Third-rate Martial Family Becomes the Best Under Heaven - Chapter 364

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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 364
A Family Head is the pillar of his clan.
Therefore, a Family Head must not abandon his family’s main estate lightly.
Yet Baek Moo-ryang had left the Baek Family estate and now resided in Mu-han.
Not only the Family Head, but several senior members including Young Scholar and Han Supervisor as well.
The reason was simple.
“Family Head. The negotiations appear to be facing considerable obstacles.”
“Mmm….”
Nearly two months had passed since the victory banquet.
The time was drawing near.
“The Autumnal Equinox is roughly a month away. If we continue like this, we’ll be dragged along by the Jegal Family’s designs.”
Among the twenty-four solar terms, the Autumnal Equinox signifies the season of harvest.
Warriors might not care much for farming, but for the Baek Family ruling the Gangseong region—one of the greatest granaries under heaven—it was an invaluable time.
“The main family should sell the grain at the highest possible price.”
“To achieve that, we should conduct transactions at multiple distribution points. Competition drives prices higher, after all.”
“But the Jegal Family wishes to conduct all transactions exclusively in Mu-han….”
This was precisely the problem.
We lacked proper justification to refuse the demands of the Jegal Family, who had been such a powerful ally of the Ilick Alliance.
“The Jegal Family. They certainly live up to their reputation as a house of strategy.”
Young Scholar continued, tapping the table with his fan.
“They’re striking precisely at our family’s weakness.”
The Baek Family had pursued righteous chivalry—Gaecheon-ji-hyeop—since the very founding of our clan name.
“The righteousness in chivalry carries the same spirit as loyalty. If we refuse the Jegal Family’s demands without proper cause, we would be breaking our own family banner with our own hands.”
Han Supervisor spoke in a gruff voice.
“Can’t we bend a little, Family Head? Money is at stake! Not a small sum either—we’re talking tens of thousands of silver taels in gold currency, perhaps even more!”
It was an opinion befitting a supervisor responsible for the family’s finances, but I could not bring myself to do such a thing.
My conscience pricked me too sharply to refuse outright.
‘Seolha fled with Yang Hwi. By that alone, our Baek Family has incurred another debt to the Jegal Family.’
From the Jegal Family’s perspective, they had lost an invaluable asset in Jegal Seol-ha because of Yang Hwi’s existence.
While I felt grateful to Jegal Seol-ha, the Jegal Family would not miss this opportunity.
“Mmm. We should discuss this further, Han Supervisor. Young Scholar, see if you can devise some stratagem.”
Tomorrow was the day we had scheduled to finalize our transaction with the Jegal Family.
Late into the night, heated discussions continued, but
without any brilliant solution, I had to face the meeting with the Jegal Family.
“It has been a while, Baek Family Head.”
“This is our first meeting since the banquet, Jegal Family Head.”
Until now, I had spoken with the Jegal Family’s operational staff, but today Jegal Pae appeared in person.
This was a courtesy shown to the Baek Family Head, and yet….
‘He won’t make this easy.’
Sure enough, Jegal Pae immediately pressed on our weakness.
“Do you remember mentioning the dissolution of the betrothal with Eung-hyo Je-il at the victory banquet?”
Baek Moo-ryang felt a momentary headache.
He hadn’t expected her to speak so directly, so bluntly, so openly.
“Yes. How could I forget? To Seolha, I…”
He paused, searching for the right words, but Baek Moo-ryang decided to simply speak honestly.
“To Seolha, I feel only gratitude.”
Jegal Pae smiled at Baek Moo-ryang’s response as if he had anticipated it.
“The relationship between our Seolha and Eung-hyo Je-il has deepened to the point where they fled together. Now that matters stand thus, the two must surely hold a betrothal ceremony.”
It was only natural. How could a man and woman refuse to dissolve their betrothal, flee together, and then become betrothed to others?
“Though it was half a kidnapping, in a sense… hmm.”
There was no point in bringing that up.
As if Jegal Pae had anticipated even this hesitation, his voice softened.
“Family Head Baek. We must continue forward together, must we not? If Mu-han becomes the central axis of Changjiang trade, how could that be merely the Jegal Family’s gain? Let us consider the practical benefits for the entire Il-ik Alliance.”
There was no way to refuse.
He was outmatched in justification, in practical benefit, and in accumulated debt.
Such was Baek Moo-ryang’s thought at that moment.
“Family Heads. The guests request an audience with you.”
Jegal Pae’s eyebrows twitched.
Not “request,” but “respectfully request.”
For two Family Heads among the Five Great Families to be in private discussion, such formal language was unusual.
“Family Heads. It has been some time since we last met.”
