Chapter 433: Called a Heart, And Treated Like a Heart

TL: FoodieMonster007

The next morning at dawn, the carriage carrying Geom Mugeuk and his party departed from the Ice Palace. Lee Ahn had decided to resume her suspended mission instead of returning to the Cult, so she chose to travel with them until they were out of the North Sea.

A person was waiting as the carriage left the entrance of the Ice Palace.

It was Princess Han Seol.

"I came out because I wanted to say goodbye."

Geom Mugeuk and the Drunken Demon gave a light nod from the carriage. Lee Ahn got out as their representative, since the two of them had things to talk about.

"I heard from my mother," Han Seol said.

She referred to her as 'mother', not 'Empress'. This was partly because she had recently grown closer to the Ice Empress, but also because the topic of their conversation was a family matter.

Lee Ahn quietly gazed at Han Seol. They were now cousins.

"You were surprised, weren't you? I was surprised too when I heard from the Empress yesterday."

"You're my Unnie, so please speak comfortably."

It was the first time in her life that Han Seol had ever called someone Unnie. In the past, those words would not have come out so easily.

Her relationship with her mother had changed recently, bringing about an inexplicable change in her heart. That was probably why this situation didn't feel so uncomfortable.

"I thought I was the younger sister."

Lee Ahn remained silent.

"I'm joking," Han Seol said.

"It's still not funny."

Han Seol was the one who had previously told Lee Ahn her joke wasn't funny. Today, however, a smile played on her lips contrary to her words.

"And this."

Han Seol held out a small box.

"My mother asked me to give this to you. She said to open it later."

The box was sealed tightly, preventing it from being opened right away. Lee Ahn didn't know what was inside, but she still had to express her gratitude.

"Please tell my aunt I said thank you."

Just as it was Han Seol's first time saying 'Unnie', it was also Lee Ahn's first time saying 'aunt'. It felt very awkward, but she showed her respect. She remembered how happy the Ice Empress had been to learn she had a niece.

"Well then, travel safely."

As she was about to turn away, Lee Ahn looked back at Han Seol.

"Seol, take care."

When Han Seol showed a surprised expression, Lee Ahn quickly added, "Is it too soon?"

"No. An Unnie is an Unnie."

Lee Ahn had a personality that knew how to be bold at times like this.

"Next time you come to the Central Plains, I'll show you around."

Han Seol nodded. It was an awkward and unfamiliar feeling. However, this feeling wasn't so bad either.

Lee Ahn climbed back into the carriage.

Geom Mugeuk leaned his head out the window and bid farewell to Han Seol.

"I'll invite you when all the prodigies gather. Let's meet then."

Han Seol did not yet know that this gathering was a special occasion where the status of the North Sea Ice Palace Princess would not be special at all.

And so, the carriage carrying Geom Mugeuk, the Drunken Demon, and Lee Ahn left that place.

Han Seol stood in place and watched the departing carriage. The three of them had truly come like the wind and left like the wind.

The Ice Empress approached her side. She had been watching from a distance before revealing herself.

"Mother, have you ever been to the Central Plains?"

The Ice Empress flinched in surprise at the word 'mother'. When was the last time her daughter had called her that? Since Han Seol was still gazing at the distant, disappearing carriage, it was impossible to know if she had said it intentionally or inadvertently.

"A few times."

"What kind of place is the Central Plains?"

Han Seol only knew of the Central Plains through people's stories and books. She wanted to hear what her mother thought of it.

The carriage moved further away, but it was the moment curiosity about the Central Plains first sprouted in her heart.

The Ice Empress walked slowly and caressed a snow-covered tree. The snow on its branches scattered and fell.

"In my youth, the Central Plains was this kind of place to me. A place I wanted to return from when I was there, and a place I wanted to go back to once I returned."

And as the years passed, that feeling gradually faded, and now her longing for the Central Plains was not as great as it was in her youth.

She liked the North Sea.

Neither the scattering spring flowers, nor the scorching heat of summer days, nor the beautifully embroidered autumn leaves could surpass the beauty of this snowy landscape.

However, this was her life, after all.

The Ice Empress's gentle gaze, now clearly different from before, turned to her daughter.

"Your Central Plains will be different, I'm sure."

The carriage sped southward.

Because it was a carriage provided by the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult North Sea Branch, the martial artist in the driver's seat was extremely tense.

He couldn't believe he was driving the carriage carrying the Young Cult Leader and the Drunken Demon. They were even traveling without a single bodyguard.

He thought that maybe this was how they could avoid an attack. No one would believe the Young Cult Leader was riding in this carriage.

In contrast to the driver's anxiety, the inside of the carriage was peaceful.

The Drunken Demon, who had not yet fully recovered from his injuries, had taken over one side and was lying down. Of course, he didn't forget to exaggerate his pain.

