Fist Demon of Mount Hua ( Novel ) - Chapter 216
Chapter 216. Different Paths Lead to Different Destinations (1)
Read it only at Utoon.net!
Jong Ri-yeon was carefully observing Sage Hyeon-so. Silver needles were densely stuck all over Sage Hyeon-so’s body like a hedgehog.
The tips of the silver needles had turned black in reaction to the poison lurking in Sage Hyeon-so’s body. This was already the third set of silver needles. That’s how severe the poison affecting Sage Hyeon-so was.
If there was any consolation, it was that Jong Ri-yeon had experienced even more severe poison before. The poison techniques used by Sa Woo-yeon of the Thousand Poisons Sect were not at this level. If he had used them, there wouldn’t have even been time to save Sage Hyeon-so.
In any case, that experience had made Jong Ri-yeon grow, and led her to devise the treatment method she was now using on Sage Hyeon-so.
Slow but steady, and perfect detoxification.
That was Jong Ri-yeon’s goal.
It was a race against time, and a task that required patience.
‘Still, I feel a bit better after getting some sleep.’
Suddenly, Jong Ri-yeon’s face turned red.
She had felt Dam-ho embracing her while she was half-asleep. She didn’t know how wildly her heart had been beating at that time. She had pretended to be asleep to avoid being caught by Dam-ho.
The thick arms that had wrapped around her body, and the warm sensation felt all over – the feeling from that moment was still vividly present.
“Hehe! Ahem!”
Jong Ri-yeon let out a strange laugh without realizing it, then quickly covered her mouth.
At that moment:
“Miss Jong Ri, this is Woon-gyeong of Mount Hua. May I come in?”
Woon-gyeong’s voice was heard from outside.
Jong Ri-yeon quickly composed herself and answered.
“Come in.”
She knew that Woon-gyeong had goodwill towards Dam-ho.
Woon-gyeong opened the door and entered. But he wasn’t alone. There was someone else who followed him in.
It was Sage Hyeon-geom.
Jong Ri-yeon held her breath at Sage Hyeon-geom’s appearance.
It was Sage Hyeon-geom who had clashed with Dam-ho not long ago. Although he had been defeated and humiliated by Dam-ho, he was still one of the top masters in the martial arts world. He was not someone to be taken lightly.
‘Why is Sage Hyeon-geom here?’
Jong Ri-yeon glanced back slightly. Sage Hyeon-so was still unconscious.
She was worried that Sage Hyeon-geom might try to harm him out of resentment for being defeated by Dam-ho.
“There’s no need to be so tense. Whatever the circumstances, Hyeon-so is my Junior Brother. How could I possibly harm my own Junior Brother? I simply came to see Hyeon-so.”
“Well…”
Jong Ri-yeon blushed, realizing her thoughts had been seen through. Sage Hyeon-geom smiled.
It was the first warm smile to appear on his face that had always been cold. Though it looked somewhat awkward, it showed a human side to him.
“I’d like to be alone with Hyeon-so for a moment. Could you give us some privacy?”
“Yes!”
Jong Ri-yeon nodded and stood up.
Although she felt slightly uneasy about leaving Sage Hyeon-so alone with him, she vacated the space, thinking he wouldn’t do any harm.
Once they were alone, Sage Hyeon-geom sat in front of Sage Hyeon-so.
Sage Hyeon-so was still in a state of light sleep. Sage Hyeon-geom stared at Sage Hyeon-so’s sleeping face for a long time.
Deep wrinkles had formed on Sage Hyeon-so’s face, which had once been clear and clean, showing how much he had struggled.
Rough skin and thickened finger joints. Numerous scars that would never have appeared if he had stayed on Mount Hua. There were clear traces of the hardships he had endured to raise the children.
Sage Hyeon-geom suddenly looked at his own hands.
They were hands that had wielded a sword all his life to master swordsmanship. Hands optimized for holding a sword. The long, thick fingers bore the marks of years of training. But there was no warmth in them.
Sage Hyeon-geom suddenly felt ashamed of his hands.
“What have I dedicated my entire life to?”
He felt that his life, spent obsessed with the sword, was meaningless.
