The Lazy Young Master of the Jin Clan

“What!?”

Baekhwa blinked her large eyes with a face that doubted whether she had heard correctly.

Yuha covered her mouth with both hands and blinked her eyes just like Baekhwa.

“So… I didn’t hear wrong… right?”

“You probably heard correctly.”

“My goodness.”

Baekhwa touched her own face with one hand and then burst into a hollow laugh.

“I didn’t know you had such a taste, Young Master.”

“It’s not like that.”

“It’s okay. All sorts of men with all sorts of tastes gather in brothels, and among them, there were many men who were confused about their own identity.”

“Th-that’s right!”

Yuha chimed in.

The two had shy faces, as if they had accidentally discovered Jin Sohyun’s secret.

In particular, Baekhwa’s lips twitched, as if she thought she had grasped a weakness.

“No wonder…”

Leaving behind Baekhwa’s sly gaze, which seemed to say that she now knew the reason why her seduction hadn't worked, Jin Sohyun said with a tired face.

“And one more thing. There’s someone we have to meet together.”

“Someone we have to meet together?”

Jin Sohyun, who had nodded his head, said in a heavy voice, unlike before.

“It could be dangerous. If you’re scared… you can go back now.”

As the surrounding air instantly became heavy, a fear of the unknown briefly appeared on the two women’s faces.

The intuition of the two women, who had lived for a very long time, watching others’ faces, said.

To go back when they had the chance.

But no one went back.

“I owe you a debt that I can never repay in my lifetime, Young Master. If this is a matter that I have to risk my life for… I will do so.”

“This girl is not as loyal as Yuha to the point of risking her life. But I’m not a butcher who doesn’t know gratitude either.”

No one went back.

Even knowing that it was dangerous, the two women decided to help Jin Sohyun.

“Thank you.”

Jin Sohyun’s gaze, who had sincerely conveyed his thanks to them, turned to the doorway of the Cheonru.

The very next moment, Jeokmyeon’s voice was heard.

“May I come in?”

“Yeah.”

There was no place in Honggang where Jeokmyeon had to ask for permission to enter.

But not now.

Jeokmyeon, who had appeared with Gwan O’s support, looked back and forth between Baekhwa and Yuha.

“It’s not good to let people in so easily. Especially for you, Young Master.”

“I’ll take care of that. More importantly, what about what I said?”

“He will be here soon. And please take this.”

What Jeokmyeon took out from his bosom was a mask with a black spider drawn on a red background.

The mask was similar to the one Jeokmyeon was wearing, but the color combination was different, so it was easy to distinguish.

“Why the mask?”

“How common would a man with a beauty that surpasses most beautiful women and martial arts that can easily defeat a peak-level martial artist be? This is also why I found out your identity, Young Master.”

“Hmm.”

“The information about you, Young Master, has not yet spread to the main sect. Although I have kept it under wraps, in the first place…”

Jeokmyeon’s gaze swept over Baekhwa and Yuha.

A gaze filled with suspicion.

At the same time, Jeokmyeon’s telepathic message came.

—The eldest son of the Jin Clan is the laziest man in Shanxi, so he has rarely shown his face, and therefore, there are almost no people who recognize him.

It was a plausible statement.

Certainly, Jin Sohyun’s actions were peculiar, so it was a situation where someone who recognized him could appear.

It was highly likely that among them, there was someone planted by Ok Myeon.

Jin Sohyun, who had nodded his head, received the mask.

Following that, a cautious voice was heard from below the Cheonru.

“A guest has arrived.”

“Yes. Gwan O, go down and bring the guest.”

Gwan O silently followed the order.

Jin Sohyun put on the mask that Jeokmyeon had handed him, and soon after, Gwan O appeared with an old man with a very narrow build.

The old man’s back was bent as much as it could be, and his arms and legs were very short and thin.

“He is a person called Gupasuh. He was a famous thief in Henan.”

“Kilkil… pleased to meet you. I am Gupasuh.”

“Gupasuh. Reveal your true self.”

Seeing Jeokmyeon raise his voice, Gupasuh, who had judged that he was not an ordinary person, quickly revealed his true self.

Creak— Creak—!!

