Chapter 152. A Small Creature Within The Poison Jar

Tang So-hwa's gaze slid toward the doorway. The clan member revealed discomfort under that look. So-hwa stared fixedly at him, then asked in a suspicious voice,

"Did he tell you the reason why he is seeking me?"

"Yes, I asked... but..."

The Tang Clan member answered in a troubled tone.

"He said it was difficult to explain. If an official reason is needed, he will later send someone formally to the Autumn Pavilion..."

"......"

The Autumn Pavilion was the place that investigated branch members of the Alliance. In other words, it was no different from saying she would be taken into custody.

With no choice, So-hwa rose from her seat to meet him directly.

At the front gate stood Zhuge In-hwi, alone. Though still out of earshot, the Four Seasons Hall Lord seemed to sense her presence and turned his body. Considering he had just spoken of "escort under custody," his face was far too calm.

"Have you come to take me away?"

"I do not know what misunderstanding you harbor, but I have no intention of taking you. On the contrary, did I not come here myself to meet you?"

"For what reason have you come seeking me?"

At her question, sound vanished.

As if submerged in water, a muffled stillness closed in—and into that silence, a calm voice seeped.

"The Alliance Leader will detain Young Lord Tang Hak for about three more days."

At the mention of Tang Hak, her lips sealed and her gaze fixed on the Hall Lord's mouth.

As if to sharpen her unease, Zhuge In-hwi spoke slowly.

"As you know, the representatives of fifteen sects are now gathered for discussion. They are pressing to know why Young Lady Tang was captured in the Blood Sect's hideout, and what transpired there. This will no doubt be most troubling for your Clan Head."

"......"

"Most sects hope the headquarters itself will verify you. If not the prison cells, then at least interrogation in the Winter Pavilion. Of course, not a few would prefer you confined in the dungeon."

His lips moved ever so faintly, his words barely audible.

"I intend to use the name of Four Seasons Hall to extend some favor toward you and the Young Lord. For that, I must know why you sought the Cold Iron."

"This is none of your concern, Hall Lord."

"As I said, if I am to lend my name, I too require certainty."

The man before her showed no sign of retreat.

She could not fathom why this man of the headquarters acted so, but if her confession was necessary—as he claimed—then summoning her to the Autumn Pavilion would suffice.

He cloaked it as kindness, yet in truth, he too seemed intent on forcing uncomfortable words from her.

Reluctantly, So-hwa accepted the gesture he insisted was goodwill.

The instant Tang So-hwa turned her back, the oppressive stillness lifted.

She disliked that he had seen through her intent before she even gave an answer, yet she nevertheless guided her guest inside.

"This way, please."

The corridor leading to the reception hall was empty. The thick shadows from the pillars simply separated the two of them for a moment before rejoining.

As they walked down the quiet hallway, So-hwa was the first to speak.

"How does it feel to face the truth?"

Since he had come in person, it seemed he must have taken the Five Minerals Powder antidote pill that day.

When asked about his thoughts, the Hall Lord gave an answer that was not easy to grasp.

"Like a rat trapped in a jar of poison."

"Why do you think that?"

"Because I feel like I'm the only small creature that knows this place is a jar of poison."

Finding truth in his words, So-hwa let out a faint laugh.

"Then, are you afraid?"

"No. Lonely, yes, but I'll manage."

Coming from someone who hardly seemed to know loneliness, it sounded almost like a joke.

By then, they had arrived at the reception hall. So-hwa offered the head seat to the Hall Lord and sat facing him.

The Four Seasons Hall Lord slowly lowered his gaze, following So-hwa's downward glance, as if to show he possessed senses nearly equal to sight.

No sooner had she taken her seat than a warm current of wind pressed in.

So-hwa closed her eyes for a moment. In the sealed chamber where no wind should flow, she felt a ceaseless warmth tickling her skin.

She guessed that Zhuge In-hwi was using an internal cultivation method and slowly opened her eyes. At once, a question followed.

"Why do you need the Cold Iron?"

Instead of answering, So-hwa asked a question of her own.

"Do you remember the passage leading to Blood Demon’s Jin Yin Mountain?"

"I remember."

"I wish to open a passage from Hubei to the North Sea, and for that, I need the Cold Iron."

"The North Sea?"

"Yes."

The warmth stretched out like creeping vines, wrapping around her whole body—as though confirming something. Despite the tingling sensation, So-hwa remained calm.

She had never intended to deceive the Hall Lord in the first place.

The Four Seasons Hall Lord had doubted the Alliance Leader to learn the truth, and had come to her of his own accord.

Unlike that day, Zhuge In-hwi now had the right to hear the answer.

After a long pause, having gained her trust in his own way, the Hall Lord asked a new question.

"Why are you trying to go to the North Sea?"

"There are those hiding in the North Sea who once rebelled against the Blood Sect."

"And what do rebels of the Blood Sect have to do with you, Young Lady?"

"They don't, not directly. But I intend to make use of them."

Zhuge In-hwi's finger tapped against the desk.

