Chapter 99: A Capable Yokai
Before and after the Six Families Conference.
The atmosphere in the Sado Family had changed dramatically.
"Hey, did you hear the news?"
"What news?"
"I got to know a physician working at the Ma Ui Pavilion lately... Our family head beat the real Jin Family head."
"What? Is that for real? Our family head beat Jin Yeong Ryeong, the Jin Family head?"
"Yeah, that's what I heard. They say he smashed her so bad she convulses just at the sight of him."
"No wonder those sleazy Jin Family bastards vanished from the streets all of a sudden... So that's why."
"Our family head. Turns out he's not just all talk."
"Come on, man. As if we didn't know that already!"
Rumors had a way of snowballing the more you tried to suppress them. The events on Jan Hon Do were supposed to be kept under strict secrecy as a matter of principle—and that principle had held firm until now.
The reason Sado Hwan hadn't known what lay on Jan Hon Do was precisely because the secret had been so well guarded.
But this conference was different. An outsider, Ma Ui, had been invited, along with his retinue of physicians.
Naturally, keeping the secret became impossible.
The First Elder of the Sado Family first caught wind of the rumors on the final day of the main conference at the Six Families gathering.
"Don't talk nonsense! Sado Hwan beat Jin Yeong Ryeong?"
The elder paced the room in paranoid strides, his deeply wrinkled face etched with extreme anxiety.
"What the hell is Chu Tae Su doing? Didn't he say he'd handle everything if we just sent him to Jan Hon Do...!"
Who was Chu Tae Su?
Even in Sado Gwang's time, when he was slightly outshone, Chu Tae Su had been acclaimed—self-proclaimed and otherwise—as the brains of the Divine Cult for generations.
If a man like that spoke with such confidence, shouldn't he have delivered?
Yet the rumors circulating weren't about Sado Hwan's failure, but about Jin Yeong Ryeong being reduced to a wreck.
Anxiety morphed into terror, gnawing away at the elder.
"Sixth Elder! Sixth Elder! Sado Chun-seok! Where are you!"
As if he'd forgotten he'd killed the Sixth Elder with his own hands, the elder began rambling incoherently.
"Aaaargh!"
Crash!
The sound of shattering ceramics echoed from beyond the elder's door.
And so, another rumor began circulating in the Sado Family.
Back at the family estate, I was washing up and resting in my room when our dear Horak burst in making a huge fuss again. Just earlier, he'd been wobbling around all dizzy, but now—whether from the Blood Replenishing Pill's effects or the comfort of home—his complexion had fully recovered.
His bright, cheerful face almost pissed me off a little, but the message he brought had real substance.
"The First Elder said what?"
"He's possessed by a vengeful spirit, they say."
"Suddenly?"
"Yes. Suddenly. More precisely, right after he heard the rumor that you beat Jin Yeong Ryeong."
"...So the rumor is going around."
"Yes. The idiots didn't know the details of how you won, so I explained exactly what I saw with my own two eyes."
"Ah."
My mild annoyance flared into full irritation.
Beating Jin Yeong Ryeong was great. The fact that the heads of the other families now saw me as a true powerhouse and didn't dare challenge me was even better. They'd witnessed it firsthand, after all.
But for those hearing it secondhand through rumors?
Any Divine Cult member would have their blood boiling, lining up to challenge me. Sure, I could just sic Sa Wol on them like always, but what if someone caught me alone?
'Even within the family, someone might challenge me.'
The Sado Family had thousands of members. In a group that size, the odds of having a few lunatics were zero.
[This is troublesome.]
Our Horak never failed to deliver.
"Tak Horak."
"Yes! Family head, what are your orders!"
"If I made you choose between a two-month pay cut or two days in the Punishment Cave, which would you hate more?"
"Hmm... Personally, I'd pick the pay cut. The Punishment Cave is too damp, and Do Il Gwang bullies me there. Oh, and now there's... the former family head too, right?"
"Thought so."
I gave him a warm, fatherly smile.
"Then off to the Punishment Cave for two days."
"Pardon?"
"You need to check what Sado Mu Yeol's up to. And while you're at it, review the martial arts Do Il Gwang's taught you."
"Oh, right you are!"
"There's no timber like you."
"Haha! Thank you!"
"What are you waiting for? Get going."
"Yes sir! Right away!"
Having dealt with(?) Tak Horak, I conversed with Pa Cheon.
"The First Elder being possessed isn't entirely good news."
[True enough. He's one of the two pillars holding up the Sado Family, after all.]
The family's power was split between the New Family Head faction supporting me and the Elder faction backing the elders.
The problem was, even the New Family Head faction was a ragtag bunch of opportunists. The shadowy Muyoung-do uncle was the only reliable one; the rest were nobodies I could barely tell apart.
In contrast, the Elder faction—scheming as they were—had loyally served the Sado Family for generations. To keep the family afloat, their strength was essential.
[What a mess.]
