85. Gift
The First Elder of the Sado family went pale and slumped into his seat. Even his closest confidant, the Sixth Elder, was pacing anxiously.
“S-Sado Hwan…… beat Kwak Ri Yeon?”
“No, that's not it. It was just a single exchange, and Sado Hwan took heavy internal injuries from landing that one blow. No need to worry that much, right?”
“Nonsense!”
The First Elder jabbed a finger accusingly as he spoke.
“Kwak Ri Yeon's martial arts are the real deal. I've seen them myself! Hundreds of Wudang bastards got swept away at once by a casual flick of his fist wind!”
“Are you talking about the incident from 15 years ago?”
“Exactly. Even back then, he was already at Super Peak, and he's only gotten stronger since…… For Sado Hwan, who's been at Super Peak for less than a year, to injure Kwak Ri Yeon? It'd be more believable if a dog bit a tiger to death.”
Not all Super Peak experts are created equal.
Once you've achieved Three Flowers Gather at the Summit and can manifest gang qi, that's when you're truly called Super Peak.
Just because they start from the same point doesn't mean they're all at the same level.
“So what do we do, Family Head?”
“Ugh……”
The First Elder, groaning in frustration, finally spoke.
“We'll send a messenger pigeon first.”
The First Elder wrote a letter.
“The Il Wol Chu family is a suspicious bunch, so don't open the letter out of curiosity, no matter how tempted you are.”
“Of course, sir.”
“Go.”
The Sixth Elder thumped his chest as if to say leave it to me, then took the letter.
“I'll report back once I return.”
The First Elder just nodded without replying. As the Sixth Elder left, the candle flame on the desk flickered unsteadily.
Some days are just like that.
You wake up to an oddly peaceful morning.
Sunlight streaming warmly, the surroundings wrapped in a pleasant silence.
After a refreshing deep sleep like that……
“I'm late!”
I bolted upright, fumbling desperately for my phone by the bed. I had to check the time. The time, right now……
[What are you doing?]
“Ah.”
[It's already past Wu Shi (11 a.m. to 1 p.m.), so yes, you're late. A typical martial artist would've finished their morning training by now.]
The voice in my head froze me in my awkward half-risen pose.
[Such an unsightly posture in my body……]
Pa Cheon sighed. I sighed too. Different reasons, though.
“Damn it.”
I'd almost rather be late for work. Sure, I'd get chewed out by the boss, but a few harsh words wouldn't kill me.
If I went back now, I could probably nail anything. Swords flashing right in front of my face don't faze me anymore. With this kind of guts and nerve, I could succeed at whatever, right?
'How about switching to stunt work while you're at it?'
I could pull off any stunt. Even a gun firing point-blank? No sweat. Probably?
[So, what's your plan now?]
“Call an emergency Family Head meeting. Not the regular one.”
The Six Families Gathering was less than two weeks away. Once it started, I'd be away from the family for days. Not like the quick trips to the Iron family—this time, we'd head to a remote island sealed by formations.
'If I hadn't allied with the Iron Family Head and Kwak Family Head, that could've been disastrous.'
Going to that isolated island with no backing would've been way riskier.
[Consolidating internal control in Sado Ga?]
“Yeah. With the seals from the Iron and Kwak families, even the elder faction can't complain.”
[What if the elders are backed by the Il Wol Chu family, as you said?]
“Then we counter accordingly. The Il Wol Chu aren't seriously plotting anything yet anyway.”
[……Not serious? About this mess?]
I nodded.
“Obviously. You know what the Il Wol Chu are like.”
Guys on the level of 0.7 Sado Gwang. Does Sado Gwang ever act without layers of schemes?
“This is just them testing the waters. How capable is Sado Ga's new head? Is the Super Peak rumor true or fake? How well can he control the family? That sort of thing.”
[And you've cleared every test?]
“Eh, got lucky.”
[It's not just luck.]
Pa Cheon continued.
[As a sword who's touched half a realm myself, I can tell. A true martial artist starts by accurately knowing themselves after endless cycles of trial. Don't dismiss it as luck. Your real skill…… is leveraging that mysterious information of yours.]
Pa Cheon's words gave me a bit of enlightenment. Yeah, most of what I'd called 'luck' was stuff I'd prepared for in advance.
So what he meant was, even in desperate situations, stay clear-headed and do what you can. The answers are inside you.
[In other words, don't get cocky relying on luck.]
“Yes, yes, of course.”
