The Youngest Son of the Nanyang Jin Family - Chapter 10
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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The Youngest Son of the Nakhyang Jin Family – Chapter 71
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“Young Master Jin! Young Master Jin!”
After finishing a brief conversation with Father, I began walking back toward the annex when someone called out my name and approached.
Paeng Dohan and Eon Garyeo.
I’d heard they’d drunk quite heavily the previous evening, but seeing them looking relatively composed, it seemed they’d used their inner energy to dispel the intoxication.
Regardless, their complexions were far from good.
It appeared they’d come from hearing news at the magistrate’s office.
I watched the two who’d stopped before me, breathing heavily.
“What is the matter?”
“Have you heard? There was a murder incident in the mountain.”
“Such a thing… occurred?”
A murder that happened in just a single day. Ha— and here I was, obliviously drinking away. What a thing to miss.”
Shake, shake—
Paeng Dohan shook his head and sighed.
A murder had occurred right before their eyes, yet members of the Changyong Corps had known nothing and simply drank on—it was certainly something to reproach oneself over.
“I do not believe this is a fault of yours. After all, you both came to attend the celebration, did you not?”
“That may be true, but….”
“The Chief ordered us to view the bodies at the magistrate’s office, and it was truly horrific. Bodies crushed to such a degree that you’d wonder if humans could be mangled like that… Of course, there were some intact corpses as well.”
Eon Garyeo furrowed her brow, uneasily fidgeting with her wrist.
The gruesome images of the corpses—ones she wished not to recall but couldn’t help remembering—seemed to trouble her greatly.
“Were the deceased martial artists?”
“They were. However, they were all unfamiliar faces. They seemed to be a group, but I cannot fathom why they were gathered near Luoyang City.”
“I heard they fought a ghost. Does that even make sense?”
“A ghost? Then were the deceased Daoists who came to capture it?”
“Absolutely not! Just looking at their calluses, they were clearly martial artists. Quite skilled ones at that.”
I nodded while observing Paeng Dohan shake his head.
Naturally, they did not believe the talk of fighting a ghost.
After all, I had merely repeated hearsay myself.
“A curious matter indeed.”
“Ha— this is truly vexing. How am I even supposed to investigate this?”
“Investigate? Has Paeng taken charge of the investigation?”
“Since we’re nearby, there’s no helping it. The branch office said they’d provide some assistance, but… it seems difficult to uncover anything immediately. The damage to the bodies is far too severe.”
There were several reasons I’d invited them, but one was to naturally assign them the investigation of this incident should Sa Gong-chun’s group be stopped outside.
Regardless of how they conducted their investigation, they would not be able to connect this incident to me.
“To reduce a person to such a state…! It must surely be the work of a yaksha!”
“You fool—! Were you there?”
At that moment.
With a resonant voice, Gu Gunbaek appeared.
His eyes still gleamed sharply with unresolved anger, causing Paeng Dohan and Eon Garyeo to hold their breath in silence.
Upon spotting me, Gu Gunbaek began pointing at me in earnest.
“You—!”
“Yes?”
Just as Gu Gunbaek was about to unleash a torrent of words, he caught sight of Paeng Dohan and Eon Garyeo beside me and promptly closed his mouth.
As expected, he doesn’t act without thinking things through.
A sharp exhale.
After piercing me with a sharp glare once more, he eventually sighed as if resigned to the situation and calmed his anger.
“That bastard still hasn’t woken up?”
“It seems he never will.”
“Damn it all. When he wakes up, come straight to me and tell me! Understood?”
“Yes, sir.”
“And you—buy me a meal! A lavish one! Something expensive!”
“Understood.”
As I bowed lightly, Gu Gunbaek huffed and moved toward the training grounds.
Soon, the sounds of warriors training would likely echo through the air.
I turned to look at Paeng Dohan with a bitter smile.
I could see his eyes trembling as he gazed at me.
“That person… Young Master Jin, who might they be?”
“A guest staying with my father. He is also the master of my attendant.”
“Ah, I see. He seems to be quite a formidable person.”
“My legs nearly gave out the moment I saw him.”
Paeng Dohan and Eon Garyeo caught their breath, placing hands over their chests.
From their demeanor, it seemed they hadn’t properly observed Gu Gunbaek yesterday.
