Chapter 77
Chapter 77: Third-rate Martial Family Becomes the Best Under Heaven
Yanghwi ushered Jin Geumbo into his personal chamber.
“Please overlook my ragged state. It is hardly the proper way to greet an honored guest.”
His apology carried no hollow politeness. Having only just emerged from a prolonged period of secluded cultivation, his garments were threadbare and tattered.
“Allow me just a moment to change into cleaner robes.”
When Yanghwi stepped back into the room dressed in fresh attire, Jin Geumbo let slip a quiet gasp of awe.
What an extraordinary young man!
Though his facial features retained the softness of youth, his physical build was undeniably that of a fully matured warrior. Indeed, his presence surpassed that of common martial artists, radiating the commanding air of an unmatched champion. One could easily imagine Zhang Yide cutting such a formidable figure when standing solitary guard at Changban Slope. He towered over Jin Geumbo by more than an entire cheok, a contrast striking enough on its own.
“Pardon my impudence, Young Lord Baek, but is it true that you have seen only fifteen winters?”
Yanghwi cast a downward glance at his own imposing frame and offered a wry chuckle.
“I admit, I have grown rather tall for someone of fifteen.”
This stature was the direct outcome of self-discipline so brutal over recent years that it rivaled the penance of an ascetic monk. Under ordinary circumstances, such harsh training would never spur such immense growth; Yanghwi, however, harbored an immortal core within him.
I had no idea the immortal qi would produce such dramatic results.
Among the extraordinary attributes separating the core’s immortal qi from ordinary internal energy was its inherent capacity to temper and strengthen the physical vessel. By pushing his body past its limits day after day during his formative years, while continuously mending the torn sinews with immortal qi, his physique had expanded to this remarkable scale.
Surely I won’t keep expanding, will I?
He had already surpassed six cheok in height, his frame densely layered with lean, hard muscle. While it was practically the quintessential body for martial pursuits, any further growth would have people mistaking him for a lumbering titan rather than an agile pugilist.
No, that would be absurd.
Brushing the fleeting worry aside, he shifted his attention back toward Jin Geumbo.
“The internal art I practice is rather unorthodox, which caused my body to mature much faster than normal.”
“Ah, that explains it.”
“Setting that aside, word reached me that you specifically requested my personal involvement in this protection detail.”
“That is correct.”
“You went so far as to pledge tenfold the usual compensation on the sole condition that I accompany the caravan. I confess, I find myself curious regarding your motives.”
Jin Geumbo produced a strained, boisterous laugh.
“I have heard tales of Young Lord Sword Dwa—eup!”
Yanghwi’s canine teeth peeked out in a sharp, momentary grimace, prompting Jin Geumbo to revise his words without missing a beat.
“The eldest heir of the Baek clan is celebrated far and wide for his righteous valor and noble deeds. It was merely my earnest hope to travel under your direct aegis.”
“Come now. ‘Far and wide’? My humble name has scarcely traveled beyond the borders of Jiangxi Province.”
Maintaining an easy, polite smile, Yanghwi quietly scrutinized the guest before him.
Paying ten times the rate merely to have me tag along? The logic simply does not hold.
Moreover, the sole cargo entrusted to them was nothing more than an individual dispatch. Even with Jin Geumbo traveling in person—turning it into an escort of flesh and blood—an ordinary trader would have braved the road unaccompanied, willingly accepting modest hazards to keep his purses fat. The soul of commerce, after all, was to risk all for the sake of profit.
“Allow me a single inquiry, Merchant Jin.”
“You are welcome to ask two, if it pleases you.”
“Within this territory, our Baek house remains the preeminent faction whose strength you could borrow. Are you anticipating any particular peril on this path?”
“…Nothing specific. However, no traveler expects to traverse provincial boundaries without meeting some measure of hazard. It is precisely why I am willing to expend a heavy sum for reliable protection.”
Throughout Jin Geumbo’s response, Yanghwi kept careful watch over his physical nuances, noting every minute twitch in his visage and the subtle cadence of his breath. Gradually, a faint smirk tugged at Yanghwi’s lips.
“Your journey concludes at the Jin Estate in Gyesu. By sheer coincidence, you happen to share the Jin surname.”
