Chapter 225
Chapter 225
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 225
Chapter Title: Chapter 8. Leaving No Lingering Attachments (4)
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“Gasp!”
Choyeoun let out a ragged breath.
His face was drenched in sweat, exhaustion plain to see. But he had no time to rest—he needed to check on everyone around him.
“Is everyone all right?”
“Mancheong and Jo Wol took fairly serious wounds, and there are five with minor injuries besides them. The rest are fine.”
“Send those two to the rear for treatment, and make sure the minor injuries get proper care too.”
“Understood.”
Choyeoun let out a sigh as he heard his junior brother’s reply.
“Whew! If only Young Master Jongri were here, I’d feel a lot more at ease.”
He knew there was no helping it, but the regret lingered. Still, Jongriyeon had left with Damho long ago.
Choyeoun scanned his surroundings with bloodshot eyes. Countless corpses littered the ground. They were the elites of the Demonic Cult who had been locked in fierce battle just moments before.
These men had been a scouting party sent out to probe the movements of the Sakju Branch. The Demonic Cult operated dozens—perhaps even more—such units.
Once their activities began causing significant damage, the Sakju Branch had hastily assembled a team to hunt them down. Choyeoun and the disciples of the Hundred Battles Sect were part of that group.
Over the past month, Choyeoun and his fellow disciples had ambushed and wiped out three such Demonic Cult scouting parties moving in secret. It was a major accomplishment, but the Hundred Battles Sect had paid a heavy price for it.
The disciples’ fatigue had reached its peak, and even Choyeoun himself was utterly worn out.
Choyeoun made his decision.
“Everyone, we’re heading back.”
“Yes, sir!”
The Hundred Battles Sect disciples brightened at the news.
Choyeoun led his fellow disciples back to the Sakju Branch.
“You’ve returned safely.”
“Welcome back.”
The first to greet them were Song Kyung and Woo Yangchun of the Annihilation Squad.
Admiration filled their eyes as they looked at Choyeoun.
When Jang Ilwan had been left on the brink of death by Namhak, Choyeoun alone had stood by their side. He had fought against Namhak and spoken up for the ronin.
Once word of this spread, the ronin had rallied behind Choyeoun with fervent support. Song Kyung and Woo Yangchun were prime examples.
Choyeoun offered them a clasped-hand salute.
“Thanks to you all, we made it back in one piece. How’s Great Hero Jang doing?”
“He’s much better. He should be up and about again soon.”
“That’s a relief.”
“It’s all thanks to you, Young Hero Cho. Supplies for the Annihilation Squad have improved, and we’re even getting decent meals now. Without you, we’d still be choking down mystery gruel. Thank you.”
“Come on! We’re all wanderers of the jianghu—what’s there to thank?”
Choyeoun waved it off with an embarrassed look and hurried away. In truth, his face was flushed red.
Song Kyung held back from saying thanks again. He kept it locked in his heart.
‘I’ll repay this favor one day, Young Hero Cho.’
Song Kyung gazed quietly at Choyeoun’s retreating back.
Choyeoun hurried back to his quarters. But even there, he couldn’t rest easy.
“Yeoun.”
Someone suddenly came to see him.
The moment he saw the man’s face, Choyeoun frowned.
“Muyeong.”
The unexpected visitor was none other than Jin Muyeong, the Peerless Swordsman.
After being utterly crushed by Damho, Jin Muyeong had secluded himself away. Over the past month, he hadn’t left his quarters once. He had no face to show people after his defeat, and above all, the eyes of the world filled him with shame.
Jin Muyeong had risen triumphantly, living up to his title of Peerless Swordsman. In the process, arrogance had crept in, and he had come to look down on everyone from on high.
His crushing defeat at Damho’s hands had shattered his pride and arrogance. For the past month, Jin Muyeong had holed up in his quarters, reflecting on himself.
Jin Muyeong looked noticeably haggard. The confident sparkle in his eyes had deepened into something more profound.
Choyeoun could sense the many changes in him without needing confirmation.
“What brings you here, Muyeong?”
“I’ve come to... apologize to you.”
“Apologize?”
“I’m sorry.”
Unbelievable words slipped from Jin Muyeong’s mouth.
For a moment, Choyeoun doubted his own ears. The Jin Muyeong he knew was far too proud to ever apologize to anyone.
“At first, rage came first. I wanted revenge on the Fist Demon somehow. But then it hit me—had I really been in the right? I still hate the Fist Demon, then and now. But if I wanted him gone, I should have done it with honest skill. Not by inciting others like that.”
“Muyeong.”
“Forgive my pettiness.”
Jin Muyeong bowed deeply to Choyeoun. Choyeoun was the one who ended up flustered by the sight.
For Jin Muyeong to admit his wrong and apologize showed his character was anything but small. An ordinary person would have been too ashamed for revenge, let alone an apology like this.
Choyeoun shook his head.
“No need to apologize to me. If anyone deserves it, it’s him.”
“Where... is he? I haven’t heard a thing. Doesn’t seem like he went to Mount Hua either.”
“No idea myself.”
“I see.”
“But we’ll meet him again soon enough. He’ll come back out into the world.”
“You think so? He must be pretty disappointed in me and the world.”
Jin Muyeong’s voice was exceedingly cautious.
“You don’t get it.”
“Get what?”
“Even if he tries to distance himself from the world, the world won’t leave him alone. You’ll see.”
“Got it. If we meet again someday, I’ll apologize. And challenge him once more. Next time, I won’t lose so pathetically.”
Choyeoun looked at Jin Muyeong with renewed eyes.
Some people collapse in defeat and stay down. Others grit their teeth and charge ahead. Jin Muyeong seemed to be the latter.
Choyeoun patted Jin Muyeong’s shoulder.
