Chapter 33: Collapse
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 33: Collapse
The Northern Sea Ice Palace, Council of Elders.
“They should have been dealt with by now, shouldn’t they?”
“Most likely.”
“Tsk. If the job is done, they should have sent a carrier pigeon immediately. They’re late.”
The man in black answered Seol Un-gang’s question.
“Are you doubting Blood Rain right now?”
Blood Rain.
Along with the Killing Curtain, they were one of the most renowned assassin organizations in the Central Plains.
As the man in black grumbled as if offended, Seol Un-gang spoke.
“It’s not that I don’t trust Blood Rain. It’s just that both the boy and the Young Palace Lord are no ordinary pair.”
“The Extreme Yang Body and the Extreme Yin Body. They certainly possess constitutions rarely seen even in the Central Plains. But even so, they are merely children who have barely reached adulthood.”
The man in black, Sa-wol, looked at Seol Un-gang with an expression of disbelief.
“It was already shameful enough to dispatch an entire squad of Blood Rain against mere children, yet you worry about the mission failing? This isn’t like you, Elder.”
“Confidence is well and good, Sa-wol. But if this fails, your head will not remain on your shoulders.”
Chairman Seol Un-gang fell into thought.
‘If only that brat hadn’t shown up.’
Everything would have proceeded according to his plan. If only that boy disappeared, the North Sea would return to the way it used to be. That was why he had been constantly looking for an opportunity to assassinate him.
‘To think the Palace Lord would send them outside the palace himself.’
He felt like he should thank the Ice Emperor. It was quite a sight to see him struggling to reopen trade with the Central Plains.
However...
‘Palace Lord, you seem to trust that matrilocal son-in-law far too much.’
Merchant groups were entities that pursued loyalty and trust. Those Central Plains bastards were obsessed with justification and face. If a member of their group were harmed before trade even began, they would surely cancel the deal before even reaching the Ice Palace.
It didn’t even matter if the Blood Rain assassins failed to kill Seol Yerin and Hyeok Ryeon-yeom. As long as he could block the Ice Palace’s financial lifeline, the palace would gradually fall into ruin.
A hero is always needed in times of crisis.
‘I will use this as a pretext to drag the Palace Lord down...’
And he would become the new Lord of the Ice Palace.
“You haven’t forgotten your promise? If we succeed, the payment is doubled.”
“Of course.”
As long as they succeeded, he could give them any amount of money. After all, the funds to be paid to Blood Rain weren’t coming out of his personal fortune anyway.
“Are you alright, Young Master?”
“I’m fine.”
Moyong Geum watched the Little Snow Unit as they dealt with the assassins. These weren’t just any thugs; they were assassins from the infamous Blood Rain.
‘I thought they were just a minor sect from the crumbling Outlands.’
He was completely wrong.
There were only six of them. No, to be precise, only four were fighting. The members assigned to protect Moyong Geum, including Young Palace Lord Seol Yerin, weren’t doing anything.
‘Then... what is that?’
Squelch— Squelch—
There was a cook wielding a kitchen knife, hacking away at the assassins' arms and legs without hesitation.
“To think you would make a living by killing people... you all are truly too much.”
Swish—
Every time the maid threw a flying dagger, it buried itself deep into an assassin’s throat.
And then...
Whoosh!
“Aaaargh!”
Even well-trained assassins couldn’t help but scream in agony. A man was literally cremating the assassins alive with flames erupting from his entire body.
“A warrior of the Ice Palace using fire arts... how peculiar.”
No one brought up the fact that he might not be from the Ice Palace. Most people from the Central Plains harbored a deep-seated aversion toward the Demonic Cult.
“They seemed to be targeting you persistently, Young Master Moyong. Does anyone come to mind?”
At Baek Mu-yong’s question, Moyong Geum’s bodyguard, Jang Baek-rim, shook his head.
“This is the first time we’ve been attacked by assassins like this.”
“Hmm, that’s strange.”
If it wasn’t a personal grudge against Moyong Geum, it meant someone had commissioned his death.
