The Lazy Young Master of the Jin Clan

"Stay well even without me."

Kkeueung—!

The giant leader wolf let out a groan, unlike its usual self.

Perhaps it couldn't forget the grace it had received from Jin Sohyun.

Jin Sohyun, as if he had noticed that he was leaving, stroked the heads of the wolves that had gathered in one place and said his farewells.

"I'll visit from time to time... maybe once every three years. Stay well and don't fight in the meantime."

Having finished his farewells with the wolves he had grown fond of, Jin Sohyun approached his waiting masters and clasped his fists.

"I will never forget your teachings."

At the departure of their one and only disciple, the three masters were filled with a special emotion.

Especially Kang Cheon, who had taught him the longest, felt as if he would cry.

"Take this."

"This is..."

What Kang Cheon handed him were ten flying swords and a sword pouch, the Secret Pouch, to put them in.

The Secret Pouch was a type that was slung over the shoulder and could store five flying swords in the front and back respectively.

"It's your own flying swords and Secret Pouch, which I asked the master craftsman who made my flying swords to make."

On the silver-shining blade, the character 'Jin', Sohyun's family name, was engraved.

"Thank you, Master Kang."

Jin Sohyun put the flying swords in the Secret Pouch and slung it over his shoulder.

The flying swords were light, and the Secret Pouch was also very light, so he could hardly feel its weight even when he was carrying it.

With ten flying swords on his shoulder and the Black Snow Sound he had received from O Yoran on his waist, Jin Sohyun finally opened the black pouch he had received from Bieunggaek.

Inside it was a single key.

"What is this key for?"

"Ahem."

As his turn finally came, Bieunggaek spoke with a voice full of strength, drawing out his words.

"That is... the key to one of the three secret treasuries... of this master, who is called the Shadowless Thieving Ghost!"

"The key to a secret treasury?"

"That's right! Hahahaha! It's the key that can open this master's secret warehouse!!"

"..."

As Jin Sohyun's reaction was more lukewarm than he had expected, the flustered Bieunggaek hurriedly explained.

"Did you not hear me correctly? I said it's the key to this master's secret warehouse!"

"Is this the gift?"

"That's right! It's a key that others can't have even if they want it!"

"Ah..."

As Jin Sohyun put the key in the pouch and casually stored it in his bosom, Bieunggaek went on a rampage.

"Are you not pleased with this master's gift!"

"N-No."

"Ugh! You brat!"

At that moment, O Yoran glared at Bieunggaek and said.

"Sohyun is the eldest son of the number one merchant family in Shanxi. He must have plenty of wealth, so why would he need a thief's secret treasury?"

"What? A thief's secret treasury!? In my hidden secret treasury, there are the strongest secret manuals and divine weapons that would cause a huge storm just by being revealed to the world!"

Afterward, Bieunggaek explained with spittle flying about the secret manuals containing the secret techniques of some martial sect and the divine weapons that could cut through iron like tofu, but Jin Sohyun and the other two masters had no interest.

"Let's go down."

"Yes."

Leaving behind the wildly excited Bieunggaek, Kang Cheon and O Yoran led Jin Sohyun and began to descend the mountain.

***

"I'm finally back."

Jin Sohyun felt a new emotion.

The family estate, which he had returned to after six years, was unchanged.

But the eldest son, Jin Sohyun, had undergone many changes in the past six years.

His short height had grown unrecognizably, and firm muscles had taken root in his exposed body.

Moreover, the baby fat that had been on the young boy's face had disappeared, and his features had become more distinct.

The boy who had left home rolled up in a blanket had grown up and returned as a man.

"Ah, it's been a while!"

Jin Sohyun waved his hand towards the martial artists who were still guarding the entrance of the family estate.

"This voice... Young Master Jin!?"

Although his voice was somewhat thick and low after his voice had broken, the martial artists who had seen Jin Sohyun by his side for a long time could recognize his voice at once.

They all looked at Jin Sohyun, who had come to the family estate, with surprised faces.

Jin Sohyun, who had inherited Yu Seoheung's beautiful appearance and had a flower-like beauty since he was young, had become a handsome young man.

