Chapter 142

Chapter 142: Those Who Have Forgotten the Past, Those Who Cannot Forget (2)

A feast was underway.

In the vast open ground, a great bonfire had been lit, and hundreds of mats and low tables had been spread out. Upon each mat and table lay mountains of food.

"Wahahaha!"

"How wonderful!"

Smiles graced every face.

It had been so long since the last feast that the people's joy was even greater.

Dam Ho and Muk Il-gwang had taken their seats as well—a low table near the bonfire.

"Brother, let me pour you a drink."

Muk Il-gwang filled Dam Ho's cup to the brim. From the day he had resolved to follow Dam Ho as his elder brother, he had treated him with utmost devotion.

Dam Ho poured liquor into Muk Il-gwang's cup as well.

"Thank you, Brother."

Muk Il-gwang's face filled with emotion.

Dam Ho regarded him for a moment, then drained his cup.

The fierce liquor brewed in the mountain stronghold seared his esophagus. But Dam Ho's expression did not so much as flicker as he emptied the cup in a single swallow.

Muk Il-gwang followed suit.

"Khuuh!"

An involuntary exclamation escaped his lips.

Drinking that potent liquor made him feel that he had truly returned to the Tyrant's Stronghold.

At that moment—

"Waaah!"

"It's the Chieftain!"

Amid the people's cheers, Hwang Gyeong-mun appeared. Behind him followed Hwang Hye-ryeong and Yun Chung.

As the crowd roared, Hwang Gyeong-mun raised a hand to quiet them.

"Is everyone enjoying yourselves?"

"We are!"

"There is no shortage of food and drink. Enjoy this day to the fullest."

"Waaah!"

A tremendous cheer erupted.

Hwang Gyeong-mun gave them a wave and took his seat on the raised platform. The leadership of the Tyrant's Stronghold—Hwang Hye-ryeong, Yun Chung, and the rest—gathered around him.

A smile graced Hwang Gyeong-mun's lips.

"Now, bring it out."

"As you command."

A subordinate darted away. Moments later, a group of people appeared in the open ground.

"Waaaah!"

"What is that?"

The sight drew involuntary gasps from the crowd.

Four men carried a whole pig skewered on a thick wooden pole, striding into the open ground. Behind them followed the women with their baskets, and Bang Jin-bo.

"Heave-ho!"

The men set the pig on the ground.

Its belly had been split open and gutted clean. The women poured into its hollow cavity the various herbs, fruits, and vegetables from their baskets.

The pig's abdomen, which had been hollow and gaunt, swelled taut in an instant. The women then lashed it tight with rope.

"Heave-ho!"

The men hoisted the pig once more and set it over the great bonfire.

"Waaah!"

Bang Jin-bo, watching from the side, stared with wide eyes.

He had never seen this method of cooking in all his life.

Crackle! Crackle!

The pig's skin sizzled over the fierce flames, turning golden brown and releasing an intoxicating aroma.

The eldest of the women spoke to Bang Jin-bo.

"There, now we only need to wait. Go take a seat."

"How long must we wait?"

"Well, the pig is enormous. I'd say at least two hours."

"Two hours?"

"Ho ho! Sit down, eat a little of this and that, and the time will pass quickly."

"I understand. You've all worked very hard today."

"And you've worked hard too, Jin-bo. Thanks to you, the work was much easier."

"What did I really do?"

"Our Jin-bo—do you have a girlfriend? If not, shall I introduce you to my daughter?"

"What?"

The woman's sudden remark made Bang Jin-bo's eyes go wide.

"Hey! Your daughter is only five years old!"

"What's wrong with five? Just close your eyes and wait a few years. What do you say?"

"No, thank you!"

Without waiting for the rest, Bang Jin-bo ran toward Dam Ho's table.

The woman watched him go with a warm, fond smile.

She had been half-joking, but she truly liked Bang Jin-bo.

He was skilled at cooking and had a wonderful personality. Working alongside him, preparing food, had made the time fly.

