Chapter 232
Chapter 232
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 232
Chapter Title: When the Wind Blows, the Era Moves (1)
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“Whew!”
Jong Ri-yeon slowly opened her tightly shut eyes.
In front of her sat a fairly large brazier. Atop the brazier, where blue flames roared, rested a small cauldron. Inside it, countless medicinal herbs and toxic plants boiled, blending in perfect proportions.
Jong Ri-yeon assessed the state inside just from the scent.
‘The flames need to burn a bit hotter.’
She added more wood to the brazier and fanned it. The flames surged even fiercer.
Intense heat beaded sweat on Jong Ri-yeon’s forehead. Her shoulders ached as if they might dislocate, but she never stopped fanning.
It had already been two days since she sat before the cauldron. Her eyes grew dim and sore, yet she didn’t blink once.
Her focus had reached its peak.
Her eyes locked on the brazier’s flames, her ears caught even the faintest sounds from the cauldron, and her nose reacted sensitively to the slightest whiff from it.
In the moment when the flames, scents, and sounds united as one, Jong Ri-yeon’s eyes gleamed.
“Now!”
She lifted the cauldron’s lid. A thick, molten liquid gleamed inside—the herbs and toxins melted into one.
Jong Ri-yeon scooped the liquid into a prepared tray. It slowly solidified, reaching the viscosity she desired.
She took some of the hardened liquid into her palm and gently rolled it. It formed into a round pill. She made two such pills.
“Phew!”
Only then did Jong Ri-yeon exhale the breath she’d held. A faint smile curved her lips.
She wrapped each pill in prepared hanji paper.
***
“Master.”
At his disciple’s call, True Person Hyeon So looked up. Dam Ho stood right before him, clad in his black wind robe. Draped entirely in black with shadows cloaking him, his face was nearly indistinguishable.
“Ho-ya.”
“I need to step out for a bit.”
True Person Hyeon So showed no surprise at Dam Ho’s words.
“I figured as much.”
“You knew?”
“I had a feeling it might come to this.”
True Person Hyeon So gazed at Dam Ho with kind eyes, deep profound energy swirling within them.
Just looking into those eyes cleared the heart.
“Master.”
“No need to worry about me. Go with peace of mind.”
“Thank you.”
Dam Ho bowed his head.
It had been over a decade since he last saw his master. Leaving him now wasn’t easy for Dam Ho. But the time had come to descend the mountain.
Since that day, all news of Cho Yeon-un had vanished.
No one knew if he lived or died. Only ominous rumors circulated.
Cho Yeon-un had stayed in Sakju to uphold his beliefs.
That place was his battlefield. Dam Ho had withdrawn because it wasn’t his own, but that didn’t erase their personal bond.
Cho Yeon-un was his one true friend.
He had a duty to uncover what happened. And there was another reason.
‘Cheonsa Church.’
It was like a thorn in his throat. Left alone, it wouldn’t just harm his neck—it would pierce his heart.
A faint killing intent flickered in Dam Ho’s eyes.
True Person Hyeon So sighed softly at the sight, but soon smiled faintly.
‘All things flow according to the natural order…’
Everything in the world had its reason for being. Dam Ho surely had his as well. True Person Hyeon So trusted him.
“When will you go?”
“I’ll head down now.”
“So soon? No, you must have your reasons. Going alone?”
“With Il-gwang.”
“That child’s reliable. Good thinking. Since you’ve decided, I won’t stop you. But promise me one thing: take care of yourself.”
“I will.”
“And… never mind.”
True Person Hyeon So seemed about to say something but trailed off.
“Speak, Master.”
“It’s just…”
“You can say it.”
“Sigh! You make me muster the courage. Find out what happened to the Huashan disciples who escaped Sakju. Elder Hyeon Geom must have handled it, but my heart won’t rest easy.”
“Understood.”
“Thank you.”
“No need for thanks. You’re… my master, after all.”
True Person Hyeon So smiled warmly at Dam Ho’s curt reply.
Having such an exceptional disciple sometimes made him forget he was the master.
“I’d love to go with you, but I’d only be a burden still. Hurry along.”
“Then…”
Dam Ho bowed to True Person Hyeon So, rose, and paid his respects once more before stepping out.
Left alone, True Person Hyeon So closed his eyes gently.
‘Amitabha!’
The first person Dam Ho met outside was, unexpectedly, Jong Ri-yeon. As he looked her way, she beamed.
“I had a hunch you’d leave today.”
“…”
“Here.”
Jong Ri-yeon suddenly extended her hand. In her small palm sat two tiny wooden boxes.
“What’s this?”
“Take them. My hand hurts.”
She forced the boxes into Dam Ho’s hand.
Opening one revealed a pill wrapped in hanji. A faint, purifying aroma wafted from it, cleansing body and mind.
“It’s the Life-Reversing Poison Pill.”
“A poison pill?”
“Exactly.”
