Chapter 18
Chapter 18
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 18
Chapter Title: Chapter 6. To the World Beyond the World... (3)
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From dawn, Yoon Manor was abuzz with activity.
It was because the elites of the Wudang Sect, Mount Hua Sect, and Zhongnan Sect were preparing to set out.
It was no small matter, moving a large group numbering well over a hundred.
Fortunately, the manor lord of Yoon Manor had meticulously prepared everything for the travelers, allowing the prodigies of the three sects to depart without issue.
Perhaps thanks to the drinks they shared the night before, Mu-kyeong and Geum Han-su did not seem on bad terms.
But that was only surface-level. In truth, they were subtly keeping each other in check.
The atmosphere among the Wudang Sect members was much the same.
They still seemed awkward, keeping a slight distance from the Mount Hua and Zhongnan warriors.
Elder Cheongheo and Elder Hyeonso believed time would sort it out.
Relations between sects could make things awkward at first, but with time, they would grow closer.
And indeed, as a little time passed, laughter began to ripple between them.
After all, they were all traversing the tumultuous world of the martial arts in the same era.
That meant they would inevitably cross paths someday while roaming the jianghu.
No matter the ties between sects, there was no harm in forging personal bonds.
Once Mu-kyeong, Geum Han-su, and Yeon So-ha began mingling first, those who had followed them exchanged names and got to know one another.
Elder Hyeonso approached Dam-ho, who was watching the scene.
“What are you doing here?”
“Master.”
“Why aren’t you mingling with them...”
Elder Hyeonso trailed off.
It wasn’t that Dam-ho refused to join them—it was that they weren’t including him.
“Hoo.”
Elder Hyeonso let out a quiet sigh.
Even in Mount Hua Sect, Dam-ho received no special treatment.
If he wasn’t respected within his own sect, there was no reason outsiders would treat him any better.
They had eyes and ears; they could read the room.
In their eyes, Dam-ho was a useless figure.
Had he not been attending to his master, Elder Hyeonso, he never would have been here.
“My greed was too much. I dragged you here for no reason, subjecting you to this humiliation.”
“No, Master.”
“Right, that... place. Did you go?”
“Yes!”
Elder Hyeonso’s expression darkened.
He asked cautiously.
“Are you all right?”
“I’m fine.”
“Hoya.”
“I mean it. Thanks to you, my heart feels much lighter. Thank you, Master.”
“Phew!”
Elder Hyeonso exhaled softly.
His disciple was truly resilient.
If he had endured what Dam-ho had, he wouldn’t have stayed sane this long.
Even after losing his parents, siblings, and everything else, his disciple remained steadfast.
That single-minded resolve and tenacity were sometimes frightening.
But Dam-ho was his disciple.
Elder Hyeonso patted Dam-ho’s shoulder.
“If you’re fine, then that’s what matters. It’s time to depart now—let’s mount up.”
“Yes!”
No sooner had their conversation ended than horses were brought out from Yoon Manor, matched to their numbers.
Elder Cheongheo mounted his horse and spoke.
“Then let us depart. We’ll ride at full speed to Jade Gate Pass.”
The warriors mounted in unison.
Some were riding for the first time, but as martial artists, they adapted quickly.
Dam-ho and Elder Hyeonso mounted as well.
Led by Elder Cheongheo, the group left Yoon Manor, kicking up clouds of dust as they galloped off.
Thud thud thud!
The sight of over a hundred horses thundering across the earth was truly spectacular.
The Wudang procession was meticulously organized.
Boats awaited them at every river crossing, and fresh horses stood ready whenever theirs tired.
It was as if their influence reached every corner of the land.
The same held true upon entering Gansu Province.
Gansu was Kunlun Sect territory.
Somehow, they had secured cooperation, and Kunlun had arranged safe passage through the province.
Thanks to that, all they had to do was ride.
They sped past Lanzhou, Gansu’s capital, heading north.
As they drew nearer to their first destination, Jade Gate Pass, the landscape grew desolate.
Nothing but reddish-brown plains and distant towering mountains met the eye.
The young warriors instinctively hunched their shoulders at the bleak scenery they had never seen before.
They halted at an inn near Jade Gate Pass.
