Chapter 3
Chapter 3
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 3
Chapter Title: Spring Comes to Mount Hua Too (3)
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Damho emerged from the Eternal Protection Hall long after the sun had set. Lanterns were hung throughout the darkened corners of Mount Hua.
The plum blossoms illuminated by the lantern light sparkled like snowflakes. Damho stopped in his tracks and gazed at the sight for a long while.
A breeze blew, scattering plum petals through the air. Strangely, the image etched itself deeply into his mind.
Nightfall did not mean the end of the Mount Hua Sect's routines. Bright lights filled the Taoist halls scattered across the mountain, and the Taoists continued to move about busily.
Just then, a group approached Damho.
They were Taoists clad in black robes, exuding an extraordinary aura.
Damho bowed his head toward them.
They were the Mount Hua Sect's elite disciples. Leading them was Mu-gyeong, a man in his mid-thirties who was a direct disciple of Sect Leader Hyeon-cheon Zhenren.
Mu-gyeong had been a prodigy since childhood, bearing the expectations of the entire Mount Hua Sect.
His martial prowess was exceptional; rumors swirled that he had already begun practicing the Great Clarity Heart Method, a technique reserved for elders and above.
His character was equally exemplary, earning the respect of every disciple in the sect.
At Mu-gyeong's side were his closest confidants, Un-gyeong and Han So-yu.
Un-gyeong was Mu-gyeong's junior brother and the leader of the Plum Blossom Thirty-Six Sword Squad, the sect's pride. His cold, sunken gaze reflected his personality.
Han So-yu was a rare female disciple in the Mount Hua Sect. Her skills were so outstanding that she was counted among the Plum Blossom Thirty-Six Swordsmen.
Mu-gyeong smiled.
"It's Cheon-gyeong."
"Senior Brother."
"Are you heading back to your quarters?"
"Yes."
"Is Master Hyeon-so doing well?"
"He is in good health."
"That's a relief. I've been meaning to visit, but with so much on my plate, I just can't find the time."
"Master will understand."
Mu-gyeong's smile deepened at Damho's response. But Un-gyeong, standing beside him, eyed Damho coldly, clearly displeased by something.
His snake-like gaze, devoid of emotion, swept over Damho's entire body.
"How's your leg?"
"The same."
"And yet you still cling to martial arts? Even with your clear limitations. Why not devote yourself to Taoist studies like Master Hyeon-so?"
"Junior Brother!"
Mu-gyeong cried out in surprise at Un-gyeong's harsh words. But Un-gyeong's expression remained unchanged.
"Wasting time on futile endeavors is the height of folly. Heed my words."
"Thank you for your advice, Senior Brother. I will engrave it deep in my bones."
Damho bowed deeply.
Un-gyeong regarded him with a chilling stare. Mu-gyeong shrugged helplessly at his junior brother's attitude and glanced at Han So-yu.
Han So-yu approached Damho lightly. A faint, alluring fragrance wafted toward him.
Damho looked up at her. Her refined face resembled the plum blossoms of Mount Hua.
"Don't take Senior Brother Un-gyeong's words to heart, Junior Brother. He doesn't mean any harm."
"I understand."
"If you ever hit a wall with your training, come find me. I'll do everything I can to help."
"Thank you."
"I believe in you."
Han So-yu flashed a bright, charming smile capable of captivating any man's heart.
"Then I'll take my leave."
Damho offered a fist salute to the three and walked away.
The trio watched his receding figure in silence. Pity flickered across Mu-gyeong's face as he observed Damho's limping gait.
Mu-gyeong whipped his head toward Un-gyeong.
"Do you know how heartless you sound sometimes? How could you say that right in front of him?"
"It's all for Cheon-gyeong's sake."
"How is that for his sake? Imagine how heartbroken that kid must be, already limping as he is."
"What Cheon-gyeong needs is not empty comfort or encouragement, but cold, hard advice."
"You?"
"Honestly, what are the odds Cheon-gyeong masters the Mount Hua Sect's martial arts? A warrior who can't learn footwork is only half a person. And right now, Mount Hua has no need for half a person."
