Return of the Mount Hua Sect

The disciples of Mount Hua, who witnessed Chung Myung’s smile, couldn’t hide their anxiety.

Now that their bodies were rested enough to eat and drink calmly in the North Sea, their enemy at the moment, the prospect of Chung Myung speaking made their hearts race.

They anxiously looked at Chung Myung, their nerves making them break into cold sweats. However, Chung Myung smiled, oblivious to their feelings.

‘No.’

‘He must be sensible.’

They tried to calm themselves down. Even though he was Chung Myung, he couldn’t possibly cause trouble after coming all this way…

“We came here from Shaolin.”

“Ugh.”

“Cough!”

…all the way!

They were all shocked.

‘What will we do if you openly say that, you crazy bastard!’

‘Oh heavenly god, please! Please! Please!’

‘Amitabha! Amitabha! Buddha!’

Hae Yeon, too, tapped his rosary beads.

Although the entire party stared at him wide-eyed, Chung Myung didn’t care. Well, he wouldn’t be Chung Myung if he did.

But the most embarrassed person here was Seol Chun-sang.

He looked at Chung Myung with a blank expression.

‘Who is this guy?’

It was not that he did not think Shaolin sent them, but he didn’t expect them to expose it like this.

He never imagined they would actually blurt it out. This would be something even the palace’s grandfather couldn’t have expected if he were here.

“…from Shaolin?”

“Yes.”

Seol Chun-sang struggled to maintain his composure.

“Why…did you get sent from Shaolin?”

“Ah, I don’t know the details.”

“Hm?”

“I heard that Shaolin sent people to spy on things, but they all came back dead?”

“Puaaah!”

Baek Cheon spat out the water he was drinking.

Everyone’s eyes were fixed on him, but Baek Cheon only stared at Chung Myung without even wiping his mouth.

‘Is he really crazy?’

No.

Was there anyone here who didn’t know that Chung Myung was crazy? Everyone tensed up and looked at the Lord.

He replied in a slightly subdued voice.

“…what does that mean?”

“Ah, we don’t know. I think it must be because the abbot said so.”

“….”

“Actually, we can’t even ask the Abbot of Shaolin about this, right? You should know.”

“R-right.”

Hae Yeon began to convulse at this.

‘You asked him, though!’

No, even his expression was asking Chung Myung this.

Even if one searched the entire Central Plains, would anyone find another person like Chung Myung who disrespected the Abbot of Shaolin like this?

He couldn’t ask?

“If you have even a little…!”

“Hahahah. Monk! Have this now!”

Jo Gul quickly stuffed the vegetables into Hae Yeon’s mouth. Seol Chun-sang looked unsure of what to say.

‘Is he really a man who doesn’t think?’

It couldn’t be, right?

Aside from this man being the Divine Dragon of Mount Hua of the Central Plains, the Abbot of Shaolin couldn’t have sent him such a naïve person.

So how should he handle this situation?

“So, you’re here to investigate?”

“No.”

“…”

Seol Chun-sang tilted his head at Chung Myung’s words.

“Then?”

“We came here because we were told to. How strong are we to refuse the orders of the Shaolin Abbot when he tells us to do something? If he wants us to, then we should.”

The disciples of Mount Hua bowed their heads in guilt.

“I never thought I would feel sorry for Shaolin.”

“Did this guy leave his conscience in the Central Plains?”

“It doesn’t even exist for him.”

In return for coming to the North Sea, Chung Myung had already taken the treasures of Shaolin. If a person had any conscience, they shouldn’t be saying this.

Baek Cheon glanced at Hae Yeon. His eyes were closed, and his expression seemed calm, but…

“Monk.”

“Yes.”

“Don’t cry.”

“…”

Hae Yeon wiped his wet eyelashes with the back of his hand, and Chung Myung just shrugged as he ignored it.

“That’s why both sides had to come. I wanted to see what the Ice Palace was like to broaden my knowledge.”

“Hmm. I see.”

Seol Chun-sang nodded as if he understood.

“So, I am asking, what is the story behind the death of the person sent by Shaolin?”

Seol Chun-sang calmly asked a question in return to the question posed by Chung Myung.

“I don’t know why you’re asking me that. How long did it take you to come here?”

“It took a little over a month.”

“Yes. The North Sea is so far from the Central Plains, and the place is quite vast too. No matter how much of it was part of the palace, we couldn’t know everything that happens here.”

“Well.”

Chung Myung nodded, showing his understanding.

“And if you think about it, isn’t it more outrageous that Shaolin is sending disciples from our sect?”

“Ah, I agree with that too. Shaolin is like that. They casually do things that make others angry. Tsk tsk…”

Tremble.

Jo Gul and Yoon Jong grabbed Hae Yeon and pressed him down hard.

“Calm down, monk! Calm down.”

“It’s not just because he dislikes the sect… no, it’s not just out of bad feelings.”

Chung Myung smiled and repeated,

“So you’re saying the lord doesn’t know anything?”

“Yes.”

“Then good.”

Chung Myung nodded at those words.

“Since the Ice Palace is innocent and Shaolin is suspicious, let’s stay here for a couple of days and look around. If the Palace Lord is confident and fine with it, can’t we prove their innocence to Shaolin?”

Without changing his expression, Seol Chun-sang said,

“You want to explore the palace?”

“Is there a problem with that?”

“There’s no reason you shouldn’t.”

Contrary to their concerns, Seol Chung-sang calmly agreed to it.

“Have a comfortable stay. You must be curious about some things, so it’s a good opportunity to satisfy your curiosity.”

“Kuak. You should have a bottle! Take a glass!”

“Hehe. You’re quite an interesting person.”

Seol Chun-sang’s glass was filled with alcohol.

The two clinked their glasses and exchanged drinks.

