The Youngest Son of the Nanyang Jin Family - Chapter 112

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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 173

Entering Namman had been extraordinarily difficult, yet leaving it proved to be a matter of moments.
Contrary to my expectations that the damp, harsh terrain would demand constant vigilance, we encountered an oddly absent threat—nothing seemed to hunt us at all.
I could still sense the breathing and gleaming eyes of the beasts.
Yet none approached, viewing us as prey.
To an outsider, it might appear that the people of the Beast Palace were holding the creatures at bay, but I knew the truth was entirely different.
The reason lay in the necklace hanging around Chaeseoha’s neck.
Crafted from sharp fangs, it was adorned with what appeared to be beast fur bundled like ornaments.
It was a gift Gu Gunbaek had given to Chaeseoha.
A decoration made from Baek Gu’s fangs and fur from her childhood.
The scent, still potent despite the passage of time, kept the beasts from approaching recklessly.
Thanks to it, we departed smoothly.
Yet the humidity and heat remained unavoidable.
And the one most affected by these conditions was none other than Chaeseoha.
“It was bearable where the elder was, but here… it’s truly desiccating.”
She fanned herself constantly, attempting to cool the oppressive heat, but it was far too relentless to be subdued by mere fanning.
“Compared to the Forbidden Ground, this is paradise. Bear with it a little longer.”
“Was it truly that severe?”
Namgung Yeon, listening from beside us, asked with evident curiosity, unable to fathom such conditions.
Though she too was suffering considerably, hearing that the Forbidden Ground was worse than this sparked her wonder.
“You’re right. Since you haven’t been there, you think this is difficult.”
“Then tell me how extraordinary that place truly was.”
Zzzt—
At Jang Chuchyeong’s slightly mocking remark, Namgung Yeon’s eyes flashed sharply as she took his words with intensity.
Her piercing gaze would have intimidated anyone, yet Jang Chuchyeong brushed it aside effortlessly, his lips curling into a smirk.
“That’s why those who haven’t entered don’t know. That hell.”
….
Her tone and expression were clearly teasing someone curious.
Perhaps because of his eyes—as if saying, I won’t tell you—Namgung Yeon’s composure seemed to be slipping, struggling to maintain her calm.
Soon after, she turned her gaze toward me.
Did she believe I would tell her what Jang Chuchyeong would not?
But I, too, had no desire to speak of it.
Explaining what happened there would require staying awake for an entire day and still fall short.
“I’ll tell you later. It’s not something I wish to recall right now.”
At my firm response, Namgung Yeon nodded and looked at Jang Chuchyeong, her eyes gleaming with smug satisfaction—as if to say, I don’t need your explanation anyway!
And so we walked for quite some time.
When fatigue set in, we rested; we ate the provisions brought from the Beast Palace and slept on the bare ground as though it were a bed—all without hesitation now.
Five days passed in this manner.
“At last…!”
“We’ve escaped.”
The moment I stepped out of the dense forests of Namman, the air felt different.
The wind that blew was refreshing, and the open vista was so striking it felt as though I had entered an entirely different world from before.
I began to understand why Gu Gunbaek spoke of Namman as suffocating.
I let out a soft chuckle and turned my head.
Now that I had escaped the forest, there was something I needed to do first.
“First, I should stop by a village and retrieve the horse I left behind.”
“Yes! I’ll lead the way.”
Jang Chuchyeong nodded readily and took the lead.
Beyond simply escaping Namman, the fact that he had finally broken free from Gu Gunbaek’s grasp seemed to lift his spirits considerably.
I smiled as I watched his elated expression.
And so we set out once more in search of a village.
After traveling for roughly half a day beyond the dense forests of Namman, a small village appeared.
Though it lay within the Demonic Sect’s territory, I saw far fewer sect members than expected, likely because Namman’s domain was so close at hand.
Thanks to this, I had been able to leave my horse there before entering Namman, but the moment I followed Jang Chuchyeong into the village, I sensed something peculiar in the atmosphere.
Unlike before, I noticed eyes glancing sideways at us from various places, watching with what felt like caution or surveillance.
“What’s going on?”
When even Jang Chuchyeong seemed confused by the situation, I recalled something and nodded in understanding.
“It’s because of the Sect Leader’s inauguration ceremony.”
“Huh? What does that have to do with anything?”
“When a new sect leader is being inaugurated, it’s natural to be wary of outsiders. No one knows what trouble might arise during such a festival.”
“Ah-.”
Though closest to Namman, this was still within the Demonic Sect’s sphere of influence. It was inevitable that we would be affected.
I paid no mind to those gazes and headed toward the stable.
Though a small village, the stable was well-maintained. It seemed many travelers passed through on horseback, which was why I had felt confident leaving my horse there.
The moment I arrived at the stable, walking along the rough, uneven path.
The owner sitting inside looked up at me with a bright smile.
“Welcome-.”
He greeted us warmly with a smile, but the instant he saw my face and those of my companions, his complexion turned ashen.
Without another word, he bolted.
“What? What?!”
Unable to comprehend the sudden turn of events, Jang Chuchyeong’s eyes widened as he looked back and forth between the fleeing Stable Keeper and me.
His gaze seemed to ask: what in the world is happening?
I let out a long sigh and pinched the bridge of my nose.
“Bring him back.”
The moment the command left my lips, Namgung Yeon moved as though she had been waiting for it.
