Chapter 2: Spring Also Comes to Mount Hua (2)
Light Novel: Volume 1 Episode 2
Manhwa: Chapter 2
Chapter 1 Episode 2. Spring Also Comes to Mount Hua (2)
Spring in Mount Hua, known for its sharp, blade-like mountains, was fragrant. The thick scent of plum blossoms was carried by the wind. Plum blossoms were in full bloom on Mount Hua right now.
Dam-ho walked through the plum blossom scent. It seemed as if plum blossoms were settling on his every step.
Dam-ho stopped walking for a moment and looked around.
There were plum blossoms everywhere. Each plum blossom was as colorful as the next.
Dam-ho stretched out his hand. Then as if on cue, plum blossom petals carried by the wind landed on his palm. Dam-ho stared at the plum blossom petals for a long time.
Plum blossoms were at their peak in spring in Mount Hua. Hence, when people think of the Mount Hua sect, they think of plum blossoms. Perhaps, for this reason, many martial arts of the Mount Hua sect incorporated plum blossoms.
The Plum Blossom Fist and Twenty-Four Plum Blossom Sword were typical examples.
This might be why a stereotype had emerged that the martial arts of the Mount Hua sect were light yet frivolous. Indeed, many of the sect’s martial arts fell into this category.
The wind blew again, whisking away the plum blossom petal from Dam-ho’s palm. Dam-ho reached out to catch the plum blossom petal. However, the petal gently slipped through his fingers.
Dam-ho clenched his fist tightly.
To him, the martial arts of the Mount Hua sect were like those plum blossoms. Seemingly graspable, yet elusive.
Dam-ho shook his head and started walking again.
After walking for a while, he arrived at Taiping Palace.
Taiping Palace, located on the relatively flat terrain amidst the sharp, blade-like features of Mount Hua, was vast.
Modeled after the thirty-six heavens of the celestial realm,1 Taiping Palace was enormous. This was where the major and minor affairs of the Mount Hua sect took place, and where the disciples practiced their martial arts.
In the training field, many were practicing martial arts. They were of all ages, with all sorts of different appearances.
The youngest among them appeared to be about twelve years old, while the oldest looked to be in their mid-twenties.
“Ha! Ha!”
Thick beads of sweat constantly flowed down the faces of those who were vigorously shouting.
The ones shouting as they practice the most fundamental of the Mount Hua sect’s martial arts, the Crouching Tiger Fist, were the outer disciples. A figure could also be seen shouting at these outer disciples.
“When you throw your fist, make sure to put real power into it. Use all the muscles in your body, as if a crouching tiger is leaping out.”
“Yes!”
At the sound of the instructor’s thunderous, tiger-like voice, the disciples who were practicing their moves responded in unison.
“Transition from the Crouching Tiger Emerges from the Cave2 to the Great Tiger Enters the World.”3
“Yes!”
With their response, the forms of the outer disciples changed. They radiated a ferocious and intense momentum like a tiger emerging from a cave and leaping into the world.
Dam-ho paused and watched their training for a moment.
The one instructing the outer disciples was Jin-kyung, one of the core disciples of the Mount Hua sect who mastered the Plum Blossom Fist.
Although he usually has a cheerful personality, when he was teaching martial arts, he became a ruthless disciplinarian. This caused him to earn the unflattering nickname of Poison-hearted Asura4 from the outer disciples.
Jin-kyung was in the middle of teaching the rest of the disciples when he suddenly waved at Dam-ho.
“Junior Brother Cheon-gyeong.”
The martial artist, who had been exuding a frosty aura until a moment ago, had vanished, replaced by a man with a friendly smile. Dam-ho nodded his head slightly in response.
Cheon-gyeong was the Taoist name he received in the Mount Hua sect.
It had been three years since he received the Taoist name, but it still felt unfamiliar. He felt uncomfortable with it as if he was wearing someone else’s clothes.
Nevertheless, Dam-ho approached Jin-kyung without revealing his inner discomfort.
“What brings you here? Have you come to see this Senior Brother?”
“I was on my way to the Spirit Treasure Palace.”
“Spirit Treasure Palace?”
A spark of interest appeared in Jin-kyung’s eyes.
The Spirit Treasure Palace was the place where the books containing the martial arts of the Mount Hua sect were kept and organized. It was one of the most important places in the Mount Hua sect, so not only was it heavily guarded, but the qualifications to enter were also strict.
Outer disciples were naturally forbidden entry, and even among the main sect disciples, only the core disciples and above were allowed access.
