Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 484

A shout ripped through the quiet room. “What do you think you’re doing?!” A Mount Hua disciple, his face red with anger, stepped forward, fist clenched.

“How rude!” another voice snapped, echoing the first disciple’s outrage.

Before more disciples could charge towards Songwon, Chung Myung calmly waved his hand – the one not being held. “It’s fine, it’s fine,” he said, his voice surprisingly relaxed. “Calm down, everyone.”

The Mount Hua disciples hesitated, glancing at Chung Myung.

“I guess you wanted to check something?” Chung Myung said to Songwon, a sly grin spreading across his face. He stared intently at Songwon, who was still gripping his hand tightly. “Well? Have you finished checking?”

Songwon looked back and forth between Chung Myung’s face and his hand with a subtle gaze.

He released Chung Myung’s hand, stepped back, and bowed deeply.

“I apologize. I was being rude, thinking it best to be certain. Please, guests, forgive my impudence.”

“The Palace Lord must be pleased to have such a careful person working for him.”

“You flatter me.”

Songwon turned to the others and said,

“If you have any inconveniences, please let me know. As promised, if you call for me, I will guide you through the Ice Palace.”

“Yes, thank you.”

Baek Cheon replied on behalf of the group. Songwon glanced around the room once more before retreating.

“Hmph.”

Chung Myung smiled, watching the door close behind Songwon. Baek Cheon and the other disciples crowded around him, asking,

“Why did you suddenly grab his hand?”

“Yes, why?”

“You said you were looking at the injury.”

Chung Myung chuckled.

“That was a trick.”

“Huh?”

Chung Myung shrugged instead of giving a detailed answer.

‘That’s quite the fellow.’

Anyone else would have fallen for Songwon’s trick right away.

He seemed like someone to watch out for.

In any case, Baek Cheon, thinking the situation was more or less settled, hardened his face and looked at his fellow disciples.

“Everyone, listen up.”

Everyone paid close attention to him.

“The fact remains that they suspected us.”

“Yes.”

“Do not forget that this is foreign territory, and be careful of your behavior.”

“Sasuk.”

“So we don’t give them any reason to suspect us further…”

“Sasuk.”

“Huh?”

Baek Cheon reflexively turned his head when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Chung Myung was smiling brightly.

“…Why?”

“No, well…”

He dug at his ear a couple of times and blew on it.

“I saw something strange yesterday, you see.”

“…”

“Someone closed the window while looking at me, you know?”

“…”

“Someone.”

That…

He really has a good memory.

Songwon’s face was grim as he walked down the hallway in Ice Palace.

‘Am I mistaken?’

Even with a mask, one cannot hide their physique. The physique of the 兇獸 was certainly very similar to that fellow Chung Myung.

But…

‘There was no Yin energy within him.’

Anyone who has faced the Ice Flower Divine Palm-level of frigid energy must have Yin energy remaining within their body. No matter how pure one’s energy is, it was impossible to dissipate that energy in half a day.

But when he grabbed his hand to check, there wasn’t even a speck of Yin energy (a type of cold, dark energy left behind by the Ice Flower Divine Palm attack) in that Chung Myung’s body.

‘To block the Palace Lord’s attack without injury at that age, and even dissipate the Yin energy…’

That would only be possible if he was much stronger than just the Divine Dragon of Mount Hua – almost like a legend.

So, logically speaking, that Chung Myung could never be the 兇獸.

But…

“It’s unsettling.”

“Yes?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

Songwon shook his head at his subordinate, who was looking at him with a puzzled expression, and slightly furrowed his brow.

‘What’s bothering me?’

The other person’s body was perfectly clean. There was no room for doubt.

Nevertheless, the reason why he felt so uneasy must be because of the other person’s attitude.

‘If a foreigner were being investigated in the Ice Palace, anyone would show at least a minimum of fear or discomfort.’

But the other person was full of confidence. It was as if he knew in advance what Songwon would do and had prepared for it.

“…Perhaps I’m overthinking it.”

Songwon glanced at the room where the Mount Hua disciples were staying.

“Time will tell.”

He looked straight ahead and quickened his pace again.

“Pfft…”

“…”

“Puhahaha…”

“Jo Gul.”

“Yes?”

“Don’t laugh. Unless you want to die.”

“…Yes.”

Jo Gul desperately gritted his teeth as he looked at the bump on Baek Cheon’s head. His cheeks, swollen from holding back laughter, looked as if they would burst at any moment, but if he laughed any more, he would really be beaten to death.

He didn’t want to be buried in this faraway snow country.

“…Let’s continue with the story.”

“Yes, Sasuk… Puhahahahaha!”

“…”

Baek Cheon looked up at the ceiling with a blank stare.

‘Life…’

What is it that I’m struggling to achieve so desperately?

“Hey, hey. Stop it. Sasuk is ascending, ascending.”

