Third-rate Martial Family Becomes the Best Under Heaven - Chapter 134

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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 134
The first floor of the Baek Baek Tower.
The guest who had requested this meeting was entirely unexpected.
‘This kid?’
A boy who appeared to be around twelve or thirteen, dressed in scholarly robes that seemed far too mature for his age.
Just a child.
The boy, who had been sipping tea with an oddly adult-like demeanor, rose to his feet.
“Welcome, Young Master Baek Yang-hwi, eldest son of the Baek Family Head. I am So Gara of the Baek Ui-mun faction.”
So Gara of the Baek Ui-mun faction, referring to himself as a scholar.
Ordinary children don’t refer to themselves in such a manner.
“Sure, sure. Kid, what brings you to see me?”
The boy’s brow furrowed.
It was clear he disliked the tone I was using to address him.
“I understand that Young Master Baek is sixteen years old. Since I am merely three years younger, I would appreciate it if you would refrain from calling me a child.”
Listen here, kid—regardless of your body, your mind makes you nothing but a brat.
“Fine, kid.”
“….”
“I’m a bit busy, so could you just get to the point?”
“….”
“Where did you hear those titles I sent you?”
The boy puffed out his cheeks in response.
“I didn’t hear them. I thought them up myself. In turn, I have something to ask you. Since you’ve been given the title ‘Righteous Bandits of the Green Forest,’ surely you have something to say to me.”
I studied the boy in silence for a moment.
Righteous Bandits of the Green Forest. It was one of the novels Il-pil-hwi-seo had written in my past life.
Which meant that at this point in time, no one in the world should know of it.
Yet this boy knew about Righteous Bandits of the Green Forest.
‘Could this brat be Il-pil-hwi-seo himself?’
That was impossible. The Il-pil-hwi-seo from my past life had been at least twenty years older than this boy.
Still, certain deductions became possible.
“I have nothing to say to you.”
“If that’s how you wish to proceed, very well. Then allow me to elaborate point by point. The author Il-pil-hwi-seo has released four novels to the world: Righteous Sword for Ten Thousand Miles, Eastern Lands and Western Territories, Eternal Love and Distant Sorrow, and Return of the Huashan. Eastern Lands and Western Territories tells the story of protecting the Eastern lands—the Central Plains—from the demonic beasts of the West. Its protagonist is a half-blood who carries the blood of both West and East, yet resolved to preserve the essence of the East. This defining characteristic is woven seamlessly into the initial framework, and from this foundation, the personalities of all other characters are harmoniously shaped, and regarding the subsequent narrative….”
The boy continued reciting detailed aspects of Eastern Lands and Western Territories for quite some time.
That wasn’t enough—he proceeded to rattle off equally detailed explanations about his other novels.
Ugh, this brat sure loves to talk.
“Just the main point.”
“I’m currently explaining the main point.”
“Briefly.”
“I am being brief.”
“You call this brief?”
“Would you prefer more detail? While I haven’t revealed these works to the world, the entire content is already written. I can elaborate as much as you wish.”
You’re not saying what you can say—you’re saying what you want to say, aren’t you?
I had no patience for drawn-out explanations, so I cut straight to the heart of the matter.
“So. You’re trying to tell me that you’re the original author of the novel published by Il-pil-hwi-seo of Baek Seo-sang-dan?”
“To be precise, I’m saying that Baek Sohyeop stole a look at the notebook I personally wrote—my sketches and records compiled into a book.”
“Me?”
“Yes. Because Baek Sohyeop would be Il-pil-hwi-seo.”
The boy’s tone carried absolute conviction.
‘So that’s why he dangled the Righteous Bandits of the Green Forest as bait. To test me.’
His mind certainly worked in a way that belied his age.
“Granted. But how can you be so certain I stole your records?”
“Because no one but me could have crafted such a brilliant story. My records only contained the bare conceptual framework, but the way the core was executed so perfectly proves that Sohyeop must have stolen it.”
Beyond his sharp intellect, he possessed unwavering confidence in himself.
No—it bordered on arrogance for someone so young.
