Fist Demon of Mount Hua - Chapter 3

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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 3. Spring Comes to Huashan-3
Dam Ho left Yeongbo Palace long after the sun had set. As darkness fell over Huashan, lanterns were hung throughout the peaks.
The plum blossoms reflected in their light shimmered like snow. Dam Ho stopped in his tracks and gazed at the sight for a long while.
Wind swept through, scattering the plum petals. For some reason, the image burned itself deep into his mind.
The coming of night did not mark the end of the Huashan Sect’s work. Taoist Halls scattered across the mountain glowed brightly, and the Taoists moved about with undiminished purpose.
Just then, a group approached Dam Ho.
They were Taoists dressed in robes of office, carrying about them an unmistakable air of authority.
Dam Ho bowed his head toward them.
They were the Core Disciples of the Huashan Sect. Leading them was a man in his mid-thirties named Mu Gyeong, a disciple of Hyeon Cheon, the master of the Huashan Sect.
Mu Gyeong had shown exceptional talent in martial arts from childhood, and was the chosen one upon whom the entire Huashan Sect placed its hopes.
His martial achievements were equally remarkable—rumors circulated that he had already begun studying the Tai Qing Heart Technique, an art that only elders and those of their rank were supposed to learn.
His character was as excellent as his martial prowess; there was not a disciple in the Huashan Sect who did not respect him.
At Mu Gyeong’s side were Un Gyeong and Han So Yu, his closest confidants.
Un Gyeong was Mu Gyeong’s martial brother and the master of the Plum Blossom Thirty-Six Sword Formation, a jewel of the Huashan Sect. His cold, settled gaze revealed his nature.
Han So Yu was a rare sight among the Huashan Sect’s disciples—a female disciple. She too boasted exceptional achievement, having earned a place in the Plum Blossom Thirty-Six Sword Formation.
Mu Gyeong smiled.
“It’s Cheon Gyeong.”
“Senior.”
“Are you returning to your quarters?”
“Yes.”
“How is your elder master Hyeon So faring?”
“He is well.”
“I’m glad to hear it. I’ve been meaning to visit, but there’s always so much to attend to.”
“He understands, Senior.”
Mu Gyeong’s smile deepened at Dam Ho’s reply. Yet Un Gyeong at his side gazed at Dam Ho with cold eyes, as though something displeased him.
His serpentine, chill stare swept across Dam Ho’s entire frame without warmth or feeling.
“How fares your leg?”
“No change.”
Yet you still cling to martial arts? The limits are clear. Why not devote yourself to Taoist study instead, as your elder master Hyeon So has done?”
“Brother!”
Mu Gyeong cried out in surprise at Un Gyeong’s blunt words. Yet Un Gyeong’s expression remained unmoved.
“There is no folly greater than wasting time on futile pursuits. Remember my words well.”
“I am grateful for your counsel, Brother. I will take it to heart and never forget it.”
Dam Ho bowed deeply.
Un Gyeong regarded Dam Ho with a cold gaze. At his attitude, Mu Gyeong gave a helpless shrug and looked toward Han So Yu.
Han So Yu stepped gently toward Dam Ho. A faint, delicate fragrance stirred the air.
Dam Ho lifted his head to look at her. There was Han So Yu’s refined, elegant face, resembling the plum blossoms of Huashan.
“Don’t take Un Gyeong’s words poorly, junior brother. He means no harm by it.”
“I know.”
“If your martial progress stalls, come to me anytime. I’ll do everything I can to help you.”
“Thank you.”
“I believe in you.”
Han So Yu offered a bright smile—one captivating enough to move the hearts of many.
“Then I shall take my leave.”
Dam Ho cupped his fist in salute to the three and turned to go.
The three watched his retreating figure. Compassion flickered across Mu Gyeong’s face as he observed Dam Ho’s limping gait.
Mu Gyeong turned sharply toward Un Gyeong.
“Do you realize that every time I hear you speak like that, my affection for you drops? How can you say such things with him standing right before you?”
“It is all for Cheon Gyeong’s sake.”
“For his sake? A child already burdened by a lame leg—how much more pain must you inflict?”
“What Cheon Gyeong needs is not hollow comfort or empty encouragement, but clear-eyed counsel.”
“You?”
“Honestly, what are the odds that Cheon Gyeong will ever properly master the martial arts of the Huashan Sect? A warrior who cannot master the Footwork Technique is only half a warrior. And Huashan has no use for half warriors right now.”
