Third-rate Martial Family Becomes the Best Under Heaven - Chapter 27

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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 027
One of the ten strongest under heaven, known as the mightiest—thus, Cheonmu-sipseon.
Having ascended to an exalted realm where sound builds martial prowess and causes even the heavens to ripple—thus, Pacheon-eumhu.
The current master of the singular-lineage Sinbi Munpa, alternatively called the Seongeum Okryeongmun Master.
And here she stands before me, wearing the guise of a waitress girl.
‘There’s no way to discern her true identity from appearances alone.’
An ordinary person cannot even fathom the distant realm she has reached—a superhuman who has achieved half-step return to motion.
Outwardly, there is no trace of martial training whatsoever. Isn’t this the very definition of true return to simplicity?
At this moment, I face two choices.
Reveal that I’ve seen through her identity, or pretend ignorance.
For now, I cannot determine which better serves my purpose.
‘I can always reveal that I’ve seen through her later.’
Then the latter choice is the right one.
“So it’s not Innkeeper, but Innkeeper Miss. Please, just call me Yang Hwi!”
“I cannot do such a thing with a guest. I shall call you Young Master.”
“Well, titles should be comfortable for the speaker, after all. Then, Innkeeper Miss, could you prepare dumplings and thin noodles for us?”
After settling the bill, I waited briefly for the food to arrive.
The taste identical to what I ate yesterday. This means the cook is the same person.
‘Does the cook know that she is Eum Hu?’
My mind grew complicated. I don’t even understand why she suddenly revealed herself.
‘Has my effort finally borne fruit? Or is there another reason?’
For now, it seems best to gather information through conversation and observe her reactions.
As I was thinking this, Jegal Seon suddenly sighed while eating.
“Sigh. I wonder if Eum Hu is watching over us. We’ve shown sincerity by observing the livelihood of nearby people and climbing the mountain daily to cultivate ourselves, yet if Eum Hu doesn’t know of this, all our efforts are for naught.”
No, Uncle. She knows. She’s right in front of us.
If Jegal Seon complains about Eum Hu here, we’re truly in trouble.
“She surely knows. As one of the Cheonmu-sipseon, she can observe us from afar.”
“If she were watching, she would have seen through Seol-ha’s innate heavenly defect as well. Truly, this uncle can only think Eum Hu is heartless.”
‘No, Uncle!’
I glanced sideways and quickly defended Eum Hu.
“Someone of Eum Hu’s caliber must be cautious, as each action carries tremendous ripples.”
“Then that only proves her heartlessness more. Ten days is hardly a short time.”
‘Oh no. Uncle, please!’
The waitress girl, who had been wiping a distant table, paused mid-motion.
My mind spun rapidly.
“U-Uncle! What if we tried this approach instead?”
“Hmm? Have you thought of something good?”
“Yes! I’ve come to think that everything we’ve done so far might seem one-sided from Eum Hu’s perspective!”
“…That’s not wrong.”
“So I believe it wouldn’t be bad to try a different approach.”
Having said this much, I felt relieved as I watched the Waitress Girl resume wiping the counter.
“Uncle, why don’t we first take some time to speculate together about what Eum Hu desires?”
“What Eum Hu desires, you say….”
“Based on the clues you provided, Uncle, Eum Hu is currently in seclusion on Gok-ryeol Mountain.”
Then wouldn’t discovering the reason for her seclusion be the first step?
I presented this opinion to Jegal Seon.
“You’re right. The reason Eum Hu went into seclusion….”
“If she simply wished to withdraw from worldly affairs, then even if we were to meet Eum Hu, we couldn’t ask her to take Seol-ha as a disciple.”
“That’s true.”
“However, even in that case, we could still inquire whether she could treat Seol-ha’s condition. Since Eum Hu is not someone unfamiliar with righteousness and benevolence, she might extend her grace.”
I subtly conveyed that our true purpose was to cure Jegal Seol-ha’s congenital affliction, then observed the Waitress Girl’s reaction.
