The Youngest Son of the Nanyang Jin Family - Chapter 260
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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 260
“No, Young Master! Is this really happening? You didn’t refuse?!”
“That’s right. You said you understood, Young Master!”
The next morning.
As I traveled along the road toward Mount Taeah, I found myself wanting to block out the noisy voices coming from behind me.
I had thoughtlessly agreed, assuming they were merely asking me to buy them a drink or two.
But it turned out they were asking me to take them on.
It felt like I had fallen victim to an unexpected and fatal stratagem.
With a sigh, I spoke to the two people chasing after me.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t take on followers. I’d appreciate it if you would return now.”
“Why are you saying this? Are we lacking in some way?”
It wasn’t a matter of being lacking or sufficient.
Paeng Dohan and Eon Garyeo.
Though they were still at the late-stage level, given that they held central positions within the Changryong Dan, their talent and skill were undeniable.
Moreover, if I were to face the Divine and Gwanbaek, I would need to strengthen my forces further, so having these two was certainly invaluable.
Furthermore, having left the Martial Arts Alliance and accumulated considerable skill, I could feel their growth simply by observing their refined auras, which were far more refined than before.
The issue was merely one of timing.
Where I intended to go now was Mount Taeah.
Those who would come there would certainly be Baek Myeon-in and his subordinates under Gwanbaek’s command, so I couldn’t fight while protecting these two in such a dangerous situation.
I stopped walking and raised my sword.
Then I extended it.
Whoosh—!
“Ugh?!”
Slash!
“Aah!”
Paeng Dohan and Eon Garyeo clutched the spots where they were struck and stifled their groans. The moment I swung my sword, they flinched and their bodies tried to react, but ultimately they couldn’t evade it.
This meant their level fell far short compared to Namgung Yeon or Jang Chuchyeong.
“If you can’t even block this much, why do you keep asking me to take you on?”
“That wasn’t a fair attack!”
“Yeah, that was dirty!”
“Do enemies announce their surprise attacks before swinging their blades?”
“….”
Paeng Dohan clenched his teeth without speaking.
But as if unwilling to give up, he sprang to his feet and gripped his sword again.
“So I just need to block or evade?”
“That’s the minimum requirement.”
“Then I’ll try. How long do I need to last?”
How long?
At that childish wordplay, I let out a hollow laugh in exasperation before shaking my head and exhaling.
I subtly pointed ahead with my hand.
“Do you see it?”
“See what….”
“Mount Taeawk.”
“Ah- yes, I see it. Indeed I do.”
Paeng Dohan nodded.
Only then did he realize that what my fingertip was indicating was none other than Mount Taeawk, the massive mountain range that bordered Dongjeong Lake.
Though we were not riding horses, if we continued at our current walking pace, even accounting for rest, the remaining distance would be at most a day’s journey.
“Until we arrive there.”
“”…!?”
“What!?”
The two of them could not hide their shock at my sudden declaration.
They knew better than anyone that this was not something that could be evaded or stopped in merely a day.
However, as I mentioned before, this is merely the minimum condition.
The technique I just displayed was extended with consideration for the level of Baek Myeon-in’s men, and if they cannot block or evade it, there is no need to even contemplate the outcome.
“I will continue walking, so feel free to attack as you wish. If you can stop my feet even slightly, you will buy yourselves more time.”
“This… this is absurd!”
“Am I not currently training you both?”
At my resolute words, Paeng Dohan and Eon Garyeo clenched their teeth.
They had eyes, so they must have witnessed Chu Hyeongi’s growth.
Just a few years ago, that boy who could only defeat the rabble of the Black Ox Society had somehow become a powerful expert that even they could not easily handle.
And now there was me, growing at an unbelievable pace.
If they could remain by the side of the one currently creating the greatest whirlwind in the martial world, they would be able to reach far greater heights than they ever could within the Martial Arts Alliance.
This was likely decided from the moment they left the Martial Arts Alliance.
By good fortune we met here, but I had no doubt they would have sought me out in Luoyang before long.
I pondered this while staring intently at the two of them.
“Will you do it? Or will you refuse? The choice is yours.”
Their eyes, which no longer exchanged glances with each other, were fixed solely upon me, burning with a fervor more intense than any I had witnessed before.
