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 174

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Before setting out on the road, I indulged in a warm bath for the first time in ages and enjoyed a proper meal.
Lying on a comfortable bed instead of a hard floor, I felt a comfort so profound it made me forget the luxury of a golden bed.
The exhaustion accumulated from my time in Namman seemed to vanish in an instant.
Rising early the next morning, I took a quick meal at the inn and mounted the horse I had prepared.
It could hardly be called a pedigree steed, but among what was available, it was reasonably decent.
I loosened my tightly bound hair and let my bangs fall forward.
Though somewhat disheveled, it looked perfectly acceptable.
With my bangs now covering my forehead and eyes, it would be difficult for anyone to recognize me as Jin Cheon-u.
Once all preparations were complete, we urged our horses forward toward Tianshan.
Though the distance was considerable and the journey would be long, compared to Namman, the conditions were far more favorable, so no one complained.
We pressed forward without rest, eating only dried meat while riding, a pace that truly deserved the name of a forced march.
Tianshan came into view seven days later.
Unlike my expectation that four days would suffice, four additional days had passed because the horses could not endure the relentless pace and had to stop several times along the way.
“Wow—is that Tianshan?”
Chu Hyeongi, who had just taken in the vista of Tianshan spreading before us, widened his eyes in considerable astonishment.
It seemed as though he were seeing it for the first time.
“You didn’t see it when you were with the master?”
“How could I have had time to look? I was too busy beating people up to appreciate the scenery.”
As if to prove his point, his wide eyes remained fixed on the landscape of Tianshan, unable to look away.
It was indeed magnificent and beautiful.
The mountain range that extended beyond sight was breathtaking, and it gave off such a sharp, piercing sensation that it would be no wonder if the phrase “Mountain of Blades, Forest of Swords” had originated from Tianshan itself.
I turned my gaze away from it.
“Are you alright?”
“Yes, I’m fine. There’s no need to worry.”
Namgung Yeon, steadying his breathing at my words, nodded once more.
Just from the way his eyes brightened as if drawing strength from my voice, it seemed there was no longer any need for concern.
I smiled and urged the horse forward again.
As the distant landscape of Tianshan grew closer and closer, the scenery beneath the mountain gradually revealed itself.
There stood a massive settlement.
Though it resembled a clearing like those of the Gonggong Sect, the scale was incomparable.
From the time I set out for Namman until now.
Among the countless villages in the Demonic Sect’s territory, this was the first place so grand.
It was like gazing upon Beijing nestled within the mountains.
Could this truly be the center of the Demonic Sect’s domain?
Clop, clop—
As I rode in on horseback, the atmosphere became palpable.
There’s something vibrant about this place.
People were smiling brightly everywhere, to the point where one might question whether this was truly the territory of the Demonic Cult, and everyone seemed to be in high spirits.
The inauguration ceremony of the new Cult Master, about to commence.
I found myself thinking—wasn’t this a kind of festival?
“Is this… the Demonic Cult? It doesn’t seem much different from Nakhyang.”
“That would be right. People are the same wherever they live.”
Namgung Yeon looked around with an expression of disbelief.
The image of the Demonic Cult she had imagined and the sight before her eyes were, no matter how she thought about it, starkly contradictory.
The righteous sects treated Demonic Cult members as evil spirits, and they were always accompanied by sinister rumors, so I suspected Namgung Yeon had been thinking the same way.
I surveyed the bustling crowd around me.
While most could be presumed to be Demonic Cult members, a considerable number of others also caught my eye.
Merchants with good relations with the Demonic Cult were coming, unwilling to miss this opportunity, selling their wares at inflated prices.
Watching this, I licked my lips.
“I should have brought a merchant along.”
“Is all you think about making money?”
“On days like this, it’s perfectly fine to overcharge. Pocket change transforms into silver ingots in an instant. It’s quite lucrative.”
“Now I understand why prices spike when festivals happen.”
At Chaeseoha’s words, even Namgung Yeon nodded in agreement. Then the two women quietly distanced themselves from me.
It was as if they didn’t want to associate with an unscrupulous merchant.
I shrugged my shoulders.
That’s what merchants do.
Never missing an opportunity to earn great profits from small investments.
Of course, that doesn’t mean selling just anything indiscriminately.
To make substantial profit, one must sell things that cost little but are most needed by many people.
Things like skewers or sweets that are easy to eat.
If you can only entice children, emptying their parents’ purses is child’s play.
But if I were to sell something here, I would choose a method that could guarantee profit with far less investment than such things.
“Water here! Water! Fresh spring water from the Tianshan valleys! It’s hot out—have a cool cup!”
Sure enough, I could see what appeared to be a water peddler in various spots, filling gourds with water and tempting people.
As if the weather itself was helping him, people unable to bear the oppressive heat like a steam room were buying water one by one.
Whether it was actually spring water from the Tianshan or not was unclear, but that it was the coolest water to quench this heat remained unchanged.
“He’s going to make a fortune.”
“Wait, isn’t that a scam? There’s a well right over there.”
“Look at the line. It’s a hundred times better to spend a few coins and buy it than to wait and have your throat dry up. And spring water is cooler than well water.”
There were reasons why people paid and bought from him.
When I let out an involuntary chuckle, not only Chu Hyeongi but even Chaeseoha and Namgung Yeon shook their heads with expressions of exasperation.
It seemed I had grasped the method of fleecing people.
As I slowly walked and moved to another location.
Chu Hyeongi, who had been following behind, wore a puzzled expression.
“Young Master, the inn is this way.”
“I have no intention of staying at an inn.”
