Bu Eunseol’s group decided to stay at the Frozen Ice Pavilion, not far from the palace lord’s residence.
The pavilion had multiple rooms, a large study, and a meeting room, making it ideal for discussions.
"With the palace lord’s help, we’ve gathered information on the heads of the five families, excluding the Bing family," Yoo Unryong said, having completed investigations with the aid of Bing Hanpung’s confidant over the past few days.
"First, Eom Woojung, the head of the Eom family. He’s ambitious and greedy. He’s been reaching out to various sects for a long time. He’s the most likely traitor."
"Hmm."
"Dong Yugak, the head of the Dong family, has no particular ambitions and is a moderate figure. Even amidst the division of the five families, he’s stayed neutral, observing from a distance."
Yoo Unryong continued, "Seol Segeuk, the head of the Seol family, is ill. It’s said he misused his internal energy during a past contest for the palace lord position, and it’s flared up recently… but it’s not certain. We should keep him on the suspect list."
Pausing briefly, his voice lowered.
"Han Woosang, the head of the Han family, has the worst relationship with the palace lord. The division of the North Sea Ice Palace is largely tied to him."
Originally, Han Woosang’s eldest son, Han Jawook, was the leading candidate for the next palace lord. But the day before the martial contest, he was suddenly ambushed. As a result, the position went to Bing Hanpung’s son, Bing Yurin.
"When the palace lord’s son was chosen as the next lord, the five families refused to accept it. That’s why the North Sea Ice Palace still hasn’t selected a successor."
"The rift formed because the palace lord’s son was chosen?" Bu Eunseol asked.
Yoo Unryong gave a bitter expression.
"Not exactly. It’s because the culprit was identified as one person."
"Who?" So Okrim, listening, asked, and Yoo Unryong shook his head.
"The palace lord."
Yoo Unryong said gravely, "Han Jawook was injured by the Ice Thunder Palm, a technique only the palace lord can master. All the family heads confronted the palace lord, but… with no definitive evidence, the matter was buried."
Bu Eunseol nodded. This incident had prevented the North Sea Ice Palace from selecting a successor and had weakened the palace lord’s authority.
Yoo Unryong rubbed his temple. "As a result, Han Woosang deeply hates the palace lord. He’s the most likely suspect for being a traitor, with the strongest motive to collude with the Eight Emperors and Three Stars."
Bu Eunseol nodded.
"And Baek Jinyu, the head of the Baek family?"
"He’s out of the question. He’s been pretending to support the weakened palace lord while secretly manipulating him to run the North Sea Ice Palace. He likely wants the current situation to persist."
After hearing Yoo Unryong’s clear explanation, Bu Eunseol and So Okrim fell into deep thought.
In summary:
The Eom family head was full of ambition.
The Dong family head had no particular thoughts.
The Seol family head was ill.
The Han family head harbored deep resentment toward the palace lord.
The Baek family head was exploiting the situation to run the palace from behind the scenes.
"Ugh, this is a headache," So Okrim said, scratching her head after grasping the complex situation of the North Sea Ice Palace. "Damn, where do we even start?"
Yoo Unryong frowned as well. "And we can only meet each one once."
So Okrim had no expectations.
But given Bu Eunseol’s brilliance, it would be better for him to meet all three family heads to increase the chances of catching the traitor.
However, Bu Eunseol said calmly, "It’s fine. We just need to confirm. It doesn’t matter who meets them."
"So, how do we decide who meets which of the five?" So Okrim asked.
Bu Eunseol began laying out his plan.
"First, you meet the Seol family head."
"Huh? Me?"
"With your mastery of the Celestial Emperor’s martial arts, you should be well-versed in the human body," Bu Eunseol said calmly. "If he’s ill due to misusing his internal energy, he’d be vulnerable to emotional agitation. Since you’re good at stirring people up, you can confirm if his illness is genuine."
Though he phrased it that way, Bu Eunseol knew So Okrim was cunning and highly skilled.
If the Seol family head’s illness was feigned, she wouldn’t be fooled.
"Hmm. If he’s faking his illness, he’s likely the traitor," So Okrim said, nodding.
Bu Eunseol turned to Yoo Unryong. "You meet the Dong family head. Gauge his temperament through conversation."
