The Youngest Prince of the Zhou Family - Chapter 33

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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 (33)

Ju Sang-jin

Ju Sang-jin.

What kind of person is he?

Born as the son of Namgung Yi-hwa, the precious daughter of the Head of Namgung Family, and Ju Tae-seong, the Family Head of the Zhu Family Estate, he’s a noble soul who was born with a proper silver spoon from prestigious families in his mouth.

He monopolizes all the affection at the Namgung Family Estate.

At the Zhu Family Estate, he receives support from the Elders and squad leaders, so his arrogance soars high without knowing the limits of the sky.

Ju Sang-jin, who grew up receiving all kinds of precious medicines and even excellent martial arts manuals from childhood, being pampered and loved.

Resembling Namgung Yi-hwa, he’s arrogant, haughty, and acts like a spoiled brat without knowing the height of the sky… I wish that were all, but.

Surprisingly, this bastard is clever.

He never does anything that would stand out, and on the surface appears to be a very good second son who respects adults and elder brothers while taking care of his younger brother, but…

In reality, he’s a vicious bastard who becomes a complete son of a bitch the moment he turns around.

“Do you really want to die?”

“Do you really want to die?”

Look at him right now.

Is that menacingly twisted face one that should be shown to a younger brother?

The moment no adults are around, that Ju Sang-jin is the unprecedented son of a bitch who used to torment me like crazy.

Of course, I had no intention whatsoever of avoiding that bastard.

With so much work to do, I couldn’t be dragged around by that young one’s antics, could I?

But before I could step forward, Yu Ran forcibly grabbed Ju Sang-jin’s shoulder and dragged him inside.

“Let’s go inside, Sang-jin? Before this elder sister gets angry?”

“…”

Yu Ran and Sang-jin are close.

Well, unlike me who just drank alcohol all day long, the two of them would have had frequent contact.

She was also the only person who knew well about Sang-jin’s spoiled brat-like nature.

Yu Ran winked at me with one eye, then took Sang-jin and went inside just like that.

I’m sure I heard Yu Ran’s voice threatening him in the middle, saying something like “Should I tell the adults about you acting like this?”

“Actually, that bastard is an even worse spoiled brat, right?”

I asked Mu Ying.

Then Mu Ying looked flustered and stammered.

“I… um, all the Young Masters are the same…”

“Well, who am I to criticize whom? It’s not something I should say when I was always just drinking alcohol and chasing women.”

“Ah, no, Young Master.”

Mu Ying looked even more flustered and hurriedly tried to comfort me.

I turned my head, saying it was fine.

“Anyway, I’m finally here.”

The Zhu Family Estate.

A schedule of a little over a month.

Carrying the Thousand-Year Dragon Flame Essence, Kunlun’s legacy, I finally returned home.

* * *

“Did you have a good trip?”

The training ground of my personal quarters.

As soon as I unpacked and came out, there was someone waiting for me.

Eldest Sister, Ju Seung-kyung.

It was her.

“It’s been a while, Elder Sister.”

“Yeah. You know the family estate is very noisy because of you, right?”

“…Isn’t it noisy right now because of the Heavenly Martial Tournament?”

“Hey, not now! The Elders and the Family Head gathered in the Sword Soul Hall several times because of you.”

Hmm…?

Isn’t that also because they gather frequently due to the Heavenly Martial Tournament…?

“Ahem, ahem. Well, anyway. I heard you were injured, but you look fine?”

“Ah, the Dang Family Estate took great care of me.”

“But you’re really something. How did you think of going to Qinghai Province without even reporting to the Family Head?”

“…”

Ah, I had forgotten.

I was just about to report to Father…

This way, the Red Dragon Squad Leader might also receive a reprimand.

“Hurry and go to the Sword Soul Hall. And… go see your elder brother once.”

“Eldest Brother…? Why?”

Eldest Brother, Ju Seung-hyeok.

Someone who received the alias of Sword Dragon at the mere age of twenty.

As a promising talent of the Zhu Family Estate, the person closest to becoming the next young family head.

“After the Heavenly Martial Tournament ends, he’s going to cross over to the Jusan Archipelago with the Family Head. He worried about you a lot. So show your face, you hopeless younger brother.”

“…Ugh. I understand.”

I answered reluctantly.

Eldest Brother is someone I’m uncomfortable with in a different sense.