I smiled slightly.
Kwaaaang-!
A gust of wind swept forth as Paeng Dohan rushed at me.
His momentum was fierce, and his power came crashing down with heavy force.
However, his movements were large and full of openings.
I extended my sword guard and struck at his head, then lightly pivoted my body and thrust forward.
Puff-puff-puk-!
“Kugh?!”
“Aaah!”
* * *
As time wore on, Paeng Dohan and Eon Garyeo’s appearances deteriorated beyond recognition.
Their once-pristine silk garments were torn and frayed in countless places, caked with dirt and grime from their repeated tumbles.
Their hair hung in tangled disarray, and their faces bore visible wounds.
Rather than marks from deliberate attacks, these injuries appeared to be abrasions from being struck and dragged across gravel and earth.
“Damn it! Even after all this, it’s still not working?”
Paeng Dohan shot to his feet, his voice sharp with frustration.
He then turned his gaze forward with a piercing stare.
Jin Cheon-u had already pulled far ahead, moving forward without sparing even a glance at the fallen figures behind him.
For nearly an entire day, his pace had never faltered once.
That alone was enough to drive home a bitter truth.
The chasm between them and Jin Cheon-u.
A gap so vast it defied imagination.
Not only had they failed to block his path even once, but his sword—which should have become somewhat familiar to their eyes by now—remained invisible, impossible to track or evade.
Despite employing various tactics to pressure Jin Cheon-u, he had dismissed them all as trivial, dispatching each of them with merely a single move.
The fact that he hadn’t even needed to deploy his techniques shattered the pride of their prestigious martial family.
“A monster!”
Eon Garyeo, sharing the same sentiment, cried out bitterly.
As his voice echoed and faded into the darkness, Jin Cheon-u, cutting through the night, casually waved his hand with evident composure.
“Ugh—what do we do? Should we really give up? There’s less than an hour left.”
Eon Garyeo clenched his teeth and shifted his gaze.
The thick darkness made details nearly invisible, yet the silhouette remained unmistakable.
The entrance to Mount Taenak loomed ahead.
If they advanced just a bit further, he would reach his destination, and if they failed within the hour, they would no longer be able to catch Jin Cheon-u.
But it was not easy.
Despite exhausting every method at their disposal, they had failed to narrow the gap in their abilities, and no solution emerged no matter how hard they racked their brains.
“What if we charged at him with the intent to kill?”
“You may not realize it, but I’ve been charging at him with the intent to kill from the start.”
“…So have I.”
“Sigh….”
They had been serious from the beginning.
Knowing the gap in their abilities, they understood that without unleashing their full power, they could accomplish nothing.
Yet everything had crumbled in vain, leaving them no choice but to grit their teeth, summon their killing intent, and charge forward with murderous resolve.
But even that had failed.
Now only one option remained between them.
“Should we try it?”
“Do you think we can?”
“Let’s give it a shot. Either way, if it doesn’t work, it’s over.”
Paeng Dohan gazed up at the sky.
The sky, once filled with deep darkness, gradually took on a blue hue. This meant dawn was breaking, and it also signified that Jin Cheon-u had arrived at his destination.
Thus, there were not many choices available.
The two of them nodded and rose from their seats, breaking into a run.
Before long, they had already traveled far.
Toward him, who had already reached the vicinity of Mount Taenak’s entrance, they began their furious sprint.
* * *
I gazed upon Mount Taenak, which I was nearly approaching, and recalled the two of them.
They had employed every stratagem to block my path and exerted all their strength to evade my blade.
They wielded techniques and martial arts of such refined caliber that I could only think they were indeed disciples of a prestigious martial clan, yet their swordsmanship fell short of Cheon Yul’s, and their martial arts were far inferior to Chu Hyeongi’s.
However, it was precisely because my comparison was drawn against Cheon Yul and Chu Hyeongi that such a judgment emerged.
One was the grandson of Sa Do-cheon, the Death Emperor himself, and the other was a disciple of the Demon King.
From the start, I had chosen the wrong standard of comparison.
Then what of Namgung Yeon?
I attempted to compare Namgung Yeon, who had grown without even a master, against these two, but I dismissed the thought with a hollow laugh.
