Third-rate Martial Family Becomes the Best Under Heaven - Chapter 76

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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 076
Jin Geum-bo was a merchant whose operations centered around Wuzhou, Jiangxi Province.
Though he had yet to establish a trading house under his own name, he was a merchant who labored earnestly toward his dreams.
Today as well, he quickened his pace from the break of dawn.
‘Considering the deadline, I must entrust my goods to an escort house by today.’
One of the essential virtues of a merchant is the ability to discern a quality escort house.
Without an escort house to safely guard merchandise and transport it across great distances, one cannot conduct commerce.
In that sense, Jin Geum-bo intended to take another step forward as a merchant today.
What I mean is, he planned to forge connections with a new escort house.
‘Sigh. I wonder if Gaecheon Escort House will accept goods from a small merchant like me.’
Gaecheon Escort House—the principal enterprise of the Baek Manor, which had recently made a name for itself throughout the Wuzhou region.
It had earned a growing reputation among merchants lately, known for reliably and safely transporting goods on schedule.
Jin Geum-bo traveled to Ak-an County, where the Baek Manor was located, to request their escort services.
‘Heh heh, who would have thought the Baek Manor would grow so much? Had I known, I would have established connections years ago.’
Jin Geum-bo had spent over ten years as a merchant.
Naturally, he had set foot in Ak-an County many times before and knew well what the Baek Manor was like.
Though it had a long history and many knew of it, it was a third-rate martial arts family that had declined as far as it could.
The Baek Manor of those days was truly an unremarkable place.
‘That such a place has now grown to command over a hundred martial artists under its banner.’
Though we speak of a hundred, a single adult male requires twenty silver coins per month to live.
In other words, the Baek Manor’s wealth had grown to the point where it could expend over two thousand silver coins monthly without flinching.
‘Even the buildings alone are all new.’
Moreover, many people came and went.
This too was evidence that the Baek Manor’s reputation had risen incomparably from its former state.
‘Sigh. The Baek Manor must accept my request.’
Jin Geum-bo patted his chest and proceeded through the formalities to entrust his goods to Gaecheon Escort House.
“What is the nature of the goods you wish to entrust?”
“A single letter.”
“A letter? If you entrust it as goods, the cost will be quite substantial. Are you certain?”
“I am aware. I intend to pay the escort fee generously as well. About ten times the standard rate.”
“Ten times! Then you must have specific conditions in mind.”
“Indeed. I wish for Geom-wae Gongja to accompany as the escort agent.”
In that instant, the face of the goods intake officer went rigid.
For some reason, he looked around nervously, as if gauging the situation.
The moment Jin Geum-bo observed this and felt perplexed.
“An unusual condition indeed.”
A voice came from behind. Turning his head, Jin Geum-bo discovered a young man.
At a glance, his physique clearly showed he had trained in martial arts.
Moreover, he possessed an intelligent and handsome countenance.
‘Could it be… Geom-wae Gongja himself?’
“Who might this Gongja be?”
“Chu Dal… Oh, damn.”
In that instant, Jin Geum-bo doubted his own ears.
“Ugh, curse it. It’s stuck on my tongue now.”
A boy who looked every bit like a young master of the Baek Family had just muttered to himself in the crude dialect of a marketplace thug.
“What did you just say?”
“Nothing at all, haha.”
Jin Geum-bo concluded that he must have misheard.
Meanwhile, the boy continued speaking.
“I am Lee Hu. It seems we’ll need to discuss the expedition separately, so please come this way.”
It appeared this boy was not Geom-wae himself.
Jin Geum-bo followed the tall boy’s footsteps.
“And what is the merchant’s name?”
“Jin is my family name, Geum-bo my given name.”
“Merchant Jin, how is it that you seek Geom-wae….”
The boy’s words trailed off as he let out a stifled laugh.
“Why do you suddenly laugh, sir?”
“Ah, my apologies. Merchant Jin, might I ask your reason for wishing to join the Gongja’s expedition?”
Before answering, Jin Geum-bo fell into thought for a moment.
Geom-wae (劍矮). Two characters meaning “the dwarf with the sword.”
The current Baek Family Head is one of three forces contending for supremacy in Wuzhou.
To reach this position, we endured countless battles against dark path sects.
The Baek Family’s Geom-wae was an epithet for one who had rendered extraordinary service in elevating the Baek Family to its present renown.
‘They say Ji-hak’s boy has already reached first-rate mastery. Moreover, he’s also a genius of Moon Il-ji-baek.’
