The snow-covered courtyard was clean and peaceful.
The snow on the trees looked like white flowers in bloom, and the icicles hanging from the eaves shone clear and transparent.
Stepping into this pure white space, Lee Ahn began to perform the Flying Heaven Sword Technique on the untouched white snow.
Now that Geom Mugeuk and the Drunken Demon had returned safely.
'Now, I need to worry about my own life.’
A good personality and a pretty face, without skill to back them up, often become a hindrance to surviving in the Martial World.
I train for Geom Mugeuk.
She no longer held such thoughts from her days as a bodyguard.
She trained for herself.
Instead, she thought that this effort would ultimately be for Geom Mugeuk's sake.
She moved back and forth across the snow, swinging her sword.
With her unparalleled beauty, performing the Flying Heaven Sword Technique on the pure white snow, she looked just like a painting.
After performing the forms of the Flying Heaven Sword Technique, she looked down at the footprints she had made.
She had never performed the forms on untouched snow before, so this was the first time she had seen her footprints so clearly.
"This is the First Form—Balancing Heaven, and this is the Second Form—Changing Heaven Form…"
Then, her gaze suddenly fixed on one spot.
“Just as I thought! This part is off again. What on earth is the problem? Please, someone tell me!"
Looking up at the sky, she was startled.
She didn't know when he had arrived, but Geom Mugeuk was floating above her head.
"Young Master, what are you doing up there?"
"What do you think? I was looking to see what the problem was."
Geom Mugeuk, who had been looking down at her footprints from the air, descended.
She hadn't received his teachings recently.
So, not wanting to miss this chance, she quickly spoke.
"When I perform the Eighth Form—Underworld Form, my back foot keeps splaying to the right. I've trained constantly to fix it, but it just won't correct itself."
"Why can't it be fixed? Especially when you know what the problem is?"
"It must be because my ability to interpret martial arts is lacking."
"Aren't you overestimating the Flying Heaven Sword Technique?"
Lee Ahn turned to look at Geom Mugeuk.
Geom Mugeuk nodded with a serious expression, as if he wasn't joking.
Lee Ahn looked down at her footprints again.
'The Young Master's words mean that I might not be wrong? If that's the case...'
Lee Ahn stood looking down at her footprints, lost in thought.
How much time had passed?
"Was it perhaps something like this?"
Lifting her head, Lee Ahn flinched in surprise.
The surroundings had grown dark.
Geom Mugeuk was watching her from where he had been standing.
"Young Master? What's going on?"
"You were in a state of selflessness."
At the words "state of selflessness," she was even more surprised.
"It felt like only a moment had passed."
"That's what a state of selflessness is."
"It wasn't a problem profound enough to fall into a state of selflessness over."
"Then what kind of problem is profound?"
"I wouldn't know."
"It was a point worth pondering."
Then, Lee Ahn asked in surprise.
"Don't tell me? You've been standing there this whole time?"
"I couldn't risk breaking your state of selflessness."
Geom Mugeuk knew how important this moment was for her.
Most martial artists never experienced it even once.
"You stood there with aching legs just for me."
"Considering the time you spent standing guard at my door, this is nothing."
"That was just my job."
She was grateful for Geom Mugeuk's words.
Had she ever expected any reward for guarding him? Yet, a single phrase like this turned all her past hardships into something worthwhile.
Geom Mugeuk always practiced the teaching of expressing what needed to be said.
"So? What's your conclusion?"
"I think it's fine for it to turn to the right. It's a stance that doesn't hinder me even if I'm attacked, and there's no problem in linking it with other forms. No matter how much I thought about it, there was no reason to keep it straight."
"Then why didn't you think of this until now?"
"Because I thought the Flying Heaven Sword Technique couldn't be wrong."
To her, the Flying Heaven Sword Technique was a perfect martial art.
After all, it was the martial art that the successors of the Heavenly Demon Divine Sect learned before mastering the Nine Calamities Demon Art.
Geom Mugeuk didn't answer with words but showed her directly.
He began to perform the Flying Heaven Sword Technique in the same spot she had.
His footprints started to land in similar places.
Lee Ahn watched with wide eyes, not wanting to miss a single movement of the Flying Heaven Sword Technique that Geom Mugeuk performed.
It was the same form, yet different.
Different, yet the same; the same, yet different.
As they say, you see as much as you know.
Watching his demonstration now was a completely different feeling from before.
It would likely look different again once she achieved Great Mastery.
And the footprints left behind…
What she focused on was the very footprint she had been pondering earlier.
"Huh? Your foot is splayed to the right too, Young Master."
Geom Mugeuk said with a smile.
"It means the answer you found was correct."
Lee Ahn was happy, yet at the same time, she found it surprising.
But why did the form dictate that the foot should be straight?
Geom Mugeuk resolved that mystery.
"I don't know if the creator of the martial art intended it or if it happened by chance, but this part acts as the biggest wall on the path to Great Mastery of the Flying Heaven Sword Technique. It is the point where the tightly structured forms first begin to find freedom."
