Chapter 22
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 22
Chapter Title: The Crimson Glow of Pagoda Peak
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Crunch, crinkle, thud, splosh.
Each step left a different sound and a telltale mark in its wake.
The slightly smudged prints belonged to Yu Hyun, who had trained in peerless lightfoot skill but had yet to reach the Snow-Treading Without Trace realm. The crisp, stamped footprints were the old man’s.
“……”
Well, damn, how does that guy walk so effortlessly?
Yu Hyun shook his head as he watched Elder Eoksu striding far ahead.
Same boots and all…
Elder Eoksu, without a shred of martial prowess, climbed the snow-blanketed mountain path with lightfoot skill that seemed to surpass even Yu Hyun’s own.
He was hunched over, leaning on his staff, yet somehow outpacing him.
Must be the knack for it. Sometimes, a lifetime of experience outshone any martial art.
It had been three days now since they set out trekking through mountains entirely cloaked in white.
They walked by day and rested by night, easing the fatigue from their weary bodies.
Elder Eoksu and Yu Hyun had made straight for the summit upon leaving the valley, then followed the ridgeline toward their destination.
To Yu Hyun, one snow-capped peak looked much like the next, but Elder Eoksu moved without hesitation, as if he had a map etched in his mind.
It put him in high spirits, regardless.
The snowy vistas were just an excuse, but seeing them firsthand drew gasps of awe.
Their long trail of footprints stretched across the pristine white expanse like a new road forged in the wilderness, only for fresh snow to blanket it once more, as if washing away the world’s woes and worries.
The snow-laden pines atop the plateau stood like erudite old scholars with frost-kissed beards, their white robes billowing in elegant solitude.
He suddenly recalled O Hyun, the branch chief, sputtering about these sublime views.
Sublime scenery—truly, it lived up to the name.
Riding the ridgeline heightened the effect; each high vantage etched the full panorama of Mount Huang into his eyes.
Vast and majestic.
They said gazing upon the great world swelled the chest with grandeur, and it rang true.
How far had they come?
Elder Eoksu suddenly halted.
“Master, that’s the place.”
“……”
His gnarled finger, bent by the weight of years, pointed to the lowest peak amid a ring of summits cradling what looked like a massive basin valley.
Far below, a great river snaked through the gorge, ending in a thundering waterfall.
“Fairyland come to life.”
“That cliff base down there looks shallow, but it’s several fathoms deep.”
“Hmm… That deep, we’ll need a boat or a detour.”
“Yes.”
“……Now I see why those Nine Dragons Stronghold bastards nested there.”
Yu Hyun let out a low whistle as he eyed Pagoda Peak.
The surrounding mountains loomed high, but the summit was thickly forested and snowbound—impossible to spot from afar unless you knew the flying approaches. Even then, scaling it looked no easy feat.
Though the lowest, it stood apart from the ridgeline, offering a clear view to surveil any approach.
A broad, deep river curled around it like a moat, impassable without top-tier skill. Bypassing the water left only the rear approach.
A heaven-sent fortress carved by nature itself.
“The red stone’s really there?”
“Yes. If my memory holds, it’s on that side.”
“……”
Elder Eoksu shifted his finger to a sheer cliff face on Pagoda Peak, stretching upward from the river—roughly northward, by the lay of the land.
Morning sun would cast shadows from the opposing heights, but at sunset, the glow would slant right in.
“Hmm. To pinpoint it exactly, we wait for sundown.”
“Yes. It’s been so long, my recollection’s hazy…”
“No worries.”
Yu Hyun flashed a faint smile, brushed away the snow, and prepared a rest spot.
“I can handle that…”
“You’ve guided me this far. My thanks.”
Yu Hyun waved off Elder Eoksu’s words.
To reiterate, he was in excellent spirits.
What was a simple shelter to him?
Humming softly, he swept the snow aside, revealing the frozen bare earth.
But no fire, cold or not.
Only damp wood around, and that meant smoke.
Smoke rising would alert the bandits below—they’d spot it for sure. They’d have to tough it out.
“Here, have some. It’ll warm you up.”
“Yes.”
Yu Hyun chewed on the liquor and jerky Elder Eoksu offered, listening to idle chatter.
Snippets of village tales mixed in, but mostly it was the old man’s tumultuous life story.
Nothing beat reminiscing to pass the time.
“Enough about me now. Tell me your story, Master.”
“My story?”
“Yes.”
Had familiarity bred this nudge?
Yu Hyun pondered the old man’s smiling insistence.
My story…
With a chuckle, Yu Hyun launched not into his current self, but the untold tale of Jin Wi-gang, yet unborn.
A story he could share with no one else anymore.
“Whoa! That far gone?”
“Yeah, a total wastrel, you could say.”
“……Doesn’t seem the type.”
“Then one day, someone nabbed me. Said my talent for martial arts was astonishing…”
Yu Hyun’s tale was flowing into memories of training under one of his masters when the sun began scattering red rays.
Sinking slowly, it kissed the jagged peaks before shedding its heat, blanketing the world in blood-red haze.
“……!”
Yu Hyun whipped his head around. Pagoda Peak’s cliff face filled his vision.
Sharp divide of light and shadow.
The sunset swept upward from the shaded lower reaches.
“…….”
Yet even as it bathed most of the face, no crimson glow emerged.
Had Elder Eoksu misremembered?
……Well, possible. At that age, memories faded or muddled sometimes.
Even if not here, the village shamans and hunters scoured Mount Huang’s corners—they’d find it soon enough.
Time to try elsewhere…
Flash!
