Chapter 175
Chapter 175
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 175
Chapter Title: Even Fierce Winds Cannot Erase the Scent of Blood (4)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
On one side of the clearing stood a small thatched hut.
As Hyeon So the Immortal, Unkyung, and the Mount Hua Sect disciples entered, the tiny hut seemed ready to burst at the seams.
Outside, Hae So-wol was playing with the children. The raggedly dressed kids stared at her with wide-eyed wonder.
A woman as beautiful as a fairy, wearing a sword at her side—it was only natural they'd find her fascinating.
"Are you a martial artist, big sis?"
"How'd you get here?"
The children's questions came pouring out.
Hae So-wol felt at a loss for how to respond. The curious gazes of the children weighing on her were more than a little burdensome.
Among them, one child caught her eye.
A little girl who looked no more than four or five years old. Gaunt and pale with illness, she silently fiddled with Hae So-wol's sleeve.
Hae So-wol scooped the girl into her arms and asked,
"What's your name?"
Instead of answering, the girl looked up at her with anxious eyes.
"A-Are you taking Grandpa away?"
"Grandpa?"
Hae So-wol's gaze turned toward the hut.
Through the window, she could see Hyeon So the Immortal sitting across from the Mount Hua Sect disciples.
Whatever they were discussing couldn't be heard from here.
"You're really here to take Grandpa away?"
"No! Waaah!"
At the girl's question, the other children's faces crumpled. The crying spread quickly, and soon all ten or so kids were bawling.
"Ch-Children!"
A look of bewilderment crossed Hae So-wol's face. Cold sweat trickled down her back.
Hyeon So the Immortal gazed at Unkyung. Unkyung couldn't meet his eyes and bowed his head.
To Unkyung, the silence stretched on unbearably long.
After staring at him for a long while, Hyeon So the Immortal finally spoke.
"How did you find this place?"
"We mobilized all the secular disciples. One of them said they'd seen someone resembling Martial Uncle in Shanxi Province."
"Hmm."
"As we dug into Shanxi, we heard rumors of someone like Martial Uncle raising orphans in a place called Clear Stream Valley. So we came to check, just in case."
"You must have had it rough."
Unkyung lifted his head without realizing it at the calm tone of Hyeon So the Immortal's voice.
"Martial Uncle! I'm sorry."
"Sorry for what?"
"Abandoning Cheon-gyeong... I'm truly sorry."
These were words he'd bottled up in his heart for the past thirteen years. He'd often lain awake at night, tormented by the thought of abandoning his martial brother.
He'd always meant to apologize to Hyeon So the Immortal someday, but he'd kept putting it off for lack of courage.
At Unkyung's words, Hyeon So the Immortal closed his eyes for a moment.
One name still hammered into his heart like a massive nail.
Damho.
The name of his one and only disciple, whom he'd loved like a son.
After losing Damho, Hyeon So the Immortal's world had crumbled.
He'd lived in such despair that he couldn't even remember how he'd gotten through those days.
It wasn't until nearly two years after losing Damho that he regained his senses. In all that time, not a single person from Mount Hua had come looking for him.
He spent a few more years alone after that.
He tried to mend his heart by reading countless Daoist scriptures. But the wounded heart wouldn't heal easily, and his body and mind only grew more frail.
Even then, no one from Mount Hua came.
Only then did Hyeon So the Immortal realize he'd been forgotten by the sect.
He could only let out a hollow laugh.
He'd lived his whole life for Mount Hua, loved it with all his heart, only for it to be one-sided.
With that, Hyeon So the Immortal left Mount Hua.
He was still a Daoist of Mount Hua, but he could no longer bear to stay.
He wandered the world aimlessly.
His disciple was gone from the world, yet it turned on without him. That ordinary routine pained Hyeon So the Immortal's heart all the more.
Clutching his aching heart, he journeyed to every corner of the land. In the process, he met countless people.
Vagrants, the sick, those with heartbreaking tales, orphans left parentless by war.
People he never would have met had he stayed on Mount Hua.
Hyeon So the Immortal grieved, laughed, and empathized with their stories. The wounds inflicted by people began to heal as he connected with more of them.
Only then did he realize.
The true Dao wasn't something obtained only on the mountain.
It was through mingling with people that one truly attained the Dao.
From that point, Hyeon So the Immortal threw himself fully into the world.
He'd gone days without food and begged, subdued evildoers, fallen for scams, even worked on perilous boats. He immersed himself in the harsh realities of life, encountering and experiencing countless souls.
The human Hyeon So came to know the world, people, and himself.
Time passed, and one day he came to his senses to find a dozen young children around him. He'd gradually taken in orphans wandering the world after losing their parents.
Raising a dozen children alone was no easy task. He needed a stable place. So he settled in this Clear Stream Valley.
In the children's innocent faces, Hyeon So the Immortal saw Damho. That allowed him to pour out even more love and find peace in his heart.
Hyeon So the Immortal reached out and patted Unkyung's shoulder.
"It's alright. How could it be solely your fault? It was just bad luck. That child's fate ended there."
"M-Martial Uncle!"
