Chapter 244
Chapter 244
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 244
Chapter Title: Pillar of the Ice Palace (1)
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As I came down from the training ground,
Uncle Paeng Jae-hyeok spoke up.
"Yong-un, you take your peers and head back to the guest quarters first. I'll wrap up this messy situation with the Ice Palace's high officials and follow along."
"Understood."
And with that, the welcoming banquet prepared by the Northern Sea Ice Palace came to an end.
On the way back to the guest quarters, Eun Ha-seong, still fuming, snorted and said,
"Argh. We should've just beaten the crap out of those bastards!"
"You got the skills to do that?"
Ho-ro-ruk?
"...Brother Yong-un. Is Yo-ung snickering right now? Hah. I really need to put that one in his place sometime!"
"Cut it out. You're embarrassing yourself."
"...Ahem. Anyway, with you there, Brother! And Master Jeong Hyeon, Brother Yun, and the sisters too. If we'd lined up one after another, the Ice Palace's later-generation disciples would've been wiped out today!"
Eun Ha-seong clenched his fist as if it were itching for a fight.
I let out a hollow laugh, but Namgung Yun, who was beside me, spoke up.
"I understand Woo So-rung taking the vanguard. But was there any need for you, Eon Yong-un, to step up as the second? Dragging things out in the training ground—any one of us could've handled that."
"If anyone could do it, then I could do it too, right?"
"...You're the strongest among us. The face of the Righteous Martial Academy. There was no need for you to take on such a role."
I shook my head at Namgung Yun's words.
"There was a reason."
"Another reason?"
"Yeah. That Baek Ung faction leader and the Ice Palace frogs blowing their horns—they seemed brain-frozen, but the Little Palace Lord isn't an idiot. Why pick a fight with us? To compare, obviously."
Then Yin Xia Lian nodded and chimed in.
"From their side, our weakest, Woo So-hyeop, and our strongest, Young Master Yong-un, went out, so it'd be hard for them to judge."
Jeon Gal Seol-ji followed up.
"Including the part where they got slapped down first, it felt like they were deliberately trying to provoke us. But because you fought that way, Yong-un, and the Ice Palace martial artists got all riled up and spouted nonsense, it ended up looking like it was their fault. Calculating several moves ahead with every step... No wonder my aunt is so taken with you."
"Lady Jeon Gal thought of it too, didn't you?"
"Woo So-hyeop didn't think that far."
"...I didn't consider every possibility. Even while slapping that Baek Ung faction leader, I was thinking about how many more to beat. Well, External Elder stepped in at the right time, so it wrapped up before things got too sour with the Ice Palace."
Most of my juniors nodded at my words.
Except one—Cheon Jang-ho, who stuck out his lips and grumbled,
"Adults my foot! That External Elder probably saw Brother Yong-un's skills and realized if it went on, his own people would end up as bloody messes without a chance!"
At Cheon Jang-ho's words, Master said something.
- That young beggar punk, showing such insight out of nowhere...
But before he could finish, Cheon Jang-ho revealed his true feelings.
"If he was gonna stop it, he should've done it sooner! I only got one leg of that braised chicken! So frustrating!"
- ......
Laughter leaked out here and there.
Brother So Cheon-i patted Cheon Jang-ho's shoulder with the most innocent expression and said,
"Then let's go over there. We can eat the leftovers."
"Brother So Cheon, that's not it."
"It's not?"
"Of course not. We have our pride, don't we?!"
Yong-myeong sighed, his head hurting from their exchange.
It was then that Paeng So-jin, who had been quietly listening, cut in.
"Not that there's any hidden meaning, just curious—but do beggars have pride to uphold? You didn't seem to care about the enemies at the alliance."
"I don't! I'm talking about the pride of you, Brother, and the sisters! I'm holding back from going because I want to, so stop bringing it up. It's tempting!"
Thanks to that, a burst of laughter erupted.
Jeong Hyeon then asked me,
"Young Master Eon. That phrase from Bungwoo Yushin—was it a protest to the Little Palace Lord?"
"Two meanings. Partly that, and also, if they have any ties to the Demonic Cult, think twice."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Vice Palace Lord Dam Kyung-ju left the aftermath with Paeng Jae-hyeok to the high officials.
And returned to the Little Palace Lord's quarters.
Then, the words Eon Yong-un had carved into the training ground flashed in his mind.
'Bungwoo Yushin...'.
