The Lazy Young Master of the Jin Clan

A village overflowing with happiness and love.

In this small village where no worries, anxieties, or even conflicts existed, laughter was always endless.

That’s why it was strange.

The only old person in the small village was the village chief, Cha Yong, and most were young.

Even if they were old, they didn't look over forty.

Moreover, what made Jin Sohyun and Cheon Yerang even more suspicious was the children.

There were no children in the village overflowing with love.

Nowhere could the innocent laughter of a young child be found.

“Seol.”

At Jin Sohyun’s call, Cha Seol answered shyly.

“Yes, brother.”

At some point, Jin Sohyun’s title had become ‘brother’.

“It seems there are no children in this village… where did they all go?”

“No. I’m the only child in this village.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know.”

Cha Seol shook her head.

No falsehood could be found on the innocent face of the girl who faced Jin Sohyun.

“Haha. What does that matter? As long as everyone is happy!”

At that moment, Gu Yong laughed heartily and patted Jin Sohyun’s shoulder.

“Young Master Gu?”

At his attitude of ‘what does it matter’, Cheon Yerang and Jin Sohyun looked at each other.

This was not like Gu Yong.

“Miss Cheon.”

“I think it’s better to go back.”

“I agree.”

Jin Sohyun and Cheon Yerang stopped in their tracks.

At that, Cha Seol, who had stopped along with them, looked back with Gu Yong.

The girl was just blinking her eyes with a puzzled face.

“Seol. I think we have to go back. Shall we stop the village tour here?”

“Why? Are you… not having fun?”

“No. It’s because I remembered something urgent.”

Jin Sohyun gently stroked Cha Seol’s head so that she wouldn't feel anxious.

Did she like that touch?

A faint smile appeared on Cha Seol’s lips.

“Then stay with me a little longer. If you go just a little further from here, my favorite place will appear.”

“I’m sorry. Let’s go together next time.”

“…Why.”

The smile disappeared from Cha Seol’s lips.

At the same time, the eyes of Jin Sohyun and Cheon Yerang shone blue at the same time.

Instinct rather than reason warned of a threat, and Jin Sohyun, who had opened his Heavenly Eyes without realizing it, frowned slightly.

At the same time, Cheon Yerang’s blue eyes also emitted a deeper blue light.

“Don’t go. Please. Brother… sister.”

As Cha Seol’s voice flowed through their eardrums, Jin Sohyun and Cheon Yerang felt a slight headache.

Unlike Jin Sohyun, who was flustered because he didn't know the reason, Cheon Yerang’s gaze became sharp.

“Soul Seduction Art…”

“What?”

Cheon Yerang raised her internal energy and reached out to Cha Seol.

It was then.

Gu Yong, who had been standing silently, blocked Cha Seol’s front and made an angry face.

“What are you doing! Miss Cheon!”

“Young Master Gu. That child is dangerous. She is bewitching us with the Soul Seduction Art.”

“That can’t be. How can this small and lovely girl bewitch us? Ah… ah… I see.”

Gu Yong nodded his head as if he had gained enlightenment and sneered.

“Miss Cheon is not happy. That’s why.”

“Young Master Gu!”

A light flashed in front of their eyes, and Gu Yong’s striking pole and Cheon Yerang’s sword clashed.

Clang—!!

Gu Yong, who had drawn his striking pole in an instant, glared with his two eyes.

“Do as Seol says right now. Miss Cheon.”

“…”

“What’s going on?”

At Jin Sohyun’s question, Cheon Yerang said, while dealing with Gu Yong’s striking pole that was flying in.

“It seems Young Master Gu has been hit by that girl’s Soul Seduction Art.”

“Then what do we do now?”

“For now, knocking him out is the best.”

To save Gu Yong, who was bewitched by the Soul Seduction Art, knocking him out was the best.

“I’ll tie up Young Master Gu, so…”

Cheon Yerang couldn't finish her words.

Because a strong sword ki began to pour down like rain from all directions.

At that, Jin Sohyun drew a flying sword from his bosom and held it in both hands.

“Phew!”

He threw two flying swords, tore apart the preceding sword ki, and then drew the remaining flying swords to deal with the sword ki that was pouring in succession.

“This is…”

The villagers, who had come after hearing the commotion, were emitting a menacing ki from all directions, holding swords and sabers that they had gotten from who knows where.

Where had their happy faces gone?

