The Black Rock Taoist's Moonlit Revelry
Heukam Dosa was proficient in all sorts of odd techniques. One of his specialties was finding people. According to the original story, he could locate anyone except those taken by the King of Hell. Of course, it was probably exaggerated, but it was clear that hiding from him anywhere in Changbai Mountain was next to impossible.
"Coming all the way to Baekdu just to camp out. You're really putting yourself through the wringer, huh."
Heukam Dosa flew toward me on a cloud. It suited his immortal-like appearance perfectly. Seeing him like this really drove home that he was the real deal, not some fraud. No wonder he was friends with Han Kangwoo.
I'd been resting on a suitable midway ledge on the mountain.
"Wha— Heukam Dosa!?"
I pretended to be shocked and jumped to my feet. Thanks to my Deception Skill, my acting was flawless. And truthfully, I was somewhat astonished by the sight of him riding a cloud.
"Heh heh. First time seeing someone on a cloud? You look like you've just seen a mountain ghost."
"Yes. Honestly, it's my first time."
"Well, yeah. The Taoists from the Wudang Sect couldn't pull off something like this."
Heukam Dosa riding a cloud wasn't in the original novel. The cloud he'd arrived on wriggled like a living thing, flapping its body as it ascended back into the sky. He waved his staff-wielding hand to bid it farewell.
Is that thing alive?
"Unlike that disciple of mine, it's a gentle one. Stop gawking and pull it out already."
"Ah, got it."
Heukam Dosa demanded the alcohol as if he'd entrusted it to me. I reached into my bundle and pulled out the booze from my inventory.
←Item→
●Tobu Eurako's Fruit Wine (D-grade)
↳Fruit wine personally brewed by Tobu Eurako, a master brewer and dwarf hobbit. It's 30 proof, with a fragrant aroma, deep flavor, and smooth finish.
※Excessive drinking is harmful to your health.
An item from the Unix Cube, so its quality was guaranteed. Brewed by a master, the taste was exceptional.
"Oh ho! That bottle looks awfully fancy. Those squiggly letters like earthworms—what's that, Western script? Never seen writing like it."
"Heh heh. You'll love it."
Heukam Dosa pulled out a cup from his robes. It was almost the size of Goryeo celadon. That wasn't a cup; it was a bottle. He was a true drunkard who carried a massive vessel like that everywhere. I respectfully poured into his cup.
"Hmm. Deep and unique aroma. Fruit wine, huh? Lots of different fruits in there... the grape notes are especially rich."
"Impressive nose you've got."
"I brew my own black raspberry wine like nobody's business. Let's see how this tastes."
Heukam Dosa downed Tobu Eurako's fruit wine in one go. I'd tried it myself—it was around 30 proof. Like the alcoholic he was, he tilted back the brimming cup without a pause. I couldn't imitate that.
"Oh ho! Pretty decent flavor. Grape wine, eh... I should brew some myself sometime."
He polished off about 1.5 liters in one gulp. One bottle clearly wasn't enough; he eyed my bundle slyly.
"Got any more?"
"...... That's all I have. It's rare stuff from the West."
Give away too much, and I'd look like a sucker. Besides, now that he'd gotten his booze fix, he wouldn't refuse my request.
"Eh, fine. Good stuff, like you said. So smooth yet intense, it makes all my past masterpieces feel like trash. I like it."
Winning him over with alcohol was the right call. Heukam Dosa continued with a relaxed expression.
"Well, after a reception like this, even a drunken Taoist like me can't just clam up. Follow me."
He strode fearlessly into the dark mountain path. It was a pitch-black night trail, relying only on faint moonlight filtering through the clouds, but he walked it like it was broad daylight.
"Not riding that cloud earlier?"
"I can ride it. You can't."
"Ah, is that cloud only for Taoists?"
Heukam Dosa whipped around at my question.
"Nah. Only virgins can ride it. You reek of women's scent something fierce."
"......"
What the hell kind of bullshit cloud is that?
*-*-*
There are as many hidden eccentrics on Changbai Mountain as grains of sand on a beach, but if you had to pick the two most exceptional and unique, it'd be Sword Ghost Han Kangwoo and Heukam Dosa.
In the novel Extreme Sword Immortal, Sword Ghost Han Kangwoo is depicted as one of the strongest characters. He's said to rival Taewooryang, the Sword Immortal who ascended to immortality in a human body after three hundred years, in martial prowess. If he wanted, he could ascend anytime. Considering Taewooryang is the pinnacle master of the Central Plains who left behind the Heavenly Sword Secret Art—the story's inciting technique—there's no debate that Han Kangwoo is the world's strongest, or damn close.
Despite his insane power, Han Kangwoo has little interest in worldly affairs, so his appearances are sparse. He shows up once when Gong Wooseon gains his opportunity, then vanishes until the final arcs. Still, his nickname gets mentioned repeatedly through other Central Plains experts, giving him solid weight despite the limited screen time. He's in a different league from his friend Heukam Dosa.
