Chapter 23

“Different?”

“My father once told me... that being Palace Lord meant being a steward. That it meant watching over the relationships of those beneath you.”

“I did say that.”

“I don’t deny it. But I believe your priorities were wrong.”

“Wrong?”

“Before worrying about those relationships, we should be worrying about the ones causing the problems.”

“...Hmm...”

“If they were truly loyal subordinates, they would’ve resolved those issues before the Palace Lord even had to worry about them. And if they couldn’t, then someone has to clean it up for them.”

“By spilling blood?”

“When it comes to leading and managing an organization, the most important thing is power. Power is the method, and power is the means. The Thunder Vein Demon Sect, the Central Blood Sect, the Martial Alliance, the Thousand Justice League, the Sichuan Alliance, all of them—they are ruled by strength.”

“So that’s the path you walk?”

“Yes.”

Seol Jungcheon smiled gently.

“Then shall we wager—which of our paths is the better one?”

“A wager?”

“You may stake whatever you like.”

“And what will you wager, Father?”

Seol Jungcheon released the hand he was holding and declared boldly,

“Everything.”

Seol Unwi watched him with a faint smile curling at his lips.

“Then I’ll do the same. I’ll wager everything.”

Whether one walks the path of blood, the tyrant’s road, or the path of righteousness—

The roads might differ, but perhaps they could meet at the end.

These two men were completely confident in the paths they had chosen.

Enough to bet everything they had.

This was not just a conversation between father and son—it was a conversation between men.

“Then prepare the Complete Snow Codex and the Flame Carp’s core.”

“You sound confident.”

“I wouldn’t be moving forward otherwise.”

“...Hmm... Is that all you need?”

“There wasn’t anything else... but something just came to mind.”

Seol Jungcheon assumed he meant military support.

But the answer that came next made his heart sink without warning.

“I want no involvement from the palace.”

“...What?”

“I don’t want your strength or the halo of your name behind me.”

“You’re saying... you’ll take Yangnyeong with just the Snow Compression Branch?”

“Yes. I may use Inspector Seong for a few logistical tasks, but I don’t intend to use him for any combat.”

“...Son.”

“Yes, Father?”

“You do understand that the line between confidence and arrogance is razor-thin, don’t you?”

“I understand it very well.”

“...Right now, your level is just Yang Radiance Appears. Yangnyeong has more than five martial artists at Samhwa Meditation Hall, and one at Five Qi Joins the Origin. Even if you’ve already killed one at Samhwa, there are still four left.”

“I’ve heard the reports.”

“I can’t wrap my head around it. Have you heard that saying?”

“What saying?”

“When a snake tries to swallow an elephant...”

“Its belly bursts and it dies.”

“...So you’ve heard it.”

“Yes, I have. But, Father, you’re mistaken.”

“I am?”

“Yes. The Snow Compression Branch isn’t the snake. And Yangnyeong isn’t the elephant.”

“...”

“The Snow Compression Branch is a white tiger. Yangnyeong is a fox.”

“...A tiger and a fox, is it...”

“Why would a tiger ever fear a mere fox?”

“So you have a plan, then.”

“I have many. Though whichever one I choose, there may be criticism from various quarters.”

“...So it’s not exactly clean.”

“Are you worried?”

“I am.”

“Don’t be. I’ll succeed—”

“I don’t care if you fail. I’m worried about you.”

That stopped Seol Unwi cold. He’d been moved too many times today—it was starting to become alarming.

It was then that Seol Jungcheon asked,

“Do you know why I haven’t asked about your ‘secret’?”

“No, I don’t.”

“Because I have no reason to.”

“...”

“Whether you walk the path of the demonic, or the path of blood—you are my son.”

“...”

“I didn’t ask... because I believe you’ll make the right choice.”

Seol Unwi smiled faintly.

“Still... aren’t you at least a little curious?”

“What are you referring to?”

“The Blood Demon Vaulting Heaven Technique.”

At those words, the corner of Seol Jungcheon’s mouth twitched.

“...So you know about that too.”

“Didn’t Inspector Seong report it to you?”

“...He said you used an ‘unidentifiable martial art’ to kill the Ice Snow Sword Mark. He said it clearly wasn’t orthodox... but it didn’t carry any demonic energy either. So I thought—maybe something bordering on demonic techniques... But the Blood Demon Vaulting Heaven Technique... That’s not something I ever expected to hear.”

For once, Seol Unwi was speechless.

Inspector Seong had filed a report—but he had clearly withheld much.

It meant he cared more for Seol Unwi than for official protocol. Far more than Unwi had realized.

Just as Seol Unwi had been surprised, so too was Seol Jungcheon.

He’d known Inspector Seong favored Seol Unwi—but to conceal the truth in an official report?

That was a step beyond loyalty.

There’s no way Inspector Seong didn’t recognize the technique. No way he didn’t know it came from the Central Blood Sect.

He had been trained thoroughly.

A quiet question began to rise in Seol Jungcheon’s mind.

