The Youngest Son of the Nanyang Jin Family - Chapter 108

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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 108

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From childhood, Jin Ga-ryang had been rather stern.
He possessed a remarkable talent for calculating profit and loss, which allowed his merchant abilities to flourish, and beyond that, he placed tremendous importance on principles.
The somewhat softhearted Second Sibling and Third Sibling, as well as I myself, were frequently scolded by Jin Ga-ryang.
Whether it stemmed from his position as the eldest brother, believing he must manage his younger siblings, or from his intention to enforce the principles he had established, I could not say—but regardless, it made for a rather exhausting personality.
I had bathed after a long time and entered my quarters.
As I dried my hair with a cloth and searched for fresh clothes to change into, I noticed Jin Ga-ryang, seated within the room, frowning with a stern expression.
“Change into your clothes and enter the room properly!”
“Surely this is my own room, is it not?”
“We have a guest!”
“Since when has my brother been a guest?”
“What?!”
Though I spoke with a somewhat blunt tone, I could not withstand the sharpness in his gaze and hastily changed into fresh clothes.
However, when I noticed water dripping steadily from my hair, which I had dried only roughly, Jin Ga-ryang’s expression suddenly twisted with frustration. He rose abruptly from his seat, seized a fresh cloth, approached me, and began rubbing my hair frantically.
“One must dry their hair thoroughly to avoid catching a cold. How old are you, and you still do not know such a thing?”
“Brother, I have only just returned from a long journey. I am exhausted—please stop nagging me.”
“Nagging? Your actions contradict common sense, so I speak up! If you do not wish to hear it, then simply act properly….”
Even as he gently removed the moisture from my hair with the cloth in his hand, his words were remarkably harsh.
Yet suddenly, his hands stilled, and a careful voice followed.
“I have heard the story. About Honggu County… I am sorry.”
“Brother, what do you have to apologize for? It was that man’s fault.”
“No, it was my mistake. I should have paid closer attention to such matters long ago….”
A single statement laden with cold fury.
Though not the Young Master So, he was the eldest brother.
Moreover, since we did not stand in conflict over position as Father and Uncle did, the bonds between my elder siblings and I were quite strong.
Furthermore, Jin Ga-ryang carried the responsibility of being the eldest.
Without such responsibility, he would never have worked through the nights as he did.
Though he could not resolve everything—including the matter of Honggu County and countless other issues—he worked through the nights with the mindset that he could at least offer this much help.
I let out a soft chuckle.
“Brother, you have done your best. With Father absent, have you not managed the Sega well? That alone is sufficient.”
“Hmph, it is my responsibility. Of course I must do it.”
“Then return and finish what remains.”
Crunch—!
At those words, Jin Ga-ryang grasped my shoulder and applied pressure.
I felt no pain whatsoever; rather, it felt refreshing. I even wished he would knead it a bit more firmly.
Did he notice that?
Jin Ga-ryang relaxed his grip and furrowed his brow.
“So you’ve learned martial arts and become steel, have you? Steel. I can’t even flick chestnuts at you anymore. My hand feels like it’s going to shatter.”
Jin Ga-ryang stepped back slightly, feeling the numbness in his palm.
Just from watching him shake out his hand and grumble, it was clear he felt pain from merely squeezing it.
I turned to Jin Ga-ryang with a hint of regret.
“Now that I think about it, why is it still just you here? Where are Elder Sister and Second Brother?”
“The second one should be finishing up the shipment he was sent to handle in the east. And the third is on his way back after concluding his business at the Money Exchange. I heard he’s already reached Hannam, but… there’s been no word, so I’m not entirely sure.”
“Is that so?”
I nodded and set aside my disappointment.
The journey to Beijing and Anhui.
I had thought everyone would be gathered when I returned home, but contrary to my expectations, those two still hadn’t arrived.
I would have preferred to keep them within sight.
There was no way to know what schemes they might attempt.
This drawn-out waiting displeased me greatly.
Yet I must not think hastily.
For them to make another move, they would need time to prepare.
“Young Master So, the Family Head is asking for you.”
At that moment, a maid’s voice came from outside.
I was not the only one startled by the sudden summons.
Even Jin Ga-ryang looked at me with widened eyes.
He had certainly not called me to catch up.
Something had happened.
I calmly straightened my hair and spoke without concern.
“I’ll be right there.”

* * *

The moment I stepped into Father’s office, I could feel the frigid atmosphere that permeated the space.
Father sat with his eyes closed in silence, and even the Chief Administrator beside him seemed at a loss for words.
From the situation alone, it was clear that something had occurred.
It appeared there would be no respite for me.
Though I had recovered somewhat during the journey from Anhui to this place, there seemed to be no time for further rest.
I offered Father a bitter smile.
His eyes, which had been closed, opened slightly, and he alternated his gaze between me and Jin Ga-ryang beside me.
“You should be resting, and I apologize for this. However, circumstances have become urgent, and there is no helping it—I trust you understand.”
“What has happened?”
“The Third Sibling has been attacked.”
“…!”
At those words, Jin Ga-ryang beside me widened his eyes in shock.
The direct bloodline of the Nakhyang Jin Family, no less.
Even the reckless Green Forest Bandits would not dare touch anyone bearing the Jin Family’s banner, so it was difficult to believe that an attack had actually occurred.
Yet the moment I heard the news, understanding dawned upon me.
I let out a quiet laugh.
“It must be the work of the Hyangun Se Family.”
“How did you know?”
“They are men who live off the Imperial Court’s enterprises. Now that we have taken that business from them, they must do something desperate to survive, must they not?”

The Hyangun Se Family.

