A massive column of fire erupted from one of Jeokan’s buildings.

“It appears the Hwar yeong Sword Sect is in flames.”

The Hwar yeong Sword Sect—what kind of place was it?

It was the sect of Lee Jagyeom, the former master of Jeokan.

One could say it was the very heart of Jeokan itself.

Seol Unwi, eyes still closed, finished his last sip of tea and set the cup down.

“My lord.”

At the sound of the voice, Unwi opened his eyes.

It was Ju Soa.

Her group had returned. Before them knelt the military governor of Jeokan, bound and on his knees.

“We’ve captured the military governor alive.”

“Well done.”

Unwi’s short reply prompted Ju Soa, Cheonpung, and Han Murin to step back and stand behind him.

The military governor’s face was twisted in terror.

“You are Cheol Hyeoksin, yes?”

“Y-Yes... Are you Seol Unwi...?”

Unwi didn’t answer. He simply looked at him.

“W-Why are you doing this...?”

From Cheol Hyeoksin’s perspective, it must have been incomprehensible.

Of all the chaos that had erupted, he was the one who had seen something the others hadn’t.

Cheol Hyeoksin had seen the location of the Everlasting Snow Palace.

A sovereign state, yet not a state.

Jeokan was undeniably territory of the Yang Empire, and yet it had been invaded.

This was categorically different from the case of Yangryeong.

There, the prefect had attempted to kill Unwi, providing justification. But Cheol Hyeoksin had not.

Unwi kindly cleared up his confusion.

“From the moment I took Yangryeong, I ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) had already made a deal with Song Hak.”

“...What does... that have to do with this?”

“It’s entirely related. As governor of Seong, Song Hak oversees three surrounding provinces, ten counties, and over twenty towns. Like most men of the court, he had his own dilemma.”

“...Don’t tell me...”

“It’s a tax issue. I know for a fact that significant taxes were being siphoned off under the protection of the Martial Alliance. Cheol Hyeoksin.”

“...Go on...”

“I have no intention of killing you. But you are highly likely to die. Not by my hand—but by Song Hak’s.”

“Ah...”

“It’d be wise to start thinking now. If you want to live, what path remains? What must you offer Song Hak in exchange for your life?”

The color drained completely from Cheol Hyeoksin’s face.

“Cheonpung.”

“Heheh... You called, my lord?”

“Tie him up and leave him somewhere quiet.”

“May I knock him out?”

“So long as he’s not dead.”

“Heheh... As you command.”

Cheonpung grabbed Cheol Hyeoksin by the head and dragged him into the storage room of the nearby tavern.

Time passed.

About one dangyeong (roughly 15 minutes) later, the sound of footsteps approached.

Song Euigyeong, Shin Janghu, and also Yangso and Wonyang.

They had completed their assigned tasks and returned.

The warriors following them each carried ten severed heads.

Song Euigyeong, whose robes were drenched in blood, was the first to approach Unwi.

“My lord, we’ve dealt with everyone from the Sam Clan. Not a single bloodline remains. We also collected the ten key heads you requested.”

Next was Shin Janghu. He, too, was covered in blood.

“We have completely eradicated the Yi Clan. Every building has been burned, and every person killed. The ten heads include the clan lord’s closest allies, the vice lord, and three remaining elders.”

Finally, Wonyang and Yangso returned.

Yangso spoke.

“We’ve finished dealing with all members of the Hwar yeong Sword Sect as ordered. These are the heads of their elders.”

Wonyang, perhaps feeling she should add something, also reported:

“As you instructed, we burned all their buildings. From Lee Jagyeom’s residence, we recovered ten drops of Refined Greenstone Oil and one hundred Fire-Heart Pills (화심단).”

Unwi nodded in satisfaction.

“Casualties?”

“None.”

“Any severe injuries?”

“There’s one, but it’s closer to a light wound than serious.”

They hadn’t wiped out a powerful base—they had robbed an empty house.

If there had been any casualties, it would have been troublesome.

Unwi reached inside his robes and retrieved two large pouches.

“Here are 300 Divine Ginseng Pills made from top-grade Shinsam Flower, and 200 more made from mid-grade Shinsam Flower combined with Cloud-Sea Herb (운해초). Wonyang.”

“Yes, my lord.”

“Distribute them equally to everyone.”

The effects of the Shinsam Flower were simple:

Expanded meridians, boosted qi circulation, temporary mental clarity and focus, and increased cultivation speed.

If the Shinsam Flower was top-grade, those effects were vastly amplified. And if refined into pills, the potency became explosive.

Cloud-Sea Herb expanded the internal energy channels. When combined with mid-grade Shinsam Flower, the effects were multiplied.

Wonyang silently began distributing the pills to the warriors. Unwi, seated, spoke calmly.

“You’ve all done well. But don’t get complacent.”

Everyone looked at Unwi.

“Now comes the final act.”

“Lee Jagyeom?”

At Song Euigyeong’s question, Unwi nodded.

“He’s currently rushing here. Take your Elixir Pellets quickly and prepare to receive him.”

