Chapter 65

The next day, as soon as training ended, I headed for Ink-Needle Hall.

Breathing in Ink-Needle Hall’s distinctive stench, I went to the inner quarters. Ju Ok-hwa was in the garden there.

Touching a sinister plant about the size of a person’s head, she spoke.

“My, my! Who do we have here? Isn’t this the Seventh Young Lord whose renown has been piercing the heavens lately?”

“Well now, and who might this be. Is it not the lord of Ink-Needle Hall, growing more beautiful by the day?”

“Not particularly.”

Ju Ok-hwa replied with a straight face.

She stood and turned, her violet eyes looking straight at me.

“At this rate Ink-Needle Hall’s door sill will wear away. What is it this time? Did someone else lose an arm?”

“Hah. Why so grim? That aside, is talk about arms really all anyone has when they see me these days? Everyone else seems to bring it up too.”

When I joked around, Ju Ok-hwa snorted.

“It just means the impact was that strong. Who would have thought? That the Seventh Young Lord would cause such a huge incident. So, what business brings you today?”

“What else? A deal of course.”

“True. You would not come looking for me otherwise.”

For some reason, her tone felt a bit barbed.

I grinned and spoke.

“You are always so busy, Hall Lord, so I only come when I have business. If it is all right with you, I can drop by often just to have tea.”

“No need. So what do you need?”

“Cold-Blocking Pills and Heart-Calming Pills.”

I listed the names of the medicines Hwang Seung-jong had mentioned.

Interest flickered in Ju Ok-hwa’s violet eyes.

“Cold-Blocking Pills ward off bitter cold, and Heart-Calming Pills protect the mind from illusions and the like. You are headed for the Frozen Plain, are you not?”

“That is right. You really see right through things.”

“Is there anyone who does not know the Seventh Young Lord asked our lord for permission to enter the Four Great Forbidden Regions. I was there in person besides. The problem is, all of those are precious pills, so I cannot hand them over so easily.”

I knew she would say that.

I gave a satisfied smile.

“I don’t have money, so I will pay with something else.”

“With what?”

“I think I can bring you something you have been searching for for a very long time.”

Ju Ok-hwa’s eyes narrowed.

She fixed me with a sharp stare.

“You know what that is?”

“Of course I do.”

I lowered my voice and went on.

“You have heard of the Eternal Snow Blossom, have you not?”

Ju Ok-hwa’s expression froze.

But soon, desire began to spread across that face.

Swallowing dryly, Ju Ok-hwa asked in a trembling voice.

“How do you intend to obtain the Eternal Snow Blossom? Surely you do not think it is in the Frozen Plain?”

I nodded.

When I discovered that the spiritual herb that could heal my True Blood Severed Meridians was in the Frozen Plain, I also learned one more fact.

The existence of the Eternal Snow Blossom.

“Can you really get it?”

“Have you ever seen me lie?”

“You are such a slippery one that you are hard to trust. Still, fine. The deal is struck.”

“A wise decision.”

“There are many recipes for Cold-Blocking Pills. The finest grade, made with the very best ingredients, can easily save even someone on the verge of freezing to death. But those are almost impossible to see, much less get. I can spare you a few of the standard grade.”

“Please give me as many as you can. As for the Heart-Calming Pills, you can do the finest grade, right?”

“I would appreciate it if you did not make such excessive demands.”

I smiled at Ju Ok-hwa as she furrowed her brow.

“Use things when they need to be used. If you just let them sit there, they will only go bad. They must have a limited period where they are effective too.”

“That is true, but…”

“Do not forget the Eternal Snow Blossom.”

At my final words, she let out a small sigh.

“Fine. I will get you as many as I can.”

“Thank you.”

Hearing the answer I wanted, I left Ink-Needle Hall in good spirits.

With the first button fastened neatly, I had a feeling everything that followed would go smoothly as well.

By evening, I paid a visit to the Iron-Gold Wi Clan.

I met Wi Geum-myeong and asked him to procure all kinds of cold-weather gear.

I could have gone around gathering them myself, but that would have been the same as loudly announcing that I would soon be heading to the Frozen Plain, so I chose to rely on Wi Geum-myeong’s assistance.

“Understood. I will instruct my clan’s steward to discreetly acquire the items.”

