Brother Jin-ho, watching the people running toward us in a cloud of dust, spoke to me.
“Seo-ho. The flags those people are carrying as they run over here look like North Sea Ice Palace’s emblem, don’t they?”
“Yeah. They are.”
I nodded.
“I’m a bit late saying this, but that’s Protector Seol Seo-yun.”
“What?”
At my words, Brother Jin-ho’s eyes went about as wide as they could go.
I thought his eyes were going to pop out.
“Y–you mean that’s my mother-in-law?”
At that, Escort Chief Ha Cheol also wore a thoroughly shocked expression. Understandable, since although he and Protector Seol Seo-yun weren’t officially married, they were lovers who even had a daughter together.
“Th–this won’t do… I should at least change into something proper…”
“It’s fine. You look plenty good even without sprucing up.”
In the meantime, they arrived.
Young Palace Lord Bing Hae-rin came out with me to greet them.
“You’ve gone through a lot coming all this way.”
“We’re just grateful to be welcomed like this.”
Then she exchanged greetings with us as well.
“I greet you, Mother-in-law.”
“Son-in-law. You’ve gotten even more dashing since I last saw you.”
“Th–thank you.”
“And… it’s been a long time.”
“It has indeed. A very… long time.”
The way Escort Chief Ha Cheol and Protector Seol Seo-yun looked at each other was full of aching affection.
I waited a moment, then clasped my fists and bowed.
“Protector, it’s an honor to see you.”
“I’m glad to see you. And I heard you accomplished something major this time.”
“Brother Jin-ho went through more than I did.”
I casually talked Brother Jin-ho up as I continued.
“More importantly, I think we should hurry.”
“You’re right.”
Protector Seol Seo-yun was far more gaunt than I’d expected.
She looked in much worse shape than the people we’d called to Liaoning.
She’d probably taken the lead and cut down her own meals.
That too, but to me it seemed more likely she’d been giving her portions to others.
Her Qi foundation was deeper than everyone else’s, so it was true she could endure longer without eating.
But even that had its limits.
If people could live without food, why would anyone need Fasting Elixirs for closed-door cultivation?
In my previous life, as time dragged on like this, countless people must have starved to death.
And then, in the name of avenging them, an enormous amount of blood would have been shed again.
I’d managed to stop those tragedies.
I couldn’t help feeling a bit proud.
After a short rest, we finished getting ready and set out again.
Once we left Liaoning and passed through Jilin, a vast grassland spread out before us.
Land of the nomadic tribes.
Hauling this much grain across here was definitely not something you’d recommend.
But we had Young Palace Lord Bing Hae-rin.
The moment we entered the grasslands, Young Palace Lord Bing Hae-rin manipulated the bracelet on her wrist.
“Fwoosh–!”
Then, in midair, the character for ice, bing (氷), North Sea Ice Palace’s symbol, flared to life in blue.
Wow, no matter how many times I saw it, that sight was spectacular.
Now the tribes of the plains, whether they liked us or hated us, wouldn’t dare come near.
That also meant we couldn’t count on them for supplies, but it was fine. We’d stocked up on water and all sorts of goods precisely for this.
We sped across the grasslands and soon reached the edge of the North Sea.
I asked Young Palace Lord Bing Hae-rin for permission.
“Would it be all right if we stopped by the branch in the North Sea for a bit?”
“Go ahead.”
We made a brief stop at the North Sea Branch.
From here on, the cold we’d felt so far would seem like a joke.
The Changin Escort Bureau’s Escort Guards had all learned Snow Wind Palace’s martial arts, so they’d be fine, but for the regular porters it would be far too brutal.
I didn’t want to force that kind of suffering on them.
I spoke to Escort Chief Ha Cheol and the head porter who led the porters.
“From here on, the road will be too hard on the porters. It’d be better to let them rest here and have them join back up when we return.”
“I was thinking the same.”
At Escort Chief Ha Cheol’s words, the head porter nodded.
“We’re just grateful you’re thinking of us like that. We’d love to go all the way with you, but our abilities just aren’t enough. We’ll do as you say.”
I asked the North Sea Branch’s branch chief to let the porters stay there.
And I handed over extra supplies to match.
“Oh, of course! Absolutely.”
“Then I’ll be counting on you.”
The next morning.
We hurried on toward North Sea Ice Palace again.
From here, we left the carriages behind and decided to travel on horseback.
Even the wagons alone already numbered a lot, so bringing the carriages as well was out of the question.
I also checked with Lady Seohyang, and thankfully she rode a horse much better than I’d expected.
