Fist Demon of Mount Hua ( Novel ) - Chapter 269
Chapter 269 – Being a Friend Means Being Cold (1)
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Discord
Dam-ho and Jong Ri-yeon looked at each other at the foot of Mount Hua.
“I’ll be going now.”
“How unromantic.”
Jong Ri-yeon pouted her lips.
There was only one reason she stayed at Mount Hua. It was because Dam-ho was here.
He was a man feared by everyone in the world.
People said his ferocity pierced the heavens, and his heartlessness was counted among the first in the world. That was the Dam-ho the world knew. But Jong Ri-yeon knew.
That Dam-ho was also a person with flowing blood, and that warmth existed in one corner of his cold heart. He simply didn’t show his inner feelings.
Jong Ri-yeon handed Dam-ho a wooden box.
“What’s this?”
“It’s the Life-Saving Poison Pill. Use it in emergencies.”
“Thank you.”
Dam-ho took the box and put it in his breast.
He had already experienced the efficacy of the Life-Saving Poison Pill. Thanks to it, he had saved Cho Yeon-woon, and it had also greatly helped himself.
“Still, you need to be careful.”
“I will.”
“Make sure to come back. I’ll be waiting here.”
“I will.”
“How unromantic.”
Thud!
Jong Ri-yeon lightly bumped her head against Dam-ho’s chest. She stayed that way for a while.
Tears were welling in Jong Ri-yeon’s eyes. She stood still, waiting for the tears to disappear.
After a long time, when Jong Ri-yeon raised her head again, she was smiling.
“Have a good journey. I’ll go back up now.”
“…”
“Jin-bo is preparing a special dish. If you’re late, others will eat it all.”
Dam-ho nodded at Jong Ri-yeon’s random words. Jong Ri-yeon looked at Dam-ho’s face for a moment, then went up the mountain.
Dam-ho stood in place for a moment, watching Jong Ri-yeon’s retreating figure. He only moved after Jong Ri-yeon’s figure had completely disappeared.
As he left the mountain gate, he saw Eum Yu-kyung waiting for him. Eum Yu-kyung was riding a horse provided by Mount Hua Sect.
Eum Yu-kyung asked with a puzzled expression.
“What about your horse? Are you going to walk?”
Dam-ho shook his head and whistled.
The deep, resonant whistle echoed across Mount Hua. After a moment, something burst out of the bushes with fierce momentum.
A black horse without a single mixed hair, it was Black Ghost.
Black Ghost happily rubbed its large face against Dam-ho’s chest and snorted.
For the past three years, Dam-ho had let Black Ghost roam freely on Mount Hua. Black Ghost had enjoyed freedom, galloping freely across Mount Hua and the nearby plains. Then when Dam-ho whistled, it would come running like this to meet him.
Dam-ho whispered in Black Ghost’s ear.
“Let’s go, to the martial world.”
Snort!
Black Ghost neighed powerfully as if it understood. Dam-ho waited for Black Ghost’s excitement to subside before putting on the saddle.
After tightening the saddle straps one last time, Dam-ho mounted, and Black Ghost sprang forward as if it had been waiting. At this sight, Eum Yu-kyung was startled and rode her horse.
Shortly after the two disappeared, two people emerged from the bushes. They were Moon Su-gyeol and Jo Won-myeong.
They had stayed here for the past few days, closely monitoring Mount Hua’s movements. Though they said they were monitoring movements, they didn’t dare climb Mount Hua, so they had just been hiding here watching the mountain gate.
“Fist Demon… right?”
“Yes! Definitely.”
“Hmm!”
“What should we do?”
Jo Won-myeong asked, but Moon Su-gyeol couldn’t easily answer.
Moon Su-gyeol’s face was full of anguish.
‘What should I do?’
Though Moon Su-gyeol prided himself on being colder than anyone normally, the opponent was such a big figure that he had no idea how to respond.
After thinking for a long time, he finally made a decision.
