Third-rate Martial Family Becomes the Best Under Heaven - Chapter 357

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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 357
An unprecedented crisis had befallen the Baek Family.
Yang Hwi, the Young Master and the one who had achieved such brilliant accomplishments that the family now aspired to surpass the Five Great Families, had lost his martial arts.
“Hmm… hmm….”
“Sigh….”
The physicians gathered around Yang Hwi, who sat in meditation, all shook their heads.
“We cannot sense any inner qi at all.”
“The bones and muscles show no abnormalities, but… the dantian is hollow.”
“The Young Master has definitely lost his martial arts.”
All the physicians were renowned doctors from the surrounding regions.
Baek Moo-ryang’s complexion turned ashen.
“Hwi. Hwi.”
His voice trembled. His expression seemed on the verge of tears at any moment.
Baek Moo-ryang placed his trembling hand on Yang Hwi’s shoulder.
“What am I to do? What am I to do about this?”
…An overwhelming sense of guilt washed over me.
‘Should I have told Father?’
No. It was better to keep it secret, though I felt quite sorry.
This wasn’t something I was doing out of mere mischief to cause a commotion.
“It’s alright, Father. It’s not as though I’m dead or crippled.”
“Hwi….”
To a warrior, martial arts are as vital as life itself.
Many would say they would rather lose their lives than lose their inner power.
It was no wonder that sealing the dantian was called the worst punishment.
“I swear to you. I will employ every method available to restore your martial arts.”
“Father, I think it would be best to keep this secret until after the victory banquet.”
“…Even in such circumstances, you prioritize the family. Hwi, you truly are….”
I’m sorry, Father. I’ll accept your reprimand later.
“If you’re going to employ every method for my sake, then you must first consider the interests the family will gain.”
The victory banquet would soon be held. That gathering would become the place where the profits from the Jang Gang Tournament would be distributed.
Merit and reward… or more precisely, a struggle over interests between the participating sects.
‘Even the sects that merely watched will rush forward, each wanting their share.’
As for what justification they would use, there was one good excuse.
The Baek Family’s elevation to the Five Great Families.
To be recognized as one of the sects representing the realm, recognition from other sects was necessary.
If the Baek Family desired elevation to the Five Great Families, it would give each of them a weapon to use.
‘We cannot abandon substantial gains for mere prestige, and the value of the Five Great Families name is simply too great. We must achieve it.’
One could see this simply by looking at the value of the Cheonmu-sip-jon name.
Nang-wang, who suffered a fatal wound and fell to death after his defeat to Seon.
Following his retreat, the Nang-si was born, and all the most renowned assassins in the realm were connected to the Nang-si.
A name’s value is precisely that—an intangible worth that sometimes wields far greater power than tangible profit.
An invisible asset that occasionally surpasses material gain in its influence.
“Father. Please summon Seo Seong-saeng.”
At my call, Seo Seong-saeng hurried over.
“Seo Seong-saeng. By now, proposals regarding profit-sharing should have arrived from various quarters. Tell me what you’ve heard.”
“Yes, Young Master. There have been fifteen proposals in total. Their general framework is that if the Baek Family shares a portion of the profits we’ll control in the future, the Five Great Families will actively support our elevation.”
As expected. I knew they wouldn’t let this pass with empty words.
“And there is one proposal that warrants your particular attention, Young Master. It comes from the Jegal Family.”
“The Jegal Family?”
Of course. I knew they would make a move.
“With the harvest season approaching, they wish for all grain from the Gangxi granary region to be distributed exclusively through Mu-han.”
Mu-han had always been a crucial crossroads for commerce. Not only did it control overland routes, but it could also fully leverage the Jang Gang waterways for transport.
Conversely, since the formation of the Jang Gang-su Ro-maeng, Mu-han’s advantages had diminished to less than a third of what they once were.
The Jegal Family seems intent on reviving their former glory.
“It is a reasonable choice precisely because they are the Jegal Family, Young Master. They position themselves as a family of strategists, after all. The clearer the distinction between public and private matters, the better.”
“Father. What are your thoughts?”
Baek Moo-ryang’s expression was bitter.
Privately, they were sworn brothers’ families, and his son’s betrothed belonged to the Jegal house—so their approach seemed to sting.
“We must accept it. Our debt to the Jegal Family is substantial, so offering this much is only right.”
If we limit distribution to Mu-han alone, the grain owners’ profits would inevitably shrink.
After all, the fiercer the competition, the higher the price.
