A Flower Blooming in the Snow

The air in the small room was thick with the chill emanating from the two figures: the Lady of the Northern Ice Palace and Baek Hyang-a. Their emotions, however, were as different as night and day.

Baek Hyang-a’s face was a mask of seething anger, while the Lady of the Ice Palace remained as calm and cold as ever.

Yet, the intensity of Baek Hyang-a’s aura was far more fierce and aggressive.

Baek Hyang-a took a few deep breaths, then lowered her stance and launched herself at the Lady of the Ice Palace.

Her hand sliced through the air, aiming for the spleen of her opponent.

To the untrained eye, Baek Hyang-a’s hand might have seemed delicate and pale. But the Lady of the Ice Palace knew better. The hand, trained in the ruthless art of the Demonic Sect, was a weapon capable of breaking and tearing anything it grasped.

Most martial artists couldn’t withstand the immense energy this technique consumed. Just a few moves would deplete their energy, leaving them coughing up blood and on the brink of death. But for Baek Hyang-a, it was a trivial matter.

“Hmph.”

The Lady of the Ice Palace effortlessly twisted her body, evading Baek Hyang-a’s attack.

Anticipating this, Baek Hyang-a swiftly followed up with another move. After several exchanges, her fingers finally caught the Lady’s sword.

‘Got it.’

With a deft twist of her pale fingers, she snapped the blade in two.

In any other fight, this would have been a decisive moment. But not here. The Lady of the Ice Palace had more than one sword at her disposal. In fact, there were three more lying around the room, belonging to the fallen warriors who had come before Baek Hyang-a.

The Lady had already picked up a new sword from the floor.

She looked at Baek Hyang-a’s white hand and remarked, “Such a wicked technique.”

“Is it as wicked as your actions?” Baek Hyang-a retorted, but the Lady continued unfazed.

“A technique that requires soaking your hands in the blood of innocents to master, and feeds on human life to grow stronger. It’s more vile than any dark art. Who knows how many lives it has claimed?”

“Soaking my hands in blood? That’s never happened. Don’t pretend to know what you don’t.”

“Denial won’t help. The scent of blood clings to your hands and soul.”

A memory flickered in Baek Hyang-a’s mind.

During her training in the Demonic Sect, she would often lose consciousness, only to awaken the next morning with a strange scent lingering in the air. Each time, her hands seemed a little whiter.

She had suspected something was amiss but had no way to confirm it.

She couldn’t afford to reject the power. The world was full of enemies; how could she turn away from strength?

The Lady of the Ice Palace sneered at her.

“So, you do have some inkling. You need to kill to feel warmth, don’t you? That’s also due to your technique.”

“That’s not the technique, it’s my aura. To survive, I…”

Baek Hyang-a began to explain, but the Lady cut her off.

“You didn’t have such habits before you joined the Demonic Sect. Even after consuming the Eternal Ice Crystal, you wouldn’t have had such urges. It’s not your aura; it’s the sinister nature of your technique.”

Baek Hyang-a felt dizzy.

Had she been killing all this time not to survive, but to enhance her skills?

No, that couldn’t be.

She steeled herself and shouted, “If what you say is true, then it’s a good thing! I can just abandon the technique.”

“If it were that easy to abandon, it wouldn’t be called a dark art. Even if you survive, you’ll carry it with you forever, spreading sorrow and resentment. It’s better to end it now.”

Her resolve wavered.

Faces of the dying, their eyes filled with terror, flashed before her. The anguished cries of their families echoed in her ears.

The Lady of the Ice Palace seized the moment of hesitation.

She advanced, executing the signature technique of the Northern Ice Palace, the Ice Spirit Flowing Sword.

Baek Hyang-a tried to block the attack with her arm, but her hand couldn’t reach the Lady’s sword or body.

It felt more daunting than when she had faced two top-tier warriors and a master from the Demonic Sect simultaneously.

Not all top-tier warriors are equal. Even among them, there are clear differences in skill. Sometimes, not even a favorable match-up can guarantee victory.

