Seo Woojin couldn’t hide his bewilderment.

He had restored the Crazed Fiend’s mind, exactly as planned. And he’d expected that to be where things truly began.

He hadn’t considered the possibility of the old man simply leaving like that at all.

Bae Seokjin, who had thrown himself in front of Seo Woojin, was the same.

“How…… how did you do that?”

Bae Seokjin’s voice brought Seo Woojin back to himself. He offered an awkward smile and shook his head.

“Well. It’s a difficult thing to explain in words……”

When he dodged the answer, Bae Seokjin asked something else.

“……Then what had you intended to do?”

“?”

“I asked what you meant to do after the Crazed Fiend recovered his reason.”

The question was fair. Seo Woojin had only ever said he had a way to resolve it. Everyone had understood that to mean a way to subdue the Crazed Fiend. No one would have considered this.

Seo Woojin smiled ruefully.

“I was accounting for the worst case.”

“The worst case?”

“A situation where the Crazed Fiend is killed by the Cheon or Gok Clan. That’s the worst case I was trying to avoid.”

Bae Seokjin’s brow furrowed. It wasn’t easy to follow.

Understanding his confusion, Seo Woojin explained further.

“Whatever scheme they use, the single most important condition for removing the Crazed Fiend is luring him out quietly. And the biggest reason that works is that the Crazed Fiend has no reason left in him.”

“Ah——! So then……”

“I was aiming for two things. First — if I could just bring the Crazed Fiend’s mind back, I’d earn the right to be the first to negotiate with him. And second — even if that negotiation didn’t work out, it would make him immune to the enemy’s schemes.”

Bae Seokjin let out a quiet sound.

He had thought his read on Seo Woojin was already complete.

He’d been mistaken.

[It seems finding the real Young Lord is going to take quite a while. So take a close look at Young Master Seo this time. See exactly what he’s capable of. This might be a chance for us to see his true form as well.]

Woon Seorin’s judgment had been correct.

His martial ability was impressive enough — but the vision that looked toward something far further out was exceptional too.

‘If…… if this man had been the real one……’

Then he might genuinely have been able to change the Dark Path.

“You alright?”

Seo Woojin’s voice snapped Bae Seokjin back. Only then did the state of Seo Woojin register.

‘Hmm……’

The left hand wrapped in torn cloth was soaked with blood, and the area around his mouth was smeared with it. The desperation of the fight had masked it — but this had been combat against a master of the realm of transformation. Surviving at all was a miracle.

‘There was no manifestation of sword energy. And yet he wounded the body of a transformation-realm master. Not only that — he withstood the Crazed Fiend’s attacks too.’

By any reasonable assessment, Seo Woojin’s level was, being generous, a pinnacle-realm master. But looking at the results, it couldn’t be judged so simply.

‘I can’t tell…… Even watching with my own eyes, I can’t tell.’

Bae Seokjin let out a quiet breath and turned his back to Seo Woojin. He would set aside his judgment on the man for now. There would be plenty of chances to figure him out.

Fake he may be. But right now, tending to his exhausted master was his most important duty.

“Climb on. I’ll carry you.”

Seo Woojin shook his head, flustered.

“Ah — no. I can get up on my own——”

Thud.

He tried to rise — and landed straight back on his rear.

“Huh?”

Without turning to look at him, Bae Seokjin spoke again.

“Climb on.”

Only after an embarrassed laugh did Seo Woojin let himself be carried on his back.

“Thanks.”

“It’s simply my duty.”

After that reply — which might have sounded curt — Bae Seokjin carried Seo Woojin down the mountain.

Thud——!

How many was that now?

He didn’t know. He’d stopped counting once it passed ten.

“Whew.”

Yoo Geonwoo dropped the last remaining enemy and turned his head.

Cheon Suryeon was still watching the scene with an expressionless face.

“Hah. Tiring.”

The Gok Clan warriors sprawled across the ground, groaning. He couldn’t kill them. One misstep could hand the Gok Clan a justification. So he’d had no choice but to hold his power back.

And in the middle of all that, Cheon Suryeon had been watching hungrily for an opening. He could feel that gaze, which meant part of his attention had to go to her too.

No wonder he was tired.

He checked on Muk-yeong out of the corner of his eye. Muk-yeong’s senses were sharper than his, which meant the fatigue would be worse for him. As expected, the exhaustion was plain on his face.

Yoo Geonwoo looked at Cheon Suryeon and spoke.

“Looks like this is more or less wrapped up. Why don’t you head on home?”

The answer came from Gok Taejun, standing beside her.

“Shut your mouth!! Did you think you could lay hands on the Gok Clan and live?! This will be your grave!!”