‘She shows no particular reaction.’
While it’s difficult to call it positive, it also means our purpose doesn’t go against Eum Hu’s sensibilities.
Therefore, I continued speaking.
“A second possibility. Perhaps Eum Hu is in circumstances where she absolutely must remain in seclusion.”
“Perhaps she’s evading enemies, or perhaps she’s suffered grave injuries.”
Seeing the Waitress Girl flinch, I silently exclaimed inwardly.
“As if the legendary Eum Hu would suffer such a fate! Ha, haha! There’s also a third possibility, Uncle!”
Without giving Jegal Seon a chance to speak, I immediately voiced the possibility I had truly wanted to present.
“Eum Hu bears the duty of inheriting the martial lineage of a sole transmitter. Perhaps she went into seclusion to cultivate a disciple?”
Jegal Seon’s expression brightened with interest.
“If that were the case… then if Seol-ha’s talent were merely recognized, we could achieve whatever we desired.”
“In my humble judgment, the third possibility seems most probable.”
“What is your reasoning for thinking so?”
“You mentioned obtaining these clues through painstaking effort, Uncle. But the fact that clues remained discoverable through investigation suggests this itself was Eum Hu’s plan.”
She is none other than Pacheon Eumhu, one of the Cheonmu-sipseon.
Rather than being careless enough to leave traces that could be followed, it’s more reasonable to believe she deliberately left these clues behind.
I had held this thought since first hearing about Eum Hu from Jegal Seon.
I cannot speak of it, but I have one more piece of evidence.
‘In the future, the successor of Seongeum Okryeongmun appears—meaning Eum Hu’s disciple.’
This confirms one absolute fact: Pacheon Eumhu is cultivating a disciple.
At that moment, the Waitress Girl moved closer to our group and began wiping the side table.
‘This is a positive signal, isn’t it?’
With renewed confidence, I looked toward Jegal Seol-ha.
“Uncle, speaking on the assumption that Eum Hu knows and watches over everything—what if it were not you, but Seol-ha who showed her reverence?”
Jegal Seon did not ask what I meant.
He had already grasped my intention.
“You’re right. Until now, it has been I who sought to meet Eum Hu, not our Seol-ha.”
Whether to become a disciple or to obtain Eum Hu’s aid for treatment—it is Jegal Seol-ha who must achieve this.
Yet until now, Jegal Seol-ha has done nothing but remain cradled in my arms.
“But… Seol-ha…”
I glanced sideways at the Waitress Girl, observing Jegal Seon’s troubled expression for a moment.
Seeing that she had stopped wiping the counter, it was clear she was curious about what would come next.
‘The direction of my approach seems sound.’
“Uncle. I believe Seol-ha must first open her own heart before she can win Eum Hu’s affection.”
Those born with the Peach Blossom Constitution naturally draw in and enchant men.
Perhaps Jegal Seol-ha had been forced to confront situations and emotions unsuitable for her age since childhood.
Had she not been the precious jewel of the Jegal Family, she might have suffered far worse indignities.
‘No matter how much the Peach Blossom Constitution is to blame, covering her face with gauze and never speaking a word while nestled in her father’s arms—that was excessive.’
Perhaps she harbored fear of the world beyond her father’s embrace.
Jegal Seon’s response that followed confirmed my suspicion was correct.
“…Nephew, you are truly perceptive. Truly… perceptive.”
I bowed my head quietly. Jegal Seon sighed and stroked Jegal Seol-ha’s hair.
“As you say, Seol-ha has locked the doors of her heart. Her innate affliction has ruined far too much.”
“But Uncle, you cannot shield Seol-ha forever.”
Every young bird must leave the shelter of its mother’s wings.
It must learn to flap its own wings.
Even if it falls and is wounded, even if it suffers pain, it must learn to fly.
“Seol-ha.”
Jegal Seol-ha’s gaze turned toward me.
Beneath the pristine gauze, what expression did Jegal Seol-ha wear?
