Surviving as the Terminally Ill Young Lady of the North Sea Ice Palace - Chapter 33

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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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Chapter 33
When I pressed him with skepticism, Hwa Muyang gritted his teeth and spoke.
“I’ll transfer what Inner Power remains in me. It will aid your martial progress.”
“Pardon?”
What? An Old Master’s technique for transmitting power across bodies?
This was entirely different from some marginal secret art with limited use.
He wouldn’t possess the full strength of his living years, but judging from how fiercely he’d thrown himself at me earlier, it would certainly far exceed the basic Young Yak the Academy distributed.
Moreover, if it carried heat-yang properties, couldn’t it conceivably produce the same effect as consuming dozens of Yeol Yang Dan pills?
I bowed deeply in response.
“I am grateful, Master. Yet I must ask—may I receive Inner Power that conflicts with my own constitution? I first learned the Bing Baek Sin Gong, and though I’ve glimpsed other Inner Methods afterward, I have not accumulated much Inner Qi.”
There was, however, one concern that weighed on me.
In the martial arts novels I’d read in my past life, the rules governing the transfer of Inner Qi from another varied widely.
Some works described practitioners using the Hyup Sung Dae Beop to absorb any Inner Qi they pleased and use it freely, while others imposed strict requirements—the teacher and student must practice the same martial art, or complications would arise. Many books were quite fastidious about such matters.
When I’d cultivated Jung Gi Gong, there had been no particular issues.
That Inner Method had been designed with minimal foreign sensation.
Even so, when it clashed with the Inner Method of Namman Yasugung, friction had occurred—which made me somewhat anxious.
“Why did your manner of speech suddenly change?”
“I must show proper respect toward my Master.”
Especially since my foundation was ice-based, while Hwa Muyang’s art was Hon Yang Gong.
To prevent unforeseen complications, I explained the situation clearly.
Hwa Muyang furrowed his brow.
“Let me examine this…”
He pressed his fingers to my wrist, taking my pulse.
“…Hmm?”
Before even ten seconds had passed, his face contorted three times over.
“W-wait, let me check the other side as well.”
The other side? My left wrist? What difference would that make?
He held my wrist for over a minute, then suddenly twisted his face into a grotesque expression.
“Kgh…”
What was this? Did the conflicting energies make the transfer too difficult after all?
I tilted my head in confusion.
But in the very next instant, he burst into hearty laughter.
“Hahahaha! Yes, this Jeok Jin Hon Yang Gong of mine—how could it ever be forgotten! You shall become the greatest under heaven, and my martial art will bring peace to all the world!”
“…Pardon?”
Unable to comprehend this sudden shift in his demeanor, I blinked.
“You, at least, need not fear accepting any Inner Qi, nor worry though you master dangerous ascending techniques in abundance. The only caution is this: do not, as I did, reveal your strength to the world too early and invite the envy of lesser folk!”
Ah—had he discerned my constitution from reading my pulse?
Did he mean that once I consumed Young Yak with extreme heat properties and harmonized my energies, I could wield yang-based martial arts as well and become truly formidable?
“You are a treasure of heaven and earth!”
“Then, Master—might receiving yang energy also help me master my yin energy?”
In any case, there would be no danger, correct?
I asked whether the transmittal of power might even produce an effect comparable to consuming Young Yak with yang properties.
“It far exceeds mere mastery!”
…So it was even better than that?
Perhaps my lifespan would be extended somewhat?
I wished to ask more, but Hwa Muyang said time was running short and placed his hand upon my back.
Then, truly, he transferred all the Inner Power that remained to me.
“Ah…!”
True to Hwa Muyang’s assurance, the foreign Inner Qi caused no collision whatsoever.
Since I had not yet fully made it my own, the energies did not naturally harmonize.
There was even a strange sensation of them existing separately.
Yet a distinct presence could be felt in my Dantian.
“I am deeply grateful! When I become the greatest under heaven, I shall ensure your name is spread far and wide across the world!”
