Third-rate Martial Family Becomes the Best Under Heaven - Chapter 10

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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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Third-rate Martial Arts Family, Greatest Under Heaven – Episode 010
“Il-pil-hwi-seo! The one who transmitted the Eastern Tome to this girl—please show yourself at once!”
A woman crying out pitifully in the marketplace like a newlywed who had lost her husband’s hand.
Her identity was none other than Chu Yong-wol of the Baek Bookstore.
Yang Hwi’s lips curled upward as he observed her.
‘First test passed.’
Just as Jeong In-hwa had said before, the tales of frivolous romance were not suited for earning substantial wealth.
Yet the fact that she displayed such earnest desperation meant she understood the value of the novel Yang Hwi had written and possessed the conviction that she could extract profit from that value.
‘Truly worthy of one who excelled as a merchant in a past life.’
While Yang Hwi entertained such thoughts, Han Supervisor Han Seok-eon stepped before Chu Yong-wol.
“And who might you be, causing such a commotion the moment you arrive at the Main Family?”
Only then did Chu Yong-wol come to her senses.
“This girl is Chu Yong-wol of the Namchang Baek Seo Antiquarian Bookstore, who rushed here upon receiving correspondence from the Baek Family Estate.”
Chu Yong-wol pressed her palms together and offered the most respectful bow.
“First, I offer my apologies for my rudeness. My heart was so urgent that I forgot even the most basic courtesies.”
Because Chu Yong-wol had visited early in the morning, Baek Moo-ryang was in the Training Grounds instructing the three Baek siblings.
“Think nothing of it.”
Unlike Baek Moo-ryang, who readily forgave the discourtesy, Han Supervisor, who had come outside due to the commotion, inquired for more detailed reasons.
“Tell me, Miss Chu. What is this all about? And what is this Il-pil-hwi-seo you were calling out?”
Chu Yong-wol’s gaze swept across the surroundings before fixing upon Han Supervisor.
“I offer my apologies once more. The one who composed the correspondence instructed me that there is a matter requiring secrecy, and I was asked to request a private audience.”
“…Is that so?”
Han Supervisor’s expression grew slightly displeased, yet Yang Hwi felt satisfied once again.
‘Second test passed.’
Yang Hwi had never written anything about requiring secrecy in his letter.
This much was evident from the fact that Chu Yong-wol had called out Il-pil-hwi-seo loudly the moment she arrived at the Baek Family Estate.
‘She must have assumed it was written in the letter and called out accordingly, but upon sensing the atmosphere, she realized it was not so.’
Keen perception meant abundant thoughts.
And that in turn meant fewer mistakes, less failure, and a higher likelihood of devising successful stratagems.
“Father.”
“Yes, Hwi. It is you.”
A brief call, yet Baek Moo-ryang grasped its meaning immediately.
In that instant, Han Supervisor’s face brightened with joy.
“Another success?”
“Yes. You say ‘another’ as if I’ve caused trouble, but yes. Another success it is.”
Han Supervisor’s lips rose of their own accord.
The reason was simple.
“How much this time?”
As the Han Supervisor who oversaw all internal and external affairs of the household and managed its finances, he had naturally been informed by Baek Moo-ryang days prior of the source of the money distributed to the servants.
And from this point forward, Han Supervisor became Yang Hwi’s absolute supporter.
‘How exhausted I’ve been, scraping by on such meager income to keep the household afloat!’
Yet here I was, bringing back a staggering twenty-five hundred silver taels!
A mere child, single-handedly earning half a year’s worth of the Baek Family Estate’s income!
Supervisors are the sort of men who, once you show them money, will trust and follow even the vilest demons of the Demonic Cult itself.
Naturally, I had become someone Han Supervisor would cherish as dearly as the apple of his eye.
“It’s worth at least ten thousand taels.”
Han Supervisor’s eyes widened as he heard my whispered words.
Han Supervisor promptly pushed me toward Chu Yong-wol.
“Ahem. Young Master Hwi, do escort Miss Chu away at once.”
Despite his courteous words, Han Supervisor made a gesture visible only to me, hidden from Baek Moo-ryang’s view.
It was a gesture laden with meaning—extract as much as you possibly can, whatever this is about.
