Chapter 643
Rumble!
Behind me, the massive stone doors closed with a heavy sound.
Soft light spread across the vast hall. In the silence that followed, thirty-one pairs of eyes turned toward me, sharp as arrows.
‘Why is he here?’
That was exactly what their stares said.
But their looks were more of surprise than hostility—no deep-seated hatred of an outsider, just pure astonishment. Some even carried faint goodwill.
Of course, there was one clear exception.
“It must be one of two things,” said Baek Sang, the Great Chief of the Baek Tribe, breaking the silence with a cold tone. “Either my eyes are deceiving me, or someone here has unilaterally changed the laws of the Tribal Assembly without informing the rest of us.”
His gaze swept across the hall. “Explain yourself. Why has a man who is neither a chieftain nor a tribesman been allowed into this sacred place?”
The question wasn’t directed at the absent Beast Miao King—or at me.
Standing at my right, Yal Mok answered calmly.
“He has earned that right.”
“Right?” Baek Sang repeated, his voice faint but cutting. “You sound like a child who’s too young to know what ‘right’ means.”
“It’s not only my judgment,” Yal Mok replied without hesitation. “It’s also the judgment of someone who has yet to arrive.”
“You mean the Palace Lord?”
“Yes. My father—the Palace Lord—declared that Jin Taekyung has the right to attend this assembly.”
Baek Sang’s eyes darkened. After a long pause, he spoke again.
“Then where is the Palace Lord?”
“He’ll be here soon. And when he arrives, only one seat will remain empty.”
“Unacceptable.”
Baek Sang tapped the table with a sharp sound.
“The Tribal Assembly is a sacred council where all tribes of the Southern Barbarian Region gather as equals. None but a chieftain—or a sub-chief—may sit here. His so-called ‘qualification’ is but the whim of one man, and we do not recognize it.”
I tilted my head slightly.
“That’s strange,” I murmured. “That’s still just your own opinion, isn’t it?”
It was clearly muttered to myself, but no one here was weak enough not to hear it. And among them, Baek Sang—renowned for his power—certainly heard it the loudest.
His gaze turned to me like a blade.
“What did you just say?”
“Oh, you heard that?”
“Do you think I wouldn’t?”
“No, I was hoping you would. Glad to know your hearing’s fine.”
The air froze.
I shrugged. “I mean, if we’re being honest, you’re doing the same thing—making a one-sided decision. You didn’t ask anyone else here what they thought. If you alone refuse permission, what are the rest supposed to do?”
A ripple of tension spread through the seated chiefs. None had ever dared speak so directly to Baek Sang, one of the two strongest men in the Southern Barbarian Region, second only to the Beast Miao King himself.
Well—except for me.
“When the Beast Miao King sent me here, he said something interesting.”
I met Baek Sang’s eyes evenly. “He told me, ‘The Great Chief of the Miao Tribe recognizes your right to attend, but the Palace Lord of the Southern Barbarian Palace cannot decide alone. You must gain the others’ approval.’”
This land was one where even breathing as an outsider was difficult.
The Tribal Assembly, held only once a year, was a ceremony so rigid it barely left space for air to move.
‘If the Beast Miao King hadn’t given his consent, I wouldn’t have even made it past the door.’
Now that I had, I wasn’t going to waste the chance. I’d claim my seat—by winning their trust.
“So,” I said, looking from one chieftain to the next, “what do the rest of you think?”
The torchlight flickered in the gentle breeze.
Some faces were tense or uncertain—but others looked thoughtful, even approving.
Finally, one middle-aged chieftain broke the silence.
“All of us here—including my Zhang Tribe—know what happened last night at Mount Aino.”
The Zhang Tribe wasn’t one of the four great tribes, but their strength was nothing to dismiss. The chieftain continued, his voice firm.
“We bled dearly, but swift action saved us from far greater loss. For that, we owe thanks to our wise Palace Lord—and to the young Han warrior who stood beside him.”
His words echoed through the hall. After glancing at the other chiefs, he turned toward me with a faint smile.
“Though it’s late, I offer my thanks here and now. Because of your courage, our tribe’s twenty-two warriors were saved—including one of my own blood.”
“Ah.”
I hadn’t known. Out of the two hundred rescued from the Poison-Blooded Land, I’d never learned each name or tribe.