Dam Kyung-ju let out a dry laugh.
It was ridiculous.
'Trust? Who was it that betrayed that trust?'
When the roads to Shanxi were blocked, cutting the supply of grain, herbs, and fabrics in half, leaving the people of the Northern Sea in hardship.
Who was it that hoarded mountains of goods and wagons, fattening their ugly purses?
Rage welled up, and a mutter escaped Dam Kyung-ju's lips.
"...It was you Central Plains folk."
If Dam Kyung-ju pressed the matter.
The Central Plains folk would probably blame the Moyong family.
But to Dam Kyung-ju, they all felt the same.
"Hmph. So if we step up to settle scores with the Moyong family, you'll just sit idly by?"
As if.
"Bungwoo Yushin. The Three Bonds and Five Morals. Words only the well-fed can recite."
Dam Kyung-ju muttered to himself and turned his eyes to the map hanging on one side of the Little Palace Lord's quarters.
Centered on the Ice Palace, the map depicted the so-called One Iron Path—the steppes, Shanxi, and key points in Liaodong.
If the Northern Sea Ice Palace seized and managed those key points, such incidents wouldn't happen again.
"Then the people of the Northern Sea could all live in comfort."
With that thought, his wounded feelings from earlier eased a bit.
With a calmer mind, Vice Palace Lord replayed Eon Yong-un's words.
Bungwoo Yushin.
About its meaning.
"Assuming it wasn't meant literally... Did he notice something?"
As the head of the Demonic Cult Defense Studies Conference, he would have insight into the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
If so, he needed to be sent away from the Northern Sea even faster, before sniffing out anything else.
However, given the Ice Palace's current situation, he had to observe minimal courtesy and procedure.
"We need Central Plains goods right now. Looks like we'll have to rush through their visit schedule. That Young Lord Yong-ju... Every action of his rubs me the wrong way."
As Dam Kyung-ju was racking his brains,
A presence approached outside the Little Palace Lord's quarters.
"Little Palace Lord. External Elder has arrived!"
"Let him in."
"Little Palace Lord."
"You've come. Did things go well with Internal Elder and the others?"
"I've arranged a meeting with Internal Elder and slipped away, but Professor Paeng isn't the prickly type, so today's matter should resolve smoothly. Beyond that, this old man has something to say."
"A lecture?"
"Yes. I've stayed silent so far, thinking your decision to take a hard line with the Central Plains wasn't wrong. But today, I thought I'd speak up."
Dam Kyung-ju nodded quietly, and External Elder Seol Woo-hyeong continued.
"A strong Northern Sea Ice Palace is what this old man sincerely hopes for too. But we can't survive chewing on iron ore and ice essence alone, can we? We mustn't mistreat the Central Plains' later-generation disciples who've come such a long way."
"Continue."
"Courage wielded without power is mere recklessness and bravado. To achieve a rich and strong state, richness must come first. While maintaining stable relations with the Central Plains. Wouldn't it be right to devote yourself to perfecting your martial arts?"
"......"
"These aren't words I came up with. They're what you, the wise young Little Palace Lord, said directly to me when I was your teacher back then."
A brief silence.
Vice Palace Lord spoke first.
"If there were a way to build a strong army right now?"
"...Pardon?"
"Just a fantasy. If I obtained a peerless divine art. And the Ice Palace's people could instantly become a strong army, then wealth? We could just take it from the Central Plains."
"How could such a thing be possible? And the Ice White Divine Art and other Ice Palace martial arts, once perfected, are peerless supreme techniques unmatched in the world."
"True. The flaw is that only a chosen few can learn them."
"...You're still young, Little Palace Lord. Don't get possessed by inner demons. Build the foundation steadily and achieve great things."
"Inner demons? I said it was a fantasy from the start."
As he spoke, Dam Kyung-ju's gaze had turned to the map.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The first to greet us upon returning to the guest quarters was Woo So-rung.
"Brother Eon!"
Then Dang Ok-gi and Dam Yong-ju welcomed us too.
Dang Ok-gi, curious about what happened after they left, pressed me.
"Eon Yong-un! What happened after we left? Did you crush them?!"
"...Hey. Dam brother is right here."
"Ah. S-sorry. No, but honestly, that Baek Ung faction leader kinda deserved it, right?!"
"It's fine. Even I thought it was rudeness personified."
"Anyway, we'll talk about that later."
