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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Teottry
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A path opened through the crowd as the young master of the North Sea Ice Palace walked, the throngs of people parting like the Red Sea.
“There’s a reason they say he’s a peony when seated and a tree peony when standing.”
The peony was the king of flowers, and the tree peony was the minister of flowers. In short, the proverb meant he was beautiful no matter how you looked at him.
Compliments about his appearance flowed endlessly as all eyes focused on him.
“Ice Dragon, you bastard… what are you plotting?”
Quan Cong, who already disliked Xue Mudan, scowled at his unwelcome appearance, but
“I should be asking you that. What are you plotting, picking a fight with my cute little sister and our guests?”
“What…? Guests?”
Quan Cong looked around at Mancheon and Xiaoshao, standing nearby, in response to the counter-question.
“I’ll take it that being rude to the guests I invited is an insult to me.”
Seeing Xue Mudan’s cold smile, Quan Cong placed his hand on the hilt of his sword, ready to draw, but Mancheon intervened.
“Hey now, what’s all this commotion in a public inn? Let’s settle this peacefully.”
He had just come for a free lunch. Why was he going through all this trouble? He wanted to eat. He was hungry.
“Psst… Young Master, I’m hungry… My stomach is growling…”
See? Even Jang Sam, who had been quiet until now, couldn’t take it anymore and whispered to him, urging him to do something.
Well, to be honest…
He glanced at Tang Mei-niang, who had left the confrontation to Quan Cong and was now observing Xiaoshao from behind, trying to intimidate her.
He wanted to say something cool too, but she was Xiaoshao’s fiancée, and it was a family matter, so it was a sensitive issue.
“Hey, Quan Cong, Senior Brother Sima is asking you to stop, so why don’t you back down?”
Tao Jun, who had been watching cautiously, seized the opportunity created by Mancheon and tried to mediate.
“The Dragon-Phoenix Gathering is just around the corner. You can settle your differences there.”
Quan Cong’s face calmed. Indeed, he couldn’t cause trouble right before a major tournament.
“I apologize for showing such an unsightly display before my benefactor.”
“I’m fine. But I’m not the one you should be apologizing to.”
Mancheon held out his hand to stop Quan Cong, who was about to bow in apology.
“Understood.”
Quan Cong bowed towards the Sword Dragon and the Ice Dragon, the two dragons he would have to defeat at the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering.
“Don’t misunderstand. The sword of the Zhongnan Sect is the best in the world. I’m not bowing to the Ice Dragon’s petty threats or the Nangong Family’s authority.”
“I’m doing this out of respect for Senior Brother Sima.”
Then, he bowed towards Xiaoshao.
“Young Master Nangong, I apologize for my rudeness. I’m sorry for interfering in your family matters.”
It wasn’t a perfect apology, but
“I accept your apology.”
Xiaoshao, who also didn’t want to escalate the situation, nodded lightly, accepting his apology.
And so, the incident seemed to be resolved.
Or so he thought.
“As expected of my brother! You’re amazing!”
Xue Mudan gently stroked Yuehua’s hair as she clung to her brother, but his golden eyes subtly, almost imperceptibly, kept glancing at Mancheon.
“You are Sima Mancheon? I’ve heard a lot about you.”
‘Heard a lot about me?’
He hadn’t exactly made a name for himself in the martial world, so he didn’t understand, but
he assumed Yuehua or Xiaoshao must have sent a servant to tell him about Mancheon, so he decided to let it slide.
“Young Master Sima, did you enjoy the meal?”
“Yes, it was delicious. Senior Brother Nangong wasn’t exaggerating when he said the food here was good.”
Perhaps he was just hungry, but the food was indeed delicious, as Xiaoshao had said.
It had been worth the trip.
“Heehee~ Thank my brother for his generous invitation, Sima Mancheon!”
‘Thank him…?’
He turned to look at Xue Mudan, who had been sipping tea and observing him.
It wasn’t just curiosity. Her eyes didn’t hold any warmth.
It was a cold, calculating gaze, like a predator assessing its prey before a fight.
‘She doesn’t seem to have any positive feelings towards me. Why did she invite me?’
Across the table, his amber eyes, reminiscent of a wolf, and her sharp, hawk-like golden eyes met, observing each other.
Then, Xue Mudan’s frown softened, and a friendly smile spread across her face.
“I’m glad you enjoyed the meal. But if you don’t mind, could you have dessert with Yuehua downstairs?”
“As the young master of the North Sea Ice Palace, I have something to discuss with the young master of the Nangong Family.”
By explicitly mentioning their family names and positions, she was subtly telling him to leave, that it was a political discussion he shouldn’t be involved in.
