Ice Dragon of Namgung - Chapter 114

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Episode 114
Cheonjoong Mountain.
A name given because it was said to stand at the center of all under heaven.
Centered on the main peak that rose as if piercing the sky, five summits arranged themselves in a formation as if bearing up the heavens themselves.
Around the Five Peaks of Cheonjoong, jagged cliffs encircled the mountain like an iron fortress, and the dense mist flowing between them deepened its mystique.
Namgung Geom marveled at the grand and mysterious presence of Cheonjoong Mountain, then set out to find Jang Family Village, which Namgung Yeol had mentioned.
Though he had learned the location of Jang Family Village from Namgung Yeol, there was much difference between hearing of a place and seeing it with one’s own eyes.
Namgung Geom recalled Namgung Yeol’s words and searched through the mountains.
As the sun began to set, he finally found Jang Family Village.
Jang Family Village was home to the Jang clan, who had for generations made their living through hunting and gathering medicinal herbs—barely more than ten households in all.
Namgung Geom entered the village.
Walking along the path, he spotted a middle-aged man and hurried toward him.
“Excuse me.”
The middle-aged man caught sight of Namgung Geom and his eyes grew wary.
“Who are you?”
“I am Namgung Geom of the Namgung Clan. I’ve come looking for a man named Jang Wook who lives in this village.”
Namgung Geom answered respectfully.
“What business does the Lord of the Namgung Clan have with Jang Wook?”
The middle-aged man asked, puzzled.
Even living in the mountains, he knew of the Namgung Clan.
They were said to be a renowned martial house that boasted martial arts skills that shook heaven and earth.
What could such a distinguished lord want with Jang Wook?
The middle-aged man tensed, wondering if Namgung Geom might mean to harm him.
Reading the man’s expression, Namgung Geom set his mind at ease first.
“Have no fear—I mean him no harm. I’ve only come because I have questions for him.”
“I am Jang Wook, and we’ve never met before. What could you possibly ask of me?”
A man in his forties emerged from behind and spoke to Namgung Geom.
In one hand he held a bow, and in the other dangled three rabbits, their necks already broken.
Namgung Geom surmised that he had just returned from hunting.
“Do you by chance remember a man named Namgung Yeol?”
“Of course. He is my benefactor who saved my life—how could I forget?”
Jang Wook spoke with emotion, as if that day came flooding back.
He had gone hunting and found himself surrounded by a pack of wolves.
He was facing certain death when Namgung Yeol arrived and saved him.
“I came looking for you after hearing your story from him.”
“If you’ve come after hearing about me, then you must be interested in confirming something about that cave?”
Jang Wook guessed the reason Namgung Geom had sought him out and asked.
“That’s right.”
“There’s no point in confirming it. Besides what I gave to my benefactor, there was nothing else.”
“Still, I’d like to verify it myself. Would you be willing to guide me there? I’ll reward you well for your trouble.”
Namgung Geom made his request politely.
“Reward is unnecessary. It’s late today—come with me tomorrow instead.”
Jang Wook agreed to help with his request.
“Thank you.”
“As for tonight, you’ll have nowhere to stay. It’s humble, but come to my house.”
“Then I’ll impose on your hospitality without further ceremony.”
Namgung Geom followed Jang Wook to his home.
Jang Wook’s house was a small dwelling with a yard.
As they entered the yard, a middle-aged woman emerged from the kitchen.
Namgung Geom could tell she was Jang Wook’s wife.
The middle-aged woman saw Namgung Geom entering with Jang Wook and looked to her husband.
Jang Wook offered a brief explanation, and his wife nodded in understanding, then studied Namgung Geom.
After observing his face and bearing, she seemed to decide he was trustworthy, and her expression softened.
“Please make yourself at home, however humble it may be.”
“Thank you.”
“Wife! Since we have a guest, why don’t you make us a stew with this.”
Jang Wook handed the rabbits he’d caught to his wife.
“Men are all the same—you think a word is all it takes to make something happen.”
The wife cast a quick glance at Jang Wook and headed into the kitchen.
“Haha. Let’s go inside.”
