Chapter 58
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 58
Chapter Title: The Frigid North
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58.
You told the Second and Third Young Lords to go find the ingredients for you.
I told them to work for the family instead of lazing around. What's the problem?
As if theyd listen.
Theyll have no choice. If they dont, it wont be them who pay the price, but their backers.
From the very beginning, we were born into the competition for the position of Family Head.
Me.
The Second Young Lord, Namgung Hyeok.
And the Third Young Lord, Namgung Gal.
Whether we liked it or not, this was known to the outside world from the moment we were born, and it created internal strife. To escape or renounce the competition for the headship simply by one's own choice and decision would mean abandoning immense attention, interest, and expectations.
At least, the Namgung Hyeok and Namgung Gal I knew.
Do you think Dang Miyeon or Moyong Yeryeo will stand by idly? Theyll be furious when they find out. Theyll do everything in their power to stop me from coming.
They were limited by the fact that they couldn't be free from their mothers. The second wife, Dang Miyeon, and the third wife, Moyong Yeryeo, would surely cause a scene, even if it meant browbeating their own sons.
They know their own limitations. To avoid tightening the noose around their own necks, they'll have no choice but to accept my proposal.
Well, this has become rather complicated.
Wouldn't you call it a twist of fate?
For a twist of fate, it seems to be working out quite well for you.
This is what you call killing two birds with one stone. A piece of cake. A win-win situation, wouldn't you say?
My uncle clicked his tongue at my carefree expression. To think a guy like this was the Great Young Lord representing the Namgung Family. For a moment, he wondered if he should retract his declaration to be my guardian.
A trip to the North Sea.
Someones excited voice cut through the air. It was Gang Umun.
As expected. Following the Great Young Lord means moving on a different level. This is what it means to be a true adventurer roaming the martial world.
An adventurer, you say? More like youll freeze to death.
As Donghwi said, the North Sea was, quite literally, a different world from the Central Plains. It was a place that required a journey of at least five thousand li.
Five thousand li
Gang Umuns face went dizzy at the staggering number. It was only natural for reality to feel distant when faced with such an unheard-of figure.
It was the same for me. No matter how many battlefields I had roamed, I had never even dreamed of venturing into the outlands.
The only saving grace was.
Neigh! Clip-clop, clip-clop.
The fact that we had managed to acquire horses that snorted in the cold. Just as it seemed someone needed to explain the scale of five thousand li, the quick-witted Black Tiger spoke up first.
Assuming we travel about one hundred and fifty li a day, two hundred and fifty at most, it will take nearly a month.
Haaah.
It didn't matter whose sigh it was. Everyone felt the same.
Even so.
Enough, lets move.
I quelled their complaints while simultaneously heightening the tension.
We are leaving to find the Hundred-Year Snow Ginseng. That is our only objective. Dont think about anything else.
Stepping into a place like the North Sea was to enter an unknown realm where even the presence of a supreme master like my uncle would feel diminished.
Is this right?
I dont know either. But I never knew my destiny was to freeze to death.
Shiver, shiver.
The white frost clinging to their eyebrows crackled and vanished into the air. Whenever a fierce wind blew, everyone had to tense up and circulate their internal energy. Otherwise, quite literally.
Well die instantly. No, well freeze to death.
When one's bladder felt ready to burst and they ducked behind a tree to relieve themselves, the stream of urine would freeze in mid-air, forcing them to hastily pull up their trousers.
I I my mouth wont open
Because one of them had his mouth frozen shut by the frigid air, they had to pour all the liquor they had on him, huddle together like a bunch of grimy men, and light a fire with paper just to warm themselves up.
What is this nonsense, just a little way out of the Central Plains?
If my uncle doesn't know, none of us do. What have you been doing all your life?
You punk. Just because Im old, does that mean I have to know everything?
It's not like being ignorant is something to be proud of!
Sighing at the two bickering men, Black Tiger pulled his collar tighter and squinted his eyes. At this rate, they were in danger of suffering a fatal blow before they even found the hundred-year-old ginseng.
Did that mean they hadn't prepared at all?
That wasn't the case either.
They had sold their horses before reaching the entrance to the North Sea and used the money to re-equip themselves. They were bundled up from head to toe in clothes made of layered deerskin and sewn with the fur of various beasts, and they were making their way without difficulty on snowshoes woven from old wood to keep from slipping in the deep snow.
It was just that the winds of the North Sea.
Were extraordinary enough to shatter the group's idea of what was normal.
Ugh. St-still, its a magnificent sight. I never expected to see such a beautiful snowscape.
At Donghwis admiration, Black Tiger also lifted his head and surveyed the surroundings.
A breathtaking view of a vast plain covered in a field of white salt. If one could only focus on the thought of being the first to walk upon this untouched, ethereal snowfield, it could be remembered as an endlessly happy memory.
To hell with the North Sea.
To hell with the hundred-year ginseng, the ten-thousand-year ginseng.
Its freezing cold.
Im gonna freeze to death.
But the incessant bickering of the two men shattered the picturesque moment for Black Tiger and Donghwi. Just as they were wondering how long the two would keep fighting, the Great Young Lord, having had enough, shouted.
