Tang So-wol had succeeded in developing the poison.
"Ooh! So this is…"
The Ice Palace Lord marveled as he peered into the small cup filled with a black liquid.
"It certainly carries an unusual energy. At the very least, it doesn't seem like a poison energy that a Transcendent Peak martial artist could handle. It's not the kind that would poison you just by smelling it, is it? Hahaha!"
Perhaps it was because the task he had entrusted with some hesitation had yielded such excellent results. He seemed to be in high spirits.
Tang So-wol smiled brightly as she looked at him.
"It was made to poison through breathing, so of course it will poison you. As I mentioned, it's especially potent against those who harbor cold energy—if you're not careful, they might vomit the rampaging cold energy from their seven orifices and turn into a block of ice."
"…"
The Ice Palace Lord set down his cup with a stern expression and held his breath. Seeing him like that, Tang So-wol shrugged her shoulders as if to tell him not to worry.
"Of course, that's only if you were a snake, Palace Lord. Even if you were poisoned, it's a poison that can be easily expelled if you know how to operate a proper Mental Cultivation Method. And just in case, I'm personally controlling the poison energy, so don't worry."
"R-really?"
"Yes. Like this."
As she said that, Tang So-wol wiggled her finger, and in response to the movement, the black poison liquid rose into the air.
"Void Grasp?!"
"Surely not. That's something only young hero Cheon or Sister Hwa-rin could do. It's just that since the poison came from me, I can move it this freely."
Tang So-wol said this in a gentle tone, then lightly clenched her fist. In response, the poison liquid was drawn toward her hand and absorbed through the back of it.
It seemed she had made it completely her own. Well, that was only natural, considering the characteristics of the Poison Spirit Constitution.
Rather than mixing mediocre poisons with mediocre equipment, it would be far more efficient to absorb it first and experiment with various combinations inside her body.
The Ice Palace Lord watched Tang So-wol's feat, which was nothing short of a miracle, and nodded.
"I am ignorant when it comes to poison, but I know well that even if it came from one's own body, handling it this naturally is no ordinary feat. It should certainly be enough to achieve the original purpose. …So, when do you plan to attempt the Poison Application?"
"That's right. I don't intend to wait long, but since even the previous Palace Lord could not end that creature's life, I need to be a bit cautious. I will begin once I find a place where I can apply the poison without being detected."
"Understood. I will assign you people who know the location of the snake den, so use them as you see fit. And I sincerely thank you."
"I haven't actually proven its effectiveness yet. Above all, this was possible thanks to the Ice Palace Lord's generous support, and we also received compensation befitting that, so there is no need to thank us too much."
"How could I not be grateful when a thread of hope has appeared for the North Sea Ice Palace?"
Tang So-wol and the Ice Palace Lord exchanged smiles and pleasantries… or so it seemed. In reality, this was a roundabout political negotiation.
Something like: "Don't think you can just write this off as a debt—pay the remaining balance you promised properly." "Fine, but couldn't you leave a little bit as a debt?" …Something along those lines, wasn't it?
I'd rolled around the martial world long enough myself to catch the gist, but I couldn't wield words as elegantly as Tang So-wol.
Seomun Hwa-rin probably felt the same. Seol Ri-hyang… well, she was still at the stage where she should focus on her training rather than worry about such things. Hmm.
At any rate, given the situation, having Tang So-wol in our party—someone skilled at handling matters like this—was a genuine comfort.
I wondered if I was the only one who felt that way. Seomun Hwa-rin sidled up, rose onto her tiptoes, and whispered.
"With So-wol around, times like this are really convenient."
"You said it. If it were me, I'd have started with threats out of habit."
"…That's just your personality problem, isn't it?"
As I let Seomun Hwa-rin's insinuation go in one ear and out the other, Tang So-wol, having finished her conversation with the Ice Palace Lord, returned to our side.
"How did it go?"
"It went well. Let's go find a suitable place to apply the poison."
"Agreed. There's no need for a large group to go—just the two of us and a guide will do…"
"Um. About that, Cheon Hwi."
Seol Ri-hyang cut in, raising her hand cautiously. She glanced at Tang So-wol's expression before continuing.
"It's not that I'm trying to get in the way of you and Tang unni, but… could you take me along this time?"
"Hm? Why would you want to? Today's just a reconnaissance—I doubt anything will happen."
"I'd like to see the Azure-White Cold Serpents at least once, even from a distance."
"The Azure-White Cold Serpents?"
"Yeah. I've never seen a Spirit Beast in my entire life. And since they say it handles cold energy just like me, I got a little curious."
After exchanging a brief glance with Tang So-wol, I nodded.
"Well… I suppose it's fine. We're only going to scope out the place anyway."
"Heehee. Even if something does happen, as long as young hero Cheon tucks Hyang-i and me under his arms and runs hard, we'll manage somehow."
"Carrying you at my side wastes too much energy and takes up both arms. Just cling to my front and back on your own."
"Oh my. For young hero Cheon's front and back to be occupied by me and Hyang-i…"
"…You're not thinking something weird right now, are you?"
"Oh my? I haven't the faintest idea what you mean."
Tang So-wol answered with a shameless air. As the two of us giggled at each other, a white crown of a head suddenly wedged itself between me and Tang So-wol.
"Mmm."
