The middle-aged man in blue wanted to shout:
‘You ask because you don’t know? It’s the damned Drunken Demon. Of course both are dangerous.’
Of course, he could not say that, so he spoke as politely as possible.
“I did not know the Demonic Cult was involved in this matter. Had I known, I would not have helped.”
He meant it. Nothing good could come from getting entangled with the damned Demonic Cult.
The Drunken Demon asked him,
“Who are you?”
At that, the man glanced at the masked man. It was not the look one gave a subordinate; he was watching the man’s reaction. When the masked man showed no response, the middle-aged man revealed himself.
“My name is Hwang Su. I am a scholar who studies the human body.”
“A scholar, my foot! A butcher, more like. How many have you killed so far?”
Hwang Su could not make excuses. Too many people had died. He did not even know the number.
“What tests did you perform on them?”
Hwang Su hesitated to answer.
Then Yang Il, who had been on the bed, mustered his courage and spoke.
“He said he was looking for some kind of physique. What was it again? Ah, right. The Extreme Cold Physique. He said if I had the Extreme Cold Physique, I could survive.”
The Extreme Cold Physique.
A physique naturally born with resistance to cold was the Ice-Cold Physique. Those born with it could live their entire lives without catching so much as a cold.
And among those with the Ice-Cold Physique, the one especially specialized for cold was the Extreme Cold Physique.
A person born with the Extreme Cold Physique would not die from cold, at the very least. Even if they stripped naked and entered icy water in the dead of winter, they might die of hunger, but they would not freeze to death.
“This bed became terrifyingly cold.”
At Yang Il’s words, the Drunken Demon examined the bed. It was no ordinary bed.
“So this must be the bed used to find the Extreme Cold Physique.”
The Drunken Demon turned back to Hwang Su and asked,
“Why are you searching for the Extreme Cold Physique?”
Seeing Hwang Su refuse to answer, the Drunken Demon wore a contemptuous expression.
“I believe I told you. Since I have not had a drink, my nerves are on edge.”
Hwang Su looked again at the masked man beside him.
The Drunken Demon, too, had realized from the beginning that he was no subordinate. His eyes had never been those of a subordinate in the first place.
“He was sent to watch you.”
At last, the masked man stepped forward.
“If you thought we would be afraid because you are a Demon Supreme, you were mistaken.”
The “we” did not refer to Hwang Su.
Two masked men entered the room.
Their presence was different from the martial artists who had fallen to the Drunken Demon earlier. Their gazes were as fierce as that of the masked man who had been speaking.
From the start, three of them had come, taking turns monitoring Hwang Su while assisting with this mission. Their skills were equal, and their temperaments similar.
At their appearance, Hwang Su’s face brightened. The reason the masked man had stayed silent without stepping forward was because he had been waiting for them to arrive.
‘If these three are together!’
Just as he thought that even against the Drunken Demon, they might have a chance—
Wooooooosh.
In the next instant, the liquor qi rippling around the Drunken Demon’s body scattered in all directions. In the blink of an eye, a thick mist filled the room.
Hwang Su could see nothing.
‘Please! Kill the Drunken Demon!’
A moment of silence passed, and then Hwang Su saw a blade glimmer. It was the blade of one of the masked men.
The next instant—
Crack.
The sound of bone breaking rang out. The sword visible in midair twitched violently, then vanished into the mist as if being sucked in.
‘He got him!’
Silence fell over the place again.
Whoooosh.
When another masked man infused his sword with internal energy and swung it through the air, the liquor qi spread like mist coiled around his blade.
His intention was to draw in the thing blocking his sight with his internal energy and expel it, but the Drunken Demon’s liquor qi was not ordinary fog or smoke.
For a moment, it seemed to wrap around his sword, but soon scattered in every direction and grew even thicker.
At that moment, Hwang Su saw it: the Drunken Demon’s figure flashing through the mist.
He was moving leisurely, hands clasped behind his back, and even grinned at him.
‘Watch out!’
Before the words could leave his mouth—
Crunch.
The masked man who had tried to disperse the liquor qi had his neck snapped by the Drunken Demon’s hand-blade and collapsed on the spot.
Before he even hit the floor, the Drunken Demon vanished into the mist.
The last sword Hwang Su saw was flying toward him.
‘Killing the witness to silence him!’
The lone remaining masked man had realized he could not face the Drunken Demon and was trying to kill Hwang Su first. It seemed he had been given such an order from the beginning: if a moment like this came, kill him.
The incoming sword stopped right before Hwang Su’s heart.
Craaaack.
The sound of bones being crushed came from directly in front of him.
As the dense mist vanished, the masked man’s figure came into view. The man who had thrust his sword at Hwang Su had his neck twisted at a bizarre angle, and the light had already gone out of his eyes.
As he crumpled to the floor, the Drunken Demon stood behind him. It was, in every sense, an overwhelming difference in skill. He had not even touched Hyeollu, the signature weapon at his waist.
They had a chance if there were three? There had never been a greater delusion.
‘So this is the strength of the Demon Supremes I have only heard about!’