“There may be those who dislike the idea of trade resuming with the Ice Palace,” Moyong Geum said calmly.
Since the Moyong Family had moved cautiously, it was unlikely that information had leaked from their side. Naturally, suspicion fell on the Ice Palace, but he didn’t voice it aloud.
“I will ensure there are no further issues until we reach the Ice Palace.”
Moyong Geum nodded at the voice of the Young Palace Lord, Seol Yerin. Having seen their skills with his own eyes, he wasn’t overly worried.
“Shouldn’t we capture at least one and interrogate them?”
Moyong Geum shook his head at Eun-bin’s question.
“Blood Rain assassins would rather commit suicide than talk. It seems the Captain of the Little Snow Unit realized that as well, which is why he’s finishing them off without hesitation.”
Whoosh!
The heat began to subside.
“You are correct.”
Hyeok Ryeon-yeom gazed at the fallen Blood Rain assassins. With this many people, it was nearly an entire squad.
‘Whoever it is, they like to be thorough.’
If it was a hit as Moyong Geum suggested...
“Let’s move.”
“Pardon?”
“We don’t have time. We must reach the Ice Palace before word spreads that the assassins were wiped out.”
The goal of this mission was to restart trade between the Ice Palace and the Moyong Merchant Group. If they achieved that, the North Sea would begin to prosper again.
“Are you injured anywhere?”
“I am safe thanks to you, Captain. Thank you.”
“I’m glad to hear it. Now, please use your lightness techniques again.”
“Excuse me?”
Hyeok Ryeon-yeom smiled at the bewildered Moyong Geum.
“You can run, can’t you?”
Moyong Geum couldn’t bring himself to say he couldn’t run in front of Seol Yerin.
“The Little Snow Unit is reportedly returning with the son of the Moyong Merchant Group Leader.”
The Chief Officer of the Ice Palace, Seol Su-hyeok, read the message attached to a carrier pigeon and reported to Seol Baek-ho.
“When are they expected to arrive?”
“They estimate about two days.”
“That fast?”
“They say they are pushing their lightness techniques to the limit.”
“Why? There’s no need to rush.”
“It seems Blood Rain assassins targeted the merchant leader’s son.”
“There was an ambush?”
“Yes. Therefore, the Captain of the Little Snow Unit suggests that we prepare the Cold Iron in advance. He wants to ensure no one can interfere with the deal.”
After finishing the letter containing Hyeok Ryeon-yeom’s thoughts, the Chief Officer looked back at Seol Baek-ho.
“The Captain seems to anticipate that a certain faction will try to sabotage the trade.”
“It appears so.”
“What do you think, Chief Officer?”
“The movements of the Council of Elders are suspicious.”
“Do you believe there is a traitor within the palace?”
“It is because you have been so focused on the Young Palace Lord lately, my Lord, that you haven’t been able to keep a close eye on the Council’s activities.”
Seol Su-hyeok began to voice the thoughts he had been harboring.
“If we are to reclaim the glory of the Ice Palace, you must make a decision.”
Seol Baek-ho pondered Seol Su-hyeok’s words for a moment before speaking as if he had made up his mind.
“Summon the heads of the Five Great Families.”
“My Lord?”
“The Ice Palace that Yerin will inherit must be intact, shouldn’t it?”
Seol Baek-ho’s blue eyes began to glow with intensity.
“Pant, pant. Captain... please, let’s rest for just a moment.”
Baek Mu-yong declared his surrender.
“Fine. Let’s take a short break.”
In truth, Hyeok Ryeon-yeom had been thinking it was about time to rest. Although they hadn’t said anything, Tae Un-seo and Weizhi Young looked exhausted as well. Even Seol Yerin and Eun-bin seemed slightly fatigued.
And most importantly, Moyong Geum and Jang Baek-rim...
Thud.
“Huff, huff.”
As soon as the word 'rest' was mentioned, they collapsed onto the ground and immediately began breathing exercises to recover. They seemed to trust that someone would stand guard for them.
