The Introverted Heavenly Demon - Chapter 65

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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The Introverted Heavenly Demon Episode 065
The Family Alliance Meeting
When the sudden commotion erupted without warning, not only the Family Heads of the Five Great Families but everyone within the Great Hall turned their gaze toward me in unison.
I lowered my head deeply, thinking inwardly that this was a grave mistake—
‘Well, what’s done is done.’
I reasoned that if I displayed weakness here, it would not only undermine the Minor Sect Leader’s dignity but could bring shame upon the entire Sect Headquarters.
I wrapped my right hand around my head and trembled through my shoulders and hands.
As if I were barely suppressing the fury boiling up within me—
“Bring a new table.”
Woo Sa issued instructions to his subordinates to manage the atmosphere, and while they cleared away the broken table and brought out a new one,
I was contemplating how to resolve this situation.
Then.
“Minor Sect Leader. What is the meaning of this behavior?”
The Im Family Head, who had been pressuring the Family Heads on behalf of the Family Alliance Meeting until just moments ago, was the first to reproach me.
My gaze naturally turned toward him.
Our eyes met directly—
“!!”
Remarkably, the Im Family Head, whose eyes had locked with mine, recoiled as though he had seen a ghost, hastily averting his gaze.
Only then did I realize what expression I was wearing.
-Insolent old fools, die!!! Die all of you!!!
Due to the psychological pressure, the Cheon Ma had manifested unbidden, blazing with crimson eyes and radiating murderous intent toward the Family Heads before me.
“The Cheon Ma!”
It was the legendary Cheon Ma, which symbolized the very qualification of a Sect Leader.
It was also the reason I had been selected as Minor Sect Leader so early on.
However, the reason the Im Family Head and the Five Great Families’ Family Heads had become speechless was not merely because they had witnessed with their own eyes a power that had existed only in legend.
I could discern it clearly.
They were terrified after confronting the crimson blood-light and sinister killing intent radiating from my eyes as the Cheon Ma manifested.
Among the Five Great Families’ Family Heads, only one person was an exception.
A middle-aged man in a dark gray long robe, seated alone in the corner, did not avert his gaze but rather regarded me with an expression of amusement, as if finding the situation rather entertaining.
Though I had never seen his face before, his neat topknot and meticulously groomed beard, combined with unusually fair and translucent skin, gave him such refined features that one might believe him to be a young man in his twenties.
“Minor Sect Leader, what are you doing!”
At that moment, a thunderous rebuke from the Sect Leader burst forth.
-Whimper.
At the Sect Leader’s sharp reprimand, I snapped back to my senses, and the Cheon Ma, thoroughly cowed, whimpered like a frightened dog before vanishing in an instant.
“My sincerest apologies, Father. I have once again failed to control my mind—”
“Should such an incident occur again, I will impose punishment.”
“I shall be more careful.”
Having revealed the crimson eyes of the Cheon Ma in a place where the Sect Leader and the elders of the Main Sect had gathered, it was undeniably my fault no matter how I reconsidered it.
The Sect Leader, too, showed no inclination to deny that I had erred, yet strangely, rather than appearing angry at my actions, he seemed almost amused.
“Since the Minor Sect Leader’s mental cultivation remains insufficient compared to his martial prowess, occasionally such incidents occur. I ask that the Family Heads extend their understanding.”
With the Sect Leader speaking to this extent, there was little point in continuing the discussion.
The Family Heads of the Five Great Families nodded in agreement.
Inwardly relieved to have escaped the murderous aura of Cheon Ma that I had felt moments before.
“Very well, Minor Sect Leader. Do you have something to say?”
And shortly after, I was naturally given the opportunity to speak.
I looked directly at the Sect Leader and spoke.
“I wish to report on the task you have entrusted to me, Father.”
“Minor Sect Leader, what are you saying at this moment?”
It was only natural that the Five Great Families would object to shifting the topic of an ongoing discussion.
Yet amid the murmuring noise, the Sect Leader’s eyes gleamed faintly.
His gaze was filled with anticipation and curiosity.
“Let us hear what the Minor Sect Leader has to say.”
The moment the Sect Leader gave his permission, I sprang to my feet.
The Family Heads of the Five Great Families, who had been murmuring, all fell silent and waited for me to speak.
