Chapter 398: The One Who Opens Their Heart to No One
Chapter 398: The One Who Opens Their Heart to No One
Geom Mu-geuk leaned in to examine the cross-section of the severed stone lantern.
Up close, the cut wasn't quite as smooth as he had anticipated. Yet, a faint smile played on his lips.
‘The Flying Heaven Sword Technique is on the verge of surpassing the Nine-Star stage.’
She was entering that final, turbulent period of chaos that often preceded reaching Great Achievement. It was a natural phenomenon for those who mastered a martial art too quickly. In this state, if one failed to break through to Great Achievement, their skills would often regress. It was one of the many ways martial arts tested a warrior’s resolve.
But Geom Mu-geuk believed in Lee An. He knew better than anyone how much blood, sweat, and tears she had poured into her craft. Her efforts would never betray her.
Next, he turned his attention to the bloodstains on the ground.
‘Lee An was angry.’
She had mercilessly cut down those who attacked her. Given her personality, she wouldn't have engaged in unnecessary slaughter; these men must have truly deserved to die.
As he surveyed the area, Geom Mu-geuk began to visualize the battle that had unfolded, reconstructing the scene from the lingering traces and bloodstains. This was a feat only possible because his own realm was so high and because he understood Lee An’s swordsmanship better than anyone.
In his mind’s eye, he saw the enemies lunging at her from all sides, intent on murder. He saw Lee An drawing her sword in a flash, striking them down with lethal precision. The imaginary blood sprayed by the falling enemies lined up perfectly with the actual stains on the stone.
Geom Mu-geuk began to move, tracing Lee An’s exact footsteps.
“She cut two down here, then stabbed the one rushing from this side. She spun back, parried an attack, and pierced a heart.”
When he turned his head, he could see the phantom figures of those who had tried to throw hidden weapons.
As she unleashed her sword qi, the would-be throwers had collapsed, and the trees and stone lanterns behind them were sliced apart. The stone lantern in Geom Mu-geuk’s imagination merged perfectly with the one currently lying in pieces on the ground.
The Great Drunken Demon watched in awe as Geom Mu-geuk explained the sequence. He could guess the general flow of the fight himself, but to reconstruct it with such terrifying precision?
Geom Mu-geuk slowly entered the building.
The interior was empty, but it, too, bore the scars of battle. Bloodstains were scattered across the hallway floor. Finally reaching the main hall, Geom Mu-geuk stopped.
“The final struggle happened here. She cut down the two blocking her path. She deflected a hidden weapon thrown from behind that pillar to take out the man standing over here.”
Geom Mu-geuk walked slowly toward the inner sanctum.
“And here, she faced the leader.”
He quietly inspected the area around the chair.
“She didn't kill him. The fact that she spared him means she intended to extract information. In other words, the man here wasn't her final target. There’s likely a problem with one of the major sects in the North Sea. We need to find it.”
Though his words implied the situation had grown more complicated, Geom Mu-geuk didn't seem particularly worried.
“Aren't you concerned?” the Great Drunken Demon asked.
“About who? Lee An? Or her opponent?”
After that bit of banter, Geom Mu-geuk revealed his true thoughts.
“I would be worried if she had stumbled into something without a plan. If there were no clear traces here, I’d be even more concerned. But right now, I can feel a clear sense of purpose. Lee An is moving with intent.”
The Great Drunken Demon shook his head, his expression going beyond admiration—it was a look of total defeat. Geom Mu-geuk was truly extraordinary.
And it wasn't just today. He had witnessed this brilliance several times throughout their journey, making his time with Geom Mu-geuk incredibly interesting. Perhaps that was why he felt a strange sense of stability.
He used to feel this same stability when they drank together at the Drunken Dream Pavilion, but after leaving the Cult this time, he realized exactly what that feeling was.
Normally, he should have been a tense Demon Lord responsible for the Young Cult Leader’s safety. Instead, he felt like he was the one being protected. It felt like a comfortable trip with a close younger brother. Indeed, Geom Mu-geuk had a way of turning a perilous journey through the Jianghu into a mere excursion.
Following Geom Mu-geuk as he strode out, the Great Drunken Demon called out loudly.
“You were there that day, weren't you? You saw it all, and now you're just showing off!”
