In the past, the Northern Sea Ice Palace had created an undercover force to gather intelligence on the Central Plains.
This was classified information, known only to the Northern Sea Ice Palace's Palace Lord, the Young Palace Lord, and the Snow Shadow Pavilion Master who oversaw the palace's intelligence operations.
As the former Young Palace Lord of the Northern Sea Ice Palace in his past life, Namgung Geom possessed knowledge of the undercover forces that had infiltrated the Central Plains.
One of those forces was the Seol Family Manor.
'I had completely forgotten about them.'
Namgung Geom had resolved to forget his past life at the Northern Sea Ice Palace and live entirely as Namgung Geom.
In practice, he had indeed focused solely on Namgung Geom's life without giving the Northern Sea Ice Palace a second thought.
That was why the Northern Sea Ice Palace's undercover forces had not crossed his mind at all.
But hearing the name Seol Family Manor unexpectedly stirred memories of his past life.
'To think they've maintained their operations all this time—impressive.'
A hundred years had passed since his past life.
In a hundred years, countless sects vanish and new ones emerge.
Simply enduring for over a century in the Central Plains was a remarkable feat in itself.
"Do you happen to have some prior connection with the Seol Family Manor?"
Yi Hong-baek asked, looking puzzled.
"No. I had simply heard that the Seol Family Manor practices ice arts, so they caught my interest."
"I see. Then do you intend to meet with the proprietor of the Taeho Tea House?"
Namgung Geom could not help but deliberate.
If he met the Taeho Tea House's proprietor, the man would certainly ask for help with the Seol Family Manor.
If Namgung Geom had no intention of granting that request, there was no point in meeting him.
Meeting him would effectively signal his willingness to help.
And helping him meant an inevitable clash with the Seol Family Manor.
Having been the Young Palace Lord of the Northern Sea Ice Palace in his past life, Namgung Geom held deep affection for the palace.
He despised Seol Jin-ak and the Northern Sea Four Families for staging the revolt that killed him and his father, but he still harbored fond feelings for the palace itself.
That made the idea of fighting the Seol Family Manor, one of the palace's forces, unappealing.
Then a thought occurred to him.
'I just need to make the Seol Family Manor my ally.'
The Seol Family Manor was the Northern Sea Ice Palace's undercover force.
And Namgung Geom knew the Northern Sea Ice Palace's secret martial arts.
If he played his cards right, he could turn the Seol Family Manor to his side.
"If the Taeho Tea House falls on hard times, what happens to the Yi Family Manor?"
"The Taeho Tea House is one of our biggest buyers, so it would be a considerable blow."
"Then for the Yi Family Manor's sake, I cannot simply ignore the threat to the Taeho Tea House."
Namgung Geom deliberately framed it as a matter of protecting the Yi Family Manor.
If he was going to do this anyway, he might as well earn the Yi Family Manor's gratitude in the process.
Whether by intention or not, Yi Hong-baek's face lit up with gratitude.
"I am deeply grateful that the First Young Master cares so much for our manor."
"First, let me meet the Taeho Tea House's proprietor and assess the situation properly."
"Understood. I will arrange a meeting at once."
Yi Hong-baek promptly conveyed Namgung Geom's intent to the Taeho Tea House's proprietor.
***
Taeho Tea Parlor.
At that establishment, regarded as the finest tea parlor in all Namgyeong, Namgung Geom met the Taeho Tea House's proprietor.
"It is a pleasure to meet you. I am Namgung Geom of the Namgung Family."
"I am Baek Nak-hyeon, proprietor of the Taeho Tea House. It is an honor to meet the Namgung Family's First Young Master."
"The honor is mine, to meet a proprietor who built a great enterprise from a single tea shop."
Baek Nak-hyeon gave a wry smile at Namgung Geom's gracious reply.
"What good is any of that when I don't even have the strength to protect what I've built?"
"I hear from the convoy leader that you are being threatened by the Seol Family Manor."
Baek Nak-hyeon sighed and explained.
"That is correct. The Seol Family Manor proposed that I hand over all my tea parlors in Namgyeong to them."
"You naturally refused."
"Of course. I cannot simply hand over the business I've spent a lifetime building. Besides, the price the Seol Family Manor offered was absurdly low—not even worth considering."
"And the Seol Family Manor would not have taken that quietly."
"Indeed. From that day on, they began sending martial artists to disrupt my business."
"The Taeho Tea House is under the Seomun House's protection, as I understand it. Did you not seek their help?"
