I’ll Protect It This Time, No Matter What! (2)
“...Yoon Jong.”
“Yes, Sa-suk.”
“I’m pretty sure I told you to return all the ordinary gifts.”
“You did.”
“Then what the hell is all this?”
“Well...”
Early that morning, the Mount Hua disciples who had packed their belongings and come by cart were all stunned. And it was no wonder—there was a mountain of luggage piled high on the cart.
“Did they really manage to stack it that high?”
“That cart can hold that?”
“It can hold it, sure. It’s made from solid black iron, isn’t it?”
“...Even so, this seems a bit much.”
The pile stood at least a zhang high. Thanks to that, the cart looked nothing like a cart anymore.
“And they even took off the canopy we’d put up.”
Baek Cheon stared blankly at Yoon Jong.
“...What exactly happened here?”
“I returned everything, as instructed.”
“And then?”
“...Do I really need to spell it out? That madman said, ‘Why the hell would you return gifts people went out of their way to give you?’ Then he started hanging around with Jo Gul and accused me of coming down with rich-boy sickness...”
“Why am I suddenly getting dragged into this...”
Jo Gul, who had been unfairly hit out of nowhere, puffed out his cheeks and protested, but nobody listened.
“...That crazy bastard, seriously.”
A deep sigh escaped Baek Cheon. This was why he had said to return them quickly, before Chung Myung saw them.
“So where is that bastard now?”
“Who knows? He took his own luggage and wandered off as soon as the sun came up.”
“We even put up a tent for him because he kept throwing a fit about freezing to death. If he climbed on top of that pile of luggage, it’d be twice as cold—what is he even planning to do...”
At that moment.
“Huh?”
As Baek Cheon was grumbling, he noticed a tiny gap between the neatly stacked bundles.
“No way...”
He rushed to the cart and thrust his hand into the opening without hesitation.
Sure enough, something round was caught inside. Baek Cheon grimaced, grabbed it, and yanked it out in one motion.
“Get out here, you bastard!”
“Ah, my head! My head!”
“What are you, some kind of weasel? You even dug yourself a burrow between the luggage?”
“Ow, I said it hurts!”
“Kieeeeek!”
The weasel-like human and the human-like weasel both protested at the same time.
Baek Cheon, having forcibly dragged Chung Myung out of his little den, let out a sigh so heavy it seemed to sink the ground.
“You call yourself a Taoist, but you’re packed full of greed!”
“What! Why! Is there some law that says Taoists have to live hungry? I didn’t even steal these—they were giving them to me, so why the hell would I turn them down?”
“That part isn’t wrong. You did pocket the stuff you stole separately, after all!”
“...”
“Use your brain for once. How the hell are we supposed to haul all this to Shanxi? We’ll die dragging this cart before we even die fighting the Demonic Sect!”
“Heh. Wow, Sa-suk, that was a weird thing to say. Weren’t you just saying how you’d train harder from now on?”
“...Th-that was about training.”
“What?”
Chung Myung glared fiercely.
“You’ve got to turn daily life into training! How the hell do you get stronger if you only set aside special time for training? When, huh? Tsk. This is why kids these days are useless!”
Ah...
He really should just die.
What the hell was a ghost doing, anyway? Why wasn’t it taking this bastard away?
No matter how much Baek Cheon twisted his face, Chung Myung kept going.
“And listen, gifts are not something you refuse in the first place. The North Sea Ice Palace went out of its way to prepare these for us. If we refuse them, how disappointed would they be? I’m not doing this because I’m greedy or anything...”
“Chung Myung.”
“Yeah?”
“Please shut up...”
“...”
Their bickering was cut short by a group of people walking toward them at just that moment.
“Are preparations complete?”
“Palace Lord.”
Baek Cheon nodded at Seol So-baek and Han Yi-myung as they approached.
“Yes... More or less, though I still can’t believe all these gifts...”
“The Mount Hua sect are benefactors of the North Sea. The people of the North Sea never forget resentment, and never forget kindness. If I were to send our benefactors away empty-handed, every person in the North Sea would point fingers at me. How could I possibly neglect proper hospitality?”
At those words, Yoon Jong and Jo Gul whispered to each other.
“He learned well.”
“...He learned too well, that’s the problem.”
The thought struck them both at once: why was nobody thinking about the people who actually had to carry this mess all the way home? Why!
“Still, this does seem a bit excessive...”
Just as Baek Cheon cautiously tried to lessen the load by at least a little, Seol So-baek bowed deeply before him first.
