Third-rate Martial Family Becomes the Best Under Heaven - Chapter 95

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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 095
“Soga-joonim. A message has arrived from the Main Residence.”
Atop Juru, the tallest structure along the Soho River.
Namgung Cheon-hu gazed down at the sprawling vista of Soho and the spectators below who appeared no larger than ants.
His fingers traced the rim of a wine cup containing Heavenly Fragrance Hundred Flower Wine—worth a single tael of gold per cup.
“Speak.”
“Yes. The message inquired when you would return.”
Currently, I was ostensibly away on a leisurely retreat, having set aside my duties as Soga-joonim.
The Main Residence of the Namgung Clan remained ignorant of matters concerning the Sword King’s Tomb.
I had deliberately withheld all investigations related to the Sword King’s Tomb from the Main Residence, determined to monopolize every advantage it offered.
“How should I respond, sir?”
“….”
Rather than answer immediately, I sank into contemplation.
‘The Dang Family… of all people, they made contact with the Jin Family. How troublesome.’
The Baek Family scarcely registered in my thoughts.
They were merely puppets of the Dang Family.
Though their so-called Crown Prince gleamed like an unpolished gem of promise, compared to the illustrious grandeur of the Namgung Clan, he was nothing but a moth drawn to flame.
‘Has that Jin Family dog uncovered something more? Or is it merely coincidence?’
My thoughts deepened, and with them came a creeping sense of urgency that tightened around my chest.
Suddenly, I recalled the monster being raised back at the Main Residence.
My younger brother, Namgung Cheon-yeong.
A prodigy whose talent at merely fifteen years of age approached that of a fully-fledged master—enough to instill genuine dread in me.
‘The Main Residence… reveres strength.’
Unlike the Black Path followers who openly worship power, the Namgung Clan’s family tradition was unmistakably one of strength supremacy.
This was evident in how the strongest among the clan head’s children inherited the position of clan head.
The age gap between us was roughly fifteen years.
‘Will I truly be able to secure my position before Father passes?’
Had my brother’s talent been merely that of a prodigy, I would never have felt this creeping dread of losing my position as Soga-joonim.
But my brother was far more than a mere prodigy.
I would stake my life on it—the greatest talent in all of history.
A monster who transcended the very limits of humanity.
‘It is good. Truly, it bodes well for the Main Residence’s restoration….’
The Namgung Clan had long claimed the foremost position among the Five Great Families, a claim the world readily acknowledged given our overwhelming strength.
Yet in recent times, the Namgung Clan’s fortunes had steadily declined.
Still, we remained powerful enough to hold dominion over the realm in the palm of our hand….
It is human nature that when one’s position weakens, desperation takes hold.
‘Whether it be Cheon-yeong, that monster, or not—to restore the Main Residence’s glory, I, as Soga-joonim of the great Namgung Clan, must monopolize everything the Sword King’s Tomb offers.’
Only then could I reclaim the foremost seat among the Five Great Families from the Peng Family of the Great Sea Dragon King’s Path.
“Ju-yong.”
Namgung Ju-yong, my bodyguard for the past twenty years, answered quietly.
“Yes, Soga-joonim.”
“Go to the Main Residence and deliver the message. Return to the Main Residence in one month. You may handle the accumulated duties directly, leaving only the most critical matters.”
“I obey.”
I and the Heavenly Blue Sky Sword Brigade could not yet return.
Once I returned to the Main Residence, it would be difficult to find time again.
So I would seize this opportunity to extract the horns.
‘To extract living horns… blood must be spilled, as is the way.’
Though the method was dishonorable, it was necessary for a greater cause.
Thus, the Great Way has no gates—the grand path knows no obstruction.
“Everyone, we move. We head to the True Residence.”
“I obey.”
“I obey.”
The distance from Soho to Gyesu was roughly five days.
When two days had passed and we were halfway through, it happened.
Namgung Cheon-hu received an unexpected urgent message.
“Soga-joonim! Unusual rumors are spreading near Anhui and Henan—the Main Residence orders you to investigate immediately!”
“Unusual rumors? What kind?”
“It is that rumors of the Sword King’s Vault being at Baek Su-san are spreading rapidly!”
Anger etched itself across Namgung Cheon-hu’s face.
“Rumors about the Sword King’s Vault? What is the basis?”