"Bloating the numbers with mediocre fighters to compensate for the lack of elites was the root problem from the start."
[You need a structural overhaul...]
Pa Cheon continued.
[Yokai. Don't worry about it.]
"Huh?"
[Family matters are my responsibility. Once I reclaim this body, you'll return to your world anyway. I'll clean it up.]
"That stings a bit, but you're right."
I couldn't spend my whole life in this world fixing things.
A sudden curiosity struck me.
What would happen to Murim Returner if I went back to my original world?
Would it just become a separate story in my head, or would the plot change?
Lately, with simsang messing with my mind so much, stray thoughts like this kept popping up.
"It's not just for you, anyway. A solid foundation in the Divine Cult makes things easier for me too."
[Is that what you called tsundere from your world?]
"Ugh, feels like I'm corrupting something. Just forget it."
[Your world intrigues me sometimes.]
"Come visit if you can swing it."
Pa Cheon vibrated the sword as if laughing at my words.
"Let's draft a reorganization plan first. I'm killer at org charts too."
A few more days passed.
The First Elder was indeed possessed. I sent him to Ma Ui for treatment, but he wouldn't recover easily. I hadn't expected someone his age to exit stage left so prematurely.
We held an emergency family head meeting and appointed the Second Elder as the Elder faction's leader, leaving the First Elder's seat vacant for now.
The Second Elder proved surprisingly compliant—likely because the Jan Hon Do events had convinced him I was the real deal, a true elite. Even in this chaotic Sado Family, we were still a Divine Cult house that worshipped the strong. I almost felt bad for Tak Horak.
The real shocker upon returning was Cho Ryang. Leaps and bounds was made for describing this kid.
I'd almost forgotten, but under Dok Ma's poison arts tutelage, Cho Ryang was advancing by leaps and bounds. Not even long into his training, and he was already second-rate. He could sense and circulate qi now.
His animal control powers had strengthened too. Before, it was mostly intelligent spirit beasts that understood speech; now he could somewhat command non-verbal beasts.
And he paraded around with a sparrow perched on his shoulder like jewelry.
While others hoarded immense power they couldn't unleash.
'Well, he did turn Sichuan into a bloodbath single-handedly.'
In the original tale, the "Poison-Eyed Monk" Cho Ryang—technically not solo since he had his spirit beasts—dyed Sichuan Province red. He wiped out the Ami Sect and halved the Tang Clan's power. The guy was a monster.
Give him a few months, and he'd hit first-rate. By next year, he'd probably spew poison qi and go, "Oh, I reached Peak? Hehe."
This world truly belonged to the talented.
Tak Horak brought intel from the Punishment Cave: As expected, Sado Mu Yeol had approached Do Il Gwang but got thoroughly dressed down. Now he was holed up deep inside, doing nothing.
Anyone else skulking in ascetic training might be cause for concern... but not Sado Mu Yeol's type. No real worry there.
Especially with the cave's scariest resident, Do Il Gwang, on my side.
Finally, I executed a massive restructuring(?). I merged or split organizations via the reorganization, even dissolving useless ones—like the First Elder's personal guard.
Of course, there was some backlash.
But no one dared openly defy orders from me, the Super Peak family head who'd crushed Jin Yeong Ryeong. (Side note: Tons of people challenged me or requested duels. Sa Wol handled them all quietly.)
Even for dissolved groups, I guaranteed employment or offered generous severance for those who wanted out.
I had Sa Wol audit everything to prevent embezzlement of payouts. Being from a corporate background, I don't fire people lightly.
[Looks sorted. Reorg cut projected operating funds by about ten percent. You're a surprisingly capable yokai.]
'All thanks to inheriting Manager Kim's legacy. He harped on cost-cutting nonstop.'
[This Manager Kim must've been a highly competent leader. Truly exemplary.]
'A highly competent asshole. Exemplary for prison, not admiration. Ugh, exhausting.'
Drained, I flopped onto the bed. This Heavenly Demon Divine Art-enhanced body rarely tired, but my mind craved rest.
I just wanted to lie there doing nothing.
At least in my room, no one would pop up demanding a challenge.
'Maybe if I say I'm napping, they'll leave me alone.'
[Doubt it...]
As I sprawled, drifting in and out of drowsy sleep—
[Presence. Tak Horak.]
"Ah."
From afar came the cry: "Family head~! Family head~!" Even without Pa Cheon's heads-up, I'd have known.
"Family head! Are you inside?"
"Yes."
"Coming in!"
Tak Horak flung the door open, face flushed with excitement.
If this was another false alarm, I planned Punishment Cave for a week, not two days. I waited for him to speak.
"Family head! Breaking news!"
"What is it?"
"The Supreme One summons you."
"The Supreme One... calls for me?"
The Heavenly Demon wanted me? Why?
"Yes! Like before, the Judge of Life and Death awaits outside."
Pretending to be the Heavenly Demon