Yoo Geonwoo frowned and scratched his forehead.

“Ah. So you’re saying it really is better to silence witnesses permanently? In that case, wouldn’t I be better off starting with the Gok Clan’s heir?”

The complete lack of intimidation threw Gok Taejun.

“Wh-what? You — you truly need to be taught a lesson——!!”

Fortunately, his words were cut off.

“How interesting.”

At Cheon Suryeon’s words, Yoo Geonwoo tilted his head.

“Interesting? What is?”

Cheon Suryeon turned her head and looked around. The frost gathered across the ground and on the blades of grass was especially striking.

“It’s quite rare for a man to have trained in ice arts. And a man said to have grown up in the slums, cultivating ice arts of this caliber……. Isn’t that interesting?”

“Well. The martial arts manual I happened to pick up as a child just happened to be an ice art, that’s all.”

“Is that so? Because it reminds me of a sect that was wiped out long ago.”

“……”

“Is holding your power back a political consideration? Or is there some circumstance that requires it?”

Yoo Geonwoo let out a thin laugh. Her tone was like she knew everything.

“I find this interesting too.”

“……?”

“They said the Cheon Clan’s adopted daughter surpassed the heir in both talent and intellect.”

Cheon Suryeon’s expression didn’t change. That composure grated on Yoo Geonwoo — all the more because of the reinforcements sprinting toward them from the distance, as though on cue.

“Want me to show you? Whether I really do have hidden power?”

Thud——!

He took one step, and a heavy resonance rang out.

Whooooosh——!

A gale began to whirl around Yoo Geonwoo.

Crack! Snap!

Something splintering sounded as his silhouette gradually blurred from view. Whether it was dust kicked up by the gale or grains of ice was impossible to tell.

Cheon Suryeon’s face tensed as her hand moved to her sword hilt.

“K-kill them——! Kill them! Hurry up and get here, you bastards——!!”

Letting Gok Taejun’s shrieking go in one ear and out the other——

A hair’s breadth from ignition.

“Kiddo. You planning to break another promise?”

The moment a voice laced with playfulness sounded——

Whoosh——!

Whooosh.

The pressure vanished as though it had never been. The cold around Yoo Geonwoo could no longer be felt. He was back to his usual dispassionate face.

“Who are you calling a kid. You’re shorter than me.”

Who was that aimed at? The answer came quickly.

Tap.

A beautiful woman dropped from the air. Song Biryeong.

On the off chance Yoo Geonwoo and Muk-yeong were pushed through, she had been holding the middle of the mountain — and had come running at the sense of something off.

She stood beside Yoo Geonwoo and clicked her tongue.

“That’s just how you are. Falling for a half-baked provocation.”

“Who fell for anything. You don’t see the ones running up behind us? I can’t keep taking them one at a time, so I was going to seize the initiative first.”

Song Biryeong scoffed.

“Talking nonsense. Aren’t you trusting Rin a little too little?”

“What?”

The Gok Clan warriors had nearly reached them. But they never made it all the way.

Black-clad warriors surged out from both sides and blocked them.

“The Woon Clan……?”

The Black Dragon Woon Clan’s elites. Scales of the Black Dragon — the Black Scale Unit.

When they cut off the Blood Breaker Unit, the Gok Clan warriors could only stop awkwardly. Gok Taejun clearly hadn’t anticipated their appearance either — his shock was plain.

“Wh-why is the Woon Clan……?”

Cheon Suryeon spared them a glance and looked away. While everyone’s eyes were fixed there——

Sss.

Cheon Suryeon’s plan to slip through the opening was blocked from the start.

Because Song Biryeong was watching her with a lovely smile.

“Cute little thing, aren’t you — despite how you look?”

“……”

“I’d love to play a bit longer…… but it seems it’s already over.”

Song Biryeong clicked her tongue and looked behind her. Bae Seokjin was coming down, carrying Seo Woojin on his back.

“Oh my.”

Song Biryeong dashed over and checked Seo Woojin’s condition.

“You alright, Young Lord? Oh dear. You’ve been thoroughly beaten to a pulp.”

“Ha, haha…… a pulp……”

Seo Woojin laughed hollowly, then winced in pain.

Bae Seokjin waved Song Biryeong off with a look and spoke.

“The Crazed Fiend has left. This round goes to Young Master Seo.”

When his low voice carried internal force, it reached far. Gok Taejun’s face turned the color of dirt, and Cheon Suryeon’s eyes shifted. Cheon Suryeon looked at Seo Woojin slung on Bae Seokjin’s back. A figure that didn’t suit the word “victor” in the slightest.

“May I confirm it?”

Bae Seokjin nodded.

“Go ahead. You’ll gain nothing from it.”

