Fist Demon of Mount Hua - Chapter 59

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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 59. Destiny’s Path is Unknowable, and the Affairs of the World Cannot Be Foreseen Even One Step Ahead—3
Yi Sin Pung’s sixtieth birthday celebration was far more than a simple congratulatory feast. It was also a gathering place for the countless martial sects making their livelihood in Gansu Province.
By now, more than twenty major sects had arrived at Hong Am Mountain Manor. The number of lesser-known sects whose names had never even reached the ears of fame far exceeded that.
“Ha ha! It’s been a long time.”
“Indeed. I’d say it’s been three years, and yet the master hasn’t changed one bit.”
“Oh, that can’t be so. Heh heh!”
Middle-aged martial artists exchanged empty pleasantries, while on another side young practitioners were enjoying themselves with introductions and laughter.
“Phew! That’s impressive.”
A young man whistled as he took in the sight.
He appeared to be in his late twenties, a southerner with black eyes gleaming like the morning star and lips curled up just slightly, mischief dancing across his entire face.
The youth sat upon one of dozens of low platforms arranged in the vast training ground, observing the flow of people around him.
The other platforms were crowded, yet oddly no one drew near the one where he sat.
Several empty wine bottles rolled across the platform where he sat. Only he remained on it.
Naturally, he was also the one who had drunk the wine. His face was flushed red.
Those nearby could only click their tongues at the sight of a young man intoxicated in broad daylight, and they did not approach.
“Drinking so much in the middle of the day.”
“Indeed. I don’t know which sect he belongs to, but the boy’s rotten to the core.”
Though he must have heard their murmurs, the youth’s expression did not change. Instead, he called out to a passing server.
“Could you bring me just one more bottle of wine?”
“Pardon? But you’ve already had quite a lot…….”
As the server’s face showed hesitation, the youth’s smile deepened.
“Why? Do I seem drunk to you?”
“That’s not quite it, but…….”
“Life is not your possession; it is Heaven and Earth’s entrusted harmony. That’s what the ancient sage Liezi said long ago.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“It means that since human life and death are ultimately the province of Heaven, we must make the most of this very moment. Even the ancient sages spoke thus—how could I let this moment slip away carelessly? Throughout history, there has been no sage who did not drink wine…….”
“I… I’ll fetch it for you right away.”
Fearing the youth’s sophistry would continue indefinitely, the server cut himself short and retreated. Moments later, he returned with a bottle of wine, handed it to the youth, and disappeared.
Left alone so abruptly, the youth smacked his lips, but soon began pouring the wine and drinking deeply.
“None can travel with those who walk not the path, and those who walk not the path know not the Way itself. When there is no one walking the same path, loneliness follows. Tsk!”
The youth looked around after draining his cup.
Just then, a man who stood strangely apart from the surrounding scene caught his eye. A man with black hair dressed in a black long robe. Upon closer inspection, he limped slightly on one leg, and for this reason, no one spoke to him.
The man looked around. He seemed to be searching for an empty seat. The youth waved his hand at him.
“There’s a vacant spot here, friend.”
He even smiled brightly.
A strong reek of alcohol emanated from the youth’s breath. Those nearby assumed he was being rowdy with drink and figured the man in black would not approach.
But contrary to their expectation, the man in the black robe walked straight toward the platform where the youth sat without hesitation.
The youth’s eyes lit up. The man approaching the platform was limping slightly on one leg.
The man who sat across from the youth was none other than Dam Ho.
The youth clasped his hands in a martial salute toward Dam Ho.
“Delighted to meet you. To share a seat like this is surely great destiny. Shall we exchange names? My name is Cho Yeon Un.”
Though his face was flushed red, there was not the slightest hint of intoxication in his black eyes as he regarded Dam Ho intently.
“Dam Ho.”
Dam Ho spoke only his name, tersely.
It was the kind of situation that would have shamed most people. But Cho Yeon Un burst into hearty laughter.
“Ha ha! That’s a fine name. Brother Dam.”
Dam Ho simply nodded in silence.
Though Dam Ho’s face showed no emotion and could have seemed off-putting, Cho Yeon Un paid no mind and offered him a wine cup.
“Have a drink.”
“I don’t drink.”
“What a shame. Not to experience such joy. Well, no matter? Each person pursues their own path. Ha ha!”
Cho Yeon Un laughed good-naturedly.
