The Introverted Heavenly Demon - Chapter 69

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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 069
The Five Great Families
Rumors have begun to spread throughout the Sun and Moon Divine Sect that the Minor Sect Leader, who had secluded himself in devoted cultivation for so long, had reached the realm of a first-class martial artist at merely fourteen years of age.
This was because the Minor Sect Leader’s external activities were quite rare, and stories about him were not often circulated.
Young Ho Bin had not witnessed the moment I shattered the seventh dummy, yet it appeared he had learned the news faster than anyone else.
On the path returning to Jeokwol Palace after a brief private audience with the Sect Leader at the Sect Leader’s Hall.
Young Ho Bin, who had been following behind me, offered his congratulations.
“Since you have ascended to the first-class realm, my lord, I wonder if I remain useful as your guard.”
I paused for a moment and turned my head to regard Young Ho Bin.
Over the past two or three years, from eating well and dedicating himself to training, his shoulders had broadened considerably compared to when we first met, and his muscles had become even more impressive.
“Do you truly mean that?”
“Of course, my lord. If you judge it better to employ a more capable guard, I am prepared to step aside at any time….”
I let out a dry chuckle in response to Young Ho Bin’s humble words.
“I know you reached the first-class realm two months before me, yet here you are feigning ignorance?”
“That may be true, but observing the Minor Sect Leader’s rate of martial arts advancement, it is surely evident that you will soon become incomparably stronger than someone like me.”
“Young Ho Bin.”
“Yes, my lord.”
I turned my head again and continued walking toward Jeokwol Palace as I spoke.
“From now until the end, you are the only one I would trust to guard my back on the battlefield.”
“My lord….”
“If you fall behind, the Minor Sect Leader’s back will be left unprotected. So cease your idle thoughts and follow me. Do you understand?”
“Yes, my lord!”
My words about Young Ho Bin being the only one worthy of guarding my back were no mere flattery—they were absolute truth.
A first-class martial artist possesses strength that ranks at least middle-tier among the disciples of major sects, and in smaller or mid-sized sects, such a person could serve as the sect master.
It goes without saying that such a realm is not easily found even among all the disciples of the Sun and Moon Divine Sect.
Thus, Young Ho Bin, who had become a first-class martial artist in his early twenties, was undoubtedly a genius of considerable talent.
It is simply that the Minor Sect Leader, who reached the first-class realm at fourteen, is such an extraordinary monster.
‘First-class martial artist… first-class….’
In truth, I myself can scarcely believe that I have reached the first-class realm.
As I murmured the words “first-class,” my shoulders rose unbidden, and a smile bloomed at the corners of my mouth.
‘Oh.’
I was startled and quickly returned to the solemn and dignified expression I had grown accustomed to.
I had realized that I had just displayed an expression that, as the Minor Sect Leader, I could absolutely never show before others.
‘But I cannot help but feel pleased. Hah.’
Thinking of how I had been cast into this strange world overnight and suffered greatly, only to achieve this result through my own efforts, I could not help but feel a sense of accomplishment.
Of course, to be precise, this achievement was the result of combining the innate talent that the Minor Sect Leader Baek Yeon possessed with the introversion that I carried within me.
“My lord. Are you well?”
“Mm. Yes. Let us go quickly. My sister will be waiting.”
I composed my elated spirit and headed toward the back garden of Jeokwol Palace.
There, a table laden with dishes of food awaited both Young Ho Bin and me.
And Baek So Cheong and Namgung Eon as well.
“Minor Sect Leader!”
“Minor Sect Leader! You’ve arrived!”
Baek So Cheong displayed her skills for the first time in a while, saying she wished to celebrate the Minor Sect Leader’s achievement in reaching the first rank.
Considering the Minor Sect Leader’s dignity, it might have been proper to refuse, but I thought there was no harm in allowing such things occasionally, so I ultimately consented.
“The mechanical devices created by Myeong Shin Palace are quite intricate, aren’t they?”
