Fist Demon of Mount Hua - Chapter 72

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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 71. Strong Walking Alone—3
The man in the black long robe was Dam Ho. At his side, Fang Jin-bo stood with his mouth agape, constantly turning to gaze at everything around him.
“They say the Jang Kang is as wide as the sea, and it’s really true. I’ve never seen a river this vast before.”
Dam Ho nodded silently.
This was his first time seeing the Jang Kang as well. Not quite as overwhelmed as Fang Jin-bo, but he was taking in the sight with genuine wonder.
When passing through the steep gorge, the current surged violently; when emerging into such open expanses, the water flowed languidly.
The ever-shifting face of nature stirred something deep within Dam Ho.
‘Narrow passages flow swift, wide spaces flow slow. Perhaps the current of life follows the same pattern.’
Dam Ho shook his head.
He was being uncharacteristically sentimental.
His eyes regained their original emotional indifference.
Since leaving Hong Am San Jang, Dam Ho and Fang Jin-bo had drifted southward aimlessly. Two weeks had passed, and at last they had reached the Jang Kang.
They had slept rough the entire journey. Because of this, they remained invisible to the world’s gaze.
Dam Ho paused to look at his own hands.
He had been in this world for only a short time, yet already he carried the blood of countless people. His hands seemed never to dry.
What was terrifying was that despite having killed so many, he felt not the slightest guilt.
Hyun So had always warned him to guard against the Demon Realm of the Heart.
Demons arrive unexpectedly in moments one cannot foresee, gnawing away at the mind without one’s knowledge—so he had been told to remain vigilant always.
Dam Ho’s gaze deepened.
He wondered if he had not merely fallen into the Demon Realm of the Heart, but had become the Demon itself.
Even now, the Dark Soul Heart Method circulated within his body, augmenting his inner force. It had begun as the Jungcheon Heart Scripture, but had transformed so completely that no trace of its original form remained.
The Dark Soul Heart Method was unfathomably dark and dank. Much like Dam Ho himself.
While Dam Ho sat lost in thought, Fang Jin-bo continued to crane his neck in every direction, gasping in amazement.
“Wow!”
Confronted with a landscape he had never seen before, Fang Jin-bo was beside himself with delight. The majestic flow of the Jang Kang and the surrounding beauty sent waves of wonder through the young boy’s heart.
Then it came.
“Hehe!”
A clear, bright laugh suddenly rang out.
When Fang Jin-bo turned, he saw a girl about his own age regarding him with amusement.
She appeared to be about twelve or thirteen, beautiful in the way of a porcelain doll, yet endearingly cute. Her large, dark eyes were particularly striking.
Those black eyes, deep as obsidian, sparkled like the morning star. Fang Jin-bo had never seen a girl with eyes that shone so brilliantly.
She wore an exceptionally ornate silk dress, and judging by the bodyguards surrounding her, she was clearly of very high station.
The girl approached Fang Jin-bo with a cheerful smile.
She spoke to him.
“What are you finding so fascinating?”
“Oh, I… well…”
“Is this your first time seeing the Jang Kang?”
Fang Jin-bo’s face flushed crimson, and he found himself unable to speak.
“Why won’t you answer? I asked if this was your first time seeing the Jang Kang.”
Fang Jin-bo thought her voice sounded like a skylark’s song. All other sounds dissolved away; only her voice remained.
Fang Jin-bo stared blankly at her. Amused by his dazed expression, she burst into laughter.
“Goodness! You’re quite an amusing child. What’s your name?”
“I’m Fang Jin-bo.”
“I’m En So-cheong. It’s wonderful to meet you.”
The girl who introduced herself as En So-cheong clearly possessed a bright and cheerful disposition.
One of the bodyguards approached her—a strikingly handsome man whose expression was as cold as carved ice.
“Young lady, this is not advisable.”
“It’s fine! We’re on a boat. What could possibly happen?”
“One can never be certain of the world’s intentions.”
“But you’ll protect me, won’t you?”
“Of course, I will.”
“Then that settles it.”
En So-cheong smiled radiantly.
The Silver Sword and Ghost Hand—Jong Ri-su.
A bodyguard raised by En So-cheong’s clan specifically to protect her. Since he had been with her from the moment she first began to walk, they shared a particularly deep bond.
En So-cheong called Jong Ri-su by his other name and followed him devotedly.
Jong Ri-su regarded Fang Jin-bo, his gaze laden with warning.
Fang Jin-bo managed a wry smile.
At a glance, he could see that this person and he were of entirely different stations.
“So, where are you headed, Jin-bo?”
“Dong Jung Lake,” Dam Ho said.
“Dong Jung Lake? Why there?”
“There’s a place called the Cheonha Jeil Ru. I mean to visit it.”
“Really?”
En So-cheong’s eyes widened. Life bloomed across her face.
“I’m going to the Cheonha Jeil Ru too.”
“You are?”
“Yes! I promised to meet someone there.”
“Miss!”
“What? Oh, it’s a secret.”
En So-cheong stuck out her tongue playfully.
Jong Ri-su regarded her with a look of resigned defeat. But seeing her bright, guileless smile, he found himself with nothing left to say.
Jong Ri-su shook his head and stepped back a few paces. He had concluded that Fang Jin-bo posed no threat to En So-cheong.
