BANG!

Only after the heavy greatsword struck the ground did Gangryang’s training come to an end.

“Huff, huff.”

It had been training into which he poured every ounce of strength he had. Yet for some reason, Gangryang’s expression was dark, as if something dissatisfied him.

Yeon Hojeong smiled.

“What? You don’t like it?”

“Pardon? Ah, no.”

“What’s the problem? It looked good to me.”

Gangryang pulled out the sword and slid it into its scabbard.

“I did not think there was any particular problem. I’m just... a little disappointed in myself.”

“Disappointed? With what part?”

Gangryang smiled bitterly.

“I do not expect my martial arts to improve quickly. I pursue the limit, yes, but if one could reach the limit through effort alone, there would be no one under heaven who was not a master.”

“That’s true.”

“Only, I cannot see the path ahead.”

Yeon Hojeong nodded.

“A person who knows his own strengths and weaknesses, and a person who knows where he must go, improves faster than others for the same amount of effort.”

“Yes. But I cannot see that.”

“It was the same for me.”

“Pardon?”

“Do you think I knew where to set my foot every single moment? I dare say no genius under heaven can do that.”

“...”

“What method do you use at a time like that? That, too, differs from person to person.”

Confusion crossed Gangryang’s face.

“Then at moments like that, what did you do, Brother?”

“Me?”

Yeon Hojeong looked up at the sky.

“I wonder.”

Gangryang’s question had been limited to martial arts.

But hearing that question, Yeon Hojeong thought not only of martial arts, but of the life he had walked until now.

It truly was bleak.

He had gained experience and acquired strength. To his eyes, after climbing to the summit by breaking through a battlefield more hellish than hell itself, many things had seemed easy. But he had lost just as much.

What did I gain, and what did I throw away? When I could not see ahead, what conviction did I hold as I moved forward?

The bleakest moment of all had surely been immediately after his clan was destroyed.

By heaven’s fortune, he had been able to meet his master. Thanks to that, he had been able to live as a martial artist. If not for that meeting, Yeon Hojeong, too, would have ended his life as an all-too-common martial artist.

However, his master had only opened his vision. He had not told him which path was the right one. In this world, there were many such roads and many such methods. Choosing among them was solely his own task.

At that time, Yeon Hojeong had been able to learn.

That responsibility for a choice could only be borne by oneself. That ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) if one walked a path chosen by someone else, one would end up choosing responsibility according to the result.

And once that happened, when there was no one left later to help, it would become difficult to live in the world.

That the subject of life was always oneself. That, in that sense, life could be lonely.

That was why one had to grow accustomed to loneliness, and why one had to be grateful for every moment one could spend with someone else.

Yeon Hojeong closed his eyes.

“Just because you cannot see ahead does not mean you can refuse to walk. What makes it even bleaker is that you may rest for a while, and you may even turn back along the road you have walked, but doing so will not show you the light.”

“...”

“You must have had many people who gave you advice. But now that those people are gone, all you have left are your two fists and a single sword.”

“...That is true.”

Opening his eyes again, Yeon Hojeong spoke with a smile.

“Let’s go step by step. The reason I asked Father to stop your training was nothing special. From a place where you have nothing at all, you need to improve by yourself at least once.”

“...”

“At least you still have the martial arts of the Foremost Sword Gate of the Dark Path with you. That is enough. But I want you to broaden your field of view while traveling with me.”

“My field of view.”

“Yes. The reason is that martial arts are not some narrow study that advances simply by exhausting the body.”

Yeon Hojeong patted Gangryang on the shoulder.

“Father told you before, didn’t he? That swinging a vicious sword while knowing nothing would not improve your martial arts. That was not him telling you to rest. It was him telling you to change the way you see.”

“I see.”

“You worked hard today, too. Wash up and go to your quarters. If your heart feels empty, have a drink alone. In a life this lonely, one should at least have the pleasure of indulging in that much melancholy.”

Gangryang smiled.

He himself said he could not see ahead, but compared with when they had first met, he had grown far calmer.

“At times like this, it really feels as though the age gap between you and me is several decades.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. Sometimes I truly envy you. I often think I want to become like you.”

Yeon Hojeong smiled wryly.