Though younger in seniority compared to Jin-kyung, Dam-ho was also a core disciple of the Mount Hua sect. Naturally, he was allowed to enter. However, there weren’t many useful martial arts books in the Spirit Treasure Palace. Most of the books were related to Taoist scriptures.
The true profound arts of the Mount Hua sect couldn’t be learned from books. The experiences and enlightenment that could not be conveyed in just a few lines of text were passed on through direct teaching.
The Mount Hua sect, which used to be one of the Nine Great Sects at its peak, had suffered a significant setback for a time because it had lost a generation of masters capable of passing on their enlightenment.
Although the Mount Hua sect was slowly regaining its strength, it still fell short of its heyday. This was mainly because of the shortage of masters capable of providing proper instruction and guidance.
For one thing, Sage Hyun-so, who had taken Dam-ho as his disciple, for some reason did not teach martial arts. He was the only scholarly Taoist monk5 in Mount Hua.
It was for this very reason that everyone had opposed him taking Dam-ho under his wing.
What Mount Hua needed now was a powerful martial artist. There was no way a scholarly monk devoted to studying scriptures would be able to pass on proper martial arts to a disciple.
Nor were the other elders in a position to pay attention to Sage Hyun-so’s disciple. What’s more, Dam-ho had a critical weakness for learning martial arts.
Despite everyone’s opposition, Sage Hyun-so took Dam-ho as his disciple. Thanks to his seniority as an elder of the Mount Hua sect, Dam-ho became a core disciple of the main sect, but the opposite was also true: it hindered his ability to learn martial arts. The elders who had opposed him were reluctant to pass on martial arts to Dam-ho.
“You are indeed diligent. If you keep working hard like that, you will surely overcome your limits someday.”
Jin-kyung’s gaze unconsciously drifted towards Dam-ho’s left leg.
A critical weakness for a martial artist. It was a well-known fact among the disciples of the Mount Hua sect.
Despite his words, Jin-kyung did not believe that Dam-ho could overcome his weakness. The martial arts of the Mount Hua sect were not easy enough for someone with a limp to master.
Dam-ho read the sympathy in Jin-kyung’s eyes, but he simply bowed his head as if it didn’t bother him.
“I will go to the Spirit Treasure Palace now.”
“Alright, take care.”
Dam-ho passed by Jin-kyung and headed towards the back of Taiping Palace.
“Is that cripple really a core disciple of the Mount Hua sect?”
“With a body like that, can he even perform martial arts properly?”
The outer disciples murmured as they watched Dam-ho’s retreating figure.
“Who dares to chatter during practice?”
At the sound of Jin-kyung’s stern voice, the outer disciples shut their mouths as tightly as clams. But their voices had already reached Dam-ho’s ears.
Still, Dam-ho did not stop walking. He had heard such comments countless times before and was familiar with such gazes. His spirit was not weak enough to be shaken by just this.
After passing through the Taiping Palace, he arrived at the Spirit Treasure Palace.
Although the gates of the Spirit Treasure Palace looked ordinary, there was an elaborate mechanism at the entrance. No one could enter unless the martial artists who guarded it disarmed it.
The master of the Spirit Treasure Palace was Sage Hyun-mu, Sage Hyun-so’s senior brother and one of the elders of the Mount Hua sect. The martial artists who guarded the Spirit Treasure Palace were the core and inner disciples who had received teachings from Sage Hyun-mu.
Jong-kyung, another core disciple, recognized Dam-ho.
“You’re here again today.”
“Senior brother.”
“Are you entering the Spirit Treasure Palace?”
“Yes!”
“You’re pretty determined. Go ahead and enter.”
“Thank you.”
Dam-ho bowed in gratitude and entered the Spirit Treasure Palace. Jong-kyung then personally disengaged the mechanism.
Inside the Spirit Treasure Palace, rows of shelves filled with books were lined up. Not only were there books on the Mount Hua sect’s martial arts, but also a variety of general miscellaneous texts.
Although the Spirit Treasure Palace was completely enclosed on all sides, there was enough faint light seeping in from somewhere to read the books without any problem.
Dam-ho’s fingers skimmed over the books on the shelves. Although the Spirit Treasure Palace was said to contain all of Mount Hua sect’s martial arts texts, the actual number was smaller than expected. Many had been lost in a great calamity decades ago.
He had been in and out of this place so many times so much so that he could tell the location of each book even with his eyes closed.
Thump!
