Chapter 301: To the Murim Alliance (3)

This woman seemed to have misunderstood something.

She believed that I desired her.

I was about to sharply tell Seolbaek not to get the wrong idea—

—Is it really necessary to explain it like that, human? Why not just do what you're best at?

The voice of the Blood Demon Sword echoed in my head.

What I'm best at?

—Your goal is to make her spill information anyway, isn't it?

Well, that's true.

—Then just play along, get the information, and deal with her after.

At those words from the Blood Demon Sword, I let out a mental sigh.

Playing along meant I'd have to respond the way Seolbaek wanted.

Hmph.

I stared at her for a moment and made up my mind.

Seolbaek was one of the three closest confidants of the Emperor of Gold.

If she clearly revealed his whereabouts or objectives, I could achieve results beyond anything so far.

Too many lives had been lost because of that man.

It was time to sever that cursed connection.

...I'm sorry, but I can't afford to care about methods or morals right now.

Even if I had to use her feelings—I had to find out.

Smiling slightly at Seolbaek, who looked at me with hopeful eyes, I spoke.

"Why do you think I would want you?"

Rather than directly saying I wanted her, I left room for interpretation.

To that question, Seolbaek replied seriously.

"None of the men who touched me ever lasted. Even Kang Rang couldn't handle it."

Was she talking about her past lover, Cheoninjang?

She had once mentioned it herself.

Because of her Heavenly Yin Constitution, anyone who touched her skin suffered excruciating pain.

Could it be that she had still never formed a proper relationship with anyone?

I became curious.

Then, blushing slightly, she spoke.

"Even that man, with all his powerful martial arts, couldn't lay a hand on me. But you were different. That feeling—I've never forgotten it, even after three hundred years."

A chill ran down my spine, giving me goosebumps.

Three hundred years… her emotions should have faded over such a long time.

After experiencing so much, feelings naturally get diluted—but she hadn't forgotten, even now. That was deeply unsettling.

—...Impressive.

Even the Blood Demon Sword clicked its metaphorical tongue in disbelief.

Still, there was something I couldn't understand.

I had to ask her directly.

"Seolbaek, your master has hated me all his life, hasn't he?"

—True.

I had been unconscious at the time, so I hadn't seen the Emperor of Gold suffer humiliation. But I had heard what happened. If she had seen that hatred up close, how could she harbor feelings like this?

We're talking about three centuries.

Maybe she was just deceiving me to escape this moment.

But then, Seolbaek's expression turned serious as she replied,

"What does his hatred have to do with me?"

!?

What kind of logic is this?

I genuinely couldn't comprehend it.

"…He's your lord. How can it not matter?"

At that, Seolbaek gave me a calm, smiling gaze and said,

"Do you know why I've spent three hundred years in solitude by his side?"

"I don't."

If I knew, I'd be a fortune teller.

At my response, Seolbaek glanced at the sword still aimed at her throat and said,

"I'll surrender. Just put that sword away."

I frowned.

"That won't be easy. Your wounds have already healed. I won't give you the chance to escape."

"Escape? Why would I?"

"Why?"

"You have no idea how long I've waited for this moment. Why do you think a virgin like me stayed celibate for nearly three centuries? I believed that if I stayed near him, I'd eventually meet a descendant of the Sword Immortal—you."

Her words made my head throb.

If what she said was true, she had stayed by the Emperor of Gold's side just to eventually meet me.

Three hundred years?

Wouldn't it have been faster to just find someone new?

She didn't even know my real face—her words seemed too implausible to trust.

"…Sorry, but I can't trust you."

"Trust, huh…"

She seemed to come to a decision, then said,

"Fine. Then I'll stop working for him."

"What?"

She said it so easily, I couldn't even react properly.

She had served her master for three centuries, and yet she tossed it aside so casually.

I raised my sword slightly and said,

"You think I'll believe that?"

"I only worked under him to rebuild the Northern Ice Palace."

"The Northern Ice Palace?"

Now that I thought about it, the Northern Ice Palace no longer existed in the current Murim world.

And yet here she was, a former member of it—talking about rebuilding?

As if to clear up my confusion, she explained,

"I'm the last surviving member of the Northern Ice Palace. If I don't rebuild it, it will disappear from history forever."

"…I don't get it. Then why haven't you rebuilt it until now? With the Emperor of Gold's power, restoring a clan shouldn't have been difficult."

"It wouldn't be a proper restoration without the bloodline of the Seol family."

The Seol family's bloodline…

So it was like the Blood Cult, passed down by lineage.

Well, most sects outside the Daoist schools did continue that way.

"If it was so important, couldn't you have just let go of your yin energy and had a child?"

Surely if she just gave up that immense yin energy in her body, it could've been possible.

But she hadn't.

Seolbaek gave a bitter laugh.

"The Ice Spirit Divine Art of our palace passed down over generations, and by the time of my great-grandfather, all descendants were born with the Heavenly Yin Constitution."

"Then couldn't you marry someone who also had the Heavenly Yin Constitution?"

"…That's what led to our downfall."

"Downfall?"

"No matter how well one masters the Ice White Divine Art, men are naturally born with strong yang energy. But to be born with innate yin energy… it's impossible for them to withstand it."

"So, you're saying they couldn't endure the yin energy and all died?"

"Yes. Every man born in the Ice Palace couldn't survive more than five years. They were all consumed by the Heavenly Yin Constitution and died. Naturally, that meant the bloodline was cut off, and in the end, I was the only one left."

If her words were true, then the North Sea Ice Palace had met a tragic fate.

Their martial art that cultivated ultimate yin energy had ultimately severed their own lineage.

While I was speechless, she continued.

"Kang-rang managed to endure a little, probably due to his natural constitution—but it was only for a brief moment."

