The RoFan Novel Fan Has Reincarnated Into A Martial Arts Novel-Chapter 56: The Ice Palace’s Bathhouse

Yeon and her group followed Irkin as they entered the interior of the ice wall.

The opening created by the necklace sealed itself as soon as they all passed through, as if it had never been there. The thick ice wall closed up so quickly that it was hard to believe even while watching it.

Before long, a rather imposing two-story gate appeared before Yeon’s eyes. It was an entrance that could truly be called the gateway to a palace.

‘Is this the Ice Palace?’

A broad, solid two-story tiled roof and the sturdy pillars supporting it caught her eye. What was surprising was that the architectural style was familiar to Yeon. Though the era was different, it was unmistakably of Zhongyuan design.

‘How did this get here? It’s so far away...’

On the ground floor, there were three doors, and on either side of them, mud-colored walls extended far and wide. The length was roughly the size of two large soccer fields placed side by side.

The walls surrounding the exterior of the Ice Palace weren’t quite tall enough to be considered fortress walls. Rather, it seemed more like a perimeter fence. The surface shimmered, as if something had been applied to it.

[Nothing’s changed at all.]

Hearing Master Myoeun mutter, Yeon continued to follow Irkin. Now that she got a better look, he wasn’t wearing particularly thick clothing.

Aren’t you cold? she wondered, only to realize that the biting chill from outside had completely disappeared.

“Huh?”

Looking around, she saw that the others had similar expressions. Gongye had already taken off his outer coat.

“Haha! This is quite a curious place!”

“In many ways,” she agreed.

Passing through the entrance, a vast open space appeared. Beyond that, a building that could be considered the main hall was visible in the distance.

But Irkin didn’t head toward it. Instead, he veered to the right, moving toward the first house aligned along the wall.

The place they entered appeared to be a storage room. Cleaning tools and miscellaneous items were scattered all over. Irkin roughly pushed some things aside and sat down wherever. Yeon’s legs were tired, but she chose to remain standing.

Only then did Irkin scan Yeon and the others from head to toe. Fortunately, his eyes, which had been wild like a berserker during the fight, had now calmed down.

“You people. I still can’t trust you. That’s why I brought you here.”

Irkin’s gaze fell to the necklace hanging around Yeon’s neck.

“What you said earlier. Was that true?”

He was probably referring to what she had said about receiving the necklace from the Ice Palace Lord. Yeon internally called out to Master Myoeun for help.

‘Monk, should I say yes?’

[You’ve already said it. Why are you asking me now? Do what you want.]

‘What if it turns out the Ice Palace Lord isn’t the one who gave it to you?’

Myoeun fell silent for a moment.

‘Monk?’

[There shouldn’t be a major problem. I did receive that necklace from the Ice Palace Lord.]

‘Really?’

Yeon asked, barely masking her surprise. She had said it on a whim, but it turned out to be true. How did something that valuable end up in an auction house?

‘Well, that’s a relief. If it comes to it, I can always say I got it from you.’

[Do as you like.]

‘But did you lose it or something? It seems like a pretty important item.’

[I didn’t know it was that important. And back then...]

For once, Myoeun let out a deep sigh. Yeon was curious but decided to respond to Irkin first.

“Yes, this necklace was given to me by the Ice Palace Lord.”

Still uneasy, Yeon tried hard to control her expression. They had come this far; there was no going back now.

“Hmm.”

Fortunately, Irkin seemed to accept it. He frowned slightly before asking again.

“You people, are you from the mainland?”

‘Mainland?’

[He means Zhongyuan.]

With Myoeun’s assist, Yeon naturally nodded.

“Yes.”

“Why did you come?”

Why they came, huh? Of course, they came to obtain the Ice Essence and track down traces of the Flame Cult Leader, but saying that outright didn’t seem wise.

While Yeon was thinking, Irkin continued to stare at the necklace. The emotion in his eyes was closer to anxiousness than greed.

‘What exactly is this necklace?’

If it were such an important item, why wasn’t he demanding it back? He could have easily used force or at least exerted some pressure.

‘Is it because it’s a religious organization like Myoeun said?’

Emboldened by Irkin’s demeanor, Yeon decided to take a gamble. Maybe she could trade the necklace for the Ice Essence.