“So please, Baek Cheon Dojang, do not refuse the North Sea Ice Palace’s sincerity.”
“...”
Baek Cheon stared at him, then slowly turned to look at Chung Myung. When their eyes met, Chung Myung whistled while looking up at the distant sky.
They planned this.
They absolutely had.
No, just how long had these people known each other for them to be in such perfect sync?
Chung Myung was one thing, but Seol So-baek—who, for a normal person, should have been repelled by Chung Myung on sight—was no ordinary man either.
But once Seol So-baek, the Palace Lord of the North Sea Ice Palace, put it that way, Baek Cheon only had one answer left.
“...Thank you for the Palace Lord’s consideration.”
“We’re doomed.”
“Sa-suk, if you look at it closely, your words are all dramatic and no substance.”
“Shh. He’ll hear you.”
He already heard you, you bastards...
Feeling defeated, Baek Cheon lifted his head. At that moment, Han Yi-myung, who had been standing a step behind, quietly stepped forward and spoke.
“The road back to the Central Plains will still be harsh, since winter has not yet fully passed. Wouldn’t it be better to stay a few more days?”
“Your kindness is more than I deserve. However...”
Baek Cheon answered politely, then looked at the disciples scrambling around to secure the luggage and smiled wryly.
“I don’t think I have the strength to stop the ones so excited to go home. Of course, I’m just as excited myself.”
“Mount Hua must truly be a wonderful place.”
“I’m not sure whether others would agree. But at the very least, to Mount Hua’s disciples, Mount Hua is a place that cannot be compared to anything else.”
At that, Seol So-baek’s eyes shone.
“Hearing you say that makes me want to see it for myself. Will I ever be able to go to Mount Hua too?”
Baek Cheon smiled and nodded.
“Mount Hua will always welcome the Palace Lord. Once the North Sea is settled, please be sure to visit us.”
“I will remember those words.”
After finishing his conversation with Baek Cheon, Seol So-baek walked over to Chung Myung. Chung Myung, who had been looking at the luggage with a bored face, snapped his head around at him.
“Why?”
“Do-jang... if you leave like this...”
Looking at Seol So-baek’s bright, tearful eyes—like a puppy about to cry—Chung Myung made a low sound and took a step back.
Did I misread that?
Good heavens, Chung Myung actually backed away.
There’s really someone even he finds hard to deal with.
Staring at those shimmering eyes, Chung Myung finally squeezed his own shut and gave Seol So-baek’s head a light pat-pat.
“Still, you’re the Palace Lord in name. Don’t cry so easily.”
“...Yes.”
Then he looked at the young Palace Lord with a serious expression.
“Do your best, as much as you can. If you don’t do things properly, the North Sea won’t stand straight.”
“Yes.”
“And if you’ve done all you can and there still isn’t an answer, then shake it off and let it go.”
“...Yes?”
“Remember this whenever you can.”
“...”
Chung Myung said it firmly.
“It’s not your responsibility.”
Seol So-baek’s mouth, which had opened slightly, closed again.
“A single Palace Lord doesn’t have to do everything. In the end, the people who change the North Sea and carry it forward aren’t just the Palace Lord—it’s the countless people of the North Sea.”
“...”
“Power comes with responsibility. If you keep holding on to the authority of the Palace Lord without ever letting go, then the things you have to take responsibility for will only keep piling up. You’re smart, so you know what I mean.”
“Yes, Do-jang. I understand.”
“Good.”
Chung Myung smiled faintly.
“You’ll do fine.”
“...”
“So stop making that face. Anyone who sees you would think this was some kind of final goodbye. There’ll be times when you have to come to the Central Plains from now on. We’ll see each other then.”
“Yes!”
Chung Myung nodded at the brighter Seol So-baek, then moved on to Han Yi-myung.
Han Yi-myung, quick to catch on, stepped aside to create a space where the two of them could speak privately.
“Soon, the Heavenly Alliance will hold its founding ceremony and officially declare its launch.”
“Meaning the North Sea Ice Palace must officially take part in the founding ceremony as well.”
“Yes. We’ll send someone separately at the appropriate time to coordinate the schedule, but for now, it would be better to prepare in advance.”
Han Yi-myung nodded silently.
“We will prepare without fail, so please rest easy, Do-jang.”
Negotiations with the Heavenly Alliance had already been completed some time ago. At that gathering, the Ice Palace had finalized its decision to join the Heavenly Alliance alongside Mount Hua, the Tang Family, and the Beast Palace.