And he walked forward. Yoo Geonwoo and Muk-yeong gathered their weapons and followed. Song Biryeong smiled brightly at Cheon Suryeon.

“Next time, pick your target before you provoke, little lady. If you’d like to die peacefully, that is.”

Flinch.

Cheon Suryeon’s hand moved before she could stop it. She’d felt a threat in Song Biryeong’s smile — even though she hadn’t openly displayed any killing intent.

Cheon Suryeon let out a quiet breath and nodded.

“I’ll keep it in mind.”

“Hmph.”

Apparently displeased with Cheon Suryeon’s attitude, Song Biryeong scoffed and belatedly followed the group. Left standing alone, Cheon Suryeon and Gok Taejun were finally able to climb the mountain.

And what they found up there was nothing but the traces of a desperate battle.

Shhhhhhh——!

As though a hole had been torn in the sky, a downpour poured all day long.

At the deep eaves, the raucous patter of falling water dripped down.

A figure sat atop the rear garden pavilion, taking in the pouring rain. The shadow of the eaves hid the face, but the long white beard trailing down marked him as an old man.

“Heh heh. Coming down nicely, isn’t it.”

And on a day of pouring rain like this, an uninvited guest tends to arrive.

“Who’s there.”

Shhhhhhh——!

Even over the noise of the falling water, the old man’s voice was clear.

A moment later. A figure emerged from the direction of the rear garden’s pond. Shabby, worn clothing. Untidy hair. It was the Crazed Fiend — who had come straight here after his battle with Seo Woojin.

There was admiration in the old man’s voice as he took in the sight of him.

“My my……. A wholly unexpected figure. So — the one standing before me, is he the Martial Lord, or the Crazed Fiend?”

The Crazed Fiend wore a faint smile and shook his head.

“What does a name matter.”

The old man let out a small sound at the short reply.

“Ha! You’ve recovered your senses?”

“Disappointed?”

“Heh heh. There’s nothing this man won’t say. Did you truly not know that you were my one and only worry?”

“Is that concern truly for my safety?”

The old man’s words caught for a moment. But he soon burst into hearty laughter.

“Heh heh heh. It’s as though we’ve gone back decades. Your tongue is as sharp as it was back then.”

“……”

The old man asked.

“Then let me ask — is there a reason you’ve come to find me?”

The Crazed Fiend glared at the old man in the darkness, then slowly opened his mouth.

“There’s something I want to ask.”

The old man nodded readily.

“Ask away.”

The Crazed Fiend was silent for a moment. He closed his eyes and lifted his head. The pouring rain somehow felt painful.

And so — he could ask.

The Crazed Fiend opened his eyes again and glared at the old man.

“That day. The day my family was ravaged by the demon folk. How did the demon folk find where my family was?”

“……”

“You and I. And the Sword Saint. That the three of us headed for the Ten Thousand Great Mountains to eliminate the Heavenly Demon was top secret. How did my son know that classified information? Why was he driven to the battlefield?”

“……”

The Crazed Fiend trembled with the surge of emotion. Shame welled in him at raising now the obvious question he should have raised back then. But he held it in.

The old man stroked his beard, then shook his head.

“Well. I’ve no idea what you’re talking about.”

The Crazed Fiend nodded.

“Is that so.”

Right. It was too late, then.

The Crazed Fiend turned around.

“Don’t worry about me anymore. I’ll simply live quietly.”

The old man voiced his doubt.

“Live quietly?”

“Yes.”

“Heh heh heh. Have you forgotten? A man like you can’t live quietly.”

“You’d better hope for it.”

“……?”

“That I live quietly.”

The Crazed Fiend turned his head slightly. For just an instant, blood-red light rippled ominously in his eyes.

“Because if I don’t — then you’ll have to deal with me.”

With those parting words, the Crazed Fiend vanished in an instant.

The old man gazed at the spot where he had disappeared for a while, then let out a laugh.

“Heh heh heh. Deal with, is it……”

As the old man continued his musings, a voice sounded from behind.

“Shall I pursue him?”

The old man shook his head firmly.

“Do you want to die?”

“My apologies.”

The old man let out a quiet breath and spoke again.

“For now, let’s watch. Whether that man can truly live quietly. Of course, separately from that, I’ll need to send someone to Zhejiang. Go and confirm what’s happening in Zhejiang right now.”

“Sir.”

Once the presence behind him vanished, the old man sighed again.

“Even at this age, there’s still much that doesn’t go the way I intend. Heh heh heh.”

On a day of pouring rain.

The old man had a premonition.

That in this peaceful era——

Some change he couldn’t yet name was coming.

And it was an old man who found that premonition rather delightful.

(End of Chapter 21)