Chapter 407: If You Prepare, I Shall Prepare as Well.
Chapter 407: If You Prepare, I Shall Prepare as Well.
I sat in the tea house, sipping tea while watching the world pass by.
Locals navigated the snow-covered paths with practiced ease, their footing sure despite the ice. Much like those who lived beneath the relentless sandstorms of the Outer Lands, the people of the North Sea lived in perfect harmony with the snow.
The person I was meant to meet was someone I was seeing for the first time today. Consequently, I had no way of knowing which passerby would suddenly step into the tea house and take the seat across from me.
I had pulled my bamboo hat low, shielding my face from public view. It wasn't to hide myself, but rather for the sake of the man I was meeting. For him, secrecy was life itself.
How long had I been waiting?
A middle-aged man sat down across from me as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"Oof, it’s freezing."
The man had a genial, ordinary appearance. He was the North Sea Branch Manager of Eun-wol.
The combined intelligence networks of Tongcheon Pavilion and Eun-wol were currently focused on the North Blood Sect and the North Sea Ice Palace. Eun-wol had reached out, stating they had an urgent report. While the message could have been delivered via Thousand-Li Voice Transmission, I had wanted to meet the manager in person.
"Have a cup of warm tea first. You’ve worked hard."
I poured tea into his cup. Even if I couldn't offer a hardworking subordinate alcohol, I wanted to at least provide a warm drink.
Liquor would have been better, but the reason I chose a tea house instead of an inn was because of the Drunken Demon. I had told Han Seol we would drink together next time, and I intended to abstain from alcohol until the Drunken Demon himself could drink again.
While I poured the tea, the man quickly sent a Voice Transmission.
— Yang Jung, the second young master of the North Blood Sect, is dead.
It was unexpected news. I had anticipated that Yang Jung would be removed from the line of succession due to recent events, but...
Dead? I recalled the polite demeanor of the North Blood Sect Leader when he had invited me.
‘He’s a far more cold-blooded man than he appeared.’
What exactly was he plotting that required him to go as far as killing his own child?
He could fabricate any number of reasons for the death. Since it was the death of the Sect Leader's son, no one would dare step forward to investigate the cause.
However, this report allowed me to surmise one fact with certainty.
The North Blood Sect was connected to the Blood King.
If they weren't, they wouldn't have handled this matter so hastily, even at the cost of a son's life.
— From now on, focus your attention on the movements of the North Blood Sect's eldest son.
— I will notify you as soon as any unusual movements are detected.
— Thank you.
The man was the first to leave.
I lingered for a moment to finish my tea before stepping out of the tea house. As I opened the door and walked out, a thought suddenly occurred to me.
The name "North Blood Sect" seemed fated. A gate—a mun—that would lead me to the Blood King.
Ah, Blood King. Do you know? The north gate is the gateway to the underworld.
*
When Geom Mu-geuk returned, the Drunken Demon shared some welcome news.
"I found out why they killed that woman."
He hadn't told Lee An or Han Seol yet, wanting to wait until Mu-geuk returned so he could speak in front of everyone.
"I knew our Demon Lord would figure it out."
In front of Han Seol, Mu-geuk addressed the Drunken Demon as "Demon Lord" rather than "Brother."
Once everyone was gathered, the Drunken Demon revealed how he had uncovered the truth.
"First, working on the hunch that it was definitely related to alcohol, I examined the letters she had recently exchanged. Most of their conversations were about liquor."
Since these were letters the Institute Head had collected, the ones he read were naturally the ones he had sent. That was why finding a clue had been so difficult.
"Then, I discovered this passage."
The Drunken Demon showed them a line.
— I, too, wish to taste the Fragrant Snow Ice Wine.
Fragrant Snow Ice Wine was a liquor neither Geom Mu-geuk nor Lee An had heard of. Han Seol, however, knew it well.
"Fragrant Snow Ice Wine isn't just an ordinary liquor; it's a wine with a special effect."
"What kind of effect?"
