The World’s Strongest Is from a Third-Rate Martial Clan [Novel] Chapter 69

Chapter 69

The moment he saw the letter, he realized what her favor was.

“Do I simply need to deliver this to Uncle Jegal?”
“That is correct.”

Staring at Jegal Seolha for a moment, he gently stroked her hair.

“Tch. You do not have to do this. I am fine.”

How did she know he was stroking her hair out of pity? She was quite sharp.

“Endure it just a little longer. Once your martial prowess rises and your mental foundation is established, Master will likely let you visit home from time to time.”

She had lived her entire life without ever being separated from her father, only to be suddenly confined here on Severed Melody Mountain.
No matter if she had a master and was here for training, there was no way she did not feel lonely.
Considering her young age, it would not be strange for her to cry out in fear every night.

‘Well, considering the environment she grew up in, Junior Sister is quite mature and rarely acts spoiled.’

Even so, being unable to see her family whenever she wished could never be a joyous thing.
Thus, she must want to convey a letter, at the very least, in this manner.

“I will run straight to the Jegal Family the moment I descend the mountain.”

“You do not have to deliver it personally, Senior Brother. It will take at least a month to reach my main family.”

“Me going myself is the fastest way.”

Having reached the second-rate realm, crossing a single province was not a massive burden.
A second-rate master with the appearance of a nine-year-old? Taking into account that opponents would lower their guard, there was virtually no danger no matter where he roamed.

‘This works out perfectly. I should create an opportunity to put the Jegal Family to use.’

He already had the perfect task in mind. While he was there, perhaps he should employ the strategy of killing with a borrowed knife… no, perhaps he should seek some assistance from his sworn uncle.

“You would like me to bring back a reply as well, right?”

“That would be nice. However, returning to Severed Melody Mountain will be troublesome for you, Senior Brother, so you do not have to.”

“This is for my Junior Sister, so this level of trouble is nothing. I am doing it because I want to bring it back for you.”

‘Getting a reply will definitely make it easier to borrow… to receive assistance.’

Jegal Seolha fell silent for a moment and sent him a gaze. Sincere gratitude blossomed on her face.

“Ahem. Do you finally grasp this Senior Brother’s noble character? So treat me well. Serve me properly of your own accord from now on.”

Jegal Seolha’s expression immediately turned cold.

“…We are the same age. Why, you little.”

“Why, you little? Is this brat saying ‘why, you little’ to her Senior Brother?”

“What about it? You just said ‘why, you little!’ to me a moment ago, Senior Brother.”

…This was exactly why one should never speak carelessly in front of a child.

“Is the cherished jewel of the Jegal Family the same as me?”

“We are the same in the sense that we are fellow disciples, are we not?”

“…”

Baek Yanghwi momentarily felt a surge of apology toward the people around him who had suffered under him, especially Gu Ak.
He now understood just how annoying a smart and articulate child could be.
Well, if words did not work, he could simply coax her.

“Junior Sister. Words are a mirror. You are pretty, so should you not speak pretty words as well?”

“…That is convincing.”

“Is it not?”

Jegal Seolha fell deep into thought for a moment.
To be honest, mimicking Baek Yanghwi’s speech habits was fun.
Though she was too embarrassed to say it aloud, Baek Yanghwi was someone possessing an internal image she yearned to resemble.
She naturally kept a close eye on his every word and action.

‘However, Senior Brother has a point as well.’

She wanted to copy him. Yet it was only logical not to.

‘Then I will do it like this.’

Having concluded her thoughts, Jegal Seolha curled the corners of her lips slightly.

“Yes. I will take your advice to heart, Senior Brother.”

Unaware of the conclusion Jegal Seolha had reached, Baek Yanghwi felt a sense of pride upon hearing her obedient reply.

“Good. Always keep it in mind. It will become your flesh and blood.”

A young child is like a blank canvas.
Therefore, one must be careful with every single word spoken in front of them—a truth Baek Yanghwi had yet to realize.

* * *

One day, slightly less than two months after he entered the mountain.
Standing before the Sound Empress, Baek Yanghwi offered a polite bow.

“Master. I wish to return to my main family now.”

Though the Sound Empress preferred keeping him close to teach him, she readily nodded her head.
The achievements Baek Yanghwi had attained during this time were more than enough to satisfy her lofty standards.

“You may do so.”

“Thank you for your permission. Ah, however, I plan to drop by briefly in about a month.”

Mentioning Jegal Seolha’s request, he followed up with a question.

“If there are any items you need or desire, I shall bring them when I return.”

