Chapter 247: Young Palace Master Baek Seo-jun (5)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 247: Young Palace Master Baek Seo-jun (5)
“On ‘one,’ say ‘Watch’! On ‘two,’ say ‘Your mouth’! One!”
“Watch…!”
“Two!”
“Your mouth…!”
“Oh, look at you, slacking off. Two!”
“Your mouth…!!”
In a back alley on the outskirts of Anhui Province, a bizarre sight was unfolding: a burly man was doing push-ups while a woman stood on his back, ruthlessly trampling him.
Unsurprisingly, this was the same man who had boldly proclaimed he would take Namgung Su-ah as his concubine.
“Do you get it now? Huh? Just because your eyes glow a little doesn't mean you're hot shit.”
Chun-bong, currently acting as a human weight on the man’s back, clicked her tongue.
“I’m sorry…!”
“Too quiet.”
“I’m sorrrryyy…!!”
“Good.”
With a final click of her tongue, Chun-bong stepped off the man.
He clearly thought he was someone special, but to suddenly demand a concubine right out of the gate? The fellow was seriously lacking in common sense.
If he had actually tried to act on his words, she would have made him taste the true bitterness of life. But since he had just stood there blankly after running his mouth, she decided to leave it at this.
Wait, just to be safe, should I castrate him?
Chun-bong stroked her chin, staring down at the man. Under her piercing gaze, he trembled violently. An inexplicable chill had just triggered his primal survival instincts.
“I-I’m sorry…!”
After a moment of deliberation, Chun-bong clicked her tongue again.
“Tsk, fine. Just follow me for now.”
“Yes, ma’am!”
The man scrambled to his feet and followed cautiously behind Chun-bong.
Chun-bong and Namgung Su-ah led him through every nook and cranny of the back alleys.
Occasionally, some Black Path trash tried to jump them, but their opponents were Super Peak Realm martial artists. Seeing the Black Path thugs folded neatly and stuffed into corners, the man following them—whose name was Chunsam—shuddered. It was a strangely folksy, endearing name for someone so large.
After completing a thorough sweep of the back alleys with Chunsam as their guide, Chun-bong stretched her arms wide.
“Ugh…! I guess this is enough for today?”
Smacking her lips, Chun-bong gathered the recruits selected by the Heaven-Chosen Talent Art. Even though they had just been wandering aimlessly, they had managed to pick up over ten people.
Among them were three children.
In truth, since it was always best to learn martial arts from a young age, she had initially considered only taking the children. But Chun-bong trusted the Heaven-Chosen Talent Art.
Wasn't this the technique Lee Seo-jun said reacted only to definitive talent?
With the resources of the Namgung Lineage, even a full-grown adult should be able to achieve decent results. Though she wasn't entirely sure how they’d fare with other martial arts.
“Anyway, now…”
Chun-bong tilted her head, resting her chin in her hand.
“What do we do?”
Naturally, Geum Chun-bong, who had just come out to play, had absolutely no plan.
As she stood there blinking blankly, Namgung Su-ah let out a giggle.
“We should rest at a nearby branch sect first before heading back to the main clan.”
“Ah, that works.”
They had already asked the recruits for their consent. Naturally, everyone agreed to follow them all the way to the Namgung Clan.
However, they couldn't just bring them into the main estate blindly.
“You know, that test for martial artists. Like the personality check.”
“Huh? What about it?”
“Can they do that at the branch sect? It’ll be a pain if they go all the way to the Namgung Clan only to fail. It’s a long way back.”
If everyone passed, there would be no problem, but honestly, that was highly unlikely. Living in the back alleys almost guaranteed some personality flaws.
There were usually only two types of people in the slums who didn't have personality issues: the incredibly strong, or the dead.
Since surviving here required discarding a certain amount of morality, it was difficult to judge someone based purely on their immediate behavior. However, the Namgung Clan surely had a way to filter such things out.
“I can just do that myself, can’t I?”
“Huh?”
Namgung Su-ah thumped her chest confidently. Chun-bong’s eyes were momentarily captivated by the resulting bounce.
How terrifying…!
As Geum Chun-bong trembled inwardly, Namgung Su-ah wore a bright smile.
“I’m a martial artist of the Namgung Clan too, you know. I’ve received all the training.”
“Ah, right.”
And so, Chun-bong and Namgung Su-ah led the dozen or so people to a nearby branch sect.
It was a faction that had split off from the Namgung Clan long ago, going by the name Socheon Sect.
