Return Of The Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 462

“Is that… a person?” someone whispered.

“It *talked*,” another voice replied, eyes wide.

A hush fell over the group as they stared at the figure on the ice. The wind whipped around them, but no one moved.

“Maybe… a bear?” one finally mumbled.

“But bears don’t speak!” This voice was louder, almost panicked.

“Why are you shouting?” Baek Cheon snapped, his eyes narrowed. Yoon Jong quickly looked away.

They hesitated to call it a person. Even though it spoke, it was hidden under a huge, shaggy bear skin. The fur was thick and dark, covering it from head to toe. They had never seen clothes like this before. It looked more like a walking bear than a human.

Then, the figure moved, and a pale face peeked out from under the fur hood. A thick, messy beard hid most of its face, but one thing was impossible to miss.

Yoon Jong and Jo Gul gasped, grabbing Baek Cheon’s arms. They spoke in hushed, panicked voices.

“Sasuk! Did you see? His eyes!”

“Blue! They’re blue!”

“Is it… a goblin?” Jo Gul stammered, his voice trembling.

Baek Cheon frowned, trying to stay calm. “Don’t be foolish. People from far West have blue eyes, I’ve heard.”

“West? But we are in the North!” Yoon Jong pointed out, confused.

Baek Cheon paused, unsure. He hadn’t thought of that.

As the three men glanced at the stranger, unsure of what to do, Yoo Iseol shook her head and stepped forward.

“May I speak?”

“Hmm? What do you mean?”

“…The Northern Sea rejects the Central Plains.”

“Ah.”

The man nodded as if he understood.

“That’s for the leaders to worry about, not folks like you and me,” the man chuckled.

Then, he smiled gently.

Seeing Yoo Iseol and the man conversing calmly, the disciples of Mount Hua cautiously approached again.

Baek Cheon, nudged in the side and gently pushed forward, cleared his throat and politely clasped his hands before the man.

“Excuse me. I am Baek Cheon, the second disciple of the Mount Hua Sect.”

“Mount Hua Sect?”

The man tilted his head and muttered.

“Mount Hua…” He scratched his beard thoughtfully. “Name rings a bell… maybe.”

Although Mount Hua’s fame was resounding throughout the Central Plains, it seemed the news had not reached this far into the Northern Sea.

Or, even if its fame had spread, it was not strange for this man not to know of the Mount Hua Sect if he was not a member of the Jianghu.

Baek Cheon studied him for a moment before adding briefly.

“It is a Taoist temple in the Central Plains.”

“Ah, Taoist priests, are you? Hard to tell with those furs you’re wearing!”

At his words, a wry smile appeared on Baek Cheon’s face.

Wrapped in animal fur and hides, it was hard to tell whether they were Taoists, monks, or something else entirely.

“You speak kindly. Ask what you need.”

“We are new to this area, so we were wondering, is this indeed the Northern Sea?”

“Aye, this is the Northern Sea, alright.”

“Ah…”

A look of fresh awe crossed Baek Cheon’s face.

Looking at the vast, seemingly endless frozen lake, he understood why this place was called the sea.

“Good thing we found it,” Yoon Jong sighed dramatically. “Almost thought we’d wandered into the sky and fallen through the clouds!”

Just then, Jo Gul interjected with a question.

“But what are you doing here? There doesn’t seem to be much to do on the ice.”

The man smiled gently.

“Fishing,” the man explained, gesturing to his rod. “Might look strange to city folk.”

Come to think of it…

In front of the man sitting on a small chair, a long wooden rod was placed, with a line attached to its end going into a hole drilled in the ice.

“Hmm, already…”

The man nonchalantly picked up the rod next to him and tapped the hole, which had already begun to freeze over, breaking the ice.

Jo Gul asked, puzzled.

“…Can you fish here? The water is all frozen.”

“Ice keeps the top still,” he explained patiently, “but the water flows underneath. Fish need to breathe, same as us!”

Yoon Jong frowned and whispered to Jo Gul.

“Geol-ah.”

“Yes?”

“Stop showing off your ignorance and just shut up.”

“…Yes.”

Baek Cheon smiled contentedly, watching Yoon Jong neatly silence Jo Gul.

A beautiful master-disciple relationship.

“Oh! It’s moving!”

At that moment, Tang Soso, who had been watching the fishing rod, exclaimed excitedly. Sure enough, the fishing rod was swaying and tilting sharply towards the hole.

“Heave-ho!”

The man gripped the fishing rod tightly and pulled it up in one swift motion.

Water splashed as he pulled out a huge fish, bigger than a man’s forearm, wriggling wildly.