"Why? Wouldn’t the ambitious Eom family head be a better choice?"
"The North Sea Ice Palace isn’t a small sect. If he’s maintained an ambitious stance for so long, he’d have a meticulous plan," Bu Eunseol said firmly.
"The Eom family head is unlikely to be the traitor."
"But is it okay for me to go?"
"No need to feel burdened. Just check if his known temperament matches his actual demeanor."
"And you?"
"I’ll decide after hearing your reports," Bu Eunseol said with a faint smile.
"For the final decision."
"Hmm." Yoo Unryong let out a low groan.
Though he was cunning himself, he couldn’t fathom Bu Eunseol’s plan. But he was certain Bu Eunseol’s brilliant strategies would uncover the traitor colluding with external forces.
"Alright, let’s do it." Yoo Unryong went to meet the Dong family head.
But, as expected, he was turned away at the gate.
He couldn’t even enter the Dong family’s residence, let alone have a conversation.
"No choice, then." Yoo Unryong pulled a white jade tablet from his robes. "I didn’t want to use this."
It was a token engraved with the Bing family’s emblem, given by Bing Hanpung for use when the family heads refused to meet.
"This will get me exactly one meeting."
To truly understand someone, you need to meet them at least three times. Yoo Unryong had hoped to build a personal rapport to visit the Dong family multiple times.
But using this token would force a single meeting.
"No helping it." In the end, Yoo Unryong presented the token and was granted an audience with the Dong family head.
So Okrim met the Seol family head.
She, too, was turned away and had to use the token.
During their private meeting, her brash attitude and speech provoked the Seol family head. In his anger, he forgot his supposed illness and tried to muster his internal energy.
The next day, in the meeting room of the Frozen Ice Pavilion.
"That guy’s illness is real. He was so furious his head was steaming, but he couldn’t properly channel his energy," So Okrim explained to Bu Eunseol in detail.
According to her, the Seol family head was genuinely ill, with issues in his internal energy.
"The Dong family head definitely seemed to lack ambition," Yoo Unryong said, but his expression was uncertain. "But he seemed more cunning than I expected. I couldn’t tell if he was putting on an act or if that’s his true nature."
Bu Eunseol nodded after hearing their reports.
"Then I’ll meet the Han family head."
"Why? Is he the traitor?" Yoo Unryong asked.
Bu Eunseol shook his head. "No, but since the rift involves him regardless of the traitor, it’s best to mend it quickly."
He immediately left the Frozen Ice Pavilion and headed toward the southern gate.
The North Sea Ice Palace, spanning fifty thousand pyeong and composed of six families, had the Bing family at its center, with the Baek family alongside. The remaining four families were positioned in the east, west, south, and north, guarding the palace.
After walking a wide road for some time, a grand palace with a solemn blue hue came into view—the residence of the Han family.
Step, step.
As Bu Eunseol approached, guards in snow-white robes blocked his path.
"Who are you?"
Without a word, Bu Eunseol presented the palace lord’s token.
"I wish to meet the Han family head." The guards exchanged glances and nodded.
"The family head has instructed that he will not meet any envoys of the palace lord."
Rumors had already spread that three guests from Majeon had visited the palace lord and were meeting with the divided families. Having heard everything, Han Woosang had ordered the guards not to let them in.
"Tell him I can reveal the truth behind the assassination of the young master."
"The truth?" The guards widened their eyes in surprise, and Bu Eunseol gave a calm smile.
"Just relay that."
Guided by the guard, Bu Eunseol arrived at a secluded chamber deep within the Han family’s palace.
The interior was made of a transparent material, like glass. As Bu Eunseol entered, a middle-aged man with icy eyes looked down at him.
It was Han Woosang, the head of the Han family.
"You know the truth behind my son’s assassination?"
"Yes."
"Speak."
"First, I’d like to examine the young master’s condition myself."
"What do you mean?"
Bu Eunseol spoke confidently yet respectfully, "I can only reveal the truth after examining the young master’s condition."
As Majeon’s successor, Bu Eunseol held a higher status than the North Sea Ice Palace’s family heads. Yet, he maintained a polite tone throughout, even referring to Han Woosang’s son as “young master,” a term of respect.
Han Woosang’s expression softened slightly.