“Honestly, I learned how to ride from my brothers. It’d been so long I was worried I’d forgotten how, but I guess I was worrying for nothing.”
Before we knew it, snow was pouring down.
For wind, water, and warmth, we put on stormcoats whose insides were lined with warm fur and outsides covered in oiled paper.
Even dressed like this, the North Sea was still a freezing place.
“Aren’t you cold?”
“No. I’m fine.”
“Good to hear.”
The others had voiced concerns about Lady Seohyang going all the way to North Sea Ice Palace.
At that, Young Palace Lord Bing Hae-rin snorted and said,
“Deputy Gwak’s probably much less bothered by the cold than any of them, and yet they’re worrying over nothing.”
Which meant Young Palace Lord Bing Hae-rin had already realized Lady Seohyang had cultivated an ice art.
Just like she’d said, thanks to Heavenly Flow Art, the cultivation method of Heavenly Flow Ice Sword that she’d started learning recently, Lady Seohyang barely felt the cold.
As for Palgap, the Heshibi necklace I’d given him kept him perfectly fine in the cold.
Watching the falling snow, Protector Seol Seo-yun spoke.
“Judging from the snow, our path should be smooth.”
“How can you tell?”
When Lady Seohyang asked curiously, Protector Seol Seo-yun kindly explained.
“There’s moisture in the snow. When the snow’s dry and crunches without any dampness, it means the wind’s about to pick up. Once the wind starts blowing too, getting to North Sea Ice Palace becomes rough.”
“I see.”
“But the problem is, when the road is smooth, other dangers tend to follow.”
Just then, Lady Seohyang flinched for a moment, then urged her horse over to me.
“What is it?”
“There’s a… monster.”
“A spirit beast, then. By any chance, were its eyes red?”
“…They were.”
“There are spirit beasts in the North Sea that crave blood. They’re another obstacle that hinders those heading for North Sea Ice Palace.”
She nodded.
“Seeing how calm you are, it seems you’ve faced those monsters – I mean, spirit beasts – before. While I was organizing the records, I saw you’d headed for the North Sea several times, not just when you brought back the snow for me.”
“That’s right.”
To be able to infer that just from the records – she really was capable.
“I’ll have to work hard on my martial arts. I can’t be the one holding Deputy Merchant Lord back.”
I scratched my cheek and said,
“Don’t people usually say things like, you’re amazing, or it must’ve been hard, at times like this?”
At my question, she let out a small laugh.
“I already know Deputy Merchant Lord is amazing, and saying it must’ve been hard… would that really be any comfort? It’s not like you went without knowing what it’d be like.”
“…”
She had a point, so I had nothing to say.
“I’ll work hard to teach you martial arts. Ah, but what kind of spirit beast is it that you called it a monster?”
“…A duck.”
And just like that, the day drew to a close.
On the way to North Sea Ice Palace, we had to camp out under the open sky a few times.
We made preparations for camping, cooked warm porridge, and ate.
It was for the people of North Sea Ice Palace, who hadn’t had a proper meal in quite some time.
After the meal, Protector Seol Seo-yun spoke with a moved expression.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve had a proper meal. Thank you.”
Brother Jin-ho answered with an embarrassed look.
“We really ought to hurry and serve warm porridge to Grandmother as well.”
“I appreciate the thought. But you mustn’t rush. Out here, you never know what might happen or where.”
“Yes. I’ll keep that in mind.”
Listening to that exchange, I quietly asked,
“By any chance, among the blood-craving spirit beasts around here, is there one shaped like a duck?”
“…!”
At those words, Protector Seol Seo-yun and Young Palace Lord Bing Hae-rin both froze.
“Why do you ask that?”
Young Palace Lord Bing Hae-rin reacted sharply.
“No reason, I was just curious.”
I brushed it off like that because Lady Seohyang’s ability was a secret, but their reaction was anything but normal.
Was my question really that sensitive?
Or was there some other reason?
Protector Seol Seo-yun let out a sigh and answered.
“Among the blood-craving spirit beasts, the duck-shaped ones are what we call White Blood Ducks (白血鴨鳧). They hide camouflaged in the snow, then in an instant rush out and tear flesh apart with beaks full of sharp teeth. They’re usually about one and a half meters tall.”
One and a half meters… that’s huge for a duck.
Still, they’re just things you can cut down in a single stroke, so why that kind of reaction?
I got my answer in the explanation that followed.
