Return of the Mount Hua Sect

Dudududu.

Short legs swiftly glided across the snow. After sprinting with all their might, they stopped and looked around before sprinting once more.

Baek Ah, who was scanning the area quickly, moved her legs again…

“Ahoh!”

Wooong.

Chung Myung kicked Baek Ah. Soaring into the air, Baek Ah quickly turned around and landed without panic, assuming a defensive stance.

“What the hell, we’ve been running for three days! Are we ever going to leave already?”

As Chung Myung attempted to run with his eyes wide open, the disciples of Mount Hua quickly rushed towards him and pulled him down.

“Please wait, Chung Myung! Please be patient!”

“Why are you angry at a creature!”

“It’s not just a beast or any ordinary animal!”

Baek Ah’s forehead broke out in cold sweat as she knew that turning back would result in her death.

“Are you absolutely certain that you’re headed in the right direction? We’re not going somewhere else, are we?”

Kiik…

“How dare you go wherever you want to.”

Chung Myung’s eyes were filled with murderous intent.

“If you cannot find them, a marten scarf will be added to Mount Hua’s list of belongings.”

Baek Cheon shook his head as he watched Baek Ah sweat profusely.

“Now, now, Chung Myung. How can you locate a person just by their scent in this vast North Sea?”

“Why can’t we?”

“Of course, you can’t.”

“Doing what cannot be done is the nature of the spirit beast. Why waste food on it otherwise?”

“…. “

Chung Myung turned to Baek Ah and yelled.

“If that thing wasn’t a spirit animal, it would’ve been a scarf! I fed you and provided you a place to sleep. As a spirit beast, you should at least repay me. If you can’t, go back to where you came from.”

“… Where is that place?”

“What did you hear? In the treasury!”

“….”

Ultimately, Baek Cheon, who gave up, simply chuckled.

‘This isn’t a concern for a Taoist to get involved in.’

Ordinary individuals wouldn’t engage in such behavior. He was not the epitome of perfection, so how could humanity exhibit such peculiarities without undergoing any transformation?

“No, I believed in you because Meng So mentioned that you are competent, but is this a fraud? What sort of spirit beast are you? All you do is quiver and devour!”

“… it managed to catch a lot of fish.”

“Yeah, right! It certainly excelled at that!”

Observing the disciples of Mount Hua, Yo Sa-Heon cleared his throat.

“… Taoist disciple. Perhaps it is time to alter the approach now…”

The subordinates of the former Palace Lord, who had tossed the troops and guards off the cliff, then sought refuge in one of the Ice Palace’s old hideouts. They had to restore it on their own.

Nevertheless, Yo Sa-Heon declined to accompany them and joined the party from Mount Hua.

It was important to lead them, but finding Seol So-Baek and determining his whereabouts was even more important. Since this was true, the disciples of Mount Hua had no choice but to allow him to join them.

First, finding Seol So-Baek, convincing him, and then bringing him back to the palace with Han Yi-Myung were separate matters. Having Yo Sa-Heon could be useful.

“I agree, but…”

Baek Cheon thought for a bit while scratching his head.

“Wouldn’t this way be better?”

Yo Sa-Heon sighed.

“Taoist disciple, please do not misunderstand me.”

“Yes, go ahead.”

“Han Yi-Myung is highly skilled.”

Upon hearing this, Baek Cheon tilted his head in confusion.

“If he attempted to conceal his presence, even the disciples would not be able to find him.”

“Yes, we also believe so.”

There seemed to be an intention from the current palace to find them. This had already been discussed among the disciples of Mount Hua.

“Currently, he is hiding, trying to avoid being found by the Ice Palace. If he doesn’t reveal himself, tracking him down will be challenging…”

Kiiiii!

“….”

All attention shifted to Baek Ah. She was tapping the ground with her short legs and pointing in one direction with her paw.

“… what?”

Yo Sa-Heon was speechless.

Why would a marten indicate a location with its paw instead of its mouth?

The disciples of Mount Hua murmured in disbelief.