But that was the North Sea Ice Palace’s business.
It had nothing to do with him.
He had come here with Xiaoshao, so her opinion mattered most.
If Xiaoshao said she didn’t want to deal with family matters anymore, he would take her and leave.
So, he turned to Xiaoshao, seeking her opinion.
“It’s nothing important. Please wait for me downstairs.”
Xiaoshao smiled faintly and nodded.
She could have just enjoyed the meal and left, but she was such a responsible older sister.
Well, that sense of responsibility, along with her small chest, was part of her charm.
She had a maternal, comforting aura, yet her small breasts created a strange contradiction.
That contrast was what made her so alluring.
Anyway, since Xiaoshao had said so,
“Heehee~ Sima Mancheon, I’ll make you some shaved ice!”
“Hey, young lady, just in case you’re misunderstanding, shaved ice isn’t frozen medicine.”
As he was about to leave the room with Yuehua and Jang Sam, who were excitedly leading the way,
“Did you ever… when you were younger…”
A cold, low voice stopped him in his tracks. It was Xue Mudan’s voice coming from behind.
“…around ten years old… almost die from a dog attack?”
“Young Master Sima, is that true?”
Xiaoshao tilted her head, as if she had never heard of it.
Of course, she hadn’t.
He had never told anyone, not even Gwahae.
The incident when he was ten years old, when he had picked a fight with a dog, got his ass kicked, and cried like a baby for help.
It wasn’t something he couldn’t talk about, but it wasn’t something he was proud of either, so he had never mentioned it.
‘How does she know?’
Just as he was about to ask, Xue Mudan changed the subject dismissively.
“Hmm… I must have mistaken you for someone else. Don’t worry about it.”
Now he was certain.
She hadn’t simply heard about it from Yuehua or Xiaoshao. She had known about him from the start.
And she knew quite a lot about him.
An unsettling feeling crept up on him.
It was similar to the feeling he got when Jegal Liang became obsessed with playing Go with him.
In other words, he might have gotten involved with someone incredibly troublesome.
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Inside the luxurious inn room, only Xiaoshao and Mudan remained.
“Let me ask you straight out. Are you participating in this Dragon-Phoenix Gathering of your own volition? Or is it your family’s will?”
“What do you mean?”
Xiaoshao asked, surprised by the unexpected question.
“I’m asking if you personally desire the title of True Dragon, or if you’re just following your grandfather’s orders.”
The mention of family was just an excuse to get rid of the others. This was the real question.
“Sigh…”
A quiet sigh escaped Xiaoshao’s lips.
Why was everyone so obsessed with the empty title of True Dragon? Xiaoshao had never been interested in such a thing.
She wouldn’t have even come to the Martial Alliance headquarters for the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering if it weren’t for…
“It’s my grandfather’s order. My will doesn’t matter.”
“I see.”
Xue Mudan’s eyes closed briefly, then opened.
“You’ve become a completely obedient puppet, Nangong Xiaoshao.”
Contempt flickered in her ambitious golden eyes.
“You haven’t changed at all. You’re still a helpless child who can’t do anything on her own. Just like when your parents died.”
“What?”
Xiaoshao’s eyes widened in shock at the unexpected verbal attack. Her mind raced.
“You should have fought back then, even if you knew you couldn’t win. You should have died fighting, right there and then.”
The image of her parents being brutally murdered by Wu Ming overlapped with her vision.
The invincible villain she couldn’t defeat, the inescapable fate she had been burdened with since birth.
People who placed their hopes on her and flattered her, then abandoned her when she disappointed them.
The relentless scrutiny and Nangong Tian’s twisted ambition that had begun after she drew Zhanlu, the sword that chose its king.
What could she possibly do in this situation?
Everything felt heavy. She wanted to run away, but she couldn’t.
“Don’t… talk to me like that…!”
For the first time, anger flared in Xiaoshao’s eyes, her gaze sharpening.
“No, I will. You’re just a coward afraid of your own destiny.”
But… Xue Mudan didn’t stop.
Unable to bear it any longer, Xiaoshao tried to stand up, but
“……?!”
her legs gave way, and she collapsed back onto the floor.
“The drug I put in your tea must be taking effect.”
Xiaoshao looked up in disbelief at the calmly spoken words, but Xue Mudan simply observed her condition without a change in expression.
“You poisoned me?”
“It’s Hanbingyao, a medicine that cools the body and replenishes yin energy.”
Xue Mudan poured herself a cup of tea and drank it in front of Xiaoshao.
“Well, it could be considered poison for you, considering your Nine Yin Divine Meridians, a talent that fills your body with yin energy, slowly consuming your life force.”
