Chapter 6: Ice Flower
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 6: Ice Flower
To be honest, this was exactly the situation I wanted.
Baek Mu-yong was a man whose intuition was annoyingly sharp.
Before I knew it, he had spread the word. Martial artists of the North Sea were appearing one after another to witness the duel between the Captain of the Little Snow Unit—the Young Palace Lord’s personal guard—and the son-in-law, Hyeok Ryeon-yeom.
‘The stage is set.’
Now, everything depended on whether Hyeok Ryeon-yeom could suppress Eun-bin here or not.
I began to circulate the Extreme Yang Qi.
Sizzle—
As the Yang energy radiating from my entire body collided with the bitter midwinter cold, it began to vent out as thick steam.
Clang.
“Draw your sword.”
Whoosh!
The moment I pulled the blade from its scabbard, flames surged and danced along its edge.
As I leveled the flaming sword at Eun-bin—
“According to the rules, the duel will proceed with the winner granting a request from the loser.”
“Young Master, do your best!”
The witness was Baek Mu-yong of the Ice Wolf Unit.
Eun-bin also drew his sword upon seeing Hyeok Ryeon-yeom.
Perhaps because news of the duel had already spread, a crowd was gathering.
“They said the man who’s to be the Palace Lord’s son-in-law has the Extreme Yang Body, and it’s already getting sweltering.”
“But why is he fighting Eun-bin?”
“I heard they’re fighting over the position of Captain of the Little Snow Unit.”
The murmurs from the surroundings were clearly audible.
However, Hyeok Ryeon-yeom had no room to worry about other people's voices right now.
‘In terms of pure swordsmanship, I’ll definitely be pushed back.’
In my past life, I spent more days staring at paper than I did holding a sword.
Therefore, I still needed time for the sword to feel natural in my hand again.
So, for now, this sword was a feint.
The real deal was elsewhere.
Hyeok Ryeon-yeom began to concentrate a powerful amount of Yang Qi into his legs.
‘My team’s base coach used to say it.’
He who rules the bases rules the game.
“Then, let the duel begin!”
With Baek Mu-yong’s declaration—
“I must treat the Young Palace Lord, so I won’t kill you.”
Though his eyes were still narrowed into slits, Eun-bin charged at me with a gaze full of killing intent.
He was fast.
Hyeok Ryeon-yeom’s eyes tracked Eun-bin’s movements.
Excellent dynamic visual acuity was the most basic requirement for a batter.
Whoosh!
Because of that—
“Too slow.”
“The Young Master from the Demonic Cult dodged Captain Eun’s fast sword!”
“That’s impressive!”
Eun-bin’s sword strike was honest.
It was to the point where I could easily avoid it.
Furthermore, my legs were currently packed with Yang Qi to the point of bursting.
That aside.
“What are you doing?”
Hyeok Ryeon-yeom could feel that this sword strike wasn't Eun-bin’s full power.
“This is a test. A test to see if you truly possess the qualifications to be the Young Palace Lord’s spouse.”
“You’re overstepping your bounds for a mere guard.”
Fwoosh!
Flames erupted around us.
The snow covering the North Sea began to melt rapidly.
“So this is the Extreme Yang Body!”
“It’s hot!”
“How long has it been since we felt such heat?!”
Regardless of whether the spectators shouted or not, Hyeok Ryeon-yeom began to move rapidly around Eun-bin.
As he did, he took a few experimental swings with his sword.
Yang Qi naturally flowed into the blade.
The sword, wreathed in blazing flames, intercepted Eun-bin.
Boom! Boom!
Emotions were felt along with the sound of the explosions.
‘Envy and jealousy? And a love-hate relationship?’
There was a saying that sometimes it was better for martial artists to clash swords than to exchange a hundred words.
Hyeok Ryeon-yeom did not agree with that sentiment.
Close-quarters combat inherently carried risk.
Especially in a fight between masters, a moment’s distraction could result in one’s head rolling on the ground.
Hyeok Ryeon-yeom stared into Eun-bin’s eyes.
Eun-bin was not looking at Hyeok Ryeon-yeom.
‘Eun-bin, the guard of the Young Palace Lord.’
The emotions he harbored toward the Young Palace Lord were ones a guard should never possess.
‘I didn’t expect to meet a romantic rival so soon.’
And Hyeok Ryeon-yeom didn't particularly like the fact that he had to be acknowledged by this rival.
