Fist Demon of Mount Hua - Chapter 92

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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 92. The World Is Wide, Yet Those Meant to Meet Will Meet—Part 1
It had been only a single encounter, and that long enough ago that awkwardness would have been understandable, yet Cho Yeon Un approached Dam Ho with the ease of someone parting from him yesterday and meeting him again just now.
Cho Yeon Un handed Dam Ho a liquor bottle.
When Dam Ho’s brow furrowed slightly, Cho Yeon Un smiled.
“Just drink it down. There’s no poison in it.”
Dam Ho stared at Cho Yeon Un.
Most people would have faltered before such an intense gaze, but Cho Yeon Un met it without flinching. His eyes held not a trace of hidden intent.
Cho Yeon Un offered the bottle again.
“The scent of blood is radiating from your body. Drinking this will dilute it somewhat.”
Only then did Dam Ho accept the bottle. At this, Cho Yeon Un let out a soft laugh.
‘Quite the one for distrusting others, aren’t you.’
He had already grasped Dam Ho’s nature when they’d met at Hong Ahn Mountain Lodge years ago. Considerable time had passed, yet that quality in him remained unchanged. In some ways, it was rather consistent.
Dam Ho raised the bottle to his lips and took a sip.
The harsh spirit burned sharply down his throat.
“This will do for a snack.”
Cho Yeon Un drew a strip of dried meat jerky from his pouch and handed it to Dam Ho, who accepted it without a word.
Cho Yeon Un watched Dam Ho chew the jerky in silence and smiled.
“Not bad, is it?”
“…….”
“Clouds drift across the sky, a boat carries us along the river, there’s good spirits to drink, and a friend to share them with. This is the bliss of heaven itself.”
Cho Yeon Un hummed as if singing.
Dam Ho could not fathom such sentiment. Yet because his own lack of understanding did not make it wrong, he said nothing.
“How wonderful it would be if everything flowed as naturally as that river. There isn’t a single day without turmoil.”
Cho Yeon Un withdrew the liquor bottle at his waist and drank deeply. He drank with such evident relish that even Dam Ho, who found the spirit merely bitter, could taste the pleasure in it.
Dam Ho took another sip. Certainly it felt smoother than before.
Hyun So suddenly came to mind.
Cho Yeon Un and his master Hyun So differed in many ways.
Not only in appearance, but in bearing too—there was nothing alike about them. And yet when he saw Cho Yeon Un, Hyun So would inexplicably come to mind.
If they had one thing in common, it was only this: they both loved drink.
Dam Ho spoke.
“Is Dong Jeong Lake your destination?”
“More precisely, Won Gang.”
“Won Gang?”
“That’s where Tian Xia First Tower stands. There’s to be an important gathering there soon.”
“A gathering? What do you mean?”
“Ah, you wouldn’t know. Leading figures from the prominent martial sects are converging there soon.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know the details myself. All I know is that significant matters will be addressed there. Because of that, not just Won Gang but all of Hunan Province is abuzz with activity. Though it seems your friend here has no interest whatsoever.”
“Important figures are gathering?”
“Representatives from the Nine Great Sects and the Five Great Families are said to be coming as well. If that’s the case, most of the major powers in Jianghu will be there.”
Dam Ho’s pupils wavered slightly.
If key figures from the Nine Great Sects were coming, then the Hua Shan Sect would surely send representatives.
Though the bond with the Hua Shan Sect had been severed twelve years ago, Hyun So still remained there. It would be a lie to say he felt no interest.
Dam Ho rarely showed emotional turbulence, but this time his chest grew somewhat complicated. Yet that lay only in his heart; his outward appearance remained as cold as ever.
Cho Yeon Un watched him and clicked his tongue.
“You’re something else, aren’t you. You could spare a surprised expression or two.”
“…….”
“Well, never mind. One’s nature doesn’t change easily. In any case, your reputation reaches to the heavens.”
“Reputation?”
“You didn’t know? Hunan Province is quite stirred up because of you these days.”
“…….”
“Divine Blood Saint, Fist Demon. Both terms refer to you.”
As Dam Ho still seemed unaware, Cho Yeon Un offered a wry smile.
“Usually only those around the subject of rumors make a fuss, while the subject himself knows nothing. Right now, you’re the most famous person not just in Hunan Province but in the entire Central Plains. Though I suspect it’s not a reputation you’d welcome.”
