Third-rate Martial Family Becomes the Best Under Heaven - Chapter 146

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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 146
“I shall obey, Soga-joonim!”
Yang Hwi infuriatingly retreated, raising only his voice.
Namgung Cheon-hu imagined tearing Yang Hwi to shreds in his mind.
‘A dead end. He’s laid such a trap.’
Though he spoke of transferring command, in reality, the only order I could give was one.
Only attack. A direct confrontation with those Heuk-gyeong bastards.
The board had been completely set.
‘If one side yields, it could work… but that won’t happen.’
First, the Heuk-gyeong side couldn’t possibly retreat a step.
Their leader had been called a dog and worse—would they back away?
Given Heuk-gyeong’s nature, the moment such a decision was made, the leader’s authority would crumble.
In other words, Hyeong-san Eum-hyeol couldn’t retreat.
‘Baek Yang-hwi… he was unusually sharp with his tongue. Did he calculate all the way to this point?’
If so, then I myself would have to back down to avoid direct confrontation.
But doing so would make the situation look strange and ridiculous.
Regardless of the circumstances, it would appear as though I’d grown fearful of the numerically superior Heuk-gyeong.
It would be a stain upon the Great Namgung’s name.
With so many watching—the Baek and Dang families, plus one representative each from Shaolin and Jegal—it was unavoidable.
No matter how I’d come here with power in hand, the stain wouldn’t fall on the Namgung Family.
A surge of rage sparked a vicious thought.
‘If I sided with Heuk-gyeong and annihilated the Baek and Dang families… No, that’s impossible.’
Killing representatives of Shaolin and Jegal would escalate matters, and besides, I couldn’t reveal betrayal before so many Heuk-gyeong members.
The Namgung Family was unmistakably a Baek-do martial clan. I couldn’t hand over weaknesses to those ash-covered bastards.
‘A dead end. Truly a dead end.’
Standing at the very front and fighting those Heuk-gyeong bastards?
In truth, looking at it alone, there was nothing particularly dead-end about it.
The Great Namgung’s Changcheon Sword Sect wouldn’t suffer serious losses against mere Heuk-gyeong members.
The problem was…
-Soga-joonim. The situation seems to be unfolding strangely.
A telepathic message from Namgung Seong-il, the watchdog assigned by Family Head Namgung Il-geom and the foremost among the Changcheon Sword Sect members brought along.
Naturally, Namgung Seong-il knew the shape of the blueprint I had drawn before stepping forward to aid the Baek Family.
-If we fight like this, Hyeong-san Eum-hyeol will believe the secret pact made before was a trap.
Family Head Namgung Il-geom had issued orders to me precisely because he needed a hand willing to grasp power while bearing the stain of ash.
The Hyeong-san Sect was the prey I had chosen.
To naturally suppress the Baek Family on a grander stage, beyond the conflict between Heuk-gyeong and Baek-do in Gangwon.
The Gangwon Heuk-gyeong, frightened by the Namgung Family’s intervention, would seek aid from Honam.
The Baek Family, which had been merely third-rate just years ago, would have the board enlarged beyond what they could manage.
Within that, though the Baek Family had recently exploded in growth, still only a minor clan, they would be unable to handle the shifting tides and destroy themselves.
How natural a flow this was.
But that brat Baek Yang-hwi spilled ink all over the painting.
So thoroughly that the underlying sketch was no longer visible.
-If we fight like this, not only will our relationship with Hyeong-san Eum-hyeol deteriorate, but the Changcheon Sword Sect will suffer considerable casualties.
-I’m aware.
-Please, give the order.
Namgung Cheon-hu remained silent, his gaze fixed on the tense standoff between Baek Do and Heuk-gyeong Bang-ju, their auras clashing on a knife’s edge.
The fight was unavoidable. The question was how to minimize casualties and shift the situation in our favor.
‘…There’s no answer. I can’t see a way out.’
It was at that very moment that Namgung Cheon-hu was thinking such thoughts.
“The Namgung Family’s young pup! Do you have the confidence to let Hyeong-san Eum-hyeol carve his martial law into your bones!”
