Chapter 416 – Though Gathered in One Place, They Dream Different Dreams (1)

Dam Ho opened his eyes.

The moment his bottomless, pitch-black pupils were revealed, the Namgung brothers' bodies froze solid. All their muscles stiffened, and their hearts pounded as if they might burst at any moment. They had to forcibly suppress the screams and urine that threatened to burst out.

"Brother!"

If Bang Jin-bo hadn't appeared just then, their trouser legs would have been soaked.

On the shoulder of Bang Jin-bo approaching Dam Ho hung a young wild boar that seemed to have just been caught, and the cloth bundle at his waist was filled to the brim with unknown medicinal herbs.

Bang Jin-bo ran toward Dam Ho carrying the wild boar.

"How are your internal injuries?"

"I'm fine."

"Really?"

At Bang Jin-bo's continued questioning, Dam Ho nodded. At this, Bang Jin-bo showed a disappointed expression.

"I was going to make some food to restore your vitality before you woke up. Please wait a moment, brother. I'll make it right away."

"Mm!"

As soon as he heard Dam Ho's answer, Bang Jin-bo put the wild boar down on the ground and began preparing it.

It was a young wild boar he had specially caught to avoid burdening Dam Ho's stomach. Its meat was tender and perfectly nutritious.

Scrape! Scrape!

Every time Bang Jin-bo moved his knife, the hide was peeled away and meat and bone were separated. Having dismantled the wild boar in an instant, Bang Jin-bo gathered the organs separately and boiled them together with medicinal herbs and rice.

While he was at it, he also stir-fried the meat with several vegetables.

Sizzle!

The delicious smell of cooking meat spread through the unknown mountain.

Bang Jin-bo offered Dam Ho the porridge made from organs.

"Brother, please eat. It will be easier on your stomach and help restore your vitality."

"Thank you."

"Hehe! Please eat a lot and recover quickly."

"Mm!"

Dam Ho nodded and took the porridge made from organs.

He hadn't eaten anything since the heavenly net was spread. Therefore, his stomach had been empty for a long time. In this state, if he ate a lot of food at once or ate food that was difficult to digest, it would certainly cause problems. But eating in porridge form like this would make digestion easier and reduce the burden on his stomach.

Bang Jin-bo had made the organ porridge considering this point. Dam Ho ate the porridge with gratitude for Bang Jin-bo's such consideration.

Confirming that Dam Ho was eating the porridge well, Bang Jin-bo served the stir-fried wild boar to the Namgung brothers.

"You guys eat this."

"Thank you."

"We'll eat well."

The Namgung brothers expressed their thanks and ate the food Bang Jin-bo had made. Bang Jin-bo watched them eat with a smile for a moment.

'Thank goodness.'

The wounds Dam Ho had sustained were by no means light. They were serious wounds that would have killed an ordinary person several times over. Even if they were lucky enough to treat the wounds, such severe injuries would inevitably leave aftereffects, yet Dam Ho had recovered like a phoenix once again. It was truly miraculous recovery power that could only be called wondrous.

After moving to this place, Dam Ho had devoted himself almost entirely to energy circulation for seven days and nights. During that short period of time, Dam Ho's external wounds had almost healed. Scabs had formed over the gaping wounds, and the broken bones had begun to mend. Perhaps if a few more days passed like this, there would be no problem moving around.

Dam Ho silently ate the porridge Bang Jin-bo had made with all his heart. As warm food entered his body after a long time, his whole body began to regain vitality.

Confirming that color had returned to Dam Ho's face, Bang Jin-bo finally began to eat.

Bang Jin-bo thought he was fortunate to be able to help Dam Ho in this way.

Dam Ho's meal took longer than usual. Since his body was severely damaged, he ate the food as slowly as possible to reduce the burden on his stomach.

After finishing his meal, Dam Ho sat leaning against a large nearby rock. Only then did the surrounding scenery come into view.

Dense forests and a large lake visible below the mountain – it was an unfamiliar landscape in many ways.

"Where is this?"

"It's a place called Mount Han near Sohon."

"Mount Han? Are we still inside Anhui Province?"

