We crossed the final boundary of the inner courtyard with Jo Chunbae.

We went through the routine checks, identity verification, and body searches for the third time, as well as a reinspection of the food supplies Jo Chunbae had brought with him.

Jo Chunbae was frozen with fear. The deeper we entered the inner courtyard, the stronger and more intimidating the guards became, and he could hardly breathe properly.

Only after crossing the boundary did Jo Chunbae relax his tense posture.

"Phew, this is the first time I’ve ever felt this nervous."

“You don’t need to be so anxious. You have me here, right?”

“Well, if it weren’t for you, Lord, I wouldn’t have made it this far. This is my first time at the inner courtyard.”

We were heading toward the place where the Lord of the Wind Sky Sect resided.

“So, how does the inner courtyard look to you?”

“I was too scared to take a good look.”

“There’s no need to fear. In this vast place, there aren’t many who live as diligently as the master.”

“Please don’t say that.”

Jo Chunbae waved his hand as if to dismiss such nonsense, but his lips curled into a smile with every wave of his hand.

“I must have accumulated a lot of good fortune in my past life. Lord Yi came to my inn, and thanks to that, I was able to serve dishes to people I never thought I’d meet, and now I’m here at the inner courtyard. I never imagined it would happen.”

The reason I had brought Jo Chunbae today was to ask the Lord of the Wind Sky Sect for a favor regarding a meal while we drank together, but in reality, it was also to show him the inner courtyard.

He had once casually mentioned wanting to see the Heavenly Demon Sect’s inner courtyard, and today I intended to fulfill that wish.

Lately, my exclusive servant, Im Sooksoo, had been busy serving meals to the members of the Wind Sky Sect who were stationed outside the inner courtyard, so I had a legitimate reason to bring Jo Chunbae along.

“I must have built up a lot of merit in my previous life,” Jo Chunbae said.

“It seems that our master must have saved the martial world in his past life,” I responded.

“Though I didn’t save the entire martial world, I’m sure I once took down a martial alliance elder with the metal rod,” Jo Chunbae joked.

I laughed heartily at his joke. Just then, the guards of the inner courtyard passed by and respectfully greeted me. Jo Chunbae, on the other hand, couldn’t even make eye contact with the burly, intimidating guards.

“Now that I’m here, I feel both happy and scared,” he confessed.

“That’s why we established the Magachon with a small division. It’s not an easy place to access. So, the master should carefully observe the people of Magachon and the small division, and if there’s anything you need to tell me, make sure to let me know,” I said.

“Yes, I will.”

We soon arrived at the residence of the Lord of the Wind Sky Sect.

“Have you arrived?” the Lord of the Wind Sky Sect greeted us warmly. I had promised to treat him to drinks when the matter of the Heavenly Demon Master was settled. With my mood lifted and having already rejected the divine item, it seemed like the Lord was in a particularly good mood.

“This is the owner of the Windflow Inn, whom you saw last time. Rather than serving cold food, he wanted to enjoy a warm meal prepared by the owner himself, so I brought him along. Master, please.”

“I will serve the food with my soul.”

“I don’t particularly want your soul in my food, so just prepare it as usual.”

“Understood!”

While Jo Chunbae prepared the food, the Lord and I entered a room.

“Congratulations on taking the Master as your disciple,” said the Lord of the Wind Sky Sect.

“If it weren’t for the Lord, I would never have been able to achieve this. Thank you.”

“Thanks to the master’s excellent teaching.”

“We should say that we both succeeded.”

We exchanged compliments and enjoyed our small victory. I had been sure that Cheongseon would win. Once a martial expert of the Lord of the Wind Sky Sect's caliber took action, I knew victory was inevitable, no matter what methods were used. The change of disciples would hardly be enough of a variable, given the opponent’s overwhelming power.

A short time later, the food and drinks prepared by Jo Chunbae were brought out.

The Lord of the Wind Sky Sect tasted the food and seemed pleased.

“Your chef skills are quite good.”

“I’ll be sure to convey that. The owner will be pleased.”

We enjoyed the food and drinks. It seemed Jo Chunbae had really put his heart into the dishes today, and they were excellent.

“Have you met my father?”

