Chapter 403: Do you think selling noodles is easy?
The middle-aged man in blue wanted to shout like this.
‘Do you think I don't know that? It's the damn Drunken Demon; both ways are bound to be dangerous.’
Of course, since he could not say that, he spoke as politely as possible.
"I didn't know the Demonic Cult was involved in this matter. If I had known, I wouldn't have helped."
It was the truth. There was no way anything good would come from getting entangled with the damned Demonic Cult.
Drunken Demon asked him.
"Who are you?"
The man glanced at the masked figure. It was not the gaze of one looking at a subordinate; he was gauging the other’s reaction. When the masked figure showed no response, the middle-aged man introduced himself.
"I am Hwang Su. I am a scholar who studies the human body."
"A scholar, my ass! More like a butcher. How many people have died so far?"
Hwang Su could not make any excuses. Too many people had died. He did not even know the number himself.
"What kind of experiments were you doing on them?"
Hwang Su hesitated to answer.
At that moment, Yang Il, who was lying on the bed, mustered his courage and spoke.
"He said he was searching for some kind of constitution. What was it again? Ah, right. Extreme Cold Constitution. He said if I had the Extreme Cold Constitution, I could survive."
Extreme Cold Constitution.
The Ice-Cold Constitution was a natural trait of those born strongly resistant to the cold. Those born with this constitution could live their entire lives without catching a cold even once.
Among those with the Ice-Cold Constitution, those especially specialized in enduring extreme cold had the Extreme Cold Constitution.
Those born with the Extreme Cold Constitution would not die from the cold. For instance, even if they entered icy water naked in the middle of winter, they might starve to death, but they would not freeze to death.
"This bed had become terrifyingly cold."
At Yang Il’s words, Drunken Demon inspected the bed. It was no ordinary bed.
"So this is a bed to find the Extreme Cold Constitution."
Drunken Demon looked back at Hwang Su and asked.
"Why are you searching for the Extreme Cold Constitution?"
Seeing Hwang Su remaining silent, Drunken Demon showed a mocking expression.
"I told you, didn't I? That I'm sensitive because I didn’t have a drink."
Hwang Su once again looked at the masked figure beside him.
Drunken Demon had also recognized from the beginning that he was not a subordinate. His gaze was never that of a subordinate's in the first place.
"So you're someone sent to watch over him."
Finally, the masked figure stepped forward.
"If you thought we'd be scared just because you are the Demon Supreme, you're sorely mistaken."
The 'we' did not include Hwang Su.
Two more masked figures entered the room.
Their presence was different from the martial artists who had been defeated by Drunken Demon earlier. Their eyes were just as intense as the one who had been talking.
Originally, the three of them had taken turns monitoring Hwang Su and assisting with this mission. They were equally skilled and had similar temperaments.
With their appearance, Hwang Su’s expression brightened. The reason the masked figure had stayed quiet was because he had been waiting for them to arrive.
‘With the three of them together!’
Just when it felt like it might be worth trying, even against Drunken Demon.
Juuuuu.
In the next moment, the energy that had been rippling around Drunken Demon's body scattered in all directions. A thick fog instantly spread over the area.
Hwang Su could not see anything.
‘Please! Kill Drunken Demon!’
As a brief silence fell, Hwang Su caught sight of something gleaming. It was the blade of one of the masked men.
The next moment.
Crunch.
A sound of bone breaking was heard. The sword, which had been visible in the air, trembled once and then disappeared into the fog as if sucked in.
‘He got hit!’
Silence flowed once again.
Whoooosh.
Another masked man infused his sword with internal energy and swung it through the air, causing the energy spread like fog to swirl around his blade.
He intended to draw the fog outward using his internal energy, but Drunken Demon’s energy was no ordinary fog or smoke.
For a moment, it seemed to wrap around his sword, but then it dispersed more densely in all directions.
At that moment, Hwang Su saw it — a glimpse of Drunken Demon flashing through the mist.
He was moving with his hands behind his back, even smiling leisurely as he looked over.
‘Watch out!’
Before he could even shout.
Crack.
With a hand blade strike, Drunken Demon broke the neck of the masked man who had tried to disperse the energy and toppled him.
Before the man could even hit the floor, Drunken Demon had disappeared back into the fog.
The last thing Hwang Su saw was a sword flying toward him.
‘Self-annihilation!’
The lone masked man, realizing he could not handle Drunken Demon, tried to kill Hwang Su first. He must have been given such an order from the beginning — that when this moment came, he should kill Hwang Su.
The flying sword stopped right in front of Hwang Su’s heart.
Crack.
A bone-crushing sound came from right in front of him.
As the thick fog cleared, the masked man’s figure became visible. The one who had thrust the sword toward him now had his neck grotesquely twisted, and the light had already left his eyes.
As he collapsed like a broken doll, Drunken Demon was standing behind him. It was an overwhelming difference in skill. The Blood Calabash hanging at his waist had not even been touched.
Three of them might be enough? That had been a ridiculous delusion.
‘So this is the true strength of the Demon Supreme I've only heard about!’
Hwang Su’s heart pounded as if it were about to burst.
