Ep428 - I Became a Drunkard in a Martial Arts Novel.

The North Sea Ice Palace, a mystical sect established on a land blanketed in ice. Every man from the Central Plains dreams of visiting it at least once. Why, you ask? "Isn't it true that the North Sea Ice Palace has far more women than men?" "Hehehe... that's what I've heard." As Ku Wang-soo and Jang Sam mentioned, the ratio of women to men is significantly higher. But that's not the only reason. "I've heard that the women there are all renowned beauties!" "Really?" "According to rumors, they say it's where the Three Blossoms of the Martial World tend the fields!" The Three Blossoms of the Martial World. A term describing the three most beautiful and skilled women in the martial arts world of the Central Plains. Astonishingly, two of them are currently by Baek Woo-jin's side. Their beauty could blind an onlooker, and they have achieved the remarkable state of Flower Realm in their twenties. Those two were none other than Tang Sun-young-hwa and Yoo Ha-yeon. Of course, aside from these two, the other women were also stunning beauties in their own right. This led some idle chatterers, with nothing better to do, to suggest increasing the number of women referred to as the Flowers of the Martial World. However, the real reason there were no additions was that all these beauties were monopolized by Baek Woo-jin. The thought of one man having a near monopoly on the Flowers of the Martial World was enough to make anyone envious. Ku Wang-soo grimaced as he imagined Tang Sun-young and Yoo Ha-yeon working the fields. "But… isn’t the North Sea Ice Palace on a land covered with ice?" "Indeed." "Then how could they be tending fields there?" "It's just a saying, isn't it!" "Oh, I see." "Indeed, it is." Hahaha! The two laughed together, not needing a signal to start. "Oh boy, those pitiful fools." Laughing thoughtlessly about women on a journey to save the world. It's truly shameful, isn't it. 'And what? The Three Blossoms tending fields? Such nonsense….' Could such a paradise even exist? But if it did. "Hmm." Perhaps settling down in the North Sea Ice Palace after the journey wouldn’t be so bad…? While these insidious thoughts snaked through his mind. "Darling, you’re not having any strange thoughts, are you?" Tang Sun-young’s stern voice cut through the air. "…Strange thoughts?" "Well, our dear husband might know best about that." As she spoke meaningfully, Jegal Yeon-ji, who was puffing her cheeks beside her, added. "The look on Master Baek's face… was very sly." "I'm certain he was thinking of other women, sisters." Even Do Kyung chimed in. Baek Woo-jin suppressed a grin, shaking his head. "What nonsense, my dear. Why would I think of another woman when I have you all…?" As he smoothly told a lie, Seol Su-yeon, behind him, suddenly ran her finger across his lips. "No moisture means it’s a lie." "……?" "When our hero lies, his lips dry out." Isn’t that so? Baek Woo-jin closed his mouth tightly, looking at Seol Su-yeon who smiled sweetly at him. Who would've thought she’d notice something like that. 'I'll make sure my lips are wet next time.' He silently resolved to himself. --- Despite being a place every man in the Central Plains wants to visit at least once before dying, the North Sea Ice Palace sees little to no foot traffic, and there are two reasons for this. Firstly, it's outrageously far. Even using qinggong to dash over, it takes several tens of days to reach. Without a resolute determination, it’s hard to reach this place on foot. Secondly, it’s outrageously cold. Winter comes to the Central Plains too. However, comparing that to the weather of the North Sea Ice Palace would be a huge mistake. "Oh…, it's so cold even while using internal energy." "Aren’t we supposed to be impervious to cold and heat…?" Impervious to Cold and Heat. This term refers to a body that maintains a steady temperature due to accumulated internal energy, unaffected by chills or warmth. Yet, no amount of internal energy can protect against all extremes of temperature. If the intensity exceeds what the internal energy can maintain, one cannot help but succumb. The current companions were experiencing just that. "It’s… impressive, indeed." Transcendent. Even those who were mere inches away from reaching the Flower Realm were feeling the cold. And they hadn't even arrived at the North Sea Ice Palace; they’d only entered its region. "Even we are feeling… somewhat cold, right?" "Yes, indeed." Even Tang Sun-young and Yoo Ha-yeon, who had reached the Flower Realm, began to feel the chill. The only ones unaffected by the weather were Baek Woo-jin and the Blood Sect Witch. Isn't the environment itself around here akin to a natural fortress? "If you're cold, everyone should put on the winter clothing we prepared." Thankfully, in preparation for such scenarios, they had brought along thick winter clothes. And they had an expert, who frequently traveled to and from the North Sea Ice Palace, with them. "Everyone, have a cup of tea!" As they drank the tea that