Third-rate Martial Family Becomes the Best Under Heaven - Chapter 333

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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 333
“Scared?”
“….”
“Scared?”
“….”
“Disciple. Are you scared?”
“….”
So Tae-rang could no longer hold back and cried out.
“Master! Have you ever seen this disciple cower before anyone?!”
“Then why won’t you accept it? Scared?”
“….”
In that moment, So Tae-rang felt something surging within him.
It wasn’t merely frustration boiling up—he could actually feel the onset of qi deviation creeping in.
And all because of who I refused for!
“Master!”
The largest scar across his upper body—one that made you wonder how he’d survived such a wound at all.
Baek Heon-nang-wang, tapping that scar cheerfully, cried out.
“Disciple, scared?!”
“No! I’m not! Really!”
“A man’s words and deeds must align—don’t you know? That’s why they call you So Chu-rang, disciple.”
“Aaaaaaaah!”
The reason So Tae-rang was called So Chu-rang by his close friends—half mockery, half affection—stemmed from Baek Heon-nang.
“A man must be big, yes? Impressive! Bold!”
Everyone listening harbored the same thought.
‘That’s not it. This doesn’t sound like it’s about boldness. He’s talking about something else entirely.’
For reference, the “chu” in So Chu-rang uses the character for autumn (秋).
It absolutely does not use the character for falling (墜).
“Chu-rang! How far are you planning to fall! You’ll actually fall at this rate! Damn it, you’re going to fall!”
“Maaaaster!”
Eventually, So Tae-rang gave up on restraint.
“Just let me land one blow!”
Though he hadn’t drawn his blade, assassins were typically skilled in all manner of grappling techniques.
And So Tae-rang was an assassin among assassins—the disciple of the greatest assassin of all time.
A terrifying will coalesced. So Tae-rang’s fist tore through the air.
Whoooosh!
His fist drove into Baek Heon-nang-wang’s bare chest.
An explosive roar erupted—so violent it seemed impossible that a human hand had merely struck human flesh.
‘Qi, qi, qi, qi annihilation technique!’
‘What on earth?!’
Chu Dal’s jaw dropped, and Seolha’s eyes widened like full moons.
-Brother! Is that really okay?!
-Elder brother, shouldn’t we be running away? If we get caught up in this, something bad might happen?!
Despite the commotion, Yang Hwi simply stared at Baek Heon-nang-wang and So Tae-rang with an indifferent expression.
‘That Nang-wang is truly mischievous… it’s almost a shame to even call it mischief.’
In my past life, I had no direct connection with Nang-wang.
Back then, Yang Hwi was nothing special except for reaching the peak at a young age.
I was far too insignificant for even the Cheonmu-sip-jon to spare a glance.
Still, because I was close enough with So Tae-rang and Chu-rang to use such affectionate names, I knew well what kind of personality Baek Heon-nang-wang possessed.
“Krahaha! Is your fist made of cotton, Chu-rang!”
Baek Heon-nang-wang laughed heartily as he looked at his disciple’s fist embedded in his chest.
He continued speaking.
“Still, magnificent! That’s what a man should be! You mustn’t hold back! Even if you commit the grave sin of striking your master, you should do whatever you desire and live freely!”
“Then please take a slap on the cheek as well!”
“That won’t do. I too must live doing whatever I please.”
The Nang-wang laughed menacingly and swung his palm, large as a cauldron lid.
Crack!
So Tae-rang, struck across the cheek, flew back at least five zhang before crashing into the wall.
“Hey, So Chu-rang. How does it feel to have such a magnanimous master who ends the grave sin of striking him with merely one slap?”
Fragments of the shattered wall scattered in all directions. So Tae-rang burst forth and threw his fist again.
“Don’t call me So Chu-rang!”
So Tae-rang’s fist was caught in the Nang-wang’s grip before it could advance further.
In an instant, the smile vanished from the Nang-wang’s face.
“Disciple. If you dislike being called So Chu-rang, then stop using ‘So’ as your name.”
So Tae-rang clenched his teeth.
“You are my master.”
“Since I bestowed upon you the name Tae-rang, have I ever regretted it or viewed it with displeasure?”
“….”