"But surely there were many martial experts around you?"

Experts who had broken through inner limits would have stronger yang energy than normal people.

To my question, she snorted and replied,

"What does it matter if they all die the moment they even touch my fingertips?"

"Cough."

If I had water in my mouth, I would've spat it out right then.

Just from that single statement, I could sense how deeply she resented her circumstances.

It meant that she had tried countless times to form a relationship with men, only to fail every time.

—What a pitiful woman. Just take her in already.

…Take her in?

You don't take someone in just out of pity.

And besides, she's over three hundred years old—practically an ancestor.

—Does that face and body look like an ancestor to you?

Her aging had stopped thanks to the Golden Body Procedure.

At a glance, she looked no older than her mid-twenties.

Even the exposed skin from the sword cut was still full of vitality.

She was beautiful, yes, but if I accepted someone just for that, I would've taken in countless women already.

—You've had the Golden Body Procedure too, haven't you? You're not immortal, but you'll live long. So does age really matter at this point?

'...…'

This guy suddenly got insightful.

He even thought about that.

—Anyway, the decision is yours, human. So what will you do?

I would stick to the original plan.

She had her circumstances, sure. But finding out the location of the Golden Emperor was the priority.

Fortunately, she seemed obsessively attached to me.

She said she'd leave the Golden Emperor's side at once. If I played this right, I might be able to get her to talk.

"If you truly plan to leave the Golden Emperor, I'll need proof to trust your words."

"Proof?"

"Yes. Tell me where the Golden Emperor is."

At this, Seolbaek raised one brow and made a sour face.

Then she said,

"Do you think I'm stupid?"

"...…"

"How many men do you think I've met over the years?"

How should I know?

When I didn't answer, she continued.

"Men are all the same. Once they get what they want, they discard everything else without hesitation."

That struck a nerve.

I had only intended to extract information, but she seemed to have noticed.

Still, I kept a straight face and replied,

"That's quite the generalization."

"Even if it's not, I need some assurance too."

I may have underestimated her.

I tried to manipulate her emotions, but she was still rational and insightful.

Should I use the Mind Art of Fragrance Bliss Palace again to stir her feelings?

Then she spoke.

"I'm about to betray someone I've served for three hundred years. I should at least get something I want in return, right?"

…Damn.

What she wanted was painfully obvious.

With flushed cheeks and flicking her tongue, she made it clear—and it was extremely awkward for me.

—Strange how only women like her seem to cling to you, human.

You're telling me.

What sin did I commit in a past life to deserve this?

But I couldn't give her what she wanted just to get information on the Golden Emperor.

I replied coldly,

"Information comes first."

"There's plenty of information that would interest a descendant of the Sword Immortal like you. For example, the location of the All-Healing Divine Doctor that the Blood Sect is desperately searching for."

"The All-Healing Divine Doctor!"

I reacted instinctively.

But I quickly regained my composure.

My mind was spinning.

How did she know that?

If the Golden Emperor knew the doctor's location, he would've sought a cure for the Demon Poison. There's no way he would let the doctor live freely.

"Telling me where the All-Healing Divine Doctor is would solve everything. No need for anything else."

"There is no antidote for the Demon Poison."

"What?"

"He asked the Blood Lord to create a poison that couldn't be cured. It took twenty years to complete."

A poison with no antidote?

Impossible.

My master taught me the principles of yin and yang. Everything in the world has a counterbalance.

Seolbaek laughed and said,

"If the Blood Lord were alive, he might've made an antidote. But he's dead. The only one who can now is the All-Healing Divine Doctor."

She hit a weak point—but there was still a gap in her logic.

"You said the Golden Emperor knows the doctor's location. That must mean he hasn't captured him yet."

She nodded without denying it.

"Right."

"Then it's one of two things. Either the information is unreliable, or the doctor is in a place even the Golden Emperor's forces can't reach."

At that, Seolbaek clicked her tongue.

"Sharp as ever. Makes me want your seed even more, Sword Immortal heir."

"...…"

Terrifying. Absolutely terrifying.

"I could be a woman, you know. Still say things like that?"

Her eyes widened as if genuinely surprised.

As if she were asking, Are you really a woman?

Then she shook her head.

"No way. I touched you with my own hands that time…"

"Ahem."

Just like Baek Hyeyang, this woman had no filter.

Still, she knew both the Golden Emperor's and the All-Healing Doctor's whereabouts.

Too much potential information to just brush her off.

She glared at me and said,

"Liar. You were testing me."

But she seemed relieved at the same time.

Then she said,

"You really don't trust me, do you?"

"I get your situation, but I don't believe three hundred years of loyalty can break that easily."

At that, she pressed her lips together, then opened them again.

"You really are someone who doesn't make a move unless it's in your favor."

Smart girl.

She'd figured me out quite well.

"Fine. Then I'll earn your trust."

"How will you do that?"

She inhaled, then spoke.

"The All-Healing Divine Doctor is somewhere in the imperial palace of Kaifeng. The Brain Minister is using Prince Yeong to find him. And since the Blood Lord's death caused a shortage of the Demon Poison for the grand plan, they're targeting Tang Woo-jung, vice lord of the Sichuan Tang Clan, as a replacement to make more."

Suddenly, she began pouring out enormous information.

And she wasn't done yet.

"Bang Deok-hyeon, Chief Strategist of the Martial Alliance, is actually one of the Golden Emperor's main agents. He has many others planted throughout the alliance. If you want, I can give you the full list."

"Hah…"

"He's also trying to bring back Baek Mok-hyang, the former Sword King, as the next Martial Alliance Lord."

This was more than I ever expected.

To reveal such sensitive secrets so casually…

As if to seduce me further, Seolbaek licked the sword resting on her neck and whispered,

"Isn't this enough to earn your trust?"