His fingers caught on an old book. Without hesitation, Dam-ho pulled out the book.
Bamboo Leaf Hand.6
That’s what was written in the old book.
Bamboo Leaf Hand was one of the most fundamental hand techniques of the Mount Hua sect, along with the Crouching Tiger Fist and the Six Harmonies Fist. Therefore, it was mainly passed on to outer disciples. It wasn’t a martial art meant for a core disciple like Dam-ho. Yet, he couldn’t take his eyes off the book describing Bamboo Leaf Hand.
The Bamboo Leaf Hand consisted of three main forms:
Bamboo Leaf Cuts the Air.7
Flying Leaf Travels a Thousand Miles.8
Leaf Pierces the Sun.9
Despite their grandiose names, each form was simple yet efficient.
Dam-ho, without taking his eyes off the book, began to enact the forms of Bamboo Leaf Hand with his free hand.
Swish-swish!
Stabbing, swinging, thrusting, and pulling– a series of movements flowed seamlessly. The air in the Spirit Treasure Palace rippled with Dam-ho’s movements.
Even in the narrow space between the bookshelves, Dam-ho effortlessly executed the forms in the Bamboo Leaf Hand. After completing the forms from start to finish, Dam-ho looked back at the book and pondered,
‘The Bamboo Leaf Hand is undoubtedly fast. But it lacks weight, making it difficult to exert real power until a certain level of mastery is reached.’
Of course, once mastered, the Bamboo Leaf Hand could be as powerful as wielding a heavy hammer. Some of the old masters of the Mount Hua sect were said to be capable of splitting large boulders into two using only this said technique.
But that’s all in the past. The current disciples of the Mount Hua sect consider the Bamboo Leaf Hand as something to be studied in passing, not something to be mastered in depth.
If Dam-ho’s legs had been in good condition, he wouldn’t have been fixated on Bamboo Leaf Hand. It was one of the few martial arts of the Mount Hua sect that didn’t require learning separate footwork techniques.
For Dam-ho, who was unable to properly learn kicking or footwork techniques, it was the most suitable martial art.
With the forms and techniques already imprinted in his mind, Dam-ho delved persistently. His eyes shone fiercely even in the darkness.
But his gaze now could already be considered to have softened. When he first came to Mount Hua, his eyes were filled only with venom. So much so that even the elders of the Mount Hua sect shook their heads in disapproval.
Five years had passed, and in that time, Dam-ho had aged. His gaze had become much calmer compared to before. Therefore, people thought he had become more subdued.
But they were mistaken. Dam-ho had not become milder. He had merely gained enough patience to the point where he could hide the intensity of his gaze.
Dam-ho could feel the beast lurking within him.
An endlessly vicious and cruel beast, breathing in unison with him. That beast was waiting for the day when Dam-ho would unleash it.
Suppressing the beast inside him, Dam-ho picked up another book.
Crouching Tiger Fist.10
It was the martial art currently being practiced by the outer disciples in the training ground of Taiping Palace. Like the Bamboo Leaf Hand, it was one of the basic martial arts of the Mount Hua sect, with simple forms but very powerful effects.
This time too, Dam-ho, holding the book in one hand, executed Crouching Tiger Fist with the other.
Pop!
Even without internal energy, his punch tore through the air.
It was a fast and concise punch that carried a lot of weight.
The Crouching Tiger Fist was one of the martial arts that started alongside the Mount Hua sect. It existed even when the Mount Hua sect first established itself in Mount Hua, sharing its history with the sect.
However, as time passed, countless other profound techniques were developed that far surpassed the power of the Crouching Tiger Fist.
Eventually, like the Bamboo Leaf Hand, the Crouching Tiger Fist was relegated to being a basic technique practiced only by the outer disciples of the Mount Hua sect. Everyone considered Crouching Tiger Fist merely a stepping stone to more advanced martial arts and did not delve deeply into it. Even the elders of the Mount Hua sect didn’t practice it as much.
But Dam-ho persistently delved into Crouching Tiger Fist. As his mastery deepened, he felt a growing question.
‘The Free and Easy Cultivation Technique11 is not a suitable inner cultivation method for practicing the Crouching Tiger Fist.’
The Free and Easy Cultivation Technique was a basic inner cultivation method practiced along with the Bamboo Leaf Hand, the Crouching Tiger Fist, and the Six Harmonies Fist. Outer disciples first learned the Free and Easy Cultivation Technique before beginning to learn techniques like the Crouching Tiger Fist.