Dam Ho frowned slightly.

He had clearly told Bang Jin-bo to take the Namgung brothers and flee outside Anhui Province.

"I'm sorry for disobeying your words. But I had no choice. How could we flee outside Anhui Province leaving you behind? You can scold me as much as you want. But please don't tell me I was wrong."

"You did nothing wrong."

"Really?"

"Yes!"

Bang Jin-bo was now a proper martial artist. If he had made such a choice, there must have been a good reason for it. Dam Ho thought so.

"What about pursuers?"

"I completely erased our traces. No one has tracked us so far."

"Well done."

"Hehe!"

Bang Jin-bo smiled awkwardly at Dam Ho's praise.

"We need to go down the mountain."

"I thought you'd say that as soon as you woke up, so I've already prepared. Hehe!"

Bang Jin-bo prided himself on knowing Dam Ho better than anyone. He had already made full preparations to descend the mountain.

When Bang Jin-bo whistled long, Black Ghost appeared from somewhere. Black Ghost rubbed his face against Dam Ho happily in greeting.

Dam Ho patted Black Ghost's thick neck with his hand, sharing body warmth before mounting him.

Whinny!

"Let's go."

"Yes!"

Bang Jin-bo and the Namgung brothers followed behind Dam Ho.

Namgung Yeong-hwi rode on Bang Jin-bo's horse, while Namgung Seon-hwi followed behind using lightness skill. Namgung Seon-hwi's vow was still being kept firmly.

Namgung Seon-hwi ran with gritted teeth. Following a galloping horse with lightness skill was extremely arduous and difficult work, but he never gave up.

Around sunset, they were able to arrive at a small village.

The streets were quieter than expected. And people's expressions also seemed much more relaxed.

Village people could be seen gathered in an open space, chattering.

"Oh my, what's this about? Why have all those who clung to the Demon Cult run away?"

"That's right. Those who did all kinds of evil deeds with the Demon Cult at their back have all gone somewhere – not a single one is visible."

Their faces were full of puzzlement.

After the Demon Cult took control of Anhui Province, this place had also fallen into their hands. Those who followed the Demon Cult had taken control of the village and committed all kinds of evil deeds. Because of this, many people had been harmed.

Rather than the Demon Cult itself, those who used them as backing to commit evil deeds were even more frightening. They had used every means to torment village people who didn't believe in the Demon Cult.

It had gotten so bad that people even began leaving the village to avoid them. But those who had tormented the village people like that had all disappeared overnight. The village people were very curious about the reason.

Then a man in his mid-forties named Jang Han, who had been silent until now, cautiously spoke up.

"It's all because of Fist Demon Dam, the great hero."

"Fist Demon?"

"Speak so we can understand. What do you mean because of Hero Dam?"

People's attention focused on Jang Han.

"A while ago, the Demon Cult forces that had taken control of Anhui Province clashed with Fist Demon Dam, the great hero."

"Demon Cult forces? Then that must have been tremendously many?"

"That's right. At least over a thousand masters were mobilized to catch one Fist Demon."

"What? A thousand people……"

Disbelief appeared on people's faces.

A thousand people mobilized to face just one person? And all of them martial artists who had learned martial arts. By their common sense, it was an unprecedented event impossible to even fathom.

Perhaps frustrated that people didn't believe his words, Jang Han raised his voice.

"Whether my words are true or not, you'll find out if you check later. At the place where the Demon Cult and Hero Dam clashed, corpses that still haven't been cleared away are still scattered everywhere."

"Then it's really true?"

"That's right. Hundreds died or were injured, and high-ranking Demon Cult officials also lost their lives. Because of this, the Demon Cult suffered great damage and retreated to the outskirts of Anhui Province, according to rumors."

"He killed that many people alone?"

"Yes! That's why the Demon Cult is in chaos. They thought Anhui Province was their world after annihilating the Namgung Family, but they suffered such great damage. I hear that among those killed by Hero Dam were people in really high positions in the Demon Cult. That's why the Demon Cult followers were also greatly shocked and retreated."

"How could this be!"

