Third-rate Martial Family Becomes the Best Under Heaven - Chapter 282

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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 282
Namgung Cheon-hu, who had been the Soga-joonim of the Namgung Family, a prestigious White Path clan.
He committed the grave crime of conspiring with the Black Path to bring annihilation upon the White Path martial families, and rather than face justice after his arrest, he slaughtered all the Changcheon Sword Sect Members escorting him and fled.
Privately, it was a direct descendant of the Namgung Family violating Namgung law, and on a national scale, it was a betrayal of White Path honor.
Then what had the Namgung Family, bearing responsibility for producing such a criminal, actually done?
The answer was: nothing at all.
‘They sent out search parties as a mere pretense, but according to Chu Dal, they returned after only three months of going through the motions.’
Within the Namgung Family, Namgung Cheon-hu was a truly troublesome existence.
A prodigy who inherited the true spirit of Namgung, the eldest son of the Family Head.
Yet compared to his younger brother, who possessed martial talent incomparably superior, he was like the moon—a being whose light faded, disappearing from view whenever the sun rose.
Family Head Namgung Il-geom had severed his eldest son.
For the Namgung Family to become even greater, Namgung Cheon-yeong, who possessed talent counted among the finest across all generations, had to ascend to the position of Family Head.
‘Cheon-yeong is the child who will make the Namgung Family the greatest under heaven once more. Cheon-hu, you understand this too, don’t you?’
The contents of the letter weighed on my mind.
Handwriting I knew well flowed naturally into my consciousness like water.
[Do not process this letter through normal channels. Preserve it.]
An order from the sect? A command to attack the Baek Family?
None of it mattered.
Because what truly mattered lay elsewhere.
That Namgung Cheon-hu, my own son who understood so well what it meant for the Namgung Family to be great,
had ordered evidence to be left behind.
‘If you cannot possess it, then whether Namgung becomes great or not is of no consequence to you?’
I had believed that as my son, he would understand my choice as Family Head.
Because that is how I raised him.
When I became Family Head, I believed without doubt that the Namgung Family would become even greater, and so I stained my blade with my brother’s blood.
Through education, I passed this very spirit intact to both my children.
Thus Namgung Cheon-hu became an exceptionally suitable heir to the Family Head, and Namgung Cheon-yeong was growing into an exceptionally brilliant sword of the Namgung Family.
‘Surely that is so, yet Cheon-hu. Why. Why do you not understand your father’s choice?’
Then, a certain clue passed through Namgung Il-geom’s mind.
Perhaps Namgung Cheon-hu
still believed that when he became Family Head, the Namgung name would become great.
“Cheon-hu….”
If your intention is truly such,
you are mistaken.
The Namgung Family can only become truly great through Cheon-yeong’s blade.
As the Yeoilrakbul of Northern Shaolin demonstrated.
As the Taeguk Sword Master of the Southern Shaman sect has shown.
And as the Daehaeyongwangdo Peng Fan, the Grand Elder of the greatest family under heaven, continues to prove.
‘Cheon-hu. You can never become one of the Cheonmu-sip-jon, can you? Why do you harbor such excessive ambition?’
My eldest son, who refused arrest and fled.
I understood, and I didn’t pursue it further.
No matter how much I walked the path my father had laid out for me, I couldn’t escape the sense of deprivation.
Since I inherited his will, the distortion was passed down to me as well, and it was certain that something had twisted and rotted.
But.
‘If this is the case, shouldn’t I sever ties with all four of them? Are you truly determined to stain this father’s hands with his own child’s blood?’
These were the innermost thoughts of Namgung Il-geom, known to no one else.

* * *
Namgung Il-geom stared at the letter with a troubled expression.
Yang Hwi waited in silence.
‘Why is he staring at a mere two-line letter for so long?’
Well, it made sense. The time had come to punish the crimes my son had committed.
-Baek Yang-hwi! Answer me at once!
‘Damn, that startled me.’
My eardrums ached from the sound transmission that pierced my ears.
Having ignored him throughout my waiting, Namgung Cheon-yeong had exploded and dramatically increased the intensity of his sound transmission technique.