“That is the seat of my clan lineage.”
A tradesman returning to his ancestral grounds. A cargo consisting of nothing but a single letter. A route charting a course through Anhui. And a ultimate stop positioned directly upon the border dividing Anhui and Henan.
This must be the one.
For two full years, Yanghwi had sought traces of a particular merchant, leaving explicit instructions with Chudal to keep watch for such an individual even during his seclusion.
“I imagine you realize, Merchant Jin, how remarkably peculiar this arrangement looks to an outsider.”
“Does it truly? Ahem, my request stemmed purely from my genuine admiration for your noble character, Young Lord Baek.”
Jin Geumbo adopted an air of feigned bewilderment, but Yanghwi did not miss the slight, involuntary acceleration in the merchant’s pulse.
“I accept the commission.”
“What? Did you not just point out how odd the circumstances appear?”
“I did. Yet I will take the task regardless, and I have no intention of probing any further.”
Yanghwi’s grin broadened.
“Bear that well in mind, Merchant Jin. Do not forget that I undertook your contract without pressing for answers, fully cognizant of how strange it truly is.”
“…”
At that moment, Jin Geumbo understood that the whispers regarding Yanghwi were entirely grounded in reality.
They claimed he possessed a sharp, crafty intellect far beyond his tender years, and they were not mistaken.
Had the youth seen straight through him? But how, when not a single revealing word had been spoken? Swallowing hard against the sudden dryness in his throat, Jin Geumbo forced his expression into composed lines and inclined his head.
“Then I place my life and safety entirely in your capable hands, Young Lord Baek.”
“The honor is mine.”
With their departure set for early the next morning, Yanghwi saw Jin Geumbo off before immediately shouting across the courtyard.
“Chudal-ah!”
Yanghwi’s voice rang out through the sprawling grounds of the Baek Estate. The door soon flew open, revealing Chudal with an irritated pout stamped across his face.
“How many times do I have to tell you to stop using that name?!”
“You little brat, if I don’t call Chudal ‘Chudal,’ what else should I say?”
“Ihu! Ihu! Call me Ihu!”
“Give it a rest. It’s been years now. Just accept your fate. You are Chudal.”
“…Sword Dwarf.”
“…”
“Why’d you yell for me, Big Brother Sword Dwarf?”
“You insolent brat!”
Yanghwi’s arm struck out like lightning. Chudal anticipated the blow and attempted to slip away using nimble footwork, yet…
Smack!
“OUCH!”
“Who gave you leave to use that wretched moniker on your own senior brother?!”
“And since when is it fair to brand your sworn brother as an ugly otter?! What goes around comes—ow! Stop! Quit flicking me!”
Only after delivering three resounding snaps to the exact same spot on Chudal’s forehead did Yanghwi finally drop his hand. The rascal became more brazen with each passing day.
“Chudal.”
“…Yeah, Boss.”
“We have an escort assignment. Prepare your gear.”
Chudal’s comedic pout vanished, replaced by an alert gravity.
“Is it the one we’ve been awaiting?”
“Most likely.”
“The matter the Sound Empress brought to light?”
Chudal was among the rare few aware of why Yanghwi had spent two whole years keeping vigil for a particular merchant.
“It is. Pack thoroughly. We have quite a distance to cover.”
“Understood. Who comprises our unit?”
“Just you and me. Along with Brother Gu, Brother Tang, and Sister Tang.”
Chudal’s gaze tightened. Five individuals. It was a modest gathering, yet it represented the peak combat potential they could assemble without attracting unwanted scrutiny. For Gu Ak to be included could only mean one thing.
“Is the danger that severe?”
“I cannot say with certainty yet. Even so, we will need to tread with extreme caution.”
“I understand.”
“First, fetch Brother Gu to my chamber… On second thought, go find him where he is. And give the clan elders a brief notification as well.”
Chudal broke into a snicker, instantly grasping Yanghwi’s reluctance to confront Gu Ak directly.
“Heheheh. You can’t avoid him forever anyway, so why run away from—”
At that precise moment, a booming voice cut through the air.
“Little Brother! I heard you finally stepped out of your closed-door seclusion!”
Gu Ak slammed through the entryway without warning.