Wandering through battlefields, I discovered a child who possessed a fighting spirit as if sent by heaven itself.
Impressed by the ambition he harbored, I took him as my disciple, and before long came to regard him as my own son.
Thus I bestowed upon him the name Tae-rang, which I had created myself.
‘Never did I imagine it would become a shackle binding my son.’
Baek Heon-nang-wang smacked his lips.
“Disciple. Tell me. Why did you refuse the employment contract offered by the young disciple of the Baek Family?”
Baek Heon-nang-wang understood better than anyone the desire for battle that So Tae-rang harbored, the craving for victory against the strong.
“…I am your disciple and the young master of Nang-si. While sending assassins would be one thing, if I were to go myself, I would make an enemy of the Jang Gang-su Ro-maeng.”
“Coward?”
“….”
So Tae-rang fell silent. An assassin who should be the freest of all was bound by his master and his station.
He was not free.
This was why Baek Heon-nang-wang, one of only ten absolute beings under heaven, had come to this place.
“That’s right, my disciple. If I make an enemy of the Jang Gang-su Ro-maeng and Seon comes looking for me, your master will die.”
So Tae-rang’s eyes widened in shock.
The fact that Baek Heon-nang-wang’s health was failing was something only his disciple knew.
“The bastard’s scared. I’ve already made my move.”
“…Those three.”
Baek Heon-nang-wang’s gaze turned toward where Chu Dal, Seolha, and Yang Hwi stood.
He smiled with a sly grin.
“Two of them are shocked, but one isn’t?”
‘That’s because I already heard about it in my past life.’
-Elder Baek. I must protect Master. Until the very end, I will always remain by Master’s side. So even if you’re my younger brother, spread your wings.
I gazed at the wolf who had willingly hidden his fangs and claws.
‘Elder Chu-rang. It seems this younger brother wants to rampage alongside you in this lifetime.’
So I should wag my three-inch tongue once.
“It doesn’t seem like something to be shocked about.”
“Hmm?”
“Everyone gets injured, grows old, becomes sickly, and eventually dies.”
“Hmm!”
Nang-wang tapped his muscle-covered belly with a thump.
“Exactly! Only my disciple doesn’t understand such obvious truth, kekeke!”
-Nang-wang Venerable. Will you help me persuade Elder Chu-rang?
-Ha! For a young disciple, you’re more entertaining than a hundred-year-old! Give it a try!
Good, I have his permission.
So let me think this through.
‘Certainly, if I take Elder Chu-rang with me, Nang-wang will make an enemy of Seon. Yet for Elder Chu-rang to move despite that, he’ll need a different justification beyond his own desires.’
So Tae-rang wants to serve his master until his final breath.
In other words, his shackle is filial piety.
Meanwhile, Baek Heon-nang-wang, like all parents, wants his disciple to roam the world freely.
He doesn’t wish to become an obstacle.
‘And I want to ride on Nang-wang’s back and get his assistance in hunting Seon.’
-I’d like to tell a lie. Will you help me?
-Hmm? Keke, go ahead.
“Elder Chu-rang.”
“I told you it’s not that serious yet.”
“…Elder Tae-rang.”
“Speak.”
I took a quiet deep breath, gauged Nang-wang’s expression, then spoke.
It was a bombshell statement.
“Elder Tae-rang, you must cooperate in hunting Seon for Master’s revenge.”
“…!”
“…!”
“What? What in the world are you talking about? Speak this instant!”
So Tae-rang seized Yang Hwi by the collar, growling.
Of course, that wasn’t the important part.
I glanced at Nang-wang once more before continuing.
“You didn’t know? The injuries Nang-wang sustained were inflicted by Seon.”
“…!”
He wouldn’t have known. Based on my conversation with So Tae-rang in my past life, Nang-wang had never spoken of his injuries.
“Master, is that truly the case?”
So Tae-rang’s eyes flooded with crimson.
He was barely holding the reins of his composure, but it seemed as though the moment a spark fell, he would ignite like a torch.
“Yes. I took a heavy blow from Seon. Because of it, my essence and spirit were shattered.”
A thin, piercing sound resonated through the air—so intensely eerie that it was hard to believe it came from a human.
