Third-rate Martial Family Becomes the Best Under Heaven - Chapter 120

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

Third-rate Martial Arts Family, Greatest Under Heaven – Episode 120
Jegal Seol-ha was cultivating the seasonal techniques of the Chengyin Jade Spirit Sect in a valley of Quyue Mountain.
In the midst of her training, when the mysterious gateway of her inner energy refused to yield as expected, frustration bubbled up and she let out a string of curses—only to be caught in the act.
Yet despite this, Jegal Seol-ha remained radiant as ever.
At least, that was how it appeared on the surface.
“Hehe, Master. Curses, you say? Your disciple was merely curious about one of the methods by which those living in the mundane world release their anger…”
“That won’t work. Are you trying to gloss over this again?”
“Oh.”
“It’s not ‘oh.’ From the beginning, whether anyone is listening or not, one must conduct oneself with propriety in word and deed.”
“Your disciple shall engrave your teachings deeply into her heart!”
“Seolha.”
“Yes, Master! Your disciple is listening intently!”
“…”
Despite her spirited declaration, Eum Hu remained silent.
It was because the grinning face of Yang Hwi overlaid itself upon Jegal Seol-ha’s beaming smile.
The way she used clever words to slip past punishment—it was so perfectly reminiscent of her elder brother.
“Seolha… I sometimes find myself missing the girl you once were.”
“I don’t miss the past at all. When I think of the pain back then, even now my heart aches…”
“…”
Jegal Seol-ha certainly was a child who had endured a painful past.
But the thing was.
“You’re quite cunning and smooth-tongued. Your answers are bold and shrewd.”
“Oh, thank you for the compliment— wait, that wasn’t a compliment, was it! Still, I’m always grateful, Master!”
Upon hearing Jegal Seol-ha’s words, Eum Hu’s expression became momentarily blank.
Where had that girl from a noble family gone—the one who had knelt and begged to become her disciple so she wouldn’t have to witness her father’s sorrow?
Growing rapidly, her disciple was now slightly taller than herself.
Still beautiful and endearing, her own disciple.
Her fists clenched of their own accord.
‘Namgung Cheon-yeong! I will make you pay the price for this!’
A child is like a blank white canvas—depending on what is written upon it, it can become a beautiful painting or merely worthless scribbles.
This was also the reason she had imposed the condition of severing ties with the mundane world when accepting Jegal Seol-ha as her disciple.
‘Namgung Cheon-yeong has ruined everything.’
Taking Jegal Seol-ha as a disciple had proven to be an excellent decision upon reflection.
Her beloved disciple had revered her master like the heavens themselves, had devoted herself to cultivation by reducing her sleep, and possessed talents that more than satisfied Eum Hu.
The only problem was.
“Seolha. Where has your reverence for your master gone?”
Jegal Seol-ha gasped in genuine alarm, covering her mouth with her hand and appealing plaintively.
“Master! Your disciple always regards you as the heavens with utmost sincerity!”
“…”
Over one hundred and several decades old, and though her disciple was gifted, she was still merely sixteen—Eum Hu had accumulated far too much experience to overlook the truth hidden within her heart.
Having lived my entire life alone, and now here I am.
Whenever I saw disciples who truly regarded their master like family, respecting and cherishing them, my heart would always grow warm.
But that’s one thing, and this is another.
The relationship between myself as a master that Eum Hu had vaguely dreamed of and the disciples who followed me was quite different from what it was now.
‘Sigh. My authority as a master….’
Had I remained alone with Yang Hwi on Gokryeol Mountain as planned and imparted teachings, things would not have come to this.
All the problems stemmed from Yang Hwi, my secular disciple.
When I accepted him as a disciple, he was eight years old, and now he was already sixteen.
We were not always together, but over the years, Yang Hwi, my secular disciple, spent roughly three months with me each year.
Over nearly eight years, he was the one I spent the longest time with besides myself.
Given that Yang Hwi’s words and actions were so intense, he was more than sufficient to color the blank canvas that was Jegal Seol-ha.
