Chapter 414: The Young Cult Leader is Sleeping
"We met three times?"
She had no memory of seeing Yang Seok, the eldest son of the Northern Blood Gate, three times. She only remembered seeing him once before.
"Today makes the fourth time."
"Sorry. I have a poor memory."
"No. You're a very busy person, it happens."
Yang Seok felt his pride wounded inside, but he pretended to be generous and laughed heartily.
He liked her. Well, who wouldn't? Was there any young man living in the Northern Sea who didn't like her?
By marrying a beauty, one could also gain the greatest family of the Northern Sea, the Northern Sea Ice Palace.
But she was the ice-cold beauty. No one had ever heard of her giving her heart to anyone.
"So, what brings you here today?"
First, she offered her condolences.
"I heard about your younger brother. You must be deeply saddened."
"My heart is troubled, but I'm enduring."
Yang Seok was secretly puzzled.
'This cold Young Palace Master wouldn't have come because of my brother.'
Because of that, Yang Seok had a guess in mind.
"I heard you've been investigating the demons and the death of the Former Master Brewer of the Hundred Liquors Snow Courtyard lately. How is that going?"
"I've been looking into various things, but it's not easy."
On her way here, she had thought a lot about how she could approach Yang Seok without arousing suspicion. In the end, she had decided to pretend she came for the investigation of that incident, and thankfully, he brought it up first.
"By any chance, do you know anything about the incident?"
"I'd like to help, but I don't know anything."
She let out a light sigh and asked,
"Do you know there are demons inside the Palace?"
"How could I not know? Because of them, my brother died."
Of course, if he spoke the truth, he should have said this instead: thanks to those demons, he was able to kill the thorn in his side, his brother.
"The Young Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult is running rampant. They're pressuring us to produce evidence for this case quickly."
Now, Yang Seok fully understood why she had come to him.
'Rather, it's an opportunity.'
Even though he wanted to get close to her, she had never once given him a glance.
"If there is anything I can do to help, I will do it."
While Yang Seok was trying hard to make a good impression on her, outside the guest hall where they were meeting, Chan was standing guard.
There, Ha Gyeol approached.
Chan looked at him indifferently but was actually observing Ha Gyeol closely. Given his profession, he had encountered countless escorts.
When he first saw Ha Gyeol, he immediately sensed he possessed all the distinct qualities of an escort.
The steps guarding all directions, the swift glances scanning the surroundings, the persistence to even detect concealed hidden weapons when observing a target, and the chronically bloodshot eyes showing constant fatigue—he was, in every sense, a pure escort martial artist.
'And yet he left his post?'
After arriving here together, once Yang Seok entered the guest hall, he vacated his spot for a while.
Even if this was inside the Northern Blood Gate, it was still shocking that someone escorting the successor would leave his post.
What if an accident happened during that time? What if a sudden fight broke out with the Young Palace Master?
Of course, it was unlikely to happen, but an escort martial artist was exactly the kind of person who worried about things others would not.
Precisely because he was a seemingly perfect escort, his behavior felt even more unnatural.
It made one want to ask: what could possibly be more important than protecting the successor? Of course, Chan could not have known. That Ha Gyeol had retraced his path to claim the blood of a quarrel as his own.
At that moment, Ha Gyeol casually looked up at the building above.
"Why?"
"Nothing."
He must have sensed something.
Chan also scanned the surroundings, but saw no one. Even when he raised his energy and actively searched, he could feel no presence nearby.
'I could have sworn he sensed something.'
If he felt something that he couldn't, it meant he was superior to him.
Therefore, if he had sensed something, he should have reported it. Were they just some ordinary guest? They were the Young Palace Master of the Ice Palace and her escort.
It bothered him, but Chan did not show it outwardly.
Meanwhile, conversation was still flowing in the guest hall. Of course, it was mostly Yang Seok speaking, and Han Seol listening.
Until arriving here, Han Seol had worried whether she could act this well. But once she tried it, she realized it wasn't so difficult. She even thought she might have a talent for deceiving others.
"I have one thing I'm curious about."
"What is it?"
"Why did your younger brother get entangled with the Demonic Cult?"
Yang Seok's expression briefly flinched but he soon answered calmly.
"You know well, Young Palace Master. Those Demonic Cult bastards are like a pack of wolves, trying to extort whatever they can."
Exactly. He, too, thought of the demons in that way.
"That's right. Moreover, the ones who came this time are really strange."
To him it might sound like an insult, but it was actually meant as praise.
Although Han Seol knew Yang Seok hadn't spoken honestly, she decided to arrange a meeting for next time.
"Would you join me next time when I meet the Young Cult Leader?"
This choice was entirely because of Lee Ahn.
