Chapter 65
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 65
Chapter Title: Rats in the Fortress
-----------------------------------------------------------------
After hearing the full story of what was happening within the Ice Palace, Chunsik, Gangseok, and Black Tiger nodded with grave expressions. Meanwhile, Black Tiger was listening intently to the two Taoists who had come from the Central Plains.
Once they knew someone from the Central Plains martial world had intervened, they understood this was no mere internal affair of the Ice Palace.
...This is serious.
The majority of the Ice Palaces current warriors were cooperating with Han Ilsang, and most of those loyal to the former Palace Lord, Han Taemun, were imprisoned.
Amidst this.
Gangseok, how did you get here?
And with Chunsik, no less.
Indeed. You must have been about three hundred li away. How on earth
At Gwanseks question, Gangseok hesitated before looking at Black Tiger.
He is the one who brought us here.
...All the way here?
Gwansek, Mr. Jo, and the ginseng diggers all turned their gazes to Black Tiger. Receiving their attention, Black Tiger cleared his throat lightly.
I am Black Tiger, from the Central Plains.
...The Central Plains!
The expressions of Gwansek and Mr. Jo brightened. They had just been wondering how they could possibly get help from the outside, and now it had arrived so quickly.
Did you perhaps come because you heard of the North Seas situation?
At Mr. Jos hopeful words, Black Tiger immediately shattered his expectations. Shaking his head, Black Tiger said that was not the case.
As the shoulders of the crestfallen Mr. Jo and the ginseng diggers slumped, Black Tiger offered a faint smile.
However, we will help you.
At his words, they all lifted their heads to look at him.
...It seems the matter of the North Sea doesnt feel like someone elses problem. To the young lord I serve, that is.
Y-You didnt come alone?
My companions are split up. We intended to observe the situation in the Ice Palace, but now that Ive heard your stories so clearly, I must meet my companions as soon as possible and relay the information.
C-Can you do that for us?
Mr. Jos face lit up. He felt as if all his past hardships were melting away like snow. Seeing this, the ginseng diggers and Gwansek shed tears without realizing it, while Gangseok and Chunsik clenched their teeth, telling them they had suffered greatly and that they were sorry.
As they shared a brief moment of reunion, Black Tigers eyes widened abruptly.
He had sensed a presence.
Shh...!
As he spoke, Black Tiger crouched down, pulling Gangseok and Chunsik with him, while Gwansek simultaneously threw a nearby sackcloth over them.
At that moment.
...What are you all doing?
We were just discussing tomorrows night shift.
Why discuss tomorrows work now?
An Ice Palace warrior with cold eyes took a step toward Gwansek, who was making excuses. As Gwansek broke into a cold sweat, it was none other than Mr. Jo who stepped forward to meet the warrior.
Sir, I will scold them harshly. As you know, Ive been getting along well with these fellows lately.
...Hmm, is that you, Mr. Jo?
Y-Yes, sir. It is.
Right, of course. I can trust you, Mr. Jo
Seeing the Ice Palace warrior about to turn away, Gwansek and Mr. Jo let out a sigh of relief. Just as they were calming their racing hearts, thinking they had narrowly escaped danger.
Swoosh!
The sword slid from the warriors scabbard with a hiss, its gleaming tip thrusting toward the suspicious sackcloth behind Gwansek.
N-No!
Agh!
Just as a scream erupted and the warriors sword was about to pierce the sackcloth.
Fwip! Fwiiip!
The sackcloth flew into the air, wrapping around the sword and pulling the Ice Palace warrior forward. Simultaneously, a shadow shot out and struck the bewildered warrior with a knee, knocking him unconscious.
It was Black Tiger.
...Hah, hah.
Black Tiger had reacted to the killing intent with instinct, but the ginseng diggers, who had never witnessed such outstanding martial arts, were all left gaping.
The greatest martial artists they knew were all from the Ice Palace, and they had never doubted that the people of the Ice Palace were the strongest. But to see one of them not just subdued in an instant, but knocked out completely.
S-Sir
I am not a lord, so you dont have to call me that. In any case.
Black Tiger looked at the unconscious Ice Palace warrior and frowned.
Well be discovered soon.
What?
Theres no one to fill this mans post, so theyll inevitably grow suspicious of someone.
...Ah.
Theyll find out I was here in no time.
At Black Tigers grave expression, Gwansek, Mr. Jo, and the ginseng diggers shook their heads and smiled.
...You should go first.
What?
Even if we disappear, they cant do anything to us. They can suspect and suspect us, but they wont be able to harm us.
What do you mean
Because we are the only ones who can find what they desire.
Even so, they will surely harm those who remain
That is our fight. We have endured this long. What is there to fear? So.
Mr. Jo approached and took Black Tigers hands. Hot tears streamed from his eyes.
