The Youngest Son of the Nanyang Jin Family - Chapter 106

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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 106

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“He’s left?”
“Yes, he departed from Hapbi early this morning.”
Mo Yong-cheon nodded as he listened to the bowed man’s report. He had heard that the departure would come soon, but it had happened later than he’d anticipated.
He still didn’t know the reason why.
“Did he leave in good condition?”
“Yes, I personally confirmed that Jin Cheon-u boarded the carriage looking perfectly fine.”
“What about the Namgung side?”
“Two days ago, I saw them return home to gather their belongings, and this morning they joined up and departed together.”
“So he really did take the Namgung children with him.”
Mo Yong-cheon furrowed his wrinkled brow and shook his head.
He had wanted to keep the Namgung children within reach if possible.
Even though they came from a clan already fallen and trampled, the Namgung Family’s hidden strength was not something to be dismissed so lightly.
But if they had entered the Nakhyang Jin Family, there was nothing he could do.
No matter how powerful the Moyong Family was, it would be burdensome to exert influence over the Nakhyang Jin Family.
Though the result was somewhat unsatisfying, what was already done could not be undone, so Mo Yong-cheon cleanly erased everything concerning the two siblings from his mind.
“Was there anything else suspicious?”
“There was one mysterious old man.”
“An old man?”
“Yes, judging by his impressive physique, he appeared to be someone trained in external martial arts. I sent a letter to Paeng Sohyeop, who attended the Jin Family Head’s birthday celebration, to verify, and it seems he is the martial arts master of a servant that Young Master So keeps with him.”
Mo Yong-cheon’s eyes gleamed at the mention of a martial arts master.
Could it be?
Such a thought came first to his mind.
But the man’s words negated that suspicion.
“He was apparently a minor martial officer from the countryside. We cannot determine his exact reasons, but he recognized the servant’s talent and took him as a disciple, and now he resides as a guest of the Jin Family.”
“His skill level?”
“We approached near the inn and observed him, but aside from his impressive physique, there was nothing particularly noteworthy. He is clearly a typical practitioner of external martial arts.”
“External martial arts….”
Mo Yong-cheon spoke the words “external martial arts” and laughed incredulously.
If the man spoke to this extent, it meant he had approached closely and confirmed much before reaching his conclusion.
Then ultimately, it simply meant a martial artist with an impressive physique.
As external martial arts inevitably were.
One could gain strong power, durability, and a physique intimidating enough to threaten others, but compared to those trained in internal energy, there was much lacking.
Because of this, external martial arts was as good as obsolete.
Even the warriors of the Namman Yasugun, who trained their bodies to the extreme, still learned martial techniques centered on internal energy cultivation.
Such a person could not have raised Jin Cheon-u or made Yeom Ji-hak what he was.
“Nothing. Not a single clue.”
Sigh—
Mo Yong-cheon exhaled deeply, pressing his fingers to the bridge of his nose.
He continued to scrutinize the Chohyeon Family, searching for anything that might serve as evidence, yet nothing substantial had emerged.
Even Jin Cheon-u, whom he had suspected most, yielded nothing incriminating.
As if he were utterly unconnected to this entire affair.
At this point, his own suspicions seemed almost absurd.
Mo Yong-cheon tilted his head to the side with a wry expression.
By all outward appearances, it would be prudent to distance himself from that man, yet whenever he attempted to dismiss his doubts, an inexplicable sense of foreboding gripped him.
Should I dig deeper?
As he entertained this thought and prepared to issue an order—
A sudden commotion erupted from outside.
“Family Head, urgent news has arrived.”
“What is it?”
The unexpected interruption severed Mo Yong-cheon’s train of thought, and he furrowed his brow toward the door.
The door opened, and a man stepped inside.
He entered with hurried steps, bowed his head, and spoke.
“Last night, not far from here, a bandit gang was completely annihilated.”
“The death of bandits constitutes urgent news?”
“That is… the one who slew the bandits was none other than Pyo Hyeong-geom.”
“…!”

