The Youngest Son of the Nanyang Jin Family - Chapter 160

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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 221

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Namgung Baek continued to survey his surroundings as he traveled along the mountain path. More than a day and a half had passed, yet Jin Cheon-u still had not returned.
Anxiety gnawed at him—what could have happened?
And the current situation made it worse.
Whether it was Sang-haeng or anything else, he had never once taken the initiative to lead such matters. He had always been too busy following Yang Jachun.
But now that Jin Cheon-u had vanished, the fate of this Sang-haeng had fallen upon his shoulders.
A burden he had never experienced before weighed heavily upon him.
So much so that he wanted to flee.
“Older brother! Compose yourself.”
“Y-yes. But… are you certain this is right? Should we not halt the Sang-haeng and search for the Young Master…?”
At those words, Namgung Yeon turned his gaze toward Chaeseoha.
She had remained by Jin Cheon-u’s side longer than anyone else, so surely she understood the current situation better than he did.
Yet even under his scrutiny, Chaeseoha offered no words.
She merely kept her lips sealed, lost in thought.
She had been like this for several hours now.
Unable to bear it any longer, Namgung Yeon finally spoke.
“Physician?”
“Ah—I’m fine. And how much farther to the village?”
“We should be able to exit the mountains within half a day, and from there, a village nestled near Mount Otae lies about two hours’ journey ahead.”
At Namgung Baek’s words, Chaeseoha nodded.
Quite a distance.
Yet to properly resume the Sang-haeng, they would need to stay in a larger settlement—that much was certain.
Jin Cheon-u would have done the same.
She nodded, her expression softening as a faint smile crossed her lips.
“Then proceed to that place.”
“Pardon? You are not coming with us?”
At her sudden words, everyone present widened their eyes. Among those gathered here, Chaeseoha was the weakest fighter.
With no way of knowing what schemes the Masked Martial Artist and Hyang Do-un might attempt, did it not feel as though she was about to walk back into danger?
“You’re going to find him, aren’t you? Then I’ll escort you.”
“No. Soocheonchu, please guard this place. We cannot afford to lose even one fighter in this situation.”
“What? Then you mean to go alone?”
“I have traveled mountain paths many times, and concealment is my specialty. There is nothing to worry about.”
With a smile, she took hold of the reins and turned her horse.
Clop, clop—
Passing through the gathered crowd, she reached the end of the line and, glancing back at the path she had come, drew in a breath as if contemplating something, then slowly exhaled.
As if calming a restless heart.
Then, bringing a certain person to mind, she furrowed her brow.
I couldn’t gauge the full extent of the enemy’s strength, but there had been no word for a day and a half.
Moreover, that tremendous sound and tremor I’d heard before.
I wondered if it might be connected to that.
Surely in the worst possible way.
Chaeseoha stroked the horse with careful hands, then her eyes sparkled as she began moving forward without hesitation.
The sight resembled Jin Cheon-u appearing on horseback to extend his hand to her as she fled from the Masked Martial Artist.
“So you really do have a hobby of risking your life.”

