“We’ve met three times?”
Han Seol had no memory of seeing Yang Seok, the eldest son of the Northern Blood Sect, three whole times. She only remembered meeting him once before.
“Today makes the fourth.”
“I’m sorry. My memory is lacking.”
“Not at all. You’re an extremely busy person, so it’s only natural.”
Though his pride was wounded inwardly, Yang Seok acted magnanimous, pretending to be broad-minded.
He liked Han Seol. And was he the only one? Among the young men living in the North Sea, who did not like her?
To win a beauty and, at the same time, gain the finest family of the North Sea Ice Palace.
But she was an ice-cold beauty. He had never heard of her giving her heart to anyone.
“But what brings you here today?”
First, Han Seol expressed her condolences.
“I heard about your younger brother. You must be deeply grieved.”
“My heart is not at ease, but I am managing to overcome it.”
Yang Seok was inwardly puzzled.
‘There’s no way this frosty Young Palace Mistress came here because of my brother.’
That was why Yang Seok had a guess as to her reason.
“I heard you’ve been investigating the death of the demonic practitioners and the Lord of Baekju Snowfield. Is it going well?”
“I’ve been looking into various things, but it isn’t easy.”
On her way here, she had considered many things. How should she approach Yang Seok without making him suspicious? So she had decided to make it seem as though she had come as part of that investigation, and thankfully, the other party asked first.
“Do you perhaps know anything about that incident?”
“I’d like to help, but I know nothing.”
Han Seol let out a light sigh and asked,
“Do you know that demonic practitioners are staying at our palace?”
“How could I not? My younger brother died because of them.”
Of course, if he were to speak the truth, it would have to be like this: Thanks to those demonic practitioners, I was able to kill my younger brother, who had been a thorn in my eye.
“The Young Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult is committing every sort of tyranny. He’s pressuring us to quickly present evidence regarding this incident as well.”
Yang Seok could clearly understand why Han Seol had come to find him.
‘This is actually an opportunity.’
She had never so much as glanced his way, no matter how much he had wanted to grow close to her.
“If there is anything I can do to help, I will do anything.”
While Yang Seok was thus trying hard to make a good impression on Han Seol, Chan was standing guard outside the reception hall where the two were.
Ha Gyeol walked toward him.
Chan looked at him indifferently, but in truth, he was observing Ha Gyeol closely. Given the nature of his profession, he had met countless guards until now.
When he first saw Ha Gyeol, Ha Gyeol possessed every one of the peculiar traits unique to guards.
Footsteps that stayed alert in every direction, eyes that swiftly scanned his surroundings, a tenacity that, when assessing an opponent, even tried to identify concealed hidden weapons, and even bloodshot eyes that revealed chronic fatigue. He was, in every sense, the very embodiment of a bodyguard warrior.
‘And yet he left his post?’
He had come all the way here with Yang Seok, but when Yang Seok entered the reception hall, he briefly left his position.
No matter how much this place was within the Northern Blood Sect, the fact that someone guarding none other than the heir had left his post was truly unexpected.
What was he going to do if an accident occurred in the meantime? What if a sudden fight broke out with the Young Palace Mistress?
Of course, it was something that would not happen, but the sort of person who worried about what others did not was precisely a bodyguard warrior.
Because he appeared to be a perfect guard on the surface, that action felt even more incongruous.
Chan felt like asking what could possibly have been more important than protecting the heir. Of course, Chan could not know. He could not know that Ha Gyeol had retraced the path he had taken and turned the maidservant’s blood into his own.
Just then, Ha Gyeol glanced up at the roof of the building.
“What is it?”
“Nothing.”
He had definitely sensed something.
Chan also examined the surroundings, but there was no one there. Even when he drew up his qi and searched more actively, he could feel no presence nearby.
‘He definitely seemed to have sensed something.’
If he had sensed something Chan had not? That meant he was more skilled than Chan.
Then, if he had sensed something just now, he should have informed Chan. Was this side merely a guest? Was she not the Young Palace Mistress of the Ice Palace?
It grated on his nerves in various ways, but Chan did not show it outwardly.
Meanwhile, the conversation inside the reception hall was in full swing. Of course, the one mostly speaking was Yang Seok, and the one listening was Han Seol.
Until she had arrived here, Han Seol had worried about whether she could act this well. But once she actually tried it, it was not as difficult as she had thought. She even wondered whether she might have a talent for deceiving others.
“There is one thing I’m curious about.”
“What is it?”
“Why did your younger brother become entangled with the Demonic Cult?”
For a moment, Yang Seok’s expression flinched, but he soon spoke calmly.
“As the Young Palace Mistress also knows, those Demonic Cult bastards are like a pack of wolves trying to latch on to anything and tear off a share.”
Exactly. She, too, had thought all demonic practitioners were like that.
“That’s true. On top of that, the ones who came this time are truly strange people.”
