BANG!

“All right, that’s enough for today.”

The troops sprawled all over the place hurried to their feet and bowed their heads.

“Thank you for your hard work!”

“Yeah, you too.”

With Mad Dragon slung over his back, Yeon Hojeong pointed at Peng Manho.

“Manho.”

“Yes, brother.”

“You’d do well to pay a little more attention to your footwork.”

“My footwork?”

“Your blade art is a power-based martial art. Your blade art has gotten much lighter and faster, so now you need to learn how to put weight into it too. If you want to pressure and crush your opponent, the force has to come up from your lower body. It’d be good for you to work on that.”

“Understood. Thank you.”

Then Yeon Hojeong called Yeoguk.

“Have you not been feeling well lately? Your sword speed has gotten microscopically slower.”

“I’ve been deeply immersed in the blunt sword lately. If my sword speed has slowed, I think that may be why.”

“What principles you choose to train are for you to decide, but your real-combat ability must not decline. Right now it’s only your sword speed that’s slowed, but given time, it’ll definitely create a clear opening.”

“I’ll keep it in mind.”

“If you want to dig a little deeper into the blunt sword, I recommend combining it with hand-art training. If that’s difficult, try thinking of the hand not holding the sword as another sword. That awareness alone will be enough to help.”

“Thank you.”

“Good.”

The last person he called was Song Yeonggyeong.

“Yeonggyeong.”

“Yes, Commander.”

“Your spear art has tremendous force behind it. I think you’ll be able to move on to the next stage before long.”

“R-Really?”

“But greater power will inevitably make you lose finesse. The spear art of the Emei Sect centers on straight, grand heavy strikes, so you need to be even more careful. Your level in spear art has deepened, but if you can’t control your strength, the ally beside you could get hurt.”

“Ah...!”

“When it’s hard to control with True Qi, single-arm training is good. Try working until you can control with one hand what you used to swing with both. Naturally, your True Qi will begin adjusting its strength to match.”

“Thank you.”

“Still, controlling a heavy weapon with one hand can strain the joints. Circulate your power morning and evening, and make sure to work those joints thoroughly.”

“Yes.”

“Right, good work.”

Yeon Hojeong’s eye was sharp and precise.

By contrast, his advice was flexible to the extreme. He treated all the troops the same, but when giving advice to an individual, he responded in a way that suited that person’s temperament.

It was a minute difference, but those differences were what built deeper trust. Even Yeon Hojeong, who had once only been accustomed to the violent methods of the Dark Path, had before he knew it learned what delicacy was.

“Whew.”

Je Gal Ahyeon let out a low whistle.

“What’s with you today?”

“What?”

“You’re especially considerate today. Did something happen?”

Yeon Hojeong smirked.

“I’m always considerate.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, you vicious bastard.”

“This is a public place.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, you vicious gentleman.”

“Ugh!”

Yeon Hojeong recoiled and left.

Je Gal Ahyeon shouted.

“Where are you going? You said you’d look over the new attack formation!”

“I already did.”

“When?!”

“I looked while you were sprawled out resting. It was fine. I wrote down the parts that need work on the tactical diagram, so use that as reference.”

“Huh?!”

“I’m leaving first. And Mookbi, be back by early evening today. Father will be waiting.”

With those words, Yeon Hojeong left the training ground.

Je Gal Ahyeon stared at his retreating back with a sullen face.

“What is with him? Did something really happen?”

She turned to Mookbi.

Mookbi, who had been sitting and resting, blinked her eyes placidly like a cow.

“Why?”

“Sister.”

“Yeah?”

“Is it that bastard’s birthday today?”

“No? He didn’t say anything like that.”

“Then what’s got him in such a rush?”

“He did say he wanted to gather Father and talk about something. Other than that, I don’t know.”

“Something to talk about?”

Je Gal Ahyeon scratched her head.

From the sound of it, it seemed to be family business after all. No matter how close they were, trying to pry into family business would be excessive rudeness.

Hmm.

Je Gal Ahyeon looked at Mookbi again.

