Chapter 110
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 110
Chapter Title: Arrival in Datong
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Seol Hwa-un and his group departed from the North Sea Ice Palace and swiftly headed south.
For this trip to the Central Plains, only Dong Ho-won and Eom Mu-hwi accompanied him alongside Yu Gong-seon.
As before, they used ice blood horses to reach the northern grasslands, then employed lightfoot skills for the rest of the journey.
A month after setting out, they arrived in Datong at the entrance to Shanxi Province.
“We’ve finally reached the Central Plains.”
“Yes.”
Eom Mu-hwi nodded at Seol Hwa-un’s words.
Dong Ho-won glanced around casually.
“It doesn’t seem much different from the last time we were here.”
“We’ll see about that.”
It had been two years since their last visit. A long time if considered long, short if short. There might not have been any significant changes.
Seol Hwa-un turned to Yu Gong-seon and said,
“Are you alright, Strategist Yu?”
“Yes, I’m fine.”
Having continuously used lightfoot skills during the journey, Yu Gong-seon showed clear signs of fatigue.
“Impressive, even so. Keeping up with our pace.”
“Hahaha, I can’t be a burden to the Young Palace Lord.”
The one who had shown the most astonishing growth over the past two years was none other than Yu Gong-seon.
The Harmony Heart Formula had been an unexpected boon for him.
Through it, he had managed to harmonize the Ice Extreme Heart Formula and One Yang Divine Art, which had been blocked by his constitution.
As a result, he became able to cultivate the North Sea Ice Palace’s martial arts.
Yu Gong-seon, who had barely lingered at the third-rate level, achieved a dramatic rise in skill with help from several people.
Thanks to that, he now possessed superior prowess compared to most average warriors.
Dong Ho-won smiled.
“Our strategist is better than expected, huh?”
“Of course. He’s trained harder than you usually.”
Dong Ho-won bristled at Eom Mu-hwi’s words.
“What? Have you seen it? How I train?”
“Have you forgotten already? We were together in Ice Lord Valley the whole time. It’d be weirder not to have seen.”
“Oh, right? You must’ve slacked off then. I was so focused I didn’t even notice what you were doing.”
“……!”
Eom Mu-hwi, who had always held the upper hand in their verbal spars, wore an expression of being caught off guard.
‘When did this guy get so sharp-tongued?’
As Eom Mu-hwi struggled to retort, Dong Ho-won flashed a triumphant smile.
‘Heh heh, all that bickering with Elder Baek-ro has paid off in honing my wit.’
The two had also shown remarkable growth over the past two years.
In particular, receiving martial arts instruction from the Five Great Protectors in Ice Lord Valley had been a stroke of fortune for them.
Seol Hwa-un watched them with a faint smile.
‘They’ve become quite usable.’
It was worlds apart from when he first brought them to the Central Plains.
He didn’t know how much stronger Ak Su-jeon had become in the meantime, but now Dong Ho-won’s spear would likely overwhelm him within ten exchanges.
Yu Gong-seon asked Seol Hwa-un,
“Shall we head straight to the branch?”
Seol Hwa-un shook his head.
“No, let’s rest a bit before moving.”
“Yes.”
Conveniently, an inn was visible not far away.
“Let’s grab a simple meal there.”
However, as they headed to the inn, the gazes of the people around them felt unusual.
“…….”
He sensed not just wariness but outright hostility. Most were common folk ignorant of martial arts, so they didn’t openly挑衅, but an inexplicable malice hung in the air.
Eom Mu-hwi frowned.
“The atmosphere feels off.”
“……Let’s go into the inn first.”
As they neared the inn, they saw the waiter eyeing them.
Watching warily, he stepped forward to block their path as the group tried to enter.
“Sorry, guests. We’re not open for business today.”
“What?”
Dong Ho-won looked incredulous. Several tables were already occupied by patrons.
Eom Mu-hwi hardened his expression and said,
“What nonsense is this? Aren’t those people customers?”
The waiter flinched at his aura but didn’t back down.
“Th-those guests will be leaving soon.”
But even as he spoke, another patron appeared and entered the inn without issue.
“What the hell!”
As Dong Ho-won started to shout in anger, Seol Hwa-un grabbed his shoulder.
“Enough.”
“Young Palace Lord, but…….”
Seol Hwa-un shook his head.
“Never mind. Causing a scene won’t help.”
In such a situation, it would clearly backfire.
“…….”
Countless commoners were already watching them intently. Every gaze was far from ordinary.
“Why are they going this far……?”
They seemed to recognize them as Outer Realm folk from their attire, but the level of rejection was far worse than before.
“Let’s go.”
At Seol Hwa-un’s words, the four eventually gave up and withdrew.
Yu Gong-seon said with a stiff expression,
“The situation is more serious than anticipated.”
“Hmm…….”
Eom Mu-hwi tilted his head and said,
“Something’s wrong. It wasn’t like this before…… In fact, Shanxi Province was less guarded than other regions.”
Yu Gong-seon’s eyes gleamed.
