The Youngest Son of the Nanyang Jin Family - Chapter 222

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

The Youngest Son of the Jin Family of Luoyang – Chapter 222

* * *

“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 expensive Jin Cheon-lei he had purchased was fundamentally different in destructive power from ordinary ones.
Even a Powerful Expert at their peak would be reduced to fragments, so there was no way anyone could survive it unscathed.
Even if someone had miraculously survived by not taking the full blast, they would be on death’s door.
Even if one of them remained unharmed, the other would not be in such a state, and the fact that they couldn’t be found in this mountain, which could be called their own backyard, was absurd.
His clenched fist trembled violently.
He wanted to finish this revenge quickly, so the situation dragging on relentlessly was far from satisfying.
“Then… what of the merchant caravan?”
“They had already escaped. They abandoned the carts and took only the goods, slipping away from the ambush site without a care. Ha, I can’t believe it.”
“You couldn’t pursue them? With so many people?”
“We did pursue them. But they all died.”
“All of them…?”
“Yes, all of them. We know the capabilities of the Jin Family’s Imperial Guards well enough, but there were those who surpassed them.”
At Geuk Tae-cheon’s words, Hyang Do-un’s brow furrowed deeper.
He had separated Jin Cheon-u and Chu Hyeongi, the greatest forces at their disposal. Contrary to his belief that the remaining people wouldn’t require much attention, it seemed there was another skilled master hidden among them.
“It could be the Namgung Family as the rumors suggest.”
“It’s not just one person. There was another who uses the Way, and their skill is truly extraordinary. There are countless who were torn apart without even being able to resist.”
Geuk Tae-cheon clicked his tongue and frowned.
Had he known such a Powerful Expert existed, he would have moved more carefully. This catastrophe was the result of the family’s collapse destroying their intelligence network, causing them to only guard against those two.
“Abandon pursuit of the caravan. In the current situation, we can only target one of them.”
“What a shame.”
There was a reason Hyang Do-un couldn’t hide his regret.
Since it was the Jin Family’s merchant caravan, most of the goods would be precious. He had thought he could obtain considerable wealth by selling them, but it seemed impossible to achieve that now.
As he was momentarily lost in such thoughts, savoring the disappointment.
Suddenly, a Masked Martial Artist entered and bowed his head.
“What is it?”
“We’ve located their position.”
Flash—
The words he most wanted to hear.
As soon as the man spoke them, both Geuk Tae-cheon and Hyang Do-un showed expressions of surprise. Despite searching through the area meticulously, they had been unable to find them.
“Where? And how did you find them?”
“…They set a fire.”
“What?”
An unexpected statement.
It was hard to believe that those being pursued had set a fire in the enemy’s own backyard. Wasn’t that essentially the same as inviting me to capture them?
A hollow laugh escaped unbidden.
“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 own location, there would be no hesitation.
Geuk Tae-cheon rose, lifting his massive axe.
“Let’s go—let’s see if these bastards can escape this time too.”

