Chapter 304

Seolga, with the list in hand, casually changed the subject.

“Ah, but speaking of Gunyongi, hmmm, Seoliri just doesn’t roll off the tongue, does it?”

“Do you two know each other? And what’s with Gunyongi? The kid’s not exactly all there, but no matter, calling a girl Gunyongi? That’s just plain ridiculous.”

To that, Seolga wore a bitter smile.

“Well, it’s not like any notable family is different. Rather than a family, it’s more like a clan characteristic. The North Sea surnames also have their main branch, direct lineage, and then branches and collateral lines. In terms of treatment, the main branch lives like royalty, while the branches live quite normally.”

“And then?”

“And below them are the commoners or slaves who are treated like animals, or hybrids, as they call them in the Central Plain; to put it bluntly, they’re like bastards. Anyone can freely use them, and if bored, they can even give them a beating. Just don’t kill them, or the consequences will be severe.”

Qing frowned hard.

“Eh? What’s that about? When did national law ban slaves?”

“So, does that mean there are no slaves in the Central Plain? If a family is somewhat well-off, they usually have at least one or two by default.”

“That’s just the laws being ridiculous. Either way, they’re all just scoundrels, getting lucky with bloodline.”

What a seditious remark.

But if Qing said it, it wouldn’t be treason, though it was absurd for a princess of imperial lineage to speak like that.

However, oblivious to this, Seolga shrugged.

“Well, after thinking about how it all turned out, I’ve got some understanding. It’s some kind of resource management, I suppose.”

The North Sea is barren.

Not to mention, there’s really no material wealth either.

Sure, there’s quality fur, but it’s barely enough for the North Sea folks themselves.

Of course, there’s a season for it.

But no martial sect would recklessly leak their strategic resources just because they’re hungry.

Just look at the countryside in the Central Plain, where strong clans control neighboring towns; iron ore-rich clans wouldn’t sell iron no matter what.

Moreover, there aren’t many merchants coming to trade with the North Sea, and even those can’t come during summer when the ice is thin or winter due to the cold.

They only come and go a little during spring and fall, so the amount of grain brought in is minuscule.

The North Sea land can’t sustain a large population in the first place.

So childbirth is strictly controlled based on lineage; what else is there to do in that cold, barren land?

Just eat and multiply until control goes out the window, and we end up with hybrids.

“So hybrids can be worked like beasts.”

Even if they’re deemed unnecessary hybrids, they still need clothes and food.

They drain the meager resources of the North Sea, so they must work like livestock.

But at least they get fed, clothed, and sheltered, right?

Qing thought while listening to Seolga’s theory.

Indeed, the best mind in the village!

When in the North Sea, no doubt he was the best mind there.

“But, you need to know who’s a hybrid to utilize them; that’s why they give them names that scream hybrid.”

There’s no effort in naming them.

The male names are a few, and female names are just a couple rotated around.

The Seol clan, the Bings clan, the three surnames of the North Sea, they have male names like Gano, Jongno, and Gaeno, and Shivel.

For females, you’ve got Ganyeon, Jongnyeon, Gaenyeon, and Gunyongi.

“Oh.”

“Did I ask if you know each other? In the North Sea, there’s a sect named Oknyo Palace. It consists mostly of women, but it’s not exclusively female, as men are generally very reluctant due to the nature of their martial arts. Anyway, there was such a sect called Oknyo Palace.”

Then Seolga grinned sneakily.

Kind of a smile you’d expect from a chef who overheard someone praising their meal, filled with pride.

“Of course, it doesn’t exist anymore.”

He’d said they wiped them all out and burned down the clan before grabbing the secret manual to run away.

He’d mentioned that while it might have been a bit excessive, he felt no regret and would do the same if he could go back in time.

“Gunyongi was just lucky. He was tied to ice essence blood, and that’s how he ended up in the Ice Palace, and since he integrated into the direct lineage of the Ice Palace, he must’ve gotten a new name.”

“So he was someone you knew before?”

“In Central Plain terms, he’d be my nephew. But hybrids don’t have genealogies, and if you speak like that, you’d probably get beaten up.”

