Third-rate Martial Family Becomes the Best Under Heaven - Chapter 135

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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 135
“Giljoo is also called the Guest District.”
The reason is simple.
It’s a region where many Hakka people have settled.
For reference, the Hakka are clan-based refugees and wanderers who lost their homes centuries ago when swept up in past wars.
Due to their nomadic past, they are tightly bound to their own clans but hostile and closed off to outsiders—that’s their defining characteristic.
“I understand why you said I must take Giljoo into my hands. Embracing the Hakka people would certainly fill the gaps in the main family. But here’s the thing.”
It’s not something the main family must do immediately.
It’s a task that must be accomplished, yes, but the order is wrong.
“Giljoo has numerous dark path factions scattered throughout. Every last one of them receives support from the major dark path sects of Honam.”
Using the center as reference, the western side closer to Honam flourishes with dark path influence while the eastern side has strong white path families—that’s Gangwon’s power structure.
“You declare an unyielding alliance and then hand justification to Honam’s dark path sects? This is getting interesting.”
“That, well….”
“Moreover, there’s something else you overlooked. You said the main family must advance into Giljoo. But how?”
“…As a white path martial family, using dark path subjugation as justification for military advancement….”
Seo Seong-saeng’s words trailed off.
He had already realized his method couldn’t succeed because of what was mentioned earlier.
“The western martial arts world of Gangwon is controlled by dark path forces. Advancing hastily into Giljoo would be handing them justification. So what should we do?”
“….”
“The answer is simple. Enter through means other than martial arts law. The best strategy is to legitimately secure territory by purchasing land with money.”
Seo Seong-saeng’s expression brightened as he immediately countered.
“Hmph. That’s impossible. It would require at least several thousand taels of silver, and the Baek Family doesn’t have that kind of money.”
“We do. Or more precisely, we can arrange it. Anyway, if we buy the land with money and settle there, we won’t hand justification to those dark path bastards. Conversely, if they pick a fight with us, we can use that as an excuse to gain justification ourselves.”
“….”
If the money could truly be arranged, my method was indeed the best strategy.
Seo Seong-saeng looked at me with a faintly smiling face, his expression bitter.
“I didn’t know. You didn’t tell me. If I had known, I would have spoken differently!”
My answer to this was simple.
“You didn’t ask.”
“How can you say such a thing!”
“Let me ask you instead. Why didn’t you ask?”
“You said it was a test! I faithfully devised a strategy within the given conditions!”
“Is that the mindset befitting a strategist?”
In that moment, Seo Seong-saeng clamped his mouth shut.
A strategist must see further than anyone else and delve deeper into thought than anyone else.
Seo Seong-saeng understood that too.
“If you truly wished to be valued, you should have asked. The excuse that you judged based only on the information given because it was a test doesn’t hold.”
“….”
“Therefore, you missed it and you were wrong.”
“….”
Seo Seong-saeng became like a mute eating honey.
He understood that rebutting would be meaningless and only make things worse.
Yang Hwi felt satisfied watching Seo Seong-saeng in this state.
“Certainly rough around the edges, but a gem nonetheless.”
He was useful enough right now, but the future held great promise.
Seo Seong-saeng would undoubtedly become a tremendous asset to the Baek Family.
Because I myself was no strategist.
To achieve great ambitions, one needed someone capable of painting the grand picture—someone to craft the master plans.
Until now, I had played that role myself.
‘But truthfully, I fall short.’
I had displayed my intellect through memories and experiences from before my regression, but in truth, I lacked the mindset of a true strategist.
If I were to compare myself to the Three Kingdoms, I was closer to Zhao Zilong—a commander skilled in both civil and martial arts—rather than Zhuge Liang.
I had been feeling my limitations for some time, and this worked out perfectly.
“Father.”
“Speak, Hwi.”
“I wish to make this fellow a member of our main family. What if we decide the treatment of Baek Ui-mun accordingly?”
Unlike my plan to absorb Jeong Wol-mun, I had originally intended to completely dismantle and dissolve Baek Ui-mun.