“It won’t kill you, though. It’ll just incapacitate you until the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering is over.”
The relative she had known, the one who followed the righteous path despite her coldness, was gone.
“After all that talk… you resort to such… despicable tactics… Mudan!”
“Despicable… I won’t deny it. I’m so disgusted with myself for having to resort to such underhanded methods to defeat you.”
Only a corpse driven mad by arrogant, shameless ambition remained.
“But I, Xue Mudan, have a dream.”
She stood up and looked down at Xiaoshao, who was kneeling on the floor, her body trembling pathetically.
“I’d rather be a despicable victor than a noble loser. Losers can’t change anything.”
Her golden eyes gleamed like a predator stalking its prey in the night.
“Even if it’s an empty title, it’s still a title. I will use the title of True Dragon as a stepping stone to become the first leader of the Martial Alliance from outside the Central Plains.”
“If it’s revealed that you poisoned me…”
“Today’s incident was an unfortunate accident, a simple mix-up of medicine and tea. But that alone isn’t enough.”
Her cold hand rested on the hilt of her sword.
“So I’ll give you a leash, a reason to stay silent. If you try anything funny, I’ll kill the man you brought.”
Xue Mudan’s beautiful face hardened, a silent killing intent emanating from her.
“Sima Mancheon.”
Xiaoshao’s patience finally snapped.
-Crash!!
The Emperor’s sword was drawn with a deafening roar.
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-Crunch Crunch
“Sima Mancheon, let’s play dice when we get back!”
As he was munching on the shaved ice she had made for him, Yuehua suddenly pulled out a beautiful, six-sided die made of jade and challenged him.
“Sure, but why so suddenly?”
“Heehee~ I bought a Seunggyeongdo from a Goryeo merchant! Let’s play!”
Seunggyeongdo was a traditional Korean board game where players rolled dice and moved their pieces according to the squares they landed on.
They could earn merits and rise through the ranks of government officials, or fall out of favor with the king and be exiled. It was an ancient life simulation game.
However, perhaps due to the era it was created in, if you rolled the wrong number, you could be executed or beheaded by an executioner, making it quite a challenging board game.
In other words, it was incredibly fun.
“Oh ho~ You dare challenge Sima Mancheon, the genius who can deceive even the heavens, at a game of chance? You’ve got guts.”
“Hmph~ Prepare to be humbled! I’ll crush your arrogance!”
“Alright, alright, let’s get Xiaoshao to join us too. These games are more fun with more people…”
-Crash!!
The door burst open, unable to withstand the impact, as two dragons clashed swords in mid-air.
Xiaoshao, using gravity to her advantage, pushed her sword forward for a decisive blow as they fell, but
“……!”
the cold had stiffened her body, creating an opening, and she lost the upper hand.
And Mudan didn’t miss the opportunity.
She stopped struggling for dominance and assumed a stance, looking down at the falling Xiaoshao.
Snowflakes mixed with the scent of plum blossoms filled the inn.
Snowflake Sword Technique.
-Clang!!
Dog Beating Staff Technique – Strike the Dog Towards Heaven.
Fortunately, his body reacted before his mind could process the situation.
He kicked off the ground with his left foot and struck the materialized phantom sword with Taegu-zzang.
He scooped up Xiaoshao with one arm and held her close, protecting her. He used his body to block any attacks he couldn’t defend against.
“Y-Young Master! Are you alright?!”
Jang Sam rushed towards Mancheon, who had landed safely, albeit with several minor cuts. Mancheon gently placed Xiaoshao down, then
“Where did you learn that sword technique?”
asked Mudan, who had landed after him, his voice unusually low.
The sword technique she had just used was a mix of the North Sea Ice Palace’s ice techniques, but the plum blossom scent clearly indicated the influence of the Mount Hua Sect.
Logically, that was the only possible explanation.
But Mancheon had seen it.
Her stance, the way she moved, the way she had been taught.
He recognized the telltale signs.
The plum blossom scent that filled the inn was faint and subtle, but…
“Tell me. Who taught you?”
it was the same scent he had smelled when he was ten, when he had visited his master to deliver chicken porridge.
Mudan smiled faintly at Mancheon’s question and looked him straight in the eye.
“Curious? I was lucky enough to learn it from a Mount Hua elder.”
[Of course, I learned it from a random passerby, Senior Brother.]
A voice transmission, completely different from her spoken words, reached his ears.
‘Where are you going?’
‘I don’t know. Somewhere far away. I might go to the North Sea Ice Palace and learn their famous Ice White Divine Palm. Or maybe travel to the Western Regions by ship.’
He remembered the conversation he had with his master before they parted ways.
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Ooi oii oii an unexpected meet