“Sigh. Now that it’s over, I must confess I couldn’t sleep properly until the day of the public unveiling. I was so worried it might not function correctly.”
Baek So Cheong continued to shower praise upon my achievement in reaching the first rank and the mechanical devices Namgung Eon had created.
I listened quietly without saying much, yet I could feel a rare sense of joy.
It had been quite some time since this group had gathered again, and when I was with them, I could relax in a way I couldn’t before others.
“Oh, that’s right. Minor Sect Leader. What did your father say about it?”
Then, at Baek So Cheong’s casual remark, I was pulled back to reality.
Recalling the Sect Leader’s words, I barely suppressed a sigh.
That was right.
Though I had been thinking this for some time, my trials as Minor Sect Leader were far from over.
“The Family Heads and young masters of the Five Great Families will be visiting the Sect Headquarters.”
Upon hearing the mention of the Five Great Families, Baek So Cheong’s expression hardened.
“Why would they…? Though, I suppose the time has come.”
“Indeed.”
The Five Great Families did not reside at the Sect Headquarters; instead, each maintained their own bases throughout Kangho and managed one of the Five Gates respectively.
However, there were periodic times when they gathered at the Sect Headquarters to exchange information and discuss sect matters alongside the Sect Headquarters, and such a time was approaching soon.
In the heavy atmosphere, Young Ho Bin carefully opened his mouth.
“I have heard that the recent atmosphere among the Five Great Families is quite unusual.”
“What do you mean, Martial Artist Young Ho?”
“It is because the trust the Sect Leader places in the Minor Sect Leader grows ever deeper. From their perspective, they may wish to clarify the power structure before the succession to Sect Leader becomes certain.”
Though Young Ho Bin spoke in roundabout terms, the intentions of the Five Great Families were clear.
They wished to test whether the Minor Sect Leader was truly a person worthy of inheriting the Sect Leader’s position, and if they determined otherwise, they would put forth another candidate for Sect Leader.
Given the sect’s structure, where the Five Great Families competed for the next Sect Leader’s position from their very origins, this was hardly surprising.
“In particular, I have heard much talk of Dong Bang Heon, the eldest son of the Eastern Family.”
“Ah… I have heard that story as well.”
Baek So Cheong spoke carefully, gauging my reaction, but this was no longer a matter requiring such caution.
Among the Five Great Families, none could match the Eastern Family in history, influence, martial prowess, or financial resources.
In particular, Dong Bang Heon, the eldest son and minor family head of the current Eastern Family Head Dongbang Cheon, was said to be the greatest genius in the family’s history, despite being only fifteen years old.
“There is also a saying: ‘West has Yeon, East has Heon.'”
“You mean Baek Yeon in the west and Dong Bang Heon in the east?”
“It is a curious thing. When the Sect Headquarters resolved its financial difficulties, those families, who had been silent for a time, regained their vigor the moment the Eastern young master became famous.”
If the Eastern Family were to put forth Dong Bang Heon as a new candidate for Sect Leader, and the other three great families were to support him…
Depending on the outcome, the power structure of the Sun and Moon Divine Sect could undergo significant upheaval.
Of course, such a thing would not happen easily.
“The matter with the Five Great Families is for my father to handle, so it is not my place to intervene. However, my father has given me a task.”
I recalled what the Sect Leader had told me and spoke to them.
“While the young masters of the Five Great Families remain at Chong Dan, he instructed me to oversee them.”
“Oversee them? In what manner…?”
“Since they’re all visiting Chong Dan for the first time, wouldn’t they need someone to inform them about the sect’s operations and affairs?”
Though the Sect Leader had phrased it that way, I had now spent over three years living in the Sun and Moon Divine Sect.
It meant I possessed enough discernment to grasp the hidden meaning behind his words.
“It would be necessary to show them what kind of person the Minor Sect Leader is as well….”
As I lowered my voice and spoke, Baek So Cheong blinked her eyes, and Namgung Eon’s shoulders trembled slightly.
