Chapter 169: Chapter 169

Chapter 169. Northwest

"So they had this much food all along."

The First Leader groaned as he looked at the wagon piled high with grain.

"For now, it seems we won't need to head to the border for a while."

"But can we really trust it? What if it's poisoned?"

"That worries me too, but even if there is poison, wouldn't boiling it lessen the effect?"

Truthfully, from being starved for so long, Bai Woon-Hyun thought—even if it was poisoned, they had to eat it anyway.

Better that than dying outright.

After some thought, the First Leader spoke up.

"Let's start by boiling some grain. If we have problems tomorrow, then..."

The First and Second Leaders slowly turned their heads.

Another strange sound came from the wagon. The First Leader quietly moved around to the back.

When he lifted the sack, he roared in anger.

The boy who had once been poisoned by sulfur was now frantically eating an apple.

"You pig of a boy! You nearly died eating discarded crops before, and now you're stuffing your mouth with who-knows-what again?"

The First Leader smacked the boy on the head. Even as he cried, the boy crammed the rest of the apple into his mouth.

"Huhhck, ah'm shorry, L-leader!" (Hiccuping, "I'm sorry, Leader!")

The First Leader shook his head with a look of disbelief.

"You're going to die of that gluttony, you fool!"

Though he scolded him, he couldn't bring himself to say more. To hide his pity, he turned away, muttering curses under his breath.

Bai Woon-Hyun looked at the two—one old and one young—with clouded eyes, and furrowed his brow.

... Didn't they say he was exposed to the Second Seat's curse?

He had never before seen anyone survive that curse. Seeing the boy eat so heartily made him think perhaps the First Leader had been mistaken.

Suddenly, Bai Woon-Hyun's gaze shifted. Behind a pillar, something scurried away.

A few small children were crawling out of a cave, each with an apple in their mouths. They were the remaining children who had supposedly fallen victim to the accident.

Taking advantage of their eldest brother being beaten, the four younger ones had slipped away with quick wits.

Bai Woon-Hyun let out a breath of disbelief.

Those struck by the Second Seat's curse usually vomited for an entire day before dying—how could they regain their appetite so quickly?

‘... Are they really Yeonju Group's members?’

He rubbed his chin, his eyes filled with doubt.

Since crossing into the North Sea, he'd been living in hiding. It had been years since he'd heard any news from the Central Plains.

The last letter he had received, the day before leaving, had been from Bai Yunhai. It said he was joining the Yeonju Group. After that, there had been no word ever again.

And Bai Woon-Hyun knew full well what that meant.

The Second Leader took a paper from his robe.

On it, neatly written, were the names of their bloodline.

Bai Yunjung. Bai Woon-Hyun. Bai Yunhai. Bai Woon-san. Bai Woon-ho.

The five brothers who had survived the Blood Demon's breeding farm were all sent to the Central Plains—because none of them met the Blood Demon's standards.

Still, Bai Woon-Hyun considered himself fortunate.

He couldn't meet them, but believing his brothers were alive somewhere in the Central Plains gave him peace.

Besides, compared to the breeding farms of the North Sea, the Central Plains were paradise itself.

He had once found Central Plains people laughable—pampered scholars drowning in self-pity despite never having known true deprivation, and the Murim Alliance hypocrites who labeled any martial artist they disliked as "unorthodox" or "dark path."

All of it had seemed absurd.

And yet... all of it had been peaceful.

Until the day Bai Woon-ho came to find him. That was when his brief peace ended.

[Brother, I think I've found a way to get rid of the Blood Demon's blood.]

Bai Woon-Hyun's face darkened as he recalled that day.

[Not long ago, that bastard from the Profound Mystery Pavilion was pretending to be the Blood Demon using one of his divine artifacts. One of the Sect members coughed up blood!]

That day, Bai Woon-ho had spoken with the air of someone who'd achieved enlightenment.

[You know how the Blood Demon's Gu poison never leaves the veins, right? Even if you bleed it out, it crawls back inside and rages again.]

[And what does that have to do with the artifact?]

[He coughed up blood filled with that Gu poison! When the artifact is used, it tears through the veins and forces it out!]

Bai Woon-ho's eyes had been resolute.

[If we have the Blood Demon's artifact, we can command the blood itself to come out. It means the Blood Demon's will can grant freedom to the host!]

But that wasn't a solution.

It was absurd—so absurd it left Bai Woon-Hyun speechless.

It's the Blood Demon's divine artifact.

To steal it, they would have to go to Jin Yin Mountain, but that was impossible for low-ranking Blood Sect members like them.

It would have been better to simply go to the marketplace and shout that the Blood Demon planned to devour the Central Plains—betraying the Blood Demon's will outright.

At least that way, their deaths would be swift.

But his younger brother had spoken with a face full of radiant hope.

[That Profound Mystery Pavilion bastard seems to have fallen for a woman from the Murim Alliance—one of the Blood Sect members of Profound Emptiness Pavilion. Because of that, he stole the divine artifact that was stored in Jin Yin Mountain's Black Pavilion. Ah, brother, do you know why I came to Hubei?]

Bai Woon-ho's eyes had glinted.

[I reported that artifact to the Murim Alliance, saying it was an evil object. The Four Seasons Hall accepts anonymous reports, doesn't it? So the Alliance confiscated the artifact from Profound Mystery Pavilion, and now it's being transported to the Murim Alliance's headquarters. That's why all the Profound Emptiness Pavilion Blood Sect members in Guangdong have rushed up to Hubei—to retrieve it before it reaches headquarters.] ᴛhis chapter is ᴜpdated by novel-fire.ɴet

[Yes, brother. Let's steal it ourselves.]

