Episode 12: Walking the Road Together (3)
Light Novel: Volume 1 Episode 12
Manhwa: Chapter 11
Chapter 4 Episode 12. Walking the Road Together (3)
Dam-ho’s shoulders shook as he knelt on the ground.
His lungs were expanding fully to take in fresh air, and his heart was pounding as if it would burst at any moment. Dam-ho gripped his trembling legs tightly with both hands, trying to steady them.
Once his breathing calmed down, Dam-ho lifted his head and looked forward. The rock with the drawn circle came into view.
Day after day, he jumped toward that rock, over and over again.
The goal was the small circle drawn on the rock. He had leaped countless times, trying to thrust his fist into that circle.
At first, his fist didn’t even come close to touching the circle on the rock, and he often landed far off to the side from the line drawn on the ground.
To jump properly, to jump straight.
For that, he needed to have a precise understanding of his own body. He had to learn the angle of his twisted leg, how his muscles moved when pushing off the ground, and how much weight his legs could bear.
It took nearly a month just to get the direction right. After that, he began to gradually increase the distance.
That’s when the real hell began.
Pushing off the ground with his twisted leg brought excruciating pain. His entire leg felt as though it was being twisted and his muscles felt like they were being torn to shreds.
Still, he gritted his teeth and kept jumping. He tried to numb himself to the pain, and at some point, it felt as if the pain had disappeared. Or perhaps, he had forgotten it.
It took him a month to increase the distance to one zhang or 3 meters, and another two months to double that distance. And today, Dam-ho had finally managed to thrust his fist into the circle drawn on the rock.
As proof, Dam-ho’s fist was dripping with blood. His skin had been torn off from colliding with the rock.
“Whew!”
Dam-ho stood up.
He had barely climbed the first step he had aimed for. There were still countless more steps to climb. He couldn’t afford to sit down and rest just because he had taken one step.
Dam-ho drew another line from the rock. The distance increased by about one zhang or 3 meters.
‘Faster, stronger.’
Simply reaching the rock wasn’t enough.
He needed to unleash enough force and internal energy to shatter the massive rock with a single blow.
Pah!
Dam-ho launched himself towards the rock again.
Beads of sweat scattered in the air.
Even at night, Dam-ho couldn’t rest.
He took the Surging Yang Elixir and circulated the Heavy Sky Heart Technique. His dantian was accumulating internal energy with each passing day.
Beside Dam-ho as he circulated his internal energy was Sage Hyun-so.
In front of Sage Hyun-so was an open book. It was a blank journal with nothing written in it.
Sage Hyun-so began to move his brush over the blank pages. The previously empty paper began to fill with human figures and written words.
For the past four months, he had not taken a single day off as he discussed martial arts with Dam-ho. As a result, they were able to solidify a clear direction and concept.
Now, he was in the process of documenting the results. Not a single word could be written carelessly.
This book was meant for Dam-ho. No matter how well one knows something in their mind or internalizes it through practice, seeing it in writing is a different experience altogether.
“Hoo!”
Finally, Sage Hyun-so put down his brush.
The previously empty booklet was now filled with illustrations of a person performing martial arts and small, detailed annotations.
Sage Hyun-so stared at the book for a long time, his emotions swirling.
“I don’t know if I’m doing the right thing.”
The martial arts described in the book were far too imbued with killing intent—so much so that it was hard to believe they had been created in Mount Hua, a Taoist sect.
Perhaps it was because of Dam-ho’s nature, or because Sage Hyun-so himself had been so emotionally charged when they first began crafting the techniques.
He wanted to show something to the sect leader and Sage Hyun-geom, who had dismissed Dam-ho. That was why he had drawn upon the hidden Bloody Sky Kick and tried to merge it with various other martial arts.
These techniques had nothing to do with Mount Hua’s teachings, and thus there was no hesitation. But as time passed and his mind calmed down to a certain extent, he was able to see things more objectively.
Once these martial arts are fully developed and completed, they will undoubtedly be extremely powerful. The martial arts detailed in the book lacked the compassion that a martial artist should have.
“I must have been blinded by anger. To embed such strong killing intent into a martial art that my disciple will learn…”
Sage Hyun-so shook his head. However, he wasn’t overly concerned.
This was a martial art that was only in its conceptual stage. Only a few techniques had been outlined, and there was no telling when they would be fully developed.
Even with an optimistic outlook, it would take decades. In the worst-case scenario, it could take several generations. Creating new martial arts was an arduous process.
