Third-rate Martial Family Becomes the Best Under Heaven - Chapter 302

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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 302
“Get your head straight, Namgung Cheon-yeong. Break through and come out. If you cannot, the Namgung Family faces annihilation.”
“Break through? What do you mean….”
What else? Your own shell. The greenhouse you’ve yet to cast off.
Several months have passed since the Family Head fell, yet there’s been no movement—meaning the internal power struggle remains unresolved.
‘Had it been me, I would have seized control long ago.’
More precisely, even in the body of Namgung Cheon-yeong, the Sword Dragon of Boundless Heaven rather than the Gae-cheon Jeil-ryong, I would have done the same.
Namgung Cheon-yeong possessed more than sufficient capability for it.
What he lacked was resolve alone.
“The Namgung Family stands on the brink of annihilation.”
As I repeated myself, Namgung Cheon-yeong regained his composure.
“On what grounds do you make such a claim?”
‘Because I will make it so.’
I sense demonic qi emanating from the Soga-joonim?
This absolutely means the Blood Sect has intervened.
Since Namgung Cheon-hu has become affiliated with the Blood Sect, both evidence and circumstances are clear.
“Those demonic bastards are scheming. Tell me of the recent changes.”
I had learned much through intelligence operations, but hearing it directly from the Soga-joonim’s own lips would be different.
Namgung Cheon-yeong slowly laid out the circumstances.
“So the family has split into two factions—one centered around you and the Namgung Sa-geom faction, and another under Elder Namgung Yeon-ha?”
“Indeed.”
For a moment, I found it absurd.
“If you’re the central figure, why is Namgung Sa-geom the faction’s representative?”
“My uncle guides me with proper care despite my youth. I am grateful that the family elder steps forward as representative and shares the burden with me.”
“Do you truly believe that?”
“….”
His hesitation suggested he’d at least begun to see through it.
The signs had been visible for some time, after all.
“Speak your true desire, Namgung Cheon-yeong. As the Soga-joonim of the Namgung Family in crisis, what do you wish to accomplish?”
“…I wish to bring peace to the family.”
Those were words I could not allow. The Namgung Family’s peace would be equivalent to the Baek Family’s competitor regaining strength.
Yet now I found myself needing to move for the Namgung Family’s peace.
Through him, I could ultimately bring down my rival.
I could not yet know precisely, but my instinct spoke clearly.
To aid Namgung Cheon-yeong.
‘Kill the tiger to save the king.’
“Namgung Cheon-yeong. I sense demonic qi within you.”
“Demonic qi? That cannot be.”
It was not easy for a warrior who practiced breathing exercises daily to remain ignorant of his own body’s condition.
“Believe it or not as you wish. Instead, why not undergo a verification process?”
“What do you mean?”
“Namgung Cheon-yeong. Do you trust Namgung Sa-geom?”
“Of course. I understand your concern. You might think my uncle craves power. But he is not such a man.”
“Then prove your faith. And I shall prove something to you as well.”
Namgung Cheon-yeong bit his lip, realizing he was speaking of Namgung Cheon-hu.
“What is the method?”
‘Still so naive. I’ll show you the path. But whether you see it as a cliff you cannot cross or one you can leap over—that will be your choice.’
“Simple. We march on the Namgung Family together.”
“…And then?”
“Over these past months, I’ve endured hardship in my training and gained an enlightenment.”
“…Congratulations on your breakthrough.”
I savored the competitive fire that flickered across Namgung Cheon-yeong’s face before continuing.
“Because of it, what was impossible before is now possible.”
As I smirked, a shadow of foreboding crossed Namgung Cheon-yeong’s face.
“…What is it?”
“I’ll make your father come to his senses.”
Namgung Cheon-yeong’s eyes widened considerably.
* * *
With Namgung Cheon-yeong at the fore, my group walked forward without hesitation.
It was the main avenue leading to the Namgung Family’s front gate in the heart of Hefei’s marketplace.
As the gate loomed larger and the gatekeepers began to react, I stepped forward casually.
“Hey, Namgung Cheon-yeong.”
“What is it?”
“There’s something I’ve wanted to do for a while. May I?”
“Shouldn’t you say what it is first before asking?”
