Fist Demon of Mount Hua ( Novel ) - Chapter 275
Chapter 275 – The More Wicked the Karma, the More Persistent It Is (4)
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Discord
As Dam-ho turned around, he saw a middle-aged man dressed in a pale green martial uniform standing behind him. It was Tang Yu-hon, the leader of the Poison Dragon Group. Behind him stood the other members of the Poison Dragon Group.
Tang Yu-hon looked at Black Ghost and said:
“That’s an excellent horse.”
“…”
“Where did you get it? I’d like to acquire one myself if the opportunity arises.”
Tang Yu-hon’s gaze remained fixed on Black Ghost.
The horse’s jet-black coat shimmered like silk without a single mixed hair, and its muscular yet sleek body with not an ounce of excess fat was enough to captivate anyone’s attention.
A fleeting look of greed flashed across Tang Yu-hon’s face before quickly disappearing.
Dam-ho silently stared at Tang Yu-hon. At this, one of the martial artists standing behind Tang Yu-hon suddenly shouted:
“Don’t you hear the Group Leader asking you a question? Hurry up and answer where you got that horse!”
In that instant, Dam-ho’s gaze shifted to the martial artist. It was the same one who had muttered “cripple” the night before.
As Dam-ho’s gaze fell upon him, the martial artist flinched momentarily. His body reacted involuntarily upon receiving Dam-ho’s emotionless stare.
“Eek!”
The martial artist, angered by his own momentary weakness, was about to shout again when Tang Yu-hon raised his hand to stop him.
“That’s enough. What does it matter where he got the horse?”
“But…”
“Didn’t I say that’s enough? We have more important matters to attend to right now. You haven’t forgotten, have you?”
“I apologize.”
At Tang Yu-hon’s cold words, the martial artist clamped his mouth shut like a clam. However, his eyes continued to glare at Dam-ho with murderous intent.
Tang Yu-hon spoke to Dam-ho:
“It’s a fine horse, take good care of it. Well then…”
He mounted his own horse that was tied in the stable. The other Poison Dragon Group martial artists also mounted their respective horses.
Tang Yu-hon led the Poison Dragon Group outside. Just before disappearing from view, he took one last look at Black Ghost. His eyes were filled with deep regret.
After he and the Poison Dragon Group had completely vanished, Eum Yu-kyung spoke:
“At least he knows how to judge a situation properly. It’s fortunate the issue didn’t escalate further.”
“…”
Dam-ho remained silent. However, Eum Yu-kyung didn’t show any signs of displeasure. She was well accustomed to Dam-ho’s taciturn nature.
The two left the inn and headed towards the horse market as directed by the servant boy. Despite the early hour, the horse market was already bustling with people.
“Hey there! Are you perhaps selling that horse? If so, sell it to me.”
“No, I’ll buy it!”
As soon as the merchants saw Black Ghost, they swarmed around, clamoring to buy it. Their eyes were filled with greed.
To these merchants who had lived in this horse market for decades, Black Ghost appeared to be an unparalleled steed. It was only natural for them to desire it.
Dam-ho spoke:
“This horse is not for sale.”
“…”
An almost suffocating silence fell over the market.
The merchants, with their keen eye for reading people, immediately sensed that something was amiss upon hearing Dam-ho’s words.
‘He’s trained in martial arts.’
‘He’s from the martial world.’
They knew it was better for their well-being not to get involved with people from the martial world. Especially with a martial artist who exuded an extraordinary aura like Dam-ho.
The merchants, sensing the atmosphere, began to leave one by one. Seeing this, Eum Yu-kyung let out a small sigh.
“It seems it would be better if I went to buy a horse alone. Hero Dam, please wait here.”
“Do that.”
Eum Yu-kyung went deeper into the horse market by herself. Left alone, Dam-ho stood quietly with Black Ghost, observing the market.
The merchants glanced at Dam-ho while engrossed in their own conversations.
“I heard the Tang Sect martial artists entered Guangyuan last night.”