With such an enormous volume of Inner Qi flowing through me, my spirits soared.
I threw out my thanks with absolute sincerity.
It was Hwa Muyang the Radiant Blade Tiger, not the Radiant Blade Golden Tiger, correct?
Before I forgot, I quickly burned his name into my memory.
“Gehehehe! Yes, that’s how it should be! That’s what makes you my true disciple!”
Hwa Muyang too burst into joyful laughter.
Whether from the fulfillment of his wish, or because he had truly transferred even the Inner Power needed to maintain his form to me—
With those words, he faded away completely.
“Really, I wish you hadn’t just sprinkled that herb poison out of the blue.”
I grumbled a bit, then felt the Inner Qi in my Dantian, the gold nugget, and realized the existence of the secret manual—my shoulders lifted with satisfaction.
Well, he was a good grandfather after all.
I bowed respectfully in the direction where Hwa Muyang had been standing, then turned to leave.
I had no desire whatsoever to remain in the Stone Cave.
I retraced my steps at a pace far swifter than when I’d entered.
On the way in, I’d had to keep looking around to find medicinal herbs in the darkness, but now that I followed the path straight ahead, it didn’t seem nearly as deep.
‘Did these armored figures also come in here coveting the Jeok Jin Hon Yang Gong?’
There was no Twelve Heavens and Eight Desolations acupoint within the Stone Cave that Hwa Muyang had mentioned.
Only the mysterious suits of armor I’d seen on the way in lay at my feet.
As far as I knew, martial artists centuries ago hadn’t worn armor either.
Whether it was all bluster or there was some story behind it, I couldn’t say.
“Hmm?”
But as I made my way out, something else caught my eye.
Originally, I’d planned to retrace my steps by following the markers I’d left, avoiding unnecessary detours at the fork.
But something that looked like a medicinal herb was gleaming on a path that seemed to lead to another entrance.
I quickly approached and examined the herb’s form.
“……Byeok Seo Cho!”
Remarkably, it was the very Byeok Seo Cho that Yak Seon had said to bring back if I happened to find it, promising to count it as three times the merit.
There had been no such glow when I came in.
Was it because of the gold nugget shining so bright, or was it the power that grandfather Hwa Muyang possessed?
Since the Formation had been broken upon me receiving Hwa Muyang’s remaining power, there was nothing to fear.
“Oh, did Master mark this as a gift because I asked for Am Yu Cho and Byeok Seo Cho?”
My gratitude swelled even further.
As I drew closer, a single Am Yu Cho plant came into view not far away.
I quickly gathered the herbs.
‘That direction…… No, let me just leave for now.’
I immediately abandoned my intention to explore this entire passage.
There was a possibility the fork didn’t connect to the other cave entrance at all.
As soon as I finished collecting, I returned to the original path.
“What? The sun’s already set?”
I managed to escape the Stone Cave safely.
It didn’t seem like I’d spent that much time inside.
Yet the light had grown dim, and the air felt colder than when I’d entered.
March does have large temperature swings, so it probably just felt that way.
“Ah, so there was a warning not to touch anything that glows…… and I was supposed to turn back at the fork?”
I sat down on a rock and reread the warning in the brightness.
Reading carefully, it said if I heard voices, I shouldn’t answer—just turn back and leave.
I wasn’t to touch anything that glowed.
It also said that the path widening or forks appearing were ill omens?
I wondered if I’d already been caught in the Formation before reaching the dead end.
‘I definitely didn’t see any broken stone platform. Could there really be other such Fortuitous Encounters scattered throughout these caves?’
How could that be possible?
Had this mountain been famous as a place to hide secret techniques long before the Academy was built?
Judging by the Medicine Hall Director sending me to gather herbs here, such Fortuitous Encounters didn’t seem to be that common…….
I resolved to seize the chance to ask about this once I grew closer with the martial instructors.
* * *
I rushed down the mountain and returned to where the Academy buildings clustered together.
“I’m busy right now, so later……! Hmm? It was you? What brings you here again?”