The Sect Leader of the Socheon Sect welcomed Chun-bong and Namgung Su-ah warmly and readily provided rooms. The people from the back alleys were also assigned separate quarters.
Entering her room, Chun-bong rested her chin on her hand, spreading her thumb and index finger thoughtfully.
“Hmm…. I had something to say.”
“What is it?”
Sshhh— Namgung Su-ah took off her outer robe and changed into lighter clothing.
Oh…
Watching her, Chun-bong was inwardly impressed.
She certainly couldn't beat her older sister in terms of pure femininity. For starters, those massive symbols of womanhood were an insurmountable wall.
Staring at Namgung Su-ah’s chest, Chun-bong suddenly clapped her hands.
“Ah, right! That’s it.”
“Hmm?”
“Our, you know, the order.”
“The order?”
“Yeah. You know. We’re having the wedding soon…”
“Ah, for the first night?”
“Y-Yeah…”
As Chun-bong’s cheeks flushed, Namgung Su-ah giggled.
“Geum Mae can go first if she wants.”
“That’s a bit…”
“Then should I go first?”
“That’s also a bit…”
“Mmm…?”
Namgung Su-ah blinked. Chun-bong bit her lip before squeezing her eyes shut and shouting.
“So let’s decide with Rock-Paper-Scissors…!”
“Rock-Paper-Scissors?”
“Yeah, like that time.”
“Ah, you mean Huaquan?”
Namgung Su-ah smirked and balled her right hand into a fist.
To a martial artist, Rock-Paper-Scissors was no longer a game of luck. It was a type of sparring where all sorts of psychological warfare took place until the very moment the hand was shown.
But Chun-bong didn't want that. Pure luck! She wanted to close her eyes and leave it to the heavens.
“Instead, let’s close our eyes and check after we throw. The winner goes first.”
“Fufu, alright. By the way, have you done your studying?”
“Studying?”
“You know, stuff like this.”
Namgung Su-ah made a circle with her thumb and index finger and moved the index finger of her other hand back and forth through it. It was an incredibly lewd gesture.
However, Chun-bong was somewhat used to it. Her sister tended to be a bit reckless when their brother wasn't around. There were many times Chun-bong had been shocked by how rapidly their conversations would spiral into inappropriate territory.
Compared to those times, this was quite mild.
“I-I guess…?”
“‘You guess’? That won't do. Big sis will teach you properly today.”
“What…?”
Chun-bong’s eyes darted around nervously.
“W-What are you going to teach me…?”
“The Art of the Bedchamber.”
The Art of the Bedchamber referred to the methods and techniques of sexual intercourse. In short, that.
You Can Do It Too! Super Peak!
It was easiest to think of it as the martial art of being good in bed.
“No, why do you even know that…?”
“There’s quite a bit of it in the Heavenly Martial Pavilion. There was probably plenty in the Geum family too, right?”
“Wha…?”
Chun-bong’s mouth hung open. Why was the Art of the Bedchamber in the Heavenly Martial Pavilion…? Did every prestigious family just have a few of those manuals lying around?
No, more importantly, how exactly was she planning to teach her?
Chun-bong trembled with fear. However, she didn't exactly refuse.
To be honest, she was a little curious.
“Anyway…! This will decide it, okay?”
Chun-bong raised her hand high. It was the starting stance for Rock-Paper-Scissors.
She squeezed her eyes shut, desperately searching for the one correct answer amidst countless variables. Men usually choose Rock. Then what about women?
Wandering through the delusions clouding her mind, Geum Chun-bong reached a conclusion.
“Rock, Paper…!”
The moment the two women threw their hands…
“Scissors…!”
Destiny was decided.
*
Deep within the North Sea Ice Palace.
Seo-jun, who had been commissioned by Baek Seol-hyang to complete the formation, sought her out again the very next day.
“What is it? Why do you keep coming back? What about your work?”
Baek Seol-hyang, currently sprawled out lazily on her chair, greeted Seo-jun.
Seo-jun chuckled and tossed a book to her.
“Take it.”
“Hmm?”
Thwack. Catching the book easily, Baek Seol-hyang read the title on the cover.
“Ice and Snow Heaven Net Formation? What am I supposed to do with this?”
“You told me to finish it.”
Baek Seol-hyang furrowed her brows.
There was no way he could have finished the formation in a single day. Did he just set the basic framework and want her to take a look?
Without much thought, Baek Seol-hyang flipped open the manual for the Ice and Snow Heaven Net Formation and scanned the contents.