“I heard there’s something called the Ice Essence here.”

“That’s right.”

Yeon’s eyes lit up, and she asked again.

“I heard it’s a very precious medicine.”

“Medicine?”

“Yes, a medicinal elixir.”

Irkin tilted his massive head, clearly not understanding the term.

‘What? He doesn’t know the word for elixir?’

Yeon thought she heard Myoeun scoff lightly, but it was drowned out by Irkin’s booming voice.

“You came to see the Ice Essence?”

“Well, if it’s possible, yes.”

Though eating it would be even better.

Yeon laughed awkwardly, and at that moment, Gongye, who had been standing next to her, removed his wool hat. Upon seeing it, Irkin abruptly stood up.

“You!”

“H-Huh?”

Gongye froze in place as Irkin shouted.

“Baldy!”

“H-Haha! My name isn’t Baldy, it’s—”

“Myoeun!”

“Huh?”

Irkin stormed over and grabbed Gongye by the shoulders, shaking him violently.

“Myoeun, didn’t he come?”

“Well, the thing is—”

“Irkin!”

Yeon called out, and Irkin paused.

“Hmm?”

“Master Myoeun....”

Yeon hesitated but ultimately said it.

“He... passed away. Do you understand what I mean?”

“Dead?”

“Yes, that’s what I meant, but...”

[Oh, now you’re just killing me off whenever you feel like it.]

‘I can’t exactly say you’re inside prayer beads, can I?’

While Yeon was placating Myoeun, Irkin slowly nodded. He seemed to be searching for Myoeun, but when told he was dead, he showed little reaction.

“I understand. Are you friends of Myoeun?”

“You could say that.”

“Then, you’re guests. I’ll prepare rooms.”

Irkin finished his words and headed toward the door. Before leaving, he added,

“There is someone. He is very good at speaking your language.”

“Oh?”

‘Is he talking about the Ice Palace Lord?’

But the name that came from Irkin’s mouth was someone completely unexpected.

“Karaot.”

“What?”

“That’s his name. I’ll send him to you.”

Before they could respond, Irkin left the room. After he was gone, Yeon called out to Myoeun.

‘Monk. Why didn’t you just tell him you knew Irkin? You could have just mentioned your name.’

[I didn’t think he’d still remember me.]

“Really?”

[Yeah. We only met briefly.]

This time, Myoeun asked,

[By the way, did you really come all the way here just for the Ice Essence?]

“Well, that’s part of it. There are other reasons too, but....”

[Forget about the Ice Essence for now.]

‘Is it going to be that difficult to obtain? I really need it. Even if I have to pay a great price...’

[No. The Ice Essence isn’t what you think it is. It’s not something you can just obtain because you want it. And it’s definitely not an elixir.]

‘Then what is it?’

[That’s...]

Creak.

Their conversation halted at the sound of the door opening, and a man stepped inside.

The man wore a white headscarf and clothes slightly too large for his frame. The loose fabric hung down, indicating he was of a rather lean build.

His pale complexion and dark eyebrows gave him a somewhat foreign air. In a way, he shared some similarities with Cheongang, but he wasn’t particularly handsome. His appearance was average, but his eyes were sharp and intelligent, leaving a distinct impression.

“Hello.”

His fluent Zhongyuan dialect, distinctly different from Irkin’s, allowed Yeon to relax slightly.

“Hello.”

“Irkin told me about you. So, you’re really from the mainland. My name is Karaot.”

“I’m Hwangbo Yeon.”

Following Yeon’s introduction, Cheongang, Gongye, and Soso each stated their names in turn. Karaot repeated each name under his breath, as if trying to memorize them.

“Are you from Zhongyuan as well?”

“No.”

“But you’re incredibly fluent in the language.”

“Thank you.”

Karaot bowed his head humbly and continued.

“It’s the first time I’ve seen visitors in the Ice Palace. I heard there were some a long time ago, but...”

“Does that mean you’re an outsider too?”

“Yes. I wasn’t here back then.”

Karaot finished speaking and stared at the necklace around Yeon’s neck.

“But you actually brought the sacred artifact.”

“The sacred artifact...?”