Unlike me, he was a very sincere, kind, and broad-minded person.

‘Actually, even if he had complaints, Eldest Brother would have the most complaints.’

The son of Father’s second wife, Lady Jin Seo-hwa, who is my stepmother.

But after stepmother passed away, Eldest Brother’s ties with his maternal family were also severed.

It was very different from Ju Sang-jin’s situation of being loved as a grandchild.

But even so, Eldest Brother could truly be said to have grown up properly without any rough edges.

“Hurry up and go.”

In the middle of my thoughts, I was turned around by Seung-kyung’s sharp eyes and headed straight to the Sword Soul Hall.

* * *

The main hall of the Zhu Family Estate, the Sword Soul Hall.

“…”

“…”

It’s cold.

A dagger flies to the heart…

“I hear you went to Qinghai Province.”

“Yes, that’s what happened.”

“And yet you didn’t say a single word to me?”

“…”

“You must find this Family Head’s authority very amusing.”

“That wasn’t my intention. I’m sorry.”

“Tell me. Why did you hide it?”

I took a moment to steady my breathing.

Father’s sharp gaze seemed to pierce through my entire body.

As if looking into even my inner thoughts, it was sharp beyond measure.

“I thought you wouldn’t send me because it was dangerous.”

“Knowing that, you still went while deliberately hiding it? And even coerced the Red Dragon Squad Leader?”

“The Red Dragon Squad Leader is not at fault. It was all my stubbornness. If you’re going to punish someone, please punish only me.”

At the businesslike tone, Ju Tae-seong’s eyes stirred.

Is this a conversation between father and son?

It was like watching a conversation between a superior and subordinate.

Soon followed a brief moment of silence.

Eventually, it was Ju Tae-seong who spoke first with a sigh.

“Well, you’ve returned safely, so that’s good. Now then, you’ll have to participate in the martial tournament, won’t you?”

“Pardon? You mean me?”

I frowned and shook my head.

“All direct descendants will participate in this tournament. You should know this and prepare accordingly.”

Father was resolute.

“What would I accomplish by participating? I’d only become a laughingstock.”

“….”

At those words, Ju Tae-seong, who was about to say something, closed his mouth as if dumbfounded.

“Am I asking you about that enormous internal energy flowing within your body right now?”

“….”

“If I were to ask, would you honestly confess everything?”

It felt like my heart was sinking with a thud.

The dignity of the Family Head who saw through everything.

“I won’t ask, so you also shouldn’t object to the martial tournament and participate.”

“…Yes.”

I had no choice but to comply obediently.

Father would never be swayed by evasive words.

“Go.”

With those words, Father turned his back and looked out the window.

I obediently left the Sword Soul Hall.

“Phew.”

It was like walking on thin ice.

Still, should I consider it fortunate that he let it slide like this?

“The martial tournament….”

I suppose I can’t just skip out on this one either.

I had memories of participating in the martial tournament around this time in my previous life too.

Back then, Father was furious about something and threatened me to participate by force… but I couldn’t remember that part clearly.

“Hmm.”

In any case, my memories of the martial tournament weren’t particularly good.

Because I had memories of being thoroughly defeated by Second Brother, Ju Sang-jin, and being completely humiliated.

“Ha, I don’t want that to happen.”

Since avoiding the martial tournament was out of the question, it seemed I’d have to handle it in a way that wouldn’t bring me too much embarrassment.

“Oh, right.”

Suddenly, I recalled what Elder Sister Seung-kyung had said earlier.

She had told me to visit Eldest Brother once I finished with Father.

“Right, he said he was going to the archipelago?”

Jusan Archipelago.

The moment I thought that far, a memory flashed through my mind.

“Eldest Brother… gets hurt there.”

It wasn’t a serious injury, but how should I put it….

After returning from the archipelago, should I say that Eldest Brother changed a bit?

After that, it was none other than Second Brother, Ju Sang-jin, who grew closer to the position of heir.

I couldn’t bear to see that happen.

“This won’t do.”

It seemed I should pay him a visit in advance.

Though it was a greeting with a different meaning, of course.

​

* * *

​

To the east of the Inner Compound, where the sun rises, lay Eldest Brother’s personal quarters.

Silver Virtue Hall.

The hall where the Eldest Young Master of the Zhu Family resided, and where his family stayed.

“Kyahaha!”