People were dumbfounded, their mouths agape at the news they were hearing for the first time.

To the people who lived in Anhui Province, the Namgung Family was like heaven itself. It was precisely the Demon Cult that had annihilated such heaven.

The Demon Cult was absolute terror and an impregnable iron fortress. They had become more frightening than decades ago and possessed tremendous power.

They couldn't imagine a picture of the Demon Cult collapsing. The Demon Cult had such overwhelming power. The kind of power that could dominate the world.

That was the village people's thinking until just moments ago. But their concepts were being shattered by Jang Han's words.

"Really…… is what you're saying really true?"

"Why would I lie? You know well that I learned martial arts at a martial hall in Hefei when I was young? This is what a fellow student from that martial hall told me."

"Hmm!"

"Actually, my fellow student was also mobilized for the heavenly net the Demon Cult spread. He didn't want to go, but he couldn't disobey the command of the hall master who had converted to the Demon Cult. So he participated, but……"

"But what?"

"Hell…… he saw hell."

Jang Han's voice naturally trembled. He shook his body as if he had experienced it directly himself.

"Every time Hero Dam threw a punch, dozens died, but no one could block even one of his punches. Even the hall master who learned martial arts with me couldn't block Hero Dam's single punch and died, and the sight was so gruesome that my fellow student fled without looking back. But my fellow student wasn't the only one who fled like that. Countless people fled to avoid Hero Dam. Those people said Hero Dam was…… not human."

"……"

People held their breath.

Not one person dared breathe loudly as they listened intently to Jang Han's words. They were that absorbed in what Jang Han was saying.

"In the end, all the external martial artists mobilized for the heavenly net fled, and only the Demon Cult's forces remained to clash with Hero Dam."

"So…… so what happened?"

"My fellow student watched from over ten li away, and he said the ground shook and the sky cried for a whole day."

"Is that really true?"

"Not a single word is false. It was so frightening that my fellow student could only go to the place where Hero Dam fought after a day had passed. And there he saw true hell."

"H-hell?"

"Yes! So many died that ravens and wild dogs gorged themselves, and blood flowed like a river. The devastation was so terrible that people who saw it once still can't sleep properly."

"Mm!"

"Anyway, the Demon Cult Group leader who led the heavenly net at that time also died miserably at Hero Dam's hands, and the Demon Cult forces that had taken control of Anhui Province were completely destroyed. Naturally, those who had clung to the Demon Cult's side had no place to stand either. That's why both Gok-seong and Eon-gwang fled in haste."

Yeon Gok-seong and Ju Eon-gwang that Jang Han mentioned were all village people who had sided with the Demon Cult. As the saying goes that those you know are worse, they had tormented the village people to an extreme degree and committed all kinds of evil deeds.

More than ten village women had been violated by them alone. Because of this, the village people harbored great resentment toward them.

"I can't believe it. That one person killed so many and saved Anhui Province from the Demon Cult's hands."

"If that's really true, wouldn't Hero Dam be a true hero who could save Central Plains?"

"That's right. Though he's called Fist Demon because his methods are harsh, he's actually worthy of being called a hero. Speaking of which, what achievements has the Martial Alliance made against the Demon Cult? Is there anything more than just clinging to Shaolin Temple? On the other hand, hasn't Hero Dam fought countless battles against the Demon Cult? Where else would you find such a torch in these troubled times? Though my martial arts are weak, if Hero Dam calls, I, Yun Ju-gyeong, am prepared to run anywhere."

Jang Han pounded his chest and made bold declarations, and the village people responded with thunderous applause. But the village people were so absorbed in Jang Han that they failed to notice a group passing behind them.

The man Dam Ho on a giant black horse, Bang Jin-bo and the others.

They had no idea that the protagonist of the heroic tale they were so enthusiastic about had just entered the village.

Though such enthusiasm from people might be burdensome, there was no change whatsoever in Dam Ho's expression. To him, all this cheering and enthusiasm felt as detached as someone else's business.

On the other hand, Bang Jin-bo's face was flushed red as if it might burst at any moment.

His fists clenched with strength.

His chest swelled with emotion.

