The Youngest Son of the Nanyang Jin Family - Chapter 148

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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 148

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From inside the carriage, I observed the faces of those gathered around us.
A considerable number stood motionless, their eyes fixed upon the two women. The largest contingent, naturally, consisted of warriors from the Gi Ryeon Hyeon Family.
Next came the Wanderers, with the remaining forces divided between the Bright Peak Sect and the Snow Mountain Sect.
While the disciples from both sects maintained a cautious distance, showing little inclination to actively participate, the Wanderers and the Gi Ryeon Hyeon Family’s warriors bore expressions far more sinister.
The Wanderers were likely motivated by coin, but what of the Gi Ryeon Hyeon Family—were they driven by those Namgung Yeon had slain?
Regardless, the situation was unfolding in an intriguing manner.
Then.
A man from the Gi Ryeon Hyeon Family stepped forward.
Was he their commander?
His presence certainly commanded attention.
“Listen well, young lady. Surrender your weapons peacefully and yield. Do you truly believe you can make an enemy of the Gi Ryeon Hyeon Family and escape Gansu?”
“I’m afraid I don’t understand what you’re saying. Rather, why should we be treated this way?”
“Did you not slay the Four Swords of Gi Ryeon?”
“They drew their blades first. This is merely the natural consequence.”
A low growl escaped the man’s throat.
At Namgung Yeon’s composed response, the man’s brow twisted in displeasure.
Simultaneously, I noticed the disciples of the Snow Mountain Sect and Bright Peak Sect standing behind him exchange glances and furrow their brows toward the Gi Ryeon Hyeon Family.
Now they were beginning to understand the situation.
Surely, when requesting their cooperation, they had been presented with a favorable narrative.
Yet they voiced no complaint.
After all, they had never believed the Gi Ryeon Hyeon Family had acted righteously from the start.
They were simply reluctant to offend a power they could not afford to antagonize, so they lent their aid despite their reservations.
“What are you waiting for? Since words will not suffice, seize them before Young Master So arrives.”
Seeing that negotiation would prove fruitless, the man turned to those beside him and issued his command.
Were they hesitant to act because they feared losing their strength?
Those capable of subduing the Four Swords of Gi Ryeon would likely exact a considerable toll, and they clearly wished to avoid such a confrontation if possible.
Yet the Snow Mountain Sect, though adopting a combat stance, did not advance readily, and the Bright Peak Sect remained hesitant, merely tightening the encirclement without committing fully.
Having witnessed Namgung Yeon’s prowess during the carriage assault, they harbored grave doubts about their ability to emerge unscathed.
But the Wanderers were different.
“Hahahaha! Gold!”
“This prize is mine!”
Some twenty Wanderers cried out and rushed toward Namgung Yeon. Capturing merely two women was a simple task, and the bounty attached to it was staggering.
Who would not wish to step forward?
In that instant, Namgung Yeon’s eyes narrowed.
One against many.
Inexperience is not the issue—it is always dangerous nonetheless.
With her breathing steadied, her sword swept toward the approaching bandits.
Shhwaaaack—!
A single blade cleaves through a chest.
The sword, infused with formidable inner energy, tore through the bandit’s chest like rending flesh. It was less a cutting motion than a ripping one, but the overwhelming force behind it made it impossible to defend against.
Clang—!
Her next swing collided with another bandit’s blade.
In that instant, tremendous force erupted, sending the opponent’s body flying.
At first glance, it appeared his inner energy was formidable enough to propel him through the air.
Of course, to my eyes, it was merely a failure of control.
Clang-clang-clang—!
Yet she was not entirely unsuccessful.
In another strike, satisfactory sword energy was evident.
Namgung Yeon continued swinging her blade despite her anxiety over the erratic fluctuations in her inner energy.
If she fell, Chaeseoha stood behind her.
A woman capable of nothing but healing—she would be captured in an instant. Was that not as obvious as fire?
That was precisely why Namgung Yeon fought with such desperation.
But the enemy was no fool.
They seemed to have grasped something from the irregular inner energy manipulation they kept witnessing.
“That woman! She can’t control her inner energy! Drive her into a battle of pure force!”
“Understood!”
Yes, that was it.
Anyone could see her inner energy flowing either excessively or insufficiently.
