Nice to Meet You, Really. (2)
It was a thoroughly rude thing to say.
It was not something he could possibly say in front of the elder and the palace lord of the North Sea Ice Palace.
Yeo Sa-hon’s face twisted at once. The fury rising in him looked ready to erupt like a live volcano, but he forced it back down again and again, struggling not to lose even the last shred of courtesy.
“That is far too harsh, Daoist!”
“Too harsh?”
Chung Myung gave a snort of laughter and turned to look at him.
“How so?”
“Even if the Daoist is the benefactor of the North Sea, you cannot insult the Ice Palace and the North Sea in such a manner! If those words had come from anyone but you, I would never have tolerated them!”
At the trembling anger in his voice, Chung Myung tilted his head slightly.
“And if you don’t tolerate it?”
“…….”
“What then? What exactly are you gonna do about it?”
His cold eyes bored straight into Yeo Sa-hon.
Chung Myung looked at Yeo Sa-hon with a chill in his gaze.
Yeo Sa-hon flinched and even his body seemed to shake. It looked like he was having trouble suppressing his temper.
But Chung Myung cleanly ignored his reaction and spoke to Seol So-baek instead.
“You know what’s going on, right?”
“Pardon?”
“…….”
Seol So-baek stared at Chung Myung with a blank look, looking utterly bewildered. His face was so clear and open that it seemed he knew nothing at all.
Chung Myung finally failed to hold back a laugh.
“You’re a scarecrow in human form.”
Seol So-baek hunched his shoulders a little, looking discouraged, and lowered his head. Chung Myung waved a hand lightly.
“Don’t hunch up your shoulders. It’s not your fault. The ones who screwed up are those bastards. They keep bowing and scraping and calling themselves the lord and whatever else, but they don’t say a damn thing about how the North Sea is actually running. They’re the problem.”
Han Yi-myung, who had stood silent until now, frowned.
“Your words are rather severe, Daoist.”
“You people have no creativity. Is that all you’ve got to say?”
Han Yi-myung let out a deep sigh before speaking.
“We were not trying to hide anything. The Palace Lord is still young, so we only wished to spare him needless worries. To put it that way……”
“So?”
But Chung Myung cut him off mercilessly.
“If you don’t know anything, then what exactly are you supposed to decide?”
“…….”
“Or is that how it works? You make the decisions, and the palace lord just nods along like a doll?”
“……Please, Daoist.”
Chung Myung snorted.
“Fine, whatever. That’s your business. I’m here to see the palace lord, so I’m going to speak to the palace lord. So would you mind getting out of the way?”
“What do you mean by—”
Chung Myung snapped his head around and looked at Baek Cheon.
“Sasuk.”
“Alright.”
Baek Cheon stepped forward with a calm expression. Without needing any further explanation, he seemed to know exactly what he had to do.
He gave Seol So-baek a deep formal bow.
“Baek Cheon, second-generation disciple of Mount Hua, humbly asks to meet the palace lord of the North Sea Ice Palace on behalf of Mount Hua. I pray the palace lord will not refuse the request of guests who have traveled a long way to come here.”
Startled by the polite request, Seol So-baek unconsciously turned to look at Han Yi-myung. Han Yi-myung bit his lip lightly, his face stiff.
This is bad.
If things came to this, the situation would become tricky.
Baek Cheon had clearly said he wished to meet the palace lord on behalf of Mount Hua.
If they accepted that request, then those who were not the palace lord would have no right to stop the conversation between him and the Mount Hua disciples.
But if we refuse, then it becomes an insult to Mount Hua.
A few days ago, he would not have cared at all about some sect called Mount Hua. But now the situation was different. In the current North Sea, who would dare look down on Mount Hua Sect?
That would have been impossible even if Han Yi-myung himself weren’t here and the former palace lord had returned.
“……You must accept.”
At Han Yi-myung’s heavy words, Seol So-baek nodded.
“Very well.”
Even after Seol So-baek gave his answer, Baek Cheon did not relax his posture. He remained bent in a formal bow.
Seeing that, Seol So-baek, to his credit, quickly understood what he was supposed to do.
“As the palace lord of the Ice Palace…… I accept Mount Hua’s request.”
Only then did Baek Cheon straighten and stand tall.
“Mm.”
“Mm-hm.”
Han Yi-myung and Yeo Sa-hon could not help but let out soft groans.
From Baek Cheon, who stood with his back straight and his eyes unwavering, there was a pressure and spirit entirely different from Chung Myung’s.
“I request an audience with the palace lord.”
“Wait!”
Yeo Sa-hon shouted sharply.
“You should say palace lord-sama! Watch your address. You are only a second-generation disciple of Mount Hua.”
His voice carried all the dignity of an elder from the Ice Palace. But Baek Cheon did not even blink.
“I am not standing here as a second-generation disciple of Mount Hua, but as Mount Hua’s representative. Please understand that I cannot offer excessive courtesy.”
