Third-rate Martial Family Becomes the Best Under Heaven - Chapter 335

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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 335
The villagers said the henchmen had committed robbery the night before.
In other words, to track them down, I would have to overcome a gap of one day.
“Fortunately, we don’t need to worry about which direction to go.”
“That’s right. Since they’re mercenaries, you see.”
There was only one place the henchmen laden with plundered goods could be heading.
A riverbank about a hundred li away.
“We’ll deploy our lightness technique at full speed! They wouldn’t have worried about pursuit while plundering a village, so we can catch them.”
A hundred li—a distance a warrior could cover in less than two hours with their stride.
But that was different if they were carrying heavy loads on their backs.
“Since no one’s chasing them from behind, they wouldn’t have fled in a panic.”
“If we hurry, we can ambush them before they board the boats! Run, you bastards!”
“Yes, Elder!”
“Anyone who falls behind gets their ass kicked from behind!”
It took half an hour to cover the hundred li until the distant riverbank came into view.
Considering hundreds of people had moved, it was an incredible pace.
“Everyone did well! I can’t believe not a single person fell behind!”
The weakest among the assassins cried out, coughing blood.
“I used my Primordial Qi! I think I’m dying!”
“You fool! My younger brother Baek will give you a healing elixir!”
Me? Really?
“I, Taeryang, will personally guide your qi recovery! You worked hard, Ya-jung!”
Wait, I never said I’d give anything.
But if they ask whether I won’t give it, I suppose I will.
‘Well, I guess I need to be generous now.’
“I, Eung-hyo Je-il, promise! If we succeed in taking down these henchmen, I’ll distribute a healing elixir to everyone!”
“Uwaaaaaa!”
“Really, one elixir each?”
“Eung-hyo Je-il! Eung-hyo Je-il!”
Thanks to Taeryang stepping up, I saved an enormous amount of money.
Even distributing one elixir to each person, my expenses were less than expected.
So this was nothing to worry about.
“Look, they’re boarding the boats.”
“Three boats total. They must have split up and plundered several villages.”
The mercenaries were sweating profusely as they prepared to depart.
“Elder Taeryang, what’s the strategy?”
“No need for one! With only two Transcendent Masters in our group, what strategy do we need to crush these henchmen!”
Taeryang answered cheerfully and roared so loudly the heavens and earth resonated.
“You water rats! Are you ready to die!”
Taeryang’s imposing aura suddenly expanded dramatically.
A single blade, yet it seemed capable of cleaving an entire ship in two with ease.
“Yeouui—”
A weapon that changes size freely, and they call it by the name Yeouui?
Everyone recalled the Yeouui Staff, the treasured weapon of the Great Sage Equal to Heaven.
“—Parkdo Blade!”
Well, the finishing touch wasn’t quite as elegant as the Yeouui Staff.
Not a Yeouui Blade, but a Yeouui Parkdo Blade—what kind of name was that?
True to form for an assassin, their naming sense was utterly lacking.
‘Still, the power is no less than the Yeouui Staff.’
A single sword stroke split a ship in half.
Such was the divine realm of a Transcendent Master.
The pinnacle because it was the limit of humanity, yet a warrior who had transcended even that pinnacle—one who grasped true transcendence in hand.
‘I cannot lose.’
—Kiiiiaaaa!
—Kiiiiaaaa!
Two eagle cries tore through the surroundings.
Yet Yang Hwi’s target was not the ship.
Eagle’s Cry Resonating Vibration—Water Convergence!
The moment the blade pierced the water’s surface, brilliant white foam erupted like clouds.
“Their feet are bound—strike them all down!”
“Yes, sir!”
“Haha! Truly the next greatest under heaven!”
“We can capture them without breaking a sweat!”
Hundreds of assassins swarmed like a pack of dogs and seized the ships.
Those who resisted had their necks severed without hesitation, and even those who surrendered had their dantians shattered.
“Binding them is too much trouble—just break them and be done with it!”
“Isn’t that a bit too cruel?”