Dam Ho gazed intently at Cho Yeon Un. Of all the people Dam Ho had encountered since coming into the world, this man was by far the most scatterbrained and talkative.
He seemed genuinely delighted that Dam Ho had sat with him, talking this way and that. Dam Ho did not let the youth’s words go in one ear and out the other.
After Cho Yeon Un had been chattering for some time, he grew somewhat awkward under Dam Ho’s piercing gaze and scratched the back of his head.
“Have I been talking only about myself? By the way, where do you hail from, Brother Dam?”
“Beyond the Great Wall.”
“Beyond the Great Wall? Outside the Wall? Ha! You’ve come a long way. I envy you! I’ve always wanted to go there myself. What is the landscape like beyond the Wall? Is it as desolate as they say?”

“Probably.”
“But he seems to be from the Central Plains. How did he come from beyond the Great Wall? Ah, he must have traveled with merchants. I’ve heard that lately, more and more people have been going beyond the Great Wall following the caravans.”
Cho Yeon Un answered while musing to himself.
He appeared to be someone naturally inclined to talk. It was almost strange how his throat never grew hoarse despite his endless chatter.
It was while Cho Yeon Un was holding forth at length.
“The Gong Tong Sect. Warriors from the Gong Tong Sect have arrived.”
Suddenly, murmurs rippled through the crowd. Their voices carried an unmistakable thrill of excitement.
“The Gong Tong Sect sent a congratulatory envoy delegation? Yi Sin Pung is certainly remarkable.”
“There’s no denying it. Whether you ask anyone or not, the Gong Tong Sect and the strong of Gansu Province aren’t they? The Gong Tong Sect may have the longer tradition, but in terms of present glory, Hong Am Mountain Manor is no way inferior.”
The crowd’s murmurs reached Dam Ho’s and Cho Yeon Un’s ears as well.
Cho Yeon Un’s face immediately showed interest.
“Oh! So we’re finally seeing those stubborn Daoist priests from the Gong Tong Sect?”
He gazed at the arriving priests, parting the crowd with an expression of keen fascination.
A dozen priests walking with confident strides. Each of them radiated an air of composure and extraordinary presence.
They were the congratulatory envoy delegation sent by the Gong Tong Sect.
Cultivated swords of the Gong Tong Sect, one of the Nine Great Sects—honed with meticulous care. The sharp, penetrating aura they gave off was so formidable that people dared not meet their gaze.
Among them, one figure stood out with particularly overwhelming presence.
Large, striking features and a towering frame of seven feet, a body that looked as hard as tempered steel, paired with an intense yet arrogant gleam in his eyes.
He carried himself as though the world lay beneath his feet. The bearing suited him perfectly.
“That’s Nam Hak.”
“Wow! Then that means he’s the Heavenly Thunder Martial Guest?”
“To see one of the Nine Martial Dragons, the Heavenly Thunder Martial Guest, in this place. We’ve truly been blessed with extraordinary fortune.”
The crowd murmured as they watched him, their faces flushed with excitement.
“The Heavenly Thunder Martial Guest, Nam Hak.”
A playful smile appeared at the corners of Cho Yeon Un’s mouth.
His gaze suddenly turned toward Dam Ho.
Even at Nam Hak’s arrival, Dam Ho’s eyes remained deep and unmoved, as though he knew nothing of this figure called Nam Hak.
Cho Yeon Un asked.
“Do you perhaps not know him?”
Dam Ho then looked at Cho Yeon Un.
His eyes were devoid of emotion, yet somehow Cho Yeon Un understood the language contained within them.
“You don’t know him? Ha! So there actually exists a man in this world who doesn’t know the Nine Martial Dragons.”
Cho Yeon Un pressed his forehead with his hand.
Dam Ho regarded Cho Yeon Un intently.
“Do I need to know?”
“Well, no! Not necessarily. But knowing would be better than not knowing. But why speak casually with someone you’re meeting for the first time?”
As though just realizing this, Cho Yeon Un shot Dam Ho a glare. But Dam Ho spoke as though unbothered.
“If you don’t like it, you speak casually too.”
“Ah! Then that works. Damn!”
Cho Yeon Un’s expression crumpled like paper.
He shot Dam Ho a glare. Yet nowhere on his face did malice show.
“Fine! Then I’ll have to explain from the beginning. Do you perhaps know what the Nine Martial Dragons are?”
