“It feels exactly like the calm before a storm.”

Tang Gwan, who had been tilting back his wine cup, suddenly said as much.

Yeon Wi tilted his head.

“What brings that on all of a sudden?”

“I mean the atmosphere in the Alliance.”

Tang Gwan looked out the window.

Perhaps it was the last cold snap of winter, but a violent snowstorm was driving in on a murderous wind.

“Ever since the informant from Ink Dragon Manor died, the mood in the Martial Alliance seems to have grown rather vicious. It looks as though nothing is wrong on the surface, but still.”

“So it does.”

“Ah, right.”

The corner of Tang Gwan’s mouth rose.

“What you mentioned a few days ago. Was that true?”

“Hm?”

“That trouble your son caused.”

Yeon Wi sighed.

“It was.”

The matter of disguising Hidden Shadow One as an informant from Ink Dragon Manor and killing him.

Yeon Hojeong had not confessed that matter only to Ga Deoksang. He had also informed Yeon Wi and Je Gal Munho of the truth.

Je Gal Munho had been greatly surprised, but he had reacted more calmly than expected. Of course, he knew Yeon Hojeong had crossed a line, but the election was right around the corner, and he said he would somehow smooth that much over within the strategist’s discretion, then let it pass.

He probably would have tried to suppress it first no matter who had done it, not only because it was Yeon Hojeong. In Je Gal Munho’s view, at least right now, stabilizing the Alliance took priority over moving strictly by principle.

But Yeon Wi was different.

“I scolded him harshly.”

For the first time in a very long while, Yeon Wi had rebuked Yeon Hojeong.

However, Yeon Hojeong himself knew he had crossed the line, so he did not make excuses or press his own argument.

In his heart, Yeon Wi understood his son as well. Leaving aside the fact that his son had committed a wrong, he understood the heart that drove his son to keep Mo Yonggun in check. That was because, together with Mookbi, he was one of the only two people who knew his son’s past.

Even so, wrong was wrong.

Even if he had once pacified the Dark Path and been called the Dark Emperor, the Orthodox Path had its own ways. Further, Yeon Wi did not want Yeon Hojeong to be tainted again by the vicious methods of the Dark Path.

That was why he had scolded him harshly, and Yeon Hojeong had said he would reflect on his mistake.

“So I intended to inform the Service Council of what my son had done.”

Tang Gwan’s eyebrows shot up.

“The Service Council?”

“Yes.”

“Are you insane? If you do that, you’ll only be handing Mo Yonggun a gift.”

“Even if it gives Mo Yonggun an opportunity, a wrong is still a wrong. If one commits wrongdoing, one must receive the proper punishment and take responsibility.”

“You are rigid to the point of suffocation. Your son certainly did something fairly vicious, but it was not something worth going that far over.”

“That is not going too far. To me, that is the righteous path.”

From the beginning, this was a point on which they could not understand each other. Tang Gwan had no desire to argue pointlessly. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

“Then why did you not inform them?”

“The strategist stopped me.”

Tang Gwan gave a faint laugh.

“So Mo Yonggun was right.”

“What do you mean?”

“Mo Yonggun said Clan Lord Je Gal would work solely for the Martial Alliance before the greater cause. He said that no matter who became Martial Alliance Leader, as long as the Alliance Leader was not the sort who would plunge the world into misery, Clan Lord Je Gal would be a man who would somehow support that person and set the Martial Alliance upright.”

“...”

“But in this matter, I also agree with Clan Lord Je Gal. You are that boy’s father, so perhaps you can be disappointed, but if we assume the present moment is wartime, then it would be perfectly acceptable to praise it as a rather bold move.”

Yeon Wi’s eyebrow twitched.

“A bold move? That is absurd.”

“It is not absurd. Think about it sensibly. We stepped forward saying we would fight with only a blade and a shield each, but the opponent dragged in cannons and started firing, did he not?”

It was a rather interesting analogy.

And it was also correct. Mo Yonggun was skilled in plotting, and once he made up his mind to move, he was a man who seized what he wanted through dark schemes unimaginable to someone of the Orthodox Path.

