Third-rate Martial Family Becomes the Best Under Heaven - Chapter 183

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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 183
“Hire Jeomchang.”
In that moment, an expression settled over both their faces.
It was a certainty.
“The path you wish to walk—it’s the same as mine?”
“For two reasons, actually.”
Everything in this world has a price, and Jin Yeong-gil favored those of true value.
“Silk worth twenty silver taels in Sichuan becomes fifty taels once it crosses mountains and rivers to reach Hebei far beyond.”
“Because value is determined by necessity.”
In other words, only those who could discern the needs of others could truly become valuable themselves.
‘I need this man.’
Yang Hwi thought to himself.
Jin Yeong-gil had wasted over a year in a crisis of uncertain fate because of the Mangeumjung affliction.
Therefore, the forces behind this scheme called Mangeumjung had to be brought to justice.
Moreover, Jin Yeong-gil had no intention of settling for merely being among the three greatest wealthy merchants under heaven—he desired to climb even higher.
In other words, he needed a hand to grasp.
‘That Namgung Cheon-yeong needs me.’
Jin Yeong-gil thought to himself.
Namgung Cheon-yeong possessed ambitions befitting his capabilities, and he understood with remarkable clarity how to proceed and whose aid he required.
The very foundation of their connection had been born from necessity—the need for someone like Jin Yeong-gil.
And though the reason remained unclear, he showed keen interest in the forces behind the Mangeumjung scheme.
‘For two reasons, Namgung Cheon-yeong needs my help.’
“That man surely knows joining hands with me would achieve two birds with one stone.”
Yang Hwi and Jin Yeong-gil needed each other, and thus held high value in each other’s eyes.
A certainty that they would need one another.
When two people share the same bed but harbor different dreams, it’s called “same bed, different dreams.”
But this situation could aptly be called “same bed, same dream.”
“We must uncover the forces behind this.”
“And immediate safety must be guaranteed as well.”
“But we have no clues. Then we must feel our way forward from the nearest point.”
“Yunnan would hold greater value than Sichuan. Sichuan wouldn’t even make sense as a starting point.”
“We must cast bait without falling into the trap of drawing attention prematurely.”
“It would be best to conceal that we’ve discovered the cause of the Mangeumjung affliction. Revealing our hand should be done as slowly as possible.”
A conversation is called a conversation when each person’s words flow into the next, creating context.
By that measure, their exchange just now hardly qualified as a conversation.
Yet both men nodded with satisfaction.
“How much would suffice?”
“Are you attempting to purchase favor with money? Then provide compensation equal to the value I’ve set.”
“Ha, Namgung Cheon-yeong, you’re quite the entertaining fellow.”
Jin Yeong-gil, after a moment’s thought, patted the pouch containing his wooden tokens.
Clatter, clatter, clatter!
Wooden tokens filled the expansive table. A rough estimate suggested there were well over two hundred of them.
If each token represented fifty silver taels, that came to ten thousand taels.
In gold, that was one hundred taels—enough to purchase an inn or a tavern and establish a business.
‘A single conversation, and I’ve acquired a business. Quite the sweet deal.’
“Will this be sufficient to earn Namgung Cheon-yeong’s favor?”
“Of course. I won’t be asking for change.”
He was accepting a full hundred gold taels yet spoke of not taking change?
Jin Yeong-gil burst into laughter and scooped the tokens into his pouch.
“I got off cheap. My thanks.”
“I had originally planned to extract—or rather, receive—around ten thousand gold taels instead of silver.”
I had cured the Thousand-Gold Syndrome that no one else could treat.
The life of one of the Three Greatest Wealthy Men Under Heaven surely wasn’t worth less than ten thousand gold taels.
“It seemed worth considerably more than that.”
Yang Hwi rose to his feet as he received the pouch.
“I’ll be staying with the Dang Family. Send word when needed.”
“Understood, Namgung Cheon-yeong.”
I departed the reception hall with Dang-gun and Jin Yeong-gil.
After meeting Chu Dal and Baek Heon-so, who had been waiting in the guest quarters, I set off from Jinjang toward the Dang Family residence.
“Elder, what happened?”
“Given your nature, you must have squeezed him for quite a bit as payment for curing his strange illness, right? Hehe, how much did you get?”
“One hundred gold taels.”
“What? That’s all?”
“Yeah. Besides, it’s not even my share.”
I withdrew the pouch from my pocket and extended it to Dang-gun.
“Here. This is the price of borrowing the Dang Family’s name, Elder Dang.”
Dang-gun received the pouch but asked one thing first.
“You said to hire Jeomchang because the Dang Family has a presence in Sichuan?”
I knew Elder Dang would catch on to that.
“Exactly. That’s only half the reason, though.”
“Half the reason? Ah, I see. Even so, I’m grateful. I can’t accept the pouch. It seems the Dang Family should be incurring more debt to you instead.”
“What’s between us?”
