Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Two Walk the Path Together (Part 1)

Sage Hyeon-so's gaze as he looked down at Dam Ho was exceedingly complex. Dam Ho's entire body was covered in crushed medicinal herbs, pasted on in various places, and fine silver needles had been inserted into his acupoints.

To save Dam Ho, Sage Hyeon-so had mobilized every medical technique he knew. The healing arts he had learned five years ago to save Dam Ho's life were once again being put to use.

Sage Hyeon-so reached out and stroked Dam Ho's forehead.

"Ho-ya, do not ever give up. Just as you always have."

Dam Ho was in a wretched state. Had he not spent years training his body, it would have been impossible for him to walk again.

Sage Hyeon-geom's intentions were now unmistakable.

"So you intend to leave him no room to practice martial arts at all? How cruel you are, Sage Hyeon-geom."

It would take at least three years for these injuries to fully heal. For Dam Ho, the present was the optimal time to learn martial arts. If three years passed and his muscles and bones stiffened, even learning martial arts would never allow him to reach his full potential.

In the end, Sage Hyeon-geom had cunningly eliminated any possibility of Dam Ho ever practicing martial arts.

"But it will not go as Senior Brother wishes."

Sage Hyeon-so extended his hand and took Dam Ho's pulse. A faint energy was perceptible.

Though Dam Ho's body was ravaged, his interior had escaped mortal harm.

"The Heavy Heaven Heart Method protected Dam Ho's heart meridians. Without it, he would have been crippled beyond recovery. This, too, must be the will of the Primordial Celestial Lord. I shall no longer defy heaven's decree."

The energy formed by the Heavy Heaven Heart Method was heavy and blunt. But it was also tenacious and enduring. Those qualities had shielded Dam Ho's internal organs.

For now, it remained in a state of inner energy, difficult to circulate—but once it reached completion, it would be able to encompass every martial art of the Mount Hua Sect.

"Wait just a little longer, Ho-ya. This master will raise you up."

After gazing at Dam Ho for a long while, Sage Hyeon-so finally rose to his feet. His face was set with resolute determination.

Sage Hyeon-so stepped outside and looked up at the sky.

"When the boat overturns, one finally sees who can swim."

It was only when disaster struck that a man's true abilities revealed themselves. Sage Hyeon-so was certain that Dam Ho would be the same.

"I will return soon."

Sage Hyeon-so descended Mount Hua while darkness still clung to the slopes.

After walking for the better part of a day, he arrived at Sangong Mountain—a peak that faced Mount Hua across a rugged valley.

It was named Sangong Mountain because three peaks stood facing the main summits of Mount Hua like three elders. The mountain's terrain was as sharp and jagged as a sword thrust point-down into the earth.

There was not a single place where a person could safely set foot, yet Sage Hyeon-so began to climb.

Sage Hyeon-so's body was quickly drenched in sweat. He had lived his entire life as a Scholar Taoist. His physical abilities were inferior to those of an ordinary person.

After only a short climb, his legs stiffened and his breathing grew labored.

"Hah!"

Sage Hyeon-so paused to catch his breath.

Though it was so close to Mount Hua, no one came to this forbidding place. For Sage Hyeon-so, it had been over thirty years since his last visit.

One misstep could send a person plummeting into a bottomless chasm—it was a place of extreme danger, which was why he had deliberately avoided coming here.

Had it not been for his disciple Dam Ho, he would never have come.

Standing at the edge of the cliff, his legs trembled involuntarily. Fear surged through him.

Sage Hyeon-so let out a sigh.

"Though I have studied the ways of calming the mind for decades, standing before a cliff renders it all useless. How foolish I am, Hyeon-so."

And then he realized:

"The courage to take a single step toward the cliff's edge can never be found in books."

Sage Hyeon-so closed his eyes. When he opened them a moment later, his gaze was far calmer than before.

Sage Hyeon-so stepped onto the treacherous ridgeline. Suppressing the fear that surged from the depths of his heart, he forced his trembling legs to move.

Whoooosh!

Wind swept along the ridge. For an instant, Sage Hyeon-so's body swayed. But he managed to keep his balance.

"Hah… hah…"

Fear flooded through him, but Sage Hyeon-so did not stop walking.

Not for himself—for his disciple.

***

"Mmm!"

Dam Ho opened his eyes with a groan. The first thing he heard was a familiar voice.

"Have you come to? Thank heavens."

"Ma… Master?"

"Yes, it is I. Ho-ya."

He turned his head to see Sage Hyeon-so looking at him. The Master appeared to have aged ten years since the last time Dam Ho had seen him, and tears threatened to spill from Dam Ho's eyes.

"Master."

"Yes!"

"I am… sorry."

"What have you to be sorry for? What have you done wrong? You have done nothing at all. There is no need for apologies."

Dam Ho tried to sit up, but his limbs would not obey him. Only then did he realize that he had been severely injured in his match with Su-gyeong.

"Kuh!"

Dam Ho's eyes reddened.

