Chapter 15
Chapter 15
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 15
Chapter Title: Sometimes, Unexpected Guests Arrive (3)
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Taoist Master Hyunso and Taoist Master Cheongheo stepped out of the Gathering Clouds Palace together. Mugyeong was the first to approach and greet them.
"Martial Uncle!"
"The Sect Leader has summoned you. Hurry inside."
"Understood."
Mugyeong replied and dashed into the Gathering Clouds Palace.
Taoist Master Hyunso's gaze turned toward Damho.
"Let's go."
"Yes, Master!"
"May we join you?"
Taoist Master Cheongheo's sudden words left Taoist Master Hyunso with a puzzled expression.
"Pardon? You're not staying at the guest quarters?"
"I'd rather stay at your residence than some rigid place like that, Taoist Master Hyunso. Is that not possible?"
"There's no reason it couldn't be, but..."
"Then, if you'll indulge my impudence, I ask it of you."
With the other man pressing the matter like this, there was no grounds for refusal.
"If you don't mind the humble surroundings..."
"My thanks. So-ha, come along."
"Yes!"
Yeon So-ha naturally fell in behind Taoist Master Cheongheo.
Taoist Master Cheongheo smiled at Taoist Master Hyunso.
"This is my disciple."
"I see. This child is my disciple. Greet him properly."
Taoist Master Hyunso introduced Damho.
Damho formed a fist salute toward Taoist Master Cheongheo.
"I am Cheon-gyeong of the Mount Hua Sect."
"Pleased to meet you. You take after your master—quite the striking figure."
"Let's be on our way."
Taoist Master Hyunso took the lead. Damho followed as if it were natural, with Taoist Master Cheongheo and Yeon So-ha bringing up the rear.
Taoist Master Cheongheo looked around and spoke.
"The scenery of Mount Hua is truly exquisite. How enviable to behold such splendor every day."
"I've heard the views from Mount Wudang are second to none."
"Ha-ha! How could they compare to Mount Hua? The rugged peaks of Mount Hua seem to embody the sect's very spirit. Don't you think so, Yeon-ha?"
"Indeed."
Yeon So-ha nodded.
The scenery of Mount Wudang was in no way inferior.
Its seventy-two peaks brimmed with spiritual energy, and their elegant contours drew visitors year-round.
Mount Hua was different. Its muscular crags and peaks stabbing sharply at the sky exuded not elegance, but majesty. For that reason, they evoked the edge of a blade.
New vistas stirred new emotions, as they always did. Yeon So-ha smiled faintly, touched by a feeling she'd never known before.
Just then, her gaze drifted to Damho walking ahead. She noticed his slight limp.
'Does he limp?'
A faint furrow formed between her brows.
Even for those with perfect bodies, reaching the ascendant realm in the world of martial arts was harder than threading a needle's eye. For someone who limped, it was simply impossible.
He seemed sturdy enough, but the limp was a fatal flaw. Yeon So-ha concluded Damho could never attain the ascendant realm.
'Being Elder Hakdo's disciple might not matter?'
Her gaze flicked to Taoist Master Cheongheo. He had noticed the limp too, and wore a pitying expression.
'Tch! What a shame. His talent seems extraordinary.'
It was all the more regrettable because he was Taoist Master Hyunso's disciple—the first one from Mount Hua to catch his eye.
But he couldn't show his feelings, so he joked instead.
"Living in such a fine place must be why your cultivation runs so deep."
"Cultivation? Perish the thought."
Taoist Master Hyunso flushed and waved his hands dismissively. At the sight, Taoist Master Cheongheo's smile deepened.
When they finally reached Taoist Master Hyunso's residence, Taoist Master Cheongheo's exclamations peaked.
"Oh! This is it? What magnificent scenery. This Cheongheo has gained new enlightenment today. Such breathtaking beauty."
The rich plum blossom scent and stunning views naturally lifted his spirits. Taoist Master Cheongheo burst into hearty laughter.
Seated on the pavilion in the courtyard, the majestic Mount Hua landscape came into even sharper focus.
"It was worth imposing on you, Taoist Master Hyunso."
Taoist Master Cheongheo looked genuinely delighted. Taoist Master Hyunso smiled in response.
As the "Lesser Virtue Elder," Taoist Master Hyunso had always been on the sect's periphery. No one had ever visited his home before, let alone shown such sincere joy.
"Please wait a moment. I'll prepare something to refresh you."
"Nonsense—sit down, Taoist Master Hyunso. With views like this and a fine breeze, what more could we need? This will suffice."
What Taoist Master Cheongheo drew from his waist was a fairly large gourd flask. The faint aroma wafting from the cork was unmistakably that of fine liquor.
Taoist Master Hyunso's complexion shifted slightly.
"What's that?"
"Have a drink, Taoist Master Hyunso."
Taoist Master Cheongheo offered the flask. Taoist Master Hyunso looked troubled.
"I don't drink..."
"It's not liquor. It's drinking in nature itself."
Taoist Master Cheongheo's words carried a strange persuasiveness that struck Taoist Master Hyunso's heart.
Taoist Master Hyunso glanced at Damho. Damho spoke in his usual stoic tone.