-Are you breaking your promise to me! Didn’t you say you would keep silent about your brother’s affairs until I gave my permission!
‘Did I make such a promise?’
Thanks to my excellent memory, it came back to me immediately.
I had indeed agreed to comply with Namgung Cheon-yeong’s demands.
But that was only if he willingly complied with my requests.
-You were the one who broke the promise first, Namgung Cheon-yeong.
-I! What promise! Did I break!
So this bastard really is from one of the Five Great Families.
Those Gu-pa types always have their noses stuck up in the clouds.
They don’t even recognize their own faults.
-There was no proof of qualification that I experienced just now in our agreement.
-It was decided by the elders in the meeting that dealt with your request!
-You didn’t want it? Then you should have refused.
-How could I, as a lowborn blood relative, defy the will of my father and the family elders!
-Nonsense.
At my curt dismissal, Namgung Cheon-yeong’s face twisted.
-Do you truly wish to fight me to the death, Baek Yang-hwi? Even if you are stronger than me, I’m confident I can take an arm with me.
Hmm. If I unleashed all my potential and used my hidden trump cards, there’s a possibility it wouldn’t be impossible.
Regardless, I sent a sound transmission with a smirk.
-I called nonsense nonsense, so why are you angry? The excuses coming from the mouth of the Soga-joonim of the Five Great Families under heaven can’t possibly be so pathetic.
The family’s Soga-joonim held the rank second only to the Family Head.
The second-in-command couldn’t defy the elders’ will?
Namgung Cheon-yeong seemed to genuinely believe this.
But by any reasonable standard, it was merely a self-serving excuse.
—There was only one will you needed to break: the Family Head’s will. Because you failed to accomplish it, I suffered needless complications. You must take responsibility for that.
—…If you thought that way, you should have demanded responsibility from me. Why are you exposing your brother’s affairs instead?!
He declared it loudly, adopting a formal posture as if making a proclamation.
“I report to the Family Head of the Great Namgung! The letter of the criminal Namgung Cheon-hu was discovered in a water station belonging to the Changjiang Water Route Alliance!”
After finishing his words, he immediately sent a transmission to Namgung Cheon-yeong.
—I haven’t mentioned that I’ve become a Blood Sect follower yet, so strictly speaking, I haven’t broken my promise. You agree, right?
“Uuuaaahhh!”
When the Soga-joonim suddenly let out a scream, all eyes turned toward him.
Tsk, he’s still so young after all.
‘Now then, Namgung Il-geom. Make your choice. What will you do?’
Evidence of the criminal Namgung Cheon-hu had been discovered with the Changjiang Water Route Alliance!
With just this, the Namgung Family found itself in an inescapable position.
They had discovered that clues to a being who must be captured and punished existed within the Changjiang Water Route Alliance, yet they would remain silent?
If they did, their prestige among the martial sects of the White Path would crumble entirely.
That was the moment.
Whoosh! Fire blazed up and the letter turned to ash.
Namgung Il-geom watched the ash trickling down between his fingers, then shifted his gaze to Yang Hwi.
‘Ah, he chose the wicked path.’
I heightened my vigilance. If he attempted murder and annihilation, I absolutely had to escape alive.
My heart pounded with tension.
But the choice lay with me.
Because I was the one who presented the options to Namgung Il-geom.
‘Choose. Depending on your decision, I might even extend your lifespan.’
Either die in three years after being disgraced, or find another path.
Ah, I didn’t mention that part, so he probably doesn’t know.
“Gae-cheon Jeil-ryong. Yang Hwi of the Baek Family.”
“Speak, Family Head.”
“Is there further evidence regarding the criminal Namgung Cheon-hu?”
“Circumstantial evidence and witnesses would be meaningless anyway, wouldn’t they? There is none.”
“I see.”
Namgung Il-geom gazed up at the sky.
“Family Head Namgung Il-geom asks his retainers.”
“Yes!”
“Yes!”
“Please command us, Family Head!”
All the retainers bowed in unison, and the Family Head’s declaration fell.
“A trace left by a criminal of our main house has been discovered in the den of water thieves. Those who follow the Heavenly Path, speak what must be done!”
“Heavenly punishment!”
“Heavenly punishment!”