“What sect in the world gives a second-generation disciple the authority to represent it in consultation? Is that not unbearably arrogant?!”
Yeo Sa-hon’s face turned red and blue with anger, but Baek Cheon replied calmly.
“That is how Mount Hua is.”
“…….”
Yeo Sa-hon had nothing to say and shut his mouth.
“Mount Hua does not limit representation by hierarchy when speaking for the sect. This is the will of Mount Hua’s sect leader and the will of Mount Hua itself. To ignore that is to ignore Mount Hua.”
As though to prove he was right, the Mount Hua disciples all nodded at once.
In the end, Yeo Sa-hon could only gnash his teeth and step back.
“Mm…….”
“…….”
Baek Cheon’s gaze went straight to Seol So-baek.
“Palace lord.”
At the low call, Seol So-baek swallowed hard.
As a young man who had only just ascended to the palace lord’s seat, it was difficult for him to withstand the force quietly rolling off Baek Cheon.
It was only natural. Baek Cheon had been overshadowed by Chung Myung and Hye Yeon, but without those two, he would have been more than worthy of being called the greatest genius of the younger generation.
A man like that, after going through so much and so many battles, had become even more solid. What more needed to be said about his presence?
“I’ll explain what is happening on North Sea soil right now. Seol Cheon-sang, the former former palace lord and the man who murdered your father, the previous palace lord, brought the Demonic Sect into the lands of the North Sea, and the Ice Palace joined hands with the Demonic Sect in order to dominate the North Sea.”
Seol So-baek’s eyes shook violently.
However little he knew of the jianghu, he could not possibly be ignorant of what the Demonic Sect was.
“The Demonic Sect had been receiving Ice Crystal support from the North Sea Ice Palace while plotting the resurrection of the Heavenly Demon. I, and Mount Hua, believe the disappearance of the North Sea residents is also tied to this matter.”
“……You mean the people who vanished as well?”
“Yes.”
Baek Cheon’s gaze, as he answered slowly, was heavy and sunken.
“According to those who heard the Demonic Sect’s people speak, the resurrection of the Heavenly Demon is not far off. Elder Yeo Sa-hon also heard this, so he can verify it.”
Seol So-baek glanced toward Yeo Sa-hon, but the elder did not return his gaze. His eyes were fixed only on Baek Cheon, and on Chung Myung behind him.
“If the Heavenly Demon is resurrected, the North Sea will drown in blood. Our Mount Hua fought on the side of the palace lord against Seol Cheon-sang’s faction in order to prevent that disaster.”
Baek Cheon fixed Seol So-baek with eyes bright as steel.
“So I ask you, palace lord. In order to stop the calamity that will befall the world…… no, before that, to prevent the bloodbath about to come to the North Sea, you must lead the Ice Palace and drive out the Demonic Sect bastards lurking in the North Sea. Time is of the essence.”
Slowly, Baek Cheon bowed once more.
“Please make the wise decision.”
Seol So-baek looked deeply unsettled. His gaze kept shifting between Han Yi-myung and Yeo Sa-hon, trembling the whole time.
The two men, who had been deliberately avoiding the issue, could no longer ignore Seol So-baek’s urging and exchanged glances. The one who spoke first was Yeo Sa-hon.
“Allow me to say a few words to the palace lord.”
Without waiting for Seol So-baek’s permission, he continued.
“It is true that the vile Demonic Sect has entered the lands of the North Sea.”
Seol So-baek’s eyes widened slightly.
“And it is also true that they joined hands with Seol Cheon-sang, murdered the former palace lord, and plundered the North Sea.”
“Then why…….”
“However!”
Yeo Sa-hon’s voice rose.
“The North Sea does not have the strength to fight them right now! If we wage war against them, all the damage will have to be borne by the North Sea alone.”
“But…… they are hurting the residents of the North Sea, aren’t they?”
“Palace lord!”
Yeo Sa-hon looked at the palace lord with colder eyes than before.
“You must judge this calmly.”
“…….”
“I too feel for the residents and ache for what they are suffering. But if the Ice Palace collapses, far more people will suffer than those few.”
“B-but…….”
“The Demonic Sect is not an opponent the North Sea can handle on its own!”
Yeo Sa-hon’s voice rang sharply through the palace lord’s chamber.
“I want to oppose them as badly as anyone. But if you fail to see reality and respond emotionally, the long history of the North Sea Ice Palace could end in your generation. Think realistically, and until reinforcements arrive from the Central Plains, you must restrain yourself.”
Listening to the exchange, Baek Cheon’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“Elder, you already heard the Demonic Sect member’s words with us. And yet you still say this?”
“You mean the resurrection of the Heavenly Demon?”
“Yes.”
“How can a dead man live again?”
“…….”
Yeo Sa-hon raised his voice as if in disbelief, then let out a sigh. After that, in a gentler tone, he continued as though trying to persuade them.
“We cannot stake the fate of the North Sea on believing such absurd nonsense at face value. If you truly wish to destroy the Demonic Sect, then go to the Central Plains and bring back support. Then the North Sea will also fight them with our lives on the line.”
