Return of the Mount Hua Sect

Fortunately, the warriors of Ice Palace didn’t have to go through the whole process.

They were carefully suppressed, restrained, and then poisoned with Tang Soso’s concoction. After that, they were tied up in the warehouse.

Chung Myung complained because this was more laborious than simply bashing their heads and putting them to sleep, but normal people did this.

Anyway, the disciples of Mount Hua, who dealt with the warriors, returned to the house and sat near the furnace.

“Cough!”

“Father… are you okay?”

“Ummm.”

Hong Yi-Myung coughed a few times before reaching out to stroke the child’s head. He nodded slightly to reassure him.

“I’m fine, don’t worry.”

“But…”

“Just a little tired. It seems like I have a bad cough right now. So, could you make me that calendula decoction?”

“I’ll do it right away!”

“Yes, thank you.”

Hong Jin-Bo put on his winter clothes and went out. Seeing that, Baek Cheon frowned.

“Is that alright? Collecting herbs in winter….”

“The roots can still be dug even in the middle of winter.”

“But the snow field outside….”

“It would be best if he took his time. There’s something I can’t say with the child around.”

Hong Yi-Myung stared at the door the child left through and opened his mouth.

“Let’s talk without wasting time. My real name isn’t Hong Yi-Myung, but Han Yi-Myung.”

Not Hong, but Han Yi-Myung.

“I was a warrior of the North Sea Ice Palace under the name of the Ice Tiger Han Yi-Myung. I made a name for myself in the North Sea.”

“The…”

Han Yi-Myung glanced at Baek Cheon and nodded.

“Yes, I served the previous Palace Lord.”

“That’s what I thought.”

If there was a reason why the warriors were chasing him, this would be it.

“But… are you saying they’re after you because you served the previous lord? It seems like they have gone all out to take people like you down.”

At Baek Cheon’s words, Han Yi-Myung sighed.

“This kid seems to know how to talk a bit.”

“…”

“Now, what else can I hide? I’ll tell you everything. Like you said earlier, they’re not after me. It’s about something else they’re pursuing.”

“That child…”

“Yes.”

Han Yi-Myung nodded slowly.

“Surprisingly enough, that child isn’t my son.”

His tone was dull as if he were revealing a huge secret. But the reaction of those who actually heard it was nothing special. On the contrary, they looked like they were hearing something obvious.

Han Yi-Myung tilted his head and asked.

“Aren’t you surprised?”

“Why should we be?”

“….”

“At this point, not realizing it would be more strange.”

“You’re too much. First of all, the two of you don’t look alike.”

“True, he’s handsome.”

“….”

Baek Cheon delivered the final blow to the man, who looked at them in shock.

“Anyone with even a slight bit of understanding will know that…”

But then,

“What? He wasn’t your son?”

“…”

That voice made everyone turn their heads.

Chung Myung, who was warming himself by the fire, looked shocked and wide-eyed.

“I wonder if he didn’t want to judge…”

“Or maybe he’s blind.”

“Could be.”

The disciples of Mount Hua sighed at this, and Han Yi-Myung corrected his expression, his face serious.

“But… that’s not the only secret the child has.”

His eyes showed determination.

“Don’t be surprised. The child’s real name is Seol Yu-baek. He’s the son of the former Palace Lord and the rightful heir to the throne.”

The disciples all looked unruffled and remained silent. Han Yi-Myung, confused, asked.

“… Aren’t you surprised even now?”

“The warriors of Ice Palace cared more about the child than you did.”

“Well, that proves it.”

“… Anyone with common sense would understand that much…”

But then again,

“What? The son of the previous Palace Lord? Oh, God!”

And they all turned their heads once again.

Seeing Chung Myung with his mouth hanging open in surprise, they felt sorry for some reason.

“… Maybe he’s a fool.”

“Or just completely uninterested in anything that involves someone else.”

“Ah, that’s true.”

Everyone sighed together.

“So, now that child is the nephew of the current Lord?”

“Yes.”

Han Yi-Myung’s eyes darkened.

