Chapter 161. The Western Mountains of the North Sea

They had already found hidden passages scattered throughout the Central Plains, so it stood to reason that such things also existed in the North Sea, where the Blood Sect had once run rampant decades ago.

But to find one being used openly on an island was another matter entirely.

It was one thing to feign trade with the mainland while quietly bringing in foreign goods. It was something else altogether to blatantly use a passage to funnel in and distribute them.

‘That means they don’t even need to hide the Blood Sect’s dark arts here.’

If dark arts controlled the island’s economy, then it was highly likely that the North Sea branch and even its nobles had fallen under the Blood Sect’s grip.

So-hwa had not expected that the Blood Sect would dominate the upper ranks.

‘I thought they would move in secrecy, hiding themselves as they did in the Central Plains.’

She had heard that the North Sea Ice Palace had resisted more fiercely than anywhere else in the Outer Regions. Not only the palace lord but even the nobles had fought to the death against the Blood Sect.

The survivors were said to have rebuilt the island with the Central Plains’ support. She had believed that such men and women would surely despise the Blood Sect. But perhaps not.

‘Maybe they accepted dark arts just to survive…’

So-hwa let out a dry laugh.

To survive, they submitted to the Blood Sect? Could those who once threw away their lives to resist the Blood Demon be capable of such a thing?

Even if she were reborn, Tang So-hwa would never have served the Blood Demon just to restore her shattered clan. She would never hand over her family’s ancestral land to outsiders—whether they were Great Desert people or North Sea people.

‘Perhaps the rumor that the surviving North Sea nobles fought to the end wasn’t true at all.’

She considered why the port had fallen into ruin.

If there was indeed a passage on the island, they would have eliminated places where outsiders could land. Be it food or supplies, controlling the flow of goods would let them hold the North Sea people in check.

‘If no foreigners could come and go from the mainland, the locals would have no choice but to bow to the island’s will.’

Now that the Ice Palace’s bloodline had hidden itself, the Blood Sect would need weapons to ensure no North Sea people could aid them.

With a heavy tone, So-hwa spoke to Namgung Jin, who was waiting for her reply.

“… It may be that there are no harbors left along the coast.”

“Didn’t you just say it would be natural for a harbor to exist there?”

“It’s only a guess, but I think the island has severed ties with the mainland. In fact…”

Hesitating, worried she might sound paranoid, So-hwa forced herself to finish.

“They might be controlling the North Sea people to prevent them from meeting outsiders.”

“You mean to say the island is suppressing its own commoners?”

“Yes. It seems the island has passages like the one we used to cross into the North Sea. If they alone control foreign goods, they can keep the North Sea people in line. Likely, ships only sail from the island to the mainland.”

At her words, Namgung Jin sighed.

“I knew this road would be difficult, but it seems it will be harder than I thought.”

His eyes fell back to the map. The vast North Sea looked larger than ever.

It was clear now that waiting idly for the North Sea people to come to them was impossible.

Namgung Jin placed a hand on the map.

“If the island sends ships to the mainland for supplies, they won’t return empty-handed. If their hearts are so twisted, they’ll demand some price in return. On rare occasions, Ice Crystals or the Extreme Ice Grass appear in Central Plains markets, do they not? Those must have been obtained from the mainland. It would be impossible for the island alone to supply such rare medicines.”

It was a convincing thought.

The framework left by the Blood Demon had also been freed along with its disciples. Those acknowledged by him were born with Extreme Yin constitutions. If they were supplied with Yin-based medicines as well, they would become far too powerful. It was only natural to collect and hide them.

Namgung Jin pointed to the western mountain range of the North Sea.

“Let’s start with the nearby mountains. There may be people gathering herbs there. And if they can’t fish because of the island’s control, they would at least hunt in the mountains.”

So-hwa nodded, pulling her cloak tighter as she rose. At that moment, Namgung Jin caught her wrist.