“Hmm. The Young Hero is quite the kind disciple to volunteer as an errand boy.”

After listing various necessary items, the Sound Empress smiled faintly.

“You may leave now. You do not need a send-off, do you?”

He would have preferred if she took him down to the foot of the mountain, but making such a request might earn him a beating.

“Of course, Master.”

He descended the mountain toward the north rather than toward the Baek Family Manor.
It was because he needed to head to the Jegal Family to deliver the letter.

‘I should train the Ascending Heaven Footwork on the way.’

The Ascending Heaven Footwork, a lightness art and footwork combined.
The steps he took with a light swoosh gradually grew faster.
About half a month passed in this manner.
He finally arrived at the foot of Mount Longzhong in Hubei, where the Jegal Family was located.

“Wow. It is magnificent.”

Though he was still hundreds of zhang away from the Jegal Family’s manor, he was already overwhelmed by its sheer size.
Just by looking at the scale, it seemed three or four times larger than the Baek Family Manor.
His main family’s manor was considered the largest in Agan County in its own right.
Well, because a village had sprung up around it, his main family had been unable to expand even during the era when they held a seat among the Five Great Families.

‘They even have gatekeepers. I suppose our main family should gradually deploy guard martial artists to watch the main gates as well.’

Harboring such thoughts, he struck up a conversation.

“Hmm? A young young master brings a letter from the young lady?”

After the guard at the main gate sent word inside, Jegal Seon came running out as if flying a moment later.

“Yanghwi! Is it true you brought a letter from Seolha?!”

“It has been a while, Uncle!”

He was offering a polite martial salute when his entire body was hoisted into the air.

“Let us head inside first!”

Jegal Seon unleashed his lightness art with such speed that the strong wind scratched at their faces.

‘Hmm. Is it acceptable for the Young Family Head to fly around stepping on roofs and using lightness arts inside the family grounds?’

It was so vast that it would likely take quite a while without using a lightness art.
Even more so considering the Young Family Head’s quarters would be at the very center of the inner courtyard.
The sight of the manor below seemed to boast that this was the very definition of wealth and splendor.
Stone sculptures placed at every corner. Splendidly decorated pavilions.
And.

‘There are a vast number of guard martial artists.’

His razor-sharp qi senses were picking up the presence of guard martial artists hidden throughout the grounds.

‘The level of every single one of them is far from ordinary.’

Normally, he would have pinpointed their exact locations, but that was not the case right now.
Their waves of qi were so faint they were barely perceptible.
It meant all of them were martial artists of a high realm who had mastered advanced stealth arts.
Then again, one had to reach this level to call themselves a prestigious martial family.
A dragon’s pool and a tiger’s den. This place was the literal definition of a perilous domain.

‘Someday, our main family will also… We still have a long road ahead of us.’

They soon arrived at the Young Family Head’s office.
Without even calling a servant girl to bring tea, Jegal Seon thrust his head forward.

“Yanghwi, hurry, the letter!”

“Here it is.”

Jegal Seon’s eyes darted rapidly as he read down the letter.

“Ah, it seems she is doing well. I am truly glad. Truly glad.”

With the rims of his eyes turning red, Jegal Seon looked at Baek Yanghwi.

“Thank you so much for coming all this way to deliver this letter. Come to think of it, I have neglected my duties as a host. Shall I offer you a cup of tea?”

“I am fine. Rather than that, would you like to write a reply? I will deliver it back to Seolha.”

Baek Yanghwi was the only one permitted to enter and exit the Sound Empress’s residence on Severed Melody Mountain.
Jegal Seon expressed his gratitude once more.

“Nephew, your consideration truly moves this uncle. To write a reply, I must show this letter to my wife as well. Wait here for a moment.”

Standing up, Jegal Seon paused for a moment.

“No, let me take this opportunity to introduce you to my family.”

Dragged along by Jegal Seon, he was led to a residence in the inner courtyard.

“Here. This is my wife. Say your greetings.”

He suddenly found himself acquainted with the wife of the Jegal Family’s Young Family Head.

“This is my son, Hwa-un. He is five years older than you, Yanghwi.”

As if that were not enough, he even ended up meeting the Young Family Head’s son—in other words, the boy who would one day become the master of the Jegal Family.

“Young Hero Baek Yanghwi.”

Jegal Hwa-un, the son of Jegal Seon and Jegal Seolha’s older brother, firmly grasped both of Baek Yanghwi’s hands.