“Admiring maturity is also a privilege of youth. But there are many things one can enjoy only at that age, too. Before admiring someone else, first understand what is around you.”

“See? That is exactly the part that makes you seem mature.”

“You rascal. It is already past the hour of the Ox. Go in and rest.”

Gangryang bowed his head.

“Thank you for watching my practice today as well. Then I will see you tomorrow.”

“Good.”

And so Gangryang returned to his quarters.

Yeon Hojeong sat on a small boulder and looked up at the sky.

The moon was bright. There were many stars as well. The wind was still cold, but now, if anything, it cooled his sentiment-soaked head pleasantly.

After staring up at the sky for a long while, Yeon Hojeong let out a sigh.

“You cannot see ahead... Even after climbing high enough, the curtain of darkness does not choose whom it covers.”

Several words surfaced in Yeon Hojeong’s mind.

Election, Three Creeds, preparation, imperial court, development, expulsion, harmony...

It was a truly complicated situation. Perhaps the one feeling more lost than Gangryang right now was Yeon Hojeong himself.

Living two, three times does not make life easier. If anything, life only grows harder the more one can see.

WOOOOONG.

At that moment, Yeon Hojeong’s Divine Core Qi caught a faint presence.

It was not a presence approaching stealthily. Its owner had simply trained martial arts so well that his energy naturally gathered inward.

Brother.

A moment later, Mo Yong-woo appeared.

“You did not seem to be in your quarters, so I was wandering nearby, and I sensed a faint sword qi rising here. It was Swordsman Gang’s energy. I came thinking he might know where you were, but before I knew it, Swordsman Gang had vanished and only you remained.”

“What brings you here again at this hour before dawn?”

Mo Yong-woo silently looked at Yeon Hojeong’s face.

He is different.

Bathed in clear moonlight, Yeon Hojeong’s face looked somehow detached from the world.

Seeing that expression and those eyes, Mo Yong-woo felt his complicated heart softening instead. Even the nameless anger and bitterness seemed to melt away like snow.

Mo Yong-woo took a gourd from his waist.

“I have no cups, but would you share a sip or two with the moonlight as our companion?”

“You know how to enjoy life. Fine, then. Let me accept a cup from my brother for the first time in a while.”

“I said I have no cups.”

“It’s just a figure of speech, you stiff man.”

“Ha ha ha.”

Mo Yong-woo’s laughter was remarkably clear.

And so the two shared the liquor in silence.

Had they emptied half the bottle? Yeon Hojeong asked, tossing the words out lightly.

“So, what brings you here this time?”

“How disappointing. Must an elder brother have some special reason to visit his worthy younger brother?”

“That is a truly fine thing to say, but perhaps say it after erasing the frustration around your eyes first?”

“Ha ha. You can see that?”

“I know, right? That is why I’m worried. You are too easy to read.”

Looking at Yeon Hojeong with a smile, Mo Yong-woo spoke calmly.

“It was true that my elder brother joined hands with Ink Dragon Manor.”

Was it thanks to the magic of the moonlight? Or thanks to Yeon Hojeong’s low, relaxed voice?

Mo Yong-woo was able to speak about Mo Yonggun far more calmly than he had expected.

“Mo Yong Yeonhwa?”

“Yes.”

Yeon Hojeong smiled wryly.

As he listened to Mo Yong-woo, he grasped what had happened at once.

“So that is why he survived.”

“Hm? What do you mean?”

“Mo Yonggun. According to my expectations, that man should either have been killed by Yangcheon or stripped clean. But he came back safely without a hair harmed.”

“...He did.”

“Mo Yonggun must have said this. Help me become Martial Alliance Leader, and once I become Leader, I will give you a great deal of aid.”

“Of course he would have.”

“Deals are made in cash, not promissory notes. And Yangcheon knows that, too. Yet Yangcheon accepted the deal. Why would even a man like Yangcheon accept a promissory note from Mo Yonggun?”

Mo Yong-woo’s face stiffened.

“You mean he sent Yeonhwa as a hostage?”

“Or both hostage and helper. Beyond that, he may have made her serve as a bridge.”

“...”

“Otherwise, there is no reason Yangcheon would have let Mo Yonggun go so easily.”

The corners of Mo Yong-woo’s eyes trembled.