“Wow!” Tang Soso gasped. “It’s enormous!”

“Haha!” The man laughed, pleased. “Not bad, eh? Luck of the draw today. Maybe you outsiders brought me good fortune!”

“So,” he said, shrugging, “fresh fish for you all, as a welcome.”

“Pardon?”

“Haha. Don’t refuse. The people of the Northern Sea never mistreat outsiders.”

“Wait,” Baek Cheon said, “did you say fresh?”

“No, not that part. What did you just say?”

“Of course, fresh!” the man replied, turning to the fish.

“I said fresh fish, didn’t I?”

“…That’s what you said?”

“Hm?”

The man turned his head to look at the fish he had caught.

But as they watched, a thin layer of white frost spread across the fish’s scales. In seconds, it went from glistening wet to stiff and frozen solid. The speed of it was shocking.

“Even though it had only been out of the water for a short time, it was already covered in white frost. It had frozen solid in that short time.”

“Well,” the man said, a little surprised, “it *was* fresh just a moment ago. Things freeze fast up here.”

Everyone stared at the frozen fish, a little stunned. Just then, the cart behind them began to shake.

“Hmm?”

The man stared intently at the cart with curious eyes.

And then…

Pop!

“Huh?”

His eyes widened.

It was no wonder he was surprised, as another piece of luggage was bursting out of the pile.

Suddenly, with a ripping sound, the sack on top of the luggage burst open.

The opening of the sack that had been wriggling opened wide, and a dark head popped out.

A dark shape pushed its way out of the torn sack. First, a head appeared, covered in something dark and matted. Then, two gleaming eyes opened, staring out at them from the shadows of the cart.

“W-What on earth is that?”

“What in the world…?” the man breathed, his voice filled with wonder and a hint of fear.

Baek Cheon pressed his lips tightly together and covered his face.

Baek Cheon quickly covered his face with his hand, a groan escaping his lips.

I always knew Chung Myung was real, but right now, I was so embarrassed I wanted to disappear.

“I… I apologize. He gets cold easily.”

Sure enough, Chung Myung, who had poked his head out, screamed at the biting wind.

“Aaaargh! My head is splitting! Ack!”

“⋯⋯.”

“You crazy! It’s gotten even colder! What kind of place is this!”

“⋯⋯.”

The man looked at Chung Myung with confusion.

“Didn’t you say you were Taoists?”

“Well… Chung Myung is a bit… different. We are Taoists.”

“⋯⋯.”

No matter what others thought, Chung Myung was busy speaking his mind.

“Mister! Mister!”

“Huh? Are you talking to me?”

“This is the Northern Sea, right?”

“Well, yes, but…”

“Which way do I go to get to the Northern Sea Ice Palace? Is it nearby?”

“The Ice Palace?”

The man’s face hardened slightly at the unexpected question.

“You’re not planning on going to the Ice Palace, are you? The Ice Palace isn’t accepting outsiders right now. Even those from the Northern Sea need permission to approach it.”

“Ah, it’s alright. We got permission.”

“You did?”

The man looked at the Mount Hua group. He seemed a little suspicious. Then, he nodded slowly.

“Well, if you didn’t have permission, you wouldn’t be visiting this place in the dead of winter when even the people of the Northern Sea avoid going out. I suppose that means it’s urgent.”

“⋯⋯.”

Not really?

Did we really come all this way without even checking how far it was?

“So, where is the Northern Sea Ice Palace?”

“The path to the Northern Sea Ice Palace isn’t that difficult. Just follow this lake. At the end, you’ll find the area where the mountain range and the lake meet. The Northern Sea Ice Palace is right there.”

“Ah. So, we just follow this lake?”

“Exactly.”

Chung Myung nodded strongly, looking relieved.

“I was so nervous that we had to go a long way! So, we’re almost there?”

“Huh? Didn’t you hear what I said?”

“Yes? You said we just have to go to the end of this lake, right?”

“⋯⋯You seem surprised by the distance. Have you been to the Northern Sea before? The end of this lake, the *real* Northern Sea, is about fifteen hundred *li* from here.”

“What? How much?”

“Fifteen hundred li.”

Chung Myung blinked. “Fifteen… hundred?” He thought he must have misheard. “Did you say… fifteen hundred *li*?”

“Are you deaf? Fifteen hundred li, I said.”

“Huh?”

“⋯⋯.”

Chung Myung’s eyes widened as if an earthquake had struck.

“H-How many li?”

“⋯⋯Fifteen hundred li.”

“Mister, you’re not joking with me, are you?”

“⋯⋯.”

“How many li? It’s not even fifteen hundred li from Mount Hua to the Sichuan Tang Family, fifteen hundred li?”

