Guests from the North
Winter had passed, and spring had come.
Across the Central Plains the earth was waking again—new shoots greening, flower buds swelling—but the snow peaks of the north still held their pure white majesty.
There, on the frozen ground of the North Sea Ice Palace where cold yin energy blanketed everything, at what people called the end of the world, a single towering palace stood. Inside that chill-soaked hall, despite stone walls built to keep out the worst of the cold, a palace lord of foreign features and magnificent build put a question to his retainers and blood kin.
"How is Seol Soyeong's condition?"
At the palace lord's inquiry after his youngest daughter, his eldest daughter Seol Sakwha—blonde hair shining, blue eyes bright—stepped forward to answer.
"Not good. She seemed to cough up blood again just a little while ago."
The palace lord's thick brows drew together. A heavy shadow fell across his face.
For the Seol clan of the north, who endured that merciless cold, there was one heavenly punishment they could never escape: the Nine Yin Blocked Meridians, in which the balance of yin and yang collapsed and yin energy piled up in nine of the body's acupoints. With yin flowing through their entire frame they were born with outstanding talent and beauty—yet the condition was a terrifying meridians-block that cut their lives short before that flower could ever fully bloom.
There were only two ways to treat it. One was for a master steeped in blazing yang energy to open the blocked acupoints with more than a full sixty-year cycle of internal power. The other was to consume a spiritual beast or elixir that held extreme yang energy.
"Father, I believe we have no choice but to seek out that cave recorded in the family histories."
His eldest son, Seol Cheonsang, spoke next, as if there were nothing else for it.
Because the affliction was a deep-rooted heavenly punishment of the North Sea Ice Palace, which specialized in yin energy, the clan's records listed several remedies for such a once-in-generations constitution. One of them pointed to a certain secret cave that lay even farther north than they already were—a mysterious place whose outward form was sheathed in ice, while inside mineral waters and scalding steam welled up from deep underground. In those boiling mineral waters, it was said, lived a Ten-thousand-year Fire Carp that held yang energy to its absolute extreme.
But just as predators gather around an oasis, a formidable spiritual beast stood guard over the cave like a gatekeeper, as dangerous as the human-faced spiders of the southern barbarian lands: a giant ape a full eight feet tall, the White-Haired Lion King.
It had originally been golden-furred, but over time—whether from the yin energy or something else—its coat had turned white. It could handle tools, and it came at its enemies swinging a long staff like the Great Sage Equal to Heaven out of the old tales.
"Somehow we have to deal with that damned spiritual beast…"
Seol Jindo, palace lord of the North Sea Ice Palace, ground his teeth as the hateful creature's face rose before his eyes. In his youth, once he realized his youngest daughter suffered from the Nine Yin Blocked Meridians, he had gone to the Heavenly Heat Ice Palace himself at the Transcendental Peak Realm. Facing the White-Haired Lion King had left him with catastrophic internal injuries. Meridians torn strand from strand, he could now perform the Ice-White Asura Sword Art at no more than the First-class Realm.
Yet he had refused to give up. He had raised his son and daughter with iron discipline, and both his eldest children had reached the Peak Realm while still young. The rest of the palace's people had achieved no small measure of strength as well. It was a force that would not look shabby next to any of the Central Plains sects—and still, it was not quite enough to face that cursed spiritual beast.
"Why not call in someone from outside, Father!"
Seol Cheonsang raised his voice toward his father again, unable to bear how poorly his youngest sister—the child he would not hurt even if he put her in his eye—was faring.
The palace lord stroked his chin, face clouded with doubt. When spiritual elixirs, spiritual beasts, and treasured weapons were on the line, common sense said you did not invite greedy outsiders. Even a righteous martial artist of the orthodox path could waver before an elixir if he still burned with ambition for the martial way. Worse, because the Nine Yin Blocked Meridians filled the meridians with yin energy, certain demonic fiends who practiced special arts treated such a person as nothing less than a living elixir jar—his youngest daughter could be put in real danger.
