Chapter 156. Even If I Have to Paint Myself with Lacquer or Swallow Charcoal (2)

Woo-Moon moved so fast that Moon Soo-In, an expert at the peak of the Transcendent stage, couldn’t even see where he was going, much less stop him.

“Stop! Stop right there!”

The Otherworldly Ice Fairy Ah Hee was resting in a pavilion made of ice, wearing her majestic palace lord robes.

Although she was already past middle age, Ah Hee looked like a dazzlingly beautiful woman in her mid-to-late twenties, not a day older than when Woo-Moon had seen her last.

Arriving in front of her, Woo-Moon nodded his head.

“I am truly sorry for being so rude, but I’ve come to the North Sea Ice Palace because I have an important request.”

Moon Soo-In finally arrived and tried to stop Woo-Moon from proceeding any further right as he finished speaking. However, Ah Hee just raised a hand and stopped her.

“Is it revenge you want?”

Woo-Moon nodded at her calm question.

“Revenge against the Heavenly Demon Cult... I’m sorry, but we can’t help you.”

“No, not the Heavenly Demon Cult. My target is a hidden sect called Martial Heaven. Their power...”

This was the first time that Ah Hee had ever heard of the name Martial Heaven. Her eyes lit up in curiosity for a moment, but she quickly cut Woo-Moon off.

“That’s fine, stop there. I don’t want to hear any more.”

“Please, I beg of you. Please help me. The Cruel Sandstorm Riders are part of the main force of Martial Heaven. We have to take them down to...”

“Didn’t I tell you to stop? If you continue to force the issue against my wishes, I’ll take it as you trying to pressure the North Sea Ice Palace.”

Woo-Moon froze. That was completely unacceptable!

Taking down the Cruel Sandstorm Riders would be next to impossible without the North Sea Ice Palace.

“I’m sorry. I must have gotten too excited.”

“Well, a young man should have that sort of liveliness. Still, it seems uncouth to just end the conversation in this manner, considering you’re the grandson of the Palm Martial Emperor. Fine, what is it that you want from me and the palace? Is it just revenge?”

"That's right."

𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

“Then let me say it clearly without any hesitation. I have no desire to grant your request. Aren't you an outsider anyway? You can’t just come here and ask us to get involved with something that could decide the palace’s fate.”

At Ah Hee's words, Woo-Moon gritted his teeth as she continued with a cold expression.

“No, there is only one way forward. As Moon Soo-In said earlier, if you attend the Marriage of the Snow Flowers, form a relationship with our North Sea Ice Palace, and rank highly, I’ll not only listen to your entire story, but I’ll even consider helping you.”

How could Woo-Moon not know Ah Hee's true intentions?

She was trying to tie Woo-Moon, who had now grown into an incredible master, to the North Sea Ice Palace.

He wanted to jump up and leave, offended. However, he couldn’t because the faces of his parents and Gun-Ha flashed before his eyes.

“Understood. I’ll think about it some more before deciding.”

“Good.”

Woo-Moon left the hall with a heavy heart and went to a giant ice sculpture located on one side of the North Sea Ice Palace.

It was a sculpture of a beautiful woman dressed in the typical North Sea fashion, holding a sword in one hand and standing in a battle stance as if she were about to fight someone.

Yeo-Seol stood in front of it with a blank expression.

Seeing her again by chance, Woo-Moon remembered what Ah Hee had said earlier—that she might consider doing a favor for him if he were to rank highly within the Marriage of the Snow Flowers.

‘In the end, do I really have to participate in the Marriage of the Snow Flowers even to get a chance?’

Images of Si-Hyeon dead and Ma-Ra leaving, disappointed in him, quietly rose in his mind without him even realizing it.

He also thought about the pretty and kind appearance of Yeo-Seol, whom he had first met a long time ago at his family inn while she was visiting the Central Plains alongside her disciple sisters.

Woo-Moon was still a man.

