Chapter 53

Chapter 53: A Blood Star Descends Upon Xinjiang (3)

The wind blew and gently brushed through Dam Ho's hair.

The wind of the Heavenly Mountains was quite cold. But it could have no effect on Dam Ho.

The Heavenly Mountains were a mountain range that bore the majesty of kings.

Such was the shape of the mountain, and the aura it exuded was equally intense. The eternal snows upon its summit, even as summer drew near, refused to melt, gazing down upon the world in pristine white.

It was a sight entirely different from Mount Hua, and it drew Dam Ho into contemplation. Bok-gyeok-dal Peak was reflected in his retinas.

He was at a villa near the Blood Demon Hall.

After the death of Eun Ha-seong, the West Heaven Mountain Manor had crumbled into disarray. The surviving martial artists surrendered, and Sim Su-myeong was swiftly restoring order.

After killing Eun Ha-seong, Dam Ho had not involved himself in any affairs related to the West Heaven Mountain Manor. He felt no need to do so, nor did he have any reason.

Dam Ho closed his eyes. At once, he felt the intense scent of blood upon his own body.

Though he had not been in the world for long, he had already killed a great many people. He felt not a shred of guilt for their deaths, yet the heavy scent of blood upon his body weighed upon his heart.

Dam Ho suddenly looked down at his own hands.

Calloused like nails, both fists were weapons unto themselves. With these hands, he had killed countless souls, and he could not even imagine how much more blood he would yet stain them with.

He had learned martial arts solely to survive, solely to become stronger.

Without his fierce determination to survive at all costs and his resolve to grow powerful, he would never have emerged from that underground cavern alive.

His two fists were the product of that indomitable will.

Grrk!

Dam Ho clenched his fists tight. Thick veins bulged like worms, and a tremendous force churned within.

Fists forged for destruction alone. There was no mercy in his strikes.

At the core of it all was the Heavy Heaven Heart Method, from which he had drawn upon the Bamboo Leaf Technique, the Crouching Tiger Fist, the Six Harmonies Fist, and the essences of the Demonic Cult's martial arts. Upon the essences he had extracted, he had layered his own profound insights, creating a martial art that was entirely his own.

Shadow Form Fist.

A fist forged in darkness, and thus it bore the name Shadow Form Fist.

The techniques he had used since entering the world were few.

The Charging Step, the Fortress Breaking Fist, the Earth Heaven Strike, the Silver Net Hand—these were all merely foundational techniques of the Shadow Form Fist. He had felt no need to employ any others, nor had he found the opportunity.

Even now, an unquenched heat still churned in his blood. He wished to release this heat, but no further opportunity had been given.

'Someday, there will be a chance.'

Suddenly, the words of his Master, Sage Hyeon-so, came to mind.

He had told him to live freely.

He had said to meet again when he had grown strong enough to withstand the fierce winds of Mount Hua.

'Master.'

Even now, with his heart hollowed, the mere thought of his Master brought a deep stirring within.

"Brother!"

At that moment, a familiar voice broke through his reverie.

He looked up to see Bang Jin-bo.

Countless people feared Dam Ho. Not only the martial artists of the West Heaven Mountain Manor, but even the vagrants of the Blood Scale Stronghold regarded him with gazes mingled with terror and awe.

Even Sim Su-myeong, the Master of the Blood Scale Stronghold, was no different.

Sim Su-myeong, a man forged as a vagrant, could not meet Dam Ho's eyes.

But Bang Jin-bo was different.

Bang Jin-bo had witnessed Dam Ho's one-sided slaughter with his own eyes. Yet the way he addressed Dam Ho, the look in his eyes—it was no different from before. Perhaps that was why Dam Ho felt a measure of warmth toward him.

"What is it?"

"The Master of the Blood Scale Stronghold has come to see you."

"Is that so?"

"Yes! He is waiting at the villa right now."

"I see."

Dam Ho rose and headed for the villa. Bang Jin-bo hurriedly followed behind him.

"Dam… Great Hero."

Upon entering, Sim Su-myeong greeted Dam Ho. Beside him stood Sim Ok and the Black Slave.