Had things gone as I originally planned, I would have lodged at one of the inns here and searched for a way to slip inside.
But the situation has changed now.
With a justification in place, there was no need for such scheming anymore.
I surveyed my surroundings and spotted exactly who I needed.
One of them wore fine silk robes, surrounded by several bodyguards.
Though they concealed their aura as much as possible, the faint demonic energy characteristic of the Demonic Sect leaked through, making their identity instantly recognizable.
But such individuals were everywhere on these streets.
What drew my attention to this particular group was not merely their appearance, but the way people instinctively lowered their heads and parted the road as they passed.
This suggested they likely held positions of considerable influence within the Demonic Sect itself, standing above the countless others who walked these streets.
When uncertain of direction, one simply follows such people.
The four Demonic Sect members seemed to be heading somewhere, naturally departing the village and moving toward another location.
We followed in their wake.
From the village until now.
Even those with dull senses should have noticed by this point that someone was pursuing them.
The group ahead suddenly stopped in their tracks.
Then they glanced back toward us.
Upon confirming my presence alongside Jang Chuchyeong, Chaeseoha, and Namgung Yeon, their brows furrowed.
Soon, the man at the center fixed his gaze upon me.
“Are you following us, by chance?”
“Yes, we are.”
“For what reason?”
“Because I do not know the way into the Demonic Sect.”
At these words, the man’s frown deepened.
Was that the cause?
The men beside him placed their hands upon their sword hilts in a threatening gesture.
It was a clear warning that they would draw at any moment.
Consequently, Namgung Yeon and Jang Chuchyeong tensed, positioning themselves protectively at my side.
I could hardly fail to understand their caution.
If a stranger continued to follow, suspicion of their intentions was only natural.
“If I have offended you, I apologize. However, we must enter the Demonic Sect, so I took this liberty.”
“You must enter the Demonic Sect? For what reason?”
“We have come seeking a man named Na Cheonmun from the Chohon Hall.”
“Na Cheonmun?”
The man seemed unfamiliar with the name, turning to the side with a puzzled expression.
Then, one of the bodyguards whispered something to him.
Surely, he was providing information about this person called Na Cheonmun.
“The Chohon Hall handles miscellaneous affairs, and Na Cheonmun is indeed a person there. But I must ask—why do you seek him?”
“We have come to find a horse.”
“A horse? You mean the kind one rides?”
When I nodded in response to the man’s question, everyone’s brows furrowed.
It wasn’t strange for a figure from the Chohon Sect to ride horses around, but the notion that he’d come to retrieve one felt difficult to comprehend at first glance.
“The horse this gentleman received on his birthday is among the finest steeds, even difficult to procure in the Central Plains. I left it in someone’s care, but the Stable Keeper apparently sold it to a man named Na Cheonmun.”
“Sold means he purchased it with money. Then shouldn’t we be apprehending that Stable Keeper?”
It was the reaction I’d anticipated.
Judging by their behavior—as if there were no problem since money had exchanged hands—it seemed clear that the horse Na Cheonmun brought had become a topic of conversation significant enough to reach their ears.
Or perhaps it had already been presented to the Mount destined to become the new Heavenly Horse.
I smiled faintly and withdrew something from my robes, tossing it forward.
A pouch flew through the air and landed in the man’s grasp.
“That’s the price Na Cheonmun paid for the horses. He took three, not one, and I’ve brought it all back intact. Please verify it yourself.”
The man who received the pouch checked its contents.
Though a considerable sum lay within, considering the value of the three horses taken, the amount felt woefully insufficient.
A figure beside him, apparently a bodyguard, whispered once more.
He was undoubtedly speaking about the horses’ worth.
It seemed clear they were associates connected to Na Cheonmun.
Sure enough, I saw the corners of the man’s mouth rise, and soon he hurled the pouch back toward me.
“I apologize, but it would be better to use that money to purchase new horses. And I’m warning you—it would be wise not to follow us any further.”
The man, who had delivered his warning with a gaze as cold as death itself, turned his back and began walking away.
Watching him go, I fingered the pouch in my hand and muttered.
“Didn’t I say? It was a gift.”
“Ha ha ha—then go back and receive it again.”
The man, without even glancing back, waved his hand mockingly. He paid no attention, as if unwilling to engage further, and the distance between us steadily grew.
In that moment, I stopped them all with just a single phrase.
“I received it from the Demon King.”
“…!”
“And this person here is the Demon King’s direct disciple.”
Sure enough, the men halted in their tracks.
As if suddenly concerned again, they turned their faces—which had shown such indifference—to look at me, their lips trembling as they spoke.
“Who… did you say just now?”
“The Demon King. Don’t you know? He lived quite nearby. And I said this person is his disciple.”
I gently pushed Chu Hyeongi forward to stand before them.
In that instant, I saw the men’s pupils flare with savage intensity. After all, I’d never seen factions living in close proximity maintain good relations with one another.
Especially after Gu Gunbaek became Gung-ju, how much had they suffered?
Their teeth had every reason to gnash.
Perhaps due to the killing intent that had begun to subtly emanate from them, Chu Hyeongi, who had stepped forward so suddenly, smiled awkwardly and spoke with caution.
“…What are you doing, sir?”
Startled by the sudden formal address, Chu Hyeongi hurriedly opened his mouth, but I quickly reached out and jabbed his ribs, silencing him.
As the killing intent deepened, I gazed at the men with a bright smile.
With an expression suggesting I wouldn’t mind if they attacked, I pointed mockingly toward the west where Namman lay and spoke.
“Shall I go back and retrieve it as you suggested?”
In an instant, deep furrows etched themselves across the men’s brows.

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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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