Chapter 95 : The Method of Negotiation

Chapter 95: The Method of Negotiation

“Young Lord Tang! Just what are you saying right now!”

“This is unacceptable! This is outrageous!”

“That’s right! How dare you ask for the Divine Relic of the Moonlit Emperor!”

The moment Sewoon finished speaking, those pale with shock began shouting in protest.

It wasn’t as if they were picking a fight in order to keep Sewoon and the Sichuan Tang Clan, who had obtained the Heavenly Flame Furnace, in check.

They were genuinely outraged, their anger pouring forth sincerely.

The Cold Spirit Divine Armor Sewoon requested held a symbolic value to the Murim Alliance itself.

Two hundred years ago, when the Moonlit Emperor, Dam Cheon-gun, was the Alliance Leader, the Murim Alliance had been in what was called its golden age.

They had achieved consecutive victories in the Great War between the Orthodox and Unorthodox, pressing the unorthodox sects into desperate straits and overwhelming them.

Thus, the Moonlit Emperor was the pride of the Alliance, and the Cold Spirit Divine Armor was nothing less than a symbol that evoked memories of that peak era.

And now Sewoon was asking them to hand over such an item in its entirety.

No matter how great his merits were, this was a demand that crossed far too many lines.

‘Now then, at this point it’s about time to….’

Feigning a troubled expression at those glaring at him with dagger-like eyes, Sewoon spoke up slowly.

“First, I want to clarify that I hold no ulterior motive whatsoever. I merely mentioned an item imbued with cold energy sufficient for my treatment.”

“Even so…!”

“And since I understand full well what the Cold Spirit Divine Armor means to the Alliance, I do not seek full ownership.”

“You do not seek ownership?”

“Yes. I only wish to borrow it, solely for the duration of my treatment.”

At the word “borrow,” murmurs spread, but they soon died down.

Even so, unacceptable was still unacceptable.

“Borrowing is out of the question!”

“That’s right! The moment word spreads that the Cold Spirit Divine Armor is at the Sichuan Tang Clan, thieves like the Divine Thief will swarm to it!”

At present, the Cold Spirit Divine Armor was being guarded in the very depths of the Murim Alliance Treasury, protected under the tightest surveillance system.

If such a divine artifact were to be stored in a private clan’s possession, countless attempts to steal it would occur immediately.

The Cold Spirit Divine Armor of the Moonlit Emperor was the dream and obsession of every thief under heaven.

“…I’m truly sorry, but it seems that will be difficult. Is there perhaps some other item that could aid in your treatment?”

Even Yoo Jinhak, who had been observing the situation, finally spoke up, as even he seemed unable to permit such a thing.

At that, Sewoon pretended to hesitate before slowly replying.

“There is one other item….”

“Speak, Young Lord Tang.”

“In that case, might I perhaps be granted the Snow Blossom Herb?”

At the words Snow Blossom Herb, the gathered crowd erupted into murmurs once more.

In the past, when Sewoon had been poisoned by the Blood Demon’s Half-Sphere Blood Palm, he had sought out the Snow Blossom Herb as an antidote. It was an extremely rare and precious medicinal flower.

The North Sea Ice Palace monopolized its cultivation and strictly forbade its export.

Yet, by chance, the Murim Alliance had obtained such a herb years ago.

After slaying a demonic practitioner who had caused a massacre, they found the Snow Blossom Herb in his possession.

That man had been a fugitive from the North Sea Ice Palace.

He had intended to sell it in the Black Market for profit, but died before he could.

When news of this spread, the North Sea Ice Palace immediately demanded its return. But from then on, the situation became complicated.

The Ice Palace only blossomed ten Snow Blossom Herbs a year.

Yet, for decades now, not a single one had bloomed, leaving them unable to harvest any fruit at all.

The problem was that the Snow Blossom Herb was indispensable for the Ice Palace Lord to achieve great completion in her supreme martial art.

And then…

–Wh-what?

–…The Snow Blossom Herb bore fruit?

Unexpectedly, the herb in the possession of the Murim Alliance had blossomed.

To be exact, after being stored absentmindedly near the Cold Spirit Divine Armor, the Snow Blossom Herb had begun to bear fruit.

Originally, they had intended to return it to the Ice Palace, but once this happened, it became impossible to give it back.

‘If we hand over the fruit, that deranged witch will run even more rampant. No sane person would agree to that.’

And so…

“Young Lord Tang! Now you’ve gone too far!!”

Moyong Bin, Clan Head of the Moyong Clan, roared at him, veins bulging on his neck.

After all, it was the Moyong Clan, situated in Shanxi Province close to the Ice Palace, that suffered the most under their growing aggressions.

In recent times, the North Sea Ice Palace had become ever more violent, using the pretext of reclaiming the Snow Blossom Herb’s fruit.

And if it were revealed that Sewoon had taken possession of it?

It would not be strange at all if the Ice Palace, in its frenzy, committed some atrocious act.

“Even if they are an outside power, the North Sea Ice Palace cannot be taken lightly!”

“That’s right! Under the new Palace Lord’s command, their growth has been unimaginable!”

“We understand Young Lord Tang’s difficult situation, but this could bring yet another blood calamity upon the martial world!”

Thus, Sewoon’s second proposal, too, was firmly rejected.

His expression darkened.

“Phew, so this doesn’t work either….”

At Sewoon’s sigh-laden mutter, Yoo Jinhak was at a loss for words.

Awkwardness and guilt were written plainly across his face.

Around them, a few people whispered that for contributions of such magnitude, it seemed nothing was being given in return.

However.

