Chapter 29. Holy light
***
Holy light.
A word that literally refers to a newly risen star.
People commonly use this term to refer to a "suddenly appearing, outstanding, and young talent." Seen from that perspective, Do Heo-ok was a person who fit it perfectly.
He truly appeared in Murim all of a sudden.
Naturally, his initial movements were no more than a gentle breeze.
The first time his name became known among martial artists of the martial world was when Do Heo-ok single-handedly wiped out a nameless band of mountain bandits in Liaoning Province. Even then, there were not many who paid attention to him.
And then.
The Hebei Eight monsters of Hebei Province, the Ma-bung-bang of Shanxi.
[T/L: 마붕방 → Ma-bung-bang - horse scatterbrained.]
Ha Rang, the Flying Heavenly Cook of Shaanxi.
Cheon Dae-gang of the Thunder Goat Manor of Sichuan...…
As Do Heo-ok advanced westward and continued to strike down those walking the unorthodox path, people gradually began to look at him anew.
Even so, evaluations of him remained stingy. Gossipmongers deliberately belittled his opponents as second-rate, and they did not hesitate to say that once he encountered a true master of the demonic path or unorthodox faction, his unstoppable advance would come to an end.
And...…
At last, that day arrived.
When Do Heo-ok reached Hubei, the Yin-Yang Twin Demons blocked his path. Although the Yin-Yang Twin Demons did not rank among the Two Gods, Three Monsters, and Five Elders, they were veteran demonic giants whose skills were not far behind. They were not opponents that a greenhorn who had only recently stepped into the martial world could possibly handle.
However, Do Heo-ok shattered such fixed notions in one fell swoop. Though he did not win, he alone endured a thousand exchanges against the Yin-Yang Twin Demons. In the end, neither side could decide victory, and both withdrew.
This result sent massive shockwaves through the martial world.
A young wanderer roaming the martial world alone without a sect matching evenly with two demonic giants who had rampaged through the martial world for decades?
It was a shocking event and difficult to believe. Yet soon, the truth became clear as the origins of Do Heo-ok's martial arts were revealed.
Do Heo-ok used extremely domineering blade art. Each time he swung his blade, thunderous sounds that felt as if heaven and earth were collapsing resounded in all directions. While there were many martial arts in the martial world accompanied by thunder, there were very few thunder blades that produced such an intense sound.
Thunderclap Blade Art.
Three hundred years ago, it was the unique martial art of the Thunderclap Blade Emperor, who had been the number one under heaven. The blade art Do Heo-ok used was precisely that.
It was unknown where he had obtained the secret manual, but by using that blade art, he proclaimed himself to the world as a successor of the Thunderclap Blade Emperor.
An upright course of action, the Thunderclap Blade Art, and skill worthy of it.
Because of the exquisite harmony of those three elements, his fame quickly began racing across the world.
As a result, many major martial sects cast their lines toward Do Heo-ok in hopes of taking this young and promising talent into their fold.
If they could draw such an outstanding rising star under their sect's shadow, would they not gain not only a remarkable talent like him, but also potentially obtain the supreme blade art under heaven?
Naturally, the competition became even fiercer, to a degree that made the danger of the Forest of Fallen Swords seem mild by comparison.
Nevertheless, as if mocking the struggles of those major martial sects, Do Heo-ok continued to focus solely on exterminating villains who walked the unorthodox path.
Left with no choice, the Nine Sects and Beggars' Sect and the Five Great Families of the Central Plains could only continue to watch him closely, while the battle to seize the rising star still raged on.
However.
That under-the-table competition among the major sects, which had unfolded at an inopportune time, came to an anticlimactic end after Do Heo-ok arrived in Hefei, Anhui Province. Do Heo-ok fell in love at first sight with Namgung Hye, the second daughter of the Namgung Family.
In the end, the victor was the Namgung Family, and the remaining sects had no choice but to give him up with bitter regret.
***
These days, the Namgung Family was bustling nonstop due to the wedding of Do Heo-ok and Namgung Hye, the outcome of that fierce struggle over the rising star.
Needless to say, Do Heo-ok himself was extremely busy.
He personally stood at the temporary reception pavilion set up near the gates of the Namgung Family, greeting congratulatory guests as they arrived.
With his tall stature and gentle, handsome features, Do Heo-ok exuded the bearing of a hero by appearance alone. Even after exchanging greetings and heading toward the Guest Hall, the guests never ceased praising him.
Normally, there would have been no need for the groom himself to come out and receive guests. Even so, Do Heo-ok voluntarily took on the troublesome duty of reception, leaving the guests even more impressed by his humility.
But.
Do Heo-ok's true purpose was not reception.
Although he welcomed guests with a hearty smile, in truth, he was scrutinizing each of them with sharp eyes. Who had come, what their exact sect affiliations were, how strong they were—he carefully organized and classified everything in his mind.
Above all, what mattered most to him was confirming whether the people who absolutely needed to come had arrived or not.
For a performance to unfold, many actors are required. Do Heo-ok was the lead, and there needed to be countless extras along with a few essential supporting roles. Even among supporting roles, there was a clear difference in importance.
Among them, Do Heo-ok waited here every day for the most crucial supporting role. Once that person arrived, it would not matter if hundreds of useless extras were missing. And the moment that person showed his face at the Namgung Family estate would mark the point at which preparations for the start of the "First Stratagem" were finally complete.