“Let me witness it! Have you reached the apex realm? You were gnashing your teeth with such resolve before going into isolation, so surely you made it!”
“…”
“Oh, goodness me! You failed to cross it, didn’t you! Bwahahaha! BWAHAHAHAHA!”
More than five years had passed since the Baek Estate began extending its influence across the region. Though five years might seem a fleeting span, it was ample time for rivers to carve new paths, and the Baek Estate had undergone remarkable changes. The most pronounced change of all was Gu Ak himself.
“Ahem! Pfft, well, that is only natural! Even a genius like you, Little Brother, must find the precipice of the apex realm a terrifyingly steep climb!”
“…”
“A man of my caliber—Gu Ak, Lord of Baekik Pavilion, devoted father to Huahua, and stalwart champion of One Chivalrous Deed a Day—traversed that boundary ages ago, but I suppose it remained an insurmountable peak for you!“
“…”
“Bwahahahaha!”
Yanghwi had known this conversation was unavoidable, yet it was the exact reason he had hoped to delay it.
Damn it all. I should have forced the breakthrough to apex no matter the cost.
Three years ago, Gu Ak had shattered the boundary and ascended into the apex realm. Under normal circumstances, it would have been a cause for boundless celebration, granting the Baek Estate two masters of the apex realm. The intolerable consequence, however, was that Gu Ak’s arrogance had soared into the clouds ever since.
“…Brother Gu. It has been three whole months since we last spoke prior to my seclusion.”
“Has time flown by so quickly? And yet here you remain—snort—merely in the first-rate realm!”
…Very well. Yanghwi conceded the point. He had relentlessly teased and prodded Gu Ak over the preceding years. Even so, he had never believed his karmic debt was heavy enough to justify three agonizing years of relentless mockery. And yet, here it was!
“Ugh! I truly should have smashed through to the apex realm this time!”
“Pwahaha! The threshold of apex marks the transcendent boundary of mortal limits! It is hardly something a person can casually hop over, Little Brother!”
“…”
Yanghwi simply cast his eyes toward the wooden rafters. In his past existence, he had not merely stopped at the apex realm; he had ascended to the heights that lay beyond it. To be subjected to such ridicule now was humiliating beyond measure.
Hah. I built the vessel too expansive.
In his prior life, he had secured his foothold in the apex realm by the tender age of twenty. The sole reason he had yet to claim it in this life, despite retaining his memories through reincarnation, boiled down to a single dilemma.
Who could have predicted that aligning mind, qi, and body would prove this arduous?
Ascending to the apex realm required far more than a sudden spark of profound insight; it demanded absolute synchronization between one’s mind, qi, and body. Only when the conscious intent, the internal energy, and the physical vessel melded into a singular harmony could an expert step past mortal bounds into the apex realm. The complication lay in his foundation.
My mind, my qi, and my physical vessel are all far too immense.
His mind carried the transcendent enlightenments forged across an entire prior lifetime. His qi was the immortal energy born of the immortal core, a force he had never commanded in his previous existence. His body had been forged into an adamantine weapon upon the bedrock of that very immortal qi.
The divergence was simply too vast. It was no longer feasible to brute-force his way through the barrier relying solely on the martial epiphanies of his past life.
“…Brother Gu. A great vessel takes generations to forge, and a deeper foundation allows one to construct a grander pagoda.”
“What was that you mumbled? I find it hard to catch the quiet whispers of an ordinary first-rate novice!”
“…”
Achieving the first-rate realm at fifteen was hardly a trivial accomplishment. In the broader martial world, those who reached such heights at his age could easily be counted on one hand. To Gu Ak, however, such practical considerations were utterly meaningless.
“Do not despair, Little Brother. If you apply yourself with diligent fervor, you might glimpse that precipice one day! Bwahahahaha!”
A harsh, grating sound echoed from Yanghwi’s clenching jaw.
“Brother Gu. Are you entirely certain you won’t live to regret those words?”
Gu Ak stiffened for a fraction of a second, but his swaggering bravado immediately rushed back. Who stood here? Gu Ak, Master of the Apex Realm.
Little Brother will certainly ascend to apex eventually, but…
That belonged to the future, whereas this moment was now! When else in his lifetime would he ever possess the leverage to taunt him so thoroughly? Just as Gu Ak was savoring his triumph…
“Utter one more word, and we settle this in a sparring match right now.”