To him, it might have sounded like an insult, but the words contained praise.
Although she knew Yang Seok had not spoken honestly, Han Seol arranged for the next step with him.
“Will you meet the Young Cult Leader with me next time?”
The reason she made such a choice was entirely because of Ian.
When they had handled matters before, at the moment of decision, Ian had said they had done all they could and that they should leave the rest to Geom Mugeuk. And the result had been astonishingly good. This matter was in the same vein. Nor was he someone she wanted to continue meeting alone.
Yang Seok interpreted her proposal this way: she wanted him to lend her some strength in dealing with the Young Cult Leader.
“Very well. The sects of the North Sea should join forces.”
“Thank you. Then I’ll take my leave for today.”
Yang Seok regretted parting with her.
To think a day would come when he would have such a pleasant atmosphere with the Young Palace Mistress of the North Sea Ice Palace. Thanks to those Demonic Cult bastards, he had dealt with his younger brother, and he indulged in the pleasant fantasy that perhaps he might even gain a wife.
Han Seol left the place with Chan in tow. As they went, Chan glanced at Ha Gyeol. He was a perfect guard even now, and yet something about him kept feeling out of place.
After the two of them left, Yang Seok said to Ha Gyeol,
“She’s a cold woman, but she has charm.”
“If you put your tongue on ice, it does not come off easily.”
Yang Seok looked at Ha Gyeol coldly.
He neither trusted nor liked him. Ha Gyeol was a guard his father had assigned to him in order to monitor him.
Once in a while, when he looked at Ha Gyeol, he felt displeased. Ha Gyeol always maintained a respectful attitude, and yet there were strangely moments when he provoked him. This was one of those moments. Insolent bastard, who are you to tell me to be careful or not? You should watch your own tongue. Before I cut it off.
Just then, a warrior came running and said to Yang Seok,
“The Sect Master is looking for you.”
* * *
“If things go well, I think we may be able to draw in the Young Palace Mistress.”
Yang Seok reported to the Northern Blood Sect Master about what had happened with Han Seol.
“The Young Palace Mistress came to find out something through you.”
“I suspect as much as well. I will use her in reverse and uncover information from their side.”
The Northern Blood Sect Master nodded.
“Always be cautious.”
“I will keep that in mind.”
After making his report, he was about to withdraw when the Northern Blood Sect Master kept Ha Gyeol behind.
“You stay for a moment.”
Yang Seok went outside first. He hated moments like this. When his father had heard his report in full, yet still intended to confirm it once more through that bastard.
He would likely receive some report from him regarding Han Seol. At any rate, his father was full of suspicion.
‘Trust your son a little!’
But reality flowed in a completely different direction from what he imagined.
Once his son left, the Northern Blood Sect Master opened a secret door at the back of the main hall and brought Ha Gyeol inside. There was a space there meant only for the two of them.
Within that space was a small hall. It was a bizarre and eerie place, decorated entirely in red on all sides. Also, a thick smell of blood hung there.
As soon as they entered the hall, the relationship between the two was reversed.
Ha Gyeol’s aura was different from when he had been outside. From his eyes and body, a blood-red energy faintly flowed. It was an energy that made one feel afraid just by being in the same space.
“You still haven’t found one?”
At Ha Gyeol’s question, the Northern Blood Sect Master answered respectfully.
“No. I received word just a little while ago. They have finally found someone with the Extreme Cold Physique and are escorting them here.”
It was news he had truly been waiting for, so Ha Gyeol’s expression brightened radiantly.
“How long will it take?”
“They will arrive in three days.”
“Three days!”
It was the first time the Northern Blood Sect Master had seen Ha Gyeol look so delighted. That was how important finding the Extreme Cold Physique was to him.
“Now that we have found the Extreme Cold Physique, please keep your promise.”
In that instant, red energy burst from Ha Gyeol’s eyes.
“Ugh! Stop!”
The Northern Blood Sect Master let out a scream filled with fear. Red circles had formed on both sides of his forehead and were swelling as if they would burst.
“Please spare me!”
The Northern Blood Sect Master pleaded desperately. If they swelled just a little more, the blood vessels in his head would burst, and he would die.
The precarious moment, as though they might burst at any second, continued, and at last, the red energy faded from Ha Gyeol’s eyes. Then the swollen skin of the Northern Blood Sect Master also subsided.
“The promise will be kept when you bring the Extreme Cold Physique before me.”
“Understood.”
The Northern Blood Sect Master was inwardly anxious. When Ha Gyeol obtained what he wanted, would he truly keep his promise obediently?
What he had suffered at Ha Gyeol’s hands was because of greed. Greed had created an opening, and that opening had allowed something vile into his blood.
Yes, ruin always came from greed. But it was also because of greed that he had come this far.
The Northern Blood Sect Master considered even this part of the process. Just as he had until now, he would certainly survive.
