Chapter 426
So he’s Caden Miller.
Se-Hoon observed the tall man with sharp features, who looked to be in his thirties. If Li Kenxie was like a blazing fire, Caden was cold steel—and his presence was no less intense.
He should be in his late fifties by now... Looks like he didn’t become a disciple just by luck.
Noticing Caden’s hands, disfigured with burns and scars, Se-Hoon narrowed his eyes. He watched as Caden stepped into the room and sat down on the sofa placed to the side.
“Looks like you’ve given up on fasting.”
“...”
“That’s a wise choice. Supplements might be more effective now, but they can never replace the satisfaction of a proper meal in the long term.”
“...”
“Come to think of it, it’s almost lunchtime. Since things are already like this, how about we eat together today?”
“...”
Li Wen didn’t even glance at him, let alone reply. After countless futile escape attempts and struggles over the past few months, he had come to the realization that no action was, in fact, the best course of action.
“So now you’re just ignoring me. Stubborn as ever, aren’t you?”
“...”
“Whew... When will you finally grow up...”
Shaking his head in exasperation, Caden then cast a cold glare at Li Wen.
“Do you want to lose your daughter too, just like you lost your wife?”
Finally, for the first time since Caden entered, Li Wen turned his head.
“You piece of shit,” Li Wen spat out venomously, barely containing his fury.
Li Wen still couldn’t believe he had once thought of someone like the man before him as family, even following so faithfully. The mere thought filled his body with a surge of betrayal and rage, making him tremble.
Caden, however, was unfazed. “Sit down.” His voice was coldly detached.
And having already responded, Li Wen knew there was no point in trying to ignore him anymore, so he clenched his fists and sat across from Caden.
“Have you thought about my previous offer?” Still, Caden’s stare was cold and indifferent.
“...”
“Keeping your mouth shut won’t change anything. You should learn how to speak up for yourself if you truly want to change your situation. Don’t go putting all your hopes into strangers you’re not even familiar with.”
Just like the old days, Caden was preaching at him again—a thought that made Li Wen let out a bitter laugh.
“Someone listening in might think you actually want to have a conversation with me.”
“Why else do you think I am here?”
“You’re just here to squeeze the answer you want out of me. Why pretend when you won’t even listen to me?”
Li Wen glared at him with fierce eyes.
“I can’t believe I followed a bastard like you and called you my uncle. It’s the biggest stain on my life. Scoff, well? Does this count as a proper ‘conversation’ for you?”
The tension between the two was crackling dangerously.
Watching it all go down, Se-Hoon, sitting quietly on the main sofa, was stroking his chin in thought.
Hmm... this is more intense than I expected.
He had initially assumed they were simply keeping Li Wen locked up to stop him from seeing Li Fei, but from the conversation between the two, the situation seemed to have taken a darker turn. He needed to gauge the situation more clearly, so Se-Hoon stayed silent and listened.
A brief stare down ensued, after which Caden finally spoke again. “If that’s how you feel, so be it. It’s up to you to make the final decision anyway.”
“...”
“But your daughter, Li Fei, is a different story.” Their eyes locked again, and Caden continued, staring into Li Wen’s wavering gaze. “Her future depends on the choices you, her father, make. Are you really going to stay silent like this the entire time?”
“...”
“The mass production of Sacred Equipment has already begun. Even without Li Fei’s help, the growth of the Seven Saints’ influence is inevitable.”
At those words, both Li Wen and Se-Hoon’s eyes widened in shock.
They’re mass-producing Sacred Equipment?
What could they be after for them to accept mass reproducing the powerful Sacred Equipment that Li Kenxie forged for them personally? Se-Hoon puzzled over the implications.
“Also, just so we’re clear, don’t count on the other Perfect Ones stepping in to stop this. They’ve already given their tacit approval.”
“Wh-What...?”
“This is the first real advantage we’ve had in decades against the Demon Force. If crushing them fully requires taking a ‘few’ losses, they’re willing to accept that.”
Caden’s sharp voice sliced through the air.
“The tide has already turned. The eradication of the Demon Force is practically a done deal. What matters now is what comes after.”
“...”
“With Li Fei’s talent, she could shape that future with her own hands. If things go as you hope, she might even be the leash that keeps the Seven Saints in check. All of the Sacred Equipment forged from then on would belong to her.”
“...”
Like before, Li Wen remained silent. However, unlike before, his once unshakable eyes were trembling slightly—his composure had cracked.
Yet Caden didn’t push further when he noticed. Instead, he pulled back.
“Okay, I think that’s enough for today. Think it over carefully. What path truly serves Li Fei’s best interests?”
With that, Caden stood and walked toward the door—
Li Wen, deep in thought, suddenly looked up.
“?!”
