The Youngest Son of the Nanyang Jin Family - Chapter 128
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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The Youngest Son of the Nakhyang Jin Family — Chapter 128
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While traveling from Anhui back to the Nakhyang Jin Family, there existed one who quietly observed her as she trained alone.
None other than Jin Cheon-u and Gu Gunbaek.
Observing another’s training was tantamount to taboo, yet who in this world possessed the audacity to voice such a complaint against these two?
Thus, she endeavored to pay them no mind and instead unleashed every martial technique she had mastered from the Namgung Family.
The intensely focused gleam in Jin Cheon-u’s eyes troubled her somewhat, while the snickering laughter of Gu Gunbaek, who seemed to find amusement in observing her, grated upon her ears.
When some ten days had passed in this manner.
Gu Gunbaek had vanished, apparently having lost interest, yet Jin Cheon-u remained seated in concentration before finally opening his mouth with an expression of dissatisfaction.
“Does the Namgung martial art focus primarily on the heavy sword?”
“Yes, well… that is what I have been told.”
“Told? By whom?”
“…By my older brother.”
As she spoke after a brief pause, a soft snort of derision reached her ears.
Turning her head slightly to regard Jin Cheon-u, a faint smile played at the corners of his mouth, exactly as she had anticipated.
Her face flushed crimson in response.
She understood the meaning behind that smile all too well.
Yet Namgung Yeon accepted it calmly and instead posed a question in return.
“What troubles you?”
“It is strange that you would wield a heavy sword with your level of strength.”
“…”
“A heavy sword demands power. Most men exploit its subtleties well. But you do not. Your strength is insufficient, causing the blade to tremble. As a result, the weapon fails to deliver its full potential, and your stamina depletes rapidly, making your movements sluggish.”
Namgung Yeon nodded thoughtfully as she absorbed Jin Cheon-u’s words.
They were devastatingly accurate.
Throughout her training, these were precisely the difficulties she had encountered. Yet because she believed the subtleties of the heavy sword lay at the heart of Namgung martial arts, she had dismissed other possibilities.
Moreover, having no one beside her to offer guidance and accomplishing everything alone, she had never recognized these as problems.
Namgung Yeon drew a sharp breath and tightened her grip on the sword.
“Then, what should I do?”
“I have heard from the elder that Namgung swordsmanship is not confined to any single form. Rather than fixating your mind on heavy swords or light swords, why not attempt what feels most natural to you?”
At Jin Cheon-u’s suggestion, Namgung Yeon contemplated.
What feels natural?
Repeating his words in her mind, Namgung Yeon swung her blade toward the empty air.
Swish—crack!
First, she attempted the light sword.
Yet it did not feel natural in her hands.
Sensing something foreign and convoluted about the form, she shook her head and shifted her body to attempt something different.
Swish-swish-swish-crack!
The subtleties of the sword shifted countless times.
Yet none of them felt right in her hands.
Or rather, to be precise, since she had never truly learned them, everything felt awkward—nothing more than crude imitation.
“Remember. Recall the most ideal form of a swordsman you once envisioned.”
At that moment, a voice reached Namgung Yeon’s ears.
With her eyes gently closed, she recalled a single person.
Jin Cheon-u.
The way he wielded his blade came closest to the ideal form she had always yearned to pursue.
Slowly, she poured that vision into her sword.
The technique that unfolded was the Cheonggung Muwae Sword—the flower of the Namgung Family.
Moving with deliberate slowness at first, she began to unfold it, gradually gaining familiarity with the motions and accelerating her pace.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—crack!
As the Cheonggung Muwae technique suddenly blossomed before his eyes, Jin Cheon-u focused intently once more, watching with rapt attention.
And when Namgung Yeon’s sword dance reached its crescendo, a faint smile played at the corners of Jin Cheon-u’s lips.
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Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—crack!
“Gasp?!”
“What is this?!”
Baek Cheon and Oh Hyeon could not hide their shock.
The flow of the blade piercing toward them was utterly incomprehensible.
Moreover, simply being within her range felt like being carved by dozens of blades—such was the sharpness they sensed.
The two men stumbled backward with strained gasps.