Naturally, in a situation where they needed to cultivate connections here and there, they wouldn’t have had the leisure to pay attention to other matters.
Besides, Gu Gunbaek wasn’t the sort of person to accept greetings from mere youths.
“He’s simply a man leading a small organization in some remote countryside. There’s no need to concern yourselves greatly.”
“Ah, I did see him briefly yesterday, but I was far too drunk…”
Paeng Dohan scratched his head with a bitter smile.
I could sense his interest in Gu Gunbaek evaporating instantly.
The words “remote countryside” had concluded his assessment.
Then, Eon Garyeo beside him nudged Paeng Dohan’s side, giving him a meaningful look.
A gesture as if urging him to bring up something.
Paeng Dohan exhaled sharply and turned to me with a cautious gaze, posing his question.
“By the way… Young Master, I heard a corpse was discovered at the Jin Family as well. Would it be possible for us to examine it?”
“That is not possible.”
“But surely a brief inspection would suffice…”
“That is not possible. This is a matter of the Jin Family. We shall conduct our own investigation, and if necessary, we will send correspondence to the Alliance later with our findings.”
A sigh escaped Paeng Dohan’s lips at my resolute words.
On the clan head’s birthday celebration, someone had infiltrated, and a corpse had resulted from it.
It was a shameful situation, one I had no desire to display to anyone.
It was only natural.
The Hebei Paeng Family and the Jin Family’s Eon Garyeo would act identically if faced with the same circumstances, so this was hardly an unusual situation.
Therefore, these two would not dig in persistently.
“Well, I understand. Sigh, what a mess. I was told to conduct an investigation.”
“Then inform the administrator to report the investigation findings to Paeng Sohyeop rather than to me. Let us conclude matters there.”
“Hahaha, I would be grateful for that! Ah, this is no time for such pleasantries. Then we shall take our leave. When we meet again next time, I shall treat you generously—let us share a drink.”
“Understood.”
Upon hearing my response, Paeng Dohan and Eon Garyeo hastily departed.
They would have much to attend to.
I watched the two disappear before turning away.
Though they had their tasks, I too had much to accomplish.
* * *
Jang Chuchyeong’s room was silent.
Whether other physicians from the Sega rather than Chaeseoha had tended to him, the acrid scent of medicinal herbs permeated the chamber.
At its center, Jang Chuchyeong lay in deathly stillness.
Without even the slightest movement, as though dead, and despite a day having passed, his eyes remained closed.
Yet his body trembled with an almost unnatural persistence.
Entering the room without a word, my footsteps drew progressively closer, and beads of cold sweat began to form on Jang Chuchyeong’s face.
No—they soon streamed down his cheeks.
I observed this and took a seat before the bed.
“Are you dead?”
At the sound of my voice, Jang Chuchyeong’s body flinched.
Yet his eyes remained closed, and only a soft whisper emerged.
“Young Master?”
“Yes, it is I.”
“Am I… alive?”
“You have not died. Though by the look of things, you seem about to.”
“Gasp!”
A groan burst from Jang Chuchyeong’s lips at my words.
His face had turned ashen with whatever thoughts occupied his mind, yet despite this, his resolve to keep his eyes shut remained steadfast.
I crossed my legs and observed the fellow quietly.
“I saw your father a moment ago. His anger has yet to subside.”
“Please… spare my life…”
“Fool. Did I not tell you to flee if your opponent was a Leader?”
“How could I flee in that situation? We all seemed about to die.”
With his eyes closed, Jang Chuchyeong clenched his fist as if recalling that moment.
He was right. If it weren’t for him, the death toll could easily have exceeded half without anyone being surprised.
He deserved praise for overcoming an opponent he couldn’t defeat through sheer overwhelming power, but from a master’s perspective, the fact that he had simply been struck down by a blade must have bothered him.
Whether it was the First Leader or anyone else.
“For your level, surviving a strike from the First Leader’s blade is impressive. Anyone else would already be dead.”
“…Is that all you think of it?”
“Yes.”
I had memories of crossing blades with the First Leader several times in the past.
Since he held a position that promised him the seat of the next Yeongsal Corps commander, his skills were far from ordinary.
His swordsmanship, his seasoned ability to exploit situations, his constant vigilance regardless of circumstances—had his skill level risen just a bit more, he would have claimed the commander’s seat immediately.
