The Fist King Meets the Mad God 4

Episode 83: The Fist King Meets the Mad God 4

Dan Woo-sung boiled noodles made from wild ginseng and shared them with Mad God. At first, the bitterness was overpowering, but as he savored the taste, he found it oddly enjoyable. Above all, the broth was surprisingly decent.

Mad God ate with relish as well.

After the two had licked their bowls clean, they set them down. Dan Woo-sung, having eaten three bowls, was comfortably full, while Mad God nodded approvingly, his stomach satisfied.

Mad God spoke.

"Let's rest a bit, then go drink some water."

"Huh?"

What kind of nonsense was this? Dan Woo-sung asked again.

"There's no water here?"

"Drinking water is in the valley. Why would I arrogantly store water here? It's only proper that we pay our respects to the great water by visiting it."

Dan Woo-sung nodded.

"Ah, I see. What do you do when you wake up thirsty in the middle of the night?"

"Then I go drink water, of course."

Dan Woo-sung nodded with a composed expression.

"A wise approach."

For a moment, he had forgotten that this man was considered the maddest in the martial world. It seemed he had briefly let that slip his mind.

When Mad God jerked his chin toward the bowls as if telling him to wash them, Dan Woo-sung replied,

"There's no water—how am I supposed to wash them?"

"What nonsense. I collected rainwater."

The Fist King washed the dishes with rainwater and returned, only for Mad God to say:

"Let's go. To drink water."

The moment he finished speaking, Mad God vanished, using his Lightfoot Technique. Without a chance to respond, Dan Woo-sung followed suit. In an instant, their figures darted through the terrain like battlefield messengers weaving through a storm of arrows.

Mad God was unnaturally fast.

Moreover, he knew the terrain so well that his movements appeared almost effortless, as if sliding down the mountain. In contrast, Dan Woo-sung's pursuit was rough and wild.

As he chased Mad God, Dan Woo-sung spotted a massive waterfall ahead.

'Don't tell me... That crazy senior—?'

Of course, Dan Woo-sung hadn't expected this senior to kneel by the stream and sip water like a docile deer. Mad God sprinted toward the waterfall, burst into laughter, and leaped into the air.

"Wahahahaha!"

He crashed into the cascading water, fell, then gulped down the torrent with his mouth wide open.

While Mad God momentarily turned his back, Dan Woo-sung cautiously clapped.

'As expected of a senior whose heroic spirit is unmatched.'

Good heavens—he had never seen anyone drink water so passionately before.

From within the waterfall, Mad God commanded:

"Drink."

With Mad God drinking like that, Dan Woo-sung couldn't possibly act like a timid deer. He sprinted forward, accelerated, and launched himself into the air before colliding with the waterfall in a spread-eagle position. Then, as he fell with the torrent, he drank.

Mad God, watching from the waterfall's flow, clapped expressionlessly.

Clap clap clap—

"Not bad."

Dan Woo-sung also gulped down the falling water with his mouth wide open beneath the waterfall. Whether Mad God was insane or he himself had lost his mind, his chest felt refreshingly unburdened.

For a while, the two endured the waterfall's relentless force with their entire bodies.

Shoooooo—!

Mad God moved within the torrent, as if using the waterfall's pressure to stimulate his acupoints.

He spoke.

"Whenever I suffered from Qi Deviation, this is how I resolved it."

It was a believable claim—after all, this was Mad God. Dan Woo-sung followed suit, letting the waterfall's flow hammer his own acupoints.

Mad God suddenly shot out of the waterfall, expelled a burst of energy from his entire body, and instantly dried his soaked clothes. It wasn't just madness—it was madness backed by overwhelming strength, lending an air of mystique to the spectacle.

Of course, Dan Woo-sung could do the same.

Just as he was about to dry himself, Mad God stopped him.

"Since a junior from the martial world has come today, I suppose I should open the 'Feast Gate.'"

Dan Woo-sung stared at him.

'What?'

He couldn't immediately decipher what that meant.

Mad God pointed downstream from the waterfall.

"If you come to a waterfall, you must catch fish. Bring back two—big ones."

Dan Woo-sung asked,

"Senior, didn't you say you only eat one meal a day?"

Mad God waved him off.

"I do, but you're still young—prime eating age. Stop yapping and hurry up. Since when do you talk back?"

"Understood."

The Fist King plunged into the water to catch fish. Swimming and catching fish barehanded was no easy feat, but Dan Woo-sung had experience living in the mountains and didn't panic. He swam using the Oryo Divine Technique and chased the fish with his Lightfoot Technique. After causing a ruckus underwater, he finally emerged with two sizable river fish.

Meanwhile, Mad God had prepared to start a fire and clicked his tongue at Dan Woo-sung's delay.

"Making such a fuss over catching one fish. Did you think fishermen have it easy?"

"You're right. Nothing in this world is easy."

Mad God set branches and stones on a flat rock, then gave Dan Woo-sung another task.

"Go gather firewood. Mostly fallen twigs."

"Understood."

The Fist King dashed off to collect firewood. His senior was certainly demanding. Still, the plump river fish Dan Woo-sung had caught looked delicious, so his mood wasn't too sour. While he gathered firewood, Mad God pressed his finger into the center of a large stone, creating a slight indentation.

He then ground a few leaves inside, inserted a long branch, and—just as humans had done tens of thousands of years ago—started a fire. He might as well have been a caveman. The only difference was that his martial prowess made the process lightning-fast.

