Fist Demon of Mount Hua - Chapter 53

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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 53. A Blood Star Descends Upon Xinjiang – 3
Wind swept through, gently brushing Dam Ho’s hair to the side.
The wind of Tian Shan was quite cold. But it could have no effect on Dam Ho.
Tian Shan was a mountain that possessed the bearing of a sovereign.
The shape of the mountain spoke to this, and the force one felt was equally intense. The eternal snow accumulated on the summit showed no sign of melting despite summer’s approach, and it still gazed down upon the world in pure white.
The sight, so different from Hua Shan, drew Dam Ho into contemplation. In his mind’s eye remained the image of Bak Gyeok Dal Bong.
He was near Hyul Ma Chong, at a place called Byeol Won.
After the master Eun Ha Seong died, Seo Cheon San Zhang fell into ruin. The few martial artists who survived surrendered, and Sim Su Myeong was swiftly containing the aftermath.
After killing Eun Ha Seong, Dam Ho had taken no part in anything related to Seo Cheon San Zhang. He felt no need for it, and there was no reason.
Dam Ho closed his eyes. Then he sensed an intense blood scent emanating from his own body.
Though he had emerged into the world not long ago, he had already killed countless people. He felt not a shred of guilt for their deaths, yet the intense blood scent rising from his body weighed heavily on his heart.
Dam Ho suddenly gazed down at his own hands.
His fists, bearing calluses as hard as nails, were themselves no different from weapons. With these hands he had killed many, and he could not even fathom how much more blood they would need to shed.
He had learned martial arts solely to survive, solely to grow stronger.
Without the determination to survive at all costs and the resolve to become strong, he could never have escaped the underground cavern.
Dam Ho’s fists were the result of that determination.
Crack!
Dam Ho clenched his fists tightly. Thick sinews rippled across the back of his hands like earthworms, and a formidable power coiled beneath.
A fist for destruction alone. There was no mercy in his fists.
Centered on Jung Cheon Sim Gyeol, he had extracted the essence from Bamboo Leaf Hand, Bok Ma Gwon, Six Harmonies Fist, and the martial arts of Ma Gyo. To that essence, he added his own insights, creating his own singular martial art.
An Hyeong Gwon.
A fist born in darkness, and so its name too was An Hyeong Gwon.
Since entering the world, the forms he had used were few in number.
Chung Bo and Pa Seong Chu, Ji Cheon Gyeok, and Eun Mang Su were merely the fundamental forms of An Hyeong Gwon. He had felt no need to use any other forms, and had found no opportunity to do so.
Still, a heat that had not yet subsided churned within his blood. He wished to release this heat, but no further opportunity had come.
‘One day, the chance will come.’
Suddenly, the words of his master Hyun So came to mind.
To live freely, he had said.
When he had grown strong enough to withstand Hua Shan’s harsh winds, they would meet again, he had said.
‘Master.’
Even now, when his heart was parched, thoughts of his master stirred something deep within him.
“Brother!”
At that moment, a familiar voice broke him from his reverie.
He looked up and saw Bang Jin Bo.
Many feared Dam Ho. Not only the martial artists of Seo Cheon San Zhang, but even those of Hyul Rin Sal Mak regarded him with eyes filled with both dread and awe.
This was true even for Sim Su Myeong, the leader of Hyul Rin Sal Mak.
Though Sim Su Myeong was a seasoned wanderer, he did not dare meet Dam Ho’s gaze.
But Bang Jin Bo was different.
Bang Jin Bo had witnessed the entirety of Dam Ho’s slaughter. Yet his manner and his eyes when addressing Dam Ho remained exactly as before. Perhaps that was why Dam Ho’s heart felt troubled.
“What is it?”
“The leader of Hyul Rin Sal Mak has come to see you.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. He is waiting at Byeol Won now.”
“Very well.”
Dam Ho rose and made his way to Byeol Won. Bang Jin Bo hurried after him.
“Dam… Great Hero.”
As he entered, Sim Su Myeong came forward to greet him. Beside him stood Sim Ok and Heuk No.
