The Lazy Young Master of the Jin Clan

"You said it was an unidentified master."

"Yes. The members of the Red Sword Unit who went with me said that a stone that flew from somewhere had interfered with their movements."

Ju Hyeol, the head of the Hongjung Sect, who was sitting on a grand chair with his chin resting on his hand, stared at Ju Giltae with a stern gaze.

At his turbid gaze, Ju Giltae flinched.

"Is there a possibility that they are martial artists belonging to the Martial Arts Alliance?"

"That possibility..."

As Ju Giltae failed to give an answer, Ju Gilseok, who was standing next to him, said instead.

"It's quite possible. From Ham So'eon's point of view, it wouldn't have been a proper contract, so it's highly likely that he requested mediation from the Martial Arts Alliance."

"Yes. You're right."

Ju Hyeol straightened his body.

At the same time, the door of the inner chamber, which had been closed, opened, and a woman appeared.

The woman, with long straight hair and beautiful but fierce eyes, entered with leisurely steps and greeted Ju Hyeol.

"Have you been well, Father?"

"It's Gilyeon. Is life at the Saseong Sect bearable?"

"Not at all. He's the most moronic fiancé I've ever seen."

Ju Gilyeon walked to the side of the grand chair where Ju Hyeol was sitting and sat on the armrest.

Her pointed fingertips caressed Ju Hyeol's chin.

Although it was an act that was against etiquette in anyone's eyes, Ju Gilseok and Ju Giltae could not say anything.

The woman with long hair who had come unannounced.

It was because she was Ju Hyeol's eldest daughter, Ju Gilyeon.

"What happened to the Deungho Mountain?"

"It's proceeding smoothly."

"I heard that Giltae led the Red Sword Unit and was beaten like a fool. Is that true?"

"Yes."

"Oh my!"

As Ju Gilyeon's gaze moved to him, Ju Giltae turned his head.

"Giltae. Are you going to ignore your older sister whom you've met after a long time?"

"That's all because of the circumstances..."

"Giltae."

A sharp pressure pressed down on Ju Giltae's entire body.

"Keuk!"

At the pressure, which felt like hundreds of needles were piercing him, Ju Giltae had no choice but to turn his head and face Ju Gilyeon.

"If you try to ignore me one more time, you'll live to regret it for the rest of your life. Do you understand?"

Ju Gilyeon's mouth was smiling, but her eyes were not.

Because he knew better than anyone how fearsome she was, Ju Giltae hurriedly answered.

"I-I'm sorry, sister."

"Yes. Good."

Ju Gilyeon, who had withdrawn her energy, caressed Ju Hyeol's chin again.

"The Saseong Sect leader wants to get the Deungho Mountain as soon as possible, Father."

"The Deungho Mountain will soon be in the hands of the Hongjung Sect, so don't worry."

"Father. You should say it's in our hands, not the Hongjung Sect's. Are you trying to confuse this girl?"

"Right... I misspoke."

"Good!"

Ju Gilyeon, who had come down from the grand chair, smiled fiercely and extended her hand to the closed door.

"Come in."

The door opened again, and a man with a sturdy physique appeared.

A man with a firm impression, as much as his short hair and sturdy physique.

He entered with a thud and greeted Ju Hyeol with a fist and palm salute.

"I greet the head of the Hongjung Sect. I am Cheolgyeom from the Saseong Sect."

"Cheolgyeom... don't tell me you're the leader of the Four Sword Unit?"

"Yes."

At the appearance of the leader of the Four Sword Unit, Ju Hyeol stood up from his seat with a surprised expression.

The Four Sword Unit was the elite unit of the Saseong Sect.

At the appearance of the Four Sword Unit, which was in charge of the actual military force, Ju Hyeol's face turned slightly red with excitement.

"Don't tell me the sect leader has sent the Four Sword Unit?"

"Fifty members of the Four Sword Unit, including myself, have just arrived at the Hongjung Sect."

"Hoho! The sect leader has sent reinforcements to help my father."

Ju Hyeol instantly realized that the reason they had come to the Hongjung Sect was because of the Deungho Mountain.