Those words also meant that she had taken another step closer to achieving Great Mastery of the Flying Heaven Sword Technique.
She had put in a lot of effort, and Geom Mugeuk had given her much guidance, but she also possessed a natural talent for martial arts.
"Thank you so much, Young Master."
How could she have found the answer without Geom Mugeuk? If he hadn't told her to trust herself and not just the sword technique, she would not have experienced the state of selflessness.
"Let's start heading back to the Main Sect soon."
"Young Master. I think I'll stay and continue the mission I was assigned."
The original purpose of her leaving the sect was to make Seo Jin, the Ghost Spirit Master's younger brother, a squad leader in the Ghost Shadow Branch.
But a woman's plea to save her husband had brought her all the way here to the Northern Sea.
"Should I go with you?"
Lee Ahn shook her head.
"I want to accomplish this task on my own."
Her journey in the martial world had brought her to the Northern Sea all because of a glass of water.
Whether she succeeded in bringing back Seo Jin or not, she had a feeling that when she returned after completing this mission, she would have grown significantly.
It would be even better if she could achieve Great Mastery of the Flying Heaven Sword Technique as well.
"Be careful when you accept a glass of water."
Lee Ahn smiled brightly at Geom Mugeuk's joke.
Just then, a martial artist from the Ice Palace came and delivered the Ice Palace Master's message.
"The Palace Master has requested to see you both."
Geom Mugeuk could sense it.
The Ice Palace Master had summoned them because of Lee Ahn.
In the Palace Master’s Hall, the Ice Palace Master was waiting alone.
After they exchanged greetings, the Ice Palace Master asked about what she was curious about first.
"Was the Drunken Demon satisfied?"
She was curious about the Drunken Demon's reaction to receiving the Ice Palace Sacred Cup.
Geom Mugeuk wanted to vividly convey how happy and excited the Drunken Demon was, but he considered the man's dignity.
"He was very pleased."
"That's a relief. Please, have a seat."
As Geom Mugeuk and Lee Ahn sat down, the Ice Palace Master served them tea.
Lee Ahn once again looked at the pattern on the teacup.
"You said you thought you'd seen that pattern somewhere before?"
"Seeing it again, I'm sure of it. I've definitely seen it sometime."
To Geom Mugeuk, it looked like a picture of two birds flying, but it had a very unique feel.
The Ice Palace Master silently looked at Lee Ahn.
From the first time she saw her, her gaze was somehow drawn to her.
After quietly observing Lee Ahn, the Ice Palace Master made an unexpected request.
"May I check your pulse just once? I'll tell you the reason after I've checked."
Lee Ahn was flustered by the unexpected suggestion.
For a martial artist, offering one's wrist was the same as offering one's life, so unless one was injured or in a special situation, they would never allow their pulse to be taken.
Of course, she didn't think the Ice Palace Master would harm her, but hesitation was natural.
She glanced at Geom Mugeuk.
Geom Mugeuk said nothing.
If he had judged it to be a situation where he needed to intervene, he would have.
With this in mind, Lee Ahn readily agreed.
"Yes, I understand."
As Lee Ahn obediently extended her arm, the Ice Palace Master took her pulse.
After examining her meridians for a moment, the Ice Palace Master's eyes widened.
What crossed her face was a passion she had held in her heart for a very long time.
Geom Mugeuk felt her unusual emotion, and so did Lee Ahn.
After calming her emotions by drinking some tea, the Ice Palace Master spoke calmly, her gaze still fixed on Lee Ahn.
"The pattern drawn on this teacup was drawn by my older sister, who left the Ice Palace long ago."
Lee Ahn still couldn't guess the source of this unfamiliar passion the Ice Palace Master was revealing.
"Could it be that I saw the pattern your sister drew someday?"
"Perhaps. One thing is certain, this pattern is unique in the world. No one would draw such a pattern on a teacup."
The Ice Palace Master's voice was trembling.
She who had remained calm even when the Ice Palace was in danger was now trembling.
"Elder Seo mentioned my sister before he died. At that moment, I felt it. This man killed my sister."
At that time, Seo Nak had been completely loyal to her.
He had displayed a misguided loyalty to prevent her sister from threatening her position as Palace Master.
"Before he died, Elder Seo told me. My sister had a daughter. He said it ambiguously to torment me, but he clearly meant she had a daughter."
Only now could Lee Ahn understand.
Why she wanted to check her pulse, and why she was telling this story.
Lee Ahn's heart began to beat wildly.
She had never dreamed that she would be having such a conversation in the Ice Palace's main hall.
The decisive words flowed from the Ice Palace Master's mouth.
"The women of my family are born with special meridians, ideal for practicing the Ice Arts."
From her already trembling voice, the result was clear.
"You are my niece."
Was she dazed from the shock? Despite the secret of her birth being revealed, Lee Ahn remained calm.
She didn't know how to react or what to say.
She had lived her whole life thinking she had been abandoned by her parents.
But her mother was the Ice Palace Master's older sister?
She looked at Geom Mugeuk.
She really wanted to ask him this.
