"Ahem! It's not as if I've personally encountered an Azure-White Cold Serpent, so I can't claim certainty the way young hero Cheon does. However, among the poisons the Five Poison Sect once used to subdue the snakes of Yunnan, there were…"
The moment poison came up, Tang So-wol's explanation poured out without a moment to breathe.
It was complicated and hard to follow in full, but listening, I found myself nodding along without meaning to.
It wasn't that I understood it completely—rather, it was closer to the feeling of "I don't really get it, but apparently it works anyway."
Hmm, as expected, it was a good call to leave this to an expert.
As I nodded in satisfaction, Bing Yerin approached with hurried steps.
"Blood Flower Sword Demon! What in the world is the meaning of this…!"
"What else could it be? Exactly what I said. In the end, the problem is that the North Sea Ice Palace is growing weaker, and that a threat will soon be upon it."
"That's right! And if we keep putting it off, a fundamental solution will be impossible!"
The best way to achieve a fundamental solution would be to grow strong again. Why else would the leader of the Azure-White Cold Serpents, dreaming of avenging its parents, have refrained from attacking all this time and only looked after its offspring?
It must be because the Palace Lords of the North Sea Ice Palace had been strong until now, making it unable to do anything.
But Harmony Realm martial artists don't just pop out when you tap them, and having one suddenly appear is realistically impossible.
This is also a problem that overlaps with the Diancang Sect and the Hwangbo Clan.
Well. The only similarity is that they both declined because no talent capable of reaching the Harmony Realm emerged at some point—but their endings were completely different.
The Diancang Sect, though uncertain for now, has hope for the next generation: the Heavenly Killing Star who overcame killing intent, and Jang Inam, who, though a bit older, possesses decent talent and outstanding willpower.
The Hwangbo Clan refused to accept their family's downfall and, flailing about in the wrong way, ended up completely destroying themselves.
If there was one thing I took away from those two examples…
"One can never know how things will turn out for a person."
"Pardon?"
"As Bing Yerin said, some problems may not be solved by simply putting them off. But there are also problems that are solved by putting them off."
Of course, that doesn't mean I'm telling you to just sit back and wait.
The reason the North Sea Ice Palace has weakened is that there is currently no martial artist capable of reaching the Harmony Realm.
And the reason the future is uncertain is that the surrounding cold energy has noticeably diminished, making it difficult to achieve mastery given the North Sea Ice Palace's martial arts, which require a massive amount of cold energy.
"Then you simply need to build up your internal energy over time. If given enough time, the North Sea Ice Palace's future doesn't seem so bleak… In my view, it's still too early to make a decision."
"The future of the North Sea Ice Palace? If the young lady Seol doesn't become the Young Palace Mistress, then who could possibly… W-wait a moment."
Bing Yerin, who had been furrowing her brow, suddenly seemed to catch on to something. She wore a strange expression as she pointed at herself.
"Are you perhaps talking about me?"
"That's right. I'm talking about you."
It was said that a Divine Maiden received even more generous support than the Ice Palace Lord while she was alive. In fact, one could say that the only person above her was the Ice Palace Lord herself.
However, not everyone who received such support could achieve such accomplishments at that age.
It was our group that was unusual — Bing Yerin's achievements were in no way lacking when compared to the promising talents of the Nine Great Sects and One Gang or the direct descendants of the Five Great Families.
"B-But I am a Divine Maiden. Everyone in the North Sea Ice Palace wishes for my death… for the recovery of the Ice Crystal."
"Then all you have to do is become strong enough to crush everyone who wishes for your death."
"That's absurd…"
"It's not absurd. If the plan to go outside and rescue the Young Palace Mistress has already failed, then how many candidates for Young Palace Mistress remain in the North Sea Ice Palace? What potential do they hold? And what part of them is Bing Yerin lacking compared to them?"
"…"
Unable to answer, Bing Yerin could only flap her mouth wordlessly. I let out a small chuckle and held up my index and middle fingers.