He is precisely the talent needed for the expedition’s success.
That is why I am willing to pay ten times the expedition fee.
However, revealing one’s true intentions runs counter to a merchant’s principles.
“I intend to participate in the expedition myself. I made this request out of a desire to meet and converse with the famous Geom-wae directly.”
The boy’s response was clear.
“I see. Then I’m afraid it’s impossible.”
“What? Why is that?”
“Geom-wae… hehe. The Gongja is currently in closed sect cultivation.”
A martial artist in closed sect training substitutes even grain with sustenance pills, devoting themselves entirely to the refinement of martial arts.
Thus, embarking on an expedition is utterly out of the question.
‘Hmm. This has become troublesome. I thought ten times the fee would be enough to draw out Geom-wae Gongja.’
Then, Chu Dal’s honeyed words echoed in Jin Geum-bo’s ears.
“There is one method, though….”
“What is it?”
“Haha, well now. You must keep it secret that I told you this.”
Jin Geum-bo quickly opened his mouth, seeing the troubled boy.
“Of course. If you arrange for me to meet with Geom-wae Gongja, I shall reward your master separately as well.”
“Oh, truly?”
“Of course.”
The boy grinned and continued speaking.
“The method itself isn’t particularly grand, you see.”
The boy read over the paper containing information about the escort mission before continuing.
“The escort’s destination is Jie-shou. Moreover, the cargo is a single letter, with the condition that a merchant of the Jin family accompany it.”
“Indeed. The Jin Manor in Jie-shou is the destination.”
Jie-shou—a region on the border between Anhui and Henan provinces.
And the Jin Manor was the most renowned martial family in Jie-shou.
“Then you would consent to using the Yangtze River canal as the escort route?”
“Not merely consent—I was about to request it myself.”
There were two ways to travel from Jiangxi Province to the destination of Jie-shou, the border between Anhui and Henan.
First was the overland route, passing through parts of Hubei and Anhui.
Second was the water route, utilizing the Yangtze River canal.
Of these, the first route was the most direct path, but the second required less time.
“Then I believe I can present this proposal to Geom-wae Gongja.”
“That would be fortunate, but why?”
The boy smiled knowingly.
“Because we’ll need to travel up the Yangtze to the vicinity of Yang-zhou. The details are a secret.”
“In that case… I understand.”
“Excellent!”
The boy exclaimed clearly and rose to his feet.
“I shall go fetch Geom-wae right away. Ah, would you care to come along?”
“Is that permissible?”
“Yes. Only, when you meet the Gongja, I ask that you say something like, ‘It is an honor to meet Geom-wae Gongja.'”
Such pleasantries were hardly difficult.
…Though it was peculiar that the boy kept giggling even after finishing his words.
Jin Geum-bo followed behind the boy and walked onward.
Soon a stone gate with a thick wooden bar came into view.
It appeared to be the entrance to the Underground Training Hall.
The boy in front stopped before the stone gate and knocked upon it in a peculiar rhythm.
Thump, thump-thump-thump-thump, thump.
Jin Geum-bo waited with a pounding heart for Geom-wae Gongja to emerge.
In all the Martial Arts World, the Jiangxi martial realm was considered a remote frontier.
And the one called the greatest rising talent of that frontier realm was none other than Geom-wae Gongja.
For Jin Geum-bo, a man of Jiangxi, meeting Geom-wae Gongja was precisely the sort of luxury that would serve as excellent material for boasting at drinking gatherings.
‘It will surely be impressive.’
The Jiangxi martial realm was truly the frontier of frontiers.
Compared to the Northern Martial Realm where the Shaolin, Wudang, Nangong, and Peng families were located, the Southern Martial Realm had a strong presence of the Black Sword faction and lacked renowned major martial sects.
In other words, even if he were called the greatest in Jiangxi Province, when measured against the entire realm, he wouldn’t even rank among the late-stage hundred masters—but….
‘Who knows? Ji-hak reaching first-rate mastery? That’s something only geniuses from the Shaolin or Wudang sects could accomplish.’
So why hasn’t he come out yet?
They say time loses all meaning within a Closed Sect, but surely he’s not sleeping, is he?
It was precisely at that moment Jin Geum-bo felt his confusion deepen.
CRASH!
The stone gate exploded, sending rock fragments scattering in all directions.
In an instant, Chu Dal’s expression darkened.
“Brother! What are you doing destroying it! Do you know how much a single gate costs!”
Regardless, a lion’s roar echoed through the billowing dust cloud.
