A few days had passed since the New Year, and now it was Sohan, the minor cold.

Xingang had always been a land cold in winter and hot in summer, but this day was exceptionally cold, almost unbelievably so, given it was not yet the period of Daehan, the major cold.

In contrast, the expansive inner chamber was warm enough that the weather outside seemed irrelevant.

However, the man kneeling before his master was too tense to feel the warmth of the room.

The one before him was someone to be tense around.

He was akin to the father and mentor of the numerous disciples in the central plains. His body, which had undergone the half-old rebellion, had evaded the toll of time, and his profound martial skills seemed almost god-like.

Perhaps that’s why he’d lost interest in worldly matters and led a quiet life, but a newly discovered interest seemed to be injecting vitality into his life.

“It’s a good thing.”

The fact that this newfound interest was a young woman not even in her twenties didn’t change his opinion. It didn’t matter what it was.

Even if his interest had fallen on a mere pebble rolling along the road, he would have accepted it with some surprise but equal acceptance.

How could it not be so? He was destined to be the master of all under heaven someday…

He was the master of Ilwolshingyo.

There was no need to criticize his actions.

Although the ignorant people of the central plains dared to misname Ilwolshingyo as a demonic cult, it was merely their failure to understand the greatness of their master. Once enlightened, they would certainly repent their past actions.

The man lowered himself even further. Breaking the ensuing silence, the cult leader finally spoke.

“So, the child has turned eighteen.”

His voice was soft.

“By now, you should have been able to completely control that child.”

“I apologize.”

Although no response came back, the man distinctly felt his master’s gaze pierce down upon him, cold sweat forming on the nape of his neck. Knowing that speaking out of turn would only aggravate the situation, he clenched his mouth shut, hoping for mercy.

However, in truth…

The cult leader, who had been looking down upon the man, wasn’t feeling all that bad.

Certainly, there was discomfort and regret that things hadn’t gone as planned. Yet, between those feelings, one couldn’t deny a trace of satisfaction, or even happiness.

It was a complex emotion that he had forgotten for a long time but had started to recover somewhat six years ago.

“It’s not as if someone helped, and it appears the child achieved this on their own. It can’t be helped.”
Perhaps it was even admirable that he had the ability to do so.

Few could awaken ‘it’ themselves. There had been only a handful in the long memory of the Patriarch. Needless to say, here, and likewise in the land from which he originated.

The Hanhwasan sect, along with various other erudite Daoist and Buddhist scriptures, deemed all the power he used as erroneous. They had been ripping out parts and rewriting them for some time now.

So, they probably didn’t teach him what exactly this power was in the first place.

‘Initially, they probably didn’t even have the ability to teach.’

Considering he realized ‘it’ and escaped from such an environment all by himself, it was clear he had talent on this side.

The man caught his breath in the now lighter surrounding air. Silence descended again like a veil.

Within it, the Patriarch was momentarily lost in thought.

‘What if…’

If only he hadn’t faced obstruction when bringing that child.

If that had been the case, there would have been no need for the bothersome act of planting spies in distant places, and he wouldn’t have made any undue strenuous efforts on the child.

Taking control of one young child, even one neglected within his own household, would have been an easy task.

‘What if I had taught him myself?’

It’s unavoidable to become curious about various things.

As his thoughts reached that point, the Patriarch sighed lightly out of discomfort.

“Is it still the same, he’s holed up inside Hanhwasan?”

“Yes, so it’s said.”

“He must be growing quite well.”

Though almost void of inflection, a tinge of mockery was evident in his voice.

However, the man knew. If his master had had his way and brought ‘him’ into the sect earlier, it would have been even worse. He wouldn’t even have been able to leave the palace, essentially becoming a caged bird.

And he would have inherited everything that way.

But he had no words to say to that. If that was what was desired, he would follow.

“Even so, it’s about time for a check. Keeping him away this long can’t be good.”

“So…”

“The sect considers Daoism inconvenient. Make the best of the current situation and establish contact with the one we’re using now. Create a situation from which the child cannot but emerge.”

“Actually, I was planning to do just that, as I have heard something from that person.”

The man revisited his memories, chose his words carefully, and cautiously spoke.