Third-rate Martial Family Becomes the Best Under Heaven - Chapter 84

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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 084
I headed toward the center of Pung-ga Village. The Tang Siblings and Gu Ak were facing off against twelve bandits.
By my estimation, the strongest of these bandits possessed martial prowess around the second-rate level.
The three of them could suppress them with relative ease.
Yet a standoff persisted.
“Drop your weapons now! If you don’t, I’ll kill you all!”
There were six hostages. Two bandits held each hostage.
I approached the Tang Siblings and Gu Ak alone.
“Yang Hwi. My apologies. I failed to handle them as promised.”
“It’s fine. This was the plan all along.”
Dang-gun immediately grasped my meaning.
“I suspected as much—you appeared as if waiting.”
Displeased by our conversation, one of the bandits pressed his blade against a hostage’s throat.
Blood droplets soon welled up.
“Must I demonstrate my resolve before you listen? I commanded you to drop your weapons!”
Not a single member of our group complied with the bandit’s demand.
Yielding to such crude threats would only complicate matters further.
“Young friend, what if we eliminate them all while accepting the sacrifice?”
“I share Elder Brother Gu’s sentiment, Yang Hwi.”
Unless I intended to throw away my life, following Gu Ak and Dang-gun’s logic was the right choice.
The innocent civilians held hostage were pitiable, but I could not save them by wagering my own life.
However.
I sensed the gazes of Pung-ga villagers watching from their hiding places in nearby homes.
I threw my sword—sheath and all—to the ground.
-Elder Dang. I have a plan.
With the transmission complete, I stepped forward.
“I am Baek Yang-hwi of the Baek Family from Gangwon. I will become your hostage instead. Release the civilians.”
“Ha! Why should we do that?”
“You’re targeting us anyway with this nonsense. If you don’t do as I say, I’ll just kill you all. At minimum, if you take me as a hostage, you can at least negotiate with us. What do you say?”
As I finished speaking, I glanced at Gu Ak.
Gu Ak, radiating the aura of the Perfected Realm—the overwhelming momentum of Intent Wounding—unleashed his presence.
“Intent Wounding…!”
“A… a Perfected Master!?”
Only then did the bandits’ complexions turn ashen.
They had thought they were preying on some insignificant merchant, never expecting a Perfected Master to be present.
“If I wished, killing you would be trivial. What will you do?”
“…Very well. However, we will release only half the hostages.”
“Fine then. But release all the children.”
Three of the six hostages—all children—were freed, and in their place, I knelt before the bandits.
The bandits trained their blades upon my entire body, allowing not a moment’s carelessness.
“Now, shall we proceed with negotiations? Hand over the carriage to us. We’ll release the hostages once we’ve all withdrawn.”
Watching the bandit shout with such confidence, Yang Hwi offered a chilling smile.
“I refuse.”
Six blades converged upon my entire body.
All those wielding them were second-rate martial artists.
I traced a path through my mind—how to break free with minimal wounds.
In the next instant, I rose with the speed of lightning.
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
Three blades grazed my skin.
But that was all—they merely grazed.
Gi-cheon Step, Swift Exchange.
“You bastard!”
The bandits swung their blades in unison, but it was too late.
I seized one by the collar and used him to block the strikes.
Thwack! Thwack!
“Gahhhhh!”
Having escaped their assault with the Golden Cicada’s Molt technique, now it was my turn.
I disarmed them with Bare Hands Seizing Blade, grasped the sword, and mercilessly slit his throat.
“Elder Dang! Elder Brother! Kill them all!”
There was no need to shout.
The Tang Siblings and Gu Ak had already launched themselves the moment I broke free from being a hostage.
“You fools! We still have three hostages here!”
“Oh, really? Then kill them.”
“Wh-what?!”
The three remaining “hostages” were part of the bandit gang.
The faint inner energy residing in their dantians proved it.
“If you order me to kill, you think I can’t?!”
One of the bandits slashed the arm of the fake hostage.
These bastards have no sense whatsoever.
And I’d already figured out they were all in cahoots.
“I ask the common folk of Pung-ga Village: are these truly hostages?”
From a nearby dwelling came signs of movement, and an old man emerged.
“They are villagers, but they’re the bandits’ accomplices.”
