Senior, this is Yi Zaha.

It would’ve been easier to speak face-to-face, but I’m sending a letter, which is inconvenient. Even if the content is awkward and the writing a mess, I ask for your understanding. I rarely write letters.

Letters are meant to be written to women, so this doesn’t feel great for me either.

By the time you read this, I’ll be on my way to Mount Hua.

To get to the point: don’t come to Mount Hua.

I mean it. Don’t come. I emphasize this again because there are always people who come even when told not to.

The Cult Leader said he doesn’t want to see you.

If he wanted to kill you, he would’ve told you to come, but it seems his mind has changed.

Saying not to come probably means he doesn’t want to kill you.

If I had to guess, I think the Alliance Leader believes Jianghu under the Martial Alliance is still better. I agree.

At Mount Hua, it’ll be me, Sword Demon, Mong Yeon, and Master Yukhap together.

If just the White-Robed Scholar or Cheonak comes, that would be enough. Even if a few more lords are added, it doesn’t matter much.

So, please be the one to contact them.

I intend to fight the Cult Leader there, but I don’t know how it’ll turn out.

As you know, the result of our efforts usually doesn’t matter that much. What matters more is that we give it our all.

However, I promise that if all of us die, the Cult Leader will not descend Mount Hua alive.

That’s a resolve I’ve made.

If things go terribly, we’ll all die on Mount Hua.

But if the Cult Leader, like the old masters of Jianghu, abides by certain rules, then maybe the battle on Mount Hua could end with no one dying.

How can one predict what lies ahead?

It’s impossible to know.

If the worst comes, you probably intended to cut off the Cult Leader’s arm and go down with him—but from what I’ve seen of him, that won’t be easy.

So hold your ground within the Martial Alliance.

The Cult Leader will bring his strongest subordinates up the mountain, but he’ll either come down alone—or stay buried there with me.

As long as you hold firm in the Martial Alliance, Jianghu in our time will remain stable.

Even though the Cult Leader knows this, he still said he doesn’t want to see you.

That’s just his personality—hard for us to understand. In a way, I get it. He’s probably never even considered the idea of losing.

It’s hard to define or predict the fight between the Cult Leader and me.

It’s true he’s stronger than me, but the outcome of the fight depends on me. If I can elevate my level one more time within the time I have, I’m confident I won’t lose to anyone. My only concern is that I recently ascended a level, so it’s unlikely I’ll have another breakthrough so soon.

That’s why I’m not frantically training right now. The time I have is just too limited.

Alliance Leader, the greatest in the world today is the Cult Leader.

If I’m left alone to train, I’ll be the next to hold that title. But if I fall on Mount Hua and Mong Yeon survives, the next in line will be that damn Lecher in about eighteen years. And if peace continues after that, then the next strongest will be my disciple.

That disciple is Jang Yoran of Ilyang County.

Once word spreads that I fought the Cult Leader on Mount Hua...

And if I don’t return from that mountain...

Please send someone to Ilyang County and bring Jang Deuk-soo, Hong-shin, and Yoran to the Martial Alliance. Take in Brother Deuk-soo and his wife as head cooks. And teach Yoran the Six Combat Blade.

It’s just a request, left to your judgment.

But the only person in Jianghu capable of learning the Six Combat Blade is Yoran.

Of course, if the four of us idiots survive, Yoran won’t be in the right mindset to learn it. In that case, there’s no need to teach her.

She won’t be able to understand it anyway.

From my perspective, your martial arts are like that—something one has to comprehend, not just learn.

If we were drinking and talking in person, you would’ve asked me this:

“Do you think you can win?”

“Can’t you avoid the fight?”

“What about killing him with joint effort?”

Let me answer them in order:

Right now, I don’t have the confidence to win. The fight absolutely must happen. Killing him through combined force is not an option.

The duel with the Cult Leader was an agreement made between martial artists.

We drank the oath wine.

That means he agreed to fight according to the ways of Baekdo. After the first clash, it was clear he’s a man versed in strategy and tactics—you can’t defeat him with common tricks.

Suggesting to fight on Mount Hua...

That’s a man who isn’t like a man, a martial artist who isn’t like a martial artist, choosing to fight like a martial artist. If we respond like demonic or black-path warriors during that moment, everything will collapse.

If I win, then I win.

If I lose, I must lose righteously.

