Third-rate Martial Family Becomes the Best Under Heaven - Chapter 129

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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 129
Eum Hu showed no mercy to the wicked.
The destruction of the Wol-hang-ru Master’s ears and the annihilation of the Blood Night Faction stood as proof.
Yet her compassion for the unfortunate souls who suffered at the hands of the wicked was equally boundless.
‘To achieve such mastery of inner energy in merely a month.’
Until recently, So Wol-hyang had been nothing more than an ordinary person who knew not even the basics of martial arts.
But now.
Through her crystalline voice, she was projecting her energy waves in all directions.
‘Even if sound martial arts allow for easier emission of inner force compared to other disciplines, this is hardly an ordinary feat.’
On their final day before parting, Eum Hu had asked So Wol-hyang a question.
“Child who walks the path of sound and melody, speak one desire of your heart. As one who treads the same path, I wish to offer my aid.”
An opportunity to request anything from Pacheon Eumhu, one of the legendary Cheonmu-sip-jon themselves.
To this, So Wol-hyang harbored but a single wish.
“Let this girl’s song reach ever farther and wider.”
So Wol-hyang’s plea was granted. She still possessed not a moment’s worth of martial techniques, yet inner force now dwelled within her dantian.
Inner force that existed solely to produce melodies of greater distance and beauty.
‘Yes, Sister Wol-hyang. Or rather, Miss So. Let her only sing. Let her share her voice with ever greater distances and audiences.’
As if answering to Yang Hwi’s sentiments, So Wol-hyang’s voice grew louder still.
[The kindness of a wanderer runs as deep as the sea, a single drop of grace must be repaid like a spring’s flow.]
[The kindness shown by this wanderer is as deep as the ocean, and even a single drop of such grace must be repaid like a gushing spring.]
“Lyrics I’ve never heard before. A sijo composition?”
“Indeed it is. For it was crafted directly by the courtesan Wol-hyang herself.”
“Ho! Such magnificent poetry and melody composed with her own hands? Truly she is both artist and performer of the highest order.”
“But that is not all. Have you not yet heard?”
“Heard of what?”
“Of the righteous deeds performed by the eldest son of the Baek Family Head of Muzhou!”
Yang Hwi had been spreading word and recounting the events that occurred in Hangzhou in narrative form, speaking of Wol-hyang and the Wol-hang-ru.
Omitting any mention of Eum Hu, focusing solely on himself and So Wol-hyang.
A courtesan of the three great courtesans of Hangzhou, blessed with extraordinary talent yet trapped in misfortune.
The eldest son of the Baek martial family, who resolved to play the role of a wanderer for the price of a single song.
Their tale was more than sufficient to stir the hearts of the masses.
And what stirs the heart inevitably becomes currency.
‘Along with fame as a bonus.’
“Look there! Is that not the eldest son of the Namgung Baek Family!”
“Remarkable! Truly impressive!”
“I’ve heard that his talent was exceptional even from childhood, and recently he earned the epithet Ascending Heaven Sword Dragon!”
“Dragon? Is the title of dragon not bestowed only upon the most exceptional of the later generation masters!”
“He is the foremost master of Jiangxi! The dragon born of our Jiangxi!”
This very reaction was precisely what Yang Hwi had aimed for when spreading these rumors.
Unlike in Muzhou, where he had circulated a notorious name similar to that of Geom-wae, he had never truly built his reputation in Namchang until now.
“I hear the Baek Family Head is known as the Twin Blade Swordmaster—a master of both sword technique and cooperation.”
“For such a distinguished person’s son to rescue a courtesan with merely a song… is that not so?”
“Truly, it rivals the tales of heroes and legends, hahahaha!”
To expand my influence, earning money was only half the battle—cultivating reputation was equally vital.
It allowed me to sway both commoners and the common folk to my side.
“As for the Baek Ui-mun… well, sigh.”
“Shush! If someone hears you, you’ll face punishment!”
“It’s undeniable that much has changed recently.”
“Hold your tongue. Just enjoy the music.”
[Today my heart has no way to repay, I only wish to sing together with you until our hair turns white.]
[Today my heart has no way to repay, I only wish to sing with you eternally until our hair turns white.]
The melody grew increasingly poignant, her voice growing delicate and thin.
As the melody faded, the song reached its end.
In that instant, thunderous applause and cheers erupted.
“Waaaaaaah!”
“What exquisite music and dance!”
“Wol-hyang! Wol-hyang! Wol-hyang! Wol-hyang! Wol-hyang!”
“You there, Innkeeper! What are you doing! Come quickly and take my money!”
“Yes, sir!”
