It was a provocative first greeting.
The suggestion that they drink ice wine was something that, under normal circumstances, should have come only after she had formally greeted Geom Mugeuk and then paid her respects to Chwima as well.
But she said it as her very first words. She must have calculated that Chwima would not take it as rude. After all, it was a greeting related to alcohol. In other words, she had come knowing that the person with him was Chwima.
It was also a moment that showed just how excellent the Ice Palace’s intelligence network was here in the North Sea.
If they knew about them, there was a chance they also knew about Ian’s movements. Geom Mugeuk knew that would never work in Ian’s favor.
The North Sea Ice Palace was certainly not an enemy of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, but neither was it a friend.
Geom Mugeuk silently gazed at Han Seol. How different was the woman in the rumors from the woman before him?
“Do you like wine?”
At Geom Mugeuk’s question, Han Seol looked slightly surprised, then answered calmly.
“I like drinking alone.”
At her frank answer, a faint smile formed at the corners of Chwima’s mouth. After all, there was no one who enjoyed drinking alone more than he did.
“Pay your respects. This is Chwima, the Demon Venerable of our cult.”
Han Seol cupped her fist toward Chwima with proper courtesy.
“It is an honor to meet such an esteemed person.”
“So the rumors that the precious daughter of the Ice Palace is truly beautiful were true.”
“You flatter me.”
Unlike the rumors that called her heartless and cold, Han Seol did not seem very different from an ordinary woman her age. But Geom Mugeuk knew.
Coldness and heartlessness were not revealed in outward appearance, but in decisions and choices.
That was why he could not hold any preconceptions about her yet. He did not yet know what kind of person she was.
Han Seol’s gaze turned back to Geom Mugeuk.
“You still haven’t answered my question.”
Geom Mugeuk left the decision to Chwima.
“Would you care for a drink?”
For a moment, Han Seol found it strange. If the Young Cult Leader and a Demon Venerable were present, then naturally the Young Cult Leader should be the one to decide. Just as she, not the experts waiting outside, made all decisions.
Yet this Young Cult Leader, instead of deciding himself, was asking Chwima for his decision.
This time, Chwima looked at Han Seol.
Geom Mugeuk could feel it. Chwima at this moment was not the pathetic elder brother Chwima whom he usually scolded.
There was a world seen by a man who had reached the ultimate realm of martial arts and life through alcohol, and there was a life as seen by him. What kind of person did she appear to him now?
“If it is ice wine, I cannot refuse.”
At Chwima’s answer, Han Seol signaled to the martial artists standing outside. Then her trusted attendant, Chan, entered carrying a pure white wine bottle and handed it to her.
“This is ice wine brewed in our palace.”
When the stopper was removed from the bottle, an enchanting fragrance spread all around. The drinkers in the tavern, who had been holding their breath, wore moved expressions.
There were many kinds of ice wine in the North Sea, but the ice wine brewed by the North Sea Ice Palace was regarded as the very best. This fragrant, bewitching scent was precisely the aroma of that North Sea Ice Palace ice wine.
Drip, drip.
Han Seol poured a cup for Geom Mugeuk first.
As she poured the wine, she recalled what her mother, the Palace Master of the North Sea Ice Palace, had told her.
—The Young Cult Leader is no ordinary man.
Han Seol had also heard about Geom Mugeuk several times. They said he was changing the landscape of the Murim.
—You must deal with him carefully. If you do not wish to be devoured by him.
Her mother had never said such words to her before when giving her a task. She felt that her mother regarded the Young Cult Leader more highly than herself.
‘Is this man really that remarkable?’
The sight of him grinning and saying how wonderful the wine’s aroma was made him seem almost frivolous instead. No matter how she looked at him, she could not see any authority in him that overwhelmed a Demon Venerable.
Han Seol next poured wine for Chwima.
Finally, it was Chwima who filled her cup.
“I, too, mostly drink alone.”
And so the three raised their cups and drank the ice wine.
“Ah, it really is delicious.”
