Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 480

‘What’s he up to now?’

The disciples of Mount Hua couldn’t hide their unease as they watched Chung Myung smile.

They had become bold enough to eat and drink comfortably even here in the North Sea Ice Palace, which was basically enemy territory. But Chung Myung’s words still made their hearts clench with worry.

Cold sweat trickled down their backs as they anxiously watched Chung Myung.

Chung Myung, seemingly unaware of their feelings, just grinned.

‘It can’t be that bad.’

‘He still has some sense, right?’

They tried to calm their trembling hearts. No matter how outrageous Chung Myung was, surely he wouldn’t cause trouble here… would he?

“They told me to check with Shaolin?”

“Gulp.”

“Cough!”

…Of course, he would be that kind of troublemaker.

Everyone flinched.

‘How can he say that so openly, the crazy bastard!’

‘Oh no! Please! Please, just a little! Pleeeease!’

Hye-yeon frantically spun his prayer beads with trembling hands, muttering Buddhist prayers.

Even as the others glared at him, Chung Myung remained utterly nonchalant. Well, he wouldn’t be Chung Myung if he cared about their glares.

But the most bewildered person was Seolcheon Sang.

He stared at Chung Myung, his face blank. ‘What is this guy?’ he wondered.

Of course, he expected Shaolin to send someone; otherwise, he wouldn’t be qualified to be the Palace Lord. But he never imagined Chung Myung would say it so casually. Not even the previous Palace Lords could have predicted this.

“…From Shaolin?”

“Yes.”

Seolcheon Sang tried hard to keep his expression under control.

“Why… why would Shaolin send you to the North Sea?”

Chung Myung smiled at him.

“Ah, I don’t really know the details.”

“Hmm?”

“Well, I heard that Shaolin sent someone to scout, but those folks ended up dead?”

“Ptooey!”

Baek Cheon spat out the water he was drinking. Water sprayed from his mouth like a fountain as he stared at Chung Myung.

Everyone’s eyes turned to him, but Baek Cheon didn’t even bother wiping his mouth, staring blankly at Chung Myung.

‘Is he really crazy?’

No. Everyone knew Chung Myung wasn’t completely sane. But even madness should have its limits!

Everyone tensed up, watching Seolcheon Sang’s face.

Seolcheon Sang’s smile became a little stiff. He spoke slowly, his voice now colder.

“…What exactly are you talking about?” He watched Chung Myung closely, his eyes narrowed slightly.

Chung Myung shrugged, leaning back in his chair as if completely relaxed. “Hey, we don’t really know the details ourselves. That’s just what the Abbot of Shaolin told us, so we just thought it must be true, you know?” He grinned, but there was a sharp glint in his eyes.

“…”

“Actually, it’s not like we can question someone like the Abbot of Shaolin, can we? You know how it is.”

“Y-yes, indeed.”

Hye-yeon’s face began to twitch slightly as he listened.

‘You did question him!’

No, even ‘questioned’ wasn’t strong enough. Chung Myung was the only one in the entire Central Plains who would dare to confront the Abbot of Shaolin, Beopjeong, like that. Chung Myung had even made the Abbot of Shaolin, who was usually very good at talking, become silent with shock, and now what?

Can’t question him?

“At least wipe your mouth before you lie…!”

“Haha! Monk! Have some of this!”

Jo Gul quickly stuffed a mouthful of stir-fried vegetables into Hye-yeon’s mouth.

Seolcheon Sang looked like he didn’t know what to say.

‘Is this guy really clueless?’

Could that be possible? Even setting aside the fact that this guy was a rising star known as the Divine Dragon of Mount Hua in the Central Plains, there was no way that the Abbot of Shaolin would send a clueless guy all the way to the North Sea.

So, how should he understand this situation?

“So, you’re saying you came to confirm that?”

“Nope.”

“…”

Seolcheon Sang tilted his head, looking at Chung Myung, who answered so casually.

“Then?”

“We just came because they told us to. What power do we have to refuse the Abbot of Shaolin? We have to do as we’re told.”

The disciples of Mount Hua, unable to listen any longer, lowered their heads in guilt.

‘I can’t believe I feel sorry for Shaolin.’

‘Did that bastard leave his conscience in the Central Plains?’

‘He never had one in the first place.’

Chung Myung had asked for a lot from Shaolin to come to the North Sea, and he had even taken many important things from them. If a person had even the slightest bit of conscience, they wouldn’t say something like that.

Baek Cheon cautiously glanced at Hye-yeon.

His expression with his eyes closed seemed peaceful, but…

“Monk.”

“Yes.”

“Don’t cry.”

“…”

Hye-yeon wiped his already moist eyelashes with his hand.

Chung Myung shrugged, cleanly ignoring the overflowing resentment.

“So, we came here as a side trip. To see what the Ice Palace is like and broaden our horizons.”

“Hmm. I see.”

Seolcheon Sang nodded as if he understood.

“So, I’m asking, what’s this story about someone sent by Shaolin dying?”

Seolcheon Sang chuckled at Chung Myung’s casual question.

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

“It took us over a month.”

“That’s right. The North Sea is that far from the Central Plains, and it’s also incredibly vast. No matter how much I am the Palace Lord of the North Sea Ice Palace, I can’t know everything that happens in the North Sea.”

“I guess so.”

