Chapter 53
Chapter 53
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 53
Chapter Title: A Blood Star Descends on the New Frontier (3)
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A breeze swept through, gently brushing back Damho's hair.
The wind on Tianshan was quite cold. But it had no effect on Damho.
Tianshan was a mountain with the dignity of an emperor.
Its contours embodied that, and the energy it exuded was equally overwhelming. The eternal snow piled on its peak showed no sign of melting even as summer approached, still gazing down upon the world in pristine white.
This stark contrast to Mount Hua drew Damho into deep thought. His retinas held the image of Striking Moon Peak.
He was at a lodge near Blood Demon Tomb.
After Manor Lord Eun Ha-seong's death, Western Sky Mountain Manor had fallen into chaos. The surviving warriors had surrendered, and Sim Su-myeong was swiftly restoring order.
After slaying Eun Ha-seong, Damho had not involved himself in Western Sky Mountain Manor's affairs at all. He saw no need, nor any reason.
Damho closed his eyes. Then he felt an intense bloody scent emanating from his own body.
He had emerged into the world not long ago, yet he had already killed countless people. He felt no guilt over their deaths, but the overpowering bloody aura from his body weighed heavily on his heart.
Damho suddenly looked down at his hands.
His fists, callused like nails hammered in, were weapons in themselves. With these hands, he had killed so many, and he couldn't even guess how much more blood they would be stained with.
He had trained in martial arts solely to survive and grow stronger.
Without that burning resolve to live and determination to become powerful, he never would have escaped the underground cavern.
Damho's fists were the fruits of that resolve.
He clenched them tight!
Thick tendons bulged like wriggling worms, and immense power surged within.
Fists made only for destruction. There was no mercy in his strikes.
Taking the Central Heaven Heart Formula as his core, he had extracted the essence from Bamboo Leaf Hand, Subduing Demon Fist, Six Harmonies Fist, and the demonic cult's arts. To that essence, he added his own insights, forging his unique style.
Dark Form Fist.
A fist born in darkness, thus its name.
Since entering the world, he had used only a handful of its techniques.
Charge Step, Wave-Breaking Claw, Earth-Heaven Strike, and Silver Net Hand were merely the basics. He had felt no need for the others, nor found opportunities to use them.
The heat still churned unsettled in his blood. He longed to unleash it, but no further chances had come.
"Someday, an opportunity will arise."
Suddenly, his master Hyunso the Immortal's words came to mind.
Live freely, he had said.
He would see him once he had grown strong enough to withstand Mount Hua's harsh winds.
"Master."
Even now, with his heart parched, thinking of his master stirred a profound resonance in his chest.
"Hyung!"
Then a familiar voice snapped him from his reverie.
He looked up to see Bang Jin-bo.
Countless people feared Damho. Not only Western Sky Mountain Manor's warriors, but even those of Bloodscale Deathnet regarded him with eyes full of terror and awe.
Even their leader, Sim Su-myeong, was no exception.
A seasoned ronin, yet Sim Su-myeong could not meet Damho's gaze.
But Bang Jin-bo was different.
He had witnessed Damho's one-sided massacre. Yet his behavior and gaze toward Damho remained unchanged. Perhaps that's why he worried for the boy.
"What is it?"
"The Bloodscale Deathnet leader is here to see you."
"Is that so?"
"Yes! He's waiting in the lodge right now."
"Got it."
Damho rose and headed to the lodge. Bang Jin-bo hurried after him.
"Dam... Daxia."
Entering, Sim Su-myeong greeted him. At his side were Sim Ok and Heuk No.
Heuk No, rescued just before Eun Ha-seong's death, was still pale. His eyes on Damho held undisguised fear.
This was the man he had mocked as a cripple. But Damho's prowess had surpassed imagination. A limp meant nothing to him.
"I have eyes yet failed to recognize true talent."
He wanted to gouge out his own eyes for scorning Damho.
Heuk No let out a secret sigh.
Damho looked at Sim Su-myeong.
"You sought me?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because of this."
Sim Su-myeong placed a long object and a book on the table.
The scripture known as God Sword or Demon Sword, the Blood Demon Divine Scripture.
"What's this got to do with me?"
"As you know, Eun Ha-seong committed heaven-defying atrocities to obtain these. Fortunately, he died by your hand before mastering the Blood Demon's arts. Otherwise, a great blood storm would have swept the New Frontier."
Damho frowned at Sim Su-myeong's lengthy explanation. Heuk No, sensing the mood, quickly interjected.
"The leader is asking your opinion on disposing of these two items."
"Why?"
"Because you slew Eun Ha-seong. Naturally, they belong to you now."
"Not interested."
At Damho's curt refusal, Sim Su-myeong and Heuk No nodded as if expecting it.
