Chapter 156
Chapter 156
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 156
Chapter Title: Every Meeting Has Its End (3)
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The betrayal by Yun Chung, the Whip Master of the Overlord Stronghold, and Jo Yun-san, the stronghold leader of the Black Water Stronghold, brought a massive aftershock to the bandit world.
Betrayal wasn't an unfamiliar word in the Green Forest. It was a society where power dominated everything.
In fact, among the leaders of the Eighteen Bandit Strongholds, many had seized their positions by force, ousting the previous leaders.
Those with power took everything—that was the nature of the Green Forest, and the bandits accepted it as a matter of course.
But when betrayal involved an outside force, the situation changed. Especially if that force was the Demonic Cult—no further words were needed.
The Demonic Cult was a target of aversion not just in the Central Plains martial world but in the Green Forest as well. During the time the Demonic Cult swept through the Central Plains, thousands of Green Forest warriors had died.
Even now, many of the bereaved families of those killed still lived in the Green Forest, and plenty remembered that day vividly.
When it became known that Yun Chung was actually a Demonic Cultist and had been raising Demonic Cult warriors in the Green Forest, the entire bandit world rose in outrage.
The first to suffer were the stronghold leaders who had signed the alliance pact. They protested that they hadn't known Yun Chung was a Demonic Cultist, but no one believed them.
Starting with the Black Water Stronghold, the leaders of over ten strongholds were replaced. It was an unprecedented upheaval.
The world was changing.
The one who felt that change most keenly was none other than Muk Il-gwang. He was devoting himself fully to rebuilding the Overlord Stronghold in place of Hwang Kyung-mun, whose internal injuries had yet to heal.
Due to the betrayal by Yun Chung, the Shadow Ghost, and the Soaring Dragon Squad, half of the Overlord Stronghold's forces had vanished. The once-solid chain of command had collapsed, and people were in turmoil.
Even Hwang Kyung-mun in good health could have managed the aftermath more easily. But unfortunately, he was still in no condition to move freely.
In the end, Muk Il-gwang had no choice but to step forward.
He threw himself into rebuilding the Overlord Stronghold. Though he had refused the position of Soaring Dragon Squad leader because of Hwang Hye-ryeong, his reputation within the stronghold was exceptionally solid.
Muk Il-gwang swiftly reorganized the Overlord Stronghold, and as a result, the chaos in the Green Forest began to settle bit by bit.
Dam Ho stood atop Mount Hwang's peak, looking down at the Overlord Stronghold.
If the stronghold had felt terribly chaotic just a few days ago, it now clearly exuded stability.
It would shrink in power for the time being, but if a few more years passed like this, it would surely regain its former glory.
It was then.
"Brother."
A familiar voice rang in his ears.
He turned to see Hwang Hye-ryeong standing there. Her face was still pale.
Since collapsing that day, Hwang Hye-ryeong had shut herself in her room. Today was the first time he'd seen her face.
"Are you alright?"
"Yes."
"That's a relief."
Dam Ho nodded. Hwang Hye-ryeong stared straight at him.
"Brother."
"......"
"You knew, didn't you?"
"What are you talking about?"
"From the first time I saw you, something felt off. You were the slaughterer called the Fist Demon, with the Divine Blood Physique, striking fear into everyone—but strangely, I wasn't scared of you at all."
Hwang Hye-ryeong's voice was remarkably calm. She wasn't excited or emotional. She seemed more clear-headed than ever.
Dam Ho looked at her silently.
"Your eyes were like that too. They felt familiar, like I'd seen them long ago, even though it was our first meeting. Everyone else says your gaze is so terrifying they can't even meet it, but not me."
"......"
"Why is that? I've always wondered."
Hwang Hye-ryeong's eyes sought the truth. But Dam Ho wasn't ready to answer yet. He had no choice but to remain silent.
"After meeting you, I kept having dreams. In them, I was a toddler who couldn't even walk yet."
The dreams were always hazy.
A strange man and a boy appeared, and sometimes a kindly middle-aged woman. But their faces were never clear, and they never appeared together. So she hadn't thought they were connected.
"They said my mother died when I was very young. Father said the shock made me unable to remember my childhood. I believed that...... but......"
Hwang Hye-ryeong trailed off.
Dam Ho still kept silent.
"That day...... the day of the rebellion in the Overlord Stronghold. I saw that scene again. The man holding the bow...... and the little boy beside him. That boy's face......"
Hwang Hye-ryeong reached out toward Dam Ho's face. He didn't avoid her touch.
She caressed his face.
Starting from his forehead, down his nose, and stopping at his firmly closed lips.
"It was your face, brother. You looked at least twenty years younger, but it was definitely you. What happened? Why are you in my dreams as a child? Was it really just a dream?"
Dam Ho closed his eyes.
"Please answer me, brother. Was it really a dream?"
"Your name is......"
This time, Hwang Hye-ryeong fell silent.
Her trembling eyes fixed on Dam Ho's lips. She waited for him to continue.
"Your name is Dam Ga-ryeong. Your hometown is a small village at the foot of Mount Taebaek."
In that moment, Hwang Hye-ryeong recalled words Dam Ho had once let slip.
—It was just an ordinary village. Nothing special, nothing different—just a plain rural place. Men farmed the paddies, women tended the fields, living day by day.
Hwang Hye-ryeong's eyes shook.
Words she'd brushed off then now pierced her heart.
"Then my dreams were real? You really are my brother?"
"Yes."
"No way!"
Hwang Hye-ryeong's legs buckled.
Dam Ho caught her hand. The warmth transmitted through their clasped hands felt familiar.