"What a shame! He'd make a fine son-in-law."

By then, Bang Jin-bo had arrived at the table.

"Brother!"

He sat down before Dam Ho with a beaming smile. His face was radiant with happiness.

Bang Jin-bo's smile had the power to lift the spirits of anyone who saw it.

"This place is truly incredible! The cooking, the scale of everything—it's unlike anything I've ever seen. I've never seen food prepared in such enormous quantities. And the herbs that grow only here are extraordinary. Even a small amount transforms the flavor entirely. The aunties gave me some to take with me. Heh heh!"

Bang Jin-bo waved the bamboo tube in his hand. Inside the tightly sealed tube were finely ground herbs found only in this place.

As Bang Jin-bo chattered away with excitement, Hwang Hye-ryeong approached.

"You seem to be in high spirits, Jin-bo."

"You bet! It's absolutely amazing."

Bang Jin-bo gave a thumbs up. Hwang Hye-ryeong let out a soft laugh.

She sat down at the table and looked at Dam Ho.

"How are you, Brother? Is everything comfortable?"

"I'm fine."

"That's a relief."

Hwang Hye-ryeong smiled.

"It must be because the feast is being held for the first time in so long, but everyone seems to be in high spirits. That's wonderful."

"……"

"Have you attended many feasts like this, Brother?"

"I attended one when I was young."

"Really? Where? In your home village?"

"Yes."

"How did they hold the feast in your village? Did they slaughter as many oxen and pigs as we do?"

Hwang Hye-ryeong pressed him with flushed cheeks, eager for every detail.

Dam Ho closed his eyes briefly. Hwang Hye-ryeong stared at his face.

Dam Ho spoke with his eyes still closed.

"The place I lived was extremely remote. We could barely manage to slaughter a single pig, let alone an ox."

"Then how did you hold a feast?"

"My father knew how to hunt. Even during the busy farming season, he would slip away whenever he had a moment. Most of the time he brought back small game like rabbits, but once he brought back a great wild boar. That was when the village feast was held."

It had been a remote village, perpetually impoverished. Eating meat was a luxury beyond even dreaming—a life dominated by poverty. Those were times when merely feeding one's own family was a struggle.

And yet his father had never been stingy in giving to others. He could have fed his own family alone without anyone criticizing him, but he had gladly offered up the wild boar for the entire village.

A feast was held in the starving village. Smiles bloomed on faces for the first time in ages, and the savory aroma filled every corner of the hamlet.

His father and mother had been busy preparing the boar, and young Dam Ho had to look after his even younger sister, Ga-ryeong.

But it had still been wonderful. For the first time in his life, he had eaten his fill of meat.

He had torn the meat into small pieces and fed them to little Ga-ryeong.

Her rosy cheeks as she chewed the meat, and the way she had looked up at him with a smile—

All those memories now felt hazy, like faded wallpaper.

When he opened his eyes, he saw Hwang Hye-ryeong's round eyes gazing at him. Nearly twenty years had passed, yet the face of Ga-ryeong from his memories was perfectly reflected in Hwang Hye-ryeong's features.

'Thank goodness.'

Dam Ho truly meant it.

If Hwang Hye-ryeong had been living an unhappy life, he would never have been able to bear it.

"Brother."

"Hm!"

"Have we really never met before?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Your gaze… it doesn't feel unfamiliar."

Hwang Hye-ryeong reached out and touched Dam Ho's face.

The warmth from her small hand. That feeling was not unfamiliar. If possible, he wished to keep watching over Hwang Hye-ryeong from nearby.

But Dam Ho said coldly,

"You must be imagining things."

"Is that so?"

"Yes!"

Now she was no longer Dam Ga-ryeong, but Hwang Hye-ryeong, living her own life as his younger sister. Dam Ho believed this was the path best for her.

Hwang Hye-ryeong withdrew her hand. But the look of doubt on her face did not fade.

Dam Ho—called a killer by all.

