“Lord of the Manor.”

Yangcheon opened the eyes he had kept shut.

They looked blurred somehow. Those eyes held deep fatigue and confusion.

But the old man could tell. His lord’s eyes were filled with fatigue and confusion, yet the desire lodged within them had flared far hotter than it had even half a day ago.

It felt as if the flames of that burning ambition might swallow his entire body.

Even this Ink Dragon Manor.

“What is it, White Rat?”

White Rat. The head seat among the Twelve Zodiac Gods—said to be Yangcheon’s most loyal retainers.

The old man, White Rat, bowed his head.

“The honored guest has requested an outside set of quarters to stay in for the time being. Since you granted permission, my lord, I am currently guiding him to a suitable estate, but...”

It was really asking whether it was truly fine to do that.

Yangcheon’s answer was shocking.

“If he wants something, grant it all.”

“...!”

A strange light rose in White Rat’s eyes.

If he wants something, grant it all? To that extent?

“To begin with, he’s not the sort to make unreasonable requests, and if he does make an unreasonable request, there will surely be a sound reason behind it. So for most demands, grant them immediately.”

“...I receive my lord’s command.”

White Rat bowed again, rose from «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» his place, and withdrew with respectful restraint.

Then Yangcheon asked,

“You do not ask?”

“...?”

“Why I am treating the descendants of the Martial Ancestor Sect—more precisely, that fellow named Jeong—so generously. You do not ask?”

White Rat turned back and folded at the waist in a courteous bow.

“My lord, you are my master. A subordinate does not question his master’s judgment.”

“Is that so?”

“It is.”

Yangcheon smiled.

It was far from a satisfied smile. A smile tinged with a bitterness he could not name, and yet there was clearly a fundamental fondness for White Rat mixed into it.

“White Rat.”

“Yes, my lord.”

“The justice the powerless cry out is nothing but emptiness. Isn’t that right?”

“That is what I believe.”

“Then what kind of person is one who is enticed by the ambition shouted by the powerless?”

“...”

“And the powerful one whose heart begins to race at those words—would he be a fool?”

“My lord.”

White Rat raised his head and looked Yangcheon straight in the eye.

It was a seriousness White Rat did not show in his usual self. Perhaps because of that, it looked less like insolence and more like dignity.

“Whichever path you choose, my lord, I believe you are someone fully qualified to seize the world.”

“...”

“Do as you wish. The Twelve Zodiac Gods who follow me, and beyond that, the sects of the Dark Path, did not bow their heads merely because of your martial arts.”

Yangcheon’s eyes flashed.

“Not because of martial arts?”

“The Dark Path’s instinct to survive is, in a sense, like that of the common people living through chaotic times. They have no power, but that does not mean they lack wisdom.”

“So they want something from me?”

“Yes. We believe you are someone qualified to rise higher. And because we serve you, we believe our lives will become better as well.”

“...”

“The road you walk is the world itself, my lord, and the hope of all of us who follow you lies upon that road.”

Yangcheon nodded.

“I understand what you mean.”

“I spoke out of turn and disturbed your mood. I apologize.”

“It’s fine. Leave, now.”

“Yes.”

And so White Rat withdrew.

As he stared at Black Rock Gate, a sneer briefly surfaced on Yangcheon’s face.

“The wish of everyone rests on these shoulders? That’s pleasant to hear.”

He recalled his conversation with Yeon Hojeong.

You really put words in your mouth that are hard to bear.

If you think they’re hard to bear, then there’s no need to keep talking.

What confidence is that? You, too, came to find me because you don’t have the strength to seize the world alone, didn’t you? If you had that kind of ability, you wouldn’t have staged such a mess and waited for this side to approach you.

That’s right.

Your talent and your courage are outstanding. But in this vast world, are there only one or two like you? In the end, you were just another arrogant fool—intoxicated by slightly superior ability and turning your eyes toward the world.

