Chapter 107
“How do you know that man…”
Tang Guhwi.
Seol Ja-gyun’s face was one of utter shock at the name that flowed from Yeo Un-hwi’s lips.
The great Young Master of the Tang Clan of Sichuan, and the man who had sold him the poison.
His deal with him was supposed to be a secret no one knew. Seol Ja-gyun simply could not comprehend the current situation: how that name could come from this man’s mouth.
*Gasp!*
Then, Seol Ja-gyun belatedly realized his mistake.
It was clear from the man’s expression that he held no favorable feelings toward Tang Guhwi.
Damn it, I should have pretended not to know until the end.
“Ohoo... So you did buy the poison directly from that bastard.”
“Ahem. I have no idea what you are talking about.”
“Oh, is that so?”
At that sight, a smile laced with killing intent deepened on Yeo Un-hwi’s lips.
To think he would meet someone connected to that bastard all the way here in the North Sea.
Although he had already turned him into an irrecoverable cripple and ended his revenge in his own way, the name Tang Guhwi still made killing intent surge within Yeo Un-hwi whenever he heard it.
Before his return, Tang Guhwi had unknowingly poisoned his wife, and after his return, he attempted it again. He was one of the people Yeo Un-hwi hated most.
And now, this man had used the same poison that had harmed his wife on his own brother, the Ice Palace Lord.
Yeo Un-hwi turned and examined Seol Ja-gang’s condition more closely.
Then he slowly opened his mouth.
“Looking at his condition, you used quite a large dose too.”
The amount seemed to be several times what had been used on his wife.
Why?
The reason was obvious.
“At first, you tried to make him die slowly, without anyone knowing, but later you grew impatient and increased the dose several times over, wishing he would just die quickly. How truly vicious.”
Seol Ja-gyun’s eyes widened as far as they could go.
He had read his inner thoughts so perfectly, as if he had been inside his mind.
“How did you know that? But as you said earlier, this was all for a reason…”
“I’ve decided whose side I’m on.”
As if there was no need to hear any more, Yeo Un-hwi cut Seol Ja-gyun off.
Then he stood by Seol Jong-woo’s side.
“I’ll take this side.”
“W-Why!”
“Because I really don’t like the bastard you associated with and I like the poison you used even less.”
“You bastard! For a stupid reason like that! Are you messing with me right now?”
“Yeah. For a stupid reason like that.”
Yeo Un-hwi nodded as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
How much that reason, which Seol Ja-gyun called ‘stupid,’ meant to Yeo Un-hwi!
He would probably never be able to imagine it.
His reaction made Yeo Un-hwi even more certain.
He had done well to stand on this side.
“Besides, whatever you think is none of my business. Now, let’s see. All the guys on that side are enemies, is that it? Right?”
“Yes. That’s right.”
Seol Jong-woo nodded at Yeo Un-hwi’s question.
“Good. Nice and clean.”
“You bastard! Everyone, attack him at once! We can’t let it end like this! We have more men!”
Seol Ja-gyun shouted, grinding his teeth.
But all having seen the martial prowess Yeo Un-hwi had displayed, no one moved rashly.
Looking at his hesitating subordinates, Seol Ja-gyun screamed as if in a fit.
“You idiots! We’re all dead if we fail anyway! So if you want to live even a little longer, hurry up and draw your swords and fight! Fight, I said!”
At Seol Ja-gyun’s words, those who had momentarily lost their will to fight finally came to their senses and gripped their weapons again.
Soon, their eyes began to gleam with killing intent.
That’s right! Our numbers are at least over a hundred.
If they all attacked at once, no matter how great a master he was, the outcome was uncertain.
Once their thoughts reached that point, their grip on their weapons tightened.
Yeo Un-hwi smiled at the change as if amused.
*Hoh.*
“You all look full of motivation. Are you going to attack?”
“Uraaaagh!”
Though the fear of Yeo Un-hwi still remained, the thought that they would die either way made Seol Ja-gyun’s subordinates begin to charge at him.
Their momentum was quite formidable.
But
*KUUUNG.*
When Yeo Un-hwi executed a True Stomp, a massive wave of energy spread out.
Then, the bodies of the charging warriors froze like stone.
