The Youngest Son of the Nanyang Jin Family - Chapter 226

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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 226

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It took another seven days before my body recovered enough to walk about comfortably.
Though my heart yearned to descend the mountain and rejoin Sang-haeng despite my injuries, Chaeseoha’s persistent objections meant my days became a routine of acupuncture, herbal remedies, and cultivation.
Thanks to this, my body recovered rapidly.
The pain that accompanied every movement gradually subsided, and as my physical condition slowly returned, the time spent in treatment diminished accordingly.
This afforded me time to organize my martial knowledge.
I extracted every technique from my mind and began reconstructing them anew.
The appearances of those I had encountered and faced thus far.
Recalling the fierce exchanges of blades, I endlessly repeated the process of filling gaps and refining my techniques.
There was no meaning if I failed to advance even slightly.
The events at Mount Taenak remained vivid before my eyes.
Yet the most crucial matter lay elsewhere.

Geomcheon Muheo.

His image as he became nature itself before my eyes was impossible to forget, so vivid it remained in my mind even now.
I began to understand why the figures of the Ten Sovereigns I had met thus far connected me with Muheo—my martial techniques bore striking similarities to his.
Because of this, I desired to possess it.
Not to completely accept Muheo’s way, but to layer something new upon it and create something uniquely my own.
Though considerable progress might have been made in ordinary circumstances, during the long journey from Namman to here, I could not comprehend what Muheo had demonstrated at all.
I merely realized once more that humans could never become perfect nature.
I had to accept that my current level could not grasp it.
I exhaled a sigh and slowly opened my eyes.
The dim interior of the tent came into view.
Rising from my seat and stepping outside, the expansive landscape of the mountain stronghold appeared before me, yet such silence pervaded it that one could hardly believe it was a bandit’s lair.
Not a single bandit remained.
Even the survivors had scattered and not returned, so this place could no longer function as a stronghold.
Thanks to this, I could rest comfortably.
With so many people having stayed here, alcohol and provisions were abundant, and necessary supplies lay scattered about, so entering this place with my injured body had been the right decision.
“Aaaaahhh!”
“Be quiet!”
Then, hearing a voice from somewhere, I turned my attention toward it.
Jang Chuchyeong, sitting on a bed receiving treatment, cried out and thrashed about, the pain apparently considerable.
It was a familiar sight I had witnessed for seven days now.
He attempted to flee from Chaeseoha’s rough touch, but each time her sharp voice rang out more harshly and her hands grew rougher, causing him to lose his spirit and droop his tail.
Watching the fellow’s pitiful expression, I found myself laughing without thinking.
“Shouldn’t you be getting used to it by now?”
“But Young Master, you hate medicinal broths too… And strangely, the physician’s touch feels different when treating you versus treating me.”
“That’s nonsense. It’s only like that because you’re thrashing about.”
“It hurts….”
At his words, Chaeseoha and I couldn’t help but laugh at him.
The muscles were proof that Gu Gunbaek’s training had not gone to waste.
The moment I touched them, the firmness felt like stone, yet this man with such overwhelming musculature couldn’t even endure this much—it was absurd.
Especially when this was the same man who had carried me on his back while wounded and ran.
I sighed and spoke.
“We’ll be departing soon, so get as much treatment as you can. We can’t keep the caravan stopped indefinitely, can we?”
The caravan that escaped safely would be stopped at a large village for repairs and waiting for me.
More than a week had passed, so I needed to hurry and rejoin them. I didn’t want the caravan delayed any further, and since they’d be worried, I needed to let them know we were safe.
Was it because of those words?
Jang Chuchyeong frowned with clear displeasure, but as if resigned, he squeezed his eyes shut and began accepting Chaeseoha’s touch.
Whether he felt pain from her rough hands, he furrowed his brow, but soon endured it and looked at me, asking carefully.
“Ugh… Now that I think about it, I completely forgot. The caravan… will it be alright?”
“It was fine while I was there. Besides, Yeon is there and Soocheonchu is there too—what’s there to worry about?”
“So-ha is right. With those two there, they’ll be able to handle anything that comes up.”
I nodded in agreement with Chaeseoha’s words.
While I trust in Namgung Yeon’s abilities, the true key in this Shanxi region is none other than Cheon Yul, who is Soocheonchu.
Unless something unusual like Hyang Do-un or the bandits occurred, there was no way anything could go wrong.
“Besides, Namgung Baek is there too.”
“That man… can we trust him?”
“Of course. Are you saying Father’s judgment was wrong?”
“No, it’s not that… it’s just that he doesn’t seem trustworthy somehow.”
Jang Chuchyeong furrowed his brow.
Certainly, if I recalled the past Namgung Baek as he did, it wouldn’t be strange to say he wasn’t trustworthy.
Moreover, in terms of ability, he couldn’t be counted as full strength.
Though he learned the same martial arts as Namgung Yeon, his swordsmanship was so poor it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call it entirely different.
However, the renowned escort master Yang Jachun was teaching him with great care.
Not just martial arts, but everything necessary for the caravan or the escort route would be ingrained in his mind, so he would know what takes priority and what must be done in such situations.
This was also why I was confident he had led the caravan into the village without any losses.
Still, even with guards present, he would feel obligated to protect the caravan’s goods within the heterodox sect’s territory, so I thought he might be staying awake through the night.
It was while I was thinking such thoughts and smiling.
Pat- pat-
Chaeseoha wrapped bandages around Jang Chuchyeong’s body and tapped lightly.
“There, all done. You’ve recovered enough that you should be fine descending the mountain. Of course, as long as you don’t overexert yourself.”
“Good. Then let’s depart immediately.”
As I spoke with determination to move quickly, Chaeseoha, who had just finished treatment, looked at me with a bitter smile.
Then both of them nodded and stood up, quickly leaving the mountain hideout.
As I quickened my pace along the path, the mountain stronghold vanished from sight in an instant, and a familiar road came into view.
Was that the reason?
Chaeseoha, seeming somewhat exhausted, wiped the sweat from her brow and glanced around.
Following her gaze, I could see the place that had been reduced to rubble by a massive explosion.
Undoubtedly, the very spot where Hyang Do-un had aimed the Heavenly Thunder at me.
We had returned to that place.
As I unconsciously recalled those events and furrowed my brow, Chaeseoha, who had been staring at that location for some time as she walked, opened her mouth with a puzzled expression.
“When you think about it, isn’t something a bit odd?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, bandits are one thing, but this person called Hyang Do-un—where could he have obtained the Heavenly Thunder? And in the first place, can something with that much destructive power really be acquired simply by having money?”
It was something I had never considered until now, but as that scene settled in my mind, Chaeseoha looked at me with an expression of utter bewilderment.
I couldn’t help but laugh.
“It cannot be obtained. With that level of destructive power, most would be held by the military authorities. But given the current circumstances, I doubt there’s anyone foolish enough to hand it over for a bribe.”
The Heavenly Thunder is controlled by the state.
Thus, from old times, those seeking to obtain it typically did so by bribing high officials, but the situation is somewhat different now.
A new Emperor has ascended to the throne, and his influence is formidable.
Now is hardly a time to fall out of favor, so even corrupt officials are holding their breath in this political climate.
Therefore, for someone like Hyang Do-un, whose connections to the Hyang-un Sega have been completely severed, it is an item he cannot obtain by any means.
Moreover, that destructive power.
Someone must have certainly had a hand in this.
“Then where on earth did it come from?”
“Well… perhaps someone who possessed it sold it?”
Chaeseoha suddenly looked at me and furrowed her brow.
At that gaze asking if I knew who, I unconsciously curved my lips into a smile and turned my eyes away.

