Book 28 Chapter 10

Frozen Sword

-the color scheme to process

There were three swords in the middle of the street.

But if they were ordinary swords, even three hundred swords would not have stopped them in their tracks. However, these three swords were rarely seen even among the great powers. The wielder of such a sword would normally be a master, but all three were broken in the middle. That wasn't the only strange thing.

"This is……."

Stepping forward and examining the broken swords, Zhang Yiha is stunned to realize that his star sign, Heart of Iron, is not what it seems.

"Hehe, what a weird thing……."

Zhang Yiha glanced up at the sunlit sky, then down at the lush green forest, then back at the three broken swords.

The hilt of the sword was still frozen solid with white frost, and the handle was frozen with clear ice. Even with the sun shining so warmly on the ground, the ice still hadn't melted.

"A frozen sword in this weather……."

What a bizarre thing to do.

Iceblade's eyes instantly sharpened, and he stepped forward to the broken sword. As he looked down at the frozen swords, a cold and sharp divine light poured out from his eyes.

"These are the traces of an Ice Age martial artist."

Since he was also cultivating in the Frozen Realm, his eyes were naturally drawn to the same Frozen Qi. Even under the noon sun, there were only a limited number of martial artists who could unleash cold energy that would not easily melt. The ice sword began to carefully examine the three swords.

"Apparently, the owner of this sword has been struck by a Zhang Gong, and it's an extreme Yin Zhang Gong."

"Why is that?"

"I can tell by examining the blade of this sword. None of your recent wounds appear to have been inflicted by a sharp blade."

In other words, it proved that he had been hit by something other than a sword attack.

'What kind of technique is this?"'

Besides, there was something else that bothered me more than the name of the method.

"What is this sinister chill in the air?

The frozen frost on the blade gives off a strange, eerie aura.

'Such a disagreeable yin qi… Did Kang Ho have such a sinister technique?

Bing'er's brow furrowed at the chill in the air, a chill that made him uncomfortable just to be near it. He had never felt such a blatantly unpleasant and ominous chill before.

"Maybe……."

"Do you have any guesses, Mr. Guan Feidu?"

Just as Zhang Yiha was about to ask Binggong a polite question, Jang Hong hastily interrupted him. There were a lot of eyes on this place, and the sight of a local lord paying respect to Lei Du was strange to say the least.

At that moment, a young man from one of the messengers staggered over. It was none other than Baek Moo-young, the Wisdom Bag of the Guzheng Council. It was hard to see much of his face, which had once looked so observant and learned, now obscured by the bamboo shroud. But it was clear that he was trembling with anger.

"Now, can you show me that sword for a second?"

He was good at self-control, but now he seemed a bit impatient. Baek Muyoung's voice fluctuated wildly as he immediately examined his sword.

"It's……!"

"…Indeed? Do you know of this sword?"

Binggum asked. Baek Muyoung nodded weakly and spoke in a voice so quiet that no one else could hear.

"Yes, of course, because this is the sword of my brother-in-law."

The sword has a red pommel, a blue handle, and the word "Brother" carved into the center of the hilt. It was clearly a sword carried by a disciple of the Brotherhood.

"Judging by the fact that there are three threads, they must be the swords of the Great Disciples, the Twelve Swords of the Hyangshan Mountain."

Baek Moo-young said using the whole tone. He was certainly a clever man, using the whole tone to think about the attention he was getting, even though he must have been disturbed.

"Sixty-two swords?! Is that true?"

Bai Muyoung nodded with a somber expression. He had also heard of the Ice Swords. They were the twelve most talented sword masters of the Xiangshan Sect, and their primary duty was to defend the Xiangshan Sect, so they rarely went outside the walls. But for a Xiangshan Sword Sect master who considered his sword his life to be lying frozen in a place like this, it was unusual.

"What in the world happened on this nameless pass?

And where the heck are these sword masters?

"If you're done, I think it's our turn."

Binggum immediately recognized the young woman's voice from his peripheral vision. She was the third of the eight women who followed the black-robed ladies. After a moment's hesitation, startled by the traces of Han Bingzhi, Ice Sword and Yin Dao had come face to face with someone else of real importance. They should have rushed forward without looking back when their steps stopped, but it was too late to regret it.

"May I?"

The woman spoke again, this time in a calm voice. Up close, she seemed to be a very clever and wise woman, with deep eyes that belied her age.

"See."

Taking a step back, Binggum realized his other mistake: he had stuck out too far from the group while examining the swords. Suddenly, the eyes of all the black-clad women were on him, and it was more than a little overwhelming.

