The Ice Palace martial artist had vanished without a trace.
It was an impossible situation.
There hadn’t been enough time for anyone to flee the scene before martial artists arrived in droves.
To kill the Celestial Flame General and escape in such a short time was absurd.
Confused and anxious, the gathered martial artists began searching the area thoroughly, but their conclusions remained the same:
‘The culprit must still be here!’
Convinced, they began rounding up everyone present.
Suspicion first fell on the Imperial Family members, rather than the external martial artists who had gathered here.
The prevailing theory was that the Ice Palace martial artist had blended in with the crowd and slipped out before the building was destroyed.
“Anyone here who doesn’t recognize a face, raise your hand at once!”
The martial artists surrounding the Imperial attendants shouted their orders.
The Imperial Family members, startled, glanced around nervously. Who among them might be a stranger?
“I’ve never seen this person before!”
A hand shot up, pointing to someone, but the accusation was quickly countered.
“You idiot! That’s someone who’s worked in the palace for ten years. Don’t you know them?”
“Must be a difference in department… My apologies.”
Despite the questioning, no suspicious individuals were uncovered.
Frustrated, the martial artists resorted to their final option.
“We have no choice but to inspect everyone’s internal energy. Hold out your wrists!”
“That’s out of the question!”
Ju Yang-il, the Third Prince, scowled deeply.
“You’re suggesting we examine the internal energy of Imperial Family members? That’s an insult!”
“Yet what other choice do we have? A master from the Ice Palace is hiding here—someone who assassinated the Celestial Flame General!”
While the General had been defeated by Seo-jun, his martial prowess was never doubted.
For an ordinary martial artist to kill someone of his caliber in such a short span of time was impossible. Only someone of extraordinary skill could have done it.
“This is what we’ll do,” the Abbot of Shaolin proposed.
“The prince himself will inspect the internal energy of the others, and as for the prince’s own energy, one of the eunuchs can perform the examination.”
A senior martial artist objected immediately.
“But Abbot, if there are multiple culprits, this method is meaningless. Both the prince and the eunuch could be impostors under disguise!”
“Such insolence!”
The eunuch exploded in rage, but the other martial artists murmured in agreement.
“That’s certainly possible…”
“This is an attack on the Imperial Family itself!”
“No, it’s not the Imperial Family we doubt—it’s whether all of you are truly members of it.”
“The Imperial Family will never stand for such nonsense!”
The eunuch’s shrill protests were interrupted by the Third Prince, who raised a hand to quiet him.
“…Then begin with me. Examine my internal energy, and I shall inspect the others.”
“Your Highness!”
“Enough, General. There’s no other way under these circumstances.”
The prince stood tall and offered his wrist to the Abbot.
“However, this insult will not be forgotten. This breach of protocol must be addressed later.”
“So be it,” the Abbot replied calmly.
Grasping the prince’s wrist, the Abbot completed the examination swiftly and nodded.
“It is indeed the prince.”
There was no way to conceal internal energy. The use of the Ice Wall Divine Art required imbuing one’s energy with an unmistakable trace of dark energy, which was impossible to hide.
Even if the culprit attempted to suppress their energy entirely, it would still be evident to the Abbot’s senses.
The prince and the Abbot proceeded to examine everyone present, one by one.
But even after thorough inspections, no trace of the Ice Palace martial artist was found.
“Where could they have gone…?”
As the martial artists pondered, Seo-jun spoke up.
“Why don’t we inspect everyone here again? It’s possible they’re still hiding among us.”
“That’s…”
The gathered martial artists hesitated, clearly uncomfortable.
At times like these, it took someone to lead by example.
Seo-jun stepped forward confidently, offering his wrist to the Abbot.
“Come on now, it’s not like the Abbot would do anything shady. If he tried messing with my meridians here, the whole of Shaolin would crumble.”
It was a bold statement, but not entirely wrong. Any foul play would surely provoke Seo-jun’s father-in-law, leading to consequences Shaolin couldn’t afford.
From the sidelines, Hwang Bo-jun’s eyes twitched.
‘Didn’t this guy use dark energy before? Why is he so confident?’
Had Seo-jun and the Abbot already come to some agreement? Hwang Bo-jun’s mind raced with suspicions, but Seo-jun remained calm as the Abbot examined his energy.
The Abbot let out a small exclamation of admiration.
“Such pure energy! It’s impossible for someone with impure intentions to possess such clarity.”
Hwang Bo-jun sighed in defeat.
‘When did the Abbot of Shaolin become such a liar? Truly, the martial world is in decline.’
Despite lingering doubts, the others began to follow suit, offering their wrists to the Abbot for inspection.
Even those reluctant to comply eventually gave in, fearing accusations of being Black Lotus spies if they refused.
By the end of the inspection, no trace of the Ice Palace martial artist was found.
Finally, the martial artists concluded:
“It seems they’ve already escaped.”
“Damn it… How did they manage it?”
“Must be someone incredibly skilled in stealth techniques.”