Once they recognized the lack of control, forcing a contest of raw power would decide the outcome as surely as fire burns. No matter how formidable the energy, if it could not be drawn forth precisely when and how desired, it meant nothing.
No matter how formidable the power, if one cannot summon exactly what one needs in the moment, it is worthless.
The bandits rushed forward in an instant, closing the distance.
Some gritted their teeth and clashed blades; others sought the openings; and still others, seizing the moment her attention was diverted, lunged toward Chaeseoha.
“Physician!”
Namgung Yeon, alarmed, exerted herself desperately to rush toward Chaeseoha, but the blades pouring down from all sides ensnared her ankles.
I watched the approaching figures, my brow twitching slightly.
Then I quietly grasped the sword lying nearby.
Yet something extraordinary occurred.
The very moment the distance between Chaeseoha and the bandits narrowed.
She scattered something from her hand into the air.
Shhwack—!
In an instant, powder dispersed and spread throughout the vicinity.
Simultaneously.
“Aaaaagh?! My eyes!”
“Aaaaah! What is this?!”
The bandits who had charged forward shrieked and writhed in agony. Tears streamed down their faces, mucus dripped from their noses, and saliva flowed uncontrollably from their mouths.
The powder that rode the wind didn’t stop there—as it enveloped the bandits, people throughout the area began writhing in agony from the same symptoms.
“This is one of our family’s poisons, called the Flame Spirit Toxin. Ah—the chili pepper smell is quite strong, isn’t it? Don’t worry, it won’t kill you. After a while, you’ll gradually feel better. However, if you’re exposed to it several more times… you’ll lose all sensation. Forever.”
At her casual words, I let out a hollow laugh. I didn’t know what the Flame Spirit Toxin was, but it was undoubtedly one of her defensive measures.
Moreover, if she was right and the poisoning happened several more times, my eyes and ears would go blind and my tongue would become paralyzed, leaving me unable to feel anything.
Since it came from Chaeseoha’s mouth, it was certain to be true.
Come to think of it, it wasn’t strange at all.
That a woman possessing medical skills rivaling Uiseon would have no means to protect herself.
There was definitely something else besides this.
Something that could definitively kill an opponent, unlike what we just witnessed.
Since she said she obtained various things from the Imperial Palace, I suspected she had combined them to create it.
“Ugh—!”
Thanks to that, Namgung Yeon found things slightly easier.
As those poisoned writhed and suffered, a brief opening appeared. Namgung Yeon seized it without hesitation, swiftly swinging his sword.
Clang clang clang clang—!
The blade was sharp.
With each swing, there seemed to be some new understanding, and the edge of his sword grew progressively sharper. Even the inner energy infused in the blade was different from before—he was steadily making it his own.
“…What are you doing?! Seize him already!”
Finally, unable to bear the situation, a man from the Gi Ryeon Hyeon Family shouted.
He was pointing out that despite the bandits writhing on the ground, the two sects weren’t stepping forward.
“Tch…! Let’s go!”
In the end, it was the Snow Mountain Sect that moved first.
Though only six in number, their momentum was distinctly different compared to the bandits.
They closed the distance to Namgung Yeon and swung their swords.
Clang clang clang clang—!
The successive strikes showed a clear difference from the bandits. Feeling the heavy force behind them, Namgung Yeon’s brow furrowed as the impact struck his wrists.
“Hmm?”
But there was a light in his eyes that said he could handle it.
Surrounded by six Snow Mountain Sect disciples, his confidence that he wouldn’t lose was evident.
He had assessed both his opponent and his own capabilities.
I watched the situation unfold and laughed in disbelief.
Namgung Yeon was growing continuously.
Clang clang clang clang—!
Swish—!
With each swing, his inner energy became increasingly refined, and he moved as if predicting his opponent’s sword strikes before they came, subtly parrying them.
His form, incomparable to just moments before, clearly demonstrated that he was growing through this very battle.
Truly, a filthy and despicable overwhelming talent.
Some people had to cross the line of death countless times to gain what he was obtaining in a situation like this.
I was beginning to understand just how extraordinary the talent bestowed by the Divine truly was.
That was the moment.
In the midst of the fierce battle, a sudden presence was felt. Soon after, it came hurtling toward Namgung Yeon’s head, carrying a fierce and overwhelming momentum.
