The sound of a cart being pulled echoed faintly through the quiet harbor.
Creak.
Namgung Jin, who had come to retrieve the cart, brushed the snow from his shoulders in front of the pavilion. His gaze dropped to the canal encircling the building.
It was a waterway designed so that rainwater would flow away instead of pooling, yet oddly enough, this canal did not lead down into the street—it only circled around the pavilion. When the water overflowed, it would run around the building and soak the ground.
The shape was strange as well. Canals in the Central Plains were usually deep enough to hold plenty of rainwater, but this one was shallow—barely the height of a finger joint.
'Wouldn’t this actually turn the whole area around the pavilion into a pond instead?'
Finding it peculiar, Namgung Jin brought the cart inside.
“Should I place the cart inside?”
“Yes. If we leave it at the entrance, someone might carry it off. Better to keep it near the middle gate.”
Tang Sohwa replied without even looking at him.
She looked extremely busy. The moment she had returned to the dispensary, she had started making something—and now it seemed she was nearly finished.
'What on earth is she making?'
She was using several medicinal ingredients, some of which he recognized. Tang Sohwa kneaded aconite into a dough, baked it, and then boiled it together with other herbs.
As Namgung Jin moved the cart, he glanced at Tang Sohwa with a faint frown. As far as he knew, aconite was a poisonous herb.
He kept sneaking glances at her while loading food onto the cart.
When Tang Sohwa finally finished a batch of unknown powder, she packed it into a sack and went outside.
After some time, she could be seen again through the open window. She walked once around the pavilion before coming back in.
Unable to suppress his curiosity, Namgung Jin asked,
“...What were you doing?”
“I prepared for the Summer Poison.”
Tang Sohwa answered straightforwardly.
“Not the Summer Poison itself, but the preparation for it?”
“Yes. I plan to decide whether to release it right away or delay it, depending on the situation.”
“What kind of poison requires you to judge the situation first?”
Namgung Jin frowned slightly as he asked.
Tang Sohwa scratched between her brows as if considering.
“To be honest, calling it poison might be overstating it. It only causes mild nausea and dizziness for a day or two. However, the Northern Sea bloodline seems to view such symptoms as a deadly illness, so it should be enough to frighten them.”
The man they met in the gorge had given up on the children poisoned by sulfur. It seemed that, to the Northern Sea bloodline, sulfur poisoning was considered an incurable, fatal disease.
If more people began showing similar symptoms, those on the other side would surely come looking for her again—especially since she had already proven she could cure the children poisoned by sulfur.
Sohwa washed her hands and went to the desk to check the antidote pills she had just made.
After confirming that the dough had cooled to the right degree, she rolled one pill and handed it to Namgung Jin.
“Young Clan Head, you’d better take an antidote pill in advance just in case. If anything unexpected happens, you too might...”
'...feel some discomfort in your stomach or head.'
Before she even finished speaking, Namgung Jin stepped forward and popped the pill into his mouth.
Watching him, Sohwa let out a silent breath.
'He was berating himself just a few days ago for carelessly eating something given by a Tang Clan member...'
She turned her gaze away and transferred the rest of the pills into a wooden case.
Once preparations were complete, she saw through the gap in the window that darkness had settled over the snowy mountains of the Northern Sea.
Leaving the window slightly open, she went to the side table and arranged the teapot and cups filled with hot water.
***
Night fell over the Northern Sea in an instant.
The sky was pitch black.
Sohwa stared at the darkness for a long time before rising from her chair.
Tap.
As she closed the window she had left slightly ajar, Namgung Jin spoke in a discontented tone.
“Wouldn’t it be better to leave it open so we can see outside?”
Tang Sohwa’s lips curved faintly as she replied.
“I would like that too, but we’re not the only ones who can see through cracks.”
One of Namgung Jin’s eyebrows rose. It seemed she wanted to block the view from outside.
Indeed, Tang Sohwa began closing all the windows she had left slightly open.
Click.
The moment the last window shut, Namgung Jin stood up. He had sensed movement outside.
When he instinctively reached for his sword, Sohwa shook her head.
He frowned slightly.
'Did she already know they were coming?'
Perhaps her senses were keen—but as far as he knew, the eldest daughter of the Tang Clan wasn’t particularly strong in martial arts.
Just as curiosity began to stir in his mind, Tang Sohwa quietly went to the window and tidied up the cups and teapot on the side table. The moment she placed the kettle filled with water onto the brazier—
Rustle.
Footsteps sounded outside.
Soon, a low voice followed.
“Is anyone here?”
It wasn’t the voice of the man they’d met in the gorge.
“Who is it?”
“I heard this was a dispensary. May I come in?”
When Namgung Jin glanced at her, Sohwa nodded. That meant it was fine. Namgung Jin spoke.
“Yes, please come in.”
At his permission, the man opened the door.
Ignoring the cold blade-like Yin energy that seeped in, Sohwa studied the guest’s face.
Behind the man with ash-gray hair stood about thirty young martial men. The gray-haired one seemed to be their leader. His gaze lingered on Namgung Jin before shifting toward Sohwa, who stood by the window.
Namgung Jin took a step to the side, blocking that gaze slightly.
“From what I see, you all appear perfectly fine. What brings you to a dispensary at this late hour?”
At that moment, a young girl peeked out from behind the man.
“Physician!”
It was the same girl who had helped treat the patients in the Northern Sea.
Recognizing her, Namgung Jin gave a small laugh.
“Ah, you’re the ones who came with the young lady. How are the others? Have they regained consciousness?”
They hadn’t discussed it beforehand, yet Namgung Jin naturally played the part of a kind dispensary owner.
Ever since their first meeting, Sohwa had felt that the Young Clan Head of Namgung was a good actor.