Geom Mugeuk was sincerely impressed. He had drunk ice wine before his regression as well, but it had not tasted this good then. As expected, even the same wine could taste so different depending on whom one drank it with and under what circumstances.
“How is it that you do not suspect it might be poisoned?”
At Han Seol’s question, Geom Mugeuk looked at Chwima. Fine, in my case, I can say it is because I am immune to all poisons. But is it all right for you to drink so carelessly, Brother?
Chwima answered Han Seol.
“If you put poison in food or water, I might fail to notice. But poison mixed into wine, even if it were a formless poison, I would know. I could tell just by smelling it.”
“As expected, your reputation was not undeserved.”
This time, Geom Mugeuk filled Han Seol’s cup.
“It is good to meet you.”
He did not know much about this woman. But he knew what kind of life she had lived in his life before regression. No, to be precise, he knew what kind of death she had met.
Geom Mugeuk asked Han Seol,
“I imagine there is a reason you came looking for us.”
“Yes, there is.”
Han Seol revealed the reason she had come.
“The Northern Blood Sect is a famous sect, so I trust you know of it well. The second son of the Northern Blood Sect Master has been abducted. Have you heard the news?”
“I heard people talking about it earlier.”
“I believe the one who did it is a martial artist of the Divine Cult.”
Naturally, the atmosphere turned cold and heavy.
“Why do you think so?”
“The abductor is so elusive that the Northern Blood Sect’s martial artists have been completely unable to trace him. Our palace has also stepped in, but we have not found him easily either. He is either extremely clever or someone who has received specialized training.”
You said you were anxious because she was a child left by the water? The child is building a levee and fishing by the water. Ian, well done.
“Even so, you cannot say it was done by our cult, can you?”
“There is decisive evidence.”
Han Seol stared fixedly at Geom Mugeuk and added,
“You, Young Cult Leader. You are the evidence.”
Even at these provocative words, Geom Mugeuk remained calm.
“Why am I the evidence?”
“Because you appeared in the North Sea at such a coincidental time.”
“Circumstantial evidence, then.”
“That’s right. Evidence that cannot be verified if the Young Cult Leader denies it.”
Geom Mugeuk could understand why Han Seol was evaluated as cold and heartless. When she spoke, she merely conveyed facts, without putting any emotion into them.
Though she said she was suspicious, she did not send him a single suspicious look or gaze.
It was not a matter of speaking much or little. Rather, because she said everything she had to say without emotion, she felt even colder.
“You are right. I also believe it was done by my subordinate.”
Geom Mugeuk readily admitted it.
“Then this will be easier to explain. This place is clearly our palace’s territory. Have your subordinate release the Northern Blood Sect Master’s son, and hand your subordinate over to us. If the abducted son of the Northern Blood Sect returns safely, we will mediate the matter properly and return your subordinate to you as well.”
Geom Mugeuk’s expression was gentle, but his refusal was firm.
“I cannot do that.”
“What do you mean?”
“If my subordinate abducted the Northern Blood Sect Master’s son, then there must have been a reason for it.”
“Yes. There must have been a reason. But the Murim is a place where an organization’s justification is more important than an individual’s reasons.”
“Could you still say that if you were the one who had to be sacrificed for the organization’s justification?”
Han Seol looked at Geom Mugeuk and said calmly,
“Of course. I would gladly give myself up.”
He felt that her words were sincere.
But the emotion he sensed in them was not a spirit of sacrifice or loyalty toward an organization. It was emptiness. A pitch-black hole that felt all the larger because she was young and beautiful.
This woman has no attachment to life.
* * *
Yang Jung could not understand this situation.
“When were you captured?”
An astonishing answer flowed from Hwang Chu’s mouth.
“Two days ago.”
“Then are you saying you were captured before us?”
“It seems so.”
In that instant, chills ran down the spines of Yang Jung and Ju Gyu, who had been listening. That meant they had first captured Hwang Chu, a master of tracking arts, and then plotted this affair. It was something they had never imagined.
“This matter was meticulously planned in advance.”
