We Can Even Flatten a Mountain Now (3)
“……”
Bangpyo stared at the object before him with a completely dazed expression.
Ice Crystal.
The North Sea’s specialty and treasure, Ice Crystal, was piled up right before his eyes—literally stacked there.
To think I’d live long enough to see something like this.
It had already been several years since he’d taken charge of the mine where they extracted Ice Crystal. Yet this was the first time he’d ever seen such a mountain of it.
And for good reason. Even with this many people digging out the tunnels, it was difficult to mine more than two or three crystals in a month. At this rate, wasn’t this at least half a year’s worth?
And they dug all of this out in less than three days?
He couldn’t begin to understand how something like this had happened.
“Count them.”
“……”
“What was it you said? Ten?”
“……”
“Aigoo, my eyes aren’t what they used to be, so I can’t quite tell how many that is. More than ten? Maybe not? Hard to say.”
At Chung Myung’s relentless needling, veins finally bulged on Bangpyo’s forehead.
More! It’s more, you bastard!
At the very least, there were over twenty!
His face flushed red and then turned blue, but in the end Bangpyo could do nothing but let out a long sigh.
“……I lost.”
“Oh?”
Chung Myung grinned.
“You admitted it pretty fast.”
“If I said it myself, I have no excuse. Making excuses now would only make me look ugly.”
Bangpyo nodded slowly and said, “I’ll grant your request. From now until you leave, those people won’t work.”
“That’s not what you said.”
Chung Myung narrowed his eyes and said curtly, “……What’s different about it?”
“You said you’d let them rest as much as I wanted.”
“……”
Bangpyo fell silent for a moment, then motioned Chung Myung closer with a sour look.
Chung Myung trotted over. Bangpyo brought his face near Chung Myung’s ear and whispered very quietly, “……Save me.”
“……”
“If the Palace Lord finds out, I’m dead.”
“……”
Even Chung Myung couldn’t help being startled by that.
“Wow… So the people of the North are practical, huh. I didn’t know it meant like this.”
“You’ve got to survive first.”
Watching his desperate expression, Chung Myung thought for a moment, then snorted.
“All right. Then let them rest properly until we leave. But the liquor and meat you promised? You’d better really deliver.”
“That I can promise.”
Chung Myung nodded as if that was good enough.
Negotiation meant pushing only as far as the other side could afford to give. Go any further, and all you got in return was needless hostility and argument.
Then Bangpyo subtly shifted his gaze.
“Then this Ice Crystal……”
“Don’t touch it! I’ll take your hand off.”
“……”
Bangpyo, who had just been trying to sneak his hand toward the Ice Crystal, clicked his tongue and withdrew it. Chung Myung quickly scooped up the crystals on the ground and shoved them into his sleeve.
“Ah, it’s cold!”
He grimaced and shivered as if he’d been stabbed, but he never once took the Ice Crystal back out.
“Ugh, it’s already freezing enough as it is.”
“……”
“All right, then……”
“W-wait!”
“Yes?”
When Bangpyo called out urgently, Chung Myung gave him a bored look and stared.
“Th-that…… I’ll grant everything you want. But could you tell me how, exactly, you found all this Ice Crystal?”
“Hmmmm.”
Chung Myung pretended to consider it seriously, then chuckled.
“Depends on how good the liquor and meat are.”
“……I-is that all?”
“Yep. Why wouldn’t it be?”
But Bangpyo saw it.
He saw Chung Myung smile with a benevolent expression and make a little circle with his thumb and forefinger.
“Hahahaha. Of course there’s nothing in this world that can’t be done…… if you’ve got that.”
The middle part was too small to hear clearly, but he didn’t even need to hear it to know what had been said. Bangpyo nodded with a miserable face.
“……I’ll try.”
“We understand each other so well. Hehe.”
Chung Myung grinned and turned away. The others, who had been waiting at a distance, quietly moved to follow him.
“Chung Myung.”
“What?”
“……Is it really all right to tell them that method?”
Of course, there was no real reason not to tell them. But to be honest, with the North Sea Ice Palace’s allegiance still uncertain, he didn’t particularly feel like doing anything that would benefit the other side.
“Ah, that?”
Chung Myung snorted, then whispered conspiratorially, “It wouldn’t matter if I did tell them. They couldn’t do it anyway.”
“……Huh?”
“Why? Because there isn’t some amazing secret method or anything……”
Chung Myung, who had been speaking with his head lowered, suddenly straightened his shoulders and thrust out his chest.
“I’m just that awesome.”
“……”
The disciples of Mount Hua lost their words and stared blankly at him before letting out sighs.