“Will you handle all the tedious work instead?”
“Brother, shattering dantians is my hobby!”
Subduing all three ships took half a double-hour.
Merely half a double-hour.
—Brother… are the assassins of Nangsi originally this strong?
Chu Dal sent a transmission, his tongue clicking in amazement.
—That cannot be.
They were not strong because they were assassins of Nangsi.
They were strong because they followed Taeryang, a disciple of Baek Heon-nang-wang—followers of the Cheonmu-sip-jon.
Those of the Cheonmu-sip-jon caliber would never inspire the desire to follow in ordinary rabble.
—Chu Dal. The ones we hired in Nangsi are the direct military force of Baek Heon-nang-wang.
—What?!
Chu Dal’s eyes widened as he asked again.
—You knew that and still slashed the price down that much?
The Baek Family’s budget was generous enough to hire hundreds of assassins from Nangshi and still have plenty left over.
An assassin’s price is always proportional to their experience and martial prowess.
—I thought you’d cut it in half, but this is a tenth of the asking price! How are you going to handle the fallout?
—Why would I handle it?
Yang Hwi laughed wickedly.
—Taeryang agreed to a contract for a single coin a day. How could other assassins demand higher prices now? So it’s all Taeryang’s fault. If you’re upset, take it up with him.
—…You’re relentless. Absolutely relentless.
Truth be told, I felt a bit guilty, so I made a show of splashing out the antidote.
But even so, I had no intention of raising their pay now.
—Chu Dal. Don’t misunderstand. The Baek Family still faces the threat of annihilation.
—…Brother. That’s….
The Jang Gang-su Ro-maeng is one of the two greatest sects under heaven.
It’s as vast as combining three or four of the Gu-pa sects.
By comparison, the Baek Family may have earned the title of one of the Three Great Families, but we remain a humble martial sect compared to the Gu-pa.
—One of the Cheonmu-sip-jon is specifically targeting me for death. If I die, will the main family be safe? I refuse to be torn to shreds, so right now we must be ruthlessly focused on our own gain.
Chu Dal’s response took quite some time to come.
—Yet you’re wasting time eliminating mercenaries who’ve been plundering villages.
Well, I have nothing to say to that.
—That’s why I respect you, brother.
Suddenly?
—Because you and the Baek Family would never abandon or betray those who walk alongside you.
Chu Dal launched himself forward.
“Don’t break their dantians! I’ll bind them!”
Heavenly Silkworm Threads extended from the tips of his ten fingers, moving like serpents to restrain all the surrendered mercenaries.
Despite being mere threads, they writhed with precision, sealing their acupoints perfectly—the subjugation was now complete.
“Brother, I think Chu Dal was embarrassed.”
Though the conversation was conducted through sound transmission, Seolha had quickly discerned his true feelings.
Watching her smile knowingly, I scratched my head sheepishly.

* * *
Family Head Baek Moo-ryang welcomed the assassins of Nangsi, colloquially known as the Taeryang Brigade, with open arms and genuine warmth.
“Welcome, welcome! The Baek Family shall never forget the kindness of Nangsi!”
“We are grateful for your generous hospitality, Family Head Baek!”
Taeryang clasped his fist against his palm in salute, then casually asked a question.
“But if I may ask, how old are you?”
“Hmm…?”
As Baek Moo-ryang’s expression turned bewildered at the abrupt question, Yang Hwi quickly stepped forward.
“Elder Taeryang. My father already has someone with whom he shares a bond of brotherhood, so it would be difficult for him to follow Nangsi’s customs.”
“Ah, I see. That cannot be helped then.”
In Nangsi, everyone was both elder and younger brother to one another.
Yet they did not insist on their ways while disregarding the proper etiquette and courtesy between senior and junior.
“From now on, I shall address you as Family Head Baek. I hope you will forgive me for not observing the proper courtesy that should be shown to the head of a family.”
“You are a disciple of Cheonmu Sip-jon Baek Heon-nang-wang, so it is I who should observe proper courtesy toward you. Please, think nothing of it.”