“Wow! You really are cold, aren’t you?”
“I cannot help it. To think and judge clearly in any circumstance—that is my role.”
“Really……”
Mu Gyeong shook his head in disapproval, though there was no displeasure in his expression.
If Mu Gyeong embodied the martial power of the Huashan Sect as its senior disciple, then Un Gyeong held the position of offering endless counsel tempered by cold reason.
He had been raised for precisely this role, and it was thought to be best for Huashan.
Han So Yu laughed and joined their conversation.
“Come now, let’s not dwell on Dam Ho any longer. There are far more pressing matters to attend to.”
“True enough…….”
Mu Gyeong nodded in agreement.
The Huashan Sect stood at a critical juncture.
They had to sift through the Lay Disciples, identify those with promise, and promote them to Core Disciples. But accepting new Core Disciples was only the beginning—they had to transform them into true martial artists.
The Huashan of today needed fresh fighting strength desperately. For that, first-generation disciples like Mu Gyeong and Un Gyeong had to move without rest.
“Come. Let’s go.”
Mu Gyeong walked ahead, and already Dam Ho’s image had faded from his thoughts.
Dam Ho picked his way through the night by moonlight, making for a small hidden valley that lay beneath Undae Peak.
At the valley’s bottom sat a fairly large pond. The path was difficult enough that even the Huashan Taoists rarely ventured there—it was Dam Ho’s sanctuary whenever his chest grew tight with burden.
He stripped off his robes without ceremony and stepped into the water.
Though spring had come, the valley water still held the bite of winter. The moment the freezing cold touched his skin, his senses jolted awake.
‘It’s fine. I can bear this much…….’
Dam Ho clenched his teeth.
The vicious cold bit not just his skin but his very bones. Yet he did not climb back out; instead, he plunged his head fully beneath the surface.
Sitting cross-legged underwater, Dam Ho steadied himself.
A flood of memories swept through his mind.
A peaceful life, shattered in an instant by bandits. Unexpected salvation, and now this life at Huashan.
For the first months after his limbs were shattered, he could not move under his own power. The one who nursed him back to health was his master, Hyeon So.
Without Hyeon So’s devoted care, he would never have walked again. Though one leg was left crippled, still—he lived.
For Dam Ho, the fact of living mattered most. With life came the chance to settle accounts someday.
‘Father. Mother. Ga-ryeong.’
Their faces bloomed sharp and clear in his mind.
He had failed to protect them.
At twelve years old, weakness was no excuse. They were already gone from this world, yet he remained.
Because he remained, there were things he had to do. And for that, he needed strength.
Splash!
Dam Ho surged upright, water erupting in all directions.
“Huff! Huff!”
He gasped for breath, ragged and urgent.
His gaze fell on his left leg. Set against his right—strong and whole—it was pitifully withered. Despite climbing and descending this mountain countless times, the muscle never grew thick enough.
With such a leg, he could never master the Huashan Sect’s elegant Footwork Technique.
“The Huashan Footwork isn’t suited to me. I need something different.”
Over the past five years, Dam Ho had learned this truth in his bones.
The problem was that he had no idea how to solve it.
How he wished for a great master to light the way—but unfortunately, only Hyeon So stood at his side.
In the end, he had to find his own breakthrough.
“For now, I do what I can.”
Dam Ho moved his left foot back and forth in the water. Underwater, he felt substantial resistance.
The thigh was sound. The problem lay in the knee.
Cartilage and muscle crushed, the joint’s movement remained restricted. No elixir could heal such damage. Only one possibility remained: to undergo the legendary Bone Transformation Rebirth. But that was a dream, an impossibility.
“Strengthen the left leg’s power. Master it through training. Everything else comes after.”
Dam Ho emerged from the water.
He dried himself hastily and dressed.
The cold still clung to him, yet his mind felt clear. The memory of derision from his senior disciples had dissolved.
Starting the next day, a Sand Pouch hung from Dam Ho’s left ankle.
“Huff, huff!”
Harsh breathing forced through Dam Ho’s teeth. The weight was slight, yet it felt impossibly heavy—as if shackled iron weighted his ankle.
Dam Ho gritted his teeth and pressed forward. Sweat rolled down his spine in thick, relentless drops.
“Sigh……”
Watching him from afar, Hyeon So released a quiet breath.
“That child’s resolve toward the martial way is boundless. What am I to do?”
Hyeon So’s sigh scattered on the wind.
It was a day when he missed his own master, the long-ascended Cheon Gung Ja.

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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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