The Free and Easy Cultivation Technique was undoubtedly an excellent method for cultivating internal energy. It was quite stable and suitable for transitioning to higher levels of inner cultivation methods.
As such, it was suitable for low-level disciples or beginners to master, but not for techniques like the Crouching Tiger Fist or Bamboo Leaf Hand.
‘Why, then?’
Everyone naturally followed the sequence of first mastering the Free and Easy Cultivation Technique and then moving on to the Bamboo Leaf Hand and Crouching Tiger Fist. However, Dam-ho had his doubts.
The question he had begun to ponder recently only grew larger with time.
Dam-ho lost track of time, deeply engrossed in the Crouching Tiger Fist.
Despite the myriad of questions filling his mind, the movements of his hands while executing Crouching Tiger Fist were incredibly sharp.
Dam-ho’s time flowed inexorably on like this.
SoundlessWind21’s Notes:
Here is also a list of changes or differences between the manhwa and the novel:
- Bokhogun → Crouching Tiger Fist.
- Jukyeopsoo → Bamboo Leaf Hand.
Furthermore, the following hierarchy is more or less the same. Although the first terms are used in the manhwa.
- First-generation disciple = core disciple
- Second-generation disciple = inner disciple
- Third-generation disciple = outer disciple
If there are any errors, whether it be grammatical, spelling, translation, or website-related issues, feel free to let me know. (´◡`) Anyway, thank you for reading!
- Thirty-six heavens of the celestial realm. Raws: 삼십육천(三十六天). This is a concept or common belief in Taoism that the number of vertical heaven layers is 36.
- 三 sān – sān – three
- 十 shí – ten, tenth; complete; perfect
- 六 liù, lù – number six
- 天 tiān – day / sky / heaven
- Crouching Tiger Emerges from the Cave. Raws: 복호출동(伏虎出洞).
- 伏 fú – crouch, crawl, lie hidden, conceal
- 虎 hǔ, hù – tiger; brave, fierce; surname
- 出 chū – to go out; to come out / to arise; to occur
- 洞 dòng – cave / hole / zero
- Great Tiger Enters the World. Raws: 대호출세(大虎出世).
- 大 dà – big / large
- 虎 hǔ – tiger
- 出世 chūshì – to be born / to come into being / to withdraw from worldly affairs
- Poison-hearted Asura. Raws: 독심수라(毒心修羅).
- 毒 dú – poison / to poison / poisonous / malicious / cruel / fierce / narcotics
- 心 xīn – heart / mind / intention
- 修羅 xiūluó – Asura, malevolent spirits in Indian mythology
- Scholarly Taoist monk. Raws: 학도사(學道士).
- 學 xué – to learn / to study / to imitate / science / -ology
- 道士 dàoshì – Daoist priest
- Bamboo Leaf Hand. Raws: 죽엽수(竹葉手).
- 竹 zhú – bamboo
- 葉 yè – leaf / page / lobe
- 手 shǒu – hand / (formal) to hold / person engaged in certain types of work
- Bamboo Leaf Cuts the Air. Raws: 죽엽단공(竹葉斷空).
- 竹 zhú – bamboo
- 葉 yè – leaf / page / lobe
- 斷 duàn – to break / to snap / to cut off / to give up or abstain from sth / to judge / (usu. used in the negative) absolutely / definitely / decidedly
- 空 kōng – empty / air / sky / in vain
- Flying Leaf Travels a Thousand Miles. Raws: 비엽천리(飛葉千里).
- 飛 fēi – to fly
- 葉 yè – leaf / page / lobe
- 千里 qiānlǐ – a thousand miles / a thousand li (i.e. 500 kilometers) / a long distance
- Leaf Pierces the Sun. Raws: 엽적관일(葉嚁貫日).
- 葉 yè – leaf / page / lobe
- 嚁 dí – Excited (rapid sound)
- 貫 guàn – to pierce through / to pass through / to be stringed together / string of 1000 cash
- 日 rì – sun / day / date, day of the month
- Crouching Tiger Fist. Raws: 복호권(伏虎拳).
- 伏 fú – crouch, crawl, lie hidden, conceal
- 虎 hǔ, hù – tiger; brave, fierce; surname
- 拳 quán – fist / boxing
- Free and Easy Cultivation Technique. Raws: 소요심공(逍遙心功).
- 逍遙 xiāoyáo – free and unfettered
- 心 xīn – heart / mind / intention / center / core /
- 功 gōng – meritorious deed or service / achievement / result / service / accomplishment / work (physics)