The Lazy Young Master of the Jin Clan

The group that returned to the alliance resumed their same daily routines.

Gwak Myeong, while instructing the Blue Dragon disciples, did not stop his training and cultivated his martial arts in his spare time. Gu Yong continued a fierce, unseen intelligence war with the Beggars' Sect Leader, Gu Daepil.

Namgung Muhyeok was just as busy.

He had to reorganize the Azure Sky Unit, which had become vacant due to Namgung Doun's death, and prepared for war by commanding the martial artists who had come for support from his main family.

Surprisingly, Jin Sohyun ended up spending relatively peaceful days.

It was unknown whose arrangement it was, but the number of martial artists who came to Jin Sohyun seeking a duel had almost disappeared.

Perhaps they now felt it was more important to build up their internal energy through meditation rather than dueling, or maybe there were other, more important things to do.

Jin Sohyun, without trying to find a reason, sat on a stone floor and fell into meditation.

Fierce battles continued in his mind.

'Would it have been better to go this way from here?'

He replayed the fight he had with Ma Seongun.

He was certainly strong.

The power that had exploded by devouring numerous masters and taking their strength was so immense that even Jin Sohyun found it impossible to face him head-on.

—Go your own way.

Suddenly, the words of Bieunggaek, whom he had met in his imagination, came to mind.

"...What is my path?"

He thought he was walking his own path, but Jin Sohyun himself didn't know what that path was.

He opened his closed eyes and took out a flying sword from his bosom, gripping it.

The tip of the sword slowly rose and aimed forward.

'The strongest among the flying swords I have is the Nothingness Sword.'

But even this was blocked by Ma Seongun, who possessed a much more powerful internal energy.

Because it was a martial art that was so burdensome it required pouring out all his internal energy, the risk of failure was far too great.

"A long fight is disadvantageous for me."

Dragging out the fight was unfavorable.

What Jin Sohyun needed now was a single flying sword that could definitively finish Ma Seongun.

"Hoo-wook— Hoo-wook—!"

At that moment, a rough breath was heard from near Jin Sohyun's feet.

When he lowered his head to where the sound came from, a welcome face was standing there.

"Brother Beom?"

"Hehehe... it's been a while."

Beomkang, who had been seriously injured in the fight against the Mang Gwi and had been recuperating as if dead, had come to find Jin Sohyun.

And next to him was a woman he had never seen before.

"Is this the person you mentioned, Young Master Beom?"

"That's right! She's my one and only younger sister."

"Your sister?"

"Ah, not a blood sister. A sworn sister. But she's like a real sister to me. Haha!"

The young woman shrugged and came right up to Jin Sohyun, performing a fist salute.

Unusually, she carried a large dao.

"My name is Yonghui. I am the disciple of the late... Dao Emperor Hong Yumong."

Dao Emperor Hong Yumong.

Jin Sohyun had heard stories about her death.

Hong Yumong had also been killed by Ma Seongun, and her martial arts and internal energy had been devoured by him.

Jin Sohyun stepped down in front of Yonghui, whose situation was similar to his own.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Jin Sohyun."

"I heard that you, Young Master Jin, fought Ma Seongun directly and survived."

Jin Sohyun felt an immeasurably deep hatred and resentment for Ma Seongun, and an unfathomable sadness, in Yonghui's eyes as he faced her directly.

"The Dao Emperor was like a mother to me as well as a master. She took me in when I was an orphan, raised me as her adopted daughter, and personally taught me martial arts."

As if to prove this, Yonghui gripped the Dao Emperor's dao and swung it quickly.

A slash imbued with powerful dao energy tore through the air.

It was a power and momentum that did not suit her age.

"I heard that you, Young Master Jin, will be fighting Ma Seongun again this time."

"Young Lady Yong."

"I know. I don't think I'll be of any help even if I join in against the Blood Demon, whom even my master couldn't defeat. I'm not that reckless or foolish. It's just..."

Yonghui sheathed her dao.

"I want to be of help on the path that you, Young Master Jin, are taking."

She must have wanted to strike Ma Seongun's neck herself.