*
When Ju Gyu, the Black Fan Guild Master, regained consciousness, he found himself in a dark, warehouse-like space. His demonic acupoints had been sealed, leaving him unable to move a muscle. Fortunately, his mute acupoint was open, so he could still speak.
‘Why am I...?’
Then, the memories came rushing back.
‘Ah! I... I was kidnapped!’
He couldn't believe he had been abducted. A woman wearing a bamboo hat had stormed into his manor, cut down his subordinates in an instant, and subdued him effortlessly.
Because she wore a bamboo hat and a veil, he hadn't seen her face. Even if she hadn't been covered, she moved so fast that he doubted he would have caught a glimpse of her features anyway.
If her goal wasn't to kill him, she should have asked him something. Instead, the woman had subdued him without a word and tossed him here like a sack of grain.
‘What is this about?’
He had committed so many atrocities in his life that he couldn't even guess who might hold such a grudge. The only important thing was that he was still alive.
‘You shouldn't have left me alive. I’ll make sure you realize who you dared to touch.’
He had reliable backers. In particular, he was currently working on an important project with one specific group. Once they realized his manor had been attacked, they would dispatch masters to find him.
The North Blood Sect.
The North Blood Sect was one of the Three Major Powers of the North Sea. Among them, the North Sea Ice Palace boasted unrivaled power, while the remaining two—the North Blood Sect and the Ice Sword Sect—were rivals of equal standing.
The three powers were both friends and foes, vying for hegemony internally but joining forces as allies whenever pressure came from the Central Plains.
The North Blood Sect, in particular, was a gathering of warriors with cruel and ferocious temperaments—a place even the North Sea Ice Palace didn't provoke lightly.
The person Ju Gyu had partnered with was none other than Yang Jung, the second son of the North Blood Sect Leader.
‘Your head will roll before you even get close to touching Yang Jung.’
He believed Yang Jung would soon come to rescue him. To Yang Jung, he was an indispensable business partner. As the second son, Yang Jung needed this project to succeed if he hoped to secure his position as the successor of the North Blood Sect.
It was then.
“Ugh...”
A groan came from beside him. Startled, he turned his head to see someone sitting in a chair a short distance away. Because it was dark and he couldn't use his internal energy—and because he had been so focused on his own capture—he hadn't realized someone else was there.
Ju Gyu studied the figure intently. As his eyes adjusted, the outline of the person's face became visible.
“Gasp!”
Upon identifying the person, Ju Gyu let out a sharp cry.
“Young Master Yang!”
To his shock, it was Yang Jung. It would have been wonderful if he had come to rescue him, but he, too, was bound and defeated.
How can you be a prisoner here when you're supposed to be saving me?
“Wake up! Young Master Yang!”
After he shouted several times, Yang Jung finally stirred from his stupor.
“Ju Gyu! How dare you!”
He immediately misunderstood, thinking Ju Gyu had betrayed and kidnapped him. Having just regained consciousness in the dark, he had only recognized Ju Gyu’s voice.
“Do not misunderstand! I have been captured as well!” Ju Gyu shouted to avoid any unnecessary conflict.
In the face of a distrustful silence, Ju Gyu spoke quickly.
“Wasn't the person who kidnapped you a woman in a bamboo hat?”
At the mention of the woman, Yang Jung recalled his captor.
It was true. It had been a woman in a bamboo hat. She had subdued his escort warriors in the blink of an eye; she moved so fast he couldn't even tell what technique she had used. He hadn't seen her face clearly either.
“Then you as well...?”
“My manor was wiped out.”
Yang Jung didn't just guess who was responsible; he was certain.
“It’s my brother. It has to be his doing.”
No one in the North Sea would dare touch him. At most, it would be the North Sea Ice Palace or the Ice Sword Sect.
If it were the North Sea Ice Palace, they wouldn't need to kidnap him like this to get what they wanted. They only had to say the word for him to come to the Palace, and he would have to obey. Above all, kidnapping wasn't their style.
The possibility of it being the Ice Sword Sect was also slim. They were allies who kept the Ice Palace in check alongside the North Blood Sect. Their relationship was like that of teeth and lips; they both knew well that if the lips were gone, the teeth would get cold.
However, Ju Gyu seemed skeptical that the First Young Master of the North Blood Sect was behind this.
“He must know that if he kidnaps you, he’ll be the immediate suspect. I don't think he would do something so reckless. Besides, I’ve never heard of such a female master serving under the First Young Master.”
