Return of the Mount Hua Sect

“You want to collect the ice crystals yourself?”

Seol Chun-Sang was shocked as he turned to Chung Myung.

He wondered why this guy wanted a meeting so early in the morning. However, Chung Myung suddenly brought up a suggestion he hadn’t considered.

“Yes.”

Chung Myung nodded calmly.

Seol Chun-Sang widened his eyes and asked,

“Now. Do you know how to mine them?”

“I don’t know. That’s why I want to try.”

“…”

Seol Chun-Sang was shocked for a while.

This Taoist from the Central Plains had a talent for irritating people with every word he spoke. If he really thought about it, the words weren’t offensive, so why did he feel so bothered?

“This man is troublesome.”

From Seol Chun-Sang’s perspective, it would be best if these people remained silent and returned to the Central Plains, testifying that there was no problem with the Ice Palace. The more they wandered, the more it would hurt.

But on the other hand…

Seol Chun-Sang looked at Chung Myung with a strange expression and said quietly,

“Ice crystals are essentially crystals of Yin qi. They may shine like jewels on the outside, but they are not jewels or minerals.”

“Yes, I know. I’ve seen them before.”

He had seen them while making pills. However, Seol Chun-Sang shook his head as if he didn’t know how to respond.

“No, you don’t seem to know that well.”

“Huh?”

“The important thing here is that the ice crystals are objects created by Yin qi. It means where the ice crystals came from is where the harshest cold winds blew.”

He lowered his voice as if feeling intimidated.

“Moreover, it isn’t just the cold one has to overcome in the mining process.”

“…”

“Since you are a warrior, you would think that if you extend the qi moderately, you can find as many yin qi as one likes. But if that is so easy, why would the Ice Palace go through all that trouble for this?”

Seol Chun-Sang looked at the disciples of Mount Hua around him.

“The land of cold itself is a place with peak temperature, and it is impossible to find the energy of such extreme Yin in the land. One will have to dig endlessly, not knowing where it might be. The thing depends solely on luck, hoping the ice crystals are there.”

The disciples of Mount Hua opened their mouths.

They had never thought that digging up ice crystals would be such a difficult task.

“Even so, do you have to dig for the ice crystals yourself? Even though I said that I would give them to you if you wait here?”

But Chung Myung nodded his head.

“Yes.”

“….”

Seol Chun-Sang frowned at this.

“And the reason is?”

“I feel like there is no time to wait.”

Chung Myung shrugged his shoulders.

“The decrease in the production of ice crystals indicates their difficulty in being found. This means that we don’t know when they will dry up. So, if we move and help, wouldn’t it be faster to locate them?”

Chung Myung’s lips curved into a smile.

“And it’s not in my nature to just sit and wait for things to be done.”

Listening to all of this, Seol Chun-Sang burst into laughter. Then, with a slightly subdued expression, he turned to Mount Hua’s Divine Dragon in front of him, his eyes searching for a response.

After a moment, he spoke.

“Do as you please.”

“Thank you.”

Seol Chun-Sang replied with a kind smile.

“From the perspective of treating guests, I would like to stop you, but it wouldn’t be right to prevent a guest from doing what they want.”

“Yes. We are also very comfortable here.”

Seol Chun-Sang shook his head at Chung Myung’s words. This man was truly difficult to understand.

With the discussions concluded, Baek Cheon stepped forward and bowed.

“Thank you for considering our difficult request.”

“I don’t think it was an unreasonable request from the perspective of a guest. I understand the sense of urgency you have.”

Seol Chun-Sang looked at Baek Cheon with a dignified gaze.

“Such a good attitude.”

Even from his own standpoint, where he didn’t particularly like the disciples of Mount Hua, Baek Cheon was someone he respected. His humble demeanor combined with that confident gaze.

It was more than just being polite; it was the attitude of a confident warrior walking his path.

On the other side…

“But you see.”

When Chung Myung, who had stepped back, suddenly raised his head, Seol Chun-Sang’s eyes trembled.

‘They surely belong to the same sect, right?’

They must have learned the same things, and lived the same way, so why was there such a drastic difference?

Moreover, he was not just someone. He was Mount Hua’s Divine Dragon.

Regardless of whether Seol Chun-Sang’s expression changed or not, Chung Myung continued.

“Then can we buy our own ice crystals?”

“… Ice crystals?”

“Yes. Since you said they can’t be procured right away, there should be no problem buying the ones we dig, right?”

And he pretended to cover his mouth with his hand and whispered.

“Since we’ll be digging for them, it would be better if you give them to us at half price.”

Seol Chun-Sang smiled.

“… let us do that.”

“Hehe. Thank you.”

Chung Myung smiled and stepped back.

“I will send you a person to guide you to the site of the ice crystals. They will leave at noon, so please rest until then.”

“Thank you for considering that.”

The disciples of Mount Hua retreated quietly, and as they all left, one of the elders walked ahead and asked,

“Lord, I am concerned about sending them to the ice mines.”

“Let it be.”

Seol Chun-Sang waved his hand dismissively like he was annoyed.

“The mine isn’t meant to be a show, but it’s better for them to stay there than linger in the palace doing nothing.”

“But the ice crystals will be…”

The elder glanced around cautiously before speaking those words.

He wanted to address the scarcity of ice crystals, but he was afraid of saying it in front of others. Because it inevitably reminds them of the reason for this shortage.

