Chapter 398: She Who Opens Her Heart to No One

TL: FoodieMonster007

Geom Mugeuk examined the cross-section of the severed stone lantern. Up close, the surface was not as smooth as he had thought. Still, a smile formed on Geom Mugeuk's lips.

The Soaring Sky Sword Art is trying to transcend its form.

This was the final confusion that came just before achieving complete mastery. It was a natural phenomenon for those who mastered their martial arts too quickly. If one failed to overcome this state, they would often regress to a level even lower than their original skill. Martial arts tested a warrior in many ways.

Geom Mugeuk trusted Lee Ahn. He knew how much blood and sweat she had poured into her efforts. Lee Ahn's hard work would never betray her.

Next, he examined the bloodstains on the ground.

Lee Ahn was angry.

She had cut down her attackers without mercy. Knowing Lee Ahn's personality, she would not kill unnecessarily. They must have deserved to die.

Geom Mugeuk looked around, envisioning the battle by observing the traces and bloodstains. This was possible because his martial arts were exceptionally high, and he knew Lee Ahn's swordsmanship better than anyone.

He imagined them rushing at her from all sides. Lee Ahn drew her sword and cut them down. The imaginary blood from the falling enemies splattered precisely onto the real bloodstains, merging with them.

Geom Mugeuk moved, perfectly tracing Lee Ahn's movements.

"She cut down two here and stabbed the one rushing from this side. Then she turned again, blocked an attack, and stabbed the heart."

When Lee Ahn turned her head, she saw men about to throw hidden weapons.

She unleashed her sword qi. The men fell, and the tree and stone lantern behind them were sliced through. The stone lantern in Geom Mugeuk's imagination merged with the one now scattered on the ground.

The Drunken Demon was amazed by Geom Mugeuk's explanation. He had a rough idea of the situation, but to reconstruct it so accurately was astonishing.

Geom Mugeuk slowly entered the building.

The interior was empty, but it also showed traces of a fight. Bloodstains marked the hallway floor.

Finally reaching the main hall, Geom Mugeuk spoke.

"The final battle took place here. She cut down two who blocked her way. She deflected hidden weapons that flew from behind that pillar to eliminate someone standing over here."

Geom Mugeuk walked further inside.

"She confronted the leader here."

Geom Mugeuk quietly examined the area around the chair.

"She didn't kill him. That means she wanted to find something out from him. The man here wasn't the final target. There's probably a problem with one of the large sects in the North Sea. We need to find it."

Even though this implied the problem had grown larger, Geom Mugeuk did not seem particularly worried.

The Drunken Demon asked, "Aren't you worried?"

"About whom? Lee Ahn? Or her opponent?"

After joking, Geom Mugeuk revealed his true thoughts.

"I would've been worried if she'd gotten involved in something ambiguous. If there were no clear traces here, I'd actually be more concerned, but now, I can sense a clear objective. Lee Ahn is moving according to a plan."

The Drunken Demon shook his head with an expression that went beyond admiration. Geom Mugeuk was certainly extraordinary.

He had experienced this extraordinariness many times on their journey, which was why his time with Geom Mugeuk was so interesting. He even felt a strange sense of security.

He used to feel this same security when they drank at the Drunken Dream Palace. After leaving the cult this time, he finally understood what that feeling was.

Normally, he should be the tense Demon Supreme responsible for the Young Cult Leader's safety. Instead, he felt protected, like he was traveling comfortably with a close younger brother. Yes, Geom Mugeuk turned this perilous journey into a trip.

The Drunken Demon followed Geom Mugeuk as he strode out and said loudly, "You were here that day, weren't you? You saw everything, right? And now you're just acting all high and mighty, aren't you?"

When the Black Fan Gang Chief Ju Gyo regained consciousness, he was in a dark warehouse. His movement acupoints were sealed, so he could not move a muscle. Fortunately, his speech acupoint was not sealed, so he could still talk.

Why am I…?

Then a thought suddenly occurred to him.

