Chapter 81
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 81
Chapter Title: Escaping the Crisis
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“Child.”
An old woman walked out from the bamboo grove.
Suddenly, a chill swept through the bamboo forest.
Yeoseol stared silently at the old woman who had appeared out of nowhere.
It was because she felt a sense of kinship from her.
“Finally, I get to see you. It’s been so hard to catch a glimpse.”
Yeoseol looked at the old woman and spoke.
“Do you know me, Grandma?”
“Heh heh heh. Grandma, is it? Yes, yes. I know you well. No one knows you like I do.”
Yu Yeongrip had been constantly monitoring the area around Hyuncheon Gate, waiting for Yeoseol to step outside.
She had stationed several disciples nearby, instructing them to report the moment Yeoseol emerged.
The news reached Yu Yeongrip swiftly when Yeoseol entered the bamboo grove.
Hearing that Yeoseol had come out, Yu Yeongrip rushed over without delay.
The sight of Yeoseol filled her with joy so profound it brought tears to her eyes.
“Child. I’ve been searching for you.”
“Me? Why?”
“Because you’re my granddaughter.”
“Granddaughter? Then what’s my name?”
Yeoseol’s abrupt question prompted Yu Yeongrip to improvise a name.
“Chunseol.”
“Spring snow, huh? What a rustic name.”
“Still, it’s the name this grandma gave you. Let’s go home, Chunseol. Your family is waiting.”
“Do I have family?”
“Of course. Everyone has family. Come with this grandma.”
Yu Yeongrip sensed the pure icy energy emanating from Yeoseol, stirring a deep sense of affinity.
‘This child is definitely the Ice Sacred Body.’
“Me? Why?”
Yeoseol asked boldly.
“Because we’re family.”
“What are you talking about? I have my big brother.”
“Oh ho ho ho. That’s a fake big brother. This grandma is your real family.”
“I can’t believe that. If you were my family, I’d feel some joy, but there’s nothing.”
“That’s because you’ve lost your memories.”
“If you’re my real family, Grandma, I’ll come find you once I recover them. Right now, I want to stay with my big brother.”
“Child. If you insist on this, this grandma will have to take you by force.”
“Huh? Does that mean you’re going to kidnap me?”
“It’s not kidnapping. It’s going home.”
“Even if I say no?”
“Your real family is waiting for you.”
Yu Yeongrip saw this moment, with Yeoseol alone, as the perfect chance to take her.
She had no idea when such an opportunity might arise again.
“I don’t want to, so just go.”
“You’re my family. I will take you with me.”
As she began to gather her energy, Yeoseol’s eyes turned frigid.
Yeoseol’s anger surged at the prospect of an imminent fight.
But she quelled her rage and considered another approach.
From the shadow’s memories in her dreams, she believed she could subdue this old woman.
The shadow’s memories were tied to the North Sea Ice Palace, and she herself shared a profound connection with it.
In those memories, she saw thousands of Ice Palace disciples kneeling before the shadow.
The shadow had undoubtedly been the Palace Lord of the Ice Palace.
“What is your position in the palace?”
Yeoseol asked vaguely.
Her icy aura and cold tone made Yu Yeongrip glance at her with evident fluster.
“Answer. What is your position? I ask because my memories are incomplete.”
Yu Yeongrip promptly bowed her head.
“I am an Elder.”
Yeoseol’s voice was dry and emotionless.
She had mimicked the way old masters spoke, drawing from her recollections.
“What is your name?”
The intensifying pressure from Yeoseol made Yu Yeongrip flinch.
“Yu Yeongrip.”
Overwhelmed by the aura, Yu Yeongrip found herself using honorifics toward Yeoseol without realizing it.
“H-Have you recovered your memories?”
“Only fragments have returned. Memories don’t flood back at once; they emerge gradually. It requires time.”
“Then wouldn’t it be better to stay with me?”
Yeoseol knew only the barest hints about the shadow within her consciousness.
Thus, she intended to use Elder Yu to uncover more about it.
“Elder Yu.”
