Return of the Mount Hua Sect

“If you all leave, we won’t feel at ease.”

Baek Cheon smiled as he looked at the villagers.

“I appreciate your concern, but we have work to do and can’t stay for long. Please understand.”

“But if you leave….”

Emotions overwhelmed everyone, especially the village chief, who looked at the disciples of Mount Hua with teary eyes. They had healed the village’s disease, and the villagers should be repaying the favor. Instead, the disciples even gave away their leftover grain.

Tears welled up in his eyes as they had received such help, especially when their own Ice Palace was trying to dominate them.

“We apologize for not realizing your kindness when we first met and for treating you carelessly.”

“…. Please, don’t do that, elder.”

Baek Cheon stopped the chief and bowed his head. The villagers had been wary at first, but once they opened their hearts, they were more grateful than the people of the Central Plains.

But…

Baek Cheon’s face darkened slightly as he glanced behind the village chief.

“As I expected, their faces don’t look so bright.”

But this was expected.

The disease had been cured but that didn’t improve the village’s situation. This lung disease was a result of the North Sea’s situation.

If things didn’t improve here, it wouldn’t be surprising if something similar happened again.

Even if the disease didn’t occur, it would have been a situation where they could not eat properly.

Baek Cheon looked at them with sad eyes and then bowed.

“We need to leave now.”

“Yes, our benefactors. If you head north from here, the North Sea Ice Palace can be found.”

“Thank you. Then…”

As the disciples of Mount Hua grabbed the cart, the villagers spoke with raised voices.

“Go and be safe!”

“Thank you so much!”

“When you go back, please stop by. At that time, we will treat you properly.”

The disciples of Mount Hua waved their hands and began to pull the cart. For a long time after leaving, Tang Soso looked back at the people, unable to calm her mind.

“Is this fine?”

“… for the time being, there won’t be any major problems. Yesterday, Baek Ah went through so much fishing that their storage room got filled.”

“… I didn’t think that they were that kind of character.”

Baek Ah was so good at catching big fish that it was praised a couple of times, but inspired by the praises, it continued jumping into the water and got more fish that were even larger.

And then it looked with eyes asking, ‘Why aren’t you complimenting me?’.

“I am not sure if it is smart or stupid.”

“It resembles someone.”

Baek Cheon sighed. Well, thanks to Baek Ah, the people had food.

‘It is a pity that the face of Monk Hae Yeon was getting even sadder.’

What could be done? He did this to himself.

Anyway, the villagers will need to fish for fresh raw food soon, but it wouldn’t be a problem since they have enough to eat for now. The weather would be cold, but there wouldn’t be any risk.

“I heard the chief will give fish to other villagers.”

“Hmm. That’s a good thing.”

Baek Cheon nodded silently. Han Yi-Myung’s words about the importance of helping each other in this barren land came to mind.

“But even that has its limits, Amitabha.”

“Right.”

Yoon Jong, who had been listening to the worried conversation, spoke up.

“Is there anything else we can do?”

“Again. He’s losing his sanity again!”

Chung Myung peeked through the hole in the cart, and Baek Ah also stuck her head out from beneath his chin.

“What? You just shit and live!”

Eik!

“… No, not that…”

The animal and human, or rather the two that had become one, gritted their teeth simultaneously.

“Why? Planning to sell the sword again? The price will be high for a cold steel sword, right?”

Eeeik!

“W-why are you bringing this up again!”

Yoon Jong’s face turned red.

“I just… I was wondering if there’s anything else we can do to help.”

“No help.”

“Uh?”

Yoon Jong was surprised by how low Chung Myung’s voice was.

“Well, it’s not difficult to help.”

“…”

“But we’ll be alone for a moment. Sooner or later, it’ll all be the same.”

It was a normal voice, but Chung Myung’s face was very serious.

“Because it’s you who changed a life, not others.”

At those words, everyone looked back at Chung Myung in surprise.

“What?”

“… nothing.”

“I can’t believe you said the right words.”

“Amitabha. The sun has risen in the west.”

