The Youngest Prince of the Zhou Family - Chapter 19

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Youngest Master of the Zhu Family (19)

Cleanup

The battlefield was rapidly being organized.

From the moment the Red Dragon Corps, one of the main forces of the noble family, joined the battle, the momentum had already completely shifted.

Especially Ju Yu-ran, the Red Dragon Corps Commander.

She was originally a battle maniac who enjoyed and loved fighting.

In terms of pure skill alone, she was capable enough to easily surpass the deputy commanders of the Rising Dragon Corps or Annihilation Dragon Corps.

But she preferred the position of Red Dragon Corps Commander where battles occurred more frequently than those places.

‘How is it that the commander goes on missions more often than regular members…’

I sighed as I watched Yu-ran from afar, who had slaughtered two Blue Longevity People and smashed twenty members of the Black Water Group and Red Water Group, yet was clicking her tongue as if disappointed.

“Huh? Young Master?”

Yu-ran also spotted me and ran over with a bright smile.

“What’s with these Demon People?”

Did that sound like “What’s with this windfall?” or was I imagining things?

“There are documents these things left inside. Retrieve them and report to the Family Head.”

“Eh? I can just have the subordinates do that… Where did these guys come from anyway?”

Yu-ran persistently clung to me.

Her eyes were gleaming so brightly, as if asking me to bring out more if I had them.

“What? What is it? You said you’d explain?”

“Ah, for crying out loud. Let’s talk at home. I’m dead tired, really.”

I finally ended up shouting in exasperation.

“Tch.”

Yu-ran turned around, pouting as if sulking.

Having gotten rid of one annoying thing, I immediately walked toward the family estate.

The Red Dragon Corps would handle the battlefield cleanup, and I felt at ease thinking I had lifted quite a heavy burden.

‘I kept my promise too.’

The promise I made with Father.

It was fortunate that I could keep that promise to prove myself within ten days.

Contrary to my desire to rest even a little, as soon as I arrived at the family estate, I was summoned to the Sword Soul Hall.

It wasn’t just a single squad of the Red Dragon Corps, but the entire Red Dragon Corps had moved, and even the Red Dragon Corps Commander had acted, so Father urgently called for me.

​

Inside the Sword Soul Hall where cold silence flowed.

“….”

Ju Tae-seong, one of the Ten Supreme Masters and my father, was staring at me coldly.

“The smell of blood is overwhelming.”

“Yes. There was an incident.”

“Is it related to what you mentioned the other day?”

“Yes.”

Since there was nothing to hide, the answers came out smoothly.

In the past, I was desperate to avoid Father’s gaze, but my current attitude was utterly confident.

“Explain.”

“There was a Fierce Beast that tried to poison Mother to death.”

“…What?”

At those words, Father’s complexion hardened rapidly.

At the killing intent that suddenly burst forth, I hastily drew up my internal energy to protect my insides.

But this was the killing intent emanating from the world’s Sword Master.

“Cough.”

My insides twisted, and I unknowingly fell to my knees and coughed up blood.

“Ah, damn. I’m sorry.”

Father, who finally noticed my condition, hastily withdrew his energy and approached me.

Then he grasped my pulse point and gently flowed energy into me.

“Whew.”

“Right. There was a Fierce Beast that dared try to poison the Foster Mother of the Zhu Family to death? Who was it? Did you catch them?”

‘Hmm?’

This was strange.

This wasn’t the usual cold and chilly appearance of Father.

His composure had crumbled, and his pupils were trembling without a clear destination.

I felt very strange seeing Father’s different side.

“I caught and killed them. The Red Dragon Corps is retrieving the documents, so you’ll know when you check them.”

“Ha, this has become quite ridiculous.”

Crack!

The sound of Father grinding his teeth filled the interior of the great hall.

He was angry.

As the head of a family, for failing to even protect his wife’s safety.

Moreover, that his young son had resolved the matter himself without even telling him!

“Is this related to what happened at your maternal family home?”

“Yes.”

