Chapter 118
Chapter 118
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 118
Chapter Title: Part 6. The Lone Walker, Solitary Style (3)
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The sunset was painting Mount Hua in crimson hues.
From the summit pavilion of Yeonhwa Peak, one could take in the entire sect bathed in red. As the sun dipped below the horizon, lanterns began to flicker to life across the mountain.
Lanterns were hung at Jinmu Palace atop Un Dae-bong Peak, at Geumcheon Palace midway up the slope, and at Bohyeon Palace. The sight was breathtakingly beautiful, but Daoist Hyeoncheon felt no such appreciation.
"What did you just say?"
A crack appeared on the face that seemed unshakable even by thunder.
Seated before him were Mu-gyeong and Un-gyeong.
Mu-gyeong's expression was no different from Hyeoncheon's. The face that had always been relaxed was now rigid.
Un-gyeong answered calmly to Hyeoncheon's question.
"He is said to be the Fist Demon."
"The Fist Demon is Cheon-gyeong?"
"Yes."
"Did you hear wrong?"
"It's certain. Elder Hyeonmu sent a messenger confirming it, and the rumors spreading through the world say the same."
"Hmm!"
A groan escaped Hyeoncheon's lips unbidden.
His face openly showed his bewilderment. For one so skilled at hiding his emotions, displaying such agitation was a rare occurrence.
The news Un-gyeong brought was that shocking.
Though Daoist Hyeoncheon had been living in near-seclusion at Mount Hua Sect, he was meticulous in gathering external intelligence.
Fist Demon.
A master whose name echoed thunderously through the current martial world. His infamy and prestige were far too weighty to dismiss him as merely a rising star.
The martial world already treated him as one of the absolute elite. They even rated him higher than Hyeoncheon, the sect leader of Mount Hua.
And that master was from Mount Hua Sect? Cheon-gyeong, no less—the cripple everyone had shunned.
It was hard to believe.
Hyeoncheon felt a bitterness in his mouth.
Meanwhile, Un-gyeong continued his explanation.
"He first appeared in New Frontier Province. The place where we tracked the Demonic Cult before—Thousand Gold Horse Pavilion. He is definitely Cheon-gyeong. The one we left behind at Thousand Gold Horse Pavilion..."
"Urgh!"
This time, it was Mu-gyeong who groaned.
His face looked even more wretched than Hyeoncheon's.
It had been Mu-gyeong who decided to abandon Cheon-gyeong that day. He'd suffered pangs of guilt for years because of it. Just when he'd finally shaken it off, hearing about Cheon-gyeong brought the nightmare crashing back.
"Fine! Let's say he is Cheon-gyeong. But he denied being a disciple of Mount Hua Sect?"
"Y-Yes."
"How dare he!"
Anger flared on Hyeoncheon's face.
Hyeoncheon had devoted his entire life to Mount Hua Sect. To him, the sect was everything. Nothing held more value.
To such a man, anyone who denied Mount Hua was an unforgivable sinner.
Un-gyeong gave Hyeoncheon a wry smile.
Others might not know, but Un-gyeong was all too aware of the treatment Damho had received at Mount Hua.
He had no defense himself. He'd judged that giving up martial arts early was the best for Damho and unleashed a torrent of harsh words without mercy.
"So, where is Cheon-gyeong now?"
"He seems to have left Ak-yang, but his whereabouts are still unknown."
"Hmm!"
Hyeoncheon groaned again.
His mind was a whirlwind of complexity.
This was the moment the Demonic Cult had reemerged on the historical stage.
Though the Murim Alliance had formed, Mount Hua would ultimately have to protect itself.
In such times, sects with even one more absolute master had a better chance of survival. Hyeoncheon had realized this decades ago.
"Is Hyeonso still in seclusion?"
"Yes."
"We must go to Hyeonso's abode."
"Right now?"
"Yes."
Hyeoncheon rose to his feet.
Since becoming sect leader, he'd rarely left the summit pavilion. For him to move personally signaled a grave crisis for Mount Hua.
Hyeoncheon left the pavilion toward Un Dae-bong Peak, followed by Mu-gyeong and Un-gyeong.
The procession of the sect leader, first disciple, and second disciple drew inevitable attention.
'Where is the sect leader going?'
'The first and second senior brothers are with him. Has something big happened?'
They bowed in greeting but couldn't hide their puzzled looks.
Hyeoncheon halted midway up Un Dae-bong.
"Hyeonso's place should be around here, right?"
Though Hyeonso had settled here decades ago, Hyeoncheon had never once visited. Naturally, he didn't know the exact location.
Un-gyeong smiled wryly and took the lead.
"A bit higher up."
"Lead the way."
"Yes!"
In the end, Un-gyeong guided them.
The path to Hyeonso's abode was overgrown with thick brush. Hyeonso never came out, and no disciples sought him.
The dense foliage felt like proof of the rift between Hyeonso Daoist and the Mount Hua disciples, unsettling their hearts.
Un-gyeong pressed on, relying on memory. After a long trek, he spotted a small thatched hut.