Surviving against such an opponent was certainly a respectable showing.
“Could you…tell my master that?”
“I will, later. But I’m rather busy right now.”
“Where are you going!?”
In that instant, Jang Chuchyeong suddenly raised his upper body and looked at me.
Eyes finally open.
But was it because Gu Gunbaek’s fist was still flickering in his vision?
Jang Chuchyeong tightly shut his eyes again and lay back down on the bed, whispering.
“Where are you going?”
“Chaeseoha has disappeared. She’s my treasure, so I need to find her.”
“You’re treating a person like an object….”
“Either way, that’s how it is. It seems like it will take a while, so rest and recover.”
I rose from my seat as I spoke those words.
With Jang Chuchyeong still lying down, I had to prepare everything myself, so there was no time to waste.
In that moment.
Jang Chuchyeong, still lying down, reached out and grabbed my collar.
“Take me with you.”
“A patient going somewhere?”
“If I stay here, I’ll stop being a patient and become a corpse instead. So please take me with you.”
At those words, I looked at Jang Chuchyeong with an incredulous expression. His eyes were still tightly shut, but his face was etched with urgency.
Unable to even open his eyes, he seemed desperate to escape this place as quickly as possible.
I couldn’t help but let out a laugh.
“It’s a long journey to Beijing. I can’t take someone with serious injuries.”
“I’m completely fine. Do you know how hard our physician worked to fix me? I could run around right now.”
The fact that he was talking so much certainly showed considerable improvement.
Of course, the physician’s skill couldn’t be called exceptional—it was simply that Jang Chuchyeong’s recovery was far superior to others.
That said, he wasn’t recovered enough to run around, but Jang Chuchyeong was desperate enough to say such things.
“And besides, we’re going to rescue the physician, aren’t we? Once we rescue her, she’ll fix me right up with a snap! What’s there to worry about?”
He tightened his grip on my collar, revealing his determination not to let me go alone.
It seemed impossible to break free without tearing the fabric.
Ha—
I let out an absurd laugh without realizing it.
“If you’re going, prepare yourself quickly. We don’t have time.”
“Really?! Ugh! It hurts…!”
Jang Chuchyeong sprang to his feet and cried out, his voice ringing so loudly it seemed he was broadcasting to his master.
Realizing his mistake, Jang Chuchyeong quickly covered his own mouth.
“We’re leaving immediately, so pack as light as possible. We can buy whatever we need when we arrive.”
“Understood! I’ll prepare right away!”
The grinning fool began to move.
Each step he took seemed difficult, yet nothing could break his determination to leave.
I glanced quietly out the window.
Chilling—!
In that instant, I saw Gu Gunbaek standing motionless between the window panes.
He stared at me with a grin, pointed to himself, then his finger descended toward the ground, turned back toward me, and finally he switched to his thumb, drawing it across his neck.
Putting together those gestures, the meaning was clear.
Leave me behind and I’ll kill you.
Coming from Gu Gunbaek, it didn’t sound like a jest.
I offered a bitter smile and opened my mouth.
“Will you be joining us as well, sir?”
“Huh?! What do you mean… Kyaaaah?!”
Jang Chuchyeong, who had been quietly gathering his belongings, gasped as he suddenly saw Gu Gunbaek’s head poking through the window.
“This is going to be fun, isn’t it? Right?”
“It will be enjoyable. You’ll see a world you’ve never experienced before, sir.”
“Hahahaha! I’ll go prepare, so wait for me! If you leave me behind, I’ll destroy your entire family, so remember that.”
“…That’s more terrifying than an invasion, sir.”
“Hahahaha!”
Gu Gunbaek burst into hearty laughter, then ghostlike, squeezed his massive frame through the window and entered.
Crack—
The window and frame couldn’t withstand Gu Gunbaek’s bulk and shattered.
It’s Chu Hyeongi’s room anyway, so it doesn’t matter.
Gu Gunbaek, watching Jang Chuchyeong trembling pale with fear, suddenly stood before him and looked down.
“What are you doing? You open-eyed disciple. If you don’t want to die, pack my belongings too.”
“Kyaaaah!”
At the same time, Jang Chuchyeong’s bizarre cry echoed out.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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