Early in the morning, after packing everything, I said to my father:

“You should head back now.”

“Head back? We came out here to hunt with the Heavenly Demon himself. We can’t leave without catching at least one tiger.”

Of course, that wasn’t the real reason.
It just meant he didn’t hate spending time with me.

“I’m glad to hear that.”

“Glad about what?”

“I came prepared for day two.”

“Stop spouting nonsense and take the lead.”

“Yes, sir.”

My father and I headed deeper into the forest.

Who knows how long we walked?

Father spoke again.

“Close your eyes.”

“Yes.”

“Target is one hundred jang to the right.”

That was even farther than last time.

“This time, feel the wind.”

“I can feel it.”

And then he said something I had never heard in my entire life.

“Let your energy ride the wind.”

Not once, since learning martial arts, had I ever thought to carry my energy on the wind.
No one had ever told me such a thing.
No martial arts manual had ever written it down.

A shiver of excitement from this new kind of learning rippled through my body.

Of course, knowing something and actually doing it were two very different things.

“First, release your energy.”

I extended it cautiously, like when I’d tracked the wild boar yesterday.

“If you’re this slow and careful, it’s just a parlor trick. In a real fight, you have to send your energy all the way out there as fast as possible.”

But it wasn’t easy to place my energy on the wind.
I could feel the wind, and I could feel my energy—but they moved separately.
How was I supposed to combine them?

Besides, the wind my father referred to wasn’t just a strong gust—it was the flow of air in our surroundings.
I had to find the stream of air flowing straight ahead, and ride it.

Even as I struggled, Father said nothing.
He didn’t rush me either.
He simply stood there, hands behind his back, gazing at the distant mountains.

Why is it that we see a person’s life in the shape of their back?
I should have felt overwhelming strength from Father’s back.
But instead, I sensed loneliness… and silence.

“Not bad.”

“Sir?”

In that moment, my energy snapped in the distance, exactly one hundred jang to the right.

What? When did my energy reach that far?

I must’ve instinctively let it ride the wind while staring absentmindedly at his back.
Thanks to all the insights I gained before regression, things that should’ve been difficult came easier to me now.

“It happened before I even realized.”

Father’s eyes gleamed with something close to intensity.
Whether it was luck or instinct, this wasn’t something that should’ve happened so easily.

But then he spoke like it was nothing.

“No matter. That thing’s long gone anyway.”

As dusk fell and the earth began to dim, we crossed paths with the beast again.

“It’s the same one from earlier.”

If Father said so, it must be true—I couldn’t tell.
I couldn’t even see it.
I was just amazed that he could detect its size and energy from so far away.

“It’s a hundred and fifty jang away. Use the wind and find it.”

I released my energy again, trying to ride the wind.

I’d done it by accident earlier, so it shouldn’t be hard for someone of my level.
It was just a matter of mindset.

I tried this way and that.
Then it hit me.

I’d been trying to place my energy on the wind. That was the problem.
That intentional effort to "place" it.

Instead, I followed the path of the wind with my energy—sending it out together, side by side, like walking with a friend.

Eventually, my energy and the wind stopped being separate.
They wove together, like two dragons twining around each other in flight.

This is it!

To ride the wind wasn’t to sit atop it like a rider on a horse—
It was to entangle with it, to dance with it.

Swssssssh…

Riding the air, my energy surged forward and reached the target—one hundred and fifty jang away—in an instant.

The moment I identified what it was, a tiger’s mighty roar exploded in the distance.
Startled, I flinched—and my extended energy snapped.

“It really was a tiger!”

I had been surprised by the tiger.
But Father… was surprised by me.
He must not have expected me to grasp his teaching so quickly.

Father, this is just the beginning.

As much as I want to stroll beside you on a peaceful lakeside path, we don’t have that luxury.
We need to dive into the current.
We need to rush downstream and fall headfirst off the cliffside waterfall.

Our enemy… might even now be braving a typhoon in the middle of some distant sea.

Father, send me into that sea.

“Don’t slack off your energy projection training.
The more you master it, the longer your life will be.”

