Chapter 326 – As Chaos Begins, Bandits Rampage Everywhere (1)

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The boy’s house was located halfway up a low hill near the river. Thanks to this, the entire landscape of the area could be seen at a glance from the boy’s house.

 

True to the place name Chishui, the river was close to red in color. And the mountain covered with green vegetation also had an overall reddish tint. Since the land itself was made of reddish sandstone, influenced by it, both the mountains and water were completely red.

 

The green vegetation and red earth formed a strange contrast and were quite beautiful. With water mist settling low on top of that, it gave off an even more mystical atmosphere.

 

“Mister, this is our house.”

 

The boy pulled Dam-ho into the house courtyard with a bright smile. Though the boy’s father didn’t look too pleased, he had no choice but to allow it since the boy showed such fondness for Dam-ho.

 

The boy’s name was Jang Yu-wol, and his father was Jang Woo-chil. The two were a typical fishing family making their living catching fish in Chishui.

 

Dam-ho looked around inside the house. The wooden house looked shabby as if it would collapse at any moment, and fishing gear was scattered all over the courtyard. Unknown fish were hanging from the eaves, drying.

 

Dam-ho patted Black Ghost’s neck and said:

 

“You’ve worked hard. Rest now, I’ll call you later.”

 

Then Black Ghost snorted as if understanding and ran outside.

 

Dam-ho watched Black Ghost disappear into the forest for a moment before entering the house.

 

The inside of the house was as shabby and disorganized as the outside. There was no sign of a woman’s touch at all.

 

Jang Woo-chil said:

 

“Wait a moment. I’ll bring out the meal soon.”

 

Without even hearing Dam-ho’s answer, he went straight into the kitchen. Left alone together, Jang Yu-wol said:

 

“Dad’s a bit rough, right? But he’s not a bad person. He’s like that because he doesn’t trust anyone since Mom passed away.”

 

“……”

 

Dam-ho looked at the boy silently. Ordinary people would freeze the moment they received Dam-ho’s gaze. But the boy smiled brightly without being intimidated by Dam-ho’s eyes at all.

 

Dam-ho was reminded of Bang Jin-bo. Bang Jin-bo had been like that too. He had approached without hesitation even while looking at Dam-ho’s volcanic eyes.

 

“Am I not scary to you?”

 

“You, mister? Not scary. Why? Should I be scared?”

 

Jang Yu-wol rather looked puzzled. Dam-ho silently shook his head at that.

 

Jang Yu-wol had no preconceptions about Dam-ho. So he could look at and evaluate Dam-ho with pure eyes.

 

“Mister, did you come from Sichuan Province?”

 

“That’s right.”

 

“Wow! I wanted to go to Sichuan Province once too.”

 

“Why?”

 

“Because the Qingcheng Sect is there. Learning martial arts at the Qingcheng Sect is my dream.”

 

“There’s also Emei Sect and the Tang Clan, why the Qingcheng Sect?”

 

“To become a disciple of Emei Sect, you have to shave your head, and they don’t accept men easily anyway. At the Tang Clan, you don’t even qualify unless you have the surname Tang. The Qingcheng Sect is the most realistic and has the highest possibility.”

 

Jang Yu-wol’s eyes sparkled. He looked exceptionally bright.

 

“My older brother said so. He’s learning martial arts at the local martial hall, but he’ll definitely send me to the Qingcheng Sect to learn martial arts.”

 

“That story again? Don’t believe your brother’s nonsense. How can you believe the nonsense of someone who can barely take care of himself?”

 

A gruff voice came from the kitchen. Jang Woo-chil couldn’t stand it anymore and spoke up. Still, the smile on Jang Yu-wol’s face didn’t disappear.

 

“Hehe! Our dad is always like that. He doesn’t like my brother learning martial arts, and he doesn’t like me entering the Qingcheng Sect either.”

 

“You brat! A pine caterpillar must live eating pine needles. If it can’t do that, it gets sick and dies.”

 

Jang Woo-chil’s voice came from the kitchen again. Though he would be discouraged by now, Jang Yu-wol remained steadfast.

 

Jang Yu-wol was a child who dreamed. He didn’t know if that dream would come true or not, but he was happy just dreaming.

 

Dam-ho looked at Jang Yu-wol silently.

 

Perhaps Jang Yu-wol needed someone to listen to his stories. That was probably why Jang Yu-wol showed fondness for a strange man he was meeting for the first time.

 

After that, Jang Yu-wol chattered on for quite a while, and Dam-ho silently listened to his stories. Jang Yu-wol was excited just by having someone listen to his stories.

