Chapter 71: The Command Plaque
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 71: The Command Plaque
Just before the situation reached its conclusion.
Cr-crack!
Seol Yerin froze all the masked men solid.
She had tried her best to avoid revealing her identity as a member of the Ice Palace, but given the circumstances, it seemed unavoidable.
"Young Palace Lord."
"Young Palace Lord?"
Since things had already turned out this way, Hyeok Ryeon-yeom decided to revise his plan.
It would have been one thing if the Mount Hua scoundrels had died, but they had survived. He had heard that the Orthodox factions lived and died by their reputation and justification.
If that was the case...
'I have to change it.'
He had to change the way the Orthodox sects perceived the Ice Palace.
"...Has the North Sea Ice Palace come to invade the Central Plains?"
The man who appeared to be an elder of the Zhongnan Sect muttered in despair, as if finally understanding the situation.
The tide of battle had completely turned. He likely never imagined that all the disciples he brought with him would be frozen solid in an instant.
"Your name?"
Hyeok Ryeon-yeom needed to know at least that much.
"...Byeok Ra-jung. I am an elder of the Zhongnan Sect. And yours, boy?"
"Hyeok Ryeon-yeom. Surely you aren't about to say that Zhongnan will avenge you if you die here, are you?"
Shring—
Hyeok Ryeon-yeom drew his sword as he spoke.
"Hardly."
Byeok Ra-jung, the Zhongnan elder, also raised his sword. He sensed it instinctively—that this duel to the death might be his last.
Hyeok Ryeon-yeom gripped the Flame Extreme and took the starting stance of the Seven Severing Demon Sword.
Whoosh!
Flames erupted, blurring Byeok Ra-jung’s vision.
"I will kill you, escape this place, and spread the word that the Ice Palace has invaded the Central Plains."
"Invaded, you say...?"
What exactly had they done? If anything, it was Zhongnan that had struck first.
"I’ll change that perception for you."
Hyeok Ryeon-yeom’s sword lunged forward.
The Extreme Yang Qi, channeled through the Iron Blood Divine Art of the Iron Venerable, surged into his Yongquan Point.
"Boundless Heaven!"
The finest strike possible within the Thirty-Six Swords of the World streaked toward Hyeok Ryeon-yeom.
Hyeok Ryeon-yeom stared directly at the incoming blade and smiled. Since unleashing the Seven Severing Demon Sword, he had resolved to use the demonic sword forms he had etched into his mind.
"Iron Flame Mad Soul."
Flames as solid as steel began to thrash wildly.
The moment the black blade, flying in from thirty-six directions, touched the fire, it began to melt.
"Melting the sword...?"
As Byeok Ra-jung stared in horror at his sword liquefying and dripping away,
Cough—
Hyeok Ryeon-yeom’s flames swallowed the elder's heart.
Gulp.
The Mount Hua scoundrels swallowed hard at the sight. It was their first time seeing a Zhongnan elder defeated so instantaneously.
Un-sang, a third-generation disciple of the Mount Hua Sect, stood up after checking on Yu So-dong and the other disciples.
The reason the disciples of the Mount Hua Sect, who once dominated Shaanxi Province, had been reduced to acting like common thugs was largely due to the Zhongnan Sect's influence.
When they had first entered the sect, Mount Hua’s situation hadn't been quite this dire. For reasons unknown, there had been an atmosphere of trying to gather funds from all directions.
However, around the time Un-sang joined, the monthly offerings began to dry up, and the merchant groups and shops that had long been under Mount Hua’s protection started withdrawing their requests for guardianship.
Mount Hua, already living in poverty, fell into even greater hardship. It reached a point where younger junior disciples, driven by hunger, would fall ill after eating grass.
Few people knew this truth. That was why Un-sang and the others had come here.
Even though they knew Yu So-dong was struggling, they had shamelessly taken money from him under the guise of protection fees. They did it simply so they could eat. In exchange, they would patrol the area and chase away any local hoodlums or thugs before entering the inn.
The number of inns and shops paying protection fees had already dwindled significantly. Yet, some members of Mount Hua still clung to this place. It was their last shred of pride.
If they were pushed out even from here by Zhongnan, it would be an utter disgrace for Mount Hua. The problem was that Zhongnan’s forces were formidable. They had never dreamed an elder would be deployed.
"Thank you for your help, Great Hero."
"Hmm?"
"...We were able to survive thanks to you."
Hyeok Ryeon-yeom gauged the reactions of the Mount Hua lot and Yu So-dong. He was curious about how the Mount Hua Sect perceived the Ice Palace.
"...You aren't afraid?"
"Pardon?"
"As you can see, we are from the Ice Palace."
"Is that truly alright with you?"