"Bing Yerin. There are two problems with your plan."
"…What are they?"
"First, one thing. You said you'd let Seol Ri-hyang learn all the martial arts of the North Sea Ice Palace. Even with a little thought, that's too steep a price for someone who hasn't even been confirmed as the Successor yet."
I met Bing Yerin's startled expression squarely and continued.
"Were you planning to deceive everyone into thinking you'd become the Young Palace Mistress until the day we left?"
"…"
"It might not be a big problem for us, since we can just flee to the Central Plains or Sichuan. But was it the same for you?"
Bing Yerin, struck where it hurt, couldn't say a word. I continued in a calm voice toward her.
"Even if you do obtain the Ice Crystal, it will mean nothing if the people of the North Sea Ice Palace don't support you. And nowhere is there anyone who wants to seat a fraud above their heads."
"A fraud, is it."
"Yes. I should have chosen a frontal breakthrough instead."
"…Are you saying I should have raised a rebellion against a tradition and family pressure that has lasted over a hundred years? That would be far too foolish a thing to do."
"If necessary, then yes. It may be a foolish thing to do, as you say, Bing Yerin… but in the first place, all martial artists are fools. The life of a martial artist is like that of a drunkard teetering precariously on the edge of a blade. If you wish to seek safety now, then you might as well abandon everything and run."
"…"
"You wouldn't do that, would you? Then at the very least, you should be able to hold your head high before yourself."
"Before myself, you mean."
"Yes. All the more so if you wish to advance to a higher realm."
At my words, Bing Yerin seemed lost in thought, closing her mouth with a complicated expression.
Seol Ri-hyang, who had been watching the scene, spoke up while still having her shoulder held in my grip.
"Good heavens. Cheon Hwi, you seem like an Orthodox Sect martial artist…"
"To anyone who looks, I'm clearly a member of the Orthodox Sects, no?"
She said that because I'd gotten involved in the Heavenly Killing Star incident—something I didn't need to meddle in to raise my standing in the Orthodox martial world—and was also plotting various other schemes. It was a slightly disappointing remark. But.
"Didn't you just threaten me to hand over martial arts and Spiritual Medicine?"
Seol Ri-hyang, who only ever said things that were annoyingly correct.
But isn't it far too inefficient to have power and not use it properly?
…If I said that, I'd probably hear her call me Unorthodox for the first time in a while, so I changed the subject.
"And the second problem I didn't fully mention is that just because you try to deceive someone, they won't necessarily be deceived. In fact, the Ice Palace Lord already had a rough idea of your plan, Bing Yerin."
"You seem to be trying to slip into another topic, but I'll let it slide this once."
For some reason, Seol Ri-hyang said this with a swagger, then turned to Bing Yerin.
"I think similarly to Cheon Hwi, but maybe a little differently."
"Differently?"
"Well, because I can somewhat understand what kind of thinking led you to make such a plan."
Seol Ri-hyang's expression, which had held a hint of playfulness just moments ago, hardened into seriousness.
"I know what it's like to live with your back pushed against the cliff's edge, forced onward against your own will. I know all too well what it's like to have your eyes wide open, yet have no choice but to wait for the death that approaches."
"Lady Seol, you too…"
"Surviving is, in itself, a struggle. If necessary, you do whatever it takes—whether it's an honest show of force or quietly scheming behind someone's back. But there are exceptions."
Seol Ri-hyang tilted her head back and began pressing the back of her skull firmly against my solar plexus.
"The people who help me. The people I want to help. The people we can lean on each other. You must never deceive such people."
"Ah."
"Bing Yerin. You want to risk your life not just for yourself, but for the North Sea Ice Palace, right? So why do you keep trying to take it all on alone?"
"Take it all… on alone?"
"Yes. Whether you dedicate your life to the Ice Crystal as a holy maiden, or take the Ice Crystal yourself and fight the Azure-White Cold Serpents—either way, you're trying to do it all by yourself. Did you really think you could manage it all alone?"
