Chapter 13

Chapter 13: Sometimes Unexpected Guests Arrive (1)

Dam Ho opened his closed eyes. The fragrant scent of plum blossoms drifted on the breeze, but he did not even notice it.

His entire mind was focused upon the massive boulder before him. The world had fallen away, and only the small circle painted on the stone remained.

"Ha!"

Dam Ho steadied his breath for a moment. Then the heavy energy coiled in his dantian surged through his meridians and rushed throughout his entire body.

Dam Ho's twisted left leg dug deep into the ground. The moment his calf muscle bulged slightly, he launched himself off the earth.

Boom!

Like an arrow loosed from its bow, Dam Ho's form shot forward in a single, straight line.

It was the Charging Step—a footwork that charged in a straight line like a battering ram smashing through a gate.

The massive boulder seemed to shrink the distance, appearing before him in an instant. Dam Ho's fist lashed out toward it like a whip.

Fortress Breaking Fist.

A punch created alongside the Charging Step. A single blow to shatter a city wall.

Thud!

With a dull impact, Dam Ho's fist sank into the stone up to his wrist. Fragments of rock, broken like tofu, crumbled and fell away.

Dam Ho withdrew his fist from the boulder.

The fist, battered and covered in scars and calluses, held within it a full year of effort and bitter tears.

"At last…"

A thousand emotions crossed Dam Ho's face.

This was the moment when a year of toil and tears bore fruit.

Then a familiar voice reached his ears.

"You have worked hard."

"Master."

It was Sage Hyeon-so. Upon his face, too, there shimmered a look of deep emotion, much like Dam Ho's own.

Sage Hyeon-so had watched Dam Ho's efforts throughout the past year. He therefore knew better than anyone how much blood and sweat Dam Ho had poured into this.

To others, it might have seemed like a mere three zhang. But for Dam Ho, that distance was as near-impossible to cross as the vast breadth of the great Yangtze River cutting through the Central Plains.

Day after day, he had stumbled and tumbled, practicing the Charging Step. Dam Ho's left leg had now been trained sufficiently to endure the Charging Step, and his fist had grown hard enough to pierce stone.

Sage Hyeon-so clapped him on the shoulder.

"But do not grow complacent. You have only just reached the same starting line as everyone else."

"I know. That is enough."

Dam Ho had clawed his way up from the very bottom, clinging stubbornly just to stand where others already stood. This was enough.

Dam Ho's resolve had grown fiercer, his patience more tenacious.

There was still much time ahead, and he was prepared to sprint at full speed throughout it.

'I will never again be crushed so helplessly.'

Dam Ho clenched his teeth. Killing intent flickered unbidden in his eyes.

Sage Hyeon-so sighed inwardly.

'Ho's killing intent grows stronger with time.'

He wondered if he was creating a monster.

Yet Sage Hyeon-so quickly shook the thought away. Dam Ho was his only disciple. This was what he had done for that disciple.

To regret it now would be to deny his own choices and efforts entirely. At least in matters concerning his disciple, he did not wish to have regrets.

In the four seasons that had passed, not a single soul had come to visit. Not the Elders, nor even the First Generation Disciples.

It would have been understandable if they had come out of curiosity about Dam Ho's injuries, yet not one had set foot here. Of course, each had their own reasons, but Sage Hyeon-so had been wounded by it.

'Dam Ho is not so worthless as to be treated as though he does not exist. This child will surely become the treasure of the Mount Hua Sect.'

Sage Hyeon-so was certain of it.

The blood and sweat Dam Ho had shed were no falsehood. Having watched from the closest vantage, Sage Hyeon-so knew this better than anyone.

Sage Hyeon-so's gaze turned toward Cloud Peak, where the True Martial Palace stood. It was the residence of Grandmaster Hyeon-geom, Palace Master of the True Martial Palace.

Grandmaster Hyeon-geom had recently entered seclusion once more. This time, he had not gone in alone. He had entered closed-door training with a newly taken disciple.

The Taoist name of his new disciple was Myeong-gyeong—an outer disciple, of all things.

Grandmaster Hyeon-geom had not found a suitable talent among the First or Second Generation Disciples. In the end, he had selected a promising outer disciple training at the main mountain and accepted him as his disciple.

Few within the Mount Hua Sect knew the details of Myeong-gyeong's background. He had been that obscure a figure.

No one knew what Grandmaster Hyeon-geom had seen in Myeong-gyeong to take him as a disciple. But it was only natural that expectations now rested upon Myeong-gyeong, who had become Grandmaster Hyeon-geom's student.

There was no telling how long the closed-door training would last. Grandmaster Hyeon-geom had declared that he would not emerge until Myeong-gyeong achieved satisfactory progress.

'Brother Hyeon-geom, I pray that the Myeong-gyeong you have taken in is a talent who can restore Mount Hua to its former glory.'

At first, he had felt anger toward Myeong-gyeong's very existence. Simply because he had become Grandmaster Hyeon-geom's disciple. But as time passed, that anger had largely faded.

Though he bore resentment toward Grandmaster Hyeon-geom, there was no reason to resent Myeong-gyeong as well. He only hoped Myeong-gyeong would do well and become a sturdy umbrella for the Mount Hua Sect.

Sage Hyeon-so looked at Dam Ho and smiled.

"You have endured much, practicing the Charging Step in this cramped space for so long. Let us get some fresh air for a change. The plum blossoms are in bloom all over Mount Hua, and they are a lovely sight."

"Yes, Master."

Dam Ho bowed respectfully.

Sage Hyeon-so took the first step, and Dam Ho followed behind him.

So consumed had he been with training that he had not noticed, but plum blossoms were blooming throughout Mount Hua. Amid the sharp, craggy ridges, the plum blossoms were a sight of exquisite beauty.