So it was on a day when preparations for the assault on the Frozen Plain were proceeding smoothly.

Some days later.

When I finished circulating my Qi and came out of my room, Hwang Seung-jong and Im Yeon were arguing in the yard.

‘What now?’

When I listened quietly, I realized they were talking about me.

“It is always the same. Why will you not show the Seventh Young Lord proper respect? You should be much more courteous.”

“The person in question is not saying anything, so why is his guard making such a fuss?”

Unlike Im Yeon, who was utterly riled up, Hwang Seung-jong was as cynical as ever.

Looking sidelong at her, he added another jab.

“Do you perhaps like the Seventh Young Lord?”

“W, what outrageous nonsense. I am only faithfully carrying out my duties as a guard.”

“For someone just doing their duty, your face is awfully red. This is really a fun show to watch.”

“Are you quite finished?”

“No. Shall I keep going?”

“That will not be necessary!”

Im Yeon stomped her feet, her face full of indignation.

Serves her right for picking a fight over something pointless and just getting worked up. She could not even handle that mouth of his.

“And why are you glaring at me now?”

Hwang Seung-jong’s gaze shifted to Ak Mu-jin.

After spending a few more days together, it seemed he was trying to side with Im Yeon.

“Got a problem with me? Honestly, without that mask of yours, you can’t even get a word out. Heheh.”

Ever since he had gotten that harsh critique last time, Ak Mu-jin had been keeping his mask off.

Naturally, he talked far less.

But then, for some reason.

Ak Mu-jin actually snorted, which was unlike him.

As he did, he slipped a hand into his robe, and what appeared was a new mask.

It was a showy thing with a black background and a surging blood-red dragon painted on it.

Ak Mu-jin slipped the mask on with a snap and was about to speak with confidence.

But Hwang Seung-jong was a step faster.

“You really have terrible taste. Is there something wrong with your eye when it comes to aesthetics? How can you even think of walking around in that thing? Your half-finished bare face is better.”

Ak Mu-jin quietly tucked the new mask back into his robe.

His slumped shoulders said he had gone all sullen again.

I clicked my tongue as I looked at Hwang Seung-jong.

‘That tongue of his is vicious. He will not lose to anyone in an argument.’

If they kept clashing like that, they would ruin things when it came to the real fight.

There would be four of us going to the Frozen Plain. Me, Hwang Seung-jong, Im Yeon, and Ak Mu-jin.

Any more than that would put too much strain on the spell arts, apparently.

Which meant I really needed to take Hwang Seung-jong down a peg.

That evening, Hwang Seung-jong, who had gone out saying he needed to search through some old books, came back.

He naturally started talking to me.

“Outside, talk of the Seventh Young Lord is everywhere. They do not know what they are talking about, of course, but some people are curious which of the Four Great Forbidden Regions you are going to.”

“Lucky you. You already know.”

“It’d be even better if I weren’t going.”

Hwang Seung-jong spoke with a cynical curl of his lip.

He had already agreed to go, yet he still had to grumble like this.

“What use is an Illusory Demon prodigy if he whines.”

“My gap has been long. If it had not been, I would not have lost to you in the first place.”

“What good are those what-ifs? They are not reality.”

“That is true.”

Hwang Seung-jong answered bitterly.

“Anyway, it’s good that you brought it up. From tomorrow, you are in for some harsh training.”

“What training?”

“Your training. You need to restore your skills if you want to make it through the Frozen Plain in one piece.”

“That is true, but can you really help me? Spell arts follow a different system from ordinary martial artists.”

“It’s fine. I am going to fix something more fundamental than your spell arts.”

“More fundamental than spell arts…?”

Hwang Seung-jong gave me a puzzled look.

I laughed inwardly.

‘You cannot even imagine what I am about to do to you.’

The next afternoon, I called Hwang Seung-jong out to the rear garden.

“We are going to start training now.”

I had two goals.

To break his pride and push him another step past his inner demons.

He still flinched unconsciously every time he used his spell arts, so this was necessary.

“All right. First, do three hundred push-ups.”

“…How many?”

“Four hundred.”

“Why did it go up? And I do not understand. Push-ups are one thing, but three or four hundred of them. How is such brainless training supposed to help anything?”

“Oh. What did you just say? Brainless training. This regimen was created by my master.”

“…!”

