Evening – Inside the Jade Lantern Hall
The Assembly of Heirs had transformed the fortress's heart into a mockery of civility. A great banquet hall—once a war room—was now lit by pale jade lanterns and lined with silk banners of every major sect. Platters of rare delicacies crowded long tables. Gold-rimmed cups clinked as laughter, false and sweet, rippled through the air.
But beneath it all pulsed tension. Heirs smiled with bared teeth. Elders laughed with shadowed eyes. The predators were merely dressed in finer robes.
Baek Sun-Ho entered at the center of his group, garbed plainly in dark blue, no crest, no ostentation. No mask.
Still, every eye turned.
Whispers followed his steps like smoke.
"That's him."
"Baek clan's… ghost flame?"
"He beat Ji-Wan. With lightning, they say."
"Or with poison. Or illusions. Depends who you ask."
Sun-Ho ignored it all. His gaze scanned the room once, then landed on Kang Mu-Jin.
The Iron Wall heir stood unmoving, arms crossed, built like a fortress carved from steel. His gaze met Sun-Ho's—cold, unblinking. The greeting was wordless, and somehow louder than the music.
On the opposite side, Jin Ye-Hwa lifted her cup in mock cheer. "The quiet one joins us! I was beginning to think you were too mysterious for mingling."
"Just cautious," Sun-Ho said politely.
"Caution makes dull dinner companions." She sipped. "But I'm sure you're not dull."
Master Jang Cheol-Oh, appearing without sound, casually slipped into a seat near the elders' corner and poured himself tea. His smile, as always, was infuriatingly peaceful.
Ma-Rok eyed the food suspiciously. "Too many sauces. What are they hiding?"
Ji-Mun leaned close to Sun-Ho. "Should we start with polite insults or bold threats?"
Sun-Ho gave him a sideways glance. "Just eat. The talking comes later."
---
Mid-Banquet – Toasts and Jabs
A sect elder rose with a jade cup. "Let us toast the future leaders of Murim—the ones who will carry our traditions forward, with honor, wisdom, and strength."
Applause echoed. Cups raised. Wine flowed.
Then came the subtle daggers—one heir commenting on how some clans "chose orphans to compete," another musing aloud about "sectless talent with no proven lineage."
Sun-Ho took a sip of tea, unfazed.
So-Ri leaned closer. "They're trying to box you in before the duels begin."
"I know."
"They're scared."
"Good."
From across the table, Jin Ye-Hwa met his eyes again, this time with curiosity.
"She's testing you," Yul-Rin whispered.
"She tests everyone," Sun-Ho replied. "But not with words."
---
Later – Garden Interlude
After dinner, heirs wandered into the fortress garden, mingling under lanterns strung between skeletal trees.
Sun-Ho and his group kept to the side. The moon cast silver outlines around them as soft music drifted from inside.
Ji-Mun found a quiet corner to nap. Ma-Rok stood guard near a koi pond. Yeon fed crumbs to a squirrel, then pointed wordlessly at a robed figure watching from a balcony.
"Spy?" So-Ri asked.
Sun-Ho shook his head. "Not yet. Just fear wearing a face."
They stayed like that for a moment—quiet, grounded in the eye of a rising storm.
Then Kang Mu-Jin approached.
He walked like a glacier—impossible to stop, ancient in his momentum.
"Baek Sun-Ho," he said.
"Kang Mu-Jin."
Their words were brief, their auras louder. Neither bowed.
"You're strong," Mu-Jin said simply. "But strength without roots topples fast."
Sun-Ho nodded. "Then I'll have to grow faster than I fall."
For a second, something like approval flickered behind Mu-Jin's stone expression.
Then he turned and walked away.
---
Later That Night – Campfire Reflection
Back at their private camp, the fire crackled as So-Ri brewed calming tea.
"First battle comes tomorrow," she said softly.
Sun-Ho stared into the flames. "I can't fight all of them at once. But I can fight better."
Ji-Mun stirred from his nap. "Just make sure your opponent bleeds dramatically. It helps our reputation."
Ma-Rok raised a chunk of roasted meat. "To the first idiot who underestimates us."
Yul-Rin toasted with a glass vial. "They always do."
Yeon just grinned and showed a sketch—Sun-Ho mid-leap, lightning cracking behind him.
Sun-Ho laughed. "You make me look taller."
So-Ri smiled. "You'll grow into it."
Above them, stars blinked in and out behind drifting clouds.
And the winds whispered:
Tomorrow, everything begins.
---
Bonus – "The Crown Game"
"Let's play something," Ji-Mun announced, stretching his legs toward the fire.
Ma-Rok raised an eyebrow. "Like what? Guess the poison?"
"I was thinking something more intellectual." Ji-Mun reached into his robe and pulled out a lopsided paper crown. "Behold! The Crown of Tomorrow."
Yul-Rin squinted. "You folded a dumpling wrapper."
"It's a sacred heirloom," he said dramatically, placing it on his head. "Whoever wears this becomes the temporary leader of all Murim. And must answer one question with perfect wisdom."
He looked around the fire. "First question goes to the heir himself. Baek Sun-Ho—if you were made Supreme Leader tomorrow, what's your first decree?"
Sun-Ho didn't even blink. "Mandatory nap hours."
Everyone stared.
"I'm serious," he added, sipping tea. "Murim needs more rest and less posturing."
So-Ri laughed. "You've changed."
"Maybe I just remembered what's worth protecting."
Ji-Mun solemnly removed the crown and placed it on Yeon's head. The boy blinked.
"Supreme Leader Yeon," Ji-Mun said, bowing. "Your ruling?"
Yeon grabbed a twig, scribbled in the dirt:
"All sects must provide dessert after every duel."
Ma-Rok raised his cup. "Now that's leadership I can follow."
So-Ri leaned on Sun-Ho's shoulder, smiling. "If this is what the future looks like… maybe there's hope."
The fire crackled. The night held its breath.
For a moment, the heirs of a broken world sat like children again—hopeful, unburdened.
Even just for a while.
---
End of Chapter 74 – The Banquet of Wolves