Though he had been unconscious for a long time, he knew how badly he had been broken. With injuries of this magnitude, recovering his body alone would take years—let alone practicing martial arts.

Then Sage Hyeon-so reached out and stroked Dam Ho's head.

"Do not worry, Ho-ya."

"Master."

"The time it takes to recover will not be as long as you think."

Sage Hyeon-so propped Dam Ho up against the wall. Only then did Dam Ho notice that his entire body was covered in medicinal herbs. He did not need to ask to know they were the work of Sage Hyeon-so.

After settling Dam Ho, Sage Hyeon-so retrieved a large wooden box from the corner of the room. Inside lay dozens of dark reddish-brown pills.

"What are these?"

"Something good for the body."

Sage Hyeon-so took out a single pill.

In that instant, Dam Ho's pupils wavered. The hand that held the pill was covered in wounds.

"Master, your hand—"

"It is nothing. Do not worry about it."

What reason would a man who had spent his life reading scriptures have for wounds on his hands? They must have been sustained while scouring Mount Hua for the medicinal herbs that now covered Dam Ho's body.

Sage Hyeon-so's tattered Daoist robe was proof of this. There were certainly worse wounds hidden beneath.

"Take it quickly."

"Master."

"What, do you not trust my skill?"

Sage Hyeon-so smiled gently.

"That is not—"

"Then take it quickly."

"Yes!"

Dam Ho asked no further questions and swallowed the pill.

"Now circulate the Heavy Heaven Heart Method to spread the medicine's effects."

Dam Ho nodded and entered meditation. As he did, Sage Hyeon-so collapsed to the floor with a heavy sigh.

"Hah!"

A sigh escaped him unbidden.

What Dam Ho had taken was an elixir called the Cloud Yang Pill—a treasure whose formula had been passed down among Scholar Taoists, so rare that few even knew its name.

Unlike the Plum Blossom Divine Elixir, the supreme treasure of the Mount Hua Sect, it did not cause an explosive increase in power. But with prolonged use, internal energy steadily accumulated, and the muscles and bones were fortified.

Sage Hyeon-so had spent three full days combing Sangong Mountain for the ingredients to make the Cloud Yang Pill. The ingredients themselves were mostly common herbs, but because they grew on cliff faces or in remote, unfrequented places, he had been forced to risk his life.

He had fallen multiple times and plunged into ravines, but Sage Hyeon-so had ultimately obtained every ingredient needed.

Even after obtaining the ingredients, Sage Hyeon-so could not rest. Refining them into Cloud Yang Pills was no easy task.

A momentary lapse in fire control could undo days of effort. The process of making Cloud Yang Pills was grueling.

For days and nights without proper sleep, he had managed to produce only a few dozen pills.

"If the Heavy Heaven Heart Method is an iron furnace, then the Cloud Yang Pill is dry kindling. When dry kindling feeds the flame, the furnace must glow hot."

Sage Hyeon-so had memorized countless martial arts texts as a Scholar Taoist. Though he could not perform them with his body, his insight was far from lacking. His understanding of martial arts exceeded that of most ordinary martial artists.

Sage Hyeon-so sat with his arms crossed, watching Dam Ho circulate his energy. Color was slowly returning to Dam Ho's pallid face. It did not mean he was healed at once, but the worst seemed to have passed.

Still, Sage Hyeon-so could not relax entirely and kept close watch on Dam Ho's condition. One quarter-hour, two—the hours trickled by without end.

Dam Ho completed his circulation at dawn the following day.

"Hah!"

Dam Ho opened his eyes as his breathing steadied.

The first person he saw was, as always, Sage Hyeon-so. He had watched over Dam Ho the entire night.

"Master?"

"Are you all right?"

"I am much better."

He was not merely saying it to reassure his Master. Before the circulation, even breathing had been difficult. Now, his breathing came far more easily.

"That is a relief."

"It is thanks to you, Master."

"For the time being, take Cloud Yang Pills and circulate the Heavy Heaven Heart Method. You will not be able to move about much regardless."

"I will do as you say."

Dam Ho nodded.

Sage Hyeon-so gazed at him steadily. Dam Ho looked back.

"I heard what happened. You sparred with Su-gyeong."

"Yes."

"Do not blame Su-gyeong. It was not his choice."

"I know."

"Sage Hyeon-geom has always been extreme. He will stop at nothing to see his will done."

"I think I understand."

"This Master will apologize on his behalf."

"You have done nothing wrong, Master."

"No. All of this is my fault. If I had made my decision sooner, you would never have suffered this."

Sage Hyeon-so fell silent for a moment and gazed out the window. Through the open window, Lotus Peak was visible in the distance. Dam Ho followed his Master's gaze.

The eyes of the two as they looked upon Lotus Peak were strikingly similar.

After a time, Sage Hyeon-so finally spoke.

"Ho-ya!"

"Yes, Master."

"I will help you. Together, we will create a martial art that is right for you."

Dam Ho's eyes wavered.