The RoFan Novel Fan Has Reincarnated Into A Martial Arts Novel-Chapter 59: You’ll Regret It Later

At Yeon’s question, Irkin’s face twisted into a troubled expression. His large eyes, nose, and mouth all seemed to scrunch toward the center of his face.

“Why are you asking?”

“I want to meet the Ice Palace Lord.”

“You can’t meet her.”

A sense of foreboding crept into Yeon’s mind.

“She’s not... dead, is she?”

“Dead?”

“Yes.”

Inside the prayer beads, Myoeun’s spirit trembled violently. But he soon settled when Irkin’s response came.

“No.”

“Then why can’t we meet her?”

Irkin groaned, struggling for a long while before shaking his head.

“It’s hard to explain. I’ll tell you later.”

Yeon’s competitive spirit flared up. Should she keep Irkin up all night, playing twenty questions with him? She was seriously considering it when she felt someone approaching.

“Irkin!”

Karaot came running toward them, panting heavily. Yeon sighed inwardly, disappointed but composed herself to greet him.

“You’re still awake?”

“Yes,” Karaot said curtly, catching his breath.

He seemed to want to say something to Irkin but hesitated. Instead, he turned to Yeon and bowed deeply.

“Thank you... for restoring the ice wall.”

“Oh, it was nothing.”

“The others haven’t slept either. They’re still keeping watch,” Karaot added, his tone subdued.

“Is that so?”

“Yes...”

He looked like a man with a heavy conscience. Earlier, he had openly distrusted them, and now here he was, forced to thank them. It was understandable that he appeared so deflated. Still, he hadn’t completely let go of his suspicions. Perhaps he was wondering what they wanted in exchange for helping.

But at least he seemed to have some sense of decency, which made Yeon not dislike him as much.

Karaot exchanged a few words with Irkin in their language and then turned back to Yeon.

“Everyone’s been asking for Irkin. They couldn’t sleep because they were so frightened...”

“Oh, I see. Go ahead. Take your time,” Yeon said.

Karaot bowed once more and led Irkin away. As he followed, Irkin glanced back over his shoulder and mouthed, “Later!”

Yeon chuckled, and Karaot seemed to ask Irkin something, but the two soon disappeared from view.

Yeon stood there for a moment, watching them walk away, before turning back toward the main hall.

****

The next morning, Yeon was busy from the moment she woke up. She started the day with a bath, gathering Yin energy and then patrolled the ice wall. Thanks to the repairs she had done the night before, there were no new breaches.

After completing her rounds, Yeon headed toward the watchtower. Cheongang was on guard duty. It seemed he had been expecting her, as he greeted her right away.

“You’re here.”

Cheongang was so tall and broad-shouldered that the small watchtower looked cramped with him inside. Even without considering his imposing frame, he seemed entirely out of place standing guard.

Yeon couldn’t help the note of concern in her voice.

“Please don’t tell me you’ve been here all night.”

“I was taking turns with Gongye. He just went inside a moment ago.”

“Gongye did night duty too?”

“Yes.”

Yeon couldn’t imagine Gongye pulling an all-nighter. Was he asleep on the job? As she scanned the area, she noticed that the opposite watchtower, where someone had been stationed yesterday, was now empty.

“There’s no one over there.”

“I told them to rest. Between me and Gongye, we can cover both sides easily.”

Cheongang’s words made sense. With his height, he could easily oversee the entire Ice Palace. In fact, his presence here seemed like overkill.

As Yeon tried to shake off the feeling of wasted talent, her gaze drifted to the courtyard. There, she saw Soso.

“What’s Soso doing over there?”

Soso was standing in front of the main hall where the Ice Palace residents gathered for prayers. A crowd had gathered around her.

“She’s been there since earlier. I think she’s been making and distributing some sort of medicine. Probably something to restore vitality.”

Soso was likely trying to compensate for last night’s meager dinner. It seemed the liquid ‘meal’ had left quite the impression on her.

Yeon remembered that Soso’s medicinal supplies had been mostly ruined during their journey. All she had left were some powdered ingredients. She was likely mixing them to create makeshift tonics.

Watching Soso work so diligently made Yeon feel uneasy. She felt a twinge of guilt. Maybe they never should have come to the Ice Palace in the first place.

