Fist Demon of Mount Hua ( Novel ) - Chapter 241
Chapter 241 – The Path is Long but Steps are Slow (1)
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Visitors came to the Shaolin Temple after Dam-ho left.
“Welcome, Commander Namgung.”
“I apologize for being late.”
The one being warmly welcomed by Gwang-cheon, the abbot of Shaolin Temple, was Namgung Chang, the commander of the Murim Alliance. He had arrived late with his martial warriors.
“You must have had a difficult journey coming here.”
“How can I call it difficult when it’s for upholding martial justice? I’m only sorry for arriving late.”
Namgung Chang bowed deeply.
Behind him stood over two thousand Murim Alliance warriors in formation. Though their faces showed fatigue, their eyes shone with spirit.
They were all elites of the Murim Alliance, handpicked by Namgung Chang. Gwang-cheon greeted them as well.
“Amitabha! You must be tired from your journey. Please rest today.”
“Thank you for your consideration.”
The Murim Alliance warriors shouted in unison.
Their shouts echoed throughout Mount Song. In response, the Shaolin monks and the martial artists who had arrived earlier cheered.
“Reinforcements have arrived from the Murim Alliance!”
“Hurrah!”
The tremendous shouting sent dust from the training grounds flying high enough to block the sun. Birds took flight in surprise and beasts scattered in all directions, creating a magnificent sight.
With the Murim Alliance warriors joining, their morale soared to the heavens. Gwang-cheon smiled quietly, sensing this.
“Amitabha! I was somewhat worried after Hero Dam left, but having the Murim Alliance elites join us is truly reassuring.”
“Hero Dam? You mean Fist Demon?”
Namgung Chang’s voice rose involuntarily.
Though he was typically a very rational person, he always got excited about matters involving Dam-ho. It was inevitable. Every incident involving Dam-ho had resulted in massive damage without a single thing going right.
Even Namgung Cheon, the head of the Namgung family, had died at Dam-ho’s hands. Though they were mortal enemies who couldn’t exist under the same sky, the fact that they had to tolerate Dam-ho due to the urgent murim situation was simply infuriating.
Gwang-cheon closed his eyes, sensing the hostility in Namgung Chang’s voice. He too was aware of the ill fate between Dam-ho and the Namgung family.
Normally, Shaolin would have sided with the Namgung family. But these were turbulent times. They couldn’t turn an absolute master like Dam-ho into an enemy over a minor grudge when they needed every fighter they could get.
“When did Fist Demon come here?”
“He came a few days ago. And left two days ago.”
“Two days ago…”
Namgung Chang’s eyes sank deeply.
“He’s already gone. Commander Namgung, please don’t concern yourself with it.”
“I suppose so.”
“You are indeed wise. Let’s go inside rather than standing here.”
“Please go ahead. I’ll follow after taking care of these men first.”
Namgung Chang gestured to the warriors who came with him. Gwang-cheon nodded.
“Very well. Please come in at your leisure after finishing your business.”
“Thank you for your consideration, Sect Leader.”
“Not at all. Then…”
Gwang-cheon gave Namgung Chang a half-bow before heading inside.
Namgung Chang gathered his commanders and ordered them to lead the troops to their quarters.
The commanders moved with perfect coordination. The Murim Alliance forces that had filled the wide training grounds quickly disappeared, leaving Namgung Chang alone.
Namgung Chang stood motionless in the middle of the training grounds. His face was filled with anguish.
‘Fist Demon.’
That name was like a thorn in his throat, always catching.
Before being the Murim Alliance commander, Namgung Chang was a member of the Namgung family. He struggled between his coldness as a public official and his personal feelings as a direct descendant of the Namgung family.
After much contemplation, a determined look finally appeared on Namgung Chang’s face.
He called out to someone.
“Jin-hong.”
“Yes, Commander!”
With the response, a middle-aged warrior suddenly appeared and knelt on one knee before him.
His name was Namgung Jin-hong, a warrior dispatched from the Namgung family to assist Namgung Chang.
“Track Dam-ho’s movements. He hasn’t been gone long, so it shouldn’t be difficult to find him.”
“What should we do once we track him?”
“Inform the Demonic Cult… inform them of his movements.”
Namgung Jin-hong looked up in surprise.
“It’s dangerous. We might burn down the whole house just to kill one bedbug.”