“Firewood is precious here. Let’s warm ourselves a little longer tonight.”

“Shouldn’t we hurry? We must return before sunset if we want to avoid sleeping under the open sky.”

At that, Namgung Jin smiled.

“I desire a roof over my head more than anyone else, but when tracking in the mountains, you must be prepared to camp out for days.”

He let out a heartfelt sigh.

“Who knows when we’ll next feel warmth like this? Let’s rest well tonight and depart at dawn.”

He spoke like one well-versed in pursuit and hardship.

And indeed, the Young Lord of the Namgung Clan had spent years roaming the Central Plains, hunting the Blood Sect.

So-hwa sat back down. It would be foolish to dismiss the words of an experienced man.

“How long will the search take?”

“If fortune smiles, we may find a village the moment we climb the mountain. But if luck runs dry… we may not find one before freezing to death.”

“…”

“Yes, exactly. That was my way of saying: we don’t know how long it will take.”

With a wry grin, Namgung Jin leaned over the map, pressing a finger to the foot of the mountain nearest the port.

“Scouring the whole range would be best, but for now, let’s just spend a day or two surveying the area. The range is too vast to cover on foot—better to wait for the Platinum Pavilion’s men and borrow their horses.”

So-hwa agreed with his plan.

Her eyes swept across the map once more, tracing the North Sea coastline.

If there truly were passages in the North Sea, there had to be at least two.

The island and the mainland.

Since Platinum Pavilion had managed to bring goods here, they must have used a mainland passage. If they had transported them directly from the island, they surely would have been discovered.

‘If the mainland passage is also under the Blood Sect’s control, then the Ice Palace’s bloodline wouldn’t dare pass anywhere near it.’

So-hwa frowned as she tried to narrow the scope of their search.

‘But if a mainland passage exists, couldn’t the Ice Palace’s descendants use it, just like the Platinum Pavilion people? They were once Blood Sect members themselves—they should know how to make use of it.’

The fact that the Blood Sect openly blocked the sea route suggested that the mainland passage was not available to the Ice Palace bloodline.

‘Could it be that the Red Blood Hall Lord was the one guarding it?’

Since the Red Blood Hall Lord was now in Jin Yin Mountain, the passage ought to be left unattended.

‘Then the only ones who could use it now would be the Platinum Pavilion members who know the Red Blood Hall Lord isn’t there, and…’

Her train of thought abruptly darkened.

And the Main Blood Hall Lord himself, who knew the situation and was not afraid of the Red Blood Hall Lord.

‘… Surely not. He wouldn’t have come all the way here, would he?’

Haerak was the kind of man who took delight in defying the Blood Demon’s orders. Knowing the Red Blood Hall Lord was at Jin Yin Mountain, he might very well take a “stroll” into the North Sea.

There was no reason for him to do so, So-hwa thought. And yet, he was so unpredictable that the thought worried her.

‘Before the Red Blood Hall Lord came, it was said that the Main Blood Hall Lord himself was the one who captured the Ice Palace bloodlines. If he were to suddenly appear here and greet me as an acquaintance… the North Sea people might very well turn on me.’

She cut off the dreadful thought before it could take root.

‘No. He’s not that mad.’

For all his reckless actions, he was a man capable of caution.

‘Yes, he wouldn’t come here to stir up madness without a reason.’

Just as So-hwa forced her unease aside, Namgung Jin spoke up.

“But look at the shape of this mountain range—it’s peculiar.”

So-hwa lowered her gaze to the map. To the west, the mountains curved slightly along the coastline, as though cradling the North Sea in their arms.

The Western Mountains looked like a fortress wall protecting the sea.

“The range is long.”

“Yes. To explore it thoroughly will take quite some time.”

Thinking of how much they would need to prepare, So-hwa rose from her seat.

She gathered various items she had brought to the room, and for safety’s sake, packed her most important belongings into her travel bag as well.

