The moment I saw the Thunder Sword Strike hit, I shifted a single step using Jeunjong. I had poured more into that single step than into any of our exchanges during the actual fight. As I moved, I saw blood gush from Scholar Chu’s body. I also saw his eyes widen at the sight of me charging. But by then, I had already arrived—my fingers pressing down on his pressure point.

Thuck!

Just as he tried to resist with the Waning Moon Footwork, I struck another point using the Wooden Rooster Technique. Scholar Chu stiffened like a wooden chicken. I grabbed him and turned him around, addressing both friend and foe.

"Pause. I’ve got something to say. Hey, look here!"

Some ignored me, still caught up in the fighting. Others, already watching, had their ears tuned in.

"Law School, halt. You tag-along freeloaders, stop too."

They all had a wide enough field of vision that the sight of me holding Scholar Chu was more than enough to stop the fighting. Before I knew it, the Special Forces surrounded me, while Law School forces—still greater in number—stood in a standoff.

I looked at Special Forces Leader Im Sobaek, then turned to the Law School group.

"Your head is my prisoner. If you keep fighting, I’ll have no choice but to kill him. If he dies, Law School loses. Listen carefully while I’m still being civil."

Someone from Law School spoke.

"Lord of Haomun, get to the point."

I scoffed lightly and pointed behind me toward the battlefield.

"Join the Martial Alliance troops right now and wipe out the Shu sect. You see them, don’t you?"

I pointed with my hand...

Sword Demon, the Lecher, and the Drunk were butchering the troops pouring out of the ship. Yet over a hundred enemies still remained.

I asked Law School plainly, "Is that hard to understand?"

Then I realized—it had to be Scholar Chu himself who issued the order. I turned to him.

"Comrade Chu, give the command. Whether you win or I win, those bastards need to die anyway."

An old man from Law School spoke.

"Will you release our Lord?"

"Nope. I’ll hand him over to the Martial Alliance. If they release him, you’re free to welcome him back."

"Then we cannot comply."

"You senile bastard. Are you the lord now? If you're old enough to bark, then assess the situation properly. If your Lord dies, and you want Law School to be wiped out here too, then be my guest. I’m giving you a way to live, and you’re still charging down the road to ruin."

"Why would we be wiped out? We still outnumber you."

At that moment, Scholar Chu—who had been still—finally noticed a man of importance and said,

"The Martial Alliance Leader is here."

"......!"

The entire Law School force looked around in shock. Maybe it was too dark, but even with the leader so nearby, they hadn’t noticed.

Im Sobaek sighed with a sour expression.

"Special Forces, join the frontlines first. Leave this place to the Lord. We won’t let the Law School Lord die. Move."

In an instant, the Special Forces abandoned Law School and charged again.

Even Im Sobaek followed, joining the battle where the Four Great Villains were fighting.

Just like that, I was left alone with Scholar Chu, facing off against Law School forces.

Just how much does the Alliance Leader trust me? He dumped this all on me with icy precision.

So this is why people keep saying "Alliance Leader, Alliance Leader"...

"Things got real quiet all of a sudden."

And yet, absurdly, Law School forces began tightening the encirclement. I warned them sternly.

"Is this how it’s going to be? Then I have no choice but to kill your Lord."

I injected ice qi into Scholar Chu’s shoulder. His face contorted as a white frost began spreading.

"See that? He’s already injured—won’t last long."

That’s when two elderly men, who looked nearly identical, spoke up.

"Why not just elect a new Lord and kill the Haomun Lord?"

Scholar Chu spoke with a trembling voice.

"...Are you mad, Lords of Yin-Yang?"

I clicked my tongue.

"You scholar bastards are an absolute mess. Don’t you have any laws in your Law School?"

Someone from Law School criticized them.

"Yin-Yang Lords, are you insane? You came here to help, and now you’re trying to kill our Lord? Are you trying to become our enemy?"

One of the Yin-Yang Lords said,

"Even a disciple dares speak so brashly now. Yin-Yang Sect is withdrawing from this battle. It’s gotten boring."

"Yes, Lord."

I let out a laugh.

"These bastards hear the Alliance Leader is here and run away immediately."

As the Yin-Yang Lords withdrew with their troops, nearly a third of the force peeled off.