Ability and ambition are separate.

They are separate. But among the countless who carry ambition, only a handful truly achieve their dreams.

At words so cold they should have made him shrink, the face of that bastard—smiling colder still—seemed to rise before his eyes.

You’re changing the subject. My question was whether your dream is limited to the Central Plains, or whether it stretches beyond the frontier.

It isn’t worth answering. The reason is simple: it’s not a problem worth discussing right now. If you can’t even govern your own yard, how would you build a village?

You’re wrong.

What?

You are shrinking the reality in front of you far too much, and turning away from what you should be looking at by calling it out of reach.

He never imagined he would hear words like that from a brat that young.

When he demanded an explanation with a face that had stiffened on its own, Yeon Hojeong had said—without blinking—this:

The Central Plains isn’t a yard you can make yours just because you want to. Even an Immortal Sovereign King would have to stake his life, and even then, gaining a tenth of it would be difficult. It’s an impregnable fortress.

...!

But ambition that goes beyond the Central Plains and even puts the beyond-the-frontier inside its basket—that’s a matter of courage, a matter of posture. You’re only frantic about swallowing the Central Plains. You haven’t been able to turn your eyes beyond it.

You don’t know.

That feeling from then seemed to return, and Yangcheon’s mouth turned bitter for no reason.

You truly don’t know what kind of place the beyond-the-frontier is.

...!

You look surprised. Why? Do you doubt my words?

...No.

The world holds far more variety than you think. Someone called a saint may, behind the scenes, be a villain who commits evil, and there are countless cases where someone branded a demon lord of the world is, in truth, only the victim of a false charge.

...

Knowing it and still being made to suffer—that is the martial world, that is the world. And you would covet even the beyond-the-frontier? That is arrogance. It’s nothing more than the greed of a greenhorn who cannot see reality because he’s shackled by desire.

The Central Plains is the same.

What?

I said the Central Plains is the same. I dare to assert this: no matter how much money you have, no matter how much you raise the strength of the Dark Path, swallowing the Orthodox Path will be difficult for you.

...Why do you think that?

When a cat gains strength, it doesn’t think to use cunning—it rashly raises its claws first. The Dark Path is the same. Regardless of your abilities, the Dark Path martial artists will act exactly like that. Do you know why?

...?!

Because you gave the Dark Path people a half-baked hope.

...!!

Before you turned your eyes to the world, you should have grasped the nature of the weapon you meant to make yours. That’s why I asked you: where is the end of the ambition you carry?

...

What a pity. You failed to prove your value to me as a master.

Failed to prove it... Hah. You’re saying I’m not fit to be your master?

However.

...?

The bond between master and subordinate isn’t formed by proving ability and ambition alone, so I’ll speak honestly. It’s only a first impression, but I like you, Fortress Lord Yang.

...!

Five days from now, I’ll complete a report for restructuring Ink Dragon Manor’s organizational system. Let’s meet again then.

Restructuring the organizational system... You’re saying you’ve already thought of something?

I’m not a fool who goes to the battlefield without preparation.

And if I swallow that report and cast you aside?

I’ll take it as the price of my life.

Hahaha!

Yeon Hojeong’s voice rang vividly by his ear.

Yangcheon’s gaze deepened.

“Half-baked hope.”

Hope costs nothing. That is why giving hope to others is something that must not be half-baked.

If you scatter it carelessly, ruin is inevitable.

“Hah.”

Yangcheon let out a laugh without meaning to.

“To think I, Yangcheon, would learn the posture of a ruler of the world from a brat who hasn’t even reached twenty.”

Before leaving Ink Dragon Hall, he remembered Yeon Hojeong’s last words.

I may need this and that to complete the report. If I need something, I’ll demand it immediately, so explain it well to your men.

How brazen.

He had been watching that intriguing party, only to realize the other side had been watching him first.

He had meant to meet and judge their value, only to have his own vessel evaluated instead.