“Yes, I’ll remember that.”

I’ll surpass you in the number of strands I can project.
I have to.

“Now close your eyes and try to sense my energy.”

I closed my eyes and released my own energy to find his.

Just like how I’d sensed the tiger earlier—I sought Father’s energy.

Slowly. Very slowly.

I examined every thread of qi surrounding him.

My mouth slowly opened in awe.

“Father? What… what is this?”

He stood at the center of a spiderweb.

Dozens of threads stretched from him in every direction.
They extended so far, I couldn’t even track them.

Anyone attempting to approach {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} him would have to avoid those threads.
And that… was impossible.

And Hwa Mugi defeated a man like this?
How?

I hated it, but I couldn’t help but be impressed by that bastard all over again.

 

****

That night.

“This is my secret weapon.”

What I pulled from the pack… was alcohol.
And not just any alcohol—Father’s favorite.

I brought out clean cups I’d carefully packed and filled them.

“Nice.”

“It’s a bit too strong for me.”

In truth, I liked drinking and could hold my liquor.
All those lonely nights searching for sacred relics had built up my tolerance.
But I had no intention of bragging about that to Father, so I just pretended it was too much.
If we drank all night, he’d be the one to pass out first.

“A true martial artist doesn’t whine about strong drink.”

“Well, what’s a little poor drinking ability compared to a poisonous heart?”

“Poisonous heart?”

Father scoffed.

“Could you kill me to save your own life?”

I paused before answering.

“No.
How could a child kill their own parent?”

A lie, of course.
If I had to, if the reason was strong enough—I could kill him.
This was the first real conversation we’d ever had.
How could that outweigh my own life?

I turned the question back on him.

“Could you kill me, Father?”

“If the answer doesn’t come to you instantly, then don’t toss around words like ‘poisonous heart.’”

And I felt it in his gaze—
Father wouldn’t hesitate. Not for a second. He could kill me.

“Then I guess I’ll have to stick to drinking poison instead.”

When I winced at the bitter taste, Father gave me a strange look.

That night, I sat alone and practiced energy projection just as he’d taught me.

This is actually fun.

Now, I could send my energy far away with ease.

In the pitch-black night, my qi glided out, exploring the dark.

That’s a tree… and below it, a boulder…

 

I could feel even the tiniest movement of an insect crawling across that space.

I sent my energy somewhere else. The more I trained, the faster my qi moved.

My energy sped through the area—then froze.
Something strange had passed through it.

What was that?

I withdrew my qi, then pushed it through the same place again.

But the strange sensation from before was gone.

I opened my eyes and stared in that direction.
In the darkness, I couldn’t sense a thing.

What was that? Something was definitely there...

Just then, I saw Father watching me from where he lay.

“You’re not asleep?”

“What were you looking at?”

“There was something… I’m not sure. I just felt something over there.”

Father stared at me with startled eyes, then rolled over, turning his back.

“Go to sleep.”

“Yes, sir.”

I lay down with the campfire between us.

What was that?
Judging from Father’s reaction, he definitely knew something—

“!”

And in that instant, I knew.

Hwi! It was Uncle Hwi!

I had sensed the presence of Hwi, Father’s personal shadow.
The second time I tried to detect him, he’d already moved.

Just realizing that made my entire body tremble.

Two days ago, there was no way I could’ve picked up on his presence.
Even though Hwi wasn’t hiding with all his strength, just detecting his basic concealment was a major breakthrough.

If I continued to train and eventually became able to project dozens of qi strands at once, like Father, then no stealth technique would be effective against me. There’d be no “searching” involved anymore—just here, there, and over there. Discovery would be immediate.

Maybe it was the wine, but I couldn’t fall asleep easily that night.

Back when I was scouring the world for ingredients for the Grand Regression Art, I often drank when exhaustion overwhelmed me. On those nights, I’d stare at the stars—
The same stars that lit up my solitude back then… were shining above me now, just as they always had.

I wasn’t the only one who couldn’t sleep.