"It helps one endure the cold. Normally, drinking alcohol warms the body so you feel the chill less, but the effect of this Fragrant Snow Ice Wine is extraordinary."
The Drunken Demon was also well aware of its properties. And the moment he saw the name "Fragrant Snow Ice Wine," one fact had sprung to mind.
"The constitution those bastards were looking for this time was the Extreme Cold Body, wasn't it?"
The Extreme Cold Body and Fragrant Snow Ice Wine. Both shared the commonality of enduring extreme cold.
"Isn't it a bit too coincidental?"
Mu-geuk and Lee An nodded.
Then, Han Seol raised a question. "Is that enough of a reason to say the Institute Head was killed? It seems a bit lacking."
"You're right. It is."
Readily admitting her point, the Drunken Demon added another decisive reason.
"As far as I know, Fragrant Snow Ice Wine is a liquor that can only be produced with the permission of the Ice Palace."
"That's correct," Han Seol confirmed. "Any liquor with special medicinal properties requires the Palace's authorization."
"However, when I checked the records of past liquor production at the White Liquor Snowy Plains earlier, there was no mention of Fragrant Snow Ice Wine."
"There wasn't? That shouldn't be possible."
If that was the case, it was certainly suspicious.
"She must have brewed it secretly for someone," Mu-geuk deduced.
The Drunken Demon agreed. "The fact that she told me about it means she never imagined the wine would be used for something evil. It was likely a request from someone she knew well. Someone she trusted."
It was a deduction he could make because he knew her so well.
"Did she mention who asked her to make it?"
The Drunken Demon shook his head, looking regretful. "She didn't go that far. She only said that brewing Fragrant Snow Ice Wine for the first time was a wonderful experience, and I replied that I wanted to try it."
"To find the answer from just that one passage... you are truly impressive."
Mu-geuk praised the Drunken Demon. It wasn't just empty flattery; he meant it. The Drunken Demon was certainly more intelligent than he had initially appeared.
"It seems my mind sharpens when I'm sober!"
Smiling at the Drunken Demon's joke, Mu-geuk turned to Han Seol. Han Seol knew exactly what he wanted.
"I'll look into it—who asked for the Fragrant Snow Ice Wine."
She gave her answer, but a doubt lingered in her mind. Could she really find out? If it had been brewed without the Palace's permission, the process would have been thoroughly hidden. Perhaps he read her mind.
"Move together with Lee An."
Han Seol rejected Mu-geuk's suggestion. "It's more comfortable for me to investigate alone."
Sharing a room was already burdensome enough. Now he wanted them to wander around together during the day? She didn't like the idea.
"I am aware."
"Then why are you insisting on this?"
"Because I am concerned for your safety."
This reason was unexpected, not just for Han Seol, but for Lee An and the Drunken Demon as well.
"Are you worrying about my safety, the Young Palace Master, here in the Ice Palace?"
In response, Mu-geuk shared the news he had just learned. "Yang Jung is dead."
The most shocked person was Lee An. "He's dead? Why?"
"I suppose he was just another tail to be cut off by the North Blood Sect Leader."
That single sentence said everything.
He was a man who deserved to die anyway, having lured so many people only to kill them in experiments. However, the fact that his own father had killed him was startling.
Han Seol was also surprised, but her shock didn't stem from Yang Jung's death. It was because Mu-geuk knew of the death before she did.
‘His intelligence network is better than ours? And not somewhere else, but here in the North Sea? Does Mother know about this?’
Mu-geuk warned Han Seol, who was momentarily lost in thought.
"You must never let your guard down. The fact that a child of the North Blood Sect met his end within the sect itself—that is the essence of this fight."
To put it more broadly, it meant this was a battle where even the Ice Palace Master's own flesh and blood could die within the Ice Palace.
"So, move with Lee An."
In the gaze Mu-geuk fixed upon her, Han Seol felt an undeniable authority. It wasn't a high-handed attitude. It was a compulsion born from a sincere desire for her well-being.