Without realizing it, Yeon muttered under her breath,

“I didn’t know the Ice Palace was in such a state.”

“...Neither did I,” Cheongang said as he moved closer to her, leaning against the railing.

Standing beside her, his eyes fixed on the main hall, he spoke in a low, steady voice.

“You don’t have to feel guilty, Lady Yeon.”

“Was it that obvious?”

“Yes. You’re thinking that the whole reason we’re here is to search for the Ice Crystal, right? And that none of us would have needed to come along if it weren’t for you.”

Cheongang’s insight was eerily accurate, like that of a seasoned fortune teller. Yeon couldn’t help but admit it.

“You’re right. None of you had to come. Not Cheongang, not Soso, not Gongye...”

“Well, I don’t see it that way,” he said, his voice calm but firm.

“Thanks, but let’s be realistic here,” Yeon said.

“And I am being realistic,” Cheongang said.

Yeon turned to look at him.

His deep, captivating eyes were fixed on the main hall. She had always thought Cheongang was strikingly beautiful, the kind of man whose presence felt like an icy breeze. In many ways, he seemed to fit the Ice Palace perfectly.

“Do you see Lady Tang’s face?”

“Soso?”

Pulled from her reverie, Yeon followed Cheongang’s gaze. Soso was handing out tonics, her expression unexpectedly bright. Whenever someone thanked her, she would blush and wave her hands frantically, flustered. It was such a Soso-like reaction.

“Does she look like she’s being forced to do that?”

“No... not really.”

“Exactly. In fact, she looks happier than she did back at the Martial Assembly. It’s like she’s finally found her place.”

Cheongang’s words hit their mark. During the Martial Assembly, Soso had never smiled like that. Before meeting Yeon, she had been bullied, tormented—things had been much worse.

“And the same goes for me,” Cheongang said.

“I thought I was living my life diligently before meeting you, but looking back, I was just wandering without direction.”

“Were you?”

“Yes. And Gongye too, I’d imagine. At least now, he gets to drink as much as he wants while following you around. He never struck me as the type to settle down in Shaolin.”

At the mention of Gongye, Yeon couldn’t help but chuckle. Despite everything she had learned about his past, he was still as outrageous as ever.

Seeing Yeon’s mood lighten, Cheongang’s voice softened.

“As for the purpose of this journey... I truly believe coming to the Ice Palace was the right choice. We actually encountered the Flame Cultists, didn’t we? If we hadn’t come here, our lead would have ended back at the Red Flower Sect.”

“......”

“So, there’s no need to feel guilty. Staying by your side wasn’t an obligation. It was a choice we all made.”

Cheongang’s words of comfort came to an end. For someone who usually spoke so sparingly, he had said quite a lot. It was clear he was trying to lift Yeon’s spirits.

“...Thank you.”

Yeon had once thought that if she ever walked the same path as Cheongang, he would be the most reliable companion she could have. Today, he had proven her right once again.

As a leader, Yeon’s strengths lay in her decisiveness and her drive. However, that same impulsiveness often made her second-guess herself. Was she steering the group in the right direction, or was she leading them astray?

Whenever those doubts crept in, Cheongang was the one who kept her on course. He held the rudder steady, constantly reminding her that her decisions were sound and that she was moving in the right direction. Thanks to him, she could keep pressing forward without faltering.

Yeon was slowly realizing how much she had come to depend on him. The fact that she sought him out whenever she was feeling lost was proof enough. At this point, she couldn’t even imagine the journey without him.

It was definitely more than just camaraderie. But whether Cheongang felt the same, she couldn’t be certain.

[Is that it?]

Myoeun’s voice echoed in her mind, breaking the silence. It had been a while since he had spoken since they arrived at the Ice Palace.

‘What do you mean?’

[“Thank you.” Is that all you’re going to say?]

‘Monk. I told you before, I’ll handle the Cheongang issue myself.’

But today, Myoeun wasn’t willing to back down so easily.

[Just say it honestly.]

‘Say what?’

[Say what you’re feeling. Why can’t you just be honest?]

‘I told you, Monk. It’s none of your business—’

[Are you a monk?]

‘...What?’