Jin Sohyun had been the same after Bieunggaek died.

But Yonghui knew well that her own strength could not reach him.

So she wished to become a stepping stone for Jin Sohyun herself.

"I'll help too!"

Beomkang and Yonghui, the disciples of the Fist King and the Dao Emperor, and Jin Sohyun, the disciple of the Flying Heaven Sword Master.

The three joined hands for a single purpose.

***

Tadak— Tadak—!

The fourth shipment of supplies from the Jin Clan for the righteous martial world arrived, and the person who brought the supplies was, surprisingly, the Heavenly Sound White Flower, Oh Yoran.

At her appearance, the martial artists, without exception, watched Oh Yoran with curious eyes.

"Age seems to have no effect on you."

At the compliment from Cheon Yusin, who was the first to greet her, Oh Yoran smiled gently and bowed her head.

'The air is heavy.'

The air in this place, where the righteous martial artists with a single purpose had gathered, was so heavy that Oh Yoran could feel it directly.

She could feel that the tension of the martial artists waiting for the time of the decisive battle was just as heavily settled.

"I hope that even my meager strength can be of help."

"The sound art of the Heavenly Sound White Flower will surely be of help."

Oh Yoran, who had arrived with a warm welcome, met with Jin Seomok and Jin Gahyeon, had a brief conversation, and then went to find Jin Sohyun.

Jin Sohyun was with Kang Cheon.

"Master!"

Jin Sohyun smiled and waved his hand at Oh Yoran, whom he had met after a long time.

At his energetic appearance, Oh Yoran felt a little relieved and approached with light steps.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes. No problem."

"Did Mrs. Oh bring the supplies herself?"

"That's right. Is it strange?"

"Not at all. It's just..."

"Don't worry about Mrs. Jin. I have left her in a safe place. Besides, there are more people to protect on this side now."

"That's true."

Now that her husband Jin Seomok, Jin Gahyeon, and Jin Sohyun were here, Yu Seoheung wished for Oh Yoran to protect the three who had set out for the extremely dangerous war, rather than protecting herself.

Oh Yoran had personally loaded the supplies and come, carrying her earnest heart.

"I brought the supplies mainly based on what the Martial Alliance requested. Most of them are not food or supplies for battle... but wine, meat, and supplies for entertainment."

Oh Yoran's and Kang Cheon's eyes met.

"Wine and meat... side dishes... it seems the time has come."

"That's right."

Oh Yoran's hand stroked Jin Sohyun's head.

"The time has come."

Jin Sohyun could feel it as he listened to their conversation.

His fingertips trembled.

***

"Here! Bring more wine!"

"More meat too!"

The martial artists of the righteous martial world, who rarely gathered, gathered in one place and shared wine and food.

For today, even the Daoists of the Daoist temples, who avoided alcohol, drank wine and enjoyed the food.

"Hahaha! I haven't said it, but the number one sect in Shaanxi is... Jongnam."

"Nonsense."

At the words of the drunk Hwang Jichun, the martial artists of the Huashan Sect who were listening protested and stepped forward.

"The number one in Shaanxi is our Huashan."

"Hah! Do you want to have a match?"

"Fine. Let's have a proper match after this war is over."

Jongnam and Huashan requested a duel and made a promise to pick the number one sect in Shaanxi.

"Hakgi!"

Peng Sopyeong grabbed the shoulder of Tang Hakgi, who was sitting with an empty face.

"Brother Peng..."

"It's been a while, Brother Tang."

Following that, Zhuge Myeong sat at the same table as Tang Hakgi.

At their appearance, Tang Hakgi showed a faint smile.

Soon after, Namgung Seoru and Namgung Seong also filled the seats.

The young masters and ladies from the Five Great Families had gathered in one place after a very long time.

"Come this way!"

Moyong Susu came, bringing Jin Sohyun with her.

"It would be a shame if Young Master Jin was missing."

"Haha..."

Jin Sohyun sat with them and lightly shared food and conversation.

The topics of conversation were diverse, but most of them were trivial stories of the past.