“True enough. With debts like those owed to Baek-dok-bul-chim alone piling up like mountains, even gaining more wouldn’t make a difference.”
I began explaining for the benefit of Chu Dal and Baek Heon-so, who wore puzzled expressions.
“I’ve decided to cooperate with Jin Dae-in. It seems we’ll develop quite a close relationship, so Chu Dal, send a letter to the main family.”
“You’re jumping around and cutting things short, Elder.”
“That’s right. What’s this about hiring Jeomchang anyway?”
Hmm. Where should I begin?
“The Thousand-Gold Syndrome was the work of demonic forces. It was a strange illness created through demonic energy.”
Dang-gun picked up the thread.
“Therefore, Jin Dae-in must seek out the forces behind this. If only for the sake of revenge.”
“But there are no clues. The only suspicious thing is Jeomchang, who even vouched for the fake disciple and brought her along.”
“Jeomchang is from Gu-pa, so the likelihood of collusion with the demonic path is low.”
“Jin Dae-in is a man of great ambition. To expand his influence further, he’ll need to join hands with a prestigious sect of Gu-pa’s caliber soon enough.”
“If he employs Jeomchang, it would be killing two birds with one stone.”
Employing Jeomchang would grant me two advantages.
If he were colluding with the demonic path, I could uncover that fact and find evidence.
If he weren’t, I could use it as an opportunity to make Jeomchang a valuable connection.
“Elder brother, I have one question.”
“What is it?”
“Couldn’t we also choose to investigate the forces behind this separately and join hands with Cheongseng and Ami instead?”
“That’s true. From Jinjang’s perspective, that would seem more advantageous.”
“It won’t work. Then neither we nor Jin Dae-in could achieve our respective two birds with one stone.”
For Sichuan, the Dang Family must become the martial sect most closely connected to Jin Yeong-gil.
Only then would our two birds with one stone strategy succeed.
“From Jin Dae-in’s perspective too, Cheongseng and Ami have few advantages. Being an ancient prestigious sect, they have many other connections.”
“Our Dang Family has been carefully attempting to make contact with Jin Yeong-gil. But we had no choice but to be mindful of Cheongseng and Ami’s eyes.”
Jin Yeong-gil, who devoted his entire life and became one of the Three Greatest Wealthy Men Under Heaven with nothing inherited, standing alone.
The Dang Family, born from the needs of orthodox prestigious sects, yet gradually climbing into the ranks of great families.
Both forces leaving their marks in the merchant world and the martial realm respectively, yet lacking connections due to their short history.
In other words, the Dang Family and Jin Yeong-gil could become each other’s most valuable connection.
“Value, after all, changes depending on how much the other party needs it.”
“If we openly employ the Dang Family, we could face checks from others. So the Jin Family and Dang Family will join hands from behind.”
“Considering even this point, employing Jeomchang could be called killing three birds with one stone, wouldn’t you say?”
“A brilliant move indeed, Hwi’s Younger Brother.”
Chu Dal and Baek Heon-so clicked their tongues in admiration.
“My, in just a short while, you’ve been scheming quite elaborately.”
“Truly impressive, Elder brother.”
“Dang Soga-ju, it turns out you’re incredibly clever too. I always thought of you as just a jovial man who laughs heartily.”
“Thank you for the praise, Chu Dal.”
Dang-gun laughed heartily and shouted loudly.
“When I return to the family, I’ll treat everyone generously! I’ll provide a feast worthy of your help!”
“Elder Dang, couldn’t you make sure no troublesome matters arise, as a token of gratitude?”
“Troublesome matters?”
“The young ladies.”
Dang-gun’s expression turned serious.
“That won’t do.”
“….”
The Dang Family’s chaotic operation to find a son-in-law was currently ongoing.

* * *
Though I spoke those words, after returning to the Dang Family, the physical attacks from the Dang Family’s young ladies decreased noticeably.
The reason was simple.
“Dang-gun.”
“Yes, Family Head.”
“It seems we must prioritize Baek Gong-ja’s comfort above all else.”
This was what Dang Seong said after receiving a report from Dang-gun about the incident with Jin Yeong-gil.
I hadn’t stopped him when he seemed to be taking a brief absence to escape the relentless physical assaults, but I never expected he would cause such a major incident.
Three of the Nine Sects and Jin Yeong-gil, one of the Three Greatest Merchants Under Heaven?
No matter how well it was resolved, the Dang Family had nearly faced quite a troublesome situation.
“We must ensure he has no desire to leave the Dang Family. Otherwise… it seems I’ll become truly exhausted.”
From the Dang Family’s perspective, my existence was a talent they absolutely had to possess.
But if a talent were to become a bomb, that meant the approach was wrong.
“I shall obey your command, Family Head.”
After the conversation between the Family Head and the Soga-ju, I was able to enjoy a more pleasant life within the Dang Family.
‘These days the young ladies don’t approach me. Why is that?’