“Regarding that, we are uncertain… In any case, the order is to proceed to Gyesu and report the exact facts to the Main Residence.”
“Send a messenger pigeon to the Main Residence immediately! Ascertain the detailed basis!”
“I obey!”
Throughout the journey, messenger pigeons came and went without rest.
With each arrival, Namgung Cheon-hu’s expression grew increasingly rigid.
“Soga-joonim! Ha O-mun is selling the Jang Bo-do!”
“Jang Bo-do? Could it be the True Residence’s?”
‘Jin Geum-bo! How dare you betray me!’
“Here is a copy of the Jang Bo-do!”
Namgung Cheon-hu immediately examined the Jang Bo-do meticulously, and his eyes widened slightly.
‘Similar, but… subtly different.’
Aside from being less detailed than the True Residence’s version, it differed fundamentally in the basic sections.
In other words, the chaos did not begin from Jin Geum-bo’s betrayal.
“You said Ha O-mun possesses the original?”
“Yes. It seems there were others besides the True Residence pursuing the Sword King’s Vault.”
A disaster. For this to occur at such a critical juncture.
Namgung Cheon-hu ground his teeth.
“We move to Gyesu Baek Su-san as quickly as possible!”
Throughout the journey, I received messenger pigeons from the Main Residence.
“Soga-joonim, it appears Ha O-mun has sold the Jang Bo-do to over ten different martial sects!”
“Moreover, martial artists who’ve heard the rumors are flocking here!”
“Soga-joonim!”
Namgung Cheon-hu bellowed loudly.
“What is it this time!”
“The… the Nokrim have made their move…”
“Nokrim? How far have they mobilized?”
“According to intelligence from the Main Residence… five of the Nokrim Sip-ung are moving with their subordinate martial artists…”
Each of the Nokrim Sip-ung commands ten elite martial artists.
Five of them was practically equivalent to one of the Nine Sects or Five Great Families mobilizing.
“Damn it! Damn it!”
No matter how true the saying that even the best-laid plans have a flaw, this was excessively unjust.
It felt like having the Sword King Fortress snatched away from my grasp.
Yet one consolation remained—the information about the internal structure of the Sword King Fortress had not been leaked.
‘At minimum, the Main Residence’s advantage—my advantage—is assured. It doesn’t matter how many infiltrate inside!’
As we drew closer to the summit, the number of visible martial artists increased noticeably.
Though no one approached us, thanks to the distinctive martial robes of the Namgung Family.
“Soga-joonim. The number following us continues to grow.”
The appearance of the Namgung Family was enough to give certainty to the martial artists who had come on a whim.
They judged that if even the Namgung Family was moving, the information’s credibility was assured.
The numbers swelled continuously.
To the point of instilling a sense of crisis in Namgung Cheon-hu.
“Soga-joonim. Those following us have already exceeded a hundred.”
“…”
The Heavenly Blue Sky Sword Brigade under my command numbered thirty.
Most were small fry, so victory would be assured if we fought, but there was no need to incur unnecessary losses.
“Continue moving.”
And so, when we arrived at Baek Su-san.
“…Soga-joonim.”
“It seems impossible to explore the Sword King Fortress in secret…”
Baek Su-san was already teeming with martial artists gathered from all directions.
More troubling still, the most serious aspect wasn’t the number of martial artists.
“Amitabha Buddha. Has the Namgung Family graced us with their presence?”
“…”
“This humble one is called Cheong-so, a disciple of the Shaman.”
A Shaman’s elder disciple commanding dozens of followers.
Upon seeing this elder-ranked Cheong-so, Namgung Cheon-hu’s face twisted.

* * *
“Hehehehe!”
“….”
“Hehehehe!”
“…You’re really that pleased?”
I answered Chu Dal’s question immediately.
“Of course! Why wouldn’t I be pleased! The Namgung clan is eating dirt, so how could this not be satisfying! Right, Elder Dang?”
Dang-gun, who had always maintained a calm and collected demeanor befitting Baek Do’s successor, was smiling broadly.
Given his nature, he shouldn’t have taken pleasure in another’s misfortune, yet at this moment his face was radiant with joy.
“This really does feel refreshing. Absolutely splendid.”
“Hehehehe, doesn’t it?”
Gu Ak, listening from right beside us, couldn’t help but grumble.
