Third-rate Martial Family Becomes the Best Under Heaven - Chapter 124

—————
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 124
Wol-hang-ru Master, consumed by anger yet desperately searching for some plausible excuse.
So Wol-hyang, watching him, laid bare her shock and sense of betrayal without reservation.
I alternated my gaze between the two of them, arms crossed.
‘So Wol-hyang… Sister Wol-hyang is truly perceptive, as expected.’
Our first meeting had been unexpected, and today’s second encounter was also arranged under the guise of coincidence.
As such, I couldn’t openly speak of what Wol-hang-ru Master had done to So Wol-hyang’s family.
‘Actually, my plan was to plant some seeds today and merely sow suspicion through his reaction.’
So Wol-hyang’s response was fiercer than I anticipated.
Knowing Wol-hang-ru Master better than anyone, she must have sensed that his demeanor was anything but normal.
“Master Juru. Please, answer me.”
“…”
“If you remain silent, I shall continue my conversation with the Young Master. First, Young Master, what is your reason for investigating So Dong-pa’s bloodline?”
If I say I know the secrets of the past, she’ll think I conducted a background investigation.
That would be troublesome.
“Sister. The reason this younger brother traveled such a distance to Hangzhou is twofold. First, to attend to a courtesan of the first rank for the family’s business. And second, to investigate the bloodline of So Dong-pa, whom I have long admired.”
To avoid misunderstanding and suspicion, I simply needed to reframe the narrative.
Rather than discovering the truth of the So family while investigating So Wol-hyang, I had been interested in So Dong-pa’s bloodline from the start, and my investigation eventually led me to So Wol-hyang.
“Over the past few days, I mobilized people from the family to inquire a bit, and I discovered that a certain family bearing the So surname had undergone a sudden decline over the past decade.”
“Please, continue.”
“As it happened, the young lady of that household was the sister whom Yeon-yeon had recently encountered. So I mentioned it simply because I intended to investigate further.”
I added a remark with a wink.
“It seems we share a karmic connection, Sister.”
Fortunately, So Wol-hyang didn’t press further.
She seemed to find the explanation credible.
“I thought about who benefited most from the misfortune that befell your family. It was Wol-hang-ru Master, I realized. So I probed, but I never expected such a fierce reaction.”
After finishing, I smiled with satisfaction.
‘With this, her suspicion of Wol-hang-ru Master will deepen considerably.’
Simply planting doubt about Wol-hang-ru Master in So Wol-hyang’s mind made today’s conversation worthwhile.
In my past life, the guilt and betrayal of being used and bearing the enemy’s child had been a profound wound for her.
‘At least in this life, Sister won’t suffer nightmares upon waking.’
“Master Juru. Do you still have no answer?”
“Wol-hyang. Don’t be swayed by such baseless lies. It is I. Your family’s benefactor and your guardian!”
“…”
So Wol-hyang, who had been gazing at Wol-hang-ru Master with that distinctive light in her eyes, turned her head back toward me.
“Young Master. You said my worth exceeds one-tenth of the profits. However, I request a signing fee. Please give me five hundred gold taels.”
“Sister, if that is your wish, I shall provide whatever you ask.”
So Wol-hyang, having received the bundle of promissory notes, extended her hand toward Wol-hang-ru Master.
“Master Juru. This girl’s heart has grown confused and turbid, lost as if adrift. So today, I shall settle all remaining debts and obligations. Therefore, please tell me. Say that this girl is now free.”
“Wol-hyang! How can you treat me this way! How can you!”
“If that is your wish, I shall repay the five hundred gold taels and return to Hangzhou to spend my life with you, Master Wol-hang.”
Upon hearing So Wol-hyang’s words, I furrowed my brow slightly.
Why speak so unnecessarily?
She truly possessed an overflowing sense of integrity.
It seemed she had decided to trust the Wol-hang-ru Master once more.
But here’s the thing.
‘That dog of a man will never release the reins he holds in his grasp.’
“What difference does it make? Wol-hyang, even if you do this, nothing will change. Why are you being so stubborn about it?”
“Why, you ask? By your own words, there is no difference whatsoever, yet why do you refuse to speak the promised freedom?”
Instead of the Wol-hang-ru Master, who remained silent and ground his teeth, I answered.
“Because he would be anxious. If the Treasure of Ten Thousand Gold—destined to gain the greatest renown under heaven and be spoken of for generations—were to discover the truth, he fears she might flee.”