“Hmm. Seo Seong-saeng should know this as well. Listen—I’ve lost my martial prowess.”
Seo Seong-saeng’s eyes widened like lanterns.
“Pardon? What do you mean by that?”
“My inner qi has vanished. Just understand it that way for now.”
“How can that be something to merely ‘understand’?”
“Understand it, and then plan accordingly for what we should do going forward.”
“Young Master… Even at a time like this, you think of the future first. Please do consider your own heart as well.”
I hadn’t expected even Seo Seong-saeng to show such genuine concern.
It felt rather pleasant.
‘If I’m excluded from the family’s future direction, my influence within the main house will diminish further.’
That was precisely why I deliberately kept it secret from Father and pretended to have lost my martial prowess.
My recent accomplishments had been so numerous that the retainers’ expectations had become excessively focused on me.
Far too much, in fact.
Any capable talent must aim for three birds with one stone.
One of those birds was precisely the readjustment of my standing within the family.
“In any case, it makes no sense for the Five Great Families to divide profits just to become one of them. Since I’ve conveniently lost my martial prowess, let’s use this to our advantage.”
“…Understood. In a sense, the main house has made tremendous sacrifices for the sake of all under heaven… I shall extract maximum benefit from this situation.”
“Exactly. That’s precisely it.”
Eung-hyo Je-il, who had been confirmed as the next greatest under heaven, had lost his future while battling the great evil known as Susa Jaeseol.
It was something that warranted mourning from all under heaven.
Of course, those salivating over the power vacuum would need to keep their mouths shut.
‘Since I’m putting on a performance anyway, I might as well make the production as grand as possible.’

* * *
I had decided to keep the fact that I’d lost my martial prowess secret, but everyone who mattered already knew.
The Dang Family, for instance—Baek Moo-ryang had even mobilized Won-woo to request the finest physicians from the Dang Family.
“Hwi’s Younger Brother… Hwi’s Younger Brother… *sob, sob, sob*….”
Dang-gun, who always restrained his emotions and maintained the dignified composure befitting the Soga-joonim, was now openly weeping.
He embraced Yang Hwi with tears streaming down his face.
“How did this happen? How could you lose your martial prowess? That brilliant future of yours….”
My guilt had grown considerably.
I hadn’t expected Elder Dang to react so intensely.
And that wasn’t all.
“Elder Brother. *sob, sob*, how can our brother suffer like this? Waaaahhh…!”
Ever since learning that Yang Hwi had lost his martial prowess, Baek Heon-so had clung to me, attending to my every need.
Baek Heon-so wept as well, tears streaming down like chicken droppings.
“From now on, the Dang Family will spare no effort or expense in your recovery. We will surely find a way to restore your dantian.”
No, please don’t. If the entire family mobilizes and spends time and resources, the fallout from my lie will only grow worse.
“Thank you! Thank you, Elder Brother! I, Baek Heon-so, will never forget your kindness!”
You need to stop too, Seo.
When did he become such a fool?
Well, at least he’s better than the twisted version from my past life.
“Baek Dou. Care for a sparring match?”
Unlike the earnest Dang-gun, Neung-o’s reaction was remarkably composed.
“I lost an arm and learned that it makes little difference. So you’ll be fine too. When walking the path of the sword, obstacles are merely natural occurrences.”
Elder Neung-o, I must confess—this is a lie.
When someone who’s actually lost an arm offers such consolation… it makes my heart unbearably uncomfortable.
“Ah, before we spar, could you help me clean my sword? Without an arm, this has become rather inconvenient.”
…I made a vow.
I would restore Neung-o’s arm without fail.
Perhaps I should search for a prosthetic limb crafted by some master artisan of exceptional skill.
“Hmm. A damaged dantian seems like a greater loss than a single arm, if you ask me.”
It was Taeryang, who had come with Neung-o, who spoke.
Since Taeryang never shied away from a fight, he and Neung-o got along well, and the two had grown quite close.
“Come to think of it… if I’d known it would come to this, why did I even agree to join the Baek Family…?”
“Brother. That hurts my feelings.”
“I’m joking, boy. Thanks to you, I was able to kill Seon and ease Master’s resentment. So I’ll protect you in return for that debt.”
Well, it was reassuring to hear.
After all, Taeryang was destined to become one of the Cheonmu-sip-jon in the future.
Thinking about it this way, I really did make an excellent decision buying low when I went to Nangsi.
“Oh, were you all gathered here?”
Chu Dal came flying down like a spider crawling across the Cheonchamsah.