As soon as I passed through the gates of Silver Virtue Hall, I heard a young girl’s laughter.

It was the sound of happiness that warmed the heart just by hearing it.

‘It’s Seol-ah.’

Ju Seol-ah.

Eldest Brother’s daughter, a little one who turned five this year.

As I climbed the stone steps, I could see Seol-ah in the distance, running and playing while holding Eldest Brother’s hand.

“….”

That sight looked very happy.

What would it feel like to become a father, to become a mother?

These were things I had never even thought about in my previous life, or even in this current life.

“It’s Woo Jin.”

Just then, Eldest Brother turned around, sensing my presence.

Tall and imposing stature, with broad shoulders.

Flawless skin and an always-smiling face that had stirred the hearts of countless women.

Kind and benevolent, he was truly the man most suited to be the heir of the Zhu Family.

“I greet you after a long time, Eldest Brother.”

“Haha, yes. It’s quite difficult to see each other’s faces even though we live in the same house, isn’t it?”

I nodded with a forced smile at Eldest Brother’s words.

Just then, Seol-ah came running over and bowed to greet me.

“Hello, Uncle? My name is Ju Seol-ah.”

“Ah, yes. We’ve met before, haven’t we? It’s been a while, Seol-ah.”

I lowered myself to match Seol-ah’s eye level and greeted her warmly.

Taking after both Eldest Brother and Sister-in-law equally, she would likely become quite a beauty when she grew up.

“….”

Eldest Brother, Seung-hyeok, stared down at me intently.

“So you can smile this brightly sometimes too.”

“…Haha.”

I laughed awkwardly.

“I heard you were injured. Are you alright?”

“Yes, Eldest Brother. The Tang Family Head was very accommodating, so I was able to return safely like this.”

“Well, that’s fortunate then.”

Eldest Brother soon lifted Seol-ah up and gave her a piggyback ride.

Then he headed toward his personal quarters.

“Come, let’s have a cup of tea.”

“Yes.”

I naturally followed behind him.

​

* * *

​

A simple interior.

It was an interior that perfectly reflected Eldest Brother’s character of not indulging in any luxury except for what was truly necessary.

“Have you quit drinking now?”

Seung-hyeok spoke first in a joking tone.

“I haven’t quit completely, but… just a little? Please just think of it as me coming to my senses to some degree.”

“Hahaha, that’s right. I never doubted that the day would come when my younger brother would mature.”

It was probably true.

Eldest Brother was never good at lying to begin with.

When I wasn’t around, he would often visit the back garden and devotedly attend to Mother.

Mother truly cherished such an Eldest Brother.

“What brings you to see this brother? Do you need help with something?”

“No. Just checking in… I heard you’re going to the Jusan Archipelago after the Heavenly Martial Tournament ends?”

“Mm, that’s what’s been decided. It’s what the Family Head has determined. How could I refuse and back out?”

Saying this, Eldest Brother took a sip of tea.

Beside him, Seol-ah sat quietly and took a bite of the sweets that came with the tea.

‘What an upright man.’

If I were to name the person I respect most, I would unhesitatingly call out Eldest Brother’s name.

Whether in character or innate nature.

However, even such an Eldest Brother had troubles he couldn’t speak of.

‘I suppose I need to make him aware.’

To that pure man who had no desires whatsoever.

I think I need to awaken him to reality.

“Eldest Brother.”

“Mm?”

At my question, Seung-hyeok set down his tea cup and looked at me.

“You should become the Young Family Head.”

“…”

At those words, Seung-hyeok’s expression hardened for the first time.

Then soon after, he relaxed his expression, smiled, and shook his head.

“Haha, how is that something I can decide on my own? It’s all determined by the Family Head and the Elders…”

“If you remain still, will that opportunity ever come?”

“Hmm, you’re strange today. Don’t tell me you wanted to see me just to talk about this?”

“Yes.”

I nodded.

Then Eldest Brother’s expression darkened.

“Let’s talk about this next time. Today somehow…”

“Are you still afraid of seeing blood?”

“…!”

At those words, Eldest Brother’s eyes widened.

As if wondering how I knew that.

“Unless you shake off that memory, Eldest Brother will be severely hurt. And you’ll never get another opportunity like this again.”

It could be called a desperate struggle to change the coming future.

Because I didn’t want to see someone I cherished rolling miserably on the floor anymore.

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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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