Chapter 70
Baek Yanghwi’s eyes locked onto the old man’s head.
The Sleeping Dragon Crown. A type of tall scholar’s crown with vertical ridges, typically worn by literati.
Originally, because it was woven from threads, it was sometimes called a woven crown.
The reason such an object bore names like the Sleeping Dragon Crown or the Jegal Crown was simple.
Naturally, it was due to the influence of the Jegal Family’s founding ancestor, Jegal Ryang, and because it was no ordinary scholar’s crown.
‘That must be the Sleeping Dragon Crown, the family treasure of the Jegal Family.’
The Pine-Patterned Ancient Sword of Wudang, the Green Jade Buddha Staff of Shaolin, and so on.
Divine weapons possessing mysterious powers existed throughout the martial world.
Among them, the Sleeping Dragon Crown was a wondrous artifact surrounded by legends claiming it lent Jegal Ryang’s supreme intellect to its wearer.
Alongside the White Feather Fan, it was the family treasure passed down through generations within the Jegal Family, serving concurrently as the Patriarch’s commanding token.
‘Yet that is not what matters right now.’
A snake-like aura burrowed into his entire body.
Slender yet stealthy, meticulous yet persistent.
Between this and the Sound Empress, it seemed getting older came with a compulsive habit of probing children with qi.
‘Well, he is likely doing this under the assumption that I will not notice.’
Baek Yanghwi smiled inwardly.
Feeling out an opponent through waves of qi was the simplest method to gauge their realm and martial prowess.
However.
To peer into something was no different from laying one’s own self bare.
Through the strands of energy, Baek Yanghwi could likewise gauge the Jegal Family Patriarch’s realm and martial prowess.
‘Roughly the peak realm. A well-matured peak master, perhaps.’
Though his actualized martial prowess might be shallow in comparison, he possessed the comprehension of a peak master.
His skill in manipulating energy. The finesse with which he brushed against the skin and probed the acupoints.
Though rough, he could estimate the exact level of the Jegal Family Patriarch.
‘I have obtained good information.’
Though he had roamed the martial world in his past life, his status had been nothing more than a vagabond.
He had met individuals on the level of the Jegal Family Patriarch—one of the pillars of the Five Great Families—only on a handful of occasions.
A peak master. It was a lofty realm, yet not entirely out of reach.
It served as a milestone and a target to set in the distance, making it quite ideal.
“Hohoho. What a truly exceptional child. To reach the second-rate realm at such an age.”
Smiling, Baek Yanghwi executed a polite martial salute.
‘He does not seem to have detected the immortal pill.’
As expected, his realm was inferior to the Sound Empress.
Naturally so, since the Patriarch of the Jegal Family was said to be around the age of sixty this year.
Reaching the position of a Ten Sovereign required a supreme talent to cultivate for nearly a century.
Moreover, the terrifying nature of a Great Family’s Patriarch largely stemmed from the vastness of their influence and power.
“Baek Yanghwi of the Baek Family pays his respects to the supreme lord of the Jegal Family.”
“Supreme lord! My boy, I’m merely the head of a single family, and furthermore, I didn’t come here today in my capacity as the Patriarch.”
“Then I’ll phrase it differently. Baek Yanghwi pays his respects to the esteemed great-grandfather of the Jegal Family.”
Hearing himself addressed as great-grandfather, the Jegal Family Patriarch smiled with deep satisfaction.
“Great-grandfather. Strictly speaking, you’re right. You’re a child who understands propriety. I feel as though I’ve gained another grandson.”
Though his tone and words carried the warmth of a grandfather, Baek Yanghwi did not lower his guard.
In his past life, he had never engaged in direct conversation with Jegal Pae.
However.
‘During the Heretical Cult Rebellion, Jegal Pae served as the tactician for the Orthodox Coalition.’
Considering the strategies Jegal Pae had proposed or pursued in the future, his true nature was clear.
‘Cold to the absolute core.’
While Jegal Seon possessed a passionate, hot-blooded disposition uncharacteristic of the Jegal Family.
His father and the current Patriarch of the Jegal Family, Jegal Pae, was a man who lacked nothing to be called cold-blooded.
To draw a comparison… he walked the righteous path of the Murim, yet not out of a pursuit of chivalry, but rather because doing so yielded the maximum benefit.
‘Well, in a way, it is a disposition perfectly fitting for the Jegal Family.’
Did Jegal Ryang himself not execute Ma Su under the pretext of strict military law?