“Seo… Jae-seon…! Why didn’t you tell me?”
“If I had, you would’ve charged in alone.”
Nang-wang’s response came almost instantaneously.
‘Good. For such a sudden lie, he’s playing along remarkably well.’
It also meant Nang-wang’s mood hadn’t soured from my deception.
I could speak as freely as a flowing stream.
“You must be curious how I knew. Seolha and I are disciples of Cheonmu-sip-jon Pa-cheon-eumhu. Chu-rang, why would I speak of hunting Seon to someone I’d only just met yesterday?”
“That… was strange, I’ll admit.”
Though I’d earned his favor through our earlier exchange, trust hadn’t yet solidified between us.
Yet I’d mentioned hunting Seon? There had to be another reason.
So Tae-rang had no choice but to believe Yang Hwi’s words were true.
“So that’s what this is about.”
The reason I’d lived all this time, suppressing my desires and hiding my fangs and tusks.
The source of all my suffering—the father and master, the most precious being in the world, now approaching death.
It was all Seon.
Explosive killing intent erupted from So Tae-rang’s entire body.
“Tae-rang. My disciple who inherited my name.”
“Master, you should have told me. By your own words, am I not your disciple?”
Nang-wang’s response was remarkably simple.
“If you had removed the ‘So’ from your name, then yes.”
“….”
“Tae-rang. I must take back the name Tae-rang from you.”
“Master!”
“I was once called by another name, but I chose my path and gave myself the name Tae-rang.”
Nang-wang’s hand gently touched So Tae-rang’s shoulder.
“So decide. Your name. My disciple, what will you call yourself?”
“….”
Master and disciple gazed at one another.
The silence stretched on, and the emotions reflected in his eyes deepened.
Finally, So Tae-rang opened his mouth.
“If you take back the name you gave me, I shall regard myself as Tae-rang—the character for ‘lazy’ rather than ‘great.'”
Not the character for ‘great’ (太), but the character for ‘lazy’ (怠).
Tae-rang (怠狼).
“I shall become a lazy wolf who neglects serving my master and roams freely wherever I please. Please grant me this.”
“That is precisely what this master truly desires, hehehehe.”
So Tae-rang’s gaze fell upon Yang Hwi.
It burned so intensely that it felt as though it would sear the skin.
In reality, inner qi was at work, and heat could be felt from his eyes alone.
“Baek, my brother.”
“Yes, Chu-rang, my elder.”
“I accept your employment contract. One copper coin per day. The contract ends upon Seon’s death.”
It wasn’t one copper coin per day, but one copper coin total.
Well, that hardly mattered.
“Very well. Let us make the contract.”
The wolf of Nang-si revealed the fangs and claws it had concealed.
He would never stop until the hunt succeeded.
“Shall I arrange contracts with the other assassin groups as well? Does that suit you?”
“I would be grateful for that.”
If So Tae-rang, the second-in-command of Nang-si—or rather, Tae-rang—took the initiative himself.
The contracts could be far more successful than initially anticipated.
It was then that Yang Hwi and Tae-rang were coordinating the contract details.
“Since my disciple has set his resolve, I cannot merely stand by as his master. I shall give you a gift.”
“Nang-wang, a gift, you say?”
“I shall listen.”
Nang-wang smiled with a sly, truly sly expression.
“Shall I tell you one of Seon’s weaknesses?”
“Pardon?”
“You know such a thing…?”
Yang Hwi immediately bowed his head deeply.
“I humbly request this, Nang-wang!”
‘If I learn this alone, my chances of survival increase by at least ten percent!’
Then suddenly, curiosity arose. A sense of something being off, of being deceived, grew stronger alongside it.
Unable to hold back, he asked.
“But how do you know Seon’s weakness, Nang-wang?”
“This scar, you see, kekeke.”
His laughter grew stronger. Nang-wang tapped the largest scar on his upper body with a playful gesture.
Then he spoke.
“Seon made it.”
“….”
“….”
“….”
Jeon-eum’s playful voice resonates through my eardrums, brimming with mischief.
-You were startled, weren’t you, Young Disciple? For someone who lies, you certainly know how to pinpoint the truth with precision.
Ah.

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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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