"Wow! You really are ice-cold."
"I have no choice. My role is to think and judge coldly in any situation."
"Seriously..."
Mu-gyeong shook his head. But he didn't look offended in the slightest.
If Mu-gyeong represented the sect's martial might as its top disciple, Un-gyeong was positioned to offer him endless rational counsel with unflinching logic.
He had been raised that way from the start, and it was deemed best for Mount Hua.
Han So-yu laughed and interjected into their conversation.
"Come on, enough about Cheon-gyeong. We have more important matters to attend to."
"True enough..."
Mu-gyeong nodded.
The Mount Hua Sect stood at a critical juncture.
They needed to select promising secular disciples and formally induct them as inner sect disciples. But it didn't end there—they had to mold them into true warriors.
Mount Hua desperately needed fresh blood. To that end, elite disciples like Mu-gyeong and Un-gyeong had to stay busy.
"Let's go."
Mu-gyeong took the lead. The image of Damho had already vanished from his mind.
Damho walked the night path by moonlight, heading toward a small valley at the base of Un-dae Peak.
A fairly large pond lay at the valley's bottom. Its remote location meant few Mount Hua Taoists ever visited. It was Damho's secret refuge when his heart felt heavy.
Damho stripped off his clothes and plunged into the pond.
Though it was spring, the valley water still carried a sharp chill. The icy touch jolted him awake.
'It's fine... This much is nothing...'
Damho gritted his teeth.
The bitter cold pierced not just his skin but his very bones. Yet he didn't climb out; instead, he dunked his head underwater.
Damho sat cross-legged on the pond bottom.
A torrent of thoughts raced through his mind.
His peaceful daily life, shattered in an instant by bandits' raid. The unexpected rescue and life on Mount Hua.
With all four limbs broken, he couldn't move on his own for the first few months. Master Hyeon-so Zhenren had nursed and treated him during that time.
Without the master's devoted care, he never would have walked again under his own power. He limped on one leg, but he was alive.
To Damho, survival mattered most. Only with life could he hope for the future.
'Father, Mother, Ga-ryeong.'
Their vivid images surfaced in his mind.
Damho had failed to protect them.
At twelve years old, lack of strength was no excuse. They were gone from this world, while he lived on.
Because he lived, he had duties to fulfill. For that, he needed power.
Splash!
Damho surfaced, water spraying everywhere.
"Huff! Huff!"
He gasped for breath.
His gaze fell to his left leg. It looked pitiful compared to his healthy, sturdy right leg. Despite countless mountain treks, muscle barely clung to it.
No way could this leg execute the Mount Hua Sect's intricate footwork.
"The Mount Hua footwork doesn't suit me. I need something else."
Over the past five years, Damho had felt this truth in his bones.
The problem was he didn't know how to overcome it.
If only he had a mentor to guide him now—but unfortunately, only Master Hyeon-so remained by his side.
In the end, he had to find his own breakthrough.
"First, do what I can."
Damho wiggled his left foot underwater. The water provided substantial resistance.
Up to the thigh, it was normal. The knee was the issue.
Crushed cartilage and muscle robbed it of free movement. No elixir could heal it. The only slim hope was the legendary bone transformation—but that was a pipe dream.
"I'll build and strengthen the left leg's power. Worry about the next step later."
Damho climbed out of the pond.
He roughly dried off and dressed.
The chill lingered, but his mind had cleared. Memories of his senior brothers' scorn had evaporated.
From the next day, a sandbag was tied to Damho's left ankle as he climbed and descended the mountains.
"Huff huff!"
Rough breaths escaped his lips. The added weight felt unimaginably heavy, like a massive iron block chained to his ankle.
Damho clenched his teeth and pressed on. Thick sweat poured down his back without cease.
"Whew!"
Someone watched him with a secret sigh. It was his master, Hyeon-so Zhenren.
"That child's obsession with martial arts knows no bounds. What am I to do?"
Hyeon-so Zhenren's sigh scattered on the wind.
It was one of those days he missed his long-ascended master, Cheon-gung-ja.