The Youngest Son of the Nanyang Jin Family - Chapter 49
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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 Nakhyang Jin Family – Chapter 110
The carriage came to a halt in a secluded spot.
The space was wide enough that one could camp here without it being strange, making it an ideal location to observe a duel between two people.
We descended from the carriage and settled into position.
As I leaned my back against the largest tree trunk nearby and sat down, Chaeseoha had already taken a seat beside me, while Namgung Yeon stood behind us in a protective stance.
Baek Ja-hyeon and Jang Chuchyeong, however, were different.
They stood several paces apart in the open space, facing each other.
“Young Master! Are you really going to do this?”
“You want to see my skills, don’t you? Show me everything you’ve got.”
“Someone’s going to get hurt!”
As Jang Chuchyeong cried out with a worried expression, it was Baek Ja-hyeon who looked exasperated.
Who was going to get hurt?
Him, or Jang Chuchyeong himself?
He seemed to be thinking exactly that.
“You fool! How long have I been wielding a sword? I won’t get hurt by the likes of you!”
“Ugh, how frustrating! No, it’s not about how long you’ve been doing it—it’s about who your teacher is. Do you know who my teacher is?”
“This insolent brat.”
“Ah, don’t curse at me!”
Despite Jang Chuchyeong’s consideration, Baek Ja-hyeon ground his teeth and drew his sword.
An ominous aura began to emanate from him.
Even Jang Chuchyeong, who had been blustering moments before, couldn’t help but tense up. His complexion, which had been sickly pale at first, had returned to normal.
Soon after, he casually scratched his ear.
“Phew— Are you really doing this?”
“Do you need to get beaten to come to your senses?!”
“No, it’s funny that you’re telling me to be scared of an aura that’s not even as intimidating as my teacher’s glare!”
Ha—
I couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh at those words.
It was true, but he’d said it far too bluntly.
As expected, Baek Ja-hyeon’s face flushed crimson. He had pride in being the strongest martial artist of the Nakhyang Jin Family, and he’d eaten sword rice since childhood.
Even as a disciple of Gu Gunbaek, he was not someone to be disrespected by Jang Chuchyeong.
“Who do you think will win, sir?”
At that moment, Namgung Yeon’s voice came carefully.
I didn’t bother turning my head.
I took the dried meat Chaeseoha offered me and smiled faintly.
“What do you think?”
“The difference in experience and level seems too great, no matter how I look at it.”
Naturally, the gap in experience and years of training between Baek Ja-hyeon and Jang Chuchyeong would be extreme.
In normal circumstances, as Namgung Yeon thought, Jang Chuchyeong could never win.
However, the martial prowess of Gu Gunbaek that I have experienced transcends the ordinary.
Moreover, what Jang Chuchyeong is mastering is the new martial technique that once brought the Sword Emperor to his knees.
With the years of refinement and polish, even Baek Ja-hyeon would find it far from easy.
“Here I come!”
With that thunderous cry, Jang Chuchyeong moved.
First, he kicked at the ground beneath his feet.
Boom—!
With a tremendous roar, the earth erupted and fragments scattered through the air like weapons, obscuring Baek Ja-hyeon’s vision as they shot toward him.
Clang clang clang clang—!
Baek Ja-hyeon stumbled backward in alarm, his blade moving swiftly.
He deflected the incoming debris while his eyes darted frantically about.
He seemed to be searching for where Jang Chuchyeong would emerge from.
But he could not see him.
He had already moved the moment his foot kicked the ground.
“…!”
“Hyah!”
Jang Chuchyeong appeared in an instant, his fist clenched. With movements bestial in nature came an overwhelming tempest of force.
Baek Ja-hyeon could not fail to recognize how threatening it was.
He twisted his body abruptly to evade it.
Crash—!
The unleashed force tore through the earth, leaving it shattered in its wake.
As Baek Ja-hyeon felt the ground beneath him tremble and launched himself into the air, the very earth where he had stood exploded with a bang.
“What kind of martial technique is this—!?”
I found myself smiling at the sight of him shouting with astonishment.
When I first experienced it, I felt the same way.
It is martial technique that defies the very definition—pure offense.
Yet without question, the essence of the Demon King is contained in every single move.
It appears to be the martial technique of Namman, yet it is not.
One must be able to display overwhelming force while controlling one’s inner energy appropriately, and possess a body resilient enough to withstand the release of power that seems as though it should rupture.