“Then who on earth could it be?”
After a moment of thought, Ju Gyu lowered his voice and spoke secretly.
“Isn't there that project you and I are working on?”
Yang Jung’s expression hardened. There was indeed a project he was pursuing with Ju Gyu. If they had been captured together, it occurred to him that it might be because of that.
“Whoever it is, we’ll be released soon. My sect will have realized I’m missing and started a search. Besides, we have Hwang Chu.”
Ju Gyu also knew of Hwang Chu. He was Yang Jung’s right-hand man and a master of tracking. Not only was he an expert tracker, but his martial arts were also formidable; whenever trouble arose, Hwang Chu was the one who resolved it.
“Indeed, Great Hero Hwang is reliable.”
“So do not worry. They will realize that leaving us alive was a grave mistake. Once I get out of here, I’m going to strip that bitch’s bones while she’s still alive.”
Just then, a groan of someone waking up came from behind them.
Startled by the fact that there was yet another person, the two turned around. It felt as if someone were hiding in the darkness, waking them up one by one at the most opportune moments.
Overwhelmed by a sense of dread, Ju Gyu pleaded internally.
‘Surely not? It can't be! Please!’
The two were now accustomed to the darkness. Their shock immediately turned into a lament.
Leaning against the back corner wall, his demonic acupoints sealed, was Hwang Chu.
Seeing him captured here meant he must have been looking for them. The problem, however, was obvious.
If you're here, then who is left to find us?
*
Geom Mu-geuk and the Great Drunken Demon were sitting in a tavern in a bustling North Sea village. They had moved here from the first village, anticipating that the next event would occur in this region where the major sects were based.
Sure enough, the news they wanted was already the talk of the town.
“I heard the Second Young Master of the North Blood Sect has gone missing.”
“I heard as well. It seems the North Blood Sect is in an absolute uproar over it.”
Geom Mu-geuk and the Great Drunken Demon listened to the chatter from a short distance away.
The Great Drunken Demon poured a drink for Geom Mu-geuk and said, “Taking on the North Blood Sect alone... She really has nerves of steel.”
“Lee An takes after me; she’s fearless.”
“What could be happening for her to kidnap a blood relative of the North Blood Sect Leader?”
“Maybe she wanted to make her first journey through the Jianghu a memorable one.”
The Great Drunken Demon sipped his wine and asked with interest, “So? Are you just going to watch?”
Now that she had touched a relative of the North Blood Sect Leader, they wouldn't let this slide. Given the number of their masters and their overall scale, they were not an opponent to be taken lightly.
“For now.”
He intended to wait and see how she handled it. He knew better than anyone how important this experience was for her growth.
Lee An, how will you resolve this?
Just then, the people on the street began to stir.
“It’s the masters of the Ice Palace!”
Looking outside, they saw warriors dressed in white robes walking toward them in the distance.
The North Sea Ice Palace.
They were considered the foremost among the mysterious powers of the Murim. They belonged to neither the Orthodox, Unorthodox, nor Demonic paths, following their own independent course. The fact that they had never fallen throughout their long history was proof of their strength.
The aura emitted by the Ice Palace warriors was clear yet cold.
In particular, the young woman leading them was the epitome of cold beauty. Geom Mu-geuk knew exactly who she was.
Han Seol, the only daughter of the North Sea Ice Palace Master.
She was said to have inherited the cold-hearted nature of the current Palace Master. It was known that she had never opened her heart to anyone in her life. Rumor had it that she trusted no one in the world, not even her own parents. All the rumors surrounding her were sharp and frigid.
Following her were about a dozen masters. Every one of them was an Ice Palace expert radiating a formidable presence.
Drawing everyone's gaze, they came to a halt in front of the tavern.
They had been heading for this tavern from the start. After leaving her subordinates to wait outside, Han Seol entered alone.
As she stepped inside, the customers bowed their heads, not even daring to breathe loudly. With every step she took, a chilling air seemed to settle over the room.
Han Seol stopped directly in front of Geom Mu-geuk. Whether her temperament matched the rumors was unknown, but one thing was certain: if there was a phrase for "cold charm," it was surely meant for her.
Han Seol stared at Geom Mu-geuk with clear, icy eyes and spoke, her words serving as her first greeting.
“Young Cult Leader, would you care for a glass of ice wine with me?”