Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 1124

Figures covered in pure white furs came closer, their steps so perfectly timed it was like they were measured.

The Beast Palace warriors were like fire in a hot jungle, full of energy. But the Ice Palace disciples were like a blizzard from the north – cold, strong, and sharp.

People say that where you live changes who you are. You could say these Ice Palace people brought the cold winds of the Northern Sea with them.

‘They’re so different.’

Namgung Dowi felt a new and interesting feeling.

Namgung liked swordsmanship, but the feeling coming from the Northern Ice Palace swordsmen was special. It made you think, ‘So, that’s what a sharp, blade-like spirit is.’

Their spirit was the opposite of the Beast Palace’s, which was interesting. The Beast Palace was free and easy, but the Ice Palace disciples seemed perfectly disciplined.

Maybe that’s why, unlike the Beast Palace, they looked hard to talk to…

“Dojangniiiiiiiiim!”

…or so it seemed.

Suddenly, one of the Ice Palace people with the blade-like spirit ran out. He ran to Chung Myung, very excited.

“Huh?”

“Dojangnim!”

The man clearly showed his happiness as he grabbed Chung Myung’s hands. He almost snatched them.

“It’s been so long! How have you been?”

“…Huh?”

“You haven’t changed at all, Dojangnim! I’m so glad! I was worried it might be strange after so long!”

“…Huuh?”

“It’s worth the long trip to see you again like this! Heavens, why is it so hot here! It feels hotter than summer in the Northern Sea!”

“Ah, wait a moment.”

“Yes?”

“I’m….”

Chung Myung tilted his head, completely confused.

“Who are you?”

“……”

The man—no, the young man looked blank for a second. But then he laughed loudly.

“Hahaha! You’re still the same, Dojangnim. You always joked like this.”

“No, that’s not what I mean…”

“I need to learn your calmness quickly. Why is it so hard?”

“No…”

“But if I keep trying every day, someday…”

“Hey! Let me talk! Who are you, you rascal!”

The young man stopped and looked at Chung Myung, truly shocked.

“D-Dojangnim. You really don’t remember me?”

“No, I feel like I’m seeing you for the first time. Why do you keep pretending to know me?”

“It’s me, So Baek!”

“Huh?”

“Seol So-baek.”

“Who? Seol So-baek? The Ice Palace Lord?”

“Yes! It’s me!”

Now Chung Myung stared at the young man with dazed eyes. He had fair, white skin and was taller than Chung Myung.

“The So-baek I know was this small?”

“Yes! That’s me.”

“…You?”

“Yes!”

It wasn’t just Chung Myung who was surprised.

“Eek!”

“Seol, the young Palace Lord?”

“Really?”

The Five Swords behind Chung Myung were very surprised, like they couldn’t believe it.

Chung Myung looked the young man up and down. It was hard to believe that this handsome young man was Seol So-baek, but…

“Now that I look at it, he does seem a bit similar…”

“I’m telling you, it’s him.”

“If you look closely, his eyes and mouth are exactly the same.”

“Where are you seeing that?”

“I didn’t expect Sahyung Jo-geol to see it, so just believe it.”

“…No…”

Baek Cheon blinked. Now that he heard it, it seemed like it could be Seol So-baek…

“Heh…. Hehehehe.”

Chung Myung couldn’t hide his confusion as he stared at the grown young man.

“Really So-baek?”

“Yes, Dojangnim.”

“Your voice is completely different too.”

“It sounds the same to me. Is it that strange?”

“It’s not that… um… oh, right. You’ve grown a lot.”

No. He hadn’t just grown a lot; he had become a completely different person.

He seemed to have almost doubled in height, and his chubby, baby-faced cheeks had become the face of a slender and handsome young man. He had a gentle and handsome look, not the strong look of the Northern Sea.

“Come to think of it, the last time I saw you was… almost four years ago?”

“That’s right. It’s been four years.”

“…Then it makes sense that you’ve changed.”

He was at an age where he would grow a lot. The problem was the difference between what he remembered and what he saw.

Chung Myung looked at the sword hanging from Seol So-baek’s waist. With the pure white uniform and the sword, he looked like a martial artist.

“It’s been a while, Lord Seol.”

“It’s an honor, Lord of the Beast Palace!”

Startled, Chung Myung turned to Maeng So and asked.

“Can you recognize him?”

“He looks the same. Why are you acting like that?”

“Again, the same?”

“Hasn’t he just grown a little taller?”

Maeng So could tell apart ten tiger cubs that looked exactly alike. So, he could recognize a person.

Since he said that, it seemed it really was Seol So-baek.

Chung Myung tried to hide his slight awkwardness and greeted him with a smile.

“Anyway, thanks for coming all this way. It must have been a long trip.”

Seol So-baek smiled brightly, sounding a little shy.