“If I tell you, you’ll refuse.”
“Then you shouldn’t ask in the first place, should you?”
“But what if I really want to?”
“….”
Jegal Seol-ha stepped beside me with a mischievous laugh, filling the silence Namgung Cheon-yeong left.
“I approve, brother. It sounds fun!”
“Right. Probably? Back when I was a beggar, I learned something—do you know what attitude the truly skilled beggars have?”
As a direct descendant of the Jegal Family, she could never know such things.
Naturally, curiosity lit up her face.
“Is it flattery?”
“No. The Way of Refusal—a secret art.”
I closed my eyes solemnly, then opened them and puffed out my chest.
“A true beggar is always resolute. Remember this always, Seol-ha. The common ground between beggars and true men is audacity!”
Then I shouted loudly.
“Hey, Namgung Family! Receive your guests!”
A shout so thunderous it made the entire surroundings ring.
The people around stopped what they were doing and stared.
The gatekeepers, who had grown careless with Soga-joonim present, widened their eyes at such unforgivable rudeness, and martial masters from the Namgung Family streamed out from beyond the grand gate.
“Who dares!”
“How dare you show such disrespect to our main house!”
“Do you wish to die… Soga-joonim?”
As Namgung Cheon-yeong bowed his head deeply, Yang Hwi glanced at Seolha with a swagger.
“See that? When someone lacking confidence suddenly acts confident, it makes people hesitate and wonder if there’s something to it. Exploiting that psychology to extract what you want—that’s the secret technique of the Jegal School.”
“Wow. I’ll have to try that later. But brother, aren’t we on the verge of having our leashes cut right now?”
“That’s nothing. Pardon me for a moment.”
I lifted Jegal Seol-ha’s veil.
Instantly, the murderous aura that had filled the air vanished without a trace.
‘Goodness. This one grows more beautiful with each passing day.’
At this point, it wasn’t merely a matter of beautiful features.
It was as though beauty itself had taken human form, as if she embodied the very archetype of beauty and had reached the realm of manifesting that ideal.
“What are you doing, brother?”
Jegal Seol-ha immediately returned her veil to its original position.
Of course, the atmosphere had already shifted.
“Everyone, please compose yourselves. I, Gae-cheon Jeil-ryong, have come seeking to become an honored guest of the Namgung Family!”
At that moment, the Six Harmonies Heavenly Voice resonated.
[Ah, young one. An honored guest is one who is valued because they possess worth. The great Namgung does not easily deem anyone worthy—how will you prove it?]
The gate opened. An old man emerged, walking down the blue-stone path that formed the heart of the Namgung Family’s main residence.
‘Elder Namgung Yeon-ha.’
Privately, the uncle of Family Head Namgung Il-geom.
The most influential acting Family Head in the current Namgung Family.
“Proof, you say? The last time I visited the Namgung Family, I had to go through a process of proof against my wishes as well. Is it the same this time?”
Namgung Yeon-ha’s white eyebrows twitched.
“Ah, young one. It seems you were never taught courtesy.”
“How can you fault my manners when I’m not even receiving the treatment befitting an honored guest?”
It wasn’t a fair point, given that I had just shouted for them to receive a guest without warning.
‘Second technique of the Jegal School: shamelessness.’
As I stared with an unabashed expression, Namgung Yeon-ha waved his hand.
The Namgung Family members parted, creating a path.
It was a signal to enter.
As Seolha, Adu, and I passed through the gate, the masters positioned themselves on all sides, creating a formation.
‘They don’t want word of this commotion spreading outside.’
Or perhaps they wanted no one to know what would be said from this point forward.
“Ah, young one. Produce a reason why I should treat you with honor. Why I should answer rudeness with courtesy.”
My reason was extraordinarily simple.
“I can treat your Family Head. Leave it to me, and he will at least regain consciousness.”
Yet the shockwave that followed was extraordinarily immense.
“Treat the Family Head?”
“Now that I think about it, didn’t Gae-cheon Jeil-ryong step forward when he was on death’s door!”
“He certainly showed remarkable improvement.”
“But how can he treat him? Even the finest physicians under heaven shook their heads.”
Despite being martial artists who required composure, they stirred with restless chatter.