“In that situation, your son secretly infiltrated the enemy side and dampened their explosives. For the time being, their cannons will not be firing. Instead of praising him, you scolded him.”

“...”

“I have no intention of interfering in matters between father and son, but when you go back, pat him on the shoulder at least. To be honest, I found this whole matter deeply satisfying.”

It was an answer very much like Tang Gwan.

Yeon Wi sighed.

“I do not know. Of course, there is sense in what you say, but I do not wish to agree with it.”

“That depends on the person accepting it, so I have no desire to concern myself with that either.”

Tang Gwan wet his throat with a cup of wine, then asked again.

“By the way, how is it going?”

“What do you mean?”

“Did you not become my sponsor? There is still a fair amount of time until the election, but the Central Plains are vast. It should be about time you started fanning the flames, no?”

“I have no sense whatsoever of where to begin.”

Tang Gwan clicked his tongue.

“Well, it is not as if I did not know you were utterly hopeless in that area.”

At those words, Yeon Wi ended up laughing despite himself.

“Even knowing I was such a man, why did you choose me as a sponsor?”

“Exactly. I am starting to regret it.”

“Ha ha ha!”

“If you intend to begin something, go back and discuss it with your son. This recent matter aside, the way that boy’s mind works is a work of art.”

“I understand. I will begin soon.”

“Good.”

CLATTER!

Just then, the window shook violently under the driving wind.

Tang Gwan smiled.

“This year is going to be a rather vicious one.”

“Ha ha.”

“Why are you laughing all of a sudden?”

“My son said something like that before.”

“And what of it?”

“I merely remembered it.”

“How bland.”

“Shall I pour you more wine?”

“Were you planning to end it with only this much before it even reached my liver? Pour.”

“You seem to have forgotten, but these are your quarters.”

“I understand, so fill the cup.”

“Ha ha ha.”

*****

WHOOOOOOOSH!

The wind driving in with the fierce snowstorm was tearing the air apart.

HWARURURUK.

On an evening of heavy snowfall,

Yeon Hojeong sat cross-legged in the courtyard of Warbreaker Pavilion.

Chiiiiik.

Thick snowflakes were pouring down so heavily that everything should have been covered in snow in no time. Yet amazingly, the violent snow vanished before it could even come near Yeon Hojeong.

It was because of the fire energy pouring out of his body. Vermilion Bird Qi was burning fiercely, melting and evaporating the snow before it could touch him.

It was truly terrifying firepower.

Mookbi, who had been looking down at Yeon Hojeong from the second-floor window, clicked her tongue.

“That is incredible. I can feel the heat all the way up here.”

Yeon Jipyeong swallowed.

“So that is the Four Spirit Martial Art. Just as you said, Sister, its power is astonishing.”

“It wasn’t that strong in my memory. I don’t know about the other True Qi, but at least the firepower of his Vermilion Bird Qi seems twice as strong as before.”

“Tw-twice?”

“Probably.”

Mookbi’s eyes gleamed.

“After refining the Yeon Clan Divine Core, his martial arts have reached another turning point.”

She was right.

The reason Yeon Hojeong had deliberately come outside to begin training was to stabilize the Four Spirit Qi that had suddenly amplified through the Yeon Clan Divine Core.

Among them, Vermilion Bird Qi and White Tiger Qi were especially unruly. The energy of Dragon-Embrace Divine Art was so savage and rough that the two forces with similar qualities were rampaging far more violently than Azure Dragon Qi and Black Tortoise Qi.

And this murderous snowstorm was the perfect environment for controlling those two divine energies. By borrowing the power of this weather, filled with damp yin energy and cold, he was stably installing the amplified Vermilion Bird Qi into his heart.

Yeon Hojeong’s circulation of power continued past midnight. Like a stone statue waiting for someone who would never return, he sat there and circulated his energy, then circulated it again.

And the next morning,

the snowstorm stopped as if it had been a lie. Sunlight rising in the distant eastern sky shone brightly over the Martial Alliance.

“Hoo.”

Yeon Hojeong exhaled lightly.

Done.