‘Han Supervisor… you’ve had it rough all this time, haven’t you.’
For such a refined and proper gentleman to resort to such a gambler’s gesture—who would have thought.
If I’d said ten thousand gold taels instead of silver, he’d have fainted on the spot.
Ten thousand gold taels—a sum even the Five Great Families of the realm could not handle lightly.
Yet the potential value of what I was about to accomplish far exceeded even that.
“Miss Chu.”
I addressed Chu Yong-wol and offered a proper martial salute.
A glimmer of intrigue flickered across her eyes.
“Who might you be, young master?”
“I am Yang Hwi of the Baek Family. I know where the person you seek is located, so please follow me.”
Chu Yong-wol’s gaze swept quickly across the surroundings once more, and the intrigue in her eyes deepened.
‘A child stepping forward, yet the family head and what appears to be the supervisor remain still. This child is no ordinary child.’
“I’m grateful for your consideration, young master.”
I led Chu Yong-wol to my quarters and shut the door firmly to prevent sound from escaping.
“Young master? Didn’t you say you knew where Il-pil-hwi-seo was? Yet there are only the two of us here?”
Chu Yong-wol feigned confusion, but I knew she had already grasped the truth.
She had carefully avoided mentioning Il-pil-hwi-seo after assessing the atmosphere, yet just now she had spoken the name aloud.
“Emptiness brings freedom from constraint.”
Where there is emptiness, there is no hesitation—a fragment of dialogue between the protagonist and his master, Il-il-ri-haeng, from the novel I had sent her, “Eastern Chronicles,” where they quoted the principle of open-hearted candor.
Chu Yong-wol’s face froze in astonishment.
Yet she did not abandon her suspicion entirely.
“You know portions of ‘Eastern Chronicles.’ But I cannot distinguish whether you are truly Il-pil-hwi-seo or merely a proxy. So please, would you show me proof?”
She was asking me to prove I was Il-pil-hwi-seo. It would not be difficult.
I retrieved a blank manuscript I had prepared beforehand and took up brush and ink.
It took me merely two hours to transcribe the third tale in its entirety onto the blank pages.
“The title is ‘A Sword’s Journey of Ten Thousand Li.’ Please read it, Miss Chu.”
Chu Yong-wol accepted the manuscript carefully and began to read.
Soon her body began to tremble increasingly.
As she turned the final page, she released a long, deep sigh.
“Is that why you’re called Il-pil-hwi-seo?”
The skill of writing an entire book in one sitting without pause truly deserved the name Il-pil-hwi-seo.
Especially if the content simultaneously captured both wonder and entertainment.
“It’s unbelievable even when witnessed with one’s own eyes. How could someone so young achieve such a feat…?”
“The world is vast and boundless, yet geniuses capable of astounding it have always existed.”
In truth, it was thanks to memories from my past life, but I answered with shameless confidence.
Chu Yong-wol sighed once more upon seeing me.
“Do you call yourself a once-in-a-generation genius? Yet I cannot say it’s arrogance. Let me ask—why did you send me a letter?”
Now the real negotiation begins.
“Obviously to sell books and earn money.”
“Are you aware that tales and miscellaneous writings are typically transmitted orally through storytellers rather than in book form?”
“Of course.”
“To sell books, one must hire woodcarvers to engrave hundreds or thousands of characters onto wooden blocks to create woodblock editions. Then one must print them on expensive paper and bind them into books.”
In other words, it costs a fortune to produce.
“Even if you sold tales and miscellaneous writings as books, people would still prefer to hear stories from storytellers who have read such books.”
She was right. Selling tales and miscellaneous writings as books clearly wouldn’t be profitable, with obvious limitations—hardly a desirable business venture.
But.
‘In my past life, Il-pil-hwi-seo shattered all those constraints. Through nothing but the entertainment value of the stories themselves.’
Chu Yong-wol’s reason for rushing to Baek Manor at dawn was likely the same.
She recognized the value of the novels. She saw through the fact that they could make money.
Her current negative remarks were merely a merchant’s preparation before a deal.
“If you think that way, why did you come?”
“…I became intrigued. It’s been quite some time since I encountered such an entertaining story.”
‘One more push. I won’t yield, young lady.’
“Ah, so you wanted to meet the author. Then having achieved your purpose, you’ll be leaving now?”
