Third-rate Martial Family Becomes the Best Under Heaven - Chapter 20

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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 020
“….”
“….”
“Little brother.”
“Yes, Elder Gu.”
“I suppose I need to prepare myself mentally for this.”
“Strike while the iron is hot, as they say—you must seize the moment to claim what’s yours. If you keep hesitating like this, something precious in your nether regions will make a run for it.”
“….”
Ordinarily, even with death staring him in the face, Gu Ak would not cower in fear but rather lash out with malice and desperation.
But now, he fidgeted like a dog desperate to relieve itself.
There was no helping it. After all, I was about to commit an act I had never once imagined in my entire life.
‘To live as a righteous man of the Baek Family. What is this madness.’
The difference between black and white is singular: whether one prioritizes personal desire over propriety and righteousness.
On a grand scale, it manifests as greed blinding one to extort the weak.
On a smaller scale, it becomes restraint instead of losing one’s temper in a fit of rage.
And regarding the latter, I had little confidence in myself.
“By the way, little brother. Surely you’ve already given the Family Head—your father—advance notice?”
“….”
Watching Yang Hwi’s silence, I felt a chill run down my spine—an anxiety so profound it made my hair stand on end.
Surely this young fool didn’t…?
Premonitions, after all, tend to ring truest when they foretell calamity.
Upon arriving at the Baek Manor, my worst fears materialized.
My instinct became reality.
“Hwi, what are you saying? You wish for Hyeol Bu to become a member of the Main Family?”
Yang Hwi answered cheerfully.
Indifferent to my emotional turmoil.
“Yes, Father!”
“…Is that truly so, Hyeol Bu?”
“….”
I remained silent, staring at Yang Hwi. Then I sent a transmission of inner force.
-Little brother, you deceeeeeiver!
-This is completely different from what you saaaaaaaid!!!
Yang Hwi answered once more with unbridled cheer.
“I said to join the Main Family, but I never said I’d obtained prior consent from anyone else!”
I desperately restrained the urge to strike the back of that cheerful head.
Meanwhile, Baek Moo-ryang sighed and opened his mouth.
“It seems you truly wish to walk alongside the Main Family, Hyeol Bu. What moved you to such a resolve?”
“….”
The silence stretched on. A silence born of fierce inner struggle.
At last, I opened my mouth.
“I’ll speak plainly, Shi-hyeop-il-jeol. Or rather, Family Head.”
As Gu Ak lifted his gaze, a deep resolve burned in his eyes.
“Born in the depths of Black Island, I’ve lived my entire life eating from the blade. Yet even for one such as I, something precious enough to abandon everything has come to pass.”
Gu Ak suddenly noticed Rang-rang, half-hidden behind a pillar of the Main Hall, watching him intently.
“Rang-rang is my beloved. She is a woman for whom I could cast aside all I’ve accumulated. Therefore.”
But could seeking refuge in the Baek Family Estate truly shield him from all debts and enmities?
The Baek Family Estate was merely a small Martial Arts House whose Family Head was only second-rate at best.
And yet.
Gu Ak’s gaze fell upon a certain youth.
Thud! Gu Ak dropped to his knees.
“I humbly beg to be accepted as a member of the Baek Family, Family Head.”
“….”
Baek Moo-ryang remained silent for a long moment, then silent still.
He stared at the back of Gu Ak’s bowed head, then turned his gaze to Yang Hwi, and finally looked toward the heavens.
“This too is the workings of fate. Gu Ak, I accept you as a member of the Main Family.”
“I shall dedicate myself with utmost loyalty, Family Head.”
“No. There is no need to exhaust yourself like a beast of burden. I am well aware of your capabilities, and I shall offer you proper respect. However.”
Baek Moo-ryang concluded his words with firmness, then continued with a stern expression.
“The foremost value our Main Family pursues is righteousness. Hyeol Bu Gu Ak, you must wash away the stigma of that name. Therefore, as your Family Head, I command this: perform one righteous deed each day, and earn the epithet ‘One Deed Per Day.'”
Bewilderment flashed across Gu Ak’s face.
Perform righteous deeds? Every single day?
