Azure-Red Pill (2)
In Murim Return, Sichuan Province was a land of despair.
About forty percent of the local population had vanished—roughly that scale of devastation.
Considering estimates that the Black Death, which ravaged medieval Europe in reality, killed around thirty percent of the continent's people, this was an utterly absurd figure.
The reason was the emergence of the great demonic figure known as Poison Eye Sorcerer, who had turned the province into a wasteland.
'Actually, it should be the Lord of Sichuan Province thanking me with a plaque or something, not the Tang Clan's elder. Poison Eye Sorcerer is gone now.'
In any case, such destruction was possible because spirit beasts wielded mystical powers fundamentally different from martial arts, and Poison Eye Sorcerer had developed and exploited those powers to their extremes.
Take Mu Geuk Cheon Hwa as an example.
Mu Geuk Cheon Hwa could spew flames that "purified all impurities."
It sounded great at first glance, and I was certainly reaping the benefits of that effect myself.
But if I used it with different intentions—like I did in the Red Dragon Territory—I could turn an entire area into a scorched barren where not even a blade of grass could grow.
From the perspective of nature itself, human cultivation might be seen as artificial and impure.
Of course, Mu Geuk-i would never use his power in such an unbenevolent way, and sustaining it would be difficult anyway, so the current Mu Geuk-i wouldn't do that.
But Poison Eye Sorcerer would have. In Murim Return, he not only maximized spirit beasts' powers but wielded them freely. He probably would have squeezed Mu Geuk-i until it exhausted all its strength and vanished.
Not like Cho Ryang, who now loved and cherished animals—the Poison Eye Sorcerer of Murim Return saw spirit beasts as mere expendable resources.
'And Weong-myo was one that got discarded in the process.'
Not all spirit beasts had mystical abilities, but most possessed unique ones.
Yet even Poison Eye Sorcerer had abandoned Weong-myo—the pandas.
'Their only talents are cuteness and eating.'
And even their eating was limited to bamboo, fruits, insects, or small beasts.
A monstrous boar spirit beast the size of a house might have devoured everything in sight, but Weong-myo, with their characteristic laziness, stopped once they were full.
Thanks to that, I knew where the Weong-myo lived.
[People in Sichuan don't know about a place like that?]
"It's understandable."
It was right next to a famous scenic spot like O-hwa Lake, so there was no reason for anyone to venture into those perpetually fog-shrouded remote valleys.
[Still, if spirit beasts like that existed, rumors would spread.]
"It's probably hidden by a natural formation, like Forgotten Soul Valley. People lose their sense of direction, wander in circles, and end up back at the outskirts without realizing it."
Of course, some might recognize it as a formation, but unless they were hermits, few would bother entering such a place.
'If the monstrous boar horde hadn't devoured every tree and bush, it wouldn't have been exposed.'
Poison Eye Sorcerer had stumbled upon the Weong-myo habitat purely by chance while passing through.
[Hmm. I still don't get it. What's so special about a spirit beast with no abilities? It's no different from a dog or cat.]
"You'll understand when you see one yourself. Even Dang Mun Su would crack a smile."
[Hmm.]
Pa Cheon still sounded skeptical.
"Just trust me. For now, let's focus on what we need to do."
[So In-gyeol?]
"Yeah."
No matter how much Jin So-cheong investigated the North Sea Ice Palace using the Blood Cult's intelligence network or even dragged Yi Seong Ryeong along for a personal chat, it wouldn't compare to me looking into it directly.
In the end, Jin So-cheong wasn't someone I could fully trust. She followed me only because of her fake identity as the Blood Cult Leader and the Blood Tribulation incident—not out of true loyalty.
I headed straight to find So In-gyeol.
Fortunately, he hadn't set off alone to hunt spirit beasts.
His quarters were worlds apart from mine—a cramped room the size of a real-world studio apartment, with just a bed and a desk.
Well, that was the harsh reality for small sect disciples.
"Greetings, So So-hyeop."
"D-Dongbang Geomryong! Please, come in and have some tea."
So In-gyeol's dark circles hung all the way down to his chin.
'...At this point, he looks like a panda himself. No need to go hunting.'
A human panda was right here.
"Do you have some worries weighing on you? Your complexion looks poor."
"I've barely slept lately."
"Is that so?"
"Yes..."
So In-gyeol let out a deep sigh.
Who am I?
A former salesman who rolled in the mud under sleazy boss Kim at that cutthroat company.
So I knew.
This was exactly the moment when people spilled their hearts.
So In-gyeol wasn't some wily veteran of decades in the jianghu—he was just a rookie fresh out into the world.
Compared to the old monsters I'd dealt with, soothing him was child's play.
"Why don't you tell me what's troubling you? I'm a descendant of the Yak Lineage, after all. I'll listen and prescribe a remedy if I can."
So In-gyeol's eyes widened at my words.
"I-Is that really okay?"
"Are we not close? We fought side by side against the Demonic Cult, didn't we? Comrades in arms."
"Comrades..."
His expression froze, as if moved to tears.
Soon, he opened up.
"Actually—"
So In-gyeol poured out his story.
A long, winding tale: the troubles of Taeryeong County, the woes of a small family clan, the sudden spotlight from others.