The annoying sound, like drops of water falling, scratched faintly at her ears.

Fortunately, it didn't last long.

Stopping his gesture, Zhuge In-hwi asked—

"Do you intend to use the Blood Sect's rebellion to incite internal division?"

With a single line of her reply, Zhuge In-hwi had seen through her intentions.

So-hwa's lips curved, amused at how different his reaction was from Namgung Jin's.

"Yes. If the rebellion succeeds, other members will also break away from the Blood Sect and establish their own sects. Thus, I wish to make the rebels in the North Sea a model of liberation, so as to dismantle the Blood Sect."

Zhuge In-hwi let out a hollow laugh.

"In any group, there are always the dissatisfied. The larger the group, the more of them there are, and the greater their resistance. But leaving one's organization to found a new sect is a matter wholly different from mere rebellion. Is the Blood Sect not a heretical sect? If we liken them to a sect, then the grandmaster of the martial art they study—Blood Arts—is none other than the Blood Demon. Even if those who break away pass on their martial arts and preach their doctrine, in the end, they would only form another branch of the Blood Sect, producing more of its members."

His voice grew cold.

"It would not be the collapse of the Blood Sect, but its expansion you're speaking of."

"Your words are true, Hall Lord. However, those who rebelled against the Blood Sect never received personal tutelage in the Blood Arts. Moreover, their resentment toward the doctrine is severe. The expansion you imagine will never occur."

Tang So-hwa spoke in a low voice.

"On the contrary, they shudder at the very name of the Blood Sect. They would stake their lives on annihilating it. If they are scattered and resettled in the Outer Regions, they will be of great use in reducing the Blood Sect's power."

"You mean to settle them in the Outer Regions, not the North Sea?"

Zhuge In-hwi drew a distinction between the Outer Regions and the North Sea. A single word changed the meaning, so he tread carefully.

So-hwa sensed she was being interrogated, and so played along—only to throw him further into confusion.

"Yes. From the beginning, they were a bloodline that had built a palace in the Outer Regions. Naturally, they would desire the Outer Regions."

Before Zhuge In-hwi could question her, So-hwa continued.

"Hall Lord, you must know that decades ago, the Five Palaces of the Outer Regions were exterminated in their war with the Blood Sect."

It was a story known to anyone in the Murim.

"Then, have you ever heard what became of the surviving bloodline of the Five Palaces of the Outer Regions?"

The Outer Regions were so far from Hubei that one had to cross several nations to reach them. It was unlikely that tales of a fallen bloodline would have traveled so far.

As Zhuge In-hwi waited in silence, So-hwa spoke.

"They say the Blood Demon long coveted the martial arts of the Five Palaces of the Outer Regions. More precisely, he coveted the bloodline that had mastered those arts. But since every palace lord who perfected them was slain, the Blood Demon resorted to abduction—forcing the descendants to interbreed and undergo grotesque modifications, conducting vile experiments to recreate the lords' martial arts perfectly."

So-hwa placed her hand upon the table and leaned in.

"You must have heard the rumors—that the Blood Demon absorbs internal energy through the blood of martial artists. Over long years of refinement, he accumulated countless streams of internal energy within his body. Even the yin energy of the North Sea Ice Palace and the yang energy of the Great Desert Solar Palace were imprisoned within his blood meridians."

"......"

"It is said that descendants of the Ice Palace and Solar Palace are often born with unusual constitutions—the Yin Body that can contain pure yin, and the Yang Body that can harbor pure yang. The Blood Demon, therefore, devoted special care to raising the heirs of those two palaces. His goal was to forge vessels capable of containing yin and yang in their entirety. Once those descendants cultivated for years and amassed the extreme of yin and yang, he would strip them of their internal energy."

Tang So-hwa noted the crease forming between Zhuge In-hwi's brows and pressed further.

"To the Blood Demon, the Outer Regions' bloodline was nothing more than a flawless vessel in which to store blood."

Ignoring the frozen air between them, she continued.

"The rebels in the North Sea are the last descendants of the Ice Palace's lords. If they reclaim their ancestral palace, they will become a model of liberation. And if the other surviving Outer Regions bloodlines realize they, too, can return to their roots, they will be swayed."

Zhuge In-hwi neither mocked nor disputed her words. Instead, his curiosity shifted elsewhere.

"They say the lords of the Five Palaces were so mighty and arrogant that they sought to dominate the world. How, then, did their bloodline endure without resisting the Blood Sect's experiments?"

"The Blood Demon wields a peculiar Gu poison."

Zhuge In-hwi narrowed his eyes.

Though his reaction was strange, So-hwa continued.

"His Gu poison burrows into another's body, seizing control entirely so that they move according to his will. Those infected cannot defy him. Yet it seems the North Sea bloodline discovered a way to purge his poison."

"The Blood Demon's Gu poison... yes, I believe I know what it is."

Zhuge In-hwi finally spoke.

At his words, So-hwa flinched.

"About three years ago, Namgung Jin, the Young Lord, erased the Gu poison from a Blood Sect member he captured on Emei Mountain."