Gu Ak, who had spent his entire life believing righteousness was merely the wrapping of the narrow-minded, stood frozen.
Yet he immediately dropped to one knee and performed the salute of respect.
“Yes! I shall obey your command, Family Head!”
Baek Moo-ryang personally grasped Gu Ak’s hand and helped him to his feet.
“I welcome you with sincerity. I grant you Baek Ik-gak among the auxiliary residences, and henceforth you shall be called the Master of Baek Ik-gak.”
“I offer boundless gratitude for your generosity, Family Head.”
Yang Hwi watched the scene with a pleased expression.
Weighing all considerations, I had judged it advantageous to draw Gu Ak into the Main Family, and the conclusion seemed to have gone well.
While the retainers’ attention remained fixed on Gu Ak, I quietly slipped away from the Manor.
‘Let’s see, he should be watching from somewhere.’
As I glanced about, I spotted Yeo Un-jeok standing alone atop the highest Main Hall I had first encountered, and I launched myself toward him.
“Old Man.”
“You’ve come.”
“You’re welcome to stay closer at the Main Residence if you wish.”
The great upheaval I had orchestrated with Yeo Un-jeok had annihilated Cheongsa-bang, devastated Red Bridge Hall, eliminated more than half of Ak-an County’s Heuk-do-pa, and ultimately brought tremendous profit to the Baek Family.
In other words, now that all matters were settled, there was no obstacle to bringing Yeo Un-jeok into the Baek Family.
I gazed upon Yeo Un-jeok, the greatest stake among all the pieces I had laid upon the board.
“Would you not wish to meet your daughter? If you desire it, I shall escort you personally.”
“…Not yet.”
I watched Yeo Un-jeok take a step backward and asked him a question.
“There’s no need to fear. Rang will welcome you, and you will become a source of joy in her life.”
The gaze that had been fixed on the Baek Manor shifted. Yeo Un-jeok soon expressed his admiration.
“Heh. Young master, you’re quite unlike your age. You see right through the innermost thoughts of a worn-out old man like me without hesitation.”
“I hear that often.”
I understood Yeo Un-jeok’s feelings. He would want to meet his daughter right away, exchange words with her, hold her hand.
But it’s always difficult to approach someone when you cherish them too dearly.
‘Besides, the old man is even a wanted criminal of the Martial Arts World.’
The moment his identity is revealed, both he and Rang-rang would suffer harm.
Since he hadn’t done anything as despicable as the heretical dogs or the mad cultists, and had managed to evade capture all this time, it seemed there wouldn’t be major problems.
Yang Hwi gazed quietly at Yeo Un-jeok before opening his mouth.
“Old man. Would you not become a guest of the Main Family?”
“Hmm? Don’t you know? I am a wanted criminal of the Martial Arts World.”
“Come in with a new identity as Rang’s father. Surely you can do that.”
“At least you know my true identity.”
A revealed secret always carries the risk of ceasing to be a secret, which is equivalent to placing a weakness in the other’s hands.
“But that becomes meaningless the moment Rang and Gu Ak become members of the Main Family, does it not?”
“…That’s true enough.”
“From chatting with Rang whenever I have time, I’ve come to understand something. She carries great loneliness. She needs family, old man.”
Accepting Yeo Un-jeok into the Main Family was far more dangerous than accepting Gu Ak.
Yet Yeo Un-jeok had to be accepted into the Main Family despite that burden.
Because he was the key to accelerating the Main Family’s growth.
“When you visit the Main Family, please use the alias Yeo Hyeok. Rang will live on as Yeo A-rang from now on, but you must live as Yeo Hyeok. If you keep only this promise, I will accept you as a guest of the Main Family.”
After finishing my words, I read the conflict blooming in Yeo Un-jeok’s chest.
“A peaceful life with your daughter. Is that not what you desire?”
“…Yes, it is. I truly desire it so desperately that I could give up everything. So I must ask. What is it that you desire in return, young master?”
“Simple. Just forge two books for me.”
In that instant, Yeo Un-jeok’s eyes widened.
“Young master. You’re not underestimating my martial prowess, are you?”
“I have a rough idea.”
