Chapter 41
Chapter 41
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 41
Chapter Title: Third-Rate Martial Family Becomes World's Best
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Click!
A fist-sized round iron orb split in half and opened.
Why the hell did this thing just open?
Even in his fluster, Baek Yang-hui's hand caught the elixir pill that plopped out from inside the iron orb.
…
…
Silence and stillness hung over the entire Yu Clan Manor.
Baek Yang-hui, Blood Lord Gu-ak, and the assassins all stared at each other for a moment.
Exchanging glances. They were all thinking the same thing.
'No way. I was trying to smash it...'
To break out of this desperate situation, he needed the iron orb as a hostage.
He'd even poured a ton of qi into it to make a proper threat.
Ah, no way.
'Did it open in response to the qi?'
No, that seemed unlikely.
The iron orb clearly looked like an artifact containing something inside.
It must have passed through countless hands by now, so there was no way no one had ever infused it with qi.
That meant injecting qi alone couldn't be the cause.
'Was there some hidden mechanism? Did I infuse it in some special way...? Ah.'
One possibility came to mind.
The Immortal Core at the center of his dantian.
The Immortal Qi flowing from the Immortal Core, imbuing his inner energy in the dantian with a special quality.
'It might have opened in response to the Immortal Qi.'
The Immortal Core and Immortal Qi were things he hadn't possessed in his previous life.
He infused qi into the iron orb once more.
This time, paying close attention to the presence and flow of the Immortal Qi.
Click!
'Just as I thought. It opens and closes in response to the Immortal Qi.'
That was when it happened.
"Kid. I don't know how you opened it, but hand over the elixir pill. Do that, and I'll spare your life."
One of the assassins spoke up.
Baek Yang-hui snorted in response.
"This young hero of the righteous Baek Clan doesn't converse with nameless assassin scum who can't even introduce themselves properly."
…
He'd reflexively provoked the man to make him lose his cool and use the Emotional Upset Stratagem, but then he remembered that all the Nameless Assassins' Valley guys cultivated the Heartless Art.
'Making them lose their temper to create an opening won't be easy.'
"If you want to talk, introduce yourself first."
"Nameless Assassins' Valley Master, Darkness."
Darkness, huh. Not the rock kind, so probably the shadowy kind.
Assassins always went for the dark and gloomy names.
Black, Ink, Shadow—always something like that.
"I said introductions are proper etiquette. Now it's your turn, young hero."
"I don't have a name to give assassin scum."
…
Darkness fell silent. He probably wasn't flustered since he didn't feel emotions, so he was likely just thinking of his next line.
Seizing the gap, Baek Yang-hui took the time to sort out the situation.
First. He'd tried to use the iron orb—the thing the Nameless Assassins' Valley wanted—as leverage for a hostage play, but it had opened.
Second. The reason it opened was probably the Immortal Qi, and this might be a chance to learn more about it.
Third. With the elixir pill in his hand, he hadn't lost his hostage.
"Just one question. What's this iron orb?"
"I have no desire to tell you."
"Is that so?"
The assassins all flinched as one when he brought the hand holding the pill to his mouth.
Baek Yang-hui smirked, curling his lips, and spoke.
"An elixir pill from some artifact you carry around for good health. Gotta be good for the body, right? I'll eat it if you push me."
"Do so if you want to die."
Not a threat to kill him, then.
Probably some spirit pill that turns harmful if swallowed without preparation.
'So that's how it is?'
Whoa, a spirit medicine he couldn't even glimpse in his previous life just rolls right into his lap.
He'd been thinking it'd be nice to have one and was planning to snag the one that shows up a few years from now.
"Eat it and die, or die by your hands—same difference, no?"
"I promise. Hand over the pill, and we'll withdraw peacefully. No more killing."
"What bullshit. You were gonna slaughter the entire Yu Clan Manor over this."
…
"How do you even trust words from black path assassin scum?"
Blood Lord Gu-ak, the former black path guy, might flinch inwardly or not—Baek Yang-hui just snorted.
Without the elixir pill as hostage, they'd toss any promise like trash.
"Young hero. If you're not set on seeing this through to the end, how about we find a compromise?"
"Sure. First, tell me what this is."
"Doesn't seem necessary for finding a compromise."
"That's your opinion. Should I eat it?"
'This is a chance to get clues on the Immortal Qi's origin and nature. I'll get what I can first.'
As Baek Yang-hui didn't back down, Darkness quietly scanned the surroundings, signaled his men with his eyes, and spoke.
"I don't know the details myself. Just that it's a legacy left by a warrior who was the world's greatest centuries ago and reached the realm of entering sainthood."
"Who was that?"
"I don't know."
Bullshit. He knew but didn't want to say.
Guess that's all the info he could squeeze out.
"First, pull back all your men."
"Why should I?"
"We're compromising, right? In the end, I hand over the pill, you withdraw."
Of course, it wouldn't go that way.
No way these guys would let it.
"Then there's no point in surrounding us, is there?"
