Chapter 59

“Father.”

Unwi spoke as he picked up a stone.

“They say in Go, once a stone is placed, it cannot be taken back. The same applies to me — I have no intention of taking back that move. Besides, I never place a stone without thinking it through.”

A smile formed on Seol Jungcheon’s lips.

He’d noticed it before, but Unwi’s way of speaking had become so composed and resolute. It was still incredibly unfamiliar, but at the same time, it felt reassuring.

The stones moved back and forth again.

Unwi’s white stones moved as if they were alive. Every single move was calculated, and the flow was as smooth as a river.

Seol Jungcheon was suddenly reminded that his son had once reached Absolute Oneness — Honwon Dokjon.

“Your Go strategy... It’s as if you’re reading the heavens and earth.”

“You’re flattering me.”

“It’s not a compliment. I’ve played Go with many masters, but I’ve never encountered anyone who has grasped the Dao of Go as you have. Is this the difference between Absolute Oneness and Grand Void Formlessness?”

Unwi shook his head.

“It’s not a matter of cultivation levels. It’s a difference in perspective.”

“Perspective...”

With another soft ‘click,’ Unwi’s white stone found a flawless position.

Seol Jungcheon felt his black stones being steadily cornered.

“If the Hanbing Sect collapses, what will you do with the vacant seat?”

“I have a substitute plan.”

“Oh? May I hear it?”

Unwi hesitated for a moment.

“I think you might oppose it.”

“Speak.”

“The Viper Valley.”

Seol Jungcheon’s hand froze mid-air.

His eyes shifted from the Go board to Unwi.

The look in Unwi’s unwavering eyes told him he hadn’t misheard.

“The Viper Valley... The very group that tried to create the Ice Venom Corrosion Poison?”

“Yes.”

“How can you possibly trust them?”

Unwi placed a white stone on the board. His move surrounded several of Seol Jungcheon’s black stones.

“It’s not about trust. It’s about control.”

“Control?”

“If I give them what they desire most, they will bow their heads. And in return, I’ll tighten their leash.”

“Just like you did with the Hanbing Sect?”

“Yes. That’s why I’m asking — do you oppose it?”

“...It’s something to think about, but I don’t object to wiping out the Hanbing Sect.”

Unwi lifted his head. Seol Jungcheon was smiling.

“You said you wanted to protect Everlasting Snow Palace. In the process of protecting it, shedding blood is inevitable.”

“As you know, if we annihilate the Hanbing Sect, the Three Concubines will have to be dealt with as well.”

“Even Unhae?”

“I don’t intend to kill the fourth brother. After all, you loved him as much as you loved me, despite how useless he is. But if he crosses the line, even I won’t be able to hold back.”

Unwi paused for a moment before continuing in a steady tone.

“I already warned him. If he crosses the line again, I will cripple one limb at a time. And in the end, I will shatter his dantian.”

“I heard you already broke one of his limbs. Are you really planning to do it?”

“They say a man’s word is worth a thousand gold. I keep my promises.”

Seol Jungcheon quietly observed Unwi.

They say there’s no finger you can bite that won’t hurt.

The same applied to Seol Jungcheon.

“It’s a difficult matter.”

“Yes. I don’t intend to stubbornly insist on my position. If you order me not to, I won’t do it.”

“But if I do that, wouldn’t it be as if I were disregarding your judgment?”

“I can handle it.”

The two continued to play in silence. Unwi’s white stones seemed to have already gained the upper hand. Every move he made appeared to be moving the heavens and earth.

“As I keep playing, I feel like I can finally see the picture you’re trying to paint.”

Seol Jungcheon let out a sigh.

“When the time comes to annihilate the Hanbing Sect, inform me first.”

“Yes, I will.”

“As for the Three Concubines and Unhae, leave them to me.”

“Understood.”

“Don’t worry. Your words will be honored.”

Unwi smiled slightly.

Of course, he didn’t plan to annihilate the Hanbing Sect immediately.

He had already given them a warning and placed them under control.

No matter how stupid Jin Yangje was, he wasn’t so blind that he wouldn’t understand what to do next.

At the very least, he had that much sense. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have grown the Hanbing Sect to such a level.

Seol Jungcheon knew this too. But as the leader of a faction, he had to prepare for any contingency.

What if they had to take down the Hanbing Sect right away?

Unwi had presented one alternative.

It was difficult.

Seol Jungcheon had to ask.

“But there’s one thing that bothers me. Viper Valley... I can’t shake off the suspicion. We still haven’t found a way to neutralize /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ their Ice Venom Corrosion Poison. If we bring them inside under these conditions, it could become a fatal blow to us. Just like this stone here.”

Seol Jungcheon’s Go skills were, as previously mentioned, the best in Everlasting Snow Mountain.

Even if he lost to Unwi once, his skills had not diminished.

Among Unwi’s seemingly dominant white stones, Seol Jungcheon managed to wedge a single black stone into the formation.

With a soft ‘click,’ the stone disrupted Unwi’s entire board.

Seol Jungcheon had sacrificed multiple territories just to place that single stone.

It was a meticulously calculated move.

“Father.”

Unwi’s voice didn’t waver.

As if he had anticipated this move.

As if he had been waiting for it.

“There are times in Go when you must play an unexpected move.”

His white stone landed in the center of the board.

