Chapter 122

Chapter 122: The Fluttering of a Butterfly's Wings Summons the Storm (1)

Dam Ho and Bang Jin-bo departed from the inn. Due to the incident the previous night, Shouzhou was in an uproar. People were reluctant to go outside, and the streets were lined with Daoists of the Nine Palaces Gate.

The Daoists stopped and searched anyone who aroused even the slightest suspicion. Fortunately, no one approached Dam Ho or Bang Jin-bo. Iron Crown Sage had ordered his disciples never to approach Dam Ho directly. They kept their distance, maintaining vigilance but never drawing near.

The intense gazes directed at them from all around made Bang Jin-bo shake his head. Having followed Dam Ho for some time, he was growing accustomed to it, but it was still unsettling.

'Am I going to become a celebrity at this rate too?'

Bang Jin-bo glanced over at Dam Ho. Dam Ho continued to ride the Dark Stallion in silence, his face betraying no emotion whatsoever. For ordinary people, the near-collision with the Nine Palaces Gate would have been a major incident, but to Dam Ho, it seemed to be nothing of consequence.

'My brother really is something else.'

Bang Jin-bo shook his head slightly. Ever since he began traveling with Dam Ho, the journey had never once been smooth. But he had no desire to part ways with him.

"Hehe!"

A small laugh escaped him. Fortunately, Dam Ho did not seem to notice. He simply urged the Dark Stallion forward in silence.

After riding for some time, the two arrived at the main road leading out of Shouzhou. Nearly a hundred Daoists had gathered there, the Nine Palaces Gate's forces blocking the road to the outside. They were conducting thorough inspections of anyone attempting to leave, scrutinizing women regardless of age with particular care.

As Dam Ho and Bang Jin-bo approached, the Daoists' eyes turned toward them in unison. One was a man in black mounted on a black horse, the other a chubby youth carrying an enormous bundle on his back. It was a combination that would stand out anywhere. Yet not a single Nine Palaces Gate Daoist stepped forward. Iron Crown Sage's orders were being faithfully carried out even here—do not approach, do not obstruct.

That was the order.

As Dam Ho and Bang Jin-bo passed through the blockade and left Shouzhou, two Daoists came sprinting toward the road at full speed.

"We've found the demoness!"

"She was spotted more than ten li outside the city!"

At their cries, the waiting Daoists rushed off. The road was cleared in an instant, and Dam Ho and Bang Jin-bo were able to leave Shouzhou without further trouble.

Bang Jin-bo suddenly asked, "Do you really think that woman injured the Nine Palaces Gate's sect leader?"

"She most likely did."

"How can you tell?"

"When you learn martial arts, you'll understand."

"Really?"

"Yes."

At Dam Ho's words, Bang Jin-bo furrowed his brow. After thinking for a while, he finally spoke again.

"Hyung, I want to learn martial arts."

Dam Ho turned to look at Bang Jin-bo, surprised by the unexpected words. Bang Jin-bo wore an expression of absolute seriousness—something Dam Ho had not seen from him in a very long time.

"You want to learn martial arts?"

"Yes!"

"Do you want to become strong?"

"No."

Bang Jin-bo shook his head.

"Then why?"

"I want to save people."

"……"

"If you learn martial arts, you can cultivate internal energy, right? I was thinking that if you learn to use that internal energy properly, you might be able to infuse beneficial energy into food."

A glint of interest appeared in Dam Ho's eyes.

"What made you think of that?"

"It just occurred to me one day. Internal energy is truly miraculous, isn't it? It can make someone as strong as you, Hyung, and allow them to transcend human limits. So I thought—if you could use that energy to prepare food, it would surely benefit people."

"I see."

"Will you teach me martial arts?"

"No!"

"So I really can't learn?"

"It's not that you can't—it's that I can't teach you."

"What do you mean?"

"My martial arts are destructive. They have nothing to do with the concept you have in mind."

The Dark Shadow Fist, known throughout the world as the Solitary Path style, was a form of martial art that only Dam Ho could practice. To master the Solitary Path style, one needed the same killing intent and dark venom that Dam Ho possessed. Bang Jin-bo had no such killing intent. An ordinary person like him could never master the Solitary Path style, no matter how many times they were reborn.

"Then it's all right for me to learn other martial arts?"

"There is a martial art suited to every person. Somewhere out there, there must be one that suits you."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"If such a martial art exists, can I learn it?"

"Of course."

Dam Ho reached out his large hand and ruffled Bang Jin-bo's hair. Bang Jin-bo smiled with delight. Dam Ho was a man who, once he made a promise, would always keep it. Bang Jin-bo had never once seen him break his word. Someday, Dam Ho would surely find a martial art that suited him. He had promised. Bang Jin-bo began to imagine learning martial arts and became lost in the daydream.

Dam Ho watched him and thought to himself: 'Jin-bo would suit a martial art that harmonizes the energies of the Five Elements.'

Such martial arts were rare in the world. But they were not impossible to find. Dam Ho knew that when a human being devoted themselves to a single pursuit with single-minded determination, they could accomplish a great deal. He himself had grown in such a manner. Since he had walked the harsh path first, he could point others toward a safer route.