“Who on earth did this? Against the great Northern Blood Sect, who would dare!”
It was then.
Someone spoke from within the darkness.
“The important thing is not ‘who,’ but ‘why,’ is it not?”
It was a woman’s voice. It was truly the first time he had heard such a pleasant voice.
Yang Jung shouted angrily,
“Who are you?”
They had been in the same space, yet he had not even sensed her presence.
Before Yang Jung could spew curses, Ju Gyu quickly spoke.
“If you release us now, we will pretend this never happened. Let us each go our own way.”
The woman’s laughter was heard. The sound of her laughter grew louder and louder, and then the woman walking out of the darkness revealed herself. Wearing a bamboo hat and a veil, she was none other than Ian.
“Who are you, heroine?”
When Ju Gyu asked politely, Ian answered,
“I am someone who received a woman’s request and came to save her husband. I came from truly far away to get here. To think I would end up coming all the way to the North Sea.”
“Who exactly did you come to save?”
“Why? If I say his name, would you even know him?”
Ju Gyu could not answer. How could there be only one or two people who had been taken because of them?
“You people deceived people all across the Central Plains, saying you would let them earn a great deal of money, and brought them here.”
Ian had conducted a great deal of investigation in the process. This matter was not simply a case of deceiving and abducting people. They had brought only special individuals.
“All of those people had unusual constitutions, didn’t they? What exactly were you gathering them for? Were you using them as materials for some great ritual? Or were you trying to practice sorcery?”
Yang Jung and Ju Gyu gave no answer.
“I sent word to the Northern Blood Sect. If they release all the people you brought here, I will release you as well.”
Yang Jung’s expression stiffened. This affair had been carried out in utmost secrecy. To protect the secret, his father might not release the people. After all, his father valued the family more than his own blood.
Gripped by the fear that he might not be released, Yang Jung spoke as if thrashing in desperation.
“Shall I tell you what will happen if you kill us? In the end, our sect will find you, and they will kill you. Not just you, but your family as well. Your in-laws and your distant relatives, every last one of them will die because of you. And that’s not all. Even your neighbors will all be killed. Anyone who has exchanged even a single word with you will be found and killed. Only then will something like this never happen again. So go on, kill us!”
Ian quietly stared at Yang Jung. When she said nothing, he thought his threat had worked, but that was his mistake.
Ian removed her bamboo hat and took off her veil.
“Do not take it off!”
Ju Gyu shouted and squeezed his eyes shut.
It was because he feared that if he saw her face, he would be killed to silence him. Hwang Chu also closed his eyes with him.
But Yang Jung kept his eyes wide open and glared at Ian.
He had been about to hurl abuse at her, but his mouth fell open and no words came out. This damned bitch who had abducted him was far too beautiful.
From her mouth flowed words the three of them could not understand.
“I am so grateful to the young master and the people around him. Because they are people who would not be fazed in the slightest, even by a threat like this.”
Several scenes surfaced in her mind.
—You say you’re the closest person to Ian? Who are you?
—I am the Young Cult Leader of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
—And you!
—I’m the Master of the Yellow Springs Pavilion.
—And you? I hear you even had a drinking gathering with her?
—I am the Demon Lord.
—And you!
—I’m the granddaughter of the Murim Alliance Leader.
—And you said you were her new father?
—……
At the absurd imagination, she laughed to herself.
“And I am so grateful that you have allowed me to say something like this.”
The smile vanished from Ian’s face. She looked coldly at Yang Jung and said,
“Make sure to tell them to come kill me. Please, be certain to leave behind a will begging them to take revenge.”
* * *
“I am someone who regards my subordinate’s reasons as more important than the organization.”
Han Seol did not believe him. No matter how plausible his words sounded, in the end, the organization would come first. And this was not just anyone, but the Young Cult Leader saying such a thing. Did he think I looked foolish enough to believe that?
“My subordinate is not the kind of person who would do something like this simply because she suffered humiliation. Someone must have asked her for help, or she must have witnessed some injustice.”
