After their first meeting, Mark and She Tao quickly became best friends. It so happened that the member of the seer clan was often seen by the members of the Mo clan in their territory. The two men, to most people, did nothing but play board games all day long. However, there were several times when the members of the inventor clan tried to spy on what their clan member was doing with the strange Western cultivator.
However, no matter how many times they tried, they only found that the two men were sitting opposite each other and playing shogi silently, not even talking. Well, that was the part of their observation that was wrong. The friends did talk and not even a little while playing. However, thanks to Mark's abilities from his previous life, the Mist covered their conversations and as the man always said when She Tao asked him if anyone knew what they were talking about: "What's in the mist stays in the mist."
This way, the friends could discuss their acquaintances, the state of the world, the gods, the demons, and everything in between without any problems. There was no topic that the two men couldn't discuss during a game of shogi. So it's no wonder that within a few years they knew everything there was to know about each other. Their conversations were interspersed with teasing and they often teased each other.
"And my general knocked down yours. There's your army." She Tao chuckled during one of their games, then picked up the knocked-down piece and held it in front of his face. "Think about how exciting it would be to do this live." He gave voice to his thoughts.
"Would you like to?" Mark asked, who didn't even look up from the board. However, his words managed to make She Tao look at him in surprise.
"What?" The chán boy asked confused.
"Would you like to try playing live?" Mark looked questioningly at the younger cultivator as he moved one of his pawns.
"That's easier said than done." The chán boy rollef his eyes, then turned his attention back to the board.
"If you know where to look for the right pawns, it's no big deal." Mark shrugged.
"And you do?" She Tao tilted his head to the side, but his companion could read from his gaze that he didn't really believe him.
"Of course. I know more information about the world than you think." Mark grinned evilly.
"How?" The chán boy raised his eyebrows.
"Mist." Mark waved a hand, as if it wasn't a big deal that you mentioned that certain assassin organization.
"Didn't you say you wanted to forget its existence?" She Tao's lips twitched into a faint smile.
"As long as we don't spit in their soup, we can play here in peace." The Western cultivator shrugged. "The question is, do you feel like playing against me?" He finally grinned, which his companion repeated.
"I have a much better idea." The young chán's eyes sparkled.
"I'm listening." Mark supported his chin in his palm.
"Let's play against the world together." She Tao announced. " Let's take over power over my people. It would be funny to watch them give the title of leader to two people like us." The boy chuckled, but his friend just looked at him seriously.
"You want to be a Grand Leader." He announced.
"The emphasis is not on the will." The young chán folded his arms in front of him. "I want to see their faces when they realize that a half-demon can be a useful part of their society. And of course I'm bored." He sighed and moved another step on the board. "But if you don't like the idea, we don't have to do it." He finally shrugged.
"I like it, but..." Mark sighed here. "I don't want to be before everyone's eyes. I always wanted to be average. Dominance is not for me, that's your style, A-Tao." The man shook his head.
"And if you were my mist?" She Tao's eyes began to sparkle again, then he grimaced. "No, that's not a good word. Shadow. Be my shadow. You control from behind from the mist, and I from the light from in front." The chán boy offered the new idea.
'We would reach the top and we would both get what we want. I will be your weapon, you will be my face, I will be your secrets, you will be my knowledge." Mark was enthusiastic as the outlines of the plan were born in his mind.
"The world will not know what is is up against." She Tao grinned. "The two of us will be one man, the most dangerous the world has ever carried on its back." The boy chán explained.
"So be it!" Mark extended his hand across the table.
"Agreed!" She Tao grabbed the extended hand.
"Then it is time for me to assess how the clans stand." Mark stood up suddenly.
"And I will drool over the library and figure out how we can take over the title of Grand Leader." She Tao agreed, then the two friends abandoned the game of shogi and began their new, much more exciting game.
As a result of this plan, the following years were spent in research, and then the two friends set about implementing the plan. First, the chán clans were thrown together with the attacks of the Utauchis from the northern islands. According to the plan, the easiest way to gain followers after they came to power was to eliminate some huge threat. And if there was no such threat, the easiest way was for the cultivator to create a threat for himself.
And this particular threat turned out to be war. The plan was going perfectly, and the tension in the country of the cháns grew more and more over the years. Even though the people of She Tao did everything they could to ignore the problem that the war clearly caused for a long time. Then, barely two years ago, the plan entered its second phase.
By now, Mark had already integrated himself into the people of the then-Grand Leader of the cháns, to such a position that the Grand Leader was already alone with him. At that time, the Western cultivator began to weaken the Grand Leader's organization with the poisons he had learned from the clan leader. No one suspected anything. Everything was going perfectly according to plan, the two friends slowly reached the point where they could move on to the third phase of the big plan, when everything turned upside down.
"You come west with me!" That was all it took from Weruh Sesanti's mouth to trump the pair's plans.
"For what?" Mark snapped, although he was aware that he would not be able to contradict his clan leader.
"We need a deputy director." He announced and without further ado dragged Mark to his homeland, to the most famous school there, Floating Air Barracks.
Of course, the ex-Mist member did not let his carefully crafted plans go to waste. So at the first opportunity he could, he visited She Tao and they agreed that their world-conquering plan would slow down for a while. After all, ten years here or there did not mean much in the lives of two immortals, and they could continue their conversations and shogi games during this time. Even if they were much further apart than ever before.