I couldn’t be sure of his thoughts, but…
Was Father feeling a rush of emotion, watching me absorb martial knowledge like a sponge?

“Of the Demon Lords,” I asked, “which one do you trust the most?”

I hadn’t really expected a reply.
But Father answered.

“Why do you ask?”

The night our clan was wiped out…

Hwa Mugi stormed the Heavenly Demon Hall.

The Heavenly Demon Hall—
A fortress guarded by three Qi Sealing Arrays, six Trap Formations, and elite demonic warriors hand-picked for their loyalty.

Surrounding it in eight directions, the Eight Demon Lords and their forces protected the Heavenly Demon.

To the north, the Northern Heaven Sword Clan led by Ilhwa the Sword Lord, armed with enchanted demon blades.
To the south, the Southern Blade Sect under Blood Heaven Butcher, flanked by ghostly knife fiends.
To the east, the Iron Fists of the Unyielding Fist Demon and his Eastern Fist Gate.
To the west, Soulstealer Demon and the Illusionists of the Western Phantasm Array.
Northeast, the Faceless Ones, all emulating The Wicked Laughing Demon.
Southeast, the drunken Wine Fiends, carousing alongside the Great Drunken Demon.
Southwest, the Poison Fangs and their master, the Poison King, researching every toxin imaginable.
Northwest, the Mad Monks, fanatics devoted to the Demonic Buddha and his cult of mind-twisting deception.

Back then, I thought the enemy had broken through from outside.

But they hadn’t.

Later, I learned there had been no breach from the outer perimeter.
Someone—one of the Eight Demon Lords—had let Hwa Mugi into the inner sanctum of the Heavenly Demon Hall.

Maybe it was just one traitor.
Maybe it was more.
No one ever discovered who.
But honestly, it doesn’t matter.

Because I consider all of them traitors.

After Father’s death, not one of the Eight chose revenge.
Their collective decision was to seal the sect—not to avenge the Heavenly Demon.

If even one of the eight had stepped forward for retribution, I wouldn’t resent them as much as I do now.

Sure, I understand.
Standing atop the Heavenly Demon’s corpse, Hwa Mugi exuded such overwhelming might that no one dared to challenge him.

You were just human.
I understand that.

So now, I hope you understand.

Understand when I use you—when I exploit you and throw you away like disposable tools.
That’s only fair, isn’t it?

“If I become the Heavenly Demon,” I said, “I’ll bind the Eight Demon Lords in chains and hold their leashes myself.”

“What?”

Father shot up, and with that one movement, the grass around him rose on end.
I quickly sat up as well.

“Why?”

Because they’re much farther away than you think, Father.
You can see a tiger hidden a hundred jang away—
But you can’t see how distant their hearts are, even when they smile right in front of you.

But I couldn’t say that.
So I gave another reason.

“There’s corruption.
Not just the Demon Lords themselves, but all the parasites leeching off their names.”

Father said nothing, so I kept going.

“Of course, to manage the cult smoothly, their authority needs to be acknowledged.
But they’ve crossed the line.”

Even during this time, there had already been several incidents tied to the Eight Demon Lords.

“Don’t you think it’s time someone restored discipline?”

Still, Father remained silent.

But I could read his thoughts from that silence.

He agreed.
He must’ve had frustrations with them, too.
If not, he’d have scolded me already for being arrogant.

“If you get greedy,” he finally said, “your legs will tear apart, and your belly will burst.”

“Haha. I’ve got a long road ahead, so I’ll take small steps and eat lightly.”

He hadn’t called it nonsense or arrogance.
He’d called it greed.

Which meant he didn’t disagree.
I could sense it now—
Father’s blade, though still sheathed, was pointed in the same direction as mine.

Don’t worry, Father.
I know them better than anyone.

I spent years back in the sect, seeking the final ingredient for the Grand Regression Art—the Hidden Demon Soul.
Those years are still ahead of me, but from that future, I know them all.
I know the lives they lived.
I know how they died.

I’ll put them in line.

Just like the countless stars scattered across that night sky,
Countless thoughts spun through my mind as the night quietly passed.