The Lady mocked her.

“Frustrated that you can’t touch me? Your aura is impressive, but if one can withstand it, your true skill is revealed. How long have you been practicing? Five years? Ten?”

She was spot on. Baek Hyang-a had only seriously trained since becoming a disciple of the Unbounded Master, about seven or eight years ago.

The Lady spoke calmly.

“I’ve been practicing for over fifty years.”

Baek Hyang-a shouted defiantly, “Time doesn’t matter. I’ve trained with everything I have!”

“Such childish thinking. Do you think you’re the only one who’s struggled? Do you think your efforts were more desperate than mine, who must protect the lives of the northern people?”

Suddenly, the Lady lowered her stance, slipping beneath Baek Hyang-a and striking upward with her left hand.

If she hit her chin, it would be over. Baek Hyang-a twisted desperately, dodging the Lady’s palm.

‘I dodged it.’

But it was an illusion. The Lady had grabbed her hair as it fluttered.

It was a calculated move from the start. The Lady twisted her wrist, wrapping Baek Hyang-a’s hair around her hand, then swung her into the wall.

Thud—

The room shook with a heavy impact. The thin layer of ice inside cracked, making a faint creaking sound.

But the Lady’s attack wasn’t over.

Her sword, held in her right hand, aimed for Baek Hyang-a’s heart.

Baek Hyang-a summoned her energy to shield her heart.

Her skin, hardened like ancient ice, blocked the sword’s tip.

But it wasn’t enough. The Lady swung her right arm while drawing another sword with her left, targeting Baek Hyang-a’s abdomen.

The second sword pierced through Baek Hyang-a’s stomach and into the wall.

“Ugh!”

Baek Hyang-a gasped for air.

Pain like she’d never felt before spread through her body. She couldn’t even breathe deeply; it felt like her insides would tear apart.

Yet the Lady remained indifferent, offering a blunt assessment.

“You’re lacking. You gained immense power easily with your aura, so you never needed true understanding.”

“Ugh!”

Pinned to the wall, Baek Hyang-a struggled to pull out the sword.

Her energy surged from her core, causing a massive snowflake to bloom on the wall behind her.

Tang Mu-jin had warned her not to overuse her energy.

Baek Hyang-a didn’t know exactly what ‘overuse’ meant, but she instinctively knew she had crossed the line.

Or perhaps it didn’t matter how much energy she had left. She was pouring everything she had into this.

Before she could remove the sword from her stomach, the Lady approached again, wielding two swords. Her face showed no sign of battle fervor.

Baek Hyang-a bit her lip.

The Lady’s swords targeted her abdomen again. One aimed for her heart, the other for her left shoulder.

There was no choice. Baek Hyang-a used her energy to block the sword aimed at her heart.

And waited for the second sword to pierce her shoulder.

Thud.

Pain surged through her.

“Aaah!”

“You can’t block both at once, can you?”

But Baek Hyang-a had a plan. Enduring the pain of the blades in her shoulder and stomach, she wrapped her hands around the sword.

Her immense aura traveled up the blade, freezing the Lady’s hand.

Once frozen, the hand wouldn’t open, and the aura would travel up, freezing the Lady’s entire body.

This was Baek Hyang-a’s trump card, a move no swordsman could counter.

But the Lady chuckled.

“Did you think showing me a trick I taught you would work?”

“What…?”

The Lady had taught her this move, claiming even she couldn’t counter it.

But the Lady simply let go of the sword.

“Innocent, aren’t you? Did you really think I taught you everything? Or did you assume, like those fools from the Demon Sect, that I would fight you without knowing your true strength? Foolish, so foolish.”

The Lord of the Northern Ice Palace spoke, reaching out to smear her hand with the blood flowing from Baek Hyang-a’s stomach. She licked the blood from her palm.

For the first time, a genuine smile appeared on the Ice Palace Lord’s face.

“Impressive. Who would have thought that not hastily taking the Ice Elixir would turn out to be such a blessing?”

