Chapter 344 – Wudang's Heaven Is Not the Martial World's Heaven (1)

Taoist Cheong-jin's face contorted unpleasantly.

Though he was in a position of merely running errands for Taoist Cheong-mu, he was still an elder of the Wudang Sect, one of the Nine Great Sects in the martial world.

All the Wudang Sect disciples, Jun County, and even all martial artists in Hubei Province looked up to him. The gazes directed at him contained utmost reverence and courtesy. But Dam Ho's eyes were different.

Those eyes contained no emotion whatsoever, making one doubt whether they truly belonged to a human.

Glass-like emotionless eyes made even the old Taoist who had trained at Wudang for many years feel chilled to the bone.

Suddenly fear surged forward. Taoist Cheong-jin couldn't help but feel bewildered by this unfamiliar emotional wave. However, befitting a Wudang Sect elder, he quickly collected himself and shouted loudly:

"Are you truly the Fist Demon himself?"

"What if I am?"

"Come with me up to Wudang Mountain."

"Why should I?"

"Why? If you've come to Jun County, isn't it proper courtesy to visit the Wudang Sect? What do you think of the Wudang Sect?"

Trying to hide his fear naturally made his voice louder and the atmosphere more menacing.

Dam Ho's eyes narrowed.

"What's that to me?"

"What?"

"Do I need to care about the Wudang Sect?"

"How dare you!"

"Watch your mouth. The martial world is a place where one wrong word can get you killed."

Suddenly the atmosphere in the courtyard turned cold.

Not only Nam Woo-saeng but even Woo Jo-yang stared at Dam Ho with wide eyes.

They knew Dam Ho was arrogant, but they never expected him to speak so carelessly even to a Wudang Sect elder.

This was no ordinary person but a Wudang Sect elder. The weight of the Wudang Sect's name was on a different level from other sects. Moreover, this place was Jun County, which could be called the Wudang Sect's front yard.

In the Wudang Sect's front yard, probably only Dam Ho in all the world could speak such harsh words to a Wudang Sect elder.

At Dam Ho's harsh words, Taoist Cheong-jin momentarily wore a dumbfounded expression. But soon tremendous rage invaded his mind, making him furious.

"How dare! How dare you insult the Wudang Sect!"

The hem of his Taoist robe fluttered wildly as if caught in a headwind. Though it was an appearance that evoked intimidation just by looking, Dam Ho merely stared silently without showing any reaction.

That appearance made Taoist Cheong-jin even angrier.

"This bastard! Your arrogance pierces the heavens. In the name of Wudang, I shall punish your arrogance!"

Whoosh!

Suddenly, without any warning, a sinister energy rushed at Dam Ho.

Cotton Palm, commonly called Wudang Cotton Palm, was the Wudang Sect's supreme technique.

The Cotton Palm, containing such sinister power that it was hard to believe it was the supreme technique of the prestigious orthodox Wudang Sect, was extremely tricky to block.

Taoist Cheong-jin didn't believe the Cotton Palm could inflict great damage on Dam Ho. But he was confident he could at least deliver some blow as a warning.

Bang!

But the moment the Cotton Palm dissipated with a brief sound in front of Dam Ho, he realized deep in his bones how complacently he had been thinking.

Kwaaaaaa!

Tremendous pressure concentrated on him like a tidal wave rushing in. It didn't take long to realize this phenomenon occurred as Dam Ho moved, because Dam Ho had already reached right up to him.

Wildly fluttering black hair, beneath it fiercely gleaming savage eyes, and a tightly clenched fist.

"Gasp!"

Taoist Cheong-jin tried to retreat in shock. But at that moment, powerful Pulling and Drawing Energy arose and dragged his body forward.

"What?"

Bang!

At that moment, the Shattering Palm Strike exploded.

Along with intense impact, Taoist Cheong-jin's consciousness became distant.

Like colliding with a massive boulder rolling down from a mountain peak, his body was crushed and flung backward.