Hwang Su’s heart pounded as if it would burst.
The liquor qi flickered around the Drunken Demon like flame, then vanished completely into his body.
“What is the reason you are trying to obtain the Extreme Cold Physique?”
Now Hwang Su had no reason to watch anyone’s reaction.
“I don’t know that either. I was only hired and paid to procure someone with the Extreme Cold Physique.”
“By whom?”
As Hwang Su hesitated to answer, the Drunken Demon informed him of reality.
“You already died a moment ago.”
Hwang Su looked at the corpses of the fallen masked men, then decided to reveal who had requested it of him.
“The person who paid me was—”
It was then.
Whoosh.
Both sides of Hwang Su’s forehead swelled in an instant.
Pop! Pop!
They burst open, spraying blood.
Hwang Su died instantly. Astonishingly, a restriction had been placed on him that would kill him if he attempted to speak about the one behind it.
The Drunken Demon looked down at the corpse with a grave expression.
Making someone die when they tried to give a specific answer was an extremely difficult suggestion and restriction. It meant a formidable bastard was behind this.
The Drunken Demon said to Yang Il, who was sitting there terrified,
“Get dressed.”
Yang Il, who had remained naked until then, hurriedly put on his clothes.
‘So this wasn’t a dream.’
Once he was dressed, Yang Il followed the Drunken Demon out.
Only then did Yang Il fully realize how reckless his idea had been—to ambush the martial artist who had brought him here and escape.
When they turned the corner of the corridor, more than ten martial artists lay collapsed.
It was the same outside the building. Dozens of martial artists lay fallen everywhere.
Seeing that so many martial artists had been guarding this place, Yang Il realized that this matter had been no ordinary important affair.
‘If I had possessed the Extreme Cold Physique, what on earth were they planning to make me do?’
No matter how much he thought about it, he could not know.
A carriage was waiting a short distance away. It was a carriage from the North Sea branch of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult that would take Yang Il back to his hometown.
Those taking him would coordinate with the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult branch near Yang Il’s hometown to protect his family, so there was no longer any need to worry.
“You need not worry about retaliation. Live well with your family.”
Even if not for that, by the time Yang Il arrived home, everything on this side would likely be over.
Yang Il could not believe he had survived.
“It still feels like a dream. To think that none other than a Demon Supreme would save me!”
“I was not the one who saved you.”
“What do you mean?”
“If not for your wife’s earnest desire to save her husband, who could have sent someone all the way to this distant North Sea? Hear the details from your wife when you return.”
At the thought that he could go home, Yang Il was so overjoyed he felt as though he might fly. To think he could see his wife and children again.
While imprisoned, he had resolved countless times. He would no longer be greedy for happiness all at once. Instead of the greed of earning money to make them happy, he would be there with his children for each moment as they grew.
‘Thank you. I will surely live that way.’
He bowed deeply.
“Thank you so much for saving my life.”
Yang Il intended to think of the Drunken Demon every year on this day, over a cup of wine.
“I will make sure this bow reaches the person who ought to receive it.”
Then, in the direction opposite the departing carriage, the Drunken Demon began to walk.
Crunch, crunch.
Leaving the first traces in the pure white snow, the Drunken Demon’s steps gradually quickened. No more footprints remained in the snow.
* * *
Geom Mugeuk and Ian rented a carriage and returned to Eunwol’s safe house.
The trio whose acupoints had been sealed were still asleep.
The two loaded them into the carriage.
“Once Senior Drunken Demon returns, let’s head straight to the Ice Palace.”
Ian could tell. Geom Mugeuk believed without a doubt that the Drunken Demon would handle the matter well and return. Usually, he treated him like an easygoing older brother, but at least now, he regarded him as a Demon Supreme.
Ian was not worried about the Drunken Demon either. If anything, the one she was worried about was the Young Palace Lord they had met.
“But will the Ice Palace accept your proposal, young master?”
Even if the Drunken Demon rescued the captured man, it would be a problem if the Ice Palace refused.
“They will accept it.”
“How can you be so certain?”
“You said so to the Young Palace Lord, didn’t you? That you were the Transcendent One, so he should believe you!”
“Don’t joke. Why?”
Geom Mugeuk explained the reason.
“We had two conditions. That they do not punish you, and that they allow the Ice Palace to investigate the death of the Hall Master.”
“Yes.”
“First of all, they can’t lay a hand on you anyway. Not only can they not carelessly touch you, my own limb, but you also had justification for kidnapping their young master. Most decisively, the Northern Blood Sect is trying to hide this matter, so they cannot blow it up just to punish you.”
“What about the second condition? The Ice Palace might not accept us, might it?”
“The Ice Palace Lord must already be well aware of the relationship between that Hall Master and Brother Drunken Demon. It was a bond formed over many long years of exchanging letters and wine. If such a person takes interest in this death and they refuse? If that happened, Brother Drunken Demon would become even more suspicious of the death and start digging in earnest. In the process, he might uncover information the Ice Palace does not want revealed. The Ice Palace Lord will anticipate that as well, so he cannot refuse easily.”