Not long ago, Mount Hua had been buried under snow. All living things had held their breath, desperate to hide themselves away. But with spring's return, they revealed themselves once more, scattering their presence across the world.

Sage Hyeon-so murmured, moved by what he saw.

"The space between heaven and earth is like a bellows—empty, yet without end, and the more it moves, the more it yields. This is the principle of all things. Is there truly need to seek the Dao within scriptures?"

Sage Hyeon-so stood frozen, gazing at Mount Hua blanketed in plum blossoms. Dam Ho watched his Master in silence.

A breeze swept through, scattering the plum petals.

***

Dam Ho drew the book from inside his robe. It was the volume Sage Hyeon-so had given him. He had handled it so often that its yellowed cover was already frayed and tattered.

Opening the book, he saw the words they had organized thus far. Upon the foundation his Master had laid, Dam Ho's own insights were added.

'I am still far from done.'

He had only just managed to execute the Charging Step and the Fortress Breaking Fist. To achieve their true power as he had originally envisioned, he was still a long way off.

The Blood Heaven Kick remained distant, and the other techniques existed only in outline—not yet viable for actual use.

A study with no name, no telling when it might be completed.

Dam Ho recorded his insights of the day upon the worn pages of the book and tucked it back inside his robe.

The sunlight was pleasant. Dam Ho lay upon the platform and gazed up at the sky.

Drifting clouds. He watched them drift in idle silence.

Sage Hyeon-so, who had seemed to receive some manner of revelation during his walk earlier that day, had not emerged from his room.

Dam Ho did not disturb him. Instinctively, he sensed that this was a moment of great importance for Sage Hyeon-so.

A martial artist attained higher achievement through relentless refinement; a Taoist elevated his power through enlightenment. Dam Ho surmised that Sage Hyeon-so was undergoing just such a process.

While Dam Ho waited for Sage Hyeon-so to open the door of his own accord, he suddenly detected movement from beyond the thicket.

Dam Ho removed his arm from behind his head and rose quickly from the platform. A sharp light flickered in his eyes as he looked toward the thicket.

At that moment, someone emerged from the brush.

It was a young Taoist who appeared to be no older than fourteen or fifteen. Dam Ho recalled his name.

"You are?"

It was Won-yul, a Second Generation Disciple.

"M-Martial Uncle, Won-yul greets you."

Won-yul offered a reluctant fist-and-palm salute to Dam Ho. There was not a trace of respect upon his face.

"What do you want?"

"The Grandmaster has ordered me to bring Martial Uncle to him immediately."

Dam Ho's eyebrow twitched.

For the past year, the Grandmaster had not sent so much as a word. Now, for him to suddenly summon the Master—something was amiss.

"Wait."

"But the Grandmaster ordered me to bring you at once."

"I said wait."

"Martial Uncle! The Grandmaster—"

"I told you to wait."

Dam Ho's voice sank low.

In that instant, Won-yul felt his heart tremble violently and recoiled in shock.

'What?'

Though he was a Second Generation Disciple, he was a martial artist nonetheless. He had trained hard enough to remain steady under most circumstances. Yet to be shaken by a single word from another was something that should have been impossible.

Won-yul scowled at Dam Ho, but when their eyes met, he instinctively turned his head away.

Dam Ho's lowered gaze was inexplicably oppressive. He could not bring himself to face it.

Won-yul pressed his lips shut and stared at the ground. It was humiliating, but there was nothing he could do.

Time passed. His heart grew impatient, yet Won-yul could not easily open his mouth. He had already been dominated by Dam Ho's presence.

A question suddenly arose in his mind.

'Come to think of it—wasn't Martial Uncle supposed to be practically crippled?'

The First Generation Disciples had tried to hush up what had happened at the True Martial Palace, but they could not silence every witness. In the end, every disciple in the Mount Hua Sect had learned that Dam Ho had been crippled.

Won-yul knew this as well. Yet there was nothing about Dam Ho now that suggested any such disability.

"M-Martial Uncle?"

As Mustering his courage, Won-yul was about to pose a question—

"Is someone outside?"

Sage Hyeon-so opened the door and stepped out.

In that brief time, his gaze had deepened further. Dam Ho noticed the change at once.

"Second Generation Disciple Won-yul greets Martial Uncle."

"What brings you here?"

"The Grandmaster has asked that Martial Uncle be brought to him."

"The Grandmaster?"

A furrow formed between Sage Hyeon-so's brows.

"What business does the Grandmaster have with me?"

"I do not know the reason. I was only told to escort you."

"Hmm!"

Though puzzled, he did not hesitate.

It was not just anyone—it was the Grandmaster of the Mount Hua Sect who was summoning him. As a disciple of the Mount Hua Sect, he could not refuse the Grandmaster's command.

"I will go now."

"I will escort you."

Dam Ho approached Sage Hyeon-so. Sage Hyeon-so nodded silently.

The two followed Won-yul and left the dwelling.

It was his first outing in nearly a year. Though Sage Hyeon-so had spent his entire life on Mount Hua, today the surrounding scenery felt strangely unfamiliar.

They passed along the Dragon's Spine—the Soaring Dragon Ridge—and arrived at Five Cloud Peak. It was his first visit in five years, and it seemed unchanged. Yet as Sage Hyeon-so surveyed his surroundings, his heart was not at ease.

'Amitabha! The world has not changed. Only my heart has.'

Sage Hyeon-so let out a soft sigh.

As Lotus Peak drew near, the Cloud Mist Palace came into view. And standing before it was someone.

Dam Ho's expression stiffened slightly.

"Senior Brother?"

"Junior Brother Cheong-gyeong?"

The person who looked at Dam Ho in surprise was someone Dam Ho knew well.