'That person is my brother. The brother I most respect and follow.'

He wanted to shout that toward the people. But Bang Jin-bo suppressed such desires and asked Dam Ho:

"Brother, but where are we going now?"

"Hao Sect."

Dam Ho's indifferent answer came back. ​

Jin Ja-gang conveyed Master Haewol’s words to Tang Gwi-ok.

There was no need for complicated explanations.

He simply said that Master Haewol intended to steal the salt from Dujiangyan together with Demon Cult.

Tang Gwi-ok didn’t know what Master Haewol was trying to do or why he had joined hands with Demon Cult.

Yet as if already guessing something, Tang Gwi-ok’s expression became solemn.

“That person…”

Tang Gwi-ok spoke.

“I met him long ago. He came seeking cooperation, saying he needed our family’s strength to raise righteousness in the martial world. But do you know how older brother treated him?”

It was an event from thirty to forty years ago. To think the two who were considered the best in the martial world at that time had met!

Jin Ja-gang’s heart pounded. Master Haewol was said to have been very stubborn and a typical Taoist in the past. He became curious about what evaluation Tang Qing made of Master Haewol and how he treated him.

“Did he treat him poorly?”

“No. On the contrary, older brother greatly welcomed Master Haewol.”

“What?”

“He called famous chefs from Sichuan’s Chengdu to prepare all kinds of delicacies, called Master Haewol ‘older brother’ and welcomed him like an old friend.”

Jin Ja-gang was bewildered.

That couldn’t be right. Rather, Tang Qing had later joined hands with those Master Haewol sought.

Tang Gwi-ok smiled slightly.

“You don’t understand, do you? Even I, who knew older brother’s nature well, couldn’t understand older brother’s thoughts. But Master Haewol’s actions afterward were even more surprising.”

Tang Gwi-ok spoke as if asking whether Jin Ja-gang could understand the reason.

“Master Haewol suddenly knelt down right there. And he pleaded. Please help me, he said.”

“Ah…”

Only then did Jin Ja-gang realize.

Master Haewol had seen through it. Tang Qing’s inner thoughts.

“Master Haewol noticed that older brother wasn’t sincerely welcoming him but rather trying to use him.”

Jin Ja-gang smiled bitterly.

“That’s right. That person seems to have a talent for stealing glimpses of others’ hearts.”

“That was probably the first and last time. When older brother showed something called conscience.”

Tang Gwi-ok spoke as if still amazed, recalling that time.

“Older brother spat on Master Haewol, poured dirty water on him, then threw him out of the Tang Family Main House.”

It was surprising. That Tang Qing had revealed his inner thoughts.

Jin Ja-gang couldn’t help but be amazed.

Master Haewol, who knelt and appealed sincerely to someone who was welcoming him but had black intentions inside.

Tang Qing, who was shaken by Master Haewol’s sincerity in seeing through his inner thoughts and revealed his true nature.

Was that the first meeting of the two giants?

“Sometimes older brother would recall that time and get very angry. He said it gave him chills. So he drew a line meaning never to come again. He grumbled several times that if it were now, he would rather cut his wrist in front of him to prove his sincerity and use Master Haewol in reverse.”

Jin Ja-gang tried to understand Master Haewol’s heart for a moment.

How desperate and urgent Master Haewol must have been at that time was immeasurable even through imagination.

Tang Gwi-ok waited sufficiently for Jin Ja-gang to think, then said.

“So even if that person does actions that earn curses from everyone in the world, even if he joined hands with Demon Cult, I still believe in him. There must be a reason for the great intention behind his volunteering to play the villain role. If he were truly a villain, he wouldn’t have told you about bringing in Demon Cult.”

Tang Gwi-ok said.

“I’ll lift the blockade of Dujiangyan.”

Tang Gwi-ok, who prioritized the Tang family’s fate above all else!

She made a crucial decision in a situation where the Tang family could suffer great damage if things went wrong!

Trusting only Master Haewol’s message!

Jin Ja-gang quietly bowed his head in greeting and left the room.

Tang Gwi-ok seemed to have complicated feelings as she looked out the window for a long time.

