The Lazy Young Master of the Jin Clan

A single hawk spread its large wings and crossed the sky.

The place where the hawk, which had flown for three days and nights without rest, arrived was a huge estate that boasted a magnificent appearance like a single castle.

The hawk, which had flown over the high walls and to a familiar-looking, pointed tower, slipped into a hole with the words 'Namgung' written on it, among the numerous small holes that only birds could enter.

"The Namgung Family's carrier hawk has arrived!"

At that time, the people of the Dragon Transmission Pavilion, who were waiting for the Namgung Family's message, moved busily.

They took out the letter from the bamboo tube tied to the carrier hawk's right leg and confirmed the seal of the Namgung Family engraved inside.

"Hurry and deliver it to the Alliance Leader."

"Yes!"

The young martial artist of the Dragon Transmission Pavilion, who had confirmed the letter, performed a movement technique and crossed the main road.

The place he arrived at was where the largest and tallest building existed.

It was the Dragon Throne Hall, the main hall of the Martial Arts Alliance.

The young martial artist, who had entered the Dragon Throne Hall by showing a plaque proving that he was a member of the Dragon Transmission Pavilion, knelt on one knee in front of the man sitting in the heart of the Dragon Throne Hall and handed him the letter with both hands.

"This is a letter from the Namgung Family."

The middle-aged man, who had received the letter from him, glanced at the letter with his grayish-brown pupils and smiled lightly.

"They have finally taken the poisoned bait."

The man, who had gotten up from the ebony chair carved with five dragons, said.

"Get ready. It's time to go catch the Black Python."

***

Whoosh— Whoosh—!

Various objects flew around as if they had wings.

This strange phenomenon had started after Jin Sohyun had returned from the Namgung Family.

'The Young Master is getting stranger by the day.'

Siu, who was no longer surprised by Jin Sohyun's eccentricities, sat blankly and looked outside.

Jin Sohyun's laziness had worsened day by day, and now he did not move a muscle while lying on the main hall's wooden floor.

Now, if he needed something, he would flick his finger, and the objects would fly as if they had invisible strings attached and be sucked into Jin Sohyun's grasp.

"Very good."

Jin Sohyun giggled with a satisfied face and covered himself with the blanket he had brought with Void Object Manipulation.

"Siu."

"Yes?"

"Could you bring me some of Mr. Yu's fruit?"

"I'm sorry, but we're all out of Mr. Yu's fruit. The apple you ate yesterday was the last one."

"What!?"

The surprised Jin Sohyun turned his head and looked at Siu.

"Why?"

"They say the fruit that Mr. Yu's family used to send periodically was stolen by bandits. These days, bandits are rampant in Shanxi."

"If there are bandits, shouldn't they be subjugated?"

"It seems there's a bit of a problem with that."

Siu briefly explained about the bandits who were rampant in Shanxi.

"Those bad bandits!!"

Jin Sohyun, who had heard the whole explanation, was angry at the bandits but did not bother to move.

It was because he thought that Jin Seomok would hire martial artists and take care of it, as he always had.

"I guess I won't be able to eat Mr. Yu's apples for a while."

"It seems so."

While Jin Sohyun, who had finished speaking, was stretching out on the floor, Mu Yonghu came to visit.

"Mister Mu?"

As Jin Sohyun turned his head, the revealed Mu Yonghu smiled lightly.

"Did you know I was coming?"

"Your footsteps were exactly like Mister Mu's."

'Does he mean he read my footwork?'

Mu Yonghu was startled.

'Is it because he learned footwork from Elder Bi? Well, I don't know about other things, but his movement technique is outstanding.'

Mu Yonghu had been surprised by Jin Sohyun's movement technique, which deceived even him, more than once or twice.

How bad must it have been for him to not even be able to find him unless Jin Sohyun revealed himself?

"The Family Head is looking for you."

"Me?"

As Jin Sohyun blinked, Mu Yonghu nodded his head.

"Yes. Let's go together."

"That's strange... there's no way my father would be looking for me."

Although he was anxious, Jin Sohyun had something to believe in.

Jin Sohyun, who had readily gotten up from his seat, went to see Jin Seomok with Mu Yonghu.

"Did you call me?"

"You've come."

Jin Sohyun, who had come to Jin Seomok's office, sat in an empty seat and asked.