Han Seol could not understand it. Neither Geom Mugeuk, who defended his subordinate, nor the subordinate who had done such a thing to help someone else. Why did they live so hypocritically?
“You mean you cannot accept it because you believe your subordinate is in the right.”
“That is correct.”
Geom Mugeuk remained calm.
“My subordinate has spent his whole life worn out and exhausted from serving the Young Cult Leader of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult. At times like this, there ought to be some reward in serving the Young Cult Leader.”
Han Seol said calmly.
“The North Blood Sect has asked our palace for help. We have our own position to consider.”
“Help them.”
“Then that precious subordinate of yours may die. Would that still be all right?”
Geom Mugeuk stared intently at Han Seol.
“If my subordinate is in the right, and the scion of the North Blood Sect is in the wrong, will you still kill my subordinate?”
Han Seol stared back at Geom Mugeuk expressionlessly, then asked in return.
“Then what if the Young Cult Leader’s subordinate is in the wrong, and the scion of the North Blood Sect is in the right? In that case, would it be all right to kill your subordinate?”
Geom Mugeuk smiled faintly and said,
“In that case, I’d have to save my subordinate and escape this place.”
Han Seol looked slightly dumbfounded.
“I believe I’ve said all I have to say. Then, please talk among yourselves.”
Han Seol rose from her seat. The meeting had been meaningful if only because she had learned that this incident had been caused by a demonic practitioner.
Just then, Geom Mugeuk spoke.
“In truth, there is another reason we came to the North Sea. There is someone we very much wished to meet.”
“Who is it?”
“The Mistress of Baekju Snowfield. The Drunken Demon told me many times that she was an extraordinary person, so I have long wanted to meet her.”
Since that was the reason the Drunken Demon had come, he was trying to mention it in advance.
At that, Han Seol’s expression hardened.
“What is it?”
Han Seol looked at Geom Mugeuk and the Drunken Demon with a strange expression, then delivered shocking news.
“The Mistress of Baekju Snowfield has passed away.”
For an instant, the Drunken Demon flinched in shock. Soon after, sorrow spread across his stiffened face. He had come to meet her after all these years, and she was dead? When had he last seen her?
“When and how did she pass away?”
At Geom Mugeuk’s question, Han Seol did not answer and only stared fixedly at the two of them. Suspicion flowed through her cold gaze.
“Why have the two of you come looking for the Mistress now, of all times?”
It was certain that one wrong word would invite misunderstanding. Since the Drunken Demon said nothing, Geom Mugeuk answered in his stead.
“Every year, the Mistress sent liquor to the Drunken Demon. This year, it did not arrive. So we came to see if something had happened to her.”
After a brief pause, Han Seol said in a low voice,
“The Mistress took her own life not long ago.”
Crash.
The cup in the Drunken Demon’s hand shattered, and liquor spilled across the table.
Han Seol said to Geom Mugeuk,
“Tell your subordinate to send back the scion of the North Blood Sect.”
Leaving those words behind, Han Seol departed.
Silence settled over the place where only the two of them remained. The liquor flowing across the table dripped down to the floor. At length, the Drunken Demon, who had been watching it without a word, broke the silence.
“There is no way she killed herself.”
There was a reason he was so certain.
“She had greater pride in brewing liquor than anyone, and she was satisfied with that work. She was someone who knew just how many people found happiness in the liquor she made. There’s no way.”
The Drunken Demon would know the Mistress better than anyone. If so, then she had not taken her own life, but had been killed by someone.
Geom Mugeuk nodded and emptied the remaining cup of liquor.
“To think I can no longer taste such fine liquor.”
Setting down the empty cup, Geom Mugeuk clasped his hands together in mourning.
The Drunken Demon emptied the liquor in the Blood Tear hanging at his waist, then poured the remaining ice wine into it. He did so with care, not spilling a single drop.
Beyond the flowing, transparent ice wine, the Drunken Demon’s face seemed to waver. The sorrow and rage in his eyes were being poured into the Blood Tear along with the liquor.