Unlike his own reaction and those of the others, Sewoon in truth cared little even if he didn’t receive the two things he had mentioned earlier.

No, on the contrary—if they had readily agreed to hand them over, that would have left Sewoon in quite the awkward position.

‘From the start, I only named things that were impossible anyway.’

He had deliberately thrown out outrageous demands that even Yoo Jinhak himself could never permit.

To those unaware, both the Cold Spirit Divine Armor and the Snow Blossom Herb seemed like priceless treasures.

But in Sewoon’s eyes, they were merely…

‘Just useless trinkets, like a chicken rib—hardly worth keeping, but still a pity to throw away.’

The Cold Spirit Divine Armor granted its wearer the ability to command frigid qi and possessed defense worthy of being called a Divine Artifact. But it harbored a dreadful side effect far worse than its power.

Over years, it secretly planted the curse of the Nine Yin Severed Meridians into the body without the wearer ever realizing it.

Then, in one instant, it annihilated the wearer’s Innate True Qi completely.

It was for this very reason that the Moonlit Emperor, in the height of his dominance, had met such a hollow death in his final battle.

Of course, Sewoon himself could replenish Innate True Qi at will, so he could use it if he desired.

‘But both cold qi and defense—Heavenly Thread far surpasses them. No reason to obtain it.’

As for the Snow Blossom Herb that had borne fruit, he had no need for it for another reason.

Absorbing its fruit and herb would indeed provide a fine boost in qi. But the moment he did so…

The Palace Lord of the North Sea Ice Palace. The Ice White Demon Lord, Seori—

That madwoman would come after him without fail.

The thought alone sent chills down his spine.

And so, what Sewoon had truly sought to obtain with intimidation and manipulation was…

‘This very atmosphere.’

A public sentiment of sympathy, murmuring that despite his extraordinary contributions, he was receiving no proper treatment.

Realizing the moment he had waited for was here, Sewoon opened his mouth slowly.

“Then… how about this instead.”

Everyone’s eyes turned once more toward Sewoon.

He spoke carefully, his gaze filled with earnestness.

“It cannot compare to those two relics, but if cultivated over a long time, there is still an item that could bring healing efficacy.”

“Very well, let us hear it.”

“I would like to obtain restraining shackles made from the Winter Spirit Stone.”

“Hmm?”

Winter Spirit Stone and shackles?

Most tilted their heads in puzzlement.

They knew of shackles made from the Snow Spirit Stone.

Hadn’t those been the very shackles that once restrained Sewoon’s hands at the hands of the Great Demonic Beast?

But—

“…What are shackles made from the Winter Spirit Stone??”

“Ah, could it be…!”

Some belatedly remembered and gasped aloud.

When the story of the Moonlit Emperor came up earlier, one more figure had also surfaced in their thoughts.

“Young Lord Tang, do you mean the Winter Lock Ring that was made to bind Wind Fiend?”

“Yes, that is correct.”

At Jaegal Hoon’s question, Sewoon nodded.

In the era when the Moonlit Emperor crushed the unorthodox with unstoppable momentum,

the Murim Alliance, believing the unification of the Orthodox Path was within reach, undertook the creation of a strange item.

They had begun forging a restraint to place upon the neck of the Wind Fiend, who was hailed as the king of the unorthodox.

The situation of the unorthodox sects was dire, yet the might of their supreme being, the Wind Fiend, was in no way inferior to the Moonlit Emperor.

Thus, they forged shackles even stronger than those made of Snow Spirit Stone used against the Great Demonic Beast.

They used Winter Spirit Stone, which contained an even higher form of cold qi but was impossible to control.

‘In the end, they created shackles so terrifying, it was like capturing winter itself within them.’

That was the Winter Lock Ring.

But absurdly, the Winter Lock Ring was never used even once.

For immediately afterward, in the following battle, the Moonlit Emperor perished.

The Murim Alliance, having lost its central pillar, suffered repeated defeats, and eventually, the orthodox and unorthodox regained balance.

Since then, the Winter Lock Ring had been left to gather dust for centuries in a corner of the treasury.

Its emitted yin energy was so dreadful that even its upkeep was barely managed.

If the Cold Spirit Divine Armor symbolized the glory of the peak era, the Winter Lock Ring symbolized a dark age they preferred not to recall.

Yet even so, releasing the Winter Lock Ring outside the Alliance carried another kind of significance.

Though seemingly useless, the meaning it carried was not small.

The qi inherent in the shackles was overwhelming.

And since it had never been used, no one could predict what unknown abilities it might still contain.

Even with such risks…

“Hmm, I suppose the Winter Lock Ring would be acceptable.”

“Yes, I agree. It’s not like it’s the Cold Spirit Divine Armor or the Snow Blossom Herb.”

“Tch, it’s been lying buried in the treasury unused anyway. In the end, it’s just a shackle.”

Whether from the Elder Faction or the Alliance Leader’s faction, no one expressed resistance. Heads nodded all around.

‘Perfect.’

This had been Sewoon’s method of negotiation.

By first demanding the impossible, then asking for something lesser, he made it appear reasonable to grant.

But Sewoon knew the truth.

He knew just how immeasurable the value of the Winter Lock Ring truly was.

In his past life, when the Blood Cult struck amid the Murim Alliance’s division, the first thing they stole in the chaos had been the Winter Lock Ring.

‘Come to me!’

Suppressing the tremor in his chest, Sewoon calmed his heart.

At that moment, Jaegal Hoon glanced toward Yoo Jinhak.

The latter nodded in approval.

“Then let it be declared that the second reward for Young Lord Tang shall be the Winter Lock Ring!”

Sewoon had secured everything he had desired.