Chapter 69
“Family Head! Young Master Jin! What should we do about this?!”
“What is it?”
“What is it, Chief Steward!”
“The… the profits… are unmanageable!”
“Ah…!”
“Ah…!”
What could they say?
Moyong Baek, for his part, and So-ah, for his part, had to struggle to calm their pounding hearts.
“Young Lady Yuk’s business acumen is amazing. When she lowered the threshold by reducing the price of alcohol, the dying commercial district revived and sales increased greatly. In addition, Young Master Jin’s strategy of splitting the shares into several establishments and investing them in a decentralized manner was also appropriate, so if this continues, our family will be able to secure a leisurely financial position like the other Five Great Families!”
“Hah… hoho… hohoho…”
Moyong Baek tried to restrain himself as much as possible.
His scholarly temperament was one thing, but as the respected head of a long-standing martial arts family, he did not want to show a materialistic side.
But,
“Hahahat!”
He couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
It wasn’t just because of the money.
Since he had lived a frugal life, even if he had a windfall, his life would not change much immediately.
But Moyong Baek was just pleased with the daily changes in the Moyong Family.
And at the center of it was So-ah.
‘Father. Thank you for sending So-ah.’
Whether he knew his uncle’s heart or not, So-ah shook his head slightly and opened his mouth.
“It’s still too early to be satisfied, Uncle. Chief Steward. We’ve only just begun. Haven’t the other Five Great Families been accumulating wealth by controlling the commercial districts of each region for generations?”
“So-ah…”
“Young Master Jin.”
“But what… it’s a remarkable achievement. Little by little. And slowly, we’ll catch up. Both in finances. And in martial arts.”
For a moment, Moyong Baek and the chief steward were stirred as if they had remembered something they had forgotten.
That’s right!
The Moyong Family was a martial arts family.
Although their status was not what it used to be after the death of the God of War, Moyong Cheon, no matter what anyone said, the Moyong Family was one of the Five Great Families of the Jianghu martial world, and the true master of Liaoning.
“So-ah! You’re right. Although I was incompetent and lived comfortably under my father’s shadow, from now on, I want to make this family stand tall as the best in the Jianghu.”
“Uncle…”
“Can you help me?”
“Of course. I will definitely make the Moyong Family reign over the world.”
A resolute will was felt in So-ah’s face.
Although he was full of mischief, So-ah always became serious when it came to family matters.
“Yes. You can do it. But what I’m worried about is the lack of personnel in our family. Namgung, Zhuge, Tang, Ximen, Peng, and Yan are all so large that they cannot be compared to us. But since our family’s personnel are so few, I wonder if the day will come when we can surpass them.”
“Of course, we can’t inflate our numbers like them. Instead…”
“Instead?”
“We’ll compete with quality over quantity, Uncle.”
“Quality…”
“The martial arts of my junior sister and junior brother are improving by leaps and bounds. I’m responsible for making them first-rate within a year, peak masters within two years, and bringing them to the level of peerless masters within three years.”
“Hah… is that possible?”
“Uncle.”
“Yes?”
“It’s me, So-ah.”
“Th-That’s right. I know you’re amazing, So-ah. But still…”
“If you can’t do it, make it so you can! Have you heard of such a saying?”
“Huh? Was there such a saying…”
“If my junior sister and junior brother get lazy or hit a limit, I’ll grab them by the scruff of the neck and pull them up by force. So don’t worry.”
“Aha…”
Moyong Baek was in a state where he could neither cry nor laugh.
It was a welcome thing for Moyong Hwa and Moyong Su to become stronger, but seeing So-ah’s determination, it was clear that he would torment his only daughter to death.
‘Hwa-ah… I’m sorry. Even this father can’t stop your senior brother.’
Only then did Moyong Baek seem to understand why Moyong Hwa sometimes trembled at the mere sight of her senior brother’s face.
***
“One.”
“A strong!”
“Two.”
“Body!”
“Three.”
“A strong!”
“Four.”
“Mind comes out!”
“Last.”
“Infinite stamina, body remodeling is the only way to live!”
“Yes. Well done, you guys.”
“Phew…”
“Gasp… gasp…”
Humans are animals of adaptation.
They grow even in adverse conditions and bloom their lives even in a barren environment.
