From Now On, You Are
Gu Jin-gyeong stood ramrod straight with his hands clasped behind his back, just as always. I couldn't help thinking that if you personified a brush, it would look just like him. His long beard fluttering from beneath his tall hat only reinforced the image.
"I pay my respects to the Judge of Life and Death."
"I greet the head of the Sado family."
At my greeting, Gu Jin-gyeong removed his tall hat and tucked it under his arm, offering a slight bow of the head. It was a stark contrast to the stiff reception he'd given me before.
"The Sovereign has sent a decree for the head of the Sado family."
"I shall receive it."
I knelt on one knee and prostrated myself, just as before.
Gu Jin-gyeong drew a bamboo slip from within his robes and unrolled it.
Do not come tomorrow. Enter the Heavenly Demon Palace.
That is all.
"I have received it."
"Good."
[What did Gu Jin-gyeong just say?]
'Something like "good," I think.'
[The Judge of Life and Death?]
As Pa Cheon said, Gu Jin-gyeong, the Judge of Life and Death, had always been treated like a man stripped of all emotion.
For him to use a word like "good" was as rare as spotting a legendary spirit beast.
And it didn't stop there.
"Head of the Sado family."
"Yes."
"Might you offer me a cup of tea?"
Gu Jin-gyeong was asking me for tea.
In this world of Return of the Murim Warrior, requesting tea didn't mean you wanted a literal drink. Just a few days ago, Ma Ui had used the same excuse to pull off something insane.
This was the exact same situation. It meant he had something he wanted from me—or something to say.
[It's Gu Jin-gyeong. No need to get on his bad side.]
I wholeheartedly agreed with Pa Cheon. After all, he was like the Heavenly Demon's personal chief secretary, always at her side.
"Please, come inside."
"My thanks."
Of course, I didn't take him to the regular reception hall but to the private one reserved for the family head. Gu Jin-gyeong didn't show it, but I could tell his eyes were scanning every corner of the Sado estate without needing to look closely.
He hung his tall hat on the chair and sat down.
What's he after?
Just in case, I prepared to activate my guardian spirit charm at any moment while ordering Sa Wol to bring tea.
Gu Jin-gyeong inhaled the aroma and remarked,
"A fine tea scent."
"The finest Yunnan Pu'er. I got it from Dok Ma."
"Is that so? I've heard you've been consorting not just with Dok Ma but even Ma Ui lately..."
"Ma Ui must think well of me, that's all."
"Is that right?"
Gu Jin-gyeong set down his teacup, his eyes gleaming as he spoke.
"Is that really all?"
His gaze pierced me like an awl. I could almost hear the faint clink of iron chains somewhere.
[It's a mental image.]
'I know.'
Gu Jin-gyeong was subtly projecting his simsang to pressure me.
I drew up the energy of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art to counter it.
"I don't know what you mean."
"The Sovereign knows every move you make, head of the Sado family. From your contact with Do Il Gwang in the Punishment Cave to Dok Ma, Cheol Mu Geuk, Kwak Ri Yeon, and Ma Ui. She knows you've drawn in all the high ranks of the cult."
"......"
"The Sovereign watches and waits. This is my personal curiosity. Is there truly no other intent behind your actions?"
"Chief Manager Gu Jin-gyeong."
I emphasized my words with force.
"My sword exists solely for the cult and the Sovereign. I harbor no other intentions."
"Even becoming family head?"
"Becoming head... was because the previous head lacked the qualifications to lead the Sado family."
"Qualifications."
Gu Jin-gyeong stared straight through me, as if trying to gauge my sincerity. It wouldn't work.
After all the chaos I'd been through, I could control my expressions freely now. With the Heavenly Demon Divine Art's energy, I could even regulate my heartbeat.
"I see. Good."
With that, Gu Jin-gyeong downed his tea in one gulp.
"Fine tea. I'll see you at the palace."
He adjusted his tall hat, rose, and vanished in a blink.
[No idea what that was about.]
'Tell me about it.'
He'd come like the wind and left like the wind.
But entering the palace again...
I wanted to avoid facing the Heavenly Demon as much as possible. Who knew what she'd pull next.
For now, let's grab some tribute gifts.
With the First Elder ousted as a spirit-possessed traitor, his private wealth had been reclaimed into the Sado family vaults. There might be some treasures worth taking.
And so the next day dawned.
A group stood before the Ascension Stairs leading to the Heavenly Demon Palace. It included the Mad Demon Six Families and other high ranks of the cult.
[Looks like we're not the only ones summoned.]
'A relief, actually.'
The Mad Demon Six Families' members exchanged glances and looked flustered. They'd thought they'd been called alone, but the entire group had been assembled.
Two figures stood out glaringly among them.
One was, predictably, Jin Yeong Ryeong. Bandages wrapped her from the neck down. When our eyes met, she recoiled in horror. The onlookers whispered, "Is the rumor true?"
The other was...
[Mok Nae-i?]
A man with his face swaddled in bandages. His identity was obvious from the bright red dragon embroidered all over his robe.
