Chapter 202

Chapter 202: The Master Weeps, the Disciple Unleashes His Cry (2)

Deung Cheon-so's eyes blazed with a fierce light.

He had sensed danger the moment Dam Ho appeared and tried to aid So Cheonsan, but Sage Hyeon-geom held him fast, preventing him from intervening.

In the end, he was forced to watch helplessly as So Cheonsan perished at Dam Ho's hands.

So Cheonsan was not a man who should have died so wastefully. He was one of the few among the Demonic Cult's warriors capable of causing mass destruction.

For that reason, he had been treated as a precious asset even within the Cult. And such a man had died at Dam Ho's hands without putting up any meaningful resistance. It was a devastating blow for the Demonic Cult.

Even Sage Hyeon-geom, who had been fighting alongside Deung Cheon-so, was profoundly shaken by Dam Ho's arrival.

As the one who had least acknowledged Dam Ho, Sage Hyeon-geom felt the shock all the more keenly.

The opponent he had faced, Deung Cheon-so, was likewise one of the Seven Great Demon Masters. There were minor differences in martial power between them, but they were considered to be on equal footing.

Unlike himself, who had fought Deung Cheon-so to a standstill, Dam Ho had killed So Cheonsan in the blink of an eye.

An observer might well have concluded that Dam Ho possessed martial power far exceeding Sage Hyeon-geom's own.

Sage Hyeon-geom could never accept such a truth. No—he could not bring himself to acknowledge it.

To acknowledge Dam Ho would be to deny his own life, which had been spent refusing to recognize the boy.

Grind!

From some unknown mouth, the sound of gritting teeth emerged. Sage Hyeon-geom and Deung Cheon-so, both realizing their blunder, exchanged a brief glance.

Deung Cheon-so spoke first.

"Shall we continue?"

"The mood is broken. Today I shall let you go, minion of the Demonic Cult."

"Consider yourself lucky. Were it not for the Fist Demon, not a single living soul would remain in the Shouzhou branch by now."

"You have a sharp tongue."

"Who merely has a sharp tongue—time will tell. As for you, your life is about to become quite complicated."

"What do you mean?"

"You know perfectly well why I ask."

Deung Cheon-so wore a meaningful smile as he looked at Dam Ho. In that instant, Sage Hyeon-geom's expression twisted violently.

In that brief moment, Deung Cheon-so had seen through the twisted emotions that Sage Hyeon-geom harbored.

"Kuhahaha! Remember—there is no permanent enemy, only permanent interests, Hyeon-geom."

"That will never happen."

"There is no such thing as 'never.' Suspicion breeds demons, as they say. The moment you harbor doubt, a demon grows within your heart. Ahahaha!"

Deung Cheon-so left behind a meaningful laugh and rose into the air. In the next instant, he vanished into the darkness.

Sage Hyeon-geom stared after him with eyes sharp as a blade. All desire to fight had completely vanished. He sheathed his sword and turned away.

The battlefield, which had been a scene of utter devastation, was already entering a phase of restoration. Though many had perished, the Shouzhou branch would survive.

The battle, which had seemed so perilous despite the mobilization of thousands of warriors, had been quelled by a single man. It was a sight too incredible to believe even with one's own eyes.

Above all, what wounded his pride most was that the hero of this feat was Dam Ho.

'How dare a mere cripple…'

Fire kindled in his eyes—the flames of jealousy.

Dam Ho had already entered the detached cottage and was no longer visible. Yet Sage Hyeon-geom could not tear his gaze from the cottage.

***

"You rascal! Ho-ya!"

Sage Hyeon-so embraced Dam Ho tightly. His aged eyes glistened with moisture.

"Master!"

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

The once-composed appearance was nowhere to be found. He was reduced to a gaunt frame, nothing but skin draped over bone. Yet his warmth remained the same.

The embrace that had always held him so gently was unchanged.

Dam Ho closed his eyes.

"You've come. You've truly come."

Sage Hyeon-so's voice resonated in Dam Ho's chest.

The two did not separate for a long while.

When the torrent of emotion had at last subsided, Sage Hyeon-so smiled with an awkward expression. He seemed somewhat embarrassed about having shed tears.

"May I come in as well?"

At that moment, a woman of indeterminate age entered. It was Jong Ri-yeon, who had followed close behind.

Sage Hyeon-so asked, "And who might this lady be?"

"My name is Jong Ri-yeon. I accompanied him here."

"Oh! What a fortunate meeting."

At Sage Hyeon-so's words, Jong Ri-yeon broke into a gentle smile. The old man's voice contained a power that put people at ease.

'So this is his master? The disciple is so terrifying, yet the master is this kind.'

The thought struck her as quite contradictory. She found their unfamiliar dynamic rather endearing. In particular, Sage Hyeon-so's presence stirred something in her heart.

He reminded her of her own master, who had died several years ago.

Just then, Cho Yeon-woon approached.

"Hahaha! Old friend!"

"Yeon-woon."

"Thanks to you, I survived. I truly thought I was finished. Whew!"

At his jovial words, Sage Hyeon-so spoke, "Young Hero Cho protected us."

"Much obliged!"

"What is there to thank between friends? Your master is my master, and my master is your master. Ah, wait—that's not quite right? In any case, it was only natural."

Cho Yeon-woon chattered without pause. He was that excited.

Dam Ho looked at him with a gaze full of trust. And the disciples of the White Sparrow Hall who were nearby watched Dam Ho with awe.

They had heard the name Dam Ho and the title of Fist Demon, but they had never imagined he was such a terrifying person.

The man who had slain So Cheonsan—a figure who had struck fear into every heart—in a single devastating exchange did not seem remotely human.

