The Youngest Son of the Nanyang Jin Family - Chapter 293

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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 293

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“Damn it all-!”
“Chae Ju!”
Crash-!
Ro Gangpyo, who had barely managed to escape with his life and returned to the water transport station, unleashed his unbridled fury by hurling his fist at the wall and shattering it.
Unable to contain the raging inferno of his anger, he continued pounding the wall until his knuckles tore open, blood spraying across the surface and drenching it crimson.
“There is no humiliation greater than this!”
Ro Gangpyo ground his teeth, exhaling ragged breaths.
All he had intended was to sink a single small vessel, yet instead the very ship that symbolized the water transport station had been reduced to splinters and sent to the riverbed, and he had lost considerable numbers of subordinates to the violent downpour and tempestuous winds.
For an operation meant merely to capture one small boat, the backlash had been far too severe, and Ro Gangpyo’s fury showed no signs of subsiding.
“Have you searched for those bastards?!”
“We have captured several men, but they have no connection to those who orchestrated this. Perhaps they were swept away by the current and carried downstream.”
“They wouldn’t be dead. Their skills were extraordinary.”
Ro Gangpyo ground his teeth and gazed out the window.
The harsh downpour was gradually beginning to ease.
Yet as night fell and mist gathered thickly, it was impossible to take a boat out and search.
As his gaze swept across the invisible water’s surface, several islands became visible through the swirling fog.
“They likely washed ashore on one of the islands. Search them.”
“Understood.”
The Yangtze River is vast and immense.
Yet it is not entirely composed of water—islands are scattered throughout, providing numerous accessible locations.
Those who drift from a destroyed vessel, whether alive or dead, must inevitably reach one of these islands.
If I begin searching them one by one using the water transport station’s small boats, it will take time, but I will certainly capture them.
Ro Gangpyo narrowed his eyes to slits.
“That was no ordinary opponent.”
The technique of the one who destroyed the vessel.
Considering how the boat had shattered into fragments at the time, it could not be called inner force—it appeared to be a method of compressing sword energy to its maximum and releasing it in a burst.
Given that even seasoned first-rate martial artists could not achieve such a feat, the skill of the one wielding the blade was not to be underestimated.
Crunch-!
Ro Gangpyo clenched his fist, his expression turning vicious.
I still do not know precisely who my opponent is.
But I will make certain they regret ever laying a hand on the water transport station.
“Do not mistake us for mere bandits like the Green Forest.”
Though we are bandits as well, unlike the Green Forest, which scraped together even the most mediocre to build their forces, the water transport station is a place where only the strong survive.
That is why we are formidable.
Despite controlling and rampaging across the mighty Yangtze River, the fact that even the Martial Arts Alliance could not properly lay a hand on them demonstrated that the status of the Water Transport Chae was incomparable to that of the bandits.
“I’ll kill him, this bastard…!”
Ro Gangpyo clenched his teeth and harbored murderous intent.
Whoever it was, they would never escape the Yangtze alive.

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“Cough, cough—!”
Jang Chuchyeong, who had been lying down, opened his eyes while coughing without restraint. Whether he had swallowed a considerable amount of water, nothing but water came up the entire time he was retching.
“Ugh—!”
“Are you alright?”
“Cough! …I’m dying….”
Was this what they meant by tears and snot streaming down one’s face?
Watching fluids drip from every direction, I found myself wearing a bitter smile.
“You seem to be speaking fine, so you’re clearly alive and well.”
“Cough— …Young Master, are you alright?”
“I’m fine as well. However, the situation is rather awkward.”
“What?”
At my incomprehensible words, he regained his senses and began looking around.
Just by seeing the moon hanging high in the sky, I could tell that considerable time had passed, and I felt puzzled that we, who should have been on the water, were now standing on land.
I wore a small smile on my face.
“It seems we’ve washed up on an island. The problem is… everyone has scattered.”
While Jang Chuchyeong’s eyes were closed, I surveyed the island but found only a few corpses of the Water Transport Chae’s subordinates, with no sign of the others.
Chaeseoha had been taken by Chwiayeok, so there was no need to worry about her, but Namgung Yeon, who could not swim, was a source of concern.