“It’s similar to the previous Ice and Snow Heaven Net Formation… wait, what?”
Suddenly, Baek Seol-hyang sat up straight. Her eyes began to dart across the pages faster. After finishing the manual in an instant, the corners of her mouth trembled.
“…What are you?”
Her icy eyes fixed on Seo-jun. They were filled with shock and disbelief.
It was impossible to create such a formation in a single day.
The framework itself was indeed the same as the previous Ice and Snow Heaven Net Formation. The problem was that absolutely everything else besides that framework had been rebuilt from scratch.
While it didn't take long to understand an existing formation, designing and assembling one from the ground up was an entirely different story. It wasn't something that could be done in a few mere days.
To complete a formation of this caliber in just one day? Baek Seol-hyang could say with absolute certainty: it was impossible.
Unless he had been contemplating the flaws of the Ice and Snow Heaven Net Formation and looking for improvements for a very long time…
“Oho.”
A strange smile played on Baek Seol-hyang’s lips.
“You, despite acting like you didn't care, it seems you were actually quite concerned about the Ice Palace!”
“What kind of nonsense are you spouting now?”
“Don't be shy, boy. I know everything! Hehe, actually, you only said you hated the position of Palace Master for show, didn't you?”
Baek Seol-hyang smirked triumphantly. Seo-jun looked at her as if she were a deeply pitiful creature.
“Hang in there.”
“W-What’s with that attitude…! How insolent!”
Baek Seol-hyang thrashed about, pounding her fists on the armrests.
At this point, Seo-jun was able to form a solid theory.
The Emperor he had seen before, the Hwangbo Clan Leader, and most decisively, Baek Seol-hyang.
These Transcendent Realm folks… It’s not that they lack humanity, they just have absolutely zero social skills, don't they?
Thinking about it, it made perfect sense.
Who were the martial artists of the Transcendent Realm? They were superhumans who had surpassed the limits of the human species and reached an entirely new horizon.
To reach such a realm, they naturally had to devote everything they had to martial arts.
That meant the only things Transcendent Realm martial artists did were: killing people, practicing martial arts in their rooms, beating people up, researching martial arts in their rooms, taking a short nap, and then repeating the cycle…
They had probably lived like that for their entire lives.
It wouldn't be strange at all if their social skills were completely stunted.
“You’ve lived a truly pitiful life as well.”
“What…?”
Seo-jun clicked his tongue and patted Baek Seol-hyang sympathetically on the shoulder.
“Go outside and meet some people. Tsk, tsk, staying cooped up in a corner like this…”
“What have you been talking about this whole time! I am the Palace Master! You are the Young Palace Master! You should be showing me respect!”
“I understand. It happens.”
“Grrr…!”
Seo-jun leaned his face close to the teeth-gritting Baek Seol-hyang.
“So.”
“Hic…! W-What! Get back!”
“Only the final task remains. What are you going to make me do next?”
Baek Seol-hyang’s eyes trembled.
*
A white robe fluttered amidst the thin snowfall.
A man walked upon the snow. Not a single footprint remained where he passed.
Another man followed behind him. He was a man with a long, jagged scar running from his forehead down to his cheek.
He asked, “Baek Yun, are you sure the Ice Palace Master is coming?”
“Yes.”
The man in the white robe scanned the surroundings indifferently. Nothing much had changed from three hundred years ago.
Bending down to scoop up a handful of snow from beneath his feet, the man, Baek Yun, let out a long breath.
His breath, colder than the biting chill of the North Sea, did not mist.
“To preserve the energy of the Ice Crystal, one must visit this place every four to five years.”
“And how do you know when that cycle returns?”
“Judging by the timing, it should be soon.”
“Is there a possibility someone other than the Palace Master will come?”
“That’s impossible. No one but the Palace Master can touch the Ice Crystal.”
Whether physically or traditionally, no one but the Palace Master could reach the Ice Crystal.
“Even if my calculations are wrong, it doesn't matter. The power of the Black Lotus Union has been greatly diminished. The two of us are enough for a place like the Ice Palace on the outskirts… If the wait gets too long, we can just go find her ourselves.”
“How cold-hearted. It was once the sect you belonged to.”
Crunch! As he clenched his fist, the snow compacted into a dense ball. Baek Yun tossed it carelessly onto the snowfield.
Thud.
The snowball, which had inexplicably turned blood-red, stained the surrounding white with the color of gore.
“It doesn't matter. As long as I can overcome this wall…”