'That man is Senior Brother's friend?'

'Truly?'

Disbelief shone unmistakably in their eyes.

At this moment, Cho Yeon-woon appeared great to them. Simply because he was Dam Ho's friend.

"Hmph!"

As though savoring his sense of superiority, Cho Yeon-woon's nose rose ever higher. The disciples of the White Sparrow Hall stared at him for a moment with expressions of bemused exasperation.

Sage Hyeon-so held Dam Ho's hand and asked, "How have you been all this time? Everything was buried in the explosion—how did you survive?"

Dam Ho spoke calmly of how he had survived in the Thousand-Layer Demon Jade, and how he had taught himself martial arts alone.

Sage Hyeon-so's eyes reddened quickly, tears welling up.

The life Dam Ho had lived—a life he knew nothing about—was so perilous that it was impossible to believe the boy had survived such a hellish place alone.

Dam Ho's understated words only made the reality feel more vivid. That was why the tears came.

Sage Hyeon-so and the children wept without restraint, while Jong Ri-yeon and Cho Yeon-woon held their breath, listening intently. It was a tale they had never heard before, and the shock it delivered was all the greater for it.

"So…"

Only then did Cho Yeon-woon and Jong Ri-yeon understand how Dam Ho had come to possess such a brutal and destructive temperament.

Anyone who survived alone for twelve years in a place devoid of even a single ray of light would become the same. Honestly, had they been in his position, they might have gone mad long ago.

"That is… how I lived."

"Ah!"

When Dam Ho's long story finally drew to a close, the listeners released the breath they had been holding.

This time, it was Dam Ho who asked, "Why are you here instead of at Mount Hua?"

"After sending you away like that, every day at Mount Hua was hell. No matter how many scriptures I read, my heart was filled with nothing but rage and hatred. I spent countless days destroying myself."

Then one day, he realized it could not go on. So he left Mount Hua without a word and wandered the world.

He met countless people, experienced the human world.

"And then I met these children."

Sage Hyeon-so looked upon the children who sat gathered around him like chicks seeking the warmth of a mother hen.

The children gazed at Dam Ho with eyes full of curiosity and reverence.

Dam Ho looked at each child's face, one by one.

During the years of his absence, the children had filled the void left by his master. He felt not a trace of jealousy. Only gratitude.

The youngest, Ha-yeong, approached Dam Ho.

"Big… brother."

Unafraid, Ha-yeong climbed right onto Dam Ho's knee. At the child's innocent boldness, Dam Ho was momentarily at a loss.

Ha-yeong, seated on Dam Ho's lap, looked up. In those unusually large, dark eyes, Dam Ho's face was reflected.

"Ha-yeong likes big brother."

"Aren't you afraid of me?"

"Nope."

"Is that so?"

"Not one bit."

Dam Ho gently stroked Ha-yeong's hair. The child giggled happily.

As if that were a signal, the other children crowded around Dam Ho.

"Big brother!"

"Dam Ho, big brother!"

The children clamored to call his name. Their voices rose, and the atmosphere in the hall transformed into one of joyous commotion in an instant.

Cho Yeon-woon exchanged a glance with the disciples of the White Sparrow Hall.

"I suppose we should make ourselves scarce."

"Indeed."

They too possessed a sense of propriety. There was no place for them in this gathering.

They rose from their seats. Jong Ri-yeon stood as well.

Just before stepping outside, she glanced briefly at Dam Ho.

Surrounded by children, Dam Ho's expression remained as cold and distant as ever. But Jong Ri-yeon, who had traveled with him for so long, noticed a subtle difference from his usual demeanor.

'At least with them, he can still retain some shred of humanity.'

She felt a strange sense of relief.

This was their time. Jong Ri-yeon was glad to step outside for their sake.

Jong Ri-yeon's expression stiffened slightly the moment she followed Cho Yeon-woon outside.

A woman stood outside the cottage.

A woman dressed simply in a purple linen garment. Yet despite her plain attire, her beauty was striking.

Cho Yeon-woon greeted her first.

"Miss Hae!"

"Young Hero Cho!"

She dipped her head slightly in acknowledgment. It was Hae So-wol.

Hae So-wol's gaze was fixed upon Jong Ri-yeon.

She was the woman who had appeared alongside Dam Ho. For some reason, it gnawed at her. Jong Ri-yeon felt the same.

A subtle tension flowed between the two women.

It was Jong Ri-yeon who broke the silence first.

"My name is Jong Ri-yeon."

"I am Hae So-wol of the Hainan Sect, Miss Jong."

"A pleasure, Miss Hae."

"You came… with Young Hero Dam?"

"It seems fate had us traveling together to this place."

A faint crack appeared on Hae So-wol's face. The men did not notice, but Jong Ri-yeon did not miss it.

'So she is aware of him.'

Even now, Hae So-wol kept glancing toward the room where Dam Ho was. Jong Ri-yeon's expression hardened slightly.

A strange sense of competition arose within her.

Just then, sensing the awkward atmosphere between them, Cho Yeon-woon intervened with a broad smile.

"Now, now! Rather than standing here, let us move somewhere else. Have a drink, share a story…"

"Is Senior Brother buying the drinks?"

"Of course he is!"

His jest drew agreement from the disciples of the White Sparrow Hall.

In an instant, the atmosphere grew lively. Jong Ri-yeon and Hae So-wol allowed themselves to be swept along with the crowd, walking together. But neither relaxed her stiff expression.

As he led the group forward, Cho Yeon-woon suddenly glanced back.

'Have a happy time, old friend.'

He truly blessed the reunion between Dam Ho and Sage Hyeon-so.