Chapter 39: Chapter 39
“Ugh!”
Bang Jin-bo groaned as he shifted his body. His skin was drenched in cold sweat.
Dam Ho watched him in silence. From the moment Dam Ho had returned after annihilating Gyeong-cheon-saeng and his subordinates, Bang Jin-bo had fallen ill.
He frequently lost consciousness to high fever, and at times he hallucinated. He had vomited so much that now only yellow bile remained.
His eyes had lost their luster, and sudden bouts of tinnitus triggered seizures. Once he lost consciousness, he would not wake for three or four days.
Bang Jin-bo was wasting away, bit by bit. If this continued without intervention, he would never recover his vitality and would die.
Dam Ho had not told Bang Jin-bo that he had killed them. But the boy had instinctively known. The putrid scent of blood that clung to Dam Ho’s body betrayed him.
One who kills carries not only the scent of blood but also an aura of death. Dam Ho was no exception.
Dam Ho, possessed of an extraordinarily robust body and willpower, was unaffected. But Bang Jin-bo was different. He was simply an ordinary person.
He had never trained in martial arts, nor was his mental fortitude stronger than others’. He was a common boy one might find anywhere. Being so ordinary, he could not withstand the killing aura emanating from Dam Ho’s body.
Dam Ho looked at Bang Jin-bo for a moment, then went outside.
The place where they were staying was a fairly large horse ranch not far from Hami.
It was not an ordinary stable but a place where horses were bred. The people here stayed through spring and summer, then migrated south with the horses when autumn came to escape the cold.
Only a handful of people remained behind to maintain the ranch. The ranch owner had offered Dam Ho and Bang Jin-bo a guest house.
The guest house was located at the edge of the ranch, making it exceptionally secluded.
Fwoo!
When Dam Ho stepped outside, the black horse approached.
It never strayed from Dam Ho’s side, even without being tied.
At that moment, someone approached.
“That truly is a fine horse. I’ve worked at ranches my whole life, but I’ve never seen one like it.”
The man sighing in admiration was the ranch owner, Geum Gwan-cheon. He had spent his entire life cultivating this land, and now that he had handed everything over to his son, he managed the ranch alone.
With spring arrived, his children who had departed with the horses would soon return. He was waiting for their homecoming.
Despite his age, Geum Gwan-cheon gazed upon Dam Ho and the black horse with clear, innocent eyes.
Dam Ho patted the black horse’s shoulder and looked at Geum Gwan-cheon.
“Thank you for providing us shelter.”
“The boy is ill, isn’t he? It’s the least I could do.”
Geum Gwan-cheon smiled.
It was a warm smile, entirely free of selfishness.
“But what will you do about the boy’s condition?”
“Is there a physician nearby?”
“As you can see, this is an endless plain. There’s no physician to be found.”
At the old man’s response, Dam Ho furrowed his brow.
One whose martial arts had reached a certain level could channel internal energy into another’s body to restore vitality. But Dam Ho could not do this.
The internal energy he had cultivated through the Dark Soul Heart Method was too violent and destructive. If it entered Bang Jin-bo’s body, the boy’s meridians would be torn apart.
At that moment, Geum Gwan-cheon spoke.
“There is one method, though.”
“……”
“Have you ever heard of the Red-Scaled Strange Fish?”
Dam Ho shook his head. Geum Gwan-cheon nodded as though he had expected as much.
“You’ve likely never heard the name. Few people here know of it either. I’ve only seen it once myself, long ago.”
“……”
“If you travel about five hundred li north from here, you’ll find the Red River. The soil is red, so even the clear water appears entirely red. Deep within that river lives a fish called the Red-Scaled Strange Fish. It’s said to be the finest for restoring human vitality. If you catch one and stew it thoroughly, the boy should recover quickly.”
“Five hundred li to the north?”
“Yes. Finding the way shouldn’t be too difficult. The problem is that the Red-Scaled Strange Fish is both elusive and ferocious, catching one is no easy task. A fully grown one is said to be nearly half a zhang long, making it no different from a monster. The people who live near the river treat the Red-Scaled Strange Fish as a sacred creature and avoid the river entirely.”
Geum Gwan-cheon continued to explain everything he knew about the Red-Scaled Strange Fish in detail.
“I’ll leave the boy in your care until I return.”