—Tsk tsk, they must have been pushed to their limit.
—True, circulating their qi will help them recover their stamina quickly. It’s a wise choice.
‘Does the Young Palace Lord look alright to you?’
—It seems she’s consumed quite a bit of Extreme Yin Qi through the lightness techniques and combat.
Then he would have to tell her to transfer the remaining Extreme Yin Qi to him. Hyeok Ryeon-yeom approached Seol Yerin and held out his hand.
“What is it?”
“Transfer some of your Extreme Yin Qi to me.”
“Here?”
“Yes. I think I need to replenish it.”
There were still many things he wanted to test with this body. So far, the side effects of the Extreme Yang Body hadn’t appeared. That was likely because he was using so much Extreme Yang Qi, and the Extreme Yin Qi he received from the Young Palace Lord maintained a sense of harmony.
“...We still have more running to do. Just a little bit.”
Seol Yerin took Hyeok Ryeon-yeom’s hand.
At that moment...
Twitch—
The members of the Little Snow Unit—excluding Jang Baek-rim, who was guarding the meditating Moyong Geum—were startled.
“Did... did the Young Palace Lord just hold his hand?”
“It’s truly a miracle he hasn’t frozen solid.”
Weizhi Young whispered softly, and Baek Mu-yong spoke as if it were a marvel.
“The rumors about the Captain being the matrilocal son-in-law were everywhere; I guess they were true.”
“……”
Eun-bin clenched his fists at the murmuring of Tae Un-seo, who was preparing a simple meal with ingredients he had brought to stave off hunger.
Vroom—
The Extreme Yang Qi in his dantian reacted to the Extreme Yin Qi flowing through their joined hands. It was a sensation where every acupoint felt as if it were about to freeze solid. The Extreme Yin Qi began to surge through his meridians once more.
Soon, the two energies met.
Rumble.
Instead of clashing, they began to harmonize.
‘It’s truly fascinating.’
They were clearly polar opposite energies. Yet, the two forces began to welcome each other intensely, as if they had been yearning for one another from the very beginning.
Hummm!
As if leading the way, the Extreme Yang Qi guided the Extreme Yin Qi. The cold energy settled into the dantian where the Extreme Yang Qi was coiled.
Hyeok Ryeon-yeom wasn’t the only one experiencing this.
“Mmm.”
Seol Yerin also watched the process with wonder, letting out a soft groan. The movement of unfamiliar true qi was bound to involve some pain. In fact, she was looking at Hyeok Ryeon-yeom with surprise. It meant he was enduring the immense pain without making a single sound.
Regardless, by sharing their energies, both felt their fatigue wash away.
“...How long are you going to keep holding it?”
“Ah, sorry. Just a bit more...”
Just as Hyeok Ryeon-yeom was about to continue...
“You—you two! What is your relationship?!”
He turned around at the shout of Moyong Geum, who had finished his meditation and woken up. Without them noticing, Moyong Geum had stood up and was pointing a finger at the joined hands of Hyeok Ryeon-yeom and Seol Yerin.
“What relationship, you ask...”
Hyeok Ryeon-yeom looked at Seol Yerin’s face. A formal marriage proposal hadn’t been exchanged yet. Although he had come to the North Sea at the Palace Lord’s request and even spent a night with Seol Yerin, they weren’t exactly lovers. For now, their relationship was that of a Captain and the Young Palace Lord.
Hyeok Ryeon-yeom, thinking there was no need to explain the inner details to an outsider who wasn’t even part of the Ice Palace, was about to speak when...
“We are in a relationship where we will soon hold an engagement ceremony. Is there a problem?”
Seol Yerin spoke first.
Eyes widened. Everyone stared at Seol Yerin with expressions of utter shock at her bombshell statement.
“Ah...”
The one most devastated seemed to be Moyong Geum. At Seol Yerin’s words, his head dropped.
It was impossible to know what kind of tumultuous future he had imagined with Seol Yerin—who still wore her bamboo hat and veil—but at this moment, it looked as if Moyong Geum’s entire world had come crashing down.