Chapter 695: Speechless
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 695: Speechless
"Why are you doing this?"
Bukgung Yeon asked Sun-woo, her expression filled with confusion. She couldn't understand why he had suddenly stepped in to stop her.
"You can't kill him!" Sun-woo raised his voice urgently.
"Sun-woo, as a martial artist, this man deserves an honorable death. To let him live like this would be no different than insulting him," Bukgung Yeon replied in a calm tone.
Eon Jung-gi had fought her with everything he had. They had clashed with their lives and honor on the line. To leave such a man alive would be an indelible disgrace to him.
"It’s fine to disgrace him. Let’s just save him first."
Sun-woo remained adamant. If Eon Jung-gi died now, things would become incredibly troublesome. Beyond just troublesome, the situation would become nearly impossible to manage. The head of one clan losing his life at the estate of another—how could such a disaster ever be resolved? It was utterly unthinkable.
"…Must we?"
"We must."
Sun-woo spoke with a firm expression. Bukgung Yeon looked at him steadily for a moment, then slowly lowered her hand. She didn't know why, but she felt he must have a reason.
"Thanks, Yeon-ah!"
Sun-woo expressed his gratitude to Bukgung Yeon for following his lead. He had worried she might be stubborn, but it seemed his concern was for nothing.
Step, step, step.
Sun-woo quickly moved forward. Before long, he stood right in front of the frozen statue that was Eon Jung-gi.
'…This is serious.'
Facing the ice statue up close, Sun-woo’s expression darkened. The situation looked more dire than he had anticipated. Generally, when a human body is frozen, the ice crystals formed inside the cells destroy the cell membranes. Even if thawed, one couldn't expect the body to be in a functional state.
'First, I have to thaw him.'
Despite the risks, Sun-woo made his decision. He couldn't just let the man die. He slowly reached out and placed his hand on Eon Jung-gi’s chest. Then, closing his eyes, he began to observe the man’s internal state.
'Wait?'
His eyes snapped open in surprise. He could feel a faint, ceaseless flow moving within.
'He was protecting his vitals with internal energy!'
Hope began to flicker in Sun-woo’s eyes. It seemed that before being completely frozen, Eon Jung-gi had used his cultivation to shield his internal organs.
'This will work!'
Sun-woo cheered inwardly. He realized they could at least avoid the worst-case scenario. He closed his eyes again and began to circulate the mnemonics of the Great Shift of Heaven and Earth. Immediately, the flow of extreme cold concentrated in Eon Jung-gi’s body began to transmit to him.
'I’ll redirect the flow.'
Using the Great Shift of Heaven and Earth, Sun-woo began to disperse the concentrated frost.
Shatter…
Soon, the ice crystals clinging to the man’s body began to crumble away. The thawing had begun. It started at the chest, and from there, ice began to scatter from all over his body—his head, arms, abdomen, and legs.
After some time had passed, Eon Jung-gi’s body was completely thawed.
"Haa… huff… huff… huff…"
As soon as he was free, Eon Jung-gi began to gasp for air violently, as if desperately inhaling the oxygen he had been deprived of.
"Are you alright?" Sun-woo asked, watching the man breathe raggedly.
Hearing the question, Eon Jung-gi slowly lifted his head.
"…Tang Clan Head."
He spoke slowly, his eyes fixed on Sun-woo.
"Was it you… who saved me?"
"It was," Sun-woo replied, his expression cold. "Part of me wanted to just let you die, but I have no desire to see the blood of an outsider spilled within the Tang Clan."
"…I see…"
Eon Jung-gi responded with a complicated expression. The shock of a total defeat, the self-loathing of failing to meet an honorable death as a warrior, and the relief of surviving were all tangled together in his mind.
"…Thank you."
Eventually, Eon Jung-gi expressed his gratitude with a somber face. Regardless of the circumstances, this man was the savior who had spared his life. How could he not offer his thanks?
"Forget it. It was merely a whim because I didn't want to look at a corpse. It wasn't out of sympathy or pity for you."