[Anyone could tell it's Hyeok Mun.]
The head of the Red Dragon Revolution Family. He kept his eyes downcast, avoiding others' gazes, as if ashamed of his state.
The phoenix, maybe?
At the Six Families summit, they'd resolved to hunt the firebird that appeared in Red Dragon Territory. If the Hyeok family failed, they'd bring in outsiders, but Hyeok Mun had stubbornly refused, insisting he'd do it himself.
No word of the firebird's capture, but Hyeok Mun in that state? It meant he had been the one defeated.
[A Super Peak expert humiliated like that... That firebird's no ordinary spirit beast.]
'Yeah.'
Normal spirit beasts showed first-rate to peak-level power. But the exceptional ones were notoriously tough and powerful, nearly impossible to hunt.
I exchanged greetings with the family heads and high ranks.
"You stubborn old fool!"
"You sleazy bastard talks too much!"
Up front, Dok Ma and Ma Ui snarled at each other. Getting too close risked getting crushed in their fight, so I sidled up to the more approachable Cheol Mu Geuk.
"Are you well?"
"What, think I aged back overnight?"
"With the jade's power reversing your age, it's possible."
"You little punk."
Cheol Mu Geuk chuckled gruffly, then spoke in a low tone.
"By the way. Any idea why the Sovereign summoned us?"
"None."
"Heard you even had a private audience with the Judge of Life and Death. We just got a simple messenger bird. You really know nothing?"
"......You seem awfully well-informed about my family’s internal affairs."
"Ahem. Well, yesterday wasn't a weapon delivery day to the Sado estate? Our workers happened. To. See. It. By coincidence."
As I narrowed my eyes, Cheol Mu Geuk coughed awkwardly.
Fair enough. Personal friendship aside, planting spies in allied families was standard.
"Nothing happened."
"Really? Odd."
"What is?"
"It's the first time since the Sovereign inherited the title of Heavenly Demon that she's summoned the high ranks all at once like this."
Yi Se-ryeong generally took a hands-off approach to cult internals. Not indifference, but because she'd seen what happened when the Heavenly Demon meddled—Do Il Gwang's fate.
That laxity had let scum like Sado Gwang run wild, though.
"And no sign of the vice leader, who never misses a chance like this. Wonder what scheme he's cooking up."
Come to think of it, Chu Tae Su was absent, as Cheol Mu Geuk said.
"We'll find out soon. Look, the Judge is here."
Gu Jin-gyeong appeared, opening the doors to the Heavenly Demon Palace. He spoke.
"Members of the cult. Thanks for answering the Sovereign's call."
His quiet voice rang crystal clear in every ear, a testament to his precise control of profound inner energy.
"The Sovereign awaits. All, enter the palace."
I gathered the Heavenly Demon Divine Art's energy heavily in my dantian and resolved myself.
No matter what, I wouldn't be surprised.
And that resolve shattered immediately.
A grand audience hall so opulent even an emperor's might pale in comparison.
A woman sat upon a jade throne shaped like a coiled black dragon.
Her features were mysteriously beautiful, ethereal as if carved from ice, otherworldly.
Dignity dwelled in her shining silver eyes.
Yi Se-ryeong.
The world called her the Heavenly Demon, with awe and dread.
All the entering cult members bowed their heads, unable to meet her gaze directly. Super Peak experts, family heads, high officials—every one of them.
Like ministers lining up before an emperor, they naturally split and arrayed left and right. No rules dictated it; it just happened.
Why's Chu Tae Su over there?
Chu Tae Su stood below the throne's left side. Not floating, perhaps out of decorum, but wearing that unsettling smile. Our eyes met; he gave a slight nod.
"Thanks for coming, all."
The Heavenly Demon's low voice echoed.
It was on another level.
Just hearing it sent chills down my spine and my heart racing. It felt like an honor merely to listen—
[Snap out of it, you fool!]
Pa Cheon's shout yanked me back. Without raising the Heavenly Demon Divine Art before her, even a moment's lapse shook my mind.
"Today, this Sovereign called you to make a proclamation."
This hadn't happened in Return of the Murim Warrior. Yi Se-ryeong only stepped in after war broke out.
"We shall receive it!"
The cult members chorused in unison, heads bowed.
Everyone except me.
[You idiot...]
'You could've warned me if you knew.'
I was the only one with my head up.
Locking eyes one-on-one with the Heavenly Demon. I strained to keep my mind from melting.
"Cult rank 23. Sado family head, Sado Hwan."
[We're done. She must be furious you broke protocol—]
At Pa Cheon's words, I hurried forward and bowed deeply.
"Yes, Sovereign."
"Your brother, Sado Gwang, is dead."
The Heavenly Demon was the fiancée of this body, Sado Hwan's brother, Sado Gwang.
"By cult tradition, when the elder brother dies, the younger takes his wife. Therefore."
With icy expression and voice, she declared,
"Sado Hwan. From now on, you are my fiancée."
I'm screwed.
Pretending to Be the Heavenly Demon