Fang Jin-bo was clearly a man who had never trained in martial arts—his frame was corpulent and soft. In such a body, he could do her no harm. Besides, En So-cheong herself was no ordinary martial practitioner.
En So-cheong’s gaze drifted to a cloth bundle behind Fang Jin-bo. The handle of a wok protruded from between the folds.
“What is that?”
“Oh, that’s a cooking pot—for preparing food.”
“Really? Then you’re a cook?”
“Yes!”
Fang Jin-bo answered, his face flushing. En So-cheong’s expression grew even more astonished.
“Wow! That’s impressive. How long have you been cooking? What dishes do you make well?”
“Well, that is…”
Fang Jin-bo floundered under the barrage of En So-cheong’s questions. Desperately, he turned his eyes toward Dam Ho, seeking rescue. But Dam Ho offered no response whatsoever.
Following Fang Jin-bo’s gaze, En So-cheong naturally turned to look at Dam Ho. Only then did she realize that this statue of a man was traveling with them.
“Hello, sir. I’m En So-cheong.”
With her characteristically unguarded nature, she greeted him warmly.
Dam Ho stared at En So-cheong intently. She broke into a smile, innocent and without malice. Something in that expression made Dam Ho open his mouth.
“My name is Dam Ho.”
His voice was rough and heavily textured, yet En So-cheong found it resonant and full of weight.
“Pleased to meet you, sir!”
“Mm.”
“But you have a different surname from Jin-bo. You’re not blood brothers, are you?”
En So-cheong pressed him with questions, hungry for every detail. Dam Ho studied her face in silence for a long moment before speaking.
“A perceptive child.”
En So-cheong’s cheeks flushed faintly.
Dam Ho turned his gaze away from her and moved toward the stairway descending from the deck.
For an instant, something flickered across En So-cheong’s eyes before vanishing.
She smiled and looked back at Fang Jin-bo.
“Will you show me the wok?”
“What?”
“I want to see it. I’ve never been into a kitchen before.”
“Well…”
“Show me!”
En So-cheong’s persistent pleading wore Fang Jin-bo down. He shook his head in surrender and began untying the bundle.
As the wok, bamboo spatula, and ladle emerged, En So-cheong gazed at them with wonder.
‘Miss,’ Jong Ri-su thought.
He watched her in silence, his eyes full of compassion.
Her high station had deprived En So-cheong of so much that her peers took for granted. This very deprivation made her curious about the ordinary.
‘Let her enjoy even this small freedom,’ he decided.
En So-cheong was already exclaiming with delight at the humble utensils, hanging on Fang Jin-bo’s every word. And Jong Ri-su’s attention remained fixed entirely on her.
Dam Ho had descended to the deck below. Here, the passengers’ horses and wagons were stowed.
The smell of horse dung hit his nostrils the moment he reached the lower level. But Dam Ho didn’t so much as wrinkle his brow. He walked on.
A horse whinnied.
As Dam Ho approached, Heuk-gwi neighed in greeting. Dam Ho stroked the animal’s neck, and Heuk-gwi swished his tail, savoring the touch.
Dam Ho leaned close to Heuk-gwi’s ear and whispered.
“I know it’s cramped. Bear it a little longer, and once we reach land, I’ll let you run to your heart’s content.”
“Is that the general’s horse?”
Someone spoke to Dam Ho from behind.
When he turned, he saw Seon-bu in shabby clothes, holding a large shovel—apparently in the middle of cleaning out the stalls.
Dam Ho’s gaze met his, and Seon-bu grinned widely.
“It’s precisely because it’s such a fine horse. I’ve worked aboard the Unmma Dokang Ship for years now, but I’ve never seen one as magnificent as yours.”
“…….”
“Be careful. Horses of such quality attract covetous eyes from all quarters.”
It was ambiguous—advice or threat, impossible to say which.
Dam Ho’s gaze upon Seon-bu grew heavy and distant.
“You have no idea how many lives have been lost because of this horse.”
His voice was barely more than a whisper, yet it cut through the air with unnatural clarity.
The moment Seon-bu heard Dam Ho speak, a chill seized his entire body. Listening to that voice alone was enough to drag his mind into an abyss.
Only then did Seon-bu grasp the truth—that Dam Ho was one of those masters the Martial World spoke of in hushed tones.
“I, I was merely trying to offer some counsel…… Ugh! Forgive my presumption, truly.”
In the end, Seon-bu found himself apologizing to Dam Ho.
He knew all too well what happened when one carelessly provoked a Martial Practitioner.
“See that it’s well cared for until we reach land. Feed it only the finest grain.”
“Of, of course. Don’t worry yourself. I shall tend to it with all my devotion.”
“Tell me this—how would I find the Ha-o Gate on Dong Jung Lake?”
“Why ask me?”
Dam Ho suddenly tossed something toward Seon-bu. Seon-bu’s hand darted out and caught it.
A silver coin gleamed in his palm.
Seon-bu’s face bloomed into a smile.
Money could move even ghosts. For a glittering silver coin, Seon-bu would stake his life.
“Search the courtesan houses, if you would.”
“Courtesan houses?”
“Yes! I’ve heard that some of the courtesans have connections to the Ha-o Gate. Beyond that, I know nothing.”
Seon-bu bowed deeply to Dam Ho and withdrew.
Left alone, Dam Ho gazed out toward the water.
Rain had begun to fall at some point.

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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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