What Kind of Crazy Place Is This? (3)
It wasn’t all that surprising. They had already heard that traces of the Demonic Sect had been discovered in the North Sea. And hadn’t Chung Myung seen the corpses covered in Mahwa with his own eyes?
But hearing about the Demonic Sect from a local of the North Sea carried a weight that secondhand rumors simply couldn’t match.
“...So the North Sea Ice Palace brought the Demonic Sect in?”
“Amitabha. Amitabha. How could they possibly...”
Hye Yeon kept reciting the Buddha’s name over and over.
By his common sense, it was an utterly incomprehensible thing.
“Do the people of the North Sea not know what kind of place the Demonic Sect is? How could they commit such a wicked deed?”
Hong Yi-myeong let out a long sigh at that.
“Just because this is the North Sea doesn’t mean we don’t know the Demonic Sect.”
“Then how can people do such a thing?”
At Hye Yeon’s question, Chung Myung snorted.
“Look at this clueless little monk, spouting innocent nonsense again.”
“...”
“Because they’re people, there’s nothing they can’t do. There’s no such thing as something a person absolutely can’t do in this world.”
Even if that something was bringing in the Demonic Sect.
Especially when power was on the line, that sort of thing was hardly unusual. Inviting foreign forces into the country to seize a throne was nothing special at all.
Countless monarchs throughout history had chosen that path...
And most of them paid for it in the end.
The current Ice Palace was probably no different.
“So what happened, then?”
When Chung Myung asked, Hong Yi-myeong gave a quiet sigh and continued.
“How much could I possibly know? All I know is that outsiders appeared in the North Sea that day, and not long after, the master of the Ice Palace changed.”
“Hmm.”
Baek Cheon’s face darkened.
This might get a lot harder than I thought.
They had already assumed that if traces of the Demonic Sect were found in the North Sea, then the North Sea Ice Palace and the Demonic Sect were somehow entangled. No matter how strong the Demonic Sect was, they couldn’t simply ignore the influence of the North Sea Ice Palace on that land.
But if Hong Yi-myeong was right, then the North Sea Ice Palace and the Demonic Sect might have been openly colluding. More than they had imagined.
The Mount Hua disciples all grew tense. Baek Cheon glanced sidelong at Chung Myung’s expression.
But Chung Myung’s eyes were gleaming with unexpected interest.
“So nobody knows what’s going on inside the Ice Palace now.”
“‘Nobody’ is a little odd, but someone as ignorant as me has no way of knowing.”
Chung Myung nodded.
After all, even if a major upheaval broke out in the imperial palace, common people often didn’t hear about it for years.
Someone like Hong Yi-myeong, living in a remote place of the North Sea, would hardly know the details of the Ice Palace’s inner affairs.
“Still...”
Hong Yi-myeong frowned slightly as he said,
“Ever since that incident, the atmosphere in the North Sea has grown much more sinister. I keep hearing of people disappearing, and the trade with the Central Plains that used to continue on and off has been completely banned. Because of that, most people can’t get grain and are starving.”
“Hmm.”
“And after a few people who tried to disobey the Ice Palace’s orders and trade with the Central Plains were executed as an example, no one dares even face a Central Plains native anymore.”
“Huh? But we’re from the Central Plains too, aren’t we?”
When Chung Myung asked, eyes round, Hong Yi-myeong gave a bitter smile.
“Like I said, this is a rather remote corner even of the North Sea. Do you think the Ice Palace would care about people like me, buried out here on the edge?”
“Fair enough.”
Chung Myung scratched his cheek and asked again.
“So what happened to the former Palace Lord?”
“How would I know that?”
“Mm...”
“Still, considering years have passed since the bloodshed and no word has leaked out...”
“Yeah, probably.”
Chung Myung could easily guess what Hong Yi-myeong had been unable to say. His gaze had gone cold as he fell into thought.
The Demonic Sect, a rebellion, and the Palace Lord changed hands.
On the surface, it was a plausible story.
While the Demonic Sect was moving through the outer regions to avoid the eyes of the Central Plains, it had apparently colluded with that Seol Cheon-sang or whatever his name was, seized control of the Ice Palace, and established a new foothold in the North Sea.
But...
“Something’s weird.”
“Hm? What is?”
At Baek Cheon’s question, Chung Myung answered in a low voice.
“Nothing.”
This was a little different from the way Chung Myung knew the Demonic Sect operated. Of course, he didn’t know how the Demonic Sect moved in a world where the Heavenly Demon didn’t exist, so maybe calling it strange meant nothing at all...
Still, something feels off.
In truth, sitting here worrying about it was pointless. It didn’t matter either way.