The faction was too large; absorbing it could create a massive power bloc within the Baek Family.
But it seemed the approach needed to change.

* * *
The members of the Jegal Family were temporarily staying in a pavilion beside the Baek Baek Tower.
When Jegal Hwa-un saw his father Jegal Seon return to his quarters, he rose to his feet.
“Welcome back.”
“Ah, Un.”
Jegal Seon felt satisfied seeing his son, who had grown into such an excellent man.
At the same time, he recalled the conversation he had just shared with his sworn brother and his sworn brother’s adopted son.
“I have decided how to handle Baek Ui-mun.”
“In my humble opinion, it would be best to eliminate them cleanly, but what have you decided to do?”
Baek Ui-mun had dared to threaten the Jegal Family’s precious jewel.
Moreover, they had done so through collusion with the Black Path.
Even if we punished them with annihilation, there was no need to worry about the world calling us cruel.
Well, the price was excessive for the crime committed, but….
“Had Seol-ha been injured… I would have drawn my sword myself and cut down every last one of them. How dare they lay hands on our Seol-ha!”
A response befitting Jegal Hwa-un, a sister-doting fool no less devoted than his father was a daughter-doting fool.
Jegal Seon nodded.
“You speak truth. Since it was unintentional, we cannot cut them all down, but they must pay at least the price of having their signboard removed. However, a different decision has been made.”
“I await your instruction.”
Instead of immediately revealing the result, Jegal Seon brought up another matter.
“That fellow Yang Hwi remains unchanged.”
Upon hearing his father’s words, Jegal Hwa-un recalled the first time he had met Yang Hwi years ago.
“Is he still as spirited as ever?”
“Indeed. His cunning remains relentlessly sharp and unchanged. What’s remarkable is how he always secures legitimate justification throughout his schemes and never incurs resentment. It’s truly admirable.”
This recent affair exemplifies it perfectly. Yang Hwi clearly exploited the Jegal Family for the Baek Family’s benefit.
Had it not been for Jegal Seol-ha, there would have been no reason for Jegal Seon to intervene.
Yet when one asks whether Yang Hwi bears fault for this—
The answer is no.
“He conveyed the news on behalf of Seol-ha, who had not informed us of her descent from the mountain. This is something to be grateful for.”
“Because of Yang Hwi’s younger brother, Seol-ha—who should have trained alone in the world under Eum Hu’s command—was able to become safer. This too is something to be grateful for.”
“Though as a result Seol-ha was exposed to the threat of the Black Blade, that was Baek Ui-mun’s fault.”
“And Yang Hwi’s younger brother surely anticipated it.”
“If we were to fault him for acting despite anticipating it, then he must have anticipated that you and I would come rushing over as well.”
This is why one’s tongue naturally curls in admiration.
Though clearly manipulated, there wasn’t a single point to criticize.
“And the handling of Baek Ui-mun—that scoundrel Yang Hwi has turned his mind inside out again.”
“You speak intriguingly, Father. Please, tell me at once.”
“In conclusion, it is ‘scatter’ and ‘compete.'”
True to his Jegal lineage, Jegal Hwa-un immediately grasped the full picture.
“To scatter them and make them compete with one another. Even if an order for annihilation was given, rather than executing everyone, the intention was merely to disband them—there’s not much difference. However—”
“Precisely. Rather than scattering them completely, by dividing them into family units and making them compete, they become far more useful as pawns.”
“Efficient, yet it requires much attention. Considering even such details, one might argue it’s not truly efficient. Have you devised countermeasures for this as well?”
“He said there’s no need to worry about it. Instead, there’s someone who will handle the worrying.”
“Oh? Who might that be?”
“A child from the Seo Clan within Baek Ui-mun. Quite a talented one. It seems he intends to nurture this child.”
Since Jegal Hwa-un possessed all the investigation results regarding Baek Ui-mun, Yang Hwi’s intentions became immediately clear.
“Pushing power toward a child of the Seo Clan, the weakest among the elder families. The Munmaster’s Gong Clan is destined for decline, so without a leader, the other families will resist. Ha! He’s used his head well.”
