The Youngest Son of the Nanyang Jin Family - Chapter 73

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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 73

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Clatter—clatter—
A massive carriage hurtled down the main thoroughfare like an arrow loosed from a bow, racing along the smoothly paved road.
The pedestrians who had been walking were forced to leap aside in alarm at such breakneck speed, and curses erupted from all directions with such natural frequency that it seemed almost expected.
Yet those voices never reached the carriage.
It was already gone before there was even time to hear them properly.
That was how insanely fast it was moving.
From inside the carriage, I gazed out the window.
The landscape blurred past in an instant, a fleeting tapestry of sights.
Despite the tremendous speed, the fact that it produced only minor rattling made me acutely aware of just how extraordinarily expensive this carriage truly was.
“Ugh, I’m dying….”
Jang Chuchyeong, whose wounds were still severe, was not faring so well.
Lying sprawled across one side of the carriage, groaning softly, even the smallest rattle seemed to send waves of pain through him—his expression was quite agonized.
Anyone could see he was a patient who should be transported with the utmost care, yet the coachman seemed to have other ideas, increasing the pace rather than decreasing it.
More precisely, he appeared utterly indifferent to the patient’s condition.
“Hahahaha! Faster! Come on! You can do better than this, you beasts!”
Gu Gunbaek’s voice rang out sharply from the driver’s seat. Rather than taking pleasure in pulling the carriage itself, he seemed to be someone who simply enjoyed going fast, and he continued lashing the reins relentlessly.
As a result, the one suffering was his disciple.
I watched Jang Chuchyeong, whose complexion had turned a sickly pallor.
“We still have quite a distance to go. Are you really going to be like this the whole way?”
“Please… save me….”
“Tell your master. Or better yet, take the reins yourself.”
“Hahahaha! You weakling! Why can’t you get up?! Pain heals faster when you move through it!”
Though I had spoken in a low whisper, Gu Gunbaek’s ears were sharp enough to catch it, and from his seat atop the carriage, he bellowed loudly, spurring Jang Chuchyeong onward.
And with that, he drove the horses even more harshly.
The boy’s body jolted violently with each impact.
“…How can someone like that be a, a master…. Damn it.”
“That’s my line, you brat! What was I thinking taking on such a pathetic disciple! Tch!”
Clatter—!
The carriage lurched sharply as if it had struck a large stone.
My buttocks lifted clear off the seat from the impact—it was quite severe.
If I hadn’t protected myself with my inner energy, I suspect I would have felt considerable pain as well.
Jang Chuchyeong, who had been lying down, tumbled directly onto the carriage floor.
“Aaahhh!”
He let out a wail, his groans escaping involuntarily.
With pain seeming to radiate from every part of his body, he curled up, hugging himself and whimpering pitifully.
I gazed at the sight before me and let out a weary sigh.
At this rate, we were truly going to lose someone.
“Elder, perhaps we should rest for a moment.”
“Eh? Already? We’ve only just departed.”
“A full day and a half has passed, sir.”
“Has it really? Now that you mention it, I’m famished.”
Only then, as if my words had pierced through his haze, did the carriage gradually slow its pace.
For a day and a half, I had driven the carriage without rest.
I had eaten nothing and slept not at all.
Yet the moment I spoke, as if awakening from a dream, he began rubbing his hollow belly with the realization of hunger, and yawned widely, his exhaustion laid bare.
Witnessing this, both Jang Chuchyeong and I exhaled in unison.
“Look there—a fine clearing. It seems someone has already passed through here.”
Gu Gunbaek brought the carriage to a halt at a secluded clearing.
As I descended and examined the traces, just as Gu Gunbaek had said, there were unmistakable signs that previous travelers had rested here—the ground was littered with evidence.
It appeared that quite a considerable number of people had gathered in this place.
The hoof prints bore witness, as did the wheel ruts of carriages.
I scrutinized these marks intently and discovered something.
A torn fragment of cloth.
Yet the texture was unmistakably different from ordinary silk—fine enough that one could sense it was an expensive brocade not easily procured anywhere.
And I knew who wore such fabric.
“My uncle, then.”
The Grand Chamberlain Ga Inhoo wore fine garments as well, but this fragment matched perfectly in both color and weave to what my uncle had worn on Father’s birthday.
If so, then it was my uncle and Ga Inhoo who had spent the night in this place.
The torn silk—did it suggest a struggle had occurred?
“Hmm… What seems odd?”
“Chaeseoha was here.”
“Truly?”
I nodded and examined the other traces.
Near the carriage wheels, I spotted droplets of blood.