Hyeong-san Eum-hyeol unleashed a ferocious shout while simultaneously sending a transmission.
-Soga-joonim of the Namgung Family! How did things come to this!
His tone dripped with anger and betrayal.
If I didn’t clarify things, the secret pact and everything else would crumble to dust.
‘I left no evidence of the secret pact.’
The orthodox great sect, the Great Namgung, had formed a secret pact with the dark faction—and not just any dark faction, but those who had exterminated the Hyeong-san School and usurped their name?
If this truth came to light, not even the Namgung could weather the backlash.
That’s why I had been extraordinarily secretive about the pact, and only Hyeong-san Eum-hyeol knew of it.
‘From Hyeong-san Eum-hyeol’s perspective, he must think I was being deliberately more secretive to backstab him.’
I had to clear up the misunderstanding immediately. If I sent a transmission explaining the situation and coordinated our actions, I could actually turn this crisis into an opportunity….
“….”
I hesitated, my mouth falling silent as I was about to send a transmission to Hyeong-san Eum-hyeol.
Then I looked toward where Yang Hwi was standing.
Those two eyes, observing this place intently.
For some reason, it felt like I shouldn’t send it.
‘It’s merely a possibility, but….’
Fundamentally, secret transmissions cannot be overheard by others, but those who have reached an exalted realm are exceptions.
They can detect minute fluctuations of qi and employ the divine technique of eavesdropping on another’s transmission.
‘That young brat couldn’t possibly have reached such a realm. But.’
The Yang Hwi I knew was comparable to my younger brother Namgung Cheon-yeong—perhaps even more exceptional.
Geniuses have a way of displaying divine techniques that transcend the imagination of ordinary people.
No matter how talented he is, he shouldn’t be able to eavesdrop on transmissions, but he might very well detect that a transmission is occurring at all.
Even as I deliberated, Hyeong-san Eum-hyeol continued sending transmission after transmission.
-Answer me! Was all of this a trap of yours! You cunning, treacherous bastard!
‘If I truly intended to trap you, would I have come with merely this much force?’
Forty-some warriors, including thirty peak masters.
A truly exquisite number.
Not enough to overwhelm the dark faction bastards, but enough to have better odds if we fought—precisely that much.
And the Changcheon Sword Sect, forced to fight at the forefront, would suffer considerable losses.
It was enough to drive one mad.
How dare you insult the Master of the Hyeong-san Sect! I’ll crush your bones to dust! You pathetic wretch, losing even to your younger brother!
Namgung Cheon-hu’s brow twitched.
‘Does he think we’re equals just because we shook hands?’
This fool had lucked into his current position by serving as a dog for the Black Path, yet he dared spout such nonsense.
My resolve hardened.
‘If there’s no avoiding this, I should secure the strongest hand possible.’
If I couldn’t escape, I had to perform brilliantly and gain significant influence for the future.
It was the best advantage the Namgung Family could extract from this situation.
Though the losses were already catastrophic.
“Hyeong-san Eum-hyeol. I’ve heard much of your reputation, and you certainly live up to your cunning nature. But transmitting nonsense through sound won’t move me, the Soga-joonim.”
Hyeong-san Eum-hyeol’s face flushed crimson.
His carefully groomed beard trembled as he radiated fury.
“Namgung Cheon-hu…!”
“Heroes of the White Path! Show these villainous dogs what cooperation truly means!”

* * *
Roughly forty from the White Path clashed with some hundred-twenty from the Black Path.
The White Path’s vanguard was the Changcheon Sword Sect of the Namgung Family, while the Black Path’s elite from the Hyeong-san Sect fell back.
Thus, immediately after contact, the advantage belonged to the numerically inferior White Path.
‘Well, that’s typical of these Black Path bastards.’
I watched the battle unfold with amusement.
These troublesome Namgung fools had stumbled right into my trap, and I couldn’t help but grin.
‘The Black Path rabble are generally weak, but with nearly twenty masters among them, once they get serious, we’ll take considerable losses.’
