The Youngest Son of the Nanyang Jin Family - Chapter 158

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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 Jin Family of Luoyang – Chapter 219

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The merchant caravan was progressing far more smoothly than I had anticipated.
Contrary to my expectations of interference, nothing had occurred thus far, and thanks to this, the guards and merchants moved northward past Taiyuan, the capital where Sa Do-cheon resided, with their minds at ease.
Our pace was faster than I had expected.
Given the massive scale of this caravan, I had judged it would be slower than our previous journey through Gansu, yet most of the people involved were seasoned professionals, and not a single careless mistake had been made.
Moreover, Namgung Baek was proving invaluable in this situation.
“The path lies that way.”
Having done countless things over the years, he navigated the roads with practiced ease.
While he excelled at reading maps, he chose routes that were fastest, safest, and most suitable for large merchant caravans to traverse.
There was good reason Yang Jachun gave him a thumbs up.
“If we continue just a bit further this way, we should see Mount Otae and Mount Hang. From there, if we take the main road, we can smoothly escape Shanxi.”
At Namgung Baek’s words, I nodded and surveyed my surroundings.
Not only the guards listening to the conversation, but also the merchants nearby.
Seeing everyone nod in agreement with Namgung Baek’s words and smile brightly made it clear that at some point, he had become indispensable to this caravan.
As we traveled along the path for some time, something strange came into view.
Was it from the torrential rain last time?
The road was completely destroyed.
Boulders and fallen trees blocked the path, and even if we cleared them and pressed on, the damage appeared severe enough that we couldn’t proceed far.
It seemed impossible for such a large procession to pass through, no matter how one looked at it.
I raised my hand to halt the caravan, dismounted, examined the fallen debris, and turned my head.
The debris appeared to have fallen from the small hill nearby.
Looking at it, I furrowed my brow.
“Young Master, it seems we must turn back.”
“Are there other routes?”
“There are, but it would be difficult for so many people and carts to pass through.”
Namgung Baek shook his head and sighed.
This path we were taking was the safest route.
With many travelers passing through and few places suitable for ambushes, we could not find a better location for a large caravan to traverse.
But in this condition, we had no choice but to follow Namgung Baek’s suggestion and give up.
I nodded.
“We turn back. Should we take the mountain ridge of Mount Otae?”
“Yes, it is dangerous, but since we’ve come this far, it seems we cannot turn back.”
Namgung Baek spoke with a somewhat reluctant expression.
Then, glancing at the fallen debris to examine it, he also furrowed his brow as if something seemed suspicious to him.
“This might be….”
“Once you’ve finished thinking, we move. If we hesitate any longer, we’ll be sleeping in the mountains.”
“Ah… Yes!”
I cut off Namgung Baek as he tried to speak, mounting my horse once more. We veered slightly off the path, following a ridge that led toward Mount Otae.
The narrow trail proved challenging, but the seasoned horse handlers and bodyguards pushed through the treacherous terrain with practiced skill.
I observed their progress before turning my gaze elsewhere.
All around us lay nothing but trees, rocks, and dense undergrowth.
The sloped hillsides seemed impassable for ordinary feet, yet the thick vegetation made them an ideal vantage point for an ambush if one could reach the summit.
Namgung Baek, sensing this danger, darted his eyes nervously in all directions, and I addressed him directly.
“Don’t be so anxious. We have capable people here who can handle whatever comes.”
“Ah, haha… Yes, that’s right?”
Namgung Baek swallowed hard and nodded awkwardly.
Until now, he had remained at Yang Jachun’s side, learning the trade. But this time, separated from his mentor, he bore sole responsibility for the safety of all these people.
Moreover, this was a large-scale merchant caravan, and I, the Young Master So, was traveling with them.
And Namgung Yeon as well.
His desire to execute everything flawlessly must be immense, yet life rarely flows so smoothly.
I smiled faintly and turned my gaze toward the hillside above.
Rustle—
The sound of undergrowth from somewhere above.
Namgung Yeon and Chu Hyeongi turned their attention there as well.
In that instant—
“Ahahaha! You bastards! I’ve been waiting for you!”
A man’s booming voice rang out.
He appeared, slamming an enormous axe into the ground.
Anyone could tell at a glance that he was a bandit.
Simultaneously, a considerable number of bandits came into view—so many that it seemed he had summoned every available fighter at his command.
I regarded them and posed a question.
“Who are you?”
“I am Geuk Tae-cheon, the Bandit King who inherits the legacy of the great bandits! You wretches! Did you truly think you could touch the bandits and walk away unscathed?”
Clang—
His resonant voice echoed and reverberated across the terrain in one breath.
As his voice erupted unrestrained, as if he had achieved enlightenment, I found myself turning my gaze toward Cheon Yul.
I saw him shrug his shoulders.
It meant he didn’t know who this man was.
Yet amusement clearly filled his expression.
I fixed my attention on the man called Geuk Tae-cheon and sent a transmission to Namgung Baek.
—I’ll buy you time. When I signal, lead the caravan and escape. Remember that the caravan is more important than me right now.
“Eek?!”
Startled by the sudden transmission, he widened his eyes and began glancing around frantically, as if searching for the source of the voice.
Soon our eyes met.
Gulp—
With a dry swallow, he seemed to steel himself and gave a slight nod.
As I sent voice transmissions in all directions simultaneously, Chu Hyeongi positioned himself before me, while Namgung Yeon quietly slipped toward Namgung Baek.
Then, as Cheon Yul moved toward the Jeung Ja Soo, I became certain that no matter how numerous they were, we could not be breached.
At that moment.
A man appeared beside Geuk Tae-cheon.
Dressed in scholar’s robes, he gazed at me with a smile, then bowed respectfully in greeting.
Without realizing it, my expression turned puzzled.
The man’s face suddenly twisted into a vicious grimace as he unleashed a sharp cry.
“Kill them all—!”
Whoooosh—!
Countless arrows descended in a torrent all at once.