The Wol-hang-ru Master was the one who had destroyed So Wol-hyang’s household.
Once close with So Wol-hyang’s father, he had by chance discovered a secret hidden within the So family’s bloodline.
So So-so’s handwritten will. And So Dong-pa’s diary.
Moreover, upon examining the genealogy passed down through generations, what caught the Wol-hang-ru Master’s eye was So Wol-hyang—despite her young age, she possessed deep knowledge of calligraphy, painting, and poetry, and displayed exceptional talent in music, dance, and the arts.
‘He must have been blinded by greed. So he took her into his hands, raised her, wanting to possess the Treasure of Ten Thousand Gold.’
According to the stories I had heard in my previous life, every misfortune that befell So Wol-hyang’s household had been orchestrated by the Wol-hang-ru Master.
The decline that began with financial crisis. All the subsequent oppressions that followed.
“…I can listen no longer. You there!”
The Wol-hang-ru Master issued a command to the warriors waiting outside the guest room.
“Summon all the warriors within Juru and drive these people out!”
“Master Wol-hang! Please answer me first!”
“Wol-hyang. You are far too agitated. Compose yourself and we shall speak of this later.”
“Master Wol-hang!”
Nearly twenty warriors came rushing in.
This feels familiar. Isn’t this the same situation I just experienced?
“Master Wol-hang. We are paying guests who entered here with coin. Where in this world does one treat guests with such hostility?”
“Silence. I shall make you pay the price for your reckless tongue.”
I merely shrugged my shoulders and laughed.
Whether it was ten or twenty security warriors from a pleasure house made no difference to me.
There was no need for me to act directly anyway.
“Adu, earn your keep.”
“Huh?”
“These men are trying to harass Sister Wol-hyang. So throw them out.”
Adu nodded and rose to his feet.
His frame was so massive that his head nearly touched the ceiling of the guest room.
Adu brought his palms together and expanded his presence, crying out.
“Amitabha!”
The Shaolin’s distinctive majestic aura filled the entire guest room.
A heavy, oppressive force—weighty beyond measure, yet carrying no intent to harm others.
The warriors suddenly realized a fact and were shocked.
“A master of righteous energy…!”
“Could it be someone who’s reached the pinnacle realm!”
“How is that possible with such a youthful face!”
Only then did Adu’s robes come into focus.
Throughout all under heaven, only Shaolin Monks wear robes dyed with mud-colored hemp cloth.
“W-wait, could it be?”
“Master Wol-hang-ru. It seems that monk is indeed from Shaolin.”
Wol-hang-ru Master, with veins bulging grotesquely in his neck, bellowed out.
“Shaolin? Just because of some robes! Move now! Earn your pay!”
Clang! Clang! Clang!
As the guards drew their blades, Adu frowned.
“Swords hurt. Want to get beaten?”
That was the moment.
“Fighting in front of my sister doesn’t sit right with me.”
Jegal Seol-ha stepped forward, and a pipa had already appeared in her hand.
Heavenly Sound Pipa. The Seong-eum Ok-ryeong-mun’s unique forbidden technique.
Jegal Seol-ha struck the back of the pipa, which resembled a drum.
Boom!
“Cough!”
“Ugh…!”
As the drum-like sound wave spread, the guards collapsed one by one, retching or clutching their heads in agony.
The sound wave that seeped through their eardrums had shaken their brains.
‘Even so, Wol-hang-ru Master remains unharmed. His control of energy is quite impressive.’
Though the strongest among them was merely second-rate, there were twenty of them.
She had subdued multiple enemies with a single strike.
This was a unique advantage that only sound-based internal energy techniques could possess.
“Wol-hang-ru Master. Listening to this, I can no longer overlook it. Answer my sister’s question. Will the day ever come when my sister gains her freedom?”
Jegal Seol-ha possessed the Jegal Family’s distinctive brilliance, and thanks to her Peach Blossom physique, she could read others’ inner nature.
In her eyes,
Unlike his benevolent appearance, there was mud the color of rotting leaves.
The Wol-hang-ru Master reflected in her gaze was no sage.
‘I don’t understand why my senior brother created this situation, but I can roughly guess.’
“Sister. I must tell you one thing. I possess an ability to read others’ inner nature. Unlike what you think, that person is not someone capable of good deeds out of mere kindness.”