“Yes.”
“Who am I? Tell me what you know.”
Yu Yeongrip replied in a faintly trembling voice.
“You are the mightiest in Ice Palace history, once acclaimed as the Martial Marquess across the martial world—the 6th Palace Lord, Mae Yu-yeon.”
Hearing the shadow’s true identity made Yeoseol start.
As if the shadow itself had overheard, a sharp pain throbbed in her head.
“Then why am I trapped in this youthful body?”
“The 6th Palace Lord was the first in our palace’s history to perfect the Ice Soul Crystal art. It seals the soul within the ice crystal, allowing transfer to a new vessel—a secret technique of the Ice Palace.”
Yeoseol convincingly played the part of an elder.
She emulated Nangong Hak, the most imposing old man she knew.
“So I desired a young body?”
“Yes. Records state the previous Palace Lord sought one.”
“Did I? Who is the current Palace Lord?”
“The 12th.”
“Has so much time passed already?”
Yeoseol gazed into the void for a moment, then clasped her hands behind her back and inquired.
“How many know of this?”
“None. In the palace, only this old servant.”
“Your subordinates?”
“Those children would leap into flames at my command. I trust them implicitly.”
“Yet the Blood Cult and Demonic Cult seem aware of something.”
Yeoseol recalled Eunbi mentioning how the Demonic Cult and Blood Cult had attacked the Little Palace Lord in Hefei.
“They merely covet the previous Palace Lord’s Ice Sacred Body. They know nothing of the soul inhabiting it.”
“Are they pursuing me now?”
Yu Yeongrip spoke fluidly.
“No. The Little Palace Lord astutely fabricated a false Ice Sacred Body and parades it. The Demonic Cult and Blood Cult take it for the genuine article.”
Yeoseol had learned from Eunbi that the Ice Palace’s Little Palace Lord was residing with the Nangong Family.
“Previous Palace Lord. Why not depart this place and join us?”
“Does Elder Yu deem that safer? Safer than Hyuncheon Gate?”
“Ah!”
Yu Yeongrip exclaimed as realization dawned.
“No. For safety, nowhere rivals this place.”
Yu Yeongrip knew her own forces couldn’t withstand the Demonic Cult and Blood Cult’s elites.
“Precisely why I remain with Scholar Cheon. It’s the safest option now.”
“This old servant failed to foresee that.”
Hands behind her back, Yeoseol clicked her tongue.
She knew elders did so upon hearing disappointing words.
“Tsk tsk tsk. At your age, is that the extent of your wits?”
Rebuked, Yu Yeongrip bowed deeply.
“I apologize, Previous Palace Lord.”
“And.”
“Speak.”
“Do you think the Demonic Cult or Blood Cult won’t notice your presence here?”
Yu Yeongrip flinched in shock at the words.
“Won’t they question why those hunting the Little Palace Lord linger here?”
“……”
“How did you rise to elder with such feeble reasoning? Was the palace so short-staffed? In my day, elders had to be razor-sharp. Do they hand out positions for mere age now?”
Yeoseol parroted Nangong Mubaek’s scoldings of his underlings verbatim.
His phrases were ideal for such dressing-downs.
Under the grilling, Yu Yeongrip wore a woeful expression.
“This old servant’s vision was narrow.”
“I repeat: when I reclaim my memories fully, I will seek you out. Until then, avoid me entirely to evade suspicion.”
Yu Yeongrip lowered her head.
“I obey. I shall withdraw to the Nangong Family. But I’ll station two or three trusted aides here for communication via messenger pigeons. Contact me through them if needed.”
“Have you comprehended nothing? I said arouse no suspicion whatsoever. Did my words fall on deaf ears? Memory recovery demands time. Even then, I must stabilize in this body. Are you sabotaging my grand design!”
Yeoseol’s fury made Yu Yeongrip drop to her knees.
Thud!
“Forgive me. This old servant was foolish.”
“How could I entrust you with anything!”
“I shall take heed.”