"I'll show Yeon the junior sister around Mount Hua."
"Uh, all right?"
"Please, come with me, Yeon junior sister."
Quick on the uptake, Yeon So-ha nodded without a word.
Leaving the two elders behind, the pair stepped out of the residence.
"Ha-ha-ha!"
Taoist Master Cheongheo's laughter echoed from behind.
Yeon So-ha spoke up.
"I'm sorry. It's just that my master..."
"No need."
"He's fine with everything else, but he loves his drink too much."
"There's no need to explain to me. If your master approves, that's fine by me."
"Thank you for understanding. Truth be told, even back at the main sect, he catches a lot of flak for it."
If Taoist Master Cheongheo had one flaw, it was his fondness for liquor. He'd been warned by the sect leader multiple times and scolded by his elders, but no one had ever curbed his drinking habit.
The two walked on in silence for a while.
Damho was stubbornly quiet. The sight frustrated Yeon So-ha, so she spoke first.
"Young hero Cheon-gyeong, when did you join the Mount Hua Sect?"
"Six years ago."
"Not long, then."
"No."
"Have you been with your master the whole time since joining?"
"Yes!"
"Aren't you lonely? Living in such a remote spot must be isolating."
"With my master here, it's fine."
"I see. You share a deep bond with him."
"......"
Damho didn't reply, but Yeon So-ha gleaned much from his silence.
'The young hero Cheon-gyeong isn't on great terms with the Mount Hua Sect.'
The isolated residence said as much, as did Mugyeong's awkward demeanor around Damho.
Yeon So-ha was the latest female disciple accepted by Wudang in ages. She possessed exceptional martial talent.
Her keen intellect was renowned even within Wudang, earning her the elders' favor.
Taoist Master Cheongheo hadn't brought her along on a whim. He wanted her to broaden her horizons by climbing Mount Hua herself. His expectations for her were that high.
Trailing Damho, Yeon So-ha took in Mount Hua's sights. Her deep eyes sparkled like starlight.
Before long, darkness settled over the summit.
"We should head back now."
"Follow me."
Damho led the way along the dim mountain path.
Mount Hua's terrain was dizzyingly sheer—one misstep could send you plummeting thousands of feet into an abyss. Yet Damho navigated the perilous trail with his limp as if it were nothing.
"Young hero Cheon-gyeong."
"Yes?"
"Doesn't it hurt?"
Though the subject was omitted, Damho knew what she meant.
"I'm used to it now."
"Good to hear."
Sincerity colored Yeon So-ha's voice. But Damho felt no emotion from it.
Everyone who saw his leg made that worried face. He'd endured their pity, condescension, or contempt countless times, dulling his sensitivity to it all.
Whether her concern was genuine or feigned, it didn't matter anymore. Such words held no sway over him.
Damho led the way and soon reached Taoist Master Hyunso's residence.
"You're back?"
Taoist Master Hyunso greeted him, tongue thick with drink and face flushed red. His eyes were glazed from however much he'd imbibed.
"Master."
"Heh-heh! Your master had just a sip. Hic!"
Mid-hiccup, Taoist Master Hyunso suddenly face-planted onto the pavilion and collapsed. He had passed out.
Taoist Master Cheongheo looked embarrassed.
"I barely gave him three cups..."
He'd drunk only three cups alone before rambling incoherently till now.
Damho had featured most in those ramblings. It was easy to see how much affection Taoist Master Hyunso held for him.
Taoist Master Cheongheo looked a bit guilty.
"My apologies."
"It's fine."
Damho hoisted the unresponsive Taoist Master Hyunso onto his back, then bowed to Taoist Master Cheongheo.
"The side room is empty—rest there. Bedding and pillows are provided."
"No need. This pavilion is my bed tonight. How could I sleep cooped up inside with such scenery before me?"
Taoist Master Cheongheo patted the pavilion where he sat.
Damho's gaze turned to Yeon So-ha.
"Then, Yeon junior sister, please rest inside."
"I will. Thank you."
"......"
Damho dipped his head slightly and entered the room.
Now alone, Taoist Master Cheongheo's complexion changed entirely. The pleasant buzz from moments ago had vanished with the breeze, leaving him clear-headed as ever.
His gaze fixed on Yeon So-ha.
"Well? What do you make of him?"
"He seems ordinary."
"Ordinary?"
"He limps, but it doesn't hinder daily life much. He comes off as rather cold, but not threatening."
"You're still far off the mark."
"What do you mean?"
Yeon So-ha's eyes sharpened slightly.
At her demanding look, Taoist Master Cheongheo turned his head toward a large boulder opposite them.
"Do you see it?"
"Pardon?"
Bewildered, Yeon So-ha gave him a strange look.
A small circle drawn at about human height, a deep indentation within it. And footprints etched into the ground three zhang away.
To Taoist Master Cheongheo's eyes, the scene from long ago replayed vividly.
"That child isn't some fragile thing in need of protection, as you imagine. How could one pity a practitioner of the Ten Thousand Temperings?"
"Such..."
"Truly, this is Mount Hua. So high, so deep."
Taoist Master Cheongheo gazed up at Mount Hua's night sky.