Baek Cheon smiled faintly and shifted his gaze.
“How does the palace lord see it?”
“……I…….”
Seol So-baek, looking at Baek Cheon’s smiling face, stole a glance at Han Yi-myung. For now, Han Yi-myung’s words seemed to carry more weight for him than Yeo Sa-hon’s.
After a brief silence, Han Yi-myung finally spoke.
“The situation is not so simple.”
Then he looked at Baek Cheon with a troubled expression.
“Please do not press the Ice Palace too hard, disciples of Mount Hua. Could we not search for a better path through discussion and negotiation?”
At that, Baek Cheon’s smile deepened slightly.
“I asked what the palace lord thought.”
Seol So-baek flinched and trembled. His eyes shook back and forth.
“I…….”
After hesitating and looking back and forth between Yeo Sa-hon and Han Yi-myung, Seol So-baek finally said weakly,
“……I understand what you’re saying, but the North Sea doesn’t have the power for that right now……. So please, Mount Hua, go to the Central Plains and bring those who can stop them.”
A brief silence followed.
Baek Cheon surprisingly smiled and bowed.
“I understand the palace lord’s words very well. I will do my best to do so.”
After bowing deeply and straightening his back, there was not a trace of a smile left on his face.
“Elder Yeo.”
“……Go on.”
“Mount Hua will be returning to the Central Plains now.”
“But your injuries have barely begun to heal, and already…….”
“If we return, then as you requested, Elder, we will inform Shaolin of the situation and gather those who can hold back the Demonic Sect.”
At those welcome words, Yeo Sa-hon nodded repeatedly with obvious satisfaction.
“That is a truly grateful thing.”
“Then please take care.”
As if he had never been angry at all, his expression softened, and he quickly stopped Baek Cheon.
“Why the hurry? It would be better to rest a little longer before going. And if you go back to the Central Plains, how long will it take before you can return?”
“……Return?”
“Hm?”
That unexpected reply made Yeo Sa-hon tilt his head.
Baek Cheon looked at him, then gave a small, dry laugh.
“Mount Hua will never set foot on North Sea soil again.”
The smile that had just returned to Yeo Sa-hon’s face shattered in an instant. So flustered he could barely speak, he stammered as he asked,
“……W-what do you mean by that? You are the ones who should be bringing reinforcements from the Central Plains, are you not?”
“Why should we?”
“…….”
Baek Cheon glared at him with eyes colder than ice.
“My junior disciple was injured.”
“…….”
“He bled and took wounds for the sake of North Sea people who have absolutely nothing to do with us. When we learned that the Demonic Sect was plotting the resurrection of the Heavenly Demon, the best choice available to us would have been to abandon the North Sea and return to the Central Plains to gather the sects and prepare our defenses. But!”
Baek Cheon, trembling slightly with cold anger, continued.
“That fool did not do that. The reason is obvious. He may say it’s because of urgency, but in truth it was because he could not bear to watch the North Sea people die. That bastard has always been that kind of person. His words and his actions never run at the same temperature.”
His face, filled with fury, was more oppressive than ever.
“My junior disciple, who has nothing whatsoever to do with this North Sea, bled and fought for the sake of righteousness! And the North Sea Ice Palace refused to shed its own blood.”
“You there, Daoist!”
“That idiot may still try to keep fighting anyway. Because that’s the kind of person he is. But.”
Yeo Sa-hon tried to say something in panic, but Baek Cheon growled over him.
“As the great disciple of Mount Hua’s Baek generation, as the one acting in place of Mount Hua’s sect leader, I cannot allow that. If he refuses, then even if I have to strike them down together, we will all return to the Central Plains. Mount Hua does not shed blood for those who do not understand its value.”
The faces of the Mount Hua disciples had all gone cold as well.
“It is late today, so we’ll leave tomorrow. Once we return to the Central Plains, we will do what we ought to do, so do not worry. I sincerely hope the Ice Palace is filled with glory.”
After finishing, Baek Cheon spun around.
“Let’s go.”
“…….”
Chung Myung stood there with his mouth open, blinking dumbly, as if this was not at all what he had wanted.
But even then, Baek Cheon did not relax his hardened expression.
“Follow me.”
“No, Sasuk…….”
“……I am your Sasuk right now, but I am also the one acting in place of the sect leader. If you respect me even a little as your Sasuk, and if you respect the authority of the sect leader, then stop talking and follow me.”
Only then did Chung Myung close his mouth.
The remaining Mount Hua disciples also cast cold looks at Yeo Sa-hon and Han Yi-myung before turning away without the slightest hesitation. In the heavy silence, only the sound of their footsteps echoed as they left the grand hall.
At last, when they had all gone, Seol So-baek, who had been sitting there dazedly all this time, turned to Han Yi-myung with a lost expression.
“Father…….”
Han Yi-myung’s deep sigh echoed softly through the hall.