Chapter 196
Chapter 196
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 196
Chapter Title: Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors
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For the next two months or so after that, I relearned the theory and practice of plastic surgery from Hwa Seomyeong, starting from the basics. The plastic surgery I had received was purely for altering and enhancing appearance, but in truth, it was a medical technique developed to minimize bodily damage from burns and other fatal injuries.
It required considerable advanced knowledge and experience, and for the first time in a while, I felt like I was truly immersing myself in medicine again. Doctor Hwa seemed pleased as well, since I helped with his work while receiving the transmission.
"You mentioned you had somewhere to go? This should be enough, so off you go."
"Thank you."
"You've learned everything you need to know and even undergone clinical training, so you should be able to manage on your own just fine."
After offering Doctor Hwa a grateful clasped-hands salute, I headed to the Jeong Family Lord with Miho. Our stay here had only been possible due to his gracious hospitality, so it was essential to pay our respects before leaving.
"Lord Jeong. Thank you for your hospitality. We will be departing now."
"Hmm... Hm..."
But something was off about the Jeong Family Lord's condition. He let out a slight groan, as if deep in thought.
"Lord Jeong?"
When I tilted my head quizzically, he let out a sigh-like sound.
"...No, it's nothing. Hm... Well, you see..."
"If you have something to say..."
"No. Just go on ahead."
In the end, the Jeong Family Lord seemed to suppress some lingering desire and let us leave. Once outside, Miho said to me,
"I have a guess about what the Jeong Family Lord wanted to say."
"What?"
"Probably some women from his bloodline asked to see you, hee hee."
"......"
Come to think of it, during our two-month stay, I had felt furtive glances from women of seemingly noble status. But since it didn't seem important, I had ignored it. Did that mean those women were interested in me? It felt so unreal that I blinked in confusion, and Miho burst into laughter.
"Look at this street. How many gazes do you think are directed at you?"
This was Gaegyeong's bustling midday market street, crowded with people. Following Miho's words, I surveyed the surrounding stares. Miho, transformed into a peerless beauty, drew considerable attention. And I felt some women's interested gazes on me too. I was so used to ignoring men's stares that I hadn't noticed sooner.
Somehow embarrassed, I turned my head away and said,
"What idle people. Why stare at someone else's face?"
Miho giggled and pinched my cheek, stretching it out.
"You're not pretending not to know, are you? You cute thing."
"Stop it."
"Why don't you try talking to that girl over there, just as a test? She's been watching you intently."
The one Miho meant was a young lady from a good family, loitering around the fabric shop and sneaking peeks our way. She looked to be in her late teens, with a remarkably refined face. Frowning, I snapped curtly at Miho's suggestion.
"Why should I?"
"Hmm... I was going to teach you fire spells as a special treat, but maybe not."
Spells!
I looked at Miho in slight surprise at her words. Miho's spell proficiency was specialized in illusions and fire spells. Though she had received enlightenment from the Queen Mother of the West, she had always been reluctant to teach me spells until now. Yet here she was, offering to reveal them to me.
"Really?"
I couldn't overlook Miho's words due to the policy I had heard from Mangnyang. From now on, I needed to cultivate not just martial arts, but spells as well. Miho giggled with an expression like she could read my every thought.
"Hmm... Try seducing that girl into buying clothes for you from the fabric shop. Succeed, and I'll gladly teach you fire spells."
"......"
Seducing...
It was the word I had least thought about in my entire life. But nothing ventured, nothing gained, so I decided to give it a try.
'Seduce a girl? How the hell do I do that?'
I had no idea. With no choice, I relied on instinct and strode toward the young lady standing in front of the fabric shop. When I approached, she looked startled but her face flushed bright red at the same time.
I spoke to her.
"Miss... pardon the intrusion."
"Y-Yes..."
"I'm called Little Bear. If it's not too much trouble, could you buy me some clothes from this fabric shop?"
At that moment, Miho sent a thunderbolt-like mental message.