Only Hye Yeon, however, smiled warmly and agreed with Chung Myung’s words.
“That is truly correct, Benefactor. Benefactor always speaks only what is right.”
“Oh. So our bald monk finally knows something.”
“But Benefactor, do you know something?”
“What?”
“From ancient times, the ones who spoke only what was right were the first to die.”
“……”
No, this was supposed to be a monk…… how had he ended up like this? Honestly, what kind of rotten things had he been learning all this time……
After staring at him blankly for a moment, Chung Myung clicked his tongue.
He had no awareness at all of what he’d done.
The disciples of Mount Hua approached the prisoners with bright faces. The prisoners, on the other hand, only watched them cautiously, looking completely baffled.
“……What the hell is going on?”
“W-we can really rest?”
They looked toward the guards for confirmation, but the guards—who normally would have been hurling all kinds of abuse—only stood there with stiff faces and said nothing either way.
So all they could do was stare at Chung Myung, who was shuffling toward them.
Chung Myung opened his mouth.
“What are you all doing?”
“……Pardon?”
“You heard me, so why are you standing there like that? Everyone can rest starting now.”
“……”
But they still didn’t move.
Chung Myung frowned slightly, then turned and said to Bangpyo, “What about food? When’s the food coming?”
“Grrn…… it’s on its way now, so wait just a little longer.”
“You’re awfully slow.”
Bangpyo let out a string of sighs.
The prisoners couldn’t believe what they were seeing.
That Bangpyo, who had seemed like a hellish demon, was being completely bossed around by that young Central Plains brat?
After harrying Bangpyo, Chung Myung looked at the prisoners and smiled brightly.
“Then shall we have a little chat first?”
Bangpyo proved that he was not an utterly useless man by managing to procure liquor and food before the sun went down.
When the prisoners saw the mountain of food and drink, each of them gaped as wide as they could, and Chung Myung nodded with obvious satisfaction.
Of course, that didn’t mean his torment of Bangpyo was over.
“……You want everyone to leave?”
“Yes.”
“Why should we do that?”
“Didn’t you say you’d let them rest?”
“……That is so, but that and this are different matters, are they not?”
“That’s a strange thing to say. With the guards who were whipping them just a moment ago still standing right beside them, how are they supposed to rest comfortably? I’d choke on the food!”
“Grrn.”
Bangpyo opened his mouth as if to argue, then could only sigh.
If not for the Ice Crystal search method……
As the one responsible for the Ice Crystal Mine, nothing was more important to him than this. He still had no idea how Chung Myung had found them all, but if he could learn that method, his standing within the palace would surely skyrocket.
If not for their status, I would’ve had them locked up and interrogated.
But unfortunately, these were guests of the Ice Palace Lord. If he laid a hand on them carelessly, he’d lose his head.
For now, the best thing he could do was avoid offending them, report to the Palace Lord, and wait for instructions.
“……Fine. I’ll do that.”
“Now, Elder?”
“Get out of the way!”
“What if they escape or something……”
Bangpyo scowled fiercely.
“Escape? How in the world would they escape from this deep valley? If you’re that worried, then you lot can guard the top instead!”
At that, the other guards shot a murderous glare at the one who had spoken.
Did he really want to say more and end up standing watch on the cliff in the middle of a blizzard?
“Enough useless talk. Do it!”
“Yes!”
The guards all grabbed the ropes and started climbing the cliff.
The prisoners stared dumbly as the guards gradually disappeared over the edge. Once they were all gone, the prisoners’ gazes naturally drifted to the food piled before them.
Gulp.
Everywhere, the sound of swallowing saliva could be heard, but not a single person dared to touch the food first.
“What are you doing?”
“……Pardon?”
“Hurry up and eat. It’ll all go cold.”
Baek Cheon frowned and said, “Chung Myung. As a matter of fact, it’s already cold. It’s like eating blocks of ice.”
“Grrn.”
A groan slipped from Chung Myung’s mouth.
“Nothing ever goes easy, does it? Is there some kind of cave around here? Somewhere everyone can fit inside?”
“It’s not exactly a cave, but…… there is a place up ahead where the wind doesn’t blow in as much.”
“Oh, really?”
Chung Myung nodded as if that solved everything. Then he glanced at the Mount Hua disciples.
“What are you standing there for? Move it.”
“Got it.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, the Mount Hua group hurried to carry the food. The prisoners, who had been hesitating, began to help move it as well.
After everything had been transferred to the less frigid spot, Chung Myung looked around.
“……There isn’t even any firewood here?”
“This isn’t a place where trees can grow.”
“Tch.”