The Innkeeper, clutching a money basket, circulated among the scattered patrons.
With each stop, coins clinked as guests eagerly tossed them into the basket.
“Having heard the song of Hangzhou’s three greatest courtesans, I must contribute this much!”
“No, no! She’s not one of Hangzhou’s three greatest anymore—she’s now Namchang’s premier courtesan!”
“You’re absolutely right! Miss Wol-hyang will surely become the pride of our Namchang!”
Yang Hwi, overhearing their conversation, broke into a satisfied smile.
‘Everything I sought has been achieved. Now I need only await the Baek Ui-mun’s response.’

* * *
The Hall of Hundred Men. This was where the core members of the Baek Ui-mun gathered to conduct their councils.
“What in heaven’s name do you intend to do about this, Family Head!”
Cheol Gu-san, an elder of the Baek Ui-mun, raised his voice in anger.
Considering the Family Head sat directly before him, such conduct was a breach of propriety.
Yet Gong Ya-hyeok, the Baek Family Head, could not bring himself to reprimand him.
Unlike most martial sects, the Baek Ui-mun was not a place where the Family Head wielded absolute authority.
Especially not when he had recently committed such a grave blunder.
“Elder Cheol. I assure you, I have given this considerable thought.”
“We have gathered here today precisely so we might hear these thoughts and devise countermeasures together, Family Head.”
It was Cheol Seong, the Grand Elder and head of the Baek Ui-mun’s Elder Council, who cut through the Family Head’s excuses with such finality.
He was also Cheol Gu-san’s distant uncle through family connections.
In other words, he was the patriarch of the Cheol clan, which boasted the greatest influence within the Elder Council.
“Speak then, Family Head Gong. How exactly do you propose to overcome this crisis? The Baek family has shamefully journeyed all the way to Hangzhou and brought back a courtesan.”
“I must correct you—one of the Three Great Courtesans of Hangzhou cannot be purchased. They require a fortune beyond measure.”
“Despite our sect’s prohibition, the merchants of Namchang attended performances at the Baek Bai Pavilion.”
“This means our enemies have seized a weapon both alluring and devastatingly powerful!”
“….”
The elders’ accusations poured down like a sudden downpour.
The Baek Family Head sat in silence, his body trembling.
“Did you not claim you would check the Baek family’s influence?”
“Then you should have fought them on their own territory! Instead, you’ve stirred up trouble in Namchang, our own domain!”
“And now the Changil Pyoguk has become part of the Gaecheon Pyoguk. Does this even make sense!”
One blunder after another. I could feel my position narrowing.
Unlike before, I harbored ambitions of passing the position of Family Head to my son, and this situation left me with no choice but to feel the weight of crisis.
“Enough. Enough!”
As the Baek Family Head rose to his feet and cried out, the entire Hall of Hundred Men fell silent.
Out of respect for the Family Head’s authority? No.
Watching the elders’ eyes, which seemed to say they wanted to hear what he would say next, the Baek Family Head ground his teeth.
“I shall resolve this matter entirely on my own.”
“Family Head. And if you fail to resolve it? What then?”
“That will not come to pass!”
I was prepared to employ any means necessary.

* * *
“Namgung Cheon-yeong! We have a crisis!”
“Young Master!”
I raised my eyebrows as the two figures burst into my guest chamber on the top floor of Baek Baek-ru.
Chu Yong-wol, the branch master of Baek Seo-sang-dan, and Yeo Gu-wi, the head of the Namchang branch of Changil Pyoguk.
Both were core pillars of the Baek Family’s influence in Namchang.
“What is the matter?”
“All of our trading partners at Baek Seo-sang-dan have notified us they’re severing their contracts.”
“The same holds true for the escort service. Clients who regularly commissioned our couriers have turned their backs on us.”
In other words, it amounted to this.
“So Baek Ui-mun has begun their full-scale move?”
Baek Ui-mun had reigned as the hegemon of Namchang for countless years.
While they maintained propriety by claiming the doctrine of the Baek Way, recently they had been expanding their influence more aggressively and consolidating their power.
If they moved, obstructing the operations of a merchant house and escort service would be child’s play.
“Our company’s plan to handle new merchandise has fallen through.”
“As for the escort service, our couriers will have no work starting in a fortnight.”
“That’s not all. Even our existing clients are uncertain what will happen once their current contracts expire.”
In other words, both Baek Seo-sang-dan and the Namchang branch of Changil Pyoguk were facing collapse.
“Couldn’t the escort service sustain itself through security work at Yeongrak-ro?”
“It’s still under construction. With only five or six locations currently operational, that’s insufficient to support all our couriers.”