With a bizarre sound of bones twisting, Gupasuh, who had been in the guise of an old man, had at some point transformed into a man with a sturdy build.

Jeokmyeon, who was watching this with satisfaction, added an explanation.

“Gupasuh is a master of the Bone Shrinking Art and a master of disguise.”

“It is an honor to meet a noble guest. Kilkil.”

Gupasuh, who was letting out his characteristic laugh that sounded like scraping metal, rolled his eyes.

At his gaze, which seemed to be fumbling with her body, Baekhwa frowned as if she were displeased.

“Don’t you dare look at me like that.”

At Baekhwa’s sharp voice, Gupasuh shrugged his shoulders.

“Oh! I’m sorry, young lady… it’s my first time seeing such a beautiful woman.”

“Hmph!”

“If it’s not too much trouble, may I know the young lady’s name? Kilkil.”

“Gupasuh.”

At Jin Sohyun’s voice, which pierced his ear like a dagger, Gupasuh flinched.

“The young lady there is the master of the Cheonhwagak. Be careful with your words and actions.”

“Gasp!”

Gupasuh, who had learned that Baekhwa was the Cheonhwagak Master, quickly bent his back.

“I’m sorry! This Gumo did not recognize the master! To think that such a beautiful person would be the master of the Cheonhwagak…”

“Gupasuh! Stop talking and focus on what you have to do.”

At Jeokmyeon’s warning, Gupasuh nodded his head and knelt on one knee in front of the masked Jin Sohyun.

“What shall this Gumo steal for you? Just say the word. Kilkil.”

“It’s not a matter of stealing.”

“Yes? Then what can I do for you?”

“You said you’re a master of the Bone Shrinking Art, right?”

“I can proudly say that I am the best in Henan when it comes to the Bone Shrinking Art.”

A kind of pride could be felt in Gupasuh’s voice.

“Then teach me that Bone Shrinking Art.”

“The Bone Shrinking Art… you mean?”

“Yes. Within a week.”

“A-a week!?”

At Jin Sohyun’s words to teach him the Bone Shrinking Art within a week, Gupasuh was quite flustered.

It takes at least a week to learn a simple self-defense technique.

Moreover, the Bone Shrinking Art, which compresses bones and changes the musculoskeletal system, required at least five years just to build the body to learn it.

But just a week?

Gupasuh, who had received an impossible order, waved his hand.

“That’s impossible even for Zhang Sanfeng.”

Gupasuh, who had even mentioned the ancestor of the Wudang Sect, who was the originator of martial arts along with Bodhidharma, stealthily backed out.

“I will follow any other request, but the Bone Shrinking Art…”

“I’m the one who’s learning. You just have to teach me about the Bone Shrinking Art.”

“As I said, it’s impossible to learn the Bone Shrinking Art in a week…!”

Before Gupasuh’s words could end, a gold ingot fell in front of him.

At the brilliant golden appearance he had never seen before in his life, Gupasuh’s eyes went wide.

“Leave it to me! This Gumo will take responsibility and teach you!”

***

“Hmm… to think that Young Master Beom would have such a hobby. No wonder, there was no man that this Baekhwa couldn't seduce. Isn’t that right?”

“What kind of taste he has is his freedom.”

“You’re so stiff. By the way, what is Young Master Beom trying to do by even learning the Bone Shrinking Art? Do you have any idea?”

Yuha shook her head.

“Well, there’s no way you would know.”

Baekhwa raised her cup and drank the alcohol.

The alcohol she drank was Maehwangju, a high-class liquor with the scent of plum blossoms.

It was also a rather expensive liquor, being a specialty of the Shaanxi region.

Baekhwa, who was drinking the Maehwangju, which was only used to entertain noble guests, as if it were nothing, looked at Yuha’s cup, which was still filled with alcohol, and asked.

“Aren’t you going to drink? This is quite an expensive liquor. So much so that you wouldn’t be able to drink it in your lifetime with your salary.”

“I’m fine. I don’t really like alcohol.” 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

“A courtesan of a brothel doesn’t like alcohol… well, that could be.”

Baekhwa, who had already drunk her fifth cup in a row, said with a flushed face.

“I remained in Honggang because I became the Cheonhwagak Master, but why did you remain? I heard you received a huge compensation from the Bongrugak?”