Both forearms that had instinctively crossed to block Dam Ho's fist were broken and dangling, and his chest front was dyed red with blood.

At least the Wudang Sect's body-protecting technique, the Infinite Sphere Technique, had spontaneously activated to protect his entire body, limiting the damage to this extent. Otherwise, he would have died instantly from one blow.

But Dam Ho's attack wasn't finished yet.

The Shattering Palm Strike was merely the prologue.

Dam Ho's eyes gleamed fiercely. Even in his fading consciousness, seeing those eyes made Taoist Cheong-jin terrified.

Dam Ho stretched both arms toward Taoist Cheong-jin's collar. He was about to deploy the Earth Shattering Strike.

Once the Earth Shattering Strike was deployed, it was over. This savage attack that used the earth as a weapon boasted tremendous lethality. Once the collar was grabbed, no escape method existed.

Taoist Cheong-jin, with both arms broken, had no way to block Dam Ho's Earth Shattering Strike. In dark despair, it was the moment he squeezed his eyes shut.

"Please show mercy."

Swish, swish, swish!

Along with a clear voice, sharp sword energy cut between Dam Ho and Taoist Cheong-jin.

Taoist Cheong-jin didn't miss that crucial moment and could retreat backward. Dam Ho stopped in place and looked at the owner of the sword energy.

The moment he saw the woman of marriageable age descending with fluttering robes between Taoist Cheong-jin and Dam Ho, curiosity appeared in Dam Ho's eyes.

"It's been a while. Dam… no, Great Hero Dam!"

The woman's face, wearing a bitter smile while looking at Dam Ho, was familiar.

A slender figure with a melancholy face and a unique mysterious atmosphere.

"Yeon… So-ha."

She was precisely Yeon So-ha, disciple of Taoist Cheong-heo. The sword energy just now had been launched by her.

"To meet like this. I'm sorry."

"Will you interfere?"

"He's still our sect's elder."

Yeon So-ha's voice sank low.

She had been restraining herself from external activities following her master, Taoist Cheong-heo. If her fellow disciple Hyeon-gung hadn't come asking for a favor, she would never have come outside.

The look in her eyes gazing at Dam Ho clearly revealed complex emotions.

She was strangely entangled in bad karma with Dam Ho.

Thirteen years ago, it was the Wudang Sect that decided to leave him in the Heavenly Gold Demon Prison, and three years ago at the Martial Alliance, it was also the Wudang Sect that tried to persecute Dam Ho for absurd reasons.

For the Wudang Sect, which prided itself as a prestigious sect and one of the two great pillars of the martial world, these were indelible faults and irreversible dark history. And now that dark history was about to repeat itself.

Yeon So-ha had to somehow prevent it. Continuing to oppose Dam Ho would only make the Wudang Sect's honor fall to the ground.

Dam Ho silently looked at Yeon So-ha. Yeon So-ha lowered her head to avoid Dam Ho's gaze. She was biting her lip hard enough to draw blood.

While Yeon So-ha blocked Dam Ho this way, Taoist Cheong-jin threw his dignity to the ground and fled.

Dam Ho didn't pursue Taoist Cheong-jin. If he had wanted to, he could have knocked down Yeon So-ha and easily caught up with him.

Dam Ho's eyes narrowed.

"Are you confident you can handle the situation that will unfold from now on?"

"……"

"You didn't think that far ahead?"

Yeon So-ha didn't answer. No, she couldn't.

She had only thought about saving Taoist Cheong-jin's life, not considering what would happen afterward.

Taoist Cheong-jin was an elder of the Wudang Sect. With an elder returning with both arms broken by an outsider, they couldn't just sit still.

Moreover, countless martial artists had entered Jun County now. If they stood by and watched, they might be looked down upon.

Surely the Wudang Sect would come with full force.

"Ah!"

Only then did she realize her mistake.

Whatever the problem was, it should have been resolved here. She shouldn't have let Taoist Cheong-jin flee back to the Wudang Sect like that.