‘At least it’s fortunate that she also learned Namgung Cheon-yeong’s benevolence and righteous spirit….’
“By the way, Master. What is my senior brother doing? It’s almost time for him to come up the mountain!”
Look at her now. Rolling her eyes and bringing up a different topic, really….
“Sigh. Seol-ha. Namgung Cheon-yeong will not be coming to Gokryeol Mountain.”
“What?! Why…?”
Suddenly, Eum Hu felt a pang of sympathy.
A child at an age when she should be playing with friends had been confined to the mountain for already eight years.
No matter how much it was of her own choosing, loneliness and boredom were inevitable.
‘That must be why she reacts so strongly.’
“Namgung Cheon-yeong sent a letter. Let me show you.”
Jegal Seol-ha, receiving the offered letter, quickly read through its contents.
[Master, I hope you are well. Due to family matters, it seems I will not be able to visit this year to receive your teachings, so I send this letter.]
[…]
[…]
[I believe it is time for Seol-ha to walk the Path of Perfect Sound.]
[Thus I make this request. A good opportunity has presented itself—would you not send her forth?]
Jegal Seol-ha’s eyes widened as she looked at Eum Hu.
Her eyes sparkled so brightly that her inner thoughts were transparent without a word.
“M-Master. May I go?”
The Seongeeum Okryeong Sect possessed a custom passed down through generations and a cultivation method that must be inherited.
It was the Path of Perfect Sound.
“Exquisite sound and melody must delight the ears of all people. Since the path our sect pursues is also the Path of the People’s Lives, one must descend the mountain and refine oneself.”
How could one pursue the true path by merely training in seclusion on a mountain?
One must venture into the secular world. To obtain the path, one must walk the path.
Therefore, the Seongeeum Okryeong Sect had always sent disciples down the mountain to refine their own sound within the world.
‘I had originally planned to send her around her early twenties….’
Jegal Seol-ha’s achievements had accelerated the timeline by several years.
Her innate talent was far more exceptional than I had anticipated.
To have reached the first rank at merely sixteen years old said everything.
“Seolha. Do you wish to leave the mountain?”
“Yes! I want to descend and train earnestly, ah, no—I wish to reach the realm of obtaining sound!”
Another sigh escaped her lips.
“Seolha.”
“Yes, Master.”
“Your master’s worries are as vast as mountains.”
“But concern is merely mist that obscures the eyes, is it not? I wish you would trust your disciple!”
“….”
She speaks well. She certainly does.
Why must such a brilliant mind be used only in this manner?
“Seolha. You are still young and unripe. Moreover… if I consider other complications as well. I cannot help but worry.”
Yet weeds grow resilient through wind and storm.
Despite her words, Eum Hu harbored no intention of raising her disciple as a delicate flower in a greenhouse.
“Jegal Seol-ha. My disciple.”
Upon hearing her name called, Jegal Seol-ha straightened her posture with a solemn expression.
“Your disciple awaits your instruction, Master.”
“I command your descent. Undertake the Ten Thousand Sounds Quest and cultivate your own voice.”
“I accept your command and shall return with achievements worthy of your renown and our sect’s Way!”
Her solemnity lasted only that long.
After bowing, Jegal Seol-ha hurried back to her quarters and began packing her belongings.
Watching her depart, anxiety surged anew within Eum Hu.
‘If that delicate child were to be injured… or swept away by the turbulence of the mortal world.’
Worry compounded upon worry, leaving her increasingly restless.
‘This simply will not do.’
Eum Hu had become a master utterly devoted to her disciple’s welfare.

* * *
With her travel pack slung across her back, Jegal Seol-ha descended the mountain like a soaring bird executing the Ilbo Cheon’s lightness technique.
According to Yang Hwi’s letter, her destination was Hangzhou.
More precisely, they were to meet at a place called Wol-hang-ru in Hangzhou, and the appointed time was five days hence.
‘Goodness! Hangzhou! My senior brother truly knows what he’s doing.’
Hangzhou, where heaven exists above and Suzhou below—it was precisely the place Jegal Seol-ha had always yearned to visit.