“Prepare to receive, as in...”

As Song Euigyeong’s voice wavered with doubt, Unwi’s quiet words brushed his ear.

“Hang thirty heads on pikes in front of the gate. Ready three hundred longbows.”

Lee Jagyeom needed a message.

But so did Seol Unwi.

All the power structures of Jeokan would be obliterated tonight.

Its very foundation would be shattered.

This place—Jeokan—would become Lee Jagyeom’s grave.

***

Under moonlight veiled by clouds, darkness thickened over the land. At the break of dawn, a group of shadows rushed toward Jeokan’s main gate.

The man at the lead did not stop, even though his breath was ragged.

His long hair streamed behind him, sweat beading his brow and flying into the air.

It was Lee Jagyeom.

Two and a half si-jin.

He had made it from Yangryeong to Jeokan in just two and a half si-jin.

At first, he rode hard. When the road turned to mountain path, he threw the horse aside and ran barefoot.

His feet were torn and bleeding, his clothes soaked with sweat and caked with mud. And so he reached Jeokan.

At roughly twenty jang from the gate, he finally came to a stop.

A droplet of sweat mixed with blood and fell from his forehead with a wet drop.

He could see them clearly.

The stakes planted in front of the gate.

There were thirty of them.

And atop each, a severed head.

“Ah... Ahhh...”

He couldn’t fail to recognize them.

The elders of the Ilmun, Sam Clan, and Yi Clan, and the heads of his own family.

His father, eyes wide open in death. His mother, mouth half agape. His younger sibling. His wife.

He was too late. Everything had already ended before he even arrived.

“Y-You... you fucking bastard...!!”

Lee Jagyeom’s scream tore through the quiet of the dawn.

His eyes locked onto a clear figure.

Seol Unwi, seated peacefully at the main gate, sipping tea.

Beside him stood Seong Yangho, hair tied long behind him.

As Lee Jagyeom stared in seething rage, Unwi spoke.

“You’re late, sunbae-nim.”

“Y-You fucking dog...!”

“Have you ever heard this saying? Arrogance is like standing atop a high cliff. You may look down—but there’s no space to step back. You danced on that cliff, and now, you are falling.”

Flames burned in Lee Jagyeom’s eyes.

“You goddamn devil! How dare you touch my family... destroy the world I built with my own hands...!!”

The curses erupting from his mouth could barely be called human speech. His eyes bloodshot with rage, he drew his sword.

Unwi quietly placed his teacup on the small table beside him.

“It’s truly unfortunate things turned out this way.”

“W-What...? Unfortunate...?”

Rage and confusion tangled.

What the hell was this bastard even saying...?

“You think I enjoy killing people? But I had no choice. It was you who forced me to move like this.”

Lee Jagyeom’s sword hand trembled violently.

Unwi continued.

“Sunbae-nim. If a man who believed he held the world in his hands were reduced to a child overnight, what do you think he would see?”

“...What are you saying...!”

“There was a time I had a similar conversation with someone. I told them: even if the eyes of a man who once stood above the world fall to the ground, they still reflect the sky.”

“...”

“I know what I can do. I know how far I can reach. But you... do not. And because you don’t, you acted alone without even realizing who had laid the board.”

“...”

“Gun Mugyeol and Kang Cheonu intended to stay silent. I did, too. Anyone who can read the board must act that way. Because if you recognize who is playing the great game and dance to their tune, blood will flow. But blinded by greed, you moved—and because of that, so much blood has now spilled.”

Unwi took another sip of tea.

“Unfortunately, I lack the skill to reason with fools like you. And you, believing yourself clever, make even conversation distasteful.”

The blood vessels in Lee Jagyeom’s eyes began to burst.

The three hundred martial artists behind him said nothing.

They, too, trembled with rage.

Silently.

Unwi’s voice echoed again.

“Tell me, sunbae-nim. What do you see in the world before your eyes now?”

Silence.

A tear slid down Lee Jagyeom’s face.

It was a tear of regret.

Should he not have provoked this?

Had he moved too quickly?

From the start, when Unwi was in Yangryeong—should he have massacred him outright then?

Should he have realized the trap and struck with force before it was too late?

“You still haven’t come to your senses, I see.”

“...What...?”

“You reached for what you had no right to. A man of your caliber cannot take even a single thing from me. Know your place. Know your limits. Because you don’t, even now, you shed tears of regret, not of repentance.”

Unwi shook his head.

Pathetic. And more pathetic still.

“Chief Seong.”

“Yes, young master.”

“The stage is set.”

Unwi’s gaze was sharp and clear.

“I’ve asked you before—are you a chief, or a warrior? There’s no better time than now to answer.”

Chief Seong’s eyes turned resolute.

He dropped to one knee.

“Thank you for the opportunity, young master.”

Unwi, who had been looking down at Seong Yangho, turned his head.

“Before this tea runs dry—bring me Lee Jagyeom.”

“I’ll tear off his limbs and drag him to you.”

Seong Yangho’s eyes locked onto Lee Jagyeom with murderous intent.

And then—

The two men launched themselves toward each other.