By Zephyria 
HF 7
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* * *
Once it became completely dark, the two headed inside the cave. When Ho-yeon first arrived at the cave and discovered the skeleton inside, he had been startled enough to let out a gasp, but thanks to a blanket that seemed to have been used by the skeleton during its life, he was able to avoid the cold.
He did not know why the person had met their death alone in this cave, but Ho-yeon prayed for the deceased’s soul and fashioned a rough grave for them.
Before sleeping, Ho-yeon sat cross-legged to perform meditative breathing. Since Mu-gyeong already knew that he used martial arts, he figured there was no point in hiding it any further. The soreness in his solar plexus, caused by the forced exertion of internal power, had subsided over the past few days, but meditative breathing was essential.
Ho-yeon placed both hands neatly over his dantian. Then, he began to flow true qi from the lower dantian to the middle dantian.
The middle dantian was in a state similar to cracked, solid ice. Ho-yeon patiently circulated his internal energy, thinking of it as melting the ice and reshaping it anew. Since it was not a condition that could be restored in one go, he had to continue meditative breathing whenever he had the time.
“To the Cult Leader?”
These were the words Mu-gyeong had uttered after Ho-yeon mentioned he couldn’t return because he had been sold.
Even the Seol-yeong Squad that had guarded him believed he was either the Palace Master’s illegitimate child or a distant relative. However, by saying he was sold, it was a slip of the tongue if it was indeed a mistake. Especially since, within the Demon Sect, he would be known as the child who inherited the thickest blood of the Palace Master.
In other words, his statement was an oversight that implied the Palace Master had sold him off, yet Mu-gyeong had suddenly brought up the Cult Leader. But Mu-gyeong was right. If it weren’t for the Cult Leader, he would never have come to the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains in the first place.
His thoughts naturally shifted to Mu-gyeong. To possess martial prowess of at least the Peak realm and such an extraordinary energy perception, yet for his family to be succeeded by his brother… Just how high was his brother’s martial prowess? Ho-yeon steadied his mind, which was wavering due to stray thoughts, and focused on the flow of blue internal energy swimming through the eight extraordinary meridians.
The Demon Sect was extremely averse to exposing themselves to the outside world. Because of this, it was known that they had numerous hidden masters. Mu-gyeong was a prime example.
Furthermore, the Demon Sect had become even more secretive as they were reorganizing their power after the Great War of Righteous and Demonic. In such a climate, the fact that they had reached beyond the Central Plains to the Outer Murim to find an extreme yin constitution showed just how desperate the Cult Leader’s heart must be.
Once the stray thoughts rushed in, they refused to recede. If he continued to dwell on these distractions, he might even suffer from qi deviation. When Ho-yeon finished his meditative breathing and peeked open his eyes, he saw Mu-gyeong lying on his side, resting his chin on his hand and staring at him. Mu-gyeong must have seen everything—the fact that he had been performing “delusional breathing” instead of meditative breathing due to his wandering thoughts.
“I was going to keep it short today anyway.”
The excuse was pathetic. Because Mu-gyeong didn’t react, it became even more embarrassing.
Ho-yeon pretended nothing had happened and slowly lay down near Mu-gyeong. Although they hadn’t hugged each other during the two days of camping, just being close was enough to maintain body temperature. Come to think of it, Mu-gyeong seemed to have a higher body temperature than others. And fortunately, Ice Palace inhabitants were strong against the cold.
Aside from Mu-gyeong’s body being somewhat large, Ho-yeon had always slept with children in the Eumbyeol Hall, so it didn’t feel much different having someone beside him.
Ho-yeon soon fell into a deep sleep. It wasn’t because he felt relieved that someone was guarding his side. Because his body had not yet recovered after using martial arts, his physical form instinctively sought sleep. Even though he slept deeply, he was still dreaming.
In the dream, Ho-yeon was shivering in a deep underground cavern of the frozen eternal snow mountains. Having been born in the North Sea, he was strong against the cold, but that only went so far.
In the depths of the eternal snow mountains, where not a single speck of light entered, there was not a single point of warmth. The only way to soothe the cold was to huddle together and embrace the children beside him.
The children on the outermost edge and those on the inside took turns switching positions to share warmth.
At first, the strongest children clung to the warm interior, but as the children on the outside froze to death, they too eventually froze.
Whether strong or weak, they had to periodically switch positions, a method the children had learned in order to survive. Even so, countless children froze to death. Ho-yeon curled his body tightly even in his sleep, as if he could still feel that cold.