Although unconscious due to the poison, there was a smile on Sage Hyeon-so’s face.
The kind of warm smile that only someone who has lived a life without regrets can have.
“Hyeon-so!”
Sage Hyeon-geom reached out and held Sage Hyeon-so’s thin hand. It was cold, with a lower body temperature than usual. But Sage Hyeon-geom felt that hand was warm.
“I’m sorry.”
Sage Hyeon-geom bowed his head.
He was sorry for everything. He regretted the years he had lived obsessed only with the sword under the pretext of reviving Mount Hua, and he was ashamed of having resented the fact that he couldn’t receive teachings from Sage Hyeon-so’s master, Cheon Gung-ja.
Only after letting go of everything did he see what kind of person he had been.
A boy with stubbornness, arrogance, and ears closed by inflexibility. Perhaps his time had stopped decades ago when he wasn’t chosen by Cheon Gung-ja.
“I’m sorry, Hyeon-so!”
He apologized to Sage Hyeon-so once again.
He hoped his sincerity would reach Sage Hyeon-so.
“Whew!”
After apologizing, he felt like the knot in his chest had loosened.
It was only after a long time that he stood up with a lightened expression.
When Sage Hyeon-geom came out, an unexpected figure was waiting for him.
“Cheon… Gyung.”
The person standing shoulder to shoulder with Jong Ri-yeon was none other than Dam-ho.
Tension appeared on Woon-gyeong’s face, who was nearby. He knew that if the two were to clash again, it would really cause a big problem this time.
Sage Hyeon-geom stared at Dam-ho for a moment.
“Would you like to take a walk?”
It was a calm tone without any hostility.
Woon-gyeong’s tense gaze turned to Dam-ho. He thought Dam-ho would refuse. But for some reason, Dam-ho nodded.
Sage Hyeon-geom and Dam-ho walked out of the annex side by side.
Watching them, Woon-gyeong said:
“What’s going on…”
It was the same for Jong Ri-yeon.
The two looked at each other and blinked.
Only after they had walked quite far from the annex did Sage Hyeon-geom stop and look at Dam-ho.
“Cheon Gyung.”
“My name is Dam-ho.”
“I’m sorry.”
“…”
At these unexpected words, Dam-ho looked at Sage Hyeon-geom for a moment.
The Sage Hyeon-geom he knew was neither someone who would apologize to anyone else, nor someone who would regret his actions.
The fact that such a person apologized was quite shocking even to Dam-ho.
“Everything was my fault. I sincerely apologize to you and Hyeon-so.”
The blade-like aura and ice-cold atmosphere that were characteristic of Sage Hyeon-geom had disappeared without a trace, and eyes as clear as a mirror were looking at Dam-ho.
If one had a sudden enlightenment, they would have such eyes.
There was a brightness in his eyes that wasn’t there before.
Dam-ho also felt that something had changed in Sage Hyeon-geom’s inner self.
He had become deeper and stronger than before.
Enlightenment tends to come without warning, and a martial artist’s enlightenment tends to dramatically increase their power in an instant.
The current Sage Hyeon-geom was not the same Sage Hyeon-geom he had overwhelmingly defeated before.
And this Sage Hyeon-geom was sincerely apologizing.
“I was angry because I lost my master and numerous senior and junior disciples to the Demonic Sect. I saw the fallen Mount Hua with my own eyes and directly experienced how fickle the hearts of the murim can be. So I dedicated my life to reviving Mount Hua. I cut off unnecessary connections and pursued only perfection. I thought that only someone perfect could inherit my sword. So my vision narrowed due to prejudice. I rejected you because of your limp, even though I sensed your qualities.”
“…”
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry, and sorry again. I was wrong, and you were right. I express my respect to you for having walked that difficult path alone. You are the only martial artist who has inherited the will of Mount Hua.”
Words that could never have been imagined coming from Sage Hyeon-geom’s mouth flowed out.
It was enough to surprise even Dam-ho, who rarely showed emotional fluctuations for ordinary matters.
“I will now return to Mount Hua.”
“…”
“If it’s alright with you, I’d like to take Hyeon-so back to Mount Hua. And the children Hyeon-so has taken in.”
