Surviving as the Terminally Ill Young Lady of the North Sea Ice Palace - Chapter 38

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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 38
‘Ugh, can’t practice here.’
It was fine that I’d rushed out of Jangseogak on impulse.
But the Yeonmujang I’d originally wanted to use was already occupied.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Whoever was training so noisily, unleashing sword wind after sword wind—
Was it that Namgung Min had lost so badly during today’s Saengsayeonmu session that she was still bitter about it?
It was long past the hour when everyone else had headed back to the Dormitory, yet there she was, deliberately scattering blue sword energy as she swung her blade.
“Hmm……”
Damn, I thought this secluded spot was perfect!
She won’t finish anytime soon, will she? Maybe I should try somewhere else?
As I watched Namgung Min from the corner of my eye, she stopped her sword work and spoke to me.
“What are you doing? In Zhongyuan, spying on someone else’s training isn’t polite.”
“I was just passing through.”
“……”
Come on, I wasn’t even watching for ten seconds. Let it slide.
If you’re going to train in the Yeonmujang, isn’t it unreasonable to tell people not to look?
For the same reason, I’d already decided it wasn’t a good idea for me to be practicing Jeokjinhohnyangong inside the Hakgwan during regular hours.
In a way, it was fortunate that she’d claimed the space before I could impulsively unfold my martial arts.
“You seem to have something you want to say.”
“Not really?”
“…Just say it.”
No, seriously, you’re being overly self-conscious.
Not everything in the world revolves around you, you know?
But as the Yeongae of Beihai Bingong, it would be shameful to say something like, “Ah… it was really nothing, forgive my intrusion!” and leave.
“Your Older Brother graduated, right?”
I just asked what I really wanted to know.
The moment the word “Older Brother” left my lips, Namgung Min’s expression hardened cold.
“Why are you asking that?”
“It looks like you could use advice from someone who understands that swordsmanship better.”
Her expression softened just a little at my answer.
No, surely I wasn’t asking out of curiosity about the whereabouts of a handsome older brother?
Though there was some of that too, perhaps.
My primary goal was to offer counsel as befits a caring Yeongae of Beihai Bingong—to help Namgung Min grow.
“…He graduated last year. He’s at the Murim Alliance Nangyang Branch now.”
The Murim Alliance Nangyang Branch?
Didn’t someone say Maeng Ryeong-ji’s brother was stationed there? Did they arrange to go together on purpose?
I’d thought Namgung Min’s brother, like Maeng Ryeong-ji, harbored strong hostility toward the Five Great Clans and the Nine Sects and One Faction.
So he’s actually friends with Namgung Min’s brother?
Once I thought of it that way, my anticipation about Namgung Min’s brother’s good looks deflated considerably.
“That’s not far. Once you’re permitted to go out, why not visit and ask for his guidance?”
“I don’t know. Just because he’s my brother doesn’t mean he’s mastered the Changgungemaegeombeop.”
Hmm?
But Namgung Min averted her gaze and gently bit her lip.
Though she didn’t seem to notice, the fine trembling of her pupils made it rather obvious she was lying.
Was there some trouble between her and her brother that kept her from asking for help?
In any case, it didn’t have to be her brother specifically.
From what I could see, there were things she was doing wrong, and flailing around like that didn’t seem like it would improve anything.
Without having seen the complete form of the Changgungemaegeombeop, I was hesitant to open my mouth carelessly about higher martial arts.
My intention had only been to suggest she seek counsel from the elders of her clan.
“Is that so? Then you’d want someone from the Namgung Clan—someone already working as a martial instructor here—who’s sufficiently mastered that sword technique.”
“The Changgungemaegeombeop is transmitted only to direct descendants.”
But this martial art seemed far more restrictive than I’d imagined.
Why use such an inefficient method?
If the lineage ever breaks, won’t you end up in some bizarre situation like Hwa Mu-yang, leaving a remnant soul behind and randomly searching for a successor?
Of course, as the Namgung Clan is the greatest clan under heaven, even if the Sogaju happened to be infertile, they could easily adopt an heir.
For someone raised in Beihai Bingong, where the Bingbaksingong is publicly taught to all practitioners, this method of transmission seemed curious.
“…Yes, so you weren’t doing this for nothing. From what I can see, you’re putting too much force into your left foot, and your footwork is still immature—move even slightly off course and it’s easy to read. Personally, I’d recommend putting more effort into your footwork for now, and getting the Gaju’s help with the sword technique later.”
What else could I do?
I offered my assessment of Namgung Min’s training strategy without dwelling on the Changgungemaegeombeop itself.
I still need to train my Bobeop footwork and build the core strength to withstand Paegeom strikes. There’s so much work ahead.
“……I’ll keep that in mind.”
Namgung Min clenched her teeth as she answered.
Ah, it seemed she understood my sincere wish to grow stronger and achieve mutual advancement through teaching and learning together.
“Right. Let’s focus on our training and have another match next time.”
* * *
I abandoned the idea of attempting Jeokjinhohnyangong in the Hakgwan training ground and headed back to the Dormitory instead.
After eating, I spent the evening sparring casually with the trainees practicing in Inbon Hall, much like the previous days.
‘I should take advantage of not having a resident supervisor around.’
And late that night, I slipped out of the Dormitory.
Though calling it “slipping out” wasn’t entirely accurate.