It was clear that a struggle had erupted when they tried to extract Chaeseoha, and her fierce resistance had torn my uncle’s silk garment.
No, that must surely be what happened.
At that moment, Gu Gunbaek approached and, while surveying the surroundings, began to murmur something—apparently having deduced something from the evidence.
“Four and a half days’ journey ahead. Let’s call it four days. You madman! If you hadn’t wasted time with that funeral nonsense, we’d have caught them already.”
“What do you intend to do by catching the carriage the Grand Chamberlain is riding in?”
“Beat them all to a pulp and take her back.”
Gu Gunbaek clenched his fists and snorted sharply.
Attack the carriage carrying the Grand Chamberlain and rescue Chaeseoha?
Such an act would brand us as traitors under the Emperor’s judgment.
Unless we intended to leave no evidence and slaughter them all, a simple assault and abduction would be utterly meaningless.
I shook my head firmly.
“I’m not chasing after him with that intention. Either way, it seems fine for now, so let’s take our time. Chu Hyeongi, prepare for an outdoor camp.”
“Are you really sure it’s okay? There’s blood on him… Is something serious wrong…?”
“The Emperor himself ordered his retrieval, so they won’t handle him roughly. It’s fine, so prepare.”
At my words, Jang Chuchyeong nodded his head.
Yet something clearly troubled him—his brow furrowed, and though it had only been a few months, it seemed he had grown quite attached to the man.
I watched Jang Chuchyeong busily arrange his belongings and begin preparations for the outdoor camp, then turned to survey my surroundings once more.
The location was excellent, leaving ample space around us.
Even if we fought fiercely, there would be more than enough room.
I turned my gaze toward Gu Gunbaek, who sat beneath the shade of a tree.
He was moistening his mouth with liquor from a gourd bottle when he glanced at my approaching figure with a peculiar expression.
“What scheme are you cooking up now?”
“Sir… I hope you don’t think I’m always plotting something strange.”
“No, it’s just that your eyes looked a bit off as you came over.”
“There’s no malice in it.”
“Is there something else?”
“….”
“….”
At Gu Gunbaek’s pressing words, I found myself momentarily speechless.
As I gazed at him without thinking, I noticed the corners of his mouth twitching as if in mockery.
He seemed to find this situation amusing.
I slowly steadied my breathing and composed myself.
“I’d like to request a sparring match with you.”
“Me? With me? Not that bastard, but this Gu Gunbaek? You didn’t mishear, did you?”
Gu Gunbaek questioned me repeatedly as if unable to comprehend, pointing at his own face with his index finger.
His eyes held an expression of disbelief.
While it was true he occasionally beat me around in jest, no madman in this world would propose a sparring match against the Demon King.
Yet I nodded with certainty.
“Yes, there’s no one else here to spar with besides you, sir.”
“Ha— look at this one. What are you scheming again? Don’t you know who I am? And you want to spar?”
“I humbly request a light match.”
“Hmm… fine. Let’s see what you’ve got.”
Gu Gunbaek clapped his fist against his palm and rose to his feet.
As that enormous frame and massive body loomed over me, I felt the sensation of being crushed beneath a mountain, despite him not even releasing his inner power.
This was the presence of one who stood where I could not reach.
I took a measured breath.
“Should I beat you just enough to survive, or pummel you until you’re at death’s door?”
“…Please go easy on me.”
“Listen, I don’t do halfway. Either you die or you stop right before the afterlife. One or the other.”
Gu Gunbaek grinned wickedly and raised his fist.
As his gaze pierced through me with a questioning look, I steadied my breathing once more and steeled my resolve.
“Come with the intention to kill me.”
“Then you’re already dead.”
Whoosh!
I had no time to feel a chill run down my spine.
The moment Gu Gunbaek standing before me uttered those words, half of his sentence reached my ears from the front, and the remaining half came from behind.
Shred—!
The clothes I was wearing tore open in over a dozen places, with fragments falling to the ground.
Following Gu Gunbaek’s movement to my back, I watched as he stood there with a faint smirk.
Drip…
Cold sweat streamed down as my breathing quickened.
I examined my condition with trembling eyes.
At least a dozen holes pierced through my clothes.
Then, feeling a sharp sting, I touched my neck.
Without question, his hands had grazed past me.
Had he truly intended it, I would already be dead from that single move.
My entire body would have been punctured and broken.
Feeling that sensation, I slowly calmed my mind.
“How was that? Once more?”
“…I humbly request it.”
“Krahaha! You madman! This time I won’t hold back!”
I nodded and focused intently.