* * *

Jin Ja-gang sighed lightly.

Jin Ja-gang’s heart was as disturbed as Tang Gwi-ok’s.

Before going to Tang Ha-ran, Jin Ja-gang headed to a quiet pavilion in the back garden.

It was to check the booklet Master Haewol had given him.

Yeong-gwi followed quietly behind Jin Ja-gang without asking anything.

Jin Ja-gang sat in the small pavilion and took out the booklet Master Haewol had given him from his bosom.

Officially, it would be difficult to meet Master Haewol again.

In a way, it was the last gift seen with a normal face. Next time, they would meet as enemies with swords drawn to kill.

An extremely old booklet with no title written on the cover. How many times the pages of this thin booklet had been turned was evident from the glossy parts where hands had touched and the worn edges. It had clearly passed through many people’s hands…

The content was neither internal energy cultivation methods, nor boxing techniques, nor weapon arts.

But Jin Ja-gang slowly turned page by page, reading, pondering, and memorizing the text. Master Haewol wouldn’t have given such a book without meaning.

Yeong-gwi brought tea and asked carefully.

“Did that person give it to you?”

“That’s right.”

Yeong-gwi worried.

“Then shouldn’t you read it in a more secret place?”

If Master Haewol had given it, it must be no ordinary secret manual!

“I don’t know.”

“What?”

Jin Ja-gang handed the booklet to Yeong-gwi. Yeong-gwi was flustered.

“No, I…”

“I’ve memorized all the text and understand the content, but I don’t understand his intention. If you think of anything after reading it, please let me know.”

Yeong-gwi was also a martial artist, so she couldn’t help being curious about the booklet Master Haewol had given.

“Then, just a moment…”

Yeong-gwi calmly read the book while turning pages. But as she turned more pages, a puzzled feeling filled Yeong-gwi’s eyes too.

“This… this is… no matter how I look at it.”

Jin Ja-gang asked back with a slight smile.

“You think so too, right?”

Yeong-gwi returned the book to Jin Ja-gang and laughed awkwardly.

Then Bian Bu and Taoist Master Bok-cheon came to the back garden. No, rather than coming to find them, it was more accurate to say they met while taking a walk. Though the two seemed mismatched at first glance, they got along surprisingly well. They had become quite close during their stay at the Tang Family Main House. Their similar ages was one of the reasons.

Woon-jeong and So-so were following behind them.

Woon-jeong shouted happily.

“Oh? Poison Dragon friend! What are you doing?”

Yeong-gwi stepped aside to make room for the guests to come up to the pavilion.

Bian Bu became interested in the book Jin Ja-gang was holding.

“What’s that? It looks valuable somehow.”

Jin Ja-gang silently handed over the book. Bian Bu deliberately put on airs and turned the pages.

“Ahem… let’s see. Cultivation is fundamentally about polishing delusional thoughts and nurturing true nature, taking tranquility as the foundation. Stability means not coveting wrong principles, and tranquility means remaining consistently in stability so that all gold, silver, and treasures cannot steal one’s will…”

Rustle rustle.

“The Dao is only one, so why seek the gate to enter the Dao in many places? The method the Dao seeks is only one, so why seek methods without going through the Way? The path of the Dao is only one, so why keep doubting and hoping?”

Bian Bu quickly lost interest in the booklet’s content.

“This is… content that only meticulous Taoists would read? In the end, it means to walk the righteous path and guard against heretical ways… obviously that meaning.”

Taoist Master Bok-cheon said stiffly from behind.

“It’s the Clear Mirror Heart Sutra.”

Bian Bu flinched.

The Clear Mirror Heart Sutra refers to Taoist scriptures that describe methods of cultivating and refining the mind.

Bian Bu returned the book to Jin Ja-gang and suddenly changed his words.

“Yes, that’s right. You see too much blood, so you’re filled with killing intent and look fierce. You should read books like this and cultivate your mind. You thought well.”

Taoist Master Bok-cheon said.

