Chapter 176

Chapter 176: Chapter 1. Time Brings New Encounters (1)

Xinyang, Henan Province, was a city situated at the foot of the Dabie Mountains, renowned since ancient times for its tea. The tea cultivated here was called Maojian tea, and it was counted among the finest teas in the Central Plains.

Xinyang was also famous for a lake called Nanwan Lake. It was twelve times larger than the West Lake of Hangzhou and embraced sixty-one large and small islands.

The blue-tinted clear lake water and the lush green forests covering the islands like emerald pearls created a fantastical harmony that refreshed the hearts of all who beheld it.

On the most remote of the small islands in Nanwan Lake—a location so secluded that only the fishermen who worked the lake could know of it—

The small island, like the others, was covered in dense green forest. Because of this, from the outside, one could never know what was happening within.

It was said to be uninhabited. But contrary to what people believed, a man and a woman had been staying on the island since some time ago.

A shabby thatched cottage, as if hastily built.

Before the cottage sat a small bench, and upon it sat a woman of extraordinary beauty.

"La la la!"

Humming a tune and gazing at the boiling kettle, the woman was none other than Jong Ri-yeon.

When the water finally boiled, Jong Ri-yeon brewed tea and began sipping it. A satisfied smile appeared on her lips.

"It truly tastes wonderful."

The tea she was drinking was the Maojian tea, a specialty of Xinyang.

Since arriving here the previous winter, Jong Ri-yeon had been drinking Maojian tea constantly.

The tea suited her refined palate perfectly. Thanks to that, her time here had been pleasant.

Jong Ri-yeon gazed at the dense forest while sipping her tea.

"Is he not coming out today either?"

It had been three months since Dam Ho entered the forest. In that time, he had not shown himself outside even once.

"Sigh!"

Jong Ri-yeon quietly sighed and drank her tea.

They had fled all the way here to escape the Namgung Family's tracking party. They had nearly been caught several times, but each time, Jong Ri-yeon's quick wit had gotten them out of danger.

At the time, Dam Ho was practically on the verge of death. Yet even in that dire state, Dam Ho had killed the leader of the tracking party. In the end, the Namgung Family had no choice but to abandon the pursuit.

After shaking off the Namgung Family's pursuit, they had hidden themselves here. Henan Province was Shaolin Temple's domain, where the Namgung Family's influence did not reach.

The Namgung Family had requested Shaolin Temple's cooperation, and Shaolin Temple had accepted their request and joined the pursuit. But they couldn't locate Dam Ho and Jong Ri-yeon, who had hidden themselves in Nanwan Lake.

Winter came and heavy snow fell, and in the end, they were forced to give up the pursuit.

With the help of Jong Ri-yeon's mysterious acupuncture, Dam Ho recovered quickly. Once he had recovered to a certain extent, he entered the forest and did not come out.

The battle with Namgung Cheon had ignited Dam Ho's fighting spirit. The crisis that his current strength was insufficient to face those stronger than Namgung Cheon drove him forward.

From time to time, a chilling killing intent would emanate from deep within the forest. A killing intent so powerful that Jong Ri-yeon, even from a distance, shuddered.

"Sigh!"

Jong Ri-yeon was exhausted by Dam Ho's tenacity.

She had never seen a man so persistent and obsessive as Dam Ho.

"What kind of past must he have to be this tenacious?"

Jong Ri-yeon herself had exceptional concentration, but she couldn't match Dam Ho's insane level of focus.

She brewed another cup of tea.

During her time here, she hadn't been idle either. She studied medicine further and worked to refine her acupuncture to a masterful level.

Thanks to that, her skills had also improved tremendously.

Jong Ri-yeon was about to bring the teacup to her lips when—

WHOOSH!

Suddenly, a powerful surge of energy swept through the entire thicket like a storm, engulfing even Jong Ri-yeon.

"Aaah!"

Struck directly by the energy wave, Jong Ri-yeon screamed and dropped the teacup. Her hair was completely disheveled, and her face had turned pale.

"What on earth?"

Jong Ri-yeon looked toward the source of the energy with fearful eyes.

It was the forest where Dam Ho was.

Until now, the forest where Dam Ho was had always been boiling with fierce energy. Because of that, Jong Ri-yeon hadn't dared to approach.

But after the storm-like energy wave that had just swept past, no more fierce energy was felt.

"What happened?"

Her eyelids trembled.

Silence descended upon the forest. Even the wind seemed to have stopped.

Jong Ri-yeon held her breath and stared at the forest. The brief moment felt like an eternity.

In that instant, Jong Ri-yeon's eyes widened.

Dam Ho was walking out of the forest.

'He's changed.'

Jong Ri-yeon recognized at a glance that Dam Ho had changed.

A strange heat rose from Dam Ho's entire body. The heat that had risen like a heat shimmer vanished quickly, like a mirage.

The fierce, beast-like, heat-filled gaze had turned cold as ice. That was what made it more frightening.

Dam Ho walked to the bench where Jong Ri-yeon sat. Jong Ri-yeon flinched involuntarily.

"You…you're out?"

"Mm."

"Is the training all done?"

"For the most part."

Dam Ho answered casually and sat on the bench.

Jong Ri-yeon handed him the freshly brewed tea.

"Drink this."

The freshly brewed tea was supremely fragrant. Dam Ho sipped the hot tea slowly.

"It's good."

"They call it Maojian tea. It's a famous tea known throughout the world."

"Is that so?"

"Your injuries… have you fully recovered?"

"Yes."

"Then we'll be leaving this place?"

Jong Ri-yeon looked pleased.

She had been compelled to spend the winter here against her will.

Though they had shaken off the Namgung Family's pursuit, it was not yet time to relax. If they fell into the enemy's hands again, the consequences were clear as day.