Perhaps by the time, Dam-ho perfected these techniques, he would be much older, and by then, the anger and killing intent that raged within his blood would have calmed down significantly.
“Hoo!”
It was at that moment that Dam-ho, who had been practicing his internal energy circulation, finally opened his eyes. A light flickered briefly in his eyes, before disappearing.
Now, he felt he had finally grasped the true essence of the Heavy Sky Heart Technique.
The energy he accumulated through the technique was incredibly heavy. It was simple yet weighty, and though weighty, it was not slow.
Without the help of the Surging Yang Elixir, he wouldn’t have realized the essence of the Heavy Sky Heart Technique so quickly.
Dam-ho now fully understood why his master had instructed him to learn both the Heavy Sky Heart Technique and the Bloody Sky Kick.
The two martial arts blended together as naturally as if they had been one from the start. If he could master both and integrate them into the new martial art they were creating, it would unleash incredible power.
Sage Hyun-so smiled as he looked at Dam-ho.
“Once you are able to imbue that heavy energy in your fist, no one will be able to stand in your way.”
Dam-ho bowed his head.
In the darkness that enveloped his path, Sage Hyun-so was the guiding light— the one torch that allowed him to find direction and continue moving forward.
“Take this book.”
“What is this?”
“It’s the record of the concepts we developed together. Whenever you hit a wall, look at this and think it through carefully.”
“Thank you.”
Dam-ho respectfully accepted the book with both hands. There were still many blank pages, more empty than filled.
“Though we began this together, completing it will be your responsibility. How you develop it from here is entirely up to you.”
“I will keep that in mind, Master.”
After that, Dam-ho and Sage Hyun-so continued to discuss the martial arts written in the book for a long time.
Dam-ho shared the insights he’d gained from his practice, and Sage Hyun-so used all the knowledge he had to answer Dam-ho’s questions and clarify his doubts.
A faint smile appeared on Dam-ho’s lips.
The martial art was still in its conceptual stages— so Dam-ho had no idea know how much more difficult the road ahead would be. But at this moment, Dam-ho was happy.
The joy of being with his master in this very moment.
* * *
“Phew!”
Mak Gwang, the Chief Escort Leader of the Northern Road Escort Agency, wiped the beads of sweat on his forehead with his sleeve.
Despite the cool breeze, sweat was pouring down due to the intense sunlight.
“Looks like spring is just around the corner. The spring flowers must already be blooming in the Central Plains.”
A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.
At that moment, a young escort warrior rode up next to him. Lim Ho-ryeong, a fellow escort warrior in his early thirties, was someone Mak Gwang cherished like a younger brother.
“You must be missing your wife already, Brother.”
“Wouldn’t you? We’ve been on the road for seven months now. I’m dying to catch the scent of my wife’s skin again.”
“I feel the same way. I can’t wait to get home and see my wife and kids.”
A longing expression crossed Lim Ho-ryeong’s face.
It had been a long trading journey to the Western Region. The Northern Road Merchant Group had ventured out on this crucial expedition, aiming to open up the best trade route with the West.
In fact, seven months was not considered a long time. Typically, a trip to the Western Region took over a year. They had moved quickly and done their best.
As a result, they had successfully established trade relations with the West, and now, all that remained was to soar even higher.
The two men looked back.
Hundreds of people and numerous wagons were following behind them—merchants from the Northern Road Merchant Group and escort warriors from the escort agency. Smiles were evident on their faces.
Having achieved their goals, their steps back to the Central Plains were light and full of optimism.
They were currently in Xinjiang Province near Lop Nur, and the Yumen Pass, the gateway to the Central Plains through Gansu Province, wasn’t far off.
If they kept moving diligently, they would be able to enter Gansu Province within ten days. While there was still another month of travel from Gansu to Hubei Province, where the Northern Road Merchant Group’s main headquarters was located, they were close enough to the Central Plains that their steps felt lighter.
Mak Gwang asked,
“Where’s the leader?”
“He’s resting inside the carriage.”
“Well, he must be exhausted. Think of how much stress he’s endured during this journey.”
“But since we’ve achieved what we set out to do, I’m sure he’s resting easy now.”
Oh Seung-kyung, the leader of the Northern Road Merchant Group, was one of the outer disciples of the prestigious Wudang Sect in Hubei Province.
It has been thirty years since he began his merchanting career, relying only on the martial arts he learned from the Wudang Sect and his single sword. During that time, the Northern Road Merchant Group had risen to become the top merchant group in Hubei.