Therefore—
“Let’s end this quickly.”
This wouldn't be enough to gain Eun-bin’s complete recognition yet.
However—
‘He’ll only judge me as trustworthy if I stand above him in terms of pure martial prowess.’
As Hyeok Ryeon-yeom raised his sword high—
Flash—
Eun-bin, who had only been defending, reacted.
Clang—!
Striking upward with incredible speed, Eun-bin knocked Hyeok Ryeon-yeom’s sword into the air.
“I win.”
Just as he was about to level his sword at Hyeok Ryeon-yeom’s throat—
Boom—!
Explosive Yang Qi erupted, and in the blink of an eye, Hyeok Ryeon-yeom and Eun-bin had swapped positions.
“Shifting Form?!”
It wasn't Shifting Form.
Strictly speaking.
It was Base Stealing, executed at close range rather than over a short distance.
The sword Hyeok Ryeon-yeom leveled gleamed at Eun-bin’s throat.
Blink, blink.
Seol Yerin, the Young Palace Lord of the Ice Palace, was maintaining a state completely free of pain for the first time in a long while.
This was all thanks to Hyeok Ryeon-yeom.
It is human nature to feel bored when pain suddenly vanishes.
She began to grow curious about what was happening outside the Young Palace Lord’s Hall.
In this state, she was capable of walking around outside.
“Captain of the Little Snow Unit?”
“…….”
She couldn't feel the presence of Eun-bin, the Captain of her personal guard, the Little Snow Unit, who usually waited outside.
“Is anyone there?”
“Yes, Young Palace Lord. Did you call?”
A maid seemed to have approached upon hearing Seol Yerin’s voice.
“Where did the Captain go?”
“You sent the Little Snow Unit to their quarters. Do you not remember?”
She flinched.
At the maid’s answer, she remembered.
She had disbanded the Little Snow Unit that guarded the "Small Eye" of the Ice Palace. Now, Eun-bin was the only remaining member and Captain of the unit.
Eun-bin, who had been with her since childhood, was more like family than a guard.
“News just came in, Young Palace Lord. They say the Young Master from the Heavenly Demon Cult and the Captain of the Little Snow Unit are currently dueling.”
Thud.
“What?”
The firmly closed door to the Young Palace Lord’s room swung open.
“It’s your loss.”
Hyeok Ryeon-yeom withdrew his sword and slowly approached the fallen Eun-bin.
No matter how much of a half-baked martial artist Hyeok Ryeon-yeom was due to his lack of sword mastery, this duel was as good as won from the moment it started.
Hyeok Ryeon-yeom knew Eun-bin used a sword, but Eun-bin didn't know that Hyeok Ryeon-yeom had been an elite batter in the past.
They say if you know your enemy and know yourself, you will never be defeated.
The old sayings were never wrong.
“The winner is… Young Master Hyeok Ryeon-yeom.”
There was no cheering.
Hyeok Ryeon-yeom approached Eun-bin, who was sprawled on the ground.
Eun-bin’s slit-like eyes slowly opened.
‘Slit eyes?’
Looking at Eun-bin’s eyes, Hyeok Ryeon-yeom finally realized the situation.
Eun-bin’s true power only erupted when he fully opened both eyes.
In other words, Eun-bin, who still had his eyes narrowed, had not used his full strength.
‘Why?’
Eun-bin was someone who could have taken the head of a martial artist at Hyeok Ryeon-yeom’s level with a single strike if he had put his mind to it.
‘He didn't fight with the intention of killing me from the start.’
A moment ago, Eun-bin had received news that Seol Yerin had recovered.
Knowing better than anyone that Seol Yerin was suffering due to the curse of the Extreme Yin Body, Eun-bin seemed to have instinctively known that he must not harm Hyeok Ryeon-yeom.
“Whether you gave it your all or not, the duel is my victory.”
Hyeok Ryeon-yeom knew that Eun-bin was an essential existence for Seol Yerin.
Rumors of his protection had reached even the Demonic Cult.
He had to win Eun-bin over somehow.
“From now on, I am the Captain of the Little Snow Unit. You are the Deputy Captain.”
“…Deputy Captain?”
“I won the duel, so I’m the Captain, and you’re the Deputy.”
Hyeok Ryeon-yeom provided a swift conclusion.
“Since you lost, you’ll follow my lead according to the rules, right?”