Still sensing lingering danger, they stiffened their expressions as they watched Namgung Yeon, their bodies taut with tension.
Yet the blade did not come again.
Instead, her ragged breathing reached their ears.
“Haa, haa… shall we stop here?”
Though her words clearly intended to end the match, the expressions on both their faces were unmistakably different from what Namgung Yeon expected.
Their eyes burned with undisguised fervor.
Baek Cheon’s eyes gleamed, and Oh Hyeon grinned widely. Though they could not identify the exact technique that had just descended upon them, they recognized it as a rising martial art that rivaled even those of Hwasan and Jongnam.
As a result, they were considerably stimulated.
With this development, the situation was unlikely to unfold as Namgung Yeon intended.
“Young Master So, shouldn’t we stop this?”
“Let’s observe a moment longer.”
Jongnam, Hwasan, and the Namgung Family.
They may not know Namgung Yeon’s origins, but where else would one ever witness such a confrontation?
I licked my lips as I watched Oh Hyeon move forward.
A fierce competitive spirit toward Namgung Yeon burned deep in his eyes.
The same was true of Baek Cheon of Hwasan beside him.
The momentum of the three began to swell gradually.
Even the countless observers watching couldn’t help but tense, as the aura they radiated seemed to stiffen their entire bodies.
Baek Cheon moved first.
The blade painting plum blossoms came flying in once more, terrifyingly swift.
It wasn’t some half-hearted technique meant merely to test the opponent’s capabilities. There was intent behind it—a determination to settle once and for all who held the advantage.
Clang!
Namgung Yeon extended her hand and blocked it.
But it wasn’t a simple block.
At the precise moment, she used both the blade’s edge and flat to parry and redirect, displaying the remarkable technique of scattering the opponent’s force as much as possible.
Then, with a sharp tearing sound, Baek Cheon’s collar was sliced away.
He had barely evaded Namgung Yeon’s blade.
Seeing this, Oh Hyeon of Jongnam’s eyes widened in astonishment, then a sly smile crossed his face as he rushed forward.
Was his target Namgung Yeon?
No.
He aimed first at Baek Cheon, who had lost his balance, clearly intending to eliminate him from this match.
“Damn bastard!”
“Haha! Just stay down!”
Oh Hyeon, as if declaring he would take on the entire confrontation with Namgung Yeon himself, thrust his blade fiercely toward Baek Cheon.
There was no hesitation whatsoever—the power contained in his sword showed no mercy.
If struck, Baek Cheon wouldn’t be able to stand for some time.
Feeling this, Baek Cheon gritted his teeth.
Yet before Oh Hyeon’s blade could reach him, Namgung Yeon’s sword came flying at a speed like lightning.
Screech!
In that instant, Oh Hyeon’s eyes widened in shock.
Namgung Yeon’s inner strength was negligible compared to Oh Hyeon’s. If they clashed head-on, her blade would shatter and she herself would not escape unscathed.
But Namgung Yeon’s choice was different.
Rather than meeting it directly, she aligned blade to blade and changed the direction. Without even time for a contest of strength, she altered the trajectory in an instant and withdrew, leaving Oh Hyeon’s blade to slash through empty air as it lost its target.
“Haa… haa…”
Then came Namgung Yeon’s ragged breathing.
Since she was displaying capabilities beyond her own level, both body and spirit would inevitably tire rapidly.
Ha—
I found myself letting out an incredulous laugh.
I had known she possessed remarkable talent, but I never imagined she could achieve such dramatic growth in such a short span of time.
I felt like applauding.
“Lady Namgung’s skill exceeds my expectations, it seems.”
Yang Jachun’s eyes reflected his astonishment as well.
Against the foremost disciples of two of the pillars of the Rival Sects, he hadn’t expected her to endure this well.
Namgung Baek, watching from the sidelines, felt the same.
He trembled slightly.
He had seen his younger sister training countless times, but he could never have known the true extent of her actual capabilities.
Yet Namgung Baek was undoubtedly certain now.
That his choice had not been wrong.
Merely watching him tremble with his fists clenched tight made it abundantly clear he was thrilled by the spectacle his younger brother had displayed.
