Third-rate Martial Family Becomes the Best Under Heaven - Chapter 39

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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 039
-Hu-ah. My son. Run away. Live.
-And… please, never walk the same path as your father.
The corpse of my mother lying motionless.
My father leaving his final words, drenched in blood.
The boy, Lee Hu, opened his eyes.
“….”
A horrific past recreated within the nightmare.
Any other six-year-old child would have wept without question.
But Lee Hu, as always, arranged his bedding with an expressionless face.
“I have awakened.”
Lee Hu descended from the shabby guest room and reported his waking to the Inn Keeper, who was wiping down a table with a cloth.
“Number Three.”
The Inn Keeper, his face devoid of all expression and emotion, called Lee Hu by the designation Number Three.
He held out a slip of paper.
“Take it.”
Lee Hu accepted the slip and read the orders and precautions written upon it, then swallowed the paper.
“I shall carry out the command.”
Lee Hu answered briefly and turned toward the inn’s door.
At that moment, the door opened and guests entered.
“Proprietor, are you open for business?”
A smile instantly bloomed across the Inn Keeper’s previously stern face.
“Ah, welcome! What may I serve you?”
Lee Hu glanced at his Superior, who had begun his performance, then stepped outside.
「Conduct solicitation near the target’s residence. If any strangers appear, commit them to memory and report later.」
Lee Hu recalled the contents written on the slip as he walked through the Marketplace.
The target of this mission was the Yuga Manor, one of the wealthiest households in Gu Gang—specifically, its master, Yu Hyeong-sim.
I did not know why I was to surveil Yu Hyeong-sim. Or rather, I did not wish to know.
I wanted to turn away from it, to refuse to think about it.
But.
There is no one in this world who can truly stop themselves from thinking simply by wishing to.
‘…It must be for an assassination.’
A thought that surfaced unbidden.
Lee Hu shuddered with a chill, my body convulsing.
The morning nightmare returned, churning like regurgitated food.
My father’s dying words: never walk the same path.
My breathing grew ragged, so fierce I could scarcely draw air.
‘No! I am not trying to kill anyone. I am merely doing what I am commanded to do in order to survive.’
My father, once an assassin, who broke the unspoken law and fell in love.
He built a family and tasted a fleeting happiness, but that happiness ended in ruin.
—Do not walk the same path as your father.
My father’s dying words burned through my mind like a brand.
I suddenly thought that if I hadn’t been cultivating the Heartless Art, I might have collapsed and wept.
‘Born from an assassin father, fleeing from assassins, only to be kidnapped by the Assassin Sect and raised as an assassin.’
Was there another child in this world cursed with a fate as tragic as mine?
Probably not.
The irony was that even thinking such thoughts stirred no emotion, and my expression never changed.
It was all because of the Heartless Art.
The Heartless Art—every assassin of the Myeongmyeong Musalsak learned it, and learning it was mandatory.
True to its name, it possessed the function of cultivating assassins by castrating their emotions.
‘Everything about me… is fading away.’
My parents’ deaths had once shattered my young world like the heavens and earth overturning.
But now, there was no particular feeling about it.
I felt regret about that fact, but as I cultivated the Heartless Art further, even that regret was withering away.
‘I must stop cultivating the Heartless Art. To exist as myself. But…’
I couldn’t stop the cultivation.
If my progress in the heart technique was deemed too slow—if I was classified as lacking talent—
I would be discarded.
‘I don’t want to die. I can’t die. As Father’s dying words commanded, I must survive no matter what.’
Cultivating meant losing myself.
Not cultivating meant being discarded—death.
The choice given to a child was cruelly harsh, yet the Heartless Art even diluted the fear that should follow such cruelty.
Perhaps that was the only advantage to speak of.
“We have a cheap and delicious inn.”
I called out with an expressionless face, unbecoming of a tout, while gradually shifting my position.
My destination was the Yu Family Residence, my target. I gauged the time by the sun’s height.
‘Yu Hyeong-sim should be leaving soon.’
Yu Hyeong-sim left his manor at the same time each day to inspect his businesses.
Sure enough, the gate of the Yu Family Residence opened, and I saw Yu Hyeong-sim emerge with his attendants.
I continued my tout act while carefully tailing Yu Hyeong-sim.
‘Same time as usual, same route. Nothing unusual.’
It would be impossible to tail Yu Hyeong-sim into the business once he arrived, disguised as a tout innkeeper.
From here on, another assassin in a different disguise would take over.
I changed direction toward the inn, our base of operations.
After reporting, I would need to cultivate. To avoid being discarded.
That was when it happened.
“Please, young master, just a coin!”
My gaze suddenly fixed on a beggar boy who had appeared.
「When you see an unfamiliar face, remember it and report later.」
An unfamiliar face. Certainly not a beggar from around these parts.
Is this a beggar who recently wandered in from a neighboring village?
I paused to consider whether I should classify the beggar before me as a target.