At Hyeon So the Immortal's warm words, Unkyung's shoulders trembled faintly. Something hot surged from deep in his chest. Tears welled up.
"Hic!"
Unkyung wept. Hyeon So the Immortal warmly embraced him. A solemn air settled over the faces of the watching Mount Hua warriors.
The words that came to mind with Unkyung were stern, cold, rational—things like that.
In Mount Hua, Unkyung assisted the eldest martial brother, Mu Kyung, providing the sect's direction with unmatched cool reason.
He had never shown even a flicker of weakness before his juniors.
That's why everyone both feared and respected him.
Yet here was Unkyung, sobbing openly in Hyeon So the Immortal's arms. The unfamiliar sight stirred confusion in the Mount Hua disciples' hearts.
After a moment, Unkyung composed himself and wore an awkward expression.
"Martial Uncle."
"Did the Sect Leader send you?"
"Yes."
"Is the Sect Leader still in good health?"
"Yes."
"That's a relief."
Hyeon So the Immortal smiled.
Unkyung stared, momentarily entranced by that pure, unblemished smile.
His appearance was the same Hyeon So the Immortal he knew, yet somehow it felt unfamiliar.
Broader, deeper somehow. As if a soft halo glowed behind him.
He'd never felt this from even the profound elders on Mount Hua.
'How?'
The question arose, but conveying the Sect Leader's message came first.
"The Sect Leader hopes Martial Uncle will return to Mount Hua."
"Now he seeks me out? Is something happening at Mount Hua?"
"Well..."
Unkyung bit his lip.
Seeing the tremor in his eyes, Hyeon So the Immortal sighed.
"Something has happened, hasn't it?"
"Have you not heard?"
"Heard what?"
"Cheon... gyeong."
"Cheongyeong? You mean his courtesy name?"
"It seems you haven't heard."
"Tell me quickly."
The calm Hyeon So the Immortal had maintained shattered like a porcelain bowl hurled against granite.
"Cheongyeong... he's alive."
"What?"
"It's true. We don't know how he survived, but he's alive and well."
"Really? Is Ho truly alive?"
"Yes. Fist Demon Damho—the most renowned warrior in the current martial world."
"Fist Demon?"
"Yes."
"A fearsome moniker."
"His skills match it. Countless top masters have fallen to him."
"I see."
Hyeon So the Immortal showed no further surprise. Unkyung, finding this unexpected, asked,
"You're not surprised?"
"That child had something special about him from a young age. He pursued strength endlessly and clung to his goals with unyielding tenacity. A slight limp? That could never hinder Ho."
"Unfortunately, you were the only one who knew that."
"Prejudice blinded them. The bias that the flawed can't be perfected. Those who see only what they want and grasp only what they desire can never recognize such truths."
"I was one of those people."
Unkyung gave a bitter smile.
They'd excluded the limping boy from everything, never trusting Damho. They'd thought it was for his own good, but in hindsight, it was mere self-deception.
"So what does the Sect Leader want from me?"
"For you to return to Mount Hua."
"To Mount Hua? Because of Ho?"
"..."
Unkyung couldn't respond.
Hyeon So the Immortal closed his eyes.
"I see. The Sect Leader has always done anything to bolster Mount Hua's strength. In his eyes, Ho must look like a useful tool."
"I... I'm sorry."
"What do you have to apologize for? It's the Sect Leader's thinking."
"Martial Uncle!"
"I won't return to Mount Hua."
Unkyung jumped at Hyeon So the Immortal's declaration. He'd never expected such firm refusal.
"But Martial Uncle..."
"Mount Hua is my home. I'll return someday. But I won't go back to be bait for luring in a disciple. That's my will."
"Please reconsider, Martial Uncle."
"My mind is made up and won't change. My foolish master ways forced my disciple onto a path of hardship. I won't let him walk that thorny road again because of me. And I've already told Ho to live freely. He's no longer a Mount Hua disciple. No one can bind him to Mount Hua."
Unshakable conviction rang in Hyeon So the Immortal's voice.
He'd never raised his voice to anyone during his time on Mount Hua. Hearing him do so now carried an innate authority.
"When the time comes, I'll go to Mount Hua on my own two feet. Until then, leave me be."
"Martial Uncle!"
Hyeon So the Immortal closed his eyes, signaling no more words. A troubled look crossed Unkyung's face.
It was a clear dismissal.
They could force him if they used strength. But he was his martial uncle. Unkyung couldn't bear to lay hands on him, nor did he want to.
"Go back now."
"Martial Uncle, I won't leave Sakju. I'll stay at the Murim Alliance's Sakju branch, so if you change your mind, please let me know anytime."
"..."
"Stay well until I return."
Unkyung and the Mount Hua disciples offered formal bows to Hyeon So the Immortal before stepping outside.
Left alone, Hyeon So the Immortal opened his eyes. Moisture glistened at their corners.
"You're alive, Ho. Thank you. Thank you for staying alive."
Thick tears rolled down the old master's cheeks.
Hyeon So the Immortal's gaze turned to the southern sky.
Clouds raced swiftly, borne by the torrents of the era.