“I, the Minor Sect Leader, attended the Jianghu Merchant Conference held in Sichuan Capital on your orders, Sect Leader, and have just returned. I wish to report the results.”
“The Merchant Conference?”
“Is this related to the Qingyun Trading Company?”
At my unexpected words, all the Family Heads of the Five Great Families widened their eyes and looked at each other’s faces.
The Wol In Palace Master also appeared bewildered, suggesting he had not received any prior information about this from the Sect Leader.
“Jang Yeon Hwi, the Merchant Guild Master of the Qingyun Trading Company, the largest merchant guild in the Southwestern Kangho Region, declared before the merchants of the Sangdo Alliance that he would step down from his position.”
It was only natural that the hall erupted in commotion at this startling news.
Even the Sect Leader’s brow furrowed.
The Im Family Head slammed his palm on the table and raised his voice as if he had expected this.
“Then is this not a grave matter? The Qingyun Trading Company, operated by the Sect Leader’s father-in-law, has been a reliable source of funds for the Sect Headquarters….”
“Im Family Head.”
“Ah!”
The Im Family Head’s words were unexpectedly cut off by someone who interjected.
It was none other than a middle-aged man in gray robes sitting in a corner among the Five Great Families, who had remained silent until now and finally spoke.
“Does the Dongbang Family Head have something to say?”
So that man was the Dongbang Family Head.
The Im Family Head was immediately cowed by his single remark and waited for him to continue.
“Since the Minor Sect Leader has not finished speaking, would it not be better to listen a bit longer?”
“Ah, yes… My apologies.”
The Dongbang Family was a prestigious clan that had held the position of Sect Leader for nearly a hundred years before the current Baek Sect Leader took office, so it was hardly surprising that the Im Family Head would become tense at a single word from the Dongbang Family Head.
Even so, was the deference this disrespectful man showed to the Dongbang Family Head not excessive compared to his conduct toward the Sect Leader?
Thinking thus, I cleared my throat and continued my report.
“Strictly speaking, it would be proper to report to the Sect Leader first, but since the Family Alliance is currently discussing related matters, I shall report directly here. Jang Yeon Hwi, the Merchant Guild Master of the Qingyun Trading Company, has decided to transfer all rights to the company to his second grandson, Baek Hyeon Prince.”
I paused here to observe people’s reactions.
The members of the Five Great Families blinked with their mouths closed.
The members of the Sect Headquarters remained frozen with their mouths half-open.
What they all shared in common was that both sides were struggling to interpret the story they had just heard.
Well, there were exceptions.
The Sect Leader and Dongbang Family Head.
Those two alone, as if by prior agreement, had their eyes closed in satisfaction while their mouths curved upward in identical smiles.
“Baek Hyeon Prince is my younger brother, still just a boy of ten years old. Accordingly, the Qingyun Trading Company will be operated by guardians centered around Wol In Gung, which belongs to the Il-Wol Divine Sect Headquarters where Baek Hyeon Prince resides, until he develops sufficient capability. This is the content of the agreement reached with the Qingyun Trading Company, and Yu Ho Gyobeop Beomwang from our Main Sect is currently overseeing the relevant affairs at the Qingyun Trading Company.”
Until my subsequent report was concluded, everyone in that hall remained motionless, listening intently to my words.
Even after my report ended, considerable time passed, yet not a single person opened their mouth.
But it was understandable.
Having heard such an extraordinary story, each person needed time to process and interpret this incident in their own mind.
“Palace Master Wol In.”
The one who broke that silence was none other than Baek Sect Leader.
“Yes, yes!”
“You heard the Minor Sect Leader’s report.”
“Ah, yes, yes. That is correct, Sect Leader.”
“Begin assembling the guardianship council immediately.”
“Yes, of course. Absolutely. Hahaha.”
Upon hearing the Sect Leader’s command, Wol In Palace Master’s mouth split wide open as he burst into laughter.
When his grinning gaze met mine, he abandoned all propriety and roared with laughter, repeatedly offering me respectful salutes.
As the Palace Master overseeing the financial matters of the Sect Headquarters, one could easily imagine how much mental anguish he must have endured.
The Il-Wol Divine Sect had swallowed the largest trading company in the Kangho Southwest Region whole—wasn’t that problem solved in a single stroke?
It was only natural that I appeared as his benefactor in Wol In Palace Master’s eyes.