Though he too despised Dam-ho, he didn’t think this was the right way.
Namgung Chang was resolute.
“Do it. If we do it anonymously, there won’t be any problems.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
“I… understand.”
Finally, Namgung Jin-hong replied with a resigned expression.
Namgung Jin-hong vanished as suddenly as he had appeared, and Namgung Chang, left alone, muttered quietly.
“You and the Namgung family can never coexist under the same sky. Never!”
***
“Whoa!”
Bang Jin-bo’s mouth gaped open.
Before them flowed an enormous river. The muddy yellow waters created massive rapids, flowing with a terrifying force that seemed capable of sweeping away everything in the world.
They were looking at the Sanmenxia of the Yellow River. Where the Yellow River flows between Shanxi and Henan provinces, it splits into three channels around large islands, forming gorges called the Spirit Gate, Ghost Gate, and Human Gate. Together, these three gates were known as Sanmenxia.
Bang Jin-bo was completely mesmerized by the Yellow River’s magnificent presence. Though he had seen the Yangtze River before, the Yellow River gave a completely different impression. The water was entirely yellow from the loess swept down from the western plateaus of Central Plains. This made it appear even more majestic and wild.
Muk Il-gwang approached Dam-ho.
“We need to cross the Yellow River to reach Shaanxi Province.”
“How?”
“I’ve arranged for a boat upstream at Sanmenxia.”
“A boat?”
“We have Green Forest brothers here too. I sent a message ahead asking them to prepare a boat for crossing.”
Muk Il-gwang replied confidently.
The influence of the Eighteen Green Forest Gangs extended not only to the mountains but also to the rivers. There were water bandits on the rivers too, and they took orders from the Eighteen Green Forest Gangs.
On the Yellow River was the Yellow Devil Gang. Though not large enough to be counted among the Eighteen Green Forest Gangs, they were still the largest force among the water bandits operating on the Yellow River.
When they went upstream at Sanmenxia, the Yellow Devil Gang’s bandits had a fast boat waiting.
A tall middle-aged man who appeared to be in his late forties approached Dam-ho’s group and made a fist-palm greeting.
“Welcome. I am Jang San-woo, leader of the Yellow Devil Gang, also known as Yellow Ghost Dragon. It’s an honor to meet Hero Dam.”
Jang San-woo’s eyes were full of admiration as he looked at Dam-ho. And it wasn’t just him – all the Yellow Devil Gang warriors on the fast boat were looking up to Dam-ho.
Dam-ho was a benefactor to the Eighteen Green Forest Gangs. Thanks to him, Hwang Gyeong-mun’s life was saved and the Eighteen Green Forest Gangs could remain intact. Knowing this, their gazes toward Dam-ho were incredibly passionate.
Muk Il-gwang smiled and said to Jang San-woo:
“Brother! Don’t you see me? I’m hurt.”
“Oh! Brother Muk is here too.”
Belatedly noticing Muk Il-gwang, Jang San-woo brightened up.
The two men embraced each other tightly.
Muk Il-gwang had worked with the Yellow Devil Gang when he was young. Back then, Jang San-woo was just an ordinary water bandit.
As time passed, Muk Il-gwang became a key figure serving Hwang Gyeong-mun, the overall leader of the Eighteen Green Forest Gangs, while Jang San-woo became the leader of the Yellow Devil Gang. Given their special connection, they couldn’t help but be glad to see each other.
Jang San-woo pulled Muk Il-gwang’s hand.
“Let’s talk on the boat. Time is of the essence.”
“What’s the hurry?”
Jang San-woo’s gaze turned to Dam-ho.
“Haven’t you heard the news yet?”
“…”
“I thought so. Right now, southern Shaanxi Province is in chaos.”
Dam-ho’s eyes narrowed at Jang San-woo’s words.
They had been riding non-stop since leaving Shaolin Temple. Naturally, they hadn’t had a chance to hear any news.
“The Zhongnan Sect has suffered great losses.”
“Zhongnan Sect?”
“Yes! Half of the Zhongnan Sect’s leadership is gone. No one else in the world knows this yet. We wouldn’t have known either if it weren’t for our spy there.”
“Tell me more.”
“Let’s get on the boat first. I’ll explain in detail there.”
“Hmm!”
Dam-ho nodded and boarded the boat. Bang Jin-bo and Muk Il-gwang followed, and they loaded the horses including Black Ghost.