“Indeed.”
“Using dissolution and regrouping, combined with using a borrowed knife to kill—truly, Yang Hwi’s intellect is extraordinary.”
In truth, it’s not a difficult method. It simply couldn’t have been executed before Seo Seong-saeng appeared.
What made Yang Hwi remarkable was how he immediately changed his thinking and devised this strategy the moment he learned of Seo Seong-saeng’s existence.
“If things proceed this way, the Baek Family’s power will grow even faster.”
“Yes. It’s good that my sworn brother’s family grows stronger. Yet I’m beginning to worry.”
The Baek Family was no longer the third-rate martial arts family of old.
With their current reputation and influence, it was time to consider checks from the establishment.
There was nothing strange about the name “Commoner’s Baek Family” reaching the ears of the arrogant Nine Sects and Five Great Families.
Even the Jegal Family alone…
“The Tang Clan. And the Baek Family. I’m curious how the landscape will shift hereafter.”
“Whether to predict and support their rise, or to judge realistically and suppress them. It seems the main family too must soon reach a decision.”
“You speak truly, Hwa-un.”
The eyes of both father and son deepened simultaneously.
“To create a variable.”
“The former would be better, I think.”
“If all remains peaceful, the latter would certainly be more advantageous, but…”
“Even so, considering the existence of Yang Hwi’s younger brother, I believe the former is the better choice.”
“Ha, your words ring true as well.”
“In any case, Father. Let us observe a bit longer before making a decision.”
“That would be wise. The situation in Hubei is far from ordinary…”
Within Hubei, two of the Nine Great Sects and Five Great Families held their positions.
The Shaman Sect of the South, which had been established for merely a hundred and some years yet had grown so rapidly as to threaten even Shaolin’s standing.
And the Jegal Family, entrenched upon Rong Zhong Mountain, wielding their influence across generations.
“The matters concerning the Baek Family and Baek Ui-mun seem to offer much for our main house to consider as well.”
“Indeed. We too must prepare for the conflict between the Baek Family and Baek Do.”
Perhaps… blood would have to be spilled.
The Shaman Sect’s ambitions were never small.
Suddenly, Jegal Seon smiled faintly.
“Come now, let us speak of deeper matters another time. By the way, where has Seolha gone?”
“She should be in that room… wait?”
Jegal Hwa-un, sensing the room was empty through his qi perception, wore a puzzled expression.
“She was certainly in her room until Father arrived…”

* * *
After finishing our conversation, I returned to the guest quarters and stretched languidly.
“Ahhhhh! So the Nanchang matter is finally wrapped up!”
If I hadn’t even secured Wuzhou, it seemed I would have consumed all of Nanchang.
Without the wealth obtained from the Geom Wang Tomb and the aid of the Jegal Family, it would have been absolutely impossible.
The price paid for making the impossible possible was staggering.
If I could only solidify my influence over Nanchang, I could expand my power in an instant.
Nanchang is the capital of Gangwon.
In other words, I had laid the foundation to advance as the greatest martial family in Gangwon.
‘Well, there’s still a long road ahead.’
Still, I should enjoy some leisure for a while.
“Adu.”
Adu, who had been observing the streets near the window of the guest quarters, turned his head.
Now that I think about it, why is this fellow radiating qi so intensely?
I asked, watching Adu wrapped in golden light.
“What are you doing? Training?”
“Huh? Mm-hmm.”
His demeanor seemed a bit odd.
Well, he’s probably not up to anything bad.
“Don’t overexert yourself. I’m about to do some breathing exercises now.”
“Ugh….”
I had just settled into a cross-legged position on the bed and was about to begin circulating my energy when it happened.
“Cough!”
“Hack! *cough cough cough*!”
Startled, I erupted into a fit of violent coughing.
I had nearly fallen into demonic cultivation.
“What kind of madman… Seolha?”
“Senior Brother, don’t we still have accounts to settle?”
Jegal Seol-ha smiled brightly, her brow furrowed with determination.
*Snap!*
“Ha ha ha, well that….”
I could only laugh awkwardly.

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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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