* * *

Chaeseoha’s expression as she gazed at Jin Cheon-u, lying motionless as if dead, was far from pleasant.
There was no need to examine closely; one could tell at a glance that something was terribly wrong.
It reminded her of what had happened in Anhui.
Apart from the burns, the surface seemed manageable enough.
But internally, everything was completely shattered.
Damaged beyond any easy remedy.
Chaeseoha checked his pulse and turned her head.
“An explosion? A thunder mine?”
“Yes, that’s right. A massive explosion occurred. It was only an instant, but my ears were ringing and I couldn’t regain my senses.”
“You managed to bring the Young Master out. That was fortunate.”
“I know, right? I still can’t believe it myself.”
Jang Chuchyeong shook his head, as if reliving that moment had left him shaken.
His expression suggested he himself didn’t understand how he’d 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 while poisoned, didn’t hesitate to save others. Moreover, he was resilient enough to move unscathed even after taking countless blades.
For such a person to end up like this after being caught in an explosion…
That meant it wasn’t an ordinary thunder mine.
“I’ve only heard of such things, never actually seen one before.”
“Outside of a battlefield, you wouldn’t see such things 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 was fortunate. If he hadn’t shielded him, Jang Howei would have been nothing but blood.”
“Gasp?!”
Though she wasn’t well-versed in martial arts, she suspected he must have protected his body with something like protective inner energy.
That’s how he managed to survive.
However, the destructive power exceeded expectations—that was the problem.
Powerful enough to shatter the protective inner energy shielding Jin Cheon-u’s body.
“They say once the debts of the martial world become entangled, they can never be untangled. This situation is exactly that.”
Chaeseoha let out a bitter smile and sighed.
The relationship between the Jin Family of Luoyang and the Hyang-un Sega.
While it may be difficult to call it a matter of the martial world, since every method of resolution bore the hallmark of martial arts, there was no choice but to view it as such.
And now.
With nothing but the singular obsession to kill Jin Cheon-u, they had gone so far as to retrieve and hurl the Jin Thunder Bomb itself.
Since not only the Hyang-un Sega but also the Masked Martial Artists were entangled in this affair, I was certain that the tangled thread could never be unraveled by merely one side yielding.
“Sigh—.”
Chaeseoha exhaled another long 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 at the moment.
Infected tissue could be squeezed out, and dead skin could be peeled away. As for the rest, if she simply applied trauma salve properly, it would heal cleanly given time, though it would take some while.
The real problem was internal injury.
The interior had become a shattered ruin.
It was severe enough to gauge just how powerful an explosion he had been caught in.
The Spirit Elixir was serving as a remedy and gradually managing the damage, but that was merely a supplementary role at best.
Acupuncture could also produce significant effects, but to maximize its efficacy further, there was one thing absolutely necessary.
Chaeseoha furrowed her brow and looked at Chu Hyeongi.
“We need to start a fire.”
“Ah, yes! But… won’t starting a fire reveal our location?”
“But without brewing medicinal decoction, I cannot address the internal injuries.”
“…Internal injuries?!”
“Yes, the interior is in terrible condition.”
“That’s… serious, isn’t it?”
To Chu Hyeongi’s question, Chaeseoha nodded firmly. Perhaps because of this, his complexion turned deathly pale, and from the trembling of his eyes alone, it seemed he might burst into tears at any moment.
“I think we can only do something if we brew and administer the decoction. What do you think?”
“…”
“If we start 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.
The only way to brew medicinal decoction was to start a fire.
To maximize the effects of acupuncture, the decoction had to be administered alongside treatment, and moreover, since he had been unable to eat or drink properly, his vital essence had been severely depleted.
This was the true reason the decoction was so desperately needed.
However, discovery would come soon, and a tremendous number of enemies would swarm in.
In this place right now, Chu Hyeongi was the only one who 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 truly do this. But in the next moment, 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 decision came in an instant.
If his master could face it, then even against overwhelming numbers of enemies or a disparity in skill, he would never tremble in fear.
*Clap—!*
Chu Hyeongi patted both his cheeks with his hands.
Pain brought consciousness rushing back, dragging him into reality.

-Do not forget, my disciple. You are…

“Yes, I understand!”
Responding powerfully to Gu Gunbaek’s voice that suddenly surfaced in his mind, he grasped his resolve firmly.
That’s right—I am the Junior Prince of the Namman Yasu Palace.
I must not forget that pride.
That is why I stake my life on this.
“Yes! Let us kindle the flames! For our Young Master, we would not hesitate even before the fires of hell itself!”
Jang Chuchyeong hastily gathered kindling and ignited a fire.
Then Chaeseoha withdrew medicinal ingredients and a medicinal decoction vessel from her bundle and began brewing the medicine in earnest.
Sitting at the cave entrance with somewhat anxious eyes surveying the situation, time flowed endlessly until the day grew dark.
Because no one had appeared despite so much time passing, the taut string of tension that had been drawn taut loosened somewhat.
Hoo- ooo- hoo— ooo!
Even the Great Owl’s cry from somewhere burrowed into his ears like a lullaby, and Jang Chuchyeong’s head began to nod repeatedly as he sank deeper into drowsiness.
Then, in that moment when the moon rose high.
Tap-tap-tap-
A sound different from before was heard.
The Great Owl’s cry, whose night vision was keen as a cat’s, had changed.
Jang Chuchyeong, who had been sleeping, slowly lifted his head. Then, opening his eyes gradually and surveying his surroundings, his gaze turned cold and sharp.
A keen sense, bestial in its sensitivity, caught the presence emanating from all directions.
Undoubtedly, the feeling of hostility approaching this place.
He rose from his seat quietly and steadied his breathing.
“Physician, would it be alright if I left you alone for a moment?”
“…Are they enemies?”
“Yes, quite a few of them.”
“Do your best, then.”
“…I find my strength oddly failing me.”
Jang Chuchyeong regarded Chaeseoha with a bewildered expression.
He had heard words of encouragement, yet strangely, his strength drained away.
The feeling that she was saying, in effect, to handle it himself was all the stronger for it.
Was it because of Jang Chuchyeong’s dispirited expression?
She furrowed her brow in brief thought, then broke into a beautiful smile like flowers blooming, raising her clenched fist with determination.
“Do your best!”
“Yes!”
Her laughter and her spirited voice.
Etching those sounds into his ears, Jang Chuchyeong slowly moved forward.
Tap-tap-tap-tap-
He sensed the presence in the Great Owl’s continued warnings. Then, slowly steadying his breathing and letting his mind settle cold and clear, he clenched his fists with strength.
“Fine! I’ll do it! I’ll win this for all of us—! Hyaaaaaah!”
Whoosh—!
The moment I hurled myself forward with that resounding cry, the Great Owl, who had been concealed, burst upward with a powerful sweep of its wings.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————