Baek Nak-hyeon shook his head.
"The Seomun House is currently too occupied with its conflict against the Four Seas Gang to spare any attention for Namgyeong."
The Four Seas Gang was a pirate organization that dominated the seas around Fujian and Zhejiang.
They had recently attempted to expand into Jiangsu Province, which had brought them into direct conflict with the Seomun House.
And the fighting between the Seomun House and the Four Seas Gang was intensifying with each passing day.
"Is the Seomun House faring poorly?"
Namgung Geom asked with a look of concern.
The Seomun House had been his maternal family in his past life, so he could not help but worry.
"It seems the Four Seas Gang's forces are stronger than expected, and the Seomun House is having a difficult fight."
Baek Nak-hyeon said with a pained expression.
Namgung Geom looked troubled.
He had heard that the Seomun House's power had diminished greatly compared to his past life.
But he never imagined they had weakened to the point of struggling against the Four Seas Gang.
Part of him wanted to rush to the Seomun House's aid this very moment.
But the instant he did, the Four Seas Gang would bear a grudge against him.
If it were only himself, that would not matter.
But the Namgung Family stood behind him.
If Namgung Geom's unilateral action earned the Four Seas Gang's enmity toward the Namgung Family, it could bring harm upon the family.
The Namgung Family's strength was more than enough to defeat the Four Seas Gang, of course.
But the Namgung Family would still have to accept losses.
A matter of that magnitude was not something Namgung Geom could decide on his own.
It was something to discuss with the family's Leadership Council.
Namgung Geom resolved to request support for the Seomun House the moment he returned to the family estate.
For now, he needed to focus on the Seol Family Manor situation.
"So the Seol Family Manor exploited the Seomun House's inability to act and went after the Taeho Tea House."
"Exactly. Since I cannot receive help from the Seomun House at present, I have no choice but to seek the First Young Master's aid."
"What is the Seol Family Manor's fighting strength?"
"Including their elite Snow Wind Corps, they have around a hundred martial artists. And the Seol Family Manor's lord is said to be on the verge of the True Martial Realm."
"It would be difficult for me and my comrades alone to take on the Seol Family Manor."
The Yangtze Battle Corps had returned immediately after escorting Namgung Geom's group to Namgyeong.
The only people remaining in Namgyeong were Namgung Geom and his Azure Dragon Pavilion peers.
Taking on the Seol Family Manor with just them was impossible.
Baek Nak-hyeon, too, was well aware that Namgung Geom and his comrades could not face the Seol Family Manor alone.
"But the First Young Master's mere presence would be a threat to the Seol Family Manor."
Namgung Geom was the Namgung Family's First Young Master.
He did not need to fight them personally.
Simply issuing a warning to the Seol Family Manor would be enough.
The Seol Family Manor would not dare ignore a warning from Namgung Geom, if only out of fear of the Namgung Family.
"Then I will go and meet the Seol Family Manor's lord."
"The manor lord?"
"Meeting the Seol manor lord directly and settling things face-to-face would be the surest approach, would it not?"
"That may be so, but if the Seol manor lord harbors ill intentions, the First Young Master could be in danger."
"Unless the Seol manor lord has lost his mind, he would not lay a hand on me. So please arrange a meeting, Proprietor."
"Very well."
Baek Nak-hyeon nodded.
"And I am grateful that you would step forward personally on behalf of the Taeho Tea House, with which you have no prior connection. I will never forget this kindness."
Baek Nak-hyeon had not expected Namgung Geom to agree so readily.
And with good reason—there was no connection between the Namgung Family and the Taeho Tea House.
There was no obligation for him to help.
Yet Namgung Geom had offered his aid without a single condition.
The outcome was still uncertain, but his willingness to step forward for the Taeho Tea House was worthy of gratitude in itself.
"The Namgung Family protects the weak and upholds righteousness. Helping the Taeho Tea House is only natural."
He could have demanded compensation for his help.
But Namgung Geom chose to win Baek Nak-hyeon's heart over immediate gain.
'He truly is the Namgung Family's First Young Master.'
Baek Nak-hyeon was inwardly awed by Namgung Geom's chivalrous spirit.
And in his heart, he vowed never to forget this and to repay the debt.
"Then I will contact the Seol manor lord at once."
Baek Nak-hyeon sent a messenger to the Seol Family Manor immediately.
He conveyed that Namgung Geom wished to meet the Seol manor lord regarding the Taeho Tea House matter.
The Seol manor lord accepted Namgung Geom's request.