'Once again…'

Yeon So-ha bit her lips hard enough to draw blood. Blood actually flowed, but she didn't even feel the pain.

The man before her eyes was too extreme. Action came before words, and because of that, he had seen countless bloodshed.

Because of this, everyone had the prejudice that Dam Ho was just a brute strong only in martial arts. Yeon So-ha was the same.

But the moment she conversed with Dam Ho, Yeon So-ha could realize how terrifying a prejudice that was.

Dam Ho wasn't someone who acted solely by wielding powerful force. At least he clearly understood cause and effect, and he acted that way because he was confident he could solve problems by wielding power. But by intervening, she had instead escalated the situation.

"I'm… sorry. Time and again…"

Her voice crawled low.

Dam Ho silently looked at such Yeon So-ha.

His eyes contained no light of resentment or reproach. He just looked silently. That appearance was rather more burdensome for Yeon So-ha.

Unable to bear the burden, Yeon So-ha opened her mouth.

"Just… wouldn't it be better if Great Hero Dam simply left this place? If Great Hero Dam just leaves, no problems will arise. With time, misunderstandings will also be resolved. No, I'll definitely resolve them, so please do that."

"……"

"It's a request. Please!"

Yeon So-ha looked at Dam Ho with eyes full of earnestness. Her eyes were teary as if she would cry at any moment.

Ordinary men would surely have been moved by such a look from Yeon So-ha. But the moment she saw Dam Ho's eyes, Yeon So-ha realized once again how wrongly she was thinking.

Not a trace of wavering existed in Dam Ho's eyes.

Those pitch-black pupils held no light of any emotion.

He opened his mouth.

"You're not a complete martial artist."

"What do you mean?"

"If you were a true martial artist, you could never say such things. Don't take a martial artist's pride lightly. Sometimes even for one small point of pride, staking one's life is the martial artist's fate."

"I'm not unaware of that. But sometimes flexibility is also necessary."

"When retreating becomes a habit, you forget how to advance."

Sometimes one must have the courage to burn everything even while knowing it's disadvantageous. Even knowing that in the end, only ash will remain.

Dam Ho had lived that way until now.

Avoiding because it's disadvantageous, resting because it hurts, hiding because it's dangerous – that wasn't Dam Ho.

Advance, and advance again.

In that process, even becoming bloody and suffering great wounds, he advanced.

One step, then another step.

Step by step accumulated to become who he is today.

It's not that he doesn't retreat because he doesn't know that sometimes retreating is easier.

The values formed in the Heavenly Prison Demon Vault, the way of thinking hardened on battlefields, made it inevitable.

"Ah!"

A quiet groan flowed through Yeon So-ha's lips.

Dam Ho's words made her realize many things. They made her recall what she had been losing until now.

A martial artist's will.

The indomitable will that never yields to any hardship or threat.

Yeon So-ha's face flushed red with shame. Only then could she recall how foolish she had been.

She wasn't a perfect martial artist as Dam Ho said. She was merely a peripheral figure with one foot on the martial world's boundary line while receiving protection from the prestigious Wudang Sect.

"I'm sorry."

"……"

"Everything is all…"

Yeon So-ha's expression, who was apologizing, changed.

A completely different face and eyes from before. Something had changed in her heart.

Seeing that, Woo Jo-yang and Nam Woo-saeng conversed.

"Is it alright to do that?"

"Do what?"

"Still, it's the Wudang Sect…"

Woo Jo-yang trailed off. Nam Woo-saeng answered.

"He's the Fist Demon."

"Head escort."

"Because he's a man who has overcome all hardships with just his fists, he has that right."

"But the opponent is the Wudang Sect."

"Let me tell you."

Nam Woo-saeng paused briefly and looked at Woo Jo-yang.

Unease was clearly revealed on Woo Jo-yang's face. That was normal. Anyone ordinary would inevitably show such a reaction.

