Fist Demon of Mount Hua - Chapter 97

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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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Chapter 96. Dragons and Tigers Gather in One Place—3
Dam Ho suddenly turned to look behind him.
The people who had been standing by Dong Jeong Lake moments before were nowhere to be seen. Not the fishing family, nor the girl in the tiger-skin coat.
They were people who had nothing to do with him. Yet Dam Ho found himself unable to tear his gaze away from the space where they had vanished.
He lingered there a moment longer, watching the empty shore, then resumed his walk. His steps felt heavier than usual today.
Dam Ho did not return to Seo Poong Guest Inn until long after sunset. He was passing through the inn’s restaurant when—
“Friend!”
A familiar voice called out, and someone waved at him.
The man grinning broadly at Dam Ho was none other than Cho Yeon Un. Two Liquor Bottles lay scattered on the table where he sat.
From drink, Cho Yeon Un’s face was already flushed red.
Dam Ho took the seat across from him. Cho Yeon Un smiled and offered him a cup.
“Will you join me for a drink?”
Dam Ho accepted the cup without a word. Cho Yeon Un filled it to the brim.
“Ha! How good it is to see my friend again in this place.”
“I thought you said you were going to Won Gang?”
“I’ve already been there and back. Swarming with people, disgustingly so. Martial artists everywhere—it was like watching a labor market. Heh!”
Cho Yeon Un laughed and chattered to himself about whatever amused him.
Dam Ho quietly drank his cup.
“There were Martial Artists from the Qing Cheng Sect and Kun Lun Sect, and they’re such reclusive figures that the whole of Won Gang is in an uproar.”
……
“Once the core sects—Shaolin, Wudang, Hua Shan—send their Martial Artists, everyone will have gathered. Isn’t that remarkable? It’s been nearly thirty years since all the Nine Great Sects and the Five Great Houses assembled in one place.”
Dam Ho studied Cho Yeon Un’s fist as he spoke. Dried blood crusted his knuckles—traces of his fight with Peng Man Young.
Dam Ho did not ask the outcome. He already knew.
Peng Man Young had never been a match for Cho Yeon Un. The world knew him by the alias “Dragon of the Drunken Cloud” and ranked him beneath the Nine Demons, yet his Martial Power was second to no one among them.
Dam Ho, who had sparred with Hyun So, knew that Cho Yeon Un’s Martial Power was not inferior to his own.
Peng Man Young had not yet reached the level of the Nine Demons. The outcome was as plain as day.
Dam Ho drained his cup just as Cho Yeon Un refilled it.
“Older brother!”
A familiar voice rang out suddenly.
It was Bang Jin Bo. He was looking at Dam Ho.
“You’ve returned early, sir.”
“Mm.”
Cho Yeon Un watched Bang Jin Bo with curious eyes as Dam Ho nodded.
When Cho Yeon Un had met Dam Ho at Seo Cheon Mountain Manor, Bang Jin Bo had been working in the Kitchen and they had not crossed paths. Neither knew of the other’s existence.
“Who’s this?”
“Pardon?”
Cho Yeon Un pointed at himself with his finger.
“I’m this friend’s friend. And you are?”
“His… younger brother, sir.”
“Younger brother? Then you’re my younger brother too. Pleased to meet you!”
“Ah! Yes, sir!”
Bang Jin Bo answered awkwardly and looked toward Dam Ho.
Dam Ho neither confirmed nor denied it. The silence meant the man’s words were no lie.
“Pleased to meet you! I’m Cho Yeon Un.”
“I’m Bang Jin Bo, sir.”
“Call me older brother from now on.”
“But……”
“Shh!”
“Yes, older brother.”
“Heh! That’s better.”
Cho Yeon Un burst into a sly laugh, and Bang Jin Bo chuckled in response.
Oddly, Cho Yeon Un’s shameless charm was not off-putting. Rather, it felt familiar, and that made Bang Jin Bo’s mood lighten.
Bang Jin Bo frowned at the table.
“You’re drinking without any side dishes?”
“Who needs side dishes when drinking such fine liquor?”