“Rest easy. Even beasts that come to my doorstep, I cannot turn away, much less a human child. I’ll look after him well. I do hope you catch the Red-Scaled Strange Fish.”
“Mm!”
Dam Ho mounted the black horse without a moment’s hesitation or the slightest reluctance.
Geum Gwan-cheon watched him with admiration.
‘This man is the type who acts the moment he makes a decision.’
Many people lived their lives, but few among them translated thought into action. And among that small number, even fewer possessed the strength and ability to make their desires a reality.
Geum Gwan-cheon thought Dam Ho belonged to that rarest of categories. He felt it strongly.
The black horse began to gallop at a terrifying speed.
Hot breath rose from the horse’s entire body. The sight resembled heat haze rising from the ground.
Dam Ho became one with the black horse.
Five hundred li was quite a distance. But Dam Ho was not greatly concerned. The black horse was with him.
At the horse’s full speed, they could reach the Red River where the Red-Scaled Strange Fish dwelled before noon the following day. The question was whether Bang Jin-bo could hold on until then.
‘Hold on.’
After galloping without rest for a full day and night, they arrived at the Red River the caretaker had described.
Fwoo!
The black horse snorted wearily. Dam Ho stroked its mane.
“You’ve worked hard. Rest now.”
From here on, it was his task alone.
Dam Ho freed the black horse and approached the riverbank.
As Geum Gwan-cheon had described, the river and its surrounding soil were red as blood. As a result, the water that should have been clear appeared entirely crimson.
Dam Ho knelt and plunged his hand into the river.
It was cold enough to sting. Despite the spring warmth carried by the wind, the river had not yet shed winter’s grip.
Dam Ho stood and surveyed the river.
The Red River was immensely wide and stretched beyond sight. It was a landscape well suited for the Red-Scaled Strange Fish to inhabit.
The question was where in this vast expanse the fish lurked. First, he had to determine its habitat.
Dam Ho’s keen eyes swept across the water’s surface.
Drip!
Blood trickled from the object in his hand. It was a wild goose he had hunted nearby.
Dam Ho cast one of the geese into the river and waited. He had scanned the river from end to end but found no trace of the Red-Scaled Strange Fish. Discovering the fish hidden deep within the water was nearly impossible.
But Dam Ho did not give up. He hunted ducks and geese from the vicinity and threw them into the river, watching for any change.
It was an exceedingly tedious process, but Dam Ho persevered. This was the twentieth attempt.
Even after waiting a considerable time, the water’s surface showed no change. As Dam Ho prepared to move to another spot,
Bubbling! Bubbling!
Suddenly, bubbles began to rise to the surface.
Dam Ho’s gaze sank deeply.
SPLASH!
In that instant, a massive spray of water erupted as something surged from the depths. It was a monstrous fish nearly six feet in length.
Its surface gleamed with vivid red scales, like an enormous catfish magnified many times over.
Dam Ho intuited instinctively that this was the Red-Scaled Strange Fish. Its enormous retinal membrane reflected his image.
The Red-Scaled Strange Fish swam away leisurely into the depths with the goose still in its mouth. The encounter had happened in the blink of an eye, and with the fish surfacing in the middle of the river, Dam Ho had no means to act.
But Dam Ho was not discouraged. Simply discovering that this was the fish’s territory was a significant gain.
The problem was how to catch it.
Just as he had observed the fish, so too had the fish observed him.
The outcome would depend entirely on how the fish assessed him.
Dam Ho walked along the riverbank, gathering wood.
He bundled seemingly useless branches into a crude raft and carved a wooden spear from a log as thick as a man’s forearm.
Once his preparations were roughly complete, Dam Ho floated the raft to the center of the river. He sat cross-legged in the middle of the small craft.
And he closed his eyes and waited.
One hour. Two hours. He waited until evening fell, but the water’s surface showed no change.
Normally, a river and its surroundings would teem with life.
From insects to fish, and wild beasts drawn to the water.
But here, not a trace of life could be felt. No insects sang, no beasts ventured near. Not even the slightest ripple of common fish disturbed the silence, only desolation remained.
The Red-Scaled Strange Fish devoured every living thing that approached its domain. This was the fish’s territory, and clearly, no other life dared intrude.
