The Lazy Young Master of the Jin Clan

Chapter 143 : Let's Go Leisurely

“Keuk…!”

Gwi Hak, who had staggered out of the forest, returned to his hideout and collapsed into a chair.

“Damn it!”

At some point, the poisonous energy could no longer be felt from his naked body.

Even so, the bark-like skin texture and dark complexion remained.

“I didn’t want to use the Exploding Poison Heavenly Rain…”

The Exploding Poison Heavenly Rain was his ultimate killing technique.

A martial art that expanded all the pressure points in his body and released the poisonous energy flowing within in all directions.

It was a move used for mutual destruction at the final moment, but Gwi Hak had stopped at just releasing the poisonous energy and had fled.

Because of this, he hadn't been able to kill any of the four martial artists, but it didn't matter.

“There is a spy within the Hao Sect… that’s enough.”

Discovering that there was a spy in the Hao Sect was a sufficient achievement in itself.

Moreover, he had saved his own life, which was the most important thing in the world.

However, because all the poisonous energy had been drained, he could no longer use his poisonous hands, nor could he properly exert his poison arts.

To regain his original strength, he had to absorb poisonous energy for a while in a poison pit filled with terrible poison.

“Let’s go back first.”

There was no time to rest.

He put on his poison-proof clothing out of habit and also took the Iron Poison Pills containing the Formless Earth Killing Poison.

Although there was only one poison pill left, as long as he had the recipe, he could make as many as he wanted.

“…”

Gwi Hak’s body, which was packing the necessary items, stiffened.

Although his internal energy was depleted, his senses as a martial artist were still there.

Gwi Hak put his hand into the pouch containing the sand poison and slowly turned around.

A man was standing there.

A man in black clothes that smelled of poison.

“Who… are you?”

“Are you the one who made the poison?”

“Yes. I am Gwi Hak. Who are you, and how did you find me?”

“Because of the poison you made, many innocent late-stage prospects almost died. I won’t kill you here, so please come along quietly.”

A youthful voice.

Gwi Hak realized that he was a man who had just come of age.

‘There seems to be no one else.’

No other person’s presence could be felt besides the man.

“Yes, it is my fault… I have no strength left to run away, so take me.”

As Gwi Hak held out his two hands, the man in black approached and stretched out his hand.

At that moment, Gwi Hak threw the sand poison he was holding in his hand at the man.

“I thought this would happen!”

Jin Sohyun grumbled and waved his hand to shake off the sand poison.

In the meantime, Gwi Hak held the poison pill containing the Formless Earth Killing Poison in his hand and shouted.

“Inside this is the Formless Earth Killing Poison! One of the five exterminating poisons of the Sichuan Tang Clan, for which there is no antidote!”

“You had another one?”

At Jin Sohyun’s question, Gwi Hak realized that this was the man in black who had shattered the plan of the Namrangbang and the Poison Sect.

But.

“How are you okay? You were definitely… poisoned by the Formless Earth Killing Poison!”

“But is that really the Formless Earth Killing Poison? It wasn’t that dangerous.”

“…Not dangerous?”

“Yes. I woke up and it was detoxified.”

A pure voice that seemed to have not a single lie.

‘Was there a problem in the manufacturing process?’

That wasn't it.

How many lives had he taken to test the power of the Formless Earth Killing Poison?

They had all died, bleeding from all seven orifices.

‘Don’t tell me there was a problem with the recipe the Hao Sect brought? The poison doesn’t work on martial artists of a certain level?’

As Gwi Hak, who had come to doubt himself, was confused, Jin Sohyun’s face came right up to his.

“Look.”

Jin Sohyun poked the poison pill with his fingertip.

At that, the poison pill broke, and the poisonous energy of the Formless Earth Killing Poison, which had been quietly sleeping inside, burst out in all directions.

“No!!”

The surprised Gwi Hak held his breath and stepped back, but his back hit the wall.

‘The Formless Earth Killing Poison can also be absorbed through the skin.’

He had stopped breathing in a hurry, but the poisonous energy of the Formless Earth Killing Poison infiltrated through his exposed skin.

In an instant, his pressure points melted and his insides twisted.

‘This… is… the real… Formless… Earth Killing… Poison…’

Realizing that he was not wrong, Gwi Hak’s body slowly collapsed.

Above his blurring eyes, the perfectly fine figure of Jin Sohyun could be seen.