[Are you a monk? Or are you secretly practicing some religion that forbids you from expressing your feelings? No? Then why the hell are you holding back like this?]

Yeon couldn’t even think to take off the prayer beads. Myoeun’s tone was different today. He wasn’t the usual mischievous monk poking fun at her relationship with Cheongang. He was genuinely angry.

A heavy sigh echoed through her mind.

[You’re going to regret this, Yeon.]

‘Monk—’

[You don’t have to take off the beads. I won’t say anything else.]

True to his word, Myoeun fell completely silent.

Yeon stood there for a moment, staring at the beads in her hand. Then, with a heavy heart, she said her goodbyes to Cheongang and descended the watchtower.

As always, Cheongang saw her off with a warm, gentle smile.

****

The days that followed unfolded in a similar pattern.

Yeon and the others continued to assist the Ice Palace in their own ways. They had intended to keep this up only until Irkin’s promised “later,” but that moment seemed to keep getting pushed back. Irkin was constantly busy defending the palace, so “later” never seemed to arrive.

Fortunately, their relationship with Karaot had improved significantly. The Ice Palace residents, too, had warmed up to them considerably, especially after benefiting from Soso’s special medicinal powders.

“Good morning.”

Yeon greeted a group of Ice Palace residents as they passed by, shyly waving and smiling. They really were innocent people who seemed to know nothing beyond prayer and meditation.

But that also meant that Karaot had to shoulder all the responsibilities beyond that. With Irkin constantly on guard, # Nоvеlight # Karaot was practically the one running the place.

In retrospect, Yeon could understand why Karaot had been so wary of them when they first arrived. Irkin and the others were too trusting, too naïve. They were like fragile flowers that had grown up in the sheltered environment of the Ice Palace.

‘Well, Irkin’s more like a massive, oversized flower, but still...’

“Have you just finished inspecting the ice wall?”

Yeon looked up to see Karaot standing before her.

“Yes. No problems, so you can rest easy,” she said.

“Thank you as always. If you need anything, please let me know.”

Karaot still looked nervous, as if he feared they might leave at any moment.

But there was no more time to delay, so Yeon asked,

“Karaot. What about the matter we discussed before?”

“Oh. Actually, that’s why I came to find you,” Karaot said, his tone much more upbeat than before.

Yeon’s heart skipped a beat. Myoeun was likely on edge too—he’d been pestering her to find out more about the Ice Palace Lord’s whereabouts for days.

Thankfully, Karaot didn’t disappoint.

“Please come with me. Irkin is waiting as well.”

****

Karaot led Yeon to a building behind the main hall. It was a place she had seen before but had never been inside.

When Yeon asked if she could bring the others, Karaot shook his head apologetically.

“I’m sorry. Even the Ice Palace residents are not permitted inside.”

Standing at the entrance of the small building was Irkin. He had his earrings on and his flail strapped to his waist. When he saw Yeon, he grinned broadly.

“Karaot is going to explain everything,” he said confidently.

Yeon couldn’t help but laugh. Was that why he had avoided talking about it until now? Because he wasn’t sure how to explain it himself?

The building was similar to other Ice Palace structures in design, but the entrance was adorned with a unique tile and a heavy, locked door. It was the first lock Yeon had seen in the Ice Palace.

Karaot pointed to the design on the tile.

“This is the dragon that guards the Ice Palace.”

“A dragon?”

“Yes.”

The creature depicted on the tile was likely an ice dragon. It had large, intense eyes and thick, inverted eyebrows. A single horn jutted from the center of its forehead, giving it a fierce appearance.

Its mouth was wide open as if breathing out a breath of icy wind, and fan-shaped slashes extended from the sides of its jaw, resembling gills. The intent was clear—to make the dragon appear like it was an ice-breathing beast.

“Now then.”

Karaot reached into his robe and pulled out a key, inserting it into the lock. The fact that he possessed the key to a place even the Ice Palace residents couldn’t enter said a lot about his status within the palace.

With a heavy clunk, the door swung open, and Irkin ducked to step inside first.

Karaot forced a smile, as though trying to mask his nervousness, and extended a hand toward Yeon.

“Come in. Inside, you will find the answers to all the questions you’ve been asking.”