How do you know that technique?

He wanted to ask—but chose not to.

Before he could say anything, Seol Unwi spoke up.

“Please don’t punish him.”

“I won’t.”

“...”

“You already have someone of your own, I see.”

A soft smile touched Seol Jungcheon’s lips. It was warm—far too warm for a man like him.

Soon, Seol Unwi smiled just as gently in return.

“The martial world is a place where you must constantly prove yourself.”

“...”

“Even if this place is dismissed as outside the true martial realm... it’s still part of it all the same.”

He wasn’t wrong.

This was the martial world.

And it was no place for words alone.

Seol Unwi took one step back, and once again offered a martial salute.

“Please rest well. I’ll return with good results.”

Seol Jungcheon stared at him in silence—but unlike before, he did not reach out to grasp his hand.

This was a declaration—not from son to father, but from one man to another.

A man standing to prove himself.

And then—

Seol Unwi glanced toward the edge of the council hall. There, a Go board sat quietly.

A board crafted from Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Jade. Among the countless jade stones imbued with the energy of the snowy mountains over centuries, only the purest pieces had been selected for this one. The surface bore an intricate carving of snowy peaks, and the grid lines were drawn in pure gold.

A glimmer lit up in Unwi’s eyes. This wasn’t just any Go board.

“The Frost Sky Board, isn’t it?”

“You recognize it?”

“Yes. It’s the board used by the first Palace Lord of the Everlasting Snow Palace. Its value... can’t even be estimated.”

Seol Jungcheon found it both surprising and strangely satisfying to see his son show interest in the game.

“Would you care for a round?”

He hesitated for a moment.

Today didn’t feel like the right day—but this wasn’t just anything. It was Go.

A game that contained all the emotions in the world—joy, rage, sorrow, delight.

After a brief pause, Seol Unwi nodded.

“Yes. I’d like to sit across from you today, Father, and share hearts through Go.”

“Share hearts, you say...”

Seol Jungcheon smiled faintly.

“Very well.”

He meant it.

With a wave of his hand, the Frost Sky Board, which had been resting in the corner, gently floated through the air and landed between the two men.

“Sit.”

As Seol Unwi took his seat, Seol Jungcheon handed him the black stones.

“Go ahead. You may start.”

Unwi gazed down # Nоvеlight # at the board.

He had always loved Go—and was known for his skill.

But never once had he played on the Frost Sky Board.

He only remembered one image from his childhood: his father, staring deeply into this very board, lost in thought.

What had he been thinking?

What picture had he been drawing in his mind as he looked at those arranged stones?

Unwi had never known.

He still didn’t.

But perhaps, once the stones began to fall, he would.

Unwi placed the first black stone in the center of the board.

Seol Jungcheon’s eyes trembled.

“You’re starting from the center...”

“All things in this world begin at the center.”

At those words, Seol Jungcheon smiled.

“Very well. Continue.”

The game began.

Unwi’s black stones flowed across the board with an ease that made them feel alive, as if the movement itself contained the principles of heaven and earth.

Make no mistake—this wasn’t a casual match.

Seol Jungcheon’s demeanor shifted. He grew serious.

His white stones began to reach for the corners—but Unwi had already fortified them.

“You’re leaving no empty space.”

“Empty spaces are always a source of danger.”

Seol Jungcheon lifted his gaze at that. In his son’s eyes, he saw something different.

“You’re trying to control the entire board.”

“It’s not control. I’m simply filling the places where the enemy could settle before they do.”

Only the quiet sound of stones hitting wood remained for a while. Seol Jungcheon sank deeper and deeper into thought. His son’s game—was like that of an ancient master.

No gaps. No openings. Not even trickery could pierce it.

He read and ruled the whole board.

It was astonishing.

He looked up.

Unwi sat opposite him, expression solemn.

“Father.”

“Speak.”

“If your heart wavers, your hand will place the stone in the wrong spot.”

Seol Jungcheon’s hand froze in midair.

Didn’t they say Go was a way to share hearts?

Through this game, Unwi had come to a realization.

His father’s hand... was uncertain.

It wasn’t that Unwi’s skill had exceeded expectations.

No—this was something only visible to someone whose mind had already touched another’s.

A distraction. Something pulling at Seol Jungcheon’s heart.

He saw it.

“A single misstep in Go can’t be undone. That’s why every move must be made with care. But... excessive caution becomes poison. Just like in life.”

“And what... exactly do you mean by life?”

Unwi set another black stone down and said,

“I believe you’re overthinking every move. Sometimes, the simplest answer... is the wisest.”

Seol Jungcheon’s eyes wavered, as though his innermost thoughts had been exposed.

And they had.

Why, in his past life, had Seol Jungcheon been so helpless?

Why had the Great Snow Kirin died six months later... followed by the Ice Snow Spirit... and then half a year after that, the Little Palace Lord?

In just a year and a half, three heirs of the Polar Bloodline perished.

And in all that time... what had Seol Jungcheon done?

There were only two possibilities.