In that fleeting moment,
*Swoosh.*
Yeo Un-hwi’s body vanished, then reappeared in front of Seol Ja-gyun, who had retreated to the very back, urging his warriors to their deaths just to save his own skin.
“Making others die for your own sake… you really are like that bastard. Birds of a feather flock together, I suppose.”
Yeo Un-hwi glared at Seol Ja-gyun with eyes full of contempt.
Seol Ja-gyun waved his hands and made an excuse at the sudden terror of death washing over him.
“N-No! I just… I just bought the poison…!”
But before he could finish his words, Yeo Un-hwi’s fist slammed directly into Seol Ja-gyun’s face.
*KWAAAAAAAANG!*
With a tremendous sound, Seol Ja-gyun’s body flew backward and crashed into a wall.
*CRUUUNCH!*
He broke through the wall and flew into the next one, his body becoming deeply embedded in it.
With his face completely caved in, Seol Ja-gyun lost consciousness.
*Tuk. Tuduk. Tuk.*
A silence fell over the Palace Lord’s Hall at the event that had transpired in an instant.
It was so quiet that the sound of crumbling stone dust falling to the floor was clearly audible.
Yeo Un-hwi slowly turned around, dusting off his hands. Then he looked at the dazed Seol Jong-woo and smiled.
“Don’t worry, he’s not dead. He’s the Palace Lord’s own brother, so he’s a person of importance, right? You can deal with him as you see fit.”
“Ah. Yes.”
Seol Jong-woo nodded with a bewildered expression.
Though he said he wasn’t dead, it looked like he had been beaten to a pulp.
“Now then. Are you guys still going to fight? It doesn’t really matter to me, though.”
As Yeo Un-hwi glanced at the warriors who had sided with Seol Ja-gyun,
*Clang, clang, clang, clang.*
Without the slightest hesitation, they dropped their weapons to the floor and shook their heads violently.
“No, sir! We surrender.”
“That’s right. We will accept our punishment.”
Seeing what had happened to Seol Ja-gyun, they had completely abandoned any thought of fighting.
Pushing with numbers might work somehow?
What a crazy thought!
If they could meet their past selves who had for even a moment thought that, they would have loved to slap them across the face.
It was the first time they had known.
A person could be sent flying that far by a single punch.
Seeing that, how could they possibly attack? Unless they were insane!
Even if they had to die, they wanted to die in one piece.
And so, Seol Ja-gyun’s rebellion ended like a brief spring dream.
He had prepared as meticulously as he could, but it was all for naught.
Just as he was on the verge of success, Yeo Un-hwi appeared.
Should one say he was just terribly unlucky?
If Yeo Un-hwi had arrived just half a day earlier or later, the situation would have been very different.
But what was the use of talking about that now?
“Now then. That’s settled.”
Yeo Un-hwi approached Seol Ja-gang, who looked to be in critical condition.
His face had turned even more ashen than before, and his condition looked worse than ever.
His act of forcefully drawing out his internal Qi in anger at Seol Ja-gyun’s evil deeds had taken its toll before Yeo Un-hwi’s arrival.
At this rate, time was short. He needed to be treated at once.
Yeo Un-hwi turned his head and looked at Seol Jong-woo.
“Let’s move the Palace Lord inside first.”
Seol Jong-woo nodded at Yeo Un-hwi’s words.
It seemed this man knew something about the poison his father had been afflicted with.
Afterward, Seol Ja-gang, who had been quickly moved to a bedroom, was breathing raggedly.
From his appearance, it seemed he wouldn’t last the day.
“Excuse me, what are you planning to do…”
The physician who had been in charge of the Palace Lord, Seol Ja-gang, was also present.
He opened his mouth, curious about Yeo Un-hwi’s intentions, but Seol Jong-woo stopped him for a moment with a look that said to just watch.
Soon, Yeo Un-hwi reached his hand out toward Seol Ja-gang.
*Wooooong.*
A brilliant golden energy poured out from his hand.
Then, that light enveloped Seol Ja-gang’s body.
*Gulp.*
He didn’t know what was being done, but since things had come to this, Seol Jong-woo, who had decided to just watch, quietly swallowed and observed him.
*Hwoooong.*
Soon, an unbelievable thing happened.
