A Good Person Is One Who Feeds You Well! (4)
What was he plotting now?
The disciples of Mount Hua couldn’t hide their unease when they saw the smile on Chung Myung’s face.
They’d grown bold enough in their own way to eat and drink without flinching even in the North Sea Ice Palace, a place that could safely be called enemy territory, but when Chung Myung opened his mouth, it made even their hearts shrivel up.
They watched him anxiously, cold sweat trickling down their backs as they tensed to the limit.
But whether he knew what they were feeling or not, Chung Myung only kept grinning.
No way.
Still, he must have some kind of plan.
They forced themselves to calm their trembling hearts. No matter how much of a lunatic Chung Myung was, there was no way he’d actually make trouble here—
“They said to come by from Shaolin.”
“Hic!”
“Cough!”
…or maybe he would.
Everyone jolted at once.
Why would you say that out loud, you insane bastard!
Primitive Heavenly Venerable, please! Please! Please just stop! Pleeease!
Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha.
Hye Yeon’s trembling fingers kept rolling his prayer beads over and over.
Even as sharp, hostile looks flew toward him from every direction, Chung Myung remained utterly unfazed. Really, if he cared about that sort of thing, he wouldn’t be Chung Myung.
But the one most flustered of all here was… Seol Cheon-sang.
He stared at Chung Myung with a blank expression.
What is this brat?
Of course, if he hadn’t expected Shaolin to send these people, he would be unworthy of the title of palace lord.
But he had never, in his wildest dreams, imagined that they would say it so casually to his face. Not even if the palace lord himself had come back from the dead would he have expected something like this.
“...From Shaolin?”
“Yes.”
Seol Cheon-sang fought desperately to keep his expression under control.
“Why… would Shaolin send you all to the North Sea?”
Chung Myung looked at him with a broad, easy smile.
“Ah, I don’t know the details.”
“Hmm?”
“From what I heard, Shaolin sent some people to spy around, but those fellows ended up dead.”
“Pfffft—!”
Baek Cheon spat out the water he’d been drinking.
Everyone’s gaze shot toward him, but Baek Cheon couldn’t even bring himself to wipe his mouth. He only stared at Chung Myung, stunned.
Is he really insane?
No.
Who here didn’t know Chung Myung was out of his mind? But even madness ought to have some limit, shouldn’t it?
Everyone stiffened and watched Seol Cheon-sang’s face.
Seol Cheon-sang answered slowly, in a voice that had gone slightly cold.
“...What are you talking about?”
“Ah, we don’t really know. Shaolin’s abbot said it, so we just figured that must be how it is.”
“...”
“Honestly, it’s not like we can sit there and question someone like the Shaolin abbot all day, right? You know what I mean.”
“R-right.”
Listening in silence, Hye Yeon’s face began to twitch ever so slightly.
He did question him!
No, saying he questioned him barely did it justice.
Across the whole world, there was probably only one person who could slam into Shaolin’s abbot, Beop Jeong, the way Chung Myung did. He’d torn into that cunning man so thoroughly that Beop Jeong had been left speechless in shock, and now what?
He couldn’t question him?
“You should watch your mouth—!”
“Hahaha! Monk! Have some of this!”
Jo Gul hurriedly stuffed a mouthful of stir-fried vegetables into Hye Yeon’s mouth.
Seol Cheon-sang wore an expression that said he had no idea what he was supposed to say now.
Is this bastard really thinking about anything at all?
As if.
Setting aside the fact that this was the prodigious young expert known throughout the Central Plains as the Mount Hua Divine Dragon, there was no way Shaolin’s abbot would have sent a complete idiot all the way to the North Sea.
So how was he supposed to make sense of this situation?
“So you came here to confirm that?”
“Nope.”
Seol Cheon-sang tilted his head at Chung Myung’s utterly shameless answer.
“Then?”
“Well, they told us to come, so we came. It’s not like we’ve got the power to refuse whatever the Shaolin abbot orders us to do. If they tell us to jump, we jump.”
The disciples of Mount Hua, listening any longer, lowered their heads in guilty discomfort.
Who would’ve thought we’d feel sorry for Shaolin?
Did that bastard leave his conscience back in the Central Plains?
He never had one to begin with.
Chung Myung, who had not only bled Shaolin dry but nearly ripped out its foundations to come to the North Sea, had no business saying something like that if he possessed even the barest shred of conscience.
Baek Cheon stole a glance at Hye Yeon.
His face remained calm with his eyes closed, but…
“Monk.”
“Yes?”
“Don’t cry.”
“...”
