Third-rate Martial Family Becomes the Best Under Heaven - Chapter 176

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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 176
In the office of the Dang Family Head. Dang Seong, the Dang Family Head, opened his mouth.
“I must say it once more. Young Master Baek. You are a benefactor to our Dang Family. We are grateful for your kindness.”
“We are grateful for your kindness!”
“We are grateful for your kindness!”
Dang Seong, the Family Head, Dang-gun, the Secondary Family Head, and numerous Elders of the Dang Family all performed the fist salute to Yang Hwi in unison.
Baek Heon-so, standing beside me, felt a mixture of embarrassment and overwhelming emotion at such a formal expression of gratitude.
‘How deliberate.’
No matter how sincerely they regarded me as a benefactor, this was gratitude expressed even at the cost of lowering the Dang Family’s dignity.
It felt as though they were intentionally emphasizing it for show.
‘So they don’t mind debasing themselves if there’s something to gain. More politically minded than I expected.’
Not that I felt any resentment about it.
Kindness multiplies, resentment multiplies tenfold.
The very fact that they chose this method despite easier alternatives revealed the Dang Family’s nature.
But.
‘They didn’t need to go this far.’
I looked at Dang-gun. Always upright, always good-natured—the kind of person who would laugh off even slight rudeness from his younger brother.
And… my sworn brother from my past life.
“Hwi, my younger brother… I ask of you… please, the main family, I…”
I opened my mouth quietly.
“The qi that I, Baek, obtained through this opportunity is Primordial Qi. True to its name, it possesses the characteristics of vanquishing evil and subduing demons, and it also holds the function of guiding all things toward righteousness. Furthermore, the Hwa-cheon-i-won-gong of the Baek Family contains the enlightenment that harmonizes all qi beneath the heavens.”
I continued explaining the Primordial Qi and the Hwa-cheon Qi.
Particularly, I focused on how the Hwa-cheon Seon-gi would affect the Dang Family’s unique techniques.
“That concludes my explanation. I believe everything that occurred today stemmed from the functions of the Hwa-cheon Seon-gi.”
Dang Seong regarded Yang Hwi with a hint of surprise.
He understood what it meant to explain the qi one possessed in such detail.
“My younger brother Seo and I came to the Dang Family to facilitate exchange between allies. It seems fortune has brought us an opportunity to put our heads together.”
“To be honest, it’s unexpected.”
“Is that so?”
“It is. I heard your nature was quite calculating.”
It was obvious who had said such a thing.
Dang-gun awkwardly averted his gaze, while Dang-yeon instead threw in a comment.
“It’s true though, Hwi’s younger brother. I’ve never seen you take a loss anywhere.”
When put that way, there’s nothing to say in response.
But to say such a thing after I’ve just given my all?
I felt oddly disappointed.
“What happened today is… extremely significant and urgent to our Dang Family. It must touch upon our family’s long-cherished wish.”
This was what Dang Seong was saying.
You have grasped the Dang Family’s lifeline.
Yet you would share it without demanding any compensation in return?
My answer to that was simple.
“Yes, I have eyes and ears, so I’m aware. But isn’t that rather petty?”
Dang Seong’s eyes widened slightly.
“Petty? What do you mean?”
“When friends obtain something a friend needs, to weigh it back and forth like that—if they were strangers, so be it. But between friends, such behavior is petty.”
“Between friends, you say….”
Emotion welled up in Dang-gun’s eyes.
Yang Hwi possessed a naturally forthright temperament, yet he was so meticulous and calculating that even that generosity seemed to be part of some grand design. That was Yang Hwi.
The fact that such a man would speak this way touched something deep within Dang-gun’s heart.
“Hwi’s Younger Brother….”
Though moved, another thought crossed his mind.
If this were the Yang Hwi he knew, even these words and actions might be part of his calculations.
But then.
‘What use is extracting a price from the Dang Family?’
I was genuinely thinking this way.
‘Other places, perhaps not. But the Dang Family? That’s fine.’
Of course, if I gave nothing and wiped my mouth clean, there would be some disappointment.
But isn’t that what friendship is?
The kind where you treat someone to a meal today, and if you don’t buy them something small tomorrow, there’s a hint of disappointment. That sort of bond.
