Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 469

The endless white ice was making them lose their minds. “This is driving me crazy,” someone groaned.

“We keep going, but it never ends.”

The disciples of the Mount Hua Sect shuddered as they gazed upon the endless expanse of the icy lake.

They had already traveled back and forth between Shaanxi and Sichuan twice. Hadn’t they even ventured as far as Yunnan once?

But back then, there were at least new things to see. Even over the same distance, the scenery shifted, and the changing landscapes made them feel like they were getting somewhere, didn’t they?

But this blasted lake looked the same no matter how far they went. All they saw were snow-covered mountains and fields, and ice. It felt like they were running in place.

Beautiful scenery they’d never seen before? An amazing view that made them excited?

That was only the first time they saw it. After staring at the same scenery for days on end, they were beyond sick of it; they were about to go mad.

Occasionally, a blizzard would blow in and block their view, but they couldn’t exactly call something unseen new, could they?

“Martial Uncle, how much further do we have to go?”

“…Considering the time we’ve been traveling, we should be almost there.”

Baek Cheon stared ahead with weary eyes in response to Jo Gul’s question.

Surprisingly, their bodies weren’t that tired. Unlike the Central Plains, where they had to cross hills, rivers, and even muddy fields, this endless ice lake was flat from beginning to end.

Once they got used to running on the ice, they could actually move forward more quickly.

The problem was that no matter how far they went, they couldn’t see the end…

“Are we even going to arrive?”

“…I’m sick of seeing nothing but white.”

“It was pretty at first.”

“Right? I liked it at first too, you know?”

After about ten days in the Northern Sea, they perfectly understood why people yearned for the warm southern lands.

Baek Cheon gave a wry smile.

Until now, everyone had grumbled about how hard it was to pull the cart, but they had never complained about being bored. The fact that they were becoming so talkative meant that the Northern Sea was quite something.

“We’re almost there now. Everyone, keep your spirits up.”

“Yes, Martial Uncle!”

“Okay, Senior Brother.”

Baek Cheon also steadied his weary mind and tightened his grip on the cart.

Just then, Jo Gul, who had been craning his neck, shouted as if he had discovered something.

“Oh! Over there!”

“What is it?”

“Martial Uncle! Look over there. Isn’t that a house?”

“Hmm?”

Baek Cheon narrowed his eyes and looked in the direction he was pointing.

“It seems so.”

Perhaps because the blizzard had subsided, the view ahead was clear. The mountains that had been sticking up gradually lowered, and the cabins huddled together below the slopes revealed themselves.

“A village.”

“It’s a village!”

Having not seen a village for almost ten days, Baek Cheon and the others couldn’t help but rejoice as if they had found something wonderful in a boring place.

“Martial Uncle! Let’s go!”

“Alright.”

Baek Cheon nodded and turned the cart.

But as they got closer, a strange silence hung in the air. It was a village, but it felt…empty.

Jo Gul narrowed his eyes slightly.

“Hmm….”

Yoon Jong also tilted his head.

“Hrmmm.”

The Mount Hua party all stared at the scene before them with expressions that suggested they were seeing something strange.

Cabins.

Unlike the Central Plains, wooden houses were lined up side by side. If they had to compare it to something, it was similar to the form seen in fishing villages in the Central Plains. Of course, the shape of the houses was different.

However, there was one thing that made it feel completely different from the fishing villages of the Central Plains….

“There’s no one around?”

“That’s what I’m saying?”

The houses were lined up, but they couldn’t feel any sign of people.

Had everyone left, leaving only their homes behind?

No. That wasn’t it either.

Smoke was flowing from the chimneys of every house, even at this moment. It meant that fires were being lit inside.

“Do they just not come outside?”

“…That could be it. Because it’s cold.”

“Even so, not a single person like this….”

Jo Gul tilted his head.

The overall feeling was a bit eerie. Even though it was clearly a village where people lived, they couldn’t feel any life or vitality.

“Is something wrong?”

“…I think I’ve seen something similar before. Villages with plagues were exactly like this.”

“Then could it really be a plague or something?”

“What plague? Even the plague demon would freeze to death in this cold.”