“…Hm?”
“A humble first-rate novice like myself would be honored to receive guidance from a revered master of the apex realm.”
Gu Ak lapsed into silence, studying Yanghwi, who stood casually with his weight resting on one hip. Judging by the cold edge in the youth’s voice, receiving benign guidance was the farthest thing from his thoughts.
Wait, does this little monster genuinely believe he can thrash me?
It was a preposterous concept. A first-rate martial artist could never prevail against an apex realm master. It stood as an incontrovertible truth of heaven and earth, as certain as rainfall tumbling from the clouds rather than rising from the soil.
Then again, this terrifying runt was already beating people senseless when he was just a nine-year-old third-rate brat.
“…Haha. Hahaha. Little Brother, didn’t you mention having official affairs to discuss? Perhaps we ought to address those first…?”
“Not at all. I find myself in dire need of loosening up my limbs. Step outside.”
Yanghwi rolled his neck and rolled his shoulders back, the joints snapping with loud, ominous pops. He had not stepped out from his secluded meditation empty-handed. A first-rate master could never defeat an apex combatant? He was more than willing to perform the miracle of turning the impossible into absolute reality. Escort duties aside, the domestic hierarchy sorely required a fresh realignment.
“Little Brother? The clan matters! Let us discuss the business at hand first!”
“I told you to get out into the yard!”
Just as Yanghwi’s voice rose in irritation, the chamber door creaked open for the third time. A soft, innocent voice drifted inside.
“Daddy! Uncle Hwiii!”
In an instant, the fierce countenances of both Yanghwi and Gu Ak softened completely.
“Oh, my darling Huahua!”
“Huahua, you’re here!”
Standing framed in the doorway was Gu Ak’s young daughter, Gu Huahua.
“Come over to me!”
“Run into your father’s arms, quick!”
Spreading their arms simultaneously in a warm embrace, Yanghwi and Gu Ak cast daggers at each other through their glares.
“Huahua, you’re going to your uncle, aren’t you?”
“It’s your daddy, Huahua. Come straight to Daddy.”
Huahua, flourishing as beautifully as the blooming blossoms her name honored, cocked her head in contemplation for a fleeting second before skipping forward. The victor of the contest was Yanghwi.
“How could the heavens allow this! Huahua, how could you abandon your own flesh and blood!”
“B-but Uncle looks so much prettier!”
“…”
Gu Ak stood petrified, as though struck squarely by a bolt of lightning. Was she already evaluating men based purely on their faces at her tender age?
“I’ll wipe out every handsome rogue in this entire province—no, I’ll execute you first, Little Brotheeeer!”
Gu Huahua knitted her delicate brows together in mild displeasure.
“Daddy! Don’t pick on Uncle!”
Gu Ak froze once more, his knees buckling until he crumpled helplessly onto the floorboards.
“How could this be… My Huahua… my precious little Huahua…”
Apex master or not, Gu Ak was thoroughly dismantled by a solitary sentence from his beloved daughter. At that moment, two additional voices chimed in from the entrance.
“Do not take the matter so deeply to heart, Hero Gu. Young children are simple and earnest, so it is only natural for them to favor pleasant faces.”
“She speaks the truth. If you want to place blame, blame your own excessively rugged features, Hero Gu. Ahaha!”
The Tang siblings stepped across the threshold into the room. Seeing that the five-year-old Huahua had wandered in by herself, it became obvious that the Tang siblings had been keeping her company outside.
“Brother Hwi, Chudal mentioned that you require Yeon and me to accompany you on an escort journey.”
“Yes, that is the plan.”
Tang Gun took Yanghwi’s casual tone without the slightest offense. Over the passing years, their companionship had solidified to the point where formal etiquette was entirely unnecessary.
“Hmm. This cannot be a routine merchant run. Is there a deeper layer to this mission?”
With every companion slated for the expedition gathered within the same room, the time had finally arrived to reveal the hidden truth.
“There certainly is.”
As he spoke, Yanghwi brought to mind the secret intelligence delivered to him by the Sound Empress years before.
‘Young Hero. I have uncovered traces of the Sword Immortal, Lü Dongbin.’
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