The energy around Drunken Demon fluttered like flames and then was absorbed back into his body.
"Why are you trying to find the Extreme Cold Constitution?"
Now, Hwang Su had no reason to hesitate anymore.
"I don't know either. I was only hired to retrieve someone with the Extreme Cold Constitution and got paid."
"By whom?"
As Hwang Su hesitated to answer, Drunken Demon revealed the harsh reality.
"You already died a moment ago."
Hwang Su stared at the corpse of the fallen masked man and then made up his mind to reveal who had made the request.
"The one who gave me the money was—"
It was right at that moment.
Fwooosh.
Both sides of Hwang Su's forehead suddenly swelled up.
Splat! Splat!
Both sides burst open, spraying blood.
Hwang Su died instantly. Shockingly, a restrictive curse had been placed on him that would cause death if he tried to mention anything about the mastermind.
Drunken Demon looked down at the corpse with a grave expression.
A death triggered by attempting to give a specific answer was a truly advanced form of suggestion and restriction. It meant a formidable figure was behind this.
Drunken Demon spoke to Yang Il, who was still sitting there in terror.
"Get dressed."
Yang Il, who had still been naked until then, hurriedly put on his clothes.
‘This wasn’t a dream after all.’
Fully clothed, Yang Il followed Drunken Demon out of the room.
Yang Il realized once again how reckless his earlier thought had been — trying to ambush the martial artist who had brought him and escape from this place.
As they turned the corridor corner, about a dozen martial artists were lying unconscious.
It was the same outside the building. Dozens of martial artists were collapsed everywhere.
Seeing how heavily guarded the place had been, Yang Il realized that this had been no ordinary situation.
‘If I really had the Extreme Cold Constitution, what exactly were they planning to make me do?’
No matter how much he thought about it, he could not figure it out.
A little distance away, a carriage was waiting. It was a carriage from the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult's Northern Sea Branch, ready to take Yang Il back to his hometown.
The people escorting him had already coordinated with the branch near his hometown to ensure his family would be protected, so there was no need for him to worry anymore.
"You don't have to worry about retaliation. Just live well with your family."
Even without that reassurance, by the time Yang Il arrived in his hometown, everything here would already be over.
Yang Il could hardly believe he had survived.
"It still feels like a dream. To be saved by none other than the Demon Supreme himself!"
"I did not save you."
"What do you mean?"
"Would anyone have come all the way to this distant Northern Sea if not for your wife's desperate wish to save her husband? You can hear the details from your wife when you get back."
The thought of being able to go home made Yang Il feel like he could fly with joy. To be able to see his wife and children again!
While he had been imprisoned, he had made countless resolutions. He would no longer greedily chase after happiness all at once. Instead of the ambition to make money to bring happiness, he would be there for every moment his children grew up.
‘Thank you. I will live that way, for sure.’
He bowed deeply.
"Thank you so much for saving me."
Yang Il planned to drink a cup of liquor every year on this day and remember Drunken Demon.
"Make sure you deliver this bow to the person who truly deserves it."
Saying that, Drunken Demon began walking in the opposite direction from the departing carriage.
Crunch, crunch.
Leaving the first traces on the pure white snow, Drunken Demon’s footsteps gradually quickened. Soon, no footprints were left on the snow.
* * *
Geom Mugeuk and Lee Ahn rented a carriage and returned to Hidden Moon’s safehouse.
The three who had been subdued using the blood points were still unconscious.
The two of them loaded them into the carriage.
"When Drunken Demon returns, let’s head straight to the Ice Palace."
Lee Ahn could tell. Geom Mugeuk firmly believed that Drunken Demon would handle everything well and come back. Normally, he treated him like an easygoing older brother, but at least right now, he regarded him as the Demon Supreme.
Lee Ahn was not worried about Drunken Demon either. Rather, the one she was concerned about was the Young Palace Master they had met.
"But will the Ice Palace accept the young lord’s proposal?"
Even if Drunken Demon saved the captured person, it would still be a problem if the Ice Palace did not accept it.
"They will accept."
"How can you be so sure?"
"You told the Young Palace Master yourself, didn’t you? ‘Believe in him, for he is the Transcendent!’"
"Please don’t joke around. Why are you so sure?"
Geom Mugeuk explained the reason.
"We had two conditions. First, that they would not punish you, and second, that they would allow us to investigate the death of the Former Master Brewer in the Ice Palace."
"That's right."
"First of all, they cannot touch you anyway. Not only can they not recklessly harm someone who is one of my limbs, but they also had a valid excuse because their own was abducted. Most critically, the Northern Blood Gate is trying to cover up this whole incident, so they cannot escalate it by punishing you."
"What about the second condition? There’s still a chance the Ice Palace might not accept us."
"The Ice Palace Master is already well aware of the relationship between the Former Master Brewer and Drunken Demon. It’s a relationship built over many years through exchanged letters and liquor. If someone like that shows interest in this death and they refuse? If they did, Drunken Demon would only grow more suspicious and dig even deeper into the matter. In the process, he might uncover information the Ice Palace doesn’t want revealed. The Ice Palace Master must also be aware of that, so refusing easily would not be an option."