Therefore, isn’t it that humans are the lords of all creation, venerable just by existing?
But,
‘Ugh…’
‘My body feels like it’s going to break.’
The so-called ‘return of the hell instructor’!
There was no adaptation in So-ah’s training process.
But through that terrible training, Moyong Hwa and Moyong Su had grown to the point where the word ‘leaps and bounds’ was not enough.
‘Now, they won’t be inferior even when compared to the rising stars of the Five Great Families or the Nine Great Sects.’
So-ah was so proud of his junior sister and junior brother that he wanted to praise them, but he suppressed it.
‘They’re not ripe yet.’
Now is the time to push them.
When they try to sit down, he has to kick them in the butt, and when they try to lie down, he has to grab them by the scruff of the neck and pull them up.
Harshly, disgustingly, to the point where their teeth chatter.
Only by bleeding, getting sore, and grinding their teeth could they realize the martial principles of the Ten-Second Invincible Arts.
But even So-ah could not hide the corners of his mouth that were rising.
“Are you laughing?”
Moyong Hwa, who was taking a break after finishing her training, glared at So-ah and spat out.
“What?”
So-ah asked back, dumbfounded.
In the moment when a subtle war of nerves was chilling the atmosphere,
“Hey! Senior Brother! Junior Sister! Why are you being like this again? Hahat…”
Moyong Su, with an embarrassed face, stopped the two.
“Ah, I don’t know. Anyway, I don’t like Senior Brother. Training is good, and physical training is all good. But these days, it feels like you’re just trying to kill us. The training intensity is much more severe than before.”
Although it was blunt, Moyong Hwa’s words were true.
Recently, So-ah had been pushing the two even more crazily.
“Ah~ so our heavenly junior sister is so angry about that? Huh?”
So-ah, with his expression relaxed, approached Moyong Hwa and gently patted her head.
“Don’t you move your hand?”
“Hey! Stop nagging, you immature brat.”
“What?”
“Don’t you know why I’m pushing you like this?”
“You’ll probably say something plausible again. Hmph!”
“Aren’t you guys going back?”
For a moment, Moyong Hwa and Moyong Su’s eyes widened.
“Huh?”
“Yes?”
At that, So-ah clicked his tongue and said.
“Tsk tsk. You mindless brats. You’re going back in seven weeks, you brats!”
“Ah…”
“Aha!”
Only then did the two remember what they had forgotten and exclaimed.
“Do you know what your grades were in the academy’s instructor evaluation? Even in the Human Division, which is said to be the most behind, you guys weren’t in the top five.”
“That’s because the internal energy of the Human Division students is so brilliant!”
“Senior Brother… that’s a bit…”
The two could not accept So-ah’s criticism.
Of course, it was true that the Human Division was the most behind among the academy’s divisions, which were divided into Heaven, Earth, and Human.
At least, until So-ah was appointed as the instructor in charge.
But after So-ah took charge, the Human Division changed rapidly.
As for the transfer students, hadn’t Myo-seon, who was said to be the strongest rising star of the Emei Sect, and the young lady of the Sichuan Tang Clan, Tang Hwa-rin, been recruited? And even Tang Il-gi, who was considered outstanding even in the Heaven Division.
In addition, even Namgung Mun, who was called the best prodigy in the Orthodox Path, not just the Namgung Family, within a hundred years, had become a student of the Human Division.
Although it was called the Human Division, in fact, if you picked the top four or five students and held a duel, the Human Division would be the strongest organization in the academy.
Therefore, Moyong Hwa and Moyong Su could not help but feel that So-ah’s words were an exaggeration.
But,
“Oh my. You brats! Are you saying that now?”
“What?”
“Yes…?”
“Have you forgotten what kind of person your grandfather was?”
“Ah…”
“Senior Brother…”
At So-ah’s words, Moyong Hwa and Moyong Su naturally became solemn.
Moyong Cheon.
How could they not be in front of that name?
“Grandfather fought nearly 400 duels in his lifetime, and after creating the Ten-Second Invincible Arts, he was never defeated even once.”
“…”
“The Five Great Families? The Nine Great Sects? Bullshit, he completely chewed up the Orthodox Path and even made the supreme masters of the Unorthodox Path kneel.”
“…”
“Being the granddaughter of such a person. Being the grandnephew of such a person. How can you so shamelessly utter such weak words?”
