A Flower Blooming in the Snow

As the day lingered on, with the sun still hanging in the sky, Tang Mujin and his companions made their way to the martial arts training ground of the Northern Sea Ice Palace.

Of course, Baek Hyang-a was an exception. She had more pressing matters to attend to, namely her own condition, rather than joining the others at the Ice Palace.

Arriving ahead of Tang Mujin’s group were about forty martial artists from the Northern Sea Ice Palace, including Seolhwa.

Seolhwa waved at Hyeon-gong, who responded with a shy wave of his own. Despite having just spent time together, they looked at each other with the longing of lovers separated for years.

Hong Geolgae, filled with irritation, kicked Hyeon-gong lightly. “Go on, go. Who’s stopping you?”

“What’s with you all of a sudden? You’re being difficult,” Hyeon-gong replied, puzzled.

Tang Mujin, meanwhile, surveyed the martial artists around him instead of focusing on Seolhwa.

Unlike typical warriors on the brink of battle, the martial artists of the Northern Sea Ice Palace seemed unusually relaxed. They sat comfortably or moved slowly, stretching their bodies with ease. The atmosphere was strangely calm.

The master of the Ice Palace, upon noticing Tang Mujin’s group, wore a satisfied expression.

Tang Mujin approached the master directly. “Are we setting off now?”

“Wait a moment.”

“Is there anyone else we’re waiting for?”

“No,” the master replied, shaking his head and looking up at the sky. “A snowstorm is coming.”

That was all the explanation given. Tang Mujin followed the master’s gaze to the sky, which was clear and showed no signs of an impending storm.

When Tang Mujin looked back down, the master had already moved a short distance away.

’…What does a snowstorm have to do with anything?’

Before he could ponder further, a martial artist from the north approached him. The man appeared to be in his late forties, a prime age for a warrior.

“You’re Yi-ryong Tang Mujin, right? I’m Seo Bancheok,” the man introduced himself.

Seo Bancheok was one of the two warriors who had stood beside the master when Tang Mujin first met him. Although Tang Mujin struggled to distinguish between the northern people, Seo Bancheok was unmistakable. His hair was the same yellow as the others, but his features were strikingly similar to those of the Central Plains people. Tang Mujin hadn’t expected his name to be Central Plains-style as well.

“Are you originally from the Central Plains, Seo Daehyeop?”

“My blood is mixed. My mother was a native of the Northern Sea Ice Palace, but my father hailed from Cheonghae.”

“Ah, I see. Even though I’m not from Cheonghae, I feel a strange sense of kinship.”

“I feel the same. Anyway, I noticed you don’t have a sword with you. You should carry one. You do know how to use a sword, right?”

As Seo Bancheok pointed out, Tang Mujin was indeed without a sword. In his experience, he rarely needed to wield a sword in large-scale battles. Moreover, his thick clothing restricted his movements, and with friends around, he felt even less inclined to use a sword.

Tang Mujin pulled a pair of flying wheels from his sleeve and showed them to Seo Bancheok. “I know how to use a sword, but I’ve been using these lately.”

“What are those?”

Instead of explaining, Tang Mujin demonstrated. He threw the flying wheels, which danced through the air, narrowly missing each other before scattering the snow on a distant roof and returning to his hand. Seo Bancheok was genuinely impressed.

“Remarkable. I’ve never seen such a skill.”

“Is this sufficient?”

“Your skill is impressive, but you should still carry a sword.”

“Is there a particular reason?”

“You’ll find out soon enough.”

Trusting there was a reason, Tang Mujin retrieved a sword without further argument.

The reason for Seo Bancheok’s advice became clear soon after. Clouds gathered, and a fierce wind began to blow, strong enough to make standing still a challenge.

The wind was just the beginning. Snow mixed with the gusts, and the world turned white as the snow on the ground was swept up into the air. The sky, the earth, the horizon—all vanished, leaving only the swirling snow in sight. The only sound was the howling wind, as if the white world itself was screaming.

”…What an incredible sight. I never imagined anything like this,” Hong Geolgae marveled, while Namgung Myung grumbled.

“It would be a great spectacle if we could watch it from the comfort of home. But we’re supposed to fight in this?”

“Let’s try to see the bright side. How many times in life do you get to witness something like this?”

The world grew darker, not because night was falling, but because the snowstorm obscured the sun, casting everything in a strange, dusky gray.

Hyeon-gong, a bit tense, spoke up. “This is going to be tougher than I thought. Extend your sword.”

