At Baek Li-won's declaration, the assembly stirred.
It was far too arrogant a statement for a mere fifteen-year-old to utter.
Normally, it would have been dismissed as the meaningless babbling of a child not worth listening to…
'Indeed, the Third Young Master possesses remarkable talent.'
Baek Li-won had already proven his abilities—enough to make his words credible.
If he truly had the capability to make his claims reality… could it be worth believing him?
"If it's true that he can raise the family's strength…"
"It's also true that our support for the Third Young Master has been rather lacking until now."
"Let's take this opportunity to give him proper backing."
Some of the senior members judged this to be reasonable and voiced their agreement. But there were others who reacted with alarm at Baek Li-won's proposal.
"What nonsense!"
"How can we concentrate the clan's resources on the words of a fifteen-year-old?"
"It's not as if the Third Young Master has achieved any great merit yet!"
A fair number voiced opposition, but none more fiercely than those in the Matron's faction.
Baek Li-won smirked faintly. He could see their intentions as plainly as day.
'Just as expected.'
He had never thought that the clan elders would accept his proposal from the start.
If this were a rational household, such a debate wouldn't even have been necessary in the first place.
"But still, it's true the Third Young Master has great talent, so—"
"No, this isn't about talent! You can't just hand out such privileges to someone who's earned no merit."
"Ha! And the First and Second Young Masters—did they earn merit before being fed precious elixirs as if they were rice?"
"That's—"
"Don't twist words. We're talking about the Third Young Master here, not the other two!"
The clan's meeting hall descended into chaos.
With opinions split roughly three to seven, the elders flushed red and began shouting at one another.
Baek Li-won smirked and stepped forward.
"How about we do this instead?"
"What?"
His words silenced the room in an instant.
Feeling every gaze turn to him, Baek Li-won continued.
"I'll take on the clan's lingering troubles one by one. If I achieve merit that way, wouldn't I deserve such benefits?"
"Lingering troubles… You mean to say you'll take on missions?"
"Yes."
Baek Li-won nodded.
"The clan is facing no shortage of problems right now. I am of age, and I thought it's about time I lent a hand."
'Truthfully, I just want to investigate the Honcheon Demon, and for that, I need to understand the affairs of the clan and the world.'
The martial world now was quite different from when Shin Chang had been active.
For one thing, the unorthodox sects had grown significantly in strength.
Even though the Baek Li clan was considered a prestigious household, they faced considerable checks from all sides—especially with many strong unorthodox sects nearby.
'And thanks to the Demonic Sect's movements, we can't even respond properly.'
That was the reason the clan head had gone to the Martial Alliance.
After lying low in Xinjiang for many years, the Demonic Sect was now on the rise again.
Because of this, the orthodox factions couldn't easily clash with the unorthodox. The Baek Li clan was barely holding the line, just maintaining the status quo.
'Which means there's a mountain of unresolved problems.'
And he had just volunteered to solve them.
The elders' expressions shifted—clearly, they had not expected such a proposal.
"I didn't realize the Third Young Master took such interest in the clan's affairs."
"So, which problem do you intend to tackle first?"
Surprisingly, it was members of the Matron's faction who answered first.
Perhaps they expected him to fail after taking on something too bold for his age. If he died in the process, all the better.
Baek Li-won smiled and replied.
"I hear the Cheongryong Martial School's situation has been rather poor lately."
The Cheongryong Martial School was an institution under the Baek Li clan's patronage, formally contracted to introduce its disciples to the clan.
But lately, its student count had dropped to less than half. Other martial schools nearby had banded together to bully the Cheongryong students.
If this continued, the future intake of disciples into the Baek Li clan could drop drastically.
And yet, the clan had done little—since it was "a matter among children," they couldn't exactly send warriors to intervene.
"Third Young Master, are you saying you can resolve that?"
"Even if I fail, there's no loss, is there?"
It was a problem they hadn't been able to touch anyway.
The elders fell silent.
Seeing no rebuttals, Baek Li-won grinned.
"Don't worry too much. I'll take care of it in no time."
All they had to do was prepare a suitable reward.
Baek Li-won gave a polite bow and left the room.
Silence lingered in the meeting hall.
That very day, news of what had happened at the clan meeting spread throughout the Baek Li household like wildfire.
Everyone was shocked, yet also intrigued—wondering where the Third Young Master's confidence came from to tackle the Cheongryong problem.
Of course, there were others with a different reaction.
"Hey, are you sure about this?"
