By the time Jin Cheon-hee arrived, the Head of the Therapeutic Massage Department, Ju Dan-ha, and Sama Hye were already waiting.
“Thank you for your hard work, Young Pavilion Master.”
Ju Dan-ha patted Jin Cheon-hee’s shoulder with a nonchalant expression, while Sama Hye chewed on a chicken skewer, her face wearing a look of carefree resignation that seemed to say, Whatever happens, happens.
“Would you like one? Benefactor.”
Accepting the skewer without protest, Jin Cheon-hee took a bite. The unique juice and resilience of the meat were immediately apparent.
“It’s delicious.”
“Yes. It’s made by a street vendor affiliated with the Golden Blood Chamber. Cheon Woo recommended it.”
“It seems to be made with leg meat?”
“Yes. The breast and other parts are used for chicken noodles.”
Then it had no choice but to be delicious.
Indeed, as his stomach warmed, his mood lifted significantly. Tearing into their respective pieces of meat, the trio resumed the conversation that had been interrupted by his arrival.
It was truly fascinating. The refreshments he had eaten during the conference must have been far more expensive and required painstakingly more effort, yet these cooled chicken skewers went down much smoother.
Ju Dan-ha poured a cup of alcohol and offered it.
“I know you don’t care for alcohol, but would you like a glass?”
Jin Cheon-hee smirked.
“No. I don’t think it’s time to drink just yet.”
“Understood.”
Ju Dan-ha gulped down the cup himself, looking as though he found the refusal regrettable. Wiping his mouth, he spoke.
“Considering those sly old foxes were your opponents, you did well.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. It’s a place where they’ll cut off your nose if you blink, so naturally, it is exhausting. In that sense… what do you intend to do now?”
Jin Cheon-hee fell silent for a moment before turning to the girl beside him.
“Hye-ah. What do you think I’ll do?”
Sama Hye paused, a piece of chicken leg halfway to her mouth, and fell into thought. Soon, she offered a probing question.
“Haven’t you already decided, Benefactor?” She shook the chicken skewer for emphasis. “Originally, I intended to bring rib meat to recreate the story of ‘Chicken Ribs’, but since it’s a meal I’m eating anyway, I wanted to eat something actually delicious.”
Did she predict even that far?
Jin Cheon-hee felt a prick of conscience. Although Sama Hye had access to more information than ordinary Branch Managers, predicting his next tactical move was another matter entirely.
Ju Dan-ha, catching on, asked, “Do you intend to withdraw?”
It was the story of Cao Cao from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Chicken ribs were too meager to eat but too wasteful to throw away. Realizing the futility, Cao Cao had eventually withdrawn his troops.
Sama Hye had pinpointed exactly that.
Wow, you really fly once the shackles are off, Hye-ah.
Having thrown off the strange burdens of perfectionism, responsibility, and guilt, Sama Hye was continuously evolving.
“Correct. The White Qilin Medical Pavilion will withdraw. The Dragon and Phoenix Assembly has ended anyway, so it doesn’t matter, right?”
With that declaration, he issued the withdrawal orders to the physicians. He also didn’t forget to leave a farewell greeting for Cheon Woo.
***
“If we receive land, we can become free from the Hwaju Medical Pavilion’s checks. Even if we don’t, since there’s no need to go to the Northern Sea Ice Palace, it’s a good thing.”
Hearing Jin Cheon-hee’s circumstances, Cheon Woo offered his perspective. Either way, it was a profitable deal. However, the young swordsman tilted his head, sensing something amiss.
“But somehow, Hyung… I feel a sense of regret from you?”
At those words, Jin Cheon-hee sighed.
“Ugh… But the Northern Sea Ice Palace was a bit tempting.”
“Why go to such a cold place?”
“Right? That is true. But I’m curious about something regarding this Ice Clarity Sword.”
The sword never broke in any situation, nor did its edge dull. It even emitted cold energy on its own, maximally assisting Jin Cheon-hee’s Ice Arts. He wondered where else such a blade could exist. From the user’s perspective, it felt like there were more hidden secrets remaining within the steel.
The Northern Sea Ice Palace had sent this sword as a gift when his master fully recovered. Seeing that the two factions hadn’t tried to kill each other since then, it seemed their relationship wasn’t hostile enough to warrant bloodshed.