The corner of Hwang Seung-jong’s eye twitched.

He was flustered.

“I, I did not mean it like that–”

“Want to prove you didn’t? Then do them.”

“But-”

“So you did insult my master after all.”

“…”

Hwang Seung-jong did not complain any further.

He quietly began doing push-ups.

There is nothing like Heavenly Demon-style training to whip someone into line.

After tormenting his body, I tormented his mind.

“Pathetic wretch. You call that scrap of a technique spell arts?”

“Even after a hundred years, you will not so much as brush my collar.”

“Do you know your brother has sworn loyalty to me? Your clan will soon follow.”

On purpose I mimicked Great Sahyung as I mocked him and provoked him.

At first, Hwang Seung-jong swung between going limp with helplessness and exploding with excessive rage.

But as time went on, he slowly began to grow dull to it.

Along with that, the time it took him to cast his spell arts began to lessen. After a few days, Hwang Seung-jong became very docile.

He no longer had the energy left to sneer at others.

“Man, this worked great.”

I meant it in two ways.

Hwang Seung-jong took it to refer only to his casting speed.

Letting out a deep sigh, he spoke.

“Seventh Young Lord, you are a weirdo.”

“Weirdo or not, as long as it works, who cares. Right?”

Hwang Seung-jong nodded reluctantly.

After that we trained as a group inside the Illusory Hwang Clan’s simulated formation.

The environment had been set to be close to the Frozen Plain, and maybe because I had broken Hwang Seung-jong in at the start, our coordination was better than I expected.

It was only simulated training, but we finished our preparations for the real thing diligently.

Then the day before we were to depart for the Frozen Plain arrived.

It was near the end of my training with the Heavenly Demon.

Exhausted, I sat on the ground and casually opened my mouth.

“Master, did you know? They say there is something very special in the Frozen Plain. Some spiritual herb that blooms once every hundred years or something.”

“And?”

“I am going to go take a look tomorrow. Is that all right?”

The Heavenly Demon, who had been looking at the lake, slowly turned his head toward me.

“What is this, asking for permission after you have already decided everything.”

“You already knew everything I was doing anyway. Since you let me be, doesn’t that mean you were tacitly approving it?”

“No. I will tell you clearly. Do not go.”

I quietly studied the Heavenly Demon’s expression.

He did not really mean I shouldn’t go, did he?

As expected, the corner of his mouth was raised ever so slightly.

In my past life I had never once seen that expression on his face, but since my regression, I felt like I’ve been seeing it quite often.

‘Or maybe I had simply never noticed it before.’

Back then I had never been able to look him straight in the face.

“Master, you have gotten a lot better at joking.”

“Stop talking nonsense.”

“Yes, sir. By the way, Master, is there nothing this time?”

I asked with a bit of expectation.

I had already received so much that I wondered if he might give me something again.

Was I getting more shameless by the day?

“Anyone listening would think you were going off to render great service.”

“Well, if you put it like that, I don’t have much to say.”

“Be grateful I am merely postponing your training.”

I shut my mouth tightly.

Regardless, even if it was not now, the Heavenly Demon would give me something very big.

Because I would come running straight to him as soon as I obtained the spiritual herb.

“I’ll get going. I’ll come straight to you as soon as I return, so wait without worrying too much.”

“I have no such thing as worries, so there is no need to come.”

“Oh, come on, that’s so cold. After a long journey, I have to report to my master no matter what.”

For my own sake, that is.

As I lifted my backside from the ground to head for the carriage, the Heavenly Demon spoke.

“Are you taking any wine with you?”

At the sudden question, I answered that I wasn’t.

I had no intention of taking alcohol to a place where my life might be in danger.

“Is that so?”

The Heavenly Demon flicked a finger.

A wine flask shot in from somewhere at incredible speed and stopped right in front of me, so I grabbed it on reflex.

“What’s this?”

“In a place of deadly cold, a single mouthful of wine can be as precious as a life.”

This was already the second wine flask I had received from him.

For some reason, it felt strange.

Perhaps because I could feel the seemingly indifferent, yet not indifferent, concern inside it.

“Thank you, Master.”

This must be the Heavenly Demon’s way of caring for his disciple.

I thought, feeling moved.

‘How much can I sell this for?’

And the next day.

The four of us arrived at the Frozen Plain.