“Why?”
“Because I want to atone. To you and Hyeon-so.”
“Now?”
“Because I’ve just woken up from my delusion. Because I’ve just come to see the world with true eyes.”
Sage Hyeon-geom’s words left a deep resonance in Dam-ho’s heart. Dam-ho looked at Sage Hyeon-geom for a long time.
In the past, Sage Hyeon-geom would have avoided Dam-ho’s gaze. But now he was calmly accepting Dam-ho’s gaze.
The ultimate virtue is like water.
Likewise, the eyes of one who has realized virtuousness are clear like water and accept everything.
That’s how the current Sage Hyeon-geom was. Dam-ho instinctively realized that Sage Hyeon-geom was telling the truth.
Dam-ho closed his eyes.
‘Master.’
Sage Hyeon-so had lived his whole life for him. But Dam-ho knew well that Mount Hua always existed in his heart.
For Sage Hyeon-so, Mount Hua was his whole life. A life without Mount Hua was unimaginable for him.
Although he was now distancing himself from Mount Hua out of affection for Dam-ho, he always carried Mount Hua in his heart.
Dam-ho thought about what decision would be best for Sage Hyeon-so. And he made a decision.
Still, he had to ask.
“What if the sect leader tries to use my master?”
“I will stop him.”
“Are you serious?”
“The sect leader will surely try to use Hyeon-so to draw you in. But I know. That you are a free person. That no one can restrain you. Don’t worry. Even if the sect leader has such intentions, I will stop him.”
“When my master wakes up… tell him directly.”
“You mean tell Hyeon-so?”
“If my master accepts your proposal, it’s fine if you go together. But if my master refuses, give up then.”
“I will.”
Sage Hyeon-geom nodded readily.
He had a much more refreshed expression. He looked like someone who had put down a huge boulder that had been weighing on his chest.
“Thank you. And one last request.”
“Speak!”
“I want to compete with you one more time.”
“Are you serious?”
“Yes. I saw my limits because of you, and while fighting you, I came to reflect on myself. And in that fight, I gained a clue to surpass myself. And now I want to complete myself through a fight with you.”
“…”
“I know my request is excessive. But you’re the only one I can make this request to. I want to rise from where I fell.”
Dam-ho was the first person to frustrate Sage Hyeon-geom. He couldn’t move forward anymore without overcoming him.
It was a separate issue from acknowledging Dam-ho’s existence and accepting his own faults.
A thirst as a martial artist, a desperate longing to advance one step further was boiling in his heart.
His enlightenment was directed towards Dam-ho.
If he fought Dam-ho once more, he would surely make a leap forward. The fight he wanted was certainly worth it.
Dam-ho looked at Sage Hyeon-geom.
It wasn’t a request as an elder of Mount Hua. It was a request as one martial artist. If so, he had to accept.
Dam-ho nodded. A bright smile bloomed on Sage Hyeon-geom’s lips.
Whoooosh!
Sage Hyeon-geom drew his sword and pointed it at Dam-ho.
That aura was as calm as water and as hot as fire. It was a change that was unimaginable from the previous Sage Hyeon-geom.
Sage Hyeon-geom walked towards Dam-ho.
Hidden fragrance floating movement.
The fragrance that blooms in darkness spreads far and wide even without moving, and Sage Hyeon-geom’s movement was like that now. He seemed to be walking lightly, but he had already reached right in front of Dam-ho.
Swish!
Along with Hidden fragrance floating movement, a light sword strike was unleashed.
Although he wasn’t using any special technique, it was chillingly fierce.
The sword flew towards Dam-ho’s Adam’s apple faster than the sound of breaking air.
Dam-ho also used rushing step to rush at Sage Hyeon-geom. This time, instead of Castle-breaking awl, another martial arts was unleashed.
Clang!
The sound of metal rang out and both of their bodies vibrated simultaneously.
In that moment, Sage Hyeon-geom felt ecstasy.
‘Yes! This is it. This feeling!’
The one martial art he had longed for for so long.
The forgotten legend of Mount Hua.
One character wisdom inspection.
The clue to it was beyond Dam-ho.
Read it only at Utoon.net!