“Even so, you’ll ruin your stomach that way. Let me make you some appetizers. Come along.”
“You know how to cook?”
“A little.”
Cho Yeon Un smiled widely at the confidence in Bang Jin Bo’s voice.
“Is that so? Well, I have to taste what my younger brother is offering to make.”
Cho Yeon Un rubbed his palms together and trailed after Bang Jin Bo, his face bright with amusement.
As they entered the Annex Hall, Eun So Chung came to greet them.
“Jin Bo, sir. Oh?”
Eun So Chung noticed Cho Yeon Un only belatedly. At that, Cho Yeon Un wore a mischievous expression and darted his eyes between Bang Jin Bo and Eun So Chung.
“Aha! Look at these two.”
“It’s not like that at all.”
Eun So Chung’s face flushed crimson, and she raised her voice. Cho Yeon Un’s smile only grew more sinister.
“What did I say?”
“I’m telling you it’s not.”
“Fine, fine! I believe you.”
“But who are you, sir?”
“You ask quickly, don’t you? I’m this friend’s friend. Which makes me your older brother.”
“Hmph! Don’t be ridiculous. Who’s your older brother?”
“I’m older, so I’m your brother. Unless you’re older than me?”
“That’s not the point at all.”
“Ugh! You’re so noisy…”
Cho Yeon Un dug at his ear with his pinky. At the sight, Eun So Chung’s shoulders trembled in indignation.
In all her years, she had never met someone who could get under her skin quite like Cho Yeon Un on a first meeting.
Bang Jin Bo watched the two of them and smiled. He knew that despite their bickering, there was no malice in it.
Bang Jin Bo glanced back at Dam Ho, who was following behind.
“Is there anything special you’d like to eat?”
“Just make what you see fit.”
“Understood. Please wait a moment. Hehe!”
Bang Jin Bo burst into his characteristic laugh.
Cho Yeon Un and Eun So Chung were still arguing, filling the Annex Hall with noise. Yet Bang Jin Bo found the commotion pleasant. It felt like people living, really living.
He kindled the cooking fire and began preparing dishes. Even as Bang Jin Bo moved about busily, Cho Yeon Un and Eun So Chung raised their voices.
“This is a place I borrowed.”
“Good. There must be plenty of rooms. Let me stay here awhile.”
“It’s not up to you.”
“I’m Jin Bo’s brother.”
“What does that have to do with anything?”
“If I sleep outside, don’t you think Jin Bo would worry?”
“Oh, come on!”
“Let’s share. Surely it’s wasteful for you alone to occupy such a vast space?”
“Why would there be waste in that?”
“I don’t know! I’m not leaving until I’ve eaten Jin Bo’s cooking.”
Cho Yeon Un settled himself firmly in place. Eun So Chung bounced about protesting, but it was like playing music to a deaf ear.
Eun So Chung’s face had flushed deep red, which only made her appear more endearing.
“Hehe!”
A small smile lingered at the corner of Bang Jin Bo’s mouth.
After a moment, Bang Jin Bo brought out a plate heaped with food.
“Here comes the Dong Po Pork.”
The potent aroma assaulted their senses, and both Cho Yeon Un and Eun So Chung were drawn forward as if entranced.
“Wow! That smell is incredible.”
“Of course it is. Look who made it.”
“Must be your boyfriend’s cooking.”
“Oh, stop it.”
“Quiet now, both of you. Just eat.”
“I really don’t like this.”
“Neither do I.”
“Hmph!”
“Hmph to you too.”
The two continued their quarrel to the end. Yet without genuine animosity beneath it, the atmosphere remained warm and convivial.
Cho Yeon Un picked up a piece of Dong Po Pork and put it in his mouth, then gave a thumbs-up.
“Extraordinary. The finest Dong Po Pork I’ve ever tasted.”
“Hehe!”
At that, Bang Jin Bo scratched the back of his head.
Cho Yeon Un took a sip of liquor.
“Splendid. Fine spirits and excellent food. Could one ask for more happiness than this?”
“Hmph! You’re nothing but a drunk.”
“Ha ha! That’s exactly the life I want. To become a drunkard and be buried in a sea of liquor until I die.”
