Chapter 287 Yangzhudong Family – 2

Chapter 287: Yangzhudong Family – 2

Zeng Chil flinched.

Gwangju, where the Jin family residence was located, was a city so well-developed with waterways that it could truly be called a city of water.

Therefore, it was only natural that Jin So-eun, a native of that place, was skilled in water warfare.

Only after hearing Yeon Tae-jin’s words did Jeong Chil realize that discussing naval warfare with Jin So-eun, a native of the Jin family, while he himself was weak in naval matters, was like writing characters in front of Confucius.

He cleared his throat, trying to change the subject.

“Hmm, hmm, it’s not so much that I’m skilled with my hands… Oh right, shouldn’t we leave immediately before something happens? They could come after us, even if it’s late!”

But once Yeon Tae-jin had sunk his teeth in, he would never let go.

She said to Zeng Chi.

“Oh my! Why worry about pursuit? I’m with Brother Zeng, right? In fact, if the enemies chase us, won’t we get to see Brother Zeng’s superb skills? Ah, I can’t wait! I hope the enemies chase us soon!”

Yeon Tae-jin spoke thus, clasping his hands tightly together as he gazed across the river, as if awaiting true enemies.

Then, feeling a twinge of guilt, Jeong Chil spoke to her.

“Ah, no, why wait at all? It’s better not to fight. The waterworks… there’ll be a chance to show them later…”

That was when it happened.

Yeon Tae-jin suddenly shouted.

“Ah, the enemy!”

At those words, Jeong Chil jumped in surprise, scanned across the river, and urgently asked.

“Enemy?! Where?! Where are they coming from?!”

Zheng Chi’s expression was genuinely panicked.

In truth, ever since that incident with Oh Ik-deok of the Haenam faction last time, Jeong Chil had been trembling at the mere mention of water battles.

And now, of all times, enemies actually appeared right when he was bluffing like this.

For him, it couldn’t have been a more dreadful situation.

Suddenly, a vision of his future playing out before Yeon Tae-jin and Jin So-eun, humiliated, flashed through his mind.

Zeng Chil screamed inside his head.

‘No! How much more will that ragged woman mock me? Damn you all, why did you have to show up now?!’

It was at that moment, while Jeong Chil was cursing the unseen enemies,

Jin So-eun couldn’t hold back any longer and burst out laughing.

It was because Jung Chil’s reaction to Yeon Tae-jin’s teasing was just too funny.

Just as Jin So-eun laughed, Jeong Chil, unable to grasp the situation immediately, wore a dazed expression.

Yeon Tae-jin smiled seductively and said to him.

“Hey, that area looks really dark over there. Doesn’t it look like a ghost might come out?”

‘Over there? Not here, but over there?’

Zeng Chil, who had been momentarily dazed, finally realized Yeon Tae-jin had been teasing him.

He tried to yell at Yeon Tae-jin with a furious expression.

“You… you naked wench, how dare you!”

Then Yeon Tae-jin asked with a look that suggested he knew nothing.

“But why did Brother Zeng act that way? Surely Brother Zeng, a master craftsman, wasn’t worried about enemies. Could it be that even he was afraid of ghosts?”

At her question, Zeng Chil could no longer continue speaking.

He realized that if he tried to argue with her about being teased, he would first have to admit his own ignorance of handicrafts.

Jin So-eun had to fight hard to stifle her laughter again at the sight of Jeong Chil, his face twisted in fury, unable to utter a word, his mouth just opening and closing.

Yeon Taejin glanced at Jin So-eun and gave her a sly wink.

Even Jin So-eun, being a woman herself, couldn’t help but find that expression captivating.

Jin So-eun suddenly recalled the very first time she met Yeon Tae-jin.

At first, his background as a rogue, his sloppy attire—it all made him seem utterly incompatible with her.

But now that they’d become as close as sisters, Jin So-eun knew very well.

Just how wonderful a person she was.

No woman Jin So-eun knew was as bold as her, nor as true to her own life.

Of course, Yeon Tae-jin’s blatant displays of affection toward Seolpung still felt a bit jarring.

But even so, she now understood.

That those expressions were possible precisely because she was more honest and true to herself than anyone else.