Of course, I trusted that the person I called friend would never be so petty.
“I look forward to our continued cooperation. If my humble efforts can contribute to the Dang Family’s advancement, that alone would be an honor.”
Dang Seong gazed intently at Yang Hwi as he performed the cupped-fist salute.
“Our Dang Family was born from transactions, from the very beginning.”
To physicians and blacksmiths who had suffered at the hands of martial artists and harbored resentment, the Gu-pa and Five Great Families made this proposal.
We will give you strength and martial prowess.
In return, you will bear the shame for us and serve as our defense against poison and hidden weapons.
“Debt and favor cannot simply multiply by numbers and be repaid precisely. However, one favor repaid tenfold—we made it our principle to calculate everything and repay it all. Yes, that was it.”
If everyone treats us as mere profit and loss, we shall do the same.
We will repay everything multiplied.
Those who made such a vow gathered to form the Dang Family.
“Friends, you say. I will not forget those words of yours.”
What is an alliance?
An alliance is a pledge to move in step with one another for mutual benefit.
In other words, a relationship founded on interest.
‘So after the first step, have I now taken the second step properly?’
The true goal was to transcend alliance and treat each other as true friends.
Among friends, there must be trust—the faith between companions.
I trust the Dang Family. I trust that they will not eat the benefits a friend has given and wipe their mouth clean.
Why? Because the Dang Family is the Baek Family’s friend.
Having given first, there is no need to feel any sense of loss.
Strictly speaking, it was the Dang Family who extended kindness first.
‘Elder Dang. I told you before. Repay a debt of silver tenfold? No, a hundredfold. I swore I would repay kindness tenfold.’
So this was also the realization of the Dang-baek Covenant.
It was also a repayment for the faith and affection my sworn brother had shown.
“Hwi’s Younger Brother… I believe you. The Dang-baek Covenant… With you here, I feel I can move forward without worry….”
In my past life, Yang Hwi’s sworn siblings were only Chu Dal.
To be precise.
If we count only those who remained alive.
Only Chu Dal.
Because I failed to protect them.

* * *
The Sagyoji Calamity was considered the most terrible and catastrophic blood tribulation in martial history.
It was common to offer funeral rice to those you had shared a meal with the day before, and the tears of those who had lost friends and family formed rivers.
In such circumstances, forming a sworn brotherhood with Dang-gun could hardly be called a wise decision.
Dang-gun… had a personality perfectly suited for an early death.
“Elder Dang. Stop now and get up.”
“Just a little longer, please.”
“What meaning is there in burying corpses? It would be better to kill one more enemy in that time and take revenge.”
“Still, just a bit more.”
Dang-gun was a man of compassion. Despite being the Soga-joonim of the Dang Family, renowned for their ruthlessness, he was among the kindest people I knew.
After each battle, while he ordered his subordinates to rest, I would watch him bury the dead alone, and I often thought to myself:
With such a nature, he would not live long, so forming a sworn brotherhood was a mistake.
The Dang-baek Covenant would only benefit the one who died first, and it seemed I would be at a loss.
“Hwi’s Younger Brother. Most of the Dang Family’s secret techniques are founded upon the Samyang-gwiwon-gong.”
“Why are you telling me that? Isn’t it forbidden knowledge?”
“You are my younger brother, are you not? An older brother can share some martial arts with his younger brother.”
Originally, the two of us never hesitated to advise each other on our martial arts, but from a certain point, Dang-gun began to break the unwritten rules.
He began to share deeper insights—not the secret formulas of martial arts themselves, but the fundamental principles and enlightenment that formed their foundation.
The martial world is so strict about the leakage of martial arts that expelling a disciple typically involves severing their meridians, and the Dang Family is even more severe in this regard.
So this was by no means a common occurrence.
“Hwi’s Younger Brother. I am always grateful to you. Without you as my brother… I would have lost far more subordinates.”
“I’m doing this for payment. What is there to be grateful for?”
“Ha ha! You seem embarrassed?”
“Elder Dang. Stop talking nonsense and let us refine our martial arts further.”
“Yes, indeed. Whether it is you or me, we can only achieve our aspirations by reconstructing our family martial arts!”