“It seems the Tang Sect is finally trying to expand their influence here.”
“What wind has blown for them to come all the way here from Tang Family Valley?”
The merchants’ faces were filled with suspicion.
“How would we know their circumstances? As long as we sell many horses, that’s all that matters to us.”
“How can you say that? Do you think we’ll be able to do business this comfortably if the Tang Sect comes here? They’ll surely try to control this area too.”
“Bah! Is that so easy? And what kind of sect is the Tang Sect? Aren’t they known for valuing righteousness and chivalry above all else? Surely they wouldn’t abandon their principles?”
“That’s an old story. Everyone in Sichuan Province knows that the current Tang Sect is different from before.”
At the last merchant’s words, silence fell over the market. The other merchants quickly looked around, fear evident in their expressions as they worried someone might have overheard.
They chided the last merchant:
“Watch your words. What if there are Tang Sect martial artists nearby?”
“Did I say anything wrong?”
“Still, be careful what you say. The atmosphere is already unsettling enough.”
“Alright, alright!”
As the last merchant apologized and ended the conversation, Eum Yu-kyung returned leading a horse.
“Fortunately, I was able to find a good horse.”
She smiled.
Though it couldn’t compare to Black Ghost, it was still a fairly good horse with well-developed muscles.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes!”
The two mounted their respective horses and left the horse market.
Shortly after they left, a young martial artist emerged from among the crowd.
Unlike the others, he had particularly sharp eyes.
“Could it be… the Holy Maiden?”
The martial artist looked in the direction Eum Yu-kyung had disappeared with an expression of disbelief. He had seen her purely by chance. He was so shocked that he failed to notice who the man accompanying Eum Yu-kyung was.
A moment later, a pigeon flew up from the horse market, but no one in the market paid any attention to it.
After leaving the horse market, Dam-ho and Eum Yu-kyung rode their horses at a rapid pace. They quickly left Guangyuan behind.
As soon as they left Guangyuan, a vast plain greeted them. It was so expansive that it was impossible to distinguish where it began and where it ended. It seemed as if everything visible under the sky was part of this plain.
Here and there, farmers could be seen preparing for the planting season. Beside them, women were smiling as they prepared snacks.
Farmers working hard in the fields for their families. Women diligently preparing meals for these hardworking farmers. A common smile adorned all their faces.
As Eum Yu-kyung observed this scene, a fleeting look of longing appeared in her eyes.
‘Will I ever be able to live like this?’
Cooking for a man, bearing and raising his children, growing old together with him – this was Eum Yu-kyung’s most earnest wish.
Eum Yu-kyung thought of Geom Yul-cheon.
‘I hope you’re safe…’
She fervently prayed as she rode her horse. How long had they been riding like this? Even the occasional farmers were no longer in sight… All that could be seen was the wilderness and the official road stretching to the horizon.
“Fire.”
Suddenly, Dam-ho’s voice was heard.
Eum Yu-kyung snapped back to attention and looked ahead.
Behind a low, bowl-shaped hill in the middle of the plain, smoke was rising like billowing clouds.
“What’s going on?”
Eum Yu-kyung furrowed her brow.
A pungent smell carried by the wind reached them. It was so acrid that it made their eyes water.
If they continued riding, they would inevitably pass by where the smoke was rising. Though they didn’t know what was happening, it was too late to turn back now.
‘I just hope it’s nothing serious.’
Eum Yu-kyung bit her lip.
As they rode on, the smell of smoke grew stronger, assaulting their noses. And mixed with the smoke was another familiar scent to martial artists like them.
‘The scent of blood.’
Eum Yu-kyung’s face hardened.
She looked at Dam-ho. Though he must have smelled the blood too, his expression remained unchanged.
The two arrived at the source of the smoke on horseback.
What had appeared to be a low hill from afar turned out to be a small mountain range encircling the area like a folding screen. In the center was a fairly large mansion, and it was from there that the smoke was rising.
“That place is?”
The signboard of the mansion was engraved with the characters “Yellow Dragon Fortress” in a grand calligraphic style.