Cho Yeon Un’s laughter rang out bright and clear.
Eun So Chung’s lips curled, but she said nothing more.
Though young in years, she too lived in the Martial World. Speaking with Cho Yeon Un, she’d grasped his true identity.
‘The Drunken Cloud Dragon. This man is definitely Cho Yeon Un.’
He appeared somewhat intoxicated, yet his eyes shone brighter than the morning star.
Only because Cho Yeon Un received her remarks so warmly could she needle him like this; had it been otherwise, she would scarcely have dared speak to him at all.
Eun So Chung glanced sidelong at Dam Ho.
Dam Ho ate slowly, speaking little. Now she knew his identity for certain—and understood just how terrifying a man he was.
How could she not? The man shaking the very foundations of Honam’s Martial World, the seat of Un Family Lodge, was Dam Ho himself.
‘An Authority Demon and the Drunken Cloud Dragon both. Bang Jin Bo truly surrounds himself with extraordinary people.’
She was studying Bang Jin Bo with fresh appreciation when—
“Little sister, stop scheming. Your thinking sounds so loud it echoes all the way over here—and not a pleasant sound either.”
The voice that so thoroughly overturned Eun So Chung’s composure belonged, as expected, to Cho Yeon Un.
“Oh, come on!”
“Heh heh! Want some liquor?”
“No thanks.”
“Well, then, there’s nothing for it.”
Cho Yeon Un raised the Liquor Bottle to his lips.
Eun So Chung’s reaction was immediate. Poke him, and he’d topple—he was wonderful fun to tease.
Cho Yeon Un thought he wouldn’t be bored for some time yet.
The drinking session broke up late into the night.
Cho Yeon Un brazenly settled himself in the Annex Hall. Though Eun So Chung pestered him relentlessly, he held his ground stubbornly and claimed victory in the end.
Eventually Eun So Chung threw up her hands in defeat and retreated to her room. Bang Jin Bo, claiming exhaustion, followed suit, leaving only Dam Ho and Cho Yeon Un in the courtyard.
“Fine night.”
Cho Yeon Un tilted his head back, gazing at the sky.
Countless stars glittered, each one displaying its own brilliance. It was as if an entire sea of stars lay spread before them.
“Good liquor, good food, and good people to share the everyday with. If I could spend every day like this, I’d be truly happy.”
His words carried weight and lingering resonance.
Dam Ho watched him in silence. Then Cho Yeon Un smiled, his gaze meeting Dam Ho’s.
“Thanks to you, I tasted some excellent food. I’m grateful.”
“Bang Jin Bo made the food.”
Of course I’m grateful to him too. He’s quite the skilled Chef.”
“Mm.”
“Bang Jin Bo will surely become a fine Chef. His future is very promising. The world ought to become a place where a boy like that can dream.”
After that, the two fell silent for a long while.
It was Cho Yeon Un who finally broke the suffocating quiet.
“I’d like to ask you one thing. I hope you’ll answer me honestly.”
“Go ahead.”
“Are you… possibly connected to the Demonic Cult?”
“Why would you think that?”
“The circumstances demand it. A mysterious Master who appeared one day as if fallen from heaven. Formidable martial power, and hands stained with cruelty besides. Hundreds of people have already died by his hand. In ordinary times, he’d be marked as an enemy of the Martial World without a word of protest.”
“I have never made the first move against anyone.”
“I know that.”
“Then why ask?”
“Because I want to hear you deny it yourself. A man like you never speaks empty words. You would rather die than lie to make excuses for yourself.”
Cho Yeon Un’s words kindled something in Dam Ho’s eyes.
Since his master Hyun So, Dam Ho had never before encountered such unwavering trust.
Dam Ho opened his mouth.
“I am no follower of the Demonic Cult.”
“I believe you.”
“What if I were lying?”
“Then my eyes would be wrong. But I believe in you. You would never cloak yourself in falsehood.”
……
“I don’t know what you think of me, but I wish to remain your friend. That is my genuine heart.”
Cho Yeon Un’s voice carved itself into Dam Ho’s chest.

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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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