Fist Demon of Mount Hua - Chapter 76

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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 75. Meeting and parting like the ripples of the Yangtze—4
Dam Ho returned to the Seo Pung Guest House as the evening deepened.
“Brother!”
Bang Jin Bo greeted him at the entrance.
Bang Jin Bo’s face brimmed with vitality, as though he’d woken from a deep and restful sleep.
“Shall we go eat now?”
“Yes.”
“Hehe! Come on. They say the Gan Gua Gye at the Seo Pung Guest House is absolutely superb.”
“Gan Gua Gye?”
“It’s a dish where you put various vegetables and chicken in a large wok and cook it without broth. The flavor is supposed to be amazing. I asked Jeom So Yi earlier to prepare it for us in advance. It should be ready by now if we head to the dining room.”
Bang Jin Bo’s expression was brimming with excitement.
It was the particular look that crossed his face whenever he anticipated delicious food.
Until they’d arrived at this place, Bang Jin Bo had been downcast and dispirited, but now, with the promise of fine cuisine before him, his spirits lifted once more.
“There’s a saying that one shouldn’t speak of cuisine without having tasted Hunan Cuisine. The knife work is refined, and the generous use of oil is its hallmark. They’re especially liberal with oil, and favor methods like simmering, steaming, and stir-frying.”
All the way to the dining room, Bang Jin Bo discoursed on Hunan Cuisine. Dam Ho walked alongside him in silence, listening to his words.
By the time they reached the guest house’s dining level, the restaurant was already fairly crowded despite the early hour. Several patrons had already claimed their tables.
The two found an empty table and sat down. The moment they settled, Jeom So Yi came rushing over.
“Welcome.”
“Brother! What about the Gan Gua Gye?”
“It’s almost ready. Just sit and wait a moment—I’ll have it out shortly.”
“Yes!”
Jeom So Yi set down a pot of tea and cups at their table, then hurried back to the kitchen.
“Hehe!”
Bang Jin Bo broke into repeated laughter.
After watching him silently for a time, Dam Ho asked a question.
“You’re that pleased?”
“Yes! The second-happiest moment for me is when I get to eat delicious food.”
“What’s the first?”
“When someone savors something I’ve cooked with genuine appreciation. What about you? When are you happiest?”
Dam Ho didn’t answer. Couldn’t, rather.
The most contented moment he’d ever known was when he’d spent time with his master, Hyun So. That had been twelve years ago now.
Since then, he’d never once felt what he could call happiness. In truth, he wasn’t even certain such an emotion existed within him.
At this point, he questioned whether he was even human anymore.
Dam Ho’s gaze turned toward the window. The sun had set and evening had fallen, yet the streets grew even more crowded with passersby.
Countless people bustled about in ceaseless motion.
He thought that even those who moved with such frenzy would find their way home once night fell.
Station or circumstance mattered little. What mattered was having a place to belong, somewhere the heart could rest.
Dam Ho had no such place.
No place to call home, and no purpose he desired to pursue.
The sole force that drove him forward now was one thing alone. And it was separate from Bang Jin Bo entirely.
Dam Ho brought the tea cup to his lips. Bang Jin Bo watched him intently.
He knew well how others saw Dam Ho—as frightening, formidable. To those he deemed enemies, Dam Ho showed not a shred of mercy.
Yet Bang Jin Bo harbored no fear of him. Not once had he witnessed Dam Ho harm another soul without reason.
“Here at last—the Gan Gua Gye, gentlemen.”
Jeom So Yi set a large bowl on their table. It held an array of vegetables and perfectly cooked chicken pieces.
“Simply eat the chicken with the vegetables. Enjoy your meal. You too, eat well.”
Jeom So Yi bowed to them and withdrew.
“It smells wonderful. Hehe! Brother, just a moment, please.”
Bang Jin Bo began tearing the chicken in the bowl into bite-sized pieces. In an instant, an entire large chicken had been expertly dismantled into manageable portions.
“Brother, please, eat.”
Bang Jin Bo filled Dam Ho’s bowl with chicken and tender vegetables and offered it to him.
Dam Ho picked up his chopsticks first and tasted the Gan Gua Gye. Bang Jin Bo watched him with eyes full of anticipation.
“How is it? Brother?”
“Delicious.”
“Really? Hehe! Then I’ll have some too……”
Bang Jin Bo ate with a smile, his chopsticks moving deftly. After a moment’s pause, his eyes widened.
“Delicious!”
His eyes shone with delight as he wolfed down the Gan Gua Gye with abandon. Chicken bones soon accumulated in a small heap before him.