The Black Slave, who had been rescued from death at Eun Ha-seong's hands just moments before, still wore a pale complexion. In the Black Slave's eyes as he regarded Dam Ho, there was an unmistakable fear.

He was the man the Black Slave had once belittled for being a cripple. But the martial prowess he had witnessed firsthand with Dam Ho defied all imagination. His lame leg was no hindrance whatsoever to Dam Ho.

'I had eyes and yet could not recognize a true master.'

He wished he could gouge out the eyes that had once belittled Dam Ho.

The Black Slave heaved a secret sigh.

Dam Ho looked at Sim Su-myeong.

"You were looking for me?"

"Indeed I was."

"Why?"

"It is because of this."

Sim Su-myeong placed a long object and a book atop the table.

It was the Crimson Saber—also known as the Demonic Saber—and the Blood Demon True Scripture.

"Why?"

"As you know, Eun Ha-seong committed unspeakable atrocities to obtain these items. It is fortunate that he was killed by you, Great Hero Dam, before he could learn the Demon's martial arts. Had he succeeded, a great bloodbath would have swept across Xinjiang."

As Sim Su-myeong's lengthy explanation continued, Dam Ho furrowed his brow. The Black Slave, sensing the tension, quickly interjected.

"The Master is asking you, Great Hero Dam, what you wish to do with these two items."

"Why?"

"Because you killed Eun Ha-seong. Naturally, the ownership of these two items belongs to you, Great Hero Dam."

"I have no interest."

At Dam Ho's firm words, Sim Su-myeong and the Black Slave nodded, having expected as much.

Though they had not known him long, they had thought his temperament might lead to this. But Sim Ok was different.

"This is nothing less than the Demon's ultimate art. It is fortunate that Eun Ha-seong was unable to learn it. But had he done so, even someone like you would not have been able to defeat him easily."

"That may well be."

"And yet you have no interest? Truly?"

"Yes!"

"How can you possibly…"

Sim Ok could not comprehend Dam Ho.

Though it was not widely known in the wider Murim, in Xinjiang, the Demon was a legend. In Xinjiang, there was not a single soul who did not covet his ultimate art. And yet Dam Ho treated this supreme technique as casually as one would a pebble rolling along a riverbank.

At that moment, Dam Ho asked Sim Ok.

"Do you think I need the Demon's martial arts?"

"That is…"

Sim Ok could not answer.

The same was true for Sim Su-myeong and the Black Slave.

Dam Ho rose to his feet.

"I will leave here tomorrow. Dispose of those items as you see fit."

"You would truly leave them in our care?"

"Yes!"

"Mmm!"

Sim Su-myeong let out a groan he did not realize had escaped his lips.

Dam Ho rose from his seat. There was not a hint of hesitation in his manner.

'He means it. It seems even the Demon's ultimate art does not impress this man.'

Setting aside the Demon's martial arts, the saber he had left behind was a treasure among treasures. Depending on its wielder's intent, it could become a Demonic Saber or a Righteous Saber—a true marvel. And yet, before such an object, Dam Ho had not batted an eye.

Sim Su-myeong and the Black Slave shook their heads at Dam Ho's magnanimity.

Sim Su-myeong spoke loudly.

"Very well. Then the Blood Demon True Scripture and the saber shall be kept at our main stronghold."

"As you wish."

Dam Ho did not even wait for Sim Su-myeong's reply before stepping outside.

"Hoo…"

Without a word from anyone, all those in the room heaved a collective sigh of relief.

***

"Haah! Haah!"

Rough breaths burst from Bang Jin-bo's mouth. His face was flushed bright red.

Bang Jin-bo was climbing a mountain. And not just any mountain—the notoriously treacherous Bok-gyeok-dal Peak.

Under normal circumstances, this would have been unthinkable for Bang Jin-bo. He was fatter than other boys his age and lacked stamina.

But now, though exhausted, Bang Jin-bo did not stop his ascent. Whenever he wanted to collapse from the strain, a refreshing energy would surge from within his body and circulate through him.

Once that cool energy had swept through him, his fatigue would vanish as if it had never been.