Heukam Dosa is a one-off character who appears only when Gong Wooseon gets his opportunity. Despite his key role as Han Kangwoo's close friend, he hands over the artifact and vanishes completely. Whether the author forgot or just threw him in to pad the protagonist's gains, his presence in the novel is practically nonexistent. Among readers, the theory is that the author never even named him properly.
He's a throwaway character, but the artifact he leaves behind gets plenty of use by Gong Wooseon. Right now, his disciple Jin Sawol wears it.
I really want to snag that Mukhyeol Yeomju.
Heukam Dosa walked the mountain path without hesitation. After about two hours following him, a massive full moon hung in the sky. It pierced the clouds midway up Changbai Mountain, shining down on the dark slopes like a god overlooking us from above. Of course, the feeble moonlight couldn't fully illuminate the pitch-black mountain. Even a seasoned herbalist would likely slip and die climbing in such conditions.
But neither he nor I were frail enough to be hindered by the dark.
"Here. Aside from that Han guy and Sawol, you're the first guest we've had."
Heukam Dosa's house was built on a flat spot midway up the mountain. It was a tiny thatched hut—I doubted it had even two rooms. Out front was a small field with persimmon and jujube trees. Between two sturdy trees, a clothesline was strung with hemp rope, and an ivory silk undergarment hung drying there. Looked like Jin Sawol's.
Silk undergarment made from celestial silkworm thread?
I snuck a sniff while avoiding Heukam Dosa's eyes. A faint floral scent wafted from it. I slipped it into my pocket.
"Sawol! Master's home!"
Heukam Dosa bellowed in a hearty, tipsy voice like a family man stumbling in late from a company dinner.
The reed door of the thatched hut swung open, and a beautiful girl poked her head out. Not the twin buns from earlier, but long straight hair.
"Ugh! What racket in the middle of the night? You woke me up! I wondered where you'd gone—drinking again, huh?"
"Heh heh. How could a sparrow pass a mill without stopping? Had some good stuff, but I'm still not buzzed enough. Set up a drinking spread."
"I swear, sometimes I don't know if I'm your disciple or your maid."
Jin Sawol grumbled but headed to the kitchen to prepare. She wore a high-collared top and thin underblouse; the fabric was so sheer, her figure was perfectly outlined.
Nicely toned muscles, not overdone. Breasts above average, and surprisingly modern proportions.
Hardly any flab—she could pass for a gym rat. Living on Changbai Mountain, her daily activity level must dwarf a modern person's. Plus, as Heukam Dosa's disciple, even if he specialized in odd grabs and artifacts, she'd learned self-defense against the mountain's beasts.
"Ah! You!"
Jin Sawol spotted my face and gasped in surprise. She instinctively covered her chest. Natural reaction in thin sleepwear, even clothed.
Not shy in front of the old man, huh?
I glanced at Heukam Dosa, who ogled her freely, and thought that. Then again, he'd called himself a virgin. A Taoist who rode clouds probably wasn't swayed by lust.
"We meet again. Jongchil from the Central Plains."
"Ah! So Master went looking for you! Figures. He's a drunken Taoist who can't resist booze."
She ducked back into her room and donned an indigo robe. Her figure vanished beneath it. A shame—I'd been enjoying the view.
"Keh heh. This generous guest treated your master to some fine liquor."
"Ugh... Anyway, come into the room. It's cold on Baekdu at night."
She offered me a room. The hut had two besides the kitchen: one for Jin Sawol, one for Heukam Dosa. He led me to his.
The floor had a warm ondol heating it.
"Sawol's a bit sharp-tongued, but she sets a killer drinking table. You'll see."
Looked like he'd drink till the moon set. That earlier bottle must've been just an appetizer.
Soon Jin Sawol entered with the spread. As Heukam Dosa boasted, it was shockingly lavish for something whipped up by a woman roused at night.
This must happen often.
A small gourd bottle of liquor anchored the center, surrounded by dried abalone, thin beef patties, dried fish, steamed chicken, and more. For snacks, dried persimmons and actinidia fruit in white bowls. A full land-sea-air assault with sweet-salty balance.
"There's plenty, so eat your fill."
Jin Sawol said it with deliberate emphasis, word by word.
"Hey now~ Pretty that mouth up with a guest here."
I got why she hated alcohol. Not like she was doing night yoga—setting up these annoying spreads. Liking booze would be weirder. The root cause? Heukam Dosa.
He ignored his disciple's glare, raised his cup. The gourd held soju—distilled, not the diluted modern kind. No connoisseur here, but it hit hard.
"Kuhk. Delicious. Sharing drinks under the moonlit night sky with Mr. Rabbit up there—this is true communion! To me, this is Peach Blossom Paradise! Keh heh!"