"What will examining him reveal?"
"Will you allow it?"
Han Woosang bit his lip and said, "This isn’t some pointless scheme by the palace lord, is it?"
"How could it be?"
"Fine. But if you’re spouting nonsense… even as Majeon’s successor, I won’t let it slide."
It wasn’t an empty threat.
For over a decade, his son had suffered severe injuries with no recovery, and the truth remained elusive. Han Woosang’s resentment was deep enough to freeze the heavens.
"There will be no such thing."
"Very well." He led Bu Eunseol to a place marked as the Four Ice Vault.
Contrary to its name, the interior was scorching hot.
Upon closer inspection, fires were being stoked outside to keep the inside warm. At the center of a bed lay a man with a pale face.
It was Han Woosang’s eldest son, Han Jawook.
"It’s a characteristic of the Ice Thunder Palm. If the yin energy isn’t expelled, the blood vessels freeze," Han Woosang explained.
Bu Eunseol carefully examined the pale Han Jawook.
He had thick eyebrows, a sharp nose, and the bearing of a hero. But due to the extreme yin energy freezing his blood vessels, he occasionally showed signs of pain.
"Excuse me," Bu Eunseol said, cautiously inspecting his back.
There was only a faint trace of being struck by extreme yin energy, with no clues to identify the culprit. The energy was indeed potent enough to freeze blood vessels, unmistakably a technique of the North Sea Ice Palace.
Zing.
Bu Eunseol’s eyes turned white.
The Void Heart Command. He heightened his senses to their peak, capable of detecting traces from decades past.
‘It’s as I thought.’ A flash sparked in Bu Eunseol’s eyes as he examined Han Jawook’s wound.
His long-held suspicion had been confirmed.
"I’ve seen enough."
"Then tell me the truth."
Bu Eunseol said calmly, "One hour from now, meet me outside the training hall in the Glacier Palace. You’ll understand then."
"What?" Han Woosang’s expression darkened at the absurd response. "Are you toying with this family head?"
"Hasn’t the truth remained unsolved for over a decade?" Bu Eunseol said with a more serious expression. "To confirm it definitively, trust me just this once."
Han Woosang’s expression grew complex.
He could sense Bu Eunseol wasn’t lying or evading. But to call him to a place only the palace lord could access—didn’t that imply the palace lord was the culprit?
"Are you saying the palace lord is the culprit? Is that why you’re summoning me there?"
"Come in one hour, and you’ll know everything." With an utterly serious expression, Bu Eunseol said, "I’ll see you at the training hall."
He promptly turned to leave.
Han Woosang moved to stop him but, struck by some thought, lowered his hand. He stared at Bu Eunseol’s retreating figure with an indescribably complex expression.
Bu Eunseol’s eyes narrowed as he left the Han family’s estate.
‘The Han family head isn’t the traitor.’
Han Woosang was genuinely furious, and his son, Han Jawook, had suffered significant loss of internal energy.
He had every reason to collude with external forces.
Yet, with his upright character, he would rather leave the North Sea Ice Palace than commit treason or invite external forces.
‘I’m glad I made arrangements with the palace lord in advance.’ Bu Eunseol’s mind was racing at the speed of light.
Before coming here, he had already pieced together the circumstances of Han Jawook’s ambush and identified the likely culprit. That’s why he had made prior arrangements with Bing Hanpung before meeting Han Woosang.
"Greetings." At the path leading to the Glacier Palace, an elderly man stood tall.
With long, narrow eyes and a deep gaze, he appeared wise at a glance.
"I am Baek Jinyu, the head of the Baek family."
"Bu Eunseol, the Martial Soul Command Lord." As Bu Eunseol bowed, Baek Jinyu gave a benign smile.
"Meeting the Martial Soul Command Lord, who shakes the martial world, in person confirms that the rumors are not unfounded."
"You flatter me."
"Can we walk and talk for a bit?" Baek Jinyu seemed to have chosen this “chance” encounter as a way to have a brief conversation with Bu Eunseol.
"Of course."
Baek Jinyu got straight to the point. "I heard you came to resolve our palace’s conflict as a condition for an alliance with Majeon."
"That’s true," Bu Eunseol said openly.
