Free Web NovelIt was late at night, and there were no lights on the streets. Even the vapor that had once felt soft as clouds now seemed bleak and desolate. It felt like stepping into a completely different city.
Because it was her first time on this path and the surroundings were dark, Sohwa could not make her horse move at full speed.
Clip-clop.
The sound of flowing warm water mingled with the rhythm of hooves, stirring the silence.
At that moment, as Sohwa passed between stone buildings, she pulled on the reins.
There was the acrid smell of something burning—and the faint scent of peony.
She raised her head toward the direction of the smell. Through an open window, thin smoke drifted out.
A man with a pipe between his lips sat on the window ledge, looking down at her.
Their gazes met, but no words passed.
After a while, Hae-rak, who had removed the pipe, spoke.
“You came faster than I expected.”
He emptied ashes from the pipe box and looked toward the distant street.
“You even brought a trail behind you.”
A dry laugh brushed her ears.
“You really have no awareness that this is the Blood Cult’s nest.”
“You told me to risk my life.”
The Crimson Blood Hall Lord’s tranquil eyes lowered, and Sohwa answered that gaze.
“You told me to come find you and beg. That if I did, you’d grant my request.”
Leaning his back against the window frame, Hae-rak’s lips curved.
“What was it you were so desperate to beg for that you came rushing here?”
His tone was oddly loose. It didn’t sound mocking. He even pressed her to answer.
“Speak. As a reward for your quick arrival, I’ll listen.”
There was no time. Sohwa spoke urgently.
“The Crimson Blood Hall underlings are guarding one of the Passages inside the Ice Palace...”
“Ah, so those bastards were hiding inside the palace? No wonder I hadn’t seen them around.”
Hae-rak clicked his tongue, as if understanding now.
Sohwa nodded once and continued.
“We need to destroy the Passage inside the palace. I need your help.”
“Why not ask that righteous young master you were traveling with?”
“The Little Clan Head will destroy the Passage in the Han family’s territory.”
“Ah, so that guy’s busy with his own work.”
His voice was light—it was sarcasm.
Since she was the one asking for a favor, Sohwa couldn’t question the mockery and simply pleaded.
“The one pretending to be the Branch Lord seems to have recognized my face. We don’t know when the Crimson Blood Hall or the Blood Demon might come through, so we must block all the Passages as fast as possible. The Northern Sea is, as you said, the Blood Cult’s nest. There’s no room for things to go wrong. I need someone who knows the Ice Palace paths and is stronger than the Crimson Blood Hall. Please help me.”
Hae-rak straightened, sensing something off, and asked, frёewebηovel.cѳm
“What’s wrong? Why are you so uneasy?”
“It seems the Blood Demon has issued a search order even across the Northern Sea.”
“Hmm? You didn’t expect that old man to issue a continent-wide warrant?”
“I didn’t think it would happen this fast.”
Sohwa looked back. She could feel presences drawing near—slowly, as if combing through the surroundings. The search was cautious, deliberate. Even so, she couldn’t shake the tension and spoke hurriedly.
“The one acting as the Branch Lord seems to have recognized me. He’ll inform Geumeunsan that I’m here. We have to seal all the Passages before the Blood Demon hears of it. He might cross over.”
“Sohwa, calm down first.”
When she started spilling words too fast, Hae-rak cut her off.
“If that old man has decided to find you, running forever is impossible.”
His voice was now devoid of mischief.
“So start by accepting that and practice letting go of fear. If you’re already frightened, you won’t be able to do anything.”
A short silence followed.
Looking up at him, Sohwa spoke.
“I don’t want to act weak either.”
Her dry voice confessed to the Crimson Blood Hall Lord.
“When the Blood Demon wants something, he stretches out his hand without hesitation. I don’t understand why I have to be afraid of him even when he’s nowhere in sight—and I don’t want to understand.”
Holding the reins tightly, she said,
“I just want him to never have a single peaceful moment, same as me.”
“......”
“I want him to live each day uneasy and afraid that maybe I’ll kill him.”
Hae-rak looked down at her in silence.
The cold eyes that resembled the Blood Demon’s met his again.
“No, he doesn’t even need to be afraid. If the land I cultivated with such care were to fall into someone else’s hands, wouldn’t he be too enraged to sleep? That’s enough. I can be satisfied seeing him suffer a few sleepless nights.”
Sohwa confronted her fear and compromised with her own heart.
“If he loses all the Passages of the Northern Sea, he’ll be beside himself with anger. Don’t you also want to see the Blood Demon writhe?”
Hae-rak let out a faint laugh.