Combined with the keen insight to read one’s opponent and the agility to execute the movements of a predator.
Without these elements, this martial technique cannot be learned.
Therefore, it possesses both speed and overwhelming destructive power.
Each move is lethal.
Boom—!
“Ugh—!?”
Baek Ja-hyeon’s body flew backward from the impact.
Feeling himself pushed back, he barely managed to regain his balance, but Jang Chuchyeong would not waste even that brief opening.
Crack—!
The moment distance opened between them, he snatched up a stone and hurled it.
With terrifying piercing power that whistled through the air at arrow-like speed, it hurtled toward Baek Ja-hyeon.
Clang—!
I hastily raised my blade to block the incoming strike.
Though I managed to deflect it, the brute force still drove me back several steps, and while the sword didn’t break, the impact was so severe that the blade trembled and my wrist throbbed with pain.
“Such a crude bastard!”
Baek Ja-hyeon growled harshly, his brow furrowing.
I had witnessed countless martial techniques, but never one so brutally overwhelming. Because of this, formulating a countermeasure proved far more difficult than expected.
However, he was also a seasoned swordmaster.
An attack seen once would not land twice.
Screech—!
“Ugh?!”
Reading Jang Chuchyeong’s intention to use the same technique, I moved first and swung my blade.
Seeing the incoming blade graze his collar, Jang Chuchyeong recoiled in alarm, but as if anticipated, my sword thrust forward.
Screech!
It grazed his cheek.
Since I had no intention to kill, it was merely his cheek—otherwise, the blade would have driven straight through his throat.
Finally, the situation began to reach equilibrium.
Or rather, had Baek Ja-hyeon regained his composure?
Clang-clang-clang—!
His sword movements gradually found their rhythm and composure.
Jang Chuchyeong, who had been launching relentless attacks, now clearly displayed his lack of experience, and Baek Ja-hyeon, who could not fail to notice this, continued to press his advantage.
Thud—screech—! Crash—! Boom!
Every conceivable sound echoed in the brief span of time.
Baek Ja-hyeon was undoubtedly overwhelming, yet like a beast with its fangs locked on its prey’s throat, Jang Chuchyeong refused to yield.
I observed this while rolling my eyes slightly.
Namgung Yeon’s gaze never left the two fighters.
As if determined to learn something from every moment, he seemed intent on absorbing everything through his eyes and mind.
Confirming this sight, I allowed myself a small smile.
Whoooosh—!
The momentum of both fighters erupted and surged explosively.
Baek Ja-hyeon’s determination not to lose to some mere novice, and Jang Chuchyeong’s resolve, thinking of me and Gu Gunbaek, that could not be broken.
And then, just before they collided.
I moved.
“…!”
“Huh?!”
Yet no collision occurred.
Using my sword guard, I pulled and twisted Baek Ja-hyeon’s blade, while simultaneously extending my left hand to grasp Jang Chuchyeong’s arm, swapping their positions and redirecting their combined force.
Boom—!
The redirected energy exploded, shaking our ears.
Judging by the trembling earth alone, they had poured considerable power into that exchange.
“That’s enough. Let’s stop here.”
At my casual remark, Chu Hyeongi smacked his lips in disappointment, while I noticed Baek Ja-hyeon and Namgung Yeon’s eyes trembling as they stared at me.
To disperse the clashing auras in an instant and remain completely unaffected—such a thing could not be seen anywhere else.
Those trained in martial arts would surely understand how difficult this truly was.
“… You….”
“Uncle won this match. If we had collided directly, Chu Hyeongi would have been sent flying.”
“Huh? Really? But I thought I was winning?”
“You’re mistaken. You’re still far from being able to defeat your uncle.”
“Tch… But I fought well, didn’t I?”
“Yes, you did well. You’ve improved greatly.”
“Hehehehe.”
At my light praise, the boy’s expression softened and he broke into a drowsy smile.
Watching him, he reminded me so much of his own master that I found myself shaking my head without thinking.
Just then, Baek Ja-hyeon’s voice came with a somewhat awkward cough.
“Ahem-! You, are you alright?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, just now….”
“I simply let it pass through. It had no effect on me.”
“…I see. You just… let it pass through?”
As I nodded in confirmation, Baek Ja-hyeon offered an awkward laugh. He then wiped away the cold sweat trickling down, and I could see his eyes trembling faintly as he looked at me.
He appeared to have received quite a shock.
Observing this, I allowed myself a faint smile.
