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As if performing a ritual, the cleaned part was wiped again, and the polished part was rubbed again.

“…it will wear out.”

“Ahem.”

Hyun Jong cleared his throat after hearing the blunt voice. But his hand still wouldn’t stop. Hyun Young clicked his tongue.

“You like it that much?”

“…rather than liking it…”

A strange light appeared on Hyun Jong’s face as he looked down at the Great Virtuous Sword.

“It would be a little more appropriate to say that the emotions are a bit new.”

Hyun Young made a slightly displeased expression but didn’t harass Hyun Jong further. It was because he understood that this sword, a treasured object of the sect, would mean something to Hyun Jong on a different level.

Hyun Jong quietly put down the white cloth and looked at the sword.

“But on the other hand….”

“Uh?”

The eyes looking at the sword became involved.

“I am worried that there might be another meaning to the fact that this object was returned to Mount Hua.”

“…”

“Everything in the world has a reason. The sword that disappeared in the age of war is coming back…”

“Ehh, why do you think so negatively? What can be said other than Mount Hua, which was ruined, is coming back to its original state?”

At Hyun Young’s words, Hyun Jong nodded.

Even when he closed his eyes, the shine on the sword was evident to him. This sword had a history with Mount Hua. It had gone through countless things, and whenever Mount Hua faced disaster, it was always there at the forefront.

“It is said that treasured weapons find their way back to their rightful place.”

“…”

“I would be nice if this ended with just being a useless worry of an old man.”

Hyung Jong put down the sword. Looking at his closed eyes, Hyun Young sighed.

It wasn’t easy for him to understand Hyun Jong’s words. It wasn’t even easy for him, who had been with Hyun Jong all his life, to understand him.

Hyun Jong, who closed his eyes to clear his mind, opened them again.

“Have we still not heard from the kids?”

“When do they ever send us any updates? No matter how much I nag, they never do it.”

“Hehehe. Whose kids are they? There must be someone who brushes off the thought of sending a letter.”

It was good to see the figure of Chung Myung pushing the kids.

‘Treasured weapons finding their place back….’

He said it to himself, but it felt strange.

If the weapons were like that, then people would be too.

Wasn’t that the same reason why Mount Hua, which had been losing its life and dying, had Chung Myung with them?

“North Sea….”

Hyun Jong’s eyes turned to the window.

The sunlight was warm, but the air coming through the window was unbearably cold. The North Sea air must be even colder.

“Will the children be okay?”

“Don’t worry. Has Chung Myung ever let us down?”

“That’s why I’m worried.”

“… Uh?”

Hyun Jong shook his head and looked sad.

“They’re still children.”

“…”

“It’s strange to call them kids now that they’re older, but they’re still young and have much to learn. Yet, those kids always carry the weight of Mount Hua on their shoulders.”

Not only that, but they were also always trying to get involved in the world’s affairs.

It was as if it were a predetermined fate, even though it was not intentional.

“The Demonic Sect….”

That dreadful evil.

“The Demonic Sect will definitely be different from what the kids have seen so far.”

“Right. It is the Demonic Sect, after all.”

“The kids….”

But before Hyun Jong could say anything more, Hyun Young said,

“Sect leader.”

“….”

“The one who trusts a child the least is their own parent.”

Hyun Jong raised his head and looked at Hyun Young, who continued,

“They will overcome it.”

“… right. They will.”

Hyun Jong quietly stood up from his place. In his hand, he held a polished sword.

“Are you going to train again?”

“We have time, so why not?”

Hyun Young observed Hyun Jong with fresh eyes. Lately, the sect leader’s training time increased significantly. Hyun Jong handled the internal tasks, while the external business was taken care of by Eunha Merchants.

“At an age when even bones stop growing.”

“… I’m still capable.”

Hyun Jong smiled softly.

“You may think I’m getting old, but I still aspire to become a little stronger.”

“I’ve never considered you to be strong.”

Hyun Young understood why he suddenly became so focused on training. The incident with the Ten Thousand People Clan held a special significance for Hyun Jong.

