Chapter 89 – To the Central Plains (1)

Feeling mischievous, Yu-jin stood beside the bed where Bukri Eun slept and gazed down at her sleeping face.

Yu-jin slowly brought his face closer and gently pressed his lips against hers, which were slightly parted.

Then, he pulled back the blanket covering Bukri Eun’s body, revealing her full breasts.

Yu-jin reached out, cupped her breasts, and began to caress them slowly.

“Mmmph…”

As if responding even in her deep slumber, Bukri Eun’s nipples gradually hardened. Leaving them slick with his saliva, Yu-jin then parted her legs.

A dark thatch of hair appeared before his eyes, and he stroked it with his fingers, savoring the texture.

Though still lost in sleep, Bukri Eun’s body sweetly accepted the pleasure stirred by his fingers. In response to the stimulation, Yu-jin could clearly see a honey-like dew being secreted.

“Yu-jin…”

Was his stimulation too intense? Bukri Eun finally awoke, glaring at Yu-jin with a pouting expression. She was exhausted, and dealing with his insatiable desire was becoming difficult.

“Ahem. You shouldn’t say such things, should you?”

As Yu-jin spoke with a playful smile, Bukri Eun sighed and pulled him into an embrace. The room was once again filled with the sounds of a woman’s passion.

* * *

It was three days after entering Yu-jin’s chambers that Bukri Eun finally emerged.

Yet, her noble purity had not vanished. On the contrary, she seemed to shine even more brightly, and the people of the Northern Sea Ice Palace who had been waiting for her could not hold back their tears.

It was heartbreaking that she had sacrificed herself for their mistakes.

“Young Mistress…”

“We are sorry… Young Mistress…”

Even as they mourned, they burned with rage toward Yu-jin and the Central Plains. And it was Yu-jin himself who fanned the flames of their fury.

He had appeared beside Bukri Eun and wrapped his arm around her waist. Seeing their idol yield her body to a man from the Central Plains, the many warriors of the Ice Palace ground their teeth.

Ignoring them, Yu-jin tightened his grip, pulling Bukri Eun closer into his embrace. She, in turn, willingly nestled against him.

“Grrrk!”

The Ice Palace warriors parted to make way, still grinding their teeth. Watching them, Yu-jin spoke.

“You should be grateful to your Young Mistress for the rest of your lives. She is the woman who sacrificed her body for you fools. Had she not come, my wrath would have brought ruin upon the Ice Palace.”

At Yu-jin’s words, the Ice Palace warriors emanated an even stronger killing intent. They wanted nothing more than to rush him, but Bukri Eun was in his arms.

They couldn’t attack, fearing she might become a hostage at any moment. Of course, that was only their perception; had they charged, they would have been dead before they even reached him.

As if to prove it, Yu-jin’s body was now wreathed in a golden light, which watched the would-be enemies with predatory intent.

“What’s this? Not coming? Is that all you’ve got?”

“Yu-jin.”

As Yu-jin continued to provoke the warriors of the Northern Sea Ice Palace, Bukri Eun, unable to watch any longer, tugged at his arm.

At her action, Yu-jin scoffed and moved with her toward Bukri Hwan’s location, leaving the remaining Ice Palace warriors to tremble in humiliation and rage.

Bukri Eun and Yu-jin were on their way to see Bukri Hwan to have their relationship formally acknowledged. But Bukri Eun paused for a moment, looked at Yu-jin, and spoke.

“Master, I understand your anger. But I don’t think you should be the one to break the peace you created.”

Regardless of how it came about, the Northern Sea and the Central Plains had formed an alliance and achieved peace. In such a situation, Bukri Eun felt it was wrong for Yu-jin to provoke the Ice Palace warriors.

Of course, she too understood his anger well.

The Ice-White Water Dragon Sword was a sacred artifact lost centuries ago.

For them to unconditionally claim such a sword as their own and try to seize it by force was a situation that would naturally infuriate Yu-jin.

Moreover, hadn’t they attacked one of Yu-jin’s women in the process?

Having learned how deeply Yu-jin cherished his women, Bukri Eun could understand his reaction.

Yu-jin, who had been silent, finally spoke.

“The Northern Sea Ice Palace should be truly grateful to you. If it weren’t for you, I would have destroyed this place with my own two hands.”

Knowing his words were sincere, Bukri Eun nodded.

“Please, let go of your anger and smile. Are you going to see my father like this?”

“Ah, of course not.”

At Bukri Eun’s words, Yu-jin couldn’t help but smile.

Yu-jin and Bukri Eun arrived at the room where Bukri Hwan was staying. Bukri Eun stepped forward to open the door, and Yu-jin followed her inside.

Inside, Bukri Cheong was still tending to Bukri Hwan, and the look she gave Yu-jin was far from friendly.

“Cheong-ah, would you leave us for a moment?”

“Yes.”

Fortunately, Bukri Cheong left without protest. But she didn’t forget to glare at Yu-jin on her way out. Watching her, Yu-jin sighed.

‘Ugh, I hate this place. The Northern Sea Ice Palace.’

He felt like begging the emperor to give him an order for annihilation next time, not negotiation.

The emperor’s goal was to show the empire’s mercy to the world, but for Yu-jin, who had to carry out this mission, it was pure agony.

‘I’ve gained nothing here except Bukri Eun. I need to leave this place quickly.’