“Leave the surveillance of this place to Team 3, and we’ll pursue Fist Demon with our team members.”
“Is that alright?”
“Though I hate to admit it, Fist Demon is one of the central pillars of the world. He’s moving after three years of being quiet. It can’t be for an ordinary reason. So we’ll monitor Fist Demon’s movements.”
“Understood.”
Jo Won-myeong agreed without further words. Because Moon Su-gyeol’s words sounded reasonable.
Having to track a big figure like Fist Demon, his lips were already dry and his insides burning. That’s how tremendous Dam-ho’s presence was.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes!”
Moon Su-gyeol and Jo Won-myeong moved. Dark Cloud Team 2 followed behind them.
***
Dam-ho and Eum Yu-kyung who left Mount Hua headed north.
The first day, they arrived at a place called Pucheng, located north of Huayin County.
They unpacked at a small inn in Pucheng. After renting two rooms, they gathered in the dining room.
The two faced each other.
Though Eum Yu-kyung had been at Mount Hua for quite a while, there were almost no occasions to directly face each other alone like this.
Dam-ho was a man of few words. The same was true for Eum Yu-kyung. Even on the way here, the two hardly conversed. So this was practically the first time they were actually talking.
Dam-ho was the first to speak.
“The fate of the martial world is at stake?”
“Yul-cheon said so.”
“…”
“Yul-cheon isn’t someone who would speak nonsense. Nor someone who would rashly ask others for help.”
“Where is Geom Yul-cheon?”
“He sent his last letter from Dujiangyan. The letter said to come with you.”
“Dujiangyan, so it’s indeed Sichuan Province?”
“That’s right.”
Dam-ho frowned at the unexpected answer.
Sichuan Province was a special place in many ways. It had Qingcheng Sect and Emei Sect belonging to the Nine Great Sects, and Sichuan Tang Family, one of the Five Great Families.
Though not just one or two but three of the world’s top sects existed there, the internal situation of Sichuan Province wasn’t well known to the outside. This was due to Sichuan Province’s unique geography.
Often called the Sichuan Basin, the interior of Sichuan Province consisted of vast plains. Enormous amounts of grain poured out every year from the fertile plains.
Based on the enormous amounts of grain harvested every year, Qingcheng Sect, Emei Sect, and Tang Family achieved perfect financial independence. Thanks to this, they became sects counted among the best in the world, but conversely, they had extremely little exchange with sects outside Sichuan Province.
This was due to the treacherous mountain ranges surrounding the basin. The mountain ranges surrounding the Sichuan Basin like a jar were so treacherous they made travel with other provinces difficult.
The official roads that could be safely used to enter and exit Sichuan Province were extremely narrow and treacherous, causing isolation from the outside. Because of this, unlike other provinces, Sichuan Province built and developed its own unique world.
The term “Sichuan Martial World” didn’t come from nowhere. Sichuan Province’s martial system was extremely closed, so people outside couldn’t accurately know the system. Given these circumstances, not many people were well-versed in Sichuan Province’s internal affairs.
“Are you sure he went to Sichuan Province?”
“It should be right. The handwriting in the letter was definitely his.”
“What about Shin Mu-wol and Myeong-cheon?”
“News of them has also been completely cut off. I think we’ll have to meet Yul-cheon to know the details.”
“…”
“For now, meeting Yul-cheon is the top priority.”
“Is the Demon Cult’s headquarters in Sichuan Province?”
“It might be, or it might not be.”
“Explain in detail.”
“The Divine Cult’s headquarters isn’t in one place. Because of the memory of having the headquarters raided during the First Great War between Righteousness and Evil, the Divine Cult periodically moves its headquarters. What I know is just the very old location, I don’t know where the headquarters is now.”
“Is that possible?”
Dam-ho showed a doubtful expression for the first time.
A sect’s headquarters wasn’t something that could be easily moved. Even for Mount Hua Sect, the Upper Palace served as the symbolic building equivalent to the Demon Cult’s headquarters.
