Return of the Mount Hua Sect

The disciples of Mount Hua exclaimed in awe as they gazed upon the hut that stood before them. It was made entirely of stacked tree logs, their original shapes untouched.

This type of construction was something they had never seen before in the Central Plains. Although there were people who lived in the mountains there as well, log stacking of this kind was rare.

“Much larger than I expected.”

Strangely, there were no other houses in sight.

“Wasn’t this supposed to be a village?”

“Hmm?”

Jo Gul asked with confusion, causing Hong Yi-Myung to tilt his head.

“Are you looking for a village?”

“Ah, no. That’s not it.”

“If you were looking for a village, you shouldn’t have come this way. This area is quite remote, so no one lives here. Did you come all the way here without knowing that?”

All eyes turned towards Baek Cheon.

“What? What’s the matter?”

“…somehow, I thought we had found it.”

“Exactly.”

Baek Cheon protested in anger, but the others drowned out his words.

“Can we go inside?”

Unbeknownst to them, Chung Myung and the little marten perched on his head had peeked out of the luggage sack.

Hong Yi-Myung tilted his head, perplexed.

“Why is the marten trembling?”

“…Sorry.”

Baek Cheon apologized reflexively, although there was no need for it. After all, it was just a human and an animal – nothing out of the ordinary.

“It may be run-down, but come inside. You’ll be able to warm up.”

“Yes!”

As soon as the door opened, Chung Myung, who didn’t know the word’ reason,’ grabbed Baek Ah and ran inside while Baek Cheon was back to making excuses.

“Looking at this now, it might seem rude, but they aren’t rude. It is because they are exhausted from the cold, so please try and understand this.”

Still, Baek Cheon was a man of conscience, so he would never say that.

“I understand.”

Hong Yi-Myung smiled roundly like he found this interesting.

“North Sea people don’t have manners. Such troublesome and pathetic things are for those who can afford it.”

“Ah…”

“Come in.”

“Then, excuse us.”

The disciples bowed their heads and entered the cabin.

‘As I thought.’

The walls were only made of wood, but it was warmer than the outside. Just blocking the blowing wind seemed to provide a temperature suitable for normal human life.

“Uh…our clothes are frozen, sasuk.”

“Kuaak! Sago! My hair is all frozen! No! Do not touch! Ahhh, it broke!”

Coming to a warm spot, they realized just how cold the outside was. Unable to imagine that leather could freeze, they all shivered as they watched it crack.

“If we had gone ahead a little more, we would have frozen to death.”

“It is because Dong Ryong sasuk took the wrong way.”

“Who is the one who used Dong Ryong’s name now? Come here.”

Their mouths clattered as they all struggled and took off their snow-soaked, frozen clothes.

“Wow. How can this be so warm?”

“Sago! There! Fire.”

“Uh?”

A small flame spark flickered in the hearth that had been installed at the center of the cabin. They inched closer and peered inside, witnessing the burning firewood.

“Oh my. A stove inside a house?”

“That’s why it’s warm here.”

“And an exhaust hole drilled into the roof.”

“Exactly. It’s like the sky is stuck to it.”

Huh? Sky? Chung Myung?

Everyone sighed as they glanced at Chung Myung clinging to the exhaust hole.

“Chung Myung, that’s enough.”

“Fire! It’s fire! Fire! This is fire!”

Chung Myung turned his head and looked at Baek Cheon, his face red and smeared with soot.

“Sasuk, sasuk! Could this be made into a cart too?”

“Say something that makes sense, you idiot!”

“What! If it can be installed in a home, then why not on a cart!”

Baek Cheon covered his face.

“People are supposed to get better as they get older, but…”

How could this guy get worse from last year?

At that moment, Hong Yi-Myung laughed and said,

“Hehehehe. That would be difficult to install on a cart. It’s quite heavy…”

“It’s fine. Our horses are strong!”

“W-who are horses, who!?”

