Chapter 408: Let’s Definitely Have a Drink Next Time We Meet.
Chapter 408: Let’s Definitely Have a Drink Next Time We Meet.
Han Seol and Lee An walked together through the Inner Court of the Ice Palace.
Han Seol had taken on the task of discovering for whom the Institute Head had brewed the Fragrant Snow Ice Wine, but in truth, she felt completely out of her depth.
Who should I even ask?
This wasn't a matter of being clever or dull; it was a matter of experience. She had never conducted an investigation in her life.
Still, she had no intention of giving up. Nor did she consider asking her mother for help an option.
"Let’s head back to the White Liquor Snowy Plains first," Han Seol suggested.
Her attitude toward Lee An had become slightly more polite. Until now, she had treated her merely as a subordinate of the Young Cult Leader, but now she viewed her as the daughter of the Fist Demon. Even as an adopted daughter, the child of a Demon Lord was not someone to be trifled with.
"That’s a good idea."
"Why do you say that?"
"When I saw the late Institute Head’s room," Lee An explained, "I thought to myself: 'Ah, this person truly loved making liquor.' He probably spent more time at the White Liquor Snowy Plains than he did at home. So, wouldn't the answer we're looking for be there as well?"
Han Seol nodded slightly at Lee An’s reasoning.
Everyone is so sharp.
Between Geom Mu-geuk, the Drunken Demon, and Lee An, her prejudices regarding demonic cultists had been completely shattered. She had always imagined them as cruel, violent people who never bothered to hide their base desires.
Yet, these three were nothing like the Young Cult Leader, the Demon Lord, or the subordinates she had envisioned.
But I can't let myself be outdone by them.
Since the Drunken Demon had found a clue by investigating the letters, she had to produce results as well. It wasn't for the Young Cult Leader’s sake. She wanted to show her mother.
She wanted her mother to see a daughter who surpassed them all. Though she usually had no desire to impress others, those feelings still lingered when it came to her mother. It wasn't that she liked her—if anything, her mother might be the person Han Seol hated most in the world.
"You’ve returned, Young Palace Master."
The acting head of the White Liquor Snowy Plains greeted them, but Han Seol hadn't come to see him. Instead, she sought out Jo Myeong, the man in charge of the ingredients used in the brewing process.
Jo Myeong grew visibly tense at Han Seol’s visit.
"I have something to ask you," she began.
"Please, speak."
"I know you're busy, so I won't beat around the bush. Did the late Institute Head ever request ingredients to make Fragrant Snow Ice Wine?"
"No, he did not."
Perhaps due to his nerves, Jo Myeong’s voice trembled.
"This is a serious matter. You must not deceive me."
As Han Seol fixed him with a cold gaze, Jo Myeong bowed his head deeply. That was when Lee An stepped in.
"I suspect you made a promise to the Institute Head. A promise not to tell anyone."
The bowed Jo Myeong remained silent.
"We believe the Institute Head died because of that liquor," Lee An continued. "Don't you think finding those who caused his death is more important than keeping a promise?"
She could feel Jo Myeong’s hesitation. His relationship with the late head must have been deep for him to be unable to flatly deny it. He wasn't the type of person who could lie to someone's face without blinking.
Jo Myeong lifted his head and asked cautiously, "Did he truly pass away because of that liquor?"
"We believe so."
The Young Palace Master followed up on Lee An’s words. "Opportunities don't come twice. If you miss this chance, the truth behind the Institute Head’s death will never be looked into again."
Her tone was cold, but the words were effective. Jo Myeong stopped hiding the truth and confessed.
"He called me aside privately and asked me to obtain the ingredients for Fragrant Snow Ice Wine. He said it was a liquor requested secretly by a precious person. He asked me to keep it a secret, so I did. I am sorry."
"Did he say who he was sending it to?"
"I do not know that much."
"Was there anyone the Institute Head was particularly close to?"
"No one in particular comes to mind. He usually preferred to be alone."
Since there was nothing more to ask, Han Seol ended the questioning. "Since you tampered with the ingredients and left no record, you will face disciplinary action."
"I am prepared for that," Jo Myeong replied.
One could feel his genuine respect for the late head. That must have been why he had provided the ingredients in secret.
Lee An offered him a few warm words of comfort. "I’m sure the Institute Head would be grateful to you."
With that, the two women stepped outside. Lee An had the urge to ask Han Seol not to punish him, but she kept the words tucked away. Sometimes, speaking up when someone is already inclined toward mercy can accidentally trigger the punishment instead.
"You're quite kind to people, unlike a typical demonic cultist," Han Seol remarked.