But then his expression reverted. He said nothing.
Tsk. What a hell of a dull bastard, Caden thought in annoyance.
Still, he got Li Wen to waver for a moment. Just a little more pressure, a tiny bit more and he would come around.
Certain of it, Caden stepped outside without looking back, gave a few instructions to the Sacred Flame Squad on surveillance duty, and left the Beijing branch.
Meanwhile, back in the room, Li Wen was staring blankly ahead, his eyes still trembling.
And that was when Se-Hoon finally revealed himself at last.
“Wow, you held it together well,” Se-Hoon remarked with a smile.
Huh? How, no... why is he here?
The first thing Li Wei felt upon seeing Se-Hoon’s appearance was not surprise but confusion. They had only met once last year, meaning there was no friendship, no enmity between them. Yet Se-Hoon appeared before him?
“Why...”
He instinctively tried to voice the question but then abruptly clamped his mouth, trying to act normal upon remembering the surveillance.
In contrast, Se-Hoon wasn’t worried at all.
“Don’t worry about the surveillance,” Se-Hoon calmly said, noticing. “I’ve taken care of it already. It’ll just look like you’re deep in thought to them.”
At those words, Li Wen cautiously glanced around, and sure enough, the usual sense of being watched had lightened.
“Understood.”
“Then, I’m sure this is all very overwhelming, so let me explain things briefly. The reason I’m here is...”
Se-Hoon didn’t mention Offering or Li Kenxie, simply claiming he was investigating suspicious rumors about the Seven Saints. It wasn’t the right time to reveal everything, and leaking information through Li Wen was still a risk.
“They’re really... mass-producing them?”
Thanks to the earlier conversation, Li Wen didn’t doubt Se-Hoon at all. His expression turned grave.
“Did the other Perfect Ones really approve? And what about my daughter...?”
Having been isolated for months, Li Wen was ready to pour out all the questions bottled inside. But before the words could fully flow out, Se-Hoon placed a hand on his shoulder to calm him.
“Take a breath. I’ve got some questions for you, too, so let’s go over this step by step.”
He gazed at Li Wen with a steady gaze, which seemed to have somehow brought clarity to Li Wen’s clouded mind.
“I apologize. It seems I lost my head for a moment,” Li Wen said with a small bow, giving him a faint, apologetic smile.
“It’s okay. I completely understand, given the situation.”
With Li Wen now calmed, Se-Hoon sat across from him—the seat where Caden had been just moments earlier—and began. “Can you tell me what, exactly, Caden Miller proposed to you?”
“...Caden said that with the Seven Saints’ cooperation, they can mass-produce equipment imbued with the Sacred Craftsman’s... with my father’s power.”
“You mean the Sacred Equipment?”
“Yes. And apparently, to do that, they need my daughter’s, Li Fei’s, power.”
Se-Hoon fell into thought. What kind of weapon would even require the power of a six-year-old child? He tried to piece together what the new version of the Sacred Equipment could be.
Are they going to refine it with Sacred Flames?
If that were the case, then it made sense. They needed Li Fei’s power but could also technically get it even without her. If they just rounded up people suffering from spontaneous combustion syndrome, which was simply the rampage of Sacred Flames, they would surely be able to supply the flame artificially.
“Did he mention what kind of help he needs from her?”
“Well...” Li Wen paused briefly, thinking, then let out a sigh. “I’m not entirely sure, but I think it has something to do with my wife’s keepsake.”
“A keepsake?” It was an unexpected detail that made Se-Hoon raise an eyebrow.
Nodding, Li Wen explained. “Among the items my wife left behind, there’s one weapon that can only be used by someone whose blood is imprinted into it. I think that’s why they need my daughter, who shares her blood.”
“I see.... Can I ask what kind of weapon it is?”
“It’s called the Earth-Weaving Loom.”
Se-Hoon paused; the name rang a bell. He searched through his memories and only then remembered what it was.
“That’s... one of the Five Elemental Equipment, isn’t it?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
It was the last of the Five Elemental Equipment—one Se-Hoon had yet to track down. As it turned out, Caden himself had it all along, despite being the very man who had scattered them all around the world in the first place.
I don’t think he was hiding it from the start... maybe he gave it to Li Fei’s mother and then retrieved it later.
Naturally, Se-Hoon recalled Luo Mingmei, the woman who was both Li Kenxie’s daughter-in-law and former disciple.
And that was when the gears in his mind began clicking into place, making his expression twist subtly.
Was the reason Li Kenxie left Caden alone all this time...
While Se-Hoon slowly sank into his thoughts, Li Wen hesitated before speaking up. “May I ask you something as well?”
“Ah, yes. Go ahead.”
“Do you also believe the other Perfect Ones will really stay silent about this incident?”