For every single chew Dam Ho took, Bang Jin Bo chewed three or four times. Naturally, the amount he consumed was proportionally greater.
As the two of them applied themselves earnestly to their meal, something happened.
Thump-thump!
From the wooden staircase connecting to the first floor came the sound of heavy footsteps and the bustle of many people. Moments later, roughly a dozen men appeared.
The men all wore identical blue martial garments, and on their sleeves was embroidered a single character—”Sword”—stitched in crimson thread.
Those dining recognized who these men were.
“They’re from the Akyoung Geomun.”
“What are they doing here?”
In all of Akyoung, only the Akyoung Geomun embroidered the character “Sword” on their martial robes in such a manner.
People turned curious eyes upon the Akyoung Geomun disciples.
The Akyoung Geomun men swept their piercing gazes across the diners on this floor. Most of them hastily lowered their heads, afraid of meeting those eyes.
The oldest-looking of the Akyoung Geomun men spoke, infusing his voice with Internal Energy.
“I am Jin Yang Su of the Akyoung Geomun. Today, our Sect Leader, Sa Ma Gong Cheon, is holding an important gathering on the third floor of this establishment. I trust that once you have finished your meals, you will depart quietly.”
His tone was courteous, yet carried an unmistakable edge of threat.
The diners did not respond. They could not. The overwhelming presence of the Akyoung Geomun disciples had rendered them mute.
Jin Yang Su allowed himself a cold smile. He had judged that there was no one here capable of posing a threat.
In his hand hung a Wooden Armor Piece inscribed with ornate patterns—craftsmanship so fine that even at a glance, it bore the unmistakable mark of a master artisan.
Jin Yang Su issued orders to his men.
“You and you—guard the first floor. You three—watch the stairs here. The rest of you come with me to the third floor.”
“Yes!”
The Akyoung Geomun disciples responded with vigor and obeyed. The diners watched them in hushed silence, scarcely breathing.
Through the window, more Akyoung Geomun men could be seen stationed around the guest house.
“Who in the world is arriving?”
“Someone important, clearly. The atmosphere feels anything but ordinary.”
The Akyoung Geomun was regarded as one of the five foremost martial sects in Hunan Province. To live in Akyoung and ignore the Akyoung Geomun was simply impossible.
Naturally, those dining on this floor found themselves unable to do anything but read the mood of the Akyoung Geomun disciples.
Bang Jin Bo leaned toward Dam Ho and whispered.
“Someone important must be visiting.”
Dam Ho did not reply. Though the Akyoung Geomun men were cultivating an atmosphere of menace before his eyes, it stirred no reaction in him whatsoever.
He paid them no mind and quietly continued his meal. To him, savoring the food in front of him was far more pressing than the arrival of some unknown visitor.
Seeing Dam Ho’s composure, Bang Jin Bo also turned his attention from the Akyoung Geomun disciples and devoted himself to eating.
“This really is delicious. The seasoning on the chicken especially is superb—the tartness, the heat, the savory depth all blend together perfectly.”
Bang Jin Bo licked even the seasoning clinging to his fingers, then smacked his lips in reluctant satisfaction.
Just as Dam Ho and Bang Jin Bo were finishing their meal—
“Hey, you there. Once you’re done eating, be on your way.”
The voice of one of the Akyoung Geomun men guarding this floor rang out. He was a large, fierce-looking disciple who had cast an aura of dread over the entire floor.
His gaze was fixed upon Bang Jin Bo and Dam Ho.
“W-we’re just—”
Bang Jin Bo’s words faltered. Not from fear of the Akyoung Geomun man, but because of the person beside him.
As Bang Jin Bo hesitated—
“The Sect Leader has arrived.”
A low voice drifted up from below.
The fierce-looking disciple immediately straightened and returned to his post. Bang Jin Bo and Dam Ho were no longer objects of his attention.
Moments later, footsteps sounded on the stairs.
“Sect Leader!”
The disciples hastily bowed their heads.
A young man in his early twenties ascended the staircase. His features were finely sculpted—the kind of face that would certainly earn him the reputation of a handsome man.
The young man wore a silk robe embroidered with elaborate patterns, and at his waist hung a sheathed sword likewise adorned with ornate designs.
This was Sa Ma Gong Cheon, Sect Leader of the Akyoung Geomun.
Sa Ma Gong Cheon ascended to this floor with an air of brazen arrogance, and the Akyoung Geomun disciples immediately lowered their heads in deference.
“Where is Miss Hae?”
“She has not yet arrived.”
“And the item?”
“Fortunately, it was completed in time. Director Jin is bringing it now.”