In the end, Baek Cheon, impatient and furious, attempted to rush at Chung Myung. No, he tried to, but then Yoon Jong and Jo Gul caught him.

The two sighed as they tried to restrain him.

“You shouldn’t be doing this in a house, sasuk.”

“Please consider the time and place.”

“…”

Hong Yi-Myung laughed as he watched them having fun.

“Rather, it would be better to change clothes. Your fur seems good, but it won’t withstand this cold.”

“… I didn’t expect it to be this cold.”

“Right. Even in the North Sea, it doesn’t get this cold often. This year was too cold.”

The disciples nodded as if they understood.

“So you’re saying it’s usually not like this?”

“It’s a little less cold.”

“…”

“Very little.”

“…”

This definitely wasn’t a place to stay.

“There’s water over there. Wash your hands and feet, and warm up a bit. If you don’t, you might get frostbite.”

“Thank you.”

“And…”

Hong Yi-Myung walked to one side of the cabin. He removed some clothing, revealing a pile of animal skin woven together.

“I think this will be better than the ones you brought.”

“Oh, this…?”

“Fur from animals that live in the cold regions is excellent at keeping warm. And first, you need to cover your head, as body heat escapes from the head.”

At his words, everyone glanced at Hae Yeon. Seeing his scalp red and frozen, with melting ice somehow on it, made them feel bad.

“Ah… even this.”

Hong Yi-Myung smiled as Baek Cheon was dumbfounded.

“No. The North Sea doesn’t treat its guests rudely.”

Baek Cheon tried to thank him, but Chung Myung frowned.

“What?”

“Hmm?”

“Nothing.”

Now that his body was warmed up a bit, Chung Myung stood and walked toward where the skins were hung. He pulled a cloth and grabbed the fur from the bottom.

“Huh? I think this is marten fur?”

When Baek Ah heard the words ‘marten fur’, he stood up cautiously.

“KIEEEEEK!”

“Ah, shut it!”

Chung Myung picked up Baek Ah, who was gritting her teeth at the leather, and threw her away as he took out the larger fur from the bottom.

“It looks better hung up, doesn’t it?”

Hong Yi-Myung scratched his nose, looking troubled.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t just give it away. Our family will starve if we can’t sell the animal furs we hunted all winter.”

“No. Do I look that shameless?”

“Yes.”

“… Dong Ryong, get out.”

Baek Cheon answered instead of Hong Yi-Myung and stepped back.

“Are you going to sell them?”

“Hmm? Yes.”

“Then sell them to us without going too far.”

“It’s bear skin from the North Sea, so it’s expensive.”

“Ah, don’t worry about it.”

Chung Myung grinned.

“We have plenty of money.”

“…”

“Can we make a fire here instead?”

“…”

“Uh?”

“You’re welcome to make as much fire as you want, dear customer.”

Hong Yi-Myung’s tone changed.

“Uhh… I might finally have a chance to live.”

Sitting by the hearth with fur draped over him, Chung Myung brought the cup to his lips. It was just water boiled with grass, hardly worthy of being called tea, but as long as it had some taste, he was fine with drinking even liquid iron.

“I never imagined a house would feel this good.”

“Right. After being homeless for a month, my back might break.”

“Is there even a place where the wind doesn’t blow?”

The disciples began to realize the value of having a house. Hong Yi-Myung, observing them, looked pleased.

“Anything else?”

“… I-it’s fine.”

“Let me know if you need anything.”

“…Yes.”

His demeanor seemed to change a bit suddenly, but it was for the better. Hong Yi-Myung received half of the leather price in gold and the other half in grain. Selling everything at once and at a better price made him happy.

“Thank you for being alive. Getting grain is the toughest thing during North Sea winters.”

“I can understand.”

Thanks to Hae Yeon, who couldn’t eat meat, they had packed plenty of grains. Even after giving two sacks to the man, they still had a good amount left.

“But do the people of the North Sea eat grains?”

“Of course.”