He was a man who preferred drawing the grand picture over lingering on human sentiment.
The current Patriarch of the Jegal Family, Jegal Pae, was precisely such a man.
“Baek Yanghwi. My boy, my son has told me much about you.”
“Since my uncle holds me in high regard, he must have exaggerated greatly.”
“I thought so as well. Yet seeing you in person, it appears it wasn’t an exaggeration.”
Bowing his head politely, Baek Yanghwi listened as Jegal Pae continued.
“First, I must express my gratitude. You helped our Seolha become a disciple of the Heaven-Shattering Sound Empress. Truly, I thank you.”
He glanced upward slightly to observe Jegal Pae’s expression.
‘This part appears genuine.’
Indeed, given Jegal Seolha’s demeanor, it was impossible not to cherish her as a daughter and granddaughter.
Without a doubt, she was the apple of his eye.
‘This might allow me to extract even more benefits.’
Just as expected, Jegal Pae’s subsequent words carried profound favor.
“You’ve bestowed a great grace upon us, so we must repay it in kind. If there’s anything you desire within the main family, speak of it, my boy.”
A promise from the Patriarch of one of the Five Great Families—not merely a Young Family Head.
Baek Yanghwi was not a man to let such an opportunity slip away.
‘If he offers, I must accept it gracefully. What should I ask for?’
Wealth? No.
He was not in such desperate financial straits that he needed to ask for money when other options were available.
Miraculous medicines? Not that either.
Having acquired twenty miraculous pills from the Seven-Branch Three-Fruit tree, he was better off focusing on addressing other deficiencies.
‘Wait, do I truly have a choice here?’
Considering the personality of Jegal Pae he remembered from his past life…
Instead of making a direct demand, Baek Yanghwi replied in a courteous tone.
“Since an elder is bestowing a gift upon his junior and sworn grandson, how could I harbor any greedy desires? I’ll simply accept whatever you grant me.”
Jegal Pae’s eyebrows arched upward slightly.
“If you take that stance, I won’t give you anything. For whatever I might grant you cannot possibly outweigh the alternative of giving nothing at all.”
Jegal Pae’s expression grew rigid.
The warmth and gratitude from moments prior vanished entirely.
Which was it?
‘Sincerity? Or a test?’
A refusal to entertain direct requests, immediately shifting to a stern demeanor.
The opportunity of being a disciple to the Heaven-Shattering Sound Empress, one of the Ten Sovereigns.
The answer was singular.
“I didn’t consider it a favor to be repaid, and naturally, it isn’t strange to expect no reward for doing what ought to be done. I’ll simply follow the great-grandfather’s will.”
Jegal Pae stared in silence before the corners of his mouth curved upward.
“My boy. Your resolve is unyielding. Not a single child has ever behaved like this before me, Jegal Pae.”
‘I imagine not, Patriarch.’
A warm demeanor instantly replaced by a sudden, chilling shift.
Behind the outward display of emotion lay an unyielding gaze as cold as ice.
He suspected even Jegal Hwa-un felt intimidated in the presence of Jegal Pae.
A glance toward Jegal Hwa-un confirmed that his assumption was entirely correct.
“If I’ve done nothing wrong and deserve gratitude, what reason is there to lack confidence?”
“Hahaha! Your words are right!”
Laughing heartily, Jegal Pae abruptly turned serious once more.
‘This child. What must I do with him?’
A second-rate realm at the tender age of nine.
Understandable if he belonged to the direct lineage of a major sect.
Yet this boy hailed from a third-rate martial family.
And, if he heard correctly, the boy had only begun learning martial arts a little over a year ago.
‘It is one of two things. Either heaven aids him, or he possesses heaven-sent martial talent.’
Word had it that the boy encountered a primordial fortuitous encounter.
Perhaps it was not just one of those possibilities, but both.
Furthermore, martial talent was not everything.
‘He did not panic, showing an unyielding resolve. He displayed no flaws, proving his profound depth of mind.’
A child like this could not simply be left to grow unchecked.
To phrase it precisely:
Either embrace him and nurture him into a towering pillar, or crush him before he could become an enemy.
Before acting as the grandfather of a grateful granddaughter, he had to determine the proper course of action as the Patriarch of the Jegal Family.
‘A grace has been received, but once repaid, the matter is concluded. One must consider the future.’
Break him. Or embrace him.
Which choice would yield the greater benefit for the ascension of the Sleeping Dragon?