"Fine."
Han Seol didn't refuse any further. She, too, was feeling this kind of tension for the first time in her life as the daughter of the Ice Palace Master.
Mu-geuk looked at Lee An. There was no need for words, Voice Transmissions, or even a nod. She would do her job well on her own. A single exchange of glances was enough.
Once the two women left the room, only Mu-geuk and the Drunken Demon remained.
"They are looking for a way to endure extreme cold. Why? Are they trying to learn some Evil Art we don't know about? Or are they plotting something related to the North Sea Ice Palace?"
At the Drunken Demon's question, Mu-geuk stood up.
"There's somewhere I need to go. Brother, please secretly watch over Lee An and the Young Palace Master."
"Where are you going all of a sudden?"
Mu-geuk replied with a cryptic smile. "I'm going to prepare for the cold as well."
"What does that mean?"
Leaving the curious Drunken Demon behind, Mu-geuk stepped out of the room.
"Answer me before you go! Hey! I told you I'm sensitive because I'm not drinking!"
*
Even if I wanted to answer, it was something I could never tell him. I was going to handle a matter related to my life before the regression.
Using Rapid Speed Step, I arrived at the snowy mountains in an instant.
Of all the vast snowy peaks, I headed for the place where the coldest and most ferocious winds blew: the Great Wind Valley. It was said that the strongest winds in the world howled here.
Whirrrrrrrrrrr.
A terrifyingly powerful wind shrieked through the gorge. It was a valley of wind known to be impassable even for martial arts masters. It was a place where the wind could tear human flesh and bone asunder. To make matters worse, the wind whipped the snow into a frenzy, obscuring all vision.
The people of the North Sea called the wind here the Mad Killing Wind. It was, quite literally, a mad wind and a wind of death. It was so cold and piercing that even if one circulated internal energy to protect their body, passing through the valley was no easy feat. It was truly a wonder created by nature.
After hearing the deduction that the enemy was looking for a way to prepare for the cold, I realized that the time had finally come for me to visit this place.
Before my regression, when I was wandering in search of materials for the Great Regression Art, I had traveled everywhere. When I encountered places like this, I would push myself even harder to enter.
I had even come here back then.
Sigh, I really don't have the heart to live that life again.
Whirrrrrrr.
I continued to walk into the valley, pushing through the gale.
The further I went, the stronger the wind became. It blew so fiercely it felt as if it would shred even my Body Protection Qi. I had to use my internal strength just to keep from being blown away, making the trek inward incredibly difficult.
‘It was around here.’
As I moved along, I stepped into a crevice in the right wall. It was a space where one could hide for a brief moment to escape the wind outside.
My past self had hidden here just like this. It must have been fate—discovering that there was a passage leading elsewhere at the very end of this crevice. It was a time when I used to scour every nook and cranny.
In a spot that was impossible to discern with the naked eye, there was another gap. It was a narrow crevice hidden behind thick, tangled vines. It didn't look like a place anyone would want to enter. The thought that one could easily get stuck and die while trying to squeeze through came naturally.
I went inside. I continued through the space, which was barely wide enough for a single person to pass. Once I cleared the passage, a somewhat spacious area appeared.
As if I had stepped into another world, it was a place where sunlight streamed in and grass and trees grew. While a razor-sharp wind blew outside, a small stream trickled gently here. It was a place where one could feel the mysteries of the primordial world.
"It's been a long time."
In the center stood a single tree. Hanging from its branches were white fruits. They looked like clusters of ice. This was the legendary elixir: the Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Fruit.
It provided far more internal energy than a Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng, and it possessed one more incredible effect. Not only did it make one resistant to the cold, but it also allowed one to easily absorb any energy of a cold attribute. Furthermore, it enabled one to withstand attacks infused with extremely cold internal energy.
For example, even if one were struck by a Cold Ice Palm, their blood vessels would not be damaged by the frigid energy. Conversely, it made learning techniques like the Cold Ice Palm easier than for anyone else.