‘In truth, you are a variable to me.’
In my past life, she became the Demon Consort and dyed the Hubei Martial Arts World in blood.
If her life diverges from that past existence, the gap between the remembered future and present reality would only widen.
Perhaps the losses caused by her as a variable might exceed the gains of securing Jegal Seon as an unwavering ally of the Main Family.
But.
There was no hesitation in my heart.
Compassion for one in such a pitiful and wretched state.
In other words, benevolence was the most important value I had inherited from my father.
So Jegal Seol-ha must move of her own accord.
-Jegal Seol-ha.
I activated the Hwa-cheon-i-won-gong and drew upon my Hwa-cheon energy to transmit my voice.
-Do not hide behind anything, whatever may come.
Jegal Seol-ha trembled as she heard my voice stimulating her eardrums.
Unlike the embracing true energy that reminded her of her mother’s arms.
My tone was utterly cold.
Or rather, precisely firm.
So much so that one might think it would never waver or be worn away by any hardship.
‘I too… I too…’
Suddenly, she reached out her hand. But her touch withered like a fading flower, curling back inward once more.
As befitted a daughter of the Jegal Family, Jegal Seol-ha possessed keen intellect.
At the very least, she had come to recognize that this moment was a turning point that would transform her past life and future path in entirely different ways.
But.
She had endured a painful and dark past so agonizing that it dimmed even her brilliance and sharp perception.
‘I’m terrified. I… I…’
It was in that moment.
“You can do this. I’ll help you.”
A warm tone, unlike the transmission of force.
The Hwa-cheon-i-won-gong, which embraced all vital energy beneath the heavens, unraveled thread by thread and reached toward Jegal Seol-ha.
A warmth and comfort like the embrace of a mother bird.
Because Jegal Seol-ha’s upper dantian had opened through the Peony Technique, she could perceive it all the more vividly.
Moreover, Jegal Seol-ha could sense the new quality contained within the Hwa-cheon-i-won-gong—even the ripples of the vital energy that Yang Hwi had named the Seon Force.
‘It feels… like standing in an open place and breathing deeply.’
For Jegal Seol-ha, the Peony Technique had always been a boulder crushing down upon her.
It was a shackle from which she could never escape, a heavenly curse binding her in place.
And yet.
In this moment, Jegal Seol-ha felt liberation.
She believed the reason was the vital energy emanating from that young man.
“Yang Hwi, it’s useless. Seol-ha needs more time… Wait? Seol-ha!”
Jegal Seon’s expression shifted to one of surprise as he spoke.
His daughter, who had been nestled in his embrace, had begun to move of her own accord.
Yang Hwi’s gaze fell upon Jegal Seol-ha—like a chick struggling to break free from its shell.
Her legs trembled as they touched the ground.
How long had it truly been since Jegal Seol-ha had stood upon the earth with her own feet?
“Seol-ha… How…?”
Her face, covered in gauze, turned briefly toward Jegal Seon.
Jegal Seol-ha squeezed her father’s warm hand firmly, then fully stepped away from his embrace.
With unsteady steps, Jegal Seol-ha stood before Yang Hwi.
Her gauze-covered face met his gaze, and with only cloth between them, their eyes crossed.
‘Thank you.’
Jegal Seol-ha’s lips moved silently.
Though the gauze obscured her mouth, Yang Hwi understood what she was trying to say.
And so he replied.
“Think nothing of it.”
Then Jegal Seol-ha walked past Yang Hwi and took several more steps forward.
Yang Hwi watched her retreating figure with a glimmer of emotion in his eyes.
After walking unsteadily, swaying with each step, she came to stand before the Waitress Girl.
“Miss, is there something you wish to say?” the Waitress Girl asked calmly.
Jegal Seol-ha gazed at her for a moment, then knelt respectfully.
It was not an attitude a direct descendant of a great family would ever show to a mere waitress.
“….”
The Waitress Girl, Eum Hu concealing her true identity, gazed silently at Jegal Seol-ha.

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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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