“I was planning to meet him tomorrow.”

“When you do, make sure to emphasize this: that you’ll train Cheongseon to become an even stronger Master than the previous one. That’s the most important thing for my father.”

“I understand. Thank you for the advice.”

“Of course.”

As the atmosphere of the banquet deepened, I casually spoke to the Lord of the Wind Sky Sect.

“Would it be alright if I offered a drink to the man in shackles over there?”

For a moment, the Lord of the Wind Sky Sect looked startled.

“Why do you want to give him a drink?”

“It’s nothing personal. I’ve seen him several times when I’ve come to visit, and on such a pleasant day, I wanted to share a drink with him.”

The Lord of the Wind Sky Sect laughed and replied.

“That man doesn’t even touch alcohol.”

“Is that so?”

It was then that the man in shackles spoke.

“I’ll take a drink.”

I was also surprised, but the Lord of the Wind Sky Sect seemed even more startled. His expression slowly stiffened, and from his unhidden change in demeanor, I could guess one thing.

The man in shackles had never once accepted a drink from the Lord of the Wind Sky Sect.

“Well then, let’s offer him a drink.”

I stood up, pretending not to notice the Lord of the Wind Sky Sect’s imminent explosion of anger, and walked over to the man in shackles with a wine glass and bottle in hand.

I sat down in front of him and offered the glass.

The man in shackles, who had been bowing his head, lifted it and accepted the glass from me.

I slowly poured wine into his glass, saying nothing. I didn’t utter a word. I merely poured the drink.

The man took the glass, drank, and then returned it to me. He poured wine into my glass, and I drank it down in one go.

We exchanged only glances as we drank, without a word spoken, but it was enough for me.

Watching this, the Lord of the Wind Sky Sect appeared truly furious. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have said what he did next.

“Do you know what that man’s specialty is? He has the nose of a dog, able to smell a thief coming for the divine item. What do you think? Doesn’t that shackle look like a dog collar? Hahaha.”

His words, more than a joke, carried a tone of contempt, and the Lord of the Wind Sky Sect laughed loudly.

The room was filled with his laughter.

Then came the silence.

What he had just said was clearly a disrespectful slip of the tongue aimed at the man in shackles. I cleverly avoided ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) addressing it, not giving him the chance to recover from his mistake. It was a kind of gift his carelessness had given me.

I returned to my seat and poured more wine into his now-empty glass.

“Here, have another drink.”

The Lord of the Wind Sky Sect silently downed the drink.

The man in shackles remained as still as stone, his head lowered as always.

The Lord of the Wind Sky Sect stared at him, biting his lip. He couldn’t hide or manage his feelings when it came to the man in shackles. Just as Hyeolcheon Doma had failed to manage his emotions regarding the issue with the story of the legendary sword.

I said my goodbyes and left earlier than planned.

I had fulfilled my purpose for the visit by offering a drink to the man in shackles and sharing his wine.

The atmosphere after Geom Muguk left was rather cold.

The Lord of the Wind Sky Sect admitted his mistake, but strangely, he still felt bad about it. He didn’t want to apologize but reluctantly did so.

“I’m sorry about earlier.”

Even with his apology, the man in shackles didn’t respond.

“I’m really sorry.”

When there was no reaction, the Lord of the Wind Sky Sect finally exploded.

“Damn! What is this all about? I’m your master, and you’re my subordinate. Can’t I even say that? I’ve pampered you for so long, and now you’re getting cocky? Do you want to die? Is that it?”

The Lord of the Wind Sky Sect shouted, but his inner voice was filled with self-reproach.

‘What am I doing? Why am I yelling like this?’

The more guilt he felt, the louder his voice became.

“How much have I tolerated? Five times? What kind of fool gives their subordinate such a chance? I did that because it’s me! Because I’m the one who did it! And you don’t even know how to appreciate it. You said you don’t drink, right? You said you wouldn’t drink even if you died. But you took a drink from the Lord? Even after I said I can’t drink?”

Even though he was angry, this was where it should have ended.

But the Lord of the Wind Sky Sect couldn’t hold back his escalating anger and crossed the line.

In the next moment, the space around them changed.

It was no longer the familiar blue sky and fields.