It was unbelievably shabby for an elder's residence. The roof was half-collapsed, walls riddled with holes—enough to make one doubt anyone could live there.
Hyeoncheon furrowed his brow.
'Hyeonso has been in a place like this?'
A pang of self-reproach hit him—had he been too neglectful?
But it passed quickly. He cleared his throat and spoke.
"Ahem! Hyeonso, are you inside? It's Hyeoncheon."
"......"
No response came from within.
Hyeoncheon raised his voice again.
"Your junior brother is here. Come out if you're in there."
Still no answer.
"This fellow..."
Finally, Hyeoncheon stormed inside in anger. The moment he opened the door, his expression changed.
The hut was empty. No trace of Hyeonso Daoist remained.
It looked long abandoned.
"This can't be!"
Hyeoncheon's shock was plain on his face.
He'd assumed Hyeonso was fine despite infrequent visits. He'd never imagined the wounds ran so deep that he'd vanish entirely.
"Elder Hyeonso..."
"Has he left?"
Mu-gyeong and Un-gyeong murmured in dismay.
They hadn't expected the abode to be empty either.
Inside Hyeonso's room, bold calligraphy adorned the wall.
"See profit and miss the truth within."
Hah! Seeing only gain blinds one to the genuine truth?
Hyeoncheon let out a sigh.
It felt like a rebuke for fixating on Mount Hua's benefit and failing to recognize talents like Damho.
Hyeoncheon had dismissed Damho's potential due to prejudice over his limp.
The words left by Hyeonso whipped at his heart.
For the first time, he felt shame.
"Un-gyeong."
"Yes, Master!"
"Find your martial uncle. At all costs!"
"Understood."
"Whew!"
Hyeoncheon's sigh scattered on the wind.
A cool breeze blew, refreshing the heat, but Hyeoncheon felt only chill.
The farmer's name was Jang Il.
Jang Il invited Damho and Bang Jin-bo to stay the night. Damho accepted.
He seemed rough on the outside but had a heart warmer than anyone. He offered them his unused spare room.
Late at night, Damho stepped out alone.
After walking some distance, he found himself midway up a wild mountain.
Damho stood atop a high rock, gazing at the vast fields below. A breeze blew in. The rice stalks swayed.
Under the soft moonlight, the rippling rice fields resembled a night sea under waves.
After standing motionless for a while, Damho suddenly spoke.
"Come out already."
"......"
"Want me to drag you?"
"I'll come out."
Only then did a voice respond from the darkness.
A black shadow emerged from behind a large tree in the woods. It was a tall, handsome Daoist in his mid-twenties, clad in plain robes.
The young Daoist clasped his hands in greeting toward Damho.
"Infinite Buddha! Junior brother Myeong-gyeong greets senior brother."
"Myeong-gyeong?"
Interest flickered in Damho's eyes.
Twelve years had passed since leaving Mount Hua, but some names were unforgettable. Myeong-gyeong was one of them.
How could he forget?
When Damho had been teetering on the brink of life and death, the one who became Priest Hyeongeom's disciple was Myeong-gyeong.
This was their first face-to-face meeting. Though he'd seen him at Ak-yang Sword Sect, Damho hadn't known it was Myeong-gyeong then.
Myeong-gyeong approached Damho.
"Senior brother."
"I already told you. I'm no longer a Mount Hua disciple."
"I heard from Master before coming here. I truly had no idea about your circumstances. Allow me to apologize on his behalf."
Myeong-gyeong bowed deeply to Damho. But Damho's gaze held no warmth.
"So you snuck after me like a wandering stray cat to apologize?"
"You knew?"
Damho didn't reply. But to Myeong-gyeong, his silence was answer enough.
Myeong-gyeong's face flushed slightly.
He'd followed secretly right after Damho left Ak-yang.
It wasn't mere curiosity, nor just to apologize on behalf of his master.
From the moment he first laid eyes on Damho, his blood had boiled uncontrollably.
In Damho, Myeong-gyeong saw the absolute powerhouse he'd only imagined. Overwhelming martial prowess and a dominating presence that crushed the surroundings.
Damho had displayed exactly what Myeong-gyeong dreamed of, right before countless masters. It was a massive shock to him.
He wanted to fight Damho. To prove his master's arts were supreme.
Damho's eyes narrowed. He sensed Myeong-gyeong's fighting spirit.
"What do you want?"
"Teach me a move, senior brother."
"......"
"Aren't you curious, senior brother? About Master Hyeongeom's sword."
"Not in the least."
"Senior brother!"
"I said I'm not your senior brother."
"So what? Call you whatever. What matters is the will to fight, right?"
Myeong-gyeong's eyes blazed with determination.
Whooo!
The sword at his waist let out a faint cry. Sword resonance.
A phenomenon that occurred when man and sword became one—proof Myeong-gyeong was no mere hot-blooded novice.
Damho's gaze turned icy.
"You want to fight that badly?"
"I must prove my master's arts."
Shring!
Myeong-gyeong drew his sword.
In that instant, as Damho's eyes grew utterly cold, Myeong-gyeong charged.