The Youngest Son of the Nanyang Jin Family - Chapter 113

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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 113

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Clop-clop, clop-clop—
I rode hard on horseback.
Like someone with no thought of rest in their mind, I pressed forward with minimal time for meals or sleep, riding recklessly onward.
Before the horse could collapse from exhaustion, I switched to a fresh mount and continued. In less than two days, I had crossed the Neutral Zone and fully entered Shanxi.
At the next village, I swiftly exchanged horses and set my course anew.
My destination was none other than the heart of Shanxi.
Taiyuan.
A place where countless Sega and martial sects, once fragmented and fiercely competing for territory, had been brought together under one roof, their strength unified into a single force.

Sadocheon.

That was my destination.
By now, Baek Ja-hyeon and the Hyangun Se Family should have met. My name would surely have come up, and the Hyangun Se Family would feel their blood run cold.
Young Master So, who should have come to negotiate, was instead heading toward Sadocheon—this would send their minds into chaos, drowning in questions.
They would send a letter to Sadocheon to learn the truth.
But such an action would only aid me.
Upon receiving word, Sadocheon would learn that the Young Master of the Nakhyang Jin Family—incomparably greater than the Hyangun Se Family—was coming to find them.
They would naturally open their gates and welcome me.
They would desperately wish to prevent me from entering Sadocheon, yet they would never realize that such efforts would only help me.
Their minds would be too confused to make sound judgments.
I smiled faintly and gazed at the sight before me.
My destination, reached by riding hard while consuming the painkillers and vitality-restoring tonics Chaeseoha had given me.
Taiyuan lay before my eyes.
I hurriedly led my horse inside the city.
Only then did I bring the horse to a halt and dismount.
I straightened my disheveled appearance and steadied my ragged breathing.
I stopped at the nearest cloth merchant, changed into the finest garments available, and slowly made my way toward Sadocheon.
I observed the people passing by.
Those who emanated an entirely different aura from the Righteous Faction.
Sharp, one might say? Or perhaps inherently sinister?
The gazes directed at me felt like those upon a wealthy person, yet deep within their eyes lay a sinister quality—as if wondering whether there was any way to exploit me.
Whether in the past or now, all martial artists are like this.
I smiled faintly as I suddenly found myself standing before Sadocheon.
Its immense scale, rivaling the Martial Arts Alliance itself, and towering halls caught my eye first.
Had I been seeing this for the first time, the magnificent sight would have left me awestruck, but having witnessed many such places recently, I felt little interest.
After walking a bit further, I arrived at the main gate of Sadocheon.
The guards stationed there regarded me with peculiar expressions.
Presently, one of them bowed lightly and spoke.
“Are you perhaps the Young Master So of the Nakhyang Jin Family?”
“Indeed I am, but how did you know?”
“Haha, please wait a moment. I shall inform those inside of your arrival.”
Whether he already knew of my coming or not, the Gatekeeper spoke in cautious tones, bowed his head, and hurried inside.
A brief time elapsed.
As I stood motionless in the quiet space, observing my surroundings, the firmly closed gate swung open and a middle-aged man emerged.
Exceptionally tall—nearly as imposing as Gu Gunbaek, though his frame fell considerably short of that bulk.
The man gazed down at me with a faint smirk.
“I’ve been expecting you. I am Ryu Hyeok-sang, Chief Administrator of Sadocheon.”
“I am Jin Cheon-u of the Nakhyang Jin Family.”
“Yes, yes, I’ve heard much about you. Come now, what are you waiting for? Let us go inside.”
I followed Ryu Hyeok-sang through the gate.
The moment I crossed the threshold, the landscape of Sadocheon unfolded before me—distinctly different from what I had witnessed at the Martial Arts Alliance.
Whether those passing through or those standing vigilant, all maintained sealed lips and sharp, wary gazes that never faltered in their scrutiny.