And above all…
If this is a martial arts novel, shouldn’t the Northern Sea Ice Palace appear at least once? Cheon Woo?
In any martial arts tale, didn’t the protagonist’s tour of the Northern Sea Ice Palace occur at least once? In one story, it might be a palace made of literal ice; in another, it might be described as looking white because of white marble.
At this point, excluding the descriptions that appeared in the Supreme Heavenly Demon, Jin Cheon-hee knew exactly one concrete fact about the place.
They bought a lot of Ondol.
The Northern Sea Ice Palace was the largest importer of Ondol heating systems, truly a prime customer of the Putuo Merchant Guild and the White Qilin Medical Pavilion. They imported more than ten times the amount of heating stones compared to most large sects, and the best artisans of the Putuo Merchant Guild were frequently on business trips there to install them.
Money is honest. It seemed the situation wasn’t bad enough for a trade boycott.
And I might be able to hear about Master’s past.
Thinking up to here, it seemed like lingering attachment was overflowing, so he decided to stop. If his master didn’t speak of the past, there must be a reason for it. He wasn’t looking into it presumptuously, but…
Wouldn’t finding out inevitably by going to the Northern Sea Ice Palace be innocent!
“The Ice Clarity Sword is definitely a famous sword,” Jin Cheon-hee conceded aloud.
“Right. It looks like there’s more hidden to it. Hehehe.”
Jin Cheon-hee patted Cheon Woo’s shoulder.
“Cheon Woo.”
“Yes, Hyung?”
“Back then, I was glad you were there. You held me together.”
“……As expected, you weren’t in a good state back then, Hyung.”
“Right. I wandered a lot.”
Jin Cheon-hee nodded and handed over the medicinal teas and spices he had prepared.
“Eat this when you travel for duels.”
Cheon Woo accepted the package. “I’m glad I could be a support for Hyung.”
“Yeah.”
Jin Cheon-hee looked at the young swordsman warmly. “I don’t know what storms the Wudang Sect will encounter in the future, but if it’s you, you’ll endure well. If it becomes too hard, send a carrier pigeon anytime.”
Saying that, he took a step back. Outside, there was a clamor of voices asking if the Young Pavilion Master was departing yet. Jin Cheon-hee looked at Cheon Woo for a long moment, as if engraving the memory, then finally took another step.
“Then, I’m going!”
Parting was always hard. It seemed it had never been easy, not even once.
Cheon Woo waved his hand from afar until his brother was no longer visible.
***
Arriving back at the White Qilin Medical Pavilion, Yoo Ho was waiting at the entrance.
“Oh, Yoo Hooooo! I missed yooooou!”
“Hahaha, welcome back, Young Master.”
Saying that, Yoo Ho clenched his fist tightly, a stance that conveyed his readiness to kill if approached further. It was as if he were a beast with its fur standing on end. Jin Cheon-hee, wisely, slinked in sideways like a crab.
“Still, I managed to buy a lot of things that Yoo Ho would like. From chicken skewers made of leg meat to beef jerky—you’re a big fan of all of them, right? A renowned inn from the Golden Blood Chamber has developed a new beef jerky that’s truly delicious.”
By now, Jin Cheon-hee had mastered the art of handling Yoo Ho. This man basically lived for food. Initially, he had been at a loss on how to coax a subordinate who wasn’t particularly moved even by a salary raise, but now he was getting the hang of it.
Alcohol… he sips it occasionally.
Yoo Ho definitely claimed to dislike it, but he used to sip it alone. Long social experience dictated that “disliking alcohol” usually meant one of three things:
- Truly dislikes alcohol.
- Dislikes bad-tasting alcohol.
- Dislikes being drunk with you.
If it were the first, he wouldn’t tilt a glass alone occasionally, so it must be the second or third. Therefore, if Cheon-hee prepared special, high-quality liquor and made himself scarce, wouldn’t Yoo Ho be satisfied?
That was the conclusion Jin Cheon-hee reached.
“I prepared famous liquors too. I’ll leave them roughly within reach, so drink if you want.”
He deliberately tucked his hair behind his ear and smiled broadly.
“Preparations for mass production of the Golden Tiger Divine Elixir are complete.”
“Ohh!”