The ties with his son, Jegal Seon.
The values and family traditions pursued by the Baek Family Manor.
The geographical positioning of their spheres of influence.
Baek Yanghwi’s status as an adopted eldest son and his conduct.
Weighing every factor, Jegal Pae reached a conclusion.
‘Nurture him, then embrace him. Seon appears to have reached the exact same conclusion.’
From the perspective of a Great Family discussing the affairs of the world, having a friendly power stationed in every province was advantageous.
Since Jiangxi Province lacked any major orthodox sects worthy of the Jegal Family’s attention, fostering the Baek Family Manor was a sound option.
‘I can bestow a minor favor to secure profound loyalty. It is a profitable transaction.’
“My boy.”
“Yes. I’m listening.”
“I’ll grant you access to the Crane’s Feather Library among our martial vaults.”
If they treated him with goodwill and benevolence, making him view the Jegal Family as an ally.
It would prove beneficial when the time came to reap the harvest.
Jegal Pae was entirely capable of acting magnanimous when the situation called for it.
“Three hours. I grant you permission to read and memorize any martial arts manual within for three hours, and to pass them on to others. This is a gift from our Sleeping Dragon Family to the Baek Family, as a token of our friendship!”
Upon hearing Jegal Pae’s proclamation, Baek Yanghwi could not suppress the corners of his lips from rising.
“I thank the great-grandfather for his boundless grace!”
Permission to memorize and transmit any martial art he read?
He had struck gold. A truly massive windfall.
The foundation of a martial family was its martial arts.
In that regard, the roots of the Baek Family Manor were deep yet utterly lacked breadth.
Fists, palms, internal and external qi techniques, miscellaneous arts, and so on.
Among the countless classifications of martial arts, they possessed nothing more than cultivation methods and sword arts.
‘I only need to memorize roughly twenty manuals and pass them on to the main family.’
The unauthorized outflow of twenty martial arts.
Even Jegal Pae, the Patriarch of the Jegal Family whose intellect was unmatched under heaven, could not have foreseen this outcome.
* * *
The Crane’s Feather Library.
This was a martial vault containing external martial arts of the third and second-rate realms, collected by the Jegal Family over generations, rather than the core techniques passed down exclusively to the direct lineage.
It was a place typically opened as a reward for retainers who rendered distinguished service, yet it had been quite a long time since an outsider was permitted entry.
“This is the Crane’s Feather Library. You must strictly observe the three-hour time limit, Young Master.”
Escorted by the guard martial artist, he stepped inside the library.
The rich scent of aged paper wafted through the air.
“Snniff, hahaha. Ah, the smell is wonderful.”
A martial family required three things to transform into a Great Family:
Wealth, martial artists, and martial arts.
This was a prime opportunity to lay the groundwork for the martial arts department they so desperately lacked.
‘The time is short, so I will select only the cream of the crop.’
Though they would merely be second-rate martial arts, that suited his purpose perfectly.
What the main family needed right now was not excessively profound martial arts, but rather techniques that their retainers and guards could widely and comfortably learn.
In short, martial arts of varying tiers to serve as stepping stones and rewards were sufficient.
‘Besides, once the core foundation is established, elevating them to first-rate martial arts through my own modifications is not overly difficult.’
Anyone overhearing his thoughts would have been utterly astounded.
The reason he could hold such confidence was simple.
He had spent his past life creating martial arts through countless cycles of trial and error.
By combining the insights gained from those experiences with the characteristics and nature of newly acquired martial arts.
He could bypass the grueling effort and long years others required to create techniques, achieving the same result in a fraction of the time.
‘Of course, the roots must be sound. Even if the underlying insights are shallow, they must be structurally coherent.’
Scanning the bookshelves, he began reading indiscriminately.
To be precise, only the opening sections.
Just as a tree that will grow tall reveals itself from its earliest leaves, a worthwhile martial art stood out within the first few passages.
Spending a single hour, he selected around twenty martial arts manuals worthy of memorization.
‘Is that the final bookshelf remaining?’
Located in the most remote corner of the Crane’s Feather Library, the books placed upon it were old, filthy, and neglected.
He had considered bypassing it entirely.
Yet having come this far, reading through everything once could not hurt.
Just as he was continuing his literary exploration with that thought in mind.
‘Hmm?!’
Baek Yanghwi’s eyes widened to their absolute limit.
“Why is this here?”
He read the title of the manual once more.
There was no mistake.
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