Eun-bin frowned.
Martial artists of the North Sea must accept the results of a duel.
“I still have something to ask.”
“What is it?”
“Are you a womanizer?”
A womanizer?
He seemed to be asking if I was a lecher.
I might have been in the past, but—
“What kind of nonsense is that to say to the man who will be the Young Palace Lord’s husband? From now on, the only woman in my life will be the Young Palace Lord.”
The moment I answered Eun-bin’s question—
“Just… what do you think you’re doing?”
Seol Yerin arrived on the scene.
“It’s the Young Palace Lord!”
“Ugh, it’s freezing!”
“Hieee!”
“Run!”
As Seol Yerin appeared, the people who had been watching the duel began to flee in a hurry.
Regardless of the crowd’s movements, Eun-bin stared at only one place.
“Ah….”
The last time he had seen Seol Yerin, she was covered in ice crystals.
Born with the cursed constitution of the Extreme Yin Body, Seol Yerin had pushed away those around her in that manner.
That same Seol Yerin was now approaching Eun-bin in a healthy state.
“Are you alright?”
“Yes, I am fine.”
After checking Eun-bin’s condition, Seol Yerin immediately approached Hyeok Ryeon-yeom.
“I asked what you think you are doing.”
Hyeok Ryeon-yeom shrugged his shoulders.
“I was merely carrying out the Palace Lord’s orders. I was ordered to reorganize the Little Snow Unit, so I came to find them and was having a brief physical conversation with Deputy Captain Eun.”
“The Little Snow Unit is my direct unit.”
“I know. But I’ll be managing it from now on. As her future partner, I intend to protect the Young Palace Lord’s safety myself.”
She faltered.
Hearing the word "protect," Seol Yerin’s expression hardened.
“…I am perfectly safe as I am.”
“You might be fine today. But starting tomorrow, the Extreme Yin Qi might rise again. Then the paralysis will return. If you can’t move, you won’t be able to wipe out the bandits you hate so much, will you?”
“How… do you know about that?”
“I have my ways.”
“What happened while I was unable to move?”
It wasn't as if Seol Yerin wanted to live this kind of life.
Her father, the Palace Lord, didn't want to cause her worry, so he hadn't provided her with a single piece of information regarding the Ice Palace’s situation.
‘To give an outsider information about the Ice Palace’s situation and order him to lead the Little Snow Unit.’
Even if he could melt her Extreme Yin Qi.
“There’s nothing much to explain. The fact that bandits are constantly eyeing the Ice Palace is something everyone knows. I plan to wipe them out, if only to get on my father-in-law’s good side.”
Seol Yerin frowned at Hyeok Ryeon-yeom’s words.
It seemed Hyeok Ryeon-yeom intended to stay in the North Sea by gaining the recognition of its people.
‘I don’t know for what reason, but….’
For an outsider to be recognized by the people of the North Sea, they had to achieve a corresponding feat.
Wiping out the bandits would certainly be recognized as a great achievement.
The bandit groups of the Great Plains were one of the forces targeting the Ice Palace.
The Martial World is vast, and the Outlands are even vaster.
The Potala Palace of the Western Region, the Poison Palace of Nanman, the Great Thunder Sound Temple of Tianzhu, and the North Sea Ice Palace.
Usually, these four are considered the representative sects of the Outland Martial World.
And right below the North Sea.
There were the bandits of the Great Plains that existed between the Central Plains and the North Sea.
As if displeased by the fact that they were sandwiched between the two, they were constantly eyeing both the Central Plains and the North Sea.
“Why are you going this far?”
Seol Yerin simply couldn't understand Hyeok Ryeon-yeom.
Hyeok Ryeon-yeom probably hadn't come to the North Sea of his own volition either.
Furthermore, wasn't he said to be a womanizer and a scoundrel?
Honestly, she thought he would plan to escape the Ice Palace as soon as he arrived.
Or perhaps try to pursue women while maintaining a relationship in name only.
But—
‘That gaze.’
Hyeok Ryeon-yeom spoke while looking at Seol Yerin with a serious expression.
“I’ve taken a liking to you.”
She froze.
“If I said that, would you believe me?”
Seeing Hyeok Ryeon-yeom curl the corners of his mouth into a smirk, Seol Yerin did not hesitate to unleash her ice art.
The ice flower was covered in thorns.