Nearly twenty masters, with a hundred or so first and second-rate fighters.
A force not to be underestimated.
I needed to inflict maximum casualties so that when we purged the Black Path from Gangwon later, the Main Residence would suffer minimal losses.
Realistically, complete annihilation was impossible. My goal was to kill roughly half and force them to retreat.
‘Ideally, I’d like to see more than half of the Namgung bastards dead as well.’
Still, I needed to establish my own merit.
Since I’d put the Namgung Family forward, I needed justification to prevent complaints later.
If the Baek Family and Dang Family had no share in the credit for routing the Honam Black Path, problems would arise.
Besides, I had no intention of merely watching from the sidelines.
My father’s enemy stood right before me—how could I possibly hold back?
‘Regardless of the others, you, Hyeong-san Eum-hyeol, will learn your grave’s location today.’
Hyeong-san Eum-hyeol. The leader of these Black Path bastards who had seized the Hyeong-san Sect’s territory after its destruction.
As evidenced by his shameless appropriation of the Hyeong-san name, he was utterly treacherous and enjoyed manipulating people.
While he was clever and possessed exceptional martial talent and technique, he wouldn’t have reached his current position without the Blood Sect’s backing.
Still, he was formidable enough that even with all that support, he’d proven his worth.
‘Setting aside that he’s Black Path scum, the bastard’s genuinely skilled.’
His martial prowess alone was beyond what I could handle by myself.
While Hyeong-san Eum-hyeol was well past sixty years old and I was merely sixteen, it was natural to consider this a disadvantage.
Yet considering I had defeated multiple peak-level masters simultaneously in Hangzhou, it was remarkable nonetheless.
In other words, he was far from an easy opponent.
‘Still, your head belongs to me.’
I summoned Jegal Seol-ha, Adu, and Gu Ak through a secret transmission.
-Yes, Senior Brother.
-Yang Hwi, why? Are we going to fight?
-Listen, Junior Brother.
Hyeong-san Eum-hyeol is an exceptionally cunning man.
He’s not the type to step forward first in a battle like this, and even if he did, he wouldn’t stray far from his guards.
To face him one-on-one, I need proper preparation.
-I’m going to lure out Hyeong-san Eum-hyeol and kill him. Help me.
-Yes, Senior Brother!
-Got it!
-What should we do?
To catch fish, you must cast bait into the water.
What would be the most appetizing bait from Hyeong-san Eum-hyeol’s perspective?
‘Me.’
He would have investigated his enemies before going to war.
Hyeong-san Eum-hyeol surely knew that I played a crucial role in the Baek Family’s growth thus far.
In other words, if he could kill me, he would absolutely want to.
I surveyed the battlefield.
‘I need to create a crisis.’
The Black Sword forces were stretched thin in a formation designed to encircle us.
I led Jegal Seol-ha and Adu toward the right flank.
“Haaaaaah!”
Adu charged forward recklessly, his entire body wrapped in golden radiant light.
Clang, clang, clang!
Each time Jegal Seol-ha plucked her pipa, some of the approaching Black Sword warriors collapsed, clutching their ears.
Thus the three of us became separated from our main force to the right, standing out like mushrooms sprouting suddenly from the ground.
‘This is perfect.’
Not only was I valuable, but Jegal Seol-ha and Adu were also worth capturing alive from the Black Sword’s perspective.
Separated from our army’s center, the enemy would surely be tempted to target us.
Yet with Gu Ak commanding the Baek Family’s full strength supporting us from behind, only elite forces could attempt this with any real advantage.
I had created a situation where only Hyeong-san Eum-hyeol and the Hyeong-san Sect’s elite would see significant gains in engaging us.
‘Take the bait. This is far too appetizing to resist.’
That was the moment. Hyeong-san Eum-hyeol descended before me, his silk robes billowing.
“You brat, you wagged that tongue of yours freely just now. I’ll cut it out for you.”
‘He took it.’
I grinned savagely.
“Before that, I’ll slice your neck clean off for you, you decrepit old pumpkin.”

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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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