“…What about that young one?”
“You mean Namgung Yeon? He’s not here for now. It seems likely he was swept away elsewhere. No matter how I look at it… there doesn’t seem to be just one or two islands.”
I quietly turned my gaze toward the water’s surface.
Due to the thick mist, I couldn’t secure a proper view, but within the dimly visible shapes, I could make out several islands.
The distance was considerable enough that swimming there seemed impossible, but in any case, it seemed certain that Chaeseoha and Namgung Yeon were on one of those islands.
However, I had to account for unexpected circumstances.
“If things go wrong, we might end up finding corpses.”
“That young woman’s life is tenacious, so it should be fine.”
“I hope so….”
The look in Jang Chuchyeong’s eyes as he glanced at me seemed to be saying something.
A look that asked why he was worrying when he was the one who caused this mess.
However, while it was certainly I who destroyed the enemy’s boat, the reason our boat was destroyed lay not with me but with something else.
The sudden downpour and wind.
Moreover, when the Water Transport Chae’s boat was half-destroyed, the waves surged, and the old boat, shaking, could not withstand the force.
Additionally, the reckless movements made in evading the Water Transport Chae’s small boat would have played a significant role as well.
With that understanding, I looked at Jang Chuchyeong.
“It’s not my fault, so stop thinking useless thoughts.”
“I… I didn’t say anything much?”
“I can tell what you’re thinking just by looking at your eyes.”
Was it because of that one remark?
Chu Hyeongi scratched his head and looked away.
It seemed as though he were trying to hide the expression in his eyes.
Then.
Something strange caught my attention on the water’s surface.
That figure clinging to a large plank and drifting along was unmistakably a person. The moment I sharpened my vision to see if it was a water spirit, I found myself rising from my seat without thinking.
“Cheongdam?”
“Huh? Where is that man?”
“Isn’t he drifting toward us over there?”
When I pointed to a spot, Chu Hyeongi’s gaze finally turned toward the water. The way he was clinging to the plank as if he would never let go looked quite desperate.
“…Young Master Jin?! Young Master Jin, is that you?! Please save me! I can’t swim!”
Cheongdam, having spotted us, broke into a bright smile and waved his hand.
Just by the color returning to his face, it was clear he was feeling the relief of having survived.
I found myself smiling.
I then quietly entered the water and swam toward him, pulling Cheongdam’s body back to shore, and only then did I hear a sigh of relief as he truly felt he had survived.
“Phew! I really thought I was going to die! Do you know how terrifying it was when the fog was so thick I couldn’t even see ahead?”
“At least the fog helped. Without it, Suro Chae’s ships would have covered the entire Yangtze River.”
“Eek!”
As if the mere thought made him shudder, Cheongdam trembled with a sickly pale complexion.
To anyone watching, it would seem as though he feared Suro Chae, but in truth, he was someone who would unhesitatingly cut her down if she stood before him.
One must not be deceived by his outward levity.
“But… what about the others?”
“I don’t think they’re dead. They’ve probably been swept away somewhere.”
“Shouldn’t we go rescue them? Come on, everyone grab a plank and go! It’s the only way to cross water even if you can’t swim!”
“Damn it, this man talks too much. Do you think I don’t know that? We’re doing this because the fog is too thick.”
“Amitabha Buddha—Young Master So, your words are perhaps a bit harsh—”
“Enough, enough! Stop it. I absolutely hate people who talk a lot. More importantly, Young Master, if the fog clears but we have no boat, do we really have to grab planks and leave?”
“No, I have no such intention. A boat will appear soon.”
“Huh? You’re planning to make one?”
At that unexpected remark, I let out a hollow laugh.
If I were to spend effort chopping wood and building a boat from now on, a raft might be possible, but I had neither the desire nor the intention to do so.
“Don’t worry and rest easy. If you want to move around, go catch something to eat.”
“Ah! That sounds good. I’ll be back in a flash.”
Chu Hyeongi nodded and began looking around. Whether searching for something edible, he started rummaging through the surroundings with wide-open eyes like a comb through hair.