Namgung Cheon-yeong, the Namgung Family Head, offered a respectful bow.
Dang-gun, the Dang Family’s acting head, likewise offered his respects.
Watching the two of them, Jegal Pae sensed that some variable had emerged.
‘The energy has changed completely in just a couple of months. Transcendent level. Did meeting Eung-hyo Je-il do this?’
As expected, the proposals that followed from the two men.
“As members of the Il-ik Alliance, the Namgung Family wishes to join in the contract between the Baek and Jegal families.”
“Speaking as the Dang Family Head’s representative, may the Dang Family also take a step forward?”

* * *
Namgung Cheon-yeong recalled Yang Hwi’s message.
“Listen. My father is probably still fretting about this, but just tell him to go along with whatever the Jegal Family wants.”
“All grain transactions from Mu-han, but with a timeline of three years. No, five years.”
“I’m making a generous concession, so bring the Dang Family into the arrangement too. We’ll provide rice and gain strength in return.”
At that time, Namgung Cheon-yeong had posed this question.
“Strength? What do you mean by that, Baek Hyeong?”
Yang Hwi’s answer to that was.
“Promises and declarations exist to be kept. We will consume Ho-nam.”
“Jegal Family Head. Would it be acceptable if the Namgung Family and Dang Family sit together? I was thinking that if we also trade Sichuan’s goods through Mu-han along with the Dang Family, I hope you would look favorably upon the proposal.”
While Dang-gun diverted Jegal Pae’s attention, Namgung Cheon-yeong quickly sent a transmission to Baek Moo-ryang.
-Baek Family Head. I have met with Baek Hyeong. There is much to report.
With Jegal Pae before them, he conveyed it in brief summary.
Baek Yang-hwi had not actually lost his martial prowess.
However, considering public perception, it was best to keep this fact hidden for the time being.
Accept the Jegal Family’s proposal, but secure their support in conquering Ho-nam alongside the Dang Family.
If I advocate for the Gae-cheon-ji-hyeop under the name of Il-ik Alliance, we gain the advantage in justification.
-Is what you say true? Our Hwi did not lose his martial prowess? Why would you keep such a fact secret even from this father….
Namgung Cheon-yeong felt deep respect for Baek Moo-ryang.
Even in such circumstances, the way he first inquired about his son’s safety touched his heart profoundly.
-It is all true.
-Thank you, Namgung Family Head.
With this, the game changes.
No longer as the Baek Family Head burdened with debt to the Jegal Family, but now I could control the board as the leader of the Il-ik Alliance.
“Jegal Family Head.”
Jegal Pae let out a small sigh, observing Baek Moo-ryang, whose demeanor had shifted from before to one of quiet resolve.
“Speak, Baek Family Head.”
“As the leader of the Il-ik Alliance, I make this request. Grant me what I desire, and lend your hand for the cause of righteousness and chivalry.”

* * *
Chu Dal posed a question to Yang Hwi, who sat in meditation with his eyes closed.
“Brother, but can you really concede such significant commercial interests to the Jegal Family? You even pretended to lose your martial arts because you didn’t want to give up those interests.”
Yang Hwi opened one eye and looked at Chu Dal.
“Chu Dal, Chu Dal, written with the character for ‘pursue’ and the character for ‘moon’—how could a mediocre talent like you comprehend the grand vision of a genius?”
“…Stop teasing and just explain it to me.”
The complete grain trade of Kangso from Mu-han.
It was indeed an enormous concession.
Kangso was counted among the lands with the highest grain production in the realm, alongside Honam, Yao-ning, and Guangxi.
But…
‘That’s only true in years of abundant harvest.’
“Starting next year, droughts, floods, and other natural disasters will wreak havoc.”
“What? How could you possibly know that, Brother?”
“I am the greatest talent under heaven, and I’ve ascended to the realm of transcendence. At this level, one can perceive the will of heaven.”
“…”
Chu Dal’s expression shifted from suspicion to utter bewilderment.
Well, it wasn’t entirely a lie.
Having reversed time itself through heaven’s arrangement, perceiving the will of heaven seemed reasonable enough.
“I can yield Kangso’s grain production. Instead, we must seize Honam.”
The catastrophic natural disasters that would devastate Kangso starting next year.
This meant the power of the Baek Family, the ruling clan of Kangso, would inevitably be shaken.
In other words, the Baek Family would need to expand their influence beyond Kangso.
Honam was the perfect candidate—indirectly controlled by the Hyeol Sa-ryeon of Guizhou through their shadowy network.
“The justification is perfect too. The First Alliance saves the people of Honam from the suffering inflicted by the evil hands of the heterodox sects!”
In truth, all of the cooperation with the Dang Family had been for this moment.