“What’s wrong with you people?”

Chung Myung rolled his eyes.

“… tsk. Forget it. I don’t care. Hurry up and run.”

He clicked his tongue and hid back in the tent.

The disciples of Mount Hua exchanged glances with strange looks.

‘He’s such a strange one.’

Just two days ago, when he had encountered the Demonic Sect, they had been scared of him, but now he was back to his normal self.

Baek Cheon laughed out loud and encouraged his fellow disciples.

“We wasted too much time. We have to go before those who were tied up earlier reach the Ice Palace. Let’s move fast and have time to rest.”

“Yes, sir!”

“I understand, senior.”

“Let’s go!”

Everyone began to pull the cart harder.

“That is….”

“Seems like it’s the right place.”

“… so long.”

“They said it’s an ice palace, so this has to be right.”

Seeing the large building in the distance, the disciples exclaimed.

That dazzling white wall.

They witnessed a castle-like tower reaching high into the sky, evoking a sense of shock. The fortress, built in a distinct style from the Central Plains, confirmed their arrival at the North Sea.

The sprawling cities of the Central Plains were awe-inspiring, but the North Sea Ice Palace stood tall and majestic. Like its outer wall, the white castle seamlessly blended with the surrounding landscape, resembling an icy palace.

“It’s truly astonishing, a structure like this…”

“Indeed.”

Considering the harsh weather and desolate terrain, constructing such a castle must have been an arduous task. Merely gazing at it allowed them to grasp the immense power that the North Sea Ice Palace held within the North Sea.

“Hmm.”

“Ummm.”

Yoon Jong furrowed his brow and spoke.

“I can’t help but feel uneasy as if I’m being suppressed…”

Jo Gul couldn’t help but laugh at Yoon Jong’s peculiar expression.

“Haha, hyung, what on earth are you talking about?”

“What could someone as privileged as you possibly understand?”

“…”

Yoon Jong glared at him, causing Jo Gul to sigh and avert his gaze. Baek Cheon, too, found himself gazing at the castle with a newfound fascination.

“This is the North Sea Ice Palace.”

After a while of observing the scene, they halted the cart and stood together, everyone captivated by the view.

“Everyone must be getting overwhelmed by nervousness. The Lord of the Nanman Beast Palace had supposedly informed them beforehand, but no one knows how they will react.”

“Yes, indeed.”

“In the worst case, we might have to run. Keep that in mind and be very careful.”

“Yes.”

The faces of Mount Hua’s disciples were tense; even the Demonic Sect was caught up in the situation, so they didn’t know how this would unfold. They were nervous even though they didn’t want to be.

“Now, then…”

“Uhhh. So cold.”

But then came a rustling sound, and Chung Myung, wrapped in fur, jumped off the cart. He walked ahead.

“Looks like a real ice palace.”

Chung Myung, who said those words, looked at the disciples.

“What are you doing? Let’s go.”

“Okay!”

The disciples of Mount Hua had light smiles on their faces and quickly made up their minds as they moved toward the ice palace. Thanks to the snowstorm that ended earlier, the white wall looked even more majestic to their eyes.

Standing in front of the large gate in the middle of the outer wall, Baek Cheon knocked on the huge door.

“Is anyone there?”

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!

Usually, a guard would be at the front gate of any place this size. However, no one was guarding the front gate, whether it was because of the cold weather or because they thought no one would come there.

Thump! Thud!

“Is anyone there? We have business in the Ice Palace!”

But there was no answer. Baek Cheon frowned and was ready to knock again.

Clack

There was a loud clicking sound, and the door opened slowly.

Gkgkgkg!

The screeching sound of the huge iron door made the disciples’ faces twist in discomfort.

Finally, a man in a pure white uniform emerged from the half-open door.

“These people sure love white things.”

Everything was white here, the buildings, the clothes, and even their pale skin. It all felt so strange.

“For what reason are you knocking on the door of the Ice Palace…”

The warriors who recognized the Mount Hua disciples froze in place.