I wanted to explain in detail, but I didn’t have the strength.

I had made the Nine Flames Soul-Controlling Incense, couldn’t sleep, and immediately went to catch the Blood Hand Poison Emperor.

“Let’s talk about it separately later. Go and rest.”

“….”

Fortunately, Father seemed to read my expression and allowed me to return to my room.

It was then, as I turned around.

“Woo Jin, you did well.”

“….”

Unlike usual, it was a voice that had become somewhat softer.

I quietly turned my head, bowed, and left the Sword Soul Hall.

“Phew.”

I hurried toward my personal quarters.

Forget washing and everything else, I wanted to sleep first.

​

* * *

​

The family estate was on fire, and the household members died screaming.

The Demon People unleashed their Demonic Voice toward the Zhu Family, and the Zhu Family couldn’t withstand it.

It was soaked in blood, and the sky was dyed dark.

I fled while shedding tears.

Right, I was a cripple who survived on everyone’s blood.

Father, Elder Sister, and Mu Ying, along with all the uncles, faced the Demon People.

Even the mad laughter of Commander Yu-ran, who was called the blood-soaked dragon, the Red Dragon itself, was no more.

When I came to my senses, I had arrived at Jade Flower Mountain Peak.

The Beautiful Herb that only grew in very small quantities.

Mother had truly loved this place when she was alive.

There I buried my blood-stained hands and cried and laughed like a madman.

Below the mountain was entirely filled with flames.

Not a single person survived from the family estate.

Only a cripple like me survived and was here crying pathetically again.

What was I thinking then?

I don’t remember.

Just thinking I could never come back again, I plucked a few leaves of the Beautiful Herb that hadn’t grown much and put them in my chest.

The fragrance of this Beautiful Herb that always gently spread through Sword Soul Hall…

I must have missed it terribly.

The wave of the Demonic Path covered the world in an instant.

Starting with the Zhu Family, the Five Great Families and Nine Great Sects of the world collapsed one after another.

No news of victory came from anywhere.

Only after hiding on Jade Flower Mountain for a full year did I finally descend back to the family estate.

With no one to clean up, the family estate remained in a wretched state.

The corpses of the household members, their flesh rotted away until only white bones remained.

I buried them carefully in the back garden.

I scooped up earth with my hands and covered them.

I hadn’t realized when they were there, but only after losing them did I understand their preciousness.

Tears no longer flowed.

Only what I had to do came clearly to mind.

One year was enough time to suppress my fear of the Heavenly Demon, and so I vowed revenge.

‘Heavenly Demon.’

I would definitely kill him.

“Heavenly Demon!”

I would surely break his neck and offer his head respectfully before the spirits of my household members!

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* * *

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“Heavenly Demon!”

My vision brightened.

It seemed I had a bad dream.

“Y-Young Master? A-Are you alright?”

An unfamiliar voice reached me.

My heart sank with a thud.

Could all of this have been a dream…

“Young Master?”

No, it wasn’t.

Fortunately, I was in my room.

I must have collapsed without even changing clothes.

“Who are… you?”

I stared quietly at a young girl kneeling before me, trembling violently.

Her pupils shook finely, and her slender shoulders trembled severely as if an earthquake had struck.

“I-I am th-this time…”

“Don’t stutter and speak properly.”

“Y-Yes! Hup.”

The girl took a deep breath, then opened her mouth in a somewhat calmer tone.

“My name is Dan-ah. When I was born, my mother had a dream, and in it a Divine Spirit holding a Red Jade Stone in her arms…”

As I gradually frowned.

“So that’s why I’m Dan-ah.”

“Ah, I see. Nice to meet you.”

I nodded and stared quietly at Dan-ah again.

‘What’s this?’

She seemed to be a servant Father had newly assigned to me… but strangely, I had no memory of meeting this child.

Well, I suppose.

Originally during this time, I practically lived at pleasure houses rather than staying at the family estate.

“How old are you?”

“I’m ten years old, Young Master.”

“Ten years old? You’re younger than I thought.”