Though he didn’t show it, it seemed he was quite hungry.
As I smiled faintly and glanced to the side, I could see Cheongdam lying on the ground.
Having swum for several hours clinging to a single plank, he seemed to have fallen into deep sleep, exhausted.
I gazed at it for a moment, then took my seat as well.
I closed my eyes as if drifting into sleep, letting time pass.
After some time had elapsed, even the falling raindrops ceased, and as the surroundings gradually brightened, I could perceive the mist slowly lifting away.
When the early morning sunlight revealed itself fully and poured down, birds fluttered and flew about as if welcoming the proper dawn.
In that moment, a sound reached my ears from somewhere.
Splash—splash—!
The sound of something cutting through the quiet waters.
Opening my eyes and gazing at the water’s surface, I noticed numerous small boats scattered here and there in the distance.
It was none other than Chu Hyeongi who reacted to this.
The fellow, who had been sleeping without finding food, suddenly rose from his seat, and Cheongdam also sensed the movement and opened his eyes.
“Young Master, what is that…?”
“What else? The Suro Chae are searching for us. There are more of them than I expected.”
Even Chu Hyeongi, still half-asleep, was startled by the number.
Though called small boats, they appeared numerous enough to carry eighteen or more people each. It seemed possible that the entire forces of the Suro Chae had mobilized.
I let out a laugh without thinking, and Cheongdam’s brow furrowed beside me.
“This… we are at a numerical disadvantage.”
“It is always the case, so I pay it no mind.”
“…Are you saying such situations are familiar to you?”
Cheongdam, having grasped the gravity of the situation, revealed a hardened expression. Judging by how briefly he spoke, I could tell he was quite tense.
I let out a laugh and narrowed my eyes.
Among the many boats, two were heading toward us.
Though not directly toward our location, they were clearly heading for the island, and I could see the distance steadily closing.
“We must prepare for battle!”
In the moment Cheongdam, recognizing the situation, steeled himself and grasped his sword, I gently stopped him and shook my head.
“Stay here. I have no wish to waste time.”
“Pardon?”
At my sudden words, he tilted his head in confusion, and I smiled softly before taking a step forward.
My body soared like a flying bird and leaped onto the water’s surface.
In an instant, I stepped across the water and extended a dozen paces, closing the distance to the boats, and the faces of the water bandits who spotted me turned ashen.
“There… there!”
“A… a person?!”
The expressions of those seeing water-skimming flight for the first time transcended shock. Their eyes widened so far they seemed ready to burst, fixed upon me without wavering.
I kicked off the water’s surface and leaped upward, drawing my sword and swinging it.
Splash—!
A crescent-shaped sword aura that severed everything flew forth.
“Ahhh—!”
“Dodge, dodge!”
Rough cries rang out, but they were meaningless.
The speed of the incoming sword aura was far greater than the speed at which bodies could move.
Splash—!
In an instant, one of the pirate ships split in half, spraying blood everywhere, and simultaneously the vessel sank beneath the surface of the water.
Yet it was far from over.
The moment I landed on the remaining ship.
“Kugh?!”
“Kill him!”
The rough cries of the pirates still echoed in my ears when—
A sharp metallic ring!
Flashing light traced a line through the air.
A sword strike so swift that to the pirates’ eyes it was nothing but a glimmer.
Before they could even attempt to react, their heads separated from their bodies, and they tumbled helplessly from the deck into the Yangtze, turning its waters crimson.
I confirmed the ship was empty of any remaining threats and grasped the oar.
As I slowly rowed toward the shore, Cheongdam’s dumbfounded face came into view first.
“…Is that even human?”
“No, I sometimes wonder that myself.”
Jang Chuchyeong, receiving Cheongdam’s dazed murmur, spoke carefully as they exchanged glances, then swallowed hard and steadied their breathing.
Just then, the oar-propelled boat touched the shore.
I handed the oar to Jang Chuchyeong and smiled.
“See? I told you a boat would appear if we just waited.”
Was it because of that single remark?
Or were they simply finding the spectacle too absurd to process?
The two dazed men managed to nod with difficulty.

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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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