I’d suspected he was a fraud from the moment he played the adult, but it seemed a ghost of someone who died unable to stop boasting had possessed him.
“Listen here, brat.”
“I’m not a brat.”
“Hmm. Then Young Scholar Seo.”
“No! Not Young Scholar Seo either!”
“So Gara, then?”
“You just added the character for ‘small’ to make it Young Scholar!”
“Small or not, in any case—Young Scholar Seo. So what do you want? Your stolen work returned?”
“I demand fair compensation.”
“How so?”
The boy’s demand was simple.
“Make me the Head of the Baek Family.”
It was an absurd request, utterly preposterous.
And yet.
Listening to the boy’s plea, I understood something.
The question I’d held moments before—why the Baek Family had shown greater cunning in my past life.
‘It was this brat?’
“Did you get permission from the Baek Family’s inner circle before coming here?”
“What good is permission from people whose eyes are clouded by something as trivial as age? Besides, the family is on the verge of collapse.”
True, this boy hadn’t yet learned to modulate his speech based on his audience—intoxicated as he was by his own brilliance.
However, if the Baek Family showed prominence five or six years from now, he would have matured and gained influence by then. The timing aligned well enough.
In my past life, this boy had served as the Baek Family’s strategist.
‘Hmm. It feels like a watermelon has rolled in with its vines attached.’
I should dig deeper.
“Why should I grant your request to make you Head of the Baek Family?”
“I realized it from the moment of the theft, but you’re certainly shameless. However, my request will benefit Sohyeop as well. The reason is simple. First, your Baek Family Head—or rather, now it’s the Baek Family of Gaecheon. The Baek Family of Gaecheon declared an unyielding cooperation and entered Namchang, the domain of the Baek Family. From a broader perspective, this means….”
Here he went again, rattling off from beginning to end whenever asked for his reasoning.
Does he really have to boast about how deeply and broadly he thinks?
“Enough. Are you saying I should make you my puppet?”
“I haven’t said that yet. Young Scholar is quite perceptive, aren’t you? That’s probably how you managed to make that stolen plan seem plausible.”
Quite perceptive? Is that something a child says to an adult?
Clever, but not yet mature.
However… he’s definitely a gem.
‘At least I’m certain now that this brat is the real Il-pil-hwi-seo. That impostor who was revealed as Il-pil-hwi-seo in the past is a fake.’
I don’t know what happened in my previous life, but it seems either his plan was stolen, or he himself was being used by an Il-pil-hwi-seo impostor.
‘In my previous life, Baek Ui-mun was called not just the greatest in Namchang, but the greatest in Gangseong.’
The driving force behind such expansion was meticulous and cunning maneuvering.
In other words, it was the existence of a strategist that elevated Baek Ui-mun to a position close to being the hegemon of an entire province.
If that strategist is this brat…
‘Still, I should test him.’
“Kid. Or rather, Young Scholar. I’ll give you a chance.”
“I’m not a kid! Please watch your words! And you’re trying to settle this with just an opportunity? Hmm, well, it’s meager compensation for the theft, but… if I cultivate you myself, that should suffice. Very well.”
Yang Hwi grinned and led Young Scholar up to the highest floor of Baek Baek Tower.
“Father. And Uncle. I have something to tell you.”
“What is it? Who is this little one you’ve brought along?”
Young Scholar bristled and shouted.
“I’m not little! Please call me Young Scholar!”
Baek Moo-ryang didn’t respond but instead looked at Yang Hwi.
His gaze was clear—he could see exactly what Yang Hwi was getting at.
“He’s a child from the Seo family, one of the elder branch families of Baek Ui-mun. I brought him along because I plan to ask him several questions and thought it would be good to hear his answers together.”
I continued, looking at Young Scholar.
“Don’t ask how I knew the Seo family was an elder branch family. If it weren’t, you wouldn’t have mentioned the position of Family Head.”
“Indeed, Young Scholar is at least someone worth having a conversation with. Quite clever, I’d say.”
I let his arrogant response pass through one ear and waited for Baek Moo-ryang and Jegal Seon’s approval.