They hadn't seen much of him, but given his temperament, it made sense. But Sim Ok was different.
"These are the Blood Demon's ultimate arts. He failed to master them, or even you might not have won easily."
"Could be."
"And you have no interest at all? Really?"
"Yeah!"
"You're just..."
Sim Ok couldn't comprehend Damho.
Though little known in the jianghu, the Blood Demon was a legend in the New Frontier. No one here wouldn't covet his arts. Yet Damho treated them like a common pebble by the riverbank.
Then Damho asked her.
"Do I seem like I need the Blood Demon's arts?"
"Well..."
Sim Ok had no answer.
Neither did Sim Su-myeong or Heuk No.
Damho stood.
"I'm leaving tomorrow. Handle those however you want."
"You're truly giving them to us?"
"Yeah!"
"Urgh!"
Sim Su-myeong groaned unwittingly.
Damho rose without a hint of hesitation.
"He's serious. The Blood Demon's arts don't even catch his eye."
The arts were one thing, but the sword was a treasure among treasures. It could be a god sword or demon sword by its master's will. Yet Damho didn't blink.
Awed by his magnanimity, Sim Su-myeong and Heuk No shook their heads.
Sim Su-myeong declared loudly.
"Understood. We'll keep the Blood Demon Divine Scripture and sword in the main branch."
"Do as you like."
Damho left without waiting for a reply.
"Whew!"
Everyone in the room sighed in relief almost simultaneously.
***
"Huff huff!"
Rough breaths burst from Bang Jin-bo's mouth. His face was flushed red.
Bang Jin-bo was climbing the mountain. None other than the notoriously treacherous Striking Moon Peak.
For the usual Bang Jin-bo, this was impossible. He was chubbier and less fit than his peers.
Yet now, though exhausted, he didn't stop. Whenever he wanted to collapse, a cool energy stirred within, swirling through his body.
Once it passed, fatigue vanished as if it never was.
"I have to find it quick."
His father Bang U-gwang's cookbook mentioned an herb unique to Tianshan. Its flavor was heavenly, transforming any dish.
Heavenly Fragrance Herb.
The book said it grew only near Tianshan's summit.
Bang U-gwang had always regretted never stopping at Tianshan during his western travels. To fulfill his father's wish, Bang Jin-bo was determined to find it before entering the Central Plains.
"Where is it?"
Sweat poured like rain. Still, Bang Jin-bo scoured Tianshan relentlessly.
It was the first thing he pursued of his own will. He couldn't quit just because it was hard.
Damho walked a blood path beyond imagination. To follow, Bang Jin-bo needed iron resolve.
Digging for Heavenly Fragrance Herb was forging that resolve.
"To follow hyung, I have to do at least this."
The higher he climbed, the colder the wind grew. Gusts carrying eternal snow chilled to the bone.
Enduring such harsh winds and cold stunted the plants' growth. Bang Jin-bo had to stoop, scanning the ground.
How long did he search?
Under a rock, sheltered from wind, he spotted tiny clusters of grass, each blade shorter than a finger joint. Split into five stalks like a child's fingers, they emitted a subtle fragrance.
Just inhaling made his mind hazy. The instant he smelled it, Bang Jin-bo knew.
'Heavenly Fragrance Herb.'
The scent lived up to its name, heavenly bliss stirring his appetite unwittingly.
Using it in cooking would recreate paradise on the plate.
The fragrance tempted him. Unthinkingly, Bang Jin-bo reached out.
His hand inched closer, then halted just short.
'Is this right?'
The thought struck him.
Taking it would let him make delicious food easily. But would that be true skill?
The Heavenly Fragrance Herb swayed in the breeze before him, beckoning him to pluck it.
Conflict clouded Bang Jin-bo's face.
After agonizing, he reached out cautiously again. He snapped off one stalk. The fragrance intensified.
Bang Jin-bo popped the stalk into his mouth. He savored the aroma, chewing carefully.
The more he chewed, the deeper the flavor emerged.
Ecstasy lit his face. He'd eaten countless dishes, but never tasted such profundity.
A thrilling coolness pierced from head to toe, sending shivers. Used in food, it would surely yield heavenly taste.
But Bang Jin-bo picked no more. Instead, he lingered, imprinting the taste and scent on tongue and mind.
How much time passed?
He opened his eyes.
"Got it. I remember it clearly."
He smiled, then stood without regret.
Rather than take it, he memorized the taste. So he could recreate it without the herb later.
Bang Jin-bo descended without looking back.
Though the rich fragrance lured from behind, he felt no attachment.
'Father, am I doing well?'
Bang Jin-bo smiled.
Without relying on its power, he would become one of the world's top chefs. No matter how far or long the path.
"Hehe!"
His laughter echoed across Tianshan.