Ep435 - I Became a Drunkard in a Martial Arts Novel.

With a single gesture from Yongsellan, those who had been poised with weapons return to their original stance. Their minds are dominated not by fear, but by curiosity. The White Snake King, known as the King of Serpents. Baek Woo-jin, waving from atop the head of this millennia-old mystical creature. “What on earth is…” What sort of miracle is this? While baffled, she simultaneously feels relieved. ‘At least there won’t be a battle.’ Since Baek Woo-jin is riding atop the White Snake King, it’s clear the serpent didn’t come to attack the Northern Ice Palace. Evidently, his sole intent had been the inner pellet, but how things turned out this way would soon be revealed. Before long, the White Snake King and Baek Woo-jin mounted atop him would arrive here. In his path, the snowstorms rage relentlessly. Finally, the gigantic serpent covered in white scales reaches the tall walls of the Northern Ice Palace. "Gasp…!" "That... that is the White Snake King…" The martial artists of the Northern Ice Palace are both awe-stricken by the imposing terror and mesmerized by its beauty. Baek Woo-jin, standing atop the White Snake King, leaps down to land gracefully on the wall. “Hero!” Yongsellan, who had been waiting for his arrival, approaches briskly and asks. “What on earth happened? Why is the White Snake King here?” “Oh, well about that…” Baek Woo-jin begins to explain what transpired. “Our Whitey here is a lot more gentle and kind-hearted than you’d think.” “Wh-Whitey?” “Yes. So, while fighting, I thought, hmmm... I can't really kill it?” “And then what?” “Well, then we reached a sort of agreement.” “An agreement? What kind…?” At her inquiry, Baek Woo-jin pulls out a small pouch from his vest and hands it to her. She hesitantly accepts it, looking at him quizzically. “What’s this?” “You’ll know once you open it.” With an air of confidence, Baek Woo-jin watches as she unwraps the pouch with a suspicious expression. “This is…!” Inside the neatly wrapped pouch lies a half-sphere orb. Although it looks like a broken piece of a pearl at first glance, it is far from ordinary. ‘This powerful dark energy.’ From the moment she unfolds the pouch, an intense dark energy emanates from within. Realizing there could be nothing else emitting such energy other than the White Snake King's inner pellet, she asks. “Is this the White Snake King’s inner pellet?” “That’s correct.” Watching Baek Woo-jin nod, Yongsellan becomes even more puzzled. “Was there perhaps more than one White Snake King?” “No, there wasn’t.” “Then, is this inner pellet from the very White Snake King standing outside?” “That’s right.” “But then how… Ah.” She intended to ask how the White Snake King is still alive after the pellet is removed. But Yongsellan quickly reaches the answer herself. A half-sphere orb. The original form of the inner pellet could not have been this. Which means it must have been split into halves. “You took only half of the inner pellet then.” “Yes, exactly.” Turning to look at the White Snake King, who was coiled comfortably and yawning at the fortress gate, she noted the overwhelming presence despite its calm demeanor. ‘Far stronger than expected.’ In truth, this was her first time seeing the White Snake King as well. It had previously only been discovered by her mother, the former palace mistress. Faced with an unimaginably dominant aura that far exceeded expectations, her body instinctively tensed. ‘Even half is enormous, but…’ Yet there was still a sense of loss. The incredible dark energy oozing from just the half-sphere orb. The full power of a complete orb was beyond her imagination. "Umm..." Unwittingly, her expression revealed her inner thoughts. A deep sense of yearning. Picking up on her signals, Baek Woo-jin chuckled lightly, understanding her feelings. “Regretful?” “What? No, of course not!” Startled by the abrupt question, Yongsellan promptly shook her head. “Regret? No way, what you’ve given is already an enormous help.” Although she felt regretful, she couldn’t actually admit to it. After all, the Northern Ice Palace did nothing to assist Baek Woo-jin in defeating the White Snake King. In reality, they had pressed him with an unreasonable request in exchange for granting his desire. Though aware of this, feeling regret was a consequence of human’s insatiable greed. She held no intention of asking anything more from Baek Woo-jin. That had been her intention. “So then, I suppose I don’t need to give you this.” Suddenly, another pouch appeared in his hand, retrieved from his sleeve before she had even realized. The pouch looked identical to the one containing the half inner pellet. Her throat moved with anticipation. “Wh-what is that…?” An inquiry made in hopeful curiosity. Baek Woo-jin responded. "The inner pellet of the White Shadow Snow Rabbit." "What...?" Yongsellan malfunctioned completely. --- Having bonded over a drink, the White Snake King lent his allegiance to a fellow friend. Since Baek Woo-jin could only take half of its inner pellet, the serpent decided to even the score by taking him to the lair of another mystical beast it had encountered decades ago. Screech...! The creature’s name: the White Shadow Snow Rabbit. Named for its speed, leaving beholders with nothing but fleeting white afterimages. Rabbits are generally at the bottom of the food chain, fragile and pitiable creatures—but this one was different. Chitter, chatter, chitter! It was quick and cunning. Moreover, it had taken a liking to toying with any humans who