes. Strength of that caliber is madness.”
Geom Yul Cheon’s gaze fell to his own hands.
The blade that had clashed with Dam Ho was shattered to fragments, and his armor bore tears halfway across. It had been a very long time since he’d suffered wounds of this severity.
“And your blade?”
“Destroyed.”
“What! That renowned sword……”
“It’s merely a Divine External Object, after all. Not worth mourning. I had no particular attachment to it anyway.”
“And yet……”
“He is a man worth that price.”
“Hmm!”
At Geom Yul Cheon’s response, Sin Mu Wol let out a soft sigh. He had known Geom Yul Cheon for over twenty years now, yet he had never once heard him praise another person so lavishly.
‘If I’d known then, I should have settled it with him.’
A wave of regret washed over him.
Geom Yul Cheon, perceiving what lay behind Sin Mu Wol’s silence, spoke again.
“Stop concerning yourself with Dam Ho. Focus your efforts on finding them.”
“Understood.”
“And Ya No.”
“Yes?”
“Help Eum Yoo Gyeong.”
“You mean to go to Sak Province?”
“That’s right. I’ll head there myself once I’ve finished my affairs.”
“Understood. Then I’ll depart at once.”
“Hmm.”
Geom Yul Cheon nodded and gazed out the window.
Crack!
At some point, a thunderstorm had been raging outside. Lightning split the sky, and fierce wind rattled the windowpanes with violence.
‘Dam Ho.’
Watching the storm, the man suddenly came to mind.
Dam Ho was like the tempest itself.
Relentless in his assault, never retreating a single step backward.
‘Then perhaps…’
* * *
“Phew!”
Hyun So wiped his brow with his sleeve.
Early spring. The wind was still biting cold, yet sweat flowed ceaselessly down his forehead. It was all because of the vegetable garden spread before him.
It was not a large plot by any measure, but still, it would yield vegetables enough for Hyun So and the children to eat.
Since coming down from Hua Shan, Hyun So had always provided for himself. His purse was too thin to afford otherwise.
Even when he had been on Hua Shan, abundance was not assured. But at least, putting food on the table had not been a worry. The world outside Hua Shan, however, was different.
To sustain even a minimal life required money. At least a modest sum was necessary to eat and survive.
At first, he had not known this, and suffered greatly because of it—even gone hungry. Only after going without food for days on end did he come to understand that living as a human being required at least some money.
What he chose to do to earn money was to gather medicinal herbs. Fortunately, Hyun So possessed a deep knowledge of such plants.
At first, he gathered and sold herbs alone, but later he began manufacturing and selling a nourishing pill called Cheong Myeong Hwan. The pills were popular and had a steady stream of buyers.
Thanks to this, though modest, he was able to provide for the children. But recently, it was true that strength was becoming harder to find.
It was then.
“Grandfather.”
A young girl, appearing no more than three or four years old, toddled toward Hyun So.
“Is it hard?”
The small girl held out a white handkerchief in her tiny hands. Tears welled up in Hyun So’s eyes.
Accepting the handkerchief, Hyun So answered.
“No, not hard at all, child.”
“Really?”
“Of course!”
“Grandfather, you mustn’t be tired.”
“That’s right! Your grandfather isn’t tired at all. Not when Ha Yeong is here with me.”
“Hehe!”
The girl, whom they called Ha Yeong, burst into innocent laughter. But Hyun So could not laugh freely.
Ha Yeong was an orphan. Fortunately, Hyun So had been able to save her, but her body was so frail that she grew slowly.
‘I have to care for these children to the very end.’
The fact that disciples from the Hua Shan Sect had come looking for him still weighed on his mind.
“Grandfather.”
“Yes?”
“Tell the story again.”
“Again?”
“Yes! Tell me about Uncle!”
Ha Yeong sat down beside Hyun So entirely. The young girl’s favorite thing was listening to stories about Dam Ho.
Hyun So searched his memory and began his tale.
“Ho was…”

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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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