"What's the rush, dragging your dying hyung along like this?"

"The job's done, so we have to go. I want to see my father, and the Demon Supremes. I want to see you, Hyung, and Daeryong and General Jang too."

"And I'm just…"

He was about to say he'd be left out again, but he stopped himself. With Lee Ahn riding with them, he couldn't bring himself to make such a joke.

Of course, he probably could have. Lee Ahn had been staring blankly out the window for a while now.

The Drunken Demon gestured with his eyes for Geom Mugeuk to take care of Lee Ahn, then closed his eyes and tried to sleep.

Geom Mugeuk looked out the same window Lee Ahn was watching.

Sensing that Geom Mugeuk was paying attention to her, Lee Ahn brought up what she had been wanting to say.

"Actually, I couldn't sleep a wink last night."

Geom Mugeuk figured as much.

"The Empress probably couldn't either."

At that, Lee Ahn turned toward Geom Mugeuk and asked with a worried expression, "Should I have visited her at dawn to say goodbye separately?"

She had debated it several times but couldn't bring herself to do it in the end.

"The Empress was watching us from a distance earlier."

"Really?"

Geom Mugeuk nodded.

He knew well the feeling of watching from afar, not wanting to be a burden.

Hearing that the Ice Empress had been watching her made Lee Ahn feel even more apologetic. Her gaze fell upon the box the Ice Empress had given her.

"Open it."

At Geom Mugeuk's words, Lee Ahn carefully broke the seal and opened the box.

Inside was another, smaller box. She could see a booklet underneath, but she opened the small box first.

As she opened it, a unique fragrance spread throughout the carriage.

The scent was so strong that the Drunken Demon, who had been trying to sleep, shot his eyes open.

Inside the box was a pure white fruit. Spiritual energy emanated from it, making it clear at a glance that it was no ordinary item.

"What is this?"

Geom Mugeuk recognized it at once.

"It's a fruit of the Snow Ice Grass."

Geom Mugeuk had once joked to Seo Daeryong that if he went to the North Sea, he'd find a snowman growing the Snow Ice Grass. And now, here it was.

"Is it valuable?"

Earlier, when the Ice Empress had asked if she would really choose the cup when there were miracle herbs better than the Ten-Thousand Year Blood Ginseng, she had been referring to this very Snow Ice Grass.

Geom Mugeuk immediately called out to the driver.

"Stop the carriage for a moment."

The carriage came to a halt.

Geom Mugeuk took the box containing the Snow Ice Grass fruit and had Lee Ahn get out as well. He had her sit beside the carriage, then held out the fruit.

"You want me to take it here?"

Geom Mugeuk nodded.

"Receiving miracle herbs as a gift while I'm with you, that must be your good fortune."

When consuming miracle herbs, one needs a trustworthy person to watch over them. One could suffer severe internal injuries or fall into qi deviation if they couldn't handle the herb's effects, even aside from being unable to defend against external attacks.

Considering such dangers, where could she find someone as reliable as Geom Mugeuk?

"Is it okay for me to eat something this precious? You should have it instead, Young Cult Leader."

"Are you trying to start a war between our Cult and the Ice Palace?"

Lee Ahn smiled faintly at Geom Mugeuk's joke.

Once her life began to change, it changed dizzyingly. It felt like being swept away by the fierce waves of fate, regardless of her own will. Nevertheless, the reason she could remain brave and steadfast was likely because whenever she turned her head, there was always someone watching over her.

"Then I will gratefully accept it."

Lee Ahn carefully consumed the Snow Ice Grass fruit.

The fruit melted instantly in her mouth and spread throughout her body.

In that moment, a tremor ran through Lee Ahn's body. The energy spreading through her blood vessels was cold. It was so cold she wondered if it was even possible to be this cold.

However, the coldness was brief. Like a person with a fever from a cold, her body became as hot as fire.

Alternating between cold and heat, the energy of the Snow Ice Grass fruit churned violently inside her body.

Lee Ahn was flustered by this intense energy. She had mentally prepared herself, but she hadn't known it would be this powerful.

Can I absorb this?

She circulated her true qi, trying somehow to make the energy her own. Her efforts managed to somewhat tame the rampaging energy, but it began to scatter and leak out.

No!

However, with her current inner qi and skill, Lee Ahn lacked the ability to absorb the herb's full effect.

It was at that moment.

Geom Mugeuk's hand touched her back. A stream of qi entered her body through his palm. His qi helped her, drawing the scattering energy back into her blood vessels. It was only a single stream of energy, but it was more help than an army of thousands.

Even though Geom Mugeuk helped, he didn't help from the very beginning. He let her fully experience the process of absorbing the miracle herbs before helping at the last moment. This was the good fortune Geom Mugeuk had spoken of earlier.

Lee Ahn also struggled until the very end. She repeatedly controlled her true qi, absorbing the energy of the miracle herbs.