After Do Heo-ok had greeted guests while concealing his true face for about three days, the supreme supporting role of this "First Stratagem," whom he had long awaited, finally arrived at the Namgung Family.
'He's here.'
Dozens of people were entering the large, open-sided tent serving as the temporary reception pavilion.
It was far more people than Do Heo-ok had initially anticipated, but that was not important. The only person who mattered to him was the cold-faced, brown-robed middle-aged man standing at the very front.
As expected.
At the appearance of the middle-aged man, martial artists who had arrived earlier and were writing their names in the congratulatory register recognized him and began murmuring. Although it had been a long time since he last appeared before people, the middle-aged man was one of the high-ranking masters whose mere appearance was enough to stir the martial world.
"Ha!"
The middle-aged man shot a sharp glare at the murmuring crowd and let out a fierce shout. Instantly, the martial artists fell into silence.
The middle-aged man coldly scanning the crowd was famous not only as a master, but also as an eccentric. There was a reason why people openly said that if he were just a bit stronger and more bizarre, he would have become one of the Four monsters rather than the Three monsters. No one here wished to get on his bad side.
"So noisy. Are you saying I've come to a place I shouldn't have?"
His cold eyes and uniquely gruff tone chilled everyone to the bone. People recalled his sobriquet in their minds and busied themselves avoiding his gaze. Even if death came, they did not want to be chased while wandering as a soul, so they naturally kept their heads down.
'As expected of Soul-Chasing Poisoned Hand.'
The brown-robed middle-aged man was none other than Tang Wu.
After spending the previous night practicing the Head-Opening Great Method, he had walked an entire day to reach the Namgung Family estate here by Chaohu in Hefei. Those who appeared alongside him were, of course, Dong Bong-su, Tang Hua, and members of the Danri Family.
While people were flustered, Do Heo-ok was smiling inwardly at Tang Wu's arrival.
How could he not?
For such a long time, he had moved in the shadows solely for this one matter. Once this was finished, he would finally be able to become a proper shadow in the light rather than one lurking in darkness.
"If you've got something to say, don't whisper in the corner like that. Come shove your head in front of me and babble."
"......"
Naturally, no one stepped forward.
No—there was one person. The only person who had not lost his relaxed, courteous smile even once since Tang Wu appeared.
"Greetings. Great Hero Tang."
It was Do Heo-ok.
At his greeting, Tang Wu's gaze finally shifted from the crowd to him.
"Who might you be?"
"This is our first meeting. I am Do Heo-ok."
A faintly intrigued expression appeared on Tang Wu's face as he looked at Do Heo-ok's clasped-fist salute. Perhaps curious about the rising star of the martial world he had often heard about, Tang Wu's eyes swiftly scanned Do Heo-ok from head to toe.
Do Heo-ok did not particularly care, even though Tang Wu's gaze swept over his entire body. No matter how he looked, he could not discern his true nature.
He was confident.
That his transformation was the most perfect in the martial world. In this regard, not even "that person" could match him.
Do Heo-ok's transformation was not some simple disguise technique. It was a transformation art based on the Thousand Transformations Technique, which completely reconstructed the bones and muscles to alter one's appearance.
"Oh ho, so you're that young Blade Star who went to such trouble to bring me here."
"Yes, great hero."
Do Heo-ok lightly bowed his head.
Tang Wu's gaze sharpened once more, though it did not last long.
"Excellent. Truly excellent. But that's all. Had I met you yesterday, it would've been perfect, but seeing you today, it's quite a pity."
What did he mean?
After throwing out words Do Heo-ok could not understand at all, Tang Wu walked past him toward the rear of the temporary reception pavilion, in the direction of the Namgung Family's inner residence.
"Is that Byeok fellow inside?"
"Yes. He is inside."
As expected of Tang Wu, known as an eccentric of the martial world. Who else would dare call the head of the Namgung Family by name so casually? Yet Do Heo-ok was no less formidable, responding without the slightest hint of fluster.
"Then I'll go in."
"Yes, great hero. The head of the family has been waiting for you for several days now."
If Tang Wu was an eccentric with an unrestrained personality, Do Heo-ok was like a waterfall—fluid like water, yet strong and bold. Of course, that was merely his outer shell, not his true self.
Do Heo-ok responded calmly from start to finish, even to Tang Wu's actions that might have seemed rude. Seeing this, the people gathered there were once again impressed by him.
However, there were exactly two exceptions.
Tang Wu and Dong Bong-su.
Tang Wu had already been sufficiently impressed by the supreme talent that was Dong Bong-su, leaving nothing more to admire.
Dong Bong-su, on the other hand, was different for an entirely separate reason.
Fundamentally, Dong Bong-su did not admire people. He merely observed them—classifying them as prey, enemies, or natural objects like grass and trees.
If a target was outstanding, it merely became outstanding prey or an enemy to him. If it was prey, there was no need to think—he could simply hunt it or leave it alone.
But if it was an enemy, he faced a completely different situation.
In such cases, Dong Bong-su typically chose one of three options: eliminate it before it interfered with the hunt, avoid it, or deceive it.
From the moment he followed Tang Wu into this temporary reception pavilion, Dong Bong-su had been watching Do Heo-ok closely.
It was because of piercing vision. Piercing vision had alerted him to the appearance of a new high-level enemy.
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