"You're not going to get caught, are you?

Jue Lip and Pifeng's blue and silver hair and bodies were hidden, but it wasn't enough to quell their anxiety. Their physical features were so distinctive that even the slightest hint of them would be easily recognized by most powerful people.

He didn't want to make eye contact, especially not with the black-clad woman at the head of the line. He hadn't felt this nervous since his ice-white heart had been forged and he had entered the stronghold. Right now, he wasn't even sure he could make the right decision.

At this point, there's no way I'm going to be able to get out of here.

The woman who had stepped forward alone before had looked at all the swords, and when she had finished, she had turned her gaze to him. He had never felt so uncomfortable with a woman's stare, as if she could see right through him.

Her eyes were clear and full of wisdom, and it was easy to see that she was a very quick-thinking and intelligent person. Moreover, there was a certain wisdom to her that belied her youthful appearance. What caught Bing'er's attention most of all was that her hair, swept to one side and braided into a long braid, was a dark blue color, which meant that while she wasn't as advanced as the silver-blue-haired woman of the three women standing over there, she had cultivated the same Frozen Realm martial arts as he had, to the point of Ascension. Though not yet at his level of achievement, of course.

But even the ice sword couldn't help but be stunned by the silver gloves that seemed to be sprinkled with ice crystals embedded in her corkscrew.

"What about that?!

On her hands, she wore white gloves that seemed to be woven of silver, with the knuckles exposed. There was a foggy haze around the gloves, which must have been caused by the freezing of water vapor in contact with the gloves. I could feel the chill just by looking at them, which meant that the pair of white gloves was a kibo with extreme yin properties.

"Ice Ring Armor!

It was definitely the Ice Ring Armor, a kibo that was said to double the firepower and power of the Frozen Realm Martial Artist just by wearing it.

For those who had mastered the Frozen Realm Martial Arts, it was a heavenly treasure. The lack of a blade was standard equipment, and the ice ring armor itself possessed an extreme yin aura, which could make up for much of the difference in skill. Of course, ordinary people would get frostbite on their hands just by wearing it, and it was also a weapon that would freeze and shatter if they continued to hold it. It was an object that severely overshadowed its owner, who could never wear it unless his ice ball had risen to a certain level.

But the ice sword quickly returned his gaze to the ice ring armor and pretended not to see it. This unusual woman was staring at him, searchingly. Although Bing'er had managed to kill his own energy with a form of stealth known as "cutting," a method of concealment that masked his aura, the sharp awl had been able to pierce his pocket. Even if a peak master of his caliber had managed to conceal his energy with difficulty, it was much more difficult to conceal his aura and impression in person, especially in the presence of a woman with keen senses. And Bing'er was not used to concealing himself.

The auburn-haired woman gazing at the ice sword was Gal Hyo-hye, the third of the Eight Shinmahas, a woman of great beauty who was often referred to as the Lady Gal of the Shinmahas, or the Ten Wise Women.

"By any chance, haven't we met somewhere?"

Suddenly, the woman turned to Bing'er and asked her a question.

"None."

It was a bit of a dagger in the heart, but he regained his composure and replied calmly. Because it was true.

"Are you sure there aren't any?"

There was a subtle pressure in the questioning woman's voice. But it wasn't the kind of pressure that would make an ice sword flinch.

"Really."

Several of the eight women frowned at his words, though Bing'er tried to remain nonchalant. It was their usual voice, but it was too cold for the uninitiated to hear, and depending on the listener, they could have sworn they were being disrespected by a mere leader of a rising power. To them, being transcended or disrespected by someone on the street was unthinkable; it was the work of a child who challenged the pride that had protected the Shinmaga for a hundred years.

"……."

Gal Hyo-hye's eyes went cold for a moment, too, but she seemed to be pondering something rather than offended. She smiled softly, as if noticing when Bing-gum tensed up, and said, "I'm sorry.

"Oops, I must have been mistaken, I apologize."

It was an overly polite tone to use for a mere tabula rasa, given her status, and it seemed to puzzle not only Bing'er but her sisters as well. However, the three ladies at the head of the line simply watched her do her thing.

"I think it was because it was the first time we'd met and it felt very familiar, and it was nice to meet someone who'd been through the same thing."

"I guess so."

At that moment, a bright smile flashed in Gal Hyo-hye's eyes as she gently watched him.

"Oh, right, I was just wondering."

Gal Hyo-hye laughed like it was no big deal.