The headquarters was a sect’s symbol. Moving such a headquarters periodically was no ordinary task.
Eum Yu-kyung answered.
“It’s not an easy task. But it was unavoidable for safety. At that time, the Divine Cult was in a position to avoid the martial world’s pursuit.”
The whole world was an enemy.
All the sects in the Central Plains were tracking the Demon Cult with wide open eyes. To survive, the Demon Cult had no choice but to change. Moving the headquarters frequently was their daily life.
If it was true that they moved the headquarters frequently, finding it now would be difficult. If even Eum Yu-kyung, who had been the Holy Maiden of the Demon Cult, didn’t know, then no one in the world could find out.
Dam-ho remained silent for a moment. Eum Yu-kyung also closed her mouth. Thus time passed without conversation for quite a while.
Dam-ho was lost in his own thoughts, as was Eum Yu-kyung in hers.
The one who broke the long silence was Dam-ho.
“What’s the reason the Demon Cult has been quiet for the past three years?”
“There was an incident within the Divine Cult.”
“An incident?”
“I don’t know the details either. It was kept very secret. But it’s clear that the incident was shocking enough for the Divine Cult to temporarily halt activities in the martial world.”
“So in the end, there’s nothing you know for sure.”
“I’m sorry.”
“I’m not blaming you.”
“I know. Still, I’m sorry.”
Eum Yu-kyung bit her lip firmly.
She was the Holy Maiden of the Divine Cult. Though she wasn’t receiving proper treatment now and was rather being pursued, she still had pride as the Holy Maiden. Breaking all that pride to ask Dam-ho for help was by no means easy.
If it hadn’t been related to Geom Yul-cheon, she would never have sought Dam-ho. She too was a fragile woman in the face of love.
That’s when Eum Yu-kyung thanked Dam-ho.
“Thank you.”
“…”
“For trusting me and helping me.”
“It’s not because of you.”
“Then?”
“It’s because the time has come.”
“Time?”
A look of doubt appeared on Eum Yu-kyung’s face.
Dam-ho stared at Eum Yu-kyung for a moment, then turned his gaze outside. It was already getting dark.
Dam-ho thought the current world was like a landscape where darkness had fallen. Darkness that made it difficult to even distinguish friend from foe had encroached, making it hard to see even a step ahead.
The only things he could trust were his own instincts and martial power.
The enemies he had to face weren’t just the Demon Cult.
The Heavenly Evil Sect.
An unknown evil cult group with everything veiled in curtains. They too were Dam-ho’s enemies. And their strength was by no means inferior to the Demon Cult’s. Perhaps they were even stronger. To face such enemies, Dam-ho also had to become stronger.
The three years at Mount Hua weren’t just time for Immortal Hyeon-so and Mount Hua Sect disciples. During that time, Dam-ho had honed himself more exquisitely.
Even Dam-ho didn’t know exactly what level his realm had reached. He just vaguely thought he had become stronger than before.
That’s when Eum Yu-kyung came.
When he no longer felt the need to stay at Mount Hua, Eum Yu-kyung came, and that became Dam-ho’s reason to go out.
Eum Yu-kyung didn’t know Dam-ho’s thoughts. Dam-ho had almost no expression, like a carved stone statue, making it impossible to know his inner thoughts. But there was one thing for certain.
‘If he’s on your side, he’s the most reliable man in the world.’
Except for Geom Yul-cheon, Dam-ho was the first man to give her such a sense of security. If she had met Dam-ho before Geom Yul-cheon… perhaps she might have fallen for Dam-ho.
Eum Yu-kyung asked.
“Are we going straight to Dujiangyan?”
“There’s a place I need to visit first.”
“Where?”
“Shao Hua Mountain.”
[TL Note- Shao Hua Mountain also means Little Mount Hua, but it’s different from Mount Hua. It’s also called Xiaohuashan.]
Dam-ho’s gaze turned beyond the darkness.