“Heavenly punishment!”
Heavenly Punishment—literally, the retribution descended by the heavens themselves.
And the official name of the Precept Hall, which bore responsibility for upholding the laws of the Namgung Family and punishing the guilty, was the Hall of Heavenly Punishment.
“As Family Head, I command it. Seek out the criminal Namgung Cheon-hu and subject him to the Heavenly Punishment execution!”
“Your will be done!”
“Your will be done!”
“Your will be done!”
As thunderous affirmations echoed through the hall, I couldn’t help but admire the display inwardly.
‘Truly, the bearing of a Family Head who overcame familial strife. His calculations are remarkably swift.’
He hadn’t been forced onto the path I had drawn.
One could discern this truth merely from listening to what Namgung Il-geom would say next.
“To give one’s all means to pursue only the objective before face and reputation. Heir of the Baek Family, I seek your assistance.”
‘He wants to frame this not as Namgung providing aid to the Baek Family, but as Namgung receiving aid from the Baek Family.’
At first glance, it seemed like a proposal where Namgung stood to lose.
But the hidden barb was quite sharp indeed.
The premise was that Namgung had a task that must be accomplished, so it was unavoidable that they couldn’t properly assist the Baek Family.
-Follow me into my study.
A whispered transmission from Namgung Il-geom. He intended to discuss the details.
It also signified that he would calculate precisely the benefits that Namgung’s actions would bring to the Baek Family.
‘The real battle begins now.’
Namgung Il-geom was undoubtedly a figure worthy of admiration.
A giant with the qualifications to lead the Namgung Family among the Five Great Families under heaven.
But.
‘I’m not one to be outdone in a battle of words either.’
Let’s see whose tongue is longer, Namgung Il-geom.
Hmm… is that phrasing a bit odd for two men?

* * *
“Advancing into the upper markets through collaborative training with Jin Yeong-gil. Conceding distribution of the rights we seized from the Yangtze River Water Alliance. Using my son as leverage for blackmail. If you have any other cards prepared, lay them on the table.”
‘Oh my, he’s been reading everything all along.’
With the information network of the Five Great Families, it would be strange if they didn’t know.
Moreover, judging by what he was saying, it seemed he still didn’t know about the Blood Sect operating behind the scenes.
‘Hmm. Was my speculation correct, or was it wrong?’
My intuition told me there was likely a Blood Sect spy among the Namgung Family’s key figures… but given the extraordinary abilities Namgung Il-geom had demonstrated so far, there’s no way he wouldn’t have noticed a malignant growth festering within his own ranks.
“Nothing? Then this Family Head will decide.”
I couldn’t reveal that Namgung Cheon-hu had become a Blood Sect follower.
If I did, I’d truly become enemies with Namgung Cheon-yeong.
Since there would be a use for it later, I needed to postpone revealing it.
For now, let me just grasp at whatever excuse comes to mind.
“What about a mutual defense pact? Binding together the Jegal Family, the Sichuan Tang Family, and Jeomchang as well.”
“Between you and our Namgung? Stop wasting my time. This Family Head’s time is precious, so cut the nonsense yourself.”
Before I could even make an excuse, Namgung Il-geom continued speaking.
“Fifty percent. Leave the trivial matters to your subordinates, you bear all the losses, and hand over fifty percent of the profits. Then I’ll cooperate with your collaborative training.”
“….”
Fifty percent.
They were making it crystal clear that they held all the advantages.
Even after using Namgung Cheon-hu as leverage for blackmail, this was what they demanded.
‘Do I need to use my final card now?’
Ah, I had wanted to save this for when catastrophe truly arrived. But it seems unavoidable.
Based on everything I understood about Namgung so far,
there was one condition they would absolutely not refuse.
“An unconditional non-aggression treaty between the Baek Family and the Namgung Family. Including a public proclamation to the world. How does that sound?”
‘Now then, how will you react, Namgung Il-geom?’
In truth, the non-aggression declaration was bait—flesh I could afford to give up.
Would he be tempted and accept it?
Or would he hesitate, thinking it wouldn’t be beneficial enough, and demand more?
Depending on his choice, the Baek Family’s preparations and strategy would shift accordingly.

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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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