“Ah! I said stop it!”

“Stahp it!”

“Aaargh!”

Only after some time did Baek Cheon manage to calm down, and he sighed and asked Chung Myung,

“So… you didn’t seem very close to the Demonic Sect?”

“Nope.”

Baek Cheon frowned at Chung Myung’s words.

“I don’t understand. According to that Han Yi-myung, it was none other than the Northern Ice Palace that brought in the Demonic Sect.”

“That’s right.”

“But they avoid each other? Is there any reason why there shouldn’t be?”

“…Huh?”

“Using an external enemy to strike at an internal one has happened many times in history. But that doesn’t mean you have to be friendly with the external enemy.”

“…So, if it benefits them, the relationship between them doesn’t matter?”

“That’s right.”

Chung Myung nodded lightly.

“Indeed.”

Baek Cheon muttered to himself. He certainly understood that part. But now, something else bothered him.

“If it benefits them, that means the Demonic Sect also has something to gain here.”

“Hmm.”

“I thought the Demonic Sect was trying to take over the Ice Palace and turn it into a second Demonic Sect. But if that’s not the case, what are they after here?”

Chung Myung grinned at Baek Cheon’s question.

“How should I know?”

“…”

Baek Cheon’s face, which had been so serious, contorted.

“Are you stupid, Sasuk? If I knew that, why would I come here? I would have just told the Abbot of Shaolin and had him take care of it.”

“…”

“Did you get dumber after getting hit on the head?”

He didn’t know if his head had gotten dumber, but it certainly felt like steam was coming out of it.

“…Never mind. I’m the idiot for asking you.”

“You know it well.”

Just as Baek Cheon, who had finally lost his temper, was about to erupt, Tang Soso quickly jumped into their conversation.

“Could it be that the Demonic Sect is trying to receive something from the Ice Palace?”

Baek Cheon frowned, thinking hard. “Hmm,” he said slowly, “it’s strange.”

“The Demonic Sect originally had its base in the southern part of the Central Plains. For them to come all the way to this distant Northern Sea means they must have some purpose. Otherwise, there’s no reason for them to come to this barren place. There must be many places closer that are beyond the reach of the Central Plains’ influence.”

Baek Cheon nodded in agreement.

“Hmm. I think so too.”

At that moment, Chung Myung clapped his hands and jumped up.

“Ah! That’s right!”

“Huh?”

“The documents! I had the documents! Baek-Ah!”

At Chung Myung’s shout, Baek-Ah, who had been curled up in the blanket, peeked out.

“What about that? The paper?”

At Chung Myung’s question, Baek-Ah nodded his head quickly a couple of times and ran towards the window. He casually flicked open the latch on the window and slipped outside.

Baek Cheon, who had been blankly watching the process that had unfolded in an instant, asked,

“Did he just open the latch?”

Chung Myung grinned. “Baek-Ah? Oh, he’s cleverer than most people I know. Being a spirit beast has its perks.”

Baek Cheon wondered what one had to do for a sable to become a spirit beast, and why becoming a spirit beast made one so clever.

‘Nothing is ever normal with Chung Myung,’ Baek Cheon thought, shaking his head slightly.

Tap.

Just then, the closed window burst open again. Baek-Ah came inside, a stack of papers firmly in his mouth.

‘He looked like he just opened the window with his hands.’

…No. Just let it be, let it be.

As befitting a spirit beast, Baek-Ah didn’t bring the papers in his mouth to Chung Myung, but directly handed them to Baek Cheon.

This was truly proof of his intelligence.

“What is this?”

“It was in the Palace Lord’s room. I quickly grabbed it! Hee hee!”

Looking at his junior brother, who seemed genuinely proud, Baek Cheon managed a thin smile, though his eyes still held a hint of worry.

‘A Taoist who speaks so proudly of stealing.’

Oh, Primal Deity.

What are you going to do with Mount Hua? Really!

But stealing was stealing, and he had to examine it first.

He recited a Taoist invocation in his mind and began to examine the papers with a serious look.

Shwaak! Shwa shwa shwa shwa!

The documents were quickly flipped through.

Thwack!

Baek Cheon, who had skimmed through everything in an instant, smiled sadly.

“Chung Myung-ah.”

“Why?”

“How did you shake off the Ice Palace people yesterday?”

“Did I not explain that?” Chung Myung puffed out his chest, a wide grin spreading across his face. His eyes sparkled with mischief.

“Those Ice Palace people were like sticky bugs! So annoying. I had to get rid of them. I found a thin spot in the ice on the lake, made a quick hole, and slipped under! They’d never think to look there. Too clever for them!”

Baek Cheon repeated slowly, a strange look on his face. “…Under the lake?”

Chung Myung puffed out his chest, a wide grin splitting his face. “Who else would be clever enough? Those Ice Palace fools would never think to look *under* the ice! Smart, right?” He poked his belly proudly.