He let out a long sigh and studied the people closely.
Judging from how gaunt they looked, if they ate this ice-cold meat as it was, they’d get sick immediately.
“Hah.”
With a sharp click of his tongue, Chung Myung shuffled over to the food and reached out.
Fwoosh!
Heat immediately began to pour from his hand. It was the blazing palm power capable of melting even Ten Thousand Year Cold Iron. Warming cold food was nothing at all.
The only problem was that it was far too precious a force to waste on something like this.
“Come over and eat quickly!” Chung Myung shouted, but none of the prisoners moved first.
“Hey!”
Finally unable to hold back, Chung Myung glared at them.
“If you don’t eat now, I have to heat this all over again! You trying to kill somebody?”
“I-is it really all right t-to eat?”
“Hurry up and eat! Now!”
As if that were the signal, the prisoners surged toward the food.
“Don’t touch the cold stuff over there! I’ll heat it all and bring it to you! Sasuk! What are you doing?”
At Chung Myung’s shout, Baek Cheon hurried into motion. But before he could do anything, Yoon Jong had already stepped forward and begun helping the others.
“Come slowly. Slowly! If there isn’t enough food, we’ll bring more. And don’t touch anything cold. That fellow there will warm it all for you!”
Once Yoon Jong took the lead, Jo Gul also quickly moved to help the people.
The prisoners who received the food Chung Myung had warmed stared down at what they were holding with dazed eyes.
“……How long has it been since I’ve seen proper food like this……”
“I survived by eating anything I could get my hands on……”
“So even a day like this can come in one’s life……”
Some of them wiped at their eyes, overwhelmed by emotion, while others ate like the food might vanish at any second.
“Eat slowly. You’ll choke.”
“Yes, yes. We should. Please, eat.”
Watching them hurry to feed one another, Baek Cheon glanced at the rows of liquor jars piled nearby. He looked troubled.
“Sasuk, what’s wrong?”
“Hmm. I’m just wondering whether these people can even drink.”
He was worried liquor might do harm to their weakened bodies.
But that concern was quickly resolved. Dang Soso supplied the answer.
“That should be fine.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. They’re martial artists, after all. It won’t be a big problem.”
“Then that’s settled.”
With his worries dismissed in one stroke, Baek Cheon picked up an entire jar of liquor and set it down beside the people.
“Here you are. Please drink.”
“……Even liquor……”
The prisoners could only stare at it in profound emotion, and Baek Cheon quickly whispered while also checking over his shoulder.
“You’d better drink fast. There’s one fellow here who can’t resist liquor, and once all the food in this place has been warmed up, there won’t be any left for you…… no! Monk Hye Yeon! How could you do that?”
Just then, Hye Yeon—who had been sneaking backward with a jar of liquor in hand—caught sight of Baek Cheon’s fierce glare and quietly set the jar down.
“I was merely…… checking what the taste was like……”
“If you drink one whole jar by yourself, you won’t even remember the taste.”
“That is true.”
“How did that man end up like this?”
Ever since they’d entered the mine, the disciples of Mount Hua kept discovering new sides to Hye Yeon.
As the food began to disappear and each person had two or three cups of liquor, the wary expressions on the prisoners’ faces slowly softened too.
“Thank you so much.”
“……We will never forget this kindness.”
Every time they faced a disciple of Mount Hua, they bowed their heads without hesitation to offer thanks.
“It’s nothing, really.”
“Eat as much as you like.”
After heating the last bit of food, Chung Myung set it down carefully.
“Grrn…… this is harder than I thought.”
It was just as he’d been thinking that there seemed to be more and more things that required brute force since arriving in the North Sea.
“Hm?”
Two or three of the gathered prisoners exchanged furtive glances, then stood up and approached Chung Myung.
“What is it?”
When Chung Myung looked at them in confusion, they dropped flat to the ground.
“We thank you for this kindness as vast as the sea, benefactor!”
“……”
At that extremely low bow, Chung Myung flinched.
“……Get up. If you’re bowing because I gave you food, then people’s backs would never last a day in this world. There are plenty of beggars out there who’ll scarf down everything you give them and never even nod once in thanks.”
Hong Dae-gwang, far away in the Central Plains, probably felt a tingle in his ears.
But even after that, they still did not stand. They only remained prostrate, lifting their heads slightly to look at Chung Myung.
“Might we have the chance to speak with you?”
The old man in the thick fur coat spoke in a voice made hoarse by age.
After recognizing his face, Chung Myung’s lips curled upward.
“If it’s a conversation, I can do that all day.”
Especially if it was a conversation that benefited both sides.