And there was the practical problem. The North Sea Ice Palace had already tried every method they could think of to save their youngest; they had secretly brought in everything said to be rich in yang energy. They simply did not have the surplus funds left to hire a master strong enough to face the White-Haired Lion King. The land was barren to begin with, so wealth accumulated far more slowly than in the Central Plains sects. Bringing in expensive martial artists from the Central Plains on top of that could leave them unable even to maintain the palace at a minimum.
"My lord, if that is the concern, I already have something in mind."
Then eldest daughter Seol Sakwha raised her hand and drew every eye. Unlike her brother, she spoke with careful, formal polish. The palace lord of the North Sea Ice Palace gave a chin-nod for her to continue.
"I already met with a member of the Beggar Sect in order to break this deadlock. He did not name an especially high price, and he introduced me to a proven troubleshooter who has never once failed a job."
The people of the North Sea Ice Palace looked puzzled at first by the word "troubleshooter"—work more often associated with unorthodox martial artists—but they understood the moment they heard the man was at the Transcendental Peak Realm. When they further heard that the office employed two masters of that level, they could not hide their astonishment.
"He will even cut the fee depending on the circumstances, and he always finishes the commissions he accepts. He seemed like a man one could trust."
Troubleshooters and wandering swordsmen were usually greedy to the bone—yet the man this beggar had recommended sounded different. Even in the far north, if you wanted information on the Central Plains, you had little choice but to rely on the Beggar Sect. After all, beggars still existed in the northern villages where the weather was somewhat warmer.
"Sakwha. Who is this person?"
"Dog-Beating Dragon Dan Mujin. These days in Beijing, they say there is no one who does not know the name."
At last Dan Mujin's reputation, carried on the Beggar Sect's help, had crossed the Central Plains and reached even the lands beyond its borders.
"Hmm. For the Beggar Sect to recommend him so strongly…"
As the orthodox world's information network, they did not casually pass along bad intelligence. That meant this Dog-Beating Dragon was that rare creature—a man who chased money and still carried a chivalrous streak. And such a man could be trusted to keep his mouth shut. He suited their situation perfectly.
"Seol Cheonsang. Seol Sakwha."
He called the names of the Peak Realm martial artists he had forged with his own hands—his son and his daughter—in turn.
"Yes, Father!"
"Only give the word."
Thinking of their youngest sister, they answered with faces that said they would do anything he asked.
"Go to the Central Plains and find the man called Dan Mujin."
It seemed their first journey to Beijing would be made thanks to a certain troubleshooter.
"Yes! We will find Dan Mujin without fail!"
"I will bring him here."
"Just as I thought, Young Master Dan Mujin. Even back then, when I was showing you around properties, I could tell you were going to make it big."
The woman who had once, on Eun Hwaran's introduction, shown us land and buildings—Madam Jang—was laying on the real-estate broker's trademark flattery and lifting me sky-high.
"Young master, what do you think of this listing? I showed it to you last time, but you didn't have the money then and had to settle for the outskirts. This time… how about finally taking it for yourself?"
It was the business site I had wanted from the start: a building on a busy thoroughfare in the heart of Beijing, excellent foot traffic, plenty of residential neighborhoods full of potential clients, and an open sightline that made it easy to spot. Back then we had proudly emptied every last coin we owned, and Madam Jang had given us a look that said, Is that all? and told us it was out of the question. In the end we had borrowed money from Eun Hwaran and bought a quiet little place on the outskirts.
This time was different.
"What's the price?"
"For a property like this, as I told you before, there's a bit of a location premium attached. Hoho."
She clicked her abacus beads and laid out the detailed figure. Listening in silence, I felt my hands start to tremble—it was an utterly insane amount. Hearing it again only confirmed it. How were ordinary Beijing residents supposed to buy homes at prices like this?
"Boss, if we buy this, we won't even have enough left for a month's food."
As everyone knew, our office housed two monsters who obliterated the Engel coefficient with their bottomless appetites. Ilhong's worried point was that we might once again be reduced to surviving on flour-stuffed mantou the way we used to.
I glanced sideways at Madam Jang, who was still smiling sweetly.