Seomun Hwa-rin, her cheeks puffed full and her lips jutted out like a duck's.
"Senior Seomun Hwa-rin. The dementia really has gotten to you after all…"
"Don't you think that's going too far?! I'm in my right mind!"
"Then what exactly is the matter?"
"Well, whether it was this morning when you were talking about things only the two of you knew, or now, you're always leaving me out—isn't it only natural I'd be upset?!"
"?"
I blinked, wondering what she meant, and Seomun Hwa-rin began stomping her feet. A threat that rivaled a three-month-old bear cub in sheer intimidation.
Of course, her actual danger level was far higher than most fully grown bears.
"Ah, is it because of the bruise on Seol Ri-hyang's neck?"
"Indeed it is! In any case, this time I'm coming along too, so it's no use trying to stop me…"
"Very well. Senior Seomun Hwa-rin can come along as well."
"…Hm?"
Seomun Hwa-rin, who had been putting on a firm expression, tilted her head in confusion.
Seeing her like that, I curled the corner of my mouth into a smirk.
"This is a chance to see a Harmony Realm Spirit Beast, even if only from afar. At the very least, you'll be able to gauge its energy. It's a rare opponent even in your era, Senior Seomun Hwa-rin, so shouldn't you see it at least once?"
"To treat my era as if it were some other world is utterly insolent… but when you put it that way, I am indeed curious."
Seomun Hwa-rin, who had been sulking, nodded with a serious expression.
This is an era where Spirit Beasts are gradually dwindling. Perhaps if she misses this chance, she may never get to see a living Spirit Beast again, so she couldn't afford to let it pass.
"At any rate, if Spirit Beasts dwindle this much, perhaps Spiritual Herbs will be next."
"Heh. I've never thought that far ahead, but if that were to happen, it would cause great disruption in the production of Spiritual Medicine."
"Perhaps after Spiritual Herbs, it will be the Martial Artists who disappear."
"Surely that won't happen. Spirit Beasts have become hard to find, but they still live somewhere, and just as some Spiritual Herbs can now be cultivated artificially, the line of Martial Artists will not be severed either."
"Well. Whatever happens, it will be long after we're dead, so it's not something to worry about now."
With a shrug of his shoulders, he ended the conversation. Then, to prepare for going out, they each returned to their own rooms.
***
After gathering the necessary items, they began walking across the white snowfield, following the guide that the Ice Palace Lord had assigned to them.
No matter where he looked, the scenery was nothing but white. Feeling a bit sick of it, he let out a long sigh.
"If this is what it's like, then a guide is certainly necessary. How do you people even tell your direction in a place like this?"
"Basically, it's the terrain. This area may all look the same, but the things you see in the distance each have their own distinguishing features."
"As far as I can tell, I wouldn't be able to tell them apart even if I looked."
"That part can only be filled in with experience. I'm sure that even the Blood Flower Sword Demon, if you were to live here for about thirty years, would naturally be able to tell them apart even if you didn't want to."
"Fair enough. Those who live here must have their own way. What else do you use to find your way?"
"During the day, the sun's trajectory. At night, the constellations. However, it's far easier and faster to just read the markers we've left behind for ourselves."
Saying that, the guide pointed to a red cloth that stood out alone among the snowfield.
I couldn't tell what it meant, but I could tell it was a signal carrying some kind of meaning.
Even as he answered my question, the guide kept his gaze fixed ahead. We pressed on like that for a while until he suddenly came to a halt.
It had been just over a sijin since we left the North Sea Ice Palace.
"Please look over there."
"I don't see anything."
In the direction the guide pointed, there was nothing but snow swirling in the wind—nothing that looked any different from the path we'd been walking. But then.
A few moments passed, and as the wind died down and the blizzard began to settle, I could finally see what the guide had been pointing at.
"Unbelievable."
Snow White's surface bore the imprints of large and small fists and palm techniques, and beside them, something so vast and winding it defied all sense of perspective.
The traces of the fist and palm techniques were impressive, but the serpent's trail carved beside them was so awe-inspiring that words failed to describe it.
It didn't feel like the trace of a living creature—it was like gazing upon nature itself, a deep valley or a sheer cliff rendered into the snow.
That had to be the trail of the Azure-White Cold Serpents' leader, a Spirit Beast said to be at the Harmony Realm.
"What in the world…"
Tang So-wol, who had been measuring the distance for Poison Application, gaped in disbelief and muttered under her breath.
The guide answered in a bitter voice.
"This is the trace left by the previous Palace Lord when she fought the Azure-White Cold Serpents."
"With snow falling this often, how is it still preserved?"
"After the previous Palace Lord fought them here, fierce blizzards have often swept this area. As you said, sometimes it's all buried under snow… but at times like this, when the wind blows the snow away, traces of the past are revealed."
"Then where is the cave where the Azure-White Cold Serpents live? Is it nearby?"
"It's over there."
The guide pointed to a spot further away—a massive crack running across the ground.
"Surely not…"
"Yes. Unless they've moved their den elsewhere, they're likely hiding inside that crevice."
"Wow."
Tang So-wol looked at me, her words saying one thing but her eyes not smiling at all.
"Young hero Cheon."
"What is it?"
"How are we supposed to poison something like that…?"
"…"
Asking me that won't do any good either.