To protect the merchant group, they established the Northern Road Escort Agency, with Mak Gwang appointed as the chief escort leader in charge.
“Congratulations in advance, Brother.”
“For what?”
“When we return to Hubei Province, you’ll officially become the head of the Northern Road Escort Agency, won’t you? I’m congratulating you in advance.”
“You fool. That’s only if we make it back safely.”
Leader Oh Seung-kyung had already declared that he would give Mak Gwang the position of head of the Northern Road Escort Agency once this expedition was completed. For someone who started as a mere escort warrior, this was the highest honor Mak Gwang could imagine.
“We’re almost back in the Central Plains. What could possibly go wrong now?”
Lim Ho-ryeong chuckled, and Mak Gwang let out a faint laugh as well.
It was then.
Swish!
Suddenly, a piercing sound echoed through the air.
“Argh!”
A scream from one of the escort warriors followed shortly after.
Mak Gwang and Lim Ho-ryeong’s expressions changed drastically.
“What the—?”
They hurriedly turned around, only to see an escort warrior hit by an arrow, falling from his horse.
“An ambush? Who the hell…?”
At that moment, more than a hundred figures clad in black wind cloaks suddenly appeared on the hill.
“Who are they?”
Mak Gwang and Lim Ho-ryeong unsheathed their swords, their faces tense. The aura emanating from the attackers was far from ordinary.
Oh Seung-kyung, who had been resting inside the carriage, stepped out. He glared at the attackers and shouted,
“I am Oh Seung-kyung, an outer disciple of the Wudang Sect and leader of the Northern Road Merchant Group. Who are you, and how dare you attack us?!”
Oh Seung-kyung invoked the name of the Wudang Sect.
As one of the Nine Great Sects and the head of the Five Sacred Mountain Sword Sects, he intended to use the Wudang name to intimidate his enemies. However, the response he received completely shattered his expectations.
The leader of the attackers sneered, his lips twisting upward.
“Wudang? So what?”
“How dare you insult the Wudang Sect!”
Oh Seung-kyung’s anger surged.
He could tolerate many things, but an insult to the Wudang Sect was something he could not endure.
The leader of the assailants approached Oh Seung-kyung and his men, continuing to speak.
“Your pride in the Wudang Sect is impressive. But even your mighty Wudang Sect didn’t dare to breathe loudly when we were active.”
“What?”
As suspicion flashed across the faces of Oh Seung-kyung, Mak Gwang, and the others, the leader of the assailants removed his black robe, revealing a distinct symbol etched on his chest.
It was a simple depiction of roaring flames. The moment Oh Seung-kyung and his men saw the symbol, their expressions shifted drastically.
“That symbol… Flame of the West? Could it be the Demon Sect?”
An organization thought to have been destroyed twenty years ago— a group said to be the origin of all evil in the world.
That was the Demon Sect.
At that time, the entire Central Plains had united to drive out the Demon Sect.
After three brutal years of war, the Central Plains finally succeeded in eradicating the Demon Sect. However, the damage Central Plains suffered was enormous. Many sects lost their strength or were completely wiped out, and countless more never recovered from the aftermath, leading to their downfall.
The corner of the leader’s mouth curled up into a sneer.
“Now you understand why we are not afraid of the Wudang Sect.”
“Are you really affiliated with the Demon Sect?”
“You’ll find out for yourself soon enough.”
The leader gestured with his hand.
At that moment, the martial artists lined up behind him charged toward the Northern Road Merchant Group and the Northern Road Escort Agency in unison, and a one-sided slaughter began.
Oh Seung-kyung’s face twisted in despair. He exchanged glances with Mak Gwang. Even without saying anything, each knew what the other was thinking and came to a mutual understanding.
Mak Gwang then looked at Lim Ho-ryeong.
“Ho-ryeong.”
“Yes, Chief Escort Leader.”
“Whatever happens, you must survive.”
“What do you mean? I will fight alongside you until the end.”
“If they truly are the Demon Sect, none of us will survive. But someone has to make it out alive and warn the Central Plains of their existence. You are the only one among us who stands a chance to do that. Please, I’m counting on you, Ho-ryeong.”
“Hic! Chief…”
Lim Ho-ryeong’s face contorted in anguish.
Oh Seung-kyung and Mak Gwang turned away from him and walked toward the battlefield. Their faces were filled with grim determination.
That day, the Northern Road Merchant Group and the Northern Road Escort Agency vanished from the world.
SoundlessWind21’s Notes:
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!