When dealing with matters before, at the moment of decision, Lee Ahn had said: we have done enough, now leave it to Geom Mugeuk. And the result had been surprisingly good. This situation was much the same. It wasn't a person she wanted to keep meeting alone.
Yang Seok interpreted her proposal this way: she was asking him to lend his strength in dealing with the Young Cult Leader.
"Very well. The sects of the Northern Sea must unite their strength."
"Thank you. Then I will be leaving for today."
Yang Seok felt regret at parting from her.
Who would have thought a day would come when he would share such a good atmosphere with the Young Palace Master of the Northern Sea Ice Palace? Thanks to the Demonic Cult bastards, he had taken care of his brother, and now he even entertained pleasant fantasies of perhaps gaining a wife.
Han Seol left the place with Chan accompanying her. As they walked away, Chan cast a sidelong glance at Ha Gyeol. Even now, he was the perfect escort, yet the sense of discomfort kept creeping in.
After the two had departed, Yang Seok spoke to Ha Gyeol.
"She's a woman who is cold yet captivating."
"If you place your tongue on ice, it never separates easily."
Yang Seok shot Ha Gyeol a cold look.
He neither trusted nor liked him. Ha Gyeol was an escort his father had assigned to monitor him.
Sometimes, just seeing him made Yang Seok’s mood sour. Although Ha Gyeol always maintained a polite demeanor, there were moments when he strangely provoked him. Just like now. How dare this insolent bastard imply he should be careful. Watch your own tongue before I cut it off.
At that moment, a martial artist ran up and said to Yang Seok,
"The Gate Master is summoning you."
* * *
"It seems that, if I handle things well, I might be able to draw the Young Palace Master in."
Yang Seok was reporting his meeting with Han Seol to the Northern Blood Gate Master.
"The Young Palace Master came to you to find something out."
"I suspected as much. I will use her instead to uncover their information."
The Northern Blood Gate Master nodded.
"Always be cautious."
"I will bear it in mind."
After finishing his report, Yang Seok was about to withdraw when the Northern Blood Gate Master stopped Ha Gyeol.
"You stay behind."
Yang Seok left first. It was moments like this that irritated him. Even after hearing his full report, his father would seek further confirmation from that bastard.
Surely it must be about Han Seol. His ever-suspicious father.
'Trust your son a little, will you!'
However, reality was moving in a completely different direction than Yang Seok thought.
Once his son had left, the Northern Blood Gate Master opened a secret door behind the main hall and led Ha Gyeol inside. There was a space prepared solely for the two of them.
It was a strange, eerie place entirely decorated in red. A thick scent of blood hung in the air.
The moment they stepped into the hall, the relationship between the two reversed.
Ha Gyeol's energy was different from when he was outside. A faint blood-colored aura flowed from his eyes and body. Just being in the same space with him made one feel fear.
"Still haven't secured it yet?"
At Ha Gyeol's question, the Northern Blood Gate Master answered politely.
"No, I just received word. They have finally found someone with the Extreme Cold Constitution and are currently transporting them here."
It was news he had awaited so long that Ha Gyeol’s face brightened with delight.
"How long will it take?"
"It should arrive in three days."
"Three days later!"
It was the first time Ha Gyeol had shown such a delighted expression. Finding someone with the Extreme Cold Constitution was that important to him.
"Now that you've found the Extreme Cold Constitution, you must keep your promise."
In that instant, a red aura burst forth from Ha Gyeol's eyes.
"Ugh! Stop!"
The Northern Blood Gate Master let out a scream full of fear. Crimson circles appeared on both sides of his forehead and began to swell as if about to burst.
"Please spare me!"
The Northern Blood Gate Master pleaded desperately. If it swelled even a little more, the blood vessels in his head would burst, and he would die.
The dangerously close moment, where it seemed about to explode at any second, continued for a while until at last, the red energy from Ha Gyeol's eyes subsided. The Northern Blood Gate Master's swollen skin also sank down.
"The promise will be fulfilled when the person with the Extreme Cold Constitution is brought before me."
"I understand."
The Northern Blood Gate Master was inwardly anxious. Would Ha Gyeol truly keep his promise once he got what he wanted?
It was greed that had put him under Ha Gyeol's control. Greed had created a gap, and that gap had allowed something vile to invade his blood.
Yes, ruin always came because of greed. But then again, it was also greed that had brought him this far.
The Northern Blood Gate Master considered even this part of the process. Just like always, he would survive.
Ha Gyeol spoke calmly.
"Until then, you must prevent the Demonic Cult bastards from making any moves."
"Do not worry. Aren't they already tied down under the surveillance of the Ice Palace because of the Drunken Demon incident?"