Lets change our strategy. We'll go from village to village in the North Sea, recovering our strength as much as possible before moving on to the next one. Searching for the Hundred-Year Snow Ginseng aimlessly in a place this vast is absurd. Let's gather information as we go.
Black Tiger nodded. Before entering the snowfields of the North Sea, the owner of a cloth shop in a village where they had stopped to resupply had told them.
Hundred-year ginseng? I don't know about that, but there are ginseng hunters in the North Sea. Each village probably has its own famous hunters, so why don't you try following them? Oh, and don't go wandering around and run into people from the Ice Palace. They hate people from the Central Plains. Were only camped out here because we have to be. If you do run into them, don't mention us.
He had thought that neither the North Sea Ice Palace nor anything else would be that frightening.
But facing the Ice Palace in this climate, fighting against those who utilized the extreme cold, would undoubtedly lead to a disadvantageous situation. In that case, the cloth merchant's advice was wise: travel between villages and ask the ginseng hunters about the whereabouts of the Hundred-Year Snow Ginseng.
I see a village over there. Its the first one since we entered the North Sea.
At Black Tiger's words, the Great Young Lords face lit up with a brief look of relief as he spoke.
It seems the heavens havent abandoned us after all.
If you hadn't insisted that a decent ginseng hunter would only be found on the slope of that mountain over there, we would have already passed through the villages we left behind.
There you go again, bringing up the past. Anyway, stop using the cold as an excuse to drink and save some for the rest of us!
Black Tiger motioned for Donghwi and Gang Umun to move. Those two would survive even if they fell into hell.
As Black Tiger, Donghwi, and Gang Umun picked up their pace, the sound of bickering followed closely behind them.
I mean, in the end, ginseng hunters will dig for ginseng near the mountains. Where else would they find it, in the water?
You fool! Where do you think the water is here? Its all frozen.
The North Sea! Dont you know what that means?
It's called the North Sea because all the lakes are frozen, you idiot. There must be people who fish for smelt to survive, so it would be faster to find them and ask about the ginseng hunters. Everyone has to make a living, don't they?
Though the two never stopped talking, Black Tiger listened intently, as what they said wasn't wrong.
Really, Sir Black Tiger, youre amazing. How can you listen and move with no change in expression while those two are being so exhausting?
Donghwi was deeply impressed. If Black Tiger hadn't been there to keep the group centered and lead them, they would have fallen into chaos long ago. He was able to judge what was right and act on it, even with them squabbling behind him, telling him what to do. He was truly remarkable.
But there was no response.
Sir Black Tiger?
not going to.
Huh?
Donghwi tilted his head and quickened his pace to hear what Black Tiger was saying. The cold, cutting wind made it difficult to hear, but he felt he had to strain his ears to catch his words.
not going to come.
Eh?
I will never, ever, even if Im about to die, come with these people again.
Donghwi slowed down, glancing at Black Tiger leading the way, the dazed Gang Umun, and the Great Young Lord and his master still bickering relentlessly behind them, and let out a sigh.
Then he looked up at the sky.
Is this really the right way?
Ungang.
Yes, sir!
The matter in Shandong is concluded, I hear.
That is correct. From what we have gathered, he wiped out twenty-five mountain fortresses in Mount Shan, distributing all sorts of treasures, goods, and food to the common people. He also survived the battle with the Hwangbo Family and brought them to justice. It is said that all of this was done in the name of the Namgung Family.
Despite the proud expression on Ungang's face, the one receiving the report remained impassive.
The process?
It seems the Imperial Guard intervened.
The Imperial Guard.
As the Family Head stroked the scar that ran horizontally across his left cheek, the man called Ungang bowed his head and spoke.
The Asura Corps Commander, Hwang Cheonho, moved personally.
The reason.
It was at the Great Young Lord's request. Also
Also?
He and
As Ungang hesitated, the Family Heads gaze shifted subtly. Prompted by the demanding look, Ungang bit his lower lip and spoke of something even he found hard to believe.
They are said to have become sworn brothers.
Sworn brothers?
The Family Head of the Azure Sky Namgung Family, Namgung Mubaek, furrowed his brow.
What is the connection between them?
Regrettably, there was none. We can only conclude that the Great Young Lord initiated the meeting with Hwang Cheonho, and it developed into a good relationship
Where is the Great Young Lord now?
I have been informed that he is heading to the North Sea.
To the North Sea? Why?
He said he intends to roam the martial world for the remaining year.
At those words, the corner of Namgung Mubaeks mouth twitched. Musing over the phrase roam the martial world for a year, Namgung Mubaek let out a quiet, stifled smile.
He has already won over Shandong.
Pardon?
He has made the people of Shandong his own.
What does that mean?
Recalling the Great Young Lords gaze as he looked down on him at the Sword Family Assembly, Namgung Mubaek shook his head.
Hes not the type to make a useless move.
At Namgung Mubaeks assertion, Ungang clamped his mouth shut.
Was he being a doting father, or was he suspicious?
Puzzled by his ambiguous words, Ungang couldn't help but let out a faint sigh.