Unlike the typical Central Plains inns of brick and timber, this one was made of earth, giving it the feel of a small fortress.
The inn, built of earth, was called Wind and Dust Inn.
Merchants heading west all stayed here one last time to steel themselves.
Once they left Wind and Dust Inn, it would be at least six months to a year before they could return to the Central Plains—if ever.
Some unlucky souls never came back at all.
Jade Gate Pass was the gateway linking the Central Plains to the Western Regions.
Countless Central Plains merchants passed through here to the West, and back.
Beyond Jade Gate Pass, the world changed, and the very air shifted.
So the saying went.
And Dam-ho realized it was true.
Upon arriving at Wind and Dust Inn, the smiles vanished from the young warriors’ faces.
Like Dam-ho, they too sensed the change in the air.
They hadn’t crossed Jade Gate Pass yet, but it felt no different.
At least, the stark atmosphere they felt said as much.
Elder Cheongheo quietly spoke to Elder Hyeonso and Elder Yeom Jung-hwa.
“We’re to meet Escort Leader Im here, where he sent the letter from nearby.”
“Is he still safe?”
“Contact cut off right after the letter, but he’s surely alive. He’ll lead us to where the fierce battle with the Demonic Cult took place.”
“Hmm.”
“For now, let your disciples rest. I’ll make contact with Escort Leader Im.”
“Understood.”
Elder Hyeonso and Elder Yeom Jung-hwa nodded and ordered their disciples to rest at the inn.
The disciples, worn from the long journey, cheered and rushed inside.
Dam-ho followed behind.
As he entered Wind and Dust Inn, Mu-kyeong approached.
“You’ve had it rough. You all right?”
“I’m fine.”
Mu-kyeong’s gaze subtly swept over Dam-ho’s left leg.
Then Un-kyeong called out.
“Senior Brother! Come here.”
“Got it. Be right there.”
Mu-kyeong looked at Dam-ho.
“You know this already, but from here on, it’s the Western Regions. I might not be able to look out for you anymore, so protect yourself. Got it?”
Dam-ho nodded silently.
Mu-kyeong stared at him for a moment, patted his shoulder, and walked toward Un-kyeong.
That was when it happened.
“Tsk! Not some neighborhood mutt, but thinks a head pat gets him wagging his tail.”
An unfamiliar voice pierced Dam-ho’s ears.
Someone approached him.
The man had an unusually pale complexion.
His eyes slanted upward slightly, and his lips were thin as a snake’s.
The young man, appearing in his early twenties, wore a faint smile.
Dam-ho stared blankly, and the man cupped his fists in greeting.
“Ah, my manners. I am Yeop Mun-cheon of Zhongnan Sect.”
Dam-ho wasn’t surprised by the introduction.
He already knew of him.
Yeop Mun-cheon was one of the few Dam-ho had been keeping an eye on.
Yeop Mun-cheon stood out for deliberately concealing himself while observing others.
That was the impression Dam-ho had of him—which made him stand out all the more.
Dam-ho stared wordlessly, and Yeop Mun-cheon scratched his head awkwardly.
But his eyes gleamed sharply.
“I’ve heard you’re called Thousand Shadows Young Hero... right?”
“That’s correct.”
“Pleased to meet you, Thousand Shadows Young Hero. I only came to make acquaintance—no need to be so guarded. Haha!”
“Acquaintance...”
Thinking Dam-ho had let his guard down, Yeop Mun-cheon smiled.
“Yes, acquaintance. I hear you’re disciple to Elder Hyeonso. That makes you a first-generation disciple, yet Mount Hua’s disciples don’t seem to treat you accordingly. Haha! Or am I mistaken?”
“You’re mistaken.”
“......”
Yeop Mun-cheon’s expression stiffened briefly at Dam-ho’s sharp retort.
But only for a moment—he soon relaxed and continued.
“I see.”
“What are you thinking?”
“What do you mean?”
“Are you asking because you don’t know?”
“......”
A furrow formed between Yeop Mun-cheon’s brows.
Dam-ho was a lame-footed outcast even in Mount Hua Sect.
He had probed casually, expecting an easy mark, but the response was sharper than anticipated.