“I’m referring to that necklace. This is my first time seeing it in person.”

Karaot’s words left Yeon puzzled.

“You didn’t know?”

“Oh, no.”

“I see. I assumed you would have heard about it since you said you received it from the Ice Palace Lord...”

Karaot subtly glanced at Yeon’s face as he spoke, his eyes filled with suspicion. Yeon quickly reached out to Myoeun.

‘Monk, do you know anything about this?’

[No. I told you already.]

Having nothing more to say, Yeon decided to change the subject to something she had been curious about for a while.

“By the way, where is the Ice Palace Lord?”

The moment Yeon asked, she felt a sudden surge of focus from Myoeun. The monk’s spiritual energy intensified as if his emotions had spiked. However, Karaot simply shook his head, his expression stiff.

“I’m not at liberty to say.”

Why? Is the Ice Palace Lord someone that can’t be met easily?

Yeon furrowed her brows, but Karaot moved toward the door.

“For now, would you like me to show you to your rooms? Irkin said he would prepare them, so they should be ready by now.”

****

Yeon and her group followed Karaot toward the main building. As he walked ahead, he gestured toward it.

“That large building is where people pray to the deity here. The adjacent buildings are the bathhouses where people cleanse themselves before praying. You will stay in the building at the front. Ah, looks like people are coming out now.”

Yeon turned her gaze in that direction and saw a group of people dressed in white emerging from the building.

The first people they encountered in the Ice Palace looked kind and gentle, though they appeared somewhat gaunt. Despite their frail appearances, they greeted Karaot with warm smiles, glancing curiously yet cautiously at Yeon and her group.

Speaking in a language Yeon couldn’t understand, # Nоvеlight # they murmured among themselves before dispersing into smaller groups. A hint of pity flickered in Karaot’s eyes as he watched them leave, but he quickly masked it and spoke to Yeon.

“As guests, we should offer you something. However, the situation in the Ice Palace isn’t very good at the moment. Still, there is one thing I can confidently recommend.”

“And what’s that?”

Karaot’s faint smile widened, his answer completely unexpected.

“A bath.”

****

Karaot told them that the men should use the building on the left, while the women should use the one on the right. Yeon and Soso gathered their clothes and entered the right-side bathhouse. Naturally, Yeon had already set her prayer beads aside.

After undressing, Yeon glanced at Soso. Unlike herself, Soso had wrapped a towel around her body, her face flushed as she awkwardly stared into space.

‘Soso’s shy about this kind of thing?’

Yeon had grown up participating in group sports and was accustomed to communal bathing. In Zhongyuan, public baths weren’t uncommon, so she hadn’t thought twice about it. But Soso seemed different.

‘There’s nowhere else to bathe, though.’

Feeling a bit awkward, Yeon spoke.

“Soso, do you want to go first?”

“N-No, it’s fine, Unni.”

“Okay. Then...”

The bathhouse was spacious, with a large, oval-shaped bath made of stone in the center. Eager to soak in the hot water, Yeon’s expression fell when she noticed something odd. No steam was rising from the bath.

“What the? Don’t tell me they bathe in cold water just because it’s the Ice Palace?”

Jokingly muttering to herself, Yeon dipped the tip of her toe into the water. But as she feared, the water was uncomfortably cool. With a shiver, she quickly pulled her foot out.

“It’s actually cold!”

Soso, who had been standing nearby, stepped forward and dipped her hand into the water.

“Oh, you’re right.”

“Ugh. No way. Are we really going to bathe in this? Maybe we should just rinse off and get out of here.”

But then, Soso, who had kept her hand submerged in the water, suddenly spoke.

“Unni, I don’t think this is just cold water.”

“Huh?”

“The longer I keep my hand in....”

Soso furrowed her brows, her expression puzzled as she struggled to articulate her thoughts.

“What do you mean?”

Yeon dipped her foot in the water again. The initial chill still clung to her skin.

“Keep it in for a little while longer, Unni.”

Enduring the cold, Yeon waited as Soso suggested. After a moment, the sensation at the tip of her toes began to change. The biting chill started to dissipate, replaced by a pleasantly soothing warmth. It even felt as though the water was gradually becoming warmer.

At that very moment, something stirred within the water.

“Huh?”