But someone like Nam Woo-saeng who had directly experienced Dam Ho would inevitably react differently.

"I don't think the Wudang Sect is above the Fist Demon."

"Such…"

"Has the Wudang Sect walked the path of blood like the Fist Demon? Have they ever fought shedding blood like Great Hero Dam? The path of hardship he walked made him more solid and frightening. The Wudang Sect is above such a man? I absolutely don't think so."

Nam Woo-saeng snorted.

Because he had seen with his own eyes, he could be certain.

The man called Dam Ho was real.

"As he said, those who make retreating a habit forget how to advance. Perhaps the Wudang Sect as a sect is a giant that has forgotten how to advance?"

His voice echoed through the heavens.

Jin Ja-gang felt refreshed by An Ryeong’s words.

A woman searching for human warmth in a martial world filled only with merciless killing intent and madness.

What kind of optimistic thinking was this?

An Ryeong seemed to become more intoxicated as she spoke, opening Bang Muk’s eyes wider while raising her voice.

“Someone of your caliber can afford to take some risks now! Aren’t you curious whether loyalty still remains in times like these?”

“Ahhh, Miss An Ryeong! My eyes are tearing!”

When Bang Muk screamed, An Ryeong was startled and let him go.

“Huh? Sorry. I got excited.”

“Ow, it’s fine. I know Miss An Ryeong isn’t called Burning Phoenix for nothing.”

Woon-jeong also seemed persuaded by An Ryeong’s words and looked at Jin Ja-gang with pleading eyes.

“Poison Dragon… Though it may be presumptuous of me, these two people seemed sincere when helping the villagers. Perhaps… we could try believing them once? If we can solve problems without fighting and without people getting hurt, that would be good too.”

Should he trust Bang Muk?

Jin Ja-gang fell into deep thought.

Looking at Bang Muk’s earnest gaze, Jin Ja-gang felt something had changed.

This wasn’t simply a matter of whether to trust Bang Muk or not.

It was a matter about Jin Ja-gang himself.

Until now, Jin Ja-gang had fought against misunderstandings directed at him. He had to make others understand his innocence and persuade them of the legitimacy of his revenge.

But now he was in the opposite position.

Instead of being in a position to ask someone to believe him, he was in a position where he had to believe someone. He had to decide whether to believe someone’s earnestness, even at potential loss to himself.

Just as he had once been.

“Don’t trust Physician Bell Healers, but try trusting this person… May I understand it that way?”

“Why not? You have nothing to lose anyway.”

“If I had nothing to lose, I’d try it without any reservations. But…”

As Jin Ja-gang opened his mouth to say something, An Ryeong extended her finger to block his lips.

“If you’re going to say things like the world being harsh, or how one small matter could ruin great affairs, just shut up and get lost. I’ve met countless cowards who make excuses because they’re afraid of losing out and getting hurt.”

Woon-jeong and Bang Muk were startled.

‘Oh no! Her finger on Poison Dragon’s lips!’

Jin Ja-gang’s eyes contorted. Woon-jeong and Bang Muk tensed up. An Ryeong was still looking down at Jin Ja-gang as if asking what he would do.

At that moment, Jin Ja-gang bit down hard on An Ryeong’s finger.

“Ouch!”

An Ryeong was startled and pulled her finger away. Blood flowed where his teeth had bitten deeply near the nail root. Jin Ja-gang had bitten strongly without showing any mercy.

An Ryeong looked at Jin Ja-gang with incredulous eyes.

“What kind of crazy person does that?”

Jin Ja-gang retorted as if it were natural.

“Did you block someone else’s mouth without that much resolve?”

“What?”

Woon-jeong was about to laugh but covered his mouth with his hand.

This was indeed Jin Ja-gang.

“There’s no poison.”

Jin Ja-gang spat out saliva mixed with a bit of blood and turned his gaze to Bang Muk.

“Tomorrow evening. I’ll visit Physician Bell Healers’ estate. If I obtain what I need then, I’ll leave immediately.”