“I nearly died because of all this, and you’re laughing so easily?”
“Well, you’re alive and well, aren’t you?”
“I nearly died! I claimed to be Nokrim Sip-ung, and then the real Nokrim Sip-ung actually showed up—I thought I was done for!”
Gu Ak recalled what had happened at Samho Fortress.
It had gone well enough when I assumed the identity of Gu Eok, the Mountain Blood Fiend, and claimed to be Nokrim Sip-ung, receiving treatment befitting a distinguished guest through Am Gu-ho.
It had been flawless up until I handed over Jang Bo-do as if following the Mountain Lord’s orders and escaped the fortress.
The problem was that the real Nokrim Sip-ung appeared by the narrowest of margins, and I nearly got hunted down and killed.
“It was all improvisation after all! You said you had a plan! It was all nonsense!”
“You’re alive, aren’t you?”
“….”
“Even a ghost that ate well before dying has a fair complexion….”
‘Hmm. Even for me, this seems a bit too much.’
In any case.
“The stage is set. Everything so far has gone according to plan.”
“Does that plan actually exist?”
“Of course it does. The picture is being drawn quite beautifully, wouldn’t you say?”
All manner of martial sects had converged on Baek Su-san, and independent martial artists were gathering in droves.
It meant we could slip in unnoticed.
“Spreading rumors subtly and then having the Namgung clan move was the key.”
“Right. Many didn’t believe because of the Sword King’s Spear incident, but thanks to the Namgung bastards moving, the stage was set.”
It had been three days since the Namgung clan arrived at Baek Su-san.
Today was the fifteenth day I had promised to Jin Geum-bo.
“We should start moving soon.”
“We’ll need to prepare.”
“We should stock up on provisions first?”
There was no way to obtain provisions from inside the Sword King’s Spear.
So it was safer to pack everything we needed beforehand.
“How much should we prepare?”
“If we don’t have enough, we’ll starve. If we have too much, it’ll hinder our movements.”
While the group deliberated, I casually offered my thoughts.
“One month’s worth per person. Minimize the volume with dried meat and wall-crossing pills as the main components.”
“A month’s worth?”
“Do you have grounds for that, younger brother Hwi?”
“I do.”
Currently, my group could obtain real-time information about the Namgung clan’s movements.
This was thanks to the abundance of martial artists stationed on Baek Su-san, allowing us to purchase intelligence from Ha O-mun at reasonable rates.
“We just need to follow what those Namgung bastards do.”
Only the Namgung clan knows the internal structure of the Sword King’s Fortress.
“But the Namgung clan isn’t purchasing provisions either, are they?”
“They already bought them on the way here. They don’t want to be caught preparing supplies by the others.”
“Those fellows are carrying hefty packs, but how would we know those are provisions?”
“When we met at Soho, they traveled light. They didn’t leave their baggage behind—they were already carrying packs then too.”
Dang-gun clicked his tongue.
He was impressed by the keen observational power to notice such trivial details in that brief encounter.
“I see. Then I’ll leave the provisions to you. Yeon and I have other preparations to make.”
The Dang family, by nature, had particularly much to prepare before combat.
I nodded and began preparing to assault the Sword King’s Fortress alongside Gu Ak and Chu Dal.
Adu trailed behind me eagerly.
“Cake! Let’s bring cake too.”
“No. It takes up too much space.”
“Whimper. But a picnic needs cake.”
“We’re not going on a picnic.”
“Whimper.”
It took one day to complete all preparations.
And another day to travel from our location to Baek Su-san.
According to Jang Bo-do, the entrance to the Sword King’s Fortress wasn’t at the peak but in a basin halfway up the mountain.
“The closer we get, the more martial artists there are.”
Dang-gun spoke, observing the various groups of martial artists moving about, each wary of the others.
“That makes sense.”
“Quite some time has passed, after all.”
Soon enough, there would be those who began deciphering Jang Bo-do’s clues and pinpointing the rough location.
That was the moment.
“Hmm?”
Those figures in the distance wearing the distinctive martial robes of the Namgung clan.
And right beside them, Taoists dressed in black robes.
“The Shaman?”
My lips curved into a sharp smile.
Already arrived here from Hubei?
‘Not even worth being called cultivators.’
It seemed the exploration of the Sword King’s Tomb would prove far more entertaining than he had anticipated.

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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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