Haa… Suddenly, a white breath leaked from Ho-yeon’s lips. Unlike the North Sea, where every season was winter, here it was merely a cool night. Nevertheless, a frost energy like the dead of winter lingered around Ho-yeon.
Mu-gyeong placed his hand near the lips of the sleeping Ho-yeon. It was a frost energy so intense it was hard to believe it came from a living person.
“…Come here.”
Perhaps feeling the warmth even from a distance, Ho-yeon grabbed Mu-gyeong’s hand. He even pushed his back further away, as if telling him to come and lie down beside him.
Mu-gyeong tilted his head and looked down at Ho-yeon. When Mu-gyeong did not lie down beside him, Ho-yeon’s closed eyes slowly opened. A gaze of wonder, as if asking why he wasn’t coming closer, reached Mu-gyeong.
However, the focus of his hazy eyes was blurred. Just like last night, he had clung close in his sleep seeking warmth, and today was exactly the same.
Ho-yeon pulled his hand, and Mu-gyeong, practically dragged along, supported his body with one arm pressing into the ground. Ho-yeon, beneath Mu-gyeong, took the large hand in both of his own and pressed it to his chest. See, it’s warm like this, Ho-yeon murmured, slowly closing his eyes again.
The light of fireflies that had wandered into the cave seeped onto Ho-yeon’s face. Mu-gyeong leaned in very slowly to peer at Ho-yeon.
“A mystery.”
Mu-gyeong muttered briefly and stirred a dark red energy in the hand touching Ho-yeon. The undulating internal energy seemed as if it had condensed an entire mountain range. He pushed the energy into Ho-yeon’s middle dantian. Ho-yeon’s body jolted once from the powerful internal power, but Mu-gyeong injected the power without wavering.
Normally, it seemed as if his internal energy was sealed, yet the martial prowess Ho-yeon had shown was at least at the Peak realm. Was there a forbidden martial art in the North Sea Ice Palace that only grew stronger when internal energy was sealed, like the Virgin Art that breaks if one engages in sexual relations?
Mu-gyeong couldn’t even manage a hollow laugh. There was no way such a martial art existed.
The energy Mu-gyeong was currently emitting was closer to fire energy than demonic energy. It was so intense that an ordinary person’s entire body might have been burned away by the heat circulating through their blood paths in an instant. However, the energy Mu-gyeong sent into Ho-yeon was blocked and could not spread further from the middle dantian. Mu-gyeong’s long eyes narrowed slightly.
Now, a red energy soared like a flame not just from his hand, but from Mu-gyeong’s entire body. Yet, despite the scorching energy that could have melted the cave, only a freezing breath, as if containing eternal ice, flowed from Ho-yeon’s mouth.
There was no internal power that the Heavenly Demon could not see through. The Sword Saint, who was called the greatest sword of the Central Plains; the Fist King, who stood at the peak of palm techniques; and countless other masters whose names were now forgotten had lost their lives by his hand. He was a man who had reached a realm where he could perceive their martial prowess as if looking at the palm of his own hand. And yet, a mere Peak realm practitioner showed a perfect rejection.
“Look at this.”
The expressionless Mu-gyeong grinned, revealing his teeth.
“Something interesting has come from the North Sea.”
* * *
Only when the moon began to wane did Mu-gyeong withdraw his energy and stand up. He then left Ho-yeon alone and stepped outside the cave.
In a corner where the shadows of trees fell outside the cave, a man dressed entirely in black was wearing a mask. Tae-pyeong snorted, revealing his discomfort, but he did not act out.
As soon as Mu-gyeong appeared, the man performed a cupped-fist salute, and not a single sound escaped his movements.
“Invincible Divine Cult, Ten Thousand Demons Submit! This humble servant, Jangun, greets the Cult Leader.”
Because the masked man used telepathic transmission, the sound reached only Mu-gyeong. Jangun was a subordinate who had been following Mu-gyeong’s trail all along. When Mu-gyeong gave a slight nod to continue, Jangun continued the transmission.
“As you mentioned, it was the First Young Master who ordered the attack on the Ice Palace. He is currently fleeing, and we are pursuing him.”
Even the first son of the previous Cult Leader, the First Young Master Cheon Beom-yeong, believed the Heavenly Demon suffered from nine yang severed meridian. That was why he had ordered the killing of Wi Ho-yeon. Normally, Mu-gyeong would not have paid much attention to Cheon Beom-yeong’s movements, but after seeing the portrait sent from the Ice Palace, he changed his mind.
“Since something that wasn’t there before has appeared, it is only natural to be curious.”
Mu-gyeong had to step forward personally to verify this strange phenomenon.
* * *
A technique using internal energy to secretly deliver sound only to a specific target.