“Actually, I was a little worried.”

“Hmm? Worried?”

“Some people in the Ice Palace think the Heavenly Union is just empty talk. They think you’re just pretending to be friendly to get Ice Essence and other Northern Sea products cheaply to make money.”

Seol So-baek’s words were like a dagger to Chung Myung’s heart.

“…Is that so?”

“Hahaha. I’m sorry, Dojangnim. I know you, so I never thought that. But people who don’t know you weren’t sure. Some even called you a fake Taoist. Hahaha.”

Thud!

“Ah, don’t worry. I told those people off. But people are changeable. Even though I didn’t believe it, you haven’t visited us, so I wondered if you had forgotten about the Northern Sea. Hahahah!”

Thud! Thud!

“Of course, that’s not true. I know how much you care about the Northern Sea. Why would Taoists from those mountains come all the way to the Northern Sea if they wanted money? Haha. It’s nonsense.”

“……”

“Still, I was worried you had forgotten us, even a little bit. But you came to visit, so I’m ashamed. You think of us so well, but we had such bad thoughts. I feel guilty.”

“I, I was wrong.”

“Yes? Dojangnim, what did you say…?”

“Ah, no. It’s nothing.”

Chung Myung’s head was covered in sweat.

He couldn’t say he had completely forgotten, but he couldn’t deny that he had been putting it off.

If he could blame it on something, Chung Myung would have argued. But seeing Seol So-baek’s strong faith, he felt smaller and smaller.

“Ah, and!”

“Hmm?”

“Here! Bring it here!”

At Seol So-baek’s shout, the Ice Palace disciples brought something out from behind. It looked familiar to the Mount Hua disciples.

“A cart?”

“It’s huge?”

“Hahaha. If that was made of iron, it would be like the ones in Mount Hua… Is that iron?”

The Ice Palace disciples pulled a huge cart easily. There wasn’t just one cart.

Rumble! Rumble!

At least five carts were moved, making clouds of dust.

“W-What is this?”

“We couldn’t come empty-handed after so long. These are gifts from the Northern Sea.”

“G-Gifts? We get Northern Sea goods through the Eunha Merchant Guild…”

“Those are for sale. These are special gifts that can’t be compared to those. They’re for Dojangnim.”

“…Huh?”

“Now, this is…”

Seol So-baek removed the cloth covering the first cart.

“Eek? W-What is this?”

“These are precious animal hides from the Northern Sea. We have seal hides, gray wolf hides, and even rare bear hides.”

“……”

“These are priceless. I heard winter in Mount Hua is very cold, so I got them for the Taoists.”

“…Was Mount Hua cold for you too?”

“I didn’t feel it, but wouldn’t the Taoists be cold? These hides will keep you warm in the winter.”

Chung Myung started to cry.

‘I’m the one who should be killed.’

Had anyone ever treated him like this? A guy from the cold Northern Sea is bringing hides because he’s worried about the cold on the mountain… and he abandoned those kids…

– Chung Myung-ah. Honestly, even I think you went too far.

Ah, I know. I feel very guilty!

“And this cart has rare ingredients from the Northern Sea, and this side has seasonal items I collected. And this is…”

“…You brought all this stuff. It’s too much…”

“Oh, don’t say that. This is nothing compared to what Dojangnim has done for the Northern Sea.”

“……”

“Ah, I didn’t bring this to repay you. Please think of this as a small gift to show my true feelings.”

Seol So-baek clicked his tongue, sounding disappointed.

“If it wasn’t so far, I would have brought twice as much.”

“T-That’s enough…”

Even though Chung Myung would drink poison if it was free, he would die if he ate all of this. He was realizing again that he did have a conscience.

At that moment, Seol So-baek’s face darkened slightly.

“However…”

“Hmm?”

“I couldn’t get much of the Ice Essence that Dojangnim mentioned. The production has gone down so much… I’m sorry.”

“Sorry for what!”

Chung Myung quickly shook his head and waved his hands eagerly.

I already took several decades’ worth of it before. If I ask for more, I’m just a robber.

“I managed to get some, but the quality isn’t very good. I would have been too embarrassed to even call it Ice Essence in the past…”

“Ah, it’s okay. It’s really okay.”

I’m not going to eat it anyway.

As Chung Myung looked at the grown-up Seol So-baek, he realized that having one well-raised Ice Palace Lord was worth more than ten dragons…

Suddenly, a sharp voice was heard.

“So, you’re saying you uselessly caught animals and skinned them? You’re terrible people!”

“Hmm?”

The Beast Palace disciples were glaring at Seol So-baek and the animal hides with fierce eyes.

“Is there a problem?”

At the same time, Seol So-baek’s face turned as cold as ice. He was the heir of the Northern Ice Palace, and a cold force began to come from him.