They unfolded killing moves with very angry faces.

“You touched Seol!”

“I won’t forgive you!”

“You evil demons!”

The villagers, who had changed in an instant, attacked with a strong momentum, and Jin Sohyun had to step on his footwork and avoid their attacks.

“Then could it be… that all the villagers in this village have been hit by the Soul Seduction Art?”

“That’s highly likely.”

Cheon Yerang shook off Gu Yong’s striking pole and retreated with Jin Sohyun.

At some point, thirty villagers had gathered and surrounded the two from all directions.

And in their center was Cha Seol.

She was holding her two hands tightly in front of her chest and was welling up with tears.

“Why… why are you trying to fight?”

“Seol! We have no intention of fighting you.”

“Then why won’t you be my friend?”

“This is not a friend.”

At Jin Sohyun’s shout that it was not a friend, Cha Seol’s face hardened.

“Then what is a friend? A friend is someone you play with and have fun talking with. Why are you threatening my friends? Why!?”

“Young Master Jin. All the residents here are martial artists. And they are skilled ones at that.”

“I see.”

As Cheon Yerang had explained, the villagers who had revealed their true colors were individually outstanding martial artists.

Moreover, among them was Gu Yong.

‘If only they were all enemies…’

The biggest problem for the two right now was not the number of opponents.

Now that they knew that they were being controlled by Cha Seol.

They couldn't hurt the residents.

Cheon Yerang, who was facing thirty martial artists, gripped her White Heaven Sword.

“I’ll draw their attention, so capture Cha Seol then. If the caster disappears, the power of the Soul Seduction Art will also weaken.”

As Jin Sohyun nodded his head, Cheon Yerang moved.

She raised her internal energy to focus everyone’s attention on her.

As the fighting ki created by the strong internal energy began to cover Nakhyang Village, the attention of the martial artists with outstanding ki sense was focused on Cheon Yerang at once.

“Protect Seol!”

“Kill those evil demons!”

Apart from rushing in angrily, the movements of the residents were systematic.

Ten rushing in at the front.

And ten watching the situation in the middle.

Finally, ten guarding Cha Seol.

A total of thirty martial artists were performing their roles in their respective positions.

‘I have to break through.’

Thanks to that, Cheon Yerang, who was planning to draw in the martial artists and fight while retreating, had to change her plan.

She rushed forward instead of retreating.

She swung her White Heaven Sword, staring at the approaching blades with killing intent with her jade-like eyes.

Clang-clang-clang—!!

Cheon Yerang, who had blocked the swords of five martial artists with a single sword strike, stepped on her footwork and dug deeper.

At that, the ten martial artists who were watching the situation in the middle began to move.

They joined the front and tried to kill Cheon Yerang.

In the meantime, Jin Sohyun secretly approached Cha Seol, who was standing with the guard of ten.

“Young Master Jin! Where are you!”

At that moment, Gu Yong shouted, holding his striking pole.

“If you don’t show yourself, this Gu Mo will not stand still!”

Gu Yong aimed the striking pole in his right hand at his own left arm.

Jin Sohyun, who had discovered this, bit his lip.

“What are you doing!?”

As Gu Yong tried to smash his own arm, the surprised Jin Sohyun stopped him.

“As expected, Young Master Jin is soft-hearted.”

As Jin Sohyun, who was using his stealth skill, revealed himself, Gu Yong giggled as if he had known it would happen.

“I really like that about you, Young Master. This is sincere. But I can’t let you go to Seol.”

As Jin Sohyun appeared, the residents swung their swords and sabers from all directions as if they had been waiting.

While avoiding the blades that cut through the air, Jin Sohyun’s eyes moved busily.

Jin Sohyun’s two eyes shone with a deeper blue light.

‘Two from the left, one from the right.’

His eyes accurately saw through the movements of every martial artist in his field of vision.

The martial artist’s gaze and the movement of their muscles.

The direction and speed of the blade’s tip.

All that information, which was overwhelming to even take in with the eyes, rushed into Jin Sohyun’s head like a tidal wave.

Ordinary martial artists would have struggled in the tidal wave of information and would have ended up flailing their two arms.

But Jin Sohyun was different.

The Heavenly Eyes, which had been trained without him realizing it while watching hundreds of martial artists at the Four Daoist Assembly, had reached a higher realm.

In a world that flowed endlessly slowly.