Mookbi hunched her neck for no reason.

“What is it, little sister?”

“You’re completely family now. Family.”

“Me? What family?”

“That bastard’s family.”

“Yeah. Father accepted me as part of the family.”

“I know that.”

Je Gal Ahyeon shook her head.

“Anyway, that household’s worth studying in a lot of ways.”

She had long since heard and understood how Mookbi had come to belong to the Yeon Clan.

Yeon Wi had not accepted Mookbi into the family because her martial arts were useful. He had accepted her as family simply because she was his son’s friend and because she had no one.

It was a rare kind of trust in the rough world of the martial world. And even just looking at how Mookbi’s personality had changed, one could tell how much the Yeon family cared for her.

That’s why they’re strong.

The powers of the martial world were, for the most part, closed off.

But the Yeon Clan was not. Unlike ordinary sects, it showed a considerably open side.

If it had not been strong, it could never have shown that kind of breadth. And because it had shown that breadth, it had likely had no choice but to become even stronger.

“All right, let’s practice this formation in an hour. You’ll help too, right, sister?”

“Of course.”

After returning to his quarters, Yeon Hojeong washed up thoroughly and changed into ordinary clothes.

WHOOOOOOOSH!

It had been that way during training too, but for some reason the wind was especially fierce today. Even though it was not yet time for the sun to set, the sky had darkened enough that it looked as if snow would soon fall.

“Relentless.”

There was hardly a region in the Central Plains he had not visited, but as the King of the Dark Path, his stronghold had been in the south of the Central Plains. And in the south, there were not many chances to see snow.

Mount Daebyeol, where the Alliance of the Martial World was located, was different. Snow really did fall every other day, and once it started, it was common for it to pile up to the knees.

“That’s why I avoided winter whenever I could.”

Even when he fought the Orthodox Path martial world as the Lord of the Black Emperor’s Citadel, he had avoided winter whenever possible.

It did not matter when he was holding a defensive line. But when he was pressing an offensive, the cold weather of the north dragged at the soldiers’ feet.

Just because one had cultivated Inner Qi did not mean one did not feel the cold. Of course, there were many masters who had reached a realm where heat and cold could not touch them, but the great majority had not.

For such people, fighting in winter was excessively brutal.

“And now...”

Yeon Hojeong closed his eyes.

“I’m sick of fighting too. I don’t know when this act called fighting will ever disappear.”

So long as human beings lived on this land, there would probably never come a day when strife and conflict vanished.

But at least I can end my own fight.

Yeon Hojeong’s eyes flashed with a blade-sharp light.

Yangcheon will probably start responding in earnest before long.

He had branded Black Sheep a traitor and shut him up in his quarters. Yangcheon would also be suspecting the Perverse Lust Cult, and beyond that the Three Fanatic Creeds as a whole.

The Perverse Lust Cult intended to use Ink Dragon Manor as a bridgehead into the Central Plains. But Yangcheon noticed, so in an indirect way, I’ve blocked their move into the Central Plains.

The moment he thought of the Perverse Lust Cult, Vermilion Bird Qi surged up on its own.

His heart turned hot in an instant, and his blood flow accelerated. His once clear and deep pupils gradually heated into a red glow.

Yeon Hojeong closed his eyes.

The blazing fire quickly subsided.

The anger he felt toward them would never cool for as long as they continued to exist.

But it was possible to control that anger.

This anger, which has now lost even its direction, just needs to be gathered to the fullest and then unleashed when I meet them.

When Yeon Hojeong opened his eyes again, his face was utterly expressionless.

WHOOOOOOOSH!

The wind gradually grew stronger.

As time passed, thin snowflakes began to show the direction from which the wind was coming.

Yeon Hojeong lit the candle on the table.

HOOOOOOONG!

The candle flame swayed precariously in the wind rattling the window.

Quietly watching the candle, Yeon Hojeong closed his eyes again.

Sitting straight in the chair with his eyes closed, he looked as still and solid as a stone Buddha that would remain in that place even after a thousand years had passed.