Chung Myung nodded as if he understood.

“And if you think about it, isn’t Shaolin being unreasonable for sending spies to other sects?”

“Ah, I totally agree with that. Shaolin is like that. They do things to others that they would get angry about if someone did it to them. Tsk tsk…”

Tremble, tremble.

Jo Gul and Yoon Jong smiled and grabbed Hye-yeon’s robe, pressing down hard.

‘Calm down, Monk. Calm down.’

‘He’s not doing it out of malice… No, it’s probably not just malice.’

Chung Myung smiled and confirmed once again.

“So, you’re saying you don’t know anything about it, Palace Lord?”

“That’s right.”

“Then that’s good.”

Chung Myung nodded at Seolcheon Sang’s words.

“The Ice Palace is innocent, and Shaolin is suspicious, so we’ll stay for a few days and look around the Ice Palace. If the Palace Lord is confident, we can prove that innocence to Shaolin, right?”

Then Seolcheon Sang said without changing his expression.

“Look around the Ice Palace?”

“Is that not allowed?”

“There’s no reason why it wouldn’t be.”

Contrary to everyone’s worries, Seolcheon Sang readily nodded.

“Make yourselves comfortable. I happen to have some questions for you, so it could be a good time for both of us.”

“Kuh, you’re so generous! Have a drink!”

“Haha. You’re a really interesting person.”

Chung Myung poured wine into Seolcheon-sang’s glass. The banquet hall was vast and cold, the air smelling faintly of ice and something sweet.

They clinked glasses, the sound echoing slightly in the large hall, and drank quickly.

Seolcheon-sang set down his glass with a smile that seemed a little too wide, a little too fixed. “So,” he said, his voice smooth, “you were sent all the way out here, were you?”

“Ah, not exactly.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“We also have something we want to get from the Ice Palace.”

“Something?”

At this unexpected remark, Seolcheon-sang frowned slightly, his eyebrows furrowing just a bit.

“Yes, Ice Essence. We desperately need it, but Ice Essence is very hard to find now in the Central Plains. Is there any way we could obtain some here?”

“…Ice Essence, you say.”

A subtle expression flickered across Seolcheon-sang’s face. He pondered for a moment, then sighed.

“I’m not sure if it’s right to tell outsiders this, but… since you’ve been so honest with me, I should be fair and tell you the truth. Even in the Northern Sea, Ice Essence is scarce.”

“…Even in the Northern Sea?”

Chung Myung tilted his head, and Seolcheon-sang nodded.

“Originally, Ice Essence isn’t something you can easily come by. It’s like digging into a gold mine to find gold; you have to delve deep into the eternal ice, and even then, you might only find one. That’s how precious it is.”

“Ah.”

“But lately, even that has become rare.”

“So, we can’t get any?”

“How could that be?”

Seolcheon-sang smiled faintly, though the smile didn’t quite reach his eyes.

“The people of the Northern Sea never mistreat their guests. We cannot send guests who have come from so far away back empty-handed, so we will give you Ice Essence as soon as we find some.”

“Krooooh! As expected!”

Chung Myung grabbed Seolcheon-sang’s hand and shook it vigorously, his grip enthusiastic and strong.

“You’re so generous! I knew the Palace Lord of the Northern Ice Palace would be so magnanimous.”

“Hehe.”

Seolcheon-sang awkwardly pulled his hand away quickly and subtly, then subtly rose from his seat.

“Anyway, let’s leave the talk here for now, and you should rest and recover from your journey. You must be tired after coming such a long way.”

Before Chung Myung could say anything more, Baek Cheon stood up abruptly, his posture straight and respectful, and clasped his fist in salute.

“We are grateful for the Ice Palace Lord’s consideration.”

“I would like to talk longer, but I am so busy that I cannot spare much time, which is regrettable. I will have someone look after you, so feel free to ask for anything you need. I will resolve it immediately.”

“Yes! Thank you.”

“Then.”

The Ice Palace Lord smiled and turned to leave the banquet hall.

Once he was sure that the Ice Palace Lord was gone, Chung Myung grinned, rubbing his stomach.

“A good person, isn’t he? If they feed me well, they’re a good person!”

Yoon Jong whispered in a small voice, looking around nervously, as if to say, ‘Is that even a reasonable thing to say?’

“Hey, you! How can someone who killed his own brother and usurped the position of Palace Lord be a good person!”

“If they feed me well, they’re a good person!” Chung Myung grinned, rubbing his stomach.

Yoon Jong was speechless and squeezed his eyes shut, then sighed deeply.

What was the point of saying more? The person listening was Chung Myung, after all.

At that moment, Baek Cheon, who had been sitting silently, quietly opened his mouth, watching Seolcheon-sang carefully.

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

“Yes. He felt different from the sect leaders I’ve seen so far. You could say he’s a bit softer.”

“…Is that really him…”

Baek Cheon trailed off, gazing at the door through which Seolcheon-sang had left.

Of course, there was no guarantee that the appearance they had seen was Seolcheon-sang’s true self. But, at least based on what they had seen so far, he did not seem like someone who would join hands with the cruel Demonic Sect.

“Chung Myung.”

“Huh?”

“What do you think?”

“What is there to think?”

A meaningful glint flashed in Chung Myung’s eyes.

“We don’t know yet. Not yet.”