I simply avoided the trainees’ eyes so as not to spark unnecessary curiosity.
Muk Jinha, the supervisor of Inbon Hall, had never actually said anything like “don’t leave the Dormitory after a certain hour.”
Quietly wielding my sword on the mountain should be fine.
This is only possible now; once the senior students start filling the place, it’ll become a nuisance, so I wanted to run this experiment sooner rather than later.
Whoosh!
Slipping out of the Dormitory was incredibly easy.
Crash—!
Attempting Jeokjinhohnyangong was no different.
Drawing the mental image exactly as I had while reading the Secret Manual in Jangseogak, I swung my sword.
As I deployed Bingong, red dust swirled around me like cold vapor seeping in.
“……?”
Wait, what’s this?
From the way the murky energy flowed, it clearly worked.
But it was disappointingly weak.
They say that ten becomes a hundred, yet this barely reaches three or four—what kind of result is that?
Damn it, I never thought he was a braggart, but did I just waste time?
Annoyed as I was, I completed the sword form just as I’d memorized it.
Boom—!
“Huh?”
And then…….
The extreme Yang energy exploded in earnest.
Not a hundred, but seventy or eighty?
A real chain reaction?
Did I accidentally draw too much power?
Unable to believe it, I deployed the same technique once more.
“…….”
Hwa Mu-yang’s words were true.
With this much power, it made sense that warriors everywhere coveted Jeokjinhohnyangong.
“Wow!”
Earlier, Jegal In said that even Gyeolhownjin was incredibly difficult, remember?
Could my Master actually be such a remarkable person?
‘The morning dew around me becomes the fire within my body; the vital energy of all things transforms into crimson dust……’
I drew the abstract incantation as a mental image and deployed the next form.
How could dew turn into fire?
Was it literally water vapor? So my Bingong, freezing even that, became the counter?
Without understanding it, I simply swung my sword.
A roar of flame.
Pulling something in, turbid yet powerful Yang energy erupted forth.
And in its wake, only red dust remained.
The puzzle fell perfectly into place.
That unique satisfaction and sense of achievement that comes with insight bloomed within me.
‘This is what’s wondrous about martial arts.’
It was like this when I first learned Bingong too.
I had no idea how it worked, but as long as I did it, everything just came together!
Rustle.
Lost in that euphoria, swinging my sword with abandon.
I felt the presence of someone approaching from somewhere.
‘Who is it?’
I stopped my sword mid-swing and concealed my presence.
If you were a proper warrior, you wouldn’t sneak a peek like that in the first place.
And if you’d meant to spy, I wouldn’t have caught you at it.
You must be a fellow student?
“Huh?”
If it had been some unfamiliar student, I would have simply waited quietly for him to pass.
But this was someone from our Dormitory—someone I’d grown reasonably close to.
Despite being dressed in clothes as dark as Muk Jinha’s, with a Bamboo Hat pulled down over his head, he cut a decidedly suspicious figure.
“Gu Won-ui?”
“…?!”
At the sound of his name, Gu Won-ui started and lifted his Bamboo Hat.
“S-Seol Suryeo? When did you get there?”
“Just now. I was doing some training. Where are you headed?”
“Ah? I, I was just… food! I was just trying to get something to eat.”
“Food? At this hour?”
Gu Won-ui tilted his head, wondering if he’d somehow joined the group with Maeng Ryeong-ji and So Woon—the one that sustained itself through hunting, gathering, and cooking.
“Yeah. Ugh, isn’t the director being way too much? Even those inns run by heterodox sects give their guests meals through the tavern keeper!”
As he spoke, his stomach let out a loud growl.
…The Byeokgok Pill took the edge off hunger well enough, true enough.
But by dawn it had worn thin, and imagining real food had suddenly made my own stomach ravenous.
“The director’s ruthlessness is beyond question. But what exactly are you planning to eat? Are you thinking of stealing ingredients from Jinmidang?”
Now that I thought about it, there wasn’t any rule in the guidelines forbidding entry to Jinmidang at night, was there?
The Hakgwan aimed to prevent discord among students.
It was an academy that gave poison instead of meals, or so they said.
But it suddenly struck me that perhaps anything was permitted, so long as it wasn’t explicitly forbidden in writing.
Yet Gu Won-ui simply laughed and shook his head.
“I already checked there, but there’s a Mechanism-and-Spring Lock set up inside, so I wanted to do a bit more reconnaissance before making any rash moves. Oh, if you manage to crack it next time, would you maybe give me a little tip?”
“……”
Have they lost their minds? Why in the world would they install a Mechanism-and-Spring Lock in a dining hall?
Does Jegal In just have that much time on his hands?
I stood there, bewildered.
Gu Won-ui lowered his voice and broached another subject.
“And besides, even if there were ingredients, I’m not much of a cook. More than that… I was just wandering around wanting to get outside for a bit.”
Surviving as a Terminally Ill Yeongae of Beihai Bingong (Serialized)
Author | Sahyang Noru
Publisher | Kim Ju-hyeong
Published by | J Plus Media Co., Ltd.
Marketing | Han Jae-hyeok
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ⓒ Sahyang Noru 2026
※This work is published by J Plus Media Co., Ltd. in accordance with a contract with the copyright holder. No part of this content may be used in any form or by any means without permission from the company and author.
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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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