Heuk No, who had been saved from death by Eun Ha Seong, still bore a pallid complexion. In Heuk No’s eyes as he looked upon Dam Ho lurked a fear that could not be hidden.
This was the man he had once dismissed as a cripple. Yet the Martial Power Dam Ho possessed exceeded all imagination. A limp was no hindrance to him whatsoever.
‘I had eyes but failed to see a true man.’
He wished he could claw out his own eyes for having disparaged Dam Ho.
Heuk No released a quiet sigh.
Dam Ho regarded Sim Su Myeong.
“You sought me out?”
“Indeed.”
“For what reason?”
“Because of this.”
Sim Su Myeong placed a long object and a book upon the table.
A Sin Do, or as it was also called, a Yo Do, and the Hyul Ma Jin Gyeong.
“Why this?”
“As you know, Eun Ha Seong committed heinous acts to obtain these items. Fortunately, he died at the hands of Dam Ho before mastering Hyul Ma’s Martial Arts—otherwise, a terrible Blood Wind would have swept through Xinjiang.”
At Sim Su Myeong’s lengthy explanation, Dam Ho’s brow furrowed. Seeing this, Heuk No, who had been watching from the side, quickly stepped forward.
“The Lord of the Fortress is now asking Dam Ho about the disposal of these two items.”
“Why?”
“Because Dam Ho killed Eun Ha Seong. Naturally, Dam Ho could be considered the rightful owner of these two items.”
“I’m not interested.”
At Dam Ho’s firm words, Sim Su Myeong and Heuk No nodded as if they’d expected as much.
Though they hadn’t known him long, they thought his temperament might indeed be like this. But Sim Ok was different.
“These are Hyul Ma’s Supreme Techniques. If Eun Ha Seong had actually mastered them, even you wouldn’t have defeated him so easily.”
“That’s possible.”
“And yet you have no interest whatsoever? Truly?”
“That’s right.”
“What on earth are you—”
Sim Ok could not understand Dam Ho.
Though little known throughout the martial world, Hyul Ma had become a legend in Xinjiang. There was not a single person in Xinjiang who did not covet his Supreme Techniques. Yet Dam Ho treated Hyul Ma’s Martial Arts as casually as a common pebble rolling along the riverbank.
Then Dam Ho asked Sim Ok a question.
“Do you think I need Hyul Ma’s Martial Arts?”
“That is…”
Sim Ok could not answer.
Sim Su Myeong and Heuk No felt the same.
Dam Ho rose from his seat.
“I’m leaving this place tomorrow. Do with those items as you see fit.”
“You’re truly giving them to us?”
“Yes.”
“Hmm!”
Sim Su Myeong let out an involuntary groan.
Dam Ho stood. In his bearing there was not the slightest hesitation.
‘He means it. To this man, even Hyul Ma’s Supreme Techniques hold no appeal.’
Hyul Ma’s Martial Arts aside, the blade he had left behind was a treasure among treasures. Depending on the owner’s will, it could become the Sin Do or the Yo Do—a priceless artifact. Yet Dam Ho didn’t bat an eye at such a prize sitting before him.
Faced with Dam Ho’s magnanimity, Sim Su Myeong and Heuk No shook their heads in wonder.
Sim Su Myeong spoke aloud.
“Understood. Then the Hyul Ma Jin Gyeong and the blade will be kept in the fortress treasury.”
“Do as you please.”
Dam Ho left without even waiting for Sim Su Myeong’s reply.
“Phew!”
Everyone in the room exhaled a sigh of relief as if of one accord.
＊＊＊
“Gasp—”
Ragged breaths tumbled from Bang Jin Bo’s lips. His face was flushed crimson.
Bang Jin Bo was climbing a mountain—and not just any mountain, but Bak Gyeok Dal Bong, renowned for its treacherous terrain.
This would have been unthinkable for the Bang Jin Bo of ordinary days. He was plumper than boys his age and his stamina was poor.
Yet now, though weary, Bang Jin Bo did not stop climbing. Whenever exhaustion threatened to topple him, a cool, refreshing force rose within his body and swept through him.