‘The Saseong Sect leader is pressuring me.’

Although the superficial reason was to help the Hongjung Sect, the Four Sword Unit was a means to monitor and urge the Hongjung Sect.

‘It’s for the better.’

Ju Giltae and the Red Sword Unit had been attacked by the Deungho Sect.

Whatever the detailed circumstances, there was a justification, so they had to move before they could request salvation from the Martial Arts Alliance.

"The timing was very appropriate. The Hongjung Sect was just about to go to the Deungho Sect to settle the blood debt."

"The Four Sword Unit will also lend its strength."

"My heart is reassured by the help of the Saseong Sect. Thank you."

Ju Hyeol's gaze touched Ju Giltae and then moved to Ju Gilseok.

"Gilseok. We will go to the Deungho Sect tomorrow. Prepare."

"Yes."

"Then everyone, return to your respective places. Tomorrow will be a busy day."

While everyone was returning to their places, Ju Giltae remained.

Ju Hyeol, who was about to return to his bedroom, stopped in his tracks.

"Do you have a complaint?"

"It is true that I took the Red Sword Unit and failed to achieve results. But it was my strength... that brought this plan this far in the first place."

"I know."

Ju Hyeol patted Ju Giltae's shoulder.

"So now, leave the rest to your older brother and sister."

With these words, Ju Hyeol left the place.

Ju Giltae, who was left alone again, burst out with the anger he had been suppressing.

"This is bullshit!!"

He couldn't understand it at all.

Without him, they could not have obtained the one-sided contract or the justification. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

But to discard him now.

Ju Giltae's face was stained with anger.

"Damn it!"

Ju Giltae, who had come out of the inner chamber, moved his feet busily to his own quarters.

"At this rate, that brat Ju Gilseok might become the next head...! Damn it!"

Ju Giltae, who had returned to his quarters, racked his brain busily.

If Ju Gilseok were to succeed the head, he might have to live in his shadow forever.

But no matter how much he racked his brain, he couldn't come up with a suitable idea.

"It would be better if that brat just ruined everything..."

Ju Giltae's body, which had been reaching for a cup of water to soothe his stomach, stopped in an instant.

‘Wh-What is this!?’

He couldn't move a single finger.

The only things that moved were his two eyes.

At that moment, someone laid Ju Giltae's body down and sat him on a chair.

And a black-clad man with his face covered by a black mask appeared.

He covered his mouth with his finger and then made a throat-slitting gesture.

‘Does he mean he’ll kill me if I speak!’

Ju Giltae instinctively felt that he was an assassin.

‘Who sent him? Don't tell me the Deungho Sect sent an assassin?’

His heart pounded rapidly.

He was only twenty-eight.

He was too young to die.

As the assassin released his mute point, his voice came out.

And yet, he could not ask for help.

The opponent was a high-level assassin who could subdue Ju Giltae's vital points while hiding his presence.

If he carelessly raised his voice, his neck would surely be cut.

"Now, listen carefully to what I say."

Ju Giltae nodded his head.

"Why does the Hongjung Sect want the ancestral mountain of the Deungho Sect?"

‘So he is an assassin sent by the Deungho Sect!’

His intuition was right.

But even if he was right, there was nothing he could do.

He was still subdued by his vital points and could do nothing, and the assassin held the knife.

"Hmm. I didn't want to use such a violent method."

The black-clad man dragged the chair Ju Giltae was sitting on and placed it against the wall.

And then, he stepped back seven steps and took out some chopsticks from his bosom.

"Now, there are a total of ten chopsticks."

"What are you going to do with those..."

Ping— Thwack!

Ju Giltae's mouth fell open.

It was because a chopstick that had flown through the air, cutting through the wind, had stuck right next to his face.

His heart began to pound hard again.

‘I'm going to die! I'm going to die! I'm going to die!’

If a chopstick were to stick in his glabella, he would surely die.

Following that, two chopsticks flew in and stuck on either side of Ju Giltae's neck.

"Heup!"

The surprised Ju Giltae took a sharp breath.

"Now, there are seven left."