…
The assassins silently broke formation at his signal.
But they didn't fully withdraw, maintaining a semicircular formation.
Baek Yang-hui leaped down to the base of the wall and moved to Blood Lord Gu-ak's side.
"Little brother. What do you plan to do?"
"Before that, Brother Gu, why were you surrounded?"
"Didn't you tell me to save as many Yu Clan folks as possible?"
"No way you just charged in and started fighting outright? You should've used some scheme to handle it smartly."
Was it wrong to expect quick thinking from a brute black path guy?
Thinking Gu-ak might explode if he knew, Baek Yang-hui used voice transmission instead of speaking aloud.
-Their leader's at first-rate peak, subordinates around second-rate. Right?
-Spot on. I can handle the leader, but his men are the problem.
Normally, a first-rate expert could face three or four second-rates.
But not win—just stall.
And their side only had first-rate Gu-ak and himself.
'No answer here.'
In this state, no way to survive against the Nameless Assassins' Valley.
Meaning, even after handing over the pill, he had to make them withdraw as promised.
"Hey, Valley Master. That promise to withdraw after I hand over the pill—you gonna keep it?"
"Of course."
"Give me specifics."
"Here's how. You must belong to some sect. We'll maintain standoff until we reach its territory, then you hand it over there."
In other words, hand it over somewhere safe for him.
Baek Yang-hui feigned interest.
Inside, he was the opposite.
'He proposes that without guarantee I won't swallow it once safe?'
Sounds like something to fool a martial world newbie.
'Wait. Is it because I'm a kid?'
Seems he thought this level of lie would suffice to trick an eight-year-old.
Gu-ak was there, but... seeing him nod along, they thought it sounded plausible.
'Well, Brother Gu's not the sharpest.'
"Good proposal. But one problem."
"What?"
"The Yu Clan people's lives."
Even if they followed his plan, no way they'd leave the Yu Clan alive.
"No concern of yours, young hero."
As expected—they planned to kill them all.
"Why not? I can't just watch innocent people die."
"More important than your own life?"
"Not quite. But you know."
Baek Yang-hui grinned fiercely.
"If I only care about my own skin whether innocents die or not, Dad's gonna chew me out."
"...?"
"Thinking of six hours of scolding? Ugh. Better to risk my life fighting."
"What do you propose?"
"Let all the Yu Clan folks escape. We talk again once they're gone."
No compromise. Bringing the pill to his lips, he silently conveyed his intent to Darkness.
A threat betting they'd achieve nothing without the pill, massacre or not.
"...As you wish, young hero."
"You heard him! Everyone from the Yu Clan, get out of the manor and run far away!"
The people kneeling terrified before the hall stood one by one.
"Th-thank you!"
"You've saved our lives, young hero!"
"Less talking, more running. Those bastards will chase and kill you later. Flee as far as you can and hide."
And so, over a dozen retainers fled the manor.
Left inside were Blood Lord Gu-ak, Baek Yang-hui, and over a dozen assassins.
"I've granted all your requests, young hero. Now it's your turn to grant mine."
His patience was at its limit.
Darkness raised his hand, and the assassins reformed their encirclement.
"Final offer. Decide where we'll go to hand over the pill."
"Trying to figure out my sect and see if there'll be trouble later?"
"Any other way both sides are satisfied?"
"Obviously."
Baek Yang-hui gave a short reply, racking his brains so hard it felt like steam was pouring from his head.
'Can't let the Nameless Assassins' Valley know we're from Baek Clan Manor.'
These guys would sneak in at night and wipe out the Baek Clan.
The goal was safely extracting Chui-dal anyway.
Following their plan would be a huge problem.
Conclusion.
'Need to hit the Nameless Assassins' Valley hard enough to cripple them at least.'
With the leader here, these were probably their core forces.
Kill most, mission accomplished.
'Now, how.'
He had an idea.
More precisely.
The intense pull he was feeling right now might be the answer.
No, it had to be.
'The Immortal Core is calling to the elixir pill.'
Eating it now would basically be suicide.
He knew that full well.
Yet looking at it, some baseless instinct and conviction told him it would be fine.
'Yeah, no other way anyway.'
Baek Yang-hui wasn't one to follow hunches usually, but now he had to.
No best option? Pick the next best.
"You want this pill that bad?"
Grinning as he asked, Baek Yang-hui made the Nameless Assassins' Valley Master feel unease despite the Heartless Art.
Soon, his unease became reality.
-Brother Gu! Prepare for battle!
Sending the transmission, Baek Yang-hui promptly swallowed the pill whole.
"Oops. What now? Pill's gone."
Baek Yang-hui grinned again.
The Nameless Assassins' Valley Master ordered his men.
"Kill them both as fast as possible. Prioritize the kid—gut him first."
"Who said I'm dying?!"
Facing the charging assassins, Baek Yang-hui desperately hoped his gamble paid off.
Soon, a mountain of energy surged up from within his body.
'This energy...!'