Lee Ahn was impressed. She had not thought of a single reason Geom Mugeuk had just mentioned.
"I want to retire. I don’t think I can survive in this kind of martial world. It's amazing that I'm still alive. I’m going to retire and live in a countryside village where no martial artists ever come, selling noodles."
"You think selling noodles is easy? After getting swarmed by people all day, you'll think, ‘Ah! Swinging a sword mindlessly next to the young lord was better!’ and you'll want to come running back immediately."
Lee Ahn sighed.
"Since we're talking about it, would you like some noodles? There are ingredients in the kitchen."
"Can you make them?"
"Noodles, at least, I can manage."
"Let's eat. I was getting hungry anyway."
"I'll cook them right away."
As Lee Ahn disappeared into the kitchen, Geom Mugeuk lightly leapt onto the roof of the carriage. Even as he landed on the roof, not even the sound of a feather falling could be heard.
Lying down there, Geom Mugeuk looked up at the sky.
Suddenly, he missed his father.
Of course, he missed the Demon Supremes too, but it was always his father he wanted to see first.
He must be sitting stiffly in the Throne Mat at the Heavenly Demon Pavilion, busy handling affairs.
‘Father, your son misses you so much like this. Are you thinking of me, too?’
While he was lost in thoughts of his father, Lee Ahn quickly finished making the noodles and returned.
"Where would you like to eat?"
"Let's eat up here."
Holding the bowl of noodles, Lee Ahn leapt up onto the carriage roof. Thanks to her smooth lightness technique, not a single drop of broth was spilled. Her martial arts skills were improving day by day.
"Here you go."
Considering how quickly it was made, it tasted excellent.
"This is delicious. With hands this good, you won’t starve even if you retire. Let me invest in that noodle shop, too!"
Lee Ahn felt relieved. She had been secretly worried Geom Mugeuk would say it was terrible.
Just as the two were slurping up the noodles—
Drunken Demon entered the courtyard.
Geom Mugeuk and Lee Ahn looked at him. Drunken Demon gave the two a slight nod. Seeing that nod, Lee Ahn felt relieved. It was clear that he had safely rescued the captive.
Of course, there was still some regret.
"Only that person was saved."
Lee Ahn felt deeply sorry but knew there was no helping it.
She would not blame herself, thinking she could have saved more if she had done better. Instead, she intended to channel that anger toward punishing those behind this incident.
"Any noodles left?"
"I can make some quickly. But would noodles be enough? Let me treat you to something delicious."
Strictly speaking, he had stepped in because of her matter.
"No need. Noodles are enough."
"Understood. I'll boil some right away."
"I’ll take another bowl too!"
"Yes, sir!"
As Lee Ahn ran back toward the kitchen, this time, Drunken Demon lightly leapt up onto the carriage roof.
"You did well, brother."
"Well, it’s nothing."
"But why were they abducting people?"
"They were looking for the Extreme Cold Constitution."
"Extreme Cold Constitution?"
Among the various human constitutions, the Extreme Cold Constitution was truly a rare one.
"The moment he tried to answer who had ordered it, his head burst, and he died. It was an extremely powerful restriction."
The moment he heard those words, Geom Mugeuk recalled an organization he had known before the regression.
Blood Death Alliance.
Bound by blood, they feared no death. For the sake of the organization, they would sacrifice their lives without hesitation.
Everyone feared the Blood Death Alliance.
But later, it was revealed — they did not offer their lives out of genuine loyalty. They were under a powerful restriction that would cause their bodies to explode if they betrayed the organization.
The one who led the Blood Death Alliance.
Among the Twelve Zodiac Kings, the Ninth King.
Blood King.
Another of the Twelve Zodiac Kings had appeared.
Being a lower-numbered King did not necessarily mean being weaker than the upper ones.
The Blood King was the most fitting example of that truth. It was said he had chosen to become the Ninth King simply because he liked the number nine.
The Blood King was a formidable figure. He commanded an innumerable number of subordinates, and those subordinates feared no death. They could not betray, and they would use self-destructive techniques without hesitation.
Because of this, little was actually known about what kind of martial arts the Blood King used or how strong he truly was. All the history related to the Blood King was the history of his subordinates — the history of blood.
‘The Blood King is searching for the Extreme Cold Constitution? Why?’
Geom Mugeuk looked around at the snow-covered surroundings.
‘How much blood will have to be spilled onto this pure snow?’
Lee Ahn, bringing the noodles, saw the grave expression on Geom Mugeuk’s face.
From that expression, she could tell — this Ice Palace affair was not going to be an easy one. Her heart flared with fighting spirit.
At that moment, her eyes met Geom Mugeuk’s.
"I’ll just work hard cooking noodles."
At her joke, Geom Mugeuk gave a faint smile.
Then Drunken Demon suddenly spoke.
"Don’t worry."
When Geom Mugeuk turned to look, Drunken Demon was lying down, gazing up at the sky as if drinking in the Tower of Drunken Dreams.
Though his posture was relaxed, the gaze visible between the strands of his fallen hair was deeper and more intense than ever.
"I’ll take care of everything."