"……!"

As soon as he saw Gal Hyo Hye's smile, Bing Gum realized that he had fallen into a clever psychological trap.

To emphasize the fact that this is the first time they've ever met, she confirms that she has mastered the Cold Ice Technique. However, she wanted to make sure he was learning it from the start, so she deliberately created an escape route to lead him to it.

But Gal Hyo-hye only smiled slightly and didn't say anything about the fact she had just confirmed, so Bing-gum had no idea what she was thinking.

"Do you have any idea who broke that sword?"

"No. As Sojae knows, we and Sojae's party first met before reaching the pass, and he knows nothing of it, for he has only just seen it."

Gal Hyo-hye laughed at that.

"Obviously, you and I came up together from down there, so you must have had a good night, and I must have asked the wrong question."

"No problem."

He just wanted to leave this uncomfortable place as soon as possible, but Gal Hyo-hye was strangely reluctant to let him go. At first, she had glanced in Zhang Yiha's direction, but it was only for a brief moment.

In fact, she was watching to see when he, the leader of the procession, would interrupt her conversation with Feydeu. But Zhang Yiha was just silently waiting for her to finish, and there was no sign of displeasure anywhere on his face, as if he felt it was natural for her to do so, even though she was only talking to him. In fact, he hadn't even introduced himself, let alone urged her to hurry up and go. That intrigued her greatly.

She laughed.

"Judging from the flag, it's a sign that the Zhongyang Marking Bureau is expanding its power with the momentum of the Ascension of the Ascended Sun?"

She seemed very knowledgeable about the situation in Ganghwa and the recent changes in power.

"Yes."

"Are you from the Sichuan homeland?"

"No, sir. I'm from the Hubei branch."

Then Gal Hyo-hye looked surprised and said.

"That's amazing, and I'm jealous."

Binggum couldn't help but wonder.

"What's so amazing about that, and what's so enviable about that?"

"How can I not be surprised that a branch office that isn't even the elite of its home country has such a cloud of excellent marksmen……?"

Binggum broke out in a cold sweat at her words.

"To think that even a peak master like you can only be a pawn, Zhongyang Peking is truly remarkable."

"A peak master, that's a lot to take in. I've merely picked up a few martial arts by accident. How can an ordinary person like me become a peak master?"

He even referred to himself as a scribe.

Was there something wrong with the spell she was casting? Reading this woman's mind was a long way off.

"Later, when I get home, I'll have to tell my mothers, let's invest in this Zhongyang marker, because its potential is unpredictable, and I'm sure we'll make a lot of money."

"Don't dare. But you won't regret it."

Mallory is also investing in the country, which is something he could at least pretend to promote while dressed as the head of state.

"But you're wearing bamboo shoots so tightly that it's hard to recognize…… face, so I won't know who to look for when I go to the Hubei branch later to discuss my investment, will I?"

Gal Hyo-hye looked at him with a furtive gaze, as if trying to penetrate beyond Bing-do's initial grain.

"I am but a mere figurehead, Sojae, and I believe the proper course of action is to discuss such matters with Lord Zhang over there."

Gal Hyo Hye glanced at Zhang Yi Hao, who was sitting on her horse, and then turned her attention back to the Bing Sword as if she wasn't interested.

"You're the one I want to talk to, because I see your potential and your promise and I want to invest in that flag."

"So……."

Gal Hyo Hye said, interrupting Bing Gum's confused speech.

"Excuse me… would you mind taking off your jerkin for a moment for a future investor? You look like a very handsome man… so that when I go to invest in the future, I'll know who to go to. If my family's investment goes to the Zhongyang Marked Bureau, it will be a very good opportunity for you as well. Now, go ahead and……."

"This is……."

Bing was truly perplexed. He hadn't expected them to press him like this.

'I need to get out of here somehow…….'

It would be utterly foolish to show their faces here, and what awaited them would be a waste.

"I am……."

The ice sword's mouth was about to open.

"Run! Run!"

All eyes turned to one side. It was a path off to the right of the main road, leading into the woods, from which a man leapt out, shouting frantically, and began to run at them at breakneck speed.

The man was in a hurry, as if he were being chased by something, and his forehead was beaded with sweat.

In his hand, which appeared to be in his late thirties, was a sword with three red threads, and it had not yet been broken.

As he ran toward them, he stomped his feet and widened his eyes at the sight of Bi Ryuyeon, and then he shouted again in a loud voice.

"Everybody get out of here, now!"

But not a single person was moving.