Heavenly Demon of the Huashan Sect - Chapter 19

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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 19
They say time flows faster than anything else.
More than two months had slipped away since Jeok Geom and Seol Ran had begun attending to Cheon Hui’s needs.
Crackle— crackle—
Thanks to this, the two had not only finished their hunt before sunset, but had already begun striking sparks to kindle a fire.
‘They’re getting sharper now.’
As Cheon Hui watched them and stroked his chin, Jeok Geom and Seol Ran suddenly straightened, their eyes meeting across the flames.
‘Brother, just tell him already!’
‘I know, sister. Just give me a moment.’
After exchanging a glance with Seol Ran, Jeok Geom began to gauge Cheon Hui’s mood carefully.
All they had learned in these months was hunting and the art of roasting meat.
Yet thanks to it, they had grown considerably.
Enough that they could say with confidence they would not feel pressured or tense no matter what situation arose.
Two months of hunting every single day without fail had earned them that much.
And so now they desired instruction.
Instruction in martial arts.
But…….
‘Would our master truly grant such a request?’
It was hard to speak so boldly.
Hunting—no, attending to Cheon Hui and receiving his guidance, they had come to understand something.
That he was precocious for his age, and far more formidable than they had imagined.
Most striking of all, during their service, was his relationship with Hyeon Do.
When they first met, they could not understand their conversation and did not know what was happening. Now it was different.
‘They were not teacher and student, but equals—discussing Martial Theory together.’
At first, they were astonished.
Hyeon Do was called the greatest master of Hwasan. Yet here was Cheon Hui, only fourteen years old, discussing Martial Theory with him.
And had they not just heard that Cheon Hui had been dancing with death itself not long ago?
But soon after, they acknowledged it.
No—they could not help but acknowledge it.
They had witnessed Cheon Hui immediately execute the martial arts that Hyeon Do described.
And that was not all.
Not only Jang Mun In, who visited only once, but Hyeon Ryeo, who had come several times, always inquired after his welfare.
In the expressions and tone of these great ones as they looked upon Cheon Hui, affection radiated.
Outstanding talent, martial prowess, and bearing.
He was no mere treasure of Hwasan.
Going through such experiences, the two felt they had done well to serve him. Yet…….
‘He dislikes troublesome matters.’
There were no end of tasks.
They had to draw water to the cottage, prepare fresh robes daily, and endure sudden, arbitrary orders.
Such as being sent to fetch salt…….
‘If we ask for instruction, he might call us bothersome and chase us away.’
Having spent two months studying Cheon Hui’s nature, the two were cautious.
Just as they continued to wrestle in silence, Cheon Hui’s eyes, watching them, narrowed like threads.
‘Ah.’
Perhaps from having met for two months now, he grasped their innermost thoughts at a glance.
‘So ambition has finally sprouted, has it?’
The worries gnawing at them were transparent—visible as objects resting in his palm.
Just then, Jeok Geom’s expression grew resolute, and he spoke to Cheon Hui with careful deliberation.
“Master, now that we have grown accustomed to hunting…….”
“You wish to learn martial arts?”
At Cheon Hui’s words—which seemed to pierce directly into their thoughts—both their faces bloomed with delight.
“Yes, yes!”
“Indeed!”
Cheon Hui observed the two, bright with anticipation.
‘They have served me all this time, after all.’
It was a request he would have dismissed as troublesome in the past, but he found himself pausing, reflecting on how much more comfortable his circumstances had become.
Though not to the degree that Gwi Ma and Bi Ma once provided, their attendance had made his daily life considerably more pleasant.
He had enjoyed better meals, they brought him clean robes without fail, and they drew water for him with faithful hands.
Having others handle all the tedious matters was, in truth, quite satisfactory.
‘Perhaps I should teach them a little.’
Cheon Hui, his whim shifting, met the gaze of the two who watched him with keen eyes.
“All right.”
In an instant, both their faces brightened.
Cheon Hui swept his gaze over the two who brimmed with anticipation, then approached Seol Ran first and spoke.
“You’ve grown comfortable with your footwork by now?”
Seol Ran nodded.
“It’s better than before.”
“Is that so? Let me see it then.”
Seol Ran at once clenched her fists and channeled the Inner Power of the Oknyeo Sim Gong into her feet.
Crack!
Footprints were etched into the dirt as she moved with swift grace.
“When did you reach that level…….”
Jeok Geom burst into admiration at Seol Ran’s footwork. In the past, her mastery of footwork had lagged considerably behind the swordplay she’d learned.
Yet in merely twenty days, she was displaying footwork that could rival the very swordplay she’d perfected.
Just as Jeok Geom was growing rather astonished.
“Huff—how is it?”
Seol Ran displayed the finest footwork she could muster at present, then gazed at Cheon Hui with expectant eyes.