Geum Yeo-ul handed out, warmth began to spread through their bodies. It was tea made from herbs that warmed the body on the plains. Had they not had it, they would have suffered from the cold twice as much. Wrapped tightly in layers of winter clothes, they pressed forward diligently, now on their twentieth day. Through the relentless assault of snowstorms, wisps of white smoke could be seen in the distance. Flames flickered precariously, and roofs rose boldly against the snow. "A village…!" They had finally reached a village under the governance of the North Sea Ice Palace. Which meant they could now warm their frozen bodies and recover from their tiring journey in a cozy room! "Finally, the North Sea Ice Palace…!" "The very place where the Three Blossoms of the Martial World supposedly tend the fields…!" Without needing any prompting, two of them darted forward excitedly. "Ahaha, those rascals." Watching them dash off with his hands behind his back, Baek Woo-jin found his own pace hastening unconsciously. It was an instinct as natural as it was inevitable for men. Especially since he knew better than anyone how beautiful and graceful Tang Sun-young and Yoo Ha-yeon were. A village brimming with such beauties? 'I can’t wait!' Ultimately, he caught up with the eager Ku Wang-soo and Jang Sam, and the three entered the village almost simultaneously. Their hopeful eyes took in the village scene. "My back aches more in this cold weather…." "Life seems to be getting tougher and tougher." "Old woman, is there any sohan tea left?" "We ran out yesterday, there’s none left now, hoho." Not a beauty in sight. All they saw were grandmothers sitting together by the fire, chatting away. "Is this… the paradise of beauties we’ve only heard about…?" "What happened to my dream…?" A wave of disappointment hit them hard. Followed closely by a sense of puzzlement. 'Something is off.' A dream world where the Three Blossoms of the Martial World tend the fields. Naturally, dreams always have a significant discrepancy from reality. Though they hoped, they considered the possibility of not finding rows upon rows of beauties. However, this was stranger than they anticipated. 'There are no young women.' It wasn't just that there were no beauties — there were no young women at all. Not even one. All they saw were middle-aged women and elderly folks. Though they spotted a few young men, they hardly cared for them. "Hmm…, the village atmosphere is a bit strange." The women who arrived after them also began to notice something unusual. "Now my dream has ended…." "If only we hadn’t come, the dream would have continued…." Everyone except the two deeply disappointed individuals shivered at the scene. Baek Woo-jin turned away from them and looked at Geum Yeo-ul. "Miss Geum." "Yes…?" "Were there no young women when you last visited?" Geum Yeo-ul shook her head in response to his question. "No…, back then there were lots of young women here." "So, this happened in just the few months Miss Geum hadn't visited…." Where did all those young women vanish to? Whatever the case, it didn’t seem like a natural occurrence. 'I need information.' They needed intel on why these events had unfolded like this. The best source of such information was likely the innkeeper, who had more interaction with outsiders. "Let's take a break first." "I’ll lead the way!" Following behind Geum Yeo-ul, they arrived at the inn. It wasn't grand, but it seemed adequately arranged. As they entered, a robust middle-aged woman greeted them with a warm smile. "Oh my, isn’t it Miss Geum of the trade caravan?" It seemed she was acquainted with Geum Yeo-ul. "Have you been well?" "I'm always the same! But why have you been so infrequent with your visits?" "I had some work to attend to…. Could you arrange some rooms for us?" "Oh, silly me. Standing here chatting with you while guests are at the entrance." Laughing warmly, she guided them to their rooms. They set down their belongings and melted their frozen bodies a bit before gathering once more. Geum Yeo-ul initiated the conversation to extract information from the innkeeper. "Innkeeper." "Yes?" "I noticed there aren't any young women in the village... did something happen?" "Ah…, I see Miss Geum noticed as well on her way in." The innkeeper's expression darkened. "Actually…, the North Sea Ice Palace took all the young maidens." "The North Sea Ice Palace… took the women?" "They said they needed maidens to solve a catastrophe, though they didn't explain why..." A catastrophe, they said. Geum Yeo-ul had mentioned before that the cold of the North Sea Ice Palace had been worsening over the past few years. 'If that's the catastrophe.' It appears the North Sea Ice Palace took the young maidens to address this issue. Cold and maidens. What could possibly link the two together? '...I have no choice but to go and find out.' It would remain a mystery until they reached the North Sea Ice Palace. Author's Note: I'll see you in the next installment. Thank you, as always, for reading. Have a restful night. (_ _)