"...Regardless of where you are from, the fact that you saved us remains unchanged."
"...And thanks to you guests, the inn managed to avoid being completely leveled."
The Mount Hua disciples did not shun the Ice Palace. As Hyeok Ryeon-yeom turned to look at Seol Yerin,
"What... what in the world happened here?"
A middle-aged man wearing robes embroidered with plum blossoms appeared at the entrance of the Yulin Inn.
Baek San, an elder of the Mount Hua Sect, surveyed the surroundings of the Yulin Inn. His presence here was tied to the crisis facing Mount Hua.
As a prestigious Taoist sect, Mount Hua did not operate direct businesses. Consequently, they were always poor. They survived on offerings from devotees and protection fees from businesses they guarded. It wasn't a life of luxury, but it was sufficient.
However, over the past few years, more and more businesses had begun refusing their protection. First one, then two, then four...
He had only recently realized that the Zhongnan Sect was behind it. But by the time he found out, Mount Hua was already in shambles. Their greatest mistake had been failing to stop Zhongnan’s interference because they were distracted by internal troubles.
They needed money—if only to feed and raise their disciples. That damned money.
This was why he was making the rounds to the inns in Yulin City that still had ties to them, visiting businesses and pleading their case. Above all, this was a place he would always find himself drawn to.
When one lives as a member of Mount Hua, there are bound to be one or two people they keep buried in their hearts.
'So-dong.'
For Baek San, that person was Yu So-dong. It was the Sect Leader and himself who had led the charge for the boy's excommunication.
He had heard that after leaving Mount Hua, Yu So-dong had opened an inn here in Yulin City. And several of Yu So-dong’s former martial brothers had volunteered to look after the place.
"Huh?"
Suddenly, the sound of clashing metal reached Baek San’s ears.
A fight!
The direction was toward the Yulin Inn. Baek San hurried toward the source.
'Is that man... not the Heavenly Sword of Zhongnan?'
Seeing the frozen masked men and the fallen Zhongnan elder, Baek San stared at the man and woman standing beside the third-generation disciples. Intense heat and cold were radiating from the two of them simultaneously.
"Elder!"
The Mount Hua disciples cried out when they spotted Baek San.
"I came because of the commotion while on patrol. What is the meaning of this?"
"An elder?"
"I am Baek San, the Plum Blossom Sword, an elder of the Mount Hua Sect," Baek San said, offering a fist salute.
At Baek San’s introduction, Seol Yerin turned her gaze toward Hyeok Ryeon-yeom, silently asking how they should proceed.
"I am Hyeok Ryeon-yeom. I am serving as the escort for the Young Palace Lord."
"Young Palace Lord...?"
At Hyeok Ryeon-yeom’s words, Seol Yerin realized there was no longer any need to hide her identity.
"I am Seol Yerin."
She worried whether she could truly travel the Central Plains after revealing her status as the Young Palace Lord of the North Sea Ice Palace, but...
'He'll handle it.'
She trusted Hyeok Ryeon-yeom.
"The Young Palace Lord of the Ice Palace...?"
Baek San froze. The martial world's perception of the North Sea Ice Palace was quite poor. However...
"Elder, thanks to these two... we were able to survive."
"...Is that true?"
"Can't you see for yourself?"
The state of the inn was truly disastrous. It was damaged to the point where it couldn't be operated for the time being. Naturally, Baek San’s gaze shifted to Yu So-dong.
"...You must have suffered much."
"...It was nothing."
The inn could be repaired. But a life could not be brought back. Yu So-dong and the Mount Hua disciples had survived here today.
"Thank you for protecting my disciples."
Baek San had heard the rumors about the Ice Palace, but he decided to believe only what he saw with his own eyes.
"...Is it truly alright for you to offer us such gratitude?"
"Is it not a fact that you protected my disciples?"
"That is true, but..."
"On that note, I would like to invite you to Mount Hua to repay this debt of gratitude."
"...?"
Hyeok Ryeon-yeom looked back at Seol Yerin at Baek San’s unexpected proposal. He had revealed her as the Young Palace Lord, but he never expected an invitation to Mount Hua.
—What would you like to do?
—Didn't you want to visit the Five Great Mountains of the Central Plains?
—How did you...
—I saw you looking at the mountains quite often. I didn't know you enjoyed hiking.
She thought that someone like him would surely want to see the Five Great Mountains, the most famous peaks in the Central Plains.
—And didn't you say you wanted to change the perception of the Ice Palace?
She was telling him to go. Hyeok Ryeon-yeom hadn't expected Seol Yerin to be so supportive.
"Very well. It seems like a good opportunity."
Their destination was now changed to Mount Hua.