“I have heard much about you. I heard you helped our Seolha take a step forward. Thank you so much. Truly. Truly…”

Jegal Hwa-un could not continue his sentence.
The profound affection between the siblings was palpable.

“Not at all. Even without me, Seolha would have broken out of her shell on her own and become our Master’s disciple. She possesses the talent and willpower to do so.”

After that, he chatted with Jegal Hwa-un while Jegal Seon wrote the reply alongside his wife.

“To reach the second-rate realm at your age is truly astounding! No matter how great a fortuitous encounter one receives, it is impossible without the talent to back it up—no, it is an impossible feat even taking a fortuitous encounter into account!”

“Not at all. I was simply lucky.”

“To call it luck, you are even humble. I shall learn much by watching you, Young Hero Baek.”

The Jegal Hwa-un saying such things was already a second-rate master himself, despite being only fourteen years old.
Setting that aside, despite merely being fourteen, his manner of speech was… should he call it formal, or perhaps stiff?
He gave off the impression of a boring, bookish scholar… a man of letters.

‘In a way, it is a disposition perfectly suited for the Jegal Family. Then again, Uncle is the peculiar one for being called the Sleeping Dragon Unrivaled despite bearing the name Jegal.’

Well, there was still a common trait shared between the father and son.
They were absolute fools for their daughter and younger sister, respectively.

“When our Seolha was little, you have no idea how adorable she was!”

More than nine-tenths of their conversation was about Jegal Seolha, so that point was crystal clear.

“Yanghwi. I have finished writing the letter.”

Hearing his name, he turned his head to see Jegal Seon holding a letter sealed with his wax stamp.

“Please deliver it safely, and I ask for a reply as well.”

Finishing his words, Jegal Seon tucked the letter into his own robes.

“Uncle? You must hand it to me if you want me to deliver it.”

“That is obvious, but I will give it to you a little later.”

“By later, you mean?”

“Ah, I intend to go with you, Yanghwi.”

“…?”

‘Is he perhaps trying to receive another reply in person?’

That seemed to be exactly it. Since he felt awkward asking Baek Yanghwi to visit the Jegal Family again, he planned to travel near Severed Melody Mountain himself.

‘This works out perfectly. It makes it even easier to bring up my favor.’

“Uncle. Would it not be a bit dangerous for the Young Family Head of a family to travel outside alone?”

“I do plan on bringing an appropriate number of guard martial artists.”

“Then, while you are going, could you perhaps lend me some assistance?”

Baek Yanghwi explained the attack from the Vanguard Sect that had occurred recently.
Hearing this, Jegal Seon’s face contorted in fury.

“Mere lackeys of the Black Path dared to attack the Baek Family Manor? And without any justification? It seems they are eager to meet the grim reaper.”

The Baek Family Manor was led by Baek Muryang, Jegal Seon’s sworn brother.
Attempting to wipe out such a family through an ambush was tantamount to disrespecting Jegal Seon himself.

“Given their sudden outrage, they certainly have a backer. I have commissioned an investigation, and I believe the results will be waiting for us by the time we arrive at the main family.”

“I will only be able to save face if I sweep them all away completely. I should increase my escort a little.”

Jegal Seon’s ‘a little’ was a force so overwhelming that the Baek Family could not compare even if they mobilized their entire martial strength.

‘Ten peak masters alone? No matter who their backer is, their total annihilation is inevitable.’

A master in the peak realm was so rare that a single county might not even have one.
Yet ten of them? To handle a force of this magnitude, the opponent would have to be a sect that dominated an entire province.

‘I am looking forward to our arrival at the main family.’

He had no idea what kind of faction was acting as the Vanguard Sect’s backer.
But they were all dead meat.
It was when he was curling his lips into a smirk with such thoughts.

‘Hmm?!’

His sharp qi senses caught a wave of qi.
And an incredibly massive wave of qi at that.

“Why is Father here…?”

Seeing the perplexed expression on Jegal Seon’s face, he realized who it was.
Soon after, a booming voice echoed clearly.

“The Lord of the Sleeping Dragon has arrived!”

The door opened, revealing an old man wearing the Sleeping Dragon Crown.
He wore scholar’s robes embroidered with a blue dragon over a white base.
Though he was old, he did not lack vigor; instead, he gave off an impression of seasoned astuteness.
Even the unique momentum of someone who contested for supreme status under heaven lingered across his entire body.

“Hohoho, are you Yanghwi of the Baek Family?”

The old man opened his mouth and asked.
Simultaneously, multiple streams of qi began coiling around Baek Yanghwi’s entire body like snakes.