‘He’s put on weight for a beggar. Could he be disguised?’
It was at that moment I had such a thought.
A steamed bun fell from a street vendor’s stall nearby.
“Oh my! Auntie, a bun fell—would it be alright if I ate this?!”
The Beggar Boy rushed over and shoved the bun into his mouth without even brushing off the dirt clinging to it.
Watching him, I revised my assessment.
‘He’s definitely a beggar. He eats anything without complaint, so naturally he’s gained weight.’
I continued on my way.
Unaware that the Beggar Boy, working his jaw, was grinning at me.
The next day.
As I went about my duties as usual, I discovered a beggar sprawled beneath the Wall of the Yu Family Residence.
A familiar face. Or rather, not quite familiar.
I had only seen him twice before.
‘Has this beggar already figured out that the Yu Manor is the most generous in the area?’
The Yu Manor was the wealthiest in the vicinity.
They were the local landowners and operated several thriving businesses—a promising household with every advantage.
Consequently, they were known for their generosity toward beggars and the impoverished.
‘Well, with his sharp instincts, it makes sense he’s managed to gain weight despite being a beggar.’
As I thought this, the beggar spotted me and sprang to his feet, waving his hand.
“Hey, aren’t you the innkeeper’s young master I saw yesterday! Will you spare a coin today?!”
I ignored the Beggar Boy as he approached warmly.
He then smacked his lips with a click.
“Seems you’re short on funds. Well, perhaps next time!”
The next day, and the day after that.
The Beggar Boy would lie sprawled beneath the Wall of the Yu Family Residence, and whenever he spotted me, he’d wave and call out.
“Young master… hmm, you look younger than me. Innkeeper’s younger brother, won’t you spare a coin for this poor beggar elder?”
“Hey, innkeeper’s younger brother! Today’s the day—just one coin before you go!”
“Innkeeper’s younger brother, it’s already been four days and you still won’t give? Just one coin, please!”
By then, I seriously began considering whether to report the Beggar Boy’s presence to my superior.
But after deliberation, I decided against it.
After observing and analyzing the Beggar Boy from multiple angles over several days,
he was unmistakably nothing but a beggar, no matter how I looked at it.
‘If I report him just for being a bit cunning, I’ll only get slapped and that’s it.’
My superior, the Inn Keeper, had a rather heavy hand.
Every time something went wrong, I’d take a slap across the face—hard enough to split my lip every time.
My thinking was that there was no need to invite punishment by reporting prematurely without solid certainty of something suspicious.
‘No, actually, I could even use that beggar to my advantage.’
I recalled a directive that had been issued to me not long ago.
“In addition to tailing Yu Hyeong-sim, deliberately engage in solicitation to build familiarity with him.”
“Cultivate relationships with the servants of the Yu Family and investigate whether any of the master’s collections match the target item.”
As was typical of those with abundant wealth but nowhere to spend it, Yu Hyeong-sim’s hobby was collecting antiques.
His collecting obsession ran deep enough that he even frequented the black market.
This directive brought me a measure of relief.
‘Thank heavens. This isn’t about assassination.’
Given that the target had been specified as a collectible, there must be an object to steal.
Since mastering the Emotionless Art, most of my feelings had vanished, yet the thought of killing still sent tremors through my entire body.
It was the lingering trauma of my father’s death and the compulsion left by his final words.
I had managed to conceal it thus far without discovery, but if my Superior learned of this psychological weakness…
‘I would almost certainly be disposed of.’
No Assassin Sect would continue raising a child with such an obsessive aversion to taking lives.
So I could not be discovered. No—I must never be discovered until the very end.
Not until I escaped this wretched situation.
With such thoughts, I pressed a copper coin into the Beggar Boy’s palm.
“Well now, little Innkeeper! Today feels like it’s going to be a lucky day!”
“I have a question.”
For a child, his speech was remarkably blunt. I worried the Beggar Boy might find it strange, but his expression remained utterly unchanged.
“Ask away, friend. Or rather, since I gave you money today, how about you call me big brother!”
I asked the Beggar Boy about some of the things I needed to complete my directive.
“Among the young servants, is there someone who seems kind? There’s this older brother with a mole on his face, maybe three or four years older than us, and I really like him.”
“The master of the Yu Family? Oh, he’s such a good person—he gives alms just from approaching him. Guarded? I’m not really sure about that?”
Having obtained the necessary information, I rose to my feet.
“If you answer for me next time, I’ll give you another copper coin.”
“Then I’ll call you big brother again next time, little friend!”
And so several days passed.
I utilized the Beggar Boy to carry out my directive.
Though somewhat cunning, he was honest and readily divulged what I wanted to know, making him quite useful.
‘I wish days like these would continue forever.’
Performing surveillance and tailing missions while maintaining my training.
Now that I had built some rapport with the Beggar Boy, occasionally exchanging jokes with him.
But.