When Dan Woo-sung returned with firewood in no time...

Mad God gripped the branch between his palms and rubbed vigorously. The pinnacle of the orthodox path had lit a fire.

"Hahp!"

Whoosh—!

Dan Woo-sung set down the firewood and muttered,

"Wow."

It was practically divine skill. Mad God transferred the flame to the firewood, expertly arranged stones around it, scraped out the fish guts with a branch, skewered them on wooden sticks, and completed two grilled fish.

The two roasted their catches over the campfire.

When Mad ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠God flipped his fish, Dan Woo-sung did the same. After a while, Mad God glanced at Dan Woo-sung's fish and declared it ready.

"Let's eat."

"Enjoy your meal."

The wild ginseng noodles had been decent, but they couldn't compare to the river fish. The two devoured the golden-brown fish, picking the bones clean.

As he ate, Dan Woo-sung marveled.

'No wonder he called it the Feast Gate.'

Mad God asked,

"How's the taste?"

Dan Woo-sung raised his thumb.

"Incredible."

Mad God polished off his fish in the blink of an eye, dug ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a hole to bury the bones, then went to wash his hands in the waterfall. Naturally, Dan Woo-sung followed suit.

Mad God nodded and said,

"Since ancient times, immortals always ate peaches after consuming meat or fish."

"Peaches? That's news to me."

"Let's go!"

Mad God's figure vanished like a ghost, and Dan Woo-sung hurried after him. He was slowly adapting to Mad God's erratic behavior. He doubted whether immortals really ate meat or fish, but there was no way to confirm. Mad God muttered under his breath:

"Peaches are the most perfect fruit in all creation. The most perfect fruit means they're elixirs."

"Peaches are elixirs?"

As Dan Woo-sung chased after him, Mad God replied,

"Of course. How else do you think Sun Wukong caused so much havoc? A monkey becoming the Great Sage Equal to Heaven was all thanks to peaches. And it's not just him—even Dongfang Shuo's legend began with the Queen Mother's peaches. Most people don't know this, but rumor has it that even Xiao Han Gong ate peaches as a child. That's why he became the Strongest Under Heaven. Everything in this world—it's all ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠because of those damned peaches. Do you think the Heavenly Demon or the Sword Demon know the taste of peaches?"

"They probably don't."

"Exactly."

This time, the path was treacherous. They scaled jagged cliffs and perilous peaks. Few in the martial world could keep up with Mad God's Lightfoot Technique like this. Only someone worthy of the title "King" could follow without falling behind.

Mad God didn't hold back.

He traversed the cliffs indifferently, as if he couldn't care less whether his junior plummeted to his death, then took a deep breath atop a summit that resembled the Peach Blossom Spring. When Dan Woo-sung caught up, Mad God nodded approvingly.

"Junior, not bad."

"Thank you."

Dan Woo-sung marveled at the peak brimming with peaches.

"Does this place have a name?"

"No. It's the Nameless Peach Garden. When I discovered it, no human had ever set foot here. Only those with our level of Lightfoot Technique could reach it—likely only ancient immortals or top-tier masters. Peaches are fruits you must be strong enough to deserve. Eat your fill. Consider it dessert."

The morning mist enveloped the peak like white clouds as Dan Woo-sung and Mad God picked ripe peaches and ate.

A single peach was as large as Dan Woo-sung's hand. Each bite dripped with juice. The scenery was so breathtaking that Dan Woo-sung devoured peach after peach while exploring the Nameless Peach Garden.

Mad God said,

"Now that you've eaten peaches, you'll accomplish great things. Just as I once tore the Heavenly Demon apart alongside the Three Gods."

Dan Woo-sung glanced around and replied,

"Did you eat peaches back then too?"

"No? I found this place afterward. If I'd eaten them earlier, I might've handled him alone."

When Dan Woo-sung turned to look, Mad God was scratching his head.

He asked,

"What? Don't believe me?"

"No, I do. By the way, it's a bit hot."

"How could it be? The air's chilly. If you're hot, regulate your breathing."

Suddenly, Dan Woo-sung stopped walking and stared intently at Mad God, who continued:

"Did you think that was ordinary wild ginseng? That the fish you caught was inferior to elixirs? No. Do the peaches here look like the ones sold in markets? Wild ginseng, river fish, peaches—all three are tied to Yang energy. My level has already reached the Pure Blue of Furnace Flame, so it doesn't affect me, but if you feel hot, it's because your vessel can't contain the Yang energy. Use your Breathing Technique to absorb it all."

Startled, Dan Woo-sung sat down and began regulating his breathing. Following Mad God had indeed led him to an extraordinary opportunity.

As Dan Woo-sung ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠began, Mad God spoke calmly:

"Take your time. Watching you, I can see Extreme Yang martial arts suit your temperament. Wild ginseng, river fish, peaches—all are elixirs that amplify Extreme Yang energy. Even after reaching the highest levels, a vast sky will unfold before you. Fortunately, you're already quite skilled, and your aptitude is excellent. You followed well at the waterfall. With your potential, you can absolutely reach the Pure Blue of Furnace Flame here on Blue Medicine Mountain."

With his eyes closed, Dan Woo-sung engraved Mad God's words into his mind as he regulated his breathing. Goosebumps rose along his spine.

From start to finish, Mad God's actions and words had been nothing short of a miraculous encounter.