Chapter 151
Chapter 151
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 151
Chapter Title: Shattered Mood and Grand Strategies
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Solemn and serious exchange of glances. The one who shattered the atmosphere that any man couldn't help but feel moved by was a single woman.
"Eww, what are you two doing right now? You're giving me goosebumps."
"......"
"......"
The sixteen-year-old boy (regressor) and the genuine fourteen-year-old boy, who had been gazing at each other with eyes full of trust, shot Jeon Gal Seol-ha piercing glares.
"Nom nom, wow, this rice cake is delicious!"
But before they could say a word to Jeon Gal Seol-ha, the sound of Aduga devouring the rice cake was too crisp and distracting.
In short, the mood was completely ruined.
Hmm. She couldn't act her age and had to behave like a child.
"That's what I'm saying. That little strategist got all serious for no reason, and I got swept up playing along."
The little strategist, abruptly cut loose, looked at Yang-hui with eyes brimming with betrayal.
"Kids these days, honestly."
"I'm not a kid!"
He still hated being called a kid, it seemed.
"To discuss the world, you must first discard shortsighted views. Do you understand?"
Father's decision wasn't foolish stubbornness over something small.
It was a move to win something truly great—the hearts of the people—by refusing to yield even the smallest thing.
"Even if that's not the case, you have to make it so."
"Yes. I was lacking."
"No. It's not that you were lacking. You did your best within your own thinking."
The words "lacking" didn't suit someone who had given their all.
Only by realizing one's deficiencies could one climb higher.
"Of course, maximizing shortsighted gains is ideal too. So, what would you do?"
The little strategist, newly enlightened, promptly offered a flexible countermeasure.
Right on the spot, no less.
"We'll spread rumors about why the Baek Clan is marching out right now."
"Exactly."
The Baek Clan striking Gilju at this moment was nothing but a loss for them.
Yet the guest clans of Gilju had stepped forward preemptively, considering the harm to their lips.
Why? Because the Baek Clan wouldn't ignore the suffering of the common folk!
Because they prioritized harmony over clan gain!
"Come to think of it, stepping in before the Honam Black Dao wreaks havoc in Gilju seems more beneficial in terms of gains."
The little strategist muttered to himself, deep in thought.
A habit common among strategists lost in contemplation.
"If we factor in reactions from other regions and factions in the future... to make it a base... No, not just better—it could even become the perfect masterstroke."
He loved showing off like this with his explanations.
Since I'd given him a nudge, it was time to dangle a carrot.
"How?"
When I asked with genuine curiosity, the little strategist swept his arm dramatically, brimming with confidence.
"Surely the young master knows! The nature of the guest clans!"
"They're clannish and hostile to outsiders?"
"Precisely!"
The guest clans were insular and antagonistic toward outsiders because, as refugees and drifters across the world, they had suffered at the hands of foreigners.
"Even now, they're suffering. The five Black Dao gangs in Gilju are all outsiders."
If the Black Dao thugs had been from Gilju's guest clans, the Baek Clan could never claim Gilju as a base.
They'd think fellow guest clans—white or black—were preferable.
"Winning the hearts of the guest clans is key. In other words, the clan head's choice was truly wise."
Hmm, honestly, I didn't think so.
But he'd just been told, and here he was spinning it masterfully.
A strategist's duty was to package the clan head's decisions well, whatever they were.
Of course, if it was truly foolish, requesting correction was also part of the duty.
"Here's the plan. We clean up the Black Dao gangs that are just outsiders oppressing them! Then the Baek Clan withdraws, claiming no further desires!"
With the Honam Black Dao—Hyeong Mountain Sect—right on Gilju's border, gnashing their teeth.
The guest clans would have no choice but to seek the Baek Clan's aid.
"Even after the Baek Clan wipes out Gilju's Black Dao, they'll still see us as outsiders. They'll want us to withdraw. We do, then when Honam Black Dao invades, we save them again!"
Truly clever. One hint, and he paints the big picture.
The core of the little strategist's scheme was taming the guest clans.
Through that, not shortsighted gains, but laying the foundation for the Baek Clan to claim Gilju as a base.
"Excellent. Based on what we discussed, devise a concrete strategy. You're dismissed."
"Yes, Young Master!"
The little strategist bounded out of the room, full of energy.
Watching him go, I let the corner of my mouth twitch up.
Once he draws it up, I'll give him another pointer.
The little strategist was fundamentally the type who lived for his own brilliance and loved showing off.
Keeping him in check appropriately was key.
No matter how perfectly he plans, he can't account for every variable.
Thanks to turning back time, I knew a few variables.
For example, the ronin from guest clans.
In my previous life, when Hyeong Mountain Sect effectively seized Gilju, their greatest foe wasn't the Jiangxi Orthodox sects.
It was the guest clan ronin.
Time to send out a few homing pigeons. And to neutralize the Namgung schemes on top of that...
The aftermath of the Mount Hwasan return should be rippling back to Jiangxi soon.
It would be perfect if the timing aligned just right.
Anyway.
Now it was just me, Aduga, and Jeon Gal Seol-ha left.
Aduga had his rice cakes, so skip him.
"Seol-ha, you said you had something to say?"
"Yes. But now I have one more thing I want to say."
"What is it?"
"Will you become the Baek Clan head someday, senior brother?"
What was this now?
"How could an adopted son become clan head? The next head is that kid."