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Namgung Baek looked up in shock.
Countless arrows poured down from above.
While even Namgung Yeon beside him bit his lip in hesitation, Jin Cheon-u moved first.
His gaze shot out as if sending a signal to someone, and immediately following as if they had been waiting was none other than Cheon Yul, the Young Master of Sa Do-cheon.
Yet my eyes could not leave Jin Cheon-u.
His movements were so graceful and beautiful.
As I watched Jin Cheon-u rise high into the sky in astonishment.
His sword was drawn.
Shhhhwaaak—!
A massive circular light spread outward in an instant.
It seemed to have expanded well over five or six zhang in radius.
Thud-thud-thud—!
Then, the countless arrows that had filled the sky began to fall helplessly, yet toward the arrows that still came flying undestroyed, Cheon Yul’s blade blazed with fire.
As the blade wielding fierce winds was swung.
It swept through all the remaining falling arrows and flew toward the bandits.
“…!?”
In that moment of shock.
Boom—!
“Go.”
At Jin Cheon-u’s voice that followed, Namgung Baek immediately understood what he needed to do. He quickly shouted toward his guards and the Jeung Ja Soo.
“Come to your senses! We must escape this place as quickly as possible!”
At Namgung Baek’s commanding voice, those who had been dazed began to grasp the situation. The guards surrounded the supply carts and Jeung Ja Soo, moving with urgency.
The path was narrow and the mountain road treacherous, but it would suffice.
The seasoned warriors clearly understood their roles and were able to escape swiftly.
Yet Namgung Baek remained uneasy.
Those who had been lying in ambush were undoubtedly bandits. Naturally, they would know the geography of this place well, and it would be no surprise if they were hiding anywhere.
Namgung Baek quickly scanned his surroundings.
The path we’re currently taking is heavily trafficked, and the small side trail beside it is densely packed with trees and boulders, making it rather difficult for a wagon to pass through.
Moreover, since it hasn’t been maintained, the terrain is treacherous.
If we’re being practical about whether we can go or cannot go, the answer is we cannot.
“Older Brother?!”
“Yeon-a, we’re going this way.”
“That path is far too narrow. The wagon cannot pass through.”
“No, we’ll abandon the wagon and load as much cargo as possible onto the horses, carrying the rest by hand.”
At Namgung Baek’s words, everyone wore expressions of utter bewilderment.
Abandoning a wagon in these mountains was absurd enough, but the notion of carrying luggage on foot—what kind of reasoning could possibly produce such a suggestion?
“Those men surely have us figured out by now, so they’ve definitely set up ambushes and traps. That’s why this path is far safer.”
Namgung Baek spoke these words and quickly dismounted from his horse.
Soon after, he rushed to the wagon, swiftly loaded the cargo onto the horses, shouldered the remainder on his back, and made all necessary preparations.
At his actions, the people moved with urgency.
In a brief span of time, the wagon was rapidly unloaded, and the porters, without exception, began moving—transferring cargo, shouldering bundles, and loading them onto the horses.
The moment the wagon sat empty, Namgung Baek finally began moving forward.
The path was, quite literally, treacherous.
Simply navigating around the densely protruding trees was difficult enough, yet we had to push through thick undergrowth, and with each step, stones tumbled beneath our feet.
One misstep, and we would surely tumble down the slope, yet everyone present followed Namgung Baek without complaint.
After advancing for some time, Namgung Baek suddenly stopped.
He glanced around subtly, recalling the surrounding landscape alongside the map. He was thinking about which direction would allow us to escape the mountains.
A brief moment passed, and as everyone remained silent, staring intently at Namgung Baek.
With his eyes open, he slowly surveyed the surroundings and confirmed something.
Soon after, he turned his head toward the west.
“There are fresh deer tracks here. So we’ll go this way.”
“What does that have to do with anything?”
“Such weak creatures naturally avoid places where people are present. Even more so if it’s a deer.”
“Ah—so that means there are no people over there?”
“Yes, Doctor. I cannot be certain, but we should be able to avoid any ambushes.”
Speaking with confident conviction and nodding, he received looks of astonishment from everyone. The clumsy appearance Namgung Baek had shown before seemed completely different from the person they were seeing now.
“Haha, this fellow is quite capable, not unlike his younger brother? How about it—come to Sa Do-cheon and I’ll give you a position. There’s an empty seat waiting anyway.”
“…I apologize, Soocheonchu. Even if the Namgung clan has fallen, my roots are in Jeongdo.”
“Ah, what a waste.”
Cheon Yul clicked his tongue and turned his gaze away.
His genuine regret was evident.
Namgung Baek, observing this, offered an awkward smile and turned his gaze elsewhere.
At the same moment, his eyes met Chaeseoha’s.
Then his gaze naturally extended to Cheon Yul and Namgung Yeon.
“…”
“…”
Namgung Baek, who had been checking each of the most important people remaining by Jin Cheon-u’s side, tilted his head as if sensing something amiss.
“Where are Jang Howei and the Young Master? Where could they be?”
“Huh? Didn’t they come with us?”
“Weren’t they with us the whole time?”
It was then that everyone exchanged bewildered glances, unable to comprehend the situation.
Chaeseoha’s lips trembled as she furrowed her brow.
“This man….”
The moment her sharp gaze turned backward.
Boom—!
A tremendous explosion erupted, sending tremors through the ground.

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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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