Though I had made such a declaration.
‘Now then, Namgung Yeon-ha. And Namgung Sa-geom. What do you think?’
I gazed at Namgung Yeon-ha before me, then shifted my gaze to Namgung Sa-geom standing near the main hall.
Did they hope that Namgung Il-geom would recover his body and lead the Namgung Family once more as before?
Or perhaps… did they hope he would die?
“You would… treat the Family Head? Young one, are you the one speaking?”
“I have proven some qualification through emergency measures in Ryegang, but must I prove myself again?”
“Of course. The Family Head’s wellbeing is a grave matter for the Namgung Family. We must examine the methods carefully and verify each step with precision.”
A fair point.
It was also a pretext to buy time and find grounds for refusal.
But it seemed someone else held a different opinion.
“Elder! This Namgung Sa-geom’s thoughts differ greatly!”
Namgung Sa-geom, raising his voice and drawing all eyes to himself, walked forward slowly.
“Gae-cheon Jeil-ryong Baek Yang-hwi has already sufficiently proven his medical prowess. Moreover, the Family Head’s recovery is an urgent matter! As he is also the Baek Family Heir and our ally, there is no reason to fear deception. I believe we should proceed with treatment immediately, do you not agree?”
“Elder Namgung Sa-geom. The Family Head is the most precious person in the Namgung Family. How could we allow careless hands upon his person?”
Namgung Yeon-ha and Namgung Sa-geom began to argue.
‘Namgung Yeon-ha opposes. Namgung Sa-geom supports.’
The strange thing was that the power between these two seemed evenly matched.
Namgung Sa-geom, who had not yet reached his peak, could not possibly be the head of a faction within the Namgung Family.
To think it was because Namgung Cheon-yeong served as the backbone—yet Namgung Cheon-yeong was still merely a young disciple.
‘No. There is nothing strange about it.’
My eyes narrowed. As they did, I carefully scanned my surroundings.
-Namgung Cheon-yeong. Step forward and speak. Suggest we first be shown to the reception hall, then make a decision today.
Namgung Cheon-yeong did as instructed, and my group moved to the reception hall.
We waited for roughly three hours.
Then a servant arrived.
“We shall escort our honored guests to the Cheoncheon Pavilion.”
The Cheoncheon Pavilion—a name meaning “shallow heaven,” it was Namgung Sa-geom’s residence.
Namgung Il-geom had granted it to him, and he had given it this name himself.
Inside the Cheoncheon Pavilion, middle-aged men radiating intense auras were seated around Namgung Sa-geom at the place of honor.
And Namgung Cheon-yeong as well.
They appeared to be the core members of Namgung Sa-geom’s faction.
Namgung Cheon-yeong rose to greet my group.
“Welcome. Please, be seated here.”
After showing me to my seat, Namgung Cheon-yeong closed the door and positioned himself before it.
As if to block any escape route.
For a martial artist capable of piercing through a roof like a soap bubble, such an action held little practical meaning.
That was when it happened.
“First, let us each have a cup of tea.”
The aroma was so potent it made one’s nose tingle involuntarily.
As I sipped it, warmth spread through my throat and esophagus.
“This appears to be an expensive tea.”
“The most renowned tea from Anhui.”
“I am grateful for your hospitality.”
“What would I spare for honored guests who can treat the Family Head? Can you truly accomplish this healing?”
“I do not speak falsehoods.”
“I trust in the reputation of the Unflickering Flame’s greatest under heaven. Conduct the treatment tonight.”
“Has the Elder faction granted their approval?”
“I shall proceed regardless. I will ensure there is no interference, so have no concerns.”
“Ah. It seems the Family Head’s recovery is something you desire?”
“Only then can I, Namgung Sa-geom, remain the most cherished subordinate of the Great Namgung’s leader.”
An utterly pragmatic statement.
The kind of naked sincerity one could not help but believe.
That was when it happened.
“So here is what I ask… Strike now, Cheon-yeong.”
Namgung Sa-geom’s final command.
“….”
“….”
“….”
And nothing happened.
Yang Hwi turned around with an indifferent expression.
“See? I was right.”
Namgung Cheon-yeong’s eyes trembled with shock.

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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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