Surviving as the Terminally Ill Young Lady of the North Sea Ice Palace - Chapter 22

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 22
A success so easy it was almost deflating.
The moment I heard the explanation, I deployed Jeonggi-gong, drew in the gi-un, and stored it in my Dantian all in one motion.
“Did you succeed?”
My eyes met Heo Gong’s bewildered gaze.
Among those gathered in the lecture hall today, my existing Nae-gong was the most heterogeneous, so he seemed to have been watching carefully in case I triggered Ju-hwa Ip-ma.
“It appears so. I can feel the gi-un settling into my Dantian.”
“…… Did the Tak-gi escape safely through the Dok-maek? No reddening of the face or difficulty breathing?”
“It passed through naturally and without incident.”
I’d expected to stumble a few times or get tangled up once I started, but—
The Yun-gi formed far more naturally than anticipated.
The gi-un I’d drawn in through Jeonggi-gong blended seamlessly with my existing Nae-gong without the slightest sense of discord.
“Hmm…… It clashed with Geuk-yang-gi, but Geuk-eum-gi seems to be fine then?”
Heo Gong murmured in amazement.
“Geuk-yang-gi? Is there a student here who’s learned Yeolyang-gong?”
“Ah yes. There’s a graduate named Maeng Ho-jin.”
I’d asked in case there was another senior student with Geuk-yang-gi, but—
At the name, I realized he was Maeng Yeong-ji’s older brother.
“I see. If there was a compatibility issue with Geuk-yang-gi, then perhaps I’m an exception rather than Geuk-eum-gi being inherently compatible. When I first learned Bing-gong, I was also quick at Chuk-gi, after all.”
Since I had already devised a plan regarding Maeng Ho-jin—
I mentioned the possibility that I might be an exceptional case, primarily for Heo Gong’s accurate research.
“Of course I’ll take that into account. Hmm…… I do hope young practitioners from Bukhae Bing-gung will visit regularly, starting with you. And for research purposes, if you could contribute some Mu-gong—or rather, some ice essence to us, I’d appreciate it.”
“When I return during the break, I’ll make a strong recommendation for them to visit Hak-gwan.”
He’s suddenly asking for ice essence as a contribution?
In any case, Heo Gong confirmed that I hadn’t triggered Ju-hwa Ip-ma and turned to leave.
There were still many students who hadn’t grasped the feeling at all.
* * *
During the remaining lecture time, I focused on Yun-gong and accumulated enough Jeonggi that I could consciously sense it.
It wasn’t enough to distinguish and use separately, but the sensation felt utterly foreign.
“May we take these with us as well?”
“Hmm? No objection.”
So-un and I gathered up the Coloring Study Materials, exchanged farewells, and left Tae-eul Pavilion.
“Miss So-ryeo really is remarkable…….”
Hmm, I think I heard something similar earlier.
“Oh, I’ve done this before so I just picked it up quickly.”
So-un, who gazed at me with bright, eager eyes, had also managed to deploy Jeonggi-gong without any trouble.
Judging by how naturally she moved through it, this didn’t seem like her first time.
Now that I think about it, when she was choosing a sword earlier, didn’t she say she’d already practiced Jeonggi-gong?
“Did Master Gwak teach you the earlier part of Jeonggi-gong?”
“Ah, yes! When she guided me, she said that if I repeat it like this, I could accumulate a little gi-un.”
“Oh…… So you studied ahead?”
“She only taught me up to today’s lesson. She said if I tried the later formulas on my own, I might make a mistake, so I should enter the Ipmun properly and learn then.”
I see.
After all, what we learned today was the most fundamental Yun-gi method, so even if I fumbled around alone a bit, there was little risk of serious trouble—just a lack of accumulated Nae-gong.
“When you inhale, doesn’t your chest feel tight? I felt like it caught once at the Tanzhong point—I think it would work better if you straightened your chest and didn’t force your breath too deep.”
“Oh, is that so?”
Anyway, intending for her to reference it during review, I shared the improvement I’d discovered with So-un.
Naturally, So-un nodded gratefully, saying she’d remember it well.
“Hmph, showing off.”
Some girl brushed past me and muttered softly.
…… Wait, is this a trend among young martial artists these days?
Maeng Yeong-ji had picked a similar fight with Eun-hyeon in much the same way.
I immediately grabbed her shoulder and got a look at her face.
“Ah, you there with Namgung Min. What’s your name?”
She was the shorter of the two girls who had been with Namgung Min during the initiation ceremony.
Up close, she had a rather delicate, pretty appearance.
Judging by her clothes, she was almost certainly a branch member of the Namgung Clan.
“Huh, w-what?”
But unlike Eun-hyeon, who had calmly answered Maeng Yeong-ji’s provocation,
this girl hadn’t expected me to grab her at all, and she was completely flustered.
“Min started her training in the Changgunng Dae-yeon Shin-gong when she was six years old! If she’s learned Jeonggi-gong or whatever it was, she’d have reached enlightenment far faster than you!”
Moreover, what she was saying made absolutely no sense.
Setting aside the fact that reaching Dae-seong had nothing to do with starting early—I couldn’t understand what point she was trying to make.
“No, what’s your name?”
I was asking the follower who’d just spoken for her name.
I placed a finger under the pretty girl’s chin.
Smiling gently and meeting her gaze, I asked again.
“Eek!”
For some reason, she jumped back in alarm, putting distance between us.
“……What are you doing?”
That’s when Namgung Min emerged from Suryeon-dong and spotted us.
The taller of the two followers I’d seen at the entrance ceremony was with him.
Ah, I’d wondered why this one was off alone.