Dang-gun never ceased transmitting his martial knowledge.
I had become so versed in the Dang Family’s martial arts that I seemed half a Dang Family member myself.
To such a degree that even I, Yang Hwi, blessed with the greatest five-star talent under heaven, could perceive the limitations and flaws of the Dang Family martial arts, and the methods to overcome them.
“The Samyang-gwiwon-gong is founded upon the three heavens of the half-tai-chi. That is the problem, Elder Dang.”
“Why do you think so?”
“The Transcendent Realm, like the Peak Realm, pursues another unity, another singularity. For blue and red to blend into purple, they must mix in equal proportions.”
“I see. So dropping a single drop of red dye into indigo water won’t change the color—it remains blue.”
“Well, that much is fine. There are warriors who’ve reached the Ascendant Realm by mastering extreme yang qi or specializing in yin-cold internal force. The problem is.”
The core mystery of the Samyang-gwiwon-gong lay in burning toxins with yang qi.
This was precisely why the Dang Family had never produced a single Transcendent Realm master.
At least, that’s what I believed.
“But how would you know? In truth, my younger brother isn’t a Transcendent Realm master either. He hasn’t even been taught martial arts that address the Transcendent Realm.”
“You’re poking at my sore spot.”
“Ha, my apologies.”
“A genius of my caliber can see things without walking the path myself.”
“….”
“I’m serious.”
“….”
“Ha. I’ll reach the Transcendent Realm soon enough, so just watch. I’ll look down from above and mock all you Peak Realm fools.”
Every single day was a hell of dancing on the razor’s edge between life and death, yet it was joyful.
The time I spent with Dang-gun was precious to me.
So much so that I remembered another friend I’d lost long ago.
“Hwi’s Younger Brother. Won’t you come to our Dang Family later? I’ll take you as a son-in-law!”
“Enough of that.”
“Ah, I could even give you my sister!”
“I said enough!”
Growing closer to Dang-gun frightened me.
The more precious someone becomes, the greater the pain when you lose them.
Just as it had been when I lost my Father, who took in an orphan like me as family.
So I’d sent Chu Dal, my only sworn brother, to the rear. Yet now another sworn brother had appeared.
I feared loss above all else, so why did I keep creating things to lose?
‘Perhaps this is how humanity survives among heaven, earth, and man.’
So I must protect. Perhaps protection itself is the very essence of being human.
But.
All things must end, they say.
That day had come.
-Keeeeaaaaaah!
My sword sang like a hawk’s cry as it severed the Madou bastard’s limbs.
“Huff. Huff.”
The surroundings were filled with corpses of Madou bastards.
And also, living Madou men as well.
“The Defiant Heaven Blood Sword, Baek Yang-hwi. Truly a name worthy of its reputation.”
“Defiant Heaven Blood Sword? What nonsense. Stick that kind of alias on yourselves.”
“Even in this state, your tongue still wags.”
“That’s what a man should do.”
I cut down the one who rushed at me with a single stroke, then turned to the other.
“Was it all a trap?”
“Yes. We set this stage to kill you, Reverse Heaven Blood Sword.”
At this time, Yang Hwi had earned his name as a supreme master who transcended the limits of the peak realm.
Though merely a lowly assassin, he possessed swordsmanship as if touched by the divine, a formidable warrior who had cut down countless supreme masters of the demonic path.
Perhaps he had simply drawn too much attention with his remarkable exploits.
“I never expected the Bishop himself would appear just to capture one assassin.”
As the Madou followers parted left and right, the Bishop of the blood-crimson Blood Cult appeared—Hyeol-hyeol-nyeo.
“With merely a peak-realm body, you killed Hyeolanra. One of your caliber would surely be most delicious, so I have graced you with my personal visit.”
Corpse-pale skin. Everything else about her was crimson.
A woman of inhuman beauty spoke softly.
“So surrender and come here.”
“Shut your mouth.”
“Your four will end today. Wouldn’t it be better to go peacefully?”
“I’ll decide that myself.”
“No one will come to save you. I’ve made certain of that.”
“No!!!”
The owner of that tremendous roar, which made the very air tremble, was Dang-gun.