“I see.”
Indeed, Changil Pyoguk, the predecessor of the Namchang branch of Changil Pyoguk, was literally the most prosperous escort service in Namchang.
There was no way they employed a small number of couriers.
“So to summarize, Baek Ui-mun is attacking both Baek Seo-sang-dan and Changil Pyoguk.”
“It would be easier to deal with if they relied on force like the Heuk Do Pae.”
“Indeed. They’re using their influence rather than strength, making it truly difficult to counter.”
This was a common occurrence in the struggles between Baek Way factions vying to expand their power.
More precisely, until they accumulated enough justification to resort to force, they merely hindered their opponents through influence.
‘Baek Ui-mun is waiting for us to provide them with justification.’
Humans grow irritated when even a fly buzzes near their head—how much more when their livelihood is threatened?
In my previous life, the conflict between Baek Ui-mun and Jeong Wol-mun also began with something trivial.
It ended with Jeong Wol-mun’s annihilation.
‘If I could secure help from a larger faction, that would settle it.’
For now, there was the Dang Family, and if Jegal Seol-ha pressed the matter and my father, acting as the Soga-joonim, stepped forward, they could certainly move.
Through Adu, I could reach Shaolin… no, let’s exclude that option.
Anyway.
“The problem is that within Namchang, we cannot surpass Baek Ui-mun’s influence.”
“That is correct, Young Master.”
“Once Yeongrak-ro is completed and operates for several years, the situation would change, but we cannot solve the immediate problem.”
Ultimately, the core issue was that we needed to overcome the influence Baek Ui-mun wielded over others.
It was absolutely impossible for the current Baek Family Head.
But.
“It’s simple.”
Chu Yong-wol and Yeo Gu-wi exchanged bewildered glances simultaneously.
“Simple, you say?”
“Young Master, do you have a method?”
“Of course.”
From the moment Baek Ui-mun first tormented the Baek Seo-sang-dan with the Changil Pyoguk faction, I had anticipated this very situation.
“In the end, we simply need to offer those who turned their backs due to Baek Ui-mun’s requests and coercion an even greater benefit, don’t we?”
“That may be true, but…”
“There’s no immediate benefit to offer them right now, is there?”
“If there isn’t one, we simply create it.”
Yang Hwi withdrew several blank books and took up brush, ink, and inkstone in hand.
“Miss Chu.”
“Yes, what is it?”
“From this moment forward, what degree of influence does Il-pil-hwi-seo possess in Gangseong—no, in Namchang?”
Chu Yong-wol answered immediately.
“It will not fall short of the fame and renown that Miss Wol-hyang of the Wol-hang-ru will possess in the future.”
So Wol-hyang had already been called the greatest courtesan of Namchang—no, the greatest courtesan of Gangseong—by the people of Namchang after just a single performance.
Yet Il-pil-hwi-seo already possessed the very renown that she would only gain in the future.
“Our merchant house is based here and focuses its primary market on Namchang. All the influential figures of Namchang possess collections of Il-pil-hwi-seo’s works.”
“I too have heard of it. It has become fashionable for them to openly boast of their admiration for Il-pil-hwi-seo and memorize the passages contained within his writings.”
Yeo Gu-wi suddenly wore a puzzled expression.
“But why Il-pil-hwi-seo…? I know Il-pil-hwi-seo has a contract with the Baek Seo-sang-dan, but this shouldn’t be the matter at hand right now, should it?”
“Heh. Now that I think about it, you don’t know, do you, Lord Yeo?”
“Know what?”
“You’ll understand once you see it.”
Chu Yong-wol’s face was now brimming with relief and anticipation.
Watching her, Yang Hwi smiled faintly and began moving the brush and ink.
It took merely two hours to fill one complete book.
However, writing multiple volumes meant the total time exceeded four hours by far.
“Here, a new work.”
After inscribing a four-character title on the cover, I gently caressed the book for a moment.
‘I didn’t expect to unveil this so soon.’
Baek Ui-mun’s influence is so tremendous that we’re at a disadvantage?
Then we simply surpass him in one stroke.
This novel was more than sufficient for that.
‘Il-pil-hwi-seo, who was called the greatest novelist under heaven—my life’s masterwork.’
Moreover, a masterpiece that was acclaimed in my past life as the greatest novel of all ages.
The four characters inscribed on the cover were these.
[Return to Mount Hua]
[Thirteenth-generation disciple of the Great Mount Hua Sect, Heaven’s Greatest Swordmaster, the Plum Blossom Sword Sovereign, Qingming.]
[Transcending a hundred years of time, reborn in the body of a child.]

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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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