Only Jin Sohyun moved freely.

Swish—!

Swoosh—!

He ran forward, avoiding the blades with minimal movement.

Following that, a flying sword that had come out from his bosom flew toward the two martial artists in front.

“Heup!”

The moment the swords of the two martial artists who were unfolding their sword techniques were on the same path, the flying sword that had flown in pierced their swords at the same time.

As the bodies of the two martial artists, who could not overcome the force and were broken, opened to the left and right, Jin Sohyun, who had squeezed through that small gap, saw Cha Seol’s face in front of his eyes.

“That’s as far as you go!”

At the same time, Gu Yong’s striking pole aimed at the back of Jin Sohyun’s neck.

Whoosh—!

Gu Yong’s striking pole, which had approached, pressing down on the air layer, cut through the air.

‘An afterimage!?’

Gu Yong saw Jin Sohyun disappear, leaving only an afterimage in front of his eyes.

And this was the last thing Gu Yong saw before he lost consciousness.

“Ugh!”

Rather, Gu Yong, who had been caught from behind, was hit on the back of the neck by Jin Sohyun and collapsed.

Following that, Jin Sohyun approached Cha Seol, and Cha Seol, who was facing him in front of her eyes, trembled.

Tears were welling up in her two eyes, and it seemed as if they would fall at any moment.

“Are you… going to kill me?”

“No.”

Jin Sohyun showed a smile and placed his hand on Cha Seol’s head.

At his warm touch, Cha Seol’s eyes widened.

“I want to be friends with Seol.”

“Friends?”

“Yeah. To do that, there’s something we have to do first.”

“What is that?”

“That is…”

Thwack—!

“Ouch!”

She was hit on the forehead with a flick and welled up with tears again.

A red mark appeared on her small forehead.

“Why… are you hurting me?”

“Because I’m your friend.”

“Hurting me… is a friend?”

“No. A friend is someone who helps a friend not to go down the wrong path.”

“What do you mean?”

“Do you really think those people are your friends?”

“Yes. They play with me, and they always make me happy.”

Jin Sohyun, who was looking at Cha Seol’s innocent face without any falsehood, seemed to finally understand.

“You’ve never had a friend before.”

“…”

Cha Seol’s eyes shook rapidly.

“No. I… I’ve always had friends! Everyone here is my friend!!”

As her emotions became intense, the resonance felt from Cha Seol’s voice also became stronger.

‘This is like…’

Cha Seol’s voice moved people’s emotions.

It was similar to Oh Yoran’s sound art, but quite different.

If the music of the Heavenly Sound White Flower gently led people’s emotions and flowed with them, Cha Seol’s Soul Seduction Art was on a different level.

The power that the girl’s voice had was to forcibly lead people’s emotions.

Thanks to that, the villagers who had heard her voice began to rush in angrily.

“Protect Seol!”

“Kill that atrocious demon!”

“Aaaargh!!”

The residents, as if blinded by anger, swung their swords and sabers randomly.

The place where their blades were headed was Jin Sohyun.

‘It’s hard to persuade her!’

As Jin Sohyun gritted his teeth and was about to raise his flying sword like a shield.

A beautiful blue light and a cold chill swept over the surroundings.

It was Cheon Yerang.

“No.”

She stood in front of Jin Sohyun and directly received all the swords and sabers that were flying toward him.

Although Cheon Yerang was superior in individual skill, the problem was the difference in scale.

The combined attack of first-class martial artists was impossible for even the great Cheon Yerang to block alone.

‘I can’t be pushed back!’

Cheon Yerang spewed a brilliant sword ki and blocked the residents’ offensive, but a fragment of the sword ki that she couldn't block covered her.

Thud—

Jin Sohyun’s shoulder touched Cheon Yerang’s shoulder.

“I’ll help too.”

Cheon Yerang, who was shoulder to shoulder with Jin Sohyun, nodded her head silently.

Cha Seol, who had seen the two join forces to block the residents’ offensive in front of her eyes, was confused.

“A real… friend…”

Jin Sohyun’s one word that he had never had a friend before.

That one word had caused a deep ripple in Cha Seol’s quiet heart.

‘What is a friend?’

The moment she had a question.

Cha Seol’s head hurt as if it would break.

At the terrible pain she had never felt before, Cha Seol grabbed her head, knelt down on the spot, and screamed.

“Ah…! Aaaargh!”