“Seol Chun-sang, the ruler of the Ice Palace, isn’t fully supported by the North Sea. The existence of that child might shake his position. Perhaps one day, the child will return to his own place.”

Baek Cheon nodded with a grave expression.

Naturally, they couldn’t believe everything he said. However, if it was true that the previous palace lord had done many good things for the people of the North Sea, and they also held goodwill for him, there was a considerable chance that the former palace lord’s son would receive support if he appeared.

“Hmmm.”

The atmosphere grew serious.

He could roughly guess it, but it felt strange when he heard it from Han Yi-Myung.

“Then…”

Chung Myung stared blankly at Han Yi-Myung.

“So that kid is the prince of the North Sea?”

“… he is a prince, but…”

“Oh?”

A subtle smile tugged at the corner of his lips, causing Baek Cheon to become anxious.

“Is that the face of a jerk with bad thoughts?”

What are you trying to do…

“Then do the people of the North Sea still long for the former palace lord?”

“… right. Because they all know that the current lord is desperately trying to find that child.”

Chung Myung smiled as he nodded.

It was then.

Seol Yu-Baek, who had gone out, burst through the door, wiping his eyes.

“Father. There were so few of them, though….”

Before he could finish speaking, Chung Myung sprang into action. He lifted Seol Yu-Baek and moved him to the side before returning to his position.

“Hey, kid!”

“What are you doing!”

However, Chung Myung paid no attention to the shouts and instead looked at the child with a warm smile.

“So, you’re the successor of the North Sea Ice Palace, huh?”

“Hey! You can’t say that here!”

Whether he liked it or not, Seol Yu-Baek seemed a bit embarrassed and didn’t seem to fully comprehend Chung Myung’s words. Feeling the intense gaze of Chung Myung on him, the child trembled without understanding why.

“Disciple?”

“Hehehe.”

Chung Myung licked his lips as though he enjoyed this.

“How can I make use of this now?”

He turned his demeanor into that of a chef evaluating the ingredients he had on hand. Baek Cheon, who witnessed this, stopped him.

“Don’t do anything strange; put the kid down first, you brat!”

“Sasuk, sasuk!”

“Huh?”

“Isn’t there a place where he could be useful?”

“…”

You fucking crazy bastard, where do you plan on using him?

“…calm down.”

“No, what if… if it’s really useless, could we become friends and have him take us to the Ice Palace?”

“No, you insane bastard!”

“Please show some humanity, please!”

Seol Yu-Baek was on the verge of tears now. Chung Myung finally licked his lips and placed the kid back down.

“Tch… What a shame.”

As soon as Seol Yu-Baek was released, he immediately ran over to Han Yi-Myung and hid behind him. Everyone who saw his frightened eyes let out a sigh.

“Sorry.”

“He doesn’t show any remorse….”

“We should have locked him up earlier.”

It was like watching a child get bitten by a dog because it had been let loose.

To prevent any further problems, Yu Yiseol and Tang Soso discreetly blocked Chung Myung from the front.

“That child….”

Baek Cheon turned to Seol Yu-Baek, who looked scared.

He had suspected it, but now that he had heard it, it was true that the two looked different.

‘A child who lost his home because of the Demonic Sect.’

It was subtle, but it seemed to overlap with the situation at Mount Hua.

Surely…

“Do you not want to go see the Ice Palace?”

“Ah, just shut up for a bit! You crazy man!”

“He’s losing his mind! Kidnapping a child!”

“You’re scarier than the Ice Palace!”

“Amitabha! Even the demons are better! The demons! It’s terrible to even compare.”

…but it didn’t seem like that to Chung Myung.

Baek Cheon cleared his throat and sincerely apologized to Han Yi-Myung on behalf of Mount Hua.

“… I’m really sorry.”

“…No, it seems like you guys can’t handle him either.”

Meanwhile, Han Yi-Myung, who understood what kind of person Chung Myung was, shook his head.

“Then, what are you going to do now? It would be dangerous to stay here.”