“…”
“And was your grandfather a disciple of a successful Nine Great Sects, so he ate spiritual medicines like rice and received Bone and Marrow Cleansing whenever he was bored and learned secret arts? No. Grandfather wandered the world and fought with his two fists, and after more than 10 years, he created his own martial arts.”
“…”
“If you’re a descendant of such a person, you have to do it. The White Martial Academy? Forget it, you brats. By now, you should have crushed the first-rate disciples of the Nine Sects, and it still wouldn’t be enough.”
“Senior Brother…”
“Senior Brother…”
The two could not refute So-ah’s words.
Because everything he said was right.
There was an expectation.
The God of War, Moyong Cheon.
If you were a descendant of him who had reigned as the number one in the world, the minimum martial prowess you should show.
Did the descendants of the Moyong family achieve that?
No.
Rather, they were soaked in complacent safetyism and just put on airs as descendants of a prestigious martial arts family, and could not even follow in Moyong Cheon’s shadow.
Moyong Hwa and Moyong Su felt ashamed.
‘I…’
‘Still have a long way to go!’
In that moment.
“But you don’t have to be so down.”
“So-ah Senior Brother…”
“Senior Brother…”
“Not realizing your mistake is a hopeless idiot, and dwelling on that mistake is a foolish act. The important thing is how you wash away your mistake.”
“…”
“If I were you guys, I would rather ask me to train you more, beg me, and if not, at least buy me a drink, you brats.”
While saying that, So-ah put his hands on the shoulders of the two and continued to speak.
“Now, when you go back to the academy, you’ll perform the final student mission and after the individual evaluation, your future will be decided. Will you become an official of the alliance? Or will you be held back and be a student again?”
“Senior Brother…”
“But I’m not satisfied with that.”
“…”
“You guys have to receive the attention of the entire Orthodox Path and receive the best treatment. It’s not just about passing or failing, you have to show overwhelming results. You know what I mean, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Yes! Senior Brother.”
So-ah’s words were an encouragement to the two.
Moyong Hwa and Moyong Su, whose downcast appearances had disappeared and were now looking at So-ah with eyes full of enthusiasm.
‘That’s right, they’re my brats. Keke.’
So-ah patted the hands he had placed on the shoulders of the two and smiled slightly.
“Huhu. Think about how much stronger Brother Il-gi or Namgung Mun have become by now. They received the secret divine art of my infinite stamina and body remodeling, and they must have been practicing their family’s martial arts to death, so even the peerless realm would not be a dream. No. Namgung Mun might be at the peerless realm even now.”
‘Infinite stamina, body remodeling is…’
‘A secret divine art is a bit…’
Although the two were dumbfounded, they didn’t want to nitpick because of the atmosphere, so they just listened.
“And what about Myo-seon? It’s undeniable that she’s the best among the female rising stars, and most men probably can’t even draw their swords in front of Myo-seon.”
“…”
“Hwa-rin is no joke either. Her hidden weapons have been amazing from the beginning. And what about Han Baek? Even if he’s a bit rebellious towards me, his will is the best, right? The division leader, Byeong-il, must have also made great progress.”
“Senior Brother…”
“Senior Brother…”
“Aren’t you scared? Aren’t you anxious that you’re the only ones who are at a standstill? Aren’t you nervous?”
Although it was a teasing tone, Moyong Hwa and Moyong Su couldn’t answer because they felt like their minds had been read.
“Don’t worry. You guys have gotten stronger too.”
“Senior Brother…”
“The remaining seven weeks. Let’s burn it up. I guarantee you, the entire Orthodox Path will be surprised at your growth.”
Just then.
“Do it!”
Moyong Hwa suddenly shouted.
“What?”
“Training! Let’s do it again.”
“It’s over for today.”
“Where is the end! I don’t know about that, so hurry up and do it!”
“Oh? Look at that will. Are you crazy?”
“Shut… no, be quiet and let’s train quickly, Senior Brother.”
“Do you agree, Su-ya?”
“Of course, Senior Brother! I don’t care if I die training today! More! More, torment me!”
Only after seeing the spirit of the two soar with the momentum of the rising sun did So-ah nod his head.
“Alright. In that case, this instructor will let you experience a new hell.”
(End of Chapter)