Chapter 50
Bei Hai Yi Feng. Or the Ice Princess, the Saintess of the North Sea. Her name was Wang So-yeong.
Wang So-yeong, who had become a respectable lady at the age of twenty this year, had lived a life different from ordinary people.
She had never worked a day in her life.
She had never even done her own laundry, cooked a meal, or even poured herself a glass of water. She had lived a noble life.
But that was not because Wang So-yeong was a lazy or idle person.
Because she could!
Because Wang So-yeong was fully entitled to do so, she had simply lived that way.
The young lady of the North Sea Ice Palace.
The person who would become the next lord of the North Sea Ice Palace.
Although it was a martial arts sect outside the pass, far from the Central Plains, in the North Sea, Wang So-yeong was the princess, and Wang So-yeong was the top young lady.
Was that why?
She was more dumbfounded than angry.
‘You’ll shit blood if you keep that up!’
Wang So-yeong did not know how to respond to this vulgar and baseless remark from So-ah, which she had never heard before.
But whether he knew Wang So-yeong’s heart or not, So-ah continued to speak without mercy.
“Miss. I don’t know how great you are in the North Sea, but this is the Central Plains, right? If you act so rudely, you’ll go to your grave. I will make up for the Liaoning Escort Agency’s mistake. I’ll take your request. So hide your claws and act like a client.”
“You… you…”
“Do you have a complaint? Even if you do, it won’t do you any good. Are you really going to spout nonsense about killing me when you fainted in just one second?”
“Shut up! Can’t you release this acupoint quickly? If you just release the acupoint, I’ll twist your neck.”
“Really? Then go ahead and try.”
—Tatattatatat!
So-ah released Wang So-yeong’s acupoint that he had been holding.
At that, Wang So-yeong, as if she had been waiting, got up and threw a sharp palm strike.
—Hwiiiik!
The force contained in the palm technique was quite fierce.
From the lightness skill she had shown when she first appeared to this strike, So-ah was inwardly surprised by how solid Wang So-yeong’s martial arts were, but that was all.
Swish.
He neutralized Wang So-yeong’s offensive with just a light movement of taking a step back.
‘How can this person’s martial arts be so…!’
Only then did Wang So-yeong realize that So-ah, who had subdued her in one blow, had not been lucky.
But.
“Die!”
Wang So-yeong did not stop.
Ice Jade Divine Palm!
Although it was forgotten in the Central Plains now, in the past, when the exchange between the North Sea and the Central Plains was active, it was a martial art that was notorious for its terrifying palm technique.
As the authentic Ice Jade Divine Palm of the North Sea mainland was performed in succession, a chilly cold ki soared in the room.
‘Oh?’
So-ah had encountered an ice-attribute martial art for the first time in his life.
For a moment, a curiosity arose from it.
But he had no intention of taking the hit.
Swish, swish, he moved his body and dodged the Ice Jade Divine Palm beautifully, and then,
—Grab!
He grabbed Wang So-yeong’s right hand that was flying towards his chest.
‘He’s grabbing a palm strike imbued with the Ice Jade Cold Ki with his bare hands?!’
Wang So-yeong looked at So-ah with her eyes wide like lanterns.
Then she felt shame and humiliation at the single wisp of a sneer on So-ah’s face.
“You… you’re playing with me right now, aren’t you? Right?”
“I was just looking at it because it’s a strange martial art.”
“You…”
“Why are you trembling so much? You were the one who came at me with the momentum to kill.”
—Squeeze…
So-ah slightly pressed Wang So-yeong’s wrist that he was holding and bent it vertically.
At that, a low moan flowed from her mouth.
“Ah…”
“Are you going to do more? Or are you going to stop? I think I’ve shown enough courtesy to a client. If you attack one more time, I won’t just defend.”
“Ugh… let go of this!”
So-ah released the wrist he was holding.
At this point, So-ah had shown the greatest tolerance.
Although So-ah had no mercy for his enemies, Wang So-yeong was a client, and it was clear that she had been harmed by the Liaoning Escort Agency’s mistake, so he wanted to endure this much.
Just then.
Thud!
As soon as her restrained wrist was released, Wang So-yeong grabbed her scabbard that was on the table.
Then, as she glared at So-ah and was about to draw her sword.
“Miss of the North Sea!”