She glanced at him with mild admiration, then turned her gaze toward the Northern Sea warrior.
“Please, come inside first.”
It was a bit cramped for thirty warriors, but not impossible to accommodate.
The warrior, shielding the girl behind him, stepped closer.
“My niece told me you offered them a place to stay for the night. Why did you leave without a word? Everyone was worried.”
Though a chill seemed to flow from him as if ready to attack at any moment, his voice carried a tone full of concern.
Sohwa’s eyes drifted briefly toward Namgung Jin.
'...Another one cut from the same cloth as him.'
Namgung Jin looked at the Northern Sea warrior with faint distaste, then quickly masked it with a smile.
“Haha. You were worried about us?”
“Of course. Everyone was concerned.”
Sensing the hostility between them, Sohwa intervened in the conversation.
“As I told the great hero in the gorge, we ran short on medicinal ingredients and returned to gather what we needed. We thought to inform him before leaving, but since he seemed afraid of the night, we worried he might insist we stay. So we left quietly.”
Sohwa tapped Namgung Jin’s arm, who was still radiating killing intent, and smiled with her eyes.
“Still, isn’t it fortunate? We were wondering how to carry all this by ourselves, but since the great hero personally sent people to help, we can rest in the dispensary tonight.”
Namgung Jin withdrew his killing aura and smiled back.
“Indeed. That’s fortunate. It means I can spend another evening alone with my wife.”
He acted so well it almost made her wonder if he’d gone mad.
Sohwa soon understood where Namgung Jin had learned such an absurd tone. His clan had Namgung Gangchang—he must’ve often heard him spout cringe-worthy lines until they made his skin crawl, so his imitation came naturally.
Still, perhaps realizing his own embarrassment, Namgung Jin quickly changed the subject, pointing at the cart behind them.
“This is half the food we brought from the Central Plains to the Northern Sea. Please take it all. You’ll recover faster with proper nourishment.”
The Northern Sea bloodline tried hard to hide their reaction, but couldn’t conceal their true feelings. They kept glancing toward the cart. They must have been starving for quite some time.
To ease their wariness, Sohwa spoke gently.
“If you haven’t eaten yet, would you like me to serve something simple?”
She untied one of the sacks on the cart. Inside lay ripe watermelons.
At first, she had thought Baekgeumgak’s people insane for bringing watermelons to the Northern Sea, but she hadn’t expected they’d end up being so useful.
Baekgeumgak had sent piles of things she hadn’t even requested. She had asked for pumpkins, but next to them, there had been heaps of watermelons. Many of the other items they’d sent ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) had similar-sounding names to what she’d actually ordered.
Gulp.
A loud swallowing sound echoed.
All eyes turned toward the warrior standing at the center.
The man still radiated intense cold.
Receiving everyone’s gaze, the leader finally spoke reluctantly.
“I know it’s shameless to say this while receiving your hospitality, but to be honest, it’s hard to fully trust you. The food you offer could be poisoned.”
“I understand. Naturally, you’d have your doubts.”
“If you truly aren’t who we suspect, then I’m in the wrong. But since I can’t be certain yet, I’ll postpone my apology.”
“I’m not sure whom you’ve mistaken us for, but I assume you have your reasons. We understand.”
Sohwa quietly studied the man before her.
His hair was gray, yet his face looked at least ten years younger than her father’s—somewhere in his late thirties or early forties.
It was said that when one mastered all five Absolute Techniques of the Northern Sea Ice Palace, their body hair would turn completely white. His gray hair might have been a result of cultivation.
In contrast, most of the other warriors were young, their hair still black.
'They said three years ago, the Hidden Pavilion cultists rescued the bloodline members who were kept at the farm.'
Those molds raised on the farm stayed until the age of zhi-hak—fifteen years.
Until fifteen, they received collective education. Those who fell short were sent to the Central Plains and exploited by the Hidden Pavilion until death. The gifted ones remained in the Northern Sea to continue their training—so that one day, they could be absorbed by the Blood Demon.
These young warriors must have been molds rescued by the bloodline.
Sohwa’s gaze returned to the man before her. Having entered a deadly place to save the children, he must have earned some authority among them.
The Northern Sea Ice Palace bloodline seemed to be just as she had predicted—a group with enough virtue and influence to reach even the Blood Demon’s ears.
However, Sohwa sighed inwardly.
'It’s a mess.'
If these people were the Northern Sea Ice Palace’s remaining strength... they might as well give up and return to the Central Plains.
It wasn’t certain, but judging from the internal energy she sensed from the bloodline members hiding around the pavilion, the leader’s power was far below that of Min Hae-rak. The young warriors lined up behind him weren’t even worth comparing to the Red Blood Hall cultists.
'Even Min Hae-rak gave up on reclaiming the Sun Palace as impossible—so these people...'
Sohwa stopped her negative thoughts.
'No. It’s too soon to judge. Didn’t that Blood Cultist in the Bigo claim with his own mouth that someone had mastered all five Absolute Techniques of the Northern Sea Ice Palace? There must still be stronger forces left.'
For now, it seemed no major combatants were present here.
'I’ll need to make contact with them several more times.'
And since time was short, she would have to move quickly.
It was necessary to draw out the person with decision-making power as soon as possible. Once the Red Blood Hall people returned, the surveillance on land might tighten again.
Suppressing the urge to press her throbbing temples, Sohwa went to the brazier.
Removing the kettle from the fire, she said,
“Come to think of it, I’ve let guests in and haven’t even served tea.”
Tang Sohwa carried the teapot to the side table and began filling cups.
The sound of water pouring filled the silence.
Namgung Jin glanced at her.
She was pouring water into just one cup—continuously. Yet the cup never overflowed.