Seol Chun-Sang accepted the elder’s comment.

“How skilled are they at digging out the crystals?”

He had a cunning smile on his face.

“The young are naturally headstrong. Everything will seem easy to those who haven’t experienced the hardships of the world. But the reality is never as simple as one assumes.”

He said this while tilting his head.

“We don’t need to worry because they are just whining little kids who have been successful in the Central Plains. But this land of the North Sea is where only those who have endured tough times can survive. And letting them discover that wouldn’t be a bad thing.”

His smile widened, and he looked up at the ceiling.

This was a confident smile that didn’t know there was one person among those children who had experienced the most bitterness in the world.

“… on your side?”

“…”

“If it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be.”

“…”

Song Won furrowed his brow deeply as he stood in silence.

‘Why me?’

Even in the North Sea Ice Palace, which was full of warriors, Song Won was recognized for his skills. It was thanks to these outstanding skills he learned that he became a staff member at a young age.

So why did he have to guide these little ones?

It was true that he promised to guide them. However, that was only inside the Ice Palace, and he had no intention of guiding them to the mines.

‘What is our lord even thinking…’

But the command had to be done. Song Won didn’t have the right to refuse their orders.

And…

“You have more free time than I thought?”

“….”

If it wasn’t for this one man who was getting on his nerves, he wouldn’t be so close to breaking.

“I will leave.”

Seeing Song Won ignore Chung Myung’s presence, the other Mount Hua disciples admired him. It wasn’t easy to ignore how sarcastic Chung Myung was, even for the most disciplined people. Wasn’t that a fact that many people in the Central Plains had proven?

However, this young warrior did it right.

‘So wise.’

‘A formidable person.’

‘My prayers go to him.’

As the disciples of Mount Hua looked at him with bright eyes, Song Won was startled.

‘I cannot understand these people from the Central Plains.’

It always seemed that the merchants who stopped by the North Sea for this purpose were normal…

“Come this way.”

He led the disciples of Mount Hua and returned to the Ice Palace.

“Where are you heading to?”

“Not to the mine?”

“Does he have to go through the gate? Are you talking to the back of his head?”

Baek Cheon’s question made Chung Myung tilt his head.

“Nonsense.”

“This…jerk?”

“No. It really sounds like nonsense.”

“Huh?”

Baek Cheon, who was gritting his teeth, looked at Chung Myung as if asking what he meant. Then, Chung Myung’s voice whispered in his ears.

Kang!

“Is that nonsense?”

Why act like this suddenly?

His doubts were cleared.

Kang!

“What kind of dog?”

“Dog sledding. Dogs pull sleds, and they’re the fastest on snowy roads where horses and cows can’t pass through.”

“Ah…”

Everyone was amazed when they saw the dogs with unique appearances that weren’t common in the Central Plains. Their thick fur and sharp eyes were quite impressive.

“Wow, so cool!”

Jo Gul approached the dogs with excitement, reaching out his hand.

But.

Kang!

In an instant, a dog nipped at Jo Gul’s hand, causing him to step back.

Song Won chuckled at his shocked expression.

“You need to be careful. Even though they resemble dogs, they have the blood of wolves. You could even call them wolves.”

“…”

“Stay calm; nothing will happen.”

“Calm?”

Hearing that, Chung Myung smiled.

“Well, it’s just a dog.”

“…useless…”

Before Song Won could stop him, Chung Myung approached the growling dogs. They were all tied to the sleigh, so they stood up, baring their teeth at Chung Myung.

Looking at this, Song Won laughed to himself.

Being a warrior, a simple dog bite wouldn’t do much damage to him, but he would still be shocked, and that’s the expression he wanted to see.

But.

Flutter.

Chung Myung’s cloth near his neck shook, and soon a white Marten appeared.

Kiiiik!

An angry cry that didn’t match that cute face, and it clearly showed.

“… Haha.”

Song Won laughed at this absurdity.

However, a shocking sight unfolded in front of him.

Bow! Bowwwo!

Song Won widened his eyes. The dogs, who looked like they would attack Chung Myung, had their tails between their legs, showing their teeth.

Some of them even peed.

“No… what is…”

Dogs with wolf blood were scared of a marten?

Did that even make sense?

“W-why are they acting like this?”

“Calm down!”

The sledders who brought the dogs panicked and tried to reign them in. Yet the dogs showed no signs of calming down despite their familiar touch.

Tuk.

At that moment, Baek Ah climbed down from Chung Myung’s clothes and landed on the ground. Then he looked around at the dogs and frowned.

The dogs flinched and wagged their tails between their legs.

“No, these dogs…”

How could ordinary dogs even handle a spirit beast that could catch a huge tiger the size of a house? Even if they were pure wolves instead of dogs, the situation would still be the same.

Tak!

Baek Ah tapped the ground with his front paw, then glanced at Chung Myung.

“What’s wrong?”

“…”

She didn’t get the reaction she wanted. Sullenly, Baek Ah climbed back onto Chung Myung’s clothes.

Song Won observed all of this, finding the situation absurd. The disciples seemed indifferent.

“Shall we go?”

“… We should.”

Song Won pointed at the sled, wearing a puzzled expression.

“Get on.”

The disciples from Mount Hua divided into groups of two or three and boarded the sleigh.

“Please take care of us.”

As they saw Chung Myung smirking, they felt a sense of dread.

“Let’s see how long that smile lasts.”

Gritting his teeth, he started the sled.