Landing with a thud on the ground, Chu Dal surveyed the atmosphere for a moment.
The overall mood was heavy and mournful.
‘I should lighten the mood a bit. Elder Brother would find this situation uncomfortable too.’
Chu Dal shifted his weight to one leg.
“Elder Brother. Let’s have a proper duel.”
“…?”
“…!”
“…!”
“You’ve teased me so much all this time. It’s time to settle the karmic debts of the past. Hehehehe, let’s just exchange blows three times.”
As he spoke, Chu Dal recalled past sorrows and grew increasingly animated, but then—
“….”
“….”
—he belatedly sensed the atmosphere.
“Wait, you all know I was joking, right?”
“….”
“….”
“I’m Chu Dal. The foremost sworn brother of our Yang Hwi.”
Baek Heon-so glared at Chu Dal with a terrifying gaze.
“Trash. You have no right to call yourself Elder Brother’s sworn sibling, you bastard.”
“….”
Chu Dal felt wronged. He was so flustered he didn’t even know how to defend himself.
“Sigh. Chu Dal, Chu Dal, written with the character for ‘to pursue’ and the character for ‘otter’—bring your head here.”
“…Yes, sir.”
Crack!
“Ow!”
Chu Dal rolled around after taking a flick to the forehead.
“Does it hurt? Even without inner qi, I can do this much. Don’t be cheeky. Understand?”
“…Yes, sir.”
In any case.
Well.
Honestly.
Being treated like this by everyone… it felt genuinely good.
Only then did Yang Hwi realize something.
The murky desire to see how those around him would react if his martial prowess disappeared was also one of the reasons he had lied.
‘I really can’t escape my days as a beggar.’
A dark desire born from the very fact of being abandoned.
Somehow, it felt like receiving great comfort.
‘Everyone, let’s just enjoy ourselves a bit longer until the victory banquet.’

* * *
The Sealed Chamber within the Baek Family compound.
Yang Hwi sat with his arms crossed, glaring at the Swordmaster’s Codex.
The reason I had come to this sealed chamber on a deliberate day was simple.
It was time to extract my reward.
“Hey, can you hear me?”
Silence.
“Why don’t you answer when I’m being polite? Emit some light or reveal new characters. Swordmaster, or whatever other esteemed beings dwell in the heavens. You’re watching, aren’t you? Give me some kind of response.”
Nothing changed.
No characters appeared beyond the ones already there—De-ban-ryeo Gye-cheon-cheon.
“I moved according to your desires and killed Seon. At merely twenty-three years old, I risked my life and killed the Cheonmu-sip-jon. Right?”
Silence.
“When merit is established, shouldn’t proper rewards naturally follow? Swordmaster, isn’t that right? Enough with vague nonsense like De-ban-ryeo Gye-cheon-cheon. Give me a real reward.”
Silence.
“I even consumed a core fragment capturing Seon. At this rate, I’ll fall into demonhood? What, I’m joining under the Cheonma?”
Silence.
‘You think I can’t do it?’
“You only send commands when it suits you, guiding me along, and now? Fine, I’ll just abandon the Swordmaster’s Codex.”
Still no change.
…My irritation was beginning to boil over.
What kind of nonsense was this—swallowing when sweet, spitting out when bitter?
Did they only hum and vibrate when it pleased them, showing characters and calling it a day?
“I told you politeness wouldn’t work. You think I can’t do it.”
Sring—I drew my blade.
“Now. Give me something. Otherwise, I’m piercing the Swordmaster’s Codex.”
I waited exactly half a moment.
The Swordmaster’s Codex remained unchanged.
“I’m Baek Yang-hwi. A man of my word. Let’s see.”
I was already frustrated anyway. All that talk of Sal-mo-chwi-seung-eo-wang and Soo-ryong-yeok-rin—bah!
If they’d just told me directly and clearly, the task would have been several times easier.
“Enough!”
The moment I thrust my drawn blade toward the center of the Swordmaster’s Codex—
“What?!”
The blade should have pierced through the book lying on the floor and struck the stone beneath.
But instead, I went through.
Whoosh—I passed right through.
“Ugh!”
My body plunged into the Swordmaster’s Codex as I thrust with all my strength.
The small book consumed the entire body of the tall man, drawing him in completely.
“…So you have answered my call.”
As consciousness returned, the landscape of a mystical paradise came into view.
An immortal-like old man standing at a distance.
“It has been a while?”
“…Dou. You truly are hopeless.”
It was Swordmaster Yeo Dong-bin.

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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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