Exactly the kind of hardships a newbie in society would face.
His eyes were glistening with moisture as he spoke.
[Why spill all that drivel in front of others? What am I supposed to do about it?]
'You a tree? (티발 = tree, meaning oblivious)'
[What?]
'The basics of sales is empathy. Show empathy, and the locks come undone. Boss Kim taught me that.'
I patted So In-gyeol's back.
"My, that must have been tough. I understand completely. I've been through the same."
"Even you, Geomryong?"
"Of course. You're from the jianghu at least, So So-hyeop, but I'm from the East, right? Discrimination against outsiders exists everywhere."
"Ah... To think even you, Dongbang Geomryong So-hyeop, went through such hardships."
The moment I saw his sparkling eyes, I knew. The locks in his heart were fully open.
Behold, Boss Kim.
The achievements of the underling you bullied.
Your legacy lives on beyond this world. Damn it.
[What nonsense is this?]
Just watch.
I spoke in a subtle tone.
"On top of all that hardship, with Han Bing Ok Bong approaching you so suddenly, it must have been overwhelming."
"Exactly."
So In-gyeol, wiping his tears, replied.
"She came to me out of nowhere and asked if I knew about the Ice Crystal."
"Ice Crystal?"
"Yes. As if I'd know about such a legendary item. And then, out of the blue, she brings up... that young lady from the Baek family, Baek So Hyang."
"Baek So-jeo, the one who went missing."
Baek So Hyang had become the vessel for the Little Witch of Curses through Jo Yang and died by my hand.
But publicly, she was just listed as suddenly missing.
"I thought that memory was fading, but she keeps dredging it up. And every time I talk to Han Bing Ok Bong So-jeo, Changcheon Ilryong watches with fire in his eyes... It chills me to the bone."
"Just don't respond."
"But the Palace Lord of the North Sea Ice Palace—"
So In-gyeol startled and cut himself off.
"N-No, it's nothing. Pretend you didn't hear that."
Pa Cheon prodded me.
[What was that? Press him harder!]
'No.'
It was a shame, but that was the limit. Pushing further would backfire.
'I've got everything I can anyway.'
I replied calmly.
"I have no idea what you're talking about. What did we say?"
"...Thank you for your generosity."
"Then I'll take my leave. Oh, and stop by the Tang Clan's medical hall. I'll have them prepare medicine to restore your depleted energy."
"S-Such grace..."
"It's no big deal. Just think of it as a small favor."
"So-hyeop... This So Mou will repay this favor one day."
So In-gyeol stood and offered a clasped-hand salute. I returned it before leaving his quarters.
[What do you mean you've got everything?]
'You know why someone practicing ice arts would need an Ice Crystal?'
[Usually for deviation into devil or treating internal injuries.]
That's why I'd given the Heavenly Demon an Ice Crystal too—she was suffering deep internal wounds.
[So Yi Seong Ryeong came out to treat the Ice Palace Lord's injuries?]
'Probably.'
The picture was starting to make sense.
In Murim Return, the Little Witch of Curses fully revived.
Afterward, to survive, she surrendered to the Divine Cult.
Now I understood why the Ice Palace suddenly attacked the Heavenly Demon.
'Not because they knew Yi Se-ryeong was the Heavenly Demon. They were after the Little Witch in the cult to take her Ice Crystal.'
Of course, Yi Se-ryeong wouldn't have forgotten her roots in the process, so from her perspective, it must have looked like the cult was chasing her down to eradicate her completely.
Anyway, suppose the Little Witch revived. Would Jo Yang go around shouting that she was actually Baek So Hyang of Taeryeong Baek Clan, revived by absorbing an Ice Crystal?
In the current situation I'd created, no one would even mention it.
That left only one person who could know.
Cheon Gi-ja.
In other words...
'Cheon Gi-ja is definitely behind Yi Seong Ryeong.'
[Your guess was right?]
'Yeah.'
[Then—]
'Quiet.'
I silenced Pa Cheon.
'Jinx, jinx.'
[Urgh.]
Too many times words had jinxed things.
The issue was how to ask Yi Seong Ryeong about Cheon Gi-ja.
We weren't close enough for her to casually reveal ties to a major figure like him.
'In the end, Jin So-cheong needs to dig up more info.'
If I gave Yi Seong Ryeong what she wanted based on Blood Cult intel, she might reveal something about Cheon Gi-ja.
'Worst case... use sorcery through Jin So-cheong to find out.'
To survive in this mad world, I couldn't cling to modern morals. I wasn't some self-righteous orthodox faction elder prattling about principles anyway.
If it meant survival, I'd do anything—even forbidden arts.
I resolved myself, though it left a bitter taste.
[So the Azure-Red Pill is next?]
'Yeah. Plenty of time anyway, so let's train during that.'
When the mind's tangled, nothing beats moving the body.
[With better energy control, Domination Wave and Soaring Fist should be much more precise too.]
'Let's check.'
I spent the next few days in a training trance.
A few days later.
"Let's go."
To find the Weong-myo, I mounted Mu Geuk-i with Sa Wol and Tak Horak.
Pretending to Be the Heavenly Demon