Seol Jungcheon was left speechless.

It was a move he hadn’t seen coming.

The stone he had poured his efforts into had been completely neutralized.

That spot was perfect.

Seol Jungcheon’s mind raced.

Three moves. No, four... No, five.

In exactly five moves, he would lose.

“A move may appear to be fatal, but there’s always a way to dismantle it. Just like this stone I just placed.”

“Haa...”

“As you can see, this is the picture I am painting. Sometimes, what looks like a risky move is actually the path to victory.”

Seol Jungcheon stared at that single stone for a long time.

It felt as if the picture Unwi was drawing was finally coming into view.

Unwi spoke in a calm, firm voice.

“The world changes with every passing moment. Even a move that was previously unseen can, when combined with other moves, create a new strategy that can dismantle the enemy’s board.”

Seol Jungcheon lifted his gaze from the Go board.

Unwi was smiling.

“If you’re by my side, Father, there will be nothing in this world to fear.”

That smile was so bright.

“You’re the strongest in Everlasting Snow Mountain, aren’t you?”

“No one knows that.”

“Are you planning to remain a shadow?”

“If I’m a shadow, then what’s there to fear? You’ll be by my side, Father.”

Haa...

A laugh escaped Seol Jungcheon’s lips.

“Now, shall we create that ultimate martial art together?”

“Yes. Let’s create a martial art that will shake the heavens and earth.”

****

Chapter 2

Seong Yangho muttered under his breath.

“It’s taking a long time...”

It had already been five whole hours since Unwi had entered the main palace.

During that time, Seong Yangho and Han Murin had been torturing Cho Sehui in the courtyard behind the martial training hall.

Cho Sehui had screamed at the top of his lungs, begging for his life, but not a single sound had escaped outside.

Seong Yangho had maintained a sound barrier the entire time.

Standing there with his arms crossed, Seong Yangho watched Han Murin with a look of disapproval.

Noticing that stare, Han Murin turned to look at him, and Seong Yangho spoke as if he had been waiting for that moment.

“Joint Dislocation Art is a technique that involves twisting the joints meticulously to inflict pain. The key is to avoid breaking bones while inducing extreme agony... But look at those shattered limb bones. You’re just targeting the bones for no reason, aren’t you?”

“...I apologize.”

“With your level of inner strength, you should be able to precisely control the bones, flesh, and joints. You claim to have reached the Root Heaven Stage, so you should have at least some understanding of controlling internal power. But from what I see now, it’s utterly pathetic.”

It might have sounded personal, but it wasn’t. Seong Yangho was being strictly objective.

Unwi had already decided.

He had accepted Han Murin as one of his own.

What more was there to say?

If Unwi declared he was going to flip the entire country upside down, Seong Yangho would gladly join him in the endeavor.

It might sound inappropriate, but Seong Yangho cherished Unwi almost as if he were his own son.

Unwi had once said to him:

“Even if you stab me in the back one day, it’s fine. If Seong Yangho makes that choice, he must have had a good reason.”

Those were words based on absolute trust.

And Unwi genuinely meant them.

Seong Yangho felt the same.

If Unwi accepted someone who harbored a grudge against the Palace of Demon Flames of Chaos — a direct bloodline of the former Deputy Leader who had been purged in a coup — then Seong Yangho had only one duty:

To thoroughly train him.

Han Murin understood that as well.

At first, he thought Seong Yangho just didn’t like him. The man had been nitpicking everything.

But now, he understood it wasn’t personal.

Han Murin respectfully clasped his fists and bowed.

“I apologize. My understanding is still lacking, and I haven’t been able to fully grasp ‘Protector Seong’s’ teachings. I will try harder, so please continue to instruct me.”

“...Well, your attitude is certainly commendable.”

Seong Yangho remembered the nights when Han Murin would train endlessly, night after night.

One thing was for sure — Han Murin was brutally honest with himself.

If he found a flaw, he’d work tirelessly through the night to fix it. And he was quick to catch on.

Back at the Hanbing Sect, when Unwi had caused that commotion, Han Murin had addressed him as “Lord Hyeon Seollin.”

And now, he was calling Seong Yangho “Protector Seong.”

At the very least, this one wouldn’t starve to death in the streets.

“Alright. Now, for the third technique...”

Seong Yangho was about to teach him the third technique of the Ten Thousand Agonies Art when he abruptly fell silent.

His expression darkened.

And it wasn’t for just any reason.

— Seong Yangho.

A voice pierced through the sound barrier as if it were nothing but a thin sheet of paper.

The voice belonged to someone he would have preferred to never hear again, someone he never thought he’d encounter here.

No.

Unwi said he would handle this.

Seong Yangho’s heart plummeted.

— You ignore the rules of the White Snow Phantom Corps, and now you’re ignoring the orders of the Captain as well.

Seong Yangho swallowed dryly.

He spun around, ready to bow toward the western sky, about twenty meters away.

But before he could even ask when he was supposed to go...

— Come to the storage shed behind the training hall.

The voice was already giving orders.

— Right now.

Damn it.

Looks like today’s the day I die.

****

Seong Yangho trudged forward.

Honestly, he could have arrived much faster, but he didn’t.

There’s a saying that a cow being led to the slaughterhouse walks slower because it’s too busy thinking.

Right now, Seong Yangho was that cow.

He scratched his head furiously.