[You idiot fool!! Who falls for lines like that?]
It struck my eardrums so hard I felt dazed. As I staggered slightly, the young lady in front of me looked alarmed and steadied my body. Then she said,
"Young warrior. Of course. What clothes do you need?"
"Uh... that blue one over there..."
"Yes."
The young lady immediately ordered the clothes from the fabric shop owner. He looked bewildered but took the money, cut the fabric, and handed me the clothes shortly after. I took them in a daze, and she gently touched my cheek, saying,
"Young warrior. Would you come to my house? I'd like to treat you to a meal..."
"Ah..."
I panicked, not knowing how to respond, but when I saw Miho glaring murderously from the side, I hurriedly replied,
"Th-Thank you for this kindness. Until next time."
"Young warrior?"
Whoosh!
I fled the spot in a hurry. Leaping across rooftops for about three li, Miho caught up to me. She wore a slightly sulky expression as she said,
"Hmph. You hooked her good."
"How did that happen? Why did she buy me clothes right away?"
I had approached thinking failure was fine. My way with words wasn't great anyway, so I had no clue what to say. Yet unexpectedly, I succeeded.
"Because you're such a pretty boy, that's why? I could see right through that girl."
"......"
I nearly protested that she knew and made me do it anyway, but seeing Miho in a bad mood, I held my tongue. After a moment, Miho's expression softened, and she touched my nape with a strange look in her eyes.
"Hmm, there's actually one more reason."
"What?"
"When you were getting plastic surgery, I secretly imbued you with the power of the Illusion Bewitchment Pearl. It's seeped into your whole body, emanating an enchanting aura—adding a synergistic effect to your appearance."
My face stiffened.
"Miho. What did you do?"
"Why the sudden anger? I meant it as a favor."
"I got plastic surgery to avoid detection in the future. Drawing attention like this does me no good!!"
As I protested vehemently, Miho laughed.
"Hee hee. Think differently. With your beauty combined with the Illusion Bewitchment Pearl's power, as you grow into adulthood, no woman will resist you. Won't that make it easier to gather information toward your goals?"
"......"
"Others go mad wanting to be pretty or handsome, yet here you are, bloated with resentment. Is it from all that pent-up bitterness?"
"Maybe. But I'm not thrilled about being judged by my looks."
Miho giggled and poked my forehead with her finger.
"Know that your anger right now proves the effect of your appearance. If you truly thought looks meant nothing, you wouldn't react at all, right? Don't fool yourself."
Miho's words hit the mark. I smacked my lips.
'Hmm... She's right.'
Having lived my whole life with an ugly face, I had never enjoyed benefits from looks. Now, suddenly experiencing the novelty of gaining favor through appearance, I panicked and started wearing a mask. Miho's words warned that such a reaction could lead to vanity over looks.
I dropped it and said to Miho,
"So the Illusion Bewitchment Pearl has become part of my spell power and is active now—what's its effect like? Hard to judge from just that one instance."
"The Illusion Bewitchment Pearl is a treasure pearl made by detaching part of my tail and aging it for about fifty years. Even an ordinary human gaining it would instantly acquire the charm of a great beauty. As you are now, you could win strong favor from any woman in the world."
"For something like that, you don't seem affected."
Miho said,
"I like handsome men and beautiful things, but that's just taste. Human forms all look about the same to me. Plus, since I created the Illusion Bewitchment Pearl, it has no effect on me."
"I see."
I newly realized Miho was a great yokai. She talked of liking handsome and beautiful people, but her inner aesthetic viewed humans simply as humans—like how humans view animals.
"No more business in Gaegyeong. Let's head straight to the North Sea Ice Palace."
"Will you keep using Little Bear as your alias from now on?"
"Yeah. Not bad, right?"
"Well, both are pretty ordinary names."
"......"
Whoosh!