Seol Ri-hyang, having said that much, let out a small laugh while keeping her chin raised.
"You're not at that level."
"…"
Bing Yerin, seemingly taken aback by Seol Ri-hyang's blunt remark, could only blink blankly.
For a moment, she seemed to try to say something, only to swallow the words back each time, her lips moving soundlessly.
While we were talking with Bing Yerin, the Ice Palace Lord's voice came through—he had apparently finished his own conversation, nodding along as he added his agreement.
"Understood. If that's the case, it's certainly worth attempting. If there's anything you need, just say the word. We'll provide whatever support we can."
It seemed he had decided to take a gamble on Tang So-wol's poison.
At the Ice Palace Lord's words telling her to name whatever she needed, Tang So-wol hesitated for a moment before speaking.
"I heard that the previous Ice Palace Lord once attempted to subjugate a group of Azure-White Cold Serpents. By any chance, do you still have the corpses obtained at that time?"
"No intact corpses remain. However, the hides, bones, and inner cores extracted during the dissection should have been kept separately."
"That's far better than having nothing. Would you send all of it over? And also a spacious room where no one comes and goes."
"Very well. I'll have everything prepared for you. However, regarding the martial arts and Spiritual Medicine that the Blood Flower Sword Demon mentioned…"
Since he glanced this way, I answered in his stead.
"Half as an advance, and the remaining half after the work is finished."
"Then I shall first present the martial arts and Spiritual Medicine that I had intended to offer while enticing the Young Palace Mistress candidates."
The Ice Palace Lord shrugged his shoulders with a deliberately playful tone.
The meeting, which I had expected to be a welcoming ceremony, ended that way after a bit of commotion.
***
Afterward, as if keeping his word, the Ice Palace Lord promptly fulfilled everything he had promised.
Thanks to that, Tang So-wol's daily routine became holing up all day to research poisons that would work on the Azure-White Cold Serpents, or occasionally clinging to me to recharge her energy.
Seol Ri-hyang was properly learning the martial arts of the North Sea Ice Palace, taking Spiritual Medicines suited to her level one after another and storing them away. Seomun Hwa-rin was helping her with that.
For reference, Bing Yerin is currently under confinement by the Ice Palace Lord's order. Honestly, that's only natural when you think about it.
However, the one thing that raised my suspicion was the feeling that the Ice Palace Lord was actually helping Bing Yerin.
Bing Yerin's movements would be greatly restricted while under confinement… but at the same time, wouldn't it also restrict others from contacting her?
Considering that Bing Yerin was receiving all sorts of pressure from her clan, and the fact that he casually brushed aside the other retainers' opinions that she should be severely punished.
I couldn't shake the suspicion that the Ice Palace Lord was oddly fond of Bing Yerin.
Well, it wasn't a bad thing.
Anyway, while everyone was busy finding their own tasks and throwing themselves into them, what was I doing?
"It's a bit boring."
I was just training alone as usual. From sunrise to sunset, all day long.
My room, which would normally be bustling like a sitting room, was quiet.
I said earlier that I was bored, but if I had to put it more precisely, it was a feeling closer to a faint loneliness.
"But I can't very well disturb others."
I looked up at the night sky where a half moon had already risen, let out a short sigh, and closed the window.
And then, just as I lay down on the bed to wrap up the day—
Creak.
The sound of a door opening reached my ears, along with a familiar presence.
If there was someone who would slip in without a word in the middle of the night… it had to be Tang So-wol.
She had done this a few times before, so I deliberately closed my eyes and pretended to be asleep. Planning to tease her in return. But then…
There was something hesitant about the presence. Suddenly, its owner drew close, pressing lips to my ear and whispering.
"Cheon Hwi. Are you asleep?"
"…"
I hadn't expected Seol Ri-hyang to come.
A cold sweat began to form.