Lee An countered with a question. "In this Murim, who do you think survives longer: the cold-hearted or the kind?"
"Well, obviously..." Han Seol didn't finish. The answer seemed so obvious it didn't even need to be said.
However, Lee An’s thoughts differed. "I’m the type who believes that kind people survive longer."
Kindness? It was an emotion Han Seol had never truly experienced. She had never received kindness, nor had she ever treated others with it. She did not agree. Talking about kindness in this heartless Jianghu?
Just then, Jo Myeong ran up to them.
"I was too nervous earlier and couldn't remember, but I saw the Institute Head drinking with Elder Seo a few times. Since he was someone who didn't usually socialize, it stuck in my memory."
Jo Myeong gave a quick bow and hurried back.
Lee An smiled and said to Han Seol, "See? This is the result of kindness."
Despite the joke, Han Seol’s expression had turned grave.
"What’s wrong?"
"It’s nothing."
But Lee An could feel it. The moment Han Seol heard the name 'Elder Seo,' something had weighed on her mind. Lee An spoke to her calmly.
"Wasn't it the Young Palace Master’s condition that there must be absolutely no secrets between us? Surely you aren't thinking, 'You don't hide anything, but I will,' are you?"
When Lee An’s eyes seemed to ask that very question, Han Seol finally voiced her hesitation.
"Elder Seo is the person my mother trusts most."
Elder Seo was a figure of great influence within the Ice Palace and was considered the Ice Palace Master’s greatest ally.
"Then it’s possible the Institute Head felt safe enough to grant his request," Lee An noted.
He fit the criteria of a 'trustworthy person' perfectly. Elder Seo was known to be a man of excellent character. But in a situation where they believed the Fragrant Snow Ice Wine was related to the head's death, the fact that the recipient was Elder Seo changed everything.
Whether her mother knew about it or not, it was a problem either way.
Kindness is what survives?
"Elder Seo is also the only person my mother treats with kindness," Han Seol added grimly.
*
Whirrrrrrrrr!
The wind grew stronger, but I kept moving forward.
Originally, the reason walking here was so difficult wasn't just the strength of the gale, but the terrifying cold carried within it. It was a chill no human could endure, requiring a massive consumption of internal energy just to ward it off.
Internal energy to keep from being blown away, and internal energy to block the cold. It required a double expenditure.
On the other hand, I didn't have to worry about the cold now; I only had to focus on the wind's force. Having already achieved immunity to heat and cold through the Heavenly Energy Pill, and then consuming the Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Fruit on top of that, the effects were truly miraculous. This piercing chill, cold enough to freeze blood, felt like nothing to me.
Because of that, I thought I would reach the end easily.
But with every step forward, the wind became monstrous. The sound of the gale changed with every stride. I could guarantee it: unless one was chosen, they could never pass through this place.
And I was one of the chosen.
Since my regression, I had gained a vast amount of internal energy and mastered the Nine Calamities Demonic Art and the Heavenly Demon Body Protection Art. Furthermore, I was under the influence of the Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Fruit. Even I found myself questioning if I could make it to the end; who else could possibly break through this?
Why were they looking for an Extreme Cold Body?
I had briefly wondered if it was to break through this place, which was part of the reason I decided to come. But experiencing it firsthand, that definitely wasn't it. They were clearly plotting something else.
As I pushed further, the wind blew so fiercely that I could no longer afford any stray thoughts. I calculated everything: the internal energy I possessed, the distance to the end, and the ever-increasing strength of the wind. I couldn't simply push my energy to the limit recklessly, nor could I afford to be stingy and risk being blown away. I even calculated the minimum energy needed to protect my body in case I lost my footing and was sent flying.
Walking while using only the calculated amount of energy, I began to feel pain. It hurt. It really hurt. I never imagined wind could cause this much physical agony.
But I couldn't draw more energy to avoid the pain. Greater suffering surely awaited me further ahead. I had to endure this to reach my destination.
I ended up using more energy than expected. I had to circulate energy to protect my eardrums; the roar of the wind was so loud it threatened to deafen me. The energy spent there returned to me as physical strain.
Whoooooooooooosh!
Why am I even trying to go there? What if I suffer an internal injury?
The desire to escape the pain tempted me endlessly. If it weren't for my life before the regression, I probably would never have been able to keep going. Back then, I was plagued by so many temptations. Let’s give up. How can a human possibly regress? Let’s just quit now and live my life.
Because I had overcome those endless temptations and walked that lonely path alone... I could walk this path too.
Step after step.
The vast reservoir of internal energy in my dantian was finally beginning to run dry.