Seol Chun-sang, setting down his glass, spoke with a kind smile.

“So, you were pushed to come this far, huh?”

“Ah, not exactly.”

“Uh? Then why?”

“We also have things we need from here.”

“Things?”

Seol Chun-sang furrowed his brow.

“Yes, ice crystals. They’re absolutely essential, but the ones in the Central Plains have all dried up. Can we find some here?”

“…ice crystals.”

A subtle change crossed the Lord’s expression as he let out a sigh and continued,

“I don’t know if it’s right to say this to outsiders… but since you’ve been honest with me, I should be too. There are no ice crystals in the North Sea right now.”

“…not even in the North Sea?”

Chung Myung tilted his head, and the man nodded.

“Actually, they’re not something easily obtained. It’s like digging for gold in a gold mine—you have to dig into the ice for 10,000 years to find it. That’s how precious it is.”

“Ahhh.”

“And even that hasn’t been working out lately.”

“So, we can’t get them?”

“Can we?”

Seol Chun-sang smiled.

“The people of the North Sea don’t treat their guests so rudely. We can’t send guests who’ve come from far away empty-handed, so we’ll give them the ice crystals we obtain.”

“Kuaaak! Just as I thought!”

Chung Myung grabbed Seol Chun-sang’s hand and shook it.

“You have such a kind heart! Everyone seems so happy when it comes to the Lord of the North Sea Ice Palace.”

“Haha.”

Seol Chun-sang gently let go of the hand, feeling awkward, and slowly stood up.

“Well, let’s take a break and rest from our journey. You must be tired after traveling for so long.”

Baek Cheon jumped up and bowed before Chung Myung could even speak.

“Thank you for your generosity, Lord.”

“I’d like to talk more, but I’m too busy at the moment. I’ll give you some time now, so feel free to talk to me if you need anything. And any issues will be resolved right away.”

“Yes. Thank you.”

“Then.”

The Ice Palace Lord turned around with a smile and left the hall. Chung Myung, confirming that the man was completely gone, smiled.

“He seems like a decent person?”

Yoon Jong whispered quietly.

“Hey, you brat. How decent is a person who killed his brother to take the position of Lord!”

“He’s decent if he takes care of people!”

“…”

Yoon Jong fell silent and closed his eyes. What could he say now? Especially when it was Chung Myung who was saying this.

Meanwhile, Baek Cheon, who had been silent, spoke up.

“I don’t know if he’s a good person… but he seems more calm than I expected.”

“Right. He feels different from the leaders of other sects we’ve encountered. Should I say he seems considerate?”

“… that person is….”

Baek Cheon was stunned as he looked at the door Seol Chun-sang had exited. Although, there was no guarantee that the impression he had shown until now reflected his true nature. But based on what Baek Cheon had seen so far, he didn’t seem like someone who would collude with the Demonic Sect.

“Chung Myung.”

“Huh?”

“What do you think?”

“About what?”

Chung Myung looked serious.

“Right now, I don’t know. Right now.”

He smiled.

‘For now, there is no demonic qi within the body.’

He had checked the Lord’s qi when he held the hand of the Ice Palace Lord a while back, but he didn’t feel any dark and chaotic qi within his body. That meant he wasn’t part of the Demonic Sect yet.

“For now, there is just one thing we need to do.”

“Right. And what is that?”

Baek Cheon looked at Chung Myung with determined eyes. Then, with a serious expression, Chung Myung pointed forward.

“If you don’t want that meat, give it to me.”

“…?”

“They say those who die while eating are beautiful, so I need to eat first.”

“…..”

Uh….

Right. That was true.

After the meal, the disciples all headed to their rooms, guided by the servants. Seeing where they were staying, they were all surprised.

“…. It’s really nice here.”

“Right. The White Plum blossom boarding house has been renovated many times, and it looks good, but now it looks so shabby compared to this.”

The Ice Palace was gorgeous. Their eyes widened in awe.

Mount Hua was known for being a little frugal in appearance because it deviated from the teachings of Taoism. Still, they had no problem showing off their wealth and power.

If they had to compare, the Sichuan Tang family manor was the only place that could match this level of splendor, but even the Tang family, who were known for their historic residence, didn’t live in something this luxurious.

“So….”

However, Baek Cheon couldn’t take his eyes off the room and asked Chung Myung,

“What should we do now?”

“Huh?”

“You’re not planning on doing anything for the next few days?”

“Well, it wouldn’t be a bad idea…”

Chung Myung patted his stomach and grinned.

“But first, there’s something we need to do.”

“What is it?”

“The obvious thing. Gather information.”

With that answer, it was clear he had a plan.

“We can’t trust anything we’re told and know nothing about this place. So we need to gather information first.”

“Right. That’s right. But I don’t know how to do that, so what do we do?”

“Why are you asking me again?”

Chung Myung shrugged and walked over to their luggage, which had been moved first.

“Not this… hmm…. Not this either.”

He began searching through the luggage, looking for something. Baek Cheon watched him, confused.

“What are you doing….”

“Oh! Found it!”

Chung Myung pulled out a small bag from the pile of luggage, something he brought from Mount Hua.

“Has to be something special….”

Before he could finish those words, Chung Myung retrieved something dark from the luggage, causing Baek Cheon’s eyes to widen.

‘That insane bastard!’

He actually brought that to the North Sea!?

“Why… why that!”

“C-Chung Myung! Please calm down! This is the North Sea Ice Palace!”

“Let us live according to the norms, please!”

The disciples of Mount Hua, scared, tried to stop him, but he was resolute. There was no room for compromise now.

“Since times long past….”

Chung Myung took a black mask from his luggage and placed it over his face. He then grabbed a black robe and proudly waved it.

“This is the only way to obtain information!”

No, it wasn’t, you crazy bastard…