The Youngest Son of the Nanyang Jin Family - Chapter 161

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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 222

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“You’re telling me you still haven’t found them?”
“That’s right. They’ve hidden themselves so thoroughly that it’s proving difficult to locate them.”
Hyang Do-un furrowed his brow and ground his teeth.
The Jincheonrae he had purchased at great expense was a far different instrument than the ordinary variety—its destructive power was incomparable.
Even a Powerful Expert at the pinnacle of their cultivation would be reduced to fragments, so there was no possibility anyone could survive it unscathed.
Even if someone had managed to survive by not taking the full brunt of the blast, they would be clinging to the edge of death.
Even if one of them remained unharmed, the other would surely be in dire straits, so the very fact that they couldn’t be found in this mountain—which could be called their own backyard—was absurd.
His clenched fists trembled violently.
He wanted nothing more than to end this revenge quickly, so this situation dragging on interminably was deeply frustrating.
“Then… what of the merchant caravan?”
“They’d already escaped. They abandoned the carts and took only the goods, slipping away from the ambush site with ease. Ha, I’m utterly flabbergasted.”
“You couldn’t pursue them? With all those people?”
“We pursued them. But they all died.”
“All of them…?”
“Yes, all of them. We know well the capabilities of the Jin Family’s guards, but there were those who exceeded even that.”
At Geuk Tae-cheon’s words, Hyang Do-un’s brow furrowed deeper.
He had separated Jin Cheon-u and Chu Hyeongi, their greatest forces. He had thought the remaining members wouldn’t require much concern, but it seemed another skilled master had been hidden among them.
“It could be the Namgung Family, as the rumors suggest.”
“It’s not just one person. There was another who wielded a blade—their skill was truly extraordinary. Countless men were torn apart without even being able to mount a defense.”
Geuk Tae-cheon clicked his tongue and frowned.
Had he known such a master existed, he would have moved more cautiously. The collapse of the family and the destruction of their intelligence network meant they had only been wary of those two, resulting in this catastrophe.
“Abandon pursuit of the merchant caravan. In our current situation, we can only target one of them.”
“What a pity.”
There was reason for Hyang Do-un’s regret.
Since it was the Jin Family’s merchant caravan, most of the goods would be rare treasures. He had thought that selling them would yield considerable wealth, but it seemed that would be impossible to achieve.
As he lingered on such thoughts, savoring the disappointment.
Suddenly, one of the Masked Martial Artists entered and bowed his head.
“What is it?”
“We’ve located their position.”
A flash—
The words they most wanted to hear.
The moment they left the man’s lips, both Geuk Tae-cheon and Hyang Do-un’s expressions shifted to surprise. Despite combing through the area so thoroughly they could find a needle, they had scarcely been able to locate anything.
“Where? And how did you find them?”
“…They’ve set a fire.”
“What?”
An unexpected statement.
It was nearly impossible to believe that those being hunted had set fire in the enemy’s own courtyard. Wasn’t that essentially the same as saying “come capture me”?
A hollow laugh escaped me involuntarily.
“What kind of fools are these? Hahaha.”
“Isn’t it that the Young Master, who has never dirtied his hands, caused this mess?”
Hyang Do-un also found it absurd, but there was no denying that this made things easier.
If they revealed their location like this, there would be no hesitation.
Geuk Tae-cheon rose, hefting his massive axe.
“Let’s go—let’s see if these bastards can escape this time.”