He had shown something truly remarkable.
I too turned my head again, my expression visibly startled.
Three figures—two men and a woman—stood in a triangular formation, facing one another.
The fact that Oh Hyeon did not rush forward carelessly suggested he had recognized Namgung Yeon’s considerable skill, and he seemed to be exercising some restraint.
Then, both their gazes shifted toward Namgung Yeon.
When she first drew her sword, I had thought she would be driven back after exchanging only a few moves, but she defied expectations, demonstrating equal or superior prowess against them both.
Naturally, one could not help but be intrigued.
It was Baek Cheon who offered the first courtesy.
“I am Baek Cheon, First Disciple of Hwasan. And you, my lady?”
“Haha! Now that I think about it, we’ve been crossing blades without even introducing ourselves. I’m Oh Hyeon, First Disciple of Jongnam!”
At the sound of his voice, Namgung Yeon drew a sharp breath.
Jongnam and Hwasan.
Merely their names were enough to inspire pride.
Thus, the expressions and voices of those who spoke them were brimming with confidence and self-assurance.
Because of this, Namgung Yeon offered a bitter smile.
But she quickly composed herself and spoke in a clear voice.
“I am Namgung Yeon, currently indebted to the Nakhyang Jin Family.”
“Namgung?!”
“Did you just say Namgung? Did I hear that correctly?”
Baek Cheon and Oh Hyeon exclaimed, the name tumbling from their lips in astonishment.
Their voices were so loud that everyone gathered nearby could hear them.
“The Cheonhajeilgeom School that once was?!”
“I heard they had fallen? Are you saying that’s not the case?”
“Ha! Didn’t you just see it? Blocking the swords of two masters? How could that be the swordplay of a fallen clan?”
Murmurs rippled through the crowd.
People whispered among themselves, their gazes fixed upon Namgung Yeon.
Though it was in the past, the Namgung Family had once been the object of admiration for every martial artist in the Central Plains.
Their righteousness, their justice, their unwavering adherence to the righteous path, and during the invasion of the Demon Sect, they had earned illustrious merit by standing at the frontlines and repelling them—a truly prominent family.
Naturally, one could not help but be astonished.
Moreover, Namgung Yeon was utterly different from the Namgung Baek whom people had looked down upon, for she now displayed divine technique, overwhelming the First Disciples of both Hwasan and Jongnam with the swordplay of the Namgung Family.
The very image people had yearned to see from the Namgung Family.
Even Baek Cheon and Oh Hyeon were so astonished they could not close their mouths, their swords forgotten as if they had ceased to exist.
“This is…”
I clicked my tongue lightly.
It seemed there would be nothing more worth watching after this.
With merely the utterance of “Namgung” and what she had displayed, the commotion seemed to have actually subsided.
I furrowed my brow and scratched my head.
There was no point in waiting any longer.
With that, I clapped my hands lightly to capture everyone’s attention.
Crack—!
The sound, infused with inner energy, resonated instantaneously throughout the space.
The murmuring crowd fell silent in shock at the sound, and every eye turned toward me as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Among them, what caught my attention most was the gleam in Baek Cheon and Oh Hyeon’s eyes.
They had grasped the profound mystery of ascension contained within a single clap.
Their expressions showed even greater astonishment than when they learned Namgung Yeon’s true identity.
I regarded those two intently.
“I am Jin Cheon-u of the Nakhyang Jin Family. Do you two have nothing to say to me?”
In the silence that followed, a wave of shock rippled through the crowd once more.
Witnessing the prowess of the Namgung Clan’s warrior and his martial skill was remarkable enough, but now the Young Master So of the Jin Family—the one most talked about in the Murim of late—stood before them.
Baek Cheon and Oh Hyeon stared at me with vacant expressions, their eyes asking: what in the world is happening here?
As I met their gazes, I glanced subtly toward the inn.
Only then did the two of them notice the destroyed inn.
Realizing what they had done, I could see their complexions rapidly draining of color.
“Shall we talk? Or should I visit Jongnam and Hwasan directly?”
I smiled coolly, applying pressure to the two of them.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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