Ha Gyeol spoke calmly.
“Until then, we must ensure those Demonic Cult bastards cannot move.”
“Do not worry. Have the Demonic Cult bastards not been tied down under the Ice Palace’s surveillance because of this matter with Chwima?”
Then astonishing words flowed from Ha Gyeol’s mouth.
“The Young Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult came and went from this place today. It was an extremely faint sensation, but if someone could avoid my eyes to that extent, it must have been him.”
The Northern Blood Sect Master quickly said,
“I will contact Elder Seo at once. Perhaps the fact that he left without permission this time may become an opportunity. After all, the time we need is only three days.”
After bowing respectfully, the Northern Blood Sect Master quickly left the place.
In his eyes as he turned away was a fierce will that would not meekly submit to fate. Whether he lived or died would be decided in three days.
No, this would express his heart more accurately: who would die, and who would live?
Meanwhile, left alone, Ha Gyeol manipulated the rear wall. He pressed certain spots, pulled others, and pressed again. When he carefully operated the mechanism.
Srrrrng.
Then the door opened, revealing another space.
A hidden chamber within a hidden chamber.
There was an enormous tank there. It was a special tank made of ice that could only be created in the North Sea, transparent enough to see inside.
The tank was filled with blood. Mixed into that blood were all sorts of medicinal substances.
A bizarre smell that an ordinary person would never have encountered even once burst forth.
That smell was one only Chwima would likely know. He would know that mixed into this scent was even the wine fragrance of Hyangseol Ice Wine.
A man was submerged inside that tank.
Since it was blood, normally nothing should have been visible, and yet, strangely, his body could be seen clearly. It was a truly mysterious sight.
He had long limbs and fantastical muscles, a perfect body as though carved by a master artisan. What especially drew the eye was the man’s hair. His hair was red as blood.
His body, meeting the blood, created a mysterious atmosphere that could not be seen anywhere else in the world.
Ha Gyeol said to the man in the tank,
“Master, we have finally obtained the Extreme Cold Physique.”
Then the red-haired man within the blood abruptly opened his eyes.
The man who opened his eyes revealed an immense presence. It was a presence that overwhelmed Ha Gyeol.
Though he looked young, he was by no means young. The man within this tank was none other than the Blood King.
Ha Gyeol was the sole direct disciple who had inherited the Blood King’s martial arts.
The Blood King laughed. As he rejoiced, the blood also began to boil up with bubbles of blood as if rejoicing along with him.
But there was also unwelcome news.
“The order to return has come down again.”
Then the Blood King spoke. Though he spoke from within the blood, his words could be heard clearly, low yet deeply resonant.
“We will not return. Even if we must dye the entire North Sea in blood.”
* * *
Seo Nak barged into Geom Mugeuk’s quarters with the Ice Palace warriors in tow.
Ian blocked the doorway.
“What is the matter?”
“Where is the Young Cult Leader?”
“He is sleeping right now.”
A sneer crossed Seo Nak’s face.
“I received a report that the Young Cult Leader left his quarters.”
Ian’s heart sank. If it was discovered that he had left his quarters without permission, it would become a serious problem.
“It seems the news was conveyed incorrectly. He is sleeping right now.”
When he tried to close the door, Seo Nak extended a hand and stopped it.
Ian had no intention of stepping aside, but Seo Nak had come determined from the start.
“Step aside. If you obstruct me from confirming an order given by the Palace Lord, that too will be defying the Palace Lord’s command.”
Seo Nak pushed his way inside with the experts. Since Ian could not fight Seo Nak, he had no choice but to step back.
Seo Nak looked at the blanket bulging on the bed.
“See? The Young Cult Leader is sleeping. So everyone, please leave.”
Ian lowered his voice and acted diligently, but it did not work on Seo Nak.
“I don’t see the wooden pillow.”
He meant that a pillow had been placed inside to create the bulge. He looked like a man who had already come certain that Geom Mugeuk was not here.
“You lift the blanket yourself.”
Seo Nak ordered Ian.
Ian looked back at Chwima. Chwima was merely gazing out the window with a carefree expression.
‘This is not the time for that!’
Then again, in this situation, there was no way he would have any clever solution either.
“Hurry! Do you dare insolently defy the Palace Lord’s command?”
Ian had no choice but to walk to the bed.
Whirik.
Resigned to despair, Ian pulled back the blanket.
“!”
In the next moment, everyone there froze.
Geom Mugeuk was lying there, hugging the wooden pillow.
“Are you trying to take even my blanket from me in this freezing North Sea? Even after seeing me sleep while hugging a wooden pillow?”
Seo Nak was so shocked that his face flushed red, and he even stammered.
“Wh-what in the world? Why are you—?”
Everyone was startled, but the person most startled in that moment was Ian. It was fortunate he did not scream.
‘Young Master, why are you coming out from there?’