Li Wen wasn’t clueless; he had already sort of figured out that his imprisonment likely involved his father’s influence. And he knew that also meant the whole situation had the Perfect Ones’ backing.
In other words, the only ones who could step were not the Heroes Association but solely the other Perfect Ones.
“Hm...”
Se-Hoon thought it over, factoring in what he’d heard earlier and what he knew about the other Perfect Ones.
“Yeah. They’ll probably stay silent.”
In the end, he had to agree. If Wurgen were still alive, he might have stepped in, citing the damage to his UD Group’s profits. The others? Not likely.
Ludwig would go along with it as long as the technology was shared. Baek-Yeon wouldn’t care as long as it didn’t cross her personal line. Karl would overlook it unless humanity itself was threatened. And Jason... just simply didn’t care.
“Unbelievable...”
Li Wen’s face turned pale upon hearing Se-Hoon’s explanation. The Seven Saints—who had committed countless atrocities to maintain their power—were avoiding punishment with the silent approval of the Perfect Ones? It was just unimaginable to Li Wen.
“Hm...”
Se-Hoon looked at Li Wen’s despairing face with a complicated expression.
Something about this feels... off.
Caden and Li Kenxie were trying to use Li Fei to mass-produce Sacred Flame Equipment, while the Seven Saints wanted to wield that power to gain influence over the entire planet. It was just another classic power struggle among heroes.
However, the involvement of Offering and the Demon Force had turned it into an actual problem.
Did the Seven Saints and Li Kenxie both ally knowing about this...?
While Li Wen wouldn’t believe it, the Seven Saints had actually never betrayed humanity before his regression—even if they were corrupt. They wanted to reign above other humans, not become monsters swimming in the black sea.
And Li Kenxie... is he being completely fooled, or is he just closing one eye?
Torn, Se-Hoon wrestled with his thoughts—
“Mr. Lee.”
Li Wen’s voice, grave and resolute, called him back.
“Please help me.”
“Hmm...”
“You’re the only one who can fix this entire situation.”
What Li Wen needed was someone powerful enough to stand against the Perfect Ones but also had strong ties to them. In the world, how many people could fit that impossible profile?
That was why Li Wen believed the man before him was his last shot.
“I don’t care what happens to me. You can use me however you like if that’s what it takes.”
“...”
“But please... don’t let them take hold of my daughter. I’m begging you.”
Moments ago, he had been about to accept Caden’s offer for the sake of his daughter, for Li Fei. But after speaking with Se-Hoon, he realized that was a lie—justification he came up with to ease his own guilt.
That wasn’t truly for her... but for me to escape, for me to see her again.
Regretting it, he chose to remove himself from the equation entirely and instead placed Li Fei’s future in Se-Hoon’s hands alone.
And that also was likely a wrong decision. Li Wen knew that, but powerless as he was, it was all he could do.
“Please...”
Desperate, he tried to rise from the sofa and kneel to plead—
Thump-
Se-Hoon’s hand gently pressed down on Li Wen’s shoulder.
“Huh...?”
Without much force used at all, Li Wen lost his balance and sank back into the sofa. He looked up at Se-Hoon in surprise.
“Do you really mean it when you said you would entrust everything to me?”
To Se-Hoon, Li Wen was someone familiar, someone he had known even before regressing. But to Li Wen, Se-Hoon was just someone he’d met once, last year. Was he genuinely ready to entrust his and his daughter’s future to such a stranger?
“Yes. I can.”
“And your reason is?”
“Because you’re the one who stood up to my father for my daughter’s sake.”
Li Wen’s eyes were steady, without hesitation.
“That’s why I know I can believe in you.”
It could be said that he had excellent instincts—or just that he was impulsive and naive. Seeing him like that, Se-Hoon couldn’t help but think Li Wen was still the same person he had known before regression, which made him give Li Wen a bitter smile.
“If you say it like that, I guess I have no choice.”
“Then...!”
“But just know that I can’t guarantee success. You’ll have to do everything I say. Understood?”
“Yes, of course!”
Li Wen nodded eagerly, a smile returning to his face at long last. Satisfied, Se-Hoon glanced around the room.
“First things first, we need to get out of here...”
How could he shake Caden enough to create an opening? Mulling over it, Se-Hoon searched through his memories until one idea surfaced.
“I’m going to bring someone to help. Things might get a little rough, but bear with it.”
“Huh? Ah, sure. I’m grateful for any help,” Li Wen accepted with a nod. But unable to help his curiosity, he asked, “But... who is it that’s helping?”
Wouldn’t it complicate things if Se-Hoon’s S-rank hero acquaintances got directly involved? To that concerned question, Se-Hoon simply smiled.
“Three Dogs.”