'I must find it quickly.'

In the cookbook left behind by his father, Bang Woo-gwang, it had said that a rare herb grew only in the Heavenly Mountains. Its flavor was nothing short of heavenly, and when added to food, it transformed the taste entirely.

An herb called the Celestial Fragrance Grass.

According to Bang Woo-gwang's cookbook, the Celestial Fragrance Grass grew only near the summit of the Heavenly Mountains.

Bang Woo-gwang had always regretted his inability to visit the Heavenly Mountains during his travels to the Western Regions. To fulfill his father's lingering regret, Bang Jin-bo was determined to find the Celestial Fragrance Grass before returning to the Central Plains.

"Where are you?"

Sweat poured from him like rain. Yet Bang Jin-bo did not stop searching the mountains.

This was the first thing he had ever done of his own volition. He could not abandon it simply because it was hard.

Dam Ho was walking a path that Bang Jin-bo could not even imagine. To follow in his footsteps, Bang Jin-bo too needed an iron resolve.

Finding the Celestial Fragrance Grass was the process of forging that resolve.

'To follow my brother, I must do at least this much.'

As he climbed higher, the wind grew colder still. The gales that flowed down from the eternal snows atop the summit carried a bone-chilling cold.

The harsh winds and cold stunted the growth of the plants. Because of this, Bang Jin-bo had to crouch and scan the ground.

After searching for some time…

Beneath a rock, where the wind could not reach, he spotted clusters of grass no larger than a single finger joint. Each plant split into five stems, like the fingers of a child, and radiated a faint fragrance.

The scent alone was enough to make one's head spin. The moment he smelled it, Bang Jin-bo knew instinctively.

'It is the Celestial Fragrance Grass.'

The scent was so intoxicating that the name "Celestial Fragrance" was no exaggeration. Its aroma made him salivate without realizing it.

If he added the Celestial Fragrance Grass to his cooking, he could truly recreate a heavenly flavor.

The fragrance of the Celestial Fragrance Grass tempted Bang Jin-bo. He reached out his hand involuntarily.

His hand drew closer and closer to the herb. Then, just before touching it, he stopped abruptly.

'But should I really take it?'

The thought suddenly struck him.

If he harvested the Celestial Fragrance Grass, he could easily produce delicious food. But would that truly be his own skill?

Before his eyes, the Celestial Fragrance Grass swayed in the wind. Its movements seemed to beckon him, urging him to come quickly.

A look of conflict appeared on Bang Jin-bo's face.

After a long deliberation, Bang Jin-bo cautiously reached out again. He plucked a single stalk of the Celestial Fragrance Grass. The fragrance intensified, spreading outward.

Bang Jin-bo placed the single stalk he had plucked directly into his mouth. Savoring the aroma, he chewed it carefully.

The more he chewed, the deeper the flavor emerged.

A look of rapturous delight spread across Bang Jin-bo's face. He had eaten countless dishes in his life, but never once had he experienced such depth of taste.

A thrilling sensation pierced through him from head to toe, sending shivers through his entire body. If he used the Celestial Fragrance Grass in his cooking, he could undoubtedly recreate that heavenly taste.

But Bang Jin-bo did not pluck any more. Instead, he spent a long time savoring the taste and fragrance of the herb. He needed to etch the flavor firmly into his tongue and mind.

How much time passed?

Bang Jin-bo opened his eyes.

"Done. I have it firmly in my memory."

He smiled. And without a backward glance, he rose and brushed himself off.

Rather than taking the Celestial Fragrance Grass, he had etched its flavor into his memory. So that in the future, he could reproduce that taste without relying on the herb.

Bang Jin-bo descended the mountain without looking back.

Behind him, the Celestial Fragrance Grass beckoned with its rich fragrance. But Bang Jin-bo left it without regret.

'Father, am I doing well?'

Bang Jin-bo smiled.

He wanted to become one of the greatest chefs under heaven, without borrowing the power of the Celestial Fragrance Grass. Even if that road was too long, even if it required a lifetime of wandering.

"Heh heh!"

Bang Jin-bo's laughter echoed through the Heavenly Mountains.