There was no way that he wouldn’t have any feelings for women, considering he spent so much time around beauties like Si-Hyeon, Ma-Ra, and Ra Mi.

Moreover, Yeo-Seol was the first stunningly beautiful girl he had seen after coming out of his dream state.

Even though he had known Si-Hyeon first, he had only seen her wearing a veil for a long time.

Seeing Yeo-Seol at that point actually left such an impression that after she left, he secretly looked forward to meeting her again. Sometimes, he even blushed as he thought about her.

However, too much time had passed since then, and in that time, he had spent much of it with Si-Hyeon and Ma-Ra, even confirming their love for each other.

From his perspective, if he were to be honest with himself, this marriage

was

appealing.

Yeo-Seol was a woman he was attracted to, and she would lose to no one as his bride.

Above all, if they were able to get a high enough ranking in the Marriage of the Snow Flowers, he would be able to receive help from the North Sea Ice Palace in subduing the Cruel Sandstorm Riders and finding his parents.

Especially if Dae-Woong and Jin-Jin were in the North Sea, the North Sea Ice Palace disciples would be of the most significant help in exploring the remote area.

Thus... the Marriage of the Snow Flowers definitely had its own charm.

But the thing that kept coming to his mind was Si-Hyeon’s pitiful appearance when they had first kissed, followed by his world shattering as he saw her fall.

‘Okay. Let’s give up on getting the North Sea Ice Palace’s help. There must be another way.’

Although he had thought about it for a long time, his final decision was made quickly.

But just as he was about to leave the North Sea Ice Palace, Ye-Seol called out to him.

“Excuse me...”

Even if he couldn’t accept her proposal for the Marriage of the Snow Flowers, it wasn’t polite for him to just disappear without giving her a proper farewell.

‘After all, it’s still Young Lady Ha, and she did sob tears of relief after seeing me earlier...’

He couldn’t bear to treat her coldly.

Woo-Moon smiled softly.

“Yes, Young Lady Ha.”

Yeo-Seol, face flushed entirely with embarrassment, cautiously opened her mouth.

“Have you... thought about it?”

The women of the North Sea were different from the women of the Central Plains.

No matter how confident and lively the women of the

murim

were, it was extremely rare for them to propose to a man. However, due to the strong yin energy around the North Sea, there were many more women here, and these women were generally stronger than the men. Thus, it wasn’t uncommon for a woman to propose to a man.

“...I’m sorry, Young Lady Ha.”

As soon as the words sorry came out of Woo-Moon's mouth, Yeo-Seol's eyes turned dark. After she spoke out earlier and ran away out of embarrassment, she was left alone to calm her pounding heart and be caught up in her sweet thoughts and feelings...

Now, her heart felt like it was going to stop, and it was becoming difficult for her to breathe properly.

She had only seen him twice prior, and this was their third meeting. But she even surprised herself when she realized how much she liked Woo-Moon.

Yeo-Seol's eyes were filled with tears, while Woo-Moon shut his eyes tightly, feeling sorry for her.

“I went to the Central Plains not too long ago. It was because of the Marriage of the Snow Flowers. As for who I found there... well, I don’t have to spell it out for you, do I?”

“No...”

“I went to the Central Plains with high expectations. But, Young Hero Song... when I heard that you died, the shock was too great to overcome. For three days and nights, all I could do was cry.”

Woo-Moon couldn't say anything. He couldn't even raise his head and look at Yeo-Seol's crying face; he just kept looking at the ground.

At the same time, he was deeply moved by how she thought of him.

“Actually, you might think it's a little funny. I mean... I’ve only met you twice, and only briefly at that. But, Young Hero Song, I truly fell in love with you. I was always ignored and looked down upon, and you were the first person who spoke warmly to me and truly cared for me. And how could I not be touched when I was kidnapped and you came to save me? Not to mention... When I found out that you had those incredible skills, I even thought that you were so cool that I began to idolize you. As I spent my days alone and thinking about you, I guess I started to have these feelings of love without ever realizing it.”