Fortunately, both seemed interested in Young Scholar.
“I don’t know what you’re planning to ask or what answers you expect to hear, but this should be interesting.”
“Yang Hwi, let’s see what scheme you’ve cooked up this time.”
“Yes, sir.”
I revealed to Young Scholar several pieces of information about the current situation the Baek family faced.
The ten-year agreement made with the Dang family.
The wager between Namcheon Martial Arts Academy’s Seo Gwanju and Baek Heon-so scheduled for nine months from now.
What happened at Jeong Wol-mun and the arrangement to meet again in the future.
And even the Baek family’s financial situation and the status of the businesses under their control.
Baek Moo-ryang said nothing because he trusted Yang Hwi, but Jegal Seon instead clicked his tongue.
“Yang Hwi. Can you really reveal such detailed internal affairs? After all, he’s a child from a family that could be considered an enemy.”
Despite even Jegal Seon’s reaction, Young Scholar remained unbothered.
It was as if he were saying that seeking advice from someone of his caliber about such matters was only natural.
“It’s fine. If I decide it won’t work, I’m prepared to eliminate them all.”
Of course, that was a lie. I was merely trying to intimidate them appropriately.
Young Scholar’s response was remarkably bold.
“That won’t happen! You’ll listen to my proposal and treat me with the utmost respect!”
“Right, right, Young Scholar. Now tell me your thoughts. Under these conditions, how should our Baek Family move forward?”
Young Scholar, who had been rolling his eyes in thought for a moment, finally opened his mouth.
“We must strike Gilju first, not Wonju. More precisely, we must seize everything Gilju has to offer.”
“Why?”
“In confronting Baek Ui-mun, the Baek Family was at a disadvantage. If the Jegal Family hadn’t intervened, it would be Baek Ui-mun celebrating victory.”
“I agree.”
“The reason is singular: the Baek Family’s human resources are limited. Half of the warriors we do have come from the Black Way, I hear? You’ve absorbed them well enough, but to outsiders, it’s insufficient. Even acquiring Changil Pyoguk with money recently—most of them are just escort agents. We still lack strength.”
“So you’re saying we need people who are loyal to the Baek Family, and more importantly, retainers who consider themselves one with the Baek Family?”
“Impressive. You deduced it from my mention of Gilju? You’re not only clever but well-informed.”
“Listen here, boy. I’m your elder brother. I don’t appreciate hearing such words from a little one.”
Baek Moo-ryang and Jegal Seon stared at the sixteen-year-old boy and the thirteen-year-old child for a moment.
Who was calling whom a little one?
Well, both of them certainly didn’t look their age.
One had consistently proven it, and the other was proving it right now.
“In any case, Gilju will become the driving force for the Baek Family of Gaecheon to advance faster and greater. Because.”
“Once we obtain Gilju, it will become a tremendous asset alongside Akan County, the main base of the main family.”
What would happen if you went to a village near Mudangsan, where the Shaman of the Nine Sects is located, and insulted the Shaman?
The common folk who heard it would throw stones.
Even without being warriors, they would always become the Shaman’s strength.
That’s how important it is for a sect to control its established base.
“The main base of the Baek Family of Gaecheon is Akan County. With just a single county, one cannot take great strides.”
“Right. I understand what you’re saying.”
“Already? There’s still much I haven’t explained. To immediately use the wager with Namcheon Martial Hall… for the ten-year agreement with the Dang Family, there are separate matters to investigate…”
“Enough.”
If I waited for him to ramble on with explanations, even a single hour wouldn’t be enough.
“You pass, Young Scholar.”
“You’re mistaken. Say that you wish to treat me with honor. Respectfully.”
I glanced at his expression.
This brat held a grudge over being called a little one and treated like a child, it seemed.
I’d need to humble him a bit to bring him into the fold.
“But here’s the thing. You’ve overlooked something.”
“What? That’s impossible!”
Watching Young Scholar’s flustered expression—one that absolutely refused to admit fault.
Yang Hwi chuckled and continued speaking.

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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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