In the end, the sect leader, who was supposed to protect his disciples, found himself being protected by them. He might have taken pride in their growth, but Hyun Jong couldn’t rely solely on that.

‘He must want to protect his disciples.’

Hyun Young could fully empathize with this sentiment.

What if a day came when he couldn’t do anything, and his disciples were dying? What if his own weakness forced him to watch them perish?

At that moment, he would rather bite his tongue and die, for he wouldn’t be able to bear to witness it.

“But, sect leader…”

“Hmm?”

“If you’re going to train, why not try practicing with Un Geom? He’s been working hard to redefine the martial arts for his…”

“… it’s fine.”

“No, but why? Practicing together would make it much easier…”

“… it’s fine.”

As if he had settled on a decision, Hyun Jong’s face turned bitter.

“My bones can’t handle his training.”

“You claimed to be strong earlier.”

“Ugh.”

Hyun Jong shook his head and stepped outside.

As he opened the door, snowflakes greeted him from the sky.

“The North Sea must be cold.”

Hyun Jong narrowed his eyes slightly.

“The hardships shouldn’t be too difficult for them.”

The children would come back stronger, and Mount Hua, which welcomed them, must also be stronger than when they left.

To be able to warmly embrace the exhausted children.

“…how was it?”

“What?”

“The atmosphere.”

“Understood.”

Baek Cheon sighed with nervous eyes. Chung Myung’s presence yesterday had made him uneasy.

“He seemed so serious.”

When Chung Myung earnestly raised his sword, he was nothing like his usual foolish self. But yesterday’s Chung Myung seemed like a different person.

So he felt anxious…

“Fishing again!?”

Baek Cheon couldn’t help but exclaim in surprise.

“Ah, no! Well… Why does he treat Monk Hae Yeon like that?”

Berating himself for worrying about Chung Myung, Baek Cheon immediately ran or at least attempted to when someone grabbed him from behind.

“Disciple Baek Cheon. I am here.”

“Uh?”

When he turned around, Hae Yeon was indeed there.

“Uh? Monk?”

“Amitabha. Thankfully… that isn’t me.”

“Then…”

Baek Cheon stared at Chung Myung, his eyes filled with shock. Even though Hae Yeon wasn’t in the water, Baek Cheon felt more anxiety than relief.

“If the monk is here, then who the hell is on the fishing rod…?”

“So, what did he put in the water?”

“Right.”

“…it couldn’t have been an empty fishing rod.”

The disciples’ eyes trembled with shock, their heads filled with confusion.

“B-Baek Ah!”

“Oh my! It has to be Baek Ah!”

“That crazy bastard! Ack!”

Meanwhile, the disciples who were infatuated with Baek Ah rushed to Chung Myung with tears streaming down their faces.

There are things that a crazy bastard should not do; how could he do that to such a cute, lovely thing!

“You crazy bastard, Chung Myung! Baek Ah, our Baek Ah!”

“Uh?”

Startled, Chung Myung looked back as the disciples ran toward him.

“W-what is it?”

“Baek Ah, Baek Ah!?”

Everyone’s gaze was filled with desperation. The belief that a mere human being, not a Taoist, could do such a thing couldn’t be true.

But…

“Ah. Baek Ah! Inside.”

Chung Myung pointed to the hole in the ice.

“HEIKKKKKKK!”

Baek Cheon, his face pale, hurriedly rushed over and grabbed the fishing rod from Chung Myung’s hands.

“W-what is wrong with you?”

“Yah, you crazy bastard! There are things people can do and things you shouldn’t! How could you put the little thing into the water…”

It was then…

Bubble!

Bubbles seemed to rise from the serene surface of the water, and something large quickly emerged from within.

“Uh?”

And…

Paaah!

Once again, the water rippled like a wave and a carp of such size appeared that their jaws dropped.

“Euk!”

“Uhk?”

“W-what is that?”

Saying it was the size of a house was too much, but it was almost the size of a cow. Even if it was a spirit beast, it wouldn’t be strange to claim it as such.