Bang Muk was delighted.

“Thank you! I’ll definitely persuade our leader. Thank you for believing in me.”

Bang Muk found it uncomfortable to stay longer and stood up immediately.

“Then I’ll go ahead.”

Bang Muk also cupped his fists to thank An Ryeong.

“Thank you, Miss An Ryeong.”

“It’s fine, so prepare lots of liquor. Since I guaranteed Brother Bang. If it goes well, celebratory drinks! If not, penalty drinks!”

“Haha, of course.”

Bang Muk nodded several times, then organized his things and left.

Jin Ja-gang also stood up without lingering and went to the lodging the farmers had prepared.

“Ow, it hurts.”

An Ryeong sucked on her bleeding finger while glaring at Jin Ja-gang’s retreating figure with fierce eyes.

* * *

“Grand Harmony Courtyard is in that direction. You can arrive this evening. You’ll arrive at just the right time for drinks.”

Grand Harmony Courtyard was the estate where Physician Bell Healers was located, situated quite deep within Zhuma Station.

“Understood.”

When Jin Ja-gang went ahead, An Ryeong was annoyed again.

Having traveled all morning without much conversation, she was both bored and in a bad mood.

An Ryeong complained to Woon-jeong.

“Why is that person like that? Is he originally that quiet?”

“Poison Dragon is naturally a bit shy around strangers.”

“Poison Dragon is shy?”

An Ryeong showed Woon-jeong her bandaged finger.

“Normal shy people don’t just bite strangers they meet for the first time.”

“It’s because he’s shy. He was startled when you stuck out your finger when you’re not even close.”

An Ryeong looked at Woon-jeong with strange eyes.

“When you say things like that, it’s strangely believable.”

“I hear that a lot. Primordial Heavenly Venerate.”

“Still, since we’re traveling together anyway, it would be nice to chat about this and that. There’s no need to stay apart like that.”

“When he gets a bit closer, he tends to share what’s on his mind.”

“I’m curious about many things. This is the first time I’ve actually seen Poison Dragon, and he feels completely different from the rumors, so it’s strange.”

“Most people say that. That he’s different from rumors when seen directly. Miss, you also heard Poison Dragon was a murderer obsessed with killing, right?”

“Right. So I was thinking of him as half-crazy. I never expected him to have such a calm and cool personality.”

“Just looking at his appearance, he looks like he’d kill people without batting an eye. But when you know the truth…”

“When you know the truth?”

“You realize he indeed kills people without batting an eye.”

Gasp.

An Ryeong was confused.

“The rumors don’t seem different?”

“Exactly. Only the feeling is different, but actually it’s not much different from the rumors.”

Jin Ja-gang, who had been walking ahead, stopped. Then he turned around and said.

“One of the reasons strange rumors about me spread is definitely because of Taoist Woon-jeong.”

“Come on, that can’t be. I only speak facts. For example, Poison Dragon is a cold-hearted killer to martial artists but to civilians he tries to…”

Woon-jeong was about to say that he had taken care of merchants on the ship, but suddenly remembered the woman Jin Ja-gang had killed at Yellow Crane Tower last time.

Woon-jeong swallowed his words.

“Please forget what I was going to say.”

An Ryeong’s face contorted.

“It’s scarier when you don’t finish!”

An Ryeong gave up talking to Woon-jeong and watched Jin Ja-gang.

Limp, limp.

Though Jin Ja-gang walked with a slight limp, his pace was quite fast.

But he wasn’t just walking thoughtlessly – he was constantly exploring his surroundings. Occasionally he’d step off the path to examine something, and when there were hills or corners, he’d look into the distance and smell the wind. When there were mud puddles or wet soil, he’d briefly kneel and examine them.

“What are you doing?”

“…”

“What are you doing?”

“…”

When Jin Ja-gang continued not answering, An Ryeong pondered briefly, chose her words, and asked.

“Excuse me, what are you doing?”