“When all the blue houses in Honggang disappeared, the Bongrugak also disappeared. So Seolmae and I combined the money we had and established a red house.”

“A woman who has become a courtesan… can only live as a courtesan… it’s an old-fashioned saying, but it’s also true.”

Baekhwa’s white hand came across the round table.

“What is it?”

As Yuha was flustered by the snow-white hand that had come before her eyes, Baekhwa said with a smile.

“It’s an apology. Because I was the one who made your beautiful hair like that.”

Yuha’s long black hair had become a bob after being torn out by Neung Gap.

As if recalling the memory of that day, Yuha stroked her shortened hair with a bitter expression and then clasped Baekhwa’s approaching hand.

The two shook hands, signifying reconciliation and forgiveness.

“Since we’ve reconciled, sing me a song.”

“I don’t want to.”

“Just once!”

As Baekhwa asked in a coquettish voice she had never shown before, Yuha had no choice but to clear her throat and then began to sing.

At her beautiful singing voice, Baekhwa closed her eyes, shook her head, and enjoyed the song.

There were more people who enjoyed Yuha’s singing voice.

Jin Sohyun, Jeokmyeon, and Beomgang, who were having a secret conversation not far from them, shared a cup at a single table.

Of course, Jin Sohyun drank tea, saying that the alcohol didn't taste good.

“Miss Yu’s song is very good.”

As Beomgang said with satisfaction, Jin Sohyun also nodded his head as if in agreement.

Jeokmyeon, who was enjoying Yuha’s song with them, opened his mouth.

“A letter has arrived from Baekmyeon. He says he will come here himself.”

“That’s great.”

As Jeokmyeon gestured toward Beomgang, Jin Sohyun said.

“Brother Beom is fine.”

“Huh? Why me?”

While Beomgang was blinking his eyes, Jeokmyeon continued.

“Great Master. Are you planning to meet Baekmyeon and steal his voice?”

“Steal his voice?”

While Beomgang asked in surprise, Jin Sohyun nodded his head once.

“I need to know about Baekmyeon. If Ok Myeon really knows Baekmyeon well, then I’ll have to find out even Baekmyeon’s trivial habits to face him directly.”

“I see. How about you imitate Yuha’s or Baekhwa’s voice with that… voice-stealing technique? Then you wouldn’t have to pretend to be mute, Great Master?”

“The Sound Devouring Art is not omnipotent. I can easily steal the voice of a man of the same gender, but not a woman.”

“Ah… I see.”

In fact, if one’s attainment in the Sound Devouring Art was high, one could steal not only the voice of a person of a different gender but also even the cries of animals.

But Jin Sohyun, due to his characteristic laziness, had lost interest in learning the Sound Devouring Art and had not learned any more.

Oh Yoran, who had tried to cure Jin Sohyun’s tone-deafness with the Sound Devouring Art, also did not teach him anymore after learning, with blood flowing from her eardrums, that stealing another’s voice did not cure tone-deafness.

In the end, Jin Sohyun, who was embarrassed to say that his attainment in the Sound Devouring Art was low due to his own laziness, did not reveal the truth and let it pass vaguely.

“More importantly, can you really master the Bone Shrinking Art in a week?”

Jeokmyeon was also a martial artist who had learned martial arts.

He also knew that the Bone Shrinking Art did not require as profound a principle as the ascending martial arts.

But the problem was that to learn the Bone Shrinking Art, the body had to be made.

Because the musculoskeletal system had to be compressed.

“Don’t worry about that. If I can’t learn it, I’ll think of another way.”

“I understand.”

Jeokmyeon no longer worried about Jin Sohyun.

‘Well, it’s stranger to worry about this monster-like person.’

The three clinked their cups and continued their secret conversation.

Beomgang, who still didn't understand the situation, grumbled while sharing a cup.

“Even though I’m the one and only…”

Time flowed heartlessly.

And a week in Honggang passed quickly.

“So this is Honggang.”

Baekmyeon’s gaze, who was in a carriage, landed on Honggang, the city of the best entertainment and pleasure in Shanxi.

“And the place that will become this body’s new home… hehehe…!”

(End of Chapter)