I took note of their faces and asked Scholar Chu,

"Those two aren’t scholars?"

Scholar Chu answered,

"Not with skills like that."

Honestly, they looked quite skilled, but I ignored it—he was clearly speaking with bias.

I tried to persuade him.

"Look, if you want to survive, your best move is to have Law School wipe out as many of the Shu as possible. You haven’t done enough to be branded a Martial Criminal yet. Know why? Because the Special Forces haven’t lost a single man."

They seemed elite, and with Im Sobaek at the lead, they wouldn’t go down easily. Truthfully, I didn’t even remember what kind of crimes Scholar Chu had committed.

"Our personal grudge was mostly settled in that duel."

"Settled?"

"If you still feel wronged, challenge me again later. But right now, your job as Lord is to preserve your people. Do you think Im Sobaek is someone to mess around with? If you push this, Law School gets wiped out. Try to understand why I’m doing this. Don’t think emotionally."

As soon as I finished, Scholar Chu gave the command.

"Law School—join the Martial Alliance and kill the Shu."

"What?"

"Have I ever repeated myself?"

"Yes... your command is received."

As I watched Law School turn their blades toward the Shu, I chuckled to myself.

Why is sowing discord so damn fun?

Now Law School had no choice but to kill the subordinates of the Number One of the Evil Path.

Entanglement breeds chaos.

And I love chaos.

And when I laugh, fortune follows—which means my chances of catching that bastard go up.

The disciple leading Law School must have been wary of the Martial Alliance, because he repositioned his forces to the outskirts and started killing the Shu from the right flank.

"Nice."

I sat back and leisurely watched the Four Great Villains, Martial Alliance, and Law School all tangled up in battle.

At first, the Four Great Villains had been surrounded, but now the tide had turned. Shu warriors were dropping like flies.

Scholar Chu looked bored standing there stiffly, so I adjusted his stance so he could enjoy the view properly.

He asked,

"Why go to all this trouble? If the Alliance Leader was here, he could’ve just killed them all."

I responded casually.

"Do I look like the Cult Leader to you? Am I some murder maniac? A demon?"

"......."

"Do I seem like a madman?"

"Kind of."

I shook my head and smacked my lips. My thoughts were a bit tangled.

"Anyway, a promise is a promise."

"You think I’ll give up just because you spared me?"

I placed my hand on his shoulder.

"Comrade, hate to break it to you, but I wasn’t even going all out. Did you think I was afraid of you?"

"I injured my hand, so I wasn’t either."

"No, that’s not what I mean. It might sound strange, but I learned martial arts emotionally. I remember the moments when I was at my strongest. This isn’t one of them. My martial power # Nоvеlight # started from nothing and climbed toward the ultimate peak—but that gap is still massive. I’ve only ever been truly strong three times."

Actually, it was more than three, but I wasn’t going to list them all.

"......."

As we watched the battle at night, I said,

"Aren’t you curious? About when I was strongest?"

"You’re saying your strength changes with your emotions?"

"It does. The third time I was strongest was when I clashed with the White-Robed Scholar. We didn’t finish the fight. I threatened him with mutual death. And I meant it. He sensed that and backed down."

"......."

"The second time was when I fought the Blind Scholar. He had sent out his men and was waiting for an opening. I had no choice but to invent a technique on the spot to win. That’s how I beat him. It wasn’t easy. But still, that wasn’t my strongest moment."

"Then when was it?"

I turned slightly to look at him.

"That mixed-race girl. She was being sold by Black Fragrance. I rescued her myself. An orphan. Six years old. Pretty eyes. When I saw that scene, my martial power hit its peak. Believe it or not, I killed everyone in Black Fragrance in a single strike each. That’s how it all started. That fight led me here to Dongho. Why? Because that bastard filed for compensation. To be honest, I somewhat expected you’d show up."

"You expected it."

"More than expected. I planned to kill you here. But look at us now—taking in the river breeze at night, having a chat. Life never goes as planned. Look."

I pointed to Im Sobaek.

"Why would the Alliance Leader show up here? Even I didn’t see that coming."

Judging by Scholar Chu’s sigh, he hadn’t expected it either.

To be fair, he’d brought the head of the Yin-Yang Sect with him, so if they’d fought properly, this could’ve dragged out. Some Special Forces might’ve even died.