That’s the only way to keep the Cult Leader tied to his humanity. I want him to remain human—for his own sake. After all, he’s faced inhuman beings for so long.

If the Cult Leader remains human, his subordinates won’t cross the line. And the harm caused by that incomprehensible religion will gradually fade.

If that happens, haven’t we already won in another way?

Even in defeat, I’m thinking of victory.

Please understand that well, Alliance Leader.

As far as I know, the two finest martial artists in Jianghu today are you and me.

When are you getting married?

Senior, continue your Alliance Leader duties for another eighteen years.

Then retire without regret.

If you can’t marry, it’ll be hard to retire, so I recommend finding a suitable woman first.

The young ones need to bear heavier burdens to grow strong like you. But if you keep carrying it all yourself, you’ll grow stronger while the next generation falls behind.

People must live happily.

But in the Martial Alliance, there’s no time for happiness.

You should go seek your happiness.

I can hear your voice muttering, “Don’t talk nonsense,” in my head right now.

But this isn’t nonsense. It’s nagging.

When I decided to fight the Cult Leader at Mount Hua...

Rather than fear, I felt peace. This is the kind of battle I always wanted. I was just a Jomsoi before stepping into Jianghu, and now I’m fighting the Cult Leader. You could say this Jomsoi’s journey through Jianghu has been a successful one.

As always, I’m not afraid of the Cult Leader’s martial arts.

I’m afraid I won’t overcome my own limits.

What else would a man born with pride have to fear?

They say Mount Hua, despite its ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ name, has few flowers.

I’ll go check that out first.

From Ilyang County,

Your useless junior, to the Martial Alliance Leader.

***

As I set down the brush, Yoran walked up and asked,

“Master, are you finished writing?”

“Yeah.”

“Who did you write the letter to?”

Looking at Yoran, I answered,

“The Martial Alliance Leader.”

“Wow.”

“Your master is that kind of man.”

“You’re amazing, Master.”

“You mocking me?”

“No, sir. So what did you write?”

“I told him to hurry up and get married. He’s an old bachelor.”

“What’s an old bachelor?”

I called Yoran over and whispered in her ear.

“Someone like your First Master. A bit older but still unmarried.”

“Oh.”

“You get it?”

“Yes.”

Then Yoran whispered back.

“Then is the opposite of an old bachelor a lecher?”

“That’s... a little controversial. Neither term is flattering.”

“Understood.”

I switched back to my normal voice and asked,

“Anyway, what’s for dinner tonight? Recite it.”

Yoran cleared her throat and replied.

“Pig bone stew.”

“Excellent.”

“Since all the Masters are busy, there's little chance to serve food. So this time, I’m making it every day.”

“Pig bone stew—even the Cult Leader couldn’t resist it. A local delicacy of Ilyang County. A miraculous dish that saved Jianghu. That’s what pig bone stew is.”

Yoran blinked in surprise.

“Pig bone stew saved Jianghu?”

I nodded solemnly.

“Yes. Our cook, Chef Jang, saved it. Great food is a mighty force.”

“The Cult Leader must’ve grown up eating only terrible food.”

“How did you know?”

“Wait, really?”

“Really. Since he was young, there were many trying to assassinate him. He probably couldn’t drink a cup of water without fear, let alone enjoy a meal. It’s likely he’s eaten poisoned food before. If you live like that from childhood, what kind of person do you become?”

“His face was so emotionless.”

“Exactly. He must’ve been like that for a long time.”

“But why would people want to assassinate him?”

“Back then, he wasn’t yet the Cult Leader. There were many competitors eyeing the position.”

“What’s so good about being the Cult Leader?”

I smiled at Yoran.

“Not much.”

“Then why would anyone want to become the Cult Leader?”

“To survive, probably.”

The topic seemed a bit heavy, and Yoran fell into a brief silence before replying,

“...It’s a strange religion.”

“My thoughts exactly. Let’s go inside.”

“Yes, Master.”

As we climbed the stairs together, I asked,

“By the way, what part of it seems strange to you?”

“It’s like... they couldn’t choose not to become the Cult Leader. That’s weird. Being forced into it. If you don’t do it, you die. That kind of thing is just really strange.”

“You’re right.”

My disciple really is clever.

Big Bro and the Lecher were already seated at the table. I sat down next to Yoran and drank some water first. The Lecher glanced at me and then asked Yoran,

“Did Third Master badmouth me again?”