Even his worn-out martial arts uniform was not enough to hide his handsome face, so the martial artists who had spotted him hurriedly came out to greet him.

"You're back!"

"Open the gates! Young Master Jin has returned!"

The firmly closed main gate of the giant Jin Family estate opened wide, and the family members of the Jin Family, who had heard the news, ran out at once.

In particular, the Jin couple ran out with tears in their eyes and endlessly stroked the face of their son, whom they had not seen in a long time.

"Your son... has returned."

"Yes! You've suffered a lot in the meantime!"

"My... you've grown so much in the meantime."

Jin Seomok and Yu Seoheung were proud of Jin Sohyun, who had grown unrecognizably, but their hearts were complicated with the regret of not having seen him grow up.

"Brother!"

Following that, Jin Gahyeon, who had become a young woman from a girl, approached with a bright smile on her pretty, flower-like face.

"You've worked hard."

"Gahyeon! You've grown a lot in the meantime."

"You're the one who's... grown a lot, brother."

Jin Gahyeon felt that Jin Sohyun, who had grown up unrecognizably, was unfamiliar.

The height difference, which had been about a fist, had now grown so much that she had to tilt her head back to see him.

"We can't just stand here like this! Let's hold a celebratory banquet at once!"

At Jin Sohyun's return home, a celebratory banquet was held at the Jin Family estate.

Befitting the number one merchant family in Shanxi, even at the hastily held celebratory banquet, rare delicacies that could not be found anywhere else delighted the mouth, and the female entertainers who had gathered for the banquet delighted the eyes and ears.

Of course, Jin Sohyun's three masters were also there.

"You have suffered a lot teaching my lacking son in the meantime."

As Jin Seomok personally filled their cups with wine, Kang Cheon and Bieunggaek received the cups with somewhat embarrassed faces.

"I'm sorry to you. I vowed to teach him for at least ten years."

At the sincerity felt in Kang Cheon's voice, Jin Seomok waved his hands vigorously.

"Not at all. The fact that Sohyun has grown up so splendidly is all thanks to the three masters gathered here. It would have been nice if my son had a little more talent."

At Jin Seomok's words, Kang Cheon almost spat out the wine he had just put in his mouth, and Bieunggaek choked and coughed.

The same went for O Yoran, who was sitting with Yu Seoheung and drinking tea instead of wine.

"A-Are you alright?"

At the startled Jin Seomok's order, Kang Cheon and Bieunggaek, who had wet their throats with the water cups the maidservants had brought, checked each other's faces.

"Still... Sohyun wasn't completely without talent."

At Kang Cheon's voice, which sounded as if it had been forced out, Jin Seomok laughed heartily as if to show his magnanimous side.

"It's alright. Where else would the son of a merchant family have the honor of learning martial arts from the number one masters in the Central Plains? I am just grateful enough to have had this opportunity."

"Ahem..."

"Ahem!"

A short while ago, on their way down from the mountain, the three masters had agreed on something.

The content was about Jin Sohyun's talent.

—As you all know, Sohyun is a flower bud that has not yet bloomed. He has the talent of a Heavenly Martial Body, but if this becomes known to the outside world, Sohyun will be in great danger.

At Kang Cheon's explanation, the other two masters nodded as if in agreement.

Their disciple, Jin Sohyun, was the material for the future number one under heaven, but he was still a young tree.

Therefore, until Jin Sohyun's talent fully bloomed, it was necessary to hide his talent.

—The external evaluation of Sohyun is just that of a lazy rich young master, so there's no need to add more here.

At Bieunggaek's muttering, O Yoran also nodded.

—It would be better to hide Sohyun's talent from the Jin couple as well.

—I agree. As Elder O said, Sohyun's talent should not be known to anyone other than the three of us.

The three masters, who had agreed in advance, did not reveal the fact that Jin Sohyun currently had no rival among his peers, and that there were few martial artists in the entire Central Plains who could defeat him.

"Then... what is Sohyun's level now?"

At the question of Yu Seoheung, who had wet her beautiful lips with tea, Kang Cheon pondered for a moment and then said.

"He should be able to protect his own body."

Since it was the words of Kang Cheon, one of the Five Great Masters of the Central Plains, the Jin couple were greatly pleased.