A keen presence emanated from every direction.
I could discern that formidable practitioners guarded this place not merely in plain sight, but from unseen vantage points as well.
“I never imagined the Nakhyang Jin Family would seek out Sadocheon. My assumptions were quite mistaken. Haha.”
“To my knowledge, this has never occurred before.”
“True enough. Though I’ve heard the nearby Martial Arts Alliance maintains considerable ties with you.”
“Perhaps because of the proximity.”
However distant the Nakhyang Jin Family kept from martial organizations, we were not entirely without connection.
Particularly with the Martial Arts Alliance, given its nearness, we occasionally exchanged business.
Especially regarding escort services and merchant guild matters.
The situation differed entirely regarding Shanxi.
Since Sadocheon directly operated establishments in Shanxi, we either utilized those or entrusted affairs to the Hyangun Se Family.
The fact that the Nakhyang Jin Family, centered in Hannam, could not even approach that region as a righteous faction also played its part.
A soft chuckle escaped.
After walking through for some time, we entered a main hall.
Upon opening the door and stepping inside, simple refreshments had been arranged, as if prepared in advance.
Ryu Hyeok-sang gestured to a seat and sat down.
“Did you learn of my arrival from the Hyangun Se Family Head?”
“He seemed quite urgent about it. He kept insisting we should not meet, but how could I ignore the Young Master So of the Nakhyang Jin Family?”
“You weigh gains and losses quite carefully, I see.”
“Haha, that is the nature of a Chief Administrator’s position. One must do whatever is necessary for Sadocheon’s future.”
Ryu Hyeok-sang smiled and brought the tea to his lips.
I naturally followed suit, sipping the tea.
In that instant, I noticed something flicker in Ryu Hyeok-sang’s eyes.
Because of aiding the Hyangun Se Family, Sadocheon and the Nakhyang Jin Family were enemies in all but name.
He surely understood that situation, yet he brought the tea cup to his lips without hesitation—not one offered before him, but one already placed there—and his expression betrayed a hint of surprise.
“When I first heard you were coming, I wondered what mistake the Hyangun Family Head had made. But now I see it clearly.”
“What do you mean, sir?”
“Your courage must have burst clean out of your belly and been hurled away. Ha ha ha.”
Though his words were somewhat grotesque, his tone suggested no ill intent.
With a broad smile still etched across his face, he regarded me once more.
The corners of his mouth curled upward with unmistakable amusement.
“So then, why did you seek out Sadocheon? Surely this is the time to negotiate with the Hyangun Family Head, is it not?”
“With the Hyangun Se Family… are you asking me?”
“Indeed. It was the Hyangun Se Family who seized your sister, and they orchestrated this affair for the sake of negotiation. Should you refuse, the Nakhyang Jin Family will face considerable trouble. You understand this, do you not?”
I nodded, affirming Ryu Hyeok-sang’s words.
Though they might claim their actions were born of desperation, I could not deny that they had positioned themselves at the cliff’s edge.
Should negotiations collapse, they would choose to leap into the abyss while dragging the Nakhyang Jin Family with them—for they were already doomed.
They would not die alone.
Ha—
A laugh escaped my lips unbidden.
Ryu Hyeok-sang’s expression grew peculiar as he observed this.
“You seem remarkably unconcerned. Or am I mistaken?”
“You are not mistaken. I truly am unconcerned.”
At my resolute words, Ryu Hyeok-sang’s eyes widened.
The mighty Nakhyang Jin Family had been attacked, and my sister and household members taken captive—a humiliation that demanded vengeance.
Were we a martial sect, this would be a moment to clench our teeth and draw our blades. Yet I dismissed it as trivial, and he could not comprehend how such a thing was possible.
His expression screamed incomprehension.
For any martial artist, this would be a matter of life and death.
I smiled wickedly.
“The reason the Hyangun Se Family dared commit such an act was precisely because of Sadocheon’s backing, was it not?”
“…!”
“Without that support, they would never have found the courage to draw their blades.”
The Hyangun Se Family’s attack on us?