But now, those unknown faces were returning the favor in the form of gratitude.
“On behalf of the Zhang Tribe, I welcome Jin Taekyung, the Blazing Fire Dragon, to the Tribal Assembly.”
He bowed—not in the local manner, but in the martial salute of the Central Plains.
And that was the beginning.
One by one, others rose to their feet.
“Our Hui Tribe also agrees. We cannot ignore a debt of life.”
“The Man Tribe as well. My son owes his life to him—thank you.”
They were tribal chiefs, but also parents, siblings, and leaders of families.
Each bowed awkwardly in the same martial salute, expressing sincere gratitude.
The warriors I had rescued weren’t just soldiers—they were their people. Their families.
But not all support came from gratitude alone.
“The Buyei Tribe also agrees,” said a woman calmly. “He deserves it.”
A frowning chieftain turned to her.
“Wait. Your tribe had no warriors stationed at Mount Aino. Why support him?”
“Because this is my homeland.”
“What does that—”
“Even beasts repay kindness. Jin Taekyung risked his life for the Southern Barbarian Region. That alone is reason enough.”
“…Ahem.”
The questioning chief fell silent, while the others smiled faintly.
In this shifting atmosphere, I felt a strange warmth stir inside me.
‘Returning kindness with kindness… sounds simple, but not everyone does it.’
I hadn’t gone into the Poison-Blooded Land expecting gratitude—but the sincerity I saw now was enough.
Some were moved by recent deeds; others by old debts.
“My late father, the former chieftain, once said—if not for the Fire King, he’d have died on the battlefield. Seems I’d forgotten that until now.”
“My ancestors fought beside the Flame God Sect in destroying the Wudu Clan. Without them, our tribe wouldn’t exist. I too support his place here.”
The still waters began to move.
More and more chiefs stood, their voices overlapping like a growing current.
Before long, the standing outnumbered the seated.
And then, with a deep rumble, a towering shadow fell across the hall.
Rumble!
The Beast Miao King entered, lifting the thousand-catty stone door with one hand.
His towering frame cast a long shadow as his deep voice filled the chamber.
“Seems the decision’s been made.”
At the end of his gaze, Baek Sang slowly rose to his feet and bowed stiffly.
“Palace Lord.”
“If my eyes and ears don’t deceive me,” said the Beast Miao King evenly, “he seems more than qualified. Wouldn’t you agree, Brother?”
“…A mistake,” Baek Sang replied coldly. “To shatter the long-standing law of the Assembly.”
“Over half the chiefs have already given their approval,” said the Beast Miao King. “In the Central Plains, they call that consensus.”
Baek Sang closed his eyes but said nothing more. The Beast Miao King didn’t wait for his answer.
“As the Great Chief of the Miao Tribe and Palace Lord of the Southern Barbarian Palace, I—Yal Cheok—formally permit Jin Taekyung, heir of the Fire King and master of the Fire Dragon Pavilion, to attend the Tribal Assembly.”
Ding.
– New Quest: [The Tribal Assembly] has been created!
—
A damp, suffocating darkness.
Somewhere deep in that abyss, faint voices echoed.
– The Assembly has begun in the Inner Palace.
– And him?
– He’s there too. Attending. But…
– Speak. Don’t hesitate.
– It’s just that—
A brief pause.
He didn’t realize that pause would cost him his life.
Slash.
The faint sound of something cutting through the air. The man’s body crumpled silently into the dark.
A pale hand brushed blood from its cheek. The lifeless corpse was flung into the shadows, vanishing without a trace.
– So. What happened then?
Another voice replaced the fallen one, trembling as it spoke.
– Jin Taekyung… Jin Taekyung has joined the Assembly.
– Who? Jin Taekyung?
– Yes. With the Beast Miao King’s and the other chiefs’ approval.
Silence. Then, a low click of the tongue echoed through the dark.
– Damn savages… letting something like that happen. And you—did you just watch?
– I-I—
– Hmph. Not that it matters. The fault lies with me—for keeping useless insects like you alive.
Slash. Thud!
Two more dull sounds.
Staring down at the fresh corpse, the presence in the darkness muttered softly.
“Jin Taekyung… it’s been a while.”