Chapter 95: The Art of Negotiation
Chapter 95
The Art of Negotiation
"Young Master Tang! What in the world are you saying?"
"Absolutely not! This is preposterous!"
"Indeed! How dare you ask for the Divine Armor of the Moonlight Martial Emperor!"
The moment Se-woon finished speaking, voices erupted from all corners of the hall, filled with disbelief and outrage.
This wasn't some calculated move by the Sichuan Tang Family, who had obtained the Mystical Forge, to suppress Se-woon. No—these people were genuinely furious, their anger boiling over.
The Divine Armor Se-woon had demanded held immense symbolic value for the Murim Alliance.
Two hundred years ago, under the leadership of the Moonlight Martial Emperor, the Alliance had reached its golden age—an era of unrivaled dominance. They had won consecutive victories in the Great Righteous-Demonic War, pushing the Unorthodox factions to the brink of annihilation.
The Moonlight Martial Emperor was the pride of the Murim Alliance, and his Divine Armor was a symbol of that glorious era.
And now, Se-woon was asking for it outright.
No matter how great his achievements, this demand crossed a line.
'Alright, now's the time to ease up...'
Se-woon feigned a flustered expression as the crowd glared at him with daggers in their eyes, then cautiously continued.
"First, I want to make it clear—I have no ulterior motives. I merely mentioned an artifact capable of suppressing the cold energy within me to a treatable level."
"Even so—!"
"Moreover, I'm well aware of what the Divine Armor means to the Alliance. I'm not asking for full ownership."
"Not full ownership?"
"Yes. I only seek to borrow it for the duration of my treatment."
Murmurs spread at the word borrow, but they quickly died down.
Still, it wasn't much better.
"Even borrowing is out of the question!"
"Exactly! The moment word gets out that the Divine Armor is in the Sichuan Tang Family's possession, thieves like the Divine Thief will swarm like locusts!"
Currently, the Divine Armor was stored in the deepest vault of the Murim Alliance's archives, guarded by the most stringent surveillance.
But if such a Divine Artifact were kept in an ordinary family's possession, countless attempts to steal it would follow immediately.
The Moonlight Martial Emperor's Divine Armor was the dream—and trophy—of every Rooftop Gentleman in the martial world.
"......I truly apologize, but that seems impossible. Is there no other artifact that could aid your recovery?"
Even Yoo Jin-hak, who had been silently observing, spoke up, sensing that this request couldn't be granted.
Se-woon pretended to ponder deeply before responding.
"There is one other thing..."
"Speak, Young Master Tang."
"Then... might I be granted the Snowbloom Herb instead?"
"......!!"
The mention of the Snowbloom Herb sent another wave of murmurs through the hall.
In the past, when Se-woon had been poisoned by Poison Demon Yayul Seung's Half-Corpse Blood Toxin, the Snowbloom Herb had been the antidote—an exceedingly rare medicinal herb.
The North Sea Ice Palace monopolized its production and strictly forbade its distribution.
Yet, years ago, the Murim Alliance had stumbled upon one by chance.
They had executed a notorious bandit leader, only to find the herb in his possession.
The man had been a fugitive from the North Sea Ice Palace, intending to sell it on the black market before meeting his end.
When the Ice Palace learned of this, they immediately demanded its return—but then, things took a bizarre turn.
The Ice Palace could only bloom ten Snowbloom Herbs a year.
Yet, for decades, not a single one had bloomed, leaving them with no harvest.
The problem was that the Snowbloom Herb was essential for the Ice Palace Lord to master her ultimate technique.
But then...
-What?
-......The herb bore fruit?
Strangely enough, the fruit had bloomed on the Murim Alliance's Snowbloom Herb.
To be precise, after acquiring it, they had carelessly left it near the Divine Armor—and somehow, it had borne fruit.
They had initially planned to return it to the Ice Palace, but now, that was impossible.
'If we hand over the fruit, that already-deranged Ice Witch will go completely berserk. No sane person would do that.'
And so—
"No, Young Master Tang! This is too much!"
Moyong Bin, the family head of the Moyong Clan, roared, veins bulging on his neck.
Currently, the Moyong Clan—located closest to the Ice Palace in Shanxi Province—bore the brunt of their aggression.
Lately, the Ice Palace had grown increasingly violent under the pretext of reclaiming the Snowbloom Herb's fruit.
And if word got out that Se-woon had taken it?
The Ice Palace would go mad—there was no telling what they'd do.
"The North Sea Ice Palace may be an external force, but they are not to be underestimated!"
"Exactly! Under their new lord's leadership, their growth has been terrifying!"
"We sympathize with your plight, Young Master Tang, but this could plunge the martial world into another Blood Turmoil!"
With his second proposal also rejected, Se-woon's expression darkened.
"Hah... So this won't work either..."
At Se-woon's sigh, Yoo Jin-hak looked genuinely troubled.
His face was a mix of helplessness and guilt.