"Ah… if you could just knock a little off…"
"Not a chance, young master. I've already cut it considerably for you."
The sweet smile turned to stone. Once you stepped into her domain, it did not matter if the other party was a grandmaster—this middlewoman dealt with everyone without mercy. She looked at us with a smile so tight you could stick a needle in it and not draw a drop of blood.
"Ahem. The merchant lord of the Eunseong Merchant Group is my sister, you know."
A little loss of face, but I decided to lean on the weight of connections. Knowing my sister, she would not scold me for using her name—she would praise me for having a merchant's knack at haggling.
"…In that case, I'll drop the location premium I mentioned earlier and match the original price."
Deal closed. I set a heavy chest full of gold ingots on the table with a solid thud. Madam Jang opened it, took in the golden brilliance inside, and gave us a look that said, almost as if she were surprised all over again, that we were quite something for our age.
"Hoho. When did you grow into such a fine young man? So capable at that age—have you ever considered a match with the young ladies of Beijing's powerful houses…?"
"Excuse me. Weren't you only supposed to broker houses? Payment has been made, so please proceed with the next steps."
She narrowed her eyes at Ilhong's pointed check, then rose as if to say she understood. We had almost been matchmade instead of sold a house.
"So this is goodbye to dung and filth, swaggering thugs, and that smell of things burning."
In the imperial capital, the closer you got to the core districts near the Imperial Palace, the cleaner the management and the stricter the security. We would have to set up shop to match the rising caliber of our clients as well.
"The outskirts weren't that bad, but there was always that smell of something burning. It was miserable."
Jo Harang muttered that every time she trained in the empty lot, the acrid stuff had dug into her nose and driven her crazy.
Anyway, we had managed to get our hands on a new workplace and home in a much better place. Until now only Ilhong had slept in her own room while the rest of us folded ourselves onto long benches or the floor. Now it looked as if everyone would finally get a private room. Of course, to pay for it we would have to tighten our belts for a while and eat bland garbage until the next commission came in. And if things got truly desperate, we could always wander over to the Eunseong Merchant Group and Cheonhwaru—which were now practically next door—and sponge a meal. They would welcome us gladly.
"Boss. You were just thinking about Cheonhwaru, weren't you?"
Ilhong had been watching my face and now spoke up, sounding suspicious.
"What are you talking about?"
She must have been possessed—she said it as if she had peered straight into my head. I flinched and denied it.
"Your mouth was twitching like you'd just found an excuse to go over there."
"You're imagining things."
Without realizing it, I must have been remembering the lunchboxes Ju Wolay made for me with her own hands again. A beauty like that feeding me so extravagantly—was that not paradise itself?
"All right then. Let's dress up the new office and go find ourselves some clients!"
But I could hardly say that out loud. I changed the subject and claimed we had a lot of work to do.
The Central Plains, visited after so long, was still a place thick with discrimination.
Seol Cheonsang and eldest daughter Seol Sakwha, who had come down from the North Sea Ice Palace, could not keep the stiffness from their faces under the Beijing residents' sharp stares and whispered comments.
"Hmph. Central Plains people."
The Central Plains still treated those of foreign features as something bizarre. Recently the Imperial Palace's trade with the western regions had improved perceptions somewhat, but among ordinary commoners that deep-rooted prejudice—and the way they stared as if looking at a curiosity—had not disappeared.
"Sister, try to speak a little more warmly. Anyone would know you're from the North Sea Ice Palace—you're freezing cold."
Seol Cheonsang warned her to watch her conduct, since for the moment they were the face of the North Sea Ice Palace.
"As if you aren't cold on the inside yourself, Brother."
"But I don't let it show on the outside, do I? Haha."
Smiling, he shoved open the door of the troubleshooter's office where Dan Mujin was said to be.
For some reason, though, the interior was completely empty. The only ones inside were a pack of ruffians who had been drifting through Beijing's back alleys and had claimed the vacant space for themselves.
"The hell are you supposed to be? Eyes all blue and hair all yellow."
"Ghosts! They're ghosts!"