Ian was impressed. She had not thought of a single one of the reasons Geom Mugeuk had mentioned.
“I’m going to retire. I don’t have the confidence to survive in this kind of murim. It’s a wonder I’m still alive. I’ll retire and go to some countryside place where martial artists don’t come, and make a living selling noodles.”
“You think selling noodles is easy? After being worn down by people all day, you’ll think, ‘Ah! It was nice when I just swung my sword beside the young master without thinking,’ and you’ll want to run back immediately.”
Ian sighed.
“Since we’re talking about it, would you like some noodles? There were ingredients in the kitchen.”
“Do you know how to make them?”
“Noodles, at least, I can make.”
“Let’s eat. I was just getting hungry anyway.”
“I’ll boil some up quickly.”
When Ian disappeared into the kitchen, Geom Mugeuk leaped lightly onto the roof of the carriage. Even though he landed on the roof, there was not so much as the sound of a feather falling.
Geom Mugeuk lay there and looked up at the sky.
Suddenly, he missed his father.
He missed the Demon Supremes as well, but even so, it was always his father he missed first.
He must be sitting sternly in the grand chair in the Heavenly Demon Hall, handling business.
‘Father, your son misses you like this. Are you thinking of me?’
While he was thinking of his father, Ian swiftly made noodles and brought them over.
“Where would you like to eat?”
“Let’s eat here.”
Holding the noodles, Ian leaped lightly onto the roof of the carriage. With her smooth lightness skill, not a single drop of broth spilled. Her martial realm was rising with each passing day.
“Please eat.”
For something made so quickly, it tasted excellent.
“It’s delicious. With this much skill in your hands, you won’t starve even if you retire. Let me invest in that noodle shop too!”
Ian felt pleased. Inwardly, she had been worried Geom Mugeuk might say it tasted bad.
Just as the two were slurping down the noodles—
The Drunken Demon entered the place.
Geom Mugeuk and Ian looked at him. The Drunken Demon nodded once toward the two of them. The moment Ian saw that nod, she felt relieved. She could tell he had rescued him safely.
Of course, there was also unfortunate news.
“I only saved that man.”
Ian found it terribly regrettable, but it could not be helped.
He would not reproach himself, wondering whether he might have saved more people if only he had done better. He intended to add that anger to the punishment he would deal to the one who had plotted this.
“Is there any noodle soup left?”
“I can make some for you right away. But will noodles be enough? I’ll buy you something delicious.”
After all, he had stepped forward for her sake.
“No need. Noodles are enough.”
“Understood. I’ll boil some right away.”
“One more bowl for me too!”
“Yes!”
As Ian ran off to the kitchen, Chwima lightly climbed up onto the roof of the carriage.
“You worked hard, hyung.”
“What do you mean, worked hard?”
“But why were they abducting people?”
“They were looking for someone with the Extreme Cold Physique.”
“Extreme Cold Physique?”
Among the many constitutions a person could possess, the Extreme Cold Physique was an exceedingly rare one.
“The moment he tried to answer who had given him the order, his head burst and he died. It was an extremely powerful restriction.”
The instant he heard that, Geom Mugeuk thought of an organization he had known before his regression.
The Blood Death Alliance.
Bound together by blood, they did not fear death. For the sake of the organization, they threw away their lives without hesitation.
Everyone feared the Blood Death Alliance.
But later, the truth had been revealed. They had not sacrificed their lives out of sincere loyalty. They had been placed under a powerful restriction that caused their bodies to burst apart if they betrayed the alliance.
The one who led that Blood Death Alliance.
Among the Twelve Zodiac Kings, the Ninth King.
The Blood King.
One of the Twelve Zodiac Kings had appeared once again.
Just because a king ranked lower did not necessarily mean he was weaker than those above him.
The one among the Twelve Zodiac Kings who best fit that saying was none other than the Blood King. It was said that he had made himself the Ninth King because he liked the number nine.
The Blood King was a formidable figure. First of all, he commanded countless subordinates, and those subordinates did not fear death. They could not betray him, and they did not hesitate to use self-destructive arts.
Because of that, it was unknown what martial arts the Blood King himself used, or how strong he truly was. All history related to the Blood King was the history of his subordinates, and the history of their blood.
‘That Blood King is searching for the Extreme Cold Physique? Why?’
Geom Mugeuk looked around at the snow-covered surroundings.
‘How much blood will have to be spilled upon this pure white snow?’
Ian, who had brought the noodles, saw the grave look on Geom Mugeuk’s face.
From that expression, she could tell. This matter with the Ice Palace would be anything but easy. Her heart began to boil with fighting spirit.
Just then, her eyes met Geom Mugeuk’s.
“I’ll just work hard boiling noodles.”
At her playful words, Geom Mugeuk smiled faintly.
Then Chwima suddenly spoke.
“Don’t worry.”
When Geom Mugeuk turned to look, Chwima was lying at an angle, gazing up at the sky as if he were drinking at Chwimongru.
His posture was loose, but the gaze visible between the strands of hair that had fallen over his face was deeper and more intense than ever.
“This hyung will take care of everything.”