Apparently, Seoliri got beaten up for calling him uncle, over and over, with a stubbornness that was as hard as iron, so she just kept getting smacked until her resilience grew.

Hmm. I understand that stubbornness.

Qing nodded, then suddenly asked,

“So what? You mean you sent your nephew here alone to track down his uncle and fetch the secret manual?”

“It’s a reason, but mostly it was just to send him away. Gunyongi knows that too.”

“Eh? He already knew? What’s that about, did they talk? Wait, did he even recognize Seolga?”

“Well, look at me, right?”

Despite being in the Oknyo Palace, it’s named as such because the aftermath of the Taeum Oknyeo Martial Arts turned men into women.

Seolga overcame that side effect with Bingchenshalama Kung Fu, but ended up losing his sensations in the process.

But living with no sensations turned out to be a hundred times better than looking like a woman, so he purified the Bingchenshalama Kung Fu with the Nagiyeon Restorative Kung Fu to return to his former self.

So during the time Seolga lived as a servant in the Oknyo Palace, he looked like he does now.

“I heard he only taught the Ice White Divine Skill but not the crucial Ice White Divine Technique.”

For that matter, he had to scatter the Taeum Oknyeo Martial Arts, claiming he needed to master the Divine Skill.

And now he’s left with the Lamentable Skill, which can’t even conjure ice properly, leaving him in a pitiful state.

“Sure, the Ice White Divine Skill is a top-notch divine skill, but with my low-level education, can I really wield its true power? If I were to send such a kid out to catch a high-ranking figure who crushed a clan, they’d probably realize right away he’s been thrown out.”

But why he was thrown out, he couldn’t say as he kept his mouth shut.

Perhaps Seoliri’s talent was so prominent that the direct lineage of the Ice Palace felt threatened and dismissed her.

Or they thought her talent was just barely enough to learn the Ice White Divine Skill but wouldn’t be worthwhile to keep around, draining their resources.

Seolga said so, but Qing immediately concluded upon hearing it.

They threw him out because he was useless!

“You said that direct lineage lives like royalty, right? Earlier you mentioned something about an ice essence or being integrated into the direct lineage?”

“Well, you think about it. Would a dirty, low-class beggar, who might not even know where they crawled from, suddenly become a royal overnight just because they showed some talent?”

“True, that does make sense.”

Qing didn’t consider herself a princess.

Because the dead princess had long been dead, leaving only her body behind.

Apologies to the Empress Mama, but having stolen the body of the daughter, pretending to be her feels quite absurd to her. How could someone do that?

“But why exactly did they come chasing Seolga?”

“They wanted to see how I was doing and hoped I’d invite them to stay with me. So, you better take care of Gunyongi. He already follows you closely anyhow.”

“I’m taking good care of him already, you know? I couldn’t possibly do better with him.”

“I suppose so. He’s been following you all day. But keep a closer eye on him. Especially if his behavior seems off, take him to a physician. North Sea folks don’t show they’re sick.”

“Why?”

“You’ll know once you visit the North Sea. In that cruel land, just taking care of oneself is tough.”

Trying to help someone sick in that blizzard-ridden land would be asking to die together.

So, they’d just leave behind anyone lagging. You can’t expect help just because you’re sick, so they have to grit their teeth and catch up.

This leads everyone to hide their sickness.

In particular for hybrids, showing they’re sick means they’re useless.

If they show they’re sick, it’s too late; they might as well be dead, so they would lose everything and be left behind.

“That’s why they’d rather not show they’re sick, even if they die.”

“Eh, but he showed it to me.”

In response, Seolga gave a surprisingly gentle smile, almost as if he was proud of Qing.

“That could happen. Anyway, it’s getting late, so I should head back. Or do you want to stay? Just so you know, I have a habit of sleeping naked.”

“You know I’m wearing clothes. You marched in all soggy from the rain, so I assume you wore them to bed.”

Qing scoffed back with a chuckle.

“Hmm, so maybe I’ll sleep naked just for tonight. Care to join?”

“If you can’t take no for an answer, just drop it. Why repeat the embarrassing thing twice?”

“You have to try everything twice, don’t you? Once is meek.”

“Meek my foot!”