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Clatter—clatter—
I lay still, my eyes closed.
The rhythmic jolting of the carriage resonated through me, and countless sounds filled my ears.
I sharpened my senses from head to toe, drawing them to their peak.
Soon, as I focused my mind and sank into a state of selflessness, the sounds faded away and my senses grew dull.
What emerged in my thoughts was none other than Yeom Ji-hak’s visage.
His expression, the gleam in his eyes, his movements and presence.
I recalled each detail one by one, embedding them into my mind.
I sought the openings in his movements.
I countered the sweeping strikes of his blade.
Though my body’s motions felt familiar enough that I believed I could manage it, even within this phantom realm rather than reality, I found myself repeatedly blocked and counterattacked.
As if to make me feel the chasm between myself and Yeom Ji-hak in this moment.
I cannot defeat him as I am now.
Feeling this truth acutely, I erased his image from my mind.
As I quietly opened my eyes, I caught a gaze fixed upon me.
None other than Gu Gunbaek.
“Were you meditating?”
“I had something to contemplate for a moment.”
“Hehehehe, your thoughts are transparent enough. How to defeat that man, I presume?”
Gu Gunbaek read my thoughts with uncanny precision, as though he had peered directly into my mind, and smiled.
It was quite a peculiar smile, I thought.
Without thinking, I offered a bitter smile and shook my head.
“As you know, a difference in level does not necessarily equate to a difference in skill, does it?”
“True. But that level difference can overwhelm you completely. Just as it did to you then. You were utterly dominated, weren’t you?”
I could not deny it.
As always, knowing his movements and martial techniques, I had grasped my sword thinking I might somehow prevail.
But the reality far exceeded what I had anticipated.
I could not even react to his movements.
Even using the power of the Jade Orb to glimpse a brief moment of the future, I realized anew that if he moved with intent, there was nothing I could do.
Such a gap cannot be bridged by mere fortune.
If there was anything salvaged from it, perhaps only one thing?
“I managed to wound one of his eyes.”
“That is what we call mere luck. And his eyes matter little anyway. The truth remains—you failed to kill him.”
Once again, his words struck at the heart of the matter.
Wounding his eye was not something to be satisfied with.
At the critical moment, I had swung my blade, yet failed to end my opponent.
That was the crucial fact.
In a life-or-death duel with real swords, merely wounding one’s opponent does not decide the outcome.
Victory is determined only when the opponent falls.
I had failed in that, and ultimately, the tide had turned against me.
A painful blunder.
“Ehehehe, you’re lucky to be alive! If it weren’t for me, you’d be dead. Do you understand?”
“I understand completely. I owe you a great debt.”
“Ahahaha! That’s all I need to hear! Buy me some expensive liquor later.”
Satisfied with my response, Gu Gunbaek burst into hearty laughter.
Given Gu Gunbaek’s nature, I knew he hadn’t simply joined that situation to save me, but regardless, had he not appeared, the danger would have been considerable—I couldn’t deny the debt I owed him.
Unable to help myself, I smiled at the sound of his laughter and slowly raised my upper body.
The moment I sat up, my wounded injuries cried out in protest.
Though improved from before, I felt anew that my body couldn’t return to normal in such a short time.
The laughter that had been echoing suddenly ceased, and it was then that I felt Gu Gunbaek’s gaze fixed upon me once more.
“But was it really safe? The Moyong bastards were practically camping out and watching us.”
“For now, it’s fine. Suspicion requires distance to take root, does it not?”
True to our agreement, Gu Gunbaek concealed himself as much as possible, feigning ignorance of their presence even as they approached and observed us.
Appearing to be nothing more than someone who had trained only in external martial arts.
Unless the Sword Emperor came in person to confront him, no one could possibly discern Gu Gunbaek’s true identity.
Thus, they might sense something amiss, but they would fail to pinpoint exactly what troubled them.
As time stretched on, traces and clues would fade ever further, until eventually they would find nothing and sink into confusion.
To achieve this, I needed to divert the Sword Emperor’s attention for a time.
I turned my gaze toward Namgung Yeon, who sat beside Gu Gunbaek.
Startled by my sudden attention, she shrank back slightly.
“How was your first real combat?”
“The feeling… wasn’t particularly pleasant.”
Namgung Yeon’s complexion had turned ashen.
Her first taste of actual battle.
When grasping a sword, one understands intellectually that people must be cut down, but when that moment arrives, most hesitate to swing freely.
Bandits, however, are different.
They are those who have committed countless murders while pursuing their crimes.
Having felt no guilt over taking a single life, their blades descended upon her without hesitation.
The small wounds visible here and there were surely born from that mercilessness.
It must have been quite harrowing.
Yet in the end, she had succeeded.
She must have realized that to refrain from killing was to invite her own death.
“Everyone hesitates at first. The moment my blade swings, a life ends. But do not burden yourself with guilt over the deaths of worthless men.”
At those words, Namgung Yeon clenched her fists and nodded.
Worthless lives, after all.
Those who survive by killing and stealing from others would have fallen to another’s blade eventually anyway.
There was no need to carry guilt for that.
Yet such words would fall on deaf ears. The shock of last night would still be vivid in her senses.
But this would turn the Sword Emperor’s attention away.
The name Pyohyeong Sword had emerged once more.
Since I’ve brought shame upon the Moyong Family, it’s obvious they’ll search for me with eyes ablaze.
They won’t have the capacity to hunt for traces of the Chohyeon Clan.
I let out a quiet chuckle.
“The traces?”
“I did as you instructed. The Namgung Family’s martial techniques remained hidden.”
Namgung Yeon steadied his breathing before answering.
Dealing with bandits from the start.
There was no need to employ the Namgung Family’s martial arts, so I’d instructed him to handle it in the simplest manner possible.
Even if the Sword Emperor himself came to examine the corpses, there was nothing to fear being discovered.
I’d succeeded in diverting the Sword Emperor’s attention, and as a bonus, Namgung Yeon had gained invaluable real combat experience—truly killing two birds with one stone.
Without realizing it, I smiled as I thought of the Sword Emperor.
The Moyong Family’s members focused entirely on surveilling the inn.
The fact that they paid no attention whatsoever to the fallen Namgung Family and Namgung Yeon was because, thanks to Namgung Baek’s efforts, her true abilities had never leaked to the outside world.
That was Mo Yong-cheon’s critical blunder.
“Has what I’ve done… been of help to you, Young Master?”
“Of course. It’s been tremendously helpful.”
“…And to them?”
“They won’t have a moment’s peace to think of anything else while searching for the Pyohyeong Sword.”
At my confident words, Namgung Yeon clenched his fists once more.
His eyes gleamed with a resolve that suggested he wouldn’t hesitate to leap into Hell Fire itself if his actions could harm the Moyong Family.
The shock that had gripped him moments before had vanished without a trace, and now he stood as a true martial artist in his own right.
I observed this transformation and turned my gaze toward the window.
I took in the passing scenery and curved my lips into a smile.

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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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