Following Hyeon-gong’s advice, Tang Mujin extended his arm and sword. He could see the hilt clearly, but the blade’s tip was lost in the swirling snow.

He drew the sword from its sheath and tossed the scabbard a few steps ahead. It disappeared into the storm just a few paces away, making it clear that even a person standing at that distance would be hard to see.

Tang Mujin imagined encountering a demonic cult warrior at such a distance. If an opponent appeared, he could immediately strike at their vital points with a swift sword technique. The moment they saw each other, they would already be within striking range.

The wind was too strong for the flying wheels, and the limited visibility made them impractical. In such close quarters, swinging a sword seemed the better option.

‘So that’s why he told me to bring a sword.’

Hong Geolgae, swinging his staff, frowned. “Why wait for such terrible weather to fight?”

“There must be a reason. Look at the people,” Tang Mujin replied.

They observed the northern warriors, who seemed accustomed to the snowstorm. Despite the fierce wind, they maintained their balance and calmly peered through the storm with half-closed eyes.

Seo Bancheok explained, “The snowstorm is a formidable enemy for us too, but it’s even more challenging for the demonic cult warriors.”

“I understand.”

Yet, Tang Mujin couldn’t shake a lingering doubt. Even considering their familiarity with harsh weather, he doubted the Northern Sea Ice Palace’s forces could defeat the demonic cult warriors alone.

Could it be, as Baek Hyang-a suggested, that the northern warriors were entering the battle without any hope of victory? Perhaps for some, like Seolhwa, that was true. But Tang Mujin sensed there was more to it. He glanced at the master of the Ice Palace.

‘It seems like they’ve factored us into their plans…’

As Tang Mujin pondered, the master’s voice rang out. “Let’s go.”

The howling wind answered in place of the northern warriors.

Tang Mujin and the Ice Palace warriors advanced into the snowstorm.

The warriors left the village, heading east. It seemed they had been tracking the movements of the demonic cult warriors.

Despite the impending battle, the northern warriors chatted incessantly, as if they were out for a stroll in the storm rather than preparing for a fight. Though their voices were drowned out by the wind, Tang Mujin’s group felt a bit uneasy.

“Aren’t they too relaxed?” Namgung Myung remarked.

“They must have a plan,” Hyeon-gong replied.

Just as Hyeon-gong finished speaking, the murmuring voices abruptly ceased, as if on cue.

Namgung Myung was taken aback. “I didn’t mean to silence everyone—”

“Please, be quiet for a moment,” Seo Bancheok, walking a few steps ahead, interrupted. The northern warriors exchanged glances.

The master of the Ice Palace quietly stepped back a few paces.

Seo Bancheok knelt on one knee, clasping his hands together and extending them low. No words passed between him and the master.

Suddenly, the master charged toward Seo Bancheok. Despite his large build, the master’s footsteps left no trace on the snow. Tang Mujin’s group watched, witnessing a display of lightness and agility they had never seen before.

The master leaped into the air, using Seo Bancheok’s clasped hands as a springboard. The height he reached was so impressive that even knowing his martial prowess, they worried about his landing.

In mid-air, the master twisted his body like a bird, descending into the heart of the snowfield.

Yet, Tang Mujin’s group saw nothing but the swirling snow. The master, however, was undeterred.

He executed the most powerful technique of the Ice Palace, the “Ten Thousand Li Falling Roc.”

As the master accelerated and plunged into the snowfield, it was as if an invisible giant or a celestial being had hurled him into the midst of the snow.

The moment he struck the snow, a tremendous force erupted, sending snow flying in all directions.

For a brief moment, it felt as if even the snowstorm had paused, overwhelmed by the sheer power of the master’s technique.

Boom—

A heavy, resounding thud echoed through the air, far too loud for a mere human landing in the snow.

The air vibrated subtly in response.

Tang Mujin and his companions had no time to exchange thoughts. The snow burst upwards, revealing the figures of five hidden martial artists from the Demonic Sect.

’…There weren’t any footprints. How did they know about the ambush?’

Solving that mystery would have to wait. The ambushers from the Demonic Sect and the martial artists from the Northern Ice Palace sprang into action.

None of the Demonic Sect’s martial artists who ventured to the Northern Ice Palace were amateurs. As soon as their positions were compromised, the five of them scattered in different directions. When an ambush fails, the first rule is to retreat.

However, the technique of the “Falling from the Sky” had disrupted their energy flow, making their movements sluggish.

The snow that had shot up began to fall again. In that brief moment, two figures reached the Demonic Sect’s martial artists.