In the end, the energy of the Snow Ice Grass fruit became a vast amount of inner qi and gathered in Lee Ahn's qi center. The feeling of her qi center filling to the brim was an unforgettable pleasure. Because it was a miracle herb particularly well-suited to her constitution, the inner qi was even purer.

As a result, Lee Ahn's eyes became even clearer and more intense.

"The energy I feel in my qi center is completely different. Young Cult Leader, have you been living in such a wonderful world all this time?"

Just then, the Drunken Demon poked his head out of the carriage window.

"Do you really think your Young Cult Leader's world is limited to just that?"

"You're right, aren't you? If I'm a puddle, the Young Cult Leader must be the ocean, right?"

At her words, which implied their difference in inner qi was that vast, Geom Mugeuk waved his hands dismissively.

"The difference isn't that big."

She thought he was being humble, but then he added, "Maybe a stream and the ocean?"

The two of them looked at each other and laughed.

Lee Ahn bowed her head respectfully.

"Thank you for turning me into a stream."

"Save those thanks for when you see the Empress later."

He said that, but Lee Ahn knew. She knew how much his help had meant in absorbing the Snow Ice Grass. Without him, she would have lost a third of its energy.

The two of them climbed back into the carriage.

When she took out the small box that had held the fruit, she found a letter and a secret manual underneath.

The Frozen Ice Divine Art.

It wasn't the Empress's unique martial art, but it was her family specialty, one of the most renowned martial arts among the ice arts. The relationship was similar to that between Geom Mugeuk's Soaring Sky Sword Art and the Nine Calamities Demonic Art.

"She said the manual is a copy, so I should memorize it and then burn it."

Nothing else was written in the letter. The Empress had written nothing at all, likely worried that Lee Ahn would feel burdened.

"Is it okay for me to receive all of this? Just because we're related by blood?"

Geom Mugeuk gave a ready answer.

"You can tell just by this gift how much the Empress missed your mother. I think accepting it happily is the best way to honor both of them."

Lee Ahn said no more and began to memorize the secret manual.

Watching her, the Drunken Demon sent a voice transmission to Geom Mugeuk.

[When you call someone your heart and treat them like your heart, they really become your heart.]

This was the Drunken Demon's impression of Geom Mugeuk and Lee Ahn.

[If you can feel that, then it means it's time for you to take care of your own heart, Hyung.]

He was referring to Yeo Bin, who liked the Drunken Demon, but the Drunken Demon deliberately changed the subject.

[When I get back, I'll have to check on my liquor. Let's see if any of it has gone bad!]

Geom Mugeuk smiled and called out loudly to the driver.

"Let's get moving again!"

Of course, no matter how much stronger the heart had become, it was still a baby's heart left by the water's edge.

When they reached the point where they had to part ways with Lee Ahn, Geom Mugeuk said to the Drunken Demon, "Keep going straight. I'm just going to see Lee Ahn off and I'll be right back."

Lee Ahn insisted there was no need, but Geom Mugeuk sent the carriage on ahead.

"Get on my back."

"Why?"

"Hurry."

Without explaining, Geom Mugeuk lifted Lee Ahn onto his back.

And then he started running. The Swift Step truly cut through the air as fast as light.

The fact that it was comfortable being carried on his back even as he ran so fast was a testament to his skill. Geom Mugeuk's true level was not in his speed, but in that comfort.

But where is he going?

Lee Ahn was puzzled the entire time she was on his back.

Only after running for nearly a full shichen without rest did Geom Mugeuk stop.

"Where are we?"

"I don't know either."

Lee Ahn gave him a look as if to ask what kind of joke this was, but Geom Mugeuk had truly just run wherever his feet took him. The reason was something she had never expected.

"Just in case there was someone watching us."

Lee Ahn asked in surprise, "Was there someone watching?"

Geom Mugeuk shook his head. He hadn't sensed any observers nearby, but there was always a one-in-a-million chance that a master of stealth was watching. If so, that person could target and pursue Lee Ahn.

However, by running for a full shichen with the Swift Step like this, no observer would be able to track her movements.

"Aren't you being a little too cautious?"

"I'm just preparing for that one-in-a-million chance. For an irreversible event, the excuse of letting your guard down just once won't work."

Lee Ahn was always moved by and grateful to Geom Mugeuk, but never as much as right now. Suppressing her deep emotion, she asked playfully, "If you worry about me this much, how did you ever send me away before?"

The situation was different now. This was right after he had killed the Blood King.

"If a problem still arises after trying this hard, then there's nothing to be done about it."

She could tell he meant that after doing one's best, one shouldn't have regrets about the outcome.

Lee Ahn engraved Geom Mugeuk's teaching in her heart. In the future, she too would live this way.

"This tiny little stream will return as a river."