After a moment, Cheon Hui opened his mouth.
“The foundation’s there.”
His answer was sparse compared to her hopes.
As Seol Ran’s spirits began to droop, Cheon Hui recalled her footwork in his mind.
‘It’s not an ascending footwork.’
Cheon Hui scanned Seol Ran from top to bottom.
The Yin Energy accumulated in her lower dantian was quite strong, yet the footwork she’d displayed was simple.
As he studied her, Cheon Hui asked a question.
“Do you know any other footwork?”
Seol Ran, growing slightly embarrassed under his piercing gaze, came to her senses and answered.
“Other footwork?”
Seol Ran tilted her head in confusion.
Footwork was already arduous enough to master alone. Other footwork?
“The only footwork I’ve learned is the Selyupo…….”
“Just one?”
Cheon Hui looked at Seol Ran with a disappointed gaze, then spoke with a sigh.
“Tch—forget about that Selyupo or whatever footwork it is, then.”
“Pardon?”
Cheon Hui stood before her bewildered form.
“From now on, I’ll teach you the footwork that suits you.”
“But—the Selyupo was taught to me by the Muryeon Pavilion Leader…….”
“Is that so? If you’d rather not, then forget it.”
Just as Cheon Hui turned his body away, thinking to himself that this was right.
“I—I’ll forget it!”
Seol Ran cried out urgently.
“Is that so?”
Cheon Hui stopped his turning body as if it were a waste, and gazed at Seol Ran intently.
‘Then what would suit her?’
First, he called to mind one by one the footwork styles that would match her Inner Power.
The Seonun Hyugo Bong?
No. She could manage it with her current Inner Power, but it wouldn’t be efficient. It’s better not to learn it at all.
Then the Amhyang Pyo? No, that won’t do either. It doesn’t suit the swordplay she’s already mastered.
What would be fitting then?
As he cycled through several footwork styles in his mind, repeatedly discarding them.
‘In the end, there’s only one.’
In the end, a single footwork style remained.
Having finished his deliberation, he met Seol Ran’s gaze as she looked at him with tense anticipation.
“The footwork you’ll practice from now on is the Okwan Myobo.”
“The—the Okwan Myobo?”
Seol Ran’s eyes wavered uncontrollably.
The Okwan Myobo was the footwork practiced by the Jinsan Disciples, and in the present Hwasan Sect, only Hyeon Ryeo had mastered it.
“But I haven’t yet achieved Daoism Mastery…….”
“Don’t worry about that.”
Cheon Hui cut her off mid-sentence.
“The Okwan Myobo I’m about to teach you is different from the one you know.”
“I’m sorry? What do you mean by that…….”
“You’ll see once you watch.”
Cheon Hui silenced her objection.
Then he began to move.
Step.
In a heartbeat, he covered all eight directions.
His footwork transformed in the blink of an eye. Within moments, dozens of distinct footprints marked the earth where he stood.
Deep as a swamp, fluid as water.
Forceful as fire, swift as thunder.
Billowing like wind, or solid as a mountain.
The Okwan Myobo that had impressed her before now blossomed into an unearthly beauty the moment Inner Power suffused it—a grace rarely glimpsed in this mortal realm.
“This… is the Okwan Myobo……?”
Seol Ran’s eyes widened in astonishment.
She understood at once what Cheon Hui had meant.
The Okwan Myobo he displayed bore no resemblance to what she had known.
Soft, yet powerful.
And.
“Beautiful…….”
She was not alone in losing herself to the sight—Jeok Geom, standing beside her, was equally entranced.
Though he normally paid little mind to footwork, this technique struck him like a hammer blow to the back of his skull.
“Infinite Buddha…….”
Jeok Geom found himself bowing involuntarily.
Cheon Hui’s movements were like an immortal descending from the heavens to dance upon the earth.
While both stood transfixed,
Click.
His feet, which had been ceaselessly striking the ground in all directions, came to rest.
He then turned to the dazed Seol Ran.
“Now you try.”
Seol Ran’s head tilted to the side.
“I… what……?”
She had been lost in wonder, but now she snapped back to awareness with a sound like escaping air.
Seeing this, Cheon Hui caught himself.
What was merely the Okwan Myobo to him was an advanced stepping technique to them.
Then, recalling a method he had witnessed long ago, he raised his feet.
“Wait a moment.”
As he spoke, he channeled Inner Power into his feet, etching clear footprints into the soil.
‘This is it!’
Seol Ran’s eyes flew wide open.
She watched intently as Cheon Hui demonstrated the fundamental method of learning footwork, determined not to miss a single detail.
After a time, having marked sixty-four footprints in all, he nodded.
“Did you memorize the sequence?”
“Yes!”
“Then follow it exactly.”
“Understood!”
Seol Ran responded with vigor, her expression set with determination as she slowly traced each footprint.