He had brought Vermilion Bird Qi and White Tiger Qi into harmony with Azure Dragon Qi and Black Tortoise Qi.

They grew incredibly fierce in such a short time. One wrong move, and the balance I’ve adjusted until now could have shattered in an instant.

This was the power of the Yeon Clan Divine Core.

The Yeon Clan Divine Core was no different from an internal core. For a person to carry an internal core meant they possessed a source of True Qi that did not tire.

A source of True Qi that did not tire. On top of that, as he trained Dragon-Embrace Divine Art, the energy of the core had become extremely rough and vicious.

In other words, it meant damp firewood that would never run dry was continuously seeping into his five viscera and six bowels. Naturally, Vermilion Bird Qi and White Tiger Qi had no choice but to rampage wildly.

It takes an entire day just to control it. This truly isn’t an ordinary power.

Inwardly, Yeon Hojeong clicked his tongue.

When he had learned Jade Wave Art, the power of the Four Spirit Qi had overwhelmed Jade Wave Art if anything. It had never been pushed back.

But once he created the Yeon Clan Divine Core, Dragon-Embrace Divine Art, strengthened by that momentum, had swung the Four Spirit Qi around as it pleased.

It truly deserves to be called the greatest secret art of the main house. If I want to cultivate the Four Spirit Qi so it harmonizes well with the Yeon Clan Divine Core, I’ll have to suffer quite a bit.

He would suffer, but at the same time, this was exactly what he had hoped for. The very act of developing his True Qi so the two powers did not clash meant his Inner Qi output would rise.

Good.

Yeon Hojeong opened his eyes.

And before him stood his father, bathed in the sunlight shining from the east.

“Are you finished?”

“Yes, I am finished.”

He had sensed his father’s presence long ago.

Yeon Wi asked calmly, “The energy of the Divine Core is so fierce that it seems it is not easy to control.”

“That is true.”

Yeon Wi’s eyes deepened.

Is it because of Dragon-Embrace Qi?

He thought Dragon-Embrace Qi had been involved to some degree in Yeon Hojeong’s violent method from a few days ago.

Dragon-Embrace Divine Art was the roughest power among the Five Great Divine Arts. No matter how orthodox an art was, if one carried such True Qi, it naturally had to affect one’s disposition as well.

However, his son’s realm had reached grandmaster-class, so that influence would not have been great.

“Can you control Dragon-Embrace Divine Art properly?”

“Only now have I been able to fully control it.”

“...Well done.”

Yeon Wi looked around.

“Thanks to that Vermilion Bird Qi of yours, it seems there is no need to clean separately.”

Since it had melted the falling snow over and over, naturally there was no way snow could have ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ piled up.

“Have you eaten yet?”

“No.”

“Are you hungry?”

“No.”

“Yes, I thought you would say that.”

Yeon Wi extended his hand toward one of the windows of Warbreaker Pavilion. It was his room.

HOOOOOOONG. TAK!

A long sword flew through the window and was caught in Yeon Wi’s hand.

“A few days ago, I looked over your younger brother’s martial arts. I should also look over yours, but I will likely be busy for a while, so it will be difficult to make separate time.”

“Ah, yes.”

“If you are not hungry yet, I would like to see it now. I want to know what you have gained until now, and how you intend to move forward from here.”

That was likely not limited to martial arts.

Just as Tang Gwan had said, Yeon Wi also wanted to see through Yeon Hojeong’s martial arts—his son’s martial arts, of course, but also the heart with which his son would live in the world from now on.

Mo Yonggun? Political struggle? The Martial Alliance Leader?

They were certainly important matters, but at least to Yeon Wi, none was more important than his son’s future.

In the end, he would look after his son first, then pursue the greater cause.

If Tang Gwan had made a choice fitting of Tang Gwan, then Yeon Wi had also made a choice fitting of Yeon Wi.

Yeon Hojeong rose from his seat.

A moment to prove one’s vessel through martial arts. This was ten thousand times more burdensome than the meeting with Tang Gwan.

“Are you ready?”

“Of course.”

“Come at me first.”

PAAAAAK!

Yeon Hojeong drew the hand axe from his waist.