At minimum, she had to stay with Dam Ho until they left Henan Province.

"When will we leave?"

"Now!"

"All right."

The moment she heard Dam Ho's answer, Jong Ri-yeon hurriedly packed their belongings.

Their belongings amounted to nothing more than a small bundle. Inside the bundle were spare clothes and silver needles.

"Let's go."

Jong Ri-yeon said, carrying the bundle on her back.

Dam Ho set down his teacup and headed with her toward the shore.

"Dark Steed."

When he called, the Dark Steed came running from the forest.

While Dam Ho had been shut away in the forest, the Dark Steed had also roamed freely. Having spent the winter alone, its coat gleamed with health, and its build had grown even larger.

"Have you been well?"

Dam Ho pressed his forehead against the Dark Steed's face and asked. The Dark Steed let out a contented neigh and wagged its tail like a windmill.

Dam Ho spent a moment sharing the joy of reunion with the Dark Steed, then climbed into the small boat they had used to come to the island. When Jong Ri-yeon and the Dark Steed also boarded, the tiny boat wobbled as if it might sink at any moment.

Dam Ho rowed. Each time he pulled the oar, the small boat shot forward ten or so feet as if it were a speedboat.

"Whooaa!"

Jong Ri-yeon stood at the bow and took a deep breath. The wind, still carrying a chill, refreshed her lungs.

The stifling feeling that had built up in her chest all winter seemed to fly away. A smile naturally appeared on her face.

The Dark Steed also seemed in high spirits, prancing and wagging its tail.

The small boat reached the edge of Nanwan Lake in an instant. Dam Ho abandoned the boat without hesitation and headed for Xinyang.

True to being the home of Maojian tea, the streets of Xinyang were filled with the fragrance of tea. In the market, shops and inns overwhelmingly predominated.

"Wait a moment."

Jong Ri-yeon suddenly stopped.

When Dam Ho looked at her with a puzzled expression, she smiled.

"You can't keep walking around in that outfit."

Jong Ri-yeon was looking at the clothes Dam Ho wore.

His fight with the Namgung Family had completely ruined the black leather armor he had been wearing. Since then, he had obtained shabby clothes from a nearby farm and had been wearing them ever since. Because of this, a stranger would mistake him for a farmer.

Jong Ri-yeon had stopped in front of a clothing shop. She grabbed Dam Ho's hand and pulled him.

"Let's have some clothes made here."

Dam Ho obediently entered the shop.

"Welcome!"

Upon entering, a plump shopkeeper greeted them.

"May we see some fabric?"

"Of course. Our shop carries everything from Western Region furs to Eastern furs—there is nothing we don't have."

"Do you have durable leather as well?"

"Of course. From wolf skin obtained from the Tianshan Mountains to crocodile leather from the South, we have a wide variety."

The shopkeeper laid out leather samples of every type.

Jong Ri-yeon spent a long time carefully examining the leather. She looked with her eyes, touched with her hands, and even smelled them. In the end, what she selected was black panther leather imported from the South.

"I'll take this."

"You've made an excellent choice. This was something we obtained with great difficulty—it was originally intended as a tribute to the Imperial Court."

"How long will it take to make clothes from this?"

"If we rush, we can have it ready by tomorrow. Of course, that will cost quite a bit."

"How much?"

"With the leather cost and labor combined, you'll need twenty gold taels."

"Twenty gold taels?"

For a moment, a look of conflict appeared on Jong Ri-yeon's face.

Twenty gold taels was a large sum—even an average martial arts hall could earn that much in a year. Spending such an enormous amount on a single outfit gave her pause.

But Jong Ri-yeon, as if she had never hesitated, produced ten gold ingots from her robe.

"I'll give you ten gold ingots as a deposit. I'll pay the rest when I receive the clothes."

"You're quite decisive."

"But you must make the clothes properly."

"Of course. I dare say that even if you searched all of Henan Province, you won't find a shop that makes clothes as well as we do."

The shopkeeper beat his chest and made his boast.

Dam Ho looked at Jong Ri-yeon.

"Aren't you overextending yourself?"

"I owe you a great deal. My principle is that debts must always be repaid."

"Is that so?"

"Yes! So please don't feel burdened."

"Very well."

Dam Ho nodded.

The shopkeeper brought a measuring tape and took Dam Ho's measurements. Dam Ho described the style of clothing he wanted.

"So you want a martial robe, designed so nothing obstructs your movements when deploying martial arts. Is that correct?"

"That's right."

"Understood. I will make the finest clothes suited to your body, so please rest assured. Our shop's clothes are…"

The shopkeeper chattered on without end, as if Dam Ho's imposing presence didn't faze him at all. Dam Ho stopped listening and went outside.

The two of them headed directly to a nearby inn.

They reserved two rooms. Jong Ri-yeon said she was going to take a warm bath after a long time and went in. Dam Ho, with no luggage to speak of, sat down in the first-floor dining hall.

He had entered the island in autumn and didn't come out until spring was nearly upon them. He had been isolated from the world for four or five months against his will.

During that long time, Dam Ho had focused solely on martial arts.

Since leaving the Heavenly Gold Jade Palace, this was the first time he had dedicated himself to martial arts for such an extended period.

He had entered the world and fought countless battles. In that short time, he had experienced more brutal fights than most martial artists would in a lifetime.

Along the way, he had gained considerable insight, but lacked the time to organize it systematically. His battle with Namgung Cheon, in particular, had made the direction in which his Dark Form Fist should evolve crystal clear.

Dam Ho clenched his fist.

Through countless battles, many scars had formed on the backs of his hands. The wounds on his hands bore witness to the life Dam Ho had lived.

'The day no more scars form on my hands will be my final day.'

When that time came, he would burn everything, leaving no regrets behind.