I had grasped it quite accurately through intuition, conjecture, and circumstantial evidence.
I didn’t know how Yeo Un-jeok, who had been called the Demon Recorder, had obtained such martial prowess.
“But is creating two books really enough?”
“Yes.”
“….”
In that moment, a peaceful light settled into Yeo Un-jeok’s worn and weary eyes.
“Come to think of it, I haven’t expressed my gratitude.”
“I haven’t done anything particularly worthy of gratitude.”
“You saved my daughter before poison could claim her life. You lent your cunning for me, a wanted criminal of the Martial Arts World. And ultimately, you’ve even provided an environment where my daughter can live happily with her beloved. And now, even for a sinner like me.”
Well, hearing it all, I certainly had done quite a lot worthy of gratitude.
However, this wasn’t an action born from a desire for gratitude.
I had simply pursued the values I’d learned since my previous life, which had now become my life’s creed.
And admittedly, I mixed in some personal ambition for the Main Residence’s prosperity as well.
“Since you’ve expressed your gratitude, I have no choice but to accept it. In return, I’ll make a request as a token of appreciation. Please create two books for me. However, there is one condition.”
“Speak.”
“The two books must be made to appear as ancient texts from roughly two hundred years ago. However, you must cover your eyes and not see the contents at all.”
“…Hmm.”
Yeo Un-jeok immediately grasped what I desired.
“Martial techniques.”
I nodded readily, a slight smile playing at the corners of my mouth.
“In any case, I now hold your weakness in my hands, so I’ve revealed one of my own weaknesses to you.”
Yeo Un-jeok, who had experienced the Martial Arts World for decades, had no difficulty understanding my meaning.
“I swear by my daughter. I shall never lay eyes upon the contents of these books.”
“I’m grateful. Then, when will you visit the Main Residence?”
“Let us settle accounts first. The two books are payment for what the young master has done thus far. As for accepting this old man as a guest retainer, what do you wish in return?”
Yeo Un-jeok’s most crucial role was creating the two books. Truthfully, I had little expectation beyond that.
After all, it would be absurd to live with the primary goal of using and exploiting people.
“Well, if you insist on settling accounts, then simply lend your strength occasionally when needed.”
“That would suffice?”
“Isn’t that the true role of a guest retainer? Idling about and occasionally stepping forward when necessary.”
Remarkably, this was truly the extent of the obligations that guest retainers of great families bore.
“Hehehehe. Hehehehehehe.”
Yeo Un-jeok let out a laugh laden with complex emotions.
I withdrew two books from my robes.
Each bore the titles “Record of the Heavenly Sword” and “Technique of the Dual Heavenly Flames.”
These were the secret manuals of two divine techniques I had prepared in advance.
“If you’re to visit the Main Residence, I’d appreciate it if you’d come bearing these two books as ancient texts in your possession. A pretext, if you will, for accepting you as a guest retainer.”
Yeo Un-jeok asked with his eyes still closed.
“Set the boundaries for me. If I’m to work on this, how much am I permitted to see? What should the preservation condition be?”
“You may see the titles, so open your eyes. As for the preservation condition… something like quite well-maintained should suffice.”
Yeo Un-jeok accepted the books and read the titles of both volumes.
‘Record of the Heavenly Sword. And Technique of the Dual Heavenly Flames.’
The desire for them to appear as ancient texts suggested he wished to pass them down to the Baek Family Estate, and that he needed a pretext and excuse for the situation.
Did this child create these himself, or did he have a separate master and inherit their legacy?
I couldn’t determine which.
But.
‘My weakness has been grasped. I’ve received an even greater favor. Now he’s even handing me his own weakness.’
Based on decades of experience, the young master before me was someone trustworthy.
Moreover, having him remain at my side was a rare opportunity with no downside for the future.
“Young master.”
“Yes, Old Man.”
Yeo Un-jeok bowed respectfully to the young master of the family he would soon serve.
“I shall faithfully execute the Young Master’s orders and visit the Baek Family Estate in seven days.”
Thus, Yang Hwi had acquired for the Baek Family both Hyeol Bu Gu-ak and the talented Yeo Un-jeok.

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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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