"Even so, the fact remains that you saved my life. I will not forget this debt."
"Do as you wish."
Sun-woo remained nonchalant. He saw no reason to stop the man if he insisted on carrying a debt of gratitude.
"Ice Palace Master."
Eon Jung-gi turned his gaze toward Bukgung Yeon.
"It was a complete defeat."
He admitted his loss immediately. It was a defeat so absolute that he couldn't even offer an excuse. And now, he understood—he understood why she had held back during their fight. With such a vast difference in their levels, how could she have done anything else? He felt only shame. The mere fact that he had tried to match himself against someone so powerful was humiliating.
"You were excellent as well, Fist King."
Bukgung Yeon spoke as she looked at the man who had conceded. Eon Jung-gi was strong—strong enough to survive even after his entire body had been frozen. If he had refined his heart and mind just a bit more, the outcome of the battle might have been uncertain.
Eon Jung-gi looked at Bukgung Yeon with a steady gaze. She was a woman who maintained her consideration for others until the very end. She was truly magnificent.
"Thank you for sparing me."
Eon Jung-gi bowed his head to her. While it was the Tang Clan Head who had thawed him, it was Bukgung Yeon who had allowed him to live. As the victor, the power over his life and death had belonged to her. Had she willed it, he would have crumbled into dust without even being able to resist.
"And I apologize for disappointing you. Instead of an honorable death as a martial artist, I have pathetically extended my life."
Eon Jung-gi apologized to himself for choosing a wretched survival. A martial artist who knew honor would have felt disgraced by a third party saving their life and would have committed suicide. But Eon Jung-gi could not. The fear of death and his responsibility toward the members of the Eon Clan had stayed his hand. Thus, he apologized to Bukgung Yeon, assuming she would be disappointed.
"I'm not disappointed."
Bukgung Yeon’s expression remained calm.
"Whatever you choose, is it not your choice? Why should I criticize that?"
She spoke as if she truly didn't understand the issue. Personally, she believed an honorable death was valuable for a martial artist, but she had no desire to force that belief on anyone else. To insist that her way was the only right way would be nothing more than arrogance. Therefore, she felt no disappointment toward Eon Jung-gi.
"…………Thank you for saying that."
Eon Jung-gi’s heart was still heavy, but hearing those words made him feel a little better.
"Tang Clan Head."
Having finished his conversation with her, Eon Jung-gi suddenly called out to Sun-woo.
"Speak."
"Please… punish me."
Eon Jung-gi spoke in a level voice.
"Punish you?" Sun-woo asked, puzzled.
"As a Clan Head, I harbored ill intent and attempted to harm the Ice Palace Master, an ally of the Tang Clan. I believe a fitting punishment is necessary."
Eon Jung-gi stood tall as he requested his own punishment. Although there was the nominal excuse of a power struggle between allied forces, he felt he couldn't find peace if he just let this pass. Driven by the demon of competitiveness, he had followed the orders of the Cheonmu Alliance and blatantly targeted the Ice Palace Master to cripple her. He couldn't simply walk away from that. It was unacceptable.
"The Tang Clan has no regulation for punishing incidents that occur during a friendly martial duel," Sun-woo replied dryly.
"Wh-What?!" Eon Jung-gi asked, taken aback.
"Was this not merely a social gathering between allied forces to promote friendship? What kind of punishment could I possibly impose?" Sun-woo’s expression remained cold.
"I tried to kill the Ice Palace Master!"
"Ice Palace Master."
Sun-woo called out to Bukgung Yeon, who was standing silently.
"Speak."
"Did you, by any chance, feel your life was in danger while dueling with Clan Head Eon?" Sun-woo asked her in a very businesslike manner.
"I didn't."
Bukgung Yeon answered immediately. She was being sincere. While she found his sturdy body a bit annoying, she had never felt her life was at risk. Eon Jung-gi was strong, but he was far too weak to hold her life in his hands.