"Ah!"
"I'm sorry. For not telling you sooner."
"How...... how? Sob!"
Tears streamed down Hwang Hye-ryeong's face.
Deep down, she'd wondered if it might be true. But suspecting and hearing it directly from someone else were worlds apart in impact.
"What happened? How did I become Hwang Hye-ryeong?"
"You......"
Dam Ho calmly recounted everything he knew.
His story went on for a very long time, but Hwang Hye-ryeong listened patiently.
From the Black Tiger Group's raid on the village to entering Mount Hua, and why she had to become Hwang Kyung-mun's daughter—he left nothing out.
Tears flowed endlessly down her cheeks. When Dam Ho's long tale finally ended, her legs gave out, and she sank to the ground.
Her small shoulders shook. Dam Ho silently embraced her, stroking her back for a long while.
After a long time, Hwang Hye-ryeong wiped her tears and pulled away from his arms.
"Brother."
"Yes!"
"Thank you. For not forgetting and coming to find me."
"I'm sorry. For only coming now."
"No. I at least lived comfortably as Hwang Hye-ryeong, while you went through all that hardship. I'm just grateful you found me."
"Thank you. For understanding."
"What will you do from now on? Can't you just stay here with me?"
"I'm sorry. This isn't a place for me."
Staying in the Overlord Stronghold might be comfortable for his body. Beyond blood ties, he was a great benefactor to the stronghold.
But the Overlord Stronghold didn't suit Dam Ho.
He wasn't a bandit, nor did he care for a life of plundering others' wealth.
His life was one of constant struggle.
The rough rivers and lakes suited him.
Hwang Hye-ryeong looked up at Dam Ho's face.
His face, which inspired fear in enemies and allies alike, somehow looked pitiful.
"Brother."
"You should keep living as Hwang Hye-ryeong. You can forget the name Dam Ga-ryeong."
"I can't do that. I'll live as Hwang Hye-ryeong...... and as Dam Ga-ryeong. As the daughter of Overlord Stronghold Leader Hwang Kyung-mun, and as the Fist Demon's sister."
Hwang Hye-ryeong's voice held firm conviction and stubbornness.
Just as Dam Ho never went back on a decision once made, Hwang Hye-ryeong never backed down from her stubbornness.
Dam Ho reached out and stroked her hair.
"Alright! Living like that isn't bad at all. Live as you wish."
"Brother."
"But I have one request."
"What is it?"
"Please take care of Jin-bo for a while."
"Pardon?"
"I want to travel with him to the end, but taking him further would be too dangerous."
Being wanted by the Martial Alliance was secondary; he'd also forged enmity with the Demonic Cult. He'd made enemies of the two strongest forces in the current rivers and lakes.
Harsh winds of steel would soon blow. In that bone-chilling gale, perfectly protecting Bang Jin-bo was impossible.
"Got it. I'll take responsibility and protect Jin-bo."
"Thank you."
"He's your brother, after all. That makes him like a real little brother to me too."
"Yes!"
Dam Ho nodded.
Hwang Hye-ryeong would take good care of Bang Jin-bo.
"When will you leave?"
"Now!"
"Pardon? Already?"
"The longer I stay, the harder it'll be to part. If we must part, better to do it quickly."
"Where...... will you go?"
"Mount Hua."
Dam Ho gazed at the northern sky.
A chaotic era was unfolding.
In times of war, a warrior was like a mayfly, unable to guarantee even tomorrow.
Dam Ho was no different.
He might have navigated it well so far, but in the rivers and lakes, encountering a stronger foe meant instant death.
Before that happened, he wanted to see his master.
Seeing Immortal Hyun So would leave him with no regrets.
No matter how the world or his fate turned.
"Brother."
"Farewell."
Dam Ho bid Hwang Hye-ryeong goodbye.
She watched powerlessly as he descended the mountain. She reached out several times to grab him. But in the end, she couldn't hold him back.
Twenty years was no short time.
They had walked too far apart to join now.
She couldn't hold Dam Ho back. All she could do was pray for his safety.
Dam Ho faded from Hwang Hye-ryeong's sight.
Far off, kicking up dust, Black Ghost came galloping. It traversed Mount Hwang's rugged slopes like flat ground.
Dam Ho mounted Black Ghost.
"Let's go."
Black Ghost bolted as if it had been waiting.
Leaping over massive boulders, it evoked the image of a mountain goat native to the peaks.
"Brother."
Hwang Hye-ryeong's shoulders trembled intermittently.
She fought back her tears.
The parting was sad now, but she comforted herself that they would meet again someday.
It was then.
"Hyung!"
A familiar voice came from behind.
Turning, she saw Bang Jin-bo running breathlessly.
He had been tending to Black Ghost and his white horse in the stables when suddenly Black Ghost bolted.
Following its tracks to the peak, Bang Jin-bo spotted Dam Ho and Black Ghost receding into the distance.
"H-Hyung?"
Bang Jin-bo's eyes shook.
"No way?"
A ominous feeling flooded his mind, and he tried to chase after Dam Ho.
"Jin-bo."
Hwang Hye-ryeong grabbed his shoulder.
"Noona?"
"Brother doesn't want you in more danger."
"But......"
"It's time to let brother go, Jin-bo. He wants you to stand on your own."
"Hyung......"
"Yes! It'll be hard, but let's send him off with a smile."
Bang Jin-bo stood frozen like a statue, staring in the direction Dam Ho had vanished.
"Is that really what hyung wants?"
"Yes!"
"If it's what hyung wants......"
Bang Jin-bo clenched his plump fist tightly.