“That’s why it’s called the Northern Sea.”

“⋯⋯Is this place really crazy?”

Chung Myung muttered blankly.

I heard that the lake was so big that it was called the Northern Sea, but this is too much! Isn’t this going too far?

“A-Are you saying we have to pull this cart another fifteen hundred li in this cold?”

The reason Chung Myung was barely holding onto finally broke.

“Damn it, if I’m not going to set fire to the Abbot of Shaolin’s head, whether I’m a court jester or a fool, I’m not human! Is this human wearing a monk’s robe scamming me? Is this a place for people to come? Is it?”

I thought the informants Shaolin sent were beaten to death by the Demonic Sect, but now I see they froze to death! Froze to death!

But no one stopped Chung Myung’s loud complaining. Baek Cheon and the other disciples were also speechless.

“Fifteen hundred li?”

I feel like I’m about to freeze to death now, but we have to go another fifteen hundred li north. His face turned pale.

The man shook his head, feeling sorry for them.

“You don’t know what the Northern Sea is like at all. This is just the beginning of the Northern Sea. If you go to the mountain range above, it’s colder than you can imagine.”

“⋯⋯.”

“You’re just asking to freeze to death dressed like that.”

The man chuckled as he spoke.

“I can’t help it. This must be fate. Come with me.”

“Yes?”

“The people of the Northern Sea do not mistreat guests. It would be best to come to my house and warm up a bit.”

“Ah… Thank you for your kind words, but…”

“Yes! We’ll go!”

Baek Cheon, annoyed that Chung Myung cut him off, turned around with an annoyed look.

“Hey. Going to someone else’s house out of the blue…”

“Are you kidding me? We’re about to freeze to death, who cares about whose house it is? If we freeze to death on the street, who’s going to hold a memorial service for us, saying we were polite?”

Chung Myung was proving with his whole body why people say that those who live in cold regions have quick tempers.

“He’s not wrong. It’s best not to underestimate the Northern Sea.”

“⋯⋯Then, I’ll be in your debt.”

“Haha. What debt? Come on.”

The man began to tidy up the spot where he had been sitting.

“Still, it’s fortunate. There’s not much to eat in the winter, but at least I caught some meat today.”

“Yes? That thing?”

The man nodded at Chung Myung’s question.

“You’re going to share that?”

“⋯⋯It’s not easy to catch something like this in the Northern Sea in winter.”

Even so, just one fish?

“Ugh. I’d rather die than suffer.”

I’m freezing to death, I can’t starve too. I may have been reborn as a beggar, but I can’t live like one.

Chung Myung, who had jumped out of the sack, sprinted towards the hole in the ice.

“Ugh! It’s cold! So cold! Aaargh! I’m really going to freeze to death!”

Then, without hesitation, he plunged his hand into the hole.

“W-What are you doing!”

“Uraaaah!”

As Chung Myung pulled his hand out, the ice around the hole shattered. And several silver fish, as long as a man’s arm, shot up together, their scales flashing for a moment before they became still and white with frost.

“Heok?”

Thud! Thud!

The fish that fell on the ice flopped around before quickly freezing white.

“Oh! Chung Myung, well done…”

Baek Cheon turned his head to praise Chung Myung with sparkling eyes. But he was no longer there.

“⋯⋯.”

Turning his head, he saw the sack, its opening already tightened, wriggling as it burrowed into the luggage.

“⋯⋯I can’t tell whether I should curse or praise that bastard.”

“We all feel that way, Martial Uncle.”

Yoon Jong patted Baek Cheon on the shoulder as if to comfort him.

Hong Imyeong watched the fish scattered on the ice and the sack burrowing into the luggage. The noisy one was strange, but the others seemed tired and lost. *It’s our way to help travelers,* he thought. *The Northern Sea is no place to be unprepared.*

His eyes momentarily darkened.

“Load this quickly.”

“Yes!”

As the disciples of Mount Hua loaded all the frozen fish onto the cart, the man also began to tidy up his fishing rod.

“I guess… they’re not ordinary guests,” Hong Imyeong thought. He wondered what “ordinary” guests were like, and why these were different.

Then, straightening his body, he stood up and looked at Baek Cheon.

“Let me introduce myself again. I am Hong Imyeong.”

“As we said before, we are disciples of the Mount Hua Sect of the Central Plains. I am the third generation of Mount Hua…”

“Ah, I know, so let’s go! I’m freezing to death!”

“⋯⋯.”

Hong Imyeong nodded as he looked at Baek Cheon, who was looking at him with slightly sad eyes.

“Let’s go.”