She was now a proper disciple of Eum Hu, and Hangzhou was where the finest musicians under heaven gathered, so it was only natural that she should wish to go there.
“Let me see. Even taking my time, I should arrive in four days, shouldn’t I?”
The distance from Qulie Mountain in Jiangxi Province to Hangzhou in Zhejiang Province would take ten days even by carriage.
Yet Jegal Seol-ha spoke of merely four days.
One of the two supreme techniques of the Seongeumok Ryungmun was precisely such extraordinary lightness of foot—naturally so.
Her heart racing with anticipation, she rode without pause through an entire day and night, arriving at Shangshan, the boundary between Jiangxi and Zhejiang.
‘The marketplace! People! How I’ve missed this!’
The longed-for scenery. Her ears and nose, deprived for nearly a decade, rejoiced as they encountered the sounds and scents of a living world once more.
‘I should rest at an inn nearby tonight.’
Before descending to the main road, Jegal Seol-ha drew a veil from her pack and covered her face.
A flower, beautiful in form and sweet in fragrance, inevitably draws bees and butterflies whether it wishes to or not.
She simply had no desire to attract unnecessary attention.
“Innkeeper!”
“Ah, ah—!”
The innkeeper, who had been soliciting customers, turned at her call and froze like stone.
Paying him no mind, Jegal Seol-ha stated her business.
“Could you recommend an inn with exceptionally delicious food and clean sleeping quarters?”
“Yes, yes, yes!”
Following behind the innkeeper, who walked with stiff, creaking movements—right arm and right leg, left arm and left leg—she entered an inn bearing the sign “Shangshan Inn.”
“Welcome, ah—!”
The inn keeper stood rigid, eyes bulging, but she spoke as though nothing were amiss.
“Please prepare a room for me and arrange a meal. If you could have it ready immediately, that would be wonderful.”
“Y-yes, of course…!”
She took a seat and set her travel pack beside her.
After perhaps half an hour had passed, the inn keeper emerged repeatedly with lavish dishes that seemed heavy even for both his hands to carry.
“This seems rather excessive. What is the total cost?”
“We cannot accept payment! We ask only that you enjoy the meal!”
“Is that so? Thank you kindly.”
A faint smile played at her lips as she began to eat.
Since she had to eat, she could not help but lift her veil occasionally, and each time she did, gasps of wonder erupted from those around her.
“Ah—!”
“How can such a person exist…!”
“Tell me, have I perhaps died and ascended to the immortal realm?”
“You remain in the mortal world.”
Regardless of the reactions around her, Jegal Seol-ha remained focused on her meal.
Having subsisted on simple fare in the mountains, every dish tasted like the finest delicacy under heaven.
“Ah, I’m stuffed. Innkeeper, don’t discard the leftovers—distribute them to the beggars outside.”
She was just about to rise when it happened.
“Miss, would it be permissible for us to partake as well?”
“Food left behind by a peerless beauty—surely it must be a delicacy from the heavens themselves.”
“Haha, and if you’d grace us with your continued company, Miss, it would be all the better!”
Jegal Seol-ha regarded the three burly men approaching her with a measured gaze.
Their attire and demeanor screamed petty ruffians, yet their posture and bearing revealed they had certainly trained in martial arts.
“What say you? I’m certain it would be an enjoyable time for you as well.”
“Guffaw, you’re right about that! Any woman would naturally find joy in the company of heroes like us!”
“Your veil seems rather bothersome—I’ll take the liberty of removing it!”
Watching one of the bastards reach toward her, Jegal Seol-ha’s lips curved into a crooked smile.
The sound of shattering bone echoed through the inn.
“Aaaahhh! My arm! My arm!!”
“You dare ambush me?”
“You bitch! Have you lost your mind!”
“You started this—now shut up and fight.”
She launched herself into the air, sweeping one of the bastards off his feet with a kick, her smile radiant.
“I’ll rearrange all your faces, you worthless dogs!”
Ah, what a relief.
Cursing freely felt absolutely wonderful!

* * *
After that brief encounter at the Dongpa Inn.
I waited for the next opportunity to meet So Wol-hyang again.
Tracking her movements was simple enough.
Thanks to my memories from my past life, I knew exactly where she worked and what would happen to her over the coming years.
‘At this point in time… her debt to Wol-hang-ru should be around three hundred taels in gold.’
Courtesans were typically bound to their establishments.
Many came from scholarly families fallen on hard times, their daughters forced into such work.
Or they had been raised within the courtesan house from the start.
So Wol-hyang was no different—she carried a substantial debt to the Master of Wol-hang-ru, the establishment where she worked.
Unknown to anyone else, this was precisely why Miss So Wol-hyang, a lady of the So family, had become a courtesan.
‘Still, even as a courtesan, she’s one of Hangzhou’s three great beauties and a first-rank courtesan of the highest caliber.’
Courtesans often carried unfortunate prejudices.
But a courtesan who practiced the principle of selling art, not her body—and one who had reached the pinnacle of the first rank—was a flower coveted and admired by countless scholars and literati.
This was why So So-so from the transition period between the Tang and Song dynasties was still celebrated as the greatest courtesan of all time.
The real problem, however, was the Master of Wol-hang-ru.
‘That bastard. Despite the elegant name of his establishment, his nature was thoroughly rotten.’
Wol-hang-ru—named after Chang’e from the moon palace—was one of the largest and most magnificent courtesan houses along West Lake in Hangzhou.
The Master of Wol-hang-ru was among the few truly despicable individuals I knew.
‘This will make things easier, at least. It’s already been four days. I hope the opportunity comes soon.’
As they say, speak of the tiger and it appears.
A group entered Wol-hang-ru just as I was watching its entrance.
“Come now, let’s drink tonight! Let’s revel all night long!”
“Of course! To spend the whole night with the renowned Wol-hyang!”
“I must apologize to you gentlemen. Today is the day I become the flower’s master!”
“How ambitious! You can’t even break a branch after ten tries, yet you speak of mastery!”
They entered Wol-hang-ru with boisterous laughter and crude jests on their lips.
Dressed in ornate silks, they all appeared to be children of wealthy or powerful families.
Moreover, their entourage of bodyguards numbered well over ten in total.
‘This is worth going in and waiting for.’
After the surroundings had grown dark and I waited another hour, I finally made my way toward Wol-hang-ru.
With this much of a delay, my entrance would be perfectly timed.
‘A bit cunning, perhaps, but this is how it must be when dealing with Miss So.’
I stepped forward with confident bearing and gestured to the innkeeper of Wol-hang-ru.
“Innkeeper, welcome your guest.”
“Welcome, Young Master!”
The innkeeper’s eyes quickly assessed my clothing.
As I deliberately swept my ornate silk sleeves before him, he bowed and wrung his hands.
“Welcome to Wol-hang-ru! But your companions…?”
Adu, standing behind me, blinked his simple, bovine eyes as the innkeeper’s gaze fell upon him.
“Don’t mind him—he’s just a monk.”
I climbed the stairs with Adu, who had suddenly become a monk, sharpening my hearing.
The boisterous laughter and familiar voices drifting from nearby.
Fortunately, the adjacent room was vacant.
“We’ll take this one. Bring your finest dishes and most expensive wine. Since there’s a monk present, prepare food without meat.”
“Right away!”
I was savoring the wine and food the innkeeper brought when I turned my attention to the sounds coming from the neighboring room.
“Hahaha, Miss Wol-hyang. I’ve paid over two taels of gold for tonight! That’s two hundred silver taels!”
“No wonder he managed to book a reservation—he threw in quite the premium.”
“Even if she’s called one of Hangzhou’s three greatest beauties, two hundred silver taels for a single night!”
Two hundred silver taels was money an able-bodied adult man would need to work for half a year to earn.
So Wol-hyang’s fame would reach its peak about five years from now.
But even at this time, she was clearly a woman whom countless men desired.
“My feelings for you run so deep. Won’t you pour me a cup of wine?”
“I offer joy only through music and dance. I do not serve wine.”
“How cold of you, when I’ve spent two hundred taels!”
“Even if it were two thousand taels, I cannot compromise my principles.”
A brief silence. Then a voice, slightly raised in pitch.
“I have admired you for no short time, yet you treat me this way? I have cherished you like a precious flower.”
“I am grateful for your admiration, but a flower cannot move to pour wine, no matter what.”
I couldn’t help but admire her response.
That’s right. A flower cannot move to pour wine.
Her wit has always been impeccable, whether then or now.
But.
The man who had been rejected seemed to be entertaining different thoughts.
“…Pour it.”
“Young Master. If I may explain further…”
“Enough. You’re testing my patience. I said pour!”
‘Perfect timing.’
Crash!
I kicked open the door to the room.
All eyes in the room suddenly fixed on me at this unexpected intrusion.
“I heard a man threatening a woman, so I had to intervene.”
I swept my gaze across those seated, speaking words meant to shame them.
‘No wonder the atmosphere escalated so easily. They’re all thoroughly drunk.’
Sure enough, a man who struggled to even stand properly turned toward me with flushed face.
“Threatening? Who are you to be so disrespectful!”
“You don’t need to know who I am.”
“You deserve a lesson. Leave now! Otherwise, I’ll make you regret it!”
I shrugged my shoulders in response.
“Because I happen to know someone.”
So Wol-hyang’s gaze drifted toward me quietly.
Even caught in such dire circumstances, she remained as serene as a still lake—truly her nature.
“In Buddhist teachings, there is a concept called karmic connection. It seems Miss Wol-hyang and I share such a bond.”
“How did you come to be here? Surely you didn’t investigate the young girl’s background?”
“Investigate? Born a man, how could I pry into a woman’s past? It was mere chance. Or perhaps another thread of fate entirely.”
The connection spanning from my previous life was undeniably thick and substantial.
“Come now, young masters. Long ago, the Drunken Immortal once said that the way of wine lies not in succumbing to intoxication. Perhaps we should all call it an evening and take our leave?”
I had carefully chosen my words, yet they fell on deaf ears.
“You there! Is anyone outside? Throw this bastard out at once!”
The sound of hurried footsteps came rushing toward us.
Had the escort warriors been waiting in the nearby guest rooms?
Judging by the number of footsteps exceeding ten, the security guards of Wol-hang-ru were also converging.
“Since you’ve released the hawk, accept your beating and be gone! Learn your place next time!”
The warriors soon filled the guest room. The spacious chamber suddenly felt cramped.
“My sincere apologies, young masters. We shall handle this immediately.”
“What has become of Wol-hang-ru’s discipline! Did you think we paid for this sort of spectacle?”
“I offer my deepest apologies. We shall remove him at once.”
Arriving as a guest, yet they spoke of throwing me out immediately—these fellows must possess considerable family authority.
Though at best they were merely second-rate; even dozens rushing at me would prove futile.
I was just preparing to swing my arms and engage in a proper brawl.
“A spring night’s moment is worth a thousand gold, as the swing in the courtyard sways through the deep night.”
A beautiful verse suddenly drifted through the air.
No, it was far more than mere melody.
It was a musical enchantment that stirred the very heartstrings of all who heard it.
“A spring night’s fleeting moment holds the value of a thousand gold, as the gentle spring breeze rocks the swing in the deepening dusk.”
Su Dongpo’s “Spring Night” sung in a voice like jade pearls rolling.
Every figure in motion froze in place.
In that moment, a silhouette appeared before the guest room’s entrance.
That instant.
“…!”
“…!”
Men and women alike lost all words.
With gaping mouths and wide eyes, they could only stare in utter captivation.
Like the fish that forgot to swim, intoxicated by Xi Shi’s beauty.
Like the moon that hid behind clouds in shame at Zhao Jun’s radiance.
“What? You were here?”
Delicate jade hands extended forth.
Lips like vermillion and teeth like pearls curved into a smile.
A beauty transcending the mortal realm.
Thus, she was called.
A peerless beauty.
Jegal Seol-ha smiled softly as she gazed at me.
“Senior Brother, how have you been?”

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