The voice belonged to Baek Li-cheon, who had come straight to him.
Baek Li-won, polishing a spear taken from the armory, chuckled.
"What about it?"
"Taking on such a mission alone is dangerous! I'll ask Baek Un-daeju to send you some escorts—"
Thunk!
"Argh!"
Baek Li-cheon yelped, clutching his forehead where he'd been struck.
Baek Li-won clicked his tongue.
"If Baek Un-dae's men tag along on a mission I took alone, what will people think? Even if it succeeds, they'll say it was Baek Un-dae's doing and I just coasted along. I appreciate it, but I'll decline."
"You say you appreciate it, yet you hit me!"
"You called your respectable elder brother 'Hey,' so I hit you, you insolent brat."
Still, Baek Li-won's expression wasn't all that displeased.
After all, Baek Li-cheon was the only one in the clan who'd come to check on him out of genuine concern.
"Don't worry too much. I'll handle it."
"But…"
"Forget about me and focus on your training. You remember what I taught you? If I come back and you haven't mastered it, you'll regret it."
When Baek Li-won raised his fist, Baek Li-cheon flinched and nodded.
Satisfied, Baek Li-won dusted off his hands and said seriously:
"Then, I'll be off."
Leaving only those words behind, Baek Li-won rose to his feet.
With his destination set, it was time to move.
The Cheongryong Martial School was located in Hoeum County, not far from the Baek Li estate.
A two-day ride by horse.
Baek Li-won chose to travel alone, refusing even an escort.
For most noble heirs, this would have been unthinkable—but he had his reasons.
'Well… in case an assassin shows up.'
Wouldn't that make an escort more necessary?
No.
Baek Li-won preferred to be alone so he could unleash his full strength without worrying about witnesses—killing if necessary.
'And I could interrogate them to find out exactly who sent them.'
Such things were hard to do with others watching.
But contrary to his expectations, no assassins appeared.
'I suppose that's fortunate.'
It didn't mean his descendants' household had any more honor—but at least they hadn't sunk to hiring assassins against their own kin.
Leisurely, he stopped at an inn, stabled his horse, and enjoyed a bath.
Once refreshed, he headed for the Cheongryong Martial School.
But…
"Ryu So-hyeon, are you really going to keep attending Cheongryong?"
On the road there, he came upon an incident.
There were about ten kids surrounding just three others, clearly threatening them.
The boy standing at the front of the three shouted angrily:
"Of course! Do you think we're traitors like you?"
"What? Traitors?"
The air turned tense in an instant.
From just that snippet, Baek Li-won could grasp the situation.
'So, it's Cheongryong students versus those trying to drive them out.'
To run into this right away—lucky.
Baek Li-won clapped his hands sharply to draw attention.
Clap, clap.
"All right, eyes on me."
"Huh?"
A sudden intrusion made all thirteen pairs of eyes turn toward him.
The leader of the surrounding kids scowled.
"And who the hell are you?"
"Who the hell? That's a fine way to greet someone you've never met."
Clicking his tongue, Baek Li-won stepped forward.
"I am Baek Li-won of the Baek Li clan. Seems like there's some trouble involving Cheongryong—"
He grinned.
"Mind telling me what's going on?"
"B-Baek Li clan?"
A few of the surrounding kids paled with fear—naturally so, since the Baek Li clan was the most influential orthodox faction in the region.
But the leader was different.
"So what if you're from Baek Li? What's it to you? This has nothing to do with you, so buzz off!"
"Oh-ho."
He showed no fear of the Baek Li name.
Was he simply too young to know better?
Did he think Baek Li-won was lying?
Or…
'Does he have backing?'
Backing strong enough not to fear the Baek Li clan.
It didn't matter either way.
Baek Li-won smirked and strode toward the leader.
And then—
Smack!
"—!"
The boy's head snapped to the side from the force of the slap.
"Ch-Cheol-sam hyung!"
"What the hell!"
The others stared in shock.
Cheol-sam himself gaped for a moment as if unable to comprehend what had just happened—then:
"You bastard!"
Furious, he swung a punch.
But it was even worse than the ones Baek Li-cheon had thrown recently.
Baek Li-won simply tilted his head aside and slapped him again.
Smack!
Cheol-sam tumbled to the ground.
"You…!"
A boy from his group cried out in rage, but Baek Li-won ignored him, scanning the others—half panicked, half angry.
He beckoned them with one finger.
"Well? What are you waiting for?"
A slow, dangerous grin spread across his face.
"Come at me—all of you."
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