That’s when it happened.
BOOM!
With a thunderous sound, the main gate was destroyed and someone ran out from Yellow Dragon Fortress. A man whose entire body was blackened with soot, and a young girl who looked still quite young.
Eum Yu-kyung immediately recognized who they were.
‘Ga Cheol-ak and Ga Hye-so.’
They were the ones she had met just yesterday. It was impossible not to remember them.
Ga Cheol-ak spotted Dam-ho and Eum Yu-kyung.
“Sa-save us!”
He ran towards them, holding Ga Hye-so in his arms.
Ga Hye-so was just crying in Ga Cheol-ak’s arms. Her face was filled with terror.
As Ga Cheol-ak was running desperately towards them, it happened.
SWOOSH!
A sharp sound cut through the air.
THUD!
“Argh!”
With a violent impact, Ga Cheol-ak suddenly rolled on the ground. A short spear had pierced through his shoulder.
Ga Cheol-ak writhed on the ground like an insect. Ga Hye-so, who had been in his arms, also tumbled to the ground.
“Did you think you could escape?”
Four martial artists ran out from Yellow Dragon Fortress. They were all wearing pale green martial uniforms.
They sneered at the Ga siblings rolling on the ground.
Ga Cheol-ak crawled on the ground, pleading:
“Pl-please spare us!”
“You should have accepted our proposal earlier.”
The green-clad martial artists shook their heads. Their faces were filled with intense killing intent.
Seeing that his pleas were futile, Ga Cheol-ak turned to Dam-ho and Eum Yu-kyung.
“Please save us.”
Only then did the green-clad martial artists notice Dam-ho and Eum Yu-kyung’s presence.
“Tsk!”
“Witnesses, huh.”
They looked at Dam-ho and Eum Yu-kyung with murderous eyes. One of them recognized Dam-ho.
“It’s you.”
The man grinning at Dam-ho was a member of the Poison Dragon Group. He was the one who had mocked Dam-ho as a cripple earlier. Once again, he was smirking at Dam-ho with a sinister smile.
His name was Tang Yi-hong, a trusted subordinate of Tang Yu-hon and a member of the Tang family’s branch lineage.
“What bad luck. To pass by here at this time.”
Tang Yi-hong’s voice was laced with a chilling killing intent.
The Poison Dragon Group martial artists quickly surrounded Dam-ho and Eum Yu-kyung. A sticky aura of bloodlust emanated from their bodies.
Eum Yu-kyung calmly said:
“Step aside.”
“How impudent.”
“What did you say?”
“Do you dare tell us to move aside, knowing who we are?”
The Poison Dragon Group sneered angrily.
It was an unreasonable demand by anyone’s standards.
Eum Yu-kyung’s face, hidden behind the cotton gauze, hardened. Her gaze turned towards Yellow Dragon Fortress.
The flames were rising more fiercely, and the scent of blood carried by the wind grew stronger. Though hidden by the walls, it was clear that a massacre was taking place inside Yellow Dragon Fortress.
‘We’ve gotten caught up in a troublesome situation.’
Though she didn’t know the reason, it was clear that last night’s negotiations had gone awry.
Tang Yi-hong’s murderous smile deepened.
“How fortunate. The Group Leader was quite taken with that horse, and now you’ve walked right into our hands. You…”
CRACK!
In that instant, Tang Yi-hong’s head shattered. Only his head disappeared, leaving his body in the same posture as he was speaking.
A spray of blood from his headless neck scattered in the wind.
“Huh?”
“…”
The Poison Dragon Group martial artists surrounding Dam-ho and Tang Yi-hong blinked in confusion.
At first, they thought they had seen wrong. It was such an unrealistic sight.
Only after the blood spray touched their faces did they realize that what they had witnessed was reality.
“What?”
“How dare you kill a Tang Sect martial artist?”
“What have you done?”
They raised their voices like dogs with their tails on fire.
Dam-ho looked down at them.
“And who do you think I am?”