The matter of titles and speech between the two men was settled.
Yang Hwi quietly wiped away cold sweat.
‘That was close—I almost tangled the family tree.’
Despite his youthful appearance, Taeryang was quite advanced in years, while Baek Moo-ryang was younger than him.
Had I not intervened just now, Father and I would have ended up calling Taeryang “Elder Brother.”
‘I could not bear to see that.’
“Father, I must make a request.”
“Speak freely, my son.”
With Taeryang now hired, I broached the subject of hunting Seon.
It was no mere words—I intended to devote all my efforts to devising a hunting strategy.
“Elder Dang.”
“Speak, Hwi’s Younger Brother.”
“Seolha.”
“Yes?”
“Gather as many people as possible from each family who are skilled in poison and mechanical formations.”
The Jegal Family, masters of mechanical formations.
The Sichuan Dang Sect, masters of poison and assassination techniques.
All warfare is, fundamentally, a battle of many against many.
Yet hunting, too, shared similarities with warfare.
A battle of many against one—that was what hunting truly was.
“We shall hunt Seon.”
Shock rippled through the gathering.
This was the first time the hunt had been spoken of so directly.
“Father, the final stroke of the Jang Gang War must inevitably be the death of Susa Jaeseol. From this moment, I shall work with everyone to devise a method to hunt him. I humbly request your permission.”
This was not merely seeking permission to devise a strategy to kill a formidable enemy from the rear.
Baek Moo-ryang perceived the true intent behind Yang Hwi’s words.
“In other words, you’re saying that despite being merely a youth, you will stand against Seon?”
“….”
I remained silent. There was nothing to say.
Even now, with the position of the next greatest martial artist under heaven confirmed and myself called Eung-hyo Je-il, I was merely a youth in my father’s eyes.
“How lacking in virtue I am. Truly, how lacking. A father and family head who cannot stop his son’s will is far too lacking in virtue.”
“Father.”
“What of the masters? Why do they not step forward? Not Yeoilrakbul, nor the Taeguk Sword Master, nor Pacheon Eumhu.”
Baek Moo-ryang’s gaze turned briefly toward Taeryang.
“Not even Baek Heon-nang-wang. None of them step forward.”
I did not refute my father’s lament.
My father was the family head, after all.
“I understand. We must overcome this through our own strength. We have already clung to the powerful and basked in their glory enough. Yes. The Baek Family will carve its own path through our own power. That is what I believe. But.”
Baek Moo-ryang’s eyes turned to me once more.
“When I speak of the Baek Family’s strength, it becomes dependent on you. Hwi, I am sorry. I am sorry for being such an insufficient father.”
“As I have said before, please do not speak that way.”
“Listen well, Hwi. Do not participate in the Jang Gang-su Ro-maeng. Pour everything you have into the Hwaryong Jeomjeong alone. As the family head and your father, this is all I can say.”
Baek Moo-ryang turned and left. He seemed unwilling to remain any longer in the grip of self-reproach.
Watching his departing figure, I nodded firmly.
“Yes. I will certainly do so.”
I sent my gaze around the room.
Jegal Seol-ha of the Jegal Family.
Dang-gun of the Sichuan Dang Sect.
Neung-o of the Jeomchang Sect.
Adu of Shaolin.
And Taeryang of the Nang Clan.
“We have at most half a year ahead. Within that half year, I need to find a way to capture and kill Seon. If I don’t, at least I will die. You’ll all help me, right?”
Everyone nodded. If they were unwilling to help, they would not have been here in the first place.
However, Neung-o raised his hand.
“I have a proposal before we begin.”
Neung-o’s gaze did not leave Taeryang.
“It seems a new connection has been formed. What do you think about loosening up a bit before we start?”
Taeryang, sensing the emotion in Neung-o’s gaze, grinned fiercely.
“Anytime!”
Taeryang was born an assassin, after all.
Settling the hierarchy was always welcome.

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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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