"Clan Head Eon. How can I punish you when there is no victim?" Sun-woo asked back, feigning ignorance.
"…Ah."
Only then did Eon Jung-gi realize. The Tang Clan Head was intentionally turning a blind eye to his transgression—the fact that he had maliciously tried to harm an ally.
"………Thank you."
Bow.
The Clan Head of the Eon Clan slowly lowered his waist. It was a back that had never bowed to anyone since he had ascended to his position. Yet, he did not hesitate for a single moment.
Sun-woo watched him with a calm gaze. While the fact that he had targeted Bukgung Yeon was detestable, Eon Jung-gi had paid a sufficient price. He had stood at the very threshold of the underworld and returned. It was best to wrap things up here.
'Now, all that's left is Tang Jin-seol.'
Sun-woo’s cold eyes glittered. It seemed he would have to make Tang Jin-seol pay the price as well—for her malicious meddling.
*
"Phew."
Tang Jin-seol began to savor her tea with a relaxed expression. Though she had been momentarily flustered by Tang Jin-cheol’s sudden departure, she had quickly regained her composure. She believed that no matter what happened, the outcome wouldn't be bad for her.
If Eon Jung-gi crushed the Ice Palace Master, the Cheonmu Alliance would be able to restore its fallen honor. Furthermore, it would serve as a wake-up call to the foolish Tang Clan Head, who relied on the Ice Palace as his backing.
And even if Tang Jin-cheol intervened to stop Eon Jung-gi, she could create negative public opinion against the Tang Clan, using their favoritism among allies as a pretext. How could any of this be bad?
'Stupid Clan Head.'
Tang Jin-seol wore a soft smile. All she had to do was wait for the interesting news that was sure to follow. Her malicious smile deepened.
Thump, thump, thump.
Just then, someone began to knock on her door. Even at a glance, the sound was incredibly heavy.
"Who is it?" Tang Jin-seol asked calmly.
"It's me."
A familiar voice drifted in.
"Come in."
Creak—
As soon as she spoke, the door opened, and a man revealed himself. He was a man seven feet tall, covered in muscles like solid rock. The man she had sent to intimidate the Ice Palace Master.
The Fist King, Eon Jung-gi.
"What brings you here without word?" Tang Jin-seol asked with a seductive smile.
"I came to tell you something," Eon Jung-gi replied, his face devoid of emotion.
Tang Jin-seol’s smile widened. She expected to hear a report on the situation.
"And what would that be?"
"I am returning to the Eon Clan."
Eon Jung-gi spoke with a grave expression.
"Have you been ordered to leave?"
Tang Jin-seol looked at him with suspicion. She wondered if he had been kicked out for injuring the Ice Palace Master.
"No, it is my own will," Eon Jung-gi said, shaking his head.
"Why?"
Tang Jin-seol looked confused. Eon Jung-gi was the type who had come to the Tang Clan specifically looking forward to a duel with the Poison King. Why would he suddenly decide to leave of his own accord?
"There is no place for a loser to stay," Eon Jung-gi said somberly.
"Wh-What did you say?!"
Tang Jin-seol asked back, her face pale with shock. For him to call himself a loser—what on earth did that mean?
"I will return and enter seclusion. To become even stronger."
Eon Jung-gi’s eyes flashed with a renewed fighting spirit. Though he hadn't met an honorable death, he viewed this survival as an opportunity—a chance to grow even more powerful.
"I've said what I came to say. I'll be going now."
Having finished, Eon Jung-gi turned around immediately, without a hint of lingering regret.
"Wait… Wait a moment!"
Seeing this, Tang Jin-seol cried out urgently.
"What is it?"
Eon Jung-gi only slightly turned his head.
"Did you… lose?" Tang Jin-seol asked, her expression grim.
"I have no excuses."
Eon Jung-gi uttered that single phrase in response. Then, he walked straight out of the room.
Left behind in the room, Tang Jin-seol sat alone, her face clouded with a look of deep gravity.