Cho Yeon Un gazed at Dam Ho with an expression of concern.
The man he saw was not one whose resolve could be broken under any circumstance. Nor was he one to care much for the opinions of others.
Once he set his course, he moved forward without glancing left or right, never looking back.
Necessarily, he accumulated enemies.
Especially someone like Dam Ho, who spilled blood without hesitation, stood a high chance of becoming an enemy of Jianghu itself.
For now, pressing matters occupied everyone’s attention, leaving no room to focus on Dam Ho, but without doubt, there would come a time when others would take issue with him. Once public opinion formed, his designation as a public enemy would happen in an instant.
‘Too much strength and something breaks. It’s the way of things.’
Cho Yeon Un exhaled slowly and brought the liquor bottle to his lips again. The drink tasted unusually bitter.
Whether Dam Ho knew what he was thinking or not, he sat in silence, gazing across the water.
Shortly after, the boat carrying the two men arrived at the next landing. Unlike the dock where Dam Ho had boarded, this one had quite a few people waiting to embark.
Yet among those waiting at the landing, three figures stood out distinctly.
Two men and one woman—all blessed with striking features and an air of uncommon presence.
One of the men was remarkably large in build, with fists to match—broad as pot lids. Had those fists connected with you, they would leave nothing but pulp.
The other man had a lean, muscular frame, and a heavy blade at his waist commanded particular attention. His gaze was sharp as a hawk’s, and his thin lips held a stubborn set.
The woman wore a deep violet sleeveless tunic and cut a beautiful figure. Her frame was as slender and graceful as a swallow’s, and her fresh expression was striking.
The large man muttered as he climbed aboard.
“Tch! Half a day waiting, and only now do we board.”
His voice boomed as loud as his frame was broad—like a great bell tolling. The other passengers on the boat flinched at the sound.
The blade-bearing man who followed after spoke up.
“Keep your voice down, would you? You’re startling the other passengers.”
“Bah! This is just how I am. What do you want me to do about it?”
The giant fixed them with a glare, and the other passengers promptly turned away, avoiding his eyes.
From his frame alone—two heads taller than any ordinary man—and the boom of his voice, anyone could tell he was a martial artist.
The woman in violet lowered her head as she was the last to board.
“I really do have to admire how loud Hwang Bo’s voice is. My ears are dying.”
“It’s something I was born with. What can I do?”
“I know, I know. But couldn’t you try to keep it just a little lower?”
“Seems like I’m the only one who suffers around here.”
The giant grumbled.
At that, the woman in violet and the man with the great blade both gave weary smiles.
The giant’s name was Hwang Bo Young Cheon.
He was a direct blood descendant of the Hwang Bo Clan, one of the Five Great Families.
The Hwang Bo Clan was renowned among the Five Great Families for their formidable fist techniques, and Hwang Bo Young Cheon had mastered the Hwang Bo Clan’s Core Cultivation Art, developing both a powerful physique and devastating striking force.
The man with the blade at his waist was Peng Man Young, likewise a direct blood descendant of the Ha Buk Peng Clan, another of the Five Great Families.
The Peng Clan had always produced many sons. Most of the clan’s blood were temperamental and quick to fight. This nature influenced their martial arts—most Peng techniques were exceptionally lethal.
The most famous of these was the Five Tiger Severing Gate Blade. It was a sword technique that every male born into the Peng Clan’s direct line had to master.
Peng Man Young had cultivated the Five Tiger Severing Gate Blade to a considerable level of mastery.
The woman traveling with Hwang Bo Young Cheon and Peng Man Young was named Eon Su Hwa.
She too was a member of the Jin Zhou Eon Clan, one of the Five Great Families. Like the Hwang Bo Clan, the Jin Zhou Eon Clan, based in Shandong Province, was far more than a simple martial family.
What set the Jin Zhou Eon Clan apart from the other Four Great Families was this: they were the wealthiest in the realm.
The Jin Zhou Eon Clan had devoted itself across generations to managing commercial enterprises, and as a result, they came to own the largest trading company and escort service under heaven.
The Bo Gwang Trading Company and the Bo Gwang Escort Service—the greatest merchant house and escort agency in the land. The wealth they accumulated in a single year was astronomical, and every coin flowed into the Jin Zhou Eon Clan’s coffers.
Though they might lack in martial prowess compared to the other Four Great Families, when it came to wealth, the Jin Zhou Eon Clan stood supreme.