The carp soared into the air like a dragon heading for heaven and twisted its body as it fell onto the ice.

Tung!

The carp, which landed on the ice, flopped around violently. However, Baek Cheon and his party didn’t pay attention to the carp.

Of course, the carp was bigger than humans and was a rare sight. But even if it was twice as big, it wouldn’t be rarer compared to the sight of a little marten pressing down on its head.

Chung Myung spoke, unsurprised.

“Uhhh. Do not kill it.”

“Kik?”

“I want you to catch it alive.”

“Kik!”

Baek Ah, holding the carp down with her front paws, blinked her dark eyes and nodded a couple of times. And she then brushed her wet hair.

Leaving the carp alone, she ran and clung to Chung Myung’s feet.

“Tsk.”

Chung Myung clicked his tongue and then placed his hand on her, sending internal qi into her. Then, her wet hair turned dry and softer than usual.

“….”

Everyone was speechless at this sight.

Ah…

A spirit beast

It had been used as both a scarf and a stove exclusively for Chung Myung, so they had forgotten about it.

‘Come to think of it, she’s a guy the size of a mouse that even a tiger couldn’t defeat.’

‘Chung Myung’s animal. No, an animal that is Chung Myung.’

“Once more?”

Kiiik!

When Chung Myung asked this, Baek Ah stepped onto the floor with her foot.

“I will give you two big chunks.”

As soon as those words fell, Baek Ah, with shining eyes, jumped into the water without delay.

“….”

And… that showed how brave she was.

Jo Gul, who watched it, mumbled.

“Does a marten eat fish?”

“Even Taoists don’t break heads, right? So does this matter? No, what if you want to leave everything….”

“… wise thought.”

Baek Cheon was at a loss for words and looked at where Baek Ah vanished, then asked Chung Myung.

“Chung Myung, ah…”

“Uh?”

“Is Baek Ah that good at catching fish?”

“It is a spirit beast, so how can it not catch it?”

“…”

He understood then.

Come to think of it, Baek Ah was the one who harassed a spirit beast of Nanman Beast Palace so much that the palace lord, Meng So, begged her to be taken away.

What could such a thing not catch?

But at this point, a new question arose.

“… then why did you put Monk Hae Yeon into the water?”

Chung Myung frowned and said,

“No. That guy said he was going to catch a big fish, but it’s not something people would do, that you shouldn’t deviate too much from the path of a human, and then he said bullshit and said he would rather go into the water.”

“….”

“So I said fine. And granted him his wish, but is there anyone who wouldn’t grant such wishes for the lives of people?”

Baek Cheon turned around silently.

Hae Yeon stared at the sky as if the world was meaningless. His eyes appeared moist for some unknown reason.

“… Amitabha.”

Baek Cheon shook his head at Hae Yeon’s actions.

Where did things go wrong?

Was it wrong for a marten to dive into the water and catch fish? Was it wrong to willingly sacrifice oneself in cold water to protect a marten like that?

“Let’s just assume that Chung Myung is wrong.”

Because it was easier to think that way. Suddenly, the surface of the water trembled, and Baek Ah jumped up with an even bigger carp.

Baek Ah threw a huge fish at the ground and quickly ran towards Chung Myung. Then, she flipped over the fish’s stomach and trembled.

“You’re doing better than the bald head, that’s for sure.”

“….”

Baek Cheon smiled at this.

“I’m not even surprised anymore.”

No matter what had happened. Damn them.

“… But why are you suddenly fishing?”

“I heard there are other villages.”

“Huh?”

“Well, they’re so weak they can’t even lift a spoon, so I need to catch them right and leave.”

Chung Myung pointed at the carp.

“They won’t freeze easily if they’re big, so we wrap them up, and they’ll still be fresh when we reach another village. Once that’s done, we’ll have nothing else to worry about.”

Baek Cheon blinked.

“Are you saying…?”

“Yes, that’s it.”

Chung Myung smiled slightly.

“Let’s go now. What is this North Sea Ice Palace? I need to see it with my own eyes.”