The disciples of Mount Hua, who witnessed Chung Myungâs smile, couldnât 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.
âNo.â
âHe must be sensible.â
They tried to calm themselves down. Even though he was Chung Myung, he couldnât possibly cause trouble after coming all this wayâŚ
âWe came here from Shaolin.â
âUgh.â
âCough!â
âŚall the way!
They were all shocked.
âWhat will we do if you openly say that, you crazy bastard!â
âOh heavenly god, please! Please! Please!â
âAmitabha! Amitabha! Buddha!â
Hae Yeon, too, tapped his rosary beads.
Although the entire party stared at him wide-eyed, Chung Myung didnât care. Well, he wouldnât 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.
âWho is this guy?â
It was not that he did not think Shaolin sent them, but he didnât expect them to expose it like this.
He never imagined they would actually blurt it out. This would be something even the palaceâs grandfather couldnât have expected if he were here.
ââŚfrom Shaolin?â
âYes.â
Seol Chun-sang struggled to maintain his composure.
âWhyâŚdid you get sent from Shaolin?â
âAh, I donât know the details.â
âHm?â
âI heard that Shaolin sent people to spy on things, but they all came back dead?â
âPuaaah!â
Baek Cheon spat out the water he was drinking.
Everyoneâs eyes were fixed on him, but Baek Cheon only stared at Chung Myung without even wiping his mouth.
âIs he really crazy?â
No.
Was there anyone here who didnât know that Chung Myung was crazy? Everyone tensed up and looked at the Lord.
He replied in a slightly subdued voice.
ââŚwhat does that mean?â
âAh, we donât know. I think it must be because the abbot said so.â
ââŚ.â
âActually, we canât even ask the Abbot of Shaolin about this, right? You should know.â
âR-right.â
Hae Yeon began to convulse at this.
âYou asked him, though!â
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 couldnât ask?
âIf you have even a littleâŚ!â
âHahahah. Monk! Have this now!â
Jo Gul quickly stuffed the vegetables into Hae Yeonâs mouth. Seol Chun-sang looked unsure of what to say.
âIs he really a man who doesnât think?â
It couldnât be, right?
Aside from this man being the Divine Dragon of Mount Hua of the Central Plains, the Abbot of Shaolin couldnât have sent him such a na?ve person.
So how should he handle this situation?
âSo, youâre here to investigate?â
âNo.â
ââŚâ
Seol Chun-sang tilted his head at Chung Myungâs words.
âThen?â
âWe 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.â
The disciples of Mount Hua bowed their heads in guilt.
âI never thought I would feel sorry for Shaolin.â
âDid this guy leave his conscience in the Central Plains?â
âIt doesnât even exist for him.â
In return for coming to the North Sea, Chung Myung had already taken the treasures of Shaolin. If a person had any conscience, they shouldnât be saying this.
Baek Cheon glanced at Hae Yeon. His eyes were closed, and his expression seemed calm, butâŚ
âMonk.â
âYes.â
âDonât cry.â
ââŚâ
Hae Yeon wiped his wet eyelashes with the back of his hand, and Chung Myung just shrugged as he ignored it.
âThatâs why both sides had to come. I wanted to see what the Ice Palace was like to broaden my knowledge.â
âHmm. I see.â
Seol Chun-sang nodded as if he understood.
âSo, I am asking, what is the story behind the death of the person sent by Shaolin?â
Seol Chun-sang calmly asked a question in return to the question posed by Chung Myung. đđđď˝đď˝đđ.đđđ
âI donât know why youâre asking me that. How long did it take you to come here?â
âIt took a little over a month.â
âYes. 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 couldnât know everything that happens here.â
âWell.â
Chung Myung nodded, showing his understanding.
âAnd if you think about it, isnât it more outrageous that Shaolin is sending disciples from our sect?â
âAh, I agree with that too. Shaolin is like that. They casually do things that make others angry. Tsk tskâŚâ
Tremble.
Jo Gul and Yoon Jong grabbed Hae Yeon and pressed him down hard.
âCalm down, monk! Calm down.â
âItâs not just because he dislikes the sect⌠no, itâs not just out of bad feelings.â
Chung Myung smiled and repeated,
âSo youâre saying the lord doesnât know anything?â
âYes.â
âThen good.â
Chung Myung nodded at those words.
âSince the Ice Palace is innocent and Shaolin is suspicious, letâs stay here for a couple of days and look around. If the Palace Lord is confident and fine with it, canât we prove their innocence to Shaolin?â
Without changing his expression, Seol Chun-sang said,
âYou want to explore the palace?â
âIs there a problem with that?â
âThereâs no reason you shouldnât.â
Contrary to their concerns, Seol Chung-sang calmly agreed to it.
âHave a comfortable stay. You must be curious about some things, so itâs a good opportunity to satisfy your curiosity.â
âKuak. You should have a bottle! Take a glass!â
âHehe. Youâre quite an interesting person.â
Seol Chun-sangâs 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.