He truly was no ordinary bastard. It wasn’t enough for him to brazenly declare he would use Yangcheon to seize the world—he had even scolded him to fix his very mindset if he wanted to move together.

Was there another like him in this world?

The problem is...

The corner of Yangcheon’s mouth twitched.

...that I ended up liking that near-arrogant boldness far too much.

Could he cross the line?

That bastard was beyond that. It wasn’t a question of crossing lines—he didn’t have lines at all.

To the point that even Yangcheon himself, an absolute master who debated what it meant to be the best under heaven, felt like a piece on the board.

For the first time...

It was the first time. The first time he had seen a talent who could ride side by side with his master, rather than a puppet that only knew obedience.

The first time he had met someone who enticed him not with age or experience, but with ability and ideals alone.

Strength filled Yangcheon’s fist.

“For you and for me, these five days will become days we can never forget.”

*****

Mount Yuelu, where Ink Dragon Manor was based, lay right next to Changsha, the capital of Hunan Province.

Yeon Hojeong’s party secured a fairly large estate in Changsha. Of course, Ink Dragon Manor bore all costs and handled every aspect of living convenience.

“How in the world did you do it?”

To Ga Deoksang’s question, Yeon Hojeong answered like this.

“I just ran a little con.”

It was an absurd answer. Je Gal Ahyeon clicked her tongue and said,

“You ran a con on the Fighting King? You think that’s the kind of person it would work on?”

“Isn’t he a person?”

“No matter what—”

“It’s always easier to trick someone who believes they’ll never get tricked. If you just remove the burden in your head, tricking someone of that stature isn’t that hard.”

Pae Yul shook his head side to side.

“A bastard who could sell the Yangtze River.”

Tang Sang-a said with a dazed face,

“What can’t Third do?”

Everyone blinked at Tang Sang-a.

Tang Sang-a scratched her head with an awkward expression.

“Ah, I didn’t even realize... I guess I got too immersed.”

Yeon Hojeong snickered.

“Honestly, I didn’t think the result would turn out this good. Seems like that man Yangcheon had a worse talent shortage than I expected.”

Ga Deoksang asked,

“So then, does that make things easier for us?”

“It does. Yangcheon is focused on me. He won’t even care how the others move. He’ll think if he handles me well, the rest will follow on their own.”

“That’s good.”

Ga Deoksang’s eyes gleamed.

Now he understood why Yeon Hojeong had gone alone to settle it face to face. He’d wanted to focus Yangcheon’s attention entirely on himself, and have the remaining four actively unravel the situation here.

Je Gal Ahyeon patted Yeon Hojeong’s shoulder.

“You worked hard.”

“For this much, it’s nothing.”

“Either way, that means it starts now, right?”

“That’s about it.”

“But did you learn anything? While you were alone with Yangcheon.”

In that instant, Yeon Hojeong’s eyes deepened.

Beyond the frontier.

He had mentioned it on purpose. He wanted to know whether the other party had anything to do with that side.

Yangcheon had said this.

You truly don’t know what kind of place the beyond-the-frontier is.

It was a meaningful line.

He wanted to seize on it and pry out more, but he had no choice but to stop there. If he poked at it rashly, he could ruin the entire mission.

Yangcheon wasn’t a fool. Right now he was dazed by Yeon Hojeong’s words, but if he sensed anything even slightly strange, suspicion would fly at once. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

Slowly. We still have time.

Yeon Hojeong took a low, quiet breath.

“We have to learn more. It’s still hard to say anything for sure.”

“Hm.”

That was when it happened.

Surprise rose on Ga Deoksang’s face.

“What...?”

Everyone’s eyes turned to him.

Yeon Hojeong asked with a serious face.

“Voice transmission from the outside?”

“Y-yes.”

“What news has you that shocked?”

Ga Deoksang said, his face drained of color.

“...He says the one who holds command authority is right nearby.”