"What brings me here...?"

"Have you heard the news that bandits are rampant in Shanxi?"

"I just heard from Siu. She said the fruit sent by Mr. Yu's family was also stolen."

"Yes. Since you know, the story will be quick."

"Yes...?"

Jin Sohyun's pupils shook rapidly.

"Wh-What story?"

"From what we have investigated, the scale of the bandits that appear is very small, but seeing that they are active throughout Shanxi, it is judged that the overall scale is quite large. As long as we don't find out who is behind them, the commercial rights of Shanxi will continue to be threatened, and if that happens... we might go bankrupt."

"The family will go bankrupt?"

This was not in Jin Sohyun's future plans.

Since he needed the affluent nest of the Jin Family to play and eat for the rest of his life, Jin Sohyun's face was more serious than ever.

"Then let's hire martial artists right now and subjugate the bandits!"

"I want to do that too, but the problem is that they move in small groups, and if they are even slightly at a disadvantage, they immediately surrender and enter the prison of the authorities on their own feet. They have never killed anyone, and since they only steal the goods of small merchant groups or peddlers, they can only be punished as petty thieves."

Since the punishment for petty thieves was weaker than expected, the bandits were not afraid of the authorities' punishment.

"So do you understand? To stop those brats, we have to find out who is behind them."

"Ah... I see."

"But for this, we need someone whose face is not known, and at the same time, someone who can escape from any danger."

As Jin Seomok stared at him, Jin Sohyun let out a light sigh.

'I've been had! That liar!'

Only then did Jin Sohyun realize that he had been had by Namgung Muhyeok.

If not, there was no way Jin Seomok would openly try to use him.

"Are you saying that I should disguise myself as a merchant and find out who is behind the bandits, Father?"

"Yes. That's correct. Surely you won't just watch the family go bankrupt like this, right? The eldest son of the Jin Family?"

"...Ugh."

Although he really hated it and it was a hassle, Jin Sohyun had no choice but to nod his head reluctantly.

"Instead, if I solve this matter well, please promise me that you will leave me free for a while."

"Of course, I promise."

"Sigh... what's the plan?"

"Disguise yourself as a peddler and encounter the bandits. Yonghu will take care of the rest."

"I understand."

Since Mu Yonghu, the head of the Jin Family's escort guards, had decided to accompany him, Jin Sohyun readily accepted the mission and left the office.

Yu Seoheung, who had been hiding secretly for fear of her heart weakening, approached with a worried face.

"My dear. Won't Sohyun be in danger?"

"Don't worry, my dear. This is just to let Sohyun get some fresh air, and since Yonghu is with him, there will be no problem."

"Yes."

In fact, the mission that Jin Sohyun had been given this time was a fake.

As per Namgung Muhyeok's advice, to make Jin Sohyun breathe the outside air, they had to create a pretext for him to go outside.

For this, Jin Seomok planned to use the bandits to send Jin Sohyun out.

Of course, it could be dangerous as he might encounter bandits, but since the scale of the bandits was small and Mu Yonghu was with him, there was no danger.

"It's just a walk. A walk."

***

Following the Bud Crushing luring operation, Jin Sohyun, who had been deployed to the bandit luring operation this time, looked at Siu, who was disguised as a merchant with him.

Siu looked at Jin Sohyun with a sullen face.

"What can a mere maidservant like me do..."

"A loyal maidservant should accompany the Young Master wherever he goes."

"Hmph."

Siu, who had a sad face, touched her clothes and asked.

"So, the setting is that I'm the Young Master's younger sister?"

"Yes."

"Then do I have to call the Young Master 'older brother'?"

"That's right."

To call the Young Master she had served 'older brother', Siu felt inexplicably embarrassed.

Her face felt so awkward that it was difficult to readily open her lips.

"Old... old..."

"Are you ready?"

Before Siu could finish her words, Mu Yonghu appeared.

He looked at Jin Sohyun and Siu, who were disguised as merchants, and the one merchant who would be with them.

The man in his mid-forties was scheduled to be with them, with the setting that he was Jin Sohyun's and Siu's father.

—Don't forget. This is just to let Young Master Jin get some fresh air, so there should be no danger.

The startled merchant at Mu Yonghu's telepathic message hurriedly nodded his head.