"There’s no need for that," Baek Jinyu said in a low voice. "Our palace can handle its own affairs. An outsider’s involvement will only cause greater discord."
He sighed and added, "Our palace’s rift isn’t something outsiders should mend."
"Why not?" Bu Eunseol asked.
"For generations, our palace has stood on its own, rejecting external forces. If you help, it will damage the palace lord’s dignity."
Bu Eunseol smiled faintly. "Even if the rift was caused by an external force?"
Baek Jinyu’s expression hardened. "An external force?"
"You’ll soon find out."
"Can you back up that claim?"
"Of course." Bu Eunseol gave a calm smile. "If an external force wasn’t involved, even the Demon Emperor himself couldn’t interfere. Let alone me, daring to come to the North Sea Ice Palace."
Seeing Bu Eunseol’s confident smile, Baek Jinyu’s expression stiffened.
Baek Jinyu, the head of the Baek family—was he the traitor? Or a bystander who knew everything but pretended ignorance to maintain his regency?
"I see," Baek Jinyu said, his face returning to a gentle expression. "I spoke out of turn. Let’s meet again."
"Take care." As Bu Eunseol bowed, Baek Jinyu smiled and slowly turned away.
But his eyes were sharply narrowed.
The rift must not be mended.
If it was, his position as the de facto palace lord, acting in the palace lord’s stead, would be shaken.
***
At the Glacier Palace.
The palace where the lord handled the affairs of the North Sea Ice Palace had a large training hall.
The palace’s core martial arts were transmitted through oral teachings.
This training hall was used when the palace lord taught martial arts to distinguished individuals or exceptional disciples.
Inside, a man in black robes faced a middle-aged man in white.
It was Bu Eunseol and Bing Hanpung.
"Why did you request a private meeting in my training hall?" Bing Hanpung asked.
Bu Eunseol clasped his hands. "I seek your guidance on one matter."
"Guidance?"
"Today, I visited the Han family’s palace and examined the young lord’s injuries."
"I see," Bing Hanpung said with a wistful smile. "So, did it look like I was the one who struck him?"
"Yes."
The Ice Thunder Palm was a guardian martial art only the palace lord could master. Since Bing Hanpung was the only one in the North Sea Ice Palace who had learned it, suspicion was inevitable.
But Bu Eunseol gave an odd response.
"If I were a disciple of the North Sea Ice Palace, I would’ve assumed without doubt that you were the culprit."
"If you were a disciple… what do you mean?"
"I have a question for you, palace lord," Bu Eunseol said, clasping his hands. "Based on the name Ice Thunder Palm, it doesn’t seem purely yin-based, like Yin Cold or Mysterious Yin. It seems to contain energies like Wind Thunder or Water Fire. Is that correct?"
Having examined the traces of the Ice Thunder Palm on Han Jawook, Bu Eunseol had realized it wasn’t a purely yin-based palm technique.
Bing Hanpung, unable to hide his surprise, nodded.
"Correct."
"I’d like to know exactly what energies are contained within it." Only then did Bing Hanpung understand why Bu Eunseol had requested a private meeting in the training hall, used only for secluded cultivation.
"You want me to reveal part of the secrets of our palace’s supreme palm technique?"
"Yes." Bing Hanpung furrowed his brow.
No sect would reveal even a single line of their core techniques to an outsider. Yet Bu Eunseol was boldly asking, as if requesting a borrowed item.
"I only wish to know what energies are contained within it." There wasn’t a trace of selfish intent in Bu Eunseol’s eyes.
After a moment’s hesitation, Bing Hanpung reluctantly spoke.
"The Ice Thunder Palm is known as a yin-based technique, but in reality, it incorporates the Three Yin and Three Yang, Heavenly Wind, and Water Wind. The first variation is one change, and Heaven and Earth is the second…"
In the end, he revealed all the variations contained within the Ice Thunder Palm.
Bu Eunseol, listening intently, nodded.
"The Ice Thunder Palm uses weight to suppress lightness and slowness to subdue speed."
"Exactly."
Snap.
But then, Bu Eunseol drew his left palm inward.
As he extended it into the air, whoosh!
A white chill, accompanied by faint shadows of lightning, etched into the void.
It was none other than the North Sea Ice Palace’s supreme technique, the Ice Thunder Palm.
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