It was in the middle of a bloody battlefield, where blood flowed and corpses lay scattered. The stench of blood hit their noses, making it unbearable to stay.

“This is the perfect place for you. It’ll be the only place you’ll see from now on!”

What had triggered the Lord of the Wind Sky Sect’s fury was that from beginning to end, he had been the one calling the shots. He had made a mistake, he had gotten angry.

The man in shackles hadn’t said a word. He had only accepted the drink.

‘No, he’s the one who’s wrong. He should’ve refused that drink. He told me not to act small, to stop being greedy. So why is he doing this?’

Just then, as if reading his inner thoughts, the man in shackles spoke politely.

“My thoughts were short. I apologize.”

The politeness in his voice made the Lord of the Wind Sky Sect’s heart freeze.

The anxiety of not being able to hear the man’s sincere words again shook the Lord’s heart.

‘This isn’t right. Apologize! Quickly!’

He screamed inside his mind.

But the words of apology didn’t come out. There was too much built-up inside him.

‘Why should I apologize? I’m his master! I’m the Lord of the Wind Sky Sect!’

Though they had argued before, they had never had such a big conflict. The Lord of the Wind Sky Sect was at a loss, unsure how to handle this.

Had it been someone else, he would’ve handled it much more calmly. If it had been Mabu, he would’ve shouted outwardly but been calculating inwardly.

But he couldn’t do that with the man in shackles.

Now, the bloody battlefield before him was the Lord of the Wind Sky Sect’s mind. He had thought it through over and over, but in the end, he couldn’t apologize.

And, unaware of his thoughts, the howls of wolves that smelled the blood rang bitterly in his ears.

I observed Seo Daeryong’s training in Hyeolcheon Doma’s courtyard.

Having passed the basic training, he was now practicing the preliminary techniques, and his skill with the sword was markedly different than before.

I had told him in the past, at the Windflow Inn, that he would learn with more dedication, even if late. My words had come true.

He was taking every movement seriously. And it was true that smart people learn martial arts well. Seo Daeryong was improving steadily.

At that moment, Hyeolcheon Doma came and stood next to me.

“Came to watch your subordinate struggle?”

“He’s already been working hard during the day, so I have no such perverse interest.”

“Then what brings you here at this hour?”

“I need to discuss something with you.”

“Come in.”

I left Seo Daeryong to his training and entered Hyeolcheon Doma’s residence.

Looking at the books filling the shelves, I couldn’t help but admire them.

“You have quite a lot of books.”

“Want to say something else?”

“I don’t think they suit you.”

“They’re not for reading. They’re for decoration.”

“They’re not even suitable for decoration.”

“You little... If I read all these books, I’d probably end up as someone who killed as many people as the Lord did.”

“Then you’d be a scholar of the highest degree.”

We exchanged some jokes before getting to the point.

“What is it you want to discuss?”

“There’s someone I’d like to release from his shackles.”

This unexpected statement startled Hyeolcheon Doma, and he misunderstood.

“Is there someone you want to free from the underground prison?”

“No, it’s someone around me.”

Hyeolcheon Doma then understood in a symbolic sense.

“Ah, everyone carries a shackle in some way.”

“What about your own shackles?”

“Well, I...”

He almost said something, then withdrew.

“Who is this person?”

“The Lord of the Wind Sky Sect’s subordinate.”

“Oh.”

His expression already showed signs of difficulty.

“If this person is someone you desire, then he must be a good person. And if that’s the case, it’s highly likely that the Lord of the Wind Sky Sect cherishes him.”

“Exactly.”

“Does the Lord of the Wind Sky Sect know that you want him?”

“No.”

“Have you spoken to him about it?”

“No, not a word. But I believe our hearts are in sync.”

“Heart? You believe it? Now this is quite a mess.”

When I thought about whom to consult regarding the man in shackles, the first person that came to mind was Hyeolcheon Doma. Even if he didn’t give me an answer, I felt I might find the answer through talking with him. Hyeolcheon Doma was the kind of person for me.

“That’s why I came to you. Please tell me the way.”

“You’ve left the way to me?”

I smiled broadly and proudly said.

“Yes! Please give me the way. Show me how to escape this tangled mess.”