Ah! I was kidnapped, wasn't I?

He could not believe it. A woman in a bamboo hat had stormed the manor, cut down his subordinates in an instant, and subdued him.

She wore a veil with her bamboo hat, so he could not see her face. Even if she hadn't worn a veil, her movements were so fast he probably wouldn't have seen her face anyway.

If her goal wasn't to kill him, she should have asked him something, but the woman had asked nothing. She simply subdued him and tossed him here.

What is this about?

He had committed so many evil deeds that he couldn't guess which grudge this was about. The important thing was that he was still alive.

You shouldn't have left me alive. I'll make you realize who you've dared to touch.

He had a reliable backer. He was working on an important matter with one group in particular. If they found out the manor had been attacked, they would dispatch their masters to find him.

The Northern Blood Sect.

The Northern Blood Sect was one of the Three Masters of the North Sea. The North Sea Ice Palace boasted unrivaled power among them, while the Northern Blood Sect and the Ice Sword Sect were equals.

The three powers were both friends and enemies. They competed for supremacy but joined hands when pressured by the Central Plains.

The Northern Blood Sect was a gathering of cruel and fierce martial artists. Even the North Sea Ice Palace did not dare to provoke them carelessly.

The person Ju Gyo had joined hands with was Yang Chung, the son of the Northern Blood Sect Leader's second brother.

You'll lose your head for trying to touch Yang Chung.

He believed Yang Chung would come to rescue him soon. To Yang Chung, he was a business partner who had to be saved. As the son of the second brother, Yang Chung needed this venture to succeed to become the Northern Blood Sect's heir.

Just then, a groan came from his side.

"Ughhh."

Startled, he turned his head. Someone was sitting in a chair a short distance away. It was dark, he could not use his inner arts, and he had been so focused on his own capture that he had not realized someone else was there.

Ju Gyo carefully observed the person. The outline of a face became visible.

"HEOK!"

Ju Gyo let out a short scream.

"Young Lord Yang!"

To his surprise, it was Yang Chung. It would have been wonderful if he had come as a rescuer, but he had been captured as well.

If you, the one who's supposed to save me, are captured here, what am I supposed to do?

"Get a hold of yourself! Young Lord Yang!"

Ju Gyo shouted several times before Yang Chung finally woke up.

"Ju Gyo! How dare you!"

Yang Chung misunderstood, thinking Ju Gyo had captured him. He had just woken up in the dark and had only recognized Ju Gyo's voice.

"Don't misunderstand! I was captured too," Ju Gyo shouted to avoid any confusion.

In the disbelieving silence, Ju Gyo spoke quickly.

"Wasn't the person who kidnapped you, Young Lord Yang, a woman in a bamboo hat?"

At the mention of a woman in a bamboo hat, Yang Chung recalled his captor.

That was right. It was a woman in a bamboo hat. She had subdued his bodyguards in an instant, but her movements were so swift he could not discern her methods. He had not gotten a proper look at her face either.

"Then the giant dao?"

"The manor was wiped out."

Yang Chung was certain who was behind this.

"It's my brother. It must be his doing."

There was no one in the North Sea who would dare to touch him. If he had to name someone, it would be the North Sea Ice Palace and the Ice Sword Sect.

If it were the North Sea Ice Palace, they could achieve their goals without kidnapping him. A single command would be enough to make him obey. More importantly, kidnapping was not their way.

The Ice Sword Sect was also an unlikely possibility. They had joined hands to keep the North Sea Ice Palace in check. Their relationship was like teeth and lips. They both knew that without the lips, the teeth would get cold.

However, Ju Gyo doubted the culprit was the Northern Blood Sect's First Young Lord.

"He must know that if you're kidnapped, he'd be the immediate suspect. I don't think he'd do something like this. Besides, I've never heard of such a skilled female master serving under the First Young Lord."

"Then whose doing could it be?"

After pondering for a moment, Ju Gyo lowered his voice and spoke secretively.

"There is the matter that you and I are working on, Young Lord."