“The problem is that White Blood Ducks move in flocks. Fifty or so is the bare minimum, and when there are many, hundreds of them roam together.”
“…”
As the saying went, no one could withstand a mob beating. If those terrifying things swarmed us in a pack…
I could see why they looked like that.
“They really are terrifying.”
“But there’s no need to worry that much. White Blood Ducks operate quite far from North Sea Ice Palace. Seeing them anywhere near the palace happens maybe once in several decades. They almost never leave their own territory.”
Phew, sorry.
That once-in-several-decades thing is about to happen this time.
Since Lady Seohyang had said so, there was no way it was wrong.
“If we do happen to run into White Blood Ducks, what should we do?”
“You endure and hold out until it gets dark. Their night vision is poor, so they don’t move at night – even if they’re in the middle of attacking, they’ll retreat to their lairs once night falls.”
“That’s a relief. If things like that showed up at night too, that would be a real nightmare.”
I quietly asked Young Palace Lord Bing Hae-rin,
“If we have Geumryeong… wouldn’t that be enough?”
“Even if it chased off wolves before, it’s still too much for it now.”
.
.
.
The next day, we set out again.
And as noon drew near, I let out a hollow laugh.
“Heh heh heh.”
They really showed up.
Up ahead, ducks started charging toward us.
Huh, they really are ducks.
Beaks full of sharp teeth.
And the ducks with those vicious claws looked close to one and a half meters tall.
White Blood Ducks.
And there were easily more than a hundred of them.
The disciples of North Sea Ice Palace went pale at the sight.
“Good heavens…”
“How could this be…”
I drew my sword and shouted,
“This is no time to space out! Everyone, battle formation!”
At my words, Brother Jin-ho snapped back to his senses and yelled,
“Battle formation!”
“Yes!”
The others hurried into formation as well. I told Palgap to protect Lady Seohyang, then took my place at the front.
“Screeeech!”
“Kreeeeek!”
Ugh, at this rate I’m going to end up with a bird phobia.
Right then.
“…!”
From the snow-covered hill beside us, I felt a presence…
This was the Qi of the Unorthodox Sect.
The exact same Qi I’d felt from the one called Cho Seok.
Which meant that bastard was behind this incident!
At that moment, what I’d heard last night flashed through my mind.
“But there’s no need to worry that much. White Blood Ducks operate quite far from North Sea Ice Palace. Seeing them anywhere near the palace happens maybe once in several decades. They almost never leave their own territory.”
What if someone had deliberately created the kind of situation that made them leave?
It was more than likely.
Either way, to properly wrap this up, I had to catch that person.
But if we stayed here dealing with those ducks, they’d escape in the meantime.
On the other hand, if I pulled out now, our group would obviously have a much harder time.
Just then.
Hop.
Geumryeong slipped out of my sleeve.
Ah, right. I had Geumryeong.
“Geumryeong, remember the scent of the person over there.”
“Kui!”
Geumryeong dashed off in that direction.
In the meantime, the battle began. We each drew our weapons and started fighting the White Blood Ducks.
They were ducks, but thankfully they couldn’t fly.
If things like that could fly on top of everything else, we’d really be in trouble.
Oh, Brother Jin-ho was fighting better than I’d expected.
All the training he’d been doing was paying off. Unlike before, Brother Jin-ho was actually using his head as he fought.
At this rate, he wouldn’t be all that exhausted even after the fight.
I deliberately steered the battlefield toward where I felt that Unorthodox Sect Qi.
It was to make that person run.
With no witnesses around, I could show my true skills more freely.
In the meantime, that Unorthodox Sect Qi started moving farther away.
Good. Now I could afford to show a bit of what I could really do.
I focused my Qi into Silver Mist Sword.
I readied Snow Shatter, the seventh form of True Snow Twelve Form Sword.
To deal with that many White Blood Ducks at once, I needed a wide-area technique.
Just then.
“Kuiit!”
Geumryeong ran over and planted itself in front of me. Why did that sound like ‘Wait a second!’ to my ears?
And then…
“Kuiiiit!”
At Geumryeong’s cry, the White Blood Ducks all froze in place for a moment.
“Kuiiiik!”
Then came Geumryeong’s shout once more.
Thump!
Thud thud thud!
The White Blood Ducks turned tail and bolted, as if something unbelievably terrifying were chasing them.
I looked over at Young Palace Lord Bing Hae-rin.
Um, didn’t you say it was too much for it?
She awkwardly turned her head away.
Anyway, as expected of Geumryeong – it never misses a chance to earn itself some silver.
–TL Notes–
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