 

“That’s enough. Let’s eat.”

 

Then Jang Woo-chil came in carrying a meal table. Only then did Jang Yu-wol’s mouth close like a clam.

 

“As you can see, there aren’t many side dishes, so please understand.”

 

As he said, there weren’t many side dishes on the table. Just rice filled to the brim in bowls, a few types of greens, and three freshly caught fish. Still, Dam-ho bowed his head to show gratitude.

 

It had been a long time since he’d had a warm meal and side dishes. Dam-ho chewed slowly and thoroughly so his stomach wouldn’t be shocked.

 

Jang Woo-chil stopped eating and stared at Dam-ho.

 

“Brother, you’re a martial artist.”

 

“……”

 

“Those calluses embedded like nails on your fists never appear unless you learn martial arts. I don’t know what circumstances brought you here, but when you leave, please leave quietly. Don’t put ideas into a child who knows nothing. This kid is full of empty dreams because he doesn’t know how the world works.”

 

“Dad!”

 

Jang Yu-wol raised his voice instead of Dam-ho. Then Jang Woo-chil said gruffly:

 

“You’re the same. Don’t have empty dreams. The Qingcheng Sect? It’s one of the Nine Great Sects of the world. It’s not a place a country bumpkin like you should dream of. A pine caterpillar must live eating pine needles, and you can get sick and die just from dreaming beyond your station.”

 

“But brother is learning martial arts at the martial hall.”

 

“When your father speaks, just listen. Why do you talk so much? Just eat your rice quietly.”

 

Jang Woo-chil bowed his head and shoveled rice as if he wouldn’t allow further rebuttal. Tears welled up in Jang Yu-wol’s eyes at that.

 

Jang Woo-chil probably knew that too. But without lifting his head once, he quickly emptied his bowl. Then he stood up.

 

“You clean up the table. And brother, please sleep in that room at the end.”

 

Without even hearing their answers, he went straight outside. Then Jang Yu-wol wiped his tears with his sleeve and said:

 

“I’m sorry, mister. He’s like that whenever I mention learning martial arts. But he wasn’t this bad even with my brother.”

 

“……”

 

“I want to learn martial arts too.”

 

Jang Yu-wol sighed as if frustrated.

 

The boy’s sigh echoed particularly loudly.

 

Finally, the meal was over. Jang Yu-wol went to do the dishes, and Dam-ho, left alone, went outside briefly.

 

When he came to the courtyard, he could see Jang Woo-chil sitting blankly on a wooden bench. Jang Woo-chil’s back as he sat looking at the river looked particularly bent.

 

Perhaps sensing Dam-ho’s presence, Jang Woo-chil turned around. His face clearly showed his complicated feelings.

 

“Did you eat well?”

 

“Thanks to you.”

 

“Good. You must be tired, so go inside and rest.”

 

Jang Woo-chil waved his hand as he spoke. But Dam-ho didn’t move and stared at him intently.

 

“You also learned martial arts.”

 

“……”

 

“You must have suffered a major injury. Seeing how your energy circulation isn’t smooth.”

 

For a moment, Jang Woo-chil flinched and closed his eyes. After maintaining silence for a while, he opened his mouth with a sigh.

 

“Phew! I acted foolishly before a master. To recognize at a glance that energy circulation isn’t smooth, you’re quite the master. That’s right! I suffered a major injury long ago. Because of that, I returned to my hometown and am living by catching fish.”

 

Once the floodgates opened, words poured out like water.

 

“I was what’s commonly called a third-rate martial artist in the martial world. I truly trained martial arts desperately, but I had no talent and couldn’t achieve greatness. Still, my human relationships weren’t bad, so I received decent treatment at the martial hall. Back then, I thought it was because I was truly great. But it wasn’t. It was because I still had use value. I was thoroughly used and abandoned after being injured.”

 

After that, Jang Woo-chil came to this place and lived completely cutting ties with the martial world.

 

The martial world he experienced was truly cruel. Though it looked splendid on the outside, fierce dark struggles unimaginable to ordinary people took place inside constantly.

 

The entry barrier was also high, so unless you belonged to a prestigious family, it was impossible to even receive proper human treatment.

 

The martial world he experienced was the world of the Nine Great Sects, Five Great Families, and a few prestigious orthodox sects, not a place where rootless martial artists like himself could compete.