She then picked up a broken blade lying on the floor, the very one Baek Hyang-a had snapped at the start of their battle.

Baek Hyang-a, gasping in pain, watched the blade with dread. What was she planning to do with it?

There was nothing Baek Hyang-a could do. With a sword embedded in her stomach and shoulder, she was utterly immobilized. The fight was over.

But the Ice Palace Lord did something unexpected. She turned and hurled the broken blade behind her.

Swish—

The blade pierced through the wall and flew into the corridor beyond.

Clang—

The sound of metal clashing echoed, and Hyun Gong appeared with a sheepish smile.

“How long have you known?”

“From the very beginning.”

Hyun Gong had been watching the fight, waiting for the right moment to act. He had no intention of risking himself to save Baek Hyang-a, with whom he had no particular fondness.

In a serious tone, Hyun Gong spoke.

“Alright, it’s time we had a calm discussion. In exchange for turning a blind eye to what I’ve seen here…”

He gauged the Ice Palace Lord’s reaction as he spoke.

Her gaze remained icy, the bloodstain at the corner of her mouth ominous.

He realized this wasn’t a situation where he could negotiate for anything.

”…I have no intention of making demands. There’s no need to weigh every situation so meticulously. But since we’re here, perhaps I could help you clean up this mess…”

But the Ice Palace Lord, sword in hand, was steadily approaching Hyun Gong.

His eyes twitched with fear.

The Ice Palace Lord wasn’t a fool. Instead of asking Hyun Gong for help, she chose to eliminate him.

”…I just want to help with the cleanup. Wouldn’t that be the most constructive approach for both of us?”

Hyun Gong continued to speak as if oblivious, but suddenly drew his sword and swung it.

Clang—

The Ice Palace Lord easily parried his attack.

She had never let her guard down, so it was only natural.

Hyun Gong cursed under his breath. Damn it.

He glanced at Baek Hyang-a’s condition. There was no need for a closer look. It was dire.

‘I can’t do anything for her.’

He assessed the situation.

‘Did the people of the Northern Ice Palace know about the Lord’s plans?’

‘Maybe a few confidants did, but most probably didn’t. That’s why she tried to eliminate me.’

‘How long will it take for the others to return after defeating the Demon Sect warriors?’

‘It’s hard to say. But they’ll be back before the day is over, whether they’ve won or not. They’ll need to rest and eat. They might return in half a day, given how the cold saps their strength.’

‘What’s the difference in skill between the Ice Palace Lord and me?’

‘The Ice Palace Lord is superior. That’s certain.’

‘So, will I fall to her?’

‘No.’

Hyun Gong was confident in his final assessment. He was sure of his defense.

It was a battle he could win by holding out until reinforcements arrived. His defense was impenetrable.

The situation was clear.

His relationship with his in-laws and friends might deteriorate, but it was better than dying here.

’…Or maybe they won’t be my in-laws anymore. There’s no way I can marry after killing my future father-in-law…’

But Hyun Gong quickly dismissed that thought.

Since he was attacked first, perhaps Seolhwa would understand.

Taking a deep breath, Hyun Gong spoke loudly.

“Remember this well. It was you who refused my offer.”

‘Is this all?’

The Ice Palace Lord’s expression remained calm, but inside, she was quite flustered.

Despite attacking relentlessly for nearly half an hour, Hyun Gong’s defense held firm. All she had managed to inflict were a few minor scratches, barely enough to draw blood.

‘I thought the young man’s skills were decent, but they’re more than that. Such a solid defense.’

Should she extend an olive branch now?

No. The Ice Palace Lord quickly dismissed the thought.

Hyun Gong, despite his clean appearance, seemed inherently devious.

Letting someone like him hold a grudge would surely lead to dire consequences.

Hyun Gong was equally tense.

His most powerful technique, the one that had ended the life of Cheonpae Gwak Jidal, was the Great Bell Strike.

If he could execute it, he was confident he could deal a critical blow to the Ice Palace Lord.