Bai Woon-ho, who had been smiling with his usual easygoing charm, suddenly grew serious.

[I'll set you free, brother. And then you'll set me free in turn.]

The five brothers, born of the same father but different mothers—Bai Woon-ho was the youngest. Even on his youthful face, a deep sorrow lingered.

[And then we'll find our other brothers, and all of us will escape this cursed blood.]

[We'll go back to the North Sea, free Hosuk and Jagyung too... free them all. Even for just a moment, let's live like real people.]

Though he spoke bravely, Bai Woon-ho was trembling with fear.

When Bai Woon-Hyun's gaze fell on him, the younger brother hid his hands and tried to act tough.

[Ah, well. Even if it all goes wrong and I die, at least I'll have taken a bite out of those Profound Mystery Pavilion bastards before I go. Isn't that a worthy death?]

But Bai Woon-ho never found freedom.

He was slain by a woman of Four Directions Hall, struck down by her sword.

He never managed to escape the Blood Demon's blood that he so desperately wanted to erase.

Bai Woon-Hyun looked down at the paper listing his brothers' names.

Now, of the five, he alone was still alive.

As his eyes sank into silence—

A subordinate rushed in, panting for breath. But then suddenly, he gagged.

He retched and dry-heaved—having eaten nothing, only bile and phlegm came out.

The First Leader looked at him with disgust and walked closer.

"What's the matter with you now?"

"L-Leader.. you should go see your men immediately. Urgh—"

The First Leader patted the man's back.

"The Second Leader is exhausted, and you dare order him around?"

The subordinate fought to hold back the vomiting and barely spoke.

"N-no, Leader... I think the Second Leader’s members have been exposed to the Second Seat's curse."

At that, the First Leader's face turned pale.

"The curse has already spread to the Second Leader’s members? How many are down? How many are still standing?"

He stamped his feet in frustration and turned to the Second Leader.

"Leader, you must find that Yeonju Group physician at once—she's the only one who can cure the Second Seat's curse!"

"Two have lost consciousness, and about four are showing vomiting symptoms. Twenty are still fine... but I think I should be counted out now.”

The Second Leader exhaled deeply.

"Go back and pick six who are still able-bodied. If we carry them, we can reach the harbor before sunset."

When the subordinate left for the cave, Bai Woon-Hyun turned toward the First Leader and spoke quietly.

"... It seems I must send a message to the Seventh Seat."

"What are you saying? You must never interrupt the Seventh Seat's meditation!"

The First Leader refused firmly.

"I don't mean to interrupt their cultivation. It's just... this is beyond my understanding. I must seek the Fourth Seat's insight."

Bai Woon-Hyun handed the paper he had taken from his robes to the First Leader.

"They say it's the lineage of the North Sea Ice Palace. It was in Yunhai's possession, and he asked that it be delivered to the rightful heir of the Bai Clan."

At the mention of a familiar name, the First Leader's hands trembled.

"It seems Yunhai wanted us to have this lineage record. He said to give it to the one who knows how to drive out the Blood Demon's Gu poison."

Bai Woon-Hyun believed that this record was something Yunhai had secretly taken from Profound Mystery Pavilion, for whom he occasionally did personal favors.

"That's why I wish to seek the Fourth Seat's wisdom—whether it's right to reveal this to outsiders."

The First Leader, knowing the brothers' tragic story, couldn't openly oppose him, but unease clouded his face.

"Can those Central Plains people really be trusted? What if they've got some hidden scheme?"

Yet, there was little conviction in his voice.

After all, those outsiders had saved them and hadn't even revealed the location of their gorge.

If they had been true Blood Sect members, they would have used the hostages to lure down the vessel the Blood Demon desired.

Moreover, the Red Blood Hall bastards didn't have the brains—or the patience—to plot something so elaborate.

"I know... trusting people from the Central Plains isn't easy, but..."

Bai Woon-Hyun brushed the throbbing wound on his cheek and spoke quietly.

"If this truly is Yunhai's final will, then I cannot ignore it."

"But if the Fourth Seat opposes, I'll trust and follow that judgment. That's why I need to hear his view."

The First Leader could no longer refuse.

A mere scrap of paper couldn't compare to the authority of the Seven Seats of the North Sea, yet it was also the final will of a brother who had freed them.

At the very least, it was worth consulting the Fourth Seat.

The First Leader spoke with firm resolve.

"I'll send a message to the Fourth Seat. Don't worry yourself—just visit the physician."

As soon as Bai Woon-Hyun left, the First Leader took out the precious paper and brush he'd been saving and began to write the letter.

At his call, Najin, who had been preparing medicinal herbs, came out.

"Go to the cultivation grounds. This letter is of the utmost importance—you must deliver it to the Fourth Seat personally."

Najin had accidentally overheard the Second Leader's earlier conversation, and so she earnestly wanted to help him.

She was a child rescued from the farm thanks to the Second Leader, and she was somewhat special—not a mere member to be exploited by Profound Emptiness Pavilion, but a vessel meant to be absorbed by the Blood Demon itself.

The frigid cold of the North Sea didn't affect her at all.

Though it wasn’t yet her time and she had been excluded from the Seven Seats’ cultivation, her destiny was to one day occupy one of the Seven Seats.

As a result, Najin alone could move freely through the northwestern edge of the North Sea—a place ordinary people could barely even approach—known as the Land of Extreme Yin.

And so, the lineage held in the hand of the last vessel of the North Sea Ice Palace made its way into that Land of Extreme Yin, where the Seven Seats of the North Sea were forged.

(T/N): Change the ‘Generation Lord’ to ‘Leader’