Once everyone was aboard, the fast boat set out into the yellow-colored rapids. The boat rocked violently in the tremendous currents, seeming ready to capsize at any moment. But the Yellow Devil Gang’s water bandits operated the fast boat without showing any sign of panic. Thanks to their near-miraculous handling, the boat quickly stabilized and moved forward at high speed.
Only then did Jang San-woo catch his breath and approach Dam-ho.
“Where was I?”
“You said half of the Zhongnan Sect’s leadership was gone.”
It was Muk Il-gwang who answered.
Jang San-woo nodded and continued.
“And all of it was caused by a single absolute master.”
“A single person?”
Muk Il-gwang blinked.
The Zhongnan Sect was one of the Nine Great Sects. They had dozens of renowned masters and hundreds more unknown ones. Add to that their numerous disciples both in and outside the sect, and they could rightfully be called the hegemon of Shaanxi Province. It was hard to believe that such a sect had suffered a bloodbath because of just one person.
“Yes! Just one person, they say. An old man whose age was hard to guess, who identified himself as Cheon Oh-Gyeong.”
“Cheon… Oh-Gyeong.”
Muk Il-gwang tilted his head.
“Yes! First time hearing it, right? Me too. Anyway, his name isn’t what’s important. The big issue is that half of Zhongnan Sect’s leadership was wiped out because of this one person. And that’s even with their combined attack…”
Muk Il-gwang’s mouth gaped open in shock.
His gaze automatically turned to Dam-ho. Despite hearing such shocking news, Dam-ho’s expression remained unchanged.
‘Well, of course Brother wouldn’t be surprised by something like this.’
Jang San-woo continued:
“What’s even more surprising is that before fighting the Zhongnan Sect leaders, this old man had already killed Jang Il-san, the leader of Hundred Battles Sect.”
“Hundred Battles Sect? They were there?”
Dam-ho spoke for the first time.
“Yes. It seems Leader Jang and some of his disciples had taken refuge at Zhongnan Sect.”
“Some?”
“Yes! When Hero Yeom Jung-hwa died in Shaozhou, Zhongnan Sect suffered heavy losses.”
Having lost Yeom Jung-hwa, a towering figure, Zhongnan Sect’s disciples were like baby birds who had lost their mother. Since they were likely to be annihilated by enemy raids while retreating to Zhongnan Sect, Hundred Battles Sect’s leader Jang Il-san had stepped forward to protect them.
“What about Cho Yeon-woon? Didn’t he go up to Mount Zhongnan too?”
“I don’t know the details, but I heard Young Hero Cho was too severely injured to make it to Mount Zhongnan.”
“Then?”
“I think he might have gone to the Mount Hua Sect.”
“Hmm!”
For the first time, a low sound escaped Dam-ho’s lips. A faint look of relief flashed across his eyes.
While Jang Il-san’s death was regrettable, Cho Yeon-woon was more important to Dam-ho.
“You mentioned Mount Hua Sect?”
“That seems to be the only possibility right now.”
“Doesn’t going upstream from Sanmenxia lead directly to Huayin County?”
“That’s right. Would you like to go to Mount Hua Sect?”
“Hmm!”
“If we sail at full speed, we can get there in two days.”
When Dam-ho nodded, Jang San-woo gave orders to his subordinates.
“Hero Dam wants to go to Huayin County. Stop the river crossing and turn the bow toward Huayin.”
“Yes!”
The water bandits turned the bow with an energetic response.
Despite the sudden order, no one objected. To them, Dam-ho was equal in status to their overall leader Hwang Gyeong-mun.
‘To think the Fist Demon is riding on our boat.’
Their hearts pounded with excitement.
Though they were mere water bandits, Dam-ho was a renowned warrior in the martial world. While people called him Fist Demon and kept their distance, to the bandits who valued strength above all else, Dam-ho appeared as a godlike figure.
The crew put in every ounce of strength they had into sailing the boat. The vessel pushed upstream through the churning rapids.
The boat rocked violently in the fierce currents, seeming ready to capsize at any moment. But Dam-ho stood at the bow without moving an inch, as if his feet were glued to the deck.
‘Brother!’
Bang Jin-bo and Muk Il-gwang watched Dam-ho from behind.
Two days. While it might be a very short time for some people, to Dam-ho right now, it felt endlessly long.