Hye Yeon quietly brushed away the moisture gathering at the corner of his eyes with his sleeve.
Chung Myung ignored their outrage as cleanly as if it didn’t exist and shrugged.
“Anyway, we came here because it worked out. Figured we’d take a look around the Ice Palace while we were at it, see the place and broaden our horizons.”
“Hmm. I see.”
Seol Cheon-sang nodded as if he understood.
“Then let me ask you this: what is this talk about Shaolin’s men dying?”
At Chung Myung’s offhand question, Seol Cheon-sang let out a faint laugh.
“I don’t know why you’d ask me that. How long did it take you to get here?”
“Over a month.”
“Exactly. The North Sea is that far from the Central Plains, and it is an unimaginably vast place. No matter how much I am the lord of the North Sea Ice Palace, I cannot know everything that happens here.”
“Fair enough.”
Chung Myung nodded as if that made sense.
“And if we’re being honest, isn’t Shaolin the one being underhanded for sending watchers to another sect?”
“Ah, I do quite agree with that. Shaolin does have that side to them. These fellows do things to others that they’d blow up over if someone did them to their own people. Tsk, tsk…”
Shuddering, Jo Gul and Yoon Jong smiled tightly and pressed down on Hye Yeon’s robe to keep him in place.
Stay calm, monk. Stay calm.
He probably isn’t doing it out of ill will… No, actually, it might not be just ill will.
Chung Myung smiled and confirmed once more.
“So you don’t know anything about it, Lord Palace Master?”
“That’s right.”
“Then that settles it.”
At Seol Cheon-sang’s answer, Chung Myung nodded.
“The Ice Palace is innocent and Shaolin is suspicious, so we’ll stay a few days and look around the Ice Palace. If you’re so aboveboard, Lord Ice Palace Master, wouldn’t we be helping prove your innocence to Shaolin?”
Seol Cheon-sang’s expression didn’t change as he replied, “You want to look around the Ice Palace?”
“Is that a problem?”
“There’d be no reason it should be.”
To everyone’s relief, Seol Cheon-sang gave a readily agreeable nod.
“Make yourselves at home. I happen to have some things I’d like to ask you as well, so this may be time well spent for both sides.”
“Krrr. You’re generous! Then let me pour you a cup!”
“Ho ho. You really are an interesting fellow.”
Chung Myung filled Seol Cheon-sang’s cup with liquor.
The two clinked cups, then tossed the alcohol back in one go.
Setting down his cup, Seol Cheon-sang wore a friendly smile.
“So, in the end, you were pushed by events to come all this way.”
“Ah, not exactly.”
“Oh? Then?”
“We do have something we want to get from the Ice Palace.”
“Something?”
At the unexpected answer, Seol Cheon-sang frowned slightly.
“Yes, Ice Crystals. We really need them, but they’ve practically disappeared in the Central Plains. Is there any way you could help us get some?”
“...Ice Crystals, you say.”
A subtle expression passed over Seol Cheon-sang’s face. He thought for a moment, then let out a sigh.
“I don’t know whether it is right to speak of such matters to outsiders, but… since you have been honest with me, I should do the same. There is a shortage of Ice Crystals here in the North Sea as well.”
“...Even in the North Sea?”
When Chung Myung tilted his head, Seol Cheon-sang nodded.
“Ice Crystals are not something one can obtain easily to begin with. It’s like digging through a gold mine to find gold; only after digging deep into ten-thousand-year ice might you come across one. That is how rare they are.”
“Ah.”
“But recently, even those have become scarce.”
“So it’s impossible to get any?”
“How could that be?”
Seol Cheon-sang smiled faintly.
“The people of the North Sea do not treat guests poorly. We cannot send visitors from so far away off empty-handed, so once we get our hands on some Ice Crystals, we’ll hand them over.”
“Krrr! Exactly!”
Chung Myung grabbed Seol Cheon-sang’s hand and shook it vigorously.
“What a generous man! I guess everyone who becomes Lord of the North Sea Ice Palace is this big-hearted.”
“Ho ho.”
With an awkward smile, Seol Cheon-sang carefully pulled his hand free. Then, as if it had been the most natural thing in the world, he rose from his seat.
“In any case, let us end our conversation here for today. Rest now and shake off your fatigue. You’ve come a long way, so you must be tired.”
Before Chung Myung could say anything else, Baek Cheon shot to his feet and cupped his hands in salute.
“We are grateful for Lord Ice Palace Master’s consideration.”
“I’d like to speak longer, but my duties are so heavy that I can’t spare much time. I’ll have attendants assigned to you, so if you need anything, just say the word. We’ll take care of it right away.”