Jong Ri-yeon nodded with an innocent smile.
Dam Ho eyed her, demanding an explanation.
“As the name says, it’s definitely a poison pill. But poison, used well, becomes the finest medicine. It won’t do much for ordinary wounds. But when life hangs by a thread, it’s worth trying. The poison stimulates innate energy, temporarily boosting vitality, while the herbs protect the heart meridians.”
“Like a life-saving wonder pill.”
“Exactly.”
“Thank you.”
“I told you: as long as there’s breath, I’ll save you. This is proof. So go wild… really wild.”
“I will.”
“And come back here after.”
“Yeah!”
Suddenly, Jong Ri-yeon threw herself into Dam Ho’s arms. Warmth filled his chest.
“I’ll be waiting.”
With that whisper, she quickly pulled away. Her face flushed red as a persimmon.
Fearing he’d see, she spun and ran off. Dam Ho watched her retreating figure for a long while, clutching the Life-Reversing Poison Pill.
Only after she vanished did he tuck the boxes into his robe and move.
Dam Ho headed to the stables. There, Muk Il-gwang waited, preparations complete. But an unexpected figure stood beside him.
“Jin-bo?”
“Hyung!”
The boy, laden with packs like a turtle’s shell full of provisions, was Bang Jin-bo.
“Why are you here?”
“I’m coming too.”
“…”
“I won’t be a burden. I promise.”
Bang Jin-bo’s face was resolute. Muk Il-gwang chimed in.
“I’ll take responsibility for Jin-bo, hyung-nim.”
Muk Il-gwang’s face was tense.
“Hyung! Please.”
“It’ll be a hard road.”
“I know. But with Yeon-un hyung missing, I can’t just sit.”
Bang Jin-bo bit his lip until it bled.
To Dam Ho, Cho Yeon-un was his sole friend. To Bang Jin-bo, he was like an elder brother. They bickered daily, but no one cared for him like Cho Yeon-un. Thus, Bang Jin-bo’s feelings ran deep.
Dam Ho stared piercingly at Bang Jin-bo’s face.
Still young and boyish. But his eyes had changed—now filled with resolve and steadfastness unseen before.
Dam Ho nodded.
“Good! Let’s go together.”
“Yes! Thank you, hyung!”
Bang Jin-bo clenched his fist. Muk Il-gwang sighed in relief.
He was the one who’d told Bang Jin-bo about Cho Yeon-un’s disappearance and injury, regretting the unnecessary worry he’d caused.
“Let’s go!”
Dam Ho mounted Black Ghost. Muk Il-gwang and Bang Jin-bo hurriedly followed suit.
The three rode as one with their horses, charging down the mountainside.
From afar, onlookers watched.
Hwang Kyung-moon, master of Paewang Branch and king of the Green Forest, and his daughter, Hwang Hye-ryeong.
“He’s off.”
“Yes!”
“Not disappointed?”
“What?”
“He’s your brother. Doesn’t sending him away unsettle you?”
“He’s my brother, but also the Fist Demon. The jianghu suits him, not this remote mountain hollow.”
“You brat! So this is a remote hollow?”
“Isn’t it?”
Hwang Hye-ryeong smiled slyly.
“You’re the only one who’d call Paewang Branch—the Green Forest’s head seat—a remote hollow.”
“It’s the truth.”
“Urgh!”
Hwang Kyung-moon groaned as if pained.
“Don’t pretend to be hurt.”
“Caught on?”
“Big time.”
Hwang Hye-ryeong shot him a sharp glance. Hwang Kyung-moon burst into hearty laughter.
“Ha-ha!”
“Father, you’re getting more mischievous with age. Like a child.”
“To navigate these chaotic times, one must. Can’t sit idly like some world-weary elder forever. Time to move with a child’s passion.”
“True…”
“Blood winds rage in the jianghu. For now, confined there, but they’ll swallow the whole world. And we won’t escape unscathed.”
Hwang Kyung-moon’s eyes deepened.
The Green Forest had already suffered once under the Demonic Cult. Mountain strongholds that fell for their schemes were nearly annihilated, and Paewang Branch took heavy losses.
They were rebuilding with all their might, but far from full strength. Exposed to the jianghu’s storm now, the Green Forest would scatter to the winds.
“Your brother stands at the jianghu’s center. Like it or not, his moves will unleash a typhoon.”
“…”
“That fierce wind he stirs won’t yield to the Demonic Cult’s blood storm. Callous as it sounds, with all eyes on him, this is our chance to rebuild.”
Hwang Hye-ryeong didn’t waver at his seemingly cold words. She knew it was best for the Green Forest.
Above all, she trusted Dam Ho.
‘Brother.’
An absolute faith that no blood wind could touch him. That let her stay calm in any crisis.
“Let’s go. Much to do now.”
“Yes!”
Shoulder to shoulder, they headed to the stronghold.
A breeze blew through the spot they’d left.