 

“In Guizhou Province, there are no huge sects like the Nine Great Sects. Instead, mid-tier sects like Black Martial Hall and Golden Sand Sect engage in fierce struggles. Though small in scale, the struggles within are much fiercer. They receive martial artists from nearby small martial halls and are absorbed in hegemonic fights. They only treat subordinate martial artists as tools, not as equal humans. Even if Yu-wol works hard to learn martial arts, he’ll only be used as their tool.”

 

Jang Woo-chil let out a sigh.

 

Since he had experienced it firsthand, he didn’t want his son Jang Yu-wol to experience such a future.

 

“The Qingcheng Sect? One of the Nine Great Sects. Will they accept Yu-wol there? It’s impossible. The Nine Great Sects only accept talents counted among the best in the world. Though Yu-wol is smart, he’s not that level of genius. If he doesn’t have the talent to enter the Nine Great Sects, it would be a much better life to catch fish here with me.”

 

Jang Woo-chil had his eyes tightly closed now.

 

What parent doesn’t want to fulfill their child’s dreams? But he couldn’t allow it because he knew too well how harsh the path his child would walk would be.

 

His first son, Jang Yu-gwan, ran away from home one day and entered a martial hall. Though he entered the martial hall against his father’s wishes, his limits were too clear.

 

Like Jang Woo-chil, Jang Yu-gwan also couldn’t escape the third-rate realm. So Jang Woo-chil hoped Jang Yu-gwan would return home, but Jang Yu-gwan refused, saying he would rather die in the martial world.

 

Dam-ho only looked at Jang Woo-chil without saying anything.

 

He couldn’t fully understand a father’s heart thinking of his child. He was lucky enough to meet Master Hyeon-so and enter the Mount Hua Sect, but most people in the world weren’t given such fortune.

 

Jang Woo-chil muttered:

 

“Do you think I’m comfortable doing this? But what can I do? The martial world is too scary to challenge with just reckless courage.”

 

He had lost his first son Jang Yu-gwan to the martial world, but he couldn’t lose his second son Jang Yu-wol too.

 

Dam-ho, who entered the room, circulated his energy.

 

He had to completely expel the poison energy from his body and heal his internal injuries. Dam-ho quickly fell into deep meditation.

 

As his energy circulation reached its peak, black energy burst from his pores. The black energy swirled while enveloping Dam-ho’s body like fog.

 

Dam-ho forgot everything.

 

Forgetting self. Forgetting thought. Forgetting existence.

 

He forgot himself, forgot his thoughts, forgot his existence. And he even forgot the fact that he was circulating energy.

 

Thus, forgetting everything, Dam-ho focused only on energy circulation.

 

Drip drip!

 

At some point, sweat mixed with a foul smell began flowing from Dam-ho’s entire body. The poison energy remaining in his body was being expelled along with sweat.

 

The poison was expelled and internal injuries healed.

 

After a considerable time passed, Dam-ho opened his eyes. Only after confirming that all the poison energy in his body had come out could he breathe.

 

He wiped the sweat on the floor clean with cloth and burned it with True Samadhi Fire. Then he opened the door to ventilate.

 

Cold wind blew in and cleared away all the unpleasant smell remaining in the room. Only then did Dam-ho gain the peace of mind to rest.

 

That’s when it happened.

 

“Father!”

 

He could see someone shouting and running toward this place.

 

Perhaps hearing the sound, the light in the inner house turned on and the door opened. And Jang Woo-chil appeared.

 

“Who is it?”

 

“Father, it’s me.”

 

The one who jumped into the courtyard with a loud voice was a young man who closely resembled Jang Woo-chil.

 

“Brother!”

 

Jang Yu-wol appeared from behind Jang Woo-chil. As soon as he confirmed the man’s face, he ran out barefoot.

 

“Brother! What brings you here?”

 

The one who jumped into the courtyard was Jang Woo-chil’s first son, Jang Yu-gwan. Jang Yu-wol jumped into Jang Yu-gwan’s arms. But Jang Yu-gwan’s reaction was different from before. Jang Yu-gwan, who would have hugged him tightly normally, hurriedly pushed Jang Yu-wol away and said:

 

“There’s no time for this. We have to evacuate quickly.”

 

“What do you mean? Evacuate?”

 

Jang Woo-chil expressed doubt.

 

“There’s no time to explain, Father. We have to evacuate quickly.”

 

“What are you talking about?”

 

“Please, Father. I’ll explain the reason later, so evacuate quickly.”

 

Jang Yu-gwan’s face was full of urgency. Jang Woo-chil sensed that something had gone wrong.

 

“What happened?”

 

That’s when it happened.

 

“Over there.”

 

A group of people came pushing through the darkness toward Jang Woo-chil’s house.