Although Woo-Moon had said no, Yeo-Seol’s earnest confession of love was beginning to create ripples in his heart, one by one.

Her tears dropped into his soul.

“I heard something else, too. About the assassin who always stood by your side and what happened to your junior sister. Since you’re so famous, I was able to hear even such trivial stories in great detail.”

By this point, although he was not in such a bad state as Yeo-Seol, Woo-Moon’s mind had also turned blank.

“Is it because of them? Is it because of them that you can’t attend the Marriage of the Snow Flowers with me?”

Woo-Moon felt like he couldn’t just listen without responding to her anymore.

Yeo-Seol, who originally had an introverted personality, had mustered up the courage to speak like this. He, too, owed her his sincerity.

“At first, I didn’t know, either. I couldn’t figure out why I liked my junior sister so much. She was the daughter of a merchant who lived in the same village and my grandfather took her as his disciple. I thought that I’d just developed feelings for her as we spent time together. However, that wasn’t the case. I realized there was more to how I felt, a realization I confirmed when I saw her in those last moments. As for Ma-Ra... I took her in because I felt sorry for her. But as we spent more time together, I started to grow feelings for her, little by little, and finally fell in love with her. Now, as for you, Young Lady Ha...”

Although she had already resigned herself, her heart still pounded as she looked forward to what Woo-Moon had to say.

“It wasn’t that I never had any feelings for you, Young Lady Ha. I definitely had a crush, something that might have grown into more if we had spent more time together. However... Now, I can’t accept you because of the guilt in my heart regarding my junior sister. I’m so sorry.”

“I understand...”

Yeo-Seol was on the precipice of giving up altogether.

Woo-Moon made to leave, understanding that he could no longer stay in the palace.

“W-wait! I’m sorry, but do you think you could stay at the North Sea Ice Palace for one more day?”

Just as he was about to refuse, Yeo-Seol’s final words tugged at his heartstrings.

“Please.”

“I understand. I’ll leave tomorrow, then.”

“Thank you."

Unable to stay here any longer, Woo-Moon quickly turned and fled, returning to his guest quarters.

Meanwhile, within a guest room at the North Sea Ice Palace.

“That bastard, why the hell did he come to the North Sea Ice Palace? Is it really because of the Marriage of the Snow Flowers?” Yu Cho complained.

“Why do you care so much? Even if he attends the Marriage of the Snow Flowers, all we have to do is beat him and kick him out,” grumbled Peng Xianhu of the Hebei Peng Family.

He had also recently come to the North Sea Ice Palace after emerging from his two-year seclusion.

‘Right, right, that’s totally easy. You idiot. You talk like that only because you have no idea how strong that guy is.’

That bastard from the Hegemon Clan and the monk from the Great Thunder Temple already looked formidable, causing Yu Cho a terrible headache. On top of it all, Peng Xianhu’s status was similar to Yu Cho’s. Although they were friendly on the surface, Yu Cho considered him to be his rival.

Not wanting to look weak, he didn’t bother to tell him in detail any specifics about Woo-Moon.

‘Song Woo-Moon. You should have died there. Just why did you have to come back alive?’

***

As Woo-Moon had stated that he would stay for another day, the North Sea Ice Palace had given him a room as a guest. However, he was so flustered by everything that had happened that he couldn’t sleep and just lay in his bed.

Suddenly, he felt someone approaching his room.

‘Young Lady Ha...’

His heart ached, and he was feeling guilt over not being able to accept her feelings.

Yeo-Seol stopped in front of the door of Woo-Moon’s room, not entering his quarters.

“Young Hero Song...”

“Yes...”

“I thought about it a lot too.”

“...”

“So my conclusion was... Please stay here and attend the Marriage of the Snow Flowers with me. We can just pretend to get married...”