“You’ll definitely pull it off.”
“Thanks.”
“But first, we’ve got the Demonic Cult to deal with.”
“Exactly. Demonic Cult first, then the Fist Demon.”
Jin Muyeong nodded firmly.
‘One day, I’ll surpass the Fist Demon. With the Wudang martial arts.’
***
An endless sea of clouds stretched out beneath Damho’s feet.
The view of the cloud sea from the peak of Mount Heng was truly spectacular. The sun rising above the clouds, mingled with the cool breeze that soothed his sweat, evoked the immortal realm.
Damho stood utterly still, as if he were part of the mountain itself, taking in the entire scene.
The drifting clouds, the blowing wind, the shifting sun—all of it stirred strange emotions in Damho’s heart.
In that moment, a voice echoed across the peak of Mount Heng.
“A landscape as majestic as Mount Hua itself.”
Damho snapped from his reverie and looked toward the voice. True Person Hyeonso was climbing up, breathing heavily.
“Master.”
“Whew! Now my chest finally feels open.”
True Person Hyeonso wiped the sweat from his brow and came to stand beside Damho.
“You shouldn’t push yourself yet.”
“I’m fine. Lying around because it hurts will only make it hurt more. You’ve got to move a little at a time like this to recover quickly.”
“......”
“I’ll say something if it’s too much, so don’t worry.”
True Person Hyeonso smiled faintly and gazed at the landscape Damho had been admiring.
The majestic vista of Mount Heng filled his vision.
Though both were among the Five Great Mountains of the Central Plains, Mount Heng’s scenery differed from Mount Hua’s. Yet the immortal energy permeating it was much the same.
As high as it was lofty, as vast as it was profound.
Something stirred within True Person Hyeonso’s chest. A tiny seed sprouted there.
Unknowingly, he murmured to himself.
“Beautiful.”
“It is.”
“Yes, truly beautiful.”
Immortal light gleamed in True Person Hyeonso’s eyes. They held a dreamy haze, like a child lost in a fantasy.
Damho fell silent at this unfamiliar glint in his master’s eyes.
Whether aware of it or not, True Person Hyeonso continued.
“For the past month, I’ve been dreaming.”
“......”
“In my dreams, I was an unnamed porter, a woodcutter. An ant, a dog, a bird soaring through the skies. Perhaps those were the lives I always wanted, fulfilled through dreams. While you toiled so hard, I slumbered peacefully.”
“......”
“Just before waking, I even met the Supreme Old Lord. It was so vivid, I only realized it was a dream after I awoke.”
True Person Hyeonso’s murmurings continued, and Damho listened quietly.
“He scolded me fiercely. So scary, even in a dream.”
True Person Hyeonso closed his eyes.
“Why such a scolding? What did this powerless old man do so wrong?”
“......”
“Probably my indifference to the world. A Taoist failing his duties. Not living as a true Taoist should. Looking back, I wasn’t a real Taoist. Just a pathetic old man fretting over his disciple.”
“Master.”
“Now that I’ve met you, I’ll return to my true Taoist ways. Can’t have the Supreme Old Lord scolding me after death. Infinite blessings!”
Whoosh!
A sudden wind blew, gently caressing True Person Hyeonso’s body. Damho held his breath as he watched his master’s hair flutter in the breeze.
He sensed signs of change in True Person Hyeonso. He couldn’t say what, but an inexplicable immortal energy emanated from him.
“A warrior must be warrior-like, a Taoist Taoist-like, a man human-like. That is the natural order, the ultimate truth of the world. Now I shall walk the path of man and the path of the Taoist.”
In that instant, Damho glimpsed a halo around True Person Hyeonso’s body. The soft, warm glow spread like sunlight.
‘Immortal energy?’
It was undoubtedly immortal energy. The aura only the enlightened possessed. Unbeknownst to himself, True Person Hyeonso had stepped into the realm of enlightenment.
With enlightenment came immortal energy stirring within his body.
It resembled the energy Damho knew.
‘Mid-Heaven Heart Formula?’
The lost heart method of ancient Mount Hua.
Damho had inherited its essence, but True Person Hyeonso knew it as well.
Damho had desperately trained in the Mid-Heaven Heart Formula, while True Person Hyeonso had forgotten it entirely. Yet its incantation was etched deep in his heart.
The immortal energy activated the Mid-Heaven Heart Formula, which in turn absorbed the profound energy permeating Mount Heng.
Swoooosh!
Like the tide rolling in, Mount Heng’s energy flooded into True Person Hyeonso’s body.
As a Taoist, he had encountered a great karmic fortune.
His Mid-Heaven Heart Formula differed from Damho’s. Where Damho’s was destructive, True Person Hyeonso’s brimmed with profound energy.
The energy absorbed via the Mid-Heaven Heart Formula swept through his body and then vanished as if by magic.
Even after all changes ceased, True Person Hyeonso stood motionless like a statue.
It was only after a long while that he opened his eyes.
The eyes gazing upon the world were exceptionally clear and pure.
True Person Hyeonso smiled.
“My body feels light.”
“Master.”
“Completely refreshed.”
True Person Hyeonso stretched languidly. An innocent purity shone through him, like a bright child.
Even without Damho saying a word, True Person Hyeonso sensed the changes within himself.
Infinitely light and refreshed. It was as if a murky veil had lifted from before his eyes—the entire world now appeared in sharp clarity.
The abundant life force in the grass blades, the thick immortal energy emanating from the leaves—it all felt tangible.
Suddenly, words he had once said to Damho came to mind.
“What I need is but a steadfast heart; then heaven will open the path itself.”
He hadn’t realized it then. Those habitual words had been the key to attaining the Immortal of Accumulated Virtue.
Heaven was opening his path.