* * *

Late into the night.
Men began pouring into the dimly lit hall one after another. Those who had carried themselves with menacing presence saw their aggressive demeanor wilt the moment they crossed the threshold, and soon they prostrated themselves before someone, bowing their heads low.
A middle-aged man observed their forms.
Eyes that gleamed like a tiger’s in the darkness.
The gaze fixed upon his subordinates was extraordinarily sharp.
“You’ve arrived?”
The instant those words left his lips, every person in the hall trembled.
As if they had heard a tiger’s roar echoing right before their eyes.
The beast-like keenness in his gaze and the overwhelming pressure emanating from him seemed to crush the spirits of everyone present in a single breath.
The man regarded them and drew a smile across his lips.
“What is the situation?”
“Hyang Do-un succeeded in cornering him as planned.”
“You detonated the Thunder Celestial?”
“Yes.”
At his subordinate’s firm response, the man nodded with satisfaction, yet his eyes betrayed a puzzlement as if he could not quite believe it.
“But looking at your expressions, I understand. He survived, didn’t he?”
“…Yes.”
“How did he survive? Surely the device Myokyak provided wasn’t defective?”
“No. It possessed undeniable power. However, it appears he escaped from the center of the explosion as if he had anticipated it.”
“As if he anticipated it…. He escaped? Regardless, what of it? Whether he escaped or not, he should not have emerged unscathed…. Why is he still alive? Is his skill so superior that he could survive even that?”
The middle-aged man’s gaze grew even sharper, as if struggling to comprehend. If someone could survive Myokyak’s Thunder Celestial and move about unharmed, they would have already transcended the realm of humanity.
That was precisely the question that intrigued him.
Whether Heobeob Auk was truly the caliber of person worth investigating.
In the process, he had sold Myokyak’s Thunder Celestial to Hyang Do-un, granting him the power for revenge.
Whether Jin Cheon-u died or survived from the Thunder Celestial, it mattered little to the man.
If he died, it would serve the original purpose of eliminating the Young Master So, and that would suffice. If he survived, an opportunity would arise to investigate further.
“Is he truly that strong? Strong enough for Heobeob to send me to verify?”
“…From what we observed when he faced Geuk Tae-cheon’s subordinates, his level was already considerable. However, it does not appear to match what Heobeob described.”
“Then how did he survive, exactly?”
“Because of Jin Cheon-u’s servant. He slaughtered the bandits and killed Hyang Do-un.”
At those words, the man’s eyes gleamed with intrigue.
According to reports, nearly a hundred men had been present. Yet this servant, protecting his master, had slaughtered most of them and even killed both Geuk Tae-cheon and Hyang Do-un?
“Haha— So there’s a possibility that what Heobeob was concerned about wasn’t Jin Cheon-u at all, but this one?”
“That possibility appears quite high.”
The man nodded.
Whether it was Jin Cheon-u or that servant, it mattered little to him.
When Heobeob said to investigate, it likely meant they were connected to Gwanbaek or were part of the faction that had been obstructing them all this time.
Therefore, he would kill them all.
If he severed their lifelines, would everything not become meaningless?
“Where did you say they were headed?”
“It is the Northern Sea.”
“Hahaha— excellent. I was planning to visit anyway, so I should take this opportunity to feast my eyes on it properly.”
He rose from his seat with an expression of deep satisfaction.
Standing at nearly eight feet tall with a massive, imposing frame.
Though his appearance recalled Gu Gunbaek, the ferocity radiating from him was even more intense—a presence that evoked a Mountain Lord incarnate.
His eyes gleamed coldly as he licked his lips.

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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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