* * *

Chaeseoha’s expression was far from pleasant as she gazed at Jin Cheon-u, who lay motionless as a dead mouse.
There was no need to examine him closely; one could tell at a glance that his condition was grave.
It reminded her of what had happened in Anhui.
Apart from the burns, the exterior seemed manageable enough.
But internally, he was completely shattered.
Too damaged to treat easily.
Chaeseoha checked his pulse and turned her head.
“An explosion? A thunder mine?”
“Yes, that’s right. There was a massive explosion. Just for a moment, but my ears went deaf and I couldn’t regain my senses.”
“It’s remarkable that you managed to bring the Young Master out.”
“I know, right? I still can’t believe it myself.”
Jang Chuchyeong shook his head, as if haunted by the memory.
His expression suggested he himself didn’t understand how he had managed to escape with Jin Cheon-u in such a dire situation.
At Jang Chuchyeong’s troubled expression, Chaeseoha nodded.
Jin Cheon-u was someone who, even with a poisoned body, had not hesitated to save her. He was also a steadfast man who moved unscathed even after being struck by countless blades.
For such a man to be reduced to this by an explosion…
That meant it was no ordinary thunder mine.
“I’ve only heard of such things, never actually seen one.”
“Outside of a battlefield, you wouldn’t see such a thing in the Central Plains martial world. More importantly, you said the Young Master shielded Jang Howei?”
“Yes… that’s why he’s like this…”
“That’s fortunate. If he hadn’t shielded him, Jang Howei would have been nothing but blood.”
“Eek?!”
Though she lacked detailed knowledge of martial arts, she suspected he had protected his body with something like a protective inner force.
That was how he had managed to survive.
The problem was that the destructive power had far exceeded expectations.
Powerful enough to shatter the protective inner force guarding Jin Cheon-u’s body.
“They say that once grudges in the martial world become entangled, they cannot be unraveled—this is exactly that situation.”
Chaeseoha smiled bitterly and sighed.
The relationship between the Jin Family of Luoyang and the Hyang-un Sega.
While it may not be considered a matter of the martial world, the methods used to resolve it were so thoroughly martial in nature that there was no other way to view it.
And now.
With nothing but the singular obsession to kill Jin Cheon-u, they had even gone so far as to retrieve and hurl Jin Cheon-lei.
With not only the Hyang-un Sega but also the Masked Martial Artists entangled in this affair, I was certain that the tangled threads could never be unraveled by merely one side yielding.
“Sigh—”
Chaeseoha exhaled another deep breath, finishing her thoughts before finally beginning treatment, slowly inserting needles into Jin Cheon-u’s body one by one.
The visible burns were not a major concern in themselves.
Infected tissue could be squeezed out, and dead skin could be peeled away. As for the rest, if she simply applied trauma medicine well, it would take some time, but it would heal cleanly.
The real problem was internal injury.
The interior had become a complete mess.
The damage was severe enough to gauge just how powerful the explosion had been.
The spirit pills were serving as a treatment, gradually managing the condition, but that was merely a supplementary role at best.
While acupuncture could also produce significant effects, there was one thing absolutely necessary to maximize its efficacy further.
Chaeseoha furrowed her brow and looked at Chu Hyeongi.
“We need to build a fire.”
“Ah, yes! But… won’t building a fire reveal our location?”
“But without brewing medicinal broth, I cannot address the internal injuries.”
“…Internal injuries?!”
“Yes, the interior is in terrible condition.”
“Is it… serious?”
To Chu Hyeongi’s question, Chaeseoha nodded firmly. His complexion visibly drained to a deathly pale, and from the trembling of his eyes alone, it seemed he might burst into tears at any moment.
“If we brew and administer the medicinal broth, there might be something we can do. What do you think?”
“…”
“If we build a fire, enemies will come. The question is whether you’re confident you can stop them.”
Chaeseoha’s gaze, fixed upon him, seemed almost to press down upon Chu Hyeongi.
Building a fire was the only way to brew the medicinal broth.
To maximize the effects of acupuncture, the medicinal broth had to be administered alongside the treatment, and moreover, given that he had scarcely eaten or drunk properly in recent times, his vital essence had been severely depleted.
That was the true reason the medicinal broth was so desperately needed.
However, discovery would come soon enough, and an enormous number of enemies would converge upon them.
In this place, only Chu Hyeongi could protect Jin Cheon-u and Chaeseoha.
Thus Chaeseoha seemed to be waiting for his decision.
Under that gaze, Chu Hyeongi swallowed hard.
A flicker of doubt crossed his eyes, as if questioning whether he could manage it. But in that instant, what surfaced in his mind was none other than the image of the fallen Jin Cheon-u.
And following that came Gu Gunbaek.
*Grin—*
At the sight of his master smiling and giving him a thumbs up, the thought suddenly arose that perhaps he could do this.
The resolve came in an instant.
If his master could face it, then even against overwhelming numbers of enemies or despite differences in skill, he would never tremble with fear.
*Clap—!*
Chu Hyeongi patted both his cheeks with his hands.
Pain surged through me, dragging my consciousness back to reality.

-Do not forget, my disciple. You are…

“Yes, I understand!”
At the sudden recollection of Gu Gunbaek’s voice, I answered with conviction, steeling my resolve completely.
That’s right—I am the Junior Prince of the Namman Beast Palace.
I must never forget that pride.
That is why I stake my life on this.
“Yes! Let us kindle the fire! For our Young Master, we would not hesitate to walk through the flames of hell itself!”
Chu Hyeongi hastily gathered kindling and ignited a fire.
Then Chaeseoha retrieved medicinal ingredients and a medicinal decoction vessel from her bundle, beginning to brew the medicine in earnest.
Sitting at the cave entrance with somewhat anxious eyes as I surveyed the situation, time flowed endlessly until dusk descended.
Because no one had appeared despite all these hours passing, the taut string of tension I had been holding began to slacken somewhat.
Hoo- ooo- hoo— ooo!
Even the Great Owl’s call from somewhere burrowed into my ears like a lullaby, and Chu Hyeongi seemed to be gradually succumbing to drowsiness, his head drooping and rising repeatedly.
Then, in that moment when the moon rose high.
Tap-tap-tap-
A sound different from before reached my ears.
The Great Owl’s call, which saw well in the night like a cat, had changed.
Chu Hyeongi, who had been sleeping, slowly lifted his head. Then, opening his eyes gradually and surveying the surroundings, his gaze turned cold and sharp.
A beast-like keen sense detected presences gathering from all directions.
Unmistakably, the feeling of hostile intent approaching this place.
I rose quietly from my seat and steadied my breathing.
“Doctor, will you be alright alone for a moment?”
“…Are they enemies?”
“Yes, quite a few of them.”
“Do your best, then.”
“…I find myself lacking strength somehow.”
Chu Hyeongi regarded Chaeseoha with a dumbfounded expression.
I had heard words of encouragement, yet strangely, my strength seemed to drain away.
The feeling that she was essentially telling me to handle it myself was overwhelming.
Was it because of Chu Hyeongi’s dejected expression?
She furrowed her brow in brief thought, then broke into a beautiful smile like a flower blooming, raising her clenched fist with determination.
“You can do this!”
“Yes!”
Her laughter and spirited voice.
Engraving them in my ears, I slowly moved forward.
Tap-tap-tap-tap-
I sense the presences in the Great Owl’s continued warnings. Then, slowly steadying my breathing and letting my mind settle cold, I clenched my fists with fierce determination.
“Alright. I’ll do it! I’ll win this for all of us—! Hyaaah!”
Whoosh—!
The moment I hurled myself forward with a thunderous shout, the Great Owl, who had been concealed, burst into the air with a powerful sweep of its wings.

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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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