How fearsome must his epithet be, that he was called the Fist Demon? His temperament matched his reputation, and all who knew him held him in terror.

But Hwang Hye-ryeong, strangely, did not find him frightening at all. No—if anything, he felt familiar.

And that, in itself, was strange.

'Am I the only one who feels this way?'

She had many things she wanted to ask Dam Ho. But he had turned his gaze away, looking elsewhere.

"Broth—"

Just as Hwang Hye-ryeong was about to call out to him again—

"People are coming up!"

Suddenly, the guards at the entrance shouted.

Hwang Gyeong-mun, who had been enjoying the feast, furrowed his brow.

"What is it?"

"People are approaching the stronghold."

"People? Find out who they are first."

"Yes!"

The gates of the stronghold swung open, and a band of warriors rushed out.

The festive atmosphere of moments ago had vanished without a trace, replaced by tension on the warriors' faces.

These were the elites of the Tyrant's Stronghold. Having endured Hwang Gyeong-mun's ruthless training, they were always ready for battle.

At that moment—

"The brothers of the Black Dragon Stronghold are approaching!"

A loud voice came from outside the gates.

A gleam appeared in Hwang Gyeong-mun's eyes.

"The Black Dragon Stronghold?"

"Yes! The Golden Tiger Stronghold, the White Deer Stronghold, and the Blue River Stronghold are all approaching together. What shall we do?"

"Hm!"

Hwang Gyeong-mun's eyes glinted sharply.

'That man!'

The Black Dragon Stronghold, the Golden Tiger Stronghold, the White Deer Stronghold, and the Blue River Stronghold—these were all among the upper-tier strongholds of the Eighteen Forest Strongholds. Individually, none could rival the Tyrant's Stronghold, but the combined strength of four strongholds would overwhelm the remaining fourteen.

'He's drawn in even the Blue River Stronghold? Impressive reach.'

It was a meeting that had been arranged, regardless.

The timing was unfortunate, but they could not simply drive them away.

"It seems they heard the feast was underway and have come to join. Prepare a place for them."

"Yes!"

At Hwang Gyeong-mun's order, the people bustled about, making ready to receive the guests.

Moments later, the gates opened wide, and hundreds of warriors filed into the Tyrant's Stronghold.

"Hahaha! A feast, is it?"

"Did the Grand Chieftain know we were coming and hold this feast for us?"

The atmosphere inside grew raucous in an instant.

They were all brothers of the forest. Though their strongholds were different and they seldom met, the shared bond of being forest dwellers was enough to forge instant camaraderie.

Among the hundreds of forest warriors, a few stood out.

"Hahaha! Gwak Sam, Chieftain of the White Deer Stronghold, pays his respects to the Grand Chieftain!"

A massive man in a magnificent tiger-skin robe clasped his fists and bowed to Hwang Gyeong-mun with a booming laugh.

Behind him came an elderly man in red robes in his sixties, and a voluptuous woman who appeared to be in her thirties.

"Oh Jong-sam, Chieftain of the Golden Tiger Stronghold, pays his respects to the Grand Chieftain."

"Lee Ga-heun, Chieftain of the Blue River Stronghold, greets the Grand Chieftain."

They were all Chieftains of the Eighteen Forest Strongholds.

In the forest world, there were only eighteen who held such exalted positions.

At their arrival, Hwang Gyeong-mun rose to his feet.

"It's been too long, all of you."

"Ho ho! The Grand Chieftain looks even healthier than before. My, are you eating something good?"

"If I had such a thing, I would have shared it with you all. You all look well."

Hwang Gyeong-mun's gaze swept over them one by one, then came to rest on the last man.

He appeared to be in his early fifties.

At his waist hung a massive wolf-fang saber, and along his left cheek ran a long scar that looked as though it had been carved by a blade.

He opened his mouth to speak.

"Jo Yun-san, pays his respects to the Grand Chieftain."

The man's name was Jo Yun-san, Chieftain of the Black Dragon Stronghold.

A faint smile hung at the corner of his lips.