ventured into its domain, becoming rather adept in battle as a result. However, asking whether it could be a match for Baek Woo-jin is a wholly different story. Chitter…!? After all, it had already been defeated by the White Snake King. A creature vanquished by the King of Serpents stood no chance against Baek Woo-jin, who had easily subdued the snake. Baek Woo-jin, having subdued the rabbit perfectly, took half of its inner pellet, just as he had done with the snake. Originally, he had intended to kill it, but it pleaded for its life so desperately. Moved by pity, he spared its life, extracting a promise that it would stop disturbing humans—along with half of its inner pellet. Baek Woo-jin carefully placed the pouch containing the half pellet of the White Shadow Snow Rabbit onto her open palm and asked. "Is this sufficient?" Finally snapping back to her senses, Yongsellan nodded hurriedly. "What...? Oh, yes! This will be immensely beneficial. Thank you so much." The smile gracing her lips was genuine and full of gratitude. A sincere smile from a beauty is always a delight. In high spirits, he inquired again. "So, am I now qualified to access the Eternal Ice Crystal?" She nodded enthusiastically. "Of course! Let’s go together when we depart for purification work." "Perfect." Baek Woo-jin's face lit up with her agreeable answer. Facing his warm smile, a rosy blush crept into her cheeks. Her heart began to beat at a pleasant tempo. Caught in the rhythm, words slipped from her lips almost unintentionally. "Um… perhaps we could have dinner together, if it’s not too much trouble?" "Dinner, you say?" It was only when she heard his curious response that she regained her composure. Inwardly, she chastised herself. ‘What on earth prompted me to say such a thing…?’ Though unmarried, he already had three women by his side. He might as well be married. To unexpectedly ask a man in such a relationship to dine alone—it was quite an awkward situation. Desperately trying to correct the situation, she waved her hands and spoke in haste to cover up. "It's just… to express my gratitude!" "Ah, as a gesture of thanks." Watching him nod in understanding, Yongsellan sighed in relief. "I almost thought you might have taken a liking to me." His teasing smile and tone froze her once more. --- Dinner with Yongsellan was lavish. And that was all there was to it. "Perhaps I teased too much." From the light jest he made, she had become so flustered that she barely spoke beyond the necessary exchanges during the meal. Even when Baek Woo-jin tried to engage her in conversation, her replies were succinct and to the point. Though she had initiated the dinner, her mind seemed preoccupied with ending it as swiftly as possible. So Baek Woo-jin, realizing her discomfort, refrained from further questions or conversation and quickly finished his meal. No point in further troubling someone obviously uneasy in his presence. Afterward, he returned to his quarters and threw himself onto the long-awaited comfort of his bed. Thump! The unparalleled coziness, so different from camping, wrapped around him. “Ah... heaven at last.” The warmth of the room and the comfort of the bed brought a peaceful smile to his face as he began to drift off. “Great Hero Baek Woo-jin.” A voice, unfamiliar, wafted in from outside his room. “I took the liberty of visiting you with an urgent message to share.” A woman’s voice he hadn’t heard before. “May I come in for a moment?” What could it be? An intriguing topic to discuss at a man’s chambers this late at night? Curiosity piqued, he sat up in bed and replied. “Come in.” Creak The door slowly opened. Into the room stepped a familiar face he had encountered once before. "The personal maid of Princess Yong…?" "Yes, I am Yeon-hee, the personal maid to the palace mistress," she introduced herself with a polite bow. Yeon-hee's visit — was it of her own accord or under the instructions of her mistress? "Did the palace mistress send you?" Baek Woo-jin inquired. She shook her head. "No. The mistress is unaware that I am here." This was unexpected. He had assumed Yongsellan had sent her, but that was not the case, and her visit had been kept a secret even from the palace mistress. What could possibly need to be conveyed with such secrecy? "State your purpose for coming." No sooner had he spoken than something incomprehensible happened before his eyes. "……?" She, who had been standing with her head bowed, suddenly kneeled before Baek Woo-jin. As he leaned forward, intending to help her up, she spoke. "Please, help us, great hero." Her plea froze Baek Woo-jin in his tracks. Help her? With what? "What exactly do you need help with?" "Please, save the true palace mistress." Her response made Baek Woo-jin scowl. The situation was becoming increasingly bewildering. To suddenly be asked to save the palace mistress when she was right there, alive and well? Could something have happened to Yongsellan in the brief time since they'd parted? "Has something befallen Lady Yong?" he asked. "No. The mistress I speak of is no impostor," Yeon-hee replied. A stream of shocking revelations poured from her lips. "An impostor? Are you saying Lady Yong is a false mistress?" "Yes." She responded firmly, her lifted eyes revealing a deep-seated grudge. "She is a wicked woman who cast my mother into danger to seize the position of palace mistress!" With her revelation, the atmosphere in the room turned frigid. --- Author's Note: I will meet you in the next chapter. Thank you always for reading. Have a peaceful night. (_ _)