And then more time passed.

“Have I come too early?”

Yeon Hojeong opened his eyes.

At some point, Yeon Wi had entered the room.

“You’re here.”

“I am.”

Yeon Wi dusted off his shoulders.

“It’s snowing again. Somehow it feels like it’s snowing more than last year.”

“I’ll clear the area around the quarters at dawn tomorrow.”

“Good, I’ll leave that to you. I have a meeting scheduled from dawn.”

Yeon Wi sat across from Yeon Hojeong.

Then he spoke as if puzzled.

“Where’s Bia?”

“I told her to come by early evening. She should be here soon.”

“Good.”

With that, the conversation stopped for a moment.

The father and son sat across from one another with the candle between them, silently looking at each other.

There was not the slightest wavering in Yeon Wi’s eyes as he looked at Yeon Hojeong. They were simply endlessly clear and deep.

By contrast, Yeon Hojeong’s gaze as he looked at Yeon Wi was just as deep, but it rippled without cease.

After some time had passed, Yeon Wi smiled and spoke.

“A letter came from Jipyeong.”

“Did it?”

“He says he’ll be stopping by the Alliance before long.”

Yeon Hojeong smiled.

“It’s quite a distance. I wonder if he’ll be all right on his own.”

“Whether you realize it or not, a great deal of time has passed. Once the year turns, won’t Jipyeong be eighteen?”

“He’s already that old?”

Yeon Wi clicked his tongue.

“It doesn’t matter if you forget your father’s age, but at least remember your younger brother’s.”

“Well, won’t he grow up just fine on his own?”

“Growing up well and being looked after are different matters. When this father dies one day, won’t the two of you have to rely on each other and live on?”

“...”

“That’s why brothers are good. Don’t regret it later. Work to look after him more while you still can.”

“I’ll keep it in mind.”

“Good.”

Yeon Hojeong looked quietly at Yeon Wi before speaking.

“Father.”

“Speak.”

“Still, don’t talk as if you’re about to leave right away.”

Yeon Wi smiled.

“With you two so lacking as you are, where could I go, worried like this? At the very least, I’ll stay until I’ve seen my grandchildren get married.”

“Yes, once you’ve seen that much, you may go.”

“You little brat.”

“Haha.”

At that moment, a trace of someone’s presence could be felt.

“Bia’s here.”

“So she is.”

No sooner had Yeon Hojeong answered than the door opened and Mookbi came in.

“Whew, it’s freezing—gah! F-Father?!”

“You’re here?”

“I-I’m sorry. I’m very late, aren’t I?”

“Late? Not at all. I’m the one who came too early. And even if you were late, so what? If you’re busy, that can happen.”

Yeon Hojeong muttered in a small voice.

“She probably wasn’t busy.”

Mookbi opened her eyes fiercely and glared at Yeon Hojeong.

Yeon Hojeong turned his head and whistled.

Yeon Wi snorted with laughter.

“Sit.”

“Ah, yes!”

Mookbi hurried over and sat in the chair.

As if they had been waiting, Yeon Wi and Yeon Hojeong brushed the snow from her shoulders. Mookbi’s face turned red.

“It’s fine...”

Yeon Wi said nothing.

Yeon Hojeong clicked his tongue.

“At least brush it off a little before you come in. Seriously, how can you be this sloppy?”

Mookbi glared at Yeon Hojeong again.

There was a murderous force in her eyes fierce ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ enough to make Mad Dragon look unimpressive by comparison. Yeon Hojeong hastily turned his head away.

Yeon Wi looked at Yeon Hojeong.

“It seems everyone who was supposed to gather is here. When you asked Military Advisor Je Gal earlier, he told you to have him come in an hour, did he?”

“That’s right.”

“So you have something to say to only us first.”

“Yes.”

“You must have called us because you intend to tell us the secret you have not spoken of until now.”

“Not anymore.”

Yeon Hojeong took a light deep breath.

“I won’t keep it secret any longer. Starting today.”