“Outsiders?”

“…”

Chung Myung glanced back at Yoon Jong and inquired,

“Do you sense anything? How does this guy know we’re outsiders just by looking at our faces?”

“… Isn’t it possible that fewer people dress like this in the North Sea?”

“…”

Whether it was because of their conversation or not, the warrior’s face contorted, unsure of how to appear normal.

“How dare an outsider knock on the door of the Ice Palace when even entering the North Sea is already too much. You must want to die!”

As he shouted, the soldiers in white uniforms hastily emerged.

Chung Myung asked once more,

“Could it be that they’ve been waiting in the cold? Geez, they really have nothing better to do.”

“… Chung Myung, please…”

Yoon Jong restrained his urge to punch Chung Myung in the mouth. What on earth was this guy doing, asking such a question in this situation?

No matter how much he looked, he couldn’t understand Chung Myung. The warriors who jumped out surrounded the cart before they knew it.

Chang!

And they drew their swords all at once and pointed at the disciples.

“W-wait one second!”

Baek Cheon raised both hands to show that he didn’t want to fight and said,

“We are indeed from the Central Plains, but we didn’t come here on our own accord. We came after the Nanman Beast Palace informed the palace about us!”

“… Beast Palace?”

“Yes.”

The warrior in the lead frowned.

“People of the Central Plains are being introduced by the Nanman Beast Palace?! You sure are one to tell tall tales!”

“We mean it! Check, and the truth should come out.”

With that kind of insisting, the warriors began to doubt as he looked at Baek Cheon.

“You aren’t lying?”

“We aren’t.”

“If this turns out to be untrue…”

It was then.

“Ah, hurry in and check already! We will die of the cold; how long are you going to leave us here?”

He turned his head.

Seeing Chung Myung squatting down in the back, the warrior was dumbfounded. But Chung Myung didn’t stop.

“Looking at it, I don’t think you are in the position where you can make decisions on your own accord, so don’t waste time for no reason and get the words out.”

The man’s face turned red, and Baek Cheon closed his eyes.

‘I should have knocked him down before knocking on the gate.’

Why didn’t he cover the guy’s mouth beforehand? Why!

It was too late to regret. However, the warrior nodded and resheathed the sword.

“Wait.”

“….”

He remained remarkably calm despite the provocation. Before Baek Cheon could question this any further, the warrior turned and went inside.

“… is he actually listening?”

“Of course.”

Chung Myung calmly explained,

“If the North Sea Ice Palace is the imperial palace of the North Sea, then the lord is like their king.”

“Right.”

“A single soldier can’t deal with a situation where a lord from another palace has contacted his lord to bring guests in. If he decides wrong, he could die.”

“Ah… that’s what it means to know your place.”

“Then what did you hear?”

“I thought you were just insulting him.”

“….”

Chung Myung’s eyes twitched, but Baek Cheon looked proud. He was honest. It wasn’t his fault. Even if it was the same thing, didn’t it change depending on who said it? And even if Chung Myung was speaking the best words, they naturally couldn’t understand it.

And Chung Myung said,

“Sasuk.”

“Uh?”

“Be nervous. We will be attacked if you don’t hear good news from inside.”

Hearing those words, Baek Cheon nodded, and the other disciples tensed.

And time passed.

Tak.

The man who had entered rushed out.

“Everyone, sheathe your swords!”

At his command, the soldiers lowered their weapons away from Mount Hua.

“Open the gates! The Lord has accepted them as guests of the North Sea!”

The warriors hurriedly sprinted to the gate, eagerly preparing to swing it open.

“Pardon me, kind sirs. Please step inside.”

“Ah, thank you.”

At that moment, Baek Cheon let out a sigh of relief, believing that things had finally gone smoothly.

“They’re asking us to enter the tiger’s den.”

“….”

Chung Myung wore a mischievous grin.

“Very well. Whether we become the hunted or the hunters is yet to be determined.”

Chung Myung’s smile grew wicked as he gracefully advanced toward the front entrance of the Ice Palace.