Through the Heavenly Energy Pill I had obtained from the Poison King in the past, my body had become impervious to heat and cold, but this Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Fruit was an elixir specialized in blocking the cold. If the effects of the two elixirs overlapped, I would be able to overcome even extreme cold that surpassed all limits.
In my life before the regression, I hadn't been able to consume the Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Fruit. The cold energy contained within it was so potent that it couldn't be consumed as is. If I had been greedy and eaten it, my blood vessels would have frozen instantly. It was an elixir that perhaps only the Ice Palace Master, who had mastered the Ice Cold Divine Art, could consume.
I still remember the words I said as I left the Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Fruit behind.
Let us meet again if fate allows.
Because back then, I had the belief that I might regress and find this place again.
Now, I could attempt it. I had obtained internal energy incomparable to before, my blood vessels were sturdy, and above all, I had achieved Great Achievement in the Heavenly Demon Body Protection Art. I believed that the perfected Heavenly Demon Body Protection Art would protect my body from the frigid energy emitted by the Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Fruit.
If this belief wavered even slightly, I shouldn't consume the fruit. It was certain to cause severe internal injuries.
However, I felt that all of this was fate. I had discovered this place before my regression, I had mastered the Heavenly Demon Body Protection Art, and the enemy was trying to utilize the Extreme Cold Body.
Fate was telling me that the time had come to consume the Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Fruit. No, that I must consume it.
Along with fate, my instincts also spoke.
If you bastards are preparing for the extreme cold, I shall prepare as well.
‘Heavenly Demon Body Protection Art, I’m counting on you.’
The moment I grasped the Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Fruit, a chill so intense it felt like my entire body would freeze was transmitted to me. Just by touch, the fruit was warning me of its danger—that I would die if I ate it.
Without hesitation, I consumed the Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Fruit.
The moment it entered my mouth, I felt a coldness I had never experienced in my life. I thought it would be hard and slow to melt, but I was wrong. It dissolved instantly, and the extreme cold spread throughout my body.
The Heavenly Demon Body Protection Art had already activated, fighting against the frigid chill.
Sssssssssss.
The cold was enough to make me want to scream. It was truly hard to believe that something this cold existed in the world. Even with the Heavenly Demon Body Protection Art active, I felt a pain as if my entire body were freezing solid. I wanted to expel this energy from my body immediately. A fear that I might die right then and there gripped me.
‘Endure. I must endure.’
While the energy of the Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Fruit was melting, I recited the oral formulas of the Nine Calamities Demonic Art and envisioned the evil ghosts. I thought of the four cardinal directions, and I recalled the Heavenly Demon Souls I had seen in my visions.
I brought to mind everything related to the Nine Calamities Demonic Art and the Heavenly Demon Body Protection Art. When I could no longer bear it, I thought of my father. I pictured him looking at me with a mocking sneer.
It worked. Surprisingly, even in this agonizing situation, a smile touched my lips.
I endured, and endured again.
And the result was a resounding success.
I had succeeded in fully absorbing the energy of the Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Fruit. A massive amount of internal energy was added to my Dantian, and above all, I had achieved what I desired. The cold energy of the Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Fruit now permanently resided within my blood vessels.
Now, unless an energy colder than the Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Fruit invaded my body, no cold energy would be able to harm me.
I was delighted by the thought that I had gained another weapon to use against those bastards. This was how I would grow stronger, step by step.
"I will surely use this power for a good cause."
After bowing with pressed palms to the Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Fruit tree, I left the area. Passing through the narrow passage, I emerged once again into the valley where the gale blew.
Whirrrrrrrrrrr.
The tremendous wind assailed me.
Even though I hadn't raised my internal strength to protect my body, the bone-chilling wind didn't feel cold at all. To exaggerate slightly, the Mad Killing Wind had now become a spring breeze, a warm wind to me.
Before my regression, I would have turned back the way I came. I couldn't have gone any further into the valley. But today, I was curious. I wanted to know what lay at the very end.
And so, I began to walk toward the source of the wind.