“Are you the village head?”
“I am Pung Jung-sam, head of Pung-ga Village.”
I bowed slightly to the courageous village head and gave him a nod.
“It’s time for you bandits to meet the underworld.”
Twelve—no, fifteen including those posing as hostages—it took merely half an hour to dispatch them all.
“I left three alive without killing them. We’ll need interrogation.”
Hearing Dang-gun’s words, Yang Hwi shook his head.
“Just kill them. We can get the story from the villagers anyway.”
One of the bandits cried out desperately upon hearing this.
“You bastards! We are members of the Jamryongdo! Are you not afraid of retaliation? If we do not return, our leader will raze this place to the ground!”
Well, well. How convenient that he’s telling us himself?
This changes things somewhat.
“Jamryongdo? These days even bandit whelps call themselves dragons.”
“Our leader, Jamryongdo, will not let this stand!”
Jamryongdo? I’d never heard that alias before.
Yang Hwi turned to Chu Dal, who had approached while escorting Jin Geum-bo, and posed a question.
“You haven’t?”
“I’ve heard of them from those who traveled through Anhui.”
“Is that so?”
“From what I heard, they’re said to be first-rate.”
“Really? Trash, then.”
I’d never even heard their name when I visited Pung-ga Village in my past life.
That means they’re the sort of rabble that gets wiped out within a decade at most.
“Elder Dang, I think we can kill them all. They’ll swarm us eventually anyway if we wait… No, actually.”
Considering the damage to Pung-ga Village, wouldn’t it be better to strike their hideout directly?
“Elder Dang. Just tell me the location of their den.”
“Leave it to me.”
Dang-gun tore into the bandits’ flesh without a moment’s hesitation, injecting poison as he worked.
Within moments of the torture beginning, I had learned everything about Jamryongdo.
Chu Dal watched the scene with a sickened expression.
“Chu Dal.”
“Y-yes, brother.”
“Does it seem excessive?”
“Well… that is…”
“These are men who took a child hostage and forced a dagger into a woman’s hand.”
“I know. I do know, but…”
He was still only fourteen, and a novice to the martial arts world.
His mind understood, but his heart could not follow.
Especially since this boy harbored an aversion to death and killing because of his father’s circumstances.
But still.
‘Chu Dal, I hope you will remain by my side in this life as well.’
So I had to tell him.
“Chu Dal. Righteousness and purity are usually used as one meaning. The righteous are also the pure. But evil and wickedness are different.”
“…”
“When facing wickedness, do not harbor compassion. It will only wound your own heart.”
“…I understand.”
Though despite his answer, he did not seem truly convinced.
There will be plenty of opportunities ahead.
I slew every last bandit.
As I did, the villagers gathered around our group.
“We are grateful to you young heroes. And we apologize.”
Behind the village head stood the woman who had ambushed me, trembling.
“I heard the circumstances from my daughter-in-law. My grandson was taken hostage, which is why this happened. Please, show mercy….”
The village head, who appeared to be in his seventies, knelt before me—a mere fifteen-year-old—and begged forgiveness.
The woman behind him held a child in her arms, and his face seemed familiar.
‘The Pung-ga Village Head.’
His youthful face was unmistakable.
In my past life, he had come to visit me carrying a bottle of wine.
“What is the child’s name?”
‘Pung-ga Ho.’
“We gave him the name Pung-ga Ho.”
“I see. Elder, you have done nothing wrong. Why do you kneel?”
“Well, but….”
I understand. Even though we defeated the bandits, our group remains outsiders and martial artists.
From the perspective of a commoner like the Pung-ga Village Head, he would naturally be cautious.
“Chu Dal.”
“Yes, Elder Brother.”
“Why do you think the village head knelt before us?”
A moment of silence. Chu Dal answered.
“Because we are martial artists.”
“Correct, and incorrect.”
The tip of my blade pointed toward the bandit’s corpse.
“It is because of the vermin who use martial prowess as a means of extortion.”
The Black Saber Sect still maintains certain boundaries. With so many eyes watching, they dare not commit atrocities openly.
But bandits are different.
They are a gathering of those so depraved they cannot settle in cities or villages.
Therefore, they are thieves.