“Yes! Thank you.”
“Then.”
The Ice Palace Lord smiled and turned away, leaving the banquet hall.
Once they’d confirmed that all trace of his presence was gone, Chung Myung smirked.
“He’s a good person, isn’t he?”
Yoon Jong lowered his voice as if asking whether that was even a sane thing to say.
“Hey, idiot. How is a guy who killed his own brother and seized the lord’s seat a good person?”
“He’s a good person if he feeds you well!”
“...”
Yoon Jong lost his words and squeezed his eyes shut.
What was the point of saying anything more? The one listening was Chung Myung.
Then Baek Cheon, who had been sitting silently all this time, finally opened his mouth.
“I don’t know whether he’s good or not, but… he’s calmer than I expected.”
“Yes. He felt different from the leaders of the sects we’ve met so far. I’d say he seemed almost gentle.”
“...That man really….”
Baek Cheon trailed off, staring toward the door Seol Cheon-sang had left through.
There was, of course, no guarantee that the face they had seen was his true face. But at the very least, based on what they had seen so far, he didn’t look like the sort of man who’d partner with the vicious Demonic Sect.
“Chung Myung.”
“Yeah?”
“What do you think?”
“Think about what?”
A meaningful glint flashed in Chung Myung’s eyes.
I don’t know yet. Not yet.
The corner of his mouth curled upward slightly.
At the very least, there wasn’t any demonic energy in his body.
He had checked the man’s qi when he shook his hand just now, and there had been none of the dank, sinister presence that belonged to demonic arts.
Which meant he had not joined the Demonic Sect.
“For now, there’s only one thing we need to do.”
“Yes. And what is that?”
Baek Cheon looked at Chung Myung with resolute eyes.
Chung Myung answered by jerking his chin toward the food in front of him.
“If you’re not eating that meat, give it to me.”
“...”
“Even the hungry ghost that dies eating will still look pretty, so eat first.”
“...”
Uh….
Well. That did make sense.
After finishing their meal, the disciples of Mount Hua followed the attendant to their rooms.
When they saw where they were staying, they kept glancing around the room in amazement.
“...This is really nice.”
“Yeah. Baekmae Hall has been renovated a lot and it’s genuinely good now, but this makes it feel shabby by comparison.”
The Ice Palace was luxurious—so much so that it made your head swim.
Mount Hua, no matter what, had always sought simplicity in order to stay faithful to the duties of a Daoist sect, but these people did not hesitate to flaunt their wealth and power.
If one had to compare, the Sichuan Tang Family would be about the only force that could stand against this kind of splendor, but even they carried the air of a place shaped by long history rather than sheer opulence.
“So…”
Baek Cheon, however, was not distracted by the room’s extravagance. Looking straight at Chung Myung, he asked bluntly, “What are you planning to do now?”
“Hm?”
“You’re not seriously planning to do nothing for the next few days, are you?”
“Well, that wouldn’t be terrible, but….”
Chung Myung patted his stuffed belly and grinned.
“First we do what needs doing.”
“The target?”
“Obvious. Information.”
The firmness in his answer made it sound as though he’d already made up his mind.
“I don’t trust a single thing those guys said, and we don’t know anything about this place. So the first thing we need to do is gather information.”
“Right. That’s true. But how exactly do you plan to do that?”
“Why are you asking something so obvious?”
With a shrug, Chung Myung strode over to the baggage that had already been brought into the room.
“This isn’t it. Hmm… not this one either.”
He rummaged through the luggage from side to side, searching for something. Baek Cheon watched him with a puzzled expression.
“What are you doing…?”
“Oh! Found it!”
Chung Myung pulled a small bundle from the pile of bags he’d been searching through. It seemed to be something he’d packed himself before leaving Mount Hua.
“What could possibly be in there….”
Before he could finish, Chung Myung yanked out something jet-black from the bundle. Baek Cheon’s eyes went as wide as saucers.
That, that crazy bastard!
He’d brought that all the way to the North Sea?!
“W-what are you even doing with that again!”
“Ch-Chung Myung! Calm down! This is the North Sea Ice Palace!”
“Please, let’s live with a little common sense for once, please!”
The disciples of Mount Hua shrieked in alarm, but Chung Myung was utterly firm. There wasn’t even room for compromise the width of a needle’s eye.
“Since ancient times….”
Chung Myung flung the black mask he’d taken from the bundle over his face, then proudly shook the black night-clothes in his hand.
“This is the only way to get information!”
No it isn’t, you insane bastard….