I rang the small bell by the door. To protect Pa Cheon's secret and guard against potential assassins, I kept attendants at a distance. The bell was for when I needed something.
The cult had so many eccentrics that no one opposed it in the name of the Family Head's dignity. Outside the elder faction, my position in the family was massive anyway—no one dared complain.
“You called, Family Head?”
The attendant appeared in a flash. Even servants here were experts. A tanned man in his mid-30s, name unknown.
“Convene an emergency Family Head meeting. Tell them to gather in the Family Head Hall by Wu Shi.”
“Understood.”
It was already mid-Wu Shi, so time was tight, but martial artists moved faster than modern Koreans anyway.
“And a light meal, please.”
“Family Head, please speak freely. It's my duty—no need to ask like that; it only troubles me.”
After checking the food for poison with the artifact from Dok Ma, I ate and headed to the Family Head Hall.
The atmosphere in the hall was polarized.
The (new) Family Head faction looked triumphant, while the elder faction was utterly deflated.
'What a bunch of clowns……'
The elders might have some scheme, but why were the Family Head faction guys grinning like they'd done something? They weren't even that close to me.
My real subordinate, Sa Wol, was probably somewhere in the hall right now. Like……
[Hanging from the fifth pillar.]
Hidden on the fifth pillar. Her Three Flowers Gather at the Summit was incomplete, but with Pa Cheon sword perfected by Cheol Mu Geuk, even Super Peak stealth was detectable now.
Anyway, my top subordinate was—
[No idea why she's hanging upside down with arms crossed. Imitating a Dong Ying ninja? Thinks she's a bat?]
My top subordinate was Tak Horak…… Nah, better to think I have none.
With all the family's heavyweights gathered, I took my seat at the head. But one spot was empty.
“Where's the Sixth Elder?”
“He hasn't arrived yet.”
The First Elder answered instead.
“The Sixth Elder has always been a bit slow and sluggish, so he's probably just late.”
In Murim Returner, the Sixth Elder was barely a background character anyway. Weakest of the six elders in skill and influence, propped up by the First Elder as a puppet.
I clicked my tongue and spoke.
“You all know why I called this emergency meeting.”
I tossed the prepared bundle onto the desk.
Inside were two scrolls, stamped with seals so ornate they looked like artworks.
“Seals from Goe Mountain Iron Family and Nine Yin Kwak Family.”
“Ooh, those!”
“Ahem……”
Reactions split sharply along my sides. The Family Head faction on my right was excited; the elders on my left looked like they'd eaten shit.
“I've secured seals from two of the other Mad Demon Six Families. On top of that, we'll get three treasure artifacts monthly from Goe Mountain Iron Family, priority access to their weapons, and the Kwak family's young master as my disciple.”
I swept my gaze over the elders.
“Has any previous Sado Family Head achieved this?”
No one answered. More like, no one could.
Sado Ga rose to Mad Demon Six Families under Sado Mu Yeol, but not because of him. Everyone here knew it was all Sado Gwang pulling strings.
“I declare here: If you're dissatisfied with my rule or can't follow……”
I raised my hand. Pa Cheon floated up lightly.
“One of two choices. Leave Sado Ga, or challenge me.”
I could see the heavyweights gulping. All the buildup made the intimidation effortless.
“But follow me, and you'll share in unprecedented glory.”
“Loyal—!”
They chorused, probably each dreaming different dreams.
“Any proposals?”
As if. My prestige had skyrocketed.
“Then this meeting is adjo—.”
Right as my closing words formed.
Bang—!
The hall doors burst open with a crash.
“……Sixth Elder?”
There he was.
But……
[Something's off.]
'No kidding.'
His hair was a wild mess, white crust around his eyes. Like a madman. Amazing he'd made it here in that state.
“Sado…… Hwan……”
Spotting me, he staggered forward, drunk-like.
No real alarm bells.
“Sixth Elder! How dare you speak the Family Head's name so lightly!”
“What disgrace is this!”
Others were already intervening. The Sixth was barely Peak realm anyway—not nothing, but short for elder status.
Worst case, call Sa Wol. She'd be here in seconds from that distance.
Despite the heavyweights' protests, he kept coming. Realizing something was wrong, they reached for weapons.
“Sado…… Hwan!”
His eyes rolled back. He drew his sword from his waist and swung it wide—
Stab!
“Traitor…… gift……”
He plunged it into his own heart.
Then the Sixth Elder's body crumbled.