The Baek Family absolutely had to claim Honam.
The ten-year pact made with the Dang Family.
We would grow strong enough to conquer Honam within ten years, so let us seize it together.
Though a few years late, now was the time to begin.
It was the promise made for this very moment.
“Anyway, get going. Don’t disturb my meditation.”
Chu Dal grumbled and walked away.
Yang Hwi closed his eyes again and focused inward.
‘This Seon-dan pill… I think I’ll be able to unravel it soon.’
While teaching Namgung Cheon-yeong, I had devoted every spare moment to researching the Seon-dan pill.
Thanks to that effort, I’d made progress, and it seemed that with just a bit more work, something would change.
‘Master Geom Seon said it himself—why did you consume it?’
For a being of such transcendent status to ask why someone had consumed it spoke volumes about the nature of the Seon-dan pill.
I couldn’t simply leave it in my dantian and carry on.
With no way to know when it might detonate, it was better to take the risk and unravel it than to leave it as is.
‘Harmonize Heaven and Earth. Unite all qi beneath the heavens into one.’
This would undoubtedly be incredibly dangerous.
My dantian contained the demonic qi of someone as powerful as Cheonmu-sip-jon Su-sa-jae-seon himself—there was no way this wouldn’t be perilous.
Still, I believed in myself.
‘The greatest talent under heaven. Or perhaps the greatest of all ages. So… I’m going for it!’
Hwa-cheon Seon-gi infused intent into the Immortal Transformation Qi.
The Immortal Lord’s Transformation Qi.
To gather everything beneath the heavens into one and forge the pearl—the Immortal Pearl.
The Susa Jaeseol would become a stepping stone toward that goal.
Without fail.
‘I penetrate the Immortal Transformation Qi into the Susa Jaeseol.’
Though I drew it out like thread, it carried the properties of qi—capable of cutting through anything.
I exploited the weaknesses I had identified in the Susa Jaeseol’s structure, finding gaps in the tightly compressed mass of qi where I could insert the thread of Immortal Transformation Qi.
‘It worked…!’
The Immortal Transformation Qi successfully pierced through the shell of the Susa Jaeseol.
What lay within was…
-Master! I will prove it!
-That I am truly your disciple!
-You! You! You! You! You!
Since the Susa Jaeseol was formed from everything that was Seon, residual thoughts lingered within.
But that hardly mattered.
‘Crack!’
-Gaaaaaahhhhh…
As I drew out the functions of the Immortal Qi embedded in the Immortal Transformation Qi further, Seon’s thoughts vanished, leaving only a mournful wail.
Now only the crystallized essence of qi remained.
Though the qi was demonic in nature, if I wielded the mysteries of Hwa-cheon-i-won-gong properly…
‘Hm?’
Darkness. Essence. Something profound.
An abyss revealed itself.
‘Damn it!’
I was repelled outward.
Consciousness surged rapidly upward.
Feeling the regret, Yang Hwi opened his eyes.
“Damn it all. I failed. What was that?”
I muttered to myself.
“Baek Dou. What exactly were you doing?”
“Brother… what happened?”
“Yang Hwi. Something’s changed.”
The companions who had been cultivating or spending time separately were gathered before me.
For Yang Hwi, who had merely been meditating, their concern was bewildering.
“Why such a reaction… Oh.”
I stopped mid-sentence and realized it.
Demonic energy was seeping out uncontrollably, clouding the air around me.
From me, specifically.
“Yang Hwi… this has gotten severe.”
“Brother, did you do something with the Suson Pill?”
“Baek Dou. It feels exactly… like Dae Ma-du right now.”
I focused my mind and struggled to control the leaking demonic energy.
Yet the demonic energy from the Suson Pill remained within my dantian, completely beyond my control.
“Hmm.”
This… seems like it’s been tampered with?
“What do I do?”
“You can’t ask us that. Brother… sigh.”
It was just as Jegal Seol-ha exhaled her sigh.
[Huuuuuh….]
Suddenly, a sigh echoed from the sky above.
It was a sigh laden with profoundly deep emotion.
Uuuuung.
A tremor felt from within my embrace.
I drew out the Geom Seon’s Edict and unfolded it.
[Obtain companion (得伴侶) unite sword path (合劍路) calculate pierce heaven (計穿天).]
[Wander the realm (周遊浪) covet the strange (眈奇怪) obtain true wish (得眞願).]
A new line had been added below the existing text.
[Go to Kunlun.]
‘Kunlun is right on the way to Seo Zhang, but why isn’t he spouting his usual vague nonsense?’
The moment I had that thought, more characters appeared.
[This damned… huuuh…. Go right now.]
He seemed quite irritated.
I felt a slight chill.

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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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