I knocked on the door of the Medicine Hall.
Yak Seon emerged after a long moment, his brow furrowed.
“I’ve brought the herbs you mentioned earlier. Isn’t this where I should deliver them?”
“You’ve already found all ten Am Yu Cho plants? I thought it would take at least ten days.”
“I also found Byeok Seo Cho.”
As I held out the herbs I’d gathered, Yak Seon’s eyes went wide.
At first he suspected I’d mistaken some other herb for it, but then he gasped in surprise and carefully took the Byeok Seo Cho from my hands.
“What? I’m not seeing things…… this is really Byeok Seo Cho?”
“I remembered correctly.”
“This was in the lower cave? We couldn’t find a single one last year or the year before?”
So, is it really that valuable?
“It was somewhat higher up than expected. When I got there, I happened to find it in the same Stone Cave where I first entered, along with the Am Yu Cho. I suppose I was fortunate.”
I’d decided to hold off on revealing what happened today until after examining the Jeok Jin Hon Yang Gong.
So I gave a vague explanation for now.
I laid out all the Seok I Beoseot and unnamed plants before the astonished Yak Seon.
I asked whether any of these medicinal materials could earn me merit points, or at the very least, what plants they were used for.
“……I’ll count it all as four times the value.”
What? That’s one hundred twenty points?
I could finally repay the debt from getting Excalibur right away?
“Hmm… it seems you happened to stumble into a Stone Cave with remarkably dense yin energy. That’s quite the fortuitous encounter.”
Yak Seon continued to marvel, and I replied that it must have been beginner’s luck.
He examined the roots I’d collected carefully, praising me for harvesting them with such delicate precision despite it being my first time.
“You’d have done well if you’d become an herbalist. Hah! Next time I request a collection, make sure you’re the one doing it. Or better yet, I’ll call you directly.”
Since I’d earned considerable merit because of this, I nodded readily, saying I’d be happy to do so.
* * *
Before leaving the Medicine Hall, I naturally asked again about Severed Meridian Syndrome.
I asked tentatively whether he’d had any luck searching through the books earlier, and if he had any leads.
Yak Seon clicked his tongue, saying it wasn’t something that happened so quickly.
“I’ll search a bit more and call you, so go on out for now.”
“Yes. If there’s anything I can help with—materials or anything else—please let me know anytime.”
He seemed to still be pondering the matter, so I didn’t linger long and headed outside.
When I returned to the Academy, what had happened in the Stone Cave felt like a dream.
Just a while ago, as I was climbing up toward the mountain, the grounds had been bustling with students doing Fundamental Practice or training.
Most of them seemed to have returned to the Dormitory by now.
I was about to head back to the Dormitory myself, having popped a Byeok Gok Dan into my mouth.
But a nagging sense of having forgotten something kept troubling me.
‘I brought the herbs, so what is it? I finished all my classes today obviously……’
As for food, I’d already eaten a bit since I couldn’t have a proper meal anyway.
This morning’s class ended with just running while wearing the Cheol Hwan, so there’s nothing in particular to review.
I feel a bit short on today’s training, but it’s not too late to do more after I examine the Jeok Jin Hon Yang Gong in the Dormitory.
After all, I just need to make it to class on time tomorrow, right?
“Oh no, Eun Hyeon!”
Just as I was tilting my head in confusion, a promise suddenly struck me.
Surviving as the Terminally Ill Young Lady of the Buk Hae Bing Gung (Serialized)
Author │ Sahyang Noru
Publisher │ Kim Ju-hyeong
Published by │ J Plus Media Co., Ltd.
Marketing │ Han Jae-hyeok
Address │ 401st floor, 11 Digital-ro 33-gil, Guro-gu, Seoul (Guro-dong, Ace Techno Tower 8th)
Email │ [email protected]
Website │ www.jayplemedia.com
ⓒ Sahyang Noru 2026
※This work is published by J Plus Media Co., Ltd. in accordance with a contract with the copyright holder, and the contents may not be used in any form or manner without permission from the company 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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