“It doesn’t seem like a normal marten at all.”

“Because it’s a spirit beast.”

“No, even if it’s a spirit beast.”

Even a spirit beast was still a beast…

But Chung Myung ignored their words, his eyes gleaming.

“You found them?”

Kii!

“Really?”

Kii!

Chung Myung smiled at that confident nod and gently stroked Baek Ah’s head.

“If it’s a lie, I’ll really make you into a scarf.”

Despite the warning, Baek Ah nodded confidently.

“Let’s go!”

Kiii!

Baek Ah started rushing ahead.

“Follow!”

Even without those orders, the disciples of Mount Hua rushed ahead after Baek Ah. Yo Sa-Heon was left alone, looking even more confused as he ran after them.

And he wondered,

‘Are they even sane?’

He knew that the marten was strange.

But this was the North Sea. It would have been quicker to find a grain of sand than sniff out people here. And honestly, it was evident that even if they searched for three full months like this, they wouldn’t even find a trace of Seol So-Baek’s urine.

“Did I trust them too much?”

Their skills certainly fooled him. The sword techniques they displayed were powerful and confident, leaving no doubt about their potential assistance.

However, skill remained as skill. Experience remained experience.

‘I didn’t realize that these young people have so little experience….’

“There’s something up ahead.”

“Don’t kid around!”

Suddenly, Yo Sa-Heon screamed. The disciples of Mount Hua all turned around with confused expressions, causing the old man to avert his eyes.

‘This doesn’t make any sense.’

It was a marten, not a dog. How could it track a person by smell?

There was a limit to being unreasonable!

‘Ah, not now! Not yet!’

Even if someone found something, there was no evidence that it was Seol So-Baek. Could it be that they found just someone passing by?

There was no reason to be so shocked.

His thinking appeared to have become narrow after spending so long in the valley.

Feeling relieved at this thought, he cleared his throat.

And…

“There, a man!”

“Oh! It is a person! A real one! And it looks like a home?”

“…”

The eyes of Yo Sa-Heon twitched.

He noticed a figure in the distance, which appeared to be human.

“No, it couldn’t possibly be Han Yi-Myung…”

Although he stared intently, his red eyes couldn’t discern the other person’s identity. How could you recognize someone when they’re bundled up in thick fur coats?

“This can’t be…”

Suddenly, they drew nearer.

“No, oh god! The disciples of Mount Hua? What a strange turn of events!”

The man who saw them jumped up and approached them with arms wide open. And then he removed the fur coat that covered the face.

It was Han Yi-Myung who greeted them.

“Ehh! We have met again!”

“I am so glad we met again! Warrior Han!”

“Hahaha. It is nice to see…”

An emotional reunion.

But there were also people who couldn’t appreciate the beauty of it.

“…”

Yo Sa-Heon looked at Han Yi-Myung with an expression that seemed to have lost all hope. Despite his hardships, Yo Sa-Heon was certain that the person before him was Han Yi-Myung.

“… what…”

Was he really seeing Han Yi-Myung, whom the marten had discovered, in this vast North Sea?

How was this even possible! How!

Baek Ah, who had also recognized Han Yi-Myung, seemed satisfied and puffed out her stomach, almost falling backward.

“Kuak! Truly a remarkable spirit beast!”

“I envy you for taking such good care of the marten!”

“Wow! Incredible!”

The followers of Mount Hua applauded and admired her. Han Yi-Myung scowled at the presence of the stranger, while Yo Sa-Heon looked confused. The former’s eyes then widened.

“First Elder! You’re the First Elder!”

And he approached to speak.

“W-why are you here… huh? What’s with that look? First Elder?”

As he stared at Han Yi-Myung with bewildered eyes, Yo Sa-Heon raised his voice.

“Simply…”

“Huh?”

“… I was reflecting on the ridiculousness of this world.”

“….”

Han Yi-Myung squinted his eyes, questioning if he was witnessing a new form of senility he was unfamiliar with.

Yo Sa-Heon discreetly brushed away the tears from his eyes.