Even the Mount Seol Sect disciples clinging nearby were left aghast.
But then.
Kaaaaang—!
Namgung Yeon twisted his body in an instant and drew his sword.
The blade struck down whatever was flying toward us with certainty, and the unknown projectile shot toward the carriage.
Whoooosh—!
A stone hurtled through the air with a tremendous sound, piercing through the carriage wall and embedding itself inside.
I glanced at the object that had grazed my face as it flew past, then let out an absurd laugh and turned my gaze away.
“Oh? You blocked that one rather well.”
Soon a voice rang out, and figures began to reveal themselves.
As they appeared one by one, they displayed an aura incomparably more formidable than anything we’d faced thus far, standing with imposing stillness.
There were roughly ten of them.
At first glance, they appeared to be the elite forces of the Gi Ryeon Hyeon Family.
At that moment, the man who had appeared cupped his fist toward the Two Sects and bowed respectfully.
“We are grateful for you catching his feet. Our Hyeon Family shall not forget the trust the Two Sects have placed in us.”
“Ahem! Well… had we had just a bit more time, we would have captured him ourselves. Rather, we apologize for failing to subdue him before the Young Master arrived.”
“Ha ha, no matter. We didn’t have great expectations to begin with.”
The man looked back and forth between the fallen wanderers and the Two Sects, then let out a contemptuous sneer. His eyes gleamed with disdain, as if he’d known from the start how this would unfold.
Then he fixed an intense gaze upon Namgung Yeon.
As if to say they were different.
“Did I not tell you? This wouldn’t end like this. Have you felt keenly the price of touching the Gi Ryeon Hyeon Family in Gansu?”
“You…! You’ve caused all this trouble over something so trivial?”
“Trivial? Touching the Hyeon Family is never trivial. And because of you, Father has become quite furious. You should abandon any hope of this ending pleasantly.”
I could hear the exchange between the man brimming with pride in the Gi Ryeon Hyeon Family and Namgung Yeon.
From that alone, I could discern that this man was indeed Hyeon Illyang, the Young Master of the Gi Ryeon Hyeon Family whom Namgung Yeon had mentioned.
Indeed, as one would expect from a place of power, his arrogance was considerable.
I found myself smiling despite myself, and the moment I tried to stand.
Namgung Yeon’s voice rang out once more.
“…You’re the one who touched the wrong opponent.”
“Ha ha, such words should be spoken somewhere other than Gansu. This is Gansu, I am the Young Master of the Gi Ryeon Hyeon Family, and the ground beneath your feet is the Hyeon Family’s domain—something even the Allied Faction cannot touch.”
In those words spoken once more, pride overflowed to an excessive degree.
He seemed to believe that within this place, the Gi Ryeon Hyeon Family’s power and authority surpassed even the Emperor’s, and he was certain that no one could touch them.
Namgung Yeon furrowed his brow and leveled his sword.
It was a gesture saying: stop the pointless talk and come.
Was it because of that?
Hyeon Illyang, exasperated, glanced at those beside him and gave a signal, whereupon those presumed to be Imperial Guards began stepping forward one by one.
I watched Namgung Yeon’s tense expression and the relaxed demeanor of the Gi Ryeon Hyeon Family’s figures, then finally opened the carriage door and stepped outside.
Since the Young Master had stepped forward, I had no choice but to do the same.
Moreover, Namgung Yeon had already gained considerably.
With such thoughts, I stepped forward, and at my sudden appearance, all eyes turned toward me.
Despite such a fierce battle unfolding, not a single presence had been detected from within the carriage, so no one had even considered that someone might be riding inside.
Whoosh—
I stretched languidly, loosening my body.
Then I slowly moved past Chaeseoha toward where Namgung Yeon stood.
“…Young Master….”
“Do not interfere.”
The moment Namgung Yeon’s startled voice rang out, everyone present realized that I was positioned above her.
I naturally came to a stop before her, looking down from my elevated position.
At the same time, Hyeon Illyang looked up at me, who had appeared so suddenly.
“I am Jin Cheon-u of the Nakhyang Jin Family. Is the Young Master So of Gi Ryeon Hyeon-ga currently… waging war against the Jin Family?”
“…!”
At my single statement, everyone present could not help but gasp in astonishment.

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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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