Jang Wook laughed awkwardly and led Namgung Geom to a room.
“You can sleep here tonight.”
“Thank you.”
“Rest for now, then. I’ll call you when dinner is ready.”
Jang Wook left Namgung Geom alone and went back outside.
Namgung Geom looked around the room.
It was shabby, certainly, but far better than sleeping in the open.
Shortly after, Jang Wook called that dinner had been prepared.
The broth his wife had made was quite delicious.
After eating, Namgung Geom returned to his room and began his cultivation practice.
* * *
Deep in the night.
A band of men approached the entrance to Jang Family Village.
They were martial artists from Youming Valley, which had its base on Cheonjoong Mountain.
Youming Valley belonged to the Sa Pae Ryun and occupied a middle position in the hierarchy, directly beneath the Sadochilmun.
“Is this the place?”
A man who appeared to be in his thirties asked the one beside him.
He was Seop Myeonghwan, the Second Son of Youming Valley, and he was notorious for his brutal nature.
“It is.”
“You’re certain the Thousand Year Human Ginseng is here?”
“Without question. I saw it with my own eyes when Jang Pyeong, the herb gatherer of Jang Family Village, brought it to me.”
The man beside him was a medicine merchant who had wanted to purchase the Thousand Year Human Ginseng the moment he laid eyes on it.
But the deal had fallen through when Jang Pyeong demanded too high a price.
The medicine merchant, irritated by Jang Pyeong’s refusal, had informed Seop Myeonghwan, the Second Son of Youming Valley.
The moment Seop Myeonghwan heard the news, he rushed here without delay.
The Thousand Year Human Ginseng was a rare elixir that could grant at least a century’s worth of inner power.
Now that he knew such an elixir existed, no martial artist worth his salt would simply stand by and watch.
“Take me to his house.”
The medicine merchant quickly took the lead.
Seop Myeonghwan and his subordinates followed behind.
The village was quiet, as it was the middle of the night.
The medicine merchant stopped in front of a house.
“This is Jang Pyeong’s home.”
“Good. Your work is done.”
Seop Myeonghwan seized the medicine merchant’s throat and twisted it without hesitation.
The medicine merchant’s eyes bulged as his breath left him.
“I can’t have him running about telling people I’ve obtained the Thousand Year Human Ginseng, now can I?”
As he spoke, Seop Myeonghwan hurled the medicine merchant’s corpse to the side.
He turned to his subordinates.
“Spare Jang Pyeong. Kill everyone else.”
Seop Myeonghwan had not come here to purchase the Thousand Year Human Ginseng.
Why would he pay fair price to some nobody like Jang Pyeong?
He would simply take it.
But if it became known that he had seized the Thousand Year Human Ginseng by force, there would be trouble.
The righteous sects would have grounds to attack him.
So he decided to erase Jang Family Village entirely.
If he killed everyone in the village and burned it to the ground, no one would ever know what he had done.
Of course, there were his subordinates.
But they would never speak a word.
Just as Seop Myeonghwan’s men were about to move at his command—
“Who are you?”
A voice suddenly rang out from behind them.
Seop Myeonghwan turned to see a man standing there, though he hadn’t been there a moment before.
It was none other than Namgung Geom.
Jang Wook’s house stood directly across from Jang Pyeong’s.
The moment Seop Myeonghwan and his men appeared, Namgung Geom sensed their presence.
And he realized at once that they had not come with good intentions.
Trained martial artists creeping into the village under cover of night—
Such men could hardly be up to anything virtuous.
Sure enough, Seop Myeonghwan ordered his subordinates to kill everyone in Jang Family Village.
And beside him, the Medicine Merchant’s corpse—neck broken, already dead.
No matter how you looked at it, they were clearly villains.
Seop Myeonghwan startled at Namgung Geom’s sudden appearance.
He hadn’t sensed the young man’s presence at all.
For a moment he tensed, thinking he might be facing a master—until he saw Namgung Geom’s age, and his guard dropped.
“You don’t look like you’re from Jang Family Village. Who are you?”
Seop Myeonghwan, finding his composure again, asked for the young man’s identity.