I said to him,

"Do you think I’m lying? I wasn’t at my peak just now. I had to kill the Blind Scholar. If that trio—Blind, White-Robed, and Scholar Cheonak—had all come, even the Beggars’ Sect Leader would’ve been overwhelmed. I had to keep him alive no matter what."

Scholar Chu said nothing, just watched the Shu die.

Then, as if remembering something, he asked,

"Then where do I rank?"

"You’re probably fourth or fifth. I’ve grown since then. Now, you’ll be taken into custody by the Martial Alliance. You’ll get interrogated a bit. Leak a few things. Then return to Law School. I’ll arrange it."

"Ridiculous."

"You don’t want to live?"

"I didn’t say that. I’m saying you have no reason to keep me alive."

"You’re right. So come back in fourteen years and challenge me again—if we’re both still alive."

At that absurd line, he glanced sideways at me.

"Why fourteen years?"

I hesitated, then gave the honest answer. No point in lying now.

"I took in that mixed girl as a disciple. She’s six now. I’ll raise her till she’s twenty, then let her go free. If you’re alive, and I’m alive, challenge me then. Odds are I won’t be. I’ll probably have fought the Cult Leader by then. Maybe I’ll have a hole in my palm or be missing an arm. Still, I’ll accept your challenge."

"......."

"I didn’t plan to take on a disciple. But she had nowhere to go. So I became the third master."

"Why the third?"

I nodded toward the lakeside.

"The other three are over there raising hell. Look. Absolute chaos."

"You mean she has four masters?"

I looked at the Lecher, who was flying through the air, then found the Drunk supporting the Sword Demon from behind. Sword Demon was hacking his opponents so violently that body parts flew with every swing.

"If I’ve taken in an orphan, I should try not to give her the same pain again. Even if we fight the Cult Leader, at least one of us plans to stay back. That’s not some chivalrous bullshit—it’s just human decency. I’m not planning to die recklessly anymore. And because I don’t plan to die, I hesitate even to kill a pathetic bastard like you. That hesitation—believe me, it’s not easy for me either."

Seemingly drained, Scholar Chu collapsed onto the ground.

Arms folded, I asked,

"Hey."

"......."

"In Law School, is there any rule where if someone loses twice in a row, they have to show respect or call the winner hyung?"

"What kind of idiotic rule would that be?"

I glared at him.

"Then your laws are sloppy. What a joke."

He sighed heavily in defeat.

"If you’re going to spare me, just let me go. Don’t hand me over to the Alliance."

I scoffed.

"Pathetic. Look at you—so much for the Lord of Yin-Yang Sect. If you’re innocent, the Alliance will heal you. Better to return to Law School in one piece after a stint in custody."

After thinking for a while, he asked,

"Why do you keep calling me comrade?"

I squatted and locked eyes with him.

"What would you all do if another Emperor Qin appeared?"

"The scholars would dedicate everything to assassinate him."

I nodded.

"I’ll probably be standing next to you then. Different paths. Same goal."

He stared at me for a long while, then said,

"Now I see why that ruthless bastard from the Hundred Schools didn’t kill you."

I shook my head.

"Let’s be clear. He didn’t spare me—he couldn’t. Scholar Chu, I’m not an easy man. Not for you, not for White-Robed, not for Scholar Cheonak."

"Still, I doubt you’ll catch the Number One of the Evil Path so easily. I tried to arrange a meeting but never got one. The man refuses to appear."

"Don’t worry about him. I plan to kill every one of his subordinates first. Then he’ll resort to hiring assassins. I’ll kill them too. I’ll purge Dongho until its waters run clear. Anyone who serves him in this land—I’ll kill them all. And one day, I’ll summon my men, my allies, the Martial Alliance, whoever’s around, and declare it."

I stood and looked down at him.

"Whether that bastard shows up or not won’t matter. Because by then, I’ll be the Number One of Dongho."

I imagined it.

"Everyone will cheer my name, my title, my identity. Lord of Haomun! Yi Zaha! Number One of Dongho! Jomsoi!"

I spread my arms wide and stared at the dazed Scholar Chu.

"That’s who I am."

"......."

The scholar averted his gaze.