I brushed off Dang Ok-gi's question and asked Dam Yong-ju,
"How did your errand go?"
"I found a few suspicious things. But nothing solid enough as evidence, so I didn't bring documents—just memorized them."
"Good work. Let's talk inside first."
In the moved room, Dam Yong-ju explained what he'd learned.
"First, since we can't divulge all of the Northern Sea Ice Palace's events, I'll skip the classified parts and focus on the suspicious ones."
"Perfect. That's enough."
"Overall, departmental expenses have increased, and your older brother's personal guard has grown bulkier. New organizations have formed too. But the strangest is Dragon Ascension Manor."
Dragon Ascension Manor.
It was the Ice Palace's foundational training institution.
"How exactly is it strange?"
"The Northern Sea Ice Palace conducts a household census every three years. They send youths born with constitutions suited to ice arts to Dragon Ascension Manor to raise them."
"And?"
"They did next year's census in a flash during the Upright Progress Tournament period. New cadets enrolled, and their numbers are ten times the usual."
Ice arts could only be learned by those whose constitutions and aptitudes matched the Northern Sea Ice Palace.
It didn't make sense for such talents to suddenly increase tenfold.
"That's definitely odd."
"I thought so too."
"Then let's check it out tonight."
"You're saying we go together?"
"You're the one who knows the Ice Palace's layout and building functions best, Brother Dam... I'd like to ask you."
"No, it's not that I mind. I just haven't trained in stealth arts separately. I'm worried your older brother might notice if we come back here at night."
"Ah, don't worry about that. Stay here continuously and go from there. The banquet got cut short anyway... Under the pretext of nursing, it should work."
"Ah. That could do."
"Yong-myeong."
"Yes, brother."
"Go with Jang-ho and fetch some of that food and drink he was grumbling about earlier."
A while after I ordered my juniors to make a noisy drinking party on purpose.
The sun had set, and night fell.
I changed into night travel clothes and slipped out of the guest quarters with Dam Yong-ju.
[Rounding this wall leads to Dragon Ascension Manor. There'll be guards on patrol.]
[Stick behind me.]
Dam Yong-ju worried about his own stealth, but it was unnecessary.
I had Dark Assimilation.
He just needed to quiet his footsteps.
And any martial artist past the expert level could do that.
Shaak—
[No need to worry about stealth. Such a technique? The Black Dragon's reputation holds true in every aspect.]
[It's nothing much. Where do they keep ledgers or hidden items? Any basements?]
[There is such a place under that building...]
Arriving at Dragon Ascension Manor, I followed Dam Yong-ju's guidance to a basement.
After a fairly long corridor, a door made of millennium iron ore awaited us.
No special mechanisms—just a keyhole.
For me, it was a moment to laugh.
'They always think millennium iron is invincible.'
Dam Yong-ju looked back at me.
[Should I have brought Woo So-hyeop?]
[Don't worry...]
I pricked my left finger for blood and pressed it to the keyhole.
Activating the Blood Tide Technique, I continued,
[Just in case, put your hand on your sword hilt.]
[...Why?]
[In Shanxi, corpse manipulators were behind doors like this.]
[......!]
Dam Yong-ju tensed and placed his hand on his sword hilt.
I turned the key made from the Blood Tide Technique.
Then, the lock disengaged with a thunderous rumble.
Drururuk—
Inside the opened space, disappointingly, there was nothing much.
Just an old bookshelf and what looked like manuals.
"Looks like a manual storage."
"It's where they keep ledgers, cadet rosters, and beginner manuals used at Dragon Ascension Manor."
"I'll stay here. You check, Brother Dam. Even beginner stuff—I shouldn't look."
"Appreciate the consideration."
How long had Dam Yong-ju been browsing the shelves?
He picked up a crisp, new-looking book and muttered,
"Hm? This isn't the Ice Pillar Heart Method?"
"Ice Pillar Heart Method?"
"It's the heart method taught first when learning Ice Palace martial arts. Meaning to steadily build it like icicles for now, and literally, to become a pillar of the Ice Palace in the future."
"Mind if I take a look?"
"I know all Ice Palace martial arts. It's an ice art, but... Definitely not the Ice Palace's. You can see it."
I took the manual from Dam Yong-ju and flipped through page by page.
Yet, in this nameless ice art, I felt a familiar Reverse Heaven nuance.
'...This is a demonic art?'