“I’m looking at traces left on the road.”

An Ryeong was shocked.

“What!”

An Ryeong asked again politely.

“What kind of traces?”

“Footprints that seem to have used light movement techniques, but it’s a type I haven’t seen before.”

It was a much more friendly answer than before.

An Ryeong couldn’t recover from her shock.

An Ryeong asked Woon-jeong incredulously.

“Don’t tell me… don’t tell me the reason he ignored me and wouldn’t answer was…”

Woon-jeong nodded.

“He’s shy.”

“That’s not it! He answers well when I ask now!”

“He always answers well when asked.”

An Ryeong looked at Woon-jeong suspiciously.

“It seems like he only answers when you use polite speech?”

“Ah, yes. That’s right. He tends to dislike rude people. Last time he fought with Shaolin monks just by asking questions. Neither side answered at all.”

“Wow…”

An Ryeong stared at Jin Ja-gang with her mouth open.

“I really have nothing to say.”

Jin Ja-gang didn’t care what An Ryeong said and continued walking while examining the ground. Then he stood in one spot looking at the ground.

An Ryeong frowned and walked to Jin Ja-gang’s side.

“I’m dying of curiosity. Let’s find out together. What kind of tracks are they?”

Woon-jeong also came to see the tracks Jin Ja-gang had found.

As Jin Ja-gang had said, they were footprints. Just one right footprint was clearly imprinted.

But the footprint was very distinct. The heel had dug into the ground about half a span deep, and the front of the foot made an even deeper mark.

Jin Ja-gang said.

“According to what I heard from Taoist Woon-jeong before, light movement techniques use only the front of the foot to run lightly. But this footprint shows the complete outline.”

Jin Ja-gang pointed behind.

“Left and right footprints appear at regular intervals. I’ve been checking since earlier, and each step is more than two zhang wide.”

An Ryeong thought briefly then answered.

“While making the body light is key to light movement techniques, when pushing off for speed, you need to step down somewhat strongly. So footprints and traces inevitably remain, and tracking techniques use those traces.”

“I see. But these footprints are too obvious.”

“Sometimes people use such light movement techniques when speed is more important than conserving internal energy for long distances, or when stealth isn’t particularly necessary. Especially some sects deliberately leave such traces showily. As if showing off.”

Jin Ja-gang examined from the ground to the sides and asked.

“Which sects?”

“Hmm… If I had to give an example, Shaolin Temple that we talked about earlier? Shaolin Temple is especially famous for not hiding their tracks. So people sometimes avoid areas when they see Shaolin tracks.”

Woon-jeong added.

“That’s right. I remember now. It’s called Great Power Divine Nail. They say when you use that light movement technique, footprints get stamped like driving nails.”

Jin Ja-gang picked up a grass sprout from the footprint. It was a seedling that had been trampled and crushed.

After rubbing the sprout to check its sap, Jin Ja-gang said.

“There are three footprints total. Two more to the left and right, and they passed at least this long ago.”

“Huh? If it’s three, then…”

“The golden orchid robe and two in gray robes we met on our way. Three Shaolin monks.”

An Ryeong tilted her head.

“If it’s golden orchid robes, that’s a Shaolin Vajra Monk. If they wore gray robes with white sashes and carried Great Precept Swords that look cut in half, they’d be Arhat monks assisting the Vajra Monk.”

Woon-jeong was also puzzled.

“This isn’t the way back to Shaolin Temple, so why did they go this way?”

Jin Ja-gang looked ahead and asked.

“What did we tell them when we met them before coming here?”

“Well, we delivered Master Beom-mong’s last words. The alliance leader dies and poison sects are…”

Woon-jeong’s face turned white as he spoke.

“Ahhhhh! Don’t tell me?”

An Ryeong was startled and interrupted.

“No, what do you mean the Alliance Leader dies? What are you talking about?”

Jin Ja-gang gritted his teeth and said.

“It seems we need to hurry.”