...Please, save our North Sea.
He was desperate. And earnest.
His gaunt body and the back of his hands revealed just how much he had suffered. Seeing this, Black Tiger grit his teeth.
The urgent matter was Gangseok and Chunsik. If Black Tiger were alone, escape would be no problem, but it was different for the two of them. A single misstep could mean their deaths.
Wait just a little longer. We will surely return.
At the very least, he had to get Gangseok and Chunsik out. With that resolve, Black Tiger began to lead them out of the ice cave.
W-Well be able to escape safely, right?
Do not worry. Werent our companions at the entrance of the Ice Palace?
...Yes. Sir.
A large-scale fortress, especially one with the unique challenges of the Ice Palaces cold and icy paths, presented more than a few things to worry about, but it was no issue for Black Tiger. He had already traversed this path once. Thus, even without Gangseok and Chunsiks guidance, he led them to the entrance of the Ice Palace without a problem.
And just as Black Tigers expression brightened at the sight of two figures standing there.
So, there were rats hiding here after all.
The two figures he had mistaken for Gang U-mun and Dong-hwi turned around. They were warriors of the North Sea, their breath turning white in the cold air.
One by one, figures who had been hiding in the snow began to rise. There were over thirty of them.
A man from the Central Plains. You rat-like bastards. You may enter as you please, but leaving is another matter.
Won Ilhong, the commander of the Glacial Sword Unit, smirked.
You say the Palace Lord sent you.
Among the many warriors locked behind iron bars, there was one who remained lucid.
So you are the man named Bupyeong.
It was Bupyeong of the Glacial Sword Unit. He was no ordinary man. Though his aura was not as profound as Han Taemuns, one look was enough to see a body that had not neglected its training, with its dense muscles and piercing gaze, testifying to his dedication as a martial artist.
The fact that he alone was bound in heavy iron shackles showed just how wary Han Ilsang was of him.
...What is the Palace Lords condition now?
He is barely holding onto consciousness with a sliver of internal energy. The one next to him, Han Yusang, seemed to be in a more serious state.
T-The Young Palace Lord, you say?!
So Han Yusang was the Young Palace Lord.
But why does Han Ilsang hold such a grudge against the Young Palace Lord? He looked quite young. If he had just waited, he would have inherited the position of Palace Lord himself.
...An inferiority complex. He was consumed by it.
Inferiority and envy.
Those two monsters had devoured Han Ilsang.
And those Taoist bastards came and scratched that itch for him.
Thats right. They targeted Han Ilsang from the beginning. They knew he would grant them what they wanted.
...How meticulous.
I clicked my tongue and swiftly cut through the iron bars. As the roiling energy at the tip of my Azure Sky Unhindered Sword, now at a masterful level, sliced through the bars like tofu, Bupyeongs impassive expression changed for the first time.
You seem young, yet you appear to have already reached a sublime realm.
...I still have a long way to go. In any case, can you move immediately?
We had to move before they arrived. We needed to rendezvous with Black Tiger quickly and move to rescue Han Taemun and Han Yusang at once.
As I sliced through the bars, freeing the numerous warriors from their cuffs and shackles, Bupyeong, who was stretching his stiffened muscles, opened his parched lips.
We need at least three watches. Everyone is drained. They havent had a proper bowl of gruel, so if we fight now, it will be certain defeat.
At his words, my uncle and I nodded. There were over fifty of them, but they were all so gaunt that they looked like they would struggle to even swing a sword properly.
Ill have to meet with Black Tiger and have him get these men out of here at once.
Then it seems you and I will have to go rescue the Palace Lord.
We had to get these men out of here immediately, even if it meant my uncle and I would have to rescue Han Taemun and Han Yusang on our own.
I have no honor.
What is honor in a situation like this?
I looked at Bupyeong. He had endured harsh torture, his resolute muscles covered in dark bruises and open wounds. And it wasnt just the external injuries; without proper food, his insides must have been festering, and it must have been a struggle to remain sane.
After nearly a year of torture, anyone would go mad.
To such a man, honor was not important. A single word from a man like him.
Thank you.
Was heavier than a thousand, no, ten thousand pounds.
And deeper than the deepest lake in the North Sea.
It was a mans single word.
I smiled faintly and told him not to mention it.
And just then.
What a tearful reunion between you grimy bastards.
A chilling and unsettling voice echoed. A single phrase, carried from a place far beyond these iron bars.
To think a rat has crept into this fortress Ive built. Tak.
Yes, Senior Brother.
The time has come for you to feel the fruits of your achievements.
Hehehe, Senior Brother. I will take care of it.
I looked at my uncle, and he, as expected, was nodding.
Its him.
It was them. The two mad Taoists, Yeogon and his junior, Sangtak.