“We’ve warmed up well enough. Let’s eat and then depart.”
At my words, Baek Ja-hyeon carefully nodded his head.
* * *
“Ha ha, quite the catch indeed.”
Hyang Un-sin, the Family Head leading the Hyang-un Sega, gazed at the captured Jin Ji-yak and broke into a broad smile.
Though many had slipped through their grasp, considering this ambush was designed specifically to capture Jin Ji-yak, the objective had been achieved.
With this, I had secured an opportunity to negotiate with the Nakhyang Jin Family.
Of course, assuming they didn’t lash out with their blades in a fit of rage.
But even that concern held no weight for me.
Hyang Un-sin glanced subtly to one side.
Twenty figures clustered together.
The Jinpung Sword Sect, the pride of Sadocheon.
In terms of the Martial Alliance, they were equivalent to the Changyong Unit.
Though they would eventually lead Sadocheon, there was one crucial distinction between them and the Changyong Unit.
Only those who had been deployed on countless missions since childhood, who had fought desperate battles and survived them, could enter the Jinpung Sword Sect.
Thus, they were killers incomparable to the Changyong Unit in terms of experience.
Indeed, the substantial sums paid to Sadocheon had proven worthwhile.
I had never expected them to dispatch the Jinpung Sword Sect.
While smiling at such thoughts, a man approached and spoke.
“Family Head, our work is now complete.”
“Ha ha, not quite. We must see the negotiations through to the end, must we not?”
“That doesn’t seem to be our responsibility?”
“Simply remain at my side. Even the Nakhyang Jin Family cannot hold their heads high before Sadocheon.”
“….”
At those words, the man regarded the Family Head with an expressionless face.
In that instant, my body flinched.
Merely being stared at caused cold sweat to pour down and my breathing to quicken. It felt as though the man’s blade was pressed against the nape of my neck.
Thus, the Family Head laughed awkwardly and stepped back slightly.
“Now, don’t be like that. When this matter concludes favorably, I shall reward Sadocheon handsomely.”
“Do not forget those words.”
“Of course not! Ha ha ha.”
As the man bowed and withdrew, I finally released a sigh of relief and turned my head.
In that moment, my expression twisted into something harsh.
‘These killers who know nothing but how to take lives… Tsk!’
Their skills were excellent, but that arrogant expression displeased me.
How much money did the Hyang-un Sega pour into Sadocheon?
Did they not know that most of what they ate and wore came from the Hyang-un Sega’s coffers?
Since they only knew how to wield blades, they seemed incapable of such considerations.
Clicking my tongue once more and composing myself, I turned my head. There, I saw my son’s expression, which appeared somewhat anxious.
“Father, surely the Nakhyang Jin Family won’t involve the Martial Alliance, will they?”
My son’s anxiety seemed to stem from the existence of the Martial Alliance. If the Nakhyang Jin Family were to involve them, a great battle would surely erupt here.
Perhaps this incident could even spark the Four Great Sects War.
“Absolutely not. We will never incur a debt to the Martial Alliance.”
Even knowing their opponent was the Nakhyang Jin Family, this choice became possible for one reason alone.
They could utilize the Sadocheon, but the Nakhyang Jin Family would not.
They were people who would not incur debts to martial sects, even if it meant yielding a little.
Hyang Un-sin was banking on precisely this point.
Since the venture proceeded under the Emperor’s command, it would inevitably fall to the Nakhyang Jin Family.
So why not negotiate with the Nakhyang Jin Family and arrange for the Hyang-un Sega to undertake it themselves?
If they merely offered a modest profit margin, the Hyang-un Sega could resume their imperial contracts, while the Nakhyang Jin Family could simply sit idle and reap the rewards.
Hyang Un-sin gazed at Jin Ji-yak’s piercing eyes, bound and helpless, and recalled a certain person.
“Why did you reject my proposal, Jin Family Head?”
In truth, Jin Ga-muk bore considerable responsibility for this situation. The Hyang-un Sega would face ruin the moment they lost access to imperial ventures, so he had already extended one negotiation proposal.
But it fell on deaf ears.
The Jin Family Head had dismissed it without a second glance.
And thus, this situation had come to pass.
“If even this fails….”
Then blood would be spilled.
The teeth of the Hyang-un Sega, backed against the cliff’s edge, had never been sharper, and he intended to unleash a crimson rain upon the Nakhyang Jin Family with everything at his disposal.
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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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