Jin Cheon-hee’s eyes shone like stars.
The Golden Tiger Divine Elixir—in other words, Streptomycin. Of course, mass production akin to a modern factory was absolutely impossible, but if the supply was smoother than the White Qilin Divine Elixir, that alone was something to be grateful for.
“Yoo Ho, what do you want to eat… huh?”
Jin Cheon-hee tried to approach Yoo Ho awkwardly, then suddenly stopped, tilting his head once, then again.
“What is the matter?”
“Yoo Ho, did you have some achievement in internal energy?”
“Hmm?”
“No? Did your scent change?” Jin Cheon-hee scrutinized the man for a moment before shrugging. “Never mind, I guess the atmosphere just felt different because Yoo Ho’s attire is different from usual.”
“You are bland.”
With a scoff, Yoo Ho tossed a small bamboo tube toward him.
Tak.
“It’s a message from the Martial Righteous Alliance.”
“These guys sent it even before I arrived.”
Jin Cheon-hee opened the bamboo tube, scanned the contents for a while, and sighed.
“Ah, as expected.”
“What is it?”
“I think I have to go on a business trip to the Northern Sea Ice Palace.”
“Pardon?”
“Master is inside, right?”
Jin Cheon-hee’s eyes changed in an instant, shifting from playful to sharp, and he strode forward.
***
Jin Cheon-hee immediately bathed and purified himself before bringing the gifts to his master.
Of course, he didn’t bring an armful like before. Since too many gifts could be burdensome, he presented only a few of the highest quality items. His master gladly received them and took the message.
“Northern Sea Ice Palace, you say.”
Jin Cheon-hee confided in his master about the events that had transpired at the Martial Righteous Alliance.
“And, without any big fights, I returned safely this time.”
“You mean the friction with the Hwaju Medical Pavilion and the Kongtong Sect, and the duel, were not ‘big fights’?”
“Hehehe!”
“Well. At this point, that much is merely a duel.”
Wasn’t it the most normal thing among the countless crazy deeds this disciple had done? He dueled in a place equipped with medical facilities. He didn’t fight one against many, but one-on-one. Although he almost sent an old Taoist into Qi Deviation in the process, wasn’t it acceptable? After all, the opponent wasn’t the Blood Immortal Cult, and they had picked the fight first.
At this level, Zhuge Rin felt he could hang a passing necklace on his disciple.
“Northern Sea Ice Palace… You proposed that quite boldly. The Martial Righteous Alliance, too.”
“…….”
His master fell into thought.
“Old grudges are buried there.”
“Is it at a level that threatens my life?”
“It is not. Much time has passed since then. And it seems the Ice Palace Lord has finished organizing things in his own way. He isn’t of the disposition to ask a disciple about the master’s grudges.” Zhuge Rin paused, considering the political landscape. “The Martial Righteous Alliance thought well to give up land, too.”
It was land in a different region, not the Jiangsu Province where the White Qilin Medical Pavilion was located. This was necessary because the region itself had to be changed for the diverse cultivation of medicinal herbs.
Even though this could be seen as a trick to expand influence, the fact that the Martial Righteous Alliance—or rather, the vested interests belonging to the Nine Great Sects and Eight Great Clans—acknowledged this was significant.
“Since you said it’s a good place to cultivate herbs, it probably won’t be a ‘good’ place in terms of comfort.”
“Right. It will surely be a remote area furthest from other sects’ territories. Even so, think how many they killed to gain a span of land. Giving up that territory means they fear the Northern Sea Ice Palace that much.”
“Is the Northern Sea Ice Palace strong?”
“It is a strength different from the Five Poisons Sect.”
His master seemed lost in thought again.
“You already intend to go.”
“Yes. Master. If it were a situation where I had to draw my sword unconditionally, I wouldn’t go either. Because my life is precious, too.”
At that moment, Zhuge Rin couldn’t hold back and reached out, pinching his disciple’s cheek hard.
Squeeze!
“Argh! M… Maaaster!!”
“Right. Finish speaking.”
Only when his master let go of his stinging cheek did he continue.
“If it’s not that kind of atmosphere, I want to go. If fewer people die, even a little, that alone would make me more comfortable. And the checks from the Hwaju Medical Pavilion are getting annoying, too.”