Jin So-eun thought that about her was truly admirable.

If I could change myself now, I felt like I wanted to become like her.

It was then.

Seolpung suddenly spoke.

“Someone’s really coming.”

At those words, Jeongchil, who had been sulking, jumped in surprise again.

Seolpung wouldn’t have been joking around to tease him.

If he said someone was coming, then someone truly was coming.

“Wh-who’s coming?! Where?! Where is he?!”

At that moment, Jin So-eun suddenly looked not at her surroundings, but at Seolpung’s face.

That was it.

If he said someone had come, then someone truly had come. Even if countless supreme masters were surrounding him, if he said he could handle them, then he could handle them.

Seolpung was the kind of person who inspired that kind of belief.

Jin So-eun, who had believed there would never be another person like Seon Woo-jin in the world, had no choice but to admit it after meeting Seolpung.

There might never be another like Seon Woo-jin, but someone as magnificent as him could exist.

Seolpung’s immense power and astonishing secret of birth were truly the stuff of legends.

But his true charm lay elsewhere.

It was the seriousness he always displayed, the gentle smile and thoughtfulness he occasionally showed, and the fierce intensity he revealed when making decisions.

It was easy to understand why Yeon Tae-jin had fallen for him.

Jin So-eun also wondered if she hadn’t met Seon Woo-jin first, wouldn’t she have fallen for Seol Poong too?

‘Of course, if that had happened, she and her sister would have become rivals, right?’

Suddenly struck by that thought, Jin So-eun let out a soft chuckle.

But seeing Yeon Tae-jin, who didn’t seem particularly bothered even upon hearing that Seolpung Gong had a lover, made me think that even if it were true, they probably could have gotten along just fine.

‘Sis would have said that to me with that overconfident look on her face, wouldn’t she?’

– “So-eun, I’m prettier than you, right? I’m stronger and more capable. So I’d be more helpful to Feng too. Don’t you think?”

If that had happened, Jin So-eun herself would have been utterly crushed, unable to say a word.

That was when it happened.

Unlike Jeong Chil, who kept whirling his head toward the dark river, Seon Woo-jin looked behind him and said.

“Not that way, this way. There are several of them. I can smell the thick scent of blood too.”

“Huh?”

Only then did Jeong Chil realize that Seolpung and Seon Woo-jin’s gazes were directed not toward the river, but toward the land behind them.

His deep sigh of relief was visible to everyone.

It seemed he had genuinely been burdened by the water battle.

But Jeong-chil was still Jeong-chil.

As if he’d never worried at all, he shouted again in a bold voice.

“I was going to show off my handiwork skills right here, but what a pity! Looks like I’ll have to demonstrate this old man’s martial prowess once more! So, who are these bastards, huh? What kind of fools want to die by attacking us?”

Seolpung and Seonwujin exchanged glances.

Somehow, their expressions looked much heavier than before.

Seonwoojin spoke first.

“They don’t seem to be ordinary enemies.”

Seolpung nodded in agreement and added.

“Let’s go and see. We should go and assess the situation.”

The rest of the group exchanged puzzled glances.

Then they followed Seon Woo-jin and Seol Pung, rushing forward.

They still couldn’t grasp what had happened.

But the group, having moved slightly after the two, soon understood what Seonwoojin had said earlier.

Jeong Chil frowned sharply and said.

“What is this? The smell of blood? Did a war break out or something?”

It was a sickening stench of blood.

The foul stench of blood, carried by the wind, was bearing down on the group.

And moments later, the group landed on the ground, speechless at the horrific sight before them.

“Ugh…”

“Someone… please… help us…”

“Please, please help us.”

What they witnessed was a scene of people covered in blood, crawling toward the Yangtze River.

Their injuries were so horrific that it wouldn’t have been surprising if they were all already dead.

The sight of them crawling forward despite such injuries was utterly heart-wrenching.

Seon Woo-jin clenched his teeth.

When I first sensed the presence of those who seemed injured, I thought they might be a trap.

I thought they might be pretending to be injured to lower our guard and ambush us.

But seeing them in person, such thoughts vanished completely.

There were seven of them in total. Not a single one was unharmed—one had only his legs attached, another had lost an arm, and yet another had a deep gash on his back, blood gushing out.