Even some in the crowd muttered that, given Se-woon's extraordinary contributions, it felt wrong to deny him everything.
But—
Contrary to appearances, Se-woon wasn't bothered by the refusal.
In fact, if they had agreed, he would've been the one in trouble.
'I deliberately proposed the impossible.'
He had intentionally made outrageous demands—ones even Yoo Jin-hak couldn't approve.
To the uninformed, the Divine Armor and Snowbloom Herb might seem like priceless treasures.
But to Se-woon's eyes...
'They're just mediocre relics—more trouble than they're worth.'
The Divine Armor granted its wearer resistance to extreme cold and unparalleled defense worthy of its title as a Divine Artifact—but it came with a horrific side effect.
Over years, it secretly planted the Curse of the Nine Yin Meridians into the wearer's body, unnoticed.
Then, in an instant, it annihilated their innate qi.
That was why the Moonlight Martial Emperor, at the height of his power, had met such a sudden, pitiful end in his final battle.
Of course, Se-woon could replenish his innate qi—so he could use it if he wanted.
'But Tian Luo's armor surpasses it in both cold resistance and defense. There's no reason to bother.'
As for the Snowbloom Herb's fruit—he had no use for it either.
Absorbing it would grant a decent boost to his internal energy, but the moment he did...
The Ice Palace Lord—Xue Bailian, the Frost Tyrant.
That madwoman would undoubtedly come after him.
Just the thought sent a chill down his spine.
So what Se-woon actually sought through this bluff—
'Was this exact atmosphere.'
Public sympathy—the sense that a man of his contributions wasn't being treated fairly.
Realizing the moment had come, Se-woon slowly spoke again.
"Sigh... Then, what about this?"
All eyes turned back to him.
With a pleading gaze, he carefully made his final request.
"It's nowhere near as valuable as the Divine Artifacts, but with time, it could still aid my recovery."
"Very well. Speak."
"I wish to obtain shackles forged from Winter Spirit Stone."
"......Hm?"
Winter Spirit Stone shackles?
Most people tilted their heads in confusion.
They knew of shackles made from Snow Spirit Stone—the ones used to restrain Se-woon's hands in the past.
But—
"......What shackles are made from Winter Spirit Stone?"
"Ah—could it be?!"
A few gasped as realization struck.
When the Moonlight Martial Emperor was mentioned, another figure came to mind.
"Young Master Tang, are you referring to the Winter Shackle Wheel—the one created to capture Feng Sha?"
"Yes, precisely."
Se-woon nodded at Jegal Hoon's question.
During the Moonlight Martial Emperor's reign, when the Murim Alliance was crushing the Unorthodox factions in their golden age—
They had believed unification was near and embarked on crafting bizarre artifacts.
One such creation was a set of shackles meant for Feng Sha—the so-called "King of the Unorthodox."
Though the Unorthodox factions were on the brink, Feng Sha's martial prowess rivaled even the Moonlight Martial Emperor's.
Thus, they forged shackles even stronger than the Snow Spirit Stone restraints used on the Demon Horse Leader.
They used Winter Spirit Stone—a material superior to Snow Spirit Stone in icy energy but impossible to control.
'In the end, they created a monstrous shackle—as if winter itself had been imprisoned.'
That was the Winter Shackle Wheel.
Yet, absurdly, it had never been used even once.
Because shortly after its completion, the Moonlight Martial Emperor had died in battle.
Without their leader, the Murim Alliance suffered repeated defeats, and the balance between Orthodoxy and Unorthodoxy was restored.
Since then, the Winter Shackle Wheel had gathered dust in a corner of the archives for centuries—barely maintained due to the overwhelming yin energy it emitted.
If the Divine Armor symbolized the Alliance's golden age, the Winter Shackle Wheel represented its darkest era.
But despite that, releasing it outside the Alliance carried another implication.
No matter how useless it seemed, its significance wasn't trivial—
And the energy it contained was overwhelmingly potent.
Moreover, since it had never been used, no one knew what other hidden functions it might possess.
Yet despite these risks...
"Hmm... The Winter Shackle Wheel shouldn't be a problem, right?"
"I agree. It's not like the Divine Armor or the Snowbloom Herb."
"Tch, it's just been sitting in the archives unused anyway. It's just a set of shackles."
Whether from the elder faction or the Alliance Leader's side, no one objected—only nodding in approval.
'Perfect.'
This was Se-woon's negotiation tactic.
By first making impossible demands, then scaling back to something less extreme, the latter seemed far more reasonable.
But Se-woon knew—
Just how absurdly valuable the Winter Shackle Wheel truly was.
In his past life, during the Murim Alliance's collapse, the Blood Cult had seized it first amidst the chaos.
'Come to me!'
Se-woon steadied his trembling heart.
At that moment, Jegal Hoon glanced at Yoo Jin-hak for approval.
Receiving a nod, he declared:
"Then it is decided! The second reward for Young Master Tang shall be the Winter Shackle Wheel!"
Se-woon had obtained everything he wanted.