He decided to at least hear what Namgung Geom had to say before deciding anything.
That evening.
Namgung Geom set out for a riverside pavilion along the Yangtze to meet the Seol manor lord.
It was a location the Seol manor lord had designated.
When he arrived at the pavilion, the Seol Family Manor's martial artists had already surrounded the area.
Namgung Geom gauged their strength.
Of the twenty, five were first-rate martial artists.
He could tell they were the Seol Family Manor's elite, the Snow Wind Corps.
'Not bad.'
Considering the Seol Family Manor's size, it was an impressive level of strength.
Namgung Geom turned his gaze to the interior of the pavilion.
A single middle-aged man sat inside.
Seol Un-cheon, the Seol Family Manor's lord.
A familiar aura emanated from him.
The Northern Sea Snow Cold Art.
One of the Northern Sea Ice Palace's inner arts methods, a supreme cultivation art that could smoothly carry its practitioner to the Pinnacle realm.
Judging by the density of his qi, he had not yet attained the True Martial Realm.
In truth, the Northern Sea Snow Cold Art alone made reaching the True Martial Realm exceedingly difficult.
It lacked the crucial formula needed to break through to that level.
Naturally, a genius of extraordinary caliber could realize the formula on their own and achieve a true realm. But Seol Un-cheon did not seem to be quite that talented.
Namgung Geom walked toward the pavilion.
At that moment, one of the Snow Wind Corps members stepped into his path.
"Leave your sword behind."
"Does the Seol Family Manor fancy itself some sort of sacred sect?"
The martial artist's face reddened at Namgung Geom's remark.
"Let him be."
Seol Un-cheon called out from inside the pavilion.
When the martial artist stepped aside, Namgung Geom shrugged and ascended the pavilion steps.
Seol Un-cheon studied Namgung Geom as he approached.
Upon recognizing Namgung Geom's realm, a flicker of surprise appeared in his eyes.
The late Pinnacle realm was impressive enough.
But what truly astounded him was the cold qi.
'The Namgung Family's First Young Master practices ice arts?'
And not ordinary ice arts, either.
Judging by the density of the cold qi, this was an ice art that surpassed the Northern Sea Snow Cold Art.
At that moment, Seol Un-cheon's own inner arts began to stir.
It was as though they were reacting to Namgung Geom's inner arts.
And the reaction was almost like a dog wagging its tail upon seeing its master.
Seol Un-cheon furrowed his brow.
'The only inner arts that could provoke this kind of reaction from the Northern Sea Snow Cold Art would be the Ice White Divine Art.'
But there was no conceivable way Namgung Geom could have learned the Ice White Divine Art.
In any case, one thing was clear—he practiced an ice art potent enough to trigger a response from the Northern Sea Snow Cold Art.
"I am Namgung Geom of the Namgung Family. Thank you for agreeing to meet."
"I am Seol Un-cheon. How could I refuse when the Namgung Family's First Young Master asks?"
After a brief exchange of greetings, Namgung Geom got straight to the point.
"I will be direct. Please cease your threats against the Taeho Tea House."
"Even for the Namgung Family's First Young Master, I do not believe you have the authority to dictate what our manor does."
Seol Un-cheon spoke with displeasure.
"That is precisely why I am asking politely."
Seol Un-cheon scoffed at Namgung Geom's words.
"It sounds more like a threat to me."
"So you are saying you cannot grant my request?"
"If the Taeho Tea House were under the Namgung Family's protection, that would be a different matter. But this is none of the Namgung Family's concern."
Seol Un-cheon spoke firmly.
"And if I were to place the Taeho Tea House under my protection?"
Seol Un-cheon's brow furrowed.
"Does the Namgung scion wish for our manor to become an enemy of the Namgung Family?"
"Quite the opposite. I have no desire to fight the Seol Family Manor. That is precisely why I am trying to resolve this through dialogue."
"Regardless of what you say, our manor's stance toward the Taeho Tea House will not change. So unless you intend to fight us, I suggest you stay out of the Taeho Tea House's affairs."
At Seol Un-cheon's words, Namgung Geom's expression turned cryptic.
"Would you say the same even if I told you I know the Seol Family Manor's true identity?"
Seol Un-cheon flinched.
But he quickly composed himself and feigned ignorance.
"Our manor's true identity? What is that supposed to mean?"
Namgung Geom, who had not missed the shift in Seol Un-cheon's expression, smiled and spoke.
"I know that the Seol Family Manor is an undercover force of the Northern Sea Ice Palace."