It was infuriating, maddening, and utterly humiliating.
Yet the reason they could make such a decision was because the vast organization known as Sadocheon stood behind them.
They had even dispatched the Jinpung Sword Sect—not mere foot soldiers of Sadocheon.
Had the Hyangun Family Head been a more ruthless man, the Nakhyang Jin Family would have faced annihilation rather than mere injury.
Therefore, the problem was not the Hyangun Se Family.
It was Sadocheon.
And that was precisely why I had come here.
I regarded Ryu Hyeok-sang with a somewhat crooked expression.
“Do you intend to continue supporting the Hyangun Se Family?”
“Ha ha… ha ha ha! Are you threatening me now?”
“Blackmail? I was merely asking a question. Depending on your answer, I thought it prudent to consider what countermeasures we might need to implement.”
“…Countermeasures? You mean against Sadocheon?”
As he asked with his expression growing increasingly rigid, I neither confirmed nor denied his suspicion.
Instead, I merely waved my fingers through the air with deliberate ease, maintaining my smile as I continued.
“Since you oversee all matters concerning Sadocheon, you must understand well enough. The Nakhyang Jin Family may lack influence within Shanxi, but beyond its borders, we do not.”
“….”
“If we apply pressure methodically, could they endure? Would supplies even be able to enter Shanxi?”
While merchant guilds and escort houses within Shanxi could still be utilized, it was fair to say that the Nakhyang Jin Family controlled the vast majority of goods and funds flowing in from the outside.
I would sever that lifeline.
If that came to pass, they would naturally have to survive on resources already within Shanxi, but with nothing entering, prices would skyrocket, and those unable to afford them would grow hungry and destitute.
Sadocheon’s collapse would be swift.
Of course, those seeking profit would emerge, offering supplies to the struggling Sadocheon, but even that could be prevented through the Nakhyang Jin Family’s influence—such efforts would not last long.
The Chief Administrator of Sadocheon could not possibly be unaware of this.
He had grown arrogant.
Despite his elevated status, he was merely a merchant family that could be swept away if the will existed, and Sadocheon was a heaven incomparable to such trivial concerns—or so he believed.
It was what most martial artists thought.
Yet there was something he had overlooked.
Why the Martial Arts Alliance had never dared touch the Nakhyang Jin Family until now.
And why, despite numerous other merchant guilds existing, they had specifically sought to seize the Nakhyang Jin Family.
Among all merchant houses importing goods from the Western Regions or the East, none commanded the volume the Nakhyang Jin Family did, and nowhere else possessed such trust, credibility, and influence in any trade, regardless of its nature.
With a single word, I could reduce them to beggars.
Having worn fine garments and eaten quality food since childhood, he had come to take such luxuries for granted, forgetting their true source.
Everything he wore, ate, and enjoyed existed only because the merchant house functioned.
Zzzt—!
In that instant, as if something had awakened within him, Ryu Hyeok-sang’s spiritual energy surged forth.
A terrible sensation, as though my skin were being peeled away layer by layer.
His eyes, now cold and sunken, were so murderous that every hair on my body stood on end.
I too refused to yield, drawing my own spiritual energy upward while subtly grasping the sword I had placed beside the table.
Was that the reason?
I saw Ryu Hyeok-sang’s eyes widen in apparent shock.
Clap, clap, clap—!
Then.
Applause from somewhere abruptly severed the mounting tension.
Thud— thud—
Soon after, heavy footsteps echoed in my ears.
A slow approach.
Each step felt as though the heavens themselves were descending.
Without thinking, I swallowed dryly, my attention fixed on a single point.
Creak—!
The door opened, and an old man stepped inside.
The master of Sadocheon whom I had once witnessed.

Death Emperor Cheon Gong-hak.

The Absolute Being of Sadocheon materialized before my eyes.
A cryptic smile playing upon his lips.

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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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