The Sect Leader’s words continued.
“Im Family Head.”
“Ah, yes?”
“You explained quite well the extent of the Sect Headquarters’ financial deficit. We intend to cover that deficit with the profits obtained from the Qingyun Trading Company. What do you think? Will it be insufficient?”
“Ah….”
The one who completed the words of Im Family Head, whose lips were merely moving soundlessly, was none other than Dongbang Family Head.
“How could it possibly be insufficient, Baek Sect Leader! The financial problems that have been plaguing the Sect Headquarters have been resolved all at once. It is a most joyous matter.”
Dongbang Family Head Dongbang Cheon rose abruptly from his seat and began striding briskly toward the entrance of the Ilwol Great Hall.
“Dongbang Cheon, Family Head. Where are you going?”
“Now that the matter requiring the Family Alliance Meeting has been resolved, there is no reason to remain seated. I shall take my leave.”
Dongbang Cheon wore a gentle smile, yet what thoughts lay beneath that smile, no one could discern.
Dongbang Cheon stood before the door and offered a respectful salute toward the Sect Leader, then turned his gaze toward me.
“You have raised a most excellent son. There was indeed reason for you to appoint him as Minor Sect Leader so early.”
I too offered a respectful salute in return, bringing my hands together in courtesy.
“Then, until we meet again.”
Dongbang Cheon departed from the Ilwol Great Hall without so much as a backward glance, leaving only those words behind.
The Im Family Head and the other Family Heads of the Five Great Families, who had been watching his lead, awkwardly rose from their seats and slipped out of the Ilwol Great Hall.
“Minor Sect Leader.”
In that hall where only the Sect Headquarters’ executives remained, the Sect Leader called out to me in a low voice.
“How did you manage it?”
It was natural for the Sect Leader to be curious about such a matter.
How could one not be astonished?
The task the Sect Leader had given me was to accompany him to the Merchant Conference, find leverage against Jang Yeon Hwi, and use it to seize control of the trading company.
Yet I had not merely seized control—I had swallowed the entire merchant guild whole.
“As you instructed, Father, I presented my maternal grandfather with an offer he could not refuse… and it appears he was quite pleased with it.”
In the silence of the Ilwol Great Hall, the sound of dry swallows and sharp intakes of breath rippled through the crowd.
From their perspective, they must have wondered what cruel deed I had inflicted upon my maternal grandfather.
And then.
“I see… Hmm, ah, aha, hahahaha!!”
The sound that filled the Great Hall was the Sect Leader’s hearty, booming laughter.

* * *
After the Family Alliance Meeting concluded, all the heads of the Five Great Families and their entourages departed from the Sect Headquarters.
The key executives of the Sect Headquarters, including the Eight Luminaries, subsequently arranged themselves in the Council Chamber to discuss follow-up measures.
The Sect Leader, the left and right Luminaries, and the other senior leadership of the Sect Headquarters made no effort to conceal their joy.
Thus my mission concluded successfully.
And the next morning.
After finishing breakfast, I visited the Back Garden to aid my digestion.
As the morning air began to warm, I could feel through my skin that I had returned to the ordinary rhythms of daily life.
While I strolled lightly through the Back Garden, a single contemplation gradually surfaced in my mind.
It was a koan that had not yet departed from my thoughts… a question that lingered still.
‘Combat between martial artists is, in truth, no different from conversation with another.’
My martial prowess had reached the late second-rate level.
With only a little more cultivation of the Hyeon Ma Nae Hyang Sim Gong, I would break through the barrier and attain the first-rate.
Yet because of Hye Woon’s single remark, I came to recognize that my priority was not to elevate my inner strength, but something else entirely.
My disposition—something that influenced me more fundamentally than the quantity and quality of training, preference systems, or aptitude.
My past belief that introversion was a symptom to be corrected or a weakness to be overcome was wrong.
Then my task now was to discover a path of cultivation that could coexist with introversion, or better yet, maximize the advantages that introversion possessed.
I was lost in such contemplation when it happened.
“Ah.”
A person who had entered the Back Garden at some point locked eyes with me and came to a halt.
“Miss Ha Yeon Ryeong.”
The only daughter of Ha Seung Ji Jang Moon In of the Kunlun Sect, she had been residing as a guest at the Divine Sect for a year now.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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