"W-W-Wait! You... you're an assassin sent by the Deungho Sect, right? How much! How much did you receive!?"

"Are you insulting me, an assassin, right now?"

The black-clad man threw four chopsticks at the same time.

With a sound as if the air were being torn, four chopsticks stuck in a row above Ju Giltae's head.

"Heok— Heok—!!"

Ju Giltae, who had been on the verge of death, felt like he was going crazy.

"Now there are only three left. You must know well... what will happen when there is only one chopstick left, right?"

"I'll talk! I'll talk, so my life...!"

"Speak quickly... achoo!"

The black-clad man sneezed and threw a chopstick.

That chopstick stuck right between Ju Giltae's legs.

"Hiiik!!"

"Oh, that was a mistake. Now there are two left."

‘I've seen a crazy bastard like that!’

Ju Giltae realized that he had only one chance left.

‘Anyway, even if things go well, it will be Ju Gilseok who becomes the head. For now, I have to save my own life first!’

Ju Giltae, who had hardened his heart, opened his mouth.

"It's not our Hongjung Sect that wants the Deungho Mountain... it's the Saseong Sect."

"The Saseong Sect? Where's that?"

"It's a sect that's located if you go north from here. The number of disciples is similar to our sect, but their individual martial power is much more outstanding."

"Then why does the Saseong Sect want the Deungho Mountain?"

"We don't know that either."

"Hmm?"

As the black-clad man raised a chopstick, Ju Giltae hurriedly said.

"It's true! The Saseong Sect didn't tell us the reason why they want the Deungho Mountain! They just said that if we get the Deungho Mountain, they will help us push out the Deungho Sect and become the hegemon of Namsohyeon, and they also said they would give us a large sum of money as a reward."

"Hmmmm."

The black-clad man's head was now tilted to the side.

The chopsticks also swayed from side to side, as if they were about to fly at any moment.

‘This son of a bitch! What the hell am I supposed to do!?’

Ju Giltae felt like he was going to die of frustration.

But at that moment.

A face and a name came to his mind.

"Ju Gilyeon!"

"Ju Gilyeon?"

"She's my older sister. Ju Gilyeon is engaged to the son of the Saseong Sect leader. And the deal about the Deungho Mountain was also brought by that brat. Yes! Ju Gilyeon would know!"

"Is that so?"

The black-clad man dragged a chair and sat opposite Ju Giltae.

"Then now, tell me about Ju Gilyeon."

***

"Hoo! As expected, home is the best."

Ju Gilyeon, who had returned home after a long time, changed her clothes with a refreshed body after taking a bath and came out.

Taking a walk late at night was a new hobby of Ju Gilyeon's.

‘If it weren't for that stupid-looking brat.’

The reason she was taking a walk late at night was because of her fiancé, the son of the Saseong Sect leader, Go Cheolji.

His appearance was so ugly that it was no exaggeration to say he was the ugliest man in Hebei, and his martial arts skills were pathetic due to his lazy nature.

And yet, the reason Ju Gilyeon had become his fiancée was to have the power and authority of the Saseong Sect.

In other words, it was a political engagement.

And yet, Ju Gilyeon did not have a big complaint.

To survive properly in this harsh Central Plains, she needed power.

She needed a strong back to support her.

That's why she had gotten engaged to Go Cheolji.

She enjoyed a night walk, which was not in her destiny, to get away from the brat who was trying to spend the night with her.

"Power and authority... there's nothing like these two."

Ju Gilyeon, who was enjoying a night walk out of habit, stopped in her tracks.

She still did not know the reason.

It was just because she had seen someone.

Although he was wearing the shabby clothes of a servant and was holding a broom in both hands, the appearance of the man standing, receiving the moonlight, was so bright that all of that didn't matter.

"Ah..."

Ju Gilyeon opened her mouth without realizing it as she looked at the man who was standing under the moon and looking up at the sky.

Soon, the man, who had felt Ju Gilyeon's presence, lowered his gaze.

The moment their eyes met.

The man said with an awkward smile.

"Hello."

(End of Chapter)