“I never thought crops could be farmed here.”

“That’s why there is an exchange of grains.”

Hong Yi-Myung sighed.

“There was a time when trade with the Central Plains was smooth, exchanging leather for fish or grain. But recently, things have become difficult.”

“Ah….”

Baek Cheon nodded solemnly, his face burdened. Chung Myung interjected.

“Sir.”

“Yes!”

“Do you have any knowledge of the North Sea Ice Palace?”

At the mention of the North Sea Ice Palace, Hong Yi-Myung’s expression changed. Chung Myung didn’t miss the fear etched on his face.

“I apologize, but it’s difficult to disclose much about the North Sea Ice Palace. If we were to speak openly to strangers…”

“Sasuk. One coin.”

“… wouldn’t that be dangerous? What specifically do you wish to know?”

Baek Cheon’s eyes flickered, realizing that his opinion of this man had shifted since their initial encounter…

Chung Myung didn’t mind and spoke.

“You can speak freely.”

“Ah, is that so?”

“Yes. A general conversation will suffice. We don’t know much about the palace, especially if anything important has occurred recently.”

“Hmm.”

The man nodded.

“Actually…”

He glanced around before continuing. Even though he knew no one was eavesdropping, it seemed to be a habit.

“As you may know, the Ice Palace serves as the ruler of the North Sea. This place has no affiliation with any nation, and the Ice Palace has governed the North Sea like a king, taking care of its people.”

Yoon Jong and Jo Gul nodded.

“Similar to the Nanman Beast Palace.”

“It’s almost the same.”

Hong Yi-Myung let out a sigh.

“The people of the North Sea believed in and relied on the palace. That was the case until ten years ago.”

“So you mean that is not the case anymore?”

“… Do you know what kind of place the Ice Palace is?”

“Well?”

Hong Yi-Myung frowned.

“The Ice Palace is like a kingdom. And the Prince of Ice Palace has been inheriting it for generations.”

“Hmm… similar to family sects.”

The Beast Palace in Yunnan had a slight touch of a martial art sect. But the North Sea Ice Palace was a family bound by blood, like the Sichuan Tang family.

“Like the Sichuan Tang family, which reigns as kings of their own region?”

“Be careful of your words, sahyung! The Tang family was never considered kings. We will be in trouble!”

“But it is similar.”

When Jo Gul shrugged, Tang Soso frowned, so he shook his head.

“… like that.”

“Right. Like that.”

Being from Chengdu, Jo Gul tended to act timid towards Tang Soso, the daughter of the Tang family. Hong Yi-Myung, who didn’t know this, looked at them and then continued.

“But around ten years ago, something happened which changed the North Sea Ice Palace.”

“Eh? Didn’t you say it is inherited?”

“Yes.”

“Then….”

Hong Yi-Myung nodded.

“There was a rebellion.”

“Ah…”

Yoon Jong frowned at those words.

“Was the previous prince unjust?”

“Would that happen? Didn’t I tell you? All of the people in the North Sea believed in and relied on the palace, and the past prince was revered as a sage. Not just the people of the North Sea, but many who followed him believed so.”

Hearing this, Baek Cheon tilted his head.

“Then, was the virtuous person the one who was rebelled against?”

“The one who led the rebellion was Seol Chung-Sang, the younger sibling of the prince. He was known to have a narrow mind, so he didn’t receive support from the people of the North Sea.”

“What happened with the rebellion?”

Hong Yi-Myung furrowed his brow.

“The people of the North Sea never betray their leaders. However, Seol Chun-Sang managed to attract outsiders to the North Sea.”

“Outsiders?”

“Yes, that’s correct. They were dressed in black uniforms. They… they were devils.”

Fear filled Hong Yi-Myung’s face.

Baek Cheon pursed his lips and stared at Chung Myung.

“Chung Myung.”

“It’s exactly as you think.”

Chung Myung’s face twisted as he nodded.

“The Demonic Sect.”