“I asked first, didn’t I?”
“Such insolence from a boy.”
“You don’t seem to know that in the Martial World, judging by age is one of the greatest follies.”
Seop Myeonghwan laughed at Namgung Geom’s words as though they were absurd.
“I know exactly how young fools who don’t know their place die.”
Then he gave orders to his men beside him.
“Dispose of him.”
The martial artists from Youming Valley rushed toward Namgung Geom.
Seop Myeonghwan believed his subordinates would bring down the young man without difficulty.
But the result was entirely different from what he’d anticipated.
Namgung Geom drew the Bing Long Sword toward the Youming Valley fighters bearing down on him.
The Icy Cold Sword Wind erupted from the blade, engulfing them all.
The Sword Wind—sharp and swift, carrying Cold Qi that seemed to freeze the entire body—descended upon them.
The martial artists from Youming Valley had no defense against it; their bodies were pierced through by the Icy Cold Sword Wind.
They fell, bleeding.
Seop Myeonghwan’s eyes went wide with shock.
In a single stroke, ten of his men lay defeated.
Only then did he realize that Namgung Geom was no ordinary master.
And suddenly, a rumor he’d heard recently came to mind.
The Young Ice Dragon, Namgung Geom.
The eldest grandson of the Namgung Clan, they said, wielded the Icy Cold Sword Wind.
The attack that had felled his men was unmistakably the Icy Cold Sword Wind.
“The Young Ice Dragon, Namgung Geom! What brings you to this place?”
Seop Myeonghwan was genuinely alarmed now.
What was the eldest lord of the Namgung Clan doing in a mountain village?
And of all times—right when he was in the middle of his scheme.
“Heaven seems to have sent you to stop me.”
“Our valley has no wish to clash with the Namgung Clan. Why not we end this here?”
Once Seop Myeonghwan understood who stood before him, he abandoned all thought of fighting.
If the rumors circulating through the Martial World held truth, he was no match for Namgung Geom.
Even that single stroke Namgung Geom had just unleashed—honestly, he had no confidence he could stop it.
This was a time to cast aside pride and preserve his life.
Namgung Geom, hearing the word “valley,” immediately grasped who these men were.
“So you’re from Youming Valley, then.”
“The Namgung Clan has nothing to gain from conflict with your valley either. To strike at Youming Valley is to strike at the Sa Pae Ryun.”
Seop Myeonghwan intended to invoke the Sa Pae Ryun, hoping to drive Namgung Geom back.
Surely Namgung Geom would not wish to collide with the Sa Pae Ryun either.
“That may be so, but I cannot let you live—not when you meant to slaughter the innocent people of Jang Family Village.”
“I have not killed a single person from Jang Family Village yet.”
Seop Myeonghwan protested.
Indeed, not a single villager had died by his hand so far.
But what mattered was that he had intended to kill them.
“Had I not arrived, you would have. And even if not now, you would return someday.”
“No. I will never set foot in Jang Family Village again.”
“Then what was your reason for trying to kill the villagers?”
Seop Myeonghwan would not seek to slaughter innocents without cause.
There had to be a reason—that much seemed clear.
And as long as that reason remained, Seop Myeonghwan would eventually target the village again.
“That is…….”
Seop Myeonghwan hesitated in his answer.
“So your silence means you have no intention of abandoning this purpose?”
Namgung Geom raised his sword.
With the young man looking ready to strike at any moment, Seop Myeonghwan finally spoke, as though he had no choice.
“It was because of the Thousand Year Human Ginseng.”
Namgung Geom
Author |
Baek Wol Geom
Publisher |
Samyang C&C Co., Ltd.
Editorial Director |
Editorial Department
Published by |
Samyang C&C Co., Ltd. – Dream Books
Address |
7F Gwangseong Building, 28 Bongeunsa-ro 114-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul
UCI |
G720:N+A063-20260511103
Blog |
blog.naver.com/dreambookss
Twitter (X) |
@dreambookss
Submissions |
[email protected]
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without the written permission of Samyang C&C Co., Ltd. – Dream Books.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————