In the first place, they had not hoped for Jin Sohyun to become a strong man who would make a name for himself in the martial world.

If only his laziness could be cured, it would be for the best.

"Haha! That's enough. Have some more wine!"

While Jin Seomok was generously pouring out famous wines, the prices of which were whatever one called them, for the benefactors of the family, Jin Sohyun was comforting Siu, who was crying her eyes out next to him.

"You brat... did you miss your Young Master that much?"

"Young Master... sob sob...!"

Siu had to cry and cry.

'You said he would be on the mountain for at least ten years!'

She sobbed, feeling an inexplicable sense of betrayal.

She had thought she could play and eat for at least ten years, but Jin Sohyun's return was faster than she had expected.

The long vacation that had been like a dream had finally come to an end.

"Waaah—!"

Jin Sohyun, who had no idea of Siu's inner thoughts, just felt that her appearance was praiseworthy.

"Don't worry, Siu. This Young Master will not go out of the house until he dies."

"Whaat!?"

Siu, with the eyes of a startled rabbit, had to shed even more tears at the Young Master's shocking declaration that he would not move from the house, smiling broadly.

"Heeoong—!"

While Siu was shedding tears, Jin Gahyeon, who was sitting next to Jin Sohyun, asked carefully.

"Brother."

"Yes?"

"Then are you a martial artist now, brother?"

Jin Gahyeon, who had admired martial artists since she was young, seemed very happy and excited that her older brother had become a martial artist.

"Something like that."

As Jin Sohyun proudly puffed out his chest, Jin Gahyeon giggled.

"Then can you show me a little of the martial arts you learned, brother?"

"Hmm..."

Jin Sohyun, who had left his flying swords for the banquet, pondered and then took out the Black Snow Sound he had stuck in his waistband.

"A daegeum? Brother! Did you learn the daegeum too?"

"Yes! I learned sound art from Master O."

"Wow! Can you play it for me once?"

"Of course! Of course."

Jin Sohyun, who had been regretting that there was no one to listen to his daegeum performance, planned to play the daegeum to his heart's content on this occasion.

And this news was also delivered to the Jin couple.

"What? Sohyun is going to perform the daegeum he learned from Elder O?"

"Really!? I'm so excited!"

"Pffft!"

While the two were rejoicing, O Yoran, who had spat out the tea she had in her mouth, shot up from her seat.

The Jin couple, who were greatly surprised by her sudden action, blinked.

"No..."

O Yoran muttered this with crazed eyes.

"Absolutely not."

"...Yes? Is there a problem?"

At Yu Seoheung's question, O Yoran grabbed her shoulders tightly and said with a face full of desperation.

"Absolutely... not!"

With these words, O Yoran, who had shot up from her seat and flown away, picked up Jin Sohyun, who was about to play the daegeum in front of everyone, and disappeared somewhere.

"W-Why is Elder O acting like that?"

In front of Jin Seomok, who asked with a dumbfounded face, Kang Cheon couldn't bring himself to lift his head, and Bieunggaek laughed heartily and said this.

"Kekekek! Don't worry. Elder O is... kekek! sacrificing herself for everyone."

The people of the Jin Family did not know.

The fact that O Yoran's sudden action that day had saved everyone present.

***

"Is it alright to leave like this?"

Around the time the banquet was ending, the three masters who had left the family estate looked at the Jin Family with complicated eyes.

"We have taught everything we can. All that's left now is Sohyun's enlightenment."

The stage of learning had passed, and now it was the stage of enlightenment.

On the contrary, the teachings of the masters could be poison to the current Jin Sohyun, so the three masters left the Jin Family without any lingering attachment.

The three, who were now walking their own paths, looked at each other, who had lived together for the past few years, with fond eyes.

"Within the next five years, Sohyun will become a master who will bring a new wind to the martial world. Let's meet again then."

"Alright."

"Hehehe... what's five years. Sohyun can make the martial world clamor even now! Just watch. We'll meet again within three years!"

Without denying Bieunggaek's bold words, the three masters walked their own paths.

Promising to meet again one day, when their one and only disciple would make the world clamor.

(End of Chapter)