‘Why… are you… fine… don’t tell me… immune to all poisons…’

The old master of poison arts, called the Soul-Chasing Poisonous Snake, died in a secret hideout unknown to anyone, with his mouth open.

It was a death unfitting of his title as a master of poison arts.

“Uh…?”

Jin Sohyun, who had witnessed Gwi Hak’s death before his eyes, blinked.

Besides a slight sting on his skin, the poison was not very threatening.

But Gwi Hak had died.

“What happened?”

He had definitely thought it was a crude, miscellaneous poison that had not been made properly.

Jin Sohyun, who had unknowingly caused Gwi Hak’s death, looked back and forth between Gwi Hak’s corpse and the broken poison pill with a confused face.

“Umm… this is a big problem.”

***

“You’re saying you lost the Soul-Chasing Poisonous Snake?”

“That’s right. I’m sorry.”

“No. How is that something to be sorry for? Thanks to that, we were able to capture the Namrangbang martial artists and can now interrogate them. But…”

Gwak Myeong seemed to know what Gwak Doyeop’s next words would be.

“It will be meaningless.”

“As always, the Heretic Path's Alliance will say it has nothing to do with them.”

“Hoo…”

“You’ve worked hard. Thanks to the courage and determination you and the Blue Dragon Daoist Temple disciples have shown, the righteous martial world has become safer.”

Gwak Myeong, who had left the place after receiving the Alliance Leader’s encouragement, returned to the guesthouse with a bitter face.

‘Nothing changes.’

Although they had been able to block the evil hands of the heretical path without a single casualty.

The Namrangbang, which had betrayed the righteous path and sided with the Heretic Path's Alliance, would soon be annihilated.

Nevertheless, Gwak Myeong had a bitter taste in his mouth.

“Should I say it has become more disadvantageous?”

In any case, the Namrangbang was just one of the many pawns that the Heretic Path's Alliance could use and discard at any time.

Even if they disappeared, the power of the Heretic Path's Alliance would not weaken.

However, the problem was the righteous martial world.

“This incident will only deepen the distrust.”

What the Alliance Leader and the General Manager were worried about was the distrust among the righteous martial world.

If they had at least been able to capture Gwi Hak, they would have achieved a great accomplishment.

The steps back to the guesthouse were heavy.

Gwak Myeong, who had been walking silently for a while, stopped in his tracks.

His gaze automatically turned to the deserted outskirts of the estate.

A man was standing there.

Wearing non-descript commoner’s clothes and a crudely made mask.

Gwak Myeong’s eyes, who had discovered him, trembled left and right.

Gwak Myeong, who had approached the man in a single stride, said.

“I’m not even surprised anymore. How are you alive?”

“Well. I definitely thought it was just a miscellaneous poison with nothing special.”

“That was definitely the Formless Earth Killing Poison.”

“I know, right.”

Jin Sohyun took off his mask.

As his handsome face was revealed, Gwak Myeong let out a sigh.

“Why did you come back here?”

“I have something to return.”

What Jin Sohyun held out was the White Heaven Sword.

He had thought it had disappeared after being used as an Exploding Flying Sword, but he had found it while crossing the forest.

“Fortunately, it’s perfectly fine without a single scratch.”

“It’s a famous sword made by Master Danya.”

Gwak Myeong looked at Jin Sohyun, who had appeared holding Danya’s famous sword that anyone would covet, with a pleased expression.

“Ah, and there’s a problem.”

“…A problem?”

Gwak Myeong’s face became serious again.

But his serious expression did not last long.

“Well… I followed the naked old man who was running away and found his hideout. So I was going to bring him along quietly, but I touched the poison-filled iron ball and… he died.”

“So you’re saying… the Soul-Chasing Poisonous Snake is dead?”

“It wasn’t on purpose!”

Jin Sohyun waved his hands with a guilty expression.

“I definitely thought it was just a miscellaneous poison with nothing special… but I guess it wasn’t. Or maybe… that old man had a weak tolerance for poison…”

Watching Jin Sohyun, who was looking at him, Gwak Myeong felt a surge of emotion for some reason.

He silently pulled Jin Sohyun into a strong embrace.

Jin Sohyun, who was hugged by Gwak Myeong without realizing it, blinked his eyes.

“M-Master?”

“Thank you. Thanks to you… the future of the righteous path is safe. And the one you killed was a master of poison arts with the title of Soul-Chasing Poisonous Snake. If it weren't for you, countless martial artists would have lost their lives to him.”

“So it’s a good thing, right?”

“Of course.”