Yu So-dong could hardly believe he was returning to the Mount Hua Sect.
'After being excommunicated and running an inn in Yulin City, I thought I would never be able to return to Mount Hua again.'
Yu So-dong had been excommunicated five years ago. To the world, and even to himself, he claimed it was because he hadn't paid his dues, but the truth was different.
'Master.'
Yu So-dong, the Mount Hua disciple excommunicated five years ago. He had been the disciple of a Taoist scholar whom few in Mount Hua knew well.
"You seem to be in a complicated mood."
Baek San spoke to Yu So-dong, who was lost in thought. Yu So-dong remained silent for a moment before speaking cautiously.
"...Is it truly alright for me to enter?"
Had there ever been a case of an excommunicated disciple being brought back?
"Yes. If I say I am bringing you, the Sect Leader will not object. Besides..."
—You were the first to encounter the people of the Ice Palace.
The people of the Ice Palace. He was referring to the North Sea Ice Palace.
To be honest, Yu So-dong hadn't felt much of anything even when he realized the guests at his inn were high-ranking figures from the North Sea. Having never truly recovered from the events before his excommunication, he was indifferent to the affairs of the world.
Thus, he didn't care who his guests were. What mattered more to him was how much they enjoyed his food and whether they paid properly. And... the person who prevented his inn from being destroyed was someone to whom he owed a great debt.
"Elder, with what intention are you taking those people to Mount Hua?"
He suspected it wasn't simply because they had saved his martial brothers.
"Listen well, So-dong. Currently, there is a very high possibility that we will end up fighting Zhongnan."
"And?"
"If the Ice Palace has already made an enemy of Zhongnan, wouldn't borrowing their strength to deal with Zhongnan be one way to handle things?"
"...Are you telling me to think of them as being taken along because they have utility?"
Yu So-dong frowned. If that was the case, it meant Mount Hua was taking Seol Yerin, Hyeok Ryeon-yeom, and the other North Sea warriors just to use them.
"They are strangers. It is true we owe them a debt, but we do not know with what intent they have visited the Central Plains. Whether they truly came just for sightseeing or if they have some other plan, the Sect Leader will determine that."
Furthermore...
Baek San stared at the carriage carrying the Young Palace Lord.
'If we can keep the Young Palace Lord of the Ice Palace at Mount Hua...'
Mount Hua might be able to demand many things from the Ice Palace.
"...I understand."
"Our junior brother still has so many questions."
"Seniors."
"Don't worry too much; the Master will reward you once we return to Mount Hua. You're only going back to get the money for the inn repairs anyway, right?"
At his senior's remark, Yu So-dong fell silent. Just when he thought they had reconciled...
'People really don't change easily.'
His seniors were looking down on him again, as if they had completely forgotten the words they had said to him back at the inn.
"I think we should stop here for a quick meal before moving on."
The Ice Palace carriage came to a halt. Yu So-dong nodded and approached them. The road from Yulin City to Mount Hua was longer than expected.
"I will prepare a meal."
As Yu So-dong approached the carriage and spoke, Tae Un-seo, who had been sitting on the driver's seat, stood up.
"Shall I show off my skills a bit?"
"Are you a cook?"
At Yu So-dong’s question, Tae Un-seo’s eyes gleamed.
"That's right."
"Warrior Tae, why don't we do it together?"
"I'd appreciate that."
Tae Un-seo did not refuse Yu So-dong’s help.
"Hmm, have we stopped?"
Just then, the carriage door opened, and the Divine Physician stepped out. Baek San, who had been watching the carriage closely, was startled to see an old man emerge. He hadn't realized until now that the Young Palace Lord wasn't the only one inside.
"Wait..."
But even more surprisingly...
"Divine Physician... Elder?"
Realizing that the old man in the carriage was the Divine Physician, Baek San rushed toward him.
"Elder, why are you coming out of that carriage?"
"Hmm? If it isn't Elder Baek. I heard our destination changed to Mount Hua. Was it you who invited the Ice Palace? Thanks to you, I'll get to see your Sect Leader after a long time."
Seeing the two of them conversing, Hyeok Ryeon-yeom interjected.
"Did you two know each other?"
In response to Hyeok Ryeon-yeom’s question, the Divine Physician rummaged through his robes.
Fumble, fumble.
He pulled out a command plaque and handed it to Hyeok Ryeon-yeom.
"The owner of this plaque is none other than the Plum Blossom Sword, Baek San."
In other words, Baek San, the elder of Mount Hua, had once received help from the Divine Physician.
"Ho, Divine Physician. Does this mean I can keep this plaque as well?"
The Divine Physician replied to Hyeok Ryeon-yeom’s question.
"Of course."
At that sight, Baek San’s eyes began to tremble.