It seemed she couldn’t practice her Nae-gong without Haedok-je, so she hadn’t gone to Suryeon-dong.
Was Namgung Min the one who’d suggested she attend classes instead of doing Coloring Study Materials?
“I asked for your name, and you won’t answer.”
“If you bother A-yeong, I won’t stay quiet about it.”
“……Min!”
“A-yeong? So you’re Namgung A-yeong?”
Namgung Min narrowed his eyes and regarded me with suspicion.
Namgung A-yeong huddled behind him as if she’d been thoroughly bullied.
“I’ll remember your name. Take care.”
I had no desire to belabor the point, so I simply waved.
“What? You’re not going to fight?”
The atmosphere wasn’t confrontational at all.
Why did everyone keep asking me why I wasn’t fighting?
Maeng Yeong-ji, who’d just come out of Tae-eul Pavilion’s Suryeon-dong like Namgung Min, seemed disappointed.
“How am I supposed to fight someone with no Nae-gong?”
“You could fight Namgung Min instead.”
“What’s the point?”
I didn’t refuse incoming sparring requests outright.
But I was a pacifist at heart; I had little desire to settle pointless questions of who was stronger.
When we both lacked Nae-gong and had to break through Gigwan-jin-sik, I’d had several advantages.
But if they both used their Nae-gong and fought at full strength, I had no guarantee I’d win.
I’d probably need to resort to Bing-gong to stand a chance.
Really, what would be the point?
“B-but Miss… why did you suddenly ask for Miss Namgung’s name?”
So-un asked me carefully.
Ah, so Namgung A-yeong’s remark about showing off hadn’t reached So-un’s ears.
It seemed she’d misunderstood and thought I’d started the trouble, so I gave both of them the specifics of what had happened.
“Why did you just let that go!”
At that, Maeng Yeong-ji burst out in anger.
Well, it wasn’t like I’d hurled serious insults at her.
Wasn’t that level of jealousy just typical for a mid-teens child?
“She’s cute, isn’t she?”
Maybe it was because she had a pretty face?
Since I felt no real desire for retaliation, I answered half-joking, half-serious and shrugged.
“…….”
Maeng Yeong-ji and So-un said nothing.
* * *
Even after classes ended in the afternoon, there was still time left to practice Geun-haeng once more.
“I need to go catch some rabbits. If I catch enough prey, I’ll share them!”
Maeng Yeong-ji said she couldn’t stand eating Byeok-gok Dan anymore.
She headed into the mountains to hunt.
“I’ll go back to the dormitory and try cultivating my Yun-gi the way you taught me.”
“Wouldn’t it be better to practice Pye-gwan in Suryeon-dong for that?”
“It feels like I’d be making a fuss on my first day…….”
So-un also went into the Dormitory to practice Yun-gi Jo-sik.
I couldn’t understand why they wouldn’t use the facilities I’d worked to create.
But I didn’t stop them.
“Hello? I’ve come to do some service work again today.”
“Welcome back! You’re certainly dedicated!”
I was, in a sense, a debtor — having borrowed Excalibur on credit.
But even if that hadn’t been the case, I had the sort of personality that felt compelled to complete any requirements like volunteer hours well ahead of schedule.
The custodian welcomed me warmly and recommended a few simple service tasks.
I’d been wanting to visit the library anyway, so I chose to organize books in the Jang-seo-gak.
“You need merit even to borrow books?”
If I accumulated enough, I’d supposedly be able to see the secret techniques of some rather impressive advanced martial arts.
It seemed that within Hak-gwan, you needed Gong-jeok points for absolutely everything.
It was just like a game where you accumulate experience points to raise your level and unlock content.
“Is it all right if I just use a desk and chair?”
“Of course.”
After all, they kept the training grounds and Suryeon-dong open as well, so they weren’t restricting facility use.
I quickly finished my work and settled at a desk to begin reviewing my lessons.
I memorized word-for-word everything the weapons master had taught during both class periods.
I even completed supplementary study using the materials given for dictation and coloring exercises.
“So this is the Ui-gak, and that’s Se-sim-ji? Ah, the Jing-gye-gak is right next to the Jang-seo-gak.”
After finishing my studying, while I was already at the library, I took a tour of all the buildings in Hak-gwan to note their locations.
After wandering through each pavilion, it seemed I’d seen everything on the map except the Seok-gul.
There were warning notices about the Seok-gul written like some ghost story, so I decided to visit another time.
“Ugh.”
By then the sun had set, and my stomach was starting to rumble.
I made do with dinner using the Byeok-gok Dan, which I honestly couldn’t call delicious.
Thinking I’d head to the Dormitory and rest, I turned my steps toward the mountain.
Whoosh—!
Though the Dormitory was somewhat high and distant,
with Gyeong-gong I could rise lightly without it taking very long.
“Hah, huff…….”
But partway up the mountain, around where the Dormitory entrance came into view,
I spotted an unexpected figure climbing the mountain, breathing heavily.
“Eun-hyeon?”
Surviving as a Daughter of Bukhae Bing-gung with a Time Limit (Serialized)
Author │ Sah-hyang Noru
Publisher │ Kim Joo-hyung
Published by │ J Plus Media Co., Ltd.
Marketing │ Han Jae-hyeok
Address │ 401, 11 Digital-ro 33-gil, Guro-gu, Seoul (Guro-dong, Ace Techno Tower 8th)
Email │ [email protected]
Website │ www.jayplemedia.com
ⓒ Sah-hyang Noru 2026
※This work is published by J Plus Media Co., Ltd. under contract with the copyright holder. The contents may not be used in any form or by any means without permission from the publisher and author.
Violation of this may result in criminal and civil legal liability.

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