If it were mere prickliness, he’d brush it off.
But the gaze piercing him was chillingly keen, as if seeing right through him.
‘This guy!’
His chest tightened for an instant.
It wasn’t just the sharp eyes.
Dam-ho’s gaze carried a commanding presence that pressed down on him.
‘Still, a first-generation Mount Hua disciple?’
Yeop Mun-cheon had to revise his assessment.
He let out a hearty laugh on purpose.
“Haha! Must be a misunderstanding. No ulterior motives. Just thought we’d chat.”
“......”
“Looks like you’re not in the mood, Thousand Shadows Young Hero. Not my day. See you next time. Farewell...”
Yeop Mun-cheon cupped his fists toward Dam-ho and turned away.
The face that had been full of smiles moments ago now brimmed with coldness.
‘Arrogant bastard!’
Grinding his teeth, Yeop Mun-cheon vanished.
Dam-ho watched him go, then turned.
He saw his master, Elder Hyeonso, approaching.
“Master.”
“Was there a problem?”
“Nothing at all.”
“Is that so?”
“......”
“If you say there’s no issue, then there isn’t. Let’s head to the room.”
“Yes!”
Dam-ho followed Elder Hyeonso to their room.
While other disciples shared rooms of four or five, he stayed with his master.
It was consideration for Elder Hyeonso, a Mount Hua elder.
Their assigned room wasn’t large but was quite clean.
It seemed adequate for one night.
Elder Hyeonso asked.
“So, did you make many friends on the way?”
“I’m sorry.”
“As I thought.”
Elder Hyeonso gave a wry smile.
On the journey here, he had deliberately left Dam-ho to his own devices.
Hoping he would mingle with the others—that was why he had brought him along.
Yet not a single person had approached Dam-ho willingly.
Even as disciple to Mount Hua elder Elder Hyeonso.
Only Elder Hyeonso knew Dam-ho’s current achievements and potential.
No one in Mount Hua expected anything from him.
One could tell from how Mount Hua’s disciples had treated him en route.
They treated him as if he didn’t exist.
Only the eldest senior brother, Mu-kyeong, occasionally showed concern; the rest didn’t even speak to him.
It was as if all of Mount Hua shunned him.
With Mount Hua’s disciples ignoring him, even Zhongnan and Wudang warriors treated him as invisible.
His disciple was no one so worthless as to deserve such treatment.
No—even the lowliest person didn’t deserve this.
Countless thoughts swirled and faded in Elder Hyeonso’s mind.
“Phew!”
But no easy answers emerged, and he only sighed.
“The hearts of people in this world are truly fearsome. Forming prejudices based on mere appearances.”
“It’s because this disciple is lacking. I’m sorry, Master.”
“What lack is yours? To me, you’re the finest disciple. I’m proud of you.”
So what if he limped? So what if he carried a heavy murderous aura?
In his life, Elder Hyeonso had never seen anyone with resolve and mental fortitude like Dam-ho’s.
It was only regrettable that the world failed to recognize his true worth.
But Dam-ho himself paid no mind to the world’s judgments or stares.
He gazed out the window.
The world beyond the world lay before his eyes.
Elder Hyeonso saw in Dam-ho’s eyes a burning desire for freedom.
Not a housebound hound, but a hawk soaring the skies.
Now was the time for him to resolve himself.
And Elder Hyeonso did.
“Hoya.”
“......”
“I’m sorry. This master is incompetent, unable to secure you even a proper place in Mount Hua. Even here, you receive no respect.”
“I’m fine.”
“I’m not. Mount Hua reaches for the heavens, but it isn’t broad enough to embrace you. This master must bury his bones in Mount Hua, like it or not. But you’re different. If Mount Hua rejects you, there’s no need to cling to it.”
“Master, what...?”
“When this is over, leave for the wider world.”
“What do you mean?”
“Live freely.”
“But Mount Hua...”
“No need to worry about it. Mount Hua is Mount Hua, and you are you. When you’ve grown so vast that Mount Hua’s harsh winds can’t shake you—when you stand unshaken even by raging storms—come back then. We’ll share a drink.”
“Master!”
Elder Hyeonso smiled.
But Dam-ho’s shoulders trembled faintly.