The Hyang-un Merchant Guild, known as one of the Ten Great Merchant Houses, was their domain—a place that had pursued opportunities by expanding their ventures in the shadow of the Nakhyang Jin Family.
Yet, overshadowed by the overwhelming might of the Nakhyang Jin Family, they had failed to turn a proper profit and instead accumulated only losses, their enterprises dwindling one by one.
The reason they could still claim their place among the Ten Great Merchant Houses was because they monopolized the ventures sponsored by the Imperial Court.
Using their wealth to bribe officials and secure contracts, they would then plunder the imperial treasury through those very projects, refilling their own coffers.
That money would flow back to the officials, allowing them to grow richer with each contract they awarded, which in turn filled the Hyangun Se Family’s coffers as well.
But what time was this?
The Crown Prince had staged a rebellion and newly ascended to the throne.
Most of the officials they had cultivated relationships with had likely lost their heads, and now the Emperor, wielding absolute power, was directing the Nakhyang Jin Family to assume those contracts.
There was no way to prevent this, so from their perspective, they had suddenly been cast onto the streets.
Therefore, they had to do something.
A blade drawn with the resolve to die, if it meant survival.
Even if that blade was directed at the Nakhyang Jin Family.
“Have negotiation proposals not already been sent?”
“They came, but I refused them. From the start, there was nothing to negotiate about.”
“Which is why they’ve come so aggressively. To survive.”
“These bastards…!”
Jin Ga-ryang’s face flushed with anger as he clenched his fists.
From the way he abruptly turned away, it seemed he was about to seize a blade and charge toward the Hyangun Se Family.
I reached out lightly and grasped Jin Ga-ryang’s shoulder.
“What they want is negotiation, not war.”
“You attack the Third Sibling and then speak of negotiation? That makes no sense! I’m going right now…!”
“Because there is something they trust. Have you forgotten? The Hyangun Se Family has quite deep connections with Sadocheon.”
“…!”
The Nakhyang Jin Family deliberately avoided building deep relationships with martial artists. If they did not remain vigilant, they risked being consumed by them.
Those who possessed power naturally desired much.
Therefore, they conducted business only through the exchange of certain ventures.
The Hyangun Se Family was different.
They had chosen Sadocheon as their protective force and expanded their influence through extensive exchanges and monetary offerings.
The fact that they dared to attack the Nakhyang Jin Family meant that Sadocheon’s power was exerting considerable influence, and they possessed confidence in securing the upper hand in any subsequent negotiations.
Why?
Because of Sadocheon’s power.
They must have judged that even the Nakhyang Jin Family could not prevail in a direct confrontation with Sadocheon.
“A pathetic scheme.”
With such thoughts, I let out a hollow laugh.
“Is Elder Sister safe?”
“For now, yes. But the situation seems rather urgent. So I intend to dispatch our Sega warriors with haste.”
At Father’s words, I shook my head.
Though I did not know where she was, it would be somewhere within the realm where martial sects could operate. If that were the case, sending warriors immediately would be meaningless.
The distance was considerable.
“Elder Sister and her household should be fine. What the Hyangun Se Family wants is negotiation, not actual war. Moreover, if you send warriors now, blood will be spilled.”
The loyal warriors of the Nakhyang Jin Family would never simply overlook the conduct of the Hyangun Se Family.
Moreover, with our direct line under attack, it was as clear as day that they would grit their teeth, charge forward, and exact a thorough revenge.
Whether we won or lost, someone’s blood would spill.
That would be utterly meaningless.
“I will go myself.”
“You have not even recovered from the fatigue of your journey, and now you speak of this?”
“Would it not preserve their dignity if Young Master So himself were to go?”
Ugh—
A groan escaped Father’s lips at my words.
He appeared to be deliberating whether to entrust this matter to me or not.
“The elite of Sega…”
“I will not need many. I intend to take only So-ha with me.”
“The physician?”
“Do we not know nothing of their condition?”
I did not know what state my elder sister and her household were in.
If they were injured, a physician would be necessary to tend to them, and since I needed to monitor my own condition during the journey, however brief, Chaeseoha was absolutely essential.
“Just the two of you? Blood could be spilled, yet you intend to go like this?”
“I intend to go precisely because I do not mean for blood to be spilled.”
“…That sounds to me like you mean to end this without bloodshed in this situation? Is that correct?”
Father, the Chief Administrator, and even Baek Ja-hyeon, the Guard Commander, wore expressions of bewilderment. We could not know what moves the other side might employ to seize the upper hand in negotiations.
Yet, hearing that I would go with so few, they could only feel uncertain.
Had I said I would go with Gu Gunbaek instead, Father would surely have consented.
“There is no need for concern. None of us will shed blood.”
“I will go as well!”
At that moment, Jin Ga-ryang, who stood nearby, suddenly raised his hand.
His determination not to let me go alone was unmistakably evident.
Of course, more than that, his eyes and expression clearly betrayed a determination to escape the office at any cost.
He must have felt that this was his only chance to break free.
Yet Father shook his head firmly, as if in refusal.
“You have remaining duties, do you not? Prioritize those. And…you as well, Cheon-u. I cannot send merely two of you.”
“Then I will take Namgung Yeon and Chu Hyeongi with me.”
“The Guard Commander will accompany you as well.”
As Father spoke, he glanced briefly toward Baek Ja-hyeon.
Though he appeared quite surprised, if the other side had indeed borrowed the power of Sadocheon, then it was unavoidable that Baek Ja-hyeon, called the strongest of Sega, should step forward.
Judging solely from Father’s resolute expression, it seemed this situation could not be avoided.
I nodded obediently.
“Understood. I will begin preparations immediately and depart in half an hour.”
“Very well. I trust you.”

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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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