In response to Baek Cheon’s question, Han Yi-Myung smiled.

“I am not shortsighted. Could it be that I had only one place to hide when we were running from the Ice Palace warriors? We can move to a new place now, so don’t worry about us.”

“Ah… then I am glad.”

Baek Cheon sighed. It felt like a bad feeling was creeping into his head.

“… I was too late. We need to prepare to leave this place.”

The disciples of Mount Hua stood up upon hearing the word to leave. Han Yi-Myung was unwell, so he moved slower than before.

“Your body isn’t at its best yet.”

“It’s fine. This much works.”

Han Yi-Myung smiled.

“I have been through a lot over the last couple of years trying to avoid those people’s pursuit. It is very dangerous this time, but it’s not too much for me to handle, so you don’t have to worry about it.”

Han Yi-Myung bowed to Mount Hua.

“You ended up getting involved in something unnecessary, so there is no way I can’t feel bad for this. Maybe things won’t go wrong because of me now….”

“Do not worry about that.”

Chung Myung shrugged and said,

“It is we who agreed to help and we who are responsible for it.”

“… thank you.”

“Then, now that this has happened, would you come with us?”

“… we refuse.”

“Ehh, why?”

“We will clearly refuse.”

He was one of the most determined people they had met.

“Then….”

“Just take a look. And please don’t discuss us in the Ice Palace.”

“If anything does come up, I’ll say we haven’t heard anything.”

“I’d be grateful if you did.”

“Let’s meet again when we have the chance.”

Mount Hua’s disciples and Hae Yeon pulled the cart and waved goodbye to Han Yi-Myung.

“Sasuk, are the ice palace warriors in the warehouse okay?”

“Yes. How long will the poison’s effects last?”

“If there’s no cure, it’ll last for seven weeks.”

“… Shouldn’t that be enough to kill someone?”

“Ehhh.”

“Right. But they’re warriors, so would being tied up for that short period kill them?”

Hae Yeon, who had been silently listening, closed his eyes.

‘Normally, they’d die! You devils!’

Why was it that these people were becoming more callous these days?

Hae Yeon was very worried that he would be affected too.

Of course… it was too late to worry about it now.

“Seven weeks… I guess we should enter the palace before then to avoid any misunderstandings.”

“Right. It’s not like those people are injured, so they can’t do anything about us, who would have arrived after being introduced under the name of the Nanman Beast Palace Lord.”

Looking at Han Yi-Myung waving his hand and Seol Yu-Baek standing next to him, Baek Cheon mumbled.

“… Such a strange relationship.”

“Right.”

They continued to sigh, feeling a sense of unease.

But…

“Do you really not want to come to the palace?”

“T-that bastard!”

“… let’s go quickly, sahyung. After we do this, I think he’ll really kidnap the kid.”

“No matter how crazy he is, it’ll be too much.”

“Are you sure?”

“…hurry.”

The cart started abruptly and moved forward. Chung Myung, who was on top of them again, stared at Han Yi-Myung and Seol Yu-Baek and licked his lips.

‘Heir….’

- Are you the Plum Blossom Sword Saint?

“Somehow, they look disgustingly alike.”

Chung Myung rested his head on the luggage.

Hong Jin-Bo’s face looked like the North Sea Ice Palace Lord he had met in the past. As soon as he saw it, he felt strange.

‘So pitiful.’

The Demonic Sect and their plots were known to have horrible outcomes. Perhaps not a single member of the previous lord’s family survived.

In other words, the child was left without any family members except for one uncle, who was trying to kill him.

Chung Myung looked at Seol Yu-Baek, who now appeared far away.

“Hmm.”

And he smiled.

“You never know what will happen in the world.”

He put his hand in his pocket and took out a Baek Ah.

“Do you remember?”

Baek Ah nodded her head, her black eyes shining brightly.

“If you look for it, can you find it?”

Once again, she nodded her head.

“Try it, and I’ll turn you into a nice muffler.”

Chung Myung smiled.

He thought this would be an interesting relationship, depending on how he used it.