Eon Su Hwa was a direct blood descendant of that clan.
The Ha Buk Peng Clan, the Jin Zhou Eon Clan, and the Hwang Bo Clan were geographically very close to one another. Because of this, they maintained frequent contact.
The three of them, whose families interacted often, had naturally grown close. They too were traveling to attend an important gathering at Dong Jeong Lake.
Ordinarily, they should have come with their family elders and retinue. But to do so would have meant surrendering the freedom they so rarely enjoyed, so the three had slipped away on their own.
Traveling together as peers had its pleasures, but it came with problems—and the foremost of those problems was Hwang Bo Young Cheon.
Hwang Bo Young Cheon strutted about as though his massive frame were something to be proud of, showing no regard whatsoever for others’ sensibilities. He showed no consideration for anyone around him.
Traveling any distance with someone like that was exhausting. The fatigue that Peng Man Young and Eon Su Hwa had accumulated on the journey here was no laughing matter.
Even aboard the boat, Hwang Bo Young Cheon acted without restraint. At this, both Peng Man Young and Eon Su Hwa let out quiet sighs. They were worn out.
‘Going forward, I’m done traveling with the Hwang Bo Clan’s martial artists.’
Peng Man Young thought as much as he settled onto the deck.
Still, the fact that Dong Jeong Lake was not far off provided some small comfort. By the time they arrived, their family elders would likely be arriving as well.
‘But what sort of gathering requires such secrecy?’
Peng Man Young knew only that a gathering was taking place; he had no idea why it needed to be conducted so covertly.
It was while Peng Man Young was lost in such thoughts.
“So what you’re saying is that I should keep my mouth shut, then?”
“No, it’s just that we were wondering if you might lower your voice a bit. The other guests seem uncomfortable……”
“That’s the same thing you’re saying! How disrespectful!”
At the sound of the loud voice from not far away, Peng Man Young shook his head and stood.
‘Here we go again.’
It had happened several times on the way here. And it always fell to Peng Man Young to handle this sort of problem.
As he looked up, he saw Hwang Bo Young Cheon had seized a crew member by the collar and was shaking him about like a rag doll. The sailor’s sturdy frame flailed helplessly.
The sailor had experienced much in his life, but he was no match for a martial artist. Still less for one trained by the Hwang Bo Clan.
He was not the sort of person who could be reasoned with.
Each time Hwang Bo Young Cheon’s enormous fist flickered before his eyes, Cho Yeon Un’s complexion drained to an ashen white. The calluses embedded in that palm, larger than a pot lid, made it resemble a great hammer.
A single blow from such a fist would leave nothing but crushed bone.
“Did I look like a fool to you? Huh?”
As Hwang Bo Young Cheon’s brow darkened, Cho Yeon Un’s face contorted pitiably. His only transgression was delivering his captain’s message.
Then a voice cut through, rescuing him from the moment.
“That’s enough, Young Cheon.”
“Yes, Hwang Bo.”
It was Peng Man Young and Eon Su Hwa.
Even with both of them stepping forward, Hwang Bo Young Cheon’s anger did not subside easily.
“You heard him, didn’t you? That bastard just disrespected me.”
“He wasn’t disrespecting you. He was simply fulfilling his duty.”
“That’s right. So why don’t you let go of this poor man’s collar.”
At Peng Man Young and Eon Su Hwa’s words, Hwang Bo Young Cheon’s expression twisted further. He wanted nothing more than to hurl Cho Yeon Un to the ground, but he could not simply dismiss what they had said.
“Damn it. You should consider yourself lucky.”
At last, Hwang Bo Young Cheon released Cho Yeon Un’s collar. Only then did Cho Yeon Un exhale a shaky breath of relief and stumble backward, trembling.
The onlookers murmured among themselves at the sight. Hwang Bo Young Cheon then bellowed at them.
“What are you looking at? You mangy dogs. What are you gawking for?”
Boom!
His voice rang out like a struck temple bell, and heads turned in every direction. Yet one man’s reaction differed from all the rest.
“Mangy dogs,” he repeated.
Cho Yeon Un was turning Hwang Bo Young Cheon’s words over in his mind.
It was an insult that lumped together not just himself, but his very parents. Though the remark was cast at a crowd of strangers, the fact remained that he stood among them.
Cho Yeon Un set down the liquor bottle he’d been holding, quietly, onto the floor.

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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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