Yang Chung's expression hardened. There was indeed a matter he was working on with Ju Gyo. If they were captured together, it might be because of that.

"No matter who did this, we'll be freed soon. The main sect will know I've been kidnapped and will have started a search, and we also have Hwang Chu."

Ju Gyo knew about Hwang Chu. He was Yang Chung's right-hand man and a master of tracking. Not only was he a skilled tracker, but his martial arts were also formidable. Whenever something like this happened, Hwang Chu would resolve it.

"We can trust Master Hwang, can't we."

"So don't worry. They'll realize that leaving us alive was a big mistake. When we get out of here, I'll flay all the bones from that bitch with a mountain keep."

Just then, another groan was heard from behind them.

Startled that there was another person, the two looked back. It felt as if someone was hiding in the darkness, waking them up one by one at the most opportune moments.

Overcome with dread, Ju Gyo pleaded.

No way. It can't be, right? Please!

The two men were now accustomed to the darkness. Their surprise quickly turned into a lament.

Leaning against the back corner wall, his movement acupoints sealed, was Hwang Chu.

Seeing him captured here, it seemed he had been looking for them. The problem, however, was this.

Then who is going to find you?

Geom Mugeuk and the Drunken Demon sat in a tavern in a bustling North Sea village. They had moved here from the first village because they predicted the next event would occur in this region, where the large sects were located.

Indeed, they heard the news they wanted. Many people were talking about it.

"I hear the Northern Blood Sect's Second Young Lord has gone missing."

"I heard that too. It seems the Northern Blood Sect has been turned upside down because of it."

Geom Mugeuk and the Drunken Demon listened from a short distance away.

The Drunken Demon poured wine into Geom Mugeuk's cup.

"To take on the Northern Blood Sect all by herself. She's truly got nerves of steel."

Both Geom Mugeuk and the Drunken Demon knew about the Northern Blood Sect. It was one of the three powers representing the North Sea.

"Lee Ahn takes after me. She's fearless."

"What on earth is going on that she'd even kidnap a blood relative of the Northern Blood Sect's Leader?"

"She must have wanted to make her first trip into the jianghu a proper one."

The Drunken Demon took a sip of his wine and asked with interest, "So? Are you just going to watch like this?"

Now that she had touched a blood relative of the Northern Blood Sect Leader, they would not let this matter slide. Considering their number of masters and their overall scale, they were not an opponent to be taken lightly.

"For now."

Geom Mugeuk intended to watch and see how she would handle it. He knew better than anyone how important this experience was.

Lee Ahn, how are you going to resolve this?

Just then, people on the street began to murmur.

"It's the masters of the Ice Palace!"

Looking outside, they saw martial artists in white robes walking toward them.

The North Sea Ice Palace.

They were called the greatest of the murim's mysterious factions. They belonged to neither the orthodox, unorthodox, nor demonic factions and had always walked their own path. By never falling throughout their long history, they had proven their strength.

The qi emanating from the Ice Palace martial artists was clear yet cold.

The young woman leading them was the very picture of cold beauty. Geom Mugeuk knew who she was.

Han Seol, the only daughter of the North Sea Ice Palace's Saintess.

She was said to have a heartless personality, resembling the current Ice Empress. She was known for never having opened her heart to anyone, not even her own parents. The rumors about her were all fierce and cold.

A dozen masters followed behind her, each exuding a formidable aura.

Capturing everyone's attention, they stopped in front of the tavern.

They had been heading for the tavern from the start. Han Seol had her subordinates wait outside and entered alone.

When she stepped inside, the patrons lowered their heads and held their breath. A chilly air descended with her every step.

Han Seol stopped in front of Geom Mugeuk. He could not tell if her disposition matched the rumors, but one thing was certain. If the phrase 'cold charm' existed, it was surely meant for her.

Han Seol gazed at Geom Mugeuk with her clear, cold eyes and said, "Young Cult Leader, how about a glass of Ice Wine with me?"