“No?”

“I thought I heard the word ‘lecher.’”

“Isn’t that your nickname, Fourth Master?”

Big Bro spit out a bit of water as he was drinking.

Clicking my tongue, I looked at him and said,

“You can’t even swallow water properly? At your age?”

As we waited for the food, Yoran asked,

“So when is Second Master coming?”

I looked at Big Bro and the Lecher, then answered,

“...Second Master is the weakest among us four. He’s currently training fiercely, saying he wants to catch up with us. Though it’s unlikely, we should still respect his efforts.”

“Where is he training?”

“There’s a man second only to the Cult Leader in strength. I’ll tell you his nickname later.”

Yoran looked at me and replied,

“Is it Cheonak?”

“You even know that? What don’t you know? You really are Jang Yoran of Ilyang County.”

Now, Yoran could even hold back her laughter and control her expression. She lowered her head slightly, forcing a serious face. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

“You flatter me.”

“Sharp of you to notice. Yes, that was flattery.”

Now her nostrils flared a bit.

Then Brother Deuk-soo came over and placed a large bowl of pig bone stew on the table. It was the biggest table, so Brother Deuk-soo and Sister Hong also sat down, picked up their chopsticks, and everyone looked toward Big Bro.

Big Bro gave a slight smile and said briefly,

“Let’s eat.”

Brother Deuk-soo added with a smile,

“Please enjoy. This is the legendary pig bone stew, praised even by the Cult Leader.”

Yoran glanced at me, then slyly reached out with her chopsticks.

“Master?”

“Yeah?”

She gripped her wooden chopsticks and jabbed them into the stew.

“The Cult Leader did this, and the chopstick sank right into the bone. Super soft. Can you do it too?”

I looked at Yoran and nodded.

“That’s something all the Masters can do.”

“Really? Even Chief Cha?”

“That guy? Not a chance.”

“Okay.”

Gripping my chopsticks, I looked at Big Bro and the Lecher.

“Judging by your faces, I’ll need to prove it.”

I channeled internal energy into the chopsticks and stabbed them into the pig bone. Naturally, they sank in. Big Bro followed and did the same without effort. Then the Lecher plunged his chopsticks into the center and handed them to Yoran.

“Here. Eat this.”

Yoran received them with both hands and said,

“Thank you.”

As I gnawed on the pig bone, I realized Yoran had already sensed most of what was about to happen. She was still young, so she couldn’t hide all her expressions yet.

While eating, Yoran asked,

“How can you beat the Cult Leader?”

There are moments when a young disciple’s question is difficult to answer—and this was one of them. Big Bro and the Lecher remained silent. Brother Deuk-soo and Sister Hong also said nothing.

If I stayed silent too, Yoran might start to worry more.

But even I couldn’t find the words right away.

Because I couldn’t lie to my young disciple.

After a long pause, I finally managed to speak.

“We’ve all been contending with the Cult Leader for a long time.”

“Yes.”

“That doesn’t just mean martial arts. We’ve clashed in our ways of life, in our thoughts. Even in mindset. It’s probably because of a shift in mindset that the Cult Leader even came here and ate pig bone stew. So, there’s no need to worry too much.”

Yoran nodded.

“Understood. But, Third Master.”

“Yeah?”

“How do you win with mindset?”

I nodded a few times, then replied.

“By smiling more than the Cult Leader. That’s something he really struggles with.”

Yoran gave a surprisingly sharp reply.

“...But you don’t smile that much either, Master.”

I looked at Big Bro and the Lecher and responded,

“We all smile a lot on the inside. Right, Big Bro?”

Big Bro nodded.

“Right.”

Then Yoran turned to confirm with the Lecher.

“Fourth Master, is that true? You smile on the inside?”

The Lecher nodded.

“Yeah. I’m laughing on the inside right now.”

Yoran declared, chopsticks still in hand,

“Then I’ll start laughing on the inside too.”

I looked at her expression and pointed out,

“Yoran, that’s a mocking face.”

“Yes.”

“But not bad. If you ever face an opponent you want to mess with, always keep that face. Practice it.”

Brother Deuk-soo let out a sigh and looked at me.

“You really are teaching her the best stuff.”

Only then did I laugh—and everyone else at the table laughed too.