Naturally, one of them was the master of the Northern Ice Palace, who had executed the “Falling from the Sky” technique and was closest to the enemy.

Without drawing his sword, the master of the Northern Ice Palace unleashed a powerful palm strike on the back of one fleeing Demonic Sect martial artist.

The extreme cold energy seeped into the body of the ambusher, who had already been suffering from the cold. His body stiffened as if turning to ice from the legs up, and he coughed up blood before collapsing into the snow. This was a scene the Northern Ice Palace’s martial artists had anticipated.

But there was another who had reached the Demonic Sect’s martial artists besides the palace master.

A young martial artist leaped through the falling snow, twisting his body mid-air to decapitate one of the Demonic Sect’s men with a swift sword strike. The attack was so sudden and fast that the enemy couldn’t even draw his weapon before losing his life.

Of course, the young martial artist was Namgung Myung.

Namgung Myung kicked the headless body aside and leaped back to his friends, wiping the blood from his sword onto the snow with a grin.

“Not a bad start, right?”

“Impressive,” the Northern Ice Palace master remarked, surveying the surroundings before giving a low-voiced command.

“Split up and pursue them.”

Though his voice wasn’t loud, it cut through the wind, reaching everyone’s ears.

“Engaging in a war of attrition favors the enemy. Even if you can secure a victory, if you can’t take their heads, retreat and call for help. Time is on our side, so there’s no need to rush. The key is to minimize our losses while steadily reducing their numbers.”

The Northern Ice Palace master looked up at the sky. The surroundings were gradually darkening. Evening was approaching in the northern snowfields, and the cold was intensifying.

“Survive and meet again.”

With those final words, the Northern Ice Palace master and a few subordinates disappeared beyond the snowfields.

While Tang Mujin’s group pondered how to divide their forces, Seo Bancheok took the lead.

“This way, everyone.”

Including Seo Bancheok, there were only four northern martial artists moving with Tang Mujin’s group. It seemed like a small number, but Tang Mujin’s group had no complaints. In terms of pure combat strength, their side was the strongest.

Soon, Tang Mujin’s group also vanished into the snow.

---

The snowstorm grew fiercer. It was hard enough to keep their eyes open, let alone track and behead the enemy. Tang Mujin’s group walked in a single file, leaning sideways against the wind as they trudged forward.

With nothing visible, Tang Mujin’s mind was filled with random thoughts.

’…Who in their right mind would settle in a place like this?’

He continued walking, occasionally glancing left and right, and keeping an eye on the heels of the person in front to avoid getting lost.

Then, the person ahead spoke.

“Go Jin-ak, which direction was the rendezvous point?”

”…?”

Tang Mujin assumed the question wasn’t directed at him. He’d never heard the name Go Jin-ak before. It must have been a conversation among the Northern Ice Palace’s martial artists.

‘But aside from Seo Bancheok, was there anyone with a name like that?’

As he pondered, the person ahead turned around with an annoyed expression when no answer came.

“Go Jin-ak! I’m asking if this is the right direction for the rendezvous—”

At that moment, both Tang Mujin and the person ahead froze like ice. Their faces were unfamiliar to each other.

The person ahead wasn’t even a foreigner. Black hair, tanned skin with a yellowish hue. Clearly someone from the central plains.

The person ahead drew his sword in shock.

“You, you! When did you get behind me?”

Tang Mujin had plenty of questions for the stranger too.

‘When did this guy start walking in front of me?’

But instead of speaking, Tang Mujin launched a double palm strike. It was the only martial art technique taught to him by his master, the “Flying Willow Palm.”

Though not the most powerful technique, its speed and agility made it excellent for tactical maneuvers.

Tang Mujin wasn’t relying on the technique’s power alone. Through his left and right hands, two types of poison infiltrated the opponent’s body. The outcome was decided in that instant.

“You, cowardly bastard.”

Though he wasn’t sure, the opponent’s skills seemed to be at a high level.

Thanks to the successful preemptive strike, what could have been a desperate battle ended rather anticlimactically.

Tang Mujin kicked the opponent’s temple, ending his life, and surveyed the surroundings.

His only companion was now a lifeless body being buried by the snowstorm.

After a moment, all Tang Mujin could see was the endless white snow.

”…”

He stood still for a long time, then spoke to the spot where the body was buried.

“To take down a high-level master in one strike… I’m starting to fear my own strength.”

Of course, the corpse didn’t respond.

Nor did he hear the expected teasing from his friends.

Tang Mujin was lost.