Far from being a trap, they looked like they’d bleed out any moment.

No, it was almost more astonishing that he was moving at all with such injuries.

The group rushed over to them.

“Hey there! What on earth happened?!”

“Are you okay?! You’ve lost too much blood!”

“Hey! Stay with us! If you lose consciousness now, you’ll die!”

At first, they flinched in surprise, but soon they began pleading with the group, tears streaming down their faces.

“H-help us. Behind us… behind us, the children…”

“Please. Please save the children….”

The group could understand why they had kept moving despite such severe injuries.

He must have crawled toward the river port with all his strength, searching for someone to help save his family.

Seon Woo-jin gritted his teeth and began administering emergency treatment immediately, starting with those in the most critical condition.

With proper treatment, some might still survive.

While treating the one in the best condition among them, he asked.

“What on earth happened? Who did this?”

A man with one arm severed answered, his face frozen in terror.

“The bandits… The bandits attacked us…”

At that, the others frowned and asked back.

“Bandits?”

That was a very unfamiliar word to the group.

Seolpung and Seonwoojin, hailing from Yunnan and Guizhou provinces—regions mostly covered in mountains and dense forests—and Jinsoeun and Yeontaejin, from Guangxi province, where waterways dominated the landscape, had never encountered bandits before, let alone horse thieves.

Horses were scarce and expensive, especially in the southern regions.

Moreover, it was strange that these men, who appeared to be martial artists, had ended up in such a state at the hands of mere bandits.

Five of the seven appeared to be top-tier masters, and two even seemed to be at the threshold of the pinnacle realm.

Bandits who could reduce men of this caliber to such a state—I couldn’t even begin to imagine what kind of scum they were.

But the group decided to focus first on rescuing the people, hearing only that much for now.

Leaving them like this meant most would likely die.

This was the moment when Seon Woo-jin’s role as a healer became crucial.

Seon Woo-jin looked at Seolpung and Jeungchil and said urgently.

“Go check the direction they came from! There might be children there!”

“Got it!”

“Leave it to this elder brother!”

As Seolpung and Jeungchil shot off like bolts of lightning, Seonwoojin now addressed Jinsoeun and Yeontaejin.

“Please prepare some strong liquor and clean cloth for us! The liquor should be in Brother Jeongchil’s backpack!”

“Got it!”

“Yes! Understood!”

While helping Seon Woo-jin stop bleeding and treat the wounded, Jin So-eun suddenly found herself gazing at his profile, focused solely on saving lives.

Even though she already harbored feelings for him, even if she hadn’t, seeing him like that would have made her fall for him all over again.

Though they were complete strangers, his sincere gaze as he did his utmost to save them, and his medical skill—mastering acupuncture with the same effortless grace as his formidable martial prowess—were both utterly impressive.

His handsome looks went without saying.

“Huuuuu.”

Jin So-eun let out a small sigh without realizing it.

Her heart ached.

After hearing Yeon Tae-jin say not long ago that it didn’t matter if Seolpung had a lover, Jin So-eun found herself respecting her even more than before.

Because she knew she herself couldn’t do what Jin So-eun had done.

‘Seonwoo Gongja already has a fiancée.’

It was time to accept that fact calmly, yet whenever it suddenly came to mind, her heart still ached as if it would tear apart, and tears welled up in her eyes.

She didn’t lose her mind like a fool anymore, but even so, she couldn’t find her composure.

Becoming like Yeon Tae-jin seemed like it would be too hard for Jin So-eun.

Still, perhaps time had served as a medicine, because Jin So-eun found herself thinking lately…

Receiving his love may not be my due, but even so, if it means I can share this joyful journey with him, isn’t that reason enough to be grateful?

That was her thought.

That’s why Jin So-eun always tried to maintain a grateful heart.

For the many things she gained by meeting him.

For this very moment she could be with him.

And simply for his very existence…

As she continued to gaze at Seon Woo-jin’s profile in this very moment, Jin So-eun suddenly made a wish for herself.

‘May I never shrink back in shameful inferiority. May I never make wrong choices out of ugly jealousy. And may I always hold onto this grateful heart I have now….’

That was the only wish Jin So-eun could make for herself now.