Leaving aside the smaller sects beneath them, these four sects would, in effect, become the core of the Heavenly Alliance.
“Well then...”
Chung Myung snapped his head around and looked at Mount Hua’s disciples.
“Let’s go!”
The clear sky.
And the pure white buildings.
White-clad warriors of the Ice Palace stood in formation along both sides of the central road stretching straight from the castle that symbolized the North Sea Ice Palace to the massive outer wall.
The sight of white warriors lined up upon white snow was nothing short of magnificent.
They stood in precise ranks and files without the slightest error, waiting in silence for someone who would soon appear.
And then...
Clatter. Clatter.
At last, a black cart piled high with luggage appeared before them.
It was a sight more than capable of causing confusion, but none of those standing guard laughed.
They only watched the Mount Hua disciples with solemn, determined eyes.
“...There sure are a lot of them.”
“Why do they have to go and do this when it’s so cold out?”
The Mount Hua disciples scratched the backs of their heads awkwardly and started walking.
And then it happened.
Step.
Song Won, the captain of the guard stationed at the center, stepped forward. Dressed in his uniform, he radiated the razor-sharp aura of a true North Sea warrior.
After drawing in a low breath, he bowed toward the Mount Hua disciples and shouted, “The North Sea never forgets kindness!”
At the same time, the North Sea warriors lined up behind him all bowed in unison and echoed the words.
“The North Sea never forgets kindness!”
Lifting his head, Song Won looked at the Mount Hua disciples and roared again, “We thank our benefactors!”
“We thank our benefactors!”
The North Sea warriors bowed together, dropping to one knee. It was the highest form of respect a martial man could show. The Mount Hua disciples, overwhelmed, could not bring themselves to say anything and kept their mouths shut.
“Th...”
“Sa-suk.”
When Baek Cheon tried to answer, Chung Myung lightly stopped him.
“At times like this, you just go without saying anything.”
“...”
“Let’s go.”
“Right.”
Baek Cheon pulled the cart forward and moved on.
With every step they took, the North Sea warriors took turns offering their respect and gratitude.
“Thank you!”
“Please come again!”
“The North Sea will never forget Mount Hua.”
Even while pulling the cart, the Mount Hua disciples kept returning the bows to left and right.
And the North Sea residents, who had poured out to watch, waved at them and bowed again and again.
“Thank you!”
“Thank you so much, Mount Hua!”
“We’ll be sure to spread Mount Hua’s name throughout the North Sea!”
Chivalry was not something done in expectation of repayment.
Baek Cheon had always carried those words deep in his heart. But at this very moment, he felt as if he was discovering another meaning to them.
Not that they didn’t want anything in return—perhaps it was that they didn’t need anything in return at all. No wealth or honor could ever compare to such heartfelt gratitude.
Amid the thunderous cheers and cascading praise, the Mount Hua disciples finally reached the North Sea castle gate. They set the cart aside for a moment and stepped forward on both sides.
Baek Cheon, standing at the front, bowed on behalf of everyone.
“On behalf of Mount Hua, I thank the North Sea for its consideration. If the day ever comes when the North Sea seeks out Mount Hua again, Mount Hua will run to you without regard for a thousand li!”
“Thank you!”
“See you again!”
The Mount Hua disciples returned the courtesy and waved back before taking their places once more in front of the cart amid the cheers.
There was not a single trace of lingering regret left now.
“All right, let’s go!”
“Yes!”
With light steps, they passed through the gate and began racing across the dazzling white land.
“We’re going straight to Mount Hua without stopping!”
“Oh!”
A short while later, the cart they were pulling had grown so distant it was no longer visible. Seol So-baek, who stood quietly watching until they had vanished completely, finally spoke in a low voice.
“They’re gone.”
“Yes, they’ve gone.”
A deep sense of regret washed over him.
“There’ll be a lot to do from here on out, Chief Steward.”
“Yes, Palace Lord. We’ll be very busy indeed.”
The North Sea, too, would change.
The Mannyeonbing would remain unchanged, and the snow would still fall with its old ferocity... but at the very least, the wind that swept over the Mannyeonbing would surely carry the faint scent of plum blossoms.
“Take care...”
Seol So-baek smiled and bowed.
Farewell, Do-jang Chung Myung. And farewell, Mount Hua.
Warm sunlight of the North Sea spilled softly over the place where the cart had passed.