“It is we who should apologize, Village Head. The bandits saw our group approaching and hastened their assault on your village.”
As I bowed deeply, the village head seemed at a loss, his expression troubled.
“Please, do not do this, Wandering Knight.”
“The Jamryongdo will cease to exist from this day forward. Consider this meager compensation for the harm we have caused.”
In an instant, the faces of the Pung-ga villagers brightened considerably.
They must have suffered greatly at the bandits’ hands.
I suspect they were even paying tribute.
“Merchant Jin, our journey will be delayed another day or two. I apologize for this.”
“Young knights are performing righteous deeds. How could I object? I, Jin Mo, am content.”
“Thank you for your generosity.”
I expressed my gratitude and turned my gaze toward Gu Ak.
“Elder Brother Gu, please remain here and protect the merchant Jin and the villagers.”
“Are you certain? Wouldn’t it be better if I went myself?”
With Gu Ak, a master at the pinnacle of cultivation, at my side, the extermination would have been far easier.
“We are on a mission. Above all, the safety of the escort must take priority.”
Since his words held truth, Gu Ak silently acquiesced.
“Besides… we should be sufficient on our own.”
I looked toward the Tang Siblings.
The Tang family were people who revered loyalty to a degree unmatched by any organization under heaven.
The faces of Dang-gun and Dang-yeon were utterly cold.
Their demeanor suggested they would show not a shred of mercy to those within their grasp.
…It was the same expression I currently wore.
“Then, let’s go. Time to exterminate these vermin and their nest.”
Behind me, the Tang Siblings and Chu Dal launched themselves forward.

* * *
The location of the bandit stronghold, extracted through interrogation.
It lay in the mountains, roughly half a double-hour’s journey from Pung-ga Village.
-The stronghold is quite substantial.
-For something newly established, it certainly has considerable scale.
-Regardless, they’re just insects. Elder Dang and Sister Dang, launch your ambush from the rear.
-What of you, Younger Brother Hwi?
-I’ll draw their attention from the front and strike through.
-A pincer maneuver. Understood.
After sharing our simple strategy, we each launched ourselves forward.
From the start, I drew my blade and walked toward the stronghold’s main gate with it resting across my shoulder.
Naturally, the sentries on watch began sounding the alarm.
“Who goes there!”
“Who?”
Even as bandits swarmed toward me, I remained unperturbed.
In the meantime, I spread my qi perception wide, probing their dantians.
“I am not one to be called such by the likes of you, bastards.”
“An arrogant brat!”
“Enough.”
I drew my inner qi up from my dantian.
Though I had not yet reached the pinnacle stage…
“Show yourselves, leaders!”
Intent-Qi Injury—my cry, infused with inner qi, resonated across the surroundings, and the mountain birds scattered in a flurry of wings.
Soon, a stalwart figure wielding a massive eight-chi blade emerged.
“Your momentum is considerable. Who are you?”
Considering the possibility of unforeseen circumstances, I must not mention Pung-ga Village.
Excuses are plentiful anyway, so it matters not.
“So you’re a wandering knight trying to gain fame by crushing a single bandit den!”
“Puhahahaha! You dare claim you’ll crush the bandit den of Jamryongdo himself! Do you have an epithet, boy?”
“Have you heard of the Ascending Heaven Sword Dragon?”
A sneer bloomed across Jamryongdo’s face.
“A shameless brat. For an unknown nobody to claim such a grandiose epithet—how absurd.”
“Ah, it’s still too early for word to spread, I suppose. But from now on, it’s an epithet that will never be forgotten, so do spread the news.”
Whoooosh!
My blade began to tremble with a resonant hum.
“Ah, but they’ll all be heading to the underworld, so spreading word will be impossible.”
Treading the Gi-cheon Step, my form shot upward above the bandit den.
Clang!
“Tch, you insolent brat…!”
Shock flooded across Jamryongdo’s face.
The inner force coursing through the blade—far too immense for a mere boy.
Yet having held the position of bandit chief, Jamryongdo made his judgment swiftly.
‘I cannot win alone! Combined assault!’
“Too late, you bastard.”
It was the moment I grinned wickedly.
“Cough!”
Jamryongdo spewed a mouthful of blood.

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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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