“…”
“If you draw that, you’ll really shit blood. You know the difference in our skills without me having to say it. With the justification of drawing a real sword with killing intent, I can beat you like a dog. The North Sea? Even so, it’s just a sect outside the pass, and I was just defending myself, so I’ll have something to say, right? Moreover, since I’m a first-class official of the Martial Alliance and the great disciple of the Moyong Family. If there’s no justification, I don’t know, but the North Sea would be reluctant to start an all-out war, right? Even if they start an all-out war, they’d have to send the people of the Ice Palace all the way to the Central Plains just to catch me, right? And there’s no guarantee that they’ll win, right? Calculate the profit and loss well. This is really the last time I’m being kind.”
Wang So-yeong’s body trembled at So-ah’s words that poured out like a torrent.
It was the first humiliation she had ever experienced in her life.
Who in the world could give such a direct insult in front of the princess of the North Sea?
But unfortunately, this was not the North Sea.
This was the Central Plains martial world, a place where the power dynamics changed every day and masters were as common as sand on a riverbank.
Moreover, the martial arts of So-ah that Wang So-yeong had felt were beyond words.
Although her Ice Jade Divine Palm had only achieved the 7th to 8th star, it would be impossible for anyone but a high-ranking elder of the North Sea Ice Palace to break it so easily.
“Sob… sob…”
Wang So-yeong burst into tears.
‘What the?’
So-ah was bewildered.
She had been throwing ferocious palm strikes just a moment ago, so what was with the sudden tears?
‘How absurd…’
He was the one who had been attacked, but for some reason, So-ah felt uneasy.
***
A little later…
Wang So-yeong, who had collapsed and was sobbing, opened her mouth…
Only after hearing the whole story to some extent could So-ah understand her actions.
“Sob… my father was injured internally while training in the Cold Ice Cotton Palm, the best peerless art of the North Sea. Since he has a strong martial body, he avoided qi deviation, but recently, the cold ki has invaded his bone marrow. Therefore, I started to search for a way to treat my father’s internal injuries. Not only in the martial arts sects outside the pass, but also in the Central Plains.”
‘What the… I thought she was a thoughtless princess, but she was a filial daughter.’
So-ah had that thought and listened to Wang So-yeong’s words.
“In the midst of that, I received a letter from Manju-jang in Qinghai, which is considered the number one medical family in the Central Plains. It said that my father’s internal injuries had to be treated by taking the internal dan of the Sun Fire Carp, a spiritual beast renowned for its yang energy, and that they had that Sun Fire Carp.”
“Ah! The Sun Fire Carp!”
So-ah remembered an old memory.
When Myo-seon’s Nine Yin Severed Meridians were severe when she was young, his grandfather had mentioned the internal dan of the Sun Fire Carp, so he knew that it was a tremendous spiritual medicine.
“You know about the Sun Fire Carp too?”
“Yeah. My friend also suffered from a cold condition called the Nine Yin Severed Meridians. Of course, at that time, we couldn’t get the Sun Fire Carp, so we tried to treat it with another method.”
“Anyway, Manju-jang in Qinghai promised to give us the Sun Fire Carp.”
“That precious thing? They wouldn’t just give it away.”
“Of course. They demanded the Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Jade.”
Only then could So-ah roughly organize the complicated situation in his head.
“So that’s why you said the existence of the North Sea Ice Palace depended on the Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Jade. Now I know why you were so agitated.”
In other words, the Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Jade that the Liaoning Escort Agency had been robbed of was not just a matter of losing wealth, but a matter of her father’s life.
“The six who came to the Central Plains with me went to the Great Desert, but they won’t be able to handle the Mad Wind Sand of the Great Desert by themselves. And if we ask for support from the North Sea again, form a force, and subjugate the Mad Wind Sand? My father will probably become more critical in the meantime. That’s why I couldn’t forgive the Liaoning Escort Agency.”
“Hmm… I see. If the cold condition is that severe, it would be impossible to contact the North Sea again, replenish the forces, and attack the Great Desert.”
So-ah nodded and sympathized with Wang So-yeong’s words.
But Wang So-yeong was lowering her head weakly, as if she had lost her soul.
Just then.
“You, your lightness skill is quite good.”
So-ah opened his mouth to Wang So-yeong.
Wang So-yeong at first did not respond to that rather out-of-place remark, but thinking that So-ah might have an idea, she affirmed.
“Yes. In the first place, the reason I came to the Central Plains myself is because I am one of the fastest in the North Sea in terms of lightness skill. I’ve been digging into lightness skill since I was young.”