Unlike my previous life, I'd invested so much in the kid to keep him from going astray.
All to raise him into an excellent clan head.
If I took the clan head position myself from the start, problems would arise.
As seen from the Baek Clan's founding, families typically began with an exceptional founder.
But for a clan to prosper across generations, everything had to align with mortal standards.
It was impossible for a successor to excel in every aspect across all generations.
In that regard, the kid was the ideal clan head.
"My goal is to make the main house the world's greatest clan. Carrying it on is the kid's role."
"......If your uncle hadn't found you first, but your father had, so many things would have changed."
"Hmm. Would they have?"
Thinking of my previous life, the Jeon Gal Clan must have plenty of worries right now too.
The Jeon Gal Clan, one of the Five Great Clans of the world.
But lately, they were plagued by various troubles.
For instance, their immediate headache: the Mount Wudang Sect.
In Hubei Province, the Wudang Sect on Wudang Mountain and the Jeon Gal Clan on Yongzhong Mountain coexisted.
Hubei was vast enough for two giant sects to share without issue.
But Wudang's greed knew no bounds, and conflicts were starting to surface.
Well, information I can't use just yet.
"Why bring that up suddenly?"
"Just wondering. I was curious why you're so devoted to the Baek Clan."
"What's strange about living for family?"
"You make it sound so reasonable, I have nothing to say. So, you're not planning to become clan head?"
"Nope."
"Then what happens to you after Heon-so inherits the clan?"
I caught her drift.
Having someone stronger and more influential than the clan head in the family was never good.
Factions would inevitably form.
Even the little strategist had just given me that look and attitude—like, you're my future lord.
"When that time comes, I'll keep my distance. For the main house's sake."
"I see."
"It's far in the future."
"Doesn't matter."
I scrutinized her face, curious about her intent.
Her expression flickered with various thoughts.
"Let's drop this. Ask what you originally wanted."
"Fine. I want to reach the Peak Realm."
"......?"
Why tell me that?
The thought flashed, but I understood her implication.
"You want my help?"
"Yes."
"Hmm. For that, seeing your master would be fastest."
Jeon Gal Seol-ha shook her head.
"Master wants me to ascend through my own insights. She said my current progress is already incredibly fast."
She was right. Rushing meant missing things.
Take me, for instance.
In my previous life, I'd reached Peak Realm in my twenties, and I retained enlightenment up to Super Peak.
Yet I wasn't hastily raising my cultivation.
To build a broad, solid foundation without missing a thing, reaching higher.
A truly wise choice.
Thanks to it, I overwhelmed Blood Eye Ra upon hitting Peak Realm, and in Hangzhou, I defeated three or four peak experts.
"Junior sister. Cultivation and martial prowess are different. Not all Peak experts have the same power. You must build wide and steady to gain strength beyond mere cultivation."
"I know. Seeing you and Aduga makes it obvious. Still..."
I fell silent, watching Jeon Gal Seol-ha.
She must have felt a lot from the recent clash with the Black Dao.
Her first battle, first kill—it was natural.
"You felt your own powerlessness?"
"Yes. Honestly, I thought at my level, I was progressing fast enough to rank among the world's best."
It was true. Jeon Gal Seol-ha, who in her previous life became the Soul Enchanting Demon Queen sparking a massive bloodbath, was growing at an astonishing pace.
Reaching First-Rate at just fifteen was worthy of world discussion.
Especially considering the foundational demands of pure arts like the Immaculate Jade Spirit Technique, unbroken for ages.
"But it wasn't enough. Today, I couldn't do anything."
"Not true. You outperformed most Peak experts, Seol-ha."
Thanks to the nature of sound arts.
In group battles, at least, First-Rate Jeon Gal Seol-ha could slay more foes than a single Peak expert.
"Come on, I said I'm lacking! So help me, senior brother."
"Even I can't guarantee to push someone to Peak Realm."
"I heard already. The Baek Merchant Guild leader and the clan head both reached Peak Realm thanks to you."
I had tutored Gu-hyung and Father in martial arts.
But that was because I knew their arts inside out, even their counters.
As a lay disciple without true ultimate techniques, tutoring Jeon Gal Seol-ha wouldn't be easy.
"Don't tell me you're not confident? Haha, so even senior brother can't do everything?"
"......"
"If you're not confident, fine! Can't be helped!"
It wasn't easy, but not impossible. Or rather, I felt I could do it.
I'd already been thinking of giving Jeon Gal Seol-ha a gift.
And with her provoking me like this, as a man, I had to respond.
Harmony of mind and body. And embodying the three insights.
The key was advancing quickly while building a broad, sturdy foundation.
And at a level where Master wouldn't scold me for meddling with her disciple.
A sound arts master at Peak Realm would give us a huge edge in this power struggle. Plus, solidly building her foundation and getting her to Peak would put me in Master's debt—and the Jeon Gal Clan too.
Putting one of the Five Great Clans and a Heavenly Martial Sovereign in my debt.
A challenge with no downside.
But one condition came with it.
"Junior sister."
"What?"
"Are you prepared?"
"Prepared?"
"Yeah. It'll be far more painful than completing your physique last time."
A couple months ago, Jeon Gal Seol-ha had forcibly perfected her physique via the Probing Blood Points with spirit energy.
Probing Blood Points in name, but excruciating training.
Only then did Jeon Gal Seol-ha's face show regret.
But it was too late.
Senior brother and sister were going to spend some intimate time alone.