Gwak Myeong let go of Jin Sohyun and nodded his head.

“You’ve worked hard.”

“Haha… then I’ll be on my way. I have something to return, anyway.”

Jin Sohyun disappeared like the wind.

Gwak Myeong couldn't bring himself to stop him.

“It should be fine to just leave him be.”

Jin Sohyun was the most needed talent in the turbulent martial world.

Recalling what Jin Sohyun had accomplished so far, it wouldn't have been enough to grab his trouser legs and beg him to stay in the righteous martial world.

But Gwak Myeong let Jin Sohyun go.

“He needs time to rest too.”

The world still knew Jin Sohyun as the Lazy Young Master of the Jin Clan and a lazybones who could no longer use martial arts.

Of course, that might be true to some extent.

Nevertheless, Gwak Myeong could tell.

“Let’s meet again.”

That if the righteous martial world was in danger, Jin Sohyun would come back again.

Gwak Myeong, who was about to return to the guesthouse, turned his body and went back the way he came.

Because he had many things to report to the Alliance Leader.

***

“Are you okay?”

So Soil, who had come out of the box after several days, asked, forcibly stretching his stiff body.

“How did you find me?”

“It was from when someone was imitating the Leader’s voice and acting as the Hidden Shadow Unit Leader. I couldn't interrogate him because I was worried the Leader might be in danger.”

Gong Hu had realized from the beginning that Jin Sohyun was disguised as the Hidden Shadow Unit Leader.

Although the voice might be the same, the gaze revealed above the mask had changed.

Nevertheless, the reason he had followed Jin Sohyun was to buy time to find So Soil.

“Then it’s a good thing. What happened to him?”

“He disappeared.”

“…Disappeared?”

Gong Hu explained what had happened while So Soil was imprisoned.

So Soil, who was listening to this, leaned against the wall with a dazed face.

“So you’re saying… the one who locked me up and pretended to be me saved the disciples from the Poison Sect and the Namrangbang?”

“That’s right. He had prepared short spears and a net as if he had expected their attack, and used them to thwart the enemy’s evil scheme.”

“So that was true…”

So Soil showed a dejected expression, realizing that all the words the man in black had said to him were true.

‘What on earth have I been doing.’

He was so pathetic for having doubted him.

“Where did that person go?”

“Well… it seems he was poisoned by the Formless Earth Killing Poison in the process of thwarting the evil scheme. He left the estate so that the poison would not spread further.”

“What!?”

So Soil stood up and went out of the warehouse.

Of course, he couldn't find the disappeared man in black even if he did.

“I should have at least asked for his name…”

His heart ached as he thought of the man in black who must have met a lonely death in a quiet place where no one was.

“I hope he met a not-too-painful end… huh?”

Something fell in front of So Soil, who was muttering.

Picking it up, So Soil realized that it was the nameplate that proved he was the Hidden Shadow Unit Leader, which had been taken by the man in black.

“Ah!”

He hurriedly raised his head and looked around, but the man in black was nowhere to be seen.

“He was alive… he was alive!”

So Soil, who had learned that the man in black was alive, bowed his head deeply toward him, who was somewhere.

“Thank you. I will never forget this favor.”

“Hidden Shadow Unit Leader! You were safe!”

At that moment, the Zantetsu Guard Leader, Gam Ak, ran up behind So Soil.

“Guard Leader.”

“Haha! I never dreamed that the Hidden Shadow Unit Leader possessed such strong martial arts! Everyone seemed not to know who that man in black was, but they couldn't fool the eyes of this Gam Ak!”

Gam Ak clasped his fists and bowed his head.

“Thank you for protecting everyone. I thank you on behalf of everyone.”

So Soil was about to say that he hadn't done it, but he soon gave a short bow.

‘He didn't want to reveal who he was. So I should protect that too.’

Gam Ak, who had conveyed his greetings, said heartily.

“Let’s have a drink after the Four Divine Assembly is over! I’ll guide you to a good place!”

So Soil smiled faintly at the boisterously laughing Gam Ak.

“I refuse.”

***

Clop— Clop—!

“Ugh! This is great. Hwanggu. Let’s go at your own pace this time.”

Looking up at the flowing clouds, Jin Sohyun stretched out endlessly on the hay.

“Let’s not do anything from now on and just rest. I’ll show them exactly why I’m called the Lazy Young Master!”

The oxcart carrying Jin Sohyun moved toward Shanxi at a very slow speed.

(End of Chapter)