Young Master, they say I'm related to the Ice Palace Master.
How am I supposed to react to this?
As if reading her mind, Geom Mugeuk asked.
"How do you feel?"
"Just…"
She was about to say she was bewildered when suddenly, a wave of emotion washed over her.
The image of her mother, who lost her life to an evil man, suddenly came to mind.
All this time, she thought her parents had abandoned her.
She had resented them so much for it.
"…"
"I am…"
Her voice choked with emotion, Lee Ahn couldn't continue.
Both Geom Mugeuk and the Ice Palace Master waited for her.
After a long while, Lee Ahn composed herself.
She took a deep breath and then revealed her thoughts.
"But nothing will change."
She conveyed the conclusion she had reached in a calm tone.
"From now on, I will continue to be the Fist Demon's daughter, the Young Cult Master's former guard, and the Master of the Ghost Shadow Branch. I am satisfied with my life. I have no desire to change it."
It was an apologetic thing to say to the Ice Palace Master, who was her aunt, but this was her honest feeling.
The thought that she had to say this first overshadowed everything else.
As if she had expected this reaction, the Ice Palace Master was also calm.
"Alright, do as you wish."
She felt sorry for Lee Ahn.
Her sister's tragedy was ultimately her fault.
Was it a twist of fate? Lee Ahn, a victim of a succession battle, now trusted and followed the person who had ended a succession battle without bloodshed.
"Thank you for growing up so well."
The Ice Palace Master was so proud of Lee Ahn.
She was truly grateful that she had grown up so splendidly.
"I heard you came here to save the husband of a woman who gave you a glass of water. I wouldn't have come, but my sister would have. You're just like your mother."
Perhaps an unavoidable fate had led her all the way to the Northern Sea.
A fate imbued with her sister's earnest wish.
"From now on, the gates of the Ice Palace are open to you. Come whenever you wish."
"Thank you."
The Ice Palace Master wanted to hug Lee Ahn once.
But she couldn't bring herself to ask for a hug.
Feeling flustered, awkward, and with a complex mix of emotions, Lee Ahn was the first to bow politely.
"Then I will take my leave now."
"Alright, go and get some rest."
The words "aunt" and "niece" did not yet come easily.
When Lee Ahn left the Palace Master’s Hall, only Geom Mugeuk and the Ice Palace Master remained.
"She will need more time."
"I suppose so."
The Ice Palace Master was overjoyed at the thought of having found her sister's daughter.
But Geom Mugeuk put a brake on her soaring spirits.
"It would be best not to announce this fact officially."
"Why is that?"
"Didn't your sister leave because she hated the succession dispute? If it's revealed that Lee Ahn is your relative, someone like Elder Seo might appear one day, trying to use that fact to plot something. In the end, your niece might face the same fate."
"!"
She hadn't thought of that.
The thought of having found her sister's kin made her want to announce it to everyone right away.
'The more I experience him, the more surprising he is.'
Since they met, Geom Mugeuk had been truly flawless.
"We will be leaving at dawn tomorrow."
"Already?"
A sense of regret washed over her.
To feel disappointed that the Young Cult Master of the Demon Sect was leaving? Before Geom Mugeuk's arrival, she would have thought it an absurd emotion.
But his arrival had restored her relationship with her daughter, she had found her niece, and the Ice Palace had been saved from a crisis.
Yes, that was enough to feel a little sad.
"Then, until we meet again, please take care."
"May you achieve your great ambition."
As Geom Mugeuk turned to leave, the Ice Palace Master spoke from behind him.
"When there is a gathering of the younger generation, please invite Seol as well."
She was showing her will to send her daughter to the Central Plains.
Yes, if Geom Mugeuk was waiting in the Central Plains, she could trustingly send her.
Geom Mugeuk smiled brightly and left a cryptic joke.
"Of course. I must invite her, if only to see our Young Palace Master's dancing skills."
Before leaving, Geom Mugeuk stood side by side with the Drunken Demon on the peak of a snowy mountain.
"I was able to do it because you came with me."
It was the honest truth.
If he had come alone, he wouldn't have been able to handle this huge conspiracy.
He had killed the Blood King, but considering the process leading up to it, it was not an enemy he could have handled alone.
"If I were alone, I wouldn't have gotten this cup, and I would always be the last one to return after leaving the sect."
He subtly pressured Geom Mugeuk to come to him first now, but it didn't work.
"I'm still going to come to you last, hyung."
"But why?"
"Because it's comfortable."
"You mean because I'm easy to deal with!"
"I meet everyone else first so I can have a relaxing drink at the end."
"Nice excuse."
Even if he didn't come at all, let alone last, how could he feel disappointed with Geom Mugeuk?
Through this journey, not only had he become closer to Geom Mugeuk, but he felt he had gotten to know what kind of person he was a little better.
The two silently enjoyed the magnificent snowy landscape that could only be seen from the summit of the mountain.
Before descending the mountain, they shared a drink, and the last cup was poured into the air from the snowy peak.
"Brewer, we drank well! We're leaving now!"