They’d know once they saw it with their own eyes.
When Chung Myung fell silent, Baek Cheon took over the conversation.
“Then it seems true that the Ice Palace shuns Central Plains people.”
“Indeed. If you go farther inland, you won’t be welcomed. You may even encounter more than that. I don’t know what business you have at the Ice Palace, but if it’s not urgent, you’d be better off turning back.”
“We’ll keep that in mind.”
“...So you have no intention of turning back at all.”
Hong Yi-myeong said that with a bitter smile, and Baek Cheon awkwardly scratched the back of his head.
“We didn’t come here for a stroll, either.”
“Then you’d best make proper preparations before you leave. You should stay here tonight.”
“We’re grateful for your kindness, but we can’t impose that much.”
When Baek Cheon politely declined, a hint of surprise flickered in Hong Yi-myeong’s eyes.
“You don’t know the half of it. The North Sea nights are several times harsher than the days. Even those who have lived here their whole lives don’t dare step outside after dark. It’s better to endure one less night in the North Sea if you can.”
“I-is that so?”
Hong Yi-myeong nodded vigorously.
“No matter how confident someone is in their stamina, the knife wind of dawn will steal their body heat and freeze them to death in an instant. I’ll give you the tent I usually use, so take that. I’ll need to fix it up a little, so stay here until tomorrow.”
“...Then, we’ll shamelessly trouble you a little longer.”
Just as Baek Cheon slowly nodded, Jo Gul asked in a low voice near his ear,
“Is that okay, Sasuk?”
“It’s best to listen to the local. We should eliminate as many risks as possible before going farther.”
At that, everyone silently nodded. If Baek Cheon had made that decision, then following it was only right.
But Chung Myung still puffed out his lips, clearly dissatisfied.
Just then, Hong Yi-myeong seemed to suddenly remember something and hurriedly got to his feet.
“Goodness, where are my manners? Wait just a moment. I’ll have a meal brought out.”
Baek Cheon looked flustered. “We already feel like we’re troubling you too much...”
“It’s fine. It’s not free, after all. What’s the fuss?”
What?
You’re charging us?
This old man’s scary.
The smile at the corner of Baek Cheon’s mouth stiffened awkwardly.
Then, with a creak, the shut door opened. At the same time, a sharp blast of cold air rushed in.
“Woah!”
“Ah! It’s cold!”
Everyone shrank back from the chill and turned wary eyes toward the door. But the one who entered was, unexpectedly, a tiny child.
“You’re back?”
“Yes, Father! But... I didn’t manage to get much.”
The child, wrapped from head to toe in fur clothing with only his face showing, wobbled inside and dropped the sack he had been carrying on his shoulder beside him.
“And this child is...?”
“My son.”
The skin visible beneath the fur hat was startlingly white.
“...Your son?”
“That’s right.”
“Your son?”
“...Is there some problem?”
“...No, not at all.”
Uh...
He really doesn’t look anything like you. You didn’t kidnap him from somewhere, did you?
The only thing the two had in common was their pale skin. Compared to Hong Yi-myeong, with his large nose, yellow-brown hair, and angular face, his son looked round and soft, like any child one might find anywhere in the Central Plains.
Admittedly, he was rather cute.
“And these people are...?”
“They’re folks from the Central Plains.”
“The Central Plains?”
Interest lit up in the child’s eyes.
“You mean that warm southern country, right?”
“...”
Mount Hua was located in Shaanxi, which was fairly far north by Central Plains standards, but by the North Sea’s measure, even that would count as a warm southern country. The Mount Hua disciples, Baek Cheon included, were forced to realize all over again that everything in the world was relative.
“What is the Central Plains like?”
“You brat. You should greet them first.”
“Ah!”
At Hong Yi-myeong’s rebuke, the child quickly bowed his head.
“Hello. My name is Hong Jinbo.”
“Nice to meet you.”
Baek Cheon accepted Hong Jinbo’s greeting on behalf of the group.
“I’m going to prepare the guests’ meal now, so you should get ready too.”
“Yes, Father!”
At Hong Jinbo’s spirited answer, the Mount Hua disciples all smiled with quiet satisfaction.
What a lovely sight.
They really seem like a good father and son. They don’t look alike at all, though.
But unlike the others, who only watched with warm amusement, a strange light flickered in Chung Myung’s eyes as he looked at Hong Jinbo.
Jinbo...
...means “true treasure,” huh.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
“You really didn’t need to go this far...”
“I did it because I was worried. Don’t mind it.”
Baek Cheon stared blankly at the wagon before scratching his head.