Miho and I teleported to the North Sea Ice Palace in the next instant. Though called the North Sea Ice Palace, it wasn't a castle made entirely of ice—it was a massive structure built on vast plains near the sea. Multiple pavilions and halls stood tall, with walls and a moat visible. Overall, it felt like a large village.
'Entering through the gate formally would expose my tracks too much.'
Normally, I wouldn't infiltrate a martial sect uninvited. But a formal visit to the North Sea Ice Palace would leave too many traces. With no choice, I transported near the North Sea Ice Palace Lord's residence, where I had visited during the martial tournament before.
Fortunately, the North Sea Ice Palace Lord was gazing at the blue sky through his window from his residence. Dressed in fur garments typical of Liaodong folk, he didn't seem surprised at all—likely having sensed us the moment we appeared nearby. He slowly turned around. A man in his fifties with silver hair and blue eyes, he had inherited blood from the Semu people.
"An amazing young man. Possessing terrifying martial arts and heavenly beauty..."
"......"
His evaluation of me felt oddly shifted, making it awkward, but I clasped my hands and revealed my identity.
"Please forgive this sneaky intrusion. I mean no harm and only came to speak with you, Palace Lord. I am Little Bear from the Central Plains martial world, and this is my wife."
"I am Miho."
Miho played along perfectly, acting the part of a wife. The North Sea Ice Palace Lord, sensing no murderous intent from us, stroked his beard and said,
"What brings you to me?"
"We seek the land at the northernmost end of this world. We thought you, Palace Lord, might know something about it and wished to hear the most expert opinion."
It was my way of politely flattering him. The North Sea Ice Palace Lord stared at me steadily before saying,
"The northern end? What specific place do you mean?"
"Past the great grasslands from here, further into the frozen northern lands... and beyond that, the northernmost end of the world, I believe."
"Hmm... Why go to such a place?"
"To be honest, we've heard there's the greatest treasure in the mortal world there. My wife and I intend to travel our whole lives if needed to find it."
It wasn't a lie. The Seven Night Demon Edge truly was the mortal world's greatest treasure. At that, the North Sea Ice Palace Lord pondered, sat at the table, took a swig of potent fiery liquor, and then said to us,
"Sit there."
As Miho and I sat opposite him, he narrowed his eyes.
"If I share that information, what will you give me in return?"
"I offer this."
I pulled out a gold ingot. Seeing it, the North Sea Ice Palace Lord looked slightly surprised, appraised it, and seemed convinced it was real gold.
"Sufficient payment for the information."
After a brief think, he began to speak.
"You're from the Central Plains—do you know the structure of the great grasslands and the northern wilderness?"
"Not really."
"Central Plains folk lump the northern foes, eastern barbarians, southern savages, and western nomads as mere barbarians beyond the civilized world. But in truth, the grasslands and deserts are mere gateways to a vast world, and the Central Plains are just frogs in a well."
With that preface, the North Sea Ice Palace Lord continued.
"The current situation north of the great grasslands is unfolding in ways Central Plains folk can't imagine. Because Thunder Emperor Ivan the Fourth has formally proclaimed himself Tsar and is building a mighty nation."
It was a completely unfamiliar foreign term. What did he just say?
Miho looked equally baffled, so the North Sea Ice Palace Lord smiled bitterly and said,
"Beyond the great grasslands in the frozen east lies a nation called Russia. A land of Semu people, originating from far to the west. Even I and the North Sea Ice Palace's direct descendants carry Russian blood."
"I see..."
"I see? You look like you understood nothing."
The North Sea Ice Palace Lord chided me, but I had nothing to say.
It was the first I had heard of a nation called Russia. At least, none of the books I had studied since birth mentioned it—I only knew of Semu people in the north and west.
The North Sea Ice Palace Lord said,
"The northernmost end you speak of seems to be the glacial continent beyond that Russian Empire, where eternal ice exists."
"A continent made of glaciers?"
"Indeed."
He stated calmly,
"For convenience, we call it the North Pole Continent."