Hmm? Or not?

Come to think of it, I’m only fifteen years old myself.

We’re roughly similar in age.

Thud.

That’s when it happened.

The door opened and another woman entered.

“Oh? Young Master, you’re awake. You didn’t wake him up by being noisy, did you?”

The woman glared at Dan-ah as she asked.

Dan-ah quickly shook her head.

‘Dan-hee. Ah…’

As soon as I saw the woman, I remembered who she was.

Around this time, I had probably beaten up a servant, and that servant had fled in a battered state.

I heard that Father separately found the servant and gave him a house and a large sum of money as compensation.

Anyway, the servant assigned to me after that was Dan-hee.

‘So Dan-ah must be her younger sister. This is my first time seeing her.’

The two resembled each other enough that you could tell they were sisters without needing to ask.

“Oh, Young Master. When you get up, please go to the back garden quickly. Foster Mother was looking for you.”

“For me? When?”

“Um, about two hours ago?”

At those words, I tilted my head and opened the window.

‘Damn.’

The sun was already at its zenith.

I must have been tired, sleeping without noticing the time pass.

‘Still, maybe because I slept well for once, I feel good.’

Indeed, my mind felt considerably clearer.

My body felt light and my mind was clear too?

‘This is exactly when I should be cultivating…’

Unfortunately, since Mother was calling for me, I’ll postpone it.

I got up from my seat and headed straight to the back garden.

​

* * *

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Back garden, separate residence.

Yu Harin’s personal quarters.

“I see, and I didn’t even know about such things…”

Mother, Yu Harin’s eyes reddened.

I roughly summarized the events that had happened and told Mother about them.

If I explained in too much detail, she would worry greatly given her poor health, so I simply informed her of a few important things.

“Still, it was too dangerous. If something like that happened, you should have told Father immediately.”

“He wouldn’t have believed me.”

At my words, Mother smiled and shook her head.

“Do you know how worried Father was? He was in such a fuss about whether he should assign more guards to you.”

“The Family Head? That can’t be.”

I shook my head firmly.

I knew well that Father took extreme care of Mother and cherished her.

But would he do the same for me?

Whatever his feelings might be, Father was definitely not someone who would act affectionately.

​

‘It would have been better if you had never been born.’

​

Those words from Father that I heard as a child remained vividly clear even after so much time had passed and even after returning to the past.

Even though I held no resentment toward Father, at least that wound remained unhealed.

“It must be difficult for Father to deal with me too. He said so many harsh words when I was young…”

At those words, Mother’s expression visibly hardened.

Mother bit her lower lip tightly, holding back tears.

“I’m sorry… Because this mother was sick… Father probably didn’t mean it either…”

“Ah.”

Only then did I realize I had made a mistake.

I shouldn’t have brought this up.

Mother was the type who would blame herself and feel guilty again.

“No. I misspoke. I don’t have any feelings about it now.”

I hurriedly comforted Mother.

Mother smiled awkwardly again and wiped away her tears.

I quickly got up from my seat.

Staying longer would only make Mother feel worse.

‘I’m not used to this kind of thing yet either.’

It seemed I needed a bit more practice.

Like how to speak affectionately… hmm.

“I’ll be going.”

I left Mother’s quarters just like that.

Damn, it’s difficult. Too difficult.

That wasn’t my intention, but I feel like I just added more burden to Mother’s heart.

“Sigh.”

Only sighs kept escaping me.

​

* * *

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“You heard everything, didn’t you?”

“…”

Yu Harin looked toward a corner and spoke quietly.

Then, someone emerged from that spot looking sheepish.

It was Ju Tae-seong, the Family Head of the Zhu Family.

“Ahem.”

He kept clearing his throat, avoiding Yu Harin’s reproachful gaze.

“What on earth did you say so harshly to that young child…”

“It was just resentment. Even though I knew it was wrong… I must not have been in my right mind either. Truly… I have nothing to say.”

The renowned Sword Master was no different from a gentle lamb in front of his wife Yu Harin.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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