Yoo Iseol, who had been listening to the three’s conversation, spoke quietly.

“Let’s knock first. On the door.”

“Hmm. Let’s do that.”

Baek Cheon nodded and approached a house that was nearby. He took a small breath and knocked on the door.

Thud, thud, thud.

“Is anyone there!”

Thud, thud, thud, thud!

“Is anyone there!”

But no matter how much he knocked on the door, he couldn’t hear any response from inside. Baek Cheon’s brow furrowed slightly.

“…Shall we go to another house?”

“I think we should.”

But the same was true elsewhere.

They knocked on the doors of several other houses nearby, but no one answered.

“…What is this place?”

Jo Gul’s face twisted.

“I heard that the people of the Northern Sea were kind? They’re far from kind; they’re downright harsh.”

Yoon Jong frowned at Jo Gul’s words.

“Don’t speak carelessly. This is a place where visits from outsiders are rare, so they may be very suspicious. Don’t speak so easily without being in their position.”

“…Yes.”

But Yoon Jong also looked uneasy, as if something was bothering him.

He could clearly feel people inside the houses, but it was frustrating that they wouldn’t answer.

“Senior Brother, let’s knock a little more. Just a couple more places.”

“Hmm. Let’s do that.”

Baek Cheon headed to another house, not wanting to turn back just yet.

“Is anyone there!”

Instead, he knocked on the door a little more carefully than before.

“We are travelers passing by. We are not bad people. We just have a few questions to ask, so please open the door….”

Bang!

And this time, fortunately, the door opened right away.

“Ah. Thank you….”

But he didn’t even have time to express his gratitude. Baek Cheon quickly stepped back. He had seen something flashing inside the opened door.

Baek Cheon, who had reflexively grabbed the hilt of his sword, released his grip again when he saw the person who appeared from inside.

The large kitchen knife was certainly threatening, but the one holding it was a wrinkled old woman. The gaunt hand holding the kitchen knife was trembling so much that it was pitiful.

The old woman, with tears welling up in her eyes, shouted in a cracking voice and waved the knife.

Baek Cheon was very surprised and stuttered slightly.

“Wait! Wait, please! We are not… we are not those people. We are just travelers. We are lost and need directions.”

“Get away! Not again! You want to take another one? Devils! You’ll all burn in hell for this!”

“Who do you think would fall for that?”

The old woman swung her sword wildly. Baek Cheon was worried and stepped back. Stopping her would be easy, but he didn’t want to hurt the weak old woman. That would be terrible.

“Grandmother, we are not bad people.”

“Get lost!”

The door crashed shut with a loud BANG! The sound echoed in the quiet village, making them jump. Baek Cheon stared at the closed door, completely confused.

“…What is going on?”

“Didn’t you say someone was being taken away?”

“Is there some kind of human trafficking going on?”

The faces of the Mount Hua disciples hardened. They had visited many cities, but this was the first time they had encountered such unfriendliness.

Hae Yeon, a monk, chanted a Buddhist prayer, ‘Amitabha’, a few times, then opened his mouth with a worried expression.

“I am concerned that the people are very scared. It doesn’t seem like they are just being unwelcoming to strangers.”

Baek Cheon scratched his head, looking flustered. Certainly, as Hae Yeon said, the reaction was strange.

“Chung Myung.”

Chung Myung, who had been standing silently in the back, raised his head slightly.

“What are you going to do?”

“Hmm.”

Chung Myung quietly gazed at the village with slightly sunken eyes, then shrugged.

“Seeing that even showing respect doesn’t work, the situation must be serious.”

“Is this the time for jokes, you idiot?”

“I’m not joking?”

Baek Cheon’s eyes twitched. But just as he was about to explode, Chung Myung neatly took the initiative.

“Let’s just go,” Chung Myung said quietly.

Yoon Jong looked surprised. “…Just go, Senior Brother? But… shouldn’t we try to help?”

Chung Myung hesitated for a moment. “There are things I want to ask, yes…” He shook his head slowly. “But we can’t just barge in and upset people who are this scared. If we’re not careful, we might make things even worse for them.”