Namgung Yeon was nothing short of overwhelming.
Despite learning martial arts through self-study without a master’s guidance, she possessed a talent for absorbing everything seamlessly and making it her own.
Having further honed her eye for reading situations through the previous battle, should she accumulate just a bit more experience, it would be no surprise to call her the female Jin Cheon-u.
Thus, the shortcomings of Paeng Dohan and Eon Garyeo could only be further accentuated.
“Begging your pardon, Young Master!”
At that moment, Paeng Dohan emerged with a thunderous cry.
In that instant, I clicked my tongue lightly and raised my sword guard.
Watching Paeng Dohan’s blade swing down with tremendous weight, I seized the opening with precision.
This was something I could neither evade nor block.
But.
What appeared faster was none other than Eon Garyeo.
Rather than “appeared,” she seemed to have been clinging to the back of the massive Paeng Dohan, concealing herself while waiting for the moment my technique would extend.
What is this?
In the moment I let out a hollow laugh of disbelief.
The qi of the two figures that extended forth merged together as if fusing.
“…!”
The nature of the qi they emitted suddenly transformed, swelling even more intensely and immediately began to pressure me.
I narrowed my brow.
Though the situation was certainly astonishing enough to draw a bewildered laugh, that did not mean an opening had disappeared.
Then Paeng Dohan’s blade swung forth.
Shhaaack—!
Fierce momentum and overwhelming speed.
The blade extending in a straight line flew directly toward my sword guard, and it was unmistakably the swordsmanship of the Paeng clan, yet it felt distinctly different.
As if something else’s speed had been grafted onto it.
Clang—!
The moment the sword strike, aimed at the opening, was deflected by the saber and bounced back.
As if she had been waiting for this exact moment, Eon Garyeo’s leg technique extended from behind me.
It wasn’t just fast.
It was heavy.
As if it carried the power of the Paeng Family within it.
“Ha ha.”
I let out a hollow laugh at the absurdity of it all, beyond mere astonishment.
It was impressive enough that they had fused their conflicting energies together, but the move they executed perfectly complemented each other’s weaknesses.
Though I couldn’t tell who had created this martial technique, it was undoubtedly an exquisite method capable of striking at one’s vulnerabilities.
Whoosh—!
Her extended leg technique then swept across the sword strike.
“Huff, huff….”
“Ha, ha….”
I watched the two of them as I was pushed back along with the sword strike.
They were breathing heavily without pause.
Though it was only a brief moment, that martial technique of fusing their energies and complementing each other’s weaknesses clearly placed a heavy burden on both body and mind.
Yet I found myself smiling without realizing it.
“That was magnificent.”
“…!”
“Really, truly?!”
Eon Garyeo, startled, asked back with her eyes wide open.
This wasn’t mere flattery.
It was genuinely magnificent.
Though I couldn’t tell who had created it, it wouldn’t be strange to say this martial technique was made purely for these two people.
It’s the most unique martial technique across both past and present.
It’s worthy of praising the one who created it.
“What martial technique is this?”
“Twin Joy Flowing Dance… It’s a martial technique our grandfather created.”
“Eon Garyeo’s?”
“No. Our grandfather participated as well.”
A martial technique created together by the powerful experts of both the Paeng and Eon families?
I shook my head with a rueful smile.
Whether it was created to unite these two people, or whether they had taken something made in jest and elevated it into a martial technique through deep understanding, I couldn’t say. But if they mastered it properly, it would undoubtedly become a move capable of striking at vulnerabilities.
I nodded with a satisfied expression.
There was still much to learn, but such things could be refined through actual combat like Namgung Yeon or Jang Chuchyeong.
“You pass.”
“Really?!”
“Truly?”
“Yes. For however long it may last, please do your best as members of the Jin Family.”
“Ahahaha! Don’t worry! I’ll make sure to be of help to you!”
“That’s wonderful, Older Brother!”
Watching Eon Garyeo bounce around with infectious laughter, I found myself smiling without realizing it. Though I couldn’t know how long this bright atmosphere would last.
When I turned my gaze slightly, the landscape of Mount Taeак came into view, and the aura emanating from that place seemed profoundly dark.
As if the shadows of the past had consumed it entirely.
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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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