“……?”
Just as Yu Hyun turned away in regret, a blinding radiance erupted from the cliff’s upper edge.
A piercing scarlet light.
“Master!”
“…….”
Just as Elder Eoksu said—a beam shot from one spot on the cliff.
Tracing it led to a rock gleaming red, reflecting the sunset as if glowing on its own.
That’s it!
Certainty surged. Child Ginseng had to be nearby.
But the sun plunged swiftly behind the western ridge, snuffing the brief flare in shadow.
Enough, though.
He’d marked the rock’s position.
A thick smile curled Yu Hyun’s lips as he turned to Elder Eoksu.
“Elder Eoksu.”
“Yes?”
“Head back now.”
“…….”
Yu Hyun proffered the promised jade amulet. Elder Eoksu hesitated, then took it gingerly.
Guiding him was his role, after all.
“Night’s coming. Get as far from here as you can before then.”
“Yes? Not waiting here?”
Yu Hyun shook his head at the question.
No waiting here.
After securing the Child Ginseng, maybe—but not yet. He couldn’t guarantee victory over the bandits with his current skill.
Not just their numbers; some might be elite masters. A stronghold enduring three generations wasn’t to be trifled with.
His insights into martial arts let him claim world-class potential, but raw power lagged far behind.
The Spirit Heart Core Method had gathered qi into his inner core past Initial Force, barely.
Purer and more refined than peers, but in sheer volume, even maximized, it barely matched Mid Force fighters.
If a superior expert in Nine Dragons Stronghold forced a retreat, Elder Eoksu could get caught in the crossfire.
“Mind this: night trekking’s risky, but cross at least one or two ridges from Pagoda Peak before resting. Farther, the better.”
“…….”
“Take care.”
Yu Hyun bowed with a smile, then kicked off lightly.
Thud!
“Wha—hey?”
In a blink, he’d scaled a nearby pine, bounding branch to branch toward the valley floor.
No, flying, almost.
“Whoa! A true martial artist, eh? Thought it was just a tall tale for laughs…”
Elder Eoksu muttered, watching Yu Hyun vanish into the distance, swallowed by a whirlwind of snow kicked up by the rising gale.
Unless a fresh shaman, he’d roamed Mount Huang nigh on forty years—seen his share of martial folk.
But…
“I’ll wait till tomorrow, at least.”
Worry rooting him in place, Elder Eoksu finally stirred against the night chill as thick darkness slowly cloaked the world.
* * *
Tap, shake!
A light step pressed down and sprang up, twigs rebounding to shake off snow.
Yu Hyun leaped from branch to branch like crossing stepping stones, hurtling through the forest.
Bounding a zhang or more off branches slimmer than a woman’s arm was no mean feat.
Lighter than the ground, balance inner power precisely.
Yet no trace remained.
By day, maybe—but dark night hid even falling snow from notice.
A timely whirlwind swept up snow flurries like fog, veiling the world.
Yu Hyun slipped across the gorge river below Pagoda Peak’s cliff, swimming stealthily.
No way they’d expect a crossing in this freezing dead of winter.
The water matched Elder Eoksu’s word: deep and brutally cold.
Splash, sploosh!
Clearing the river, he ducked behind the rock at the cliff base.
“Whew…”
He circulated vital energy through his body to ward off the chill.
Sodden clothes froze solid, but as warmth kindled within, he sharpened his hearing and steadied his breath.
Plenty of time.
He’d set out a full month early, accounting for any margin from the rumored Child Ginseng discovery.
Four days Anpyeong County to Mount Huang, three more to Pagoda Peak.
Twenty days to spare.
“Inhale.”
Regulating deep, even breaths, Yu Hyun gazed up at the sheer cliff.
This way… no good.
Even with the Drunken Fire Beggar’s Ten Thousand Li Chasing Wind Body Technique—riding the lightest breeze across myriad li—this height demanded vital energy at Sword Aura level.
No greed. Not a matter of pride.
Slip midway on an endless climb like this, and he’d be off for a personal chat with King Yama.
Find a path.
If Nine Dragons Stronghold bandits roosted up top, they had a trail—wide enough for carts and horses hauling loot.
Someone guarding it? No issue.
The Drunken Fire Beggar taught more than the stumbling Drunken Eight Immortals Steps to evade strikes or the wind-like Ten Thousand Li Chasing Wind Body Technique.
Alright, time for a…
Yu Hyun closed his eyes, melding his senses with the surroundings.
He felt the breeze filling his lungs, the skin-numbing cold, the rustle of leaves brushing one another.
Calming his mind, relaxing his muscles, his body eased into tranquility. All senses dissolved into nature.
Soon, his presence faded like a snow-dusted tree, an unyielding boulder.
Not perfect concealment, but enough to fool bandit eyes and ears.
Crunch!
In an instant, only scattered snow and sound marked his path as he vanished.
Moving again, slower now, more meticulously scanning about.
Trees, rocks…
No sign of entrance or trail.
Of course not.
They’d weathered multiple purges, evading the mighty Nangong Clan’s eyes and imperial troops’ ears.
Scrutinize every detail. Miss nothing, however small…
Then Yu Hyun froze, minimizing his presence behind cover.
Huh? That rock… what’s with it?
He remembered its odd shape.
Hmm, nature’s crafty, but two rocks exactly alike? Unlikely.
Circling back to check, Yu Hyun’s lips quirked upward.
Sure enough—this rock before him was the formation’s axis.
Which meant…
Ha, these bastards real bandits?
They’d set up an illusory formation. Damn intriguing.