“…”
“I thought as much. You must be someone new to the Martial World. Well, never mind. Everyone has a beginning. So, the Nine Martial Dragons are basically the current Martial World’s finest late-stage experts.”
True to Cho Yeon Un’s word, the Nine Martial Dragons were composed of the Martial World’s finest late-stage experts. Yet their achievements were far too significant to be dismissed with the mere title of late-stage experts.
Their martial prowess had already approached the level of elders within the Nine Great Sects. The issue was that this was not their final form.
Given their age, the room for growth remained vast. In fact, even at this very moment, they were growing terrifyingly stronger.
Jin Wu Young of the Wudang Sect, called the Peerless Sword—a talent expected to lead the Wudang Sect for a hundred years. His aptitude with the sword was nothing short of genius; even the elders of the Wudang Sect yielded to him.
No wonder his very epithet was the Peerless Sword, a swordsman without peer.
The second of the Nine Martial Dragons was Myeong Gyeong of the Hua Shan Sect, the Solitary Swordsman.
A rare talent of the ages, nurtured by Hua Shan’s current sword saint. Few had seen his face, yet his reputation already resounded throughout the realm.
Third was Pyo Seo Un, the Swift Wind Yama.
Notably, he came from the Outer Disciples of the Jian Chuang Sect, one of the Nine Great Sects. More precisely, he was the lord of the Yun Chang Pyo Guk, the merchant family affiliated with the Jian Chuang Sect’s outer disciples, and his talent was truly genius-level.
Fourth was Eom Tae Cheon, the Shadowless Divine Dragon.
He was a martial artist of the Kunlun Sect, known as the Mysterious Sect.
Like his epithet suggested, he wandered the Martial World leaving no trace, and few knew his true face.
“And the sixth of the Nine Martial Dragons is called Cheong Un. His epithet is the Sole Star of Sichuan. He’s from the Qingcheng Sect. Originally, the three pillars of Sichuan—the Qingcheng Sect, the Tang Sect, and the Emei Sect—are stingy with praising one another. But there’s not a shred of doubt about Cheong Un’s talent. So they gave him that absurd epithet: Sichuan’s only star.”
Sixth among the Nine Martial Dragons was held by a martial monk raised by the Shaolin Sect.
A monk named So Cheon.
He was a martial monk so formidable that he bore the absurd epithet of One Fist Shatters Mountain.
The seventh position, unusually, was occupied by a woman.
Hae So Wol—Flower of the Sea.
A female swordmaster produced by the Hainan Sect, a wandering cultivator who journeyed the realm seeking enlightenment in the ultimate way of the blade. A woman as proud and beautiful as a single flower. It was said that anyone who had seen her face even once could not help but fall in love.
The eighth position belonged to Geum Han Su, the Young Master of Heaven’s Strength.
Starting his journey through the Martial World twelve years prior, Geum Han Su had quickly distinguished himself and begun to make a name across the land.
A man who held to the creed that he would sooner break than bend. Such was the nature of the epithet bestowed upon him: Young Master of Heaven’s Strength.
“And finally, the ninth position—that cursed one there. Nam Hak, the Thunderous Lone Wanderer. A prodigy raised with all the resources of the Gong Tong Sect. Word has it that six elders of the sect each sacrificed half their cultivation to complete his Internal Energy.”
“…….”
“Don’t understand? It means they transmitted their Internal Energy to him using the Heavenly Transfer Great Method. The elders each gave half their cultivation to him. By the numbers alone, his Internal Energy should reach three times that of those Gong Tong elders. In terms of raw power alone, you could call him the greatest in all the realm. Heh!”
The corners of Cho Yeon Un’s mouth curled upward.
“Among the Nine Martial Dragons, rank means nothing. You could say they possess the power of a Dragon-Tiger Confrontation. As for myself…….”
“It’s been a while, Cho Yeon Un.”
“Right! I’m Cho Yeon Un. Huh?”
At the unfamiliar voice that suddenly cut through, Cho Yeon Un looked up. There stood a face he recognized, looking down at him.
“Nam Hak?”
“Cho Yeon Un. That babbling mouth of yours still hasn’t learned to shut itself, I see.”
“And that unpleasant glare of yours is exactly as irritating as ever.”
The man looking down at Cho Yeon Un was indeed Nam Hak.

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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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