The caretaker had mentioned that several Red-Scaled Strange Fish lived here. But what Dam Ho felt now was only the singular enormous fish he had encountered.
This could mean only one thing.
‘Did it devour even its own kind?’
The creature Dam Ho had seen appeared at least four times larger than what the caretaker had described as monstrous. At that size, it could truly be called a monster.
The fish did not move. But Dam Ho knew. It was watching him.
The fish, too, was deliberating. How to deal with this human who had boldly entered its territory without fear.
Dam Ho was the first living creature to enter its domain in what must have been a very long time. Naturally, it could not help but salivate. Yet it hesitated to act because of the unsettling aura emanating from Dam Ho’s body.
Dam Ho realized that in this state, he could not easily draw the fish out. To lure it, a stronger temptation was needed.
Dam Ho produced a small dagger from his robes and slashed his arm.
Grrrk!
The keenly sharpened blade merely squeaked against his skin, leaving not even a scratch. Helplessly, Dam Ho channeled internal energy and cut his forearm.
Only then did a wound appear, and blood began to flow. Dam Ho did not stanch the wound and immersed his arm directly in the water.
Blood dispersed through the river. Though the amount was small, it was sufficient to entice the Red-Scaled Strange Fish.
Thoom!
Concentric ripples spread across the water’s surface. The change was so subtle that an ordinary person would not have noticed.
Dam Ho opened his eyes.
His gaze was heavier than it had ever been.
SPLASH!
In that instant, a massive spray of water erupted as the Red-Scaled Strange Fish shot upward. Its enormous maw gaped open toward Dam Ho.
The fish, unable to resist the lure of the blood scent, had attacked.
The blow carried the tremendous weight befitting its six-foot length. A pressure that could overwhelm any living creature bore down upon Dam Ho.
At that moment, Dam Ho launched himself into the air.
BOOM!
Dam Ho’s knee, having evaded the fish’s maw, struck its head. The Red-Scaled Strange Fish’s head snapped to the side.
The unexpected, violent impact made its pupils tremble. Instinctively, the fish realized Dam Ho was not prey it could digest.
The Red-Scaled Strange Fish intended to flee into the depths. But Dam Ho would not allow it.
Crack!
Dam Ho’s fist, which had closed the distance in an instant, shattered through the fish’s hard scales and sank into the soft flesh beneath.
The Red-Scaled Strange Fish convulsed violently. Its eyes filled with pain and terror. It struggled to shake Dam Ho off and flee into the water.
SPLASH!
The fish plunged desperately into the depths. But Dam Ho’s fist, embedded in its flesh, refused to release.
Dam Ho clung to the fish’s side and was dragged down to the unfathomable depths of the river.
The fierce current and enormous pressure were palpable. But Dam Ho did not let go.
He had experienced water to the point of exhaustion during his time hunting in the underground cavern. He understood the nature of water well and knew how to hunt this kind of creature.
Dam Ho raised the wooden spear above his head.
Internal energy cultivated through the Dark Soul Heart Method surged into the spear. In that instant, Dam Ho drove it downward with all his might.
CRUNCH!
The spear penetrated the Red-Scaled Strange Fish’s body up to its hilt, leaving only the grip exposed.
The fish’s body thrashed violently.
BOOM!
Dam Ho’s fist struck its head.
Like a thunderclap, an enormous plume of water erupted from the surface, and the entire river turned an even deeper shade of crimson.
A moment later, Dam Ho emerged from the water. He held the Red-Scaled Strange Fish’s gill in one hand as he surfaced.
The enormous head of the Red-Scaled Strange Fish had vanished without a trace.
Thump!
Dam Ho tossed the massive fish onto the bank. The creature lay motionless, not a single scale stirring.
Now he simply needed to take the Red-Scaled Strange Fish back. But the problem was its size. The caretaker had said to stew it thoroughly, yet no pot existed large enough to contain a fish this enormous.
After a moment’s thought, Dam Ho slit the fish’s belly, hoping against hope.
Pop!
Along with its innards, an object the size of a small stone rolled out.
‘Its inner elixir.’
A spirit creature of this size would certainly have formed an inner elixir within its body. Though judging by its size, it was not yet complete, it should possess sufficient efficacy to cure Bang Jin-bo’s illness.
All that remained was to return.
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