“Good. Then what about your stamina? How is your stamina?”
“Stamina?”
“Can you fly for a long time?”
“Hmm… my stamina is also good.”
“Then that’s it.”
“What?”
“First, we’ll go to the Great Desert, the Mad Wind Sand, together. We’ll crush the heads of the thieves there and find the Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Jade. Then we’ll hand over the Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Jade to Manju-jang in Qinghai and then sprint back to the North Sea. If we move diligently, it’s possible within three months.”
“Is… is it that easy?”
“Are you not going to do it if it’s difficult? Your father’s life is on the line.”
“I… I have to!”
“And there’s nothing to be difficult about. As you said, the Great Desert, the Mad Wind Sand, is just a fancy name, but in reality, they’re just thieves. The Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Jade isn’t a spiritual dan or something, is it? Like, you eat it or something?”
“No. The Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Jade is not a spiritual dan, but a natural stone. In other words, it’s a type of jewel.”
“Then the Mad Wind Sand bastards won’t eat it. First, let’s go.”
“Can we really solve it? Just the two of us?”
“What do you mean, the two of us? You brat, you’re not much help.”
“What?”
“I’ll do it alone. You just stick around.”
So-ah’s words, depending on how one heard them, were an extremely arrogant statement.
But for some reason, Wang So-yeong felt like she wanted to put her hopes in So-ah.
***
“Miss. I sincerely apologize once again. Young Master Jin is the most renowned person in the current Jianghu, so he will surely solve this matter.”
So-ah took Wang So-yeong, who had calmed down and regained her composure, to Chief Jang.
Chief Jang bowed his head and apologized politely.
Although Wang So-yeong’s anger had not completely subsided, since listening to So-ah’s words was the best option for now, she answered Chief Jang in a chilly voice.
“For now, since there is no alternative, I will accept the proposal. If you fail to retrieve the Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Jade, I will really not stand by. Do you understand?”
Despite Wang So-yeong’s frosty gaze and tone, Chief Jang was just grateful.
If it weren’t for So-ah, he would have lost his life to Wang So-yeong’s sword long ago.
“Of course. At that time, I will offer you my neck.”
So-ah snickered at Chief Jang’s solemn words.
“Chief Jang. What a brutal thing to say. Don’t worry, just get me some advance payment.”
“Yes?”
As Chief Jang asked with innocent eyes, So-ah sent him a secret sound transmission.
[Ahem! Why… you know. The huge settlement. The money you promised to give me.]
Only then did Chief Jang smile sinisterly and nod his head.
So-ah was also smiling with him.
***
So-ah and Wang So-yeong got to know each other’s names the next day, at a tavern in Liaoning.
Wang So-yeong, only today, had truly realized So-ah’s true nature.
‘My lightness skill is at the top level in the North Sea…’
On the one hand, she was furious.
She had thought that she would not be inferior to anyone of her age in terms of lightness skill, but as soon as they left the main road and ran through the mountains, So-ah had lightly left Wang So-yeong behind and had run away like a whale swimming in the great sea.
“You’re really amazing at lightness skill.”
“Lightness skill is the weakest part of my martial arts.”
“What?!”
“Of course, the Swift Whale Steps is a great lightness skill and footwork, but it’s no match for the Heavenly Demon’s Reigning Steps. Instead, since I’m the strongest in everything else, lightness skill can be said to be one of my weaknesses.”
“That’s a bluff, right?”
“I don’t bluff.”
“What’s your name?”
“I told you. It’s Jin So-ah.”
“Aha! Right. I remember now.”
“What’s your name?”
“I’m Wang So-yeong.”
“Pfft…!”
So-ah covered his mouth.
Because he had almost burst out laughing.
Wang So-yeong.
Although it was not a particularly unique name, perhaps because of the sound of it, So-ah found it somehow funny.
“What? You? Why are you suddenly laughing?”
“It’s nothing.”
“What is it!”
“I said it’s nothing.”
“…”
‘His martial arts seem amazing… but he seems frivolous… can I trust him?’
Just as Wang So-yeong was having that thought.
So-ah shouted loudly to the waiter.
“Here! One order of king dumplings, one order of king shrimp stir-fry, one order of king mushroom stew. Ah! And also a bowl of soup filled to the brim with king-sized portions.”
For some reason, Wang So-yeong’s mood soured.
(End of Chapter)