But only for a moment.

“Whew.”

With a low sigh, Mo Yong-woo suppressed the tightness in his chest with a sip of liquor.

“Yes. If it is Brother, he is fully capable of doing that.”

Yeon Hojeong chuckled.

“Separate from your affection for your blood kin, you know how to look at Mo Yonggun rather coldly.”

“That is the problem. What I said to Brother today came from the heart, not from reason.”

Mo Yong-woo smiled bitterly.

“I said I would stand with you, set my main house right, and contribute to peace in the Orthodox Path martial world. Seeing myself shaken by this much, it seems I am not such a great vessel after all.”

“That is normal.”

“But...”

“I told you when we first met, didn’t I? Brother, you walk the normal path. I will take firm hold of the world where abnormal things pass for the rule.”

Mo Yong-woo shook his head.

“I do not know what you mean by the world of the abnormal, but telling me to push that kind of Asura path onto you and pretend not to know is far too cruel a demand.”

“You must not pretend not to know.”

“What do you mean?”

Yeon Hojeong patted Mo Yong-woo’s shoulder.

“You need to know. What I am doing, how hard I am struggling. You need to know it, listen to it, and embrace it.”

“...”

“That is a leader’s virtue. More precisely, a virtue of a leader of the Orthodox Path.”

“My worthy brother.”

“I know. I am just saying that is how it is.”

Yeon Hojeong drew in a deep breath.

“Your heart must be very troubled. But you expected this, didn’t you? If it is hard to shake off, then just accept it and use it as fuel to move forward.”

Mo Yong-woo looked at Yeon Hojeong, then gave a warm smile.

“What a fool I am, calling myself an elder brother when I cannot help with a single thing.”

“Lacking ability is not a sin. What matters is whether you have the will to move forward, and how much effort you can make to change your ugly self.”

“Ha ha ha.”

Yeon Hojeong shrugged.

“Still, after hearing what you said, it seems things will be a little easier now.”

“Hm?”

“Mo Yonggun, I mean. If we shake down Mo Yong Yeonhwa, this fight may flow quite easily.”

“Do not do that.”

“Huh?”

Mo Yong-woo shook his head.

“I said, do not do that.”

“What are you saying all of a sudden? Mo Yonggun is...”

“Yes, Brother is an evil man. But do you not already have many things to concern yourself with besides him?”

Yeon Hojeong’s eyes deepened.

Mo Yong-woo looked at the sky and sighed.

“You said you would take firm hold of the world of the abnormal... Yes, if you say you will, how could I stop you? But if you say that, then at the very least, I must take hold of the normal world for you.”

“...”

Mo Yong-woo drained the bottle and rose.

He smiled down at Yeon Hojeong.

“I am glad I came to see you today. It was nothing much as conversations go, but I realized a great deal.”

“What are you trying to do?”

“If a time comes when it is too hard and too much for me, I will ask for help. But until then, you should do what you must do as well.”

“Brother.”

“Listen, my worthy brother.”

“...”

“Do not forget. I still have no intention of becoming that, but the man you saw in me would not have been a bad vessel for the Martial Alliance Leader.”

Yeon Hojeong smiled.

“More than enough.”

“If that is truly so, then at the very least, I should prove that your eye was not wrong.”

Mo Yong-woo turned away.

“Rest. I will come by again soon.”

*****

The next day.

It is magnificent.

Emotion stirred across Mo Yong Yeonhwa’s face as she entered the Martial Alliance.

So this is the Martial Alliance...!

The finally completed Martial Alliance possessed a size and structure that overwhelmed Ink Dragon Manor. The difference was obvious at a single glance.

Mo Yong Yeonhwa took a deep breath.

Do this properly. If I do this properly, everyone lives. Be tense, but do not stiffen. Keep your composure, but do not grow careless.

It was just as she reached the front of the inner district with her attendants.

“It has been a long time.”

Startled, Mo Yong Yeonhwa turned her head.

There stood Mo Yong-woo, arms crossed, his expression blunt.

Fire lit in Mo Yong Yeonhwa’s eyes.

“...Mo Yong-woo.”

A faint smile settled at the edge of Mo Yong-woo’s mouth.

“You still lack discipline, niece.”