With graceful movements, she pushed off the ground and advanced, capturing the fleeing Stable Keeper before Jang Chuchyeong could even react.
Thud-!
“Aaagh!”
As the man who had been knocked down cried out sharply, clutching his head and groaning, Jang Chuchyeong finally approached and dragged him by the scruff of his neck.
“What is this man?”
“Can’t you tell by looking? The Stable Keeper. But…”
I observed the man trembling like an aspen leaf, then turned my gaze to survey the interior of the stable.
Several horses came into view.
All of them were cheap, worthless animals.
Seeing the shabby stable filled with such inferior horses—the kind that suited this rundown village perfectly—I narrowed my eyes and stared at the Stable Keeper.
“No matter how much I look around, our horse isn’t here?”
“W-what are you talking about? W-who exactly are you people?!”
Ah—so that’s how you want to play it?
I couldn’t discern the full situation, but it was clear he had sold the horse.
Since a horse was one of the things I treasured most, just as I did my sword, selling it meant he was asking for a fight with me.
I didn’t hesitate.
Crack!
“Gasp?!”
I lightly struck his shin and, as he collapsed, I pressed my foot firmly on his hand.
“Aaaahhhhh—!”
“Don’t scream. We haven’t even started yet.”
“Eek?!”
I increased the pressure on the foot pinning his hand.
Each time, the man’s screams grew louder, and he seemed to be straining with all his might to pull his hand free.
Of course, it was futile.
It was impossible for someone without martial training to succeed.
Crunch!
“Ahhhhh! I-I’ll talk! I’ll talk!”
Finally, unable to endure it any longer, the man cried out through tears.
Only then did I stop applying pressure and look down at him.
I sent a sharp, piercing gaze and spoke coldly, as if warning him that any false words would not be forgiven.
“This mercy is only given once.”
“Eek?! Y-yes, I understand! I will tell you only the truth!”
“Speak.”
At my heavy word, the man nodded frantically.
Then, slowly calming his ragged breathing as if soothing his frayed nerves, he carefully began to speak.
“W-well, some people from the Demonic Sect came here not long ago. They, they wanted to increase the amount of money they collect each time. As you know, soon… the new Sect Master’s inauguration ceremony is coming.”
“And?”
“Everyone scraped together what little money they had, tightening their belts… I thought they would just leave, but they saw the horse that the young master had entrusted to me.”
I nodded.
Anyone with even a modicum of knowledge about horses would recognize the immense value of the horses that Namgung Yeon, Chaeseoha, and I rode.
The horses that Namgung Yeon and Chaeseoha rode were of quite fine breeding, and beyond that, there was one horse that couldn’t even be obtained in this place.
No one could help but have their eyes drawn to it.
“So he took them with him.”
“…I am deeply sorry. I will repay the money without fail, so please spare my life.”
The man prostrated himself on the ground and began to shed tears.
Though he spoke as though he were the victim in all of this, his eyes told a different story entirely.
The eyes of someone desperately seeking any way to escape this situation.
I let out a soft chuckle and looked toward Namgung Yeon.
Shing—
The moment she drew her sword and pointed it at the man, all color drained from his face until he was ashen.
“From now on, just nod at what I say.”
Nod, nod—!
“It is true that those who came to collect the money saw the horses. But they did not steal them. Just look at the expressions of the villagers here—they revere the Demonic Cult rather than fear them.”
Fear and reverence are fundamentally different things.
If I think of recent events, it would be the Gi Ryeon-hyeon-ga, and going further back, the Eastern Sega.
In the villages where they established their bases, the expressions and eyes of the residents were filled with dread and terror, but not here.
This meant they did not rule through force alone.
As expected.
The man, cold sweat dripping down his face, managed to nod.
“Second, since those who went to Namman rarely return alive, you likely thought there was nothing wrong with selling the horses for profit.”
At those words, the man tried to shake his head violently, but Namgung Yeon’s blade pressed against his throat, threatening to pierce it.
One shake of the head, and his lifeline would be severed.
The man, tears in his eyes, nodded instead.
“On such an auspicious day as the ascension of a new cult master, those seeking horses would have paid handsomely, and you knew well enough that if we returned and you claimed the Demonic Cult took them, there would be nothing we could do about it.”
Nod, nod—
A transparent scheme.
If he simply said the Demonic Cult had stolen them, there would be no way to recover them, and he thought it would pass so easily.
I slowly reached out and grabbed the man’s chin, pulling it upward.
Meeting his gaze, I asked quietly.
“Who did you sell them to?”
“T-to Na Cheonmun of the Demonic Cult…”
“Who is that?”
“A p-person from the Chohon-gak…”
I did not know where the Chohon-gak was.
But since even within the Demonic Cult there would be those handling such miscellaneous affairs, I suspected that must be where this person belonged.
I nodded and rose from my seat.
“What do we do about this?”
“What do you mean ‘what do we do’? We get them back.”
“Huh?! But he already sold them!”
From the perspective of the Chohon-gak man, he had paid a fair price, so there was no problem.
In this world, the one who gets cheated is always treated as the fool.
But that was fine—no, rather, it was better this way.
I let out a soft chuckle and opened my mouth.
“How fortunate—I’ve finally created a pretext to enter.”
At my words, everyone’s jaws fell slack as they stared at me.
Their expressions were utterly flabbergasted.

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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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