“Aoooooh! Who called me! Was it you, Chu Dal!”
The dust gradually settled, revealing the silhouette of a young man.
In that instant, Jin Geum-bo doubted his own eyes.
‘Since he emerged from the training hall, this must be Geom-wae Gongja…?’
“I felt like I needed just a bit more time! Aoooh!”
According to rumors, Geom-wae Gongja was a genius among geniuses.
But what was this sight before him now?
Whether unwashed or not, his appearance was grimy and reeked—that much could be overlooked.
Having just emerged from the Closed Sect, such an appearance was perhaps inevitable.
But.
“Damn it! If anything’s wrong, I won’t let it slide! I’ll throw you in the outhouse, you bastard!”
“I didn’t do anything wrong and you’re threatening me right away!”
The young man scratched his disheveled hair frantically, shouting irritably.
“Shut up!”
“Hehehehe! I won’t!”
Jin Geum-bo simply remained silent, observing the scene before him.
Why was it that the young man, who moments ago had seemed polite and sharp-witted, now displayed such a reckless demeanor?
“By the way, did you gain anything from your Closed Sect training?”
“Does it look like I did? Can’t you tell just by looking? Do you have no sense at all?”
“I was just teasing you.”
“This guy’s lost it. Back then he was so obedient and well-behaved, it was nice.”
“When did you ever say you liked him being reckless?”
“I didn’t mean for him to become this unruly, son.”
“You’re talking nonsense. Anyway….”
Chu Dal looked toward Jin Geum-bo.
‘Ah, right—I was supposed to ask Geom-wae Gongja for a favor when I saw him.’
Jin Geum-bo immediately performed the fist salute.
Though his appearance was far from what he’d expected, it was still best to make a good impression.
“Geom-wae Gongja! It is an honor to meet you!”
Immediately after speaking, Jin Geum-bo realized something had gone wrong.
The boy known as Geom-wae Gongja, Yang Hwi, bore a deep vertical crease etched into the corner of his forehead.
“Geom-wae? Geom-wae boy?”
Jin Geum-bo, who had strode forward and now stood before Yang Hwi, was taken aback.
Surely they had said his name was Ji-hak?
For a fifteen-year-old boy, his physique was… excessively robust.
Beneath the grimy appearance and childish demeanor… the irritable attitude had obscured it until now.
The boy before him—no, the young man—possessed a truly masculine frame.
‘A body like a thoroughbred stallion!’
Muscles rippling across his entire form. Broad, powerful shoulders and a taut waist.
One could only marvel at the sight.
Truly magnificent.
And this young man growled at Jin Geum-bo.
“Hey, mister. Do I look like a short-stack to you?”
“Ah, mister…?”
“That’s right, mister. Think about it. How would you feel if someone you didn’t even know called you a fat old pig?”
A fat old pig—in other words, a portly gentleman with a belly.
“Damn it! I endured that tasteless wall-breaking pill and entered closed cultivation, only to fail at breaking through the wall, and I’m furious about it, but the moment you see me, it’s Geom-wae?”
Regardless of Jin Geum-bo’s confusion, Yang Hwi began venting his frustrations.
“I should have caught and beaten those bastards! It’s natural that I’m short because I’m young, so what? Geom-wae? Geom-wae boy?”
What irritated him even more was that the epithet Geom-wae had become famous in an instant.
Why did everyone call him Geom-wae when he had such a magnificent first title as White Crane Hidden Dragon?
“I’ve made a decision. From now on, anyone who calls me Geom-wae in my presence will be beaten to death. In that spirit.”
Yang Hwi regarded Jin Geum-bo with a desolate expression.
His eyes gleamed as though he were contemplating how to eliminate the person before him.
“Brother, please restrain yourself. This merchant Jin is a guest, after all.”
“A guest?”
“Yes, brother, you remember what you asked of me before entering closed cultivation? I believe this must be that person.”
In an instant, Yang Hwi’s expression transformed completely.
His demeanor and bearing shifted entirely, not merely his face.
He hadn’t even bathed or changed his clothes, so how could his appearance change so drastically?
The reason was simple.
Whoooosh!
With a burst of qi, all the grime covering Yang Hwi’s body scattered away.
His clothes, caught in the violent wind, became pristine as if brand new.
Yang Hwi, who had executed such formidable martial prowess without effort, clasped his hands toward Jin Geum-bo.
“How much have you come to understand, honored guest? Hehehehe.”
Jin Geum-bo simply found himself at a loss for words.

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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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