* * *

Jang Chuchyeong appeared not to have slept properly, his eyes hollow beneath.
Yet as though his own condition mattered not at all, the moment he opened his eyes, he first checked on Jin Cheon-u’s state.
The severe burn marks still blazed a vivid crimson, and alongside them, blisters and pus were visible across the entire wound.
He instinctively recognized they needed to be lanced.
“Bear with it.”
Jang Chuchyeong drew a small dagger from his waist.
Using it to puncture the blisters, a copious amount of pus began pouring forth.
Yet he squeezed it out as much as possible.
With careful movements, he extracted it all, then wiped it away using cloth he’d brought back earlier.
By the time Jang Chuchyeong finished this entire sequence, sweat was streaming down his face.
It spoke to the mental fortitude he’d summoned.
Once all the work was complete, he exhaled a sigh of relief and rose from his seat.
“Phew… I’ll go wash these out.”
Jin Cheon-u still kept his eyes shut and couldn’t open them, yet his breathing had become more even than before, and his complexion was noticeably more stable.
As time passed, the pain seemed to have lessened.
However, the problem was that this wasn’t something that would heal within a day or two.
With such thoughts, Jang Chuchyeong stepped outside and first surveyed his surroundings.
Perhaps, since considerable time had passed, the distance between us and those pursuing us had narrowed. Yet the reason they still hadn’t appeared was because the mountain was vast and the range was wide.
That was small consolation.
Whoosh—
Jang Chuchyeong exhaled a sigh of relief and turned his head.
When he heard rustling from the undergrowth and turned to look, he spotted a small rat scurrying about.
He lightly kicked a stone from the ground.
Thwack—!
The rat struck by it collapsed, seemingly lifeless, and without hesitation Jang Chuchyeong approached and picked it up by the tail.
Then he turned his head to examine the trees.
Whoosh— whoo—
I couldn’t see it, but I heard a sound from somewhere.
The Great Owl was surely still nearby.
“Want some?”
Yet the Great Owl showed no response whatsoever.
Perhaps it was sleeping during the day, for no further sound came, but I paid it no mind and hurled the mouse high into the sky.
Whoooosh—thwack!
In that instant, the Great Owl descended silently from above, unfurled its massive wings, and snatched the soaring mouse in one swift motion before vanishing.
Though it was still early morning, the Great Owl did not refrain from hunting during daylight hours.
When hungry, it would catch prey, and when it had chicks to feed, it would move about accordingly.
It seemed fortune had smiled upon me—this was clearly one of those times.
Chu Hyeongi watched from atop a nearby tree as the Great Owl swallowed the mouse, then smiled and turned toward the valley that served as our destination.
He settled there and began washing clothes with practiced ease.
Despite the peaceful expression on his face, his mind was racing rapidly.
The situation was dire.
Jin Cheon-u was slowly recovering but remained unconscious, and his severe burns showed no signs of subsiding.
I desperately wished to set out in search of Chaeseoha, yet moving Jin Cheon-u—who could not even open his eyes—seemed unwise.
Moreover, there was no food.
I could eat anything I found, but the injured Jin Cheon-u needed nourishment that would aid his recovery, and I could find nothing suitable.
Even squeezing juice from the wild fruits I found in the mountains had its limits.
“I suppose I’ll need to break free from this situation soon enough….”
Chu Hyeongi furrowed his brow and swallowed a groan.
Since childhood, I had never moved of my own volition in anything.
Having mostly followed the words of the Family Head Jin Ga-muk, Hong Gu-hyeon, and Jin Cheon-u, I was weak at making decisions for myself.
Even my master had not been forceful, after all.
Thus, unable to grasp the situation and drifting aimlessly, it was then—
“…Found him—!”
Suddenly, a human voice rang out.
I quickly raised my head and looked ahead, spotting what appeared to be a Masked Martial Artist across the valley, staring directly at me.
As he reached into his robes to produce a whistle, seemingly intent on signaling, Chu Hyeongi pushed off the ground.
In a single instant.
Moving like a bird in flight, my knee shot forward and crushed his face.
Splurt—!
“Gahhh!”
Teeth shattered and flew, his nose caved in, and blood erupted. The man staggered violently backward, collapsing with his eyes rolled back, trembling.
“Damn it.”
Chu Hyeongi hastily left the spot.
Though it was only one man, encountering a Masked Martial Artist meant their pursuit was right at my heels.
Gritting my teeth, I rushed toward where Jin Cheon-u lay.
Tap-tap-tap—
Then.
An odd sound echoed from somewhere.
It did not seem to come from a human.
It was unmistakably the cry of the Great Owl.