Each time that cool force coursed through and faded, fatigue vanished as if it had never been.
“I have to find it soon.”
In his father Bang Woo Gwang’s cookbook, there was mention of a fragrant herb found only on Tian Shan. Its flavor was divine—adding it to a dish completely transformed its character.
An herb called the Cheon Hyang Cho.
Bang Woo Gwang’s cookbook stated that the Cheon Hyang Cho grew wild only near the summit of Tian Shan.
As Bang Woo Gwang traveled the western regions, he was always unable to visit Tian Shan, and he counted this a great regret. To fulfill his father’s regret, Bang Jin Bo was determined to find the Cheon Hyang Cho before entering Zhong Yuan.
“Where is it?”
Sweat poured like rain. Still, Bang Jin Bo did not stop searching Tian Shan.
This was the first thing he had undertaken of his own will. He could not give up because it was hard.
Dam Ho was walking a Bloody Path that Bang Jin Bo could scarcely imagine. To follow him, Bang Jin Bo himself had to steel his resolve.
Gathering the Cheon Hyang Cho was his way of hardening that resolve.
‘If I’m to follow him, I have to do at least this much.’
As he neared the summit, the wind grew colder. Sweeping down from the eternal snows crowning the peak, it carried a bone-piercing chill.
Plants grew small to withstand the harsh wind and cold. Because of this, Bang Jin Bo had to bend at the waist to search the ground.
How long had he been searching?
In a sheltered spot beneath a rock, he saw tiny grasses—smaller than a fingernail—clustered together. The plants, split into five stems like a child’s fingers, were giving off a subtle fragrance.
Merely smelling it made his mind swim. The moment the scent reached him, Bang Jin Bo knew instinctively.
‘The Cheon Hyang Cho.’
The fragrant aroma lived up to its name—so intoxicating that Bang Jin Bo felt his appetite stirring of its own accord.
If Cheon Hyang Cho were harvested and added to his cooking, he could reproduce a taste of heaven itself.
The scent of Cheon Hyang Cho beckoned to Bang Jin Bo. Without thinking, his hand reached toward it.
His fingers crept closer, inch by inch. Then they stopped abruptly, just short of the plant.
‘Is it right to do this?’
The question caught him suddenly.
If he harvested Cheon Hyang Cho and took it with him, he could easily create delicious food. But would that truly be his own skill?
Before his eyes, the plant swayed in the breeze, seeming to beckon him closer, urging him to pluck it.
Conflict flickered across Bang Jin Bo’s face.
After a long moment of deliberation, he extended his hand once more—cautiously this time. He plucked a single stem of Cheon Hyang Cho, and the fragrance grew richer still.
Bang Jin Bo placed the stem directly into his mouth. He chewed it slowly, savoring the aroma with care.
With each chew, a deeper flavor bloomed.
His face grew rapturous. He had tasted countless dishes in his life, yet never once had he experienced such a richness of flavor.
A tingling sensation shot through him from head to toe, and he shuddered. If he used Cheon Hyang Cho in his cooking, the taste of heaven itself would be faithfully recreated.
Yet Bang Jin Bo did not harvest more. Instead, he lingered, committing the taste and aroma to memory—etching it so deeply into his tongue and mind that he could never forget it.
How much time had passed?
Bang Jin Bo opened his eyes.
“That’s enough. I’ve got it committed to memory.”
He smiled and rose to his feet without hesitation.
He took no Cheon Hyang Cho with him. Instead, he took the taste—imprinting it so completely that he could later reproduce it without ever touching the plant again.
Bang Jin Bo descended the mountain without looking back.
Behind him, Cheon Hyang Cho swayed with its rich fragrance, still calling him to return. But Bang Jin Bo left no room for second thoughts.
‘Father, I’m doing this right, aren’t I?’
Bang Jin Bo smiled.
He wanted to become one of the finest cooks in all the land—not by relying on Cheon Hyang Cho, but by his own mastery alone. Even if the path was long and demanded years of detours.
“Hehehehe!”
Bang Jin Bo’s laughter echoed across Tian Shan.

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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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