His voice was different, deeper and more serious than usual. Baek Cheon noticed the change and frowned slightly. Chung Myung wasn’t joking around. Something was truly wrong here.

“I understand.”

Baek Cheon nodded without another word and turned around.

“…Senior Brother, is this really alright?”

At Yoon Jong’s words, Baek Cheon sighed.

“What can we do when they are so afraid of us?”

“People being afraid of other people means there’s something wrong. Is it okay to just leave it like this?”

Baek Cheon’s gaze slowly swept over the village.

“…I know how you feel, but Chung Myung is right. We are outsiders. If we get involved without thinking, the problem might only get bigger.”

“…Yes.”

“Let’s find the Ice Palace for now.”

It was the moment Baek Cheon was about to move with a hardened expression.

“A-Are you from out of town?”

Baek Cheon hurriedly turned his head at the sudden voice. He saw a man half-hidden behind a shed. As if he was afraid of something, he didn’t fully reveal himself, and even the head he poked out was trembling slightly.

“Yes, we came from the Central Plains.”

“T-The Central Plains!”

Upon hearing the words ‘Central Plains,’ the man jumped back in fear as if burned and quickly hid behind the shed again.

“We are not bad people. We just came to ask a few things.”

“How did Central Plains people get here! G-Get out immediately! Immediately!”

“We came to find the Northern Sea Ice Palace.”

“T-The Ice Palace?”

The man peeked out again slightly.

“Then, did you receive permission from the Northern Sea Ice Palace?”

“To be precise, we didn’t receive permission, but we came with an introduction. The Ice Palace won’t treat us coldly.”

A hint of doubt flickered in the man’s eyes, but he soon seemed a little relieved and leaned out a bit more.

“Well… If you hadn’t sought the Ice Palace’s permission, you wouldn’t have come this deep into the Northern Sea in this winter. If you had any sense, that is.”

Baek Cheon glanced at his disciples, but they all maintained their shameless faces without a change in expression. Baek Cheon’s heart warmed involuntarily.

‘Where did all these swindlers with such thick skin come from?’ Did the swindlers enter Mount Hua, or does Mount Hua create swindlers? No… Either way, this is a problem.

“Yes. We’ve been running along the lake without rest, and I heard the Ice Palace should be around here. Do you know which way we should go to reach the Ice Palace?”

“The Ice Palace is… Cough! Cough!”

But the man, who was about to speak, suddenly began to cough violently.

“Are you alright?”

“…I’m alrigh… Cough! I’m alright.”

It was at that moment.

“Cough!”

As the man coughed, his whole body shaking, something white popped out and fell to the ground with a thud.

“Huh?”

“D-Did he lose a tooth?”

The Mount Hua group jumped back quickly. Blood flowed from the man’s mouth as he covered it while coughing. Blood splattered bright red against the white snow. It was natural for blood to flow when a tooth fell out, but looking at the man’s pale complexion and skinny body, it wasn’t easy to think that way.

“…Is it a strange disease?”

“S-See! I told you it was a plague!”

Jo Gul shouted as if to say his words were right, and Baek Cheon turned his head sharply to look at Tang Soso.

“Soso-ya.”

“Yes.”

Tang Soso rushed to the man.

“D-Don’t come closer.”

“Just stay still! I’m a doctor!”

Tang Soso shouted, and the man flinched. Usually, she was just playful and cheerful, but Tang Soso, when facing the injured or sick, became stricter than anyone else. Tang Soso’s face turned serious as she took the man’s pulse and slightly opened his mouth to examine it.

“…How long has this been going on? Are there others in this village with the same symptoms?”

“Yes? Yeess… A-About two months ago…”

Her face changed suddenly, and she asked abruptly.

“Can you open the door for us?”

“Yes?”

“We need to check everyone in the village. Please persuade them to open the door! Quickly!”

Baek Cheon, who had been watching from the side, asked with an even more serious face.

“…What kind of disease is it?”

“I don’t know yet. But his condition is too bad. Whatever the disease, he won’t last long like this. I need to see more patients and confirm.”

Hurry!

“A-Alright.”

They led the man and ran towards the nearest house. Everyone’s face was grim.