“…”
Chu Yong-wol couldn’t bring herself to say yes.
Seeing her hesitation, I smiled wickedly.
“Let’s not overthink and play tug-of-war with those who understand, young lady.”
Chu Yong-wol found herself thinking.
Those who understand? What kind of words are these for a boy not even ten years old?
“…You truly are remarkably mature for your age, young master.”
“Thank you for the compliment. Now let’s have an honest conversation.”
“Very well. I’ll be direct—I want to publish your stories as books at our Baek Seo Antiquarian Bookstore and sell them.”
“Agreed.”
Chu Yong-wol felt a moment of bewilderment at my immediate acceptance.
After acting like a cunning old fox all this time, to suddenly accept the deal without hesitation was unexpected.
“From the beginning, I had no intention of contracting with anyone but the Baek Seo Antiquarian Bookstore. The letter was sent to you alone.”
Chu Yong-wol maintained her composed demeanor, but I read her emotions from her expression.
Satisfaction. And pride.
Still young, but impressive nonetheless. I wish he could pass the final test as well.
I gazed steadily at Chu Yong-wol.
And shortly after, I felt a quiet satisfaction within.
“Four percent of the profits. That’s the best condition the Baek Seo Antiquarian Bookstore can offer.”
“Accepted.”
“Pardon?”
“No, I meant to say it’s good. My words came out wrong.”
The reason I had accepted the trading proposal outright and mentioned sending letters only to the Baek Seo Antiquarian Bookstore.
It meant I had many other options and had no intention of haggling over terms.
Chu Yong-wol succeeded in reading my true intentions.
“Four percent of the profits. Excellent.”
After drafting the detailed terms of the contract, I posed a question.
“Now that we have a contract, might I inquire how you intend to sell the books?”
“We plan to display all three novels in the most prominent location at the Baek Seo Antiquarian Bookstore.”
“A conventional sales method, I see.”
“Does the young master have a better approach in mind?”
Of course I did. To be precise, it wasn’t something I thought of myself, but rather a method Il-pil-hwi-seo would use to sell his own books in the future.
“Since you mentioned woodblock printing, if the books sell well, you’ll produce additional copies, correct?”
“That’s right. Printing large quantities at once requires substantial initial capital.”
“If it were me, I would do this: mark the order of printing—first edition, second edition, and so forth.”
As befitted her sharp intellect, Chu Yong-wol immediately grasped the meaning.
“Assigning value through scarcity. A brilliant idea!”
“Furthermore, I intend to sign only ten copies from each edition.”
I picked up brush, ink, and paper, and wrote eight characters in one fluid motion.
The author’s name—Il-pil-hwi-seo.
My calligraphy was so elegant that no one would believe it came from an eight-year-old child.
“The signed books will be given only to the first ten customers when each edition is sold.”
“…Young master.”
“Yes?”
“Have you no interest in becoming part of the Baek Seo Antiquarian Bookstore?”
Chu Yong-wol was genuinely amazed by my talent.
By imbuing a select few products with meaning and value, one elevates the worth of all products. It stimulates the collecting desire of the masses.
What this signified was.
“You’re not selling books containing novels, young master. You’re creating and selling intangible value through them as a medium.”
Selling exceptional stories as books.
And making everyone under heaven feel the desire to own them.
So that merely hearing the Storyteller’s tales would no longer suffice.
Wouldn’t this allow us to earn considerably more money?
“What a wonderful idea. Then, then… we should decorate the books with gold thread and make them luxurious. So the elevated value becomes even greater.”
“And we should raise the price as well. Our profits will grow accordingly.”
“Sales through membership as well… No, that’s a method we can’t implement right now. However, if we proceed that way, we’d need considerably more capital… but… but….”
Chu Yong-wol muttered continuously to herself, formulating her plans.
Watching her, I smiled with satisfaction.
“Miss Chu. I wish to make one more contract with you.”
“Yes? What is it?”
“If we pursue premium products, the burden on the Baek Seo Antiquarian Bookstore will only grow heavier. I wish to share the load. I will invest four thousand silver taels into the Baek Seo Antiquarian Bookstore.”
“What?!”
Chu Yong-wol’s eyes widened considerably.

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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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