Arrival at the Bing Palace
Whoooosh!
A fierce, blade-like wind whipped past, grazing his cheeks.
Woo-gang brushed back his tousled hair and gazed out at the vast expanse of snowy plains stretching before him.
The land of the North Sea, reached after untold hardships.
Everything seemed mystical in Woo-gang's eyes.
'This is the North Sea.'
Woo-gang and Si-woo stood side by side, taking in the scenery for a moment.
Even standing on the plains where the cold seeped into one's bones just by looking, Woo-gang was dressed lightly.
Si-woo's clothes were thin too, but Woo-gang's were like something one might wear in summer.
Yet he showed no sign of feeling the chill—his expression was utterly relaxed.
The heat constantly surging from within his body balanced perfectly with the North Sea's biting cold.
What felt like unbearable frigidness to others was cozy to Woo-gang, almost comforting.
Moreover, the occasional flurries dancing before his eyes felt strangely familiar, like something he'd seen before.
"It's still a long way to the Bing Palace. Let's get moving."
"Yes."
Si-woo took the first step.
His foot sank into the piled snow up to just below his knee.
Woo-gang followed suit.
Surprisingly, every time Woo-gang stepped forward, the snow around his foot melted away in an instant.
The heat radiating from him was powerful enough to melt even the North Sea's frozen snow and ice.
Thanks to that, Woo-gang traversed the plains without much trouble.
Whoooosh!
Occasional gusts kicked up mounds of snow, blotting out the view ahead.
But the two pressed on steadily, unflinching.
With his pain gone, Woo-gang's steps felt lighter, his body and mind at ease, infused with new vigor.
They walked without rest.
About an hour in, a group approached them swiftly.
Woo-gang recognized them at once.
Their attire was similar to the Bing Palace folk he'd seen at the border, though with slight variations.
The approaching Bing Palace warriors bowed respectfully to Si-woo, just as they had at the border.
Woo-gang still found the sight unfamiliar, even after witnessing it once before.
"We pay respects to the Flame King."
"The Seol Yeong-dae has come to escort us personally?"
Si-woo asked the one at the front.
"Yes. We prepared as soon as we heard you were coming."
"Good timing. I was wondering how we'd make it there."
"We've prepared sleds. You'll travel comfortably."
"Then we won't stand on ceremony. Let's ride."
Woo-gang nodded at Si-woo's words and followed him onto the sled.
Never having ridden one before, he gripped the handle tightly, a bit anxious.
Moments later, the sled glided smoothly over the snow.
At first, Woo-gang seemed startled by the considerable speed, but soon a smile crept onto his face—he was enjoying it.
Cold wind battered his face as the sled sped along, but it felt refreshing.
Gliding across the wide plains with the wind in his face cleared his chest, opening up his pent-up heart.
"Ah~~~!"
Woo-gang shouted into the air, as if expelling all the blockages in his soul.
His voice was quickly swallowed by the rushing wind, but it didn't matter.
A satisfied smile spread wider across his lips.
And a smile bloomed on Si-woo's face too, right behind him.
Woo-gang's cry had lifted his spirits as well.
The sled carrying the two raced toward the Bing Palace.
The Bing Palace was a fortress in the truest sense.
Snow, never to melt, piled thick on the tiled walls.
The main gate was enormous, wide enough for crowds, and above it hung a plaque inscribed with sharp strokes: North Sea Bing Palace.
Woo-gang took in the imposing gate visible from afar as he entered the Bing Palace alongside Si-woo.
The broad path from the gate was paved with ice cut like stone blocks, flanked on both sides by long lines of Bing Palace warriors.
Behind them stood sporadic ice sculptures of fierce beasts.
The sheer spectacle exuded overwhelming majesty, but it didn't faze Woo-gang much.
He was simply struck by how new, wondrous, and astonishing it all was.
'Nice.'
Though it was his first time, an inexplicable comfort settled over him.
Perhaps because the excruciating pain that had tormented him since entering the North Sea was finally gone.
At the end of the path stood a single man.
Seemingly around Si-woo's age, he smiled warmly.
A faint smile touched Si-woo's lips as they drew closer.
Woo-gang, busy looking around, missed it entirely.
"I thought you might not come. Glad you made it."
"It turned out that way. I figured I'd never set foot here again myself."
Si-woo and the Bing Palace Lord, Han Si-rang, clasped hands in greeting.
After a brief exchange, Han Si-rang's gaze shifted to Woo-gang.
Woo-gang met his eyes unflinchingly—eyes that seemed capable of freezing anything they touched.
"It took this long to take in a disciple, did it?"
Han Si-rang's scrutinizing gaze slowly traveled down to Woo-gang's feet.
Then it shifted behind him.
Behind Woo-gang lay footprints marking their path here.
Footprints formed when ice melted at his step, refroze after he passed.
Even now, where Woo-gang stood, the ice was melting and refreezing in cycles.