He bore the clear marks of a fierce battle recently endured.
His subordinates numbered only a third of their usual strength.
The rest were dead.
Yet Dang-gun’s voice remained as steady as always.
“Hwi’s Younger Brother. I’ve come to save you.”
“Interesting. That trap should have been sufficient to kill all the Dang Family members. You survived quite skillfully.”
“Do not underestimate the power of the Dang Family, you wicked woman.”
“Ah. You’re using Primordial Qi. But it should have been insufficient. It seems the Dang Family possesses a secret technique similar to the Reverse Blood Great Method.”
Just as Hyeol-hyeol-nyeo said, Dang-gun had already activated his latent power.
Not only that, but his subordinates as well.
It was far more than simply drawing out a bit of Primordial Qi.
They were burning their entire lives using the secret technique of latent power activation.
In other words, they had decided today would be their last day of life.
“The Dang Family will never be toyed with in the grasp of the demonic path!”
“Hmm. Yet even so, today will be your last?”
“Even if it is, we still have the strength to mar your designs!”
The blood battle erupted.
A battle so fierce that all would become corpses.
Yet they could not kill Hyeol-hyeol-nyeo, the Bishop of the Blood Cult.
But they could buy time until Baek Do’s reinforcements arrived.
“Hmm. What a shame. I so wanted to taste the blood of the Reverse Heaven Blood Sword. Truly regrettable, but ahaha. I shall have to postpone my sampling for another opportunity.”
Hyeol-hyeol-nyeo departed, and reinforcements arrived.
Yet only Yang Hwi survived.
“Elder Dang.”
Dang-gun lay collapsed, his abdomen hollowed out.
His vacant eyes met Yang Hwi’s gaze.
How strange. I could hear Dang-gun’s voice.
“Hwi’s Younger Brother… I ask of you… Please, the main house….”
“The Dang-Baek Covenant… With you here, I can depart without worry….”
“The time spent with you… has been… most joyful….”
Dang-gun could have survived. Had he escaped the trap and fled rearward, had he sacrificed his subordinates.
At the very least, I would have certainly lived.
Yet despite this, Dang-gun came to me.
Why… I did not wonder.
That was simply the kind of person Dang-gun was.
I had always known this.
“Haha, what say you we call today’s pledge the Dang-Baek Covenant, taking each of our family names? The reason Dang comes first is because I am the elder brother!”
The Dang-Baek Covenant. A pledge sworn that the family of the first to die would be raised by the one who survives, and that each would fulfill the other’s wishes.
Thus I had once thought.
Given Dang-gun’s nature, he was certain to die first, so swearing the Dang-Baek Covenant was a losing bargain.
‘In the end. It happened as expected.’
I rose to my feet. I gazed at the sky where the full moon hung.
I shed no tears.
I have not wept since Father’s death.
But.
-Kiiiieeeeee!
The blade weeps. It cries mournfully in place of its master.
No, the world itself was weeping.
The entire world was filled with the cry of a hawk.
‘Lost again. Failed to protect. If only I were stronger.’
Void Seizing—weapons gripped in the hands of corpses floated weightlessly into the air.
Baek Do, the assassin who joined for coin.
The straight blade of the wandering swordsman.
And Dang-gun’s throwing knife.
‘Elder Dang. Did I not tell you? That burying the dead is inefficient. That with such sentiment, death comes all too easily.’
Burying the dead is an inefficient act.
Yet why do I perform a memorial sword dance beneath the moonlight in this field of corpses?
This too is a waste of time.
‘If only I were stronger. If only I were stronger.’
The sensation of the world becoming one.
Humanity is included in the trinity of Heaven, Earth, and Man because only humans harbor intention within Heaven and Earth, or so they say.
The resolve for vengeance stood upright between heaven and earth.
Standing alone, I wept with anguish.
-Kiiaaaah!
-Kiiaaaaaah!
-Kiiaaaaaaah!
Thus I reached the pinnacle of transcendence.
Beneath the wailing of my blade, I swore an oath.
That I would honor the pact between Dang and Baek without fail.

* * *
‘Elder Dang. Though late, I will honor it now.’
The Dang Family and the Baek Family would advance together.

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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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