To summarize the Sect Leader’s command in a single phrase, it was this:
‘Establish discipline among the young masters of the Five Great Families.’
Put kindly, it meant I should exercise leadership as the Minor Sect Leader and establish my authority; more bluntly, it meant I should tighten discipline so the young masters of the Five Great Families wouldn’t harbor any disrespectful intentions.
However it was expressed, it was undeniably a difficult task for an introvert like myself.
In the brief silence that followed, Namgung Eon, who had been recalling the Sect Leader’s words, asked a question.
“When will the young masters of the Five Great Families arrive?”
“In four days.”
“Time is pressing indeed. I wonder if you’ll have sufficient time to prepare properly, Minor Sect Leader.”
“Always worrying over trifles.”
I spoke in the stern voice that had now become familiar to me as the Minor Sect Leader.
“For me, Baek Yeon, such a task is easier than flipping my palm.”
Those who witnessed my confident and assured demeanor nodded in admiration; however….
In truth, I merely concealed it on the surface, but my true nature within was gripped by tension at its peak.
‘The young masters of the Five Great Families… they’re certainly not ordinary fellows.’
As an introvert, it’s not as simple as it seems to achieve my goals without being swayed by people moving with different purposes.
Yet, since falling into this world, or rather, since living as an introvert, when has anything ever been easy?
All I could do was pledge to myself that I would handle this matter just as well as I had managed everything thus far.
What I needed now was thorough preparation and perhaps a touch of courage.

* * *
The next day, I slipped out of Chong Dan dressed in the neat white scholar’s robes that students wore, a silk cap upon my head, and made my way toward Maehwa Village, a nearby settlement.
Since my attire differed so drastically from what I normally wore, fortunately no one in the village recognized me.
I entered the most bustling tavern in Maehwa Village, found an empty seat, and sat down with my back toward the entrance.
“A bowl of noodles, a plate of stir-fried vegetables, and a bottle of white spirit, if you please.”
After placing my order casually with the Shop Attendant, I settled into my seat and waited for my contact to arrive.
I had approached the Lower Five Gate, an information-dealing organization, while concealing my identity, and I was scheduled to meet with them here at the Hour of the Horse.
Of course, it was to purchase information about the Five Great Families and their young masters whom I would soon face.
Though the Sun and Moon Divine Sect likely maintained its own intelligence on the Five Great Families, it would be difficult for me to access information about them as insiders within the sect.
Moreover, information that could serve as their weakness would be even harder to obtain through the Sun and Moon Divine Sect.
So I could only hope that the intelligence I obtained from the Lower Five Gate would prove useful in my future confrontations with the Five Great Families.
“Miss, please come this way.”
Just then, a murmur rippled through the tavern, and everyone’s gaze turned in a single direction.
Glancing sideways, I caught sight of a man and a woman sitting across from each other at an empty table.
The man was a broad-shouldered fellow in his twenties with neatly trimmed facial hair and sleek, combed-back hair—clearly someone who took considerable pride in his appearance.
But the more striking figure was the woman seated across from him.
She had cut her black hair short and possessed skin as pale as snow, with sharp, alluring eyes—a beautiful woman in her early twenties.
Judging by the white fitted tunic that revealed her slender frame, I suspected she was a merchant or martial artist rather than a sheltered noblewoman.
Her pale, delicate arms and ankles, exposed beyond the tunic’s edges, created a striking contrast with her jet-black hair and dark eyes.
In any case, the moment she entered, many of the men in the tavern stared at her with undisguised desire—she was clearly a renowned beauty in these parts.
“Eyes away! Do you have a death wish?”
The man accompanying her, displeased by their gazes, barked harshly, and the tavern fell into a silence as complete as death.
“Your voice is too loud. Please don’t shout.”
“Ha ha. As you wish, miss.”
Seeing how even this brutish man became docile and grinned foolishly at a single word from the woman, it was clear he was desperate to make a good impression on her.
“I’ll say this once more….”
The woman spoke to the man in a calm yet cold voice.

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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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