"Hahahaha!"

Tang Hakgi, who had burst out laughing, lifted his wine cup and then buried his head.

Although he was trying to pretend he wasn't, the trembling of his hand holding the cup and his bent back let them know that he was crying.

At Tang Hakgi's appearance, his comrades held their tongues and waited for him.

Soon after, Peng Sopyeong, who had a similar sadness to Tang Hakgi, stroked his back with his large hand.

"It's okay to cry. Cry as much as you want."

"Heuk... heueuk... heuk kkeueueueuk!"

Tang Hakgi wailed like a child who had received permission.

Hot tears also flowed from the face of Peng Sopyeong, who was comforting him.

Most of the martial artists were laughing and talking, but they all knew.

The reason why Cheon Yusin and the leaders of the alliance were generously providing wine and meat to the martial artists and allowing them to enjoy entertainment.

The time for the start of the war had come.

"This time, I will play for you myself."

Oh Yoran began to play the zither she had brought.

Clear yet resounding.

Warm yet sad.

The melodies that freely touched various emotions, which had made Oh Yoran be called the Heavenly Sound White Flower, mesmerized the martial artists.

Enjoying the sound of the Heavenly Sound White Flower's music, the martial artists' night grew even more ripe.

"Ugh... I'm going to die."

Jin Sohyun staggered and left the place where the banquet was being held.

Starting with the late-stage prospects of the Five Great Families, he had to deal with Kang Cheon and the Blue Dragon disciples, and then Gang Seopyeong and the bandits. Following that, Jin Sohyun had to spend time with everyone he had formed a connection with, one after another.

Thanks to that, he had ended up drinking alcohol, which he didn't even like, one after another.

Jin Sohyun, who was staggering, unlike his usual self, drunk on alcohol, walked as his steps took him and happened to find and enter a secret garden.

There was a small garden and a pentagonal pavilion.

Jin Sohyun plopped down on a chair in the pentagonal pavilion and looked at the garden.

"Nice."

Jin Sohyun, who was looking at the garden with its own charm, suddenly saw the moon hanging over the pond.

Normally, he would have sobered up in an instant, but he didn't.

The hazy drunkenness was not unpleasant, and for now, he shouldn't chase away the drunkenness.

Jin Sohyun fumbled in his bosom and took out a wine bottle and a cup.

Tororok—

Jin Sohyun filled two cups with wine and placed them in front of him.

"This cup is for Master Bi."

Jin Sohyun lightly clinked his cup against the cup for Bieunggaek and then drank the wine.

"Keu!"

As expected, the wine was not tasty.

Still, for Bieunggaek, Jin Sohyun shared a cup of wine and then took out the Black Snow Fragrance from his bosom.

"It's been a while."

He had been busy until now, so he hadn't had a chance to play.

Of course, no one had wanted him to either.

"Strangely, people just foam at the mouth and collapse whenever they hear my performance. Is it that strange?"

Jin Sohyun put the Black Snow Fragrance to his mouth and began to play.

This was a memorial song for the departed Bieunggaek.

Jin Sohyun's performance flowed gently and filled the secret garden.

And his performance brought an unexpected guest.

"..."

Cheon Yerang, who had left the banquet hall because she disliked the noise, discovered Jin Sohyun sitting in the pentagonal pavilion, playing the daegeum.

'It's sad.'

The performance was beautiful, but lonely and pathetic.

'Who is this performance for?'

Cheon Yerang couldn't dare to approach Jin Sohyun and stood on one side, watching him.

A tumultuous night where the moonlight descended.

In a quiet secret garden that no one sought, a man played a memorial song for the departed, and a woman watched the man's loneliness from afar.

The night was ripening.

And the tomorrow that seemed like it would never come, came.

Cheon Yusin asked.

"Are the preparations ready?"

Zhuge Suk answered and put away his folding fan.

"As I said, the preparations are complete. Just give the signal."

Cheon Yusin, who had nodded his head, took a breath and then said.

"Tomorrow at noon."

The time for the start of the war was set.

(End of Chapter)