He had slept warmly in Hong Yi-myeong’s house through the night. It had been a long time since he last slept without shivering from the cold, and the rest had washed away his fatigue.
But Hong Yi-myeong hadn’t stopped there—he’d even draped a huge tent over their wagon.
“I thought about it, and it seemed better to sleep in the cargo bed than to pitch the tent poorly. It should be much better if it at least blocks the wind.”
“I don’t know how to express my gratitude.”
Baek Cheon repeated his thanks, looking a little at a loss.
He had traveled all over the Central Plains and met many people, but this was the first time he had encountered someone who gave so freely without asking for anything in return.
Seeing how embarrassed he was, Hong Yi-myeong smiled faintly.
“The North Sea is a barren place.”
“...”
“That’s why people can’t survive here unless they help one another. If I help someone today, then one day, when I need help, mine will come too. That’s just how life works.”
“Ah...”
Upon hearing that, Yoon Jong nodded repeatedly.
“I’ve learned something profound.”
“You say the strangest things. Hahaha.”
Their clothes were very different from when they had first arrived here as well.
Instead of the wool garments and leather they had worn on their way to the North Sea, they now wore thick animal pelts bought from Hong Yi-myeong. It felt awkward having to wear leather that covered even the head, but at least the wind no longer slipped in through the ears and hair, so it was undeniably more bearable than before.
“Be careful. The North Sea is far more frightening than you think.”
“We’ll remember that.”
Baek Cheon bowed deeply to show his thanks.
“...By the way, where has Chung Myung gone again?”
“Hm? He was just here a moment ago...”
At that very moment—
“Aaaah, it’s cold...”
The house door flew open, and something huge and round emerged from inside.
“...”
The Mount Hua disciples were speechless, their mouths hanging open.
Chung Myung had put on so many layers of clothing that he had practically become one big lump, and he waddled out of the doorway.
Thud!
“Huh?”
No, he had tried to. But his body, puffed up by all that clothing, couldn’t get through the small doorway and had gotten jammed tight instead.
“Why the hell is this happening!”
He flailed about, stabbing his stubby-looking legs forward over and over, but once he was stuck, he didn’t seem able to get free easily.
“Ugh! Sasuk! Pull me out!”
“...”
“Hey! What are you doing!”
Baek Cheon, silently watching the scene, slowly lowered his head.
How humiliating.
Please, just stop, Chung Myung.
Then Yu I-seol let out a long sigh and strode over to the door. She grabbed Chung Myung by the head and yanked hard.
At last, with a pop, Chung Myung was pulled free of the doorway, and he clambered onto the tent-covered wagon with his shortened limbs.
“Ugh. It’s still cold.”
“...”
“What are you standing around for? Aren’t we leaving?”
Baek Cheon looked weakly at Hong Yi-myeong and said in a voice that sounded as if it were burning down around him,
“...I’m sorry.”
“What an odd person you are. You must have a hard time.”
“...Yes.”
If it were only hard, I wouldn’t even complain.
In any case, they loaded the other things Hong Yi-myeong had prepared onto the wagon as well, with Chung Myung now aboard. Then they stood briskly at the front.
“Then we’ll be on our way.”
“Just keep following the lake. It’s a long road, so don’t exhaust yourselves too much. The North Sea cold always torments those who are already tired.”
“Yes, we’ll remember that.”
Then a grumpy voice came from inside the wagon.
“Hey, let’s go already!”
“That damned bastard, seriously!”
“I’m going to set this wagon on fire!”
As the Mount Hua disciples crowded toward the back and bickered, Hong Jinbo muttered softly to his father.
“Those are really strange people. Are all Central Plains people like that?”
“...No, not really.”
Hong Yi-myeong hurried to defend the honor of the Central Plains people who were working hard in distant places.
“Thank you. We’ll stop by on our way back...”
He was just about to say his final farewell when—
“Baek Cheon Siju.”
Hye Yeon, who had been standing silently at the front of the wagon, suddenly cut him off and called to Baek Cheon. His face looked more urgent than ever, and Baek Cheon tensed slightly as he asked,
“What is it, Master Monk?”
“Someone is approaching rapidly from the front.”
“Hm?”
Baek Cheon narrowed his eyes and looked ahead.
And sure enough.
Blurry figures appeared through the snowstorm. The specks that had seemed tiny only moments ago swelled rapidly in size, closing in on them at terrifying speed.
“Who is it?”
“At that speed, they’re definitely not common folk.”
“...Prepare for battle, just in case!”
“Yes!”
At Baek Cheon’s command, everyone answered at once and drew up their energy. As silence fell in an instant, the shrill sound of the wind rang out.
Tension spread in a flash.