Baek Cheon’s smile tightened, becoming almost too bright. “Under the lake,” he said again, his voice dangerously soft.

“Yeah! Freezing cold, by the way. Thought my toes would drop off.” Chung Myung shivered dramatically, rubbing his arms.

Baek Cheon asked, each word carefully measured. “You… you went *into* the water?”

Chung Myung frowned. “Huh? What? Why are you asking like that? Don’t you get it? I hid under the ice! Simple!”

“No. I don’t understand. You’re saying you got the documents and then took them into the water?”

“…Huh?”

Baek Cheon threw the papers in his hand at Chung Myung, scattering them.

“You crazy bastard! What do you do when you take documents written in ink into the water! It’s all cleanly erased! As clear and clean as your head!”

Chung Myung grabbed the pile of papers and quickly scanned through them.

“…This shouldn’t be happening.”

White.

The clear and transparent water of the Northern Sea had turned even the paper inside it clear and transparent.

“…I went through all that trouble… ?” Chung Myung, staggering as if his soul had left him, trudged towards the brazier to warm himself.

“What are you doing?”

“My heart is cold, so I’m trying to warm my body.”

Baek Cheon felt a headache coming on. *Of course*, he thought, *only Chung Myung would do something like this.* He pressed hard on his throbbing temples and asked,

“…So, didn’t you get anything else?”

“Sasuk.”

“Yeah?”

“Do you think I would?”

“…I shouldn’t have asked.”

Baek Cheon momentarily grabbed his head with one hand and then screamed. He had touched the spot where Chung Myung had hit him.

“Really, nothing is working out.”

At that moment, Tang Soso, who had snatched a piece of paper from Chung Myung, shouted as if she had discovered something.

“Sasuk! The word ‘Ice Crystal’ is still here.”

“Ice Crystal?”

“Yes, Ice Crystal. This is… um, production, I think.”

Tang Soso read the words haltingly, holding them up to the light. Then, Chung Myung, who had been sitting powerlessly, turned his head sharply. A quick flash of his greedy excitement.

“Ah, that’s right! I heard the Palace Lord talking to the Elder, and it seemed like the Demonic Sect was demanding Ice Crystals.”

“Ice Crystals?”

“Yeah. It seemed like the amount they were asking for was too much to meet?”

“…The Demonic Sect is demanding Ice Crystals?”

Baek Cheon covered his chin as if contemplating.

‘Then, maybe the reason Ice Crystals aren’t circulating in the Central Plains isn’t because of bad feelings with the Central Plains, but because there’s a shortage of the material.’

“Amitabha.”

Hye-yeon, who had been listening to their story in silence, cautiously added a word.

“Why would the Demonic Sect need Ice Crystals? And such a large amount that even the Ice Palace would struggle to provide it?”

“…I don’t know.”

Baek Cheon clutched his throbbing head and fell into thought.

‘Something doesn’t fit.’

People are disappearing, and they’re demanding a large amount of Ice Crystals…

“It seems certain that the Demonic Sect is plotting something in the Northern Sea.”

“I think so too, Sasuk.”

Baek Cheon looked at Chung Myung, who was warming himself by the brazier, and asked,

“So, what are you going to do now? Even if we gather more information, it doesn’t seem easy to get anything more than this from inside the Ice Palace.”

“That’s right.”

“And it’s not easy to find traces of the Demonic Sect in this vast Northern Sea. It was just a coincidence that we were able to find the Demonic Sect members back then.”

“That’s also right.”

“Then there’s no way, is there?”

But at the words that there was no way, Chung Myung chuckled.

“Why should we look for them?”

“Huh?”

“If those Demonic Sect bastards are doing something in the Northern Sea, they must be on edge right now, so there’s no need for us to go looking for them. If we make a little noise, they’ll come looking for us on their own, right?”

Baek Cheon sighed deeply. “Yeah. And you usually get bitten by the snake.”

“Huh?”

That also seemed to be true…

Chung Myung tilted his head, and Baek Cheon sighed deeply. Then, he lightly stroked his chin with his fingertips.

Anyway, he understood about half of it, but there was still a lingering question.

“So, what are you going to do?”

Chung Myung smiled as he thought about something.

“Those bastards are looking for Ice Crystals, right?”

“That’s right.”

“But we need them too.”

Baek Cheon was starting to feel uneasy.

So…

“Sasuk.”

“Yeah?”

“Do you know what?”

“What…”

“I’m telling you.”

Sure enough, Chung Myung’s eyes began to gleam with madness in an instant.

“Rather than see my things go to those Demonic Sect bastards, I’d rather set fire to the Ice Palace.”

“From now on, all the Ice Crystals are mine. Anyone who touches them dies!”

Baek Cheon smiled warmly.

Ah, yes.

Do as you please.

As you please.