After resting a single night, So-hwa and Namgung Jin shouldered their packs at first light and stepped out of the pavilion.

***

Even though they had been walking since dawn, Tang So-hwa and Namgung Jin found nothing by the time afternoon came.

At the mountain’s summit, So-hwa stopped in her tracks.

‘What is this…?’

Each breath carried a faint heat that spread through her lungs. Her eyes repeatedly felt itchy, then cool.

There was no scent, nor anything visible, but she could feel the reaction of poison smoke.

Yet it was not poison smoke.

At least, it wasn’t aimed at the two of them.

The trace was too faint to think that someone had deliberately poisoned the place.

So-hwa raised her hand, halting Namgung Jin, who was walking ahead.

“Young Lord Namgung, wait. There’s something ahead.”

“What do you mean, something?”

He seemed not to notice anything at all. On the contrary, he stepped forward toward the direction she indicated, as if to confirm for himself.

But there, a massive tree barred the way. Frowning, Namgung Jin brushed his hand along the trunk. A long groove ran horizontally across the bark.

After studying it for a moment, he spoke in a low voice.

“It looks like a mark from securing a rope.”

He walked past the tree and continued forward cautiously. After a few steps, he suddenly stretched out his arm, blocking So-hwa from advancing.

Crash!

The ground beneath his feet collapsed—the weight had toppled a small stone pile hidden beneath snow.

It was a crude trap, set up merely to signal when an intruder came.

The stones quickly tumbled out of sight, but the sound of their fall echoed for a long while.

Namgung Jin carefully took another step forward—only to let out a sharp breath. Just before him was a cliff.

The gorge was only about one jang wide (roughly three meters). From a distance, it could be mistaken for nothing more than a shallow drop in the land.

He turned his head, trying to trace the end of the cliff. But it stretched on endlessly, a thin scar slicing through the mountain range as though carved by a blade.

At its widest, the gorge was perhaps one or two jang—small enough that a sprinting leap might cross it.

But one misstep would mean death, the body torn apart against the narrow rock walls.

Namgung Jin hesitated. The gorge twisted out of sight, its length impossible to gauge. He couldn’t tell how long it would take to follow it.

At that moment, So-hwa called to him.

“Young Lord Namgung.”

“Yes?”

“There are rope marks there.”

She pointed at the snow. Faint traces of a rope were etched across it.

“It seems there’s a way down.”

Then So-hwa realized what she had sensed earlier.

Sulfur.

Sulfur was a material she often used when concocting poison smoke.

Sometimes, natural fumes could harm people just as much as artificial poisons. Sulfur was no exception. It wasn’t common, but there were cases where visitors to hot springs had fainted or even died from exposure.

That gorge must contain a hot spring.

‘A hot spring…’

Hot springs carry underground heat. As the waters seeped out, they dissolved sulfur from the rocks, releasing that acrid smell.

If the spring couldn’t vent properly, the ground around it would still radiate heat.

So-hwa gazed into the endless gorge.

If it stretches this far, then there must be places where the sulfur doesn’t seep out. That means we could use the geothermal warmth to ward off the cold.

The gorge cut through the mountains parallel to the coast.

Looking toward the sea, So-hwa said,

“If we descend and follow the shoreline, we should find the gorge’s entrance. There might also be caves connecting into it.”

Namgung Jin peered down into the narrow chasm, then nodded.

“Let’s do that. Better to look from below.”

It was the safer choice—better than risking being torn to pieces in a fall. The two retraced their steps down the arduous mountain path.

They hadn’t strayed far from the harbor, yet so much time had been wasted that dusk was already closing in.

Realizing the sun was setting, Namgung Jin carefully scanned the surroundings as they walked.

Before long, they found a shallow recess in the cliffside—not quite a cave, but sheltered enough. Relief colored Namgung Jin’s voice.

“Young Lady Tang, let’s spend the night there. We’ll move again once the sun rises.”

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