Ice and Fire (7)
I followed behind Young Palace Lord Meng.
He was heading there exactly as I intended.
"In truth, the place we're going cannot be shown to outsiders."
I feigned ignorance and asked,
"Is that so?"
"So, you must never tell anyone else that you entered there."
"Understood. I'll keep it in mind."
Soon, we arrived.
It was enclosed by high walls, likely to block others' access.
"Wait a moment."
He went inside and came back out, then said to me,
"Come in now."
"Yes."
Ha Gongzi decided to stand watch outside.
Creak.
Opening the door revealed a spacious courtyard.
The surrounding buildings were adorned with jade-green metamorphic rock mined from the Chang Mountains of Dali in Yunnan Province—a truly beautiful sight.
Just from that, it was clear.
This was a rather important building.
"It seems something valuable is stored here."
"This is where the treasures of our Chuyong Palace are kept."
"That's why access is restricted to outsiders."
"It's also where books recording the history of Chuyong Palace and important documents are stored."
Then I've come to the right place.
That said, this guy...
Sharing a name with that Meng Hyun kid who brews liquor with the array artisan, yet why is he so dim-witted?
I wonder if it's okay for someone like this to become the next palace lord.
Though we were both saewoe factions and in the midst of truce talks, the North Sea Ice Palace was still an enemy of Chuyong Palace.
You never knew when we'd clash again as foes, yet here he was letting me in and even explaining things...
If the palace lord finds out, Young Palace Lord Meng is in for a thorough beating.
But it wouldn't be my fault.
Even if I suggested coming here, he could've just flatly refused and that would've been the end of it.
To be honest, I did nudge him a bit, but I didn't expect him to cave so easily.
It caught me a little off guard.
Maybe in my previous life, Chuyong Palace's forces weakened so drastically because after Meng became palace lord, he ran it into the ground.
Shing.
He drew his sword.
"Draw your sword."
I didn't hesitate and drew mine.
Then I proposed,
"Drawing blood isn't ideal, so let's decide the winner another way."
"How?"
I held out the plate I'd prepared in advance.
"Tie this to your body. The one whose plate breaks first loses."
"Very well."
We each tied a plate to our chests.
And assumed our stances.
I quietly gauged Young Palace Lord Meng's level.
Entry into the Peak Realm, huh?
From what I'd heard, he was a year older than me.
Reaching the Peak Realm at twenty-four would earn him at least prodigy status, if not genius, anywhere.
Only Bing Hae-rin and I were the exceptions.
Anyway, that must be why he confidently barged into the palace lord's office yesterday.
And why he wasn't shying away from a duel with me now.
Taat!
At that moment, Young Palace Lord Meng charged first, swinging his sword at me.
Whoosh!
Flames erupted from his blade.
Using the Flame Radiance Art right from the start! He was serious, at least.
I dodged with a simple evasion.
Truth be told, this wasn't my first time sparring against a Flame Radiance Art user.
There were Black Dao practitioners who used it in my previous life.
And Jin Yeong Daehyeop's martial arts were based on it too.
But none compared to Chuyong Palace's version—like a bonfire to a candle.
Roar! Whoosh!
The way he wielded the fire freely made him look like a fire god.
Just like Young Palace Lord Meng before me now.
A normal warrior would've panicked at the sight alone, but I remained calm.
Our skill gap was vast, and my arts were rooted in the North Sea's chill.
I infused my sword with inner energy and unleashed my swordsmanship.
The eighth form of the Advanced Twelve Stances Swordsmanship: One Point Manifest Ice.
A one-strike kill technique.
Flame arts were flashy, especially visible from afar on a dark night like this.
Which meant we'd be spotted quickly.
To buy time to search the place, I needed to end it in one blow.
I raised my sword, focusing all my nerves on him.
Screee!
"Hup!"
He tried to defend with a panicked face.
Sorry, but too late.
It was the difference between Super First-rate and entry Peak Realm.
No way he could block my full-power strike.
Thud—!
My sword touched his chest, and the plate shattered.
"I... I lost..."
But this wasn't the end of what I wanted.
I pummeled him dozens of times with my fists.
Pow-pow-pow-pow!
"Gah!"
My inner energy shook his internals, and he passed out.
Thud.
Phew, now I feel a bit better.
I approached him and shook his body.
"Hey, are you okay? Hey?"
But his body didn't twitch at all.
Definitely out cold.
Then I'd better check the records quickly.
I scanned the surroundings for any presence. To ensure no guards were around.
Still, no one nearby.
Thanks to Young Palace Lord Meng sending everyone away earlier.
Probably to hide bringing me here, but it worked in my favor.
I swiftly moved inside the hall.
The documents were stored on the first floor's bookshelves.
I went up and quickly scanned them.
Found it.
Records from twenty years ago.
I pulled out the book and flipped through the pages.
It was a sort of daily journal kept by the palace lord of that time.
I skimmed quickly, then stopped at one entry.
Members of the North Sea Ice Palace arrived at the main palace for the Ten Ice Conference.
But those from Seolpung Palace were absent.
When I asked, they only brought news of their clan's annihilation by some foe.
Young Palace Lord Jin-i was deeply saddened.
Losing one's only rival is a tragic affair.
Questions arose about who destroyed Seolpung Palace, so I began an investigation.
Annihilating a saewoe faction means we could be next.
What?
According to this, the current palace lord was close with my master?
Is that why he's been so friendly to me?
And it means they aren't the culprits who wiped out Seolpung Palace?
I flipped further.
Maybe the former Chuyong Palace lord had uncovered the culprits behind Seolpung's downfall.
While quickly turning pages, my eyes stopped on another entry.