“Hearing that passage just now, it’s the most famous and well-known content among Taoist scriptures. It’s scripture that disciples who just entered the Taoist sect read and memorize. Though the content is obvious, because not losing one’s original intention is that difficult, they memorize it again and again to cultivate their minds like a straight mirror.”

He seemed to be speaking to Jin Ja-gang but somehow also seemed to be speaking to Bian Bu. Bian Bu pretended not to know and acted playful.

“The Taoist Master’s words are right, right. Even an ignorant person like me greatly agrees.”

“Especially since Taoist studies originally began to suppress lost souls and evil spirits and govern killing energy, they are more destructive and dangerous than ordinary orthodox martial arts. Sometimes they even contain violent and merciless killing moves because their targets are not humans.”

“Right, right.”

Bian Bu kept adding interjections.

Taoist Master Bok-cheon didn’t mind and continued.

“You already know it too. The ghost in your brain.”

Calamity Slaying Demon Spirit. You inevitably encounter it when learning the Jade Void Nine Lights Five Thunder Toad Art.

Taoists greatly value thunder created by the combination of yin and yang energies, but when demons enter there, it means entering the demonic way.

“In any martial school, as you enter higher studies, the harmony of mind and body becomes very important, but especially in Taoist studies, cultivation becomes more important because of this. If the body overwhelms the mind, or the mind can’t follow the body, you eventually get devoured by the ghost in your brain.”

Jin Ja-gang thought he had completely overcome the Calamity Slaying Demon Spirit, but there had been times recently when he lost reason while caught up in emotions. If not for Yeong-gwi, who knows what might have happened.

If such a thing happened again, the dormant Calamity Slaying Demon Spirit would revive.

Taoist Master Bok-cheon said.

“I don’t know who the deceased person was, but if someone recommended this Clear Mirror Heart Sutra to you, there must be a reason, and it must be someone who knows you need it. I strongly recommend reading it twice and thrice.”

Only then did Jin Ja-gang understand with what intention Master Haewol had given him the Taoist scripture.

Perhaps this was the path of the Dao that Master Haewol recommended to Jin Ja-gang as an elder.

Not only for the Calamity Slaying Demon Spirit, but also hoping he could continue walking the righteous path throughout his life without being manipulated by someone like Ghost King.

It was Master Haewol’s warm consideration for Jin Ja-gang.

Not an ordinary Taoist scripture, but one filled with sincerity.

While Jin Ja-gang was holding the Taoist scripture and lost in sentiment, Bian Bu added another interjection.

“That’s right! No matter how strong your martial arts become, what’s the use? You must become human. If you rampage just because you have power, you eventually get buried in your own power and forget what you even wanted.”

But Jin Ja-gang could no longer hear those words.

He had already memorized and put all the contents of the Clear Mirror Heart Sutra in his head and naturally fell into meditation while reciting it.

Meanwhile, Woon-jeong and So-so, who had become bored, ran around noisily beside the pavilion, but he seemed completely unaffected.

Bian Bu muttered as if incredulous.

“Well, even if you do something, you should choose the place. Doing it anywhere. That makes us feel awkward.”

Yeong-gwi gave Bian Bu a sharp look and hinted.

“Alright, alright.”

Bian Bu grumbled and left the pavilion. However, perhaps curious about what kind of meditation Jin Ja-gang had entered, he didn’t go far and sat on a nearby rock to quietly watch.

Taoist Master Bok-cheon also sat side by side with Bian Bu with a faint smile on his stern face. It was to protect Jin Ja-gang in case anything happened.

So-so brought tea for Bian Bu and Taoist Master Bok-cheon.

Yeong-gwi guarded the pavilion steps, and Bian Bu and Taoist Master Bok-cheon enjoyed a brief leisure time.

Even though the Tang Family Main House was filled with deadly mechanism devices and countless poisonous insects, it couldn’t drive away the summer that had arrived.

Butterflies landed on flowers in the back garden and busy bees went around. Cicadas after the rainy season cried noisily looking for mates, and birds tired from the heat sat by the pond to drink water.

A peaceful and ordinary scene…

Though it could never be called quiet, Jin Ja-gang was able to immerse himself in even deeper meditation thanks to it.