“What a wasted opportunity…”
Though disappointed, there was nothing they could do.
“For now, let’s return. This discussion will need to be raised in council.”
“This cannot be overlooked. The orthodox factions have been mocked by the Black Lotus Sect!”
“We must hold the Ice Palace accountable!”
Thus, the murder of the Celestial Flame General ended as an unsolved mystery.
++++
As the matter fizzled out, Seo-jun led the courtesans toward the Namgung family’s villa.
Before leaving, he had endured an endless stream of greetings and small talk from various martial artists, leaving him a bit drained.
“Why is it that no one from my family showed up?” he muttered.
The Namgung villa boasted four peak-level masters, yet none of them had come to investigate the chaos.
Grumbling, Seo-jun walked on, only to have one of the courtesans step forward and bow deeply to him.
“Thank you, Great Hero… We thought we were doomed.”
“I just offloaded the trouble to others. Save your thanks for whoever ends up cleaning this mess up later.”
“Even so, how many would bother to look out for mere courtesans in a situation like that? You’ve done us a great kindness.”
The woman, a professional at charming smiles, trembled slightly as she spoke. Whether it was from the lingering terror of her near-death experience or the fact that she was inadequately dressed for the cold, Seo-jun couldn’t tell.
“Well, no sense in skimping now,” Seo-jun mumbled. Spotting a fabric shop nearby, he bought some coats for the women, who immediately bowed in gratitude again.
‘Hm.’
Realistically, they were victims of Baek Seo-jun’s antics.
Although Seo-jun didn’t know Baek Seo-jun personally, his sense of justice prickled at the thought of leaving these women to fend for themselves.
“Which do you think would be better? Working in a brothel in Anhui or becoming a servant for the Namgung family?”
“Pardon…?”
The thought of going from mere courtesans to servants of a prestigious martial family left the women stunned. They showered Seo-jun with gratitude, their excitement evident as they saw this as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for social elevation.
Feeling quite pleased with himself, Seo-jun finally returned to the Namgung villa as the first light of dawn peeked over the horizon.
Upon entering, he was met by Jang Geuk, who raised an eyebrow at the sight of the women following behind Seo-jun.
“Lord Seo-jun, who are these women?”
“Former courtesans, now servants.”
“…Come again?”
Jang Geuk scratched his head in confusion, and Seo-jun clicked his tongue in exasperation.
“Did none of you think to check out last night’s commotion?”
“Commotion? What commotion?”
“You didn’t notice? The sky literally caught fire!”
“Oh, that. You mean the fire in the sky?”
Not inaccurate, Seo-jun thought with a nod.
“Exactly, that. And you just went back to bed?”
“Well, wasn’t it your doing?”
“…What?”
How did he know?!
Seo-jun gawked at Jang Geuk, who smirked knowingly.
“I figured it had to be you, Lord Seo-jun.”
“Haha… no, it wasn’t.”
That startled me, Seo-jun thought as he shook his head.
Jang Geuk glanced around and then leaned in, lowering his voice.
“To be honest, I was going to check it out.”
“But you thought I caused it?”
“Well, when the sky suddenly lit up, I figured I’d better take a look. But then the Fist King said…”
“The old man?”
“Yeah, he said, ‘It’s probably just something that rascal Seo-jun did. Let’s just get some sleep.’”
“…Oh.”
The wisdom of the elderly.
Seo-jun was momentarily in awe of such insight, though he quickly remembered: this wasn’t his mess. It was Baek Seo-jun’s doing.
“Man, that old geezer really needs to fix his paranoia.”
“Couldn’t agree more.”
The two shared a chuckle as they gossiped, clearly enjoying themselves.
Still, there were more pressing matters to deal with, namely figuring out what to do with the women Seo-jun had brought.
“Alright, ladies, let me hand you over to the villa’s maids—”
“Yaaaawn…”
At that moment, Chun-bong emerged from a side room, stretching exaggeratedly as she shuffled toward them, half-asleep. Behind her was Namgung Su-a, looking far more composed.
Chun-bong awake at this hour? Impossible. It was obvious Namgung Su-a had roused her.
“What’s this? Chun-bong awake in the morning? How unusual.”
“Morning training… Yongbong Gathering…”
Still groggy, Chun-bong staggered forward, rubbing her eyes. But as soon as she noticed the women standing behind Seo-jun, her head snapped up.
“What the—?”
Her eyes darted over the women, taking in their outfits. Though now covered in coats, their thin, revealing undergarments were unmistakable.
Courtesans?
The realization hit Chun-bong like a bolt. Her gaze narrowed suspiciously, and her nose twitched.
Sniff, sniff.
A faint, musky scent clung to the women, one Chun-bong vaguely recognized. She hadn’t encountered it often, but it was a smell she associated with her time in the backstreets.
Of course—this was the scent that lingered on couples after… certain activities.
“What the hell?” Chun-bong muttered, her eyes wide with disbelief.