"I will escort the Young Master at close range. So please don't worry."

"You must not be far away!"

Siu grabbed Mu Yonghu's sleeve and said desperately.

"Don't worry. The Young Master will not be in danger."

"Then what about me?"

"You are one with the Young Master. As long as you don't leave the Young Master's side, you will not be in danger."

"Aha! Yes!"

"Then let's depart."

Jin Sohyun, Siu, and the middle-aged man, who were disguised as merchants, got on the cart loaded with luggage.

They were scheduled to leave the estate and go around the southern part of Shanxi along the main road.

In the meantime, Mu Yonghu accompanied them, hiding his presence at a distance of about thirty zhang from the cart.

"Wow, the weather is great today! Old... older brother."

"Indeed."

While Siu was blushing with awkwardness, Jin Sohyun sat on the edge of the cart and yawned.

It was a time when he should have been lying on his bed and lazing around.

"Siu."

"Yes?"

"I'm going to take a nap, so wake me up if anything happens."

"Yes. Old... brother."

Leaving the stuttering Siu behind, Jin Sohyun lay down on the cart and tried to sleep.

The blowing wind was refreshing, and the sunlight was warm, so sleep came creeping in.

But Jin Sohyun's sweet nap did not last long.

"Young... Older brother! Older brother! Wake up!!"

Jin Sohyun, who had been woken up by Siu's urgent call, stuck his head out of the cart.

"Huh?"

Jin Sohyun faced the numerous bandits surrounding him with a bewildered face.

The bandits numbered over twenty at a glance, and they all had ferocious faces and were holding large broadswords or curved sabers in one hand.

"Wh-What do we do now!?"

"There are a lot of them."

As Jin Sohyun scratched his head and got off the cart, the one who seemed to be the leader of the bandits revealed his yellow teeth and smiled.

"Hello?"

"I-If there's anything you need, I'll give you everything."

As the merchant lowered his body and said he would give everything in the cart, the leader giggled.

"That's a given. You, you look useful."

The leader approached Jin Sohyun and looked him up and down.

"I've never seen such a handsome guy in Shanxi. Are you really a merchant?"

"Yes. I am."

Jin Sohyun was overly confident.

"Keke! Follow me. If you don't want to die here."

"Wh-What are you going to do with my son!"

As the middle-aged man desperately tried to stop the leader, he raised the broadsword he was holding high.

"Father. Stop."

Jin Sohyun, who had stopped the middle-aged man, said to the leader.

"I'll follow you, so just leave my family alone."

"Good. You there. You follow too."

"M-Me too?"

"Just leave my sister alone!"

As Jin Sohyun was about to step forward, the leader held his broadsword to his neck.

"Don't make me say it twice."

Siu, trembling, stuck close to Jin Sohyun's side.

"I-I'll go. I'll go, so please don't kill my older brother."

"Keke! A loving pair of siblings. Follow me obediently. Then you won't die."

While the bandits were moving the cart, the leader held his broadsword to the middle-aged man's neck and said.

"If you report this to the authorities, you'll see the corpses of your children. You'd better keep my words in mind."

"But..."

"Don't make me say it twice."

"..."

As the bandits took Jin Sohyun, Siu, and the cart and went into the mountain, the middle-aged man who was left alone turned around with an anxious face.

Mu Yonghu was standing there.

"What should we do!? The Young Master and the maidservant have been captured!"

"I know."

Mu Yonghu looked at the mountain where the bandits had disappeared with a complicated face.

'Young Master Jin.'

At the appearance of the bandits, Mu Yonghu had been about to rush out to protect Jin Sohyun.

But the scale of the bandits was quite large, and above all, Jin Sohyun, whose eyes had met his, had shaken his head and had prevented Mu Yonghu from moving.

'What was Young Master Jin thinking...'

He couldn't know Jin Sohyun's intentions, but for now, he had to follow the bandits who had gone into the mountain.

"Go back to the family estate, explain the situation, and request support."

"Y-Yes, I understand!"

As the middle-aged man ran to the Jin Family, Mu Yonghu put strength in the tips of his toes.

'There's no way Young Master Jin did that without thinking. For now, I have no choice but to follow them quietly.'

Mu Yonghu's figure disappeared into the mountain as if he had been secretly sucked in.

(End of Chapter)