âSo, you were pushed to come this far, huh?â
âAh, not exactly.â
âUh? Then why?â
âWe also have things we need from here.â
.
âThings?â
Seol Chun-sang furrowed his brow.
âYes, ice crystals. Theyâre absolutely essential, but the ones in the Central Plains have all dried up. Can we find some here?â
ââŚice crystals.â
A subtle change crossed the Lordâs expression as he let out a sigh and continued,
âI donât know if itâs right to say this to outsiders⌠but since youâve been honest with me, I should be too. There are no ice crystals in the North Sea right now.â
ââŚnot even in the North Sea?â
Chung Myung tilted his head, and the man nodded.
âActually, theyâre not something easily obtained. Itâs like digging for gold in a gold mineâyou have to dig into the ice for 10,000 years to find it. Thatâs how precious it is.â
âAhhh.â
âAnd even that hasnât been working out lately.â
âSo, we canât get them?â
âCan we?â
Seol Chun-sang smiled.
âThe people of the North Sea donât treat their guests so rudely. We canât send guests whoâve come from far away empty-handed, so weâll give them the ice crystals we obtain.â
âKuaaak! Just as I thought!â
Chung Myung grabbed Seol Chun-sangâs hand and shook it.
âYou have such a kind heart! Everyone seems so happy when it comes to the Lord of the North Sea Ice Palace.â
âHaha.â
Seol Chun-sang gently let go of the hand, feeling awkward, and slowly stood up.
âWell, letâs take a break and rest from our journey. You must be tired after traveling for so long.â
Baek Cheon jumped up and bowed before Chung Myung could even speak.
âThank you for your generosity, Lord.â
âIâd like to talk more, but Iâm too busy at the moment. Iâll give you some time now, so feel free to talk to me if you need anything. And any issues will be resolved right away.â
âYes. Thank you.â
âThen.â
The Ice Palace Lord turned around with a smile and left the hall. Chung Myung, confirming that the man was completely gone, smiled.
âHe seems like a decent person?â
Yoon Jong whispered quietly.
âHey, you brat. How decent is a person who killed his brother to take the position of Lord!â
âHeâs decent if he takes care of people!â
ââŚâ
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.
âI donât know if heâs a good person⌠but he seems more calm than I expected.â
âRight. He feels different from the leaders of other sects weâve encountered. Should I say he seems considerate?â
â⌠that person isâŚ.â
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 didnât seem like someone who would collude with the Demonic Sect.
âChung Myung.â
âHuh?â
âWhat do you think?â
âAbout what?â
Chung Myung looked serious.
âRight now, I donât know. Right now.â
He smiled.
âFor now, there is no demonic qi within the body.â
He had checked the Lordâs qi when he held the hand of the Ice Palace Lord a while back, but he didnât feel any dark and chaotic qi within his body. That meant he wasnât part of the Demonic Sect yet.
âFor now, there is just one thing we need to do.â
âRight. And what is that?â
Baek Cheon looked at Chung Myung with determined eyes. Then, with a serious expression, Chung Myung pointed forward.
âIf you donât want that meat, give it to me.â
ââŚ?â
âThey say those who die while eating are beautiful, so I need to eat first.â
ââŚ..â
UhâŚ.
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.
ââŚ. Itâs really nice here.â
âRight. The White Plum blossom boarding house has been renovated many times, and it looks good, but now it looks so shabby compared to this.â
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, didnât live in something this luxurious.
âSoâŚ.â
However, Baek Cheon couldnât take his eyes off the room and asked Chung Myung,
âWhat should we do now?â
âHuh?â
âYouâre not planning on doing anything for the next few days?â
âWell, it wouldnât be a bad ideaâŚâ
Chung Myung patted his stomach and grinned.
âBut first, thereâs something we need to do.â
âWhat is it?â
âThe obvious thing. Gather information.â
With that answer, it was clear he had a plan.
âWe canât trust anything weâre told and know nothing about this place. So we need to gather information first.â
âRight. Thatâs right. But I donât know how to do that, so what do we do?â
âWhy are you asking me again?â
Chung Myung shrugged and walked over to their luggage, which had been moved first.
âNot this⌠hmmâŚ. Not this either.â
He began searching through the luggage, looking for something. Baek Cheon watched him, confused.
âWhat are you doingâŚ.â
âOh! Found it!â
Chung Myung pulled out a small bag from the pile of luggage, something he brought from Mount Hua.
âHas to be something specialâŚ.â
Before he could finish those words, Chung Myung retrieved something dark from the luggage, causing Baek Cheonâs eyes to widen.
âThat insane bastard!â
He actually brought that to the North Sea!?
âWhy⌠why that!â
âC-Chung Myung! Please calm down! This is the North Sea Ice Palace!â
âLet us live according to the norms, please!â
The disciples of Mount Hua, scared, tried to stop him, but he was resolute. There was no room for compromise now.
âSince times long pastâŚ.â
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.
âThis is the only way to obtain information!â
No, it wasnât, you crazy bastardâŚ