“Once I regain all, I will come to you. Leave no traces near me. Deceive the Demonic Cult and Blood Cult utterly by surveilling the Little Palace Lord and aiding her! That serves me!”
“How dare this old servant defy the Previous Palace Lord’s will.”
Yeoseol glared at Yu Yeongrip.
“Elder Yu, why your loyalty to me?”
Her tone tested her resolve.
Even in a girl’s form, the intimidation weighed heavy.
“For what purpose!”
Yu Yeongrip’s hesitation prompted Yeoseol.
“Do you crave body transference like me?”
“H-How could this old servant harbor such greed?”
Her words denied it, but her eyes betrayed longing.
Yeoseol sensed the need to dangle bait.
“It’s not impossible. If you pledge utter loyalty.”
Still kneeling, Yu Yeongrip bowed lower.
“Th-Thank you.”
“Go.”
Yeoseol turned away, hands clasped behind her.
Yu Yeongrip rose, offered a respectful bow, and vanished.
“Phew.”
She had deceived Yu Yeongrip with scant memories, but its longevity was uncertain.
‘What if the real Mae Yu-yeon dominates me?’
The thought terrified Yeoseol.
‘I’ll consult big brother when he returns.’
It was beyond her to handle alone.
Her sole trust lay with him—Scholar Cheon, her big brother.
He who had sheltered her as kin when amnesia cloaked her.
“Miss Yeoseol. Scholar Cheon is returning.”
The half-month apart felt like years to Yeoseol.
She had assumed martial arts seclusion would make time fly.
Yet without him smiling beside her at meals, nagging affectionately, emptiness gnawed.
‘Is this family?’
Family bonds had always eluded her grasp in others’ tales.
Now, she understood crystal clear.
‘This ache of never wanting separation again.’
That was family affection.
Yeoseol had awakened the full Ice Palace arsenal, yet it birthed unease.
“That old woman’s mentioned Palace Lord soul haunts my dreams.”
The dream shadow relentlessly shoved her aside, or so it felt.
Sleepless nights had piled up.
His return amid it all brought relief.
Returning to Hyuncheon Gate, Cheon Taesan was promptly summoned by Mak Yeohyeon.
Briefed by Gwan Ryongjin on the Gwanryong Formation, Mak Yeohyeon beamed.
“Securing the gold mine—the gladdest tidings in a decade.”
Mak Jimong sat with unexpected poise, drawing a lingering gaze from his father.
“Heh heh heh. You’ve changed the most, it seems.”
Mak Jimong, bursting to boast, spoke up.
“I’ve cleared all blocked meridians. Henceforth, true cultivation. In days, after tidying affairs, secluded training awaits.”
“Oh!”
Mak Yeohyeon, fatherly at core, rejoiced in his son’s transformation.
As unorthodox overlord, he couldn’t indefinitely tolerate Mak Jimong’s wayward path.
The gold mine venture had sobered him—pure delight.
Thus, he humored his son’s fervor for once.
“Indeed. Recount the tale.”
Mak Jimong eagerly detailed Hopyeon Field’s events and Cheon Taesan’s healing.
Usually curt with ramblers, Mak Yeohyeon let his enthused son prattle unchecked.
He listened with fond smiles. Story done, he spoke.
“Rumors swirled over my gift to Scholar Cheon, but this validates its worth.”
Cheon Taesan demurred.
“You’re not passing off that prior gift as payment, are you, Liege?”
“Hahaha! Perish the thought. You take me for a miser?”
Cheon Taesan’s half-jest aimed to prompt a boon.
“What do you desire? Speak.”
“Treating the Young Master? We’re sworn brothers—no reward sought.”
“Sworn brothers, eh?”
Mak Yeohyeon eyed Mak Jimong windfall-style, swiftly masking it.
This reversed giver and receiver.
“Many perished battling Demonic Cult for the gold mine. Ample consolation for them, please.”
“Heh heh heh, I’ll handle it. Faction duty. Now, Scholar Cheon’s true wish.”
Thus, Cheon Taesan revealed his heart’s true desire.