I heard of strange phenomena at Mt. Muchul Musan and went there with Hwa-sik.
There, I saw a sword guarded by a mad warrior.
Embedded in rock, it was unmistakably the divine treasure of Seolpung Palace's lord: the Silver Mist Sword.
I tried to retrieve the Silver Mist Sword but failed.
A spirit beast guarded it.
One called Hanho Sura.
Since it wouldn't permit it, I had to leave the Silver Mist Sword as is.
Ah, this must be the record of that day Gold Spirit mentioned, when Hwa-sik tried to take the Silver Mist Sword.
According to this, it wasn't stealing—he was trying to recover it.
Gold Spirit misunderstood it as theft.
Yet that mad warrior felt oddly familiar.
I didn't notice at first, but the more I thought, the more his features matched those of Doyeonmun descendants.
Doyeonmun?
What's that?
I'd never heard of it even in my previous life.
If someone of the palace lord's stature was this certain, that mad warrior had to be Doyeonmun blood.
Phew, at least it's clear Chuyong Palace aren't the culprits.
On one hand, my mind felt lighter.
If they were, escaping unscathed would've been the first problem.
And I even got a lead.
Investigating Doyeonmun should reveal the true culprits.
I returned the book and headed back to the sparring area.
But...
Someone was approaching fast.
Gasp! That energy...!
Creeeak.
The door opened, and the source appeared.
The Chuyong Palace lord saw Young Palace Lord Meng collapsed on the floor, then turned to me standing awkwardly.
"Explain what happened."
Behind him, Ha Gongzi fidgeted anxiously.
I had only one option.
Explain the situation calmly and truthfully.
"In truth, Young Palace Lord Meng seemed to have something to say to me."
I didn't spill everything he'd tried to do to me.
I'm not that petty.
Besides, holding it as leverage was more convenient for me.
"He told me not to interfere with his matter involving Bing Hae-rin Young Palace Lord and proposed a duel. Wanting a quiet place, he led me here."
I continued,
"Even in a duel, drawing blood is no good, so we agreed the first whose tied plate breaks loses. As you see..."
"You won."
"Yes. But I might've used too much force, and he passed out."
Plus a bonus几十 punches.
But I hit him without leaving marks.
Pain and visible bruises were different, but that wasn't my concern.
"I see. But..."
He glanced at me and behind me with a strange expression, then turned.
"Follow me."
"Yes."
"And get rid of that."
"Understood."
The Chuyong Palace lord curtly ordered his warriors behind him and left. I meekly followed.
Rumble rumble rumble.
We passed through a stone door into the office.
"This way."
The palace lord's office was divided: one for audiences, one for work.
He led me to the work area.
Meaning he had serious business.
"Sit."
I sat where he indicated. He stared at me, then said,
"I saw your footprints."
"Pardon?"
"You knocked out that dimwit on purpose and visited the hall where our palace records are kept."
"..."
"You wouldn't know, but the palace lord can see footprints there."
I didn't know that.
As I racked my brain for an excuse, he asked,
"So, how's Myeong-hyeon doing?"
"...Pardon?"
"Kwak Myeong-hyeon. That rascal."
Ah...
They were rivals, right.
"Your father is the head of the Eunhae Merchant Group. If you became Seolpung Palace's young palace lord, your master must be Myeong-hyeon. Right?"
"...Yes."
"That damn brat!"
The palace lord vented his frustration.
"If he's alive, couldn't he at least send word? I'll shove him into a cesspit!"
He was cursing, but it wasn't real anger.
True curses wouldn't redden the eyes.
"Ahem, ahem. Sorry. I got emotional."
"It's fine."
"So, is that guy doing well?"
"Yes. He's healthy."
"Good."
He looked at me and asked again,
"So, why did you enter that hall?"
I hesitated briefly on whether to tell the truth.
But there was only one answer.
No point in lying—it wouldn't work, and he wasn't an enemy.
The sincerity about my master just now, and the records I'd confirmed earlier.
Plus, to learn about Doyeonmun, his help would be best.
So... the truth it is.
"My apologies, but until we came here, I believed Chuyong Palace was behind the incident at Seolpung Palace."
"What?"
The palace lord's face darkened.
Clearly beyond incredulity—anger rising.
I quickly continued,
"I had my reasons."
"What reasons?"
I took out the whetstone from my bosom.
"This."
He examined it and asked,
"What's this?"
"The only evidence left at Seolpung Palace after the incident—proof of the culprit."
"This?"
His brow furrowed as he inspected it closely, then nodded.
He'd noticed. That its owner was a Flame Radiance Art user.
And from a hot region.
"I see. That would make one suspect us. But this isn't the whetstone we use."
"Certain?"
"Of course. Let me explain. As you know, our Flame Radiance Art generates immense heat."
"Yes."
"Blade edges don't stay intact. So we use coarser whetstones. Need the roughness to shape the blades."
Ah...
"Our swords don't so much cut as tear and shred. The edges become serrated like saws."
As the palace lord said, Young Palace Lord Meng's blade was like that.
"..."
"It's from a Flame Radiance Art user, but for a weaker variant than ours."
"I see."
He returned the whetstone and said,
"So you infiltrated the hall to find evidence about this?"
"My apologies."
I bowed with clasped hands in apology.
"No need if you didn't damage anything. I understand your situation. And the one who brought you there is my worthless son."
I felt a bit awkward.
I was the one who manipulated him.
Still, self-inflicted. If he hadn't bothered me, I wouldn't have used him.
I cautiously broached,
"Palace Lord, I have a question."
"What is it?"
"Do you know of Doyeonmun?"