Han Si-rang chuckled softly at the sight, then fixed his eyes back on Woo-gang's face.
"I remember feeling the cold when I first came here. Not this child, though. Means you chose well."
Si-woo shook his head at Han Si-rang's words.
"I didn't choose him—he came to me."
"Same difference. You ended up passing it on, didn't you?"
Han Si-rang withdrew his gaze.
"Unpack first. We'll see in time if he's worthy to succeed you."
With that, Han Si-rang flashed a smile that chilled just to behold.
But Woo-gang stared back without a flicker of unease.
Woo-gang slowly surveyed the room.
"It's ordinary."
Si-woo chuckled at the sight.
"What, expected the whole room to be ice?"
Woo-gang just smiled in response.
"This is a place where people live too. No different from anywhere else. Even they feel the cold."
"I see."
Inside the room, there was no oppressive heat.
It wasn't warmer indoors—perhaps even chillier—but to Woo-gang, it felt mildly cozy.
He didn't know how long they'd stay at the Bing Palace, but at least the pain was gone.
"Do I not need the medicine anymore?"
"We'll watch. The North Sea's cold might make it unnecessary, but keep it handy just in case."
"Yes."
Woo-gang replied curtly and neatly placed the remaining medicine where it was visible.
"What training should I start now?"
His body at ease, the urge for the training he'd missed welled up.
Si-woo gave a warm smile.
"Don't rush. We'll be here a long time, with much to do. No need to hurry on day one."
"I want to."
"I know that feeling. But before training, something else first."
"Something else?"
"Yes. Follow me."
Si-woo led Woo-gang out of the room.
They headed to a spacious shrine.
Unlike the ornate Bing Palace, the shrine felt neat and sacred.
Inside were numerous ancestral tablets.
Names Woo-gang didn't recognize, yet they filled him with solemnity.
Si-woo lit incense and performed the rites.
Unsure whose they were, Woo-gang quietly mimicked him.
After a simple offering, Si-woo gazed at one tablet and spoke.
"This is my master's posthumous name. To you, he'll be your grandmaster."
Woo-gang's eyes widened in surprise.
He then slowly examined the others.
"This one is your grandmaster. The first there... great-grandmaster. All here are our sect's venerables."
"Ah...."
Woo-gang let out a sigh.
His mind grew muddled.
Why were his sect's venerables enshrined in the Bing Palace?
"Curious why their tablets are here, right?"
"Yes."
"You'll learn in time. Remember this: we exist because of them, and you must carry on our lineage."
"I'll keep it in mind."
Woo-gang replied briefly, committing the names to memory.
Thus ended Woo-gang's first day at the Bing Palace.
The next morning.
Woo-gang sat cross-legged for the first time in ages and began meditating.
Circulating the Hyeoncheon Yeolhwa Singong would boil his heat again, but the North Sea's cold should balance it.
Si-woo had approved, so Woo-gang meditated outside, fully exposed to the chill wind.
Meanwhile, Si-woo sought out Lord Han Si-rang.
Old friend and rival after so long—topics piled up like mountains.
Si-woo and Han Si-rang sat in the pavilion, sipping tea and chatting.
The main topic: Woo-gang.
"Took you long enough to take a disciple."
"Never planned to. Thought I'd go without one."
Han Si-rang frowned at Si-woo's reply.
"Letting those peerless arts fade? Good thing you didn't."
"Ended up that way. Chance brought him, but I'm content now."
"Talented, then?"
"Endurance, will, tenacity—if those count as talent, yes."
Han Si-rang narrowed his eyes.
"Seems more than that."
"Good bones are the baseline."
Han Si-rang finally chuckled.
"So, what's the boy's level?"
"Hasn't learned Hong Yeom Cheon Ui Chang yet. Just the spear basics."
"Still?"
Han Si-rang sounded surprised; Si-woo nodded calmly.
Then he grinned and met Han Si-rang's eyes.
"With that alone, he could beat anyone except the Seol Yeong-dae, Bing Cheon-dae, or Baek Rang-dae."
"That's basically all we have. What'd be left?"
Han Si-rang's casual retort hardened into tension.
Si-woo watched him with meaningful eyes.
"You don't mean he could take the standing army too?"
Si-woo's gaze answered Han Si-rang's incredulous question.
The standing army: reserves for vacancies in elite units or those training to join.
Their skills nearly matched the Seol Yeong-dae, Bing Cheon-dae, or Baek Rang-dae.
"Hahaha! Gotten better at jokes, I see. A kid with just basic spearwork beating the standing army? Overreach. Underestimating the Bing Palace?"
"Someone escaped the Bing Palace unscathed. Things aren't what they used to be."
Han Si-rang's face stiffened further at Si-woo's words.
It pricked his pride, but Si-woo pressed on.
"Fun provocation. We'll see."
"Yes. We'll see."
Si-woo sipped his tea quietly.
A subtle tension flowed between them.