The moment Gu Gunbaek’s laughter, which had continued for some time, abruptly ceased.
Thump-thump-thump-thump-thump—!
Countless fists pummeled my entire body.
“Ugh…!”
“I held back considerably. You still look like you’re about to die, don’t you? From now on, show this elder a bit more respect.”
Absorbing those words, I staggered to my feet. Fists from I knew not where had struck over a dozen places in the blink of an eye.
It was truly no exaggeration to call it the speed of light.
Yet immediately after, I grasped my sword and faced Gu Gunbaek once more.
I had not simply asked for a sparring match to take blows.
I needed to find a way to draw out the power of the Jade Orb more reliably.
Above all, I needed to forge a body capable of responding faster to the visions of the future that flashed before me moment by moment.
For that purpose, Gu Gunbaek was the optimal opponent.
As I steeled my resolve and looked at Gu Gunbaek once more, he suddenly drained a gourd he held in his hand, then shook the empty vessel.
“Have you ever been hit with this before?”
Watching it, I concentrated with all my might, drawing my senses to their peak.
Not missing a single movement, not even the faintest flow of wind I could perceive.
Zing—!
In that same instant, a fleeting vision flashed across my mind.
Instinctively, I rolled across the ground.
Whoosh—!
“Gack!”
But the gourd bottle flew faster than I’d anticipated, tracking my movements perfectly and striking my head.
I swallowed a groan as the violent blow drove my body into the ground.
The impact was strong enough to make my vision swim.
“Huh?”
Crash—!
Fragments of the completely shattered gourd bottle scattered across the floor.
But Gu Gunbaek seemed to notice something odd about me, his gaze turning peculiar.
Then, as if double-checking, he moved again.
Thud—!
“Ugh!”
“Huh? That’s not it. Do what you just did again.”
The moment his fist struck my abdomen, a violent impact reverberated through my very marrow. Yet before I could even register the pain, another fist was already flying at me.
I clenched my teeth and focused.
Boom!
But the incoming fist was invisible to my eyes.
As I took the hit and stumbled backward, I heard Gu Gunbaek’s murmuring voice: “That’s not it either?”
But that’s what I wanted to say.
This isn’t it.
When I saw the future, the sensation felt different.
What I was missing eluded me—the thread was almost within grasp, yet slipped away.
“If you’re distracted like that… you’ll die—!”
Gu Gunbaek’s voice reached my ears.
His sharp warning snapped me back to attention, and I refocused on him.
Gu Gunbaek swung his arms in rapid circles, then grinned wickedly at me.
With each swing of his arms, fierce winds began to surge. The moment the gale-like winds completely enveloped his fists.
Gu Gunbaek unleashed it.
Crash—!
“Gack!”
I was launched into the air.
The tremendous impact sent my body flying, only to crash hard against the ground.
I tumbled across the earth several times before finally coming to a stop, but my entire body trembled so violently I could barely move.
“You’re thinking of something, aren’t you? If you don’t show me properly, you’re dead.”
Then Gu Gunbaek’s voice reached me again.
Immediately after, I felt his overwhelming killing intent, which drove my senses to the brink and made me acutely aware that death was upon me.
My senses sharpened to an extreme edge.
I felt Gu Gunbaek’s fist extending through the air. In that moment, concentrating with all my might to not miss it, I surrendered myself entirely to sensation.
Zing—
A fleeting instant became visible.
It was at that precise moment that Gu Gunbaek’s fist came hurtling through the air.
I widened my eyes and retreated five paces backward.
Yet deeming even that insufficient, I hurled my body backward and rolled across the ground.
Boom-boom-boom-boom-crash!
The spiritual energy erupting from Gu Gunbaek’s fist roared with tremendous force, reducing the surroundings to devastation, and as if that were not enough, he continued unleashing his power in waves that stretched across a dozen paces toward me.
“Hah… hah…”
I exhaled ragged breaths and gazed down at my feet.
Truly, a margin as thin as a single sheet of paper.
Gu Gunbaek’s power dissipated, leaving only that infinitesimal gap behind.
“Wahaha—wahahahaha! What? What are you doing?! How did you know?”
Laughter rang out loudly.
As the murderous intent that had enveloped my entire body vanished simultaneously, my tension dissolved without warning and I collapsed to the ground.
“Hah…”
I exhaled a long breath and turned my gaze once more.
A sight that could scarcely be described as anything less than a paper’s breadth away from disaster.
I observed it briefly, then let out a soft chuckle.
“I’ve grasped the pattern.”
Beside me as I smiled, an enormous crater had been gouged into the earth.

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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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