Just a little more. Just a little more.
In the final moments, I felt the sound of the wind vanish and a strange silence settle around me.
Is this a hallucination? If I fall into Qi Deviation now, I’m finished.
If this was a precursor to that, I had to give up and turn back immediately. That was the final temptation.
I stubbornly moved my feet. It was always that one silent step forward that had overcome temptation.
Rumble!
The moment I conquered the temptation, a roar of wind unlike any I had heard before erupted again.
And so, I finally reached the source of the wind. The gale reached its absolute peak. Using all my reserved energy, I manifested my Body Protection Qi and the Heavenly Demon Body Protection Art to their absolute limits.
I’m here! Just this part! Please!
Enduring the sensation of my body being torn apart, I took the final step.
The moment I passed through the Wind Valley and twisted my body to the side to dodge, the pain vanished as if it had been a lie. I had escaped that tremendous gale.
"I did it!"
An exclamation of relief escaped my lips. I was alive.
The wind was still howling through the valley I had just exited. It blew so fiercely that the ripples of the wind were visible to the naked eye. The source of the wind was the sky. From far off at an angle, the wind descended from the heavens and slammed into the valley with feral intensity. It looked as if a demon were sucking in all the air in the world. It was a truly mystical, alien, and terrifying sight.
And then I realized. Reaching this place was, in itself, a greater fated encounter than any treasure.
To break through to this point, I had exerted every ounce of internal power I possessed. I had tapped into every bit of potential a martial artist could have. Having used every last drop of that potential, I felt as though I could see through my own essence as a martial artist with total clarity.
I felt my realm of martial arts ascend. I felt as though I, as a person, had become stronger. It was a strange experience and a profound feeling. I was certain that this experience—the first of its kind in my life—would undoubtedly influence my Nine Calamities Demonic Art.
Leaving the demon’s mouth that swallowed the wind behind me, I walked slowly forward.
Far behind me, the path was blocked by a massive cliff. It was so high I couldn't even see the top. The mountain range blocked off everything in the opposite direction. It was as if this place was inaccessible unless one broke through that Wind Valley.
Before me, a spring landscape unfolded. Flowers bloomed, and birds fluttered about. Rabbits and deer saw me but did not flee. Their eyes looked as if they were seeing a human for the first time. A mystical energy overflowed. It was a primordial mystery that had never allowed humans entry.
And then, I saw him.
Standing in the middle of it all was a man. He stood with his hands behind his back—an old man. An old man in a place like this? Naturally, he couldn't be an ordinary person.
A certain person flashed through my mind. Could it be? No, it couldn't be him, right?
"Elder?" I called out cautiously.
The old man slowly turned toward me. To my shock, he was the very same old man who had sent me back in time.
"Elder!"
The old man smiled broadly and waved the liquor bottle he was holding.
"Didn't I say we should have a drink the next time we met?"
Those were the words the old man had said right before regressing me. I had a premonition that he might appear before me again someday. I just didn't expect it to be today.
"I’m currently abstaining from alcohol," I replied. "You came at this time on purpose, didn't you? Just to tease me."
The old man let out a boisterous laugh. "You’ve become much brighter than you were back then."
"It’s thanks to you."
The old man, who had been watching me with deep, knowing eyes, slowly approached and patted my shoulder.
"It’s been hard, hasn't it? You’re doing well."
The moment I heard his words, a lump formed in my throat. Even though I was trying my best to express everything to others... it seemed I, too, had wanted to hear those words.
I must have wanted comfort from the one person who knew of my efforts from beginning to end. Someone to acknowledge that I had been living so hard, from before the regression until now. To just say that one sentence: that I was doing well. That was all I needed to hear.
"Since you're abstaining, we'll save the drink for next time."
"Are you leaving already?"
"As you know, many people are looking for me, so I am quite busy."
Still, it sounded like he might come to see me again, which made me feel good.
Whirrr.
A gust of wind blew past. The old man vanished before my eyes along with the wind. Along with him, the paradise-like scenery also disappeared. The trees, grass, and animals vanished as well.
Now, there was nothing around me but snow and ice.
It had happened so fast and ended so quickly that it felt like a dream. Had I seen a hallucination? I had used up all my mental and internal energy to the point of near-collapse.
But it wasn't a dream. The sensation of his hand patting my shoulder was too vivid. I was so glad and happy to see him again.
I’ve forgotten to look up at the sky these past few days—did you come to see me yourself because of that? I’ll look up often, so please, watch over me until the end. And stop pretending to be so busy all the time. Also... thank you. Truly.