Then a surprising statement flowed from Ha Gyeol’s lips.
"The Young Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult came and went here today. It was a very faint feeling, but if someone could evade my eyes, it must have been that one."
The Northern Blood Gate Master quickly replied.
"I will immediately send word to Elder Seo. This may be the opportunity we need if the Young Cult Leader moved without permission. All we need is three days."
The Northern Blood Gate Master bowed respectfully and hurriedly left the place.
In his turned eyes, there was a fierce resolve, as if confronting fate itself. Life or death would be decided three days from now.
No, to be more precise, it would be a question of who would die and who would live.
Meanwhile, Ha Gyeol, left alone, operated the back wall. He pressed, pulled, and pressed again at specific spots. After carefully manipulating the device—
Srrrung.
A door opened, revealing another hidden space.
A secret room within a secret room.
Inside was a giant tank. It was a special tank made of ice that could only be crafted in the Northern Sea, allowing the inside to be seen.
The tank was filled with blood. The blood was mixed with all sorts of medicinal substances.
An eerie scent, one that ordinary people would never have experienced even once, suddenly filled the air.
Only the Drunken Demon would recognize this scent. He would know that the fragrance of the Fragrant Snow Ice Liquor was mixed within it.
Inside the tank, a man was submerged.
Being immersed in blood, normally nothing should have been visible, but strangely, his body could be seen clearly. It was a truly mysterious sight.
He had long limbs, magnificent muscles, and a body so perfect it seemed as if a master artisan had sculpted it. What drew the eye even more was the man’s hair. His hair was blood-red.
His body, meeting the blood, created an otherworldly atmosphere unlike anything else in the world.
Ha Gyeol spoke to the man inside the tank.
"Master, I have finally obtained the Extreme Cold Constitution."
At that, the red-haired man submerged in the blood snapped his eyes open.
The man who opened his eyes exuded an overwhelming presence. It was a presence that even overpowered Ha Gyeol.
He appeared young but was by no means truly young. This man inside the tank was the Blood King.
Ha Gyeol was the sole disciple who had inherited the Blood King’s martial arts.
The Blood King smiled. As he smiled, even the blood seemed to rejoice, bubbling and forming blood droplets.
However, there was also unwelcome news.
"A command has come down again, ordering us to return."
Then the Blood King spoke. Even though he was speaking from within the blood, his voice was low yet carried a profound resonance that was clearly audible.
"We will not return. Even if it means drowning the entire Northern Sea in blood."
* * *
Seo Nak stormed into Geom Mugeuk’s residence, leading the Ice Palace martial artists.
Lee Ahn stepped in front of the door to block him.
"What is the matter?"
"Where is the Young Cult Leader?"
"He is currently sleeping."
A sneer crossed Seo Nak’s face.
"We received a report that the Young Cult Leader left his quarters."
Lee Ahn's heart sank. If it was revealed that he had left without permission, the situation would become very serious.
"It must have been a mistaken report. He is sleeping right now."
When she tried to close the door, Seo Nak reached out and blocked it with his hand.
Lee Ahn was determined not to step aside, but Seo Nak had already made up his mind from the beginning.
"Step aside. If you obstruct the confirmation of the order given by the Palace Master, it will be considered defying the Palace Master’s command."
Seo Nak pushed inside with the experts. Unable to fight Seo Nak, Lee Ahn had no choice but to step back.
Seo Nak stared at the bulge in the blanket on the bed.
"Look, the Young Cult Leader is sleeping. So please, everyone, leave."
Lee Ahn even lowered her voice and worked hard at acting, but it did not work on Seo Nak.
"I don't see the pillow."
He meant that the bulge had been made by stuffing a pillow. He looked like someone who was already certain Geom Mugeuk was not here.
"You pull back the blanket yourself."
Seo Nak ordered Lee Ahn.
Lee Ahn glanced at the Drunken Demon. The Drunken Demon was simply staring leisurely out the window with a peaceful face.
'This isn't the time to act carefree!'
Then again, even he would have no sharp solution in this situation.
"Hurry! Are you daring to defy the Palace Master's order?"
Helpless, Lee Ahn walked toward the bed.
Whirr.
With a hopeless feeling, Lee Ahn pulled back the blanket.
"!"
The next moment, everyone there froze.
Geom Mugeuk was lying there, hugging the pillow.
"Are you trying to take away even my blanket in this freezing Northern Sea? Even after seeing me hugging a pillow to sleep?"
Seo Nak, too shocked, turned red in the face and even stuttered his words.
"W-what is this? Why are you here?"
Everyone was surprised, but the person most shocked at that moment was Lee Ahn. It was a miracle she did not scream.
'Why is Young Master coming out from here?'