“This is too unnatural. It’s as if…….”
“Someone’s up to tricks.”
Yu Gong-seon nodded at Seol Hwa-un’s words.
“Yes. It feels deliberately aimed at our palace.”
Seol Hwa-un shrugged.
“Impressive work from Chief Steward Bing Cho-pung. Building the branch steadfastly despite public sentiment like this.”
There was no immediate solution.
“No choice. Let’s head straight to the branch.”
“Yes, Young Palace Lord.”
* * *
The four rode through another full day and finally arrived at the Taegok branch.
It was already past midnight when they got there.
The gate guard spotted them, saluted, and rushed inside to report.
“…….”
Seol Hwa-un didn’t enter right away but slowly surveyed the branch buildings. Though it was dark, his internal energy posed no issue for his vision.
‘Hmm.’
He had heard they started construction over three months ago with a large workforce, yet less than half was properly built.
“…….”
As Yu Gong-seon looked around, he spoke up.
“The construction progress is lower than expected, but they’ve secured a good location.”
“Even with nothing around?”
“That’s not an issue. Once the branch is complete and settled, buildings will naturally spring up nearby.”
“I see.”
“The main roads connect in all directions right nearby. It’s a strategic hub, so people will flock here. I hear they’ve bought up all the surrounding land too—smart move.”
Yu Gong-seon pointed to the extending road.
“See? They’ve even paved the road, so Chief Steward Bing Cho-pung must be thinking the same. Once the branch is done, they’ll need steady supplies—it’s a good choice.”
“…….”
Seol Hwa-un nodded silently. At that moment, Bing Cho-pung came rushing out from inside the branch.
“Ah!”
He immediately cupped his fists toward Seol Hwa-un.
“Welcome, Young Palace Lord.”
“……Long time no see, Chief Steward Bing.”
As they exchanged greetings, Seol Hwa-un carefully observed Bing Cho-pung.
Despite the late hour, he was still in casual clothes, with ink stains all over both sleeves.
His face looked haggard, complexion poor.
‘He’s overworking himself.’
Seol Hwa-un asked,
“Have you been sleeping?”
“Huh? Of-of course. One or two hours at least…… No need to worry. I catch naps between tasks. Hahaha.”
He spoke cheerfully, but he couldn’t fool Seol Hwa-un’s eyes.
‘His vitality is greatly depleted. And he has a weak body…….’
Moreover, Bing Cho-pung was congenitally unable to cultivate martial arts.
At this rate, he’d collapse before the Taegok branch was finished.
‘Our palace lacks talented people for internal affairs.’
But such high-caliber personnel couldn’t be produced overnight. Nor could just anyone handle it.
How desperate must they have been to dispatch even the Ice Family Head’s chief steward.
Of course, it was also because they highly valued Bing Cho-pung’s abilities, proof of their shortage of suitable talent.
Bing Cho-pung smiled and said,
“It’s late, so please rest first.”
“No, I’d like to hear your report, even if it’s a hassle.”
“Understood. This way, then.”
He led the group to his office in a temporary structure. His desk was cluttered with countless documents.
“Oh!”
Bing Cho-pung flinched and quickly tidied them up.
“Sorry. I got word, but didn’t expect you so soon—preparations are lacking…….”
At that moment, Seol Hwa-un suddenly grasped his pulse point.
“Hm?”
“Pardon the intrusion, Chief Steward Bing.”
“Huh? Ack!”
Bing Cho-pung, who had been dazed, grimaced involuntarily as tremendous internal energy poured in.
“Your body’s in this state, yet you don’t rest…… Who’ll handle things if you collapse? Why push yourself like this?”
Soon, Seol Hwa-un’s soft yet pure energy spread throughout Bing Cho-pung’s body.
“……!”
His vast true qi instantly relieved the accumulated fatigue and infused vitality.
Bing Cho-pung’s eyes widened at the sudden surge of exhilaration.
‘Ahh!’
After about a quarter of an hour, Seol Hwa-un finally released his hand.
“Phew.”
Bing Cho-pung’s complexion had noticeably improved in that short time.
“Haha, this is truly wondrous.”
“How’s that?”
“I don’t know what technique it is…… My body feels like it could fly. Thank you, Young Palace Lord.”
Dong Ho-won, standing nearby, looked amazed.
“Wow, can internal energy do this too?”
Seol Hwa-un replied curtly.
“No. Only I can.”
It was possible only because of his pure, high-density true qi.
“Now, work even harder…….”
Thud.
As Bing Cho-pung continued speaking, Seol Hwa-un struck his sleep acupoint.
“Wha, why……?”
Seol Hwa-un supported him as he slumped. Bing Cho-pung fell into a deep sleep.
“Relieving physical fatigue alone isn’t enough. He needs proper sleep to recover mentally too.”
He immediately summoned a guard and said,
“Take the chief steward to his quarters.”
After sending Bing Cho-pung off, Seol Hwa-un’s eyes flashed as he muttered,
“You’ve worked hard all this time, Chief Steward Bing. Now I’ll resolve the problems.”