—-

After slaying bandits and working on flood recovery, my merit in Sichuan soared over a hundred points.

Initially, I planned to exchange merits to learn the Taeguk Hyeo Sword, but here I am, having reached the Supreme Martial Artist and evolving into the Supreme Immortal.

No need to learn the Taeguk Hyeo Sword at this point.

Qing searched for Ice White Divine Skill in the Martial Arts Inventory, and there it was, a bright purple-bordered Inner Strength Meditation Technique just sitting there.

If Seoliri lacked this and I learn it to teach her, would she be complete?

Seoliri was originally honing the Lamentable Skill and Taeum Oknyeo Martial Arts, but she ended up scattering the Taeum Oknyeo Martial Arts, leaving her with only the so-called Lamentable Inner Strength Technique.

Once scattered, knowledge can’t simply be rebuilt.

That’s because the vital energy doesn’t reach the Dantian, making it naturally scatter.

Of course, even if I didn’t teach her the Ice White Divine Technique, there are still options available.

There’s also the Ice Magician’s skill, even if the side effects are quite severe.

But I can’t pass on the Nagiyeon Restorative Martial Arts alongside it since it purifies chaotic energies, especially Demonic Arts.

It’d be impossible for either of us to learn both at the same time.

After reaching Supreme Martial Artist, I realized it’s far more valuable to master one Inner Strength Meditation Technique that will turn into vital energy rather than dabbling in multiple sword techniques.

A purple Inner Strength Meditation Technique is worth learning for its own sake, even without consideration for Seoliri.

Or should I propose switching out the Ice White Divine Technique after learning it first?

It had a purple border, too.

I might want to try getting some luck today.

I’ll first ask the Master.

Seolga mentioned he’d investigate, so Qing didn’t have much to do.

But it felt wrong to leave work assigned to him while I went off chilling.

So the brilliant idea of scouting the enemy territory came up.

Sounds grand, right?

Just wandering around the Zhangxing Company’s eateries and tea houses, enjoying some good food and drinks.

But an enemy territory is an enemy territory; if there are any shady figures, they might be the culprits, right?

And thus, a day, two days, three days passed.

Rumors spread throughout Xi’an about two breathtaking beauties roaming around together.

Truly, the conversation of Xi’an exploded; it became the hot topic in Jang An as well.

Whether fact or slang, they indeed became the talk of the town in Xi’an.

On this sweltering day, men specifically flocked to the streets.

“Hmm, I feel like I’ve seen that outfit before.”

When women chase after the most beautiful man in the world, they stand by the walls quite openly, hitting on him.

But men are different; they’d stroll down the same path several times, glancing, or sit at the same tea house, sipping away while casting furtive looks.

While Qing was in Nakyung, the rumors hadn’t scattered far yet, but once the flood recovery conversation took a month and a half, it was just enough time for the news to spread throughout Xi’an.

The Cheonhwa-geom has arisen!

Some say the most beautiful woman in the world is also in the area; let’s check if it’s true!

And don’t forget the three-headed, thin-waisted beauty; we have to verify if it’s for real!

In that sense, Qing didn’t disappoint the expectations of the men strolling the streets.

However, while they merely peeked and admired, no intense advances came her way; after all, it’s a bit intimidating when standing next to a Supreme Martial Artist.

No matter how beautiful a wife is, a husband beaten down doesn’t stand a chance.

Still, some light flirting came through.

“Those goodies were sent by that gentleman over there.”

“Wow, what’s with this?”

Qing raised her wine bottle and winked in response.

Seeing the man hovering uncertainly between getting up or not, Qing waved her hand lightly, signaling her refusal.

In any case, thanks to this, for the three days of scouting the enemy territory, the only money Qing spent was on light snacks from vendors.

In this way, she came off like a deceptive noblewoman who lured men into spending for sweets and meals.

But in reality, she was showcasing a delightful spectacle of supreme beauties dining endlessly.

You could argue it was even a more delightful sight than the vendors peddling on the streets, thus well worth every coin exchanged.

So by the fourth day, at last, Seolga said with a grin,

“I found a guy; do you want to go in person? Or should I send someone to bring him back?”

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