A black energy was being drawn out from Seol Ja-gang’s body.
Before long, that energy became a black orb the size of a child’s fist.
“Hah. He really used a lot.”
It was just as he had thought.
The energy was much larger and blacker than what he had drawn out from Peng Seo-yeon’s body.
*Crumble.*
Soon, the orb disintegrated in Yeo Un-hwi’s hand.
With that, the golden light that had been brightly illuminating the room gradually faded and then disappeared.
Yeo Un-hwi let out a short sigh and looked at Seol Jong-woo.
“It’s done now.”
“Pardon? …*Gasp!*”
With Yeo Un-hwi’s words, Seol Ja-gang’s ashen and pale complexion began to return to normal at a rapid pace.
It was obvious at a glance that his condition was improving.
“I’ve completely drawn out the poison that was harming his body, but his vitality is weak, so he’ll need to recuperate for about two months. If he does, he’ll be healthy again.”
*Dazed.*
Seol Jong-woo couldn’t believe what he had just seen.
Poison could be drawn out like this?
This was, without a doubt, a divine skill.
But what was even more absurd was Yeo Un-hwi’s nonchalant demeanor, having performed this incredible feat so casually.
*Just who is this person?*
“Now then. Shall we go out and talk? I don’t think this is something to discuss here.”
As soon as he left the room, Yeo Un-hwi held out his hand.
“Hand over the Ice Phoenix Herb.”
“Pardon?”
“I’ve helped this much, so you can give me one, can’t you?”
“Ah, yes. Of course. Absolutely. Please wait a moment.”
Normally, the Palace Lord’s order was required, but right now, that didn’t matter.
It was only natural.
Yeo Un-hwi was a great benefactor of the North Sea Ice Palace.
He had stopped Seol Ja-gyun’s rebellion and even saved his father, who had been poisoned.
He had no idea how he had done it.
Soon, a bundle filled with Ice Phoenix Herbs was placed before Yeo Un-hwi’s eyes.
“Hey, I just need one.”
“No. I can’t do that.”
No matter how precious the Ice Phoenix Herb was, it was nothing compared to the grace Yeo Un-hwi had shown.
*This guy really doesn’t listen to others*, he thought.
But for Seol Jong-woo, it was a matter of course.
From his perspective, Yeo Un-hwi felt like someone sent by the heavens to help them.
“Our North Sea Ice Palace repays vengeance twofold, but we repay kindness even more. This is not nearly enough. Our North Sea Ice Palace will never forget this debt of gratitude.”
He had heard that somewhere before.
*Wasn’t that the saying of the Tang Clan?*
What was it again? The Tang Clan Never Forgets?
*Who’s the original?*
In truth, Yeo Un-hwi had been a bit excessive in his help.
He had suppressed a rebellion at a critical moment and even healed the severely poisoned Palace Lord.
Suppressing the rebellion was something that had just happened, but healing the poison was an act of goodwill from Yeo Un-hwi.
It was probably because the sight of someone slowly dying from Tang Guhwi’s poison didn’t feel like someone else’s problem.
Well, anyway, Yeo Un-hwi reluctantly took the bundle.
“More importantly, if you could at least tell me your esteemed name, benefactor.”
“I already refused. You don’t need to know. Let’s just call it even with this and forget about today, okay?”
“How could I…”
Seol Jong-woo’s face was one of extreme disappointment.
*Tsk.*
At that sight, Yeo Un-hwi clicked his tongue and said, as if tossing the words out.
“Mu Myeong.”
“Pardon?”
“That's my name.”
“A-Ah. Yes.”
“Alright, I’m leaving now. Take care.”
“Ah, wait, please don’t go, at least have a meal!”
But before Seol Jong-woo could finish his words, Yeo Un-hwi had already disappeared.
Without a trace, as if he had never been there.
Seol Jong-woo smacked his lips in disappointment.
“Nameless, you said your name was Nameless.”
It was an unfamiliar name he had never heard before.
It seemed the news regarding the Phantom Divine Monarch had not yet reached the North Sea.
It was only natural, as not much time had passed since that incident.
In any case, he sincerely hoped the day would come when they would meet again.
Seol Jong-woo truly wished for it.