Though such questions did arise, since things had become more comfortable, I wasn’t particularly bothered.
Besides, I had too much work to concern myself with trivial matters.
“Baek Gong-ja. Are you heading out again today, haha!”
“Understood, Elder Dang.”
I still hadn’t witnessed the Dang Family’s true martial arts.
However, I spent my days devoted to my original purpose—improving the Dang Family’s martial techniques.
“The fusion as substance, which is the characteristic of Geom-gak Dok-eung. And the fusion as qi, which originates from the energy I possess. If we combine both, we can vastly expand the foundation of the Dang Family’s poison arts!”
Including Soga-ju Dang-gun and his younger sister Dang-yeon, all the later-generation talents of the Dang Family obtained Baek-dok-bul-chim.
Those who had achieved Gi-dok, the ultimate enlightenment corresponding to a Swordsman’s sword-qi manifestation, numbered more than five, including Dang-yeon and Dang-gun.
“With this, we can say the theoretical framework of poison arts martial learning has been completed.”
“I agree. Everyone can master the fundamentals, and it’s even open for advancement to higher realms.”
Dang Yang, wearing an expression of deep emotion, made a suggestion to me.
“Though we worked together, your role, Baek Gong-ja, was truly significant in achieving these results. Would you not bestow a name upon it?”
“It is an honor, Elder.”
The fusion of Baek-dok. The achievement of Baek-dok-bul-chim.
A martial learning theory possessing all the subtleties of qi and poison.
“How about Tanbaek Myohwa-gyeol—The Hundred Poisons Painting Secrets?”
It means to swallow a hundred poisons and paint with them.
The reason it is called a secret rather than an art is because it is not a complete martial technique in itself, but rather a theory and subtlety to add to the Dang Family’s poison arts.
“Does Baek Gong-ja also possess talent in literature? Truly, it is a poetic name.”
“Thank you for the praise.”
The Tanbaek Myohwa-gyeol consisted of three stages of secrets in total.
The foundational secret that all of the Dang Family could master.
The advanced secret that addressed the enlightenment through which one could reach the pinnacle of poison arts.
And beyond that, the Manyeok Scripture—which theorized about realms of ascension beyond the pinnacle.
The Manyeok Scripture remained incomplete, however.
A realm of poison cultivation transcending the pinnacle had never existed throughout the entire history of the Dang Family.
“Simply seeing the direction forward is already a tremendous achievement.”
“I shall be your guide.”
Dang Yang formally submitted the Tanbaekmyohwagyeol to the Family Head and requested a grand assembly where all the Dang Family’s senior members would gather.
“Young Master Baek possesses martial talent that reaches the heavens.”
“I concur. Despite encountering poison cultivation for the first time, he has achieved such profound enlightenment and subtlety.”
“Perhaps. Truly, perhaps.”
“If it is Young Master Baek… he may be able to fulfill our long-cherished aspiration.”
The conference stretched across a full three hours.
The following day, I received a notification.
“Hwi’s Younger Brother. Permission has been granted for you to receive instruction in the Samyang-gwiwon-gong, the true martial art. Learning it fully is impossible, and you’ll only grasp the foundational stage, but… would you be willing to help us achieve the Family’s long-cherished wish?”
I could only smile with satisfaction at those words.
At last, permission had been granted.
Though it was merely the foundational stage of the secret formula.
Well, it didn’t matter.
‘What’s important is that they’ve shown me the secret formula. Once I produce results, they’ll have no choice but to reveal more.’
I responded with a slight grin.
“Of course, Elder Dang.”
“Thank you. We shall begin transmitting the secret formula now.”
The Samyang-gwiwon-gong—regarded as the most essential martial art throughout the entire Dang Family.
Even at the foundational stage, the secret formula was quite lengthy.
“That concludes it.”
Dang-gun’s eyes gleamed with anticipation as he finished speaking.
His gaze seemed to hope I would immediately share some brilliant insight or subtle principle I had conceived.
“Even for me, I can’t identify improvements the moment I hear the secret formula, Elder Dang.”
“Hmm, of course not. Hmm.”
‘Of course, that was before I regained my previous life’s memories.’
Even on the battlefield where tomorrow was uncertain, I had researched martial arts together with Dang-gun.
Those days when we put our heads together to determine the path forward remained as a single thread of memory.
‘In my previous life, I never even heard the secret formula.’
However, regarding the Dang Family’s martial theory and its foundations…
I might understand them even more deeply and broadly than Dang-gun does now.
The reason I could be so certain?
Simple.
‘Hearing the secret formula, the missing pieces fit into place. I could develop it even further than I initially thought.’
“Elder Dang.”
“Speak.”
“I was thinking an improved Samyang-gwiwon-gong might suit a different name.”
“Hwi’s Younger Brother! What do you mean by that…?!”
“The Triorigin Returning to Source technique. How is it?”
Yang Hwi finished speaking and broke into a smirk.

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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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