“Honestly, it’s hard to imagine the Blood Demon fearing you, but...”
He seemed to picture something, touching his lips with a hand.
“For a man who thinks the sky has fallen when his plans fail, watching him go mad might be amusing.”
He jerked his chin toward the inside.
“Come in first. If you leave right now, you’ll stand out. Change your clothes.”
Sohwa tied her horse and opened the first-floor window.
Creak.
The cloth shop smelled musty, as though long abandoned.
While she was looking around, Hae-rak came down the stairs and beckoned to her.
“Over here.”
He rummaged through some purple garments hanging on one side.
“These are clothes the Dong family wears. There should be something that fits you.”
“Why do I have to wear this?”
“Judging by the Crimson Blood Hall underlings staying inside the palace, the Eom and Dong family bastards must be hiding to feed them blood. There’s no need to show anyone the sight of drinking human blood—it’ll only terrify the islanders. We still need to keep using them; if they run away, it’s a loss.”
Hae-rak spoke casually, then pulled out a long robe that looked small.
Holding it up in front of her, his lips curved faintly.
“The Eom and Dong families probably kidnapped capable martial artists from the Central Plains and used them as servants before offering them to the Crimson Blood Hall. There must have been unfamiliar faces among them. So even if someone sees you, they’ll think you’re one of those Central Plains people brought by the Dong family.”
It was a reasonable explanation.
As Sohwa obediently removed her Blood-Wind Cloak and went to put on the robe, Hae-rak stopped her.
“Wait. That’s too thin.”
He went further inside, rummaged through a chest, and brought out a padded coat.
“Put this on underneath, and wear the robe over it.”
“It’s too thick.”
Because she often needed to draw items from her sleeves, Sohwa found the bulky coat bothersome—it would narrow the sleeve openings and hinder her movements.
However, Min Hae-rak was firm.
“You’ll see when you get there—the Ice Palace is cold. The deeper inside you go, the heavier the yin energy becomes. Ordinary people can barely walk.”
“......” fɾēewebnσveℓ.com
“If your legs freeze and you can’t move, the Blood Demon could come straight through by then, couldn’t he?”
Sohwa immediately put on the padded coat and then the purple robe over it.
Not satisfied, Hae-rak also took a fur hat and set it on her head.
“Wear this too.”
“That’s unnecessary...”
“If your ears freeze and you can’t hear, it’ll be hard to move together. You’ll slow us down.”
Sohwa didn’t resist and followed his advice.
He came closer and tied the strap under her chin.
“...It’s strange seeing you behave so obediently.”
“You know the Northern Sea better, so I should follow your lead.”
“There are plenty of other things I know well. It’d be nice if you listened that well at other times too.”
Sohwa’s gaze lifted, but their eyes didn’t meet.
He was busy finding clothes that fit himself. After roughly throwing on a robe, Hae-rak brushed past her.
“Let’s go.”
“Why aren’t you wearing the padded coat?”
Hae-rak laughed as if she’d said something absurd.
“You’re the first person I’ve seen telling someone with an extreme-yang body to dress warmly.”
He wasn’t wrong, but she worried that dressing so lightly might draw suspicion. Anyone could see he wasn’t an ordinary man.
Still, Sohwa said nothing. He seemed to know the island’s atmosphere better.
As they left the building, Hae-rak suddenly held out his hand.
When she looked at it questioningly, he said,
“It’s late at night, and if a man and woman walk together awkwardly, it looks strange.”
Sohwa ignored him and opened the door first.
“Click—guess that didn’t work.”
Hae-rak clicked his tongue and followed her out.
He seemed to know the roads well; there was no one on the paths he took.
“You know the way well.”
“Just follow the hot-spring water. At night, the steam settles by the waterways, so people avoid walking near them.”
“Why?”
“They say long ago, the hot spring used to smell rotten, and anyone who breathed it in at night would faint.”
Looking at a Han family building across the bridge, Hae-rak continued,
“After the Han family installed filters on the water channels to remove the odor, no one collapsed anymore. Still, perception is a powerful thing, isn’t it? The Northern Sea people don’t like taking unnecessary risks, so they rarely walk near the hot-spring water.”
He pointed to a pipe where the water flowed in—iron mesh was fixed across it.
“Listen carefully. If you ever need to escape, follow the hot-spring water. That’s your route.”
Sohwa gave a small nod.
They soon reached the Ice Palace.
Its guard was lax.
Now Sohwa understood why. The Crimson Blood Hall underlings were hiding nearby committing vile acts—no one would dare pass this way.
In one motion, they vaulted the low wall and entered the snowy mountain.