My wishes shattered not long after.
“Sam Ho.”
“Yes.”
As I was leaving the inn one morning to carry out my directive as usual.
My Superior, the Inn Keeper, called out to me.
“Today there is a special directive.”
In the moment my Superior—who had never shown even a flicker of emotion—offered a cold smile.
I felt a dread so profound it made my very bones ache.
And my anxiety became reality.
“Congratulations. Your first assassination has been decided.”
Something heavy dropped inside my body.
I hid my trembling by concealing my hands behind my back.
“The execution is tonight. If the assassination proceeds as planned, your role is to appear before the fleeing Yu Hyeong-sim, pretend to offer assistance to lure him, and finish the task.”
The Inn Keeper recited the detailed plan, but my mind had gone blank.
“Proceed with your daytime duties as usual. Keep a thorough watch for any irregularities that differ from the norm.”
“…Yes.”
I desperately acted as though nothing was amiss.
Suppressing my quickened breathing, I stepped outside the inn.
Even after that, it wasn’t until I had traveled nearly to the vicinity of the Yuga Manor that I finally exhaled.
“Gasp. Gasp.”
That was when it happened.
“Innkeeper’s younger brother.”
Startled, I lifted my head. In my eyes appeared the Beggar Boy.
“Is something wrong?”
“Ah, nothing at all.”
I had lost my composure so visibly that even a mere beggar could sense it.
This would not do.
Though it seemed unlikely, there could be someone watching me.
“Are you feeling unwell? Should I fetch some medicine for you?”
“Don’t concern yourself.”
I brushed aside the Beggar Boy’s gesture and moved on.
The Beggar Boy did not follow, only sending a meaningful look from behind.
Time passed, and night fell.
“Number Three. Follow behind me.”
I followed behind my superior, the Inn Keeper.
Our steps stopped at a low hill behind the Yuga Manor.
It was a place that could more accurately be called a sloped forest.
“When Yu Hyeong-sim appears here, approach him feigning coincidence. Then strike.”
A short blade—concealable in a sleeve yet long enough to pierce a man’s abdomen—was placed in my hand.
In the darkness, I bit my lip secretly and steadied the trembling hand that gripped the blade.
“Understood.”
After my superior concealed himself in the shadow of a nearby tree,
Soon, with commotion, Yu Hyeong-sim appeared.
“Gasp! Gasp! Is anyone there! Anyone!”
Yu Hyeong-sim came running, uttering cries for help.
As befitted a wealthy manor lord, his portly frame was drenched in sweat.
“Save me! Is anyone there! An attack, an attack!”
I stepped forward silently, the blade concealed in my sleeve.
“You, you are! The innkeeper of the Cheon-gang Inn! How did you come to be here at such an hour… No, wait… Ugh!”
My superior had ordered me to approach under the guise of coincidence, but I bungled it from the start.
Seeing me standing in silence, Yu Hyeong-sim sensed something amiss.
“Could it be… Could it possibly be….”
I lunged at Yu Hyeong-sim before things could go any further.
With all my strength, I shoved him down and pinned him, pressing my short blade against his throat.
“P-please, spare me. I beg you….”
Yu Hyeong-sim pleaded, tears or sweat—I could not tell which—streaming down his face.
I glanced toward the tree where my superior had hidden, then turned my gaze back to Yu Hyeong-sim’s face.
“Huff! Huff!”
My breathing grew ragged. As labored as Yu Hyeong-sim’s breath after his long run, I gasped and heaved uncontrollably.
To live, I must kill.
-Do not walk the same path as this father of yours.
To live, I must kill.
-Do not walk the same path as this father of yours.
If I fail, I will be discarded.
-Do not walk the same path as this father of yours.
“Huff! Huff!”
My vision warped. The qi of the Musin technique moved of its own accord, turning my mind cold.
Or perhaps it felt like touching burning ice—a sensation both scorching and frigid at once.
“Huff! Huff! Huff!”
‘Still, I must do this. To survive.’
The short blade trembled as it descended, just as Yu Hyeong-sim squeezed his eyes shut with a whimper.
-Innkeeper, brother!
-Could you not spare some alms today?
-Because you are a good person, after all!
A sensation both scorching and frigid engulfed my entire body.
In the end, instead of striking down with the blade, I lost consciousness.
“Tsk. I thought something was off about you. Defective goods, it seems.”
As I collapsed, my superior emerged from hiding.
After I fell unconscious, the expression of relief that had crossed Yu Hyeong-sim’s face darkened once more.
“Y-you are…! P-please, spare me. I beg you….”
The assassin ignored Yu Hyeong-sim’s pleas and spoke quietly.
“It’s a shame to waste the talent, but I’ll have to discard him. Convenient, really. Yu Hyeong-sim, you can say this boy killed you out of greed for money.”
Just as the assassin raised his blade to strike down, a voice cut through.
“The one being discarded is you, bastard!”

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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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