“Good to hear.”
Sa Ma Gong Cheon nodded and looked about the floor.
His eyes gleamed with the arrogance of one who looked down upon everyone else.
“Tsk! To think we must receive her here at the Seo Pung Guest House instead of at the Cheonha Jeil Lou.”
“My apologies. The Cheonha Jeil Lou has been fully booked a month in advance. We had no choice.”
“That cursed Cheonha Jeil Lou. I’d like to see how much longer they can conduct business with such presumption.”
The Dongting Lake was said to be as vast as the sea itself. Though Akyoung was large, it was no more than a cicada clinging to a withered tree compared to Dongting Lake.
The Cheonha Jeil Lou was situated on the Yuan River, which could be called the heart of Dongting Lake—on the opposite shore of Dongting, reachable from Akyoung only by boat.
Because of this, Cheonha Jeil Lou remained largely untouched by Akyoung Geomun’s influence. Moreover, along the Yuan River stood the Uiseon Sect, one of Hunan Province’s five great Martial Sects.
The Uiseon Sect was also Cheonha Jeil Lou’s greatest patron. Known for dispensing mercy through medicine, the Uiseon Sect possessed a strength that even Akyoung Geomun found awkward to confront.
Especially because they had saved countless lives through their medical arts, they enjoyed overwhelming support throughout Hunan Province that surpassed Akyoung Geomun. It was this very Uiseon Sect that watched over Cheonha Jeil Lou.
Cheonha Jeil Lou’s stubbornness was known throughout the land. They had already rejected Sa Ma Gong Cheon’s proposal to lease five entire floors on the grounds that they were fully booked.
Because of this, Sa Ma Gong Cheon had to hastily seek another location instead of Cheonha Jeil Lou. That place was the Seo Pung Guest House.
Though not quite equal to Cheonha Jeil Lou, the Seo Pung Guest House’s cuisine was also renowned for being quite delicious. Regrettable as it was, for now he would have to content himself with leasing three entire floors of the Seo Pung Guest House.
It was just as Sa Ma Gong Cheon clicked his tongue in displeasure.
“The lady Hae has arrived, sir.”
An urgent voice came from below, belonging to one of his subordinates.
“She’s finally here?”
A glimmer of anticipation crossed Sa Ma Gong Cheon’s face.
Thump, thump!
In that moment, the sound of someone ascending the stairs echoed through the building.
Every eye on this floor turned toward the staircase. They were all curious to see who this great personage was—someone important enough to warrant a direct welcome from the Sect Leader of Akyoung Geomun himself.
With all eyes upon the stairs, the source of those footsteps finally appeared on this floor.
“Ah!”
The moment she emerged, an involuntary gasp spilled from everyone’s lips.
Beneath hair elaborately pinned up in three coils, a fair and delicate nape was revealed.
Her eyebrows curved in a graceful crescent, and beneath them lay eyes touched by a subtle blue luminescence. A nose that rose elegantly in fine lines, and below it, small lips the color of crimson.
She was a woman beautiful enough to draw admiration from anyone who beheld her. She wore a simple deep-purple cotton robe, the sort commonly worn by common women, yet even that modest attire shone with breathtaking beauty.
In the woman’s hand hung an unadorned sword. Its scabbard gleamed from years of wear, polished smooth by the oils of countless hands.
Sa Ma Gong Cheon hastened toward the woman. His face bore a smile so full it was hard to imagine he had just been bristling with irritation.
“Welcome, lady Hae. I am Sa Ma Gong Cheon of Akyoung Geomun. I extend my sincerest welcome to your visit to Akyoung.”
His voice carried a note almost of servility.
And with good reason.
The woman before him was Hae So Wol—she who was called the Flower of the Sea.
A female knight produced by the prestigious Haenam Sect, she was a wandering cultivator traveling the realm in pursuit of understanding the pinnacle of Sword Mastery. Like a solitary flower, she carried herself with pride and beauty, yet her achievements in the way of the sword were said to surpass all imagination.
Most importantly, she was one of the Nine Dragons. A woman who stood as an equal among those legendary masters.
All of this she had achieved solely through her own strength, apart from the formidable backing of the Haenam Sect. Naturally, she was incomparable to Sa Ma Gong Cheon.
Sa Ma Gong Cheon, who moments before had been strutting about with such confidence, now found his spirit utterly deflated at the sight of Hae So Wol.
At the sight of Sa Ma Gong Cheon’s diminished bearing, Hae So Wol’s eyes grew cold.
‘There is no talent left in the Central Plains.’
The words echoed only within her own mind.

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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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