It was then that Dam Ho's thoughts were broken. He looked ahead. A sharp scent of blood, carried on the wind, had stimulated his nostrils. A deep furrow appeared between his brows. The smell of blood was stronger than he had expected. He did not wish to be involved, but the problem was that the scent was coming from the direction they were headed.

"Hyung?"

Bang Jin-bo had apparently also caught the smell of blood and snapped out of his thoughts. After traveling with Dam Ho, his sense of smell had become exceptionally keen—perhaps even keener than that of most high-level masters. The farther they walked along the road, the stronger the scent of blood became. And a short while later, they saw the source with their own eyes.

"What is this?"

Countless bodies lay strewn across the road. They were Daoists, wearing the robes and caps of their order.

"They look like Nine Palaces Gate Daoists."

Dam Ho nodded at Bang Jin-bo's words. All had been killed cleanly with a single sword stroke. They had likely felt little pain in their final moments. The sword strikes were neat to the point of being pathological.

Countless dead lay before them, but Dam Ho felt little. Bang Jin-bo, however, was different. Having Dam Ho beside him was some comfort, but the fact that a bloodbath was taking place nearby was enough to make him shrink.

Bang Jin-bo drove his horse forward, glancing around nervously. Dam Ho's expression, in contrast, showed not a trace of emotion. Whatever was happening around them had nothing to do with him. But the affairs of the world did not always bend to Dam Ho's wishes. Less than ten li later, they saw the Nine Palaces Gate Daoists locked in combat with a veiled woman.

"Grr!"

"Push harder!"

The Nine Palaces Gate Daoists shouted and fought desperately, but the veiled woman they faced was as immovable as an iron wall.

The veiled woman was Eum Yu-gyeong. The Nine Palaces Gate's Daoists attacked with desperate tenacity, but Eum Yu-gyeong felt little threat from them. The Nine Palaces Gate's Daoists were certainly strong—but only by ordinary standards. Their swords lacked the will to kill. A sword without the resolve to take the enemy's life was not enough to trouble a woman whose training ran as deep as hers.

The place where she had been born and raised was a land of the survival of the fittest—a hell where weakness was a sin and surviving by one's own strength was the natural order. Eum Yu-gyeong had been born at the very bottom of that hell and clawed her way up to her present position. Neither her mind nor her martial arts were so weak as to be threatened by the warriors of the Nine Palaces Gate. The only burden she felt was the fact that she would have to kill them all.

"Demoness!"

Iron Crown Sage roared at the sight of Eum Yu-gyeong. Seeing the righteous fury in his eyes, Eum Yu-gyeong shook her head slightly. She understood his anger. But anger should not be squandered so recklessly. When facing an enemy beyond one's capacity to handle, preserving one's strength was also a form of vengeance. A leader who, blinded by rage, drove all his subordinates to their deaths was no leader at all.

Tap!

Eum Yu-gyeong kicked off the ground. Her form shot high into the air, then plunged like an arrow toward the spot where Iron Crown Sage stood.

"Who says I will retreat? Yaaah!"

Iron Crown Sage's eyes bulged as he unleashed the most powerful technique in his arsenal. His sword qi erupted like a fan, spreading in every direction. He was attempting to predict and seal off all avenues of Eum Yu-gyeong's evasion. Though the sword qi hurtled toward her at close range, Eum Yu-gyeong did not so much as blink. She twisted her body in midair, and her entire form traced an unpredictable arc.

Ping!

The sword in her hand shot outward. There was no sword qi bound to Eum Yu-gyeong's blade. But as her sword clashed with Iron Crown Sage, he felt a power so immense he could not resist it.

"Demoness, you…"

Schlick!

In that instant, everything was cut through. The sword qi Iron Crown Sage had created. And his chest.

Pit!

Blood spurted. Not a great deal of it. But it was enough to sever his heart meridian and snuff out his life.

Iron Crown Sage's hand, now empty of its sword, flailed uselessly at the air. But only for a moment—then his body collapsed like a sandcastle.

"Elder!"

The Nine Palaces Gate Daoists rushed toward him in a frenzy. Their eyes were bloodshot, their chests seething with rage. Eum Yu-gyeong could feel it. But that was all. Anger unaccompanied by power was merely self-destruction. In any situation, the mind must remain clear, and one must be able to suppress the beating of one's heart.

Shwish! Shwish!

Her sword sliced through the air again and again. The remaining Nine Palaces Gate Daoists lost their lives. It was a truly terrifying swordsmanship.

Bang Jin-bo had never before witnessed such a fearsome display. Everything about Eum Yu-gyeong—from the movement of her blade to her breathing—was restrained to the utmost, achieving peak efficiency.

"Guh! Demoness…"

One of the Daoists, still clinging to life, glared at Eum Yu-gyeong with hatred in his eyes. But only for a moment—the light of life vanished from his pupils along with his focus.

"Whew!"

Only then did Eum Yu-gyeong sheathe her sword and let out a breath. Two unfamiliar gazes suddenly pricked at her. Mounted on horseback, she saw two men: Dam Ho and Bang Jin-bo.

"Are you chasing me as well?"

The icy cold in her voice made Bang Jin-bo flinch. But Dam Ho merely studied her in silence. His gaze made Eum Yu-gyeong shudder—it was a look that seemed to see through her entirely.

Dam Ho's lips parted.

"So it was you."