“…something along those lines.”

The disciples of Mount Hua held steaming cups of liquid in their hands.

Although it was just plain boiled water, hardly passable as tea, the warmth of the drink helped dispel the coldness.

Han Yi-Myung maintained a rigid expression as he observed Yo Sa-Heon.

“I am sorry, Elder. I knew the elders and many of our comrades were going through tough times, but… I couldn’t do anything to help.”

“What are you trying to say?”

He shook his head.

“We were merely existing, not taking any action. If the person who protected the only child that mattered in the North Sea is speaking like this, how can we ever hold our heads up high?”

“… Elder.”

“You did a great job. I truly mean it.”

At that, Han Yi-Myung clutched his thigh, tears streaming down his face as if all the hardships in life had washed over him.

“After a long time…”

“Ah, we can deal with that later.”

But the emotional moment they had hoped for meant nothing to Chung Myung.

“We’re in a tight spot. Cut to the chase. Where is that kid?”

…

Han Yi-Myung appeared perplexed for a moment. However, upon recalling the kind of person Chung Myung was, he finally spoke.

“Young Lord Seol is here.”

“Then you aren’t the only one here? Everyone seems to be fulfilling their roles.”

The place Han Yi-Myung had chosen to live in was a valley nestled between the vast, snow-covered mountains. Regardless of the skill of Mount Hua’s disciples, they wouldn’t have been able to find him had he ventured further into the valley.

Several strong individuals had made it their hiding place within this inhabitable valley.

“This is one of the sanctuaries for those who fled during the rebellion in the Ice Palace.”

“What?”

“Yes. It’s not just here. There are many more places like this.”

Chung Myung’s eyes lit up.

“Your number seems greater than I thought.”

If he could gather all the people who escaped and those scattered around, fighting for the Ice Palace wouldn’t be impossible.

“Mister.”

“Yes.”

“Did you hear everything?”

Han Yi-Myung nodded.

“What do you want to do?”

“Disciple.”

In response to Chung Myung’s question, Han Yi-Myung spoke softly.

“We are fugitives.”

“…”

“Although we previously held titles within the Ice Palace, we are now old and weak. Constantly pursued and burdened with survival, we couldn’t dedicate ourselves fully to practicing or learning martial arts. Seol Chun-Sang is both wicked and skilled. Perhaps the current power in the North Sea is formidable, but we wouldn’t emerge victorious even then.”

Chung Myung was taken aback.

It was a natural reaction since the world the man knew was filled with defeat, but Han Yi-Myung continued just as Chung Myung was about to speak.

“But!”

Unlike a moment ago, he stood up with a determined look.

“There is such a thing as luck in the world. If we miss this chance, the North Sea will fall into their hands forever. And we will have to continue watching those wicked ones ravage the North Sea!”

Han Yi-Myung’s eyes shone.

“I will fight. And all who agree with me will fight.”

Chung Myung smiled and snapped his fingers.

“Then everything is fine.”

And he then spoke sympathetically.

“Whether it’s a strategy or not, we’re fighting against time. Gather the like-minded people immediately. We’ll attack the Ice Palace all at once and reclaim the position of the Lord!”

“Will that be effective?”

“If the Lord falls now, what else can we do? If they resist, we’ll keep hitting until we push them aside, and if they refuse to listen, we’ll keep hitting until they do! And then… from now on!”

While Chung Myung explained the future plans with eyes wide open, Yoon Jong whispered to Baek Cheon as he looked a bit flustered.

“Sasuk.”

“Uh?”

“… after all, isn’t this a plot for treason?”

“… right?”

“No matter how I see it, the fact that we are making plans to usurp the position of the Palace Lord for someone else’s land, with our sect’s name….”

“Yoon Jong.”

“Uh?”

“Haven’t we come too far to be talking about it now?”

“…”

Baek Cheon smiled and looked at an empty spot in the distance with a satisfied expression.

“This is the way to be damned, damn it.”

“….”

Sasuk.

Don’t laugh when you say that.