He felt like he would suffocate if he stayed any longer, so he planned to inform Bukri Hwan and leave for the Central Plains with his women immediately.

“You’ve come?”

Fortunately, Bukri Hwan was conscious. He must have already heard the story, as he showed no surprise at seeing Bukri Eun with Yu-jin, instead looking at her with a calm expression.

“I heard from Cheong-ah. You became that man’s woman as a condition for retrieving the Ice-White Water Dragon Sword?”

“Yes, Father. But I have no regrets. Not if I can protect the peace of the Ice Palace, and by extension, the Northern Sea, by offering my body.”

As Bukri Eun spoke calmly, Bukri Hwan nodded and turned his gaze to Yu-jin.

“I wish to apologize to you. I never imagined such an unfortunate incident would occur.”

“It’s alright. She has already taken responsibility for that matter.”

His anger hadn’t completely subsided, but with Bukri Hwan apologizing like this, Yu-jin’s heart softened slightly.

Bukri Hwan nodded again, then looked at Bukri Eun and said something surprising.

“Eun-ah, when he returns to the Central Plains, you are to go with him. Go and experience what the Central Plains are like.”

“What? What do you mean, Father? How can I leave the Ice Palace…?”

Bukri Eun, who had intended to remain in the Ice Palace even after becoming Yu-jin’s woman, asked in astonishment.

“Neither you nor anyone else here has ever been to the Central Plains. That is why your perspective is so narrow. Although your martial arts are so profound that you would be hard-pressed to find a match even in the Central Plains, there will surely be much to learn just by seeing their culture. This is not an order from your father, but from the Palace Lord.”

An order from the Palace Lord was something even she could not disobey.

“I will obey your command.”

And so, Bukri Eun’s journey to the Central Plains was decided.

* * *

When word spread that Bukri Eun was going to the Central Plains, a commotion arose once more among the warriors of the Northern Sea Ice Palace. It was a disturbance caused by discussions of who would escort her. The one who quelled the uproar was, of course, Bukri Eun herself.

“I will be the only one going to the Central Plains. If I were to travel with an armed contingent, it would not be viewed favorably there.”

“But, Young Mistress. How can you go to the perilous Central Plains alone?”

The Ice Matron, Yeong-yeong, spoke urgently, but Bukri Eun shook her head.

“I’m not going alone, am I? I am leaving with Yu-jin. And you know as well, Ice Matron, that as long as I am with him, no one can threaten me.”

Yu-jin boasted strength great enough to single-handedly fight and defeat the entire Ice Palace. With him protecting her, who would dare lay a hand on her?

Furthermore, her own martial prowess was already at an absolute level. Anyone who tried to harm her would surely lose their own life instead.

“That may be true, but…”

“Don’t worry too much, Ice Matron. It won’t be for that long. I will definitely return to the Ice Palace.”

At Bukri Eun’s words, the Ice Matron could do nothing but nod.

And so, the next day, Bukri Eun boarded a sled pulled by snow dogs specially bred by the Northern Sea Ice Palace, joining Yu-jin’s party. When she gave a nod to signal she was ready, Yu-jin turned around and shouted loudly.

“Listen, warriors of the Ice Palace! I will protect your Young Mistress well. But remember this: her presence is what protects you. My wrath is fierce!”

Then, Yu-jin brandished the Profound Heaven Ink Phosphorus Sword toward the sky, and a torrent of inky light shot upwards, obliterating all the clouds in its path.

The sight was like that of an ascending dragon, and the warriors, overwhelmed by his power, were all rendered speechless. Satisfied with their reaction, Yu-jin finally departed for the Central Plains.

* * *

The snow dogs specially bred by the Northern Sea Ice Palace were incredibly fast. They ran without hesitation through terrain where even masters of lightness techniques would struggle to move freely, allowing Yu-jin’s party to leave the lands of the Northern Sea much faster than expected.

Bukri Eun fed the snow dogs and patted their heads. Then, she gave their rumps a tap, and with a single bark, they began running back toward the Northern Sea Ice Palace. For such intelligent creatures, this was a simple task.

“Is this the Central Plains?”

Bukri Eun asked, steadying her trembling heart, but Yu-jin shook his head.

“This is the territory of the nomadic tribes. We still have to travel a bit more to enter the empire’s domain. Well, it’s not a difficult task for us, though.”

Even Ran, the weakest in the party, was a master who had reached the peak realm. If they used their lightness techniques, reaching the empire’s territory would be no trouble at all.

Three days later, they arrived at a border city of the empire. Aside from Ran, everyone in the group was impervious to heat and cold, but they entered a teahouse anyway to warm themselves up.

“What kind of place is this?”

Shops like inns, taverns, and teahouses, which were common in the Central Plains, did not exist in the Northern Sea, so Bukri Eun asked with a curious expression.

“It’s a place to drink tea.”

Bukri Eun nodded at Yu-jin’s words. She seemed to like the teahouse, with its calm and elegant atmosphere, as she kept looking around.

Then, as the teahouse grew noisy, she looked at Yu-jin and the other women with a puzzled expression.

“Why did it suddenly get so loud?”

At her question, Yu-jin gave a wry smile. The women with him were all beauties worthy of the title ‘peerless.’ As such, it was inevitable that they would draw the gazes of men.

However, the one who captured the most attention was Bukri Eun. Her silver hair, skin as white as snow, and other features gave her an exotic air.

‘This is a bit troublesome. Did I make a mistake coming here?’