‘This should be enough.’
Cheon Hui, watching her progress, turned his body.
Jeok Geom, equally spellbound, tensed the moment their eyes met.
‘……That was an incredible footwork technique.’
His heart thrummed with anticipation.
Then Cheon Hui spoke.
“List the martial arts you’re currently studying.”
“The Maehwa Gi Gong, the Nakryeong Geombeop, and the Ohaeng Maehwa Bo.”
Cheon Hui, observing Jeok Geom’s swift reply, furrowed his brow slightly.
“Good. Show me.”
“Understood!”
Jeok Geom cried out sharply and drew his sword.
Then he unleashed a torrent of swordplay.
“Hah, hah. How was that?”
Jeok Geom, breathing heavily after pouring his full strength into the sword forms, looked toward Cheon Hui.
At that moment, Cheon Hui’s mouth fell open.
“It’s a mess.”
Jeok Geom, who had been expecting praise, gaped as though he’d taken a hammer to the back of his head at the opposite reply.
“A… mess?”
Cheon Hui clicked his tongue with exasperation.
“Tsk. You can’t even digest it properly.”
“What do you mean by that, sir?”
The moment Jeok Geom finished speaking, Cheon Hui snatched the sword from his hand.
“Whoa!”
With eyes wide open, Jeok Geom let out a cry of dismay at having his sword stolen.
‘Incredible hand speed!’
Cheon Hui raised the stolen sword high, indifferent to Jeok Geom’s surprise.
Assuming the same sword stance Jeok Geom had just displayed, he spoke lightly.
“Watch carefully. This is how Nakryeong Geombeop and Ohaeng Maehwa Bo are supposed to look.”
Shriek!
The raised sword came down like lightning, tearing through the air with a sharp crack.
Boom!
From the Sword-splitting Sound and the belated shockwave, Jeok Geom’s hair scattered in all directions.
“That’s… that’s the Nakryeong Geombeop and Ohaeng Maehwa Bo?”
Jeok Geom stared at Cheon Hui, awestruck as though witnessing something beyond belief.
Then Cheon Hui hurled the sword toward him.
Jeok Geom, startled, scrambled to catch the incoming blade, and seeing this, Cheon Hui commanded him.
“Got it?”
“Yes, yes!”
“Can you follow along?”
“I’ll give it my best!”
Jeok Geom answered vigorously, his eyes hardening with focus. Immediately after, he swung the sword imitating the sword forms Cheon Hui had just displayed.
But Cheon Hui corrected him right away.
“Channel your Inner Power here.”
Jeok Geom nodded at those words and clenched his teeth, following Cheon Hui’s guidance.
“What are you doing? I said concentrate on your footwork too.”
Cheon Hui continued to offer corrections.
After about twenty corrections or so.
Jeok Geom’s sword stance had improved considerably compared to before.
“Hmm, that’s better now.”
Cheon Hui, muttering softly, soon distanced himself from Jeok Geom, who was now absorbed in executing the techniques, and glanced to the side.
That one was improving too.
Seol Ran beside him had also fallen into a state of meditation, treading carefully along the footprints carved into the ground.
At this pace, it would take a while.
Just as Cheon Hui was mentally calculating how long it would take for both of them to grow accustomed to the techniques.
“Hmm?”
He suddenly turned his head.
He then tilted his head at the familiar presence approaching this place.
‘What brings him here?’
At that moment, Jeok Geom and Seol Ran also snapped to attention.
“Master?”
“Is something the matter?”
“Something’s come up.”
At Cheon Hui’s puzzled expression—rare for someone usually indifferent or dismissive—Seol Ran and Jeok Geom exchanged glances of concern and followed his gaze toward the hillside.
A moment later, beyond the hill bathed in the setting sun, a head appeared, approaching steadily.
As the figure passed beyond the sunset light and an old Daoist came into view, both Jeok Geom and Seol Ran gasped.
“The Mangyeong Pavilion Leader?”
“Master Hyeon Cheong?”
The appearance of Hyeon Cheong, the Pavilion Leader of Mangyeong Pavilion and one who had never once left the pavilion, was difficult for them to process.
“This disciple bows before the master.”
“This disciple bows before the master.”
Jeok Geom and Seol Ran quickly gathered their wits and offered respectful bows.
“Hehe. Yes, it is good to see you.”
Hyeon Cheong approached with a gentle smile, noting the surprise that flickered across both their faces.
Then Cheon Hui stepped forward and spoke.
“What brings you here?”
At Cheon Hui’s direct question, Hyeon Cheong lowered his hand and his expression hardened.
The usual lightness drained from his features, replaced by a gravity that seemed almost weightless in its intensity. He fixed Cheon Hui with an unwavering gaze and opened his mouth to speak.
“Could you spare me a moment?”

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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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