But executing the Great Bell Strike was the problem.

It was a perfect move, executed after calculating all variables.

But he couldn’t account for the variables the Ice Palace Lord presented.

Just when it seemed she had shown all her cards, a new technique, a new martial art would emerge.

Her martial arts were unlike any orthodox or unorthodox styles, making them impossible to predict.

She would wield a single sword, then suddenly switch to dual blades, and occasionally launch icy energy like daggers to exploit openings. It was utterly unpredictable.

If he approached it with the same reckless abandon as he did with Cheonpae Gwak Jidal, he would surely lose his life.

‘It’s only because it’s me that I’m holding out this long. If it were Namgung Myung or Hong Geolgae, they’d be dead by now.’

The tense standoff between the two continued endlessly. It was impossible to tell how many exchanges had passed.

And as time went on, it wasn’t Hyun Gong who grew anxious, but the Ice Palace Lord. What would happen if people returned and saw this situation?

Then, a faint sound reached the ears of both the Ice Palace Lord and Hyun Gong.

Creak—

The sound of a door opening.

Outside the reception hall, the blizzard still raged. It was unlikely the sound came from another building, so someone must have entered the hall.

‘Who could it be?’

The Ice Palace Lord’s heart raced.

She didn’t expect cooperation. She just hoped it wasn’t the worst-case scenario.

At the very least, she hoped it was someone who wouldn’t interfere.

And then, a figure appeared. It was Seolhwa.

Seolhwa looked at the Ice Palace Lord and Hyun Gong with a shocked expression.

She couldn’t comprehend why her father and Hyun Gong were fighting.

But Hyun Gong read something in Seolhwa’s expression.

She seemed to have known he was here and had come looking for him.

Hyun Gong shouted roughly.

“How did you know to find me here?”

“You lied about going to see Dang Mujin, didn’t you?”

It felt like a blow to the back of his head.

“How… how did you know?”

“I’ve never been fooled by you. I knew from the start that you often lie.”

What did that mean?

Hyun Gong’s heart raced. His chest ached with emotion.

He stammered as he asked.

“Then, why… why have you stayed by my side all this time?”

Seolhwa’s answer was clear.

“You were always sincere with me. And I was sincere with you. Isn’t that enough?”

For some reason, tears welled up. His throat tightened.

But for some reason, he smiled. Strength returned to him.

Even covered in blood, the world was beautiful.

‘Will Seolhwa take my side?’

That was uncertain.

Hyun Gong watched the Ice Palace Lord’s expression.

She remained tense, even a bit flustered.

‘It seems the Ice Palace Lord isn’t sure if Seolhwa will side with her either.’

Hyun Gong’s guess was correct.

Seolhwa couldn’t bring herself to point her sword at the Ice Palace Lord. He was her father, after all.

Likewise, she couldn’t point her sword at Hyun Gong. Though they hadn’t yet married, she had resolved to spend her life with him.

Though another person had joined the battlefield, the situation hadn’t changed much.

Hyun Gong whispered softly to Seolhwa.

“It’s dangerous. Please step back.”

But before Seolhwa could retreat, the Ice Palace Lord lowered her stance and kicked off the ground.

“Hup!”

The Ice Palace Lord extended her left arm like lightning.

The only difference this time was the target. It wasn’t Hyun Gong, but Seolhwa.

Through the Ice Palace Lord’s gaze and shoulder movement, Hyun Gong realized.

‘It’s a feint.’

He was certain.

The Ice Palace Lord had only extended her arm to create an opening in Hyun Gong’s defense, not to harm Seolhwa.

She hadn’t even swung her sword, perhaps hoping Seolhwa wouldn’t get hurt.

It was obvious and shallow.

Hyun Gong knew it all. He knew even before the Ice Palace Lord fully extended her arm.

Now, he just needed to calmly exploit the Ice Palace Lord’s opening and execute his move.

Yet, without realizing it, Hyun-gong threw himself in front of Seol-hwa.

It was an action he couldn’t comprehend himself.