I knew that the Great Owl only made such a sound when sensing danger, so Chu Hyeongi could discern that those men were nearby.
He hastily slipped between the rocks, hoisted the prone Jin Cheon-u onto his back, and began moving.
It was then that Jin Cheon-u’s voice reached him, faint but clear.
“…Stay calm.”
“Young Master?!”
“You can do this.”
Startled, Chu Hyeongi glanced at Jin Cheon-u, but he remained motionless with his eyes closed, merely speaking the words.
Yet they were perfectly intelligible.
The moment those words of encouragement lodged in his ears, Chu Hyeongi’s eyes gleamed with newfound confidence as he began to move with purpose.
Emboldened by the affirmation, he accelerated his pace.
“Here they come—!”
In an instant, a fierce cry rang out as a sword came flying at him.
Clang!
The blade grazed his forearm in an unexpected strike.
But there was no time to dwell on such things.
He extended his leg in a sweeping motion, striking at the man’s groin.
Thud!
“Ugh!”
Watching the man clutching his groin collapse with foam at his lips, Chu Hyeongi knew he had to move faster still.
His beast-like senses continued to detect something—the presence of masked martial artists closing in from all directions, tightening their encirclement.
Tap, tap, tap—
At the sudden sound, Chu Hyeongi’s brow furrowed.
The warning-tinged noise suggested he would encounter enemies if he continued in that direction, so he immediately changed course and moved elsewhere.
후— 오!
Was it his imagination that he heard a sound of approval?
Chu Hyeongi, who had unconsciously smiled, increased his speed further. As warnings continued to sound, he would change direction and move toward safety, naturally reducing his encounters with the enemy.
Had this gained him confidence?
Chu Hyeongi accelerated even more.
“Hah, hah… where am I supposed to go?! This is maddening!”
Of course, this was not the hillside where he had played as a child.
He had no idea where to go to shake off these men, nor even how to descend the mountain, making the situation extraordinarily difficult.
In contrast, his pursuers were intimately familiar with this terrain.
To be carrying Jin Cheon-u while evading such enemies—Chu Hyeongi had never endured anything so grueling in his entire life.
His expression and eyes betrayed his strain.
Flap!
In that moment.
The Great Owl, who had remained hidden until now, suddenly soared high into the sky. Surprised to see the creature, who rarely appeared during daylight, Chu Hyeongi watched as it shot past him toward some distant point.
Observing this, Chu Hyeongi seemed to reach a decision and cried out.
“You want me to follow you?”
No answer came.
Yet from merely a glance at the Great Owl’s gaze toward Chu Hyeongi, I could discern his intentions.
Matching the creature’s rapid flight, Chu Hyeongi pushed off the ground with even greater force.
Despite carrying Jin Cheon-u on his back, the way he moved forward with bestial grace was nothing short of miraculous.
Soon enough, as if arriving at his destination, the Great Owl descended slowly. When the creature cried out again from what seemed like a cliff face, only then could Chu Hyeongi understand what lay in this place.
“…Thank heavens….”
Before Chu Hyeongi’s eyes stood a cave.
Though barely large enough for a single person to enter, it was perfectly suited for concealment, and the surrounding vegetation was so dense that it remained well hidden from view.
An ideal place to hide.
Releasing a sigh of relief, he carefully laid Jin Cheon-u down inside when—
Rustle—
A sound from somewhere touched his senses.
He turned his head sharply and clenched his fists.
His eyes gleamed with killing intent, as if he would show no mercy to whoever appeared, and in that moment as he stared intently at the rustling vegetation—
A familiar face suddenly emerged.
“Ah—as I thought! You’re here.”
“…Physician?”
The unexpected visitor was none other than Chaeseoha.
Pat—pat—
Brushing debris from her body as she emerged from the dense undergrowth, she spoke casually.
“I heard strange sounds and thought I’d check. Good thing I did—I almost missed you.”
“How did you even find this place… and alone? Have you lost your mind?”
“This is nothing. Phew—.”
After brushing the last of the debris from herself, she released a relieved sigh and slowly approached Jin Cheon-u lying before the cave.
Crouching down to examine his condition, she met his dimly opened eyes.
Was it because of that?
Chaeseoha smiled softly.
“Doesn’t this feel like a similar situation from before? Shall I help you?”
Was it because of her words that stirred a sense of déjà vu?
A faint smile formed at the corners of Jin Cheon-u’s lips.
“…Yes, I’m grateful.”

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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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