“…Jegal sister.”
Wol-hang-ru Master’s eyes trembled. He had only just learned that Jegal Seol-ha was from the Jegal Family.
A monk appearing to be from Shaolin and a beautiful young girl from the Jegal Family.
Now Wol-hang-ru Master could accurately grasp the current situation.
“…I cannot give up.”
His eyes bloodshot, he bit his lip and continued speaking.
“I spent a fortune saving your family! On top of that, Wol-hang has spent no small amount raising you all these years! How is it a crime for me to want something in return?”
“…You are correct in that regard, Juru. However.”
“Tell me—has even a single misfortune that befell this young girl’s family originated from Juru?”
“…”
Watching Wol-hang-ru Master fall silent once more, Yang Hwi spoke.
“No matter how deeply buried in darkness, morning always comes. So it is with past wrongs and secrets. I stand ready to be that dawn for you, whenever you need it.”
I conveyed that lies would serve no purpose here.
After all, one of the Five Great Families under Heaven—the Jegal Family, renowned for their schemes and hidden networks—was now revealed to be present.
Surely Wol-hang-ru Master believed himself completely exposed.
And indeed, he dropped his mask.
“Wol-hang, your parents’ incompetence is not my fault.”
The benevolent facade crumbled, replaced by a sordid, filthy greed.
“I merely helped late. I simply moved in directions profitable for a merchant overseeing enterprises.”
So Wol-hyang collapsed, unable to bear the shock.
“How could you! You, who were my father’s friend! How could you become this!”
“Wol-hang. Opening the outhouse door only reveals filth. The door opening changes nothing. You merely suffer from the foul stench.”
Wol-hang-ru Master’s gaze turned toward Yang Hwi.
“Now that the cloth covering her eyes has been removed, Wol-hang will live in hell. It is all your doing. Because of you, she will spend her entire life in that hellish existence.”
I did not respond. Perhaps thinking my silence meant I had nothing to say, Wol-hang-ru Master began to mock Yang Hwi.
“My contract with Wol-hang is just and binding. She cannot leave Wol-hang-ru until the debt is repaid. Until now, I have graciously refrained from adding interest, but that will change. From now on, Wol-hang will pay me thirty percent interest each month.”
“Interesting. Are you not afraid of future consequences?”
“As you can see, among my associates are a Shaolin Monk and the young lady of the Jegal Family.”
“Does this Juru lack connections and networks! Moreover, this is Hangzhou! A place where money can accomplish anything!”
In my past life too, Wol-hang-ru Master had kept So Wol-hyang bound to him through force and power once she learned the truth and trembled with betrayal.
Remembering what he had done then, I understood his confidence.
But.
“Try it.”
“What?”
“Whether you hire assassins, seek help from the black gangs, or pull in power through your connections and networks—try it all.”
I continued without waiting for a response.
“So get out now, old man. You stink.”
They say that when anger reaches its peak, it becomes cold instead.
Wol-hang-ru Master laughed cynically.
“So be it. Anticipate it. Wol-hang, remember this. You are my property. Mine alone!”
Slam!
As the guest room door shut, tears streamed down So Wol-hyang’s face.
The talent of seeing through deception is also a misfortune that shatters life’s peace.
Now I understood what my ancestor had said.
‘If only this talent had not been given to me.’
Father, Mother, and all the household servants.
I would not have suffered.
I would not have had to endure an unhappy life within those hellish days.
“Sob… sob…”
What use is a beautiful face?
What use is honing exceptional talent?
Flowers are broken precisely because of their beauty.
Suddenly, So Wol-hyang’s gaze fell upon the calluses covering her fingertips.
“….”
In the depths of that bitter despair, she drew forth the silver-bladed dagger from her bosom as if entranced.
Without a moment’s hesitation, she brought the blade down toward the back of her own hand.
That was the moment.
Clang!
A man’s hand seized her wrist. So Wol-hyang’s eyes turned toward its owner.
“Sister. I was thinking of taking on the role of